Maid Cafe Idol group, Afilia Saga East, have peaked my interest with the PV to their first ever single's B-side, My White Ribbon, which has been used as an insert song for episode 9 in the anime STEINS;GATE.
Okay, so in all honesty, this is the first time that I have heard of this group - but the fact that they are an idol group from a Maid Cafe peaked my interest, and I am also trying to get into new groups, so of course I decided to see what these girls brought to the plate.
This girl has some serious cuteness going on
When I first heard the song, my immediate thought was 'this is for an Anime'. Whilst still an idol song, it has that generic Anime feel and beat to it, but it is still pleasing to the ears and makes for a good pick-me-up song. It has a sweetness about it that I like, and a little bit of a charm that makes me want to listen to it more. The calm voices of the girls singing together is extremely pleasant to hear, and when it comes to the chorus the girls bring it up a notch and kind of dazzle me with their sweet, angelic voices. They somewhat sound like a Choir Chorus, interestingly enough. But that is just my opinion.
I just want to wrap you up and keep you for myself! So damned cute!
I find myself replaying the song a few times - partly to help me write this review, but also because I actually like it. There is something about it that brings me back to the play button just to listen to it again. Then again, I like anime songs, and though this isn't a song that is a true anime song, considering it has only appeared in one episode, I find it just as catchy and cute as an anime song usually is, and it really catches my attention. The girls sound simply adorable together, and the chorus-like feeling of this song certainly works for the group and the instrumental. In a way, it brings the whole song together and makes it a beautiful, but simple, piece.
Moving onto the PV - this is a really simple affair, much like many PVs I am seeing around the internet nowadays (not counting AKB, they always have an extravagant afair in their PVs I guess) but it works well for the song, though when I first watched it, I though Is this it? and was a little bit disappointed. But, I had to reason with myself - the girls were eye candy enough for the video, so the producers needn't overwhelm it with anything too big. Anyway, this is a pretty simple, but really nice, song, so why make a big fiesta of a PV when they can just work with what they have?
And it works. Extremely well, in fact.
There are only two shots in this entire PV - Close up, and dance. That is it. The camera moves around during the dance shot, zooming in sometimes, other times moving from one side to other, and then a stable close up shot of the girls faces. Now, the dance is nothing to write home about - it is quite dainty and delicate, with movements that flow and look graceful, and very little energy thrown into the dance moves. However this graceful look really fits the girls, and even through the up-beat part of the song, their gracefulness flows well with the beat. Though this isn't an energetic or overly complex dance, the simplicity of it all is enough to fit the song.
Now this bundle of cuteness is my kinda Maid! >3<
Now the close-up shots - they provide the right amount of eye candy for any viewer, with each girl a sure catch for any type of viewer. There are cute girls, more mature girls, a Megane girl and probably a few more that I cannot list, but either way, there are quite a few types of girls in this PV, and their close-ups give us a good glimpse of them, helping us to choose our type of Maid. I guess that this is a good thing that there are only two certain shots for this video - the close ups give us an individual view of the girl, helping us to depict a favourite, as well as to see how they interact with the camera/viewer, and then a dance shot to show us how well the girls work together, and also an overall view of their outfits.
Each of the girls are extremely cute in their own way, and they communicate well with the song. They look comfortable (some more than others) and provide a great amount of eye-candy (I keep saying that!) as well as a nice song to listen to. So this video is kind of a win win situation, right?
So to sum it all up, I do like this song. Though I find it to be a generic anime song, I really do like it - I seem to have a weakness when it comes to anime theme songs. However, the girls have also overwhelmed me somewhat. Their cute faces, and adorable actions, have captured me. The girls look pure-heart and as if they are here for you, just like all maid-sama's are.
The PV, though a rather simple affair, is nice to watch - we get to see the girls a lot, and the dance is daintily cute and endearing. It doesn't really get boring, because you get to see so many expressions from the girls and the way the dance works. I'll also throw in that the effects used on this video remind me of Momoiro Sparkling, but they work with it - it fits in, and it gives a bit of colour to a somewhat drab but fitting background. Also, the costumes are just lovely - it makes me want to dress up... plus I like to see Maids in maid outfits (haha).
Overall, this is a Hit for me. The more I listen to the song, the more I want to root for this group and to find out about them. I love the whole concept of them being Maids as well as an idol group - it gives those who have an infatuation with Japanese Maids a chance to look into the idol world, and it gives the maids a chance to promote the company they work for.
Anyway, go check out the PV and see how it fits your tastes - you never know, you may have found a new group to root for, just like I have!
Note: Though this video was put up for February this year, the song and PV have been around since 2009. It's from their debut single :)
Ping! http://www.intlwota.com/2011/08/a-look-at-afilia-saga-east-and-an-akihabara-aesthetic/
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