With Bare Shoulders and Pride, Let's Face It! Morning Musume '16's 'Mukidashi de Mukiatte' MV Review!

Right now I am trying my best to do some PV Reviews, right before December hits and has me focus on all things Christmassy and twinkly, and before essay deadlines overwhelm me. I may have to plan a little bit before such essays force themselves upon my plate, but for now, let's enjoy the little bit of free time I have.

After the heartbreak and turmoil of BiSH's Orchestra, why don't we take a look at a slice of visual deliciousness, but without the plot lines and linear story structures? It's time for some eye candy, and it all lies in that little bit of shoulder in its bare naked glory.

Given the roller coaster ride of meh Morning Musume have been riding lately, I won't lie and say I was anticipating this release. More than anything, I've become expectant of terribly recycled songs, sub-par videos and a forced-upon coolness that really does not suit the group in any way. So, with the dawn of the Sexy Cat, Maria center and a third song I really did not give two figs about to remember in title or look, I didn't expect a lot. Heyll, from the first shitty preview of Sou ja nai, I didn't anticipate liking this single much at all, because... well, shitty concert rips. You can't ever trust 'em.

Like anything, though, I made sure to wait until the full-fat radio rip was leaked to cast my judgement, and whn the PV's for all respective songs came out, I was indeed slightly impressed. Firstly, by how good the music videos were in terms of budget, and second, how good the MV's were in terms of overall look and feel; they look good, and aside from the awkwardness of Sexy Cat and the shit acting in Sou ja nai, there is still something good to take from the member performance in each.

And then, there is Mukidashi de Mukiatte, the song I didn't even think to bother with or care for. Oh, how wrong I was,because of them all, this is the best. It's the saving grace. It's the least awkward. It's basically the song, and though all have their merits, it's the one that has both sound and image in perfect harmony with one another, and the one that stands out simply for how damn awesome it is.

Good grief, I'm drooling like a fan girl. Better wipe that shit up, and start pic spamming you all to high heavens, because when you're just about to give up on MM... well, they drop this like its hot. Are you ready to face it and bare yourself to a cool side of Morning Musume that might just actually work?

Let's go confront them, now!

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When H!P finally up their opening game for MoMusu, you know they're actually making an effort o3o

... Wait... LASERS!? *^* *^*

I don't know why, but I'm getting visions of The Flash right now, and I ain't really gonna complain cause, holy shit, The Flash!

These effects are amazing, though they mess with my eyes. Seriously, though; Hello! Pro and their editing game is as on point as always. Sometimes, it's stuff like this that makes up for their horrible lack of budget.

Holy shit this is awesome o3o HELLO, RANDOM COLOUR SPLODGES, I SEE YOU!!!

That said, the inverted colours can be creepy AF.

Fukuhime enters the frame in style, of course.

OMFG, HI, MIKI! I sometimes forget you exist, the lack of lines you've been given, lately o3o

Jeepers Crepes, Eripon is owning this stage, and so she rightly should! She is the BOMB! <3

I am completely digging this editing, and no, I ain't mad. It's about damn time H!P upped their MV game for their flagship troupe!

Gangsta Honey gonna steal yo hunnies.

ARRRGH, WTF'S A JOHNNY'S BOY DOING HERE!? Go back to your own group, HISSSSS! HISSSSS!!!!

Seriously though, I paused and this was the pic. I freaked the fuck out for a brief second there.

Ahh, wait, it's only Maria without make-up and shot in an unfortunate frame. Figures o3o

Does this mean she's also a boy in disguise? Y'know, like Duu being Marius Yo on the sly.

SPEAKING OF BOYS, hiiiii girliest boy we've ever met o3o Seriously, she's too cute to be a shouta. She should graduate that image and just be herself, and let Eripon be the true man of the group XD

Y'ALL KNOW IT'S TRUE

Okay, let's watch her beauty in action, yeah?

Duu: "Panty dropper Kudo, at your service∼"

SLAY, girl, SLAY!

Akane is just so bloody pure and adorable, how can Hello! Pro not push her?

HNNNNG, my editing senses are tinglin'!

To be honest, this is absolutely amazing. I kinda freakin' love it o3o

LOOL Ogata and her shitty dancing. Seriously, she's like a sloth in comparison ahahaha I still love her, though <3

Speaking of Ogata... <3

And speaking of love... HNNNG! When the feck did you get so bloody amazing?

This is for all dem haters out there who thought my boo would never amount to nothing... She's basically the best now, yknow, and their Dancing Queen right beside Shark-Face Ayumi <3

Oh hiii, Duu. Look at her baring those shoulders ;))))

This is a damn catchy dance move, though after all those bust thrusts, it becomes a bit of a mess XD

Come at me, bro! -puts up fists-

Ogata is gorgoeus, but seriously, stop trying to be sexy. All of 12ki fail at it horribly XD

She looks like a model, though, and that pleases me :3

BOOB THRUSTS and they fit with the music, which is always fun. PLUS, Mizukingdom and Eripon duo, yassss, boobs vs. Nothingness XD

Honey is so effing gangsta in this and I am not complaining.

Dead in the eyes but flawless in motion.

Let's be honest; Mizuki could be a model with her looks. That smile, however, does not quite reach her eyes... -sigh-

Yes, Miki, bare the shoulder like the little Victorian Vixen you are!

I just had to get that wink in there.

This scene reads to me as follows:

Eripon: "Let's tango, Masakins!"
Masakins: "Indeed, lets!"

And this is basically how pic spams are born, sometimes.

This isn't the look of someone acting cool, this is the look of someone who needs a laxative.

Honey trying to get some sneaky screen time there, and fiiiinally, Maria looks good in a scene! Let her be herself, UFP!

Eripon could teach 12ki a few tricks in the department of sexy and cool, because after so many years in MM, she has it down pat!

Plus, she's just flawless <3

Maybe Harunan could teach the others a few of her own little secret tricks, too? She's definitely using her feminine wiles here quite well!

Ooooh, are they doing the mannequin challenge!?

Also, I love all these cuts and changes throughout, it looks so GOOD and fits the song beautifully!

Eripon all cool and flawless, and Akane is sucking a damn lemon. Goddamnit, don't eat on set, child!

Best lips totally go to Maria, hands down. They are actually her best feature.

Panty dropper Duu is back! Ready to have your ladies and boys taken away just from her mere presence?

She may be no shouta, but damn, she could steal anybody's heart given the chance.

Miki looks adorable here, but playing cool just makes her look like she just remembered there's a test tomorrow, and she hasn't studied... Whoops!

Akne's the only one not playing cool, but let's be honest; she looks awkward a good deal of the time, anyway XD

Still an awkward cutie if ever there was one, though! <3

H, HIIII, SAKURANBO! I finally found a place for you in my review! ;)

ALL THE THRUSTS! Thrust thrust BEWBS! (or lack thereof, in the case of anyone who isn't Mizuki)

Good grief, my two flawless babies! *^* <3

Wait, wait... IS THAT FIRST SHOT AKANE!?

Yasss, Harunan, throw the jacket away! Throw it and never hide those shoulders again!!!

Unless its cold, then you put that jacket right back on and embrace the cold with warmth and security!

owo okay, this is cool. Get the rave paint out, Ayumin!

Well, damn. Things got heated o3o

Angel wings? Chicken wings? Or just a mess? We shall never know, but we can perceive.

Okay, this is just adorable, in a way xD

This also reminds me greatly of the walking dead, if it included rave paint.

Arrrgh, Walker Ogata is coming to paint us! RUUUUUN! DX

Awww, they're hugging :3

Okay, this is cool. Though Ayumin's death stare does not comfort me one bit XD

This editing, though. Also, that studio was designed pretty damn well, despite the lack of budget it might have had (in comparison to the other two MV's).

Ogata: "Le boopy le boop!"
Eripon: "Can you not, Ogata?"

My dynamic duo... TOGETHER! *^* <3

Maachan's ready to head into battle with the blood of her Raving Enemies on her cheek. She means business!

Akane can't handle the on-coming winds, but Eripon is embracing it! She is one with the wind, and the wind is one with her!

Harunan *^* *^*

Oh look, a Sakuranbo! See, I didn't forget her! DX

Such a chubby face in this scene. Awww <3

LOOOOL Maria trying to act even somewhat cool / sexy is a joke

And hey, more Duu! Ready to fight!?

I honestly prefer this scene in still form, however o3o

Masaki is so cute, trying to be cool is an ultimate fail for her, though XD

Just keep winking, kid! But not so much so you become the next Shrieking Squirrel/ Reina

Look at that flawless Sakuranbo, aye ;D

Yet she looks so disinterested in this entire video XD Looking cool really does not suit everyone, after all.

I just like this scene and how Sharky reaches out to me for my love xD

Well, sorry, girl, the loves all for HouPri, Eripon, Ogata and Harunan ;D

ALL THE RAVE PAINT!

Eripon and Masakins are my fave, though. I mean, heyll, IT LOOKS LIKE FIRE!

And Masakins just wins at this. Hers is the best overall. I love some obscurity in my visuals.

Akane is just so damn adorable though, and this is the best. She needs to be adorable in videos more and show off how good a contender she can be visually.

This just makes me think of something a modern West Side Story might add into their choreography when the rival gangs turn up. Or, what Bring it On: In it to Win it might have tried XD

BABIES *^* <3

A Princess, a Shark and a Baby. That's a sitcom I'd watch o3o

Harunan is basically killing this PV with her gangsta tendencies, here XD Instead of being cool, she just oozes killa style and pride XD

Just to make a random point, I guess; Maria is shit at being cool or sexy, but vulnerable and cute she CAN DO SO BLOODY WELL!

Gangsta Sakuranbo in the room! Hot damn, two gangstas in one PV!

Duu: "Hehe... ready for me to steal yo girls?"

Duu knows what she does to you. That smile tells all.

Maachan winks, and holy heck, am I so thankful for the fact she doesn't have a dead skunk on the side of her head here.

That little stare Sakuranbo gives Masakins is LIFE!

The best still screengrab y'all could ever hope for XD

And now I want those triangle thingies in my room, all for the sake of weirdness and photo-shoots.

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I am bloody impressed. I'm impressed with how this video looks, I'm impressed with the effort that has gone into it, and I am even impressed with the members, because even when some *try* to look cool and fail, they still fit quite well within the video. After so long of just expecting failure and shit from Morning Musume, I finally feel impressed, and not the brow-raising kind, either; the kind of impressed that brings bloody butterflies.

And holy shit, if that doesn't feel conflicting, I don't know what does. But, I'm embracing it; it's good to see management finally doing something for Morning Musume, instead of giveing them the short end of the stick like they have done since Sayumi left.

Mukidashi de Mukiatte is, right now, my favourite video of the three that have come out for MoMusu's latest single; it's cool, but not overly so that it looks forced (most of the time). It's fun and energetic, the editing is bloody amazing, and the effects used as well as the UV paint for the alternative scenes really gives the video some amazing visual appeal. Everything, from the costumes to the UV paint, the steel beams in the background and the use of editing fits with the song and feel, creating a damn good music video, one that is entertaining from beginning to end with an added little something something to treat the viewers.

About bloody time we had something this awesome, too; viewers haven;t had something this good since... well, since Utakata Saturday Night, I guess, but this is honestly better than that.

Now, Hello! Project have always been pretty good at editing; it's one of their saving graces even when they bring out the simplest of PV's, and though this video is simple as heck with only the bare bone camera shots and choreography, you can really see the affect of the outcome thanks to the editing process, and how attentive H!P have been. This goes for any of their videos; though they might get sloppy sometimes, most of the time, they do put a lot of thought and care into the post-production of something. Here especially (and in a few C-ute MV's, too), you can see just how good they are at editing, and what they can achieve when they put their bloody brains together to make something as awesome as this.

Once again, H!P proves that they can make something highly entertaining, even if the video itself is one of the simplest they have filmed. Well done, H!P!

Without such effects, however, there isn't much to the video, aside from the girls themselves and the choreography. From what I can see, however, the members themselves are doing pretty well in terms of appealing to the viewers. Ikuta especially is quite eye catching, and though I find her 'cool' and try-hard 'sexy' acts jarring, Maria herself is very appealing when she isn't forcing onto us what H!P want us to see. Masaki and Haruna, Ikuta and Duu especially, though, are all absolutely flawless here, and definitely appeal greatly. That said, how a member appeals to me is, basically, just about me, but I can't deny the charisma of these specific members. I mean, even if I do adore Ogata, she really isn't standing out here, and her charisma is not as 'there' as what Eripon or Iikubo's is.

Oh, and let's just appreciate Akane, okay? She is so damn bloody cute, and even though she looks a bit awk at times, she owns it and is just so...!!!!! <3 I don't even oshi the girl, but her appeal is undeniable at this point. She is starting to stand out, and I think it's because she's being herself; she ain't playing by no rules, mate!

In terms of what did not work for this video, though, I would have to say it is to do with the members, as well; whilst the editing is all well and good, and the music is actually great (it's like an energised, better edited Kimi sae Ireba nani mo Iranai in sound. No wonder I like it), some of the members really don't stand out, most notably, Sakura, Miki, Ogata and sometimes, even Mizuki. It's not so bad, I forget they exist, but it's enough for me to realise I didn't exactly miss them when I wasn't seeing them, either. Miki and Sakura especially kind of faded into the background, whilst everyone else made their presence known and did more than look like they were 'there' because they had to be. It's sad, but it's true, and I do wish their presence was better... but ah, well, nothing is perfect.

This is a good music video. It's entertaining, it has a lot to it that we can look at, and it is basically good looking. I like the costumes, I like the choreography (even when it looks like a big ol' mess), and the song fits. I also love how the alternative scenes fit that idea of a 'rave', whilst still being subtly sexy and, weirdly, quite comfortable to look at. Finally, Hello! Pro have found a type of 'cool' that fits Morning Musume without looking awkward, and heck, I hope they continue to embrace it, because it's not every day you find your groups calling.

Hopefully Hello! Project keep this up with Morning Musume, because this is a little slice of heaven, and it works so well for the group and the members. It's unique, it looks incredible, and it shows off just how skilled their editors are in video. Now, if only they would bring that talent across to their CD covers, am I right?



This could be the start of a stronger MM. It could be the revamp they need, much like S/mileage needed before becoming ANGERME. Mukidashi de Mukiatte has promise, and whilst I do doubt myself that I will ever completely go back to Hello! Project, I am confident that more videos like this will keep me interested in loosely following them, if only for their videos and music.

Finally, before the end of another year hits, Morning Musume '16 have convinced me enough to keep giving them a try, and not just for Eripon or Ogata. MM - 1, Chiima - 0.

Until next time, everyone.
Chiima∼