All thoughts, opinions and conclusions are mine, and mine alone. Take my opinions with a grain of salt, and always trust what you think, not what others think.
Now, you guys know me... you know me quite well, especially those of you who have stuck around for a long time, and you know what my taste is when it comes to music; Idol pop and bubblegum flavoured songs, in general. So, you will also know that I tend to stray away from the JRock/JMetal end of the singing scale... unless it includes Acid Black Cherry, that is, whom I still need to continue looking into, because he's awesome.
Well, PV Request Week kind of tackles what I am reviewing right now in terms of music in a way, because what do you know, I have a J-Rock request! I'm not at all surprised, I was waiting for you guys to send me the groups that you loved for me to look at and review, but I'm also a little scared, mostly because J-Rock is totally out of my element, much like K-Pop. J-Rock can go anywhere, really, from adult and dark to tame and enjoyable. It depends on the group really.
And so my first set of J-Rock requests comes from Anni, who commented for the first time (Hello sweety! ^o^) and thought that this would be a great opportunity to challenge me with the PV's from her top 3 J-Rock bands. She has also added two other requests, both far from the J-Rock scene because they are former Hello! Project acts, with one which I will definitely be taking a look at later on in the Request Chronicles, as someone else has requested that I review it. But, for her top 3 picks, I will be taking a good look into the genre of J-Rock and what it holds for me as a first-time viewer and listener of these groups.
So before I can truly get started, I want to let you all know that these are the three requests that I am possibly the most anxious about, because this is a scene I don't generally take a look at. I've actually listened to a bit more on the Visual Kei side recently (after introducing one of my nephews to An-Cafe, with which he responded to plaguing me with their music whenever he visited), but I have never listened to these three groups, so I'm pretty scared in a way...
And, here's a random bit of information which might make you laugh or just raise your eyebrow, I decided that I would listen to Burial Applicant (scary name) Thursday Morning, after a night of no sleep, to wake me up for college and to see what I was getting myself into... Well, I still question the video even now after a good night's sleep.
That all said and done, it's time to take a look at Anni's first request, Burial Applicant by the group The GazettE, and see what I think of the PV and how I interpret it. Enjoy this pic spam and review with the knowledge that I am totally out of my element...
What a reassuring song title. I really do feel at ease knowing that this J-Rock song sounds so... peppy.
It's even etched into the book like it's a Jackal Lantern. Still reassured, totally!
Happy Birthday to Me... Happy Birthday to me... Give me a Gun, and I'll shoot One Two three...
I love the Engrish in the opening, though I only just noticed it moments ago xD
Michael looks really happy, he must have such a wonderful life...
I can! And I WILL!!!
Oh okay I won't...
Michael: "Mom, Dad, what's in the box!? Is it a rolex?"
I would laugh if it was made of glass and he accidentally broke it.
Oh hey, look it's the band! They look... Leathery?
... Wow. Way to go, Parents. What's next, the announcement that he is possibly adopted?
Uh-oh... Michael does not look impressed, you guys.
Ah shi--- It's the eyes, guys! The turning-evil-you-gonna-DIE eyes!!!
... is that a Stripper pole?
Oh it's the barrel of a gun... WAIT, WHY ARE YOU GIVING THE KID A GUN!?
Wow... nice parenting skills, I totally want to be just like you guys when I grow up.
These guys really get into it, that's really admirable~
... o-O the kid has a gun... guys, run for your lives...
Who says you can't have your cake and eat it?
Wait... is that a box full of bullets? What the heck, is this kid 18 already, but he just looks young for his age?
My lord that is one creepy kid...
Plot point?
Okay so now you're handing him a shovel? It's as if you're asking him to go off and kill someo--- ooooh...
Now you can blame society...
... or you can blame the parents. It's your call, but I will personally blame the parents.
Mommy: "Here have some newspaper, NYAHAHAHA!"
Anni did say that these guys didn't have a main focus in the video, and really, they don't...
Wait, why are you crying?
Awww, don't worry... things happen for a reason... -pats back-
... I am terrible and consoling people.
Wait... what have you guys got there...?
My lord... is... is that the body of Michael!? You killed him, you evil people killed him!!!
Indeed it did.
The book references the murder!? My lord!
Yeah... hide the evidence..
So, you're going to kill this kid now, this 'Michael'? What loving parents...
Wait... what is happening?
DA HECK??? What the...
He killed them all along!?
My lord this is quite the turn of events...
You sick, twisted little boy...
Well... at least you don't have to share that cake now, you know?
HOLY MOTHER OF... -runs away-
Well... didn't that surprise you, because it really did me! What a turn of events...
Burial Applicant is certainly not my typical cup of tea when it comes to sound or video, being a genre that I generally overlook most of the time, and the style of the video is something quite shocking to me, though I've seen video's like this before... just in English, and not Japanese. In fact, I never really thought that Japanese music could take such a dark approach to a video, nor did I expect to see a child murderer appear in a video, either. But it seems I have truly taken a step away from the cute Idol video's I usually watch which have certain boundaries that even AKB48 have yet to cross...
The video is certainly the most interesting aspect of Burial Applicant to me; I really hold no interest in the song (especially with the screamo part that I think appears... I really don't like screamo), so the video is the key here when it comes to this review, because it's definitely different to what I am used to, but it also held quite a bit of interest for me and kept me watching to see what would happen, to see how everything would unravel for the family we see at the start.
Now, when I finished watching this video at first, I was extremely confused. In fact, I still am, because it's rather twisted in how it's presented, and the story totally loses me. At first I thought that the parents were the murderers, taunting their son in the beginnig by scribbling out his face in a picture before shooting him. In reality, the son is in fact the murderer, killing his parents with the gun before burying them in the spot where we had originally thought the parents had buried Michael... It's confusing enough to watch as it is to explain, but the twist in the story really makes you think about what went on in Michael's life to make him kill his own parents.
After watching the video a few times, I've come to this conclusion on the video, and this is solely my conclusion and no one else's. You may or will have interpreted this differently to me.
I came to the conclusion that Michael has schizophrenia, creating his dual personality where he is happy, but where he also see's his parents as threats or people to be disposed of. Another conclusion I cam to was that Michael came from an abusive household, however towards the end I felt like he was just an evil child who had something wrong with him, so I returned to the idea that he suffers from schizophrenia, and that throughout the video he shows us certain points of his life which make us believe that he is innocent, and that his parents are abusive and chose to kill him, showing how their decision strained their relationship (the arguments) before they took care of his body, only for us to realise that Michael has in fact twisted this story, and he is really the killer.
I also thought that Michael may have been told he was adopted in the video, such as the scribbling out his face in the picture towards the beginning of the video, as well as the fight that his parents had in the woods before he shot them, taking revenge on them. But I scrap that conclusion, because I still think that he possibly has a dual personality which killed his parents, a kill which ends with the video by showing us that Michael is actually celebrating his birthday alone, possibly also celebrating a victory of death.
... And even then, I am still confused, because the story is quite confusing itself. Whilst I may have this conclusion right now, I still find myself wondering what the video possibly means, though I do think that it shows us that you should never judge something straight away, because it can turn just as quickly as you assumed and change into something different or a lot more horrific, much like life can if you assume that someone is horrible just by the way they look, or how a food tastes bad because it doesn't look appealing. So this video basically taught me not to assume that something has happened straight away, because it can change its course without you realising it, and before you know it, the kid is the murderer and not the people you thought were the killers.
It's a thought provoking video, and it still has me thinking. I can see why Anni sent the video to me, because as she says, the storyline is obvious, but it's about how you interpret it as an individual and how you take the story line. Even now I am still confused about it, but hey, it got me thinking, and not many video's make me think, because Idol pop in general has no story or background, let alone the video's.
It's a great and scary twist, one which will get me scared of children for a while (especially blonde ones), but it's an interesting twist all the same. It fits the tone of the song, and whilst I may not take to Burial Applicant as a sound, I do find the story coupled with it daring and new when compared to what I am used to watching. The title truly matches the song and the video, and it really has made me think about the meaning of the video and why the child has murdered his parents.
... I'm not going to trust my brother, now... guess his name...
Well that was strange... Not really my cup of tea either. Would've been a few years back though.
ReplyDeleteHaha yeah DX Back when you were trying to get me into VK :P
DeleteOk, first: Hi (^-^)/ and thanks for doing my request!
ReplyDeleteSecond: I do feel a little bad for challenging you with such hard tasks. I knew it was totally different from what you normally do. But yea, part of me wanted to give you a real challenge and part of me felt sorry for it.
Either way, I do like your review and you don't have to feel sorry. You gave me a whole new idea of how to interpret the story. I never thought about the fact that Michael could be schizophrenic. But it does make sense somehow and it's a really interesting way to see it. That made me think about the whole story again.
Music-wise I have to say Burial Applicant isn't really my favorite songs. The band has a lot of songs that are way better. (in my opinion) But like I said when I requested it, I wanted something with a side story, performance only PV could have been a little boring. :-/ Though when you think of idol PVs it's only Close-up & Dance shot mostly, at least when it comes to H!P PVs lately. -.- Sadly GazettE's newer PVs are mainly focused on band performance and the really old ones are weird as fuck and with that I mean even more weird and confusing than this. (^_^)"
Anyways, if you wanna give them another chance music-wise you should check out PLEDGE, which is my all-time fave. It's a great rock ballad, but the PV isn't that interesting cause you only see the members with their instruments and some crying women here and there.
To end this stupidly long comment I just wanna say that I hope my other two requests will be a bit easier for you and I'm looking forward to see what you think about them. (^_^)
You're welcome, and honestly, a challenge is something that I need from time to time - giving me a change of pace and taking me away from my comfort zone is refreshing and allows me to take a look at new things and see what everyone else likes, because everyone has a different preference when it comes to video's and music. It also gives the readers something new to read and to find out about other groups, too! So I don't think that you should feel sorry for asking me to review this :D
DeleteI'm glad that my interpretation was new for you! I wondered if I had a similar view to yours with the video, but it's nice to know that I have given a new view into the video; everyone interprets it differently, which is good! I just wonder how you interpret it?
Hopefully the other two requests will be up soon, and I look forward to reviewing them for you ^o^ and honestly, all PV's are good... it just depends on who watches them. You never know, PLEDGE might be a fantastic PV for me :D
Ok, I'm glad you see it that way. :)
DeleteI always think nobody could really read Ruki's mind (he's the vocalist and kinda like the creative mastermind in the GazettE). He comes up with really crazy stuff sometimes. So my idea about this PV was that it should show what could happen to a child that grows up in an abusive household. Like some kids that grow up witnessing fights between their parents can be violent as well later on in their own relationships. But I mostly had this idea cause I knew that Ruki had a pretty difficult relationship with his father who was way too strict for a "rebel child" that he was. He even disowned his own son (but in a later interview he said that things were getting better and they have a better relationship now). But those are things people who don't know the band can't know.
And cause they used Caucasian actors I also thought it might have some criticism about weapons in it as well.
Like the way people handle weapons in America, especially around kids is very scary. I mean I saw a report once with a father who was oh so proud of his little 6year old girl that she knew how to use a gun. That was kinda terrifying. o.o (I hope I explained all that in a way that is understandable, English isn't my first language. Sorry :-/)
So that was my idea, but luckily everybody can interpret it in their own way. And I really like hearing other people's thoughts about it. :)
That's true. :D Maybe you would have liked that one. xD I just thought from the view of a reader about what would be more interesting to see. So I picked a PV with some action in it. ^_^
Don't worry about the other two. I'm a pretty patient person. ^_^v
He does seem really creative with the concept he has created, and it is quite confusing, but he seems to be the sort of person who puts a lot of depth and meaning into his songs and video's, something which most Idol groups lack greatly.
DeleteI like the idea you portrayed, and honestly, I thought of that as well. Also, it's sad that Ruki has that sort of relationship with his own father, but if he truly put his own personal feelings into the song and video, then it makes it so much more personal and gives a greater impact, and he did that.
I like the view on the weapons front - as a British born and raised girl, we have very few weapons kept in the household, sometimes none at all, it depends who your parents are or who you live with in a sense, but yes, American's seem to use them daily, look at them as if they are a part of life or like toys. And wow, 6? REALLY?
I can understand you perfectly, you have really good English!
I am so sorry they take so long ;A; I have been procrastinating xD