Simula At Wakas

 

A new era of greatness is about to unfold.

For six years, SB19 has been giving us quality art from how their songs were written to their music videos. Everything that revolves around their craft is intentional, and this era is no different. Before January ended, SB19 dropped the teaser for their new era and the last of their trilogy, Simula At Wakas. The anticipation was imminent from the tweets and posts from all social media platform. What's more fun were the theories from A'tin who have been racking their brains to interpret all the clues left by Mahalima.

It has been a tradition between A'tin and SB19, but nobody made it that way. SB19 is a group of five incredibly talented and intelligent men, so they naturally attract matured and thinking people. With this latest post, fans have been uncovering tons of clues. It is truly fun to watch different people discuss theories and give their own interpretations. Now, let's try to give our own interpretation to the teaser video and photo. Let's start with the video.

A torn out flag and scaffolding - we all remember the iconic and genre-bending song What? that took the country by storm. It was from the first EP of the trilogy, Pagsibol. A song that evokes patriotism, courage, determination, and bravery.

The bench and the radio - two symbolic images from their two underrated singles, Where You At and Nyebe. Two songs about reconnection and hope for something better.

The moon (?) and the cart - this is unconfirmed, but one significant part of the video is the huge round object hiding in the middle of the forest where the worn out cart is. These could be from their collab songs, Kalakal and Moonlight. 

A cave with caution tapes, blood splatters, light coming in from above, and water - from their Pagtatag! EP, we saw them inside a cave with the Pagtatag caution tapes for Gento. Part of that EP is Crimzone, a wordplay for crimson—a color often connected to blood. The light could be a representation of Ilaw, and the water could be for I Want You, both part of the EP, too.

The glowing tree - from their What? music video, we saw Stell dropping seeds to the ground. Their first EP was titled Pagsibol or sprouting. From the root word sibol or growth, this EP showed SB19's growth as men and artists. The glowing tree could be that seed that Stell dropped. It is fully grown and strong.

Red apple - from a biblical standpoint, the apple has long been used to represent knowledge, which also relates to sin. In the beginning, Adam and Eve were naïve creations never meant acquire higher knowledge than what they were allowed to. Many thinks that the apple shown at the end of the Pagtatag! concert also represents knowledge. Pablo's newest MV for one of his newest songs, The Boy Who Cried Wolf, also showed an apple. He was shown giving the apple to a boy with the same condition as him. It could mean that the apple represent the knowledge he wanted to pass down to the boy, and for the group, it is the knowledge they want to pass down to the new PPOP groups.

The woman - she could be the representation of the next PPOP groups or their own girl group.

The five of them walking away from the tree - this could be a representation that their work for creating a safe way for the PPOP community is done. They can now move on to another mission, a new journey somewhere else. It could also mean they are finally moving on because they are confident the ones after them can carry on.

Pablo looking back - this sends a clear message. Wherever they go, whatever happens, they will never forget the journey they had. Another meaning could be that as the leader of the group and CEO of their company, he is now finally passing the torch.

 The roots as the logo for Simula At Wakas - a tree has three major parts: the leaves, the trunk, and the roots. The leaves are what catches the sunlight that is needed for the tree to eat, the trunk provides strength and stability, and the roots are what supports the tree. Strong roots means strong tree. SB19 knows that they are already strong enough and what they built can already stand on its own.

From the teaser photo, we have rhumb lines crossing on one another, meeting at one center point, which is the logo for A'tin. Throughout their journey, A'tin has always been their light. They knew that no matter what happens, the fandom will be there for them, their guide no matter what. There are symbols spread across the map formed as SAW's logo.

Photo from SB19 Official

Rhumb lines or loxodromes - navigational lines used to plot a ship's course. 

A'tin logo as the compass - a compass is used by travelers to stay on their course and find their destination. 

The positioning of the three icons of the trilogy was odd because Pagsibol was in the center, Pagtatag icon was at the bottom-left of the map, and the Simula at Wakas icon was at the upper-right. This could be a representation of how their beginning will always be significant to them. That was how they built their foundation and did everything they can to leave a mark.

 Looking at the pieces of the map that's visible, we could see mountains, trees, hills, and valleys, which could be representations of their struggles through the years. They never had it easy, not even once. From the moment they started up to this day, they've been through so much. Their experiences are enough to make others give up, but they never did. 

The roman numerals at the edges correspond to the release dates of Pagsibol, Pagtatag, and Simula At Wakas.

Five meteors could be seen approaching the map from the north, which could be a representation of the five members of the group. They've taken us by storm, and no one can deny that. Nobody thought those five young men who were dubbed as wannabes would be big names in the music industry.

There are golden streams seen all over the map, which could be the life force produced by the glowing tree. Seeing the golden streams in different parts of the map shows that the power of the glowing tree has already reached far and wide.

All Landmarks shown on the map could be the possible stops of the SAW tour, or along their old tour stops. It would make sense if they would hold concerts at their old concert stops, too, considering that the coming era is about their past, present, and future There's a bridge that might be the Golden Gates bridge. Another visible symbol is a castle that looks like the Disney castle, which would mean that they would have a concert at either Japan, California, or Hongkong. 

One visible symbol looks like the Opera House in Australia, a tall tower that looks like Burj Khalifa, and three towers that looks like the Taipei 101 tower. Another symbol looks like the Colosseum in Italy. Other symbols have flags in them that could mean that they are possible stops of their world tour. Among the visible symbol is what looks like Niagra Falls in Canada, and what appears to be a beast. This beast could represent the greatest struggle they've overcome or a clue for one of their upcoming songs. It could also be another symbol, a hint for another location of their world tour.

Being a fan of SB19 is not only about attending concerts or collecting memorabilia. They've always promote critical thinking and intellectual exercise. They drop clues throughout their posts and MVs and their fans would automatically go on an Easter egg hunt. It's one of the many reasons their fans love anything they drop. With this upcoming era, everyone is excited, even the casuals. Twitter has been buzzing about the SAW teaser and how clever it was made. One thing is for sure, Simula At Wakas is going to be a hell of a ride.