Tuesday 6 November 2012

It's Cold because you have next to nothing on! Now get some clothes! - S/mileage's 'Samui Ne' PV Review

All thoughts and opinions within this post are entirely my own, and no one else's. Opinions are like rocks: Nobody likes to be hit with them. Opinions are also like chocolate: Everyone has a different kind that they like, regardless of what their friends may think, but not everyone will like the same opinion. Everyone differs in how they think and feel towards a subject, person, group, song or video. If you hit someone with your opinion, I mean force, then people won't take your opinion into consideration, but if you are acceptable of other people's tastes and opinions, your on opinion will be accepted.

... How did I turn an opinion into a rock?


Don't you just want to slap a girl when she complains 'It's Cold!' when all she is wearing is a small shirt that shows her stomach, and a very short skirt in the middle of winter? Yeah, me too!

Though to be honest, in S/mileage's case, it's the fault of the directors and not the girls themselves! I mean really, who makes girls wear this sort of stuff for a winter PV? That, and these costumes are as tacky as heck anyway! They look pretty C-H-E-A-P to me. No wonder the girls are cold with such tacky, tasteless outfits!

Then again, these costumes are a step up from the garbage-bag inspired Wakuteka Take a Chance outfits. At least these have a bit of, er... colour and shortness to them?

Oh, and tails...

The heck, H!P? I know S/mileage are weird, but you're getting a bit too ahead of yourselves. Even this song isn't weird enough for crappy costumes with Mini Moni-esque tails. At least dress them appropriately! Urgh...

Oh, looky here, I'm going off on a rant about the costumes, when in reality, this is actually a PV review... I am sorry, but these costumes... truly, they are not... Okay, I'll shut up about the costumes now, because it really isn't the only thing that pisses me off in this video. Actually, only two things piss me off with Samui Ne, the costumes, and something else.

More on that later, though, because we have a pic spam to run through!


So, the snow is now a block? Wait, is this a minecraft PV!?


... Aww damn, it isn't... Oh well...

Wait, what the hell are they wearing?!?!?!


Rina looking gorgeous as always <3


Heck, even Meimi looks flawless! And that's saying something!!!


Dawa has really been impressing me lately, she's so beautiful...

DAMNIT H!P, why are you making me like the girls I used to dislike? First Yuuka, now Dawa!!!


My Gorilla is such a perfect little being, no matter what others might say <3


I'm getting a serious case of De-ja-vu here...


Lord Gaki: "No... this is OUR PV... don't steal the Naichau Kamo..."

I'm reminded of Naichau Kamo immediately, but with snow instead of rain. I'm also pretty certain that this video is about a break up...


Who hurt you, Rina? Who broke your heart?

It was Kitagawa Kenji, wasn't it? He's been around playing with those NMB48 girls! And next he will break their hearts, too!


Not you too, Kanon!!!

Damn you, Kitagawa Kenji!!!


Cinderella Revolution looks flawless, Gorilla is flawless, and Derpy is also flawless. All in all: Pretty flawless


My Gorilla looks sad!!! Who is, where is, and how can I mutilate him!? -gets axe-


Mou, Hitoribocchi Mariko?

Sayumi would be proud, Cinderella Revolution.


My darling, I love you <3 Forget about this Kitagawa Kenji, and come to me!


Derpy: "It's so freakin' cold..."

Akari looks super freakin' sad, the emotion she has kinda scares me in how realistic it looks...


Gorilla: "It's so cold because the producers didn't give us proper clothes to wear for this video..."

Even Kana's emotions are realistic... actually, all of their emotions are...


There is a reason why you are all cold! Now, go put some CLOTHES on!!!


Look at Meimi, sneaking in a cheeky grin there. I knew that she couldn't keep up this sad act, she's useless at not smiling.


Such a bittersweet smile. Is this Rina coming to terms with the end of her relationship to Kitagawa Kenji?


I will say this again...


Winky: "My Winky senses are tingling... someone has copied a PV of Morning Musume..."

Reinyaa does not approve...


... Yes, she's beautiful, okay? I GET IT!!! SHE'S BEAUTIFUL!!!

-crawls into a hole and cries-


... I will not repeat myself. Go to the above screen cap to see my tears and pain.


Your love is as cold as the snow outside, but mine melts just as quickly...


Still cold? THEN PUT SOME DAMN CLOTHES ON!!!


The pain...


Okay, I truly do think that Akari is flawless. She actually needs to become a model, like, NOW!


Rina: "Sayonara, my love..."

That bittersweet smile really hits you, as if she has accepted the truth of the love that has fallen apart...


Dawa: "This is goodbye..."

Is this truly it, Dawa? Is it?


Guess what, girls? I'm not cold. Why? Because I am actually dressed in proper clothes. That's why.

Okay, so Samui ne... what to say about it that doesn't involve the stupidity of the costumes? Well, let's see...

Firstly, I really like this song. It's one of the more mature songs that has come from S/mileage so far, giving the girls a far less cheerful look, despite the stupid costumes, and allowing the girls to portray a new kind of emotion: Heartbreak... or at least, what these girls think is heartbreak, because I am 99% sure that these girls have never been in a relationship... if they have, then they have their management fooled!

Anyway, as I said, I like the song - it's different from what S/mileage has already done, and isn't crap like Dot Bikini or Tachiagaaru was, so I give it props for that. However, the song is reminiscent of another song that I can't quite put my finger on. I'm thinking that this is a Morning Musume or Berryz song, but which one, I have no idea. I really am no good with the sounds of songs, but it's familiar, that's for sure. If you guys know which song it is, please do tell me!

So, the song has been established a little, but I really want to talk about the PV and what pisses me off about it more so now. I actually bet you're wondering why the PV pisses me off, or at least, what aspect of it annoys me? Well, let me tell you now, dear readers!

Other than the costumes, the camera work during the group shots is one of the major piss-off points in this entire video. It's as if the camera man stepped back, stumbled, and the H!P staff thought that it would be a cool edit. No, staff, it is not. This shit looks sloppy and lazy, it does not look professional. It is horrible, and really made me dislike certain points of this PV and made me like the video less and less. It is really a big turn-off for me in the PV! You do not jitter or stumble with the camera because it looks like you have no control of your feet or hands when using a camera - you either aim and shoot, pan and zoom properly, or you get a professional to do it. Honestly, it looks like an amateur was put on camera for the day and told to do whatever they wanted on the group scenes. It's disgraceful, and it has really annoyed me about this PV and made it look a lot less professional!

Considering how high-up H!P seem to be, and the budget they seem to have with all the effects they blow their money on, you would think that these guys would know how to point and shoot a camera, especially one which is fixed to a certain perspective for this video. Seeing the amount of 'movement' that goes on in that group shot is just annoying! I'm sorry if you think that I am overreacting, but as someone who actually wants to work in the Media industry one day with camera's, I find this really outrageous in a way. It does not look professional at all, and it really downs the quality of the video for me! It really irks me, as you have probably guessed, and I get annoyed every time I watch the video and see those jerks of the camera moving away haphazardly.

It ruined it for me, it really did guys.

The rest of the PV though, it's pretty good I think. Very reminiscent of Naichau Kamo, but with snow effects instead of rain, and the scenes with the necklaces made the video seem a lot more personal, and it allowed us to see a new side to S/mileage. Whilst we are used to seeing their smiles and energetic personalities, Samui Ne showed us a new side to the girls that was mature, personal and heartbreaking. The way they portrayed their emotions through their voices and how they expressed themselves was wonderful here, I was really moved by all of them. They looked genuinely heartbroken, as if they had lost a loved one in the cold winter month and were reminiscing of better times, times that were invisible to the sorrow they are experiencing now. These scenes were done beautifully, and they are personally my favourite scenes in the entire MV.

I would also like to note the lack of a dance shot in this video, which I did wonder about, until someone pointed out in a comment that this could be due to the injury Dawa had. If so, then this is rather reminiscent Aitai Lonely Christmas, which didn't have a dance shot either in the final MV because of Nakky's twisted ankle, if I remember correctly. Is H!P doomed with their Christmas singles? Who knows...

I really can't say much else about the video other than that the scenes are really well done, and that the girls have all impressed me here. The only things I can complain about are those horrible, out of place costumes and those fucking camera jerks! Really!?

Okay, I need to get a grip of myself and try not to get angry at the camera jerks... but really, it does annoy me. However, the necklace scenes and the shots of the girls by the windows more than make up for it, I guess. The PV is okay at best in my opinion, and would have been better were it not for the massive fuck-up in the group shots that continues throughout the video.

Also, Meimi has seriously improved. She doesn't sound as terrible as she usually does in this song. It seems she has some vocal control now, and Kana is continuing to improve, though I wish that she and Rina had more lines in this song, because Rina is just wonderful when it comes to singing, and Kana has vastly improved - more than Meimi has, actually, and she isn't terrible like she used to be, but other than that, everyone sounds good. I just wish that this song had used the lower vocals more, because Kana, Dawa and Meimi's voices can be a bit squeaky, and certainly a bit too much, for me to handle in a ballad like this.

Well, whatever, it's a decent enough PV with plenty of gorgeous, heart-wrenching shots. If the crappy camera jerks weren't there, I would rate this PV higher, but hey... I'm not the editor, and sadly, I can't shoot whoever shot that scene, so yeah...


Is it cold still? If so... THEN PUT SOME DAMN CLOTHES ON!!!

2 comments:

  1. I agree about the camera! I was also really annoyed at how it went in and out of focus in the small group shots.

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    Replies
    1. Yes, it really grinded my gears in a sense... it just did not work, and it looked very unprofessional - the rest of the video was so polished!!! Why did they throw in that mes of camera work???

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