The LOONAVERSE: ODD EYE CIRCLE
It’s fairly easy to get trapped inside the “LOONAVERSE.” Modeled to have one of the most interesting and most thought-out debut strategies in the scene, almost anything LOONA releases is a piece of the puzzle that one can’t get enough of. From Heejin’s debut to the successful Up&Line screening event, each release ties up one theory to another. The anticipation builds towards the upcoming 12th member’s debut, which BlockBerry Creative has slowly and vaguely started teasing fans for.
Before the management drops the last piece of the puzzle and debuts LOONA as a whole, let’s look back on each sub-unit and their stories! We already started with LOONA 1/3, and now we’ll be getting to know ODD EYE CIRCLE, the second sub-unit of LOONA.
The moons have started to align
The first member of ODD EYE CIRCLE is Kim Lip, who debuted in May 2017 with the slick R&B hit “Eclipse.” She is the sixth LOONA member to be revealed and was the first member to veer away from the bright pop sound LOONA 1/3 released. Due to the prominent change in musical direction, her solo release drew the most attention out of all LOONA singles by the time of its release. The single has positioned Kim Lip to be one of the group’s strongest all-rounders, which she showcases through her vocal performance in the track as well as the choreography-heavy music video.
“Eclipse” is the second installment in the ODD EYE CIRCLE narrative, where the three members are shown to have odd eyes that play a big part in the whole narrative. With a plot that is directly connected to “Sweet Crazy Love,” the music video for “Eclipse” shows Kim Lip’s story right after her odd eyes are activated after having contact with Choerry and JinSoul.
Their "Sweet Crazy Love"
“Sweet Crazy Love” is the first installment of the ODD EYE CIRCLE narrative and comes right before “Eclipse.” It tells the story of how the three members manifest their "odd eyes."
Kim Lip is shown to have only activated her “odd eyes” after coming into close contact with Choerry, but the plot shows that JinSoul has already started developing hers during this time. The video showcases the three girls in their everyday lives before they entered the “LOONAVERSE,” but there are certain mysteries in the video that hint at their possible contact with the world of LOONA 1/3 and the yet-to-debut “Eden Unit.”
Between Blue and Black
In the same manner that “Eclipse” narrated the state Kim Lip has been in after “Sweet Crazy Love,” the future bass track “Singing in the Rain” narrates JinSoul’s story after she has fully developed her “odd eyes.” She first appeared through Vivi’s “Everyday I Need You” music video, where it is hinted that Vivi may have almost been an ODD EYE CIRCLE member—but that is a mystery still left unsolved. Another theory regarding JinSoul’s role in the story is her power of teleportation, which was formed after she had close contact with Vivi in “Everyday I Need You.” However, it is also one of the many questions about the narrative that is left unanswered.
The girl who can travel between worlds
Choerry is the final addition to the unit, and the middle-eastern flavored dance track “Love Cherry Motion” perfectly showcases the duality of her character and story. With a sensual drop that happens after each chorus, the track digs deep into two dimensions of Choerry’s character: sweet and bright, as well as sexy and dark.
The one girl in the “LOONAVERSE” who has the power to travel between worlds is Choerry, a fact which “Love Cherry Motion” hints at. As she is seen hanging out with Haseul and Yeojin, she has the power to enter the world of LOONA 1/3. Yves’s “new” and Gowon’s “One and Only” also hint at her ability to contact the girls from the “Eden Unit.”
Mix & Match
Following the pattern of LOONA 1/3, LOONA announced the debut of their next sub-unit, ODD EYE CIRCLE. Comprised of Kim Lip, JinSoul, and Choerry, the group debuted in September of 2017 with a sound completely different from the first sub-unit.
The first album release of ODD EYE CIRCLE is Mix & Match, with the title track “Girl Front.” The track is an uptempo dance tune similar to Choerry’s “Love Cherry Motion” and is accompanied by a video of the three ladies on an adventure to find the other members in the “Loonaverse.” This era is notable for the girls’ three moons being fully united after “Love Cherry Motion” only showed the moons parallel to each other.
Through the recent Up&Line event that happened in Seoul, it has been confirmed that “Girl Front” is directly followed by Yves’ solo music video. Yves is shown to have been in contact with Choerry after the three ODD EYE CIRCLE girls unite in “Girl Front.”
Only The Second Chapter
ODD EYE CIRCLE has been essential in the growth of LOONA’s fandom. As the group focused on a more mainstream and urban sound, they were allowed access to a wider variety of music fans, which has only worked to their advantage with the skilled plot-writing they have done for the group. With two successful sub-unit debuts, it’s almost certain that BlockBerry Creative will deliver once the third sub-unit debuts. With Yves, Chuu, and Gowon releasing quality additions to the discography, we can’t wait to see how the sub-unit will look like once Olivia Hye debuts as well!