#eaudevixx

THIRD PART The third part is about the period Grenouille spends in Grasse – pretty much a capital of the aroma’s industry. Going over to the residential area, his attention was for some reason caught by one of the houses. He realizes it was a scent extremely similar to the one he smelled that night in Paris, but not the same. It was even better this time. The girl was a child and he knew that in 2 years she would have completely matured. This time he wished to properly extract and take this scent for himself. He had to expand his knowledge and technique, as he waited for the blossoming.

[Image 26 - 1:37 min]  I think by now we can work with the concept of Grenouille’s more sophisticated way of dealing with smell and creating fragrances inside himself. The way I see it, here we can divide the scene in some parts: first, on the right, Hongbin and Hyuk would be in charge of the experimenting; at the center, where N, Ravi and Ken stand, would be the storage for the smells (also previously described as a “beverage cellar”) and on the left side, Leo would be responsible for the “special” creations (the harmonization).

Grenouille is hired at an atelier. He is taught a very efficient process of extraction. He gained more and more experience, and stayed all day long in the laboratory making experiments. He creates more “humane perfumes” for different occasions. Once again, he tries capturing the objects aromas (rock, metal, glass, wood…) and soon begins experimenting with living beings.

[Image 27 - 0:57 sec] [Image 28 - 1:52 min] [Image 29 - 0:54 sec] [Image 30 - 1:56]  Grenouille catches some animals to test if he can extract their odors. Here N and Hongbin illustrate those experiments – the book doesn’t specify any lizard or snake, though.

After a year had passed, one night he is taken by the fear of losing the scent; despite some hesitation, he plans to make a base of other aromas to help in conserving hers. This is when the murders start taking place. Every week the citizens would find a girl; all of them followed a similar pattern. Even when taking measures he couldn’t be stopped.

Laure Richis was the girl whose scent Grenouille wants. Even after her father’s attempt of taking her away secretly, he follows their trace. He manages to get inside her room, to kill her and extract the scent.

“He didn’t even once look at the girl’s face; her material existence wasn’t important to him, it was only the Laure in form of scent that existed, as a perfect smell.”

[Image 31 - 0:35 sec] [Image 32 - 2:09 min]  The bags containing roses actually represent each one of the girls Grenouille kills when he is in Grasse. Red roses are associated to beauty and perfection and, most popularly, to profound love. In the book, he specifically says he wants to capture the special fragrances from people, those that inspired love.

[Image 33 - 2:49 min] [Image 34 - 3:03 min]  In total, he makes 25 victims, considering the last one, Laure, the special scent he had as a goal. As I pointed out in yellow, there are around 20 bags hanging in the MV.

After some investigation the police gets to Grenouille. He is arrested and sentenced to death. He arrived in the police carriage at the square; it was the first time someone to be executed came in such class. He was finely dressed and looked like a free man. By this moment he had already applied the perfume. Suddenly, all those people believed he wasn’t guilty and loved him. They all fell on their knees. An utter state of hysteria took place; everywhere the citizens where filled with admiration and intense desire.

[Image 35 - 2:38 min] [Image 36 - 2:42 min]  I associate this other scene involving a car with Grenouille arrival to the execution venue. Grenouille uses of the effect of the perfume to get taken there by carriage. Hongbin's angle to the camera in the first scene also conveys the idea of ​​power over the viewer. In the book he stands by the door for several minutes and also wears a long blue coat.

[Image 37 - 2:11 min] [Image 38 - 2:13 min]  This could be a representation of the perfume taking over the crowd like a gas bomb in the same scenario. However Grenouille is immune to it, as Ravi shows by wearing the protection mask.

At first, he thought he had achieved his goal, but he couldn’t feel any joy from that. Again he was disgusted by those people. He understood that love wouldn’t make him blissful. However, the more he hated them, the more they loved him, as they saw him through his divine aromatic mask. Again the mist filled him, like his dream in the cave; but this time the real world was the dream, and there was no place where to escape.

[Image 39 - 1:17 min] I believe this represents the boy’s realization at the square. Now the mist originates from the car that, according to the previous association, is connected to the place where Greouille feels suffocated by it for the second time.

After passing out and being aided by the girl’s father himself, he goes away.

                                                     * * * FOURTH PART Grenouille walked at night again. Feeling the bottle in his pocket, he reflects on how he had power enough to dominate the world if he wanted. But he didn’t know who he was if he couldn’t smell himself; everything else was insignificant. In the end, he was the only one able to be fascinated and not controlled by the perfume. He gets to Paris in a day as hot as the day of his birth. At night, near by a fire where some people gathered, he sprays all of his body with the rest of the liquid.

                                                      * * * Other commentaries: The MV was a really interesting interpretation of the story. Definitively, it fit Vixx’s dark concepts perfectly, which I’m not sure if it’s that clear by watching it out of context.

I like how throughout the video they work with blue and red, which mixed result in purple – the color Grenouille’s castle is described as. I also thought it was interesting how they introduced music to the story (mainly related to those scenes of Leo by the piano); I feel like the book doesn’t do any kind of comparision to other senses, specially because the important point is exactly the main character’s special way of interacting with the world.

There were also some things that made me confused and I decided to keep them out of the list, such as:

[Image 40 - 0:39 sec] - That tool the boys look through. Although I used a similar scene before, I was really curious to know the real meaning of this.

[Image 41 - 2:02 min]- The boy feeling divided (?). I considered this would be associated to Grenouille’s feelings – hate and the wish to be loved at the same time.

[Image 42 and 43 - 2:55 min] - The gun. I thought that was a representation of the character’s indifference to the fact that he had to kill his victims; the book literally says that didn’t matter to him. The first one would be the younger Grenouille experiencing that for the first time as a way of getting to the scent, and then the older version of himself actively killing the girls to make the perfume.

Concluding… Again, this is a great concept and a great book. Make sure to support Vixx and the author’s work the way you can.

I plan on continuing with this and analyze the other promotions related to “EAU de VIXX”, so please wait for it!

Thank you for reading this!

Some considerations i. This analysis does not really explain the story in the MV itself, since it has a lot more factors involving stuff (apparently) specifically made for Vixx. There are many interesting theories posted by other Starlights though.

ii. I didn’t originally read the book in English, so I’m using my own translations – which can differ from other editions.

iii. This is somewhat a personal interpretation; one could read the same book and have different opinions. Feel free to tell me your thoughts about it  :^)

iv. As referred before, English is not my first language. Feel free to let me know about any mistakes.

v. Mind that this analysis contains SPOILERS of the book.

vi. This post makes reference to sensitive subjects (such as violence), like the book itself.

The structure of the analysis I decided to follow the plot of the book rather than the sequence shown in the music video and I divided the whole analysis in parts.

The book “In the XVIII century France, Jean-Baptist Grenouille is a young man with a sublime gift – an absolute ability to perceive odors. He doesn’t have any smell himself. Obsessed with capturing scents, one day he smells an fragrance that will take him into a disturbing search for the world’s most powerful perfume – one capable of dominating people’s hearts.”

The novel is divided into four parts: in the first post (1/2) I will talk about the 1st and 2nd, and in the second (2/2) about 3rd and 4th.

                                                          * * * FIRST PART In the first part of the novel, we get to follow Grenouille’s birth and youth. When he was born, he almost died, however he was found out and taken care of by different people before being sent away to a sort of orphanage. As a kid, he went through many illnesses and accidents, which left many scars – but he was very resistant.

The boy had a late and slow development process. By this time he was conscious of his outstanding ability for smelling and began to build his inner aromas library, combining them to create new ones. He mostly shut himself from the world and avoided interaction.

[Image 01 - 0:56 sec]  This can be a representation of the young Grenouille, lost in his thoughts and imagination regarding what he smells.

[Image 01.2 - 1:36 min] The lenses some members use are the color in which the boy’s eyes are described: a tone between grey and opal-blue.

When he was 8 years old and the convent ceases from sending money, he was exchanged at a tannery. He was supposed to do the heavy work and quietly subordinates himself to his boss’ orders.

[Image 02 - 0:39 sec]  I associate this to the unique way Grenouille had to view the outside world, always on the look for the finest, undetectable smells.

“He is very greedy and takes in any sort of smell; he wished to posses all kinds the world had to offer.”

In a night of celebration, during a firework show, he felt a really soft aroma – one he had never sensed before and superior to anything he had ever known. He felt an urge in his heart to posses that scent. He is confused when he’s led to a girl, since he didn’t think a human could smell to anything good. He ends up killing her, only worrying about not missing the scent.

[Image 03 - 1:41 min]  I like to associate this scene to the night he first feels that special scent. Leo is seen with his eyes closed, which relates to both Grenouille conducting himself in the dark and being pulled by the scent, allured by that sensation.

“This is when he understands his fate is to be the greatest perfumer of all times.”

When delivering suede, he meets an old traditionalist Italian perfumer – who had  great knowledge, but not much natural talent – and tells him he wishes to be his apprentice. He proves his ability by making a perfume. At first, the man was horrified by his non-methodical ways but is suddenly dumbstruck by the smell. Grenouille frenetically created many scents everyday. This is when he learns appropriate methods to work, how to use formulas and the first techniques for isolating essences.

[Image 04 - 0:51 sec] This would represent Grenouille making perfumes by measuring the ingredients, noting and starting to view them as formulas.

[Image 05 - 0:52 sec] [Image 06 - 0:32 sec]  The images showing flowers in a sort of liquid makes reference to the process of extracting their essences.

[Image 07 - 0:55 sec] [Image 08 - 0:27 sec]  Here, Hongbin watches and waits as the drops of essence (usually oils) get collected.

[Image 09 - 0:34 sec]  I associate this scene to the fragrances Grenouille creates combining mentally the smells he knows; Hongbin and Hyuk would be the representation of his work in a kind of “inner laboratory”.

He began tracing a scheme on how he would use that knowledge in the near future plans. He starts experimenting. However, when failing to obtain essences from objects and other unusual materials, he stopped and fell deadly ill. Only after being told there are other methods, he recovers. They get to an agreement so that he would be permitted to go. With his title of auxiliary and new skills, he begins a new journey.

[Image 10 - 1:13 min]  Although I was confused by the car, I generally associate it with Grenouille’s journey and travelling (which will keep on in the future, as we will see); at this point, it would represent him leaving the city.

                                                          * * * SECOND PART This is the period when Grenouille’s seclusion takes place. The farther he walked from Paris the better he felt and his nose became more sensible the more he got used to nature. It became unbearable to have any kind of human smell around him, it was disgusting. He began walking only at night. He goes to the most isolated place in the kingdom, the peak of a 2000 meters mountain. He finds a faint stream of water, small animals and plants to feed himself with, as well as a cave; at its bottom, there were a tight place he felt had never been touched by a living being – he laid there and only left for basic needs. He would get lost for days in his inner empire, filled with the smells in his memory.

[Image 11 - 0:05 sec] [Image 12 - 1:38 min]  This would be the moment Grenouille finds and enters the cave.

[Image 13 - 0:04 sec]  I associate this with Grenouille reaching the bottom of the cave and feeling at ease by setting in that place.

He fell into a deep sleep (almost as if hibernating), and created whole settings making use of smells of the things he wanted to be a part of his perfect kingdom, where he reigned supreme. He felt home in his purple castle.

[Image 14 - 0:25 sec] [Image 15 - 0:46 sec] [Image 16 - 0:46 sec]  This represents Jean-Baptist during his sleep inside the cave, dreaming of his kingdom and palace.

[Image 17 - 2:30 min]  Here, the boy representing Grenouille appears again, this time wearing his crown, as he rules his inner kingdom built of smells.

In his purple salon, resting on a sofa, he asks imaginary servers to bring him volumes from his scents library and bottles of the finest smells to drink. As he did so, he was delighted by pleasure and peace. He drinks the girl’s aroma for last. Drunk, he falls asleep.

[Image 18 - 1:21 min]  Serving as a background throughout the MV, Ken stands in front of the scents storage, which Grenouille savors as drinks by bringing them back from his memory.

[Image 19 - 1:18 min] [Image 20 - 2:09 min]  The representation of the aroma drinks being served.

[Image 21 - 2:25 min]  N, as Grenouille, appreciating one of the memories (possibly the girl’s scent, judging by his reaction).

The outer world was completely hostile to him. He stayed like this for 7 years. However, one day a catastrophe happened in his fantasy. While sleeping in the salon, slowly, a cloud of smell began to take over the place. It was his own smell, but the boy gets desperate finding out he couldn’t feel a thing.

[Image 22 - 1:38 min]  This could a be representation of Grenouille observing and reflecting over the mist taking over his fantasy.

He screamed terribly, destroying the walls of his kingdom. Even scared by the uncertainty of not being able to smell something, when he is sure there’s no odor, he puts his clothes rags on and leaves.

[Image 23 - 0:52 sec]  The crashing glass could represent the destruction of the palace when Grenouille is taken by the fear of not smelling himself. (Note: I also considered whether this scene was related to Grenouille’s frustration when he fails to obtain the essences, during his period working for the perfurmer, specially taking to account the sequence it’s shown along in the MV).

[Image 24 - 2:46 min]  I associate this to Grenouille once again considering going out of the cave into the outside world, as Hyuk is seen bathed by exterior light.

Grenouille looked terrible; he tells people he had been robbed and kidnapped, being kept captive for 7 years in a cave. He is then taken to to a Marquis who dedicated his life to science and led a study on the relation between the proximity to earth and vital energy. He is invited to the Marquis’ castle and showed off to the academic community in Montpellier. Grenouille was fed and groomed. It was the first time he was addressed as monsieur and the first time he saw himself in a mirror.

[Image 25 - 1:26 min]  Grenouille sees himself in the mirror. We can associate this to the impression he causes in himself; somehow a boy looking at a man, with many hidden goals deep inside. He describes the image as a “(…) figure disguised as a person (...)” - he thinks all that was because of the clothes and makeup (rather than the Marquis curing him or a change of character).

Making use of some excuses, he gets to use the laboratory of a local perfumery and makes a fragrance to spray himself with and smell “like a human”. Walking around to test its effectiveness, for the first time, people finally noticed his presence (in a very natural way).

“He understood he could overcome what he just did and create a perfume able to make people love him, fall on their knees for him without knowing the reason why. He wanted to dominate their hearts. The omnipotent God of aroma.”

References used:  - Book: Perfume, the story of a murderer; by P. Suskind (2007 ed., Editora Record). - 빅스(VIXX) - '향 (Scentist)' Official M/V (YouTube). - Film:  Perfume, the story of a murderer (2006).