S/mileage's latest single, titled Tachiagaaru, has had its Music Video released to the public that is the Youtube community/Wotasphere, and I have a feeling a lot of fangirls and boys were going 'YAAAAY' when they saw it in their inbox subscription - but believe me, I wasn't. I was fucking dreading this video, and for a semi-good reason - I already thought the song was poor, so if the PV was just as poor as the song was, then there was a good chance that I wouldn't like it.
Guess what?
...
This is one of those rare posts where I hate the video ^_^ So enjoy~
This is actually going to be one of those rare occasions where I won't be spamming this post with just pictures and random text to support it - I'm actually going to write a lot, which I only usually do for songs that I think deserve my extra time and effort (not that Morning Musume don't... I just love to pic spam the hell out of their videos cos I love them so god damned much) or because I just want to put my view forward a bit more, and this is definitely one of those times.
First off, I started this video with no high hopes of a good outcome - and I ended it with disappointment and a sad sigh. The video kind of lacks, and we see so little of the sub-members on their own that we can't see their capability when it comes to solo shots. Oh, and they get no solo lines. That pissed me off, but I was kind of expecting it.
What? They're sub-members. Let their one time solo shot make up your mind about them. They need no lines OR solo time in any way shape or form!
So, getting into the video, you can really tell that this is more about the OG members (that's what they are now) than the sub-members, but boy do they look good - I have really found Yuukarin rather appealing as of late, and as I said to my sister, it took Saki's graduation for me to finally notice how gorgeous she is. She really appealed to me in this video, and was pretty much my shining light throughout it all - and Fuu-chan. But it made me want to cry when I remembered she was going to be an Egg and not a S/mileage member any more :/
Anyway, other than my drooling over Yuukarin and sobbing at the loss of the beautiful Fuu-chan, there is a lot of OG S/mileage shoved in there, and so little of the sub-members who are trying to wiggle their way into the group. There are quite a few group shots of the girls, but that's really it of them, so if you're a fan of any of them, prepare to be majorly disappointed, because I sure as hell was. Where the fuck were they for the entirety of this video!? Oh yeah... back up dancers!
But apart from the sub-members being shown as little as possible, they look adorable - even Meimi, who's forehead scares the shit out of me, was really cute in this and somehow captivated me with that 3 second shot of solo stardom. Her excitement when dancing was also really nice to watch, and it makes me want to root for her, despite her being my least favourite of all the sub-members. I really love her enthusiasm for the group and this song - she looks like an absolute spazz, but an adorable one at that! Good for Meimi!
Moving swiftly on from my sudden bout of Meimi adoration, I have to say I'm not digging the CG background - if Morning Musume wasn't enough with two videos that blinded us all with cool effects and absolute hyped up scenes, then obviously we needed more. Sadly, unlike Morning Musume's recent single, the CG that S/mileage has is a lot shitter, and looks like it has been stolen from Mini Moni's Jankenpyon!!!, but upgraded a little to keep up with the times. Se~riously? I know S/mileage are covering some old songs, but you don't have to turn them into either Pucchimoni or Mini Moni.
Oh, and who saw the connection between Shortcut and this MV the minute you realised there were bloody space ships?
It just proves that S/mileage are freakin' ALIENS!!!
Speaking of cute aliens...
I guess another disappointment for the video is the group shots you can get - we get these really boring and overly bland backgrounds with the girls all together. Sometimes the sub-members are pushed to the back and blurred out, or they are jumping up and down with glow sticks - either way, those scenes were a big disappointment due to a lack of colour. The only redeeming quality was Dawa's perv smile (see above picture) and the randomness that the OG's have going on there. Other than that, I lost interest in this sort of group shot.
Yaay for blandness >.> This totally goes against my 'simplicity is best!' saying...
Okay, moving on towards the dance, which is also pretty disappointing. Even though S/mileage always have a fun and quirky dance, this one disappointed me, despite how cute it is. Yes, there are really cute parts added into the dance, and it can become really energetic, and the sub-members look extremely adorable dancing like that (especially the mad Meimi), but it really isn't that impressive - I mean, they added the funky fucking chicken into it! What the Hell!? Tsunku has gone bonkers - Bonkers I say!
So yeah... there really isn't much going on this PV for me to really say anything else about it other than that it sucks. I know that we rarely get a story within a video that comes from Up Front, but even Uchoten Love had a sort of formula that worked well with the girls and showed you the fun of it all - here, we pretty much have the focus of the OG's and how well they work together and their friendship, but that's it. We don't see how the sub-members act around each other or if they're even connected as friends/loving members. They're shown far too briefly for us to really catch a glimpse of how much they support each other or how much they love doing this. I think that if only the sub-members were shown more with each other as well as their senpai's, we would have caught a glimpse of what a new S/mileage would be like, other than just simple back-up dancers that are barely seen and then the OG's who are pushed right to the front.
Oh, my ideal MV is so far away... >.>
BY THE WAY, if you haven't watched the PV yet - there are some nice leg/skirt shots of the OG members. Short skirts FTW, right?
Anyways, moving onto the song itself - I first heard this as a good quality radio rip, and from the get-go I said 'This song is weak when compared to their other songs', and even though I have listened to it enough for it to become ingrained into my brain and fester there long enough for me to begin liking it, I still see it as a weak song, and if it doesn't sell well, I honestly won't be surprised.
It's not that the song isn't good - it's just not up to par with what S/mileage have been releasing. Though fun and entertaining, it lacks something (maybe a Saki?) and isn't strong enough for a 'debut' with the sub-members. Yes, it is catchy, and yes, it is a decent song that will quickly implant itself into your head and stay there for a good hour, but it isn't good enough for me to actually want to go out and buy the single to support S/mileage. This is something that I would definitely miss - and with a song like Uchoten Love as its rival in the charts, I am sure that this will lose. In comparison to the greatness that is the dance-beat called Uchoten LOVE, this song is already beaten.
So overall, this video has left me disappointed - the song is poor when compared to the other S/mileage singles, the video itself is poor in comparison to the other great videos that S/mileage has and when paired together, they only make me like it a little bit more. If you really think about it, you generally begin to like a song more either if you have listened to it a good few times, or if the PV itself is of a good standard and makes you want to watch it over and over again - I don't want to watch this video over and over again, and I have replayed the song so many damned times that I am starting to hate it. I may like it a little more, but it gets annoying quite quickly, but that's just me - you might like this embedded into your brain 24/7, but I'm not so keen, y'see.
With the PV, I find that it seriously lacks - we get the normal formula of close-up and dance shots, but with the sub-members appearing in their first video, I seriously thought that we would see them a lot more. Alas, that was not the case, and they were shunned to the back - I actually saw them less than I saw Fukumura in Kono Chikyuu blah blah, and that's bad, if you didn't know. The girls weren't allowed to shine in their own way by showing us their cute faces in close-up shots, and the OG's hogged the spotlight - Yes, you can banter with me about how the are sub-members and that they shouldn't expect a lot of screen time, but you need to remember; The fans want to see how they perform, because one or more of these girls will be in S/mileage due to how well they perform as a member of S/mileage - so they should at least get some more screen time to show off what they have through their solo shots. This isn't fucking Mano Erina and her back-up Egg dancers - this is S/mileage and potential members. Whole different thing.
Lord, her big mouth is scary, just like her forehead...
I would say one of the biggest things that made me continue to watch this PV was the dance - even though it isn't that great or difficult, it's a rather interesting dance - even with the Funky Chicken added in there. The sub-members really stand out during these shots, and show their full potential and how much they want this, especially Meimi. The amount of energy and liveliness she puts into the dance is amazing, and has really impressed me. Scary forehead or not, this girl wants to be in the group, and I will be disappointed if she doesn't get in. She's a fan favourite, and her voice is a horrible squeak that I hate, so she'll get in, because S/mileage is all about the squeak, right?
So, what are the redeeming qualities and the cons of this video?
Redeeming Qualities:
- The Dance
- Meimi Dancing- Dark sky and OG's close-up with awesomely pretty graphics
- Dawa's Perv face
The Cons:
- OG member solo hog time
- Not so many Sub-members D;
- Overly crap CG- Weak song
- Unreadable video/shit group shots with bland background
So yes, I don't like this PV at all - but there is room for change, because initially I despised the video to Shortcut, and that is one of my favourite songs. I really like the video now, but I think that is because the song is so great that I started to care about the video. Sadly, I can't say the same for this song and video. They are both weak, and though extremely bright and happy, don't really stand out to me.
What'd I say? Funky Fuckin' CHICKEN!
I honestly think that this might be the biggest downfall for S/mileage right now - losing Saki must have taken a blow to Tsunku's head, because this song isn't that great, and the PV really doesn't do anything for me. Mayb e that is just me, though - maybe a lot of you guys think that the video is one of the best that S/mileage has had, and maybe you really dig the tune that is Tachiagaaru, but for me it is a big fat disappointment that fell flat on its skinny ass when trying to impress me with the colours, the CG and the Funky Chicken.
Whilst the graphics and cute outfits and overall tune will appeal to kids, I am sorry to say that it may not appeal to adults - unless you really love the Loli, then you're set here - or teenagers like myself who, despite loving S/mileage, can't help but find that this may be one of the worst videos in S/mileage history.
Okay, tell me that you can look at this picture and not think something perverted?
Also: Dawa's Perv Smile!
I adore S/mileage, and I think that they are one of H!P's greatest groups, but all great groups have a downfall at some point, and after being together for a year, it is this song. Saki's graduation might have played a small part in it, who knows, or maybe it is just that I find no appeal in this video other than the dance, Yuukarin and Dawa's perv smiles. Either way, this video = fail.
S/mileage, you're great - but what the fuck did you give us this time!? I ORDERED AWESOMENESS, not Half-assed CG and the funky Chicken.
Come back when you get the order right.
And on a last note: Did anyone see the random cow being beamed up by the spaceship the first time you watched this? I did, and it was the first time I laughed and felt that there was something truly good about the video.
Sadly, that was where my impressed state began and left. In the end of it all, I didn't feel excited or amazed like I usually am - this is how I feel with AKB PV's, so yeah, this isn't good, S/mileage...
Can their B-side save them? Will their next single be better?
Here's to hoping... >.>
Chiima~
Thanks Ray for typing this up! It was a real good read! ^o^
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