All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own and no one else's. That is all I have to say, whee~
My lord I truly have been procrastinating, and I have no real excuse other than the fact that I have been deeply engrossed in PewDiePie from youtube... yup. Though I will say that I have watched this requested video quite a few times already, so I actually haven't been ignoring it.
Okay, so we're back into the Request Chronicles, or December Request, whatever you think I should call it or what you guys want to call it... either way, I am back and ready to rumble!
So after days of procrastination (and not just with this review, but with my Digest and anything else, really) I am ready to take a look at Anni's second request, another Visual Kei group, by the D; Nice name, guys, but a tad difficult for me to find if I have no idea what I am doing. Luckily Generasia is always at hand, so I have no hard task with finding the group, but if I didn't know about Generasia I would be so screwed when trying to find these guys because of their name...
So, Anni's next request is their song Namonaki Mori no Yumegatari, the main song of their mini-album which was released this year... actually, try last month, so it's pretty new. Anni requested this one because she simply loves it, and to be quite honest, I kinda get why. Let's just say it's pretty damn cool, and I've actually been listening to this song and watching the video quite a few times, days before now, and let's just say that I like it.
Visual Kei + metal vibes x Chiima = SAY WHUT?
Well, isn't that just weird? Well whatever, it's new to me as well, but you like what you like, regardless of who you are as a person and what your general tastes are...
That said, we need to get on with the pic spam before I start to dive into the song itself. Now, get your guns guys... we're going in for the kill...
I still find your name difficult to work with, guys... It's not me, it's your name...
Oh what a pretty lady...
Alcohol and cigarettes... you do know that these two things can lead to cancer, right?
... Oh, you don't care...
Asagi: "Somehow I can not hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiide... who I am, though I've triiiiiiiiiiiiiiied~"
I half expected some sort of Disney song to pop up out of nowhere thanks to the setting.
Is the deer symbolic in this video at all, or are we just looking at pretty imagery?
How classy of you.
Oh crud! He saw something moving!
... Wait... YOU'RE A DUDE? Oh my!
Wait, a gun? Didn't we just have one of those in another PV Request...
By lord, Anni is basically bringing back the Chocolate theme, but with guns! GASP!
HEY! Don't you dare point that thing at me!
Arrrgh! MURDER! The hunter killed the beautiful Lady-Man!
This bit is a little creepy but really cool - you'll need to watch it to see the effect, though it's basically like his stomach is doing a rapid breathing session or whatever...
Hunter Dude: "I will see you in your nightmares..."
Now that is fucking creepy.
Er, guys... you're not worried about ruining your dresses? Not at all...?
Wait, why is there a black hole in your stomach? Please explain
HELL YEAH, Epic water KICK!!!
Damn global warming... this is what that guys cigarette did, isn't it?
Wait... what? Oh my lord, the Lady Man came back! HE IS THE MESSIAH!!!
Paruru: "You called?"
No Paruru, not you.
Hunter Dude: "Holy Fuck Shizz Balls and Llama's..."
My my, dear sir, it's as if you have seen a ghost!
This scene reminds me of Final Fantasy X's water based scene where they kiss... hm...
Oh crap, he's polluting the forest!
Asagi: "I am so beautiful..."
I love the little gems on his eyes.
He is also really pretty...
Hunter Dude: "I need to get the fuck away from this place!"
Yeah, you better run!
Asagi: "Give me your
Heck yeah, WATER!!!!!
Getting into it, aren't you mate?
Asagi: "Care to join me in the Dance of Death?"
He just needs some maraca's and he's good to go!
Hunter Dude: "... shit fuck fuckery fuck!"
Run! Run for your liiiiiiife!!!
Asagi: "Give me a hug..."
Oh fuck yeah, WATER! So much freakin' FUN!!!
My god he is gorgeous...
I feel so jealous D;
Ah shit, the pollution's getting faster...
Hunter Dude: "Ho shi---"
Oh he looks scared...
GOOD!!!! >8D
Hunter Dude: "Fuck no... No No No..."
Crawl away, mate, crawl the hell away and get outta my forest!
Hunter Dude: "ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!!!"
I think that he's scared, guys...
Hunter Dude: "No... Please, no... I-I ave a life, a wife... argh... -chokes-"
Asagi: "Repentance, BITCH!"
Y don't ever fuck with a man who has antlers, remember that.
Hunter Dude: "Zzzz... Huh, what?"
It looks like someone had a nice drunken nap. How was the dream?
Not good?
... You won't even bother saying goodbye? Okay then.
Oh, and he dropped his gun! Tch, littering...
Asagi: "Was that guy checking out my beautiful ass...? Tch, typical."
I am so jealous... Asagi looks better in a dress than I do, and he makes such a pretty girl... Damnit, Japan!
Okay, so I am honestly wondering now if the next PV request will have a gun in it, because if it does, then that makes three in a row where the Gun is in the video, and if it's a major plot point, then honestly, that would be pretty cool, because so far both Burial Applicant and this song have featured a gun in the video's, and both guns serve as the main weapons which lead to certain events. Coincidence, yes, but I like random recurring themes, even if the requester never meant for it to happen.
Well, recurring themes aside and guns put back safely in their cupboards, Namonaki Mori no Yumegatari as a PV is vastly different to Burial Applicant in how I interpret the meaning of the video used. Burial Applicant seems to be more about misinterpretation than anything, whilst the story or point to get across here is a bit more obvious in what it wants to show us, though both video's do mislead you, something which I found quite effective in the video's.
Namonaki Mori no Yumegatari, in my eyes, is a video which revolves around the theme of rebirth and karma, two themes which I think are implied heavily throughout the music video. I also assume that there's a nod towards pollution, though that's simply speculation. Maybe the black smoke is just evil?
I think that rebirth plays a huge part in this video; we see that Asagi is shot, but he rises again from the smoke in a darker, more menacing form which counteracts the purer and more gentle side that was killed off in the beginning. This then leads to the act of compensating for what the hunter did to Asagi, meaning that his life will too be taken. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, as they say, which ultimately leads to the rest of the video, which is basically playing catch and seeing the hunter run around in a flurry of fear whilst Asagi floats above the water, sending smoke after his killer, before we come to the end, one which really surprised me.
I do think that this video is focused strongly on rebirth and karma, but aI also feel that there is a little bit of symbolism in it that you see only in the beginning, and that symbolism is the deer. As I watched the video for the first time, I wondered if Asagi was the deer itself, but in mortal form. As the deer, Asagi is killed by the Hunter, but for once, he takes on a new form and is able to get his revenge. I still see this every time I watch the video, and if this is the real symbolism behind it, well, I really like it because it shows that there is no reason to needlessly kill, whether it is an animal or a human, and that deer, and animals in general, are living things too and not a form of sport.
The end of this video, though, surprised me, but only because I really wasn't expecting the outcome to be what it was. Basically, once again we have been mislead by a video. Burial Applicant showed us that the child was in fact the killer and not the parents, who we believed to be the killers, and it's the same here; we find out that nothing has really happened, that the Hunter never shot the gun but simply dozed off, and it was all a vision, a dream which had conjured, something that had showed him the outcome of his actions if he dared to shoot, and I think that this was really effective in showing that not all your decisions can be good decisions, and that with some things that you decide on, there can be consequences. It was a great way to the end the video I think.
The video is so enjoyable to watch in my opinion, mostly because you have a good mix of scenes where we see what is happening to the Hunter, and the outcome of it all, as well as performance clips which fit very well with the tone of the video and sound of the song. I have to say, the performance shots were very nice to watch, especially with the water droplets spraying everywhere in slow motion - it all looked very effective, and it worked well in impressing me, even though it's a pretty simple edit to do to a video. Actually, I found all of this video very beautiful; the shots seem to focus greatly on the location and not just the performers, though of course you get plenty of scenes where we see the singer and his band mates at work, and those shots themselves are pretty amazing. Simply put, I love the editing in this. It really caught my attention and kept me watching. The scenery and how they edited everything together just works so well for the song and image of the entire video.
Now before we all go off to watch this video, we need to talk about this song... a song which I like, but I really was not prepared to like it at all. Honestly thought, it's a very good song, one which I recommend you all tune into, even if you aren't a die-hard metal lover. It's actually surprising how good I find this song, to be honest, but hey, I like it.
Namonaki Mori no Yumegatari is definitely not the sort of song I could see myself listening to, but the first time I heard it I knew that I had enjoyed it, regardless of the metal sound to it and that deep, throaty sound Asagi makes that sounds like growling and nothing else. The opening actually did it for me; it's a beautiful opening, very ethereal and gentle. It's the sort of sound which calms me down, and it helped me to get into the song before Asagi sings, and before we get into the heavier sound of the song itself, but even when it gets heavier I still find that the song sounds quite deep and delicate in a way, even though it's fast-paced and energetic in sound.
I ave also come to the conclusion that, despite the sound of the song, it's the sort of song which could easily calm me down, a song which I think fits the 'calm' feel and atmosphere as opposed to something which I would want to bang my head to. This is a weird conclusion, in my opinion, but there are certain aspects of Namonaki Mori no Yumegatari which make me feel like this is a great song to listen to when you want something which isn't rushed, cute or in general heavy.
It's a really good song, and honestly I'm surprised by how much I have listened to it and how much I genuinely enjoy it. I thought that it would be off-putting, but it isn't, and I have come to really like Asagi's amazing vocals. He has a brilliant voice, and an even prettier face.
It's a great video, one that is littered with meanings, and I urge you all to watch it. It's beautiful and just all around a really good video. The song is pretty amazing, and I think that you should all give it a try! You'll never know if you hate it until you properly listen to it in all it's glory!
I can see why you like the song, Anni! Thanks for recommended it to me to review!
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