Don’t Hate Me!! - There’s more to this video than meets the eye o_O
Everything you need to know about Epik High’s latest MV
An in-depth and exhaustive list of EVERYTHING that we (High Skools @eatyourkimchi) managed to dig out of this MV, over the last week. It was a combined effort of over 20 people - all of whom aren’t Korean, so it wasn’t easy!! xD
*Speaking of Eat Your Kimchi, y’all should Vote for Epik High!! ^^b

Contents:
- Puns
- Baby Monsters
- Other Characters
- Other Props
- Favourite Scenes
- Video Analysis
- Song Analysis
- Song-Video Correlation
- ………because Epik High likes the number 9
ABOUT ‘Don’t Hate Me’:
Video: 99 Commentary by Epik High
Video: Making of [Don’t Hate Me] MV
Don’t Hate Me is a song for people who have received hate, and feel “Why do people dislike me? Why is it only me?” But if that person could have just one person like them they’d be able to live gladly.
The 15 characters in the Don’t Hate Me MV are the villains the three of us like. “Everybody hates me, but you love me and I love you”-> We thought these characters matched well with this phrase^^ ~ Tablo
Part 1: PUNS
So. Many. Puns. @_@

- Mental Patient 환자 ‘hwanja’ / 환타 Fanta

- Why So Cereal / Special Flakes box

- Deep Kiss / Milkis can

- Shut Up People ‘dakchyeo’ 닥쳐 페퍼 / DR. Pepper 패 플 can

- Depressing Soju 참아슬 / Soju bottle – held by supervisor

- Frustrating Pie ‘chojo’ 초조파이 / 초고파이 Choco Pie box

- You Feed ‘nigasaryo’/ Dog food – with Turkey

- GAS / Cass bottle, cans

- Swag / Spam cans

- Crying Milk carton - says [Daily]. Milk = 우 유 , they took out the o and it’s a crying face. ㅜㅠ

- Bull Shit / Red Bull drink

- ‘Nagasoo’ mineral water - ‘get out liquid’ - diarrhoea pun?? @_@

- Ant voice soda ‘gaemi soda’ ….??

- Shrimp thug 새우깡패/ Shrimp crackers

- Misteak / Mistake sticker

- 호갱님은 왕이다 = Ripped-off customers are kings. A pun of ‘The customer is king’. Ties in with the fact that everything in the mini mart is on sale, and yet the prices are still sooo expensive ($6.99 for Tim Tams??!). Truly ripped off.

- Dirty Paper ‘dorouno nora’ / Toilet paper

- Paper toweRs / Paper toweLs

- Events Corner 행사 코너 poster. A pun connected with GD and Infinity Challenge?

- Fu Fu Fu Fu Fu, which together with ‘King Mart’ forms ‘Fu-King Mart’

- Love/Hate coin - says LOVE HIGH SKOOL on one side and 2012 HATE ㅈㄹㅎㅈㅁ on the other. ㅈㄹㅎㅈㅁ, when combined with different vowels, can say ‘Don’t fuck with me’

- Sundae / Sunday Social poster

- Yang / YG TV

- Harvey Tent / Harvey Dent - Two Face’s real name

- Lyrics: Miwohan de = han de = hand; Video: Tablo points to the mannequin’s hand

- A watermelon with Soo Pak written on it. There’s a Korean comedian/MC whose name is Park Myung Soo. He’s got a big oval face and not a lot of hair, so his face is shaped like a watermelon. In Korean, watermelon is “soo-bak.) Though we romanize the Korean surname Park with an ‘r’ it’s actually pronounced “bak or pak. Put together: Myung Soo Park (comedian) and soo bak (watermelon) —> Soo Pak = soo bak; his name becomes watermelon.

- Mystery writing on the mannequin’s arm [squiggle-3]..?

- Mystery writing on the fridge: two theories:
1. 오이도 4 —-> Oido 4 refers to Oido Station, which is the last stop on line 4 of the Seoul subway.
2. 4 is pronounced “sa” in Korean, so if combined, would read “oidosa.” “O-i” is cucumber and “do-sa” means guru, so literally “Cucumber Guru.”

- News scroll ticker: ‘Tablo Is A Fairy’ Cafe Closes / TaJinYo (타진요) “We demand the truth from Tablo.” In Korean, “타블로에게 진실을 요구합니다.” Take the Ta from Tablo, followed by Jin from jinjja (truth), followed by Yo from the word fairy, which is the same sound from the word “demand.” Considering that all the sounds match up, plus to top it off, it’s talking about a cafe closing, I think Tablo is referring to the recent sentencing of some of the Tajinyo perpetrators.

- News Ticker: “미쓰라진 미스 LA 眞에게 사과” or “Mithra Jin apologizes to Miss LA 眞.” “眞” is the hanja for a Korean family name that is pronounced ‘Jin,’ so Mithra is apologizing to Miss La Jin. The pun is that Mithra Jin’s own name sounds almost EXACTLY like Miss La Jin, which in Korean sounds like ‘mi-su ra-jin.” So I guess he’s apologizing to the female version of himself.

- News Ticker: Korean: 오늘 증시 ^ 삼선전자. English: Today’s Wall Street ^ Trilinear Electronics. Explanation: This reads like a stock update. The ^ means an increase. Trilinear Electronics is a play on Samsung Electronics, which is spelled almost the same as trilinear. Trilinear - 삼선, Samsung - 삼성. What’s funnier is that in Chinese characters, Samsung is spelled 三星商會. The first character, as you can see, is made up of three lines and literally means three.

- News Ticker: 톰 행크스 “나만 섬인가 봐.” In English: Tom Hanks “It seems only I am an island.” My explanation: there’s a famous saying “No man is an island,” right? Well, in the movie Tom Hanks starred in, Castaway, he was the only man stuck on an island.

- News Ticker: “DJ 투컷 알고보니 수컷” which means something like “Surprisingly, DJ Tukutz is a man.” (투컷 is Tukutz, 수컷 is man/male). The ‘man’ word can also be translated as “cock.” XD

- News Ticker: “Today’s weather is also depressing/melancholy.” In Korean, “오늘의 날씨도 우울.” “Oh-nool-eh nalshi-do oo-ool.”

There’s probably more, but they’d be in Korean, and we only have Google Translate to help us T_T

Part 2: BABY MONSTERS
- or as soluiz calls them ‘Cereal Killers’ xD
- Tony Montana - Scarface. The world is mine. My greed overflows in my hands. So what if I’m crazy with ambition? I’m Tony Montana. ~ Bad Guys
- Hannibal Lecter - Silence of the Lambs. Locking me up with prejudice is the wrong way to handle me. Hannibal Lector, who swallows two ears with his voice. ~ Bad Guys
- Joker - The Dark Knight. I don’t care about money, I only bloom when there’s chaos. I’m Joker, who smiles from ear to ear only when it becomes messy. ~ Bad Guy
- Chucky - Child’s Play
- Two-Face - Dark Knight
- Damien - Omen
- Agent Smith - The Matrix
- G-Dragon - Big Bang (OOAK outfit, bear costume)
- Jigsaw - SAW
- Lady Gaga - pop singer
- Alonzo - Training Day - kid with the beard
- Han - Enter The Dragon
- Alex - Clockwork Orange
- Jason - Friday 13
- Anton Chigurh - No Country for Old Men
Original characters:

Kids’ Version:

Part 3: OTHER CHARACTERS
See full list, with pics, here (was RTed by Tablo!! :D)
- Tukutz – see more of him here than in UP

- Mithra – lost weight from army, shaved, looks pretty hot :p

- Tablo - has aged backwards. Benjamin Button?

- Joker pretending to be Sadako
- Manager, Supervisor (Song Byeoncheol), and 4 other staff
- Security guards (2)
- Customers (5)
- Cheerleader DJ lady + 2 other cheerleaders
- Police from Los Angeles (2)
- Korean shaman
- Punks (5)
- B-boys (2)
- Baseball players (2)
- Body builders, doctor, nurse, air hostess, two extra ladies, guys in orange and yellow uniforms, etc.
Possible [16th Baby Monster]

Tablo says there’s a 16th baby monster, but we don’t know who he’s talking about. Any ideas?
- Freddy Kueger, Wolverine, or an Invisible man who scratched Tablo at 1:35

- Dictator…cos he kinda looks like a baby monster?

- Joker doubling as Sadako

- Damien’s Hell puppy

- The mummy (supervisor wrapped in tissue)

- Bart Simpson (Tukutz’ keychain)

- Alphabet monster plushies

- Tablo when he was possessed, or an alien, or that kid from ‘The Grudge’?

- Two face - as two faces? xD

- The cow

- The gorilla (King Kong)

Desperate Ideas:
- There’s a twin of one of the baby monsters running around
- Maybe they’re referring to the Epik High member who is a fan of Lady Gaga? Because that would make them a ‘Little Monster’ :p
- One of the adults are pregnant with a baby
- One of the [Bad Guy] song monsters - Bane, Dexter, Kill Bill, Gorden Gekko, Johan, Vincent, Jules, Magneto, Caster Troy, Kira, Don Corleone, Loki, Tyler Durden, Kaiser Soze’s, Darth Vader.
- A baby shinigami who noone can see because noone has touched the Deathnote yet
- Agent Smith doubling as Psy
- Kang Hye Jung (Tablo’s wife/’baby’)…? xD
Part 4: OTHER PROPS
- Pringles. (NOT a pun) -> SHOCKHORROR o_O

- Tim Tams!! :D AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE!!

- There’s an ‘event’ at King Mart - Waste Paper is on Sale

- What’s for sale at the Butcher’s? Fresh meak, chicken, beef rib, cutlet, and pork.

- Vegetable section: Onions, Cucumbers, Tomato, and Fruits.

- Vintage Daude poster

- [Put Obama in the White House] poster

- French posters

- Food prices - Apples, Pinon, Ristras, Green Chilli, Milk, Pinto Beans, Potatoes. Sounds very South American?

- Woodstock poster

- Motorhead Ozzy Osbourne poster

- [We Are Open 24 Hours] poster - with people carrying ball&chain shackled to their legs

- CAM 001 (as opposed to CAM 002 that most CCTV shots were from)

- Plushies - doberman, cow, polar elk, shepherd, bear, gorilla, lemur, white tiger, parrot, hornbill, etc.

- I spy with my little eye…Tukutz’ pants from the [UP] MV!

- Giant red crayon - there’s also a yellow one lying around, plus the blue one GD writes with.

- M83 guns. Just in case you were wondering where they got their guns from.

- [Dolphin Wood Putter Mat] Golf practice mat. Never knew Jigsaw liked golf……. o_O

- Pedo bear? :p

- Small red car

- Joker’s hat – [Don’t Hate Me] with fiery background - later worn by Tablo

- Red and blue starfish -

- Tablo’s cap: 1997 New York

- Prices were all in $$

- Dictator posters - of Psy / Kim Jong Un (NK leader) / King Mart manager - ‘fu’ written all over it with blue crayon

- Sticker on the fridge - Kdrama ad?

- Meat sticker

- Red mark - blood drop on camera?

- DJ Tukutz’ black jacket - belonged to mannequin

- Tablo’s pink jacket also belonged to the mannequin

- The Cameraman has ‘Epik High’ on his sleeve

- The cops have [Los Angeles SWAT/SWAG? (ok now I’m making up puns -_-) Police] on their badge

- Joker’s crayon says ‘Elizabeth’ on it

Part 5: OTHER FAVOURITE SCENES

- So remember that YG question, the last one, that asked for Tablo’s 3rd Eye? We had the craziest ideas, even looked up articles on ‘The Third Eye’ and what it meant….when in fact it was what we thought was his NIPPLE - but if you zoom in on, looks like an eye (intentional? a tattoo perhaps?) TABLO YOU TROLL!!!!

- There is a narration by Kang Hye Jung (Tablo’s wife) at 3:42 saying “Do you hate me that much? Please love me”, at the scene where Alonzo is being taken away from Lady Gaga.

- A 3-koma Watermelon’s Story:
- Mithra holds the watermelon with only 1 hand!!
- And then he drops it shortly after the cops come
- Watermelon broke. What a waste, looks expensive too. Which Tablo flung away. Dangerous.

- Pink dress customer is laughing in the background. How suspicious. Don’t tell me….the whole thing was staged…?!! DUN DUN DUN

- Tablo tries to shoot himself using the scanner, twice

- Alonzo steals monster plushie away from the Pink Dress Customer

- The Joker draws smiles on her victims

- Media arrived before the police

- GD carries giant crayon, writes 퍼 ‘fu’ around everywhere

- Hannibal eats cereal out of doll’s head

- Tablo puts spam on Lady Gaga to parody her meat dress

- Tukutz helps Alonzo drag away a Security guard, while Chuck in overalls stabs the manager in the back

- Tony Montana blows white powder/cocaine, scene from Scarface

- The supermarket bursts into flame

- Mithra stole blue jacket from mannequin

- Tukutz clearly forgot the correct way to use shopping baskets :p

- Mithra rides shopping trolley while wearing a blue jacket

- Tablo took a drink of the GAS soda and then spat it out

- Agent Smith kicks the cash register while the Supervisor tries to protect it. The green letters form the words [ E P I K H I G H ]

- Anton Chigurh (who uses an air pressurized canister to shoot missiles to impale and kill people in the most gory way possible) attacks the pink dress customer with a bubble gun:

- Young Security guy attacks Jason, Hannibal comes to help -> Hannibal and Jason become friends. ‘Bonded over their masks’ - 2:09

- Lady Gaga knocks toy car off the shelf

- Tablo attacks the supervisor with tissue paper:

- Security guard’s hand is touching the mannequin’s inner thigh. OH YOU SO NASTY

- Tablo covers his eyes with a mannequin’s hands - possibly a ‘See no evil, Hear no evil, Speak no evil’ reference?

- Mithra comforts/apologises to Jigsaw? Lyrics say something about sharing his burden….

- *Looks around sheepishly*

- Tukutz goes around carrying a mannequin’s butt. Not strange at all.

- Tablo steals GD’s noodle wig

- Tukutz cooks meat on the BBQ (which is on sale as a set with the tent, btw). It looks like he’s actually cooking, cos the meat looks brown.

- Tablo literally ‘paints’ the nails of a mannequin’s arm

- GD strikes a ‘Bitch I’m fabulous’ pose

Time issues:
At the beginning of the video, it says SBS MTV 2012.10.17
At the end of the video, the CCTV says 19/10/2012
At 0:48, the clock shows it’s 3:00 am.
At 1:46 and , the clock shows it’s 3:10 am.
At 2:06, the Security Guard’s watch shows it’s 2:30.
At 3:26, the clock shows it’s 3:10 am.
At the end of the video, the CCTV shows it’s 23:09:23.

Part 6: VIDEO ANALYSIS
Bull$hit Alert!!! lol we made up a lot of crap xD

Both the song and video have a ‘IDGAF’ or ‘Haters gonna hate’ theme. The song says how the whole world is their anti fan, but hey, they don’t care, so long as there’s still that one person who’s always on their side. And that’s the reason that they can still smile :)
In the same way, the video has them all doing all the wrong things, and everyone is judging them. All the kids are dressed up as famous villains, which fits the song, which speaks of how the whole world hates them. Everyone is supposed to hate all those characters, right? And yet, they’re having fun the whole time – and you just can’t hate them, because they’re cute kids. And they have at least one fan who loves them (Epik High members said they love these characters). ^^b
Yess, and this MV is actually a preview of how our middle aged lives are gonna be like….having to fight our ways even through supermarkets, so we could buy food in order to survive…..
Someone said earlier that Tablo tweeted something about him being a prophet….maybe this is what was all about…he saw the future and warned us *DUN DUN DUN*

When Tablo got scratched in the beginning, it signifies him getting possessed. The big clock shows 3:00, and time stopped during the craziness. According to the American horror film The Exorcism of Emily Rose, the term can also refer to the period from midnight to 3am, when a character notes at “3am [is] the devil’s hour, as opposed to 3pm, when Jesus was said to have been crucified”. The term is witching hour refers to the time of day when supernatural creatures such as witches, demons, and ghosts are thought to appear and to be at their most powerful and black magic to be most effective. And later in the video Tablo does get possessed, with creepy black eyes. This might be a metaphor of how much Tablo has been misunderstood or attacked for the wrong reasons (for being at a wrong “place” at the wrong time).

According to the CCTV footage, only the three members are present at 11:07 and at 11:13 (when Sadako pops up), but in those minutes in between we have one bit with a time stamp of 23:09 that shows everyone in the supermarket: Epik High, the staff, the customers, and security.

There is a difference between the normal view and the camera view. In normal view, there are other people beside Epik High in that mart. But in the camera view, Epik High seems alone. Then Joker (I think she represents as a fan of Epik High) appears in the camera view like saying “I’m watching you people”. Fans will support and take care of Epik High from afar. Although fans are invisible, they will always be on their side. ^^
As for the mini villains; Alex was misunderstood, then Alonzo was misunderstood, and so was Jigsaw (well the man behind the puppet) and Jason was misunderstood too. He was just a kid who was made fun of and bullied and even drowned. The society created them, with this screwed up sense of morality and then when hey followed that morality, society was all like, ‘no, that’s wrong.’
The adults that appear at the end are also similar - they represent people or groups of people who are often ostracised or hated by the society. Punks were misunderstood in South Korea several years ago. Korean shamans are often depicted in dramas to be scams. Not sure about the rest, but there was a doctor, B-boys, body builders, nurse, people in yellow and orange uniforms, cheerleaders, baseball players (#19 and #20 - we found some scandals about some South Korean baseball player, but it wasn’t detailed).

I’d include the link to the news about the punks and the baseball players, but I doubt anyone would read this far down the page, so meh :p
How it relates: (Tablo) was scrutinized. Also, Epik High has always been banned, or deemed unfit for the youth by the Korean government. They rap about some heavy things, criticizing the system. But is it necessarily they’re fault when it’s the government won’t do anything to change? The song FLOW they sing “yes I’m a criminal on TV and radio come check out my video” so they see themselves as misunderstood villains.
Hannibal Lecter

Hannibal is know for being extremely intelligent (on a genius level) and is very good with words. Anyone who can talk someone into biting off his own tongue, convince another person to kill, and play mind games with everyone he meets has got to have a way with words. He can get into the psychology of people, analyze them and then figure out what will make them bend to his will all by using his words. I think that his inclusion could reflect the thought and skill that goes into the lyrics of Epik High’s songs. The skill of the lyrics show a thought process that not everyone can understand and enjoy.
Jigsaw

Jigsaw - Jigsaw first started his “games” after a failed suicide attempt which gave him a new appreciation for life. His elaborate traps were fair (at least in his mind) and were designed to offer the victim an escape and in doing so a new appreciation for life. Those that did not wish to sacrifice were not able to escape. During the “traps” Jigsaw managed to convert some of his surviving victims into his accomplices, even going so far as to convert “protector of the law” (Police Detectives) to betray their oath and join him. After going though their own personal struggles, Epik High have managed to survive and come out of it with a new appreciation for life. Perhaps we can view the new 99 album as Epik High’s “trap” and they hope that by listening to their “trap” we will come out with a new appreciation for life. There is also a possibility to convert the ones who were hunting them into their accomplices or fans, just as Jigsaw did with the Detective.
G-Dragon

GD has probably had more scandals than most idols and the reason people hate him is that he never seems to have to pay for his mistakes. I mean pay in their estimation which is basically packing him off to the army and making him leave the entertainment business forever. But it never happens because he is the nations golden boy and somehow they can’t find it within themselves to hate him.
Thus why he is the perfect little villain for this video.
Lady Gaga

Maybe Lady Gaga was chosen as well because she, just like Epik High, is always reinventing her image/music and does as she please, because for them, it’s all about doing what they love and not caring so much about what others might think,
Also, it might be worth mentioning, she’s part of that small amount of occidental singers that are somehow “more connected” to their fans; this song talks about how much Epik high loves their fans for all the support given through all the hardships they’ve been through.
Alex

Alex was a villain. Like a pure villain (in my opinion at least). Like he killed people, beat people up, raped 12-year-old girls, had a gang and kept terrorizing the city. And then he was taken into prison and then underwent psychological coercion and he stopped being bad… (I love that book by the way. So genius… ANYONE WHO HASN’T READ IT, MUST.)
(BULLSH*T ALERT):
The thing is, although he’s a terrible person, he is still loveable. I love Alex personally. So yeas he is a villain that ‘everybody hates.’ But I do think the whole idea of societal pressure fits in with his character. He was basically forced to be good, forced to conform to society… and I think that Epik High are condemning coerced conformity by having him as one of the villains that they ‘love’ even though they ‘love’ despite the fact they are despicable. The only thing that could possibly make anyone like Alex is sympathy for him because of the psychological torture that he went through. That’s why Epik High like his character I believe, and so by liking him, I believe they are taking a stance against the notion of psychological torture and that form of civil ‘karma’~
I rest my case :P
Jason

Jason was continuously picked on bullied while at Camp Crystal Lake by the other campers (reminiscent to the Tajinyo incident). The counselors who should have been watching the campers were off doing their own thing and didn’t protect Jason from the bullying and Jason ended up drowning. The counselors could represent Tablo’s management company *cough*Woollim*cough* who, during the Tajinyo debacle did not protect Tablo like they should have. Jason could have been included because similarities could be seen between Jason’s situation and Tablo’s.
The Joker

The joker is a genius psychopath and as dark as they can get but he’s still the joker and he does silly and ridiculous things too. I see this album that way. The sound may be bright, but the message is still pretty much dark.
Not-so-fun fact: ‘King Mart’ and the bloody ‘don’t hate me’ in the beginning, reminded @iloveminhyun of a ‘king mart’ that used to be in Homs Syria where the Alawites conducted a mini massacre and killed all the shoppers and looted the entire shop.
Part 7: SONG ANALYSIS
It talks about how we can keep smiling even if the whole world hates us, so long as we still have that one person who still loves us no matter what :)
As was seen in Tablo’s own life, it is hard when people just hate your because they can. But he had his awesome and gorgeous wife by his side and look what she managed to do to pull him out of the funk.
Has been likened to Blink 182, Green Day, 90s music, Simple Plan, Yeah Yeah Yeah – Y Control, Billie Joe Armstrong (Tablo), and punk in general.
Has a nice reggae inspired rhythm that starts at 3:48.
NANAandLIZZYfanatic thinks [Kill This Love] is better.
Part 8: SONG - VIDEO CORRELATION
Subtitled MV - by epikhighfansite
S: Everybody hates me; V: Customer is yelling angrily at Tablo

S: My heart is full of holes; V: Jason has a mask full of holes

S: Tears leak; V: Tablo holds up Crying Milk

S: Blocking my mouth like goalkeepers; V: Hannibal with mouthguard.

S: As long as you clap for me baby; V: Tablo (later everyone) claps hands

S: I want to share the sadness; V: Guys are all moping/drinking together around a table, Mithra pats Jigsaw on the shoulder

S: You just smile at me and hide; V: Joker girls sits next to Tablo and just SMILES.

S: Like I’m a public enemy; V: Tablo’s eyes turn black and he looks demonic

S: Even me breathing becomes a controversy; V: Scarface blows white powder.

S: You who dances on the chopping blocks; V: Jason chops up meat on a cutting block, while Lady Gaga ‘dances’.

S: You have weird tastes; V: Lady Gaga sure has a Meat Dress on -_-

S: How can I still smile; V: The Joker, resident smiler

S: Why do you hate me, Please love me; V: Lady Gaga reaches out to Alonzo (boyfriend) who is leaving her

S: Miwo handa = hand; V: Tablo points to the mannequin’s hand

S: Love and hate, I’m grateful for both; V: Two-Face flips Love/Hate coin

S: Please love me; V: Tablo makes a heart shape with his hands

Part 9: Did we miss anything? :p
Please tell me if I should add or remove anything.
I think we might have over-analysed a bit, if so, our deepest apologies. But it was fun ^^;

Contributors: soluiz (amazing macros!!), jas24 (thanks for explaining the puns!), Allen Goldin (so many screencaps!), unicorngalaxy (video analyses), and also all the ideas and spottings by Natz, Maruja 90, NANAandLIZZYfanatic, JustDense, Laurana1, fuuko4869, emmyemu, MidnightEkaki, Cinnamon Cappel, G-Raim, dotdot, iloveminhyun, Velvetblue Veille, MG, Nic, and many other Epik Nasties. \(^o^)/


