A lot of comebacks have powered through our radar and with a lot of them at once; it can be easy to miss them which can explain why many may not come to attention until the Goodbye stage of promotions. However, with this single released at the very start of this month, this hasn’t stopped us from admiring GFriend all over again and for the UnitedKpop team to showcase another amazing return from the darling ladies, known for their razor-sharp choreography and songs straight from a Slice of Life anime. Their new song, “Time for The Moon Night” is a small step away from the style we have seen before from the group but still carries their whimsical but heartfelt story-line.
With the release being a few weeks ago; there already seems to be many theories already stemming from the song’s own message of the loss of someone you love and the director, who has created videos for IU & BTS is name a few, has played on this in a beautiful way. Despite the girls all experiencing their own loss, they all seem to bind together in friendship as it cuts to their own individual scenes and back to fun memories made with all the girls.
First, we can look into the group scenes; which seem to stem from the real message of the video. Each member seems to play their own role in the friendship group; SinB as the leader, Sowon as the gentle, motherly figure and Umji as the baby who has much to learn. These scenes were more than intentional. They were sprinkled in to tell the real story. Despite the hardships each member experiences, they always turn back to the memories either through reminiscing and no matter how much they miss it, the bond between each member is strong and resilient.
With this in mind, let’s look into the individual scenes. Starting with Yerin, she appears to be the member who is soon to depart from the group. She is surrounded by boxes which are soon taped up. Inside one is a few items which were seen within the group scenes such as a blanket which is shared between SinB and Eunha. Listening back to the tape recordings – possibly made by the group in one of their nights together, Yerin soon tears up in the knowledge that when she moves to her new home, she will be leaving her friends behind. Something which she cannot bear to face.
The only comfort she seems to get in this is Sowon. She seems to be in a similar experience in the present day when she is wondering her hometown at night. The encouraging nature she has is shared the most with Yerin, as she comforts her when she appears to be sad – possibly when she first learned of the move so it may be possible that Sowon shared a special bond with her or that she was the person who held the group together in tougher times.
Someone similar to that role was SinB; leading her fellow members in several adventures and being the main source of energy. She appears to be the one who initiates as she runs ahead of the group or finds the den that they called their own home. Instead of taking time elsewhere to occupy her thoughts, SinB returns back to the place where their memories were made and reminisces, knowing that the same memories may not be made again.
Both Yuju and Umji cope in their own ways which differ from each other. Yuju is the tougher of the bunch; gathering small items to plant in a place in the hills. Fan theories questioned that Yuju was mourning the loss of someone she loved but with the links to friendship in the video so far; the bunny, flowers and trinket box may actually be a time capsule of sorts. Something for her to preserve the memories and return back to when her strong persona isn’t enough. She does try to toughen up by yelling out “Hey Kids!” into the distance but regardless of how strong she can be, she would still wish for comfort from her closest friends. Umji doesn’t have the capacity of being tough, in fact she is bruised as the youngest. Time and time again, she tries to send paper planes with messages and sketches with fail but she never stops; often leaping down from the playground set to possibly grab them and try again. On her knees, it is obvious how many times she has tried as bandages decorate her skin, showing that she is the more innocent party of the group and cannot seem to process or comprehend the possibility of losing someone she loves so much.
However, what is very interesting is Eunha’s story in all of this. Fans speculated that she in fact passed away and the girls were mourning her which would explain her more aloof expression throughout the video but with recent behind the scenes photos and a wonderful theory compiled in fan forums, there seems to be more than meets the eye. The loss of friendship seems to be hitting her most as she requires the companionship more than anyone else. The theories suggest that Eunha may actually be struggling with mental health. Her solo scenes picture her in a quiet room which was revealed to be an infirmary of sorts with her dressed in a hospital gown. When she is with the group, she can be lost in her own mind and wonders in her own world. With the help of SinB, the group always guide her and she soon finds happiness with them. With Yerin moving and the group soon segmenting apart, she may be lost again as she doesn’t have her friends to guide her. This group accept and love her wholeheartedly and just like the others, she tries to reminisce but ultimately, she cannot just go back to memories. She needs the friendship they had to be accepted and loved at last.
“Time for The Moon Night” may be a far step away from the cheerful style we are used to with GFriend but they are still in touch with the small hits of friendship and coming-of-age which we have seen before in their School Trilogy (Glass Bead, Me Gustas Tu & Rough) and recent songs such as “Navillera” and “Love Whisper”. It does carry a more minor tone but breaking each scene apart, each theory made up brings the central themes beautifully together. Some of the themes are more hidden away than others but you can tell that some of these may be intentional for fan to process and gather themselves which is a wonderful cinematic experience created by the director and portrayed by GFriend.
