Back to the Basics (초심불망 or 初心不忘) is an ongoing series of animated videos and music memes by the creator Hyunoo.
One day, the upstanding student Lee Ji-Won is visited by a pair of demons. After hearing that humans are eviler than demons, they want him to be their teacher. Ji-Won decides to accept their request and prevent them from getting into worse trouble, but his troubled past makes him especially vulnerable to their influence. Luckily a girl enters his life who helps open his heart.
For Ji-Won, understanding who he truly wants to be, will be no easy task.
The series can be viewed here
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Back to the Basics contains examples of:
- All Just a Dream: Most of the events of the "(OC) Fukakouryoku" video take place in Ji-Won’s dreams.
- Anachronic Order: The videos take place at many different moments in the story’s timeline, with some memes and FMV depicting events in the second half, while others show events that occur before Ji-Won met the demons. Even the official story playlist contains a flashback video.
- And Here He Comes Now: When Hwa-Yang and Ji-Won are discussing the terms of her keeping his secret in the "(OC) No Roots meme", she tells him that he can no longer let the demon’s influence him. Right after she does this, Lucifer and Nike appear next to them.
- Art Evolution: The series has gone through major artistic improvements over time with proportions being more consistent, character designs being polished and stylized, and animated effects becoming more impressive and striking.
- Big Damn Hug: At the end of the second "(OC) PSYCHO" video Ji-Won gives Yeon-Hwa a big hug. As he is stated to dislike touching other people, him instigating the hug signifies how important she has become to him.
- Bisexual Love Triangle: After Ji-Won continues to be influenced by Yeon-Hwa’s caring and upbeat attitude, Lucifer decides to interfere by trying to be Ji-Won’s partner instead.
- Black Blood: Used in some videos, though red blood is also commonly depicted.
- Blood Magic: Lucifer marks Ji-Won’s right eye with his blood in the "(OC) Bones" video. It is implied to have some magical purpose due to the demon’s eyes turning red and the scene beforehand showing the words ‘He’s Mine’ being written in red through a human ribcage.
- Blood-Splattered Innocents: Happens to a girl in the first "(OC) Villain" video. She points at Ji-Won afterwards indicating it was his fault.
- Brooding Boy, Gentle Girl: The relationship between Ji-Won and Yeon-Hwa is this. Ji-Won feels alone even among his peers and has a troubled darker side, while Yeon-Hwa is bright and caring. She pulls him out of his gloomier moods with affection and patiently waits for him when he isn’t ready.
- Clothing-Concealed Injury: Ji-Won uses his clothes to try and conceal the fact that he’s been bruised and scratched up by his mother’s lover, but he is happy she noticed he was hurt regardless.
- Dartboard of Hate: Lucifer throws darts at a picture of Yeon-Hwa in the "(OC) Girlfriend" video.
- Deal with the Devil: What starts off the events of this series. Ji-Won agrees to be Lucifer’s teacher and is given a right earing matching Lucifer’s left one.
- The Faceless: Oddly enough when Yeon-Hwa appears in the "(OC) Do not Die!" video her face is never shown. This may be a way of implying that she isn’t really there, and that Ji-Won is just hallucinating her presence.
- Faceless Masses: Unimportant and background characters are often depicted as having no eyes.
- Giving Them the Strip: In the "(OC) Untouchable" video Lucifer bites Ji-Won when he tries to brush the demons off to go hang out with his girlfriend instead. Ji-Won manages to escape by leaving behind his suit, which Lucifer has bitten a chunk out of.
- Grievous Bottley Harm: In the "(OC) CHOP CHOP SLIDE meme", Lucifer breaks a bottle and uses the broken end to shank another demon before resorting to using his claws to mess them up.
- Identical Twin Mistake: Near the end of the "April Fools’ Day Run away with me" video Ji-Won is shown approaching Yeon-Hwa to talk to her. After he breaks down it is revealed that he is actually talking to Hwa-Yang.
- Instant Costume Change: In the "(OC) Girlfriend" video, Ji-Won is instantly changed from his school uniform into his bartender uniform by Lucifer’s magic. In a comic that takes place afterwards, it is implied that Lucifer normally shouldn’t be able to do this without Ji-Won’s consent but was able to do it anyway.
- Keep Away: After stealing Ji-Won’s phone from him in the "(OC) Girlfriend" video, Lucifer and Nike toss it back and forth between then using tennis rackets.
- Luminescent Blush: As a story depicting the events of Ji-won’s first relationship, he is prone to these when interacting with Yeon-Hwa. Yeon-Hwa occasionally gets them as well.
- Magic Dance: When Lucifer takes Nike as his disciple, he dances with her which causes her arms to disintegrate into red petals. He ends the dance by kissing her hand which both causes her head to explode into petals and seals the deal between them.
- Mistaken Identity: When the demons first approach Ji-Won they are looking for a delinquent in the same class as him that has the exact same name. He pretends to be the person they are looking for to keep them from meeting. However, the information the demons’ show him states the person they were looking for also had a noted relationship with his mother. Ji-won has a troubled past involving his deceased mother, and on top of that Nike looks suspiciously like her. They may not have found the wrong person after all.
- Mood Whiplash: Due to the non-chronological order of the video releases, it isn’t uncommon for the tone of the series to shift suddenly between lighthearted and dark themes. The release of the "(OC) KANPAI FUNK" video which depicts the characters goofing around and having fun followed by the "(OC) Do Not Die!" video which contains imagery of suicide and self-harm is a good example. Some videos contain this sudden shift within a single video, such as the "(OC) Doctor meme".
- Our Demons Are Different: Demons in this series do not have names and once they claim one, they are often targeted by other demons that want to take the name as their own. Needless to say, the demons with the big seven names are very powerful.
- Peer-Pressured Bully: The first customer was one of these. While she was originally a victim of bullying by her friend group, when someone tried to help her, she slapped them. Her friend group then started bullying the new target, and she joined in with them.
- Plant Person: The creature that Ji-Won creates using the red seed appears to be formed out of roots and other plant matter.
- Tampering with Food and Drink: The food and drink served to the patrons of the bar appears to cause them harm later. They are often shown falling to their knees and clutching their hands to their heads. Considering the customers are served based on the stories they tell, it’s likely this is done to punish them for their misdeeds.
- Tears of Blood: Nike weeps tears of blood in the "(OC) Haine&Kleine" video before she gives up her head to Lucifer.
- The Unmasking: In the "(OC) Monster" video Ji-Won takes off his red gas mask and reveals he is the bartender to Hwa-Yang.
- Voodoo Doll: In the "(OC) Do not Die!" video, Lucifer gives one of these in the shape of Ji-Won to someone. Rather than using it to hurt him, the doll is used to prevent him from committing suicide and make him focus on his studies.
