Convicts of Selfish, Easy-going Love in Morning Musume's 'Wagamama Ki no Mama Ai no Joke' PV!

All thoughts and opinions within this blog and post are mine and mine alone, unless otherwise stated. If you don't like my opinion, then don't slap me in the face about it... just don't read. Offended by me? Go away then. Dislike everything I say and write? Again, go away. Don't care about anything, and just enjoy the read? Please, stay for some tea!

That said... yeah, don't like it, don't read it! DONE!!!

... Hoo boy, it feels like a lifetime since I last reviewed a H!P PV... blame effing hardsubs, kay?

Also: I have a serious craving for humbugs now. What about you?

It has been a while since I last reviewed a Hello! Project PV, or at least it has to me, and obviously it is because I have a serious grudge against those bloody subtitles that I loathe so much! I mean, okay, I guess it helps some people to understand the song more, and I get that, I really do... but they destroy a PV for me. Luckily I have mastered (well... kinda) ignoring them on videos now, and happily never look at them. The only reason I will ever know why a song means what it means is if/when a friend or my sister tells me what the lyrics say... but yeah, I pretty much ignore the subs.

Sadly, knowing the subs are there does stop me from wanting to PV review. Even if the PV is epic, I don't want to review it with the subs unless it is one of my wordy reviews with only a few pics, and seriously, I hardly ever do those. To be honest, the only time I will do a pic spam with subbed caps is when I have to... and those will be left for the SATOYAMA PV's, because sadly, I don't have the money to buy the DVD releases for their singles. Sad but true.

So, after waiting a while (and waiting more... because seriously, I lost interest in wanting to PV review this video thanks to the fucking subtitles) I have finally decided to screencap the hell out Wagamama Ki no Mama Ai no Joke, the first of two PV's from this rather glorious double A-side! So, now that I am finally here, ready to give you an abundance of images... what do you say we get into it?

Let's GO! It's time to find this Selfish, Easy-going Love... Oh wait, sorry, I'm joking! There are only humbugs here! Want one?

I say, UFP really are trying to get colourful with this title... not. That said, it looks snazzy!

I'm thinking Phantom of the Opera inspired PV, what about you? I mean, why else would they be in an auditorium? -grabs popcorn-

Yes, I know a fancy word for a theatre/venue.

ARRRGH, GHOSTS!!! -throws popcorn to the ground-

Oh my, Sayumi, what beautiful lips you have...

Sayu: "All the better to EAT YOU WITH my dear!!!"

If anything Sayu is more of a Siren than a wolf. Sing people to their deaths at sea, Sayu my pretty!!!

It looks like the Humbugs have come out to play! Or is it Beetlejuice inspired? Who knows...

Holy hot damn, bend over any more girls, and I will be able to see yo panties o-o

... Actually, bend down some more so that I can solidify that theory... o-O

Ah shit, who turned off all the lights!?

Girls: "Eeeeek, a spider ran up my leg!!!"

Now girls, are you sure it was a spider, or was it Sayumi's hands? Think about it...

Holy hot damn... THEY ARE BEING FILMED FROM ABOVE!!!! -shrieks happily-

Ayumi! This is no time to be preparing for a nap! You are performing!!!

Oh shi--- these girls are criminals on the run, aren't they? I can see it now... the black and white jail cell dresses, the spotlights looking for the girls, an abandoned auditorium as their safe haven from the police...

CONVICT MUSUME!!!

Sayu "Me? A criminal? Why would you ever think that...? I am on a criminal of love... Teehee~"

Oh... oh... HOT DAMN!!! Sayu is HOT!

RiDOS: *giggle* "But I never murdered him, officer... he simply... committed suicide upon my suggestion that in Heaven, we could be together..."

Riho is becoming extremely beautiful and not so boring in looks, if you ask me.

Sakuranbo: "Sir, I did not commit the crime, however, my puppets did..."

Sakuranbo, Master Puppeteer!

Sakura: "You believe me... don't you?"

Wait, Sakuranbo has a forehead!? And damn, this is the first time a forehead has enchanted me so...

I hate foreheads XD

... until NOW!!!!!!!!!! -thunder and lightning begins-

... Resonant Blue: The Return? o-O

Sayu: "My Loli Minions! Rise!"
Haruka: "Not again, Sayu..."

Haruka x Ayumin: "Stop in the name of the law! You shall NOT harm the children any more!"
Sayu: "But aren't you Loli's too...?" *giggle*
Haruka: "Shit..."

Princess: "This bitch is MINE!!!"

Is it just me, or are Zukki, Masaki and Kudo constructing a conga line back there?

Sayu feat her Apprentices in Loli crime... the Queen and her Princesses...

Hot. DAMN!

... nnng! How you Sayu fans have survived this long is beyond me, cos damn, she kills me... <3

Riho blocking out Eripon's shine time... oh wait, that's normal.

Aww, Masaki is pitying the Pon ):

Masakissu: "No, I'm pitying myself for not getting extra screen time. Bitch."

O... kay...

STRIKE A POSE, GIRLS!!!! FABULOUS!!!

The cell block tango will go on!!!

... Admittedly, this scene is pretty sexy (necks be sexy, derp) but I fear that is Riho... xD

RiDOS: "Pervert! This is what'll happen to you when I get my hands on you..." -slaps Princess-

OUCH!!!!

Damn Princess is looking fine lately...

And the Shark Idol, Baby Predator, is looking more Idol like and less Shark-y...

Holy crap, is this Queen x Princess Combo? I think it is...

DOUBLE THE HOTNESS!!! Arrrgh, it burns so sweetly!!!

Heck, even Haruna is channelling her inner hotness in this video! No sweet honey for you, Chokubo fans! It is all bitter, flaming HAWTNESS this time around!!!

... And Haruka just so happens to be channelling her inner Mushroom.

Masakissu: "Owww... my tooth hurts..."

No matter what, Masakissu can never be serious in an MV, but that is truly her charm... haha xD

I swear, Eripon is looking more and more like other Hello! Pro members... today, she looks like Chinami. Tomorrow, who knows?

... Hot damn, you are perfect! Zuk, where are all your perfect screen shots, aye!?

... Wait, Chokubo, darling... why aren't you channelling the sekushii?

Haruna: "... I got tired of it?"

Makes sense.

I swear, this is a scene out of The Ring or something...

Riho: "Am I sexy yet?"

At your age now?... I will still say no.

Also, LOVE those costumes!

Haruna: "... I'm back..."

Hot... DAMN!!!!

Also, figured it out: Haruna on the Left is sexy, Haruna on the Right is innocent... basically, Devil/Angel on the shoulder concept? Yup! NAILED IT!!!

But still... DAYUMN!!!!

Damn Sakuranbo is really getting her camera presence on here! I actually can't take my eyes off of how mesmerising and confident she is... o-o

Sayu: "Ah...~"

... o-o -dies-

Okay, I love it, especially Sakura and how much fun you can she she is having!

Sakuranbo: "I use Tresseme, bitches!"
Haruka: "Yeeeeeeeeah!!!... Wait, why am I cheering?"
Zukki: "No clue..."
Ayumi: "YAY!!! NEW CLOTHES TO TAKE HOME!!!"

Ayumi: "Outta ma way, bitches!"
Haruka: "Hahaha, bye guys..."
Sakuranbo: "..."

I swear, with her hair styled like that, Eripon could totally audition for Johnny's Entertainment, and no one would bat an eyelid or question her gender... o-O

I call her Ikuta Eran!

Ikuta Eran-kun!!! When will you join JE and show off those fabulous abs?

... Holy shit... that is SCARY! Why?

1) She looks like a creepy fucking doll
2) THAT IS FUCKING CREEPY! She looks like she wants to gauge out my heart and eat it for breakfast!!!

Haruka: "Give me mother-fucking lines, and then maybe I won't eat you heart."

ARRRGH!!!

These four actually look pretty damn fabulous together... and aww, Haruka, don't cry, dry your eyes!

Haruka: "Bitch, this be sarcastic crying!"

Princess is getting sexier with every PV... Damn...

I never noticed this before, but Ikuta Eran's ears are pretty cute... <3

I fully support the relationship between Ikuta Eran and his girlfriend, Oda Sakura! IkuDa forever!

Sakuranbo: "... Wait, how did you find out about my relationship with Eran-kun!?"

Because I know all, Sakuranbo!!!

Ikuta Eran: "Oh my, you found out! Please don't tell the managers... especially about my being a male."

Actually, Eran-kun... I am a little more worried about what Masaki is doing to Riho behind you... o-O

Sadly, Harunan does not look as excited as the Pinku Duo in these shots. Makes me sad ):

Wait, where the Hell is Sakura!?

Zukki: "... We kinda killed her."
Ayumi: "Her carcass shall feed my family for a week or two!"
Haruka: "NOW GIMME HER LINES!!!"

o-O

I still love these sorts of shots... -sighs happily-

And damn these costumes <3 They are beautiful <3

Gotta admit, Masaki is one of the prettiest members in Morning Musume right now. Even Sayumi may have a hard time competing with this girl...

But damn, Zukki is one of the most beautiful!

... Wait, is Haruka pulling the Duck face here!?

... Hahahaha I absolutely love Haruka in this MV XD

Holy crap, two solo shots of Haruka? That's a damn record...

Also, YAY SMILES!!!!!!!

Sayu: "Say hello to my bitches! I mean... sub-leaders..."

Eran0kun: "Hey baby, is it just me..."

Eran-kun: "Or do your eyes shine brighter than the Auditorium lights tonight?"

Ikuta Eran, the handsomest member of them all... but he can't pick up a chick with his pick-up lines for toffee.

DAMN Eripon's body... -nosebleeds everywhere-

WHERE IS MY TANK TOP PV!?

Masakissu, you are too cute... but I can not take you seriously in music videos XD

Masaki: "Lights on me!!"
Eran-kun: "Step away from miss Masakissu, please..."

Looks like Masaki enjoys the Paparazzi life...

Haruna: "... Do you love me?"

Yes! YES I DO!!!!! -rolls to you-

... Okay, I totally want to kiss Harunan and Sayu now... nd possibly marry Mizuki... o-o

... I am somewhat surprised that UFP gave Zukki a second solo shot in the MV o-O No, I am not kididng. BUT DAMN, I am happy! ZUKKI!!!! <3

Masaki: "... I spy with my little eye..."
RiDOS: "Shut up Masaki, I'm trying to control the camera here"
Eran-kun: "... Damn, I am hot."

Masaki seriously makes me laugh sometimes XD

These girls need to be made into a Quartet... girls, be made into a quartet... ;w;

Talent + features all around, aye?

Quick... catch the Convicts!!! They are right in front of us!!!

Sayu: "You don't want to catch us, do you?"

Hng... no... <3 My heart... <3

Lock me away, Officers, for I am now a Criminal of Love thanks to these Convicts... ahhh, my heart! <3

... I am still craving humbugs. I might have to go and steal some from my sisters house, if she still has a pack of them laying around. Doubt it, though. Humbugs are damn nummy!

Anyways, humbugs aside, let's take a look at the PV and song for Wagamama Ki no Mama Ai no Joke, the first of the two A-sides for Morning Musume's 54th single! Despite the costumes when you first glance at them, this is actually a winning video for me, and hosts one of the first non-studio based locations for Morning Musume in a long time... yeah, I know!

But before I delve into the happiness that is this location-based PV, I want to talk a little about the song. Now, out of the two songs present on Morning Musume's 54th single, a lot of people lean more towards Ai no Gundan in both song and video, and really, I do understand why... it is a very nice song, and an equally nice video, but with Wagamama Ki no Mama Ai no Joke, I have to say that I think the song is a winner here. Of the two, it is the catchiest and most memorable, and it has this cool but chipper sound to it that makes it both mature and fun to listen to. The cheers of Aisaretai! Aisaretai! make the song sound happier than it should, and adds that childish atmosphere to the song that reminds me that Morning Musume isn't just a 'mature' group, but a group filled with maturing children. Of course, that said, the main melody of the song is this cool, repetetive sound that is very up-beat and quirky, fast-paced and fun to listen to, and despite that pretty cool and quirky sound, the chants of childish-sounding Aisaretai's! fit well with the rest of the song, which at first surprised me.

I also need to note the slapping sounds in the song. It seems that UFP are enjoying adding these sound effects to videos, because Tochuu no Romance includes clapping sounds, but I do like the effect it adds, and how fun it is to just play along with those sounds when I am listening to the song. I tend to whip my head back and forth with the slapping sounds, admittedly... and yes, it is fun!

The song is just great, in my opinion, and like I said before, it is the catchiest and most memorable of the two we are given on this single. Also, the girls all sound great in it (even Riho, it looks like UFP know how to work with her voice now!) and I just love how it sounds overall! It is neither too mature, nor too childish, and fits the current Morning Musume well! I am loving it!

Now onto the PV itself. One of the big surprises for me was, of course, the sudden realisation that UFP had stretched their budget for a location in a Morning Musume PV... it was quite a sight to behold when I first saw it. The second thing that surprised me was the fact that they had two costumes, not just one... and these costumes looked somewhat realistic, and not concert-like or costumey in the slightest. Also, they resembled Resonant Blue costumes, but a bit more sparkly and child-friendly... but, they look cool, and they work beautifully with the video. Looking at the video now, even their humbug costumes, which I am warming up to, work well with the video... but yeah, my favourite of the two costumes have to be their alternative dance outfits. They are so beautiful!

Other than the beautiful location (yay!) and the costumes, though, I think that one of the biggest changes in this PV against all the others (or at least the ones from this year) is that Sakura, and everyone else, has really figured out their charisma and presence in front of the camera. Damn, Sakura can really work it when she wants to! Watching her in this video has really made me look at her and appreciate how flawless she is as a performer, and just generally like her more. She wasn't like this in the past few videos, because she was more of a wallflower, but now that Reina is gone she has really started to shine and bring in her A-game here! Out of everyone, she is the member who stood out to me the most when I re-watched this PV, just because of how much she works that camera and how she just manages to make herself look so good. She also looks like she is thoroughly enjoying herself, which is nice to see! In fact, everyone looks like they are enjoying themselves in this at certain points, which makes me pretty happy.

Speaking of which... I noticed how incredibly happy and childish Haruka was in this video, which actually surprised me quite a lot. When I think of Kudo Haruka, I think of this mature girl, but here we see her as a kid. In fact, I find she was more playful and energetic than Masaki was! Yes, I know, crazy right? But it was nice to see Haruka bounce around in the video, and it reminded me that like a few other members, she is still a kid and still does childish things... and it was nice to see that her cute little antics were included in the video. Well, except for the part where she looks like a murderous porcelain doll...

Really, though, all of the members were amazing in this in my opinion. They all did something that made me notice them, like Haruna turning on her sexual side before becoming a cutie again, and Sayumi just being, well... sexy Sayumi! Even Sakura and Riho, two young ones, were pretty damn adult in this in terms of how they portrayed themselves... it kind of scared me, but made me see them differently, too... but still, pretty scary to know that these two kids are trying to be adult and all.

Of course, one of the most stand-out members n this for me, despite her lack of screen time, was Zukki. Really, that girl made herself known in this video! Every time she popped up, even if it was only for a little bit of screen time, she made herself present, and you saw her, and you took note of her! She seriously won me over in this video, especially in the group scenes where she was with Ayumi, Sakura and Eripon, who, by the way, should totally make a 4nin group... but yeah, she made herself known, and I was happy to see her standing out so much in this video! It makes me so happy and so proud of her!

That said and done, I do think that all of the members did great in this... they all made themselves known, and just stood out to me more than I thought they ever would. Even Eripon, who my sister says wears the same face for every MV, stood out because she has this sultry, moody look and presence about her. Masaki, who was actually quite tame in this, really shined here for me, and it looked like she really loved doing what she did, and Ayumi... damn, Ayumi is becoming beautiful, and I love how commanding she is in this video, and how she just takes the stage in full force and owns it! And, of course, the Princess, Fukumura... well, she's just getting sexier, and she really looks gorgeous in this, and sounds amazing... damn, they are all beautiful and stealing my heart. It's almost criminal, I swear...

The PV as a whole is great, but my eyes never really strayed away from the girls in this, they were all so captivating and really commanded your attention here, I think. Yes, there were snazzy, wonderful camera angles and pans that I fell in love with, such as the roaming cameras in the stands, but my focus was mostly on Morning Musume... I really did not need to look elsewhere, because the way they portrayed themselves and made themselves known, it was amazing and just made me want to watch them all the time, rather than take in everything else around them. Yes, it is nice to see a location in the video, and to have changing costume scenes and beautiful camera shots, but when the girls are so good that you can only watch them... well, you don't need a location. A studio would be perfectly fine, to be honest, because if a group can command attention on their own, that is amazing in itself.

Right now, I think that Morning Musume are amazing. They are getting better, they sound better, and their group dynamic is on the up-rise, and the girls are starting to get their act together and know how to show themselves on camera and work as one. Seriously, it's amazing!

So... do you think that love is a Joke for selfish and easy-going people?



Now... HUMBUGS!!!! Get me some!

Chiima~

PING!!! Idolminded Recommended Jpop♀ Reading: August 2013, Part One