I have opinions, and so do you. Don't like mine? Then stick to yours... and find someone who agree's with you. I don't care if you hate my opinion, because I like it, and I live with it. YAY!
*About this series: I have created this series with the intention of looking at groups or songs where Tanaka Reina is a focus, or where she has grown considerably, from way back then until now. Because of this, I may be looking at songs or PV's that I previously ignored or loved once upon a time. There will, hopefully, be a mix of things here. I hope you enjoy.
I really should be asleep, but I know that tomorrow (er... today?) my time will be spent doing other things that need to be done. So of course, I have decided to procrastinate on sleep. Yep.
Smart moves there, Chii. Greeeeat~
So we're coming to an end with this series, and this will, sadly, be my final post about Winky... or at least, the final review post. Tomorrow's post is actually the final one of the lot I believe, so look forward to it, but this is the penultimate post, the final review... the final PV with Winky in it. Can you guess what it is?
Of course it has to be Winky's final PV in Morning Musume, the last song and her final Wink before she goes AU REVOIR, BITCHES! and jets off to Lavender pastures where she will continue to wink, but out of sight (YAAAY!) and with fewer girls to compete with.
Too bad she still sounds like a dying cat with this new group of hers though, but whatever. We'll see how she does there and how long the band will last, but for now... we must rejoice! And talk about her final PV in Morning Musume, or at least as a singer under Morning Musume's title.
Yeah, let's get into the Definition of Rock, Rock no Teigi! Not that I think that this song is the definition of rock, because 1) Reina does not have the voice for rock music and 2) This is Idol Pop-Rocks.
Derp. Let's get into this video, shall we? If this seems rushed it's because I am tired, so forgive me, and I think my Week with Winky is getting tiresome... kind of like her personality and voice over the years since she started.
... Has anyone else noticed how excited I was at the start of this series and how, suddenly, I have come right back round to how bored I am with Winky in general like I am in the present time? Anyone? Yeah, I thought so...
SPAM TIME!!! (before I get into sleepy-rant-mode... and we don't want that now, do we?)
Well, what a promising way to open a video...
When's she gonna strip?
Oh good, she's trapped! Now, let's keep her in here until she learns to stop being 'kawaii' and glittery and, er... well, Winky.
Winky: "What's wrong with my cuteness?"
Girl... you had more cuteness when you were a Yankee. Right now you're just... well, not so cute.
Holy crap, are those desks tied together with barbed wire!?
Oh good lord, a Pink Bow with leopard print...
Oh wait, that's classic Winky, isn't it?
I think I just walked into a scene from Battle Royale 3: You Wink to Wonk Edition
Don't touch that barbed wire, Winky. You might just poke yourself and bleed to death.
I do wonder if Reina thinks that sticking a bow on her head and wearing pleather makes her look 'cool', because it doesn't.
There's so much glitter around her eyes, Management decided that they didn't need to blow any budget on extra lighting equipment for the shooting of this video.
A lil' bit of the ol' shoulder to get them Wota gasping for breath, and reaching for the tissues...
Looks like someone (Winky) has been stealing from the H!P stock cupboard...
How very Yankee of her.
Winky: "BWelcome to ma Crib, homeys!"
Holy fuck, Winky, what did you do to that classroom!? IT'S A MESS!!!
Winky: "It's called Breakin' an' Enterin', ya FOOL!"
Holy fuck, she's more Yankee than I thought! The spirit is still there!!!
It's like Chaos meets... er, well, Descent into Darkness, really.
Winky: "Hoo, boy, stealin' them ol' microphones from H!P storage and messin' up dis place makes meh TIRED."
Hm, I only just noticed that she has stupid pigtails...
LIGHT!!!!!!!!! HOLY EFFING LIGHT!!!!
... Okay, what the fucking heck did I walk into? It's like Reina's hair and eye gliter blew up and turned into disco balls!
Also, who else has noticed that she's been raiding the H!P stock cupboard again? I certainly did!
Okay, who else is creeped out by these eye shots?
I bet that there are many Wota who hope for her to hold their own 'mini microphones' just like that, if you know what I mean *wink*.
Okay, that's actually pretty sexy, and in general Winky is not sexy... but she pulled that card and played it well, in my opinion.
LIP SHOTS!!!!
I don't like her cuff/bracelet over her sleeve. It looks weird.
Holy hell, she is creepy! SAVE ME!!!! The Yankee wants me dead!!!!
... Okay, is that a smile, or an attempt at looking like Riho?
Holy crap that's a whole lotta mess. I bet the teachers won't be happy to see their classroom has been destroyed on Monday.
... Okay yeah, that's fucking creepy. Get me out of here!
It's never any fun when you have to loop the song you're reviewing and you don't particularly care for it, but hey... I actually like it more now, which is a pity, because I don't want to care for Reina any more than I do already. I am also still extremely underwhelmed by her voice in this, because yeah... she sucks more now than I thought thanks to looking back at how awesome she used to be. It sucks, really.
Anyways, let's talk about the PV and song at hand here, Rock no Teigi. What can we say about it, huh? I mean I have already reviewed the song for the Brainstorming/Kimi Sae single review I posted way back when... but yeah I need to review this PV, and to start that off, I will let you all know about the story I found and created behind it, for my own idiotic pleasure.
When I first watched this video, I basically thought that the story behind it went a little like this:
Tanaka Reina is a notorious Yankee, and after breaking into the H!P Headquarters and making off with some supplies, a valuable microphone from the Jishin Motte set and also a million disco balls from the Dakishimetex2 and Asian Celebration sets (she's a magpie, she likes sparkly things, duh), Reina set off to a school that she could easily break into. After breaking and entering, she found a classroom and set about destroying it, overthrowing all of the desks and chairs in a blind fit of rage, whilst also setting up the disco balls and microphone for her own entertainment. After a while though, the police came in and found Reina, and as punishment, barricaded her inside of a cage made of desks and barbed wire. What's more, she had to change her clothes. No idea why though, maybe she just had a new set that were her 'Prison rags' or something.
... And that's the story. Did you enjoy it!?
Okay, so my own stupid story and idea's behind, I did see other things in this video that, to me, made some sort of sense and had a bit of meaning behind them, especially the scenes where she is barricaded from everyone else. I had to watch this PV a few times before seeing these meanings, however when I did finally think of them, I did like the idea behind them. Now I may be the only who see's them, however if you feel that there are deeper meanings behind certain scenes, please do let me know because it will be interesting to hear it all!
So, when I watched this PV a few more times, I concluded that the scene where we see Reina barricaded behind the desks is like a hint to her current position in Morning Musume; caged and ready to break free, but still locked up because she has yet to graduate. It's as if Reina, who has been in Morning Musume so long, wants to leave but is still shackled by her duties as an Idol. The scenes where we see the desks everywhere in the background, up-turned in an act of chaos, is her breaking free from that cage and becoming herself, standing alone and no longer trapped by her duties; she is a free woman, a spirit who can do what she wants and can stand alone. She is no longer being held back by this cage, and is instead taking life into her own hands, as opposed to letting someone give it to her on a silver platter.
Also, I find the school setting (and the desks) have some form of symbolism behind them, but this is more so me just being... well, me. And that means horrible to some, so horrible I shall be. Anyway, these school-like things indicate to how Morning Musume is, currently, like a school to Reina; there are children there, and she feels trapped by these school-kids running around, but now she is breaking free from these kindergartners, and going on to Lavender pastures, ready to rock it all out and such... etc etc.
When it comes to the disco balls and the barbed wire, I do believe that the barbed wire is meant to represent her 'tough' exterior, whilst the disco balls and the pink shirt are there to represent that 'Idol-like' and 'girly' exterior that we all see, and how she contrasts her own personality sometimes. It's also like a change in how she is, where she is going; the glittery, cute Reina we see is the Reina that we all know, but the 'rocky' Reina is the one that she ultimately wants to become now as someone who is breaking free of Morning Musume and becoming a new person. You see both sides of her; New Reina, Old Reina, and it's as if she is conflicted over her characters; a rocker chained inside by her duties as an Idol, or an Idol who wishes for freedom by breaking through her persona and taking a new path, whilst trying to stay the same so that her fans won't feel betrayed by her change in look and personality.
... And those are the meanings that I find behind the video, that Reina is conflicted over her Idol and Rock persona, as well as the fact that she wants to break free (start singing, everyone, I know you want to) from her duties as a Morning Musume member and become her own person, someone who is no longer an Idol, but now a singer, and admittedly, after thinking that these are the meanings behind the video, I do like it a lot more.
... Well, the glittery disco balls annoy be, but that is such a classic Winky thing in my opinion; glitter and sparkles EVERYWHERE!!! The desks were a cool idea though, especially when they were turned into a cage. Pretty damn cool if you ask me. The barbed wire is also good, though why a school would have barbed wire in it is beyond me!
Anyway, long story short: For Tanaka Reina's final PV, I think that this video did her justice. It's the sort of video that shows the to sides of her that we know about, and is also quite forceful, just like Winky herself in a way. Okay, so it doesn't play up to her performance skills like it could, but for the Winky we know now... the video does suffice. It isn't perfect, but it certainly has something about it that makes it interesting and so-very Reina-like. In fact, I do feel that it has 'Tanaka Reina' written all over it. It suits her, and I like the destruction-like appearance behind it all, as if Reina is chaotic and ready to take on all that is in her way, like a Tornado or a storm... either way, this is her final video, and it really does feel like she is saying 'This is me, Tanaka Reina, as I am now. I am now standing alone, and I will ROCK ON until I burn this place down.' and I honestly do believe that, on her own, Reina can support herself and do amazing things.
... Regardless of the fact that she has a band now, that is.
To be honest, it is actually weird thinking that this is 'The End' of Winky from Morning Musume. This is her final PV, the end of an era, the end of a 10 year legend... well, if you can call her that, that is, but either way, it's the end of something, and honestly? I wonder what will happen to MoMusu now that she's leaving for good, like who will get the lines, who will have a solo song on the next album and so on (I bet Riho, despite how poor she is at singing) and most importantly; how the lineup will be now sound wise thanks to her departure. Who knows, really? It could be a good thing, or it could be a bad thing.
All I know is that I need to get the wine out, because hey! SHE'S LEAVING!!!! ROCK ON, WINKY! WHOOO!
The Definition of Rock... because Rock is apparently set in a school that a Yankee tore apart, you know?
Chiima~
PING!!! Idolminded Recommended Reading: May 19th, 2013
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