THEBLACKLABEL will edit some scenes involving an animated character in Jeon Somi’s “Fast Forward” music video after viewers accused it of plagiarism.
“Fast Forward,” which is the title track of Somi’s new EP Game Plan, was released on Monday, August 7.
Following its release, several viewers pointed out that the animated character in Somi’s music video resembles an artwork of the famous Japanese cartoonist Rumiko Takahashi.
In the ”Fast Forward” music video, the manga-styled character appeared to be a representation of the idol.
However, fans were quick to raise the similarities between Somi’s animated character and the artwork on Takahashi’s manga series Urusei Yatsura.
The Black Label had to delete/alter some scenes from Somi's “Fast Forward” M/V due to plagiarism allegations.
“suspicions of plagiarism arose as the character appearing in ‘Fast Forward’ MV closely resembled characters from the animation ‘Urusei Yatsura,’ a manga by the… pic.twitter.com/QHNn1rxqHE
— Viral Takes (@viraltakes) August 9, 2023
Viewers alleged that the two had the same style and color scheme. According to online users, only the direction the character is facing and the hairstyle are the differences.
Hence, viewers accused the company of ripping off the known character. It also sparked debate on whether the agency has permission to use the design commercially.
THEBLACKLABEL reacts
Soon afterwards the allegations went viral, THEBLACKLABEL issued an apology on Wednesday, August 9.
The agency said that they have decided to “delete and modify the scene” after they “discovered that the animated character in the video had similar appearances to a different character’s artwork.”
THEBLACKLABEL shares apology with regards to allegations of plagiarism of an animated character in Jeon Somi's latest MV for "Fast Forward"
Following internal discussions, scenes featuring the character will be edited out or deletedhttps://t.co/psJLcsha3d
— 파룬 (@balloon_wanted) August 9, 2023
Additionally, THEBLACKLABEL shared that they will replace said scenes as soon as possible. “We sincerely apologize for being unable to take a closer look and for causing concern,” they said.
The label also assured fans that they will be “more careful in the future” to prevent instances like this from happening again.
Game Plan is Jeon Somi’s first comeback in two years, following her studio album XOXO in October 2021.
Jeon Somi entered the K-pop industry through the 2015 survival program Sixteen. She also participated in the first season of Produce 101 in 2016, wherein she became a member of the project girl group IOI.
After IOI disbanded, Jeon Somi chose to venture in her solo career.
Featured image: Jeon Somi in the teasers for her ‘Game Plan’ album. Credit: Twitter/Jeon Somi