All thoughts and opinions written within this post are my own, solely and completely. If you feel offended by what I might say, then... well, why? Why feel offended? It is not like I'm threatening you with my opinions, right? It's my blog, so I can say whatever, as long as I don't cross a line. That is all.
Upon a rocky sea, a Mermaid came and saw a man, one she had saved from the stormy waves and had seduced with a voice so pure and beautiful. It was he she had fallen for, and to win her love's own heart, she traded that very voice he had fallen for, for a pair of legs, so that she might walk beside him, dance with him, and stand with him, and one day let him know that it was she who had saved and loved him dearly. One day...
From the depths of the sea they rise, bringing along with them one of their strongest compositions yet! Continuing their journey as the school girls who transform into Fairy Tale Princesses, Houkago Princess take on the form of the legendary sea maiden, The Little Mermaid, a figure in folklore known for both her beautiful voice, and her compassion towards a human that she dearly loved. So, when the song was created, I'm pretty sure there was no question as to who would lead it, because aside from Mayuka, there's only one other good singer in Houkago Princess, and that is, of course, the Diva-voice Maika.
The Little Mermaid is also Maika's favourite fairy tale, so for her, it's probably the biggest compliment and a dream come true to lead the song based on her favourite Princess from the depths of the ocean. That, and she totally has the voice and passion to lead this that the others do not (aside from Mayuka, that is). Also, for all those Maika fans out there... there is a lot of Maika in here, so you should be pleased.
And as a fair warning, there is also a lot of Odagiri Nana in here, and for a lot of people, there is no in-between with this girl; you either like her voice, or you hate it. So if your ears do happen to perish throughout this song because of her, then hey; at least I warned you!
Anywhoo, before I overwhelm you all with even more blabber, we're going to dive into HouPri's latest release, and find ourselves immersed in their latest release for the on-coming summer. From the depths of the ocean and the bottom of her heart, let's hear a Mermaid's song of love and heartache as she pines for her beloved, and searches the land which she had longed to walk along Once Upon A Time...
Are you ready to take the plunge?
Even if it's stock footage, at least this opening is interesting. Haro! Pro should take notes.
Okay, damn, I did not expect this kind of location! Well done, Universal! This is freakin' PERFECT!!!
Oh, yeah, of course Nana gets the roaming shots. She's basically the centre of the HouPri Universe, anyways (even if she can't sing as well as others, ahem).
MIRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!
Good grief, she looks even more beautiful with every PV. What's her secret!?
Miran: "... I sap the youth from Nananyan."
No wonder she looks older with every MV o-O Miran, you cruel, cruel girl!
Saorin: "Heehee~"
This girls a cutie. She also reminds me of an imp, or a fairy. Mischievous , and someone you really don't wanna cross.
SAHOOOOOCHIIII ;w; Oh my days, my little baby (she's actually older than me, but shhhh) is so darned perfect! Good grief, why aren't you centre yet!? ; A; <3
Himarin is also pretty darned perfect, but seriously, I need shots of her face, not her profile. Gimme the cutie face, NOW!!!
Okay so, gotta admit that, hands down, old lady face here has some of the best freakin' shots in this entire video.
Sadly, that also means everyone else has pretty stationary ones compared to she and Diva-voice. Annoyance overload, urgh.
I like Miran's ears, and how she squints with disdain towards old lady face on the rocks, there, possibly planning her next youth-sapping endeavour, no doubt o3o
I do love that location, I seriously do. Kinda wish they used it for more than old lady face and Diva-voice, though in their human clothes, though... o3o
OH HEY, HIIII, MAIKA! You look so pretty in motion o3o <3
Sahochi is fascinated by shiny, human things *o* Is that a... dingle-hopper!?
Nope? Damnit >o>
Good grief, Miran is a looker. That youth-sapping spell she uses is working wonders on her skin!
And Saorin is just damn gorgeous, period. I wouldn't wanna get on her bad side, though. I think she's a revenge type person, ya know? o3o
Nananyan: "And now I shall have all ze Mayuka lines, muahahaha!"
Whoa, calm down there, Dr. Evil! They might just distribute them accordingly between the girls who hardly get lines, ya know?
Nananyan: "Doubtful. They all love me."
HOLY HELL, did these two just get solo lines!? o-O
Maika: "They won't have those solo lines for long... fufufu~"
See, this is why I like my pictures of Maika moving; she looks fuckin' creepy with that psycho smile when still. Urrrgh!
... Okay, who had fun with the fog machine? >o> Cause it wasn't me, I swear!
God damnit, this is a great scene! Wish the other members got scenes like these too, though.
That location is seriously perfect for this video, though. Woulda been even more perfect is they were in their mermaid costumes for it, too. But nope o3o
I dunno how she does it, but damn Miran has some nice solo shots in this! She gets a lot, if ya think about it, which is fine by me >3> Gotta have someone break through the Maika-Nana fog management seems to think we wanna be in (coughcough*nope*)
Okay, okay, I admit it; she looks cute here, and less like an old lady. Glad to see she's rocking her solo shots, too!
Y'all can tell Maika loves this song. It's in her eyes, and it's in her voice. Passion overload!
Some windswept Maika, for y'all, cause seriously... it's just a lot of Maika here.
Maika: "NYEHEHEHEHEHE, that's because I'm the Queen of this land! No one can take my solo shots, you hear, NO ONE! NYAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Jesus, calm yo clams, girl o-O
... I'm surprised I'm not sick of her in this videoyet, but she is beautiful here. Just. So. Damn. Much. Of. Her.
Shoulda just given her a solo PV, ya know?
SAHOBABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
How is she so damn perfect? ;3; <3 Look-at-that-nose-OMG -boops-
Oh my! Himarin, did you just find... the lost treasure!?
Captain Long John Silver will not be happy with you o3o
Miran: "Hmmm... whose youth to sap, next...?"
Well, Nana's looking haggard as ever, so why not try Marichu? She has enough youth to go around, I swear.
Miran: "Ooooh, good idea! HEY, MARICHU! C'mere, I need to tell ya somethin'!!!"
Saorin: "... I need to take down my competition."
That's a face I kinda don't trust o3o
Saorin: "Ah! And kill Chiima for not Oshi'ing me any more."
WHUT!? O-o
I want that dress, and that location o3o Nana can leave the picture, though~
Maika: "Tch, that little titch Marichu is getting in the way... better file my nails and scratch her tits off."
Maika don't like no competition! owo
HOLY SHIZZ MUFFINS, Mayuka's alive! o-O
Treasure her whilst you can, folks, because this is legit all we're getting of her from this MV, visual wise.
And no, I'm not kidding, this is her one freakin' solo shot. Don't believe me? Well then, why don't you go and watch the damn MV and see for yourself?
What a slap in the face for your graduation single, am I right? o3o
Maika: "Mayukyandi..."
... Holy shit that's a dangerous look o-O
HOLY SHIT MUFFINS, SHE'S A DEMON!!!
Let's not piss Maika off any more. Mayuka, no more solo shots for you, sorry girl ;;
Hot damn, Sahochi got a four-syllable solo o-O FINALLY!!!!!!!!!
Maika: "Urgh, how dare these unworthy peasants take my screen time from me..."
Yeah, bloody muggles, am I right? o3o
OOOOH, DANCEY DANCE! Lots of arm flails and whatnot.
Nice to see both Miran and Sahochi dancing together again, though. Haven't seen this since... well, Manatsu no Yoru no Yume, which was about 1 and a half years ago. Yikes.
And is that the rocky sea background I see when I squint!? YASSSSSSS!!!!
Wish they were all there, though, on the rocks in these costumes, and all.
Wouldn't it be funny if, in an outtake, she fell off the rock and into the water? HA, I'm so mean XD
Yeah yeah, don't you play coy. I know you're smug about your popularity, deep down >3> I'm onto you, old lady face!
God damn, she is gorgeous when you capture her in the right frame. She should do less of her possessed smile, and more of this.
Okay, that's a good shot.
Wish they'd had these types of shots for the other members, though o3o
-frantically and dramatically whips off skirt, reveals legs-
This is actually something I could see S/mileage / ANGERME doing, ya know?
Also, I love that they reveal their 'human' legs and transform from Mermaids this way. That's pretty damn clever on their part.
OH MY DAYS, THE LITTLE LEG BOOPS, YES!
Maika looks so freakin' happy here, that smile is totally real. She is so precious, even if her smile is evil-looking ;;
I actually really like the colours of these costumes, and how they look, even if the pattern is the same as the other costumes they've had, haha xD
Also, yay for a stage! Didn't expect one, just expected a dance on the rocks, or the beach, or by the pool...
Yass, sway, swaaaaaaay!
And Le Fin! Get it? Cause fins, and finished... yeeeeah, puns o3o
.｡.:*☆*:.｡.☆.｡.:*☆*:.｡.
Okay, so let's clear one thing up first; I really, really like Seishun Mermaid as both a song, and a music video. I think they're really well made, and that they suit each other. The video, though, wasn't what I imagined it would be at all; I expected a beach, if anything, and probably some green-screened backgrounds of the sea whilst the girls sat in their 'other' Mermaid costumes that they show on their solo member covers. I also kind of expected them to all eventually sit or stand on the rocks after I watched the short version of the PV, and imagined them in their other costumes there, too. Of course, none of this happened, and I don't begrudge the director for this, because it's a well made promotional video in its final product... but yeah, I imagined something a little more, and whilst I like what was done a great deal, I will still sit here, wishing, because that's what I do sometimes. I wish for more, and I wish for 'better', if you will.
What has been created for us as fans, however, is actually great; the location is beautiful, and like always, it shows great improvement in the group visually. Their videos are constantly improving, just like the group themselves, and this video is one of their best, I think. It looks good, it feels like there was a great deal of thought put into it, and it feels like money was well spent here. I like that, similar to Junpaku Antoinette, there is a contrast in the scenes with the day and night settings, with the day showing their 'human' side, whilst the night shows off their 'mermaid' forms before they transform.
In a way, it feels like the PV is backwards, because their night forms seem to take place before the day versions of themselves we see, but regardless, it works, and I like seeing both sides to these girls. It's also nice to see two costumes, again, rather than just the one (though the 'Mermaid' costume could count as two itself, as one part comes off to reveal another).
As a video, Seishun Mermaid is very melodic, which is what you'd expect from a song and video about the Princess of the Sea. It has good pacing that soothes and enchants, and it picks up speed when needed. It's fun and enchanting, and extremely enjoyable, as well. I like what they've done with the video in how its edited, how it looks, and what it portrays, and I just love how passionate this song feels on its own.
Also, in regards to Maika, you can really see how much she adores singing this; the passion resonates in her voice and features, and with every scene she appears in, she totally dominates your view. She's clearly having a blast with this, and you can feel it. You can feel her joy, hear her love, and understand how much this means to her as a singer. She's always been someone who stands out, because she clearly adores what she does, and here it just envelopes the song and video, and that is amazing.
Her smile just sometimes creeps me out, is all.
Of course, whilst I love both the song and video, I do need to point out the giant flaw in this entire video, and that is Mayuka's lack of screen time. Like, this is her last single as a member (unless she revokes it, which is doubtful), and when I didn't see her in the short music video, and then once in the full version, I was very, very heartbroken and annoyed, because Mayuka has been a giant part of HouPri in both the beginning, and after her return. She's one of the lead singers, for crying out loud!
That said... I do think I know why she only gets one solo shot, and why she wasn't shown in the white dress scenes, though I don't get why they couldn't do a small reshoot for an hour, or add more of her Mermaid scenes in. But, the theory is this; that Mayuka was probably too ill to film much. As of late, and also a reason why she's leaving HouPri, Mayuka has been ill and going to the doctors a lot, so her recent illness(es) could have cost her valuable film time, and from what I know, HouPri shoot their videos in a day, so she was probably away for the day scenes, and only came for the night ones.
That's my theory, and I'm gonna stick to it... until I get more info, that is.
But, yeah... I'm still a little annoyed at it, but understanding of it, too. Either way, what's been done cannot be undone, unless the DVD version is completely different, that is. Until I get the DVD however, that will be left unknown, won't it?
So, to clarify:
I like the video, however I am disappointed that, with this being Mayuka's final single, she had only one solo shot in the entire music video, despite how well-liked she is. That said, I do think the video itself is beautifully done, and though it could have been a little more creative, what they have done is superb, and very scenic.
Woulda been nice to see a few of the other girls out on the rocks, though, and to probably get even a hint of the Cadets. But hey, y'know; this is what we've got, and what we have is pretty damn nice, so I'll live.
Now, when's the next single comin' out, and who'll get a promotion come the next live...? I do wonder >o>
A bittersweet tale about the love of a Mermaid who desires a human, who gives her voice for legs to walk the shore, only to find his heart is not for her, but another. And so to bubbles she turns, for this is the story of a youthful Mermaid's love which shall never come true...
Until next time, please take care, stay happy, and enjoy the Idols that you love, but don't let them turn into sea foam!
Much Love,
Chiima~
No comments:
Post a Comment