Simple but Soothing - Alice Juban's 'Skeleton Sky' PV Review

All opinions and thoughts on the group, video or song are my own and no one else's, unless otherwise stated. If you do not like my opinion, then that is your choice. However, please do respect my opinion, and I will respect yours. Don't like my opinion? Then you don't have to read what I write.

Ever heard of Alice Project? Well, if you had asked me that question a while ago.. I would have most likely answered 'What the heck is that, SHOW ME!!!'. However, after some random forum stalking, I found out about this project... and I subscribed to their youtube channel because I liked the look of them.

So, from what I do know, Alice Project is an underground Idol Project, with most of their acts unknown to most International fans of the Jpop industry. Currently, the only unit they have that actually get PVs are the group Pureful, which I think is an 'older' Idol group (or at least, they look older), whilst the other groups do record, but they don't get videos as such.

But another interesting part of Alice Project is that, when certain groups come together within the Project, they create 'Alice Juban', much like H!P's MoBeKiMaSu.

So if you just so happen to visit their youtube channel, then you will find a few lives from the various groups as well as other various videos. So take a look if you suddenly take a fancy to this project~

But what is the reason for me introducing such a group? Well...

I freakin' love one of their songs!


Recently, Alice Project uploaded a brand new PV to their youtube channel, and it interested me, so when I took a look at it I realised that I had already heard the song in the MV - before the MV had been uploaded, AP's channel had released this song several times in the form of solos by different members of Alice Project, but I never thought that they would mush them all together and create an entire group song.

So it was interesting to see Alice Juban for the first time in a video, and to listen to the song with so many voices put together...

This calls for a Pic Spam!!!

Ooooh, a building...

... and a very recognisable scene that I saw somewhere else before... I WONDER what PV they could have taken this from...?

*coughsplutterhackSEISHUNCOLLECTIONcoughdiescoughcough*

Anyways... there are some cute group shots in this video

The girl rubbing her hands together is wondering what will be the best way to get rid of her rivals...

No offence, but her first close up looked so freakin' derpy, I settled for this shot.

She's pretty, but tbh she looks a lot older than some of the others

This girl = gorgeous

I like this girl

... Did they rely heavily on natural lighting?

These girls are seriously cute

I like the shots with these girls in, so pretty and natural~

No idea why, but this girl interests me because of her squinty eyes...

LAWL at the girl with the flower in her hair. Her face is lol worthy

Like a BAWSS!

Such a sweet smile

... Can I steals her?

I couldn't help but notice the drawing of the fail sun, but the girl herself looks adorable

I like this girl more and more as the video progresses...

... And her, too. She seems so freakin' fun!

One of my favourite drawings in this video, because it's so nice, and very positive

This girl is so neat! I love her handwriting

And then this motto made me smile. 'Everything has a reason' - Something that I actually say most days. I love this girl now

I can't read what she wrote, but she's adorable, and I love the bunny

More bunnies? This time from the Derpy girl who is cute

I liked this one too: 'No Rain, No Rainbow' <--- Very true

Happiness is infectious

Long shots!

I want to hug her!

I want her freakin' skirt!

"I BELIEVE MY SELF <3" Shout it from the top of the world, girl!

They all look so happy together~

Hahahahaha

Dude, I like this girl based purely on how she stands XD

All together~

And a nice ending shot GET!

Originally, I wondered what Alice Juban was, but after reading about Alice Project on Pure Idol Heart, I got the general gist - it was basically MoBeKiMaSu, but in a totally different project that not many international fans would know about.

So, when I first watched the video, I was surprised by how relaxing it was. Because the song itself is quite heavy, I thought that the girls would all be rocking out and jamming away, but as they're seated most of the time, or standing, the video has a very carefree and relaxed atmosphere about it, making it easy to watch. It's a very simple PV, much like Seishun Collection is, but it doesn't have a dance shot - only solo shots and group shots, which is very little to work with when you think about it. But, Alice Juban made it work, and created a nice PV with different locations, pieces of paper and the girls themselves.

What I like the most about this PV, though, is that the girls all look like really good friends with each other and like they are really having fun, especially in the shots which show them creating their motto's and quotes on the paper. It made the girls a lot more likeable, and it added some cuteness to this PV. Now, there really isn't much to say other than that, because the PV has so little going on, but despite that, the girls are still fun to watch and to observe with their expressions and movements, as well as seeing what the pieces of paper said on them.

In all honesty, I like the PV - probably not as much as I like the song, but watching the video, I feel at ease and it soothes me. The girls all look comfortable and like they enjoyed making the video. I guess the only things I find wrong with the video is the lighting and the lip-singing - most of the time when we see the girls singing, it is together - even during the solo parts. That kind of bugs me, but I have gotten over it a little. And the lighting... well, sometimes you can tell that they used just natural lighting, especially when they are inside. Oh well - at least the natural lighting inside wasn't that bad.

So yes, the PV is nice - the atmosphere is refreshing, and the girls all look like lovely young women, and I even found a few favourites in there just by how they acted and presented themselves whilst standing. I also liked looking at the pictures - it can say a lot about how they are, like how positive the girls can be or how organised they seemed. And, I will admit it; their boards were far more entertaining that the ones in Seishun Collection.

Now, the song - The song is the whole reason why I am so in love with Alice Juban at the moment. As I said before I started throwing pictures at you all, I had heard this song previously in the form of solo's. I originally wondered why so many solo's were being created, but shrugged it off and thought that they were going to have everyone do a mini-live. I never thought that they would do a PV and a group version of the song, so I was pleasantly surprised.

Now, I really liked this song beforehand, but until the group version came out, I didn't really listen to it that much - but the group version? I have it on a loop constantly because I like it so much.

It's a really nice, catchy tune which quickly got stuck in my head, and the girls' voices seem to compliment each other. They all sound amazing in this, especially when together, and I can't really choose a voice which is my absolute favourite - I like them all. Every single voice works with this type of song, soft or not.

The song itself is quite heavy beat wise, but I think that's because Alice Pro are more so leaning towards rock or metal music than soft pop or anything like that, but their music is a lot softer than normal rock or heavy metal (thank goodness). But it does have its soft moments, especially when the girls are singing, but it will quickly kick back into its heavier state, which I like. To me, it's pretty much an ever-changing song - there are a lot of parts where it just switches to another beat, and that's interesting. It keeps the song alive and entertaining in my opinion.

All in all, I like both the video and the song, but if I had to suggest one over the other, it would be the song. It's wonderful to listen to, and it makes me happy when I listen to it. However, the PV definitely makes it sound and feel a lot less heavy than it actually is, and is very nice to watch if you want something simple and easy to follow. It doesn't have much going on, but it has enough - the girls themselves make the video worthwhile, but the cute pictures or quotes they create are an added bonus.

Yay! I introduced this group to my blog, FINALLY!

So, have you guys ever heard of Alice Project? If you have, what do you think of them, and do you like them at all? Was this song a good first impression if this is your first time listening to them?

Chiima~


PING!!! International Wota Recommended Reading: February 3rd, 2012