NewJeans Ditto Will Change How You See K-pop Forever

Kpop didn't save my life, but it definitely saved my fashion sense.

newjeans been warning us not to be too obsessed with kpop and then they continue to release fire music.

I feel DITTO is a reminder to fans to not get lost in kpop and don't forget to live for themselves before life passes by. 😊

PLEASE READ IF YOU CAN:
The part where the girls are dancing in front of the train is one of the most important scenes because it represents a hard truth: idols don’t need an individual.
Yes it sounds harsh, but let me explain. Heeseo felt that she had her part in the group by being the one to record them. She felt included. But in part B you see the girls don’t need Heeseo in order to do what they do. Kpop idols need and love their fans as a collective, but they can’t know every single one of us on a deep personal level - that’s just impossible. So if they can’t give all of themselves to you, why would you do the same for them?
I’m not saying don’t listen to them, but understand that they can’t nor should they be your entire life just like you can’t be theirs. It’s not healthy. Enjoy their music and their personality, but don’t use it as a crutch for life. It will only let you down.

NewJeans is the first Kpop girl group I’ve seen that actually exposes the toxic side to Parasocial Relationships, most groups take advantage.
Edited: Just to Clarify I meant seen in as in visually
I do know that groups have made songs about this topic. (Pied Piper, Ext)

I am so proud of new jeans(the whole team this includes the girls and all the staff) for setting a healthy boundry with their fans so early on even though they did it metaphorically the message to use kpop in a healty way is an important one cause i myself see lots of fans use it as escapasim.

This feels personal. I AM addicted to my phone, kpop and I’m lonely. I have no ambition and no life. This realisation has hit me back at 2019 and I realised that I’m too focused on someone else’s life. A little thinking has lead me where I needed to be and I stopped and was actually the main character of my own story. I fell back on the trap again in 2021 and now I’m here. I’m gonna try and break the cycle again.

What’s cool about this MV is that the analogy can work and be interpreted in so many ways. I agree it can be about the parasocial relationships of Kpop idols and fans, but it can also be used as an analogy to Escapism in general. Her love interested didn’t seem literal to me. I interpreted it as him being the real world, whether that’s potential love interest, potential friends, your family, your school, career, or hobbies. And a part of her feels interest and wants to be a part of the real world, but she’s not confident in herself. So she turns to the thing that never judges her. That never makes her feel bad - which is NewJeans in this case.
the deer symbolizes her youth and naivety. She knows she has to grow up and face reality and her camera, symbolizing the addiction of our phones to our escapism is finally let go.
The end scene where she grows up, I interpreted her “sadness” as her going through hard times again as an adult and her escaping to her nostalgia to make herself feel better. It cuts to black abruptly to say that - the rest of the story, we all know how it goes. It’s a bleak ending. It’s like saying, no matter how hard we try to stop our escapism, hard times will always bring them back. But one thing to note is that she also smirks a bit at the end, and it’s subtle but I find it important. It symbolizes that she no longer is delusional about her escapism but can run back to it when she’s unhappy. Notice that in the scene where NewJeans opens the door, it’s still sort of vintage video looking. That means the protagonist knows it’s not “reality” and that it’s just something that brings her joy.

this was actually confirmed by the director on an interview but i noticed that most "older" fans or people who've been fans of older generations who already disbanded or are gone understood the meaning right away while younger fans who are at the peak of their kpop obsession not only didn't see it but came up with paranormal theories lol or upright were fighting people who understood this bc it could not possibly be true! in conclusion it's great that newjeans is setting boundaries and is telling fans to touch grass but i think fans will need to touch bottom to aknowledge the unhealthiness of it all

So the deer must symbolize her youth passing her by... her losing the formative years because she's isolated, avoiding real connection and treating NJ as her only happiness in life. That's why when she's older she's crying, because she knows what she went through and that it was unhealthy, but she's glad that at least she had one thing that made her happy and help her go through the toughest moments.
Wow I love this song and music video even more now

Damn this was deep. It doesn't just apply to k-pop but also anything that we seek after that provides us temporary happiness or dopamine preventing us from facing our real life.

My story with Kpop has changed me in 2018. I was obsessed since 2008, SHINee being my first group.. and Jonghyun being my favorite that I was obsessed with. I followed all his music and he made me so happy with his infectious smile and beautiful voice. Whenever he passed… I finally realized the reality that Kpop idols are humans like me.. I never knew his real life, none of the fans did because we weren’t there. I always relied on his happiness on stage to make me happy. I was insanely depressed when he passed.. I still get so choked up thinking about it. Just something I thought I’d share. A few years after that I backed off from relying on Kpop as hard as I did growing up, because it was all I had. I feel like I have a healthy relationship with it now.

Honestly it makes me so emotional how they handled this subject by spreading this message with so much care and empathy because they know how young the fans are and how they need to be connected to.

This hits hard cause I remember Chan saying in one of his vlives that they shouldn't be our only source of happiness and we should be our own happiness. Tbh I think that moment was basically the moment where I realized that kpop is there but not t h e r e. It's there when you need it but not there in real life. I did notice how my relationships changed towards other people and how much I started to kind of "isolate" myself from the real world and the problems cause of course it's easier to escape problems than run into them and fight em.
It's not a joke when you say that you fall into a "deep hole" as soon as you join kpop. Cause it IS in fact a deep hole. Usually we talk about that deep hole in a positive way even though a deep hole has more of a negative meaning. You can't get out, you're alone, it's dark. And still we refer to it as good. I've come to realization, that it sadly isn't always that good. Cause yes you start liking that hole cause your idols are there and you have tike for yourself you don't need to think about real life. But see the light at the end of the hole. The part you fell in. As the reality. The hole won't age, it won't change for you. But real life will continue, with or without you and now you're basically "stuck" in a hole that keeps you from living your real life... it's sad when I think about it. And I hope you got what I mean referring to that deep hole. :)
I ALSO WANT TO ADD, that my kpop enter was because I had real life problems with friends and a friend showed me kpop then. And back then when I was into it I used to think "I have kpop" when I thought about being alone and not having friends around me. Now, nearly 4 years later I understand, that this isn't the case. Kpop did change my life in a good way but also in a bad way cause of the constant body image and how thin idols are, there I said it. It kept me in a constant bubble of my own world. It's like I was a person on TV in a show. And only that. Once the show stops I'm gone. There's no me without the show. And to think of that makes me sad and happy at the same time. Cause I think I NEEDED to realize that. We all need to realize that kpop can't be your constant escape. :)

I just turned 30, and did not discover kpop until I was 26. I've never taken it too seriously, but I have admittedly fallen in love with the sound, colors, lights, and beautiful women on the screen. With that being said, I still live my life, and meet my goals grounded in reality. We all have our OWN paths to walk, including our beloved kpop artists. Get a job, save your money and travel to different places and meet the people you're supposed to meet. See and experience things that are missed by many. Make your life worth living and create your own bucket list and start doing them one by one. Life and youth are WAY too short, don't waste it in a digital space.

I literally cried while watching this
It’s very emotional 😭😭😭

I cried watching ditto ngl, it’s scary but sad. And this is just a bside

the very first line of the song was "stay in the middle, like you a little", which means heesoo is happy being stuck between fangirling, having a daydream with newjeans and having a little crush on someone.
then later,the lyrics change to " i don't want to stay in middle, like you a little which indicates that heesoo realizes that she don't want to be stuck between that. then she left newjeans to be with the guy. then when she got older. she was alone. either the guy left or died. then she reminisce about that memories and accept newjeans again in her life.

Tbh,I was getting addicted to kpop at a time but thank GOD I was taken back to reality,I don't hope to be someone else,or walk in someone else's shoe, I want to be living out my purpose,the reason for my existence 💆

this, this entire video is literally everything. kpop can’t ever save one’s life. it can help one escape, but at some point on we need to know as much as idols bring us comfort and joy, we cannot deny reality. we’re gonna have to come back to reality and face it, face whatever’s undone and fix whatever’s broken. kpop can’t help with that, it can’t save your life. that’s the harsh truth. i feel like for most people including myself, kpop is the equivalence of running away. we go to kpop because we seek for the comfort and joy we get from these idols, we want to run away from the harsh reality we live in. but it’s only ever gonna hurt you more as you’re only avoiding your problems and responsibilities. i get it, no one ever wants to have to face or deal with their own problems, but at some point we do because we can’t keep relying on kpop and hoping that things will sort out for the best. no one’s going to fix the problem or whatever it is that you’re responsible for besides you, yourself.
and let me just say this can apply to anything, not just kpop. whatever you find is your neverland, your escape, at one point you need to come back to reality and face it, whether you like it or not.

I think that at the end, the huge message is: It's totally okay to feel happy with kpop; to feel good and escape a bit, but always remeber that real life is out there and we need to live just like the idols are living their lives!

Mostly correct interpretation EXCEPT for this: you keep saying 'she realizes she's alone, she's all alone, she was alone all along' - and that's the message at the end of side A, sure. BUT the end message of side B is a bit of the opposite. When the adult Hee Seo watches the video and smiles, she realizes that just because it was a one-way street relationship, it doesn't mean the happiness and comfort she took from her idols was fake; it was all true, it truly made her happy. The MVs are about balancing our inner fantasy of the k-pop world, where all is pretty and happy, and real life, which is full of challenges and grief. They say 'if life gets too hard, it's okay to escape to this light and beautiful world; but when life calls you back, it's also ok to 'abandon' your idols and go tackle the real world again.'

I want to say ‘what are you talking about I’m not depressed?’ But then I’m 37 years old and while I’m happy now, I discovered K-pop when I was 17. When I think back I was unhappy, stressed with exams and I didn’t fit in with many people at school. At the time I felt like I had discovered something special. Back then KRplus was in its infancy and I used to order kpop cds online… it’s amazing to see how big K-pop has become since then, and through seeing all these new fans I see that clearly K-pop resonates with so many people, not only me. I would never say K-pop saved my life but it made me who I am today- it made me dance in my room, influenced my fashion and makeup and gave me a power source so that I could feel confident inside. I’m also now living in Korea, and as a result I’ve learned so much about Korean culture and language thanks really to being exposed to K-pop!

as someone who can quite literally say "kpop saved my life" like most. was going through a rough time minutes before i was about to give it all up and i put my trust in kpop to bring me happiness and it stopped me from having such bad health and i realised, kpop can bring me happiness and saved my life but if something i cant truly have being meeting my fav kpop members, i have my friends that i will always have with me and even if i lose them ill always have other people in my life i can turn to for advice unlike a screen. In short kpop = happiness but real life = real help.

As someone who already grew up with Kpop 2nd gen to 4th gen. Please live your life, Kpop is always there, you don't have to dedicate your all into it. Having that very parasocial relationship before. I had a pretty well followed fan account at my lowest even had breakdowns in that account and dedicated all my time in Kpop. It didn't help that at my lowest of lows was also the same time a lot of idols had their lowests and even giving up (2018) so I began pondering if I should give up as well. I had no friends, never had close relations and my family were never really present. I had kpop, the idols, the songs, the lyrics that were comforting me. I had my fellow friends online that also had a big parasocial relationship with kpop groups. I was also incredibly self-centered, I lived in my own world. Then college came, I decided to be active at school and meet people. I've never been happier afterwards. I met people who were kind, that broadened my perspective, people with the same problems as I do and those who got through all of it. Fell in love, broke my heart, got into difficult situations. Kpop was there to comfort me from time to time but I know that if I stayed at my bubble like I did when I was younger I wouldn't grow as much as I did now. Kpop was always there, the songs that comfort and encourage you, but the idols aren't someone you can rely on for connection. I've graduated now have so much healthy relationships and I achieved my goals in my career. Kpop is just there, something I listen to and make my day a little brighter. The idols are people you watch to give you inspiration. It'll never save you, only you can save yourself.
Edit: I didn't know this will get a lot of attention but I'm glad people appreciated my little story and some taking it as a reminder 💕. There are a lot of great people in the world even though I know a lot of us have been wronged and are afraid. Even if we fall short sometimes or are down there's always a lesson behind it. When things are down there's always Kpop to cheer us up and the songs to comfort us. I wish you all a great journey in your life!

i think the statement of 'K-POP saved my life' true for those who had no reason to live anymore until they meet their idols. So it's literally saving them from ending their life, if that makes sense.
K-POP and the fandom is like a support system, it's a crutch to help you to walk. When your life is a lot better because of your effort, you don't need the crutch anymore, you can walk fine on your own. So many k-pop fans prove that the emotional support system they get from their idols help them to open up to people more, make new friends, get better grades, etc because real or not, it gives them emotional support that they need. Not everyone lucky enough to have caring friends or family, some people have none of those.
[edited]
If they have a support system around them, they won't resort to someone far away that don't even know them. It's because they don't have that, idols are the only thing available for them at that moment. FOR THAT MOMENT, they find a reason to live. FOR THAT MOMENT, they're saved.
In the MV, if Heesoo didn't even have the girls, we don't know what would happened to her. She probably wouldn't even be alive. I think this could also be another way to interpret the MV tbh. Because of the girls' help, she survived and moved on with her life. That's why she look back to those times with them as fond memories. She sees those moments with them as her safe space back then, when she needs it the most.
If we want to talk about 'It's not good for the long run', it's true, but that's for later. Some people, everyday they don't even want to live, don't have a purpose in their life to keep on living. If you don't know how that feels like, then you're a lucky one. These idols keep people alive day by day until they feel okay enough to walk on their own.
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That's why Ditto is so genius and beautiful to me, it pictures the parasocial relationship between idols and their fans with so much quiet empathy and understanding of today's youth hardships and pain, it gives me chills. In a way, this mv portrays New Jeans and Heesoo, who lives in separate reality but somehow connected to each other (through kpop) so they are both real. That's why New Jeans, they look confused and sad when Heesoo left them, and Minji keep calling her on her phone because as idols, they also need their fans.
Heesoo's classmates, they can't see them because as outsiders who's not into kpop, they don't understand the bond that Heesoo and the girls had. They could be the representation of those people who says "why do you like those korean boys / girls so much"
Ditto can be seen as a love letter from idol to fans "I'll be here for you when you need me the most. Be happy and live your life to the fullest, i'll be sad when you're gone but I'll always be here for you to be back when you need it."
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addressing kpop as escapism :
in mental health, temporary escapism is considered healthy and pleasurable if not overdone. Binge watching netflix, social media, binge eating, shopping, smoking, alcohol, partying, art, dancing, even gardening is a form of escapism. There's two types of escapism, healthy and not healthy ones.
Music and entertainment, which K-POP obviously is, is officially considered HEALTHY escapism. Again, if not overdone to the point where your life is stuck for way too long to the point that it's unhealthy.

This fuckin MV got me teared up once I analysed it in my own eyes. As a (sorta) lonely person who watched this it hit too close to home, but I love the way they interpreted this in a MV.
Additional notes:
- I searched what deer meant in Korean culture, and in ancient times it was said that deer was believed to be the connection between the heavenly beings and the earthly beings.
- this music video also may symbolise how escapism cant really work. Its like no matter how many times we try to divert away from reality, we snap back feeling depressed or empty everytime.

I fully agree, I used to be “obsessed” with kpop in the past although I stopped. I felt pretty good without kpop and I was doing fine without it. But I started to hear and see more kpop wherever I go. I’m glad I watched this video because it taught a very valuable lesson. I listen to kpop nowadays again and watch some kpop videos but I’m not using it to make myself feel better or using it to make me feel happy. There are plenty of other things in my life that make me happy and feel good, so I’m not obsessing over kpop idols anymore because tbh I don’t need them in my life. Instead, I’m just listening to kpop songs just to enjoy the music.

It's really cool to see how creative this concept is. They even made a youtube channel called "Ban Heesoo" which is supposed to be like her own channel that has Heesoo's recordings and two Ditto dance practices (One is the normal one and the other is a modified version of it). Crazy cool.
I just found out that the titles of the recordings are the dates of when she took it. 19981222 December 22nd 1998. I also found out the descriptions on the videos is Heesoo writing about the video (it is in korean so you may have to translate it) It's really cool.
again i found out that "Ban Heesoo" sounds like the fandom name "Bunnies" goddamn Crazy cool.

I mostly agree with your opinion, but one thing I can't totally agree with is that the existence of fans does not affect idols. The idol, Newjeans, looks happy in 'HeeSoo's view'. However, when she took her eyes off them, they looked unhappy or confused, and did not know what to do. Also, when NewJeans drew HeeSoo, the lyric says, "너를 상상했지 (I imagined you)" - I think it means even though the Idol cannot with their fans physically in real life, they still think of you and tries to imagine who you are. Just as the fan imagines her idol, the idols imagine their fan!
So, In short, I think the music video 'ditto', wants to say to fans, don't avoid your real life - but also please don't forget the happy memories that were together. The fan-idol relationship seems one-way, but it is not. I think it's the point.

if i hadn't watched this video out of curiosity i would not have become a tokki. i watched the ditto mv b4 watching this one and it was just raining outside so while listening and watching the mv, it really made me emotional like i have never felt so emotional over an mv, the atmosphere was just too perfect. looking back i can never forget how this mv changed the trajectory of my life. and i watched this almost a year ago now and thats just crazy

Its unbelievable how they were able to grip us fans with such a sensitive topic while also being young!! this just shows how mature they are already!!!! This song in particular with their theory and the tune was mind blowing and it hit me so hard. New Jean's songs are all just extraordinarily out of the box and so creative 😍, hope they keep creating music and rule as kpop queens!!

I literally was s*icid*l when I got into kpop in 2003. While people say "oh kpop saved your life!", I say it was a tool to get better. Do not let something CONTROL your life. NewJeans is definitely going up, they are all talented people. I still listen to kpop to this day and Ditto did something to me.
And to anyone reading, life is hard and I understand why people migrate to kpop. Just know you aren't alone and you are loved. Life is just a road with a lot of bumps, you will soon hit a smooth road though. You got this. :)

I think this doesn't only apply to K-pop but to fandom culture overall. We live in a day of age where most people almost like live on the internet, and sometimes I feel that's eating away our personal lives outside of media. It is much easier to ignore your problems and focus on the one and only thing that makes you happy, which in a lot of cases in K-pop, celebrities and media because they seem flawless. Being a fan of someone is totally fine but there are many people around me that I'm concerned for because their life is just a pop group and nothing else. There's a point where being a fan becomes unhealthy and people need to WAKE UP.
I really like NewJeans for presenting this message in such a creative way and honestly just an applause for the team who came up with this whole storyline and concept.

Well, for something that sounds really good and appealing to watch, I didn't expect it would be that deep.

I personally believe that apart from everything that you mentioned in this video. Their song also represents a sense of alienation and how most teenagers use some sort of escapism to avoid the problems that they encounter in life. It's so nuanced and this song has so many different levels of meaning. It can be interpreted in such emphatically different ways. I think that this ability of the song to have multiple interpretations is what precisely defines it's beauty.

This needs to blow up and go viral because EVERY. SINGLE. KPOP FAN. NEEDS TO HEAR THIS. I admit, I sometimes prioritize kpop and kpop content wayyyy more than my real life. I have so many more important things to do, like STUDYING. I'm having my finals in 1 week but I find myself getting so distracted because of? kpop. And I have to say, kpop makes me feel temporarily happy, but sometimes it makes me insecure of my looks too. I think it's okay to like and enjoy kpop but we have to draw that line and just go out and live our own life.

I love your reading of this video. I think it's the one I agree with too. And your ultimate message, to use kpop as escape, not let life pass you by as you consistently put kpop over everything else, is so well explained. Thanks for this video. I'm so obsessed with Ditto too, it's so good.

Just another important thing to be aware of.
You never know what idols are going through. You can see them on camera perfectly happy, but they had a down point in life of suffering just like us too. Just know that you are not alone, we all go through things, and that we cannot depend on one another, because you will hurt yourself. Keep going and try to see the reality and the positivity and be strong on the life that is coming ahead of us now. Your dreams are possible, it’s all in your head. Fight your hopeless thoughts and just like NewJeans and any other Kpop idol did, they fought through the hard challenges and got to the end. Now they have a happy ending, and we shouldn’t listen to our negative thoughts.
As always, believe in yourself and everything’s possible, WE ARE STRONG. Don’t let anything bring you down! What you see on camera, isn’t reality. ❤
Also, if you think about it, how did NewJeans fight for their life? They all went through tough times. They just don’t show it on camera, and as always if they are having a hard time, they keep going.
[Just for us as to remember and to keep in mind, they let us remember and remind us to keep going in life, just like they did. Their hard work as Kpop idols to get to where they are today brought them success and made them become a bigger bright person, and we must take the good things off of it. Use them as a tool to help, but don’t be obsessed of them though. Make them inspire you to keep going and be stronger.] ✨

I got into kpop around 2017...that time I was in 7th grade. For me it was a wholesome experience. I learned new culture, language and most importantly I was learning what I like or not. I was so into kpop that I never worried to make some good friends. I still had those diary notes where I said myself I'm happy with books and BTS around me. They changed my life! It was 2022...when I was in 12th..I realized I'm alone with no friends when I first time came to my hostel. I still have none. But now I'm not emotionally dependent on kpop. I quit kpop. It's not like I don't listen to music but it's just not it doesn't affect me at all...and when I listen to old songs it gives me nostalgia:)

Finally, people are realizing it.
It's not all cupcakes and rainbows, also keep in a touch with reality and make it balanced.
This come back just changed my view of NJ as a whole group. Well done👏🏻

i love kpop mvs/songs that have a way deeper meaning than it seems 🫶

best video ive seen in a while tbh. I can so relate to the phrase ''kpop saved my life'' even though im pretty young, i have understood kpop in all ways and kpop is still a big source for happiness for me, but i have found a good balance between kpop and real life so i live perfectly (:
Thank you for making this amazing video!!! (((:

i like to say kpop did change my life for the better, even after watching the video. i went through a hard break up and had lost interest in everything i liked simply because my ex liked it too. i didnt want anything to remind me of the past. then, i found kpop. i felt happier and in a better mental state. i met new people who liked what i liked, and my life did change for the better. i became more confident and felt more loved. i got more friends because i became more outgoing, simply because kpop made me feel happier. i understand to not make idols my only form of happiness, but they did help me to find another form of happiness. kpop helped me to take a break for a moment, find people to help me, then i helped myself. i fixed my problems, just because kpop introduced me to people who could help me. and i regret none of my choices. kpop helped me to save my own lifw, and to work my way out of the hole of sorrow i dug for myself by helping me to find people who can help me.

it's revealed through her youtube channel that heesoo's name is Ban Heesoo, i.e. Bunnies. it feels like newjeans is saying to their fans directly that newjeans can be with you through everything, but logically the group/any group shouldn't be your absolute everything, and you should continue to live your life with the music there for you as a source of energy and comfort when you need and want it. you deserve the chance to create a balanced and fulfilling personal life for yourself, so use the music as a helpful tool, your life soundtrack, a place to connect, etc., but not a longterm distraction.

This is such an awesome commentary on the parasocial relationships that are developed throughout K-pop and how strong they truly feel in the moment, i think it’s so cool that a K-pop group itself is promoting this criticism. K-pop is a comfort it is not a solution

I feel sorry to my younger self for what I think today. I started getting into kpop in '13 when I met bts, I was 11 back then. I had lots of emotional problems, dealt with depression etc. It continued 'til '18 when I quit kpop. I was building the feeling that kpop idols are my true friends and they love me and will be always by my side. Little did I know that at the end of the day, when i put my phone down there was noone. Im thankful for them kind of building my personality and who Im now, but I'm also glad that I could try to face the reality and finally make up my problems.
Lovely interpretation, opened my mind, ty.

I feel like, KPOP really can change your life, but it can't save your life. It might be a good change, but sometimes, it turns a obsession or a dependence. The New Jeans showing us that, it's extremely interesting!

Omg, I was *super depressed* when I got into K-pop. True story: I was planning to “unalive’ myself with carbon monoxide poison on Dec 9, 2018. Everything was ready to go, but I had this beat in my head I couldn’t shake even through my tears. I wanted to see what the video was out of curiosity, and although I was not initially impressed by BTS, that night I became crazy about their music. I played their songs over and over for almost 48 hours. I just wanted to hear more. So, I guess I can say BTS saved my life because I had FOMO syndrome (fear of missing out). When I ventured onto other K-pop artists, I couldn’t believe there was so much good music and content to be consumed, but I’ll always credit BTS for opening the genre “door” for me (if that makes sense). I didn’t end up giving up on my real life, quite the opposite, in fact. I started my dream business, I network and stuff like that now. I’m also getting a PhD in a field I truly love as opposed to the one other people expected me to get. I’ve learned to be a little more selfish. Anyway, K-pop kept me alive enough to have hope. Hope that I could pursue my dream because I had nothing else to lose. I don’t think K-pop did that though, but instead of planning my own demise, I stayed alive long enough to feel as if it was worth living instead of K-pop postponing what I thought was the inevitable (I’m not the kind of person who screams s*icide every time something goes wrong, and no one had any idea I was going to do this). So I had to deal with my problems. Sorry this was so long.

I am so glad I found this video.
As a 20-something adolescent, I am currently working overseas from my home and away from my family.
Though it's because I am still new to it, the hours can be gruelling and the fears of making mistakes can creep up in ways that are incredibly painful.
KPOP became one of the outlets I use to find comfort in my stressful days, but although I can understand that it might do me more harm than good to just use *only it* as my crutch, I never really understood that more until after watching your video.
Recently I've been trying to find better ways of de-stressing. My current home is near a beach so I usually go there after work to just listen to the crashing while watching the sunset.
No phone. No internet. Maybe a bottle of water. And just sitting down and let the quiet scenary and the calm waves wash away my anxiety.

I think the deer might symbolise independence. I'm not a k-pop fan, but it gets reccommended to me so often. *Independence is something Heesoo did not have, thus why she was teary eyed staring at the deer (independence) infront of her.*
It goes for everyone. Enjoy browing the Interent, enjoy movies enjoy music. But this escape from reality does not alter reality itself. At the end of the day, we still live with our problems, regrets, worries.
Heeso perfectly encapsulates most of the audience. We all have our problems, but the Interent only reliefs the pain slightly, not stopping it.
Go out and interact with friends. Go out for dinner or a walk. Play an instrument or do some journaling:)

NewJeans' 2022 felt like looking at a beautiful chess opening.
NewJeans made one of the most iconic debuts of all time and they did catch my attention.
However, I didn't call myself a fan in those days because their music videos felt "too Gen Z" for my taste. (Still, I was addicted to their music.)
The latest release of "Ditto" changed my mind.
I have noticed that the MVs have reached a wide audience (to a more mature demographic)
and some of them were non-K-pop fans just enjoying the nostalgic/retro vibes.
As you mentioned in one of previous videos, "the K-pop industry is about to change."
I believe NewJeans is one of the major forces behind the movement.
I can confidently say that we will find NewJeans-esque rookies in the near future.
Thanks for the great video as always. I had high expectations for NewJeans... and was completely blown away.

I wanna talk about the K-pop saved my life” point for a second since I really like your view on it :) 1) No. K-pop didn’t save anyones life, it’s just a genre. All k-pop idols did was make music but you, you used them as a distraction to get through a bad period of time or whatever. You could’ve watched a stream or an anime or whatever and you would’ve said the same thing. It could’ve been anything, it just happened to be k-pop. 2) This leads to something bigger which is the parasocial relationship k-pop fans have with k-idols. They are not your friends. No, they do not love you. No matter how much they say it, they don’t mean it. Not because they don’t want to, but because they LITERALLY can not. They don’t know you, they never will. “These idols are the only thing that are saving my life”, they’re not. It’s all in your head. Make sure that you’re only listening to k-pop to escape reality for a quick second and to take a break. Make sure you’re only listening for a good time. As the creator said, if you get to a point where K-pop is your only source of happiness, stop. The harder this is for you to accept, the worse your situation is and the more delusional you are.

Basically its all about balance in life .. and ofcourse these idols should not be the absolute reason of our happiness!! It feels soo good to see the modern kpop having real and this deep topic

this video has reslly told me straight to my face what i need and many more need to hear, thank you

Now that Ditto has been explained more to me, it has changed my whole mindset towards life & kpop.

I got into K-pop at a young age, I wasn’t depressed or going through a hard time, so I can’t say it has saved me. I think it has helped me find myself and be true to myself. Everyone around thought I was weird for listening to K-pop, but the older I got I realized that listening and liking K-pop is who I am and I should be proud of that.

The ,,she can't live without NewJeans, but NewJeans are totally fine without her" hit me

Music saves many lives, music did save my life in the past because I had a way to express my feelings safely. The problem starts when you get involved in their lives, when you fall for them in an obsessive way, usually people listen to music and they are happy for those artists and their music but sometimes with k-pop, fans want to be involved in the idol's lives... Never forget that the entertainment industry exists for you to have fun and enjoy that content, it's not going to solve your problems, it's there to give you strength or motivation when you need it, use it in that way, as a booster 💪🏻

Heesoo’s last name is Ban. If you say Ban Heesoo fast, it sounds like Bunnies! which means Heesoo is us, their fans, the 6th member. It tells the point that when fans are sad, lonely or injured, NJ is there for us like best friends. A deer symbolizes grace, kindness, forgiveness…

like i always denied the fact that kpop saved my life like it just a escape when i am stressed or sad but at the end of the day i have to face the problem no one is gonna come or save me when i am facing something

One of the best music video explanation i have ever seen on KRplus.

Thank you so much for making this video! You've done a great job!

after listening this, i must say, wow. props to the directors and producers for this very deep and dark meaning song. wow.

TLDR: Thank you. TW for depression.
Watching this video made me break down in tears. I came to kpop in 2020 as sort of a mood booster to get me through the pandemic, I fell more and more in love with it and now it is such a core part of my life. Although I don’t think much about my love for kpop will change, your video helped me process how much I had hid behind every interest in my life for so long, never doing very much or being productive. I’ve been depressed for as long as I can remember and never managed to live my life before. I lost everything I held dear to me this past year, like a bubble had been burst and all I can do is avoid it and tell myself that it doesn’t matter and that I’m living for myself and my future but slowly things have faded or maybe we’re never there because my reality slipped away. I’ve always been a realist and tried my hardest to take on everything at face value but facing reality has become too hard, making me lean on kpop so much, I’m too tired to carry on most days and feel like screaming but I would just turn on the music and drown it out. I’ve spent so much time distracting since I was a child my life doesn’t feel like my own anymore, I feel lost. My family is very split and I have no certainty of who to rely on, no friends ect. This made me look back. I need something real to build from but I have nothing only my passions and hobbies which are never fulfilled because of my lack of energy but this woke me up. I will still lean on kpop for my lows but experience it in full during my highs and take the music and the people as music and people although I will still love them for that. Thank you for this, it’s a hard truth to swallow but it’s one we all need. Nothing saves our lives, only we can do that.

STORYTIME! : kpop was the crutch i leaned on when i was severely distressed in seventh grade, back in 2019. i was struggling with school big time and super stressed because of it. borderline s****d*l. i was isolating myself from all my friends and used to get panic attacks pretty much on the daily. kpop gave me something to look forward to. comebacks. performances. vlogs. variety show appearances. it wasn't the remedy to my loneliness and the disturbed state of my mind but watching music videos and funny edits of my favorite girl groups filled a void in my heart, and i latched on to it like a drug. that's not healthy at all. i decided to finally cut it out by the end of eighth grade. it wasn't an easy decision by any means, i had been working towards taking a break from kpop for quite a while then and winter of 2020 was when i finally succeeded. i don't really 'keep up' with kpop anymore, i'd categorise myself as more of a casual listener and needless to say, i'm in a much better and healthier place rn in high school. i probably need to be more productive still lmao, but i'm not beating myself up for it like i was back then. ditto is so far my favorite kpop song released by a 4th gen group (or 5th idk). i mostly listen to the same groups i first got into back in '19 (red velvet, twice, snsd, mamamoo, f(x) ) but ditto made me want to check out the newer songs as well. it deeply, deeply resonates with me and is currently one of my favorite songs of all time. i hope for everyone going through a tough time right now to just hang in there, try to take it easy, and take on your problems bit by bit, day by day. and give yourself some time to heal

I love being a K-pop fan, because K-pop always makes me feel happy when I'm sad, but Kpop didn't save my life. I like how I am now. And I'm really happy to be a K-pop fan. I used to dream to be a K-pop idol but my parents didn't support me, they say education is more important than being a K-pop idol and they want me to graduate college(I'm high school student) but them not knowing the reason why I wanted to be a K-pop idol. K-pop is my savior from being SAD/LONELY, but K-pop will never save our lives, bcs to all we do and say, we can't escape from reality. K-pop is just our happiness, not our life savior.

Also claps to Min Hee Jin for this once again OUTSTANDING CONCEPT!!! Honestly felt this to a personal level bc I realized this after quarantine, and how during quarantine, the literal lowest point of my life, I discovered kpop and it gave me happiness, and I started thinking kpop is the reason I am still alive today, but after I went back to school in person got in touch with reality, I started realizing that kpop didn't rlly save my life, and that I can live perfectly fine without knowing every single thing going on in the kpop world, but I did conclude that kpop brought me to a happier mindset and brought me hope for a better future, and also sparked my lost love for music and performing, to which I am still planning on auditioning for a kpop company tho after high school probably during college 😭 but still kpop should be used as a motivator to push yourself to be better than before not as the only reason to live

In many cultures, the deer is a symbol of spiritual authority. During a deer's life the antlers fall off and grow again and the animal is also a symbol of regeneration. In the Christian imagination, the deer is a symbol of piety, devotion and of God taking care of his children: men. (from google) Thank you NewJeans. This is the first group that i've seen do something based on our povs.. and this is very emotional... ive had goosebumps many times rewatching the mvs and you describing.. thank nwjs and you.

Thank you so much i was looking for the story behind the Ditto MV and that's really helped me and i really needed that right now, Thanks🖤

I truly love your work idk how you realized this but omg a lot of your vids make me realize things that ive never realized before so may i say thank you

I miss these kinds of MVs that give off nostalgia vibes and that can be interpreted with deep meaning and or with an actual story in the MV, it's rare in modern kpop
Edit: to all the haters, spread your negative opinions elsewhere

I got into K-pop in 2012, snsd. I was 12 years old, I was so fascinated by the different culture, the music and costumes. Being a victim of bullying for (at the time) 6 years, always being judge by the way i looked , the way I talked, the way I just existed, i finally had people who didn’t judge me and made me laugh.
In 2018, I turned 18 and because of that I needed to get a job and grown up, the time got short, I got a boyfriend and when i looked at it, I didn’t even known what bts was up to, they made 3 comeback and I wasn’t there. I didn’t stop liking K-pop, I didn’t leave the fandom….I just started to live….
In 2020 I got back, and I finally understood why I got disconnected in the first place. It’s ok to like something, but the obsession of a pre teen, teen girl who only knew the bad side of society, started to see something else.
Now in 2022, I understand the message that new jeans put out, yes u can be our fans, can listen to our music, see our content….but hey the world is big…go and enjoy it! We are here…we are not leaving…
I know that for some of u, it’s hard, I get it, i was there. Now with 22 years old, I love K-pop I have K-pop tattoos, and I don’t think I will stop hearing and seeing content….just I have a life outside idols and celebrities too….and especially with the rest BTS enlistment thing, a lot of army’s got so sad, i get…(Im just not really affected because I started with 2nd gen, so many big names disbanding, idols dying…), but no matter what they will comeback and if they don’t, that’s really there choice…they are humans too.
It’s like everything in our life, cigarettes, drinking, eating….it’s ok to do it and u should do it, just probably not 12 hours a day….if u start doing this with a young age, it’s even more difficult too have moderation.

This video is the best I’ve seen in KRplus also Ditto is the prettiest MV and most meaningful MV the story ,anything I’m so proud of new jeans
I really appreciate this KRplus channel ❤❤

I'm extremely happy about this information breakdown video. It's high time the new stans, as well as the few older ones really understand this. Equally, I'm proud of this group for touching such a sensitive and long-pending subject. Great work & I'm genuinely happy now!
Cheers to using K-Pop the right way!

So making this clear: NewJeans isn’t telling us to quit listening to K-pop. They simply say us to use it (like in the video said) in the RIGHT way, so not as a place to hide constantly of our problems + real life. It’s more like a place to feel comfortable, maybe take a break after a rough day. It’s surely a safe place, making you laugh and feeling happy BUT still you got to care for YOURSELF.
I really do thank the creator of this video for explaining so well and detailed. I really just realized myself that it’s definitely a true thing.
When I first got into K-pop I had a pretty dark time too, depression and all. Yes, K-pop made (and ofc still does) me happy and really “released” me from this darkness I was in. But now after a while I feel the depression comes back again, and I do actually have no reason. I try disturbing myself with K-pop, drowning in Videos, etc. but however, even that doesn’t really work always.
The new year has just started and I don’t want to spend it like it end with the last. I want to spend a nice and fun year, with my friends and family AND K-pop. So yeah :]
Have a really good day y’all and I hope this really well made video and maybe even my comment makes you realize how K-pop ACTUALLY can save your life in a healthy And right way ♡

I cried, I seriously cried. The 14 years teenager [ myself ] who was not at the lowest but still fucked up discovered kpop and used it as an escape from her all problems [ because growing up ideally sucks ] she was becoming obsessed and not being a better person or facing reality but recently I realized it's not good. I cannot use some music bands as an escape from my problems who did not even know my existence. That obsession was really unhealthy. I was stanning so many groups and ironically some of their music wasn't even enjoyable to me. So I stopped. I literary stopped. Not gonna lie it was hard because my emotion was connected to them, bts, straykids, itzy, txt, etc group had made a huge impact on me but I had to stop that obsession. So I unstanned that artist whose music was not enjoyable to me and I stopped wasting those precious hours which I used to waste watching kpop stuff as an escape. I started listening to that music which I actually enjoy. I do admit that I listen to some artists from kpop but it's not the same as it was and now I'm actually living like a mature teenager.

I didn’t know how depressed I was when I got into kpop but I do know that I wanted to escape, it helped my mood but I also isolated myself more, I somehow lived in this fantasy world expecting to have the same dynamics that these idols portrayed: nice close friends and fun.
The truth hit me during the pandemic when I was seeing people around me advance in their lives and I seemed to be stuck.

Thank you for giving an extensive explanation about ditto. This songs is definitely my favorite kpop song since it resonates with me. Now I understand it even better so it became closer to my heart.

I am SHOCKED with how real this mv (along w the analysis) is.
I’ve been a fan of Kpop since 2015. I was 16/17 years old, and this was during the peak of 3rd gen, which was a VERY exciting time for the genre. I don’t know if I’ve ever had that “Kpop has saved my life” moment, but I definitely formed WAY too much of an emotional attachment to the artists, in a way that I didn’t realize was so unhealthy.
I can definitely say that 2022 was the year that I - for lack of a better word - “fell out of love” with Kpop. I’m 24 now, and now that I’ve gone through college, made lifelong, *real-life* friendships, and am working towards my teaching career, I just don’t have the time to spend investing in relationships that are completely parasocial.
I still consume Kpop-related content and listen to some Kpop from time to time - and I’ll always have a sense of appreciation for the genre - but now I have to focus on myself and building the foundation for both my adult life and for my potential family. I can’t keep using Kpop as this fantasy/daydream/escape in the same way that I did in my adolescence.
Kpop is great, and there’s NOTHING wrong with being a Kpop fan, but please, live your own life. Don’t let yourself get too mentally/emotionally attached to something that’s nearly completely separate from your own reality.

Side A and side B are two outcomes from two different decisions. “Kpop saves my life”. If it does, there has to be enough life left to live. If not, it hasn’t really been saved, has it? Thank you for this amazing reflection ❤

I just love the several different meanings the mv shows. Its can be the feeling of losing all the old friends and memories after coming into adulthood, the somber story of a girl who loses all her friends in an accident where she is the only one to survive, the actual incident of the sinking ship in Korea where many young high schoolers lost their life on their school trip, and the relationship between kpop, kpop fans, and reality. Truly, this song is a master piece.

loved your explanation so much! thank you for this 🤍

This opened my eyes… It’s hard to accept reality, but avoiding it makes it worse. A while ago, I was really low and cried every night and didn’t make any social contact. I just followed kpop because it made me happy. I really wondered then ”why am I unhappy?” ”I have kpop”. Then I slowly started to face myself and accept myself. I began to love myself finally and facing problems. I’ve never felt this confident in myself and I’ve been focusing on me not kpop. Yeah I love kpop, but it’s a thing that makes me happy like any other common thing. It’s not my life. So this opened my eyes even more to the fact that all fans revolve their lives too much around kpop…

I only got in Kpop last year, almost falling into the rabbit hole of 'kpop changed my life' etc until I get hit with reality i.e how difficult my job was. I realized that the kpop idols are not by your side like they always claim to be, they are not there for you specifically. They're just there generally for everyone. In other words, they don't really care about you on a personal level and will never do. So I sobered up and just become a normal fan. I live in this world with them, not for them. As much as ppl claim they are saved by idols, you have to remember that's your side of the story but you also need to understand that idols don't work to save lives, they're not doctors. The moment they're disbanded, gone, do/say something wrong, you'll probably sink deeper. Fans have this crazy high expectation for idols to validate and care for them, it's scary. If you have actual mental issues, go seek professional help. Sure you get inspirations and encouragements from idols, but they are not therapists so don't use them as your crutch. It's just a delusion which can be dangerous when overindulged.
On an another note, hardcore fans always blame their own for being 'lazy' for not streaming etc, but just like the idols...we all have lives too you know? Real tangible lives. Don't forget that, and don't lose sight of that. I do support the groups I like the way I can, but never to the point of obsession or feel obliged. Hats off to New Jeans for bringing up such a topic just months after their debut.

The way you explained it made so much sense especially for K-pop fans. I love this video🙏🏽.

This music video is really deep, they did it so well ❤
All your comments mean so much

Wow I keep coming back to this comment section because it’s just so REAL… like I haven’t been in a space where K-pop Stan’s are spreading their stories and sharing their own experiences and depictions of the song like this… it’s really comforting to connect with other fans and hear everyone’s theories! This is what I love about K-pop and more ❤ Forgetting about the superficial and fandom stuff and just talking about the music video and song! 😢😊❤

This was a wonderful breakdown!! I truly hope Ditto changes many fans' perspectives because my goodness does kpop need it. The industry profits off of it so much, maybe changing fans' perspectives is a start to healthier fan-idol relationships.
Secondly, I'd wish the girls understand the concept they're portraying too.. I'm afraid they're too young to truly realise the life-changing concept they're portraying with Ditto. Let's hope they will look back at it in 5-10 years and realise the magnitude of the message they're bringing with this.

this is honestly really true, i cried because i realized what i've been doing my whole life. i was super obsessed with ive, thinking they're the solution of my problems, and yeah. they did help me go through those problems. but after watching this video, i realized that, kpop can't always help me. sometimes i need to help myself, but ive will always be a banger inside my head. just not a solution for my mental health. moral of the story is, kpop isn't and is there for you. when you want to listen to music, kpop is there for you. when you need some music to cheer you up, kpop is there for you. but when you're going through some mental health issues, kpop isn't always there for you. you can't escape your own life with kpop.

K-pop MVs have a whole new level of meanings😮

This video was an emotional rollercoaster. But thank you! This is what some kpop stans need to hear

The line "She can't live without New Jeans but New Jeans can live without her" is so sad😭😭💔

I think that the interpretation will always be under the eye of the beholder. I interpreted it as a person who can be part of a group of friends and still feel alone. Many times it happens that one of the group feels excluded from the interests of the rest or because of their own physical abilities, as in the case of heesoo having a cast that does not allow her to move like the rest. I saw the doe as the representation of Heesoo's insecurity. When she learns to not hide behind the camera or feel less for not dancing with her friends, is when she accepts herself and begins to grow as a person. She smiles because she understands that she was the one excluding herself, when her friends were always happy with her. She was never alone.

This make me cry. When I watched for first time the two videos of New Jeans I didn't realized the deep meaning. I can't say anything, only just "live your life in the way it is. When its hars is hard, when is easy is easy but we can't escape or just scip this parts of our life." Thanks for the video. It brought me back to the rality...

wow, thanks you. it really does make me see in a broader perspective. amazing job the explanation and everything. bravo. also, may the young people who are struggling see and heard about this too, i think this will surely at least have the back of their minds.

i don't think you know how much i love this video. it was a conversation i always had at the back of my mind. thank you so much for making this video, i hope many kpop fans watch this. i'm someone who currently isn't a massive Kpop fan anymore as i'm busy with life now and my own goals. but Kpop was there for me when I was at my lowest. my bias back then was Kihyun from MONSTA X, and he said during a vlive 'at some point, you will leave us behind to fulfil your own dreams and look back on us' and he got all emotional. that was a turning point for me, and I did it all by myself.

This really taught me something. I use kpop as an escape from my real hard life, and the hardships I go through. I can’t see myself without kpop and that’s my problem, I need to get through real life. Find people who make me happy. Yes I have friends, but that’s not really helping. I have to go out in the real world even with hardships, this mv, and new jeans really made me see something else. And thanks to this exact video, I realized that I need to stop. I will always love kpop but I cannot use it as an escape from my real life.

talking abt 'k pop saved my life' my dad always says they didn't save u because they don't know u and if u were on fire they wouldn't know u just like them and there music cuz it makes u happy and now I'm starting to agree with my dad :)

I don't comment often, and I don't know what the chances of you seeing this are, but thank you for this video. The end message-of always having kpop but not always having the chance to confront your issues-really resonated with me. I've realized that I don't want to go through that regret, especially with colleges. I've been dreading applications, and I've avoided the issue by watching KRplus and kpop. But, after watching this video, I've realized that I need to feel differently. I would regret it forever if I watched kpop instead of confronting my problem and doing these applications.
So again, thank you.