Monsta X Continues To Impress With "Fighter"

Monsta X's first year wasn't very good, let's be honest. Their debut track and second single, "Trespass" and "Rush" respectively, were both quite forgettable and failed to make me take any kind of interest in the group. My eyes were first opened with the follow-up track for "Hero" which made me interested in their comeback earlier this year with "All In", which I realize in hindsight kind of turned me over completely into a fan of theirs. I enjoyed both the song and the video as well as the mini-album, and the concept they were going for with "The Clan" series. Now they've come back with the second part and a title track called "Fighter", and it's just as good.



It's obvious at first watch that this MV is connected to "All In" as there are a lot of similar themes, with the blue flowers being the main connector. Their function still remains unknown to me but it's becoming clear that the boys are all part of some clan that are in some way doing business with the flowers and their produce. The purpose or motive is however still unclear and I don't know how this video relates to the other in terms of chronology, because a lot of the questions that were raised earlier this year weren't answered here at all. Instead even more questions pop up; like what's the deal with the hospital, what is Wonho building and why are I.M. surrounded by Teddy bears? It's quite tricky to try and tie the two videos together with everything being so vague and confusing, but aesthetically it's more obvious that the two belong.

The production value is once again super high and anyone can tell that it's a video that took a lot of time and effort to put together. It really has a similar aesthetic to "All In" both in terms of camera work, editing as well as the set production. Additionally this video doesn't have any choreography either which I actually think is a good move. The music is better expressed through the plot of the MV and makes it look a bit cooler and a bit edgier in my opinion. Although I don't have a great idea of exactly what's happening I still appreciate that they are trying to think outside the box and not resort to a "typical" K-pop MV. 

Furthermore the song itself is amazing, at least in my opinion, and like with "All In" it sets itself apart from Monsta X's debut sound which wasn't any kind of amazing. This is certainly a rockier kind of pop track which I'm all for, and the balance between the rapping and singing is perfect, also unlike their debut stuff where the vocalists weren't made use of much at all. Kihyun sounds fantastic as always and Shownu is doing his job well too, but the biggest surprise of all is Wonho, who suddenly has as much lines as the other two. He sounds great too, which makes me wonder why they kept giving him so few lines previously. The rappers are, as expected, spot on with their parts and Minhyuk and Hyungwon are, well, very pretty boys. But they all look super hot in this video to be honest, and as ridiculous as it may be I very much enjoy Wonho's crop tops (and piercings for that matter).

The accompanying mini album is definitely worth a listen too, and so much so that I consider it one of my favorites so far this fall. Not only is the title track great but the B-sides are all super catchy too, with my favorites being "Blind" and "Queen". Their previous mini showed huge signs of progress and this one almost even more so. They're starting to find a sound and style of their own as well as producing songs that have great melodies, rapping and singing. As you can tell from my praising I do think I've become a fan of theirs with these last comebacks, maybe not so much that I would say I stan them, but definitely a fan of their music. I only wonder what the next (and possibly final) part of this series will bring, but I hope it's as awesome as this.

MV: 3,8/5
Mini Album: 3,9/5