'Episode 2 Irene': Red Velvet's Irene stuns in dance video, fans say 'she’s more than just a visual'
Red Velvet's Irene and Seulgi continue to amaze fans with their debut mini-album, 'Monster'. After the initial drop of the title track of the same name, the duo also shared a music video for the track 'Naughty', showcasing their skills as performers as well as their ability to seamlessly switch between styles and concepts. Their latest offering is a solo music video for Irene, titled 'Episode 2 IRENE'.
The video sees Irene performing a dance routine with herself, essentially allowing her to demonstrate why she holds the title of 'main dancer' in her team. Fans are already gushing about the idol's performance, with several tweeting, "MAIN DANCER IRENE," as well as, "Irene is such an amazing performer!" One person stated, "She remains SUPERIOR," another shared, "I'M SO PROUD OF IRENE," and one said, "BAE JOO HYUN YOU'VE DONE IT AGAIN."
Naturally the release has also already spawned several new memes, including one that refers to Irene as "the 10th member" of Girls Generation, owing to one step in Irene's choreography lining up perfectly with a still from the group's 'The Boys' music video, as well as another meme that takes cues from the Spiderman meme and reads, "I'm original visual / No, I'm the original visual."
Many fans also took the opportunity to shut down a common criticism of Irene that claims she's nothing more than a pretty face. One fan shared, "Irene proved to everyone that...she’s much more than just a visual," another stated, "This episode shows how great Irene is as a dancer and performer. I'm so proud of her and grateful for this sub-unit, we really should appreciate her hard work," and one fan said, "Now when I see someone saying that Irene is just a visual I'm gonna end them with this Irene video."
Some fans noticed something a little odd about a few scenes in the video, asking, "Why doesn’t Irene look like Irene?" This is most likely due to the fact that a dancer by the name of Rozalin stood in for Irene during the filming, with Irene filming both parts and the final cut featuring both edited together. This means certain scenes where one Irene is obscured are not necessarily her. Behind-the-scenes shots from the video's filming leaked online prior to its release, and while many at the time many presumed the dancer was Seulgi and the set was for 'Naughty', it has now been revealed to have been Rozalin and filming for Irene's solo instead. Sharing an image of the filming one fan noted, "I'm gonna die so this means this was Irene and Rozalin not Irene and Seulgi dhsjdhjs," and several others had the same realization dawn on them over time. Fans also quickly noticed this meant Irene had to have learned two entirely different dance routines for this song, which simply made them appreciate the release even more.
In addition to Irene's performance, many fans also shared some love for the editing team due to some gorgeous transitions in the video. One fan shared, "From white to black the dancing got more fluid," highlighting the transition from one outfit to another as well as shifts in the dancing style. The user also added that the song and dance make references to daring to dream, additionally using the merging of both Irenes into one as symbolism for finding one's own confidence and becoming whole again. Another fan said, "This scene is the coolest when other Irene transitioned to Seulgi!"
The latest music video appears to further feed into the overall theme of this subunit's mini-album 'Monster', namely the monster within. While Irene and Seulgi represent two individuals at war and were seen trying to outdo each other in 'Monster', they also appear to be standing in for an internal battle as 'two sides of the same coin', as it were. Irene's solo has her tackle the battle on her own, culminating in one side of her morphing into Seulgi. Given that 'Episode 3' will likely feature a Seulgi solo, it will probably continue in the same vein and perhaps bring this battle to a resolution.