12 Days of Idols: Snowboarding in the Air

All thoughts and feels, come hither! If you do not like the thoughts and feels, then so be it... if you feel offended by what I have to say, then obviously, don't read what I write! Though seriously, you should not get offended by this sort of thing... :S

I'm seriously getting into the Christmas spirit here in England! Okay, so there is no Snow, but there are plenty of decorations going up around me, so that's pretty exciting in itself! Sill though, I wish there snow...

On the 7th Day before Christmas, my Idols sent to me...

Thankfully, Idol PV's are also a source of temporary snow for me, in their own way. Whether it be through the look of a video, the title of the song or the lyrics! So no matter what, there is always snow for us Idol fans! Whoop whoop!

That all said and done, today's Idol PV that I will be looking at during this festive and cheerful season is an old H!P classic hailing all the way back from the days of 2003, meaning that this single has just recently celebrated it's 10th anniversary! YIKES! This was also back when the H!P Kids were still, well, the H!P Kids. They had yet to debut as Berryz Kobo or C-ute, and were being shuffled into adorable little units including the likes of Aa!, 4Kids and of course ZYX at this point in time, the very group that we shall be taking a look at today!

Of course that could only mean that I am looking at ZYX's one and only Christmas song, Shiroi Tokyo, a fun winter tune that a lot of Hello! Pro fans seem to really enjoy during this time of the season, and seriously, who could blame them? It's cheerful, cute and a great winter tune that really puts you in the mood for Christmas time and gets you into that joyful spirit when you are feeling down! It's also a great morning tune as I have just found out, which is also a bonus! So, with Christmas quickly on its way, and with me wanting to look at something white and spirited in the theme of winter snow, shall we take a look at ZYX's Shiroi Tokyo together?

Oh, goody! It's like looking at H!P PV's 10 years from 2003... they still use bloody CGI backgrounds for their videos, 10 years after they went out of fashion! YAY!

I loe this entrance, I don't think that it will ever get old! xD And wow, that set o-o

Those costumes are damn spiffy, too. Most expensive costumes I have seen in a while from H!P, actually o-O

... Okay, the fuck H!P?

I think these kids are at their scariest on their snowboards. Their expressions are just... yeah... o-o

I've noticed the effects in the eyes less in more recent H!P PV's, but damn, I never really realised how scary the circles in the eyes were until I started screen cappin'... and yeah, Murakami Megumi looks freaky!

D'awww, look at little Maimi, before her limbs grew! So adorable!

This won't be a popular opinion, but I think that Saki is a lot cuter as a kid. In fact, I prefer baby Saki.

Holy crap, it's Erika, and also... I SEE SPARKLES!? Thank God they aren't as horrendously obnoxious as One Two Three's...

Hell, Baby Erika was so beautiful even as a kid! She also sang really well, which surprises me, because in general kids can't really hold a tune. Welcome back, unpopular opinion

Sexiest dance move I ever did see.

Back in the days when H!P could actually afford to go outside to shoot their videos... -sigh-

And damn, that fashion sense...

Oh my gosh, it's Gucchi Mari before all her scandals! GASP!!!

Guch: "... Bitch."

Maimi was so much prettier as a kid. Then again, I have a weird bias against Maimi of today.

Still, it's weird how even now she still opens her mouth stupidly wide just to sing.

I always forget that Momoko looked like a depressed child when she was a child. Thankfully emotions seemed to have grown with her age... er, body. She still acts like an annoying 4 year old.

... Actually, I think she acted a lot more maturely as a kid than now.

Which boyfriend are you looking for today, Mari? The one you married, the model you slept with, or the guy who scandalised your career? Or all three?

Those effects... and hey! I never noticed that the snowboard said ZYX on it! Clever!

Baby Saki is so adorable, why didn't you or your voice stay like this?

Guch: "Shhh, don't tell anyone this, but I kinda wanna sleep with a model...~"

Too late, cat's out of the bag come 2013, Guch.

Guch: "... SHIT!!!"

Heeey, isn't that Tanpopo's summer hate from BE HAPPY? Baby Saki, it's kind of the wrong time of year for that hat...

Good lord, Baby Maimi was so adorable and pretty! What happened to you!?

Megumi, you were such a promising ace. Look, even the other members of ZYX are weakened at the knees by you, clutching their hearts in awe!

... Yeah, Momoko was a freaky little thing when she attempted emotion as a kid...

Honestly now, who would let their kids out this late at night in the middle of winter!?

Guch: "... Which boyfriend is this one for again?"

I do miss Guch, she was a fun performer.

Momoko, why the Hell are you such an angry kid?

Megumi, why do you look so horrified? Do the sparkles offend you?

It's nice to see that some things about Maimi's expressions haven't changed much.

Can't get over that Tanpopo hat.

Oh good lord, that grin scares me! Baby Saki, stop grinning!

Thank goodness as an adult she has learnt that her closed mouth smile is far more attractive, right?

Guch: "Oh! It's you I'm meeting tonight... ahahaha!"
Boyfriend: "Er, what do you mean it's me...?"
Guch: "Oh, nothing, nothing!"

HOLY CRAP!!! FANG!!! <3

... The fuc,k, Guch xD

Okay, that was the most adorable reaction ever! See Momoko, you can portray surprise emotion! That's good!

... Yeah, Baby Saki, please don't grin... ever again.

... Little Maimi is still the same as older Maimi xD I still prefer Little Mimi though -.-

God, I can't get over how pretty this location/set is. Simple, icy and cool. Why aren't H!P as innovative now as they were here with set designs, aye?

Oh crap, they overlayed everyone into the same scene! And hey, Maimi in the back for once! Weird.

Omfg, is that a cute little ear I see peaking out of a fluffy hat? It is!!! KYAAAA, Little Miami, I like you more now!

... You still freak me out, Megumi, even though you are very pretty.

Good lord, you look possessed. But whatever, thanks for the gift!

Erika, why did you leave before I came into the fandom? I would have loved you! -sobs-

Maimi, why did you grow up!? -sobs-

Okay, closed-mouth derp smile is good, Saki! Keep using it, okay? -pats head-

... Yeah, please remember to just grow up properly and never have pigtails or use the term Nerushite Nyan! okay?

Baby Momoko: "... What?"

Never use it, please!!!

Guch: "I picked this present out, especially for you..."

You mean you picked it with one of your other boyfriends in mind? That or you picked it out for another guy, and someone else turned up.

Holy cow, Guch xD Excitement, much?

Weird to think that half of ZYX have flown the nest, graduated, and been found in scandals... well, only two of them have had scandals, actually...

But seriously now, has it really been a good 10 years since this single was released? That's amazing! Hard to believe, but still rather amazing, right?

Gushing over the age of this single aside, it was nice to take a look back at the old H!P, one that I didn't know about when I was a youngster of around 8 or so (the same age as Momoko was during the time this single was released, actually) and take a look at the H!P kids in all of their adorable glory, as well as seeing Yaguchi Mari at the height of her career before she went off to variety, scandals and retirement from the industry. Ah, those were the days, it seems!

The PV, though it seems to fit accurately with H!P's cheap budget even to today's standards, is a bundle of fun to watch. I absolutely adore the dance sequence and the outdoor scenes, though I could honestly pass up those cheesy, cringe-worthy CGI scenes quite happily. The rest of the PV is wonderful though, in all of its simplistic and winter-themed glory. It's sweet, and it seems to bring across the theme of a Christmas love quite well thanks to the use of the dark nights, the sparkling effects representing snow falling, the girls handing their beloved presents and the performance scenes in white, fluffy clothes representing the white snow that drifts into Tokyo. Though if you think about it, the title of the song and the white clothes could also represent the them of 'purity', such as a pure Christmas love from innocent young girls who want to spend it with their beloveds. But that's just my own random theory there.

But yes, I find the video itself cute and fitting for the winter-love theme that it is going for. It's simplistic, like many PV's in H!P nowadays, but it has its own personality thanks to the girls in the video. I found each girl charming actually, though sometimes a bit creepy in how they looked at times, but I put that down to awkwardness on camera and being kids who are acting natural, whilst also trying to portray emotions through acting - they won't get it perfect, but their effort is shown, and you can see that they all tried their best at doing what they were told. It was nice to see that effort, and the cuteness of the H!P kids, in the video. Their raw ability was just lovely in its own way, though awkward as well at some points. But that makes the character within the video a lot more appealing if you ask me.

Thinking about character, I adored Mari in this PV; there is something about her as a performer that is mesmirising, which makes me all the more sadder that I was never around during her time in Hello! Project. Even now, after her scandals and everything else, I still think that she would have become my first ever Oshi if I had known about her earlier. She has a lot of personality when she performs in a song and PV, and you can just see how genuine her love and happiness for performing is. In every video, there is a big smile plastered on her face if the song isn't serious, and her dancing is always full of life, setting her apart from everyone else. In everything I see her in, she is bursting with energy, her smile wide and her character quirky and fun. She caught my eye immediately in this video, because it was like watching a kid energetically go forward because she truly enjoyed it. Despite the fact that she was surrounded by a bunch of kids, all far from her own age at that point I am sure, she still managed to fit right into their demographic thanks to her spirit and cheerful, bubbly personality. She didn't look like she wanted to be elsewhere or out of place like some Idols do, she just looked like she was in her element, and that was so wonderful to see.

The kids themselves, whilst not as high in energy as Mari, looked like they were having fun, especially Saki and Megumi. Saki just looked adorable, enjoying every moment of that PV. She had the widest, creepiest little smile on her face which was just so sweet (and scary) to see! Megumi also looked like she was thoroughly enjoying herself, though she did look like she was revelling in the fact that the spotlight was on her, too. It was nice to see them, all of them, have fun in the video, though some girls (meaning: Momoko) were harder to read in terms of emotions in the video, but what can you do, aye?

I found the video cute and fun, honestly! It's a sweet, winter-themed video that has personality and a lot of happiness in it. The girls worked hard in the video, you can tell, and whilst it can look awkward at times with the forced emotions and smiles, it is a charming little video that represents a pure, winter love well. It is so sweet, and whilst the CGI is cheesy and rather bad, it was an okay attempt... though why the director thought snowboarding in the air on a Tokyo night was a good idea is beyond me, because the only time I can imagine snowboarding in the night air is when someone gets high!

Moving onto the song, I absolutely love it! I like to listen to Shiroi Tokyo every year during the winter season because it is just so fun, cute and a very good listen! It has a nice festive tune and just makes me think of winter, Christmas and happiness. I also think that is one of Hello! Projects best tracks, but I guess that's because I enjoy all winter songs and find them wonderful and amazing for many reasons. It makes me happy though, which is always a good thing, and despite the rawness of some vocals (meaning: Maimi and her flat, toneless vocals... kind of like how they are now!) I find the whole song enjoyable, charming and sweet!

It's amazing though how, even 10 years after the song was released, Momoko still sounds the same! Luckily, she has more emotion in her face, but damn! She has not changed in terms of her vocal chords! Weird!

As a whole package, Shiroi Tokyo is a fun and energetic song that really fits the festive mood of winter and Christmas time. The girls are adorable, Mari is a ball of energy who I adore, and the video is a simple and cute affair that is befitting of a winter love story. It's simple but sweet, and it works. I love Shiroi Tokyo, it's one of my favourite Hello! Project Christmas songs from the few they have on their discography list, and no other winter song can top it from H!P, I believe... well, unless it's Pittari Shitai X'mas, that is! But they kinda tie, so yeah ;)



A pure love on a Winter's Eve... who will you be thinking of this Christmas?

Much Love,
Chiima~