A Message Of Self-Love In Got7's "Just Right"

I would say that Got7 had a pretty decent first year last year. Their debut release wasn't my taste at all, if you remember, but I found that a large majority of the international K-pop fandom did. Or they liked Jackson at the very least, but seriously who doesn't? However I watched some of their behind-the-scenes footage and the first season of "Real Got7" (a mini reality-show on JYP's official YouTube channel) and I totally fell for them anyway. With their next comeback, the amazing "A", I was completely hooked. Then came "Stop Stop It" and I felt like they were once again regressing to their debut days, which made me unhappy but of course I still liked them. It's fair to say my expectations for their first comeback of 2015 were mixed, but as it turns out I shouldn't have had to worry at all.



Got7's general concept has varied from "hip-hop bad boys" to "playful teenage boys" to a mix of the two, but there has definitely been an overbearing theme throughout all of their releases. I wouldn't say they've found their particular niche and image yet, but they're well on their way and I think that "Just Right" is a wonderful release to start 2015 with. Although "A" still remains my favorite release of theirs (everything was great; the music, the styling, the locations etc.), this one is not far behind.

The premise for "Just Right" is that the members play miniaturized versions of themselves and act as voices of guidance for a young girl who's not feeling too happy about herself. She's sitting in her room in front of the mirror and looks generally unhappy with herself and her appearance. Out of nowhere the tinier versions of the members appear in front of her and tell her with certainty that she's good enough as she is, which is all the lyrics are about.

I have to say they all look adorable, and that this video is hugely successful in conveying the message about loving one's self and realizing that you don't have to change yourself to be happy. Not many groups at all sing about this kind of subject, and the fact that they used a girl who looks like she's just starting her teens is really a great choice, because it is at that age you're the most vulnerable. The members all act like older brothers and tell her with confidence how great she is, and watching the video brings a smile to my face and makes me all warm inside.

How they've managed to portray the lyrics and message in video-form is also very impressive, because whilst the topic can be serious and is definitely important, the MV is still very fun and playful. The members as miniature versions of themselves dancing around on her desk, playing with her barbie dolls and rolling around in her breakfast cereal is quite frankly a genius idea, because it takes away any type of unwanted sexual tension that might have been if they were in real-life size. They are instead completely harmless and are only trying to help because they care for her.

The boys look cute and lovable and are allowed to act silly and play around, which also adds to the feel-good vibe of the video and their image as a group. I particularly love the scene when she finally loosens up and dances along with them, as it made me feel really happy and fuzzy. Also the scene at the end where she jumps around on her bed with a smile on her face as the boys join her I found was the perfect way to end the video. Quite possibly it's all actually in her head, but the important thing is that she understood her value and was able to find happiness in that moment.

While I do love the premise, plot and execution of the video and I truly applaud the people behind it, I also have to give major props to the members because they bring so much life and joy to it. If you know this group the way I do you'd know that they are a very playful and careless group who seem to find happiness in even the smallest things, and their personalities were allowed to surface in this particular video. Everything from Yugyeom's ridiculous facial expression in the car-scene to Jackson's sexy-but-funny dancing and Mark's puffy cheeks come from a place of realness, and even if it's all staged it doesn't feel that way knowing their off-screen personalities.

There's also very little criticism on my part about any of the visual aspects of the video, as the styling is finally back to normal after "Stop Stop It" (sidenote; it seems they wear hideous clothing every other release so I'm quite fearful about the next one), and the choreography matches the vibe of the song perfectly.

Additionally, as it is a summer release after all it's not too strange that the video is colorful and bright, but it's nowhere near as saturated as many girl group videos have been which is a nice change. Everyone looks great individually too, but to my disappointment there is still a member with bleach blonde hair this time around as well. Thankfully Jackson can pull it off decently, but please leave their scalps alone next time. Youngjae is back to black (yes!), JB looks hot as usual and I'm finding myself particularly drawn to Mark which has never happened before.

To conclude this review I really have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by this comeback. The MV is wonderful in all kinds of ways and I think it's certainly admirable for them to be singing about loving one's self as we're living in a world that benefits from our insecurities. The song isn't one of my absolute favorite's of theirs but it's a solid track which includes none of that weird autotune we had to endure to last year. I would definitely call this a successful comeback by every definition of the word, but it's still not as good as "A". However I doubt that anything will ever beat that.

Song: 3,75/5
Video: 4,4/5