F A N G I R L I N G   S E C T I O N

HOMIGOD. You guys! 으르렁!!! So, I was at my college orientation when this was released, but thankfully it was during the breakfast buffet section, so I just went to the bathroom and I watched it in one of the stalls with my headphones on, and I was basically sobbing to myself while sitting on the toilet, because this release! Okay, I dunno how to organize this so that it's orderly, but HOT DAMN, THEY ARE ALL SO FREAKING Y. And the dance had so much hip-ing and SWAG and I just couldn't and I just FALKJHJGHLSFHG AND THAT ONE PART IN THE DANCE WHERE THEY ALL GRAB THEIR CROTCH AND PUSH THEMSELVES UP, and all their camera face-shots, I just

R E V I E W   S E C T I O N 

THE SONG

Before I got into Kpop, I was super into the hip-hop and R&B scene, so seeing whenever I listen to hip-hop/R&B song in Kpop, I basically just flip out for like ten minutes and then start rolling around in my feelz, because I love hip-hop and R&B songs so much. The arrangement reminded me a bit of BAP in that it started out with a rap sequence, transitioned into the vocals and chorus, cut to a rap sequence in the middle of the song, and then cut to the chorus again, but it was still uniquely EXO since their rapping styles are different. I think, the more songs they release, EXO is really starting to flesh out their own unique sound, which absolutely thrills me as they start making a name for themselves in the business.

I think EXO is really going to benefit from releasing a song like this because, unlike Mama and Wolf, which were very heavy dependent on the performance aspect of the song while not exactly radio-friendly, 으르렁 (Growl) is the type of song that one can listen to without having to imagine the dance moves in order to make sense of the song. Since the song is radio-friendly they'll gain more fame. 

I really liked the trio (Suho, Baekhyun, Chen) in the Korean Version, that part of the song right after Luhan sings. I can't be the only one who thinks Suho is an underrated singer, right? Suho might not be able to hit the high notes like Baekhyun or Chen, but his voice has a nice baalnce between being soft and being edgy which I think is really unique. Hopefully he has more opportunities to show that off in the future! 

My favorite part of the song is probably either Chanyeol and Kai's rap sequence in the second half of the Korean song or the second verse, starting off with D.O. and his y voice. In the Chinese Version, Tao's rap sequeunce was also the highlight for me. If I had to choose a least favorite... just kidding, I loved everything about this song :)

After reading the English translation of the song, here's my understanding of it: 으르렁 (Growl) is a song that expresses the feelings of a fiercly protective and slightly insecure male speaker (presumably a "wolf") who, after falling in love with a girl, warns others not to hurt her or else be prepared to face him. Judging from the translation here, the speaker of the song is either so in love with the girl that he'd protect from anyone who might hurt her, or is insecure about his love for the girl and wants to keep others away from her in order to keep her for himself. 

THE DANCE

Is it just me or was this the most swagged-out dance EXO has ever done? This dance really stood out to me because it didn't feature too much of the contemporary style that EXO usually does like in History, Mama, or Wolf. Like the song, it had a lot of hip-hop to it, and it matched the flow of the song perfectly while giving it a bit of street edge. What I admired is that the choreographers took movements that would otherwise look awkward and made a really amazing dance out of it. It was hot. 

I really admire EXO for working so hard. During that year hiatus that we thought they were doing nothing, they were, in reality, learning Wolf and 으르렁 (Growl) at the same time. For someone like me who doesn't have an ounce of dedication to commit to learning a dance, that is a huge feat. I think my favorite part of the dance is definitely the sliding-on-the-floor-with-our-knees move and all the heads nods and of course all of Kai's come-ons. 

The smooth transitioning was also really impressive! Despite moving from one gorup of dancers to the next, the flow of the dance was pretty seamless and really showed off their teamwork and coordination. I'm worried about that back-twisting move, though. It looks like it depends a lot on the strength of one's waist, and if I recall correctly, Kai, Lay, and Tao seem to be prone to suffering injuried around their waists and spines. I hope they'll be careful with this dance.

THE VIDEO

I guess I have to give SM some credit for not putting them in weirdly-lit, geometric shaped room with no entrances or exits whatsoever. I think the underground car park setting worked well, however. It was plain enough that it didn't take attention away from the song or dance or the boys themselves, and it was still a legitimate location/setting. The flashing light fixtures, however cool they were, hurt my eyes a little bit since they had to go in and out of focus all the time, but I can overlook it. 

I was totally amazed that the entire video appears to have been shot in one continuous take. HOLY . I can imagine how hard that must have been. I have trouble doing videos in one take, even when the video is only like 10 seconds long. The camera work was so amazing, and that's saying a lot since I usually am not a huge fan of SM's camera work. But it appears SM's 360-degree camera finally got a cool upgrade as they were able to examine different angles and takes, all the while shooting in one continuous shot. It gave viewers a unique perspective into the dance as well and gave the video this weird effect of being... weightless, somehow. It was just so smooth and I loved it! 

Another thing I totally loved about this video was SM decided to put the boys in school uniforms, snapbacks, and Pumas! They were plain outfits in comparison to Mama and History, but what I thought was cool was how each of the boys wore the uniform in a different way so that their individuality stood out and they still looked... coordinated. Like they were all the same and yet different, too. And because the outfits were so plain, it didn't detract from the awesomeness of the dances.

See, what I thought was cool was that even though the outfits were so plain, and they were covered up head-to-toe, they were still hot and y, bt not because of body-exposure, but because of the charisma they oozed from their dancing. So it turns out as a confident sort of y. 

OVERALL OPINION

Overall, I think EXO is really going to benefit from this repackage release. It's got the whole package: hot boys, y dances moves, and an amazing, radio-friendly song. And I can't wait to see them grow as artists! If you haven't seen the music video's yet here are the links! I also watched their comeback stage and Chanyeol was the MC! Along with Sulli... I think I am starting to ship this OTL

KOREAN VERSION

CHINESE VERSION

Translated Lyrics

Comeback Stage

I actually really like the History music video XD hehe~