Does anyone else hear that ominous bell ringing

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Does anyone else hear that ominous bell ringing is a catchphrase often used in reference to Sekai Project: Colorful Stage! and the Mizu5 reaction image meme. Specifically, the phrase is used in reference to the year 2022 Sekai Project song “Netsu Ijou”, which features the lyrics “The bells of parting toll”. The first known meme to use the phrase was posted on X/Twitter in November 2023 and became popular throughout 2024, often alongside versions of the Mizu5 meme.

Origin

On November 26, 2023, user X @yrs______ posted a screenshot of a wall of white text on a black background that reads: “anyone else hear that ominous bell ringing?? 🤣🤣🤣 no just me??😂😂😂😂😂😂😂”, garnering over 31,000 likes in 11 months. It is unclear and unstated what the post is a reference to, if anything.

To spread

The meme spread over the following months, including reposts on Instagram and X.

Sekai Project / Mizu5 Connection

On October 10, 2024, the rhythm game Sekai Project posted on X about the Japanese “Where does the thorny road lead?” in-game event scheduled for October 12th. The translated synopsis read, “Upon seeing Mafuyu step forward, Mizuki’s desire to ‘move on too’ grows stronger. Before the school festival, she decides to tell Ena something she hasn’t been able to tell her until now , but…”

An image shared in the post showing Mizuki with a shocked reaction became a meme on Sekai Project community in the following days.

While it is unclear exactly when the catchphrase “does anyone else hear that ominous bell ringing”, a direct reference to the @yrs______ meme, was first used in reference to the event and the Mizu5 meme, it began appearing alongside memes Mizu5 on October 11, 2024 .

Supposedly, the catchphrase’s connection to the meme is a reference to the year 2022 Sekai Project song “Netsu Ijou” which features the lyrics “The bells of parting toll”, which some believe foreshadowed “Where does the thorny road lead?” event.

One of the earliest examples of the phrase used in reference to the Mizu5 meme was posted by user shocked reaction, garnering more than 1,500 likes in four days.

Alternatively, TikToker @ei_nator also posted a meme that day using the meme and writing the text “ominous bell” in the video description, garnering over 20,000 views in the same time period.

The phrase continued to be used along with Mizu5 and Sekai Project memes in the following days, mainly on X, Reddit and TikTok.

For example, on October 12, user X @matoubaa posted a meme referencing the game that received more than 2,500 likes in three days. On the same day, TikToker @_myokou posted a video of the Mizu5 meme with a bell ringing in the background, with the caption: “Does anyone else hear that ominous bell ringing?? 🤣🤣 no just me??“gaining over 179,000 views in the same time period.

Various examples

Mizu5

Mizu5, also known as Mizuki shockedrefers to a reaction image meme featuring a shocked-looking anime girl looking to the left. The image comes from a Sekai Project: Colorful Stage! event in October 2024, commonly referred to by fans as “Mizu5”. The image shows Akiyama Mizuki, a pink-haired PJSK character, being outed as transgender to her closest friend, Ena, by her transphobic classmates. The “Where does the road of thorns lead?” The arc took place in the Japanese version of the game, with translated versions of the dialogue circulating in early October 2024. The image of Mizuki looking shocked also began to be used as a reaction meme in the same period.

Research interest

External References