In a dystopian society, in which human beings are the lesser form of life, you stand on a large platform, surrounded by feral, savage aliens. These aliens- the segyein- are your owners, and they’ve placed you into this twisted game; a singing competition. On this stage, with the burning stage lights above your head, you face another human- it might be someone you’ve known since childhood, it might be someone you’ve never met before— it might even be your best friend. Today, one of you will walk away victorious- alive-, and the other will lie dead on the ground. This is called the Alien Stage.
Alien Stage is a Korean animation series, created by VIVINOS and QMENG, produced by Studio LICO. Set in a post-apocalyptic alien planet, the story follows 22-year-old human Mizi, followed by her colleagues— Sua, Ivan, and Till. All four of the young adults have been placed into the 50th season of the annual competition, Alien Stage. The series took off in September of 2022 with the release of Round 1, featuring the song “MY CLEMATIS”, sung by Rubyeye and C!naH, the voices of Mizi and Sua, respectively. The video gives a brief introduction to the protagonist and her lover, Sua, with the latter ultimately meeting her death by the end of the round. Soon after, VIVINOS began posting the subsequent rounds and videos, while posting additional content to social media accounts, such as Instagram and Twitter (X). As of now, the series is up to the seventh and final round, published October 25th, 2024, and featuring the song “BLINK GONE”, sung by AKUGETSU and BL8M, the voices of Till and Luka. The series experienced a surge in popularity after the release of Round 6- “Cure”- which revealed a tragic love story between the highly anticipated characters, Ivan and Till. The video amassed 11 million views just 6 months after its release, making it the second most viewed video in the series, falling second to the previous round.
VIVINOS tells a compelling story of humanity after an alien invasion, resulting in hundreds- possibly thousands- of humans being taken from Earth, and held hostage on another planet. The humans who’ve been abducted are sold in various ways, from auctions to shops, and each of them are held and raised as something similar to pets. Their alien owners all treat their pet humans differently, from showering them with love and colorful toys, to dressing them in pristine clothing and collecting them like antique dolls, to abusing and beating them. On this planet, the aliens are the superior race, and run society. They’ve abandoned human beliefs, such as religion, and have only adopted one manmade concept; music. The aliens are enamored by human music, and thus most aliens train their humans to have magnificent singing and instrumental skills, by any means necessary.
It’s clear that humans in this society are victims, and are at the mercy of their inhumane owners. So, would it be a stretch to say that these cruel aliens are representative of us, the humans that inhabit Earth today?
The impact of humans on the Earth has been no secret for a long time, with the majority of scientific consensus agreeing that there is no species more destructive than humans. Not only have humans utterly destroyed the Earth, they’ve also destroyed life on earth. Humans make up 0.01% of all living matter on Earth, but, according to a study done by The Guardian, humans make up 36% of all mammals, wild animals make up only 4%, and the remaining 60% are livestock, kept by humans. In fact, humans can be accredited with the loss of 83% of all wildlife on Earth.
It’s apparent that humans reign over Earth, and only care for animals when they provide survival benefits, or aesthetic pleasure. When put into comparison with the aliens of the fictional world, the distinction between the two becomes vague— there is no difference. The humans of ALIEN STAGE are representative of the animals on Earth today, showing the viewers a perspective of the livestock and pets that we keep.
Alien Stage is a unique series, and the passion put into it from the directors (who are actually dating!) is apparent through the quality of the work. Both VIVINOS and QMENG are no strangers to creating engrossing, unique stories through their animations, and have both come together to bring a passion project into fruition, and share a story with the world. I would recommend the series to anyone who has an interest in deep, psychological works, animation, or even just music. Even at surface value, one can sit back and appreciate the detailed and symbolic artworks.
