Jo Yuri “Farewell for now!” Review

So. I’m still traveling, so I’m going to try a shorter kind of review here—no breaks in sections, just a stream of consciousness of my thoughts. I’ll still get to each topic, but I have a feeling this will be a lot more efficient.

This is…okay. Honestly, it’s better than okay. It’s certainly very pretty, very cute. The cinematography is amazing: I really like the dreamy, sunshine-kissed aesthetic, which I think suits Jo Yuri very well. I also picked up on something: in the beginning, we start with a scene full of warm sunlight, like it’s dawn. Then the day gets bluer and brighter, as if we’re moving into noon. And then we get to dusk, with those scenes by the beach, and we finally get to the evening, with those firework scenes in the dark night sky. I really like this choice: I think it symbolizes the song’s goal of reflecting on the storyline, from start to end, from dawn to dusk, of an important relationship.

And of course, Jo Yuri’s singing is clear and sonorous, as we know she’s capable of delivering. The guitar instrumental is fittingly intimate as well. Also someone please give me her dress—it’s so flowy and summery yet quaint and cutely quilt-like as well.

But beyond the beauty? Beyond the things that please the eye, that entertain the senses? In the realm of messages, concepts, or social commentary, I find “Farewell for now!” weak. Mourning the end of a relationship (or the maybe-end of a maybe-relationship) is a song topic we have seen many, many times before. Jo Yuri expresses the emotions effectively associated with these farewells, but fails to deliver much commentary on such situations. “Farewell for now!” delivers exactly what it sets out to deliver—but unfortunately for me, its package does not contain the things that get me the most excited.

(Random side note: I’m glad to see Jo Yuri act in a seemingly healthy relationship after watching Jun-hee suffer through 333 lol)