All thoughts and opinions written here are completely my own and no one else's, unless otherwise stated. Please respect my opinions regarding the group, their song and music video, and I will in return respect yours. Thanks, y'all.
*Regarding the [Week with...] series: When the time arises, I will dedicate myself to a week of posts where I write and talk about specific members or groups who are Graduating, and for this series, I will be spending my time talking about and appreciating Tamura Meimi of both S/mileage and ANGERME as her Graduation comes ever closer. The intention behind such a series is to focus on Meimi as an Idol and member, and to go through her growth as a performer. I watch as she evolves, and come to appreciate who she is by the end of it. Hopefully, you will take this journey with me, and see Tamura Meimi: The Idol, the Performer, the essence of a smile. Thank you.
In this world, Vampires may roam, and in a castle far away where only lightning strikes, a Vampire lays in wait, ready to deliver her counterattack...
In this penultimate PV Review for my [A Week with Meimi] series, I thought it wise to look at one of the first music videos she performed in as a member of ANGERME, and whilst I do think her presence in Taiki Bansei was far greater, I do understand that this video is a lot more appealing to viewers, and also more befitting of Meimi's Vampire heritage.
I mean seriously, come on; it's in a mansion, and there is lightning and darkness. It's perfect for our Little Vampire, right?
So, whilst Meimi isn't exactly the main focus here, I still wanted to look at and talk about this PV, and whether or not Meimi herself stands out as a member within a video where the 3rd generation are prominent. So, with all of that in mind, let's delve into Otome no Gyakushuu, a music video where the Littlest Vampire is truly within her element...
Are you ready to watch our Vampire Queen work some dark magic as she serenades you?
ANGERME'S Counterattack, basically. It's like 'Hi, Chiima, we heard you didn't like the direction S/mileage was going... yeah, we're gonna change your opinion now."
That's basically what this song said to me when it came out.
BOOM, S/MILEAGE ARE BACK. AND THIS TIME... THEY'RE ANGRY!
And side note, they're better than ever :D
-sigh- good song, shit choreography. There had to be one downfall, just... why this early on in the video? D;
MEIMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!
Such a Vampire Queen, she's rocking that center position :3
And hey, look! Kanananana, right where she should be! And Nyon and Dawa at the side, like they should be :3
Aaaand REACH UP FOR THE STARS!!!
Oh my gawd, ANGERME borrowed Shouganai Yume Oibito'sAre's Swan move.
See? SEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!
Same costumes, too! :o
Good gravy they look gray, yeesh!
Get some sunlight, Vampires! 8U
Kanananana: "I own their asses now."
She needs to be a center. SOON!
Fine but pls don't sing.
Littlest Vampire: "Hey, I'm here, too!"
Dawa: "GET BACK BEHIND ME MEIMI, I'M THE STAR HERE!"
Okay, who in Hell's Bells choreographed this pile of shit? o-O This isn't the Monster Mash, y'know!
Is Kananananana trying to pitch a ball, or...? What?
Hey, good shot there, H!P :D This is a pretty angle!
Dawa: "Yis. Yis, pls."
Nyona: "... FFS Dawa, speak fuckin' correctly in my presence."
Dawa: "... Yis."
LEEEEEEEEEEEGS!!!! And feet :3
Nyon: "Grrr, I'm gonna get ya!"
Oh hai there, little Rikako :3 Getting some screen time, I see.
ARGH, THAT HAIR!
And her ears are actually too big for me... o-O
And... dem eyebrows. Please, child, fill them in... they look nearly invisible.
Kay, thanks, bye :D
LITTLE VAMPIRE BABY!!!!!!!!!! <3
Even with her hair all chopped off, she's still a sweet little thing attempting to be 'cool' :3
Dawa: "With a polished fist I'll knock out anyone tryin' ta steal mur center spot."
Say whut? o 3o
Okay, that's better choreography. Still pretty shitty, though.
D'AAAWWW, Maho <3 What a sweet hunk of precious love! <3
Nyon: "Yes, I am special~"
Fuck of, Nyon o 3o
Yeah, please don't try to be an adult... we all know how awkward and shit Mystery Night went >->
Murotan... actually creeps me out in this MV o-O Maybe it's due to lack of eyeliner?
Currently questioning why, in such a BOMB song, this girls BOMB voice isn't utilized as much as others?
WHERE YO SOLO LINES, GURL!?
Littlest Vampire: -Broods-
This is what she does when there are no lines to be sung; SHE BROODS!
Two little sprigs of perfection, in both face and voice. D'awww :3
Y'know, this kid is gorgeous... When's the release of her photobook!?
She's such a beautiful girl ;w; Seriously!
Take-chan: "I'm back, kids, and I'm AWESOME!"
Look at that chipmunk cheeked cutie, she rockin' this song and all it's horrible choreography!
Good grief, our little Vampire looks bored...
And heeey, Kanananana, why you bending over in the back, there? >o>
Such a beautiful girl ;w; <3
So much Meimi, so little time... sigh
OOOH, PRETTY! Thank you, gorgeous camera angles!
Dance, puppets, DANCE!
"Y'all don't have the ears for that hair >3>"
Comment courtesy of my Raemama :3
Dawa: "This fan's mine, they're mine, you're mine and, ooh, EVERYONE is mine!"
Dawa, grabbing them fans like they're sweeties in the sweet aisle.
That's Dawa's 'sup bitches face.
She knows she owns your love >8D
Oh haaai there, swan Dawa :3
And heey there, Zombie Vampire Meimi :3
Meimi: "Braaaaaainz..."
Watch out, Dawa, she gonna keel you! D8
Oooh, just noticed: Sailor Moon-like hair. Nice, Nyon, nice.
Damn that gray filter, taking all the sunshine from my Vampire D8<
Also, chuuuuuu!
Take-chan: "Chuuuuu~!"
D'aww, they want kissles! :3
Dawa: "I'm gunna steal yo gurl, gonna steal yo fans... Gonna steal yo Chau."
NOT THE CHAAAAU!!!
Okay, despite her hair not suiting her ears, this is a very classy little pose she's doing. Good on ya, Rikako! You lookin' classy like a little lady :3
Rina: "Chuuu~?"
CHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU! <3
Why so perfect? Why you leave me? Why? ; 2;
Okay, who is special? >o> IS IT ME!? Is it Meimi? ;D
Wave away all them haters, gurlz. Wave 'em away.
Kanananana: "Hiissss, SUNLIGHT!!!"
WAIT, YOU'RE A VAMPIRE, TOO!?
Oh gee, it looks like Dawa's trying to tickle Take-chan XD
Dawa: "C'mon, just one little tickle..."
Take-chan: "You do that and y'all can watch me rip your goddamn filthy hand off that arm o' yours."
Dawa: "Hmph!"
You tell her, Take-chan! >:D
And then they all fall down...
To be honest, this is so perfect, and so Maho <3
Seriously; perfection. Probably the best 3rd gen there <3
... And yes, I know that statement is debatable XD
WHY YOU NO FOCUS ON MAHO!
Murotan, get to the back, pls and thank you :3
Dawa has more arms... She's a GODDESS!?
Oh wait, it's only the rest of ANGERME. Sorry Dawa, you're just a plain ol' human. Nothin' special about you now, is there? 8U
These are the lips that speak savage things daily. What a savage leader, as Chau would say 8U
Maho: "Fight me, bruh!"
Maho's ready to get that center position from those other two pesky 3rd genners!
Littlest Vampire: "Catch the ball! CATCH IT!"
Fiiine, I'll catch it! Just pitch it properly! D8<
Wave them haters away, fight them and then throw 'em away!
... When you successfully rhyme 'away' with 'away' :3
Look at all that ANGERME talent. DAAAAAAMN!
MEIMI!!!!!!!!!!!!! <3
Seriously though, this half-assed choreography. Why?
H!P, did y'all even pay money for this crappy dance move?
Murotan: Scary without mascara.
Rikako: Needs a better hair stylist.
Maho: Needs work on her expression.
3ki as told by Chiima :3
End... scene!
.｡.:*☆*:.｡.☆.｡.:*☆*:.｡.
You know what I never noticed in this video when I first watched it? What I never noticed until I started to screen caption it? The terrible choreography, that's what, and honestly, I know why I overlooked it: the great visuals, the beautiful song... of course I'd be blindsided, because everything else is so goddamn good about this video.
And now I know. Now I am fully aware of the really simple, really bad choreography, as well as Rikako's really horrid hairstyle. My eyes have been opened!
But whilst scrutinizing this PV's tacky dance sequences would be hella fun, I need to look at this video and appreciate all it has to offer, especially when it comes to the form of Tamura Meimi, the delight that she is. I mean, why wouldn't I focus on her? This is her series, and gosh darnit, she's awesome, even when she isn't heavily featured (which is a crime in my books, by the way)...
But let's be honest here, she really didn't stand out, did she now?
I mean, Meimi is glorious, and her voice in this is to die for. In fact, I wonder why she didn't get more lines in this, because damn, she was good here, and whilst Murotan was sweet in the vocals department... well, Meimi is better, though of one solo line she did get, she owned it completely.
But yeah, she needed more solo lines, because Meimi has the voice for this, and I mean, come on... this video is totally all about her Vampire heritage, right!?
Actually, what surprised me about this video was how little screen time Meimi herself got in comparison to other videos I've seen. Sure, being 'cool' and 'serious' isn't her forte, and yeah, she had a decent amount of camera time in comparison to, say, Maho or even Rina, but I was surprised she lacked here, probably because I do expect someone like Meimi (read: popular, all-around Idol, perfect) to get that screen time thanks to her position within the group.
Regardless though, what we do get of her, I do enjoy, though I'm gonna be honest right now; I don't think that Meimi stood out in this at all. Let me explain why.
One of the reasons why I don't think Meimi stood out is for a mixture of reasons, the first being that, in a crowd of nine, it feels like she's being pushed to the back by choreographers and directors. Another reason is that there isn't actually a lot of focus on her at all, making her stand out less, and another reason is that, well... she's not as energetic as she usually is, her charm seems to fall flat, and her happiness has all but disappeared at this point. And it's not just here, either. When I look back at Taiki Bansei, I can't help but noticed there is something missing within Meimi at certain points. It's like the spirit has been sapped out of her, and all that is left is a hollow, professional shell. She's basically a lot tamer, and a lot less Meimi.
In comparison, however, Dawa really stands out in this video, more so than the 3rd generation. Seriously, that girl is in her element! Whoo!
Meimi is a good performer here, don't get me wrong, but it does feel like a piece of the puzzle is missing. She's a fantastic girl, however there is no spark here, and that desire to smile when I see her isn't there, either, and that's a real shame, because the one thing Meimi can do is make everyone who looks at her smile when she does. I wish she could brighten this gray PV, but in this case, she sadly cannot.
Regarding the video itself, I do think it's a gorgeous piece. The setup is nice (Hello, Manatsu no Yoru no Yume set) and the idea fits well with the video, and I love the lightening. The choreography is the one thing that truly messes it up, and whilst the dim overlay of gray filter really bogs me down, I do understand that it adds a form of texture and darkness to both the video and song. Otome no Gyakushuu is a nicely shot video, one that really brings out the cool and serious side to ANGERME that befits them. It's a nice introduction, too, and shows that H!P are willing to bring us a bit of quality once in a while.
I like Otome no Gyakushuu as both a video and as a song, but honestly, I wish Meimi's presence was higher in this. She doesn't stand out, which is a damn pity, and she doesn't leave a mark on the video, either. I'd say that, right now, this video is one of few that shows that even a little starlet like Meimi can fall to background and become 'just another member'.
What a shame.
In this dark mansion, there lies a little Vampire, waiting to break out so she can smile again. Will you be the one to give her the key?
Until next time everyone, please love your Meimi, and remember: Brush yo fangs.
Much Love,
Chiima~
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