Wednesday, 20 December 2017

Idols of Advent: The Warmth of A Winter Morning - Morning Musume '17's 'Morning Misoshiru' (MV Review)

As the nights become longer, let's continue our Advent of the Idols and entertain ourselves with the purity and warmth they deliver during this chilly time of the year. Whether the videos we look at are all about the snow, the entertainment, the lights or the hope and joy Christmas and winter time brings, let's celebrate the beauty of the season, and be merry and bright in all we do.

Our Idols will deliver something wonderful to watch once again, and for today's Advent surprise, let's all snuggle up my the campfire, wear our warmest clothes, and enjoy a bowl of warm miso soup before we fall asleep beneath a star sprinkled sky...


Since the release of Morning Misoshiru's music video, I have wanted to review this beautiful, winter-fueled piece of wonder, but never actually found the time to sit down and talk about. Then, when I was looking out for videos that would fit my Winter / Snow / Christmas theme for the Idols of Advent mini-series, I figured hey, why not? Let's throw in Morning Misoshiru, because it's all chilly but warm in the most perfect way. Plus, it brings up one aspect of Christmas that I am all about, and that is togetherness.

I think that the members wearing fluffy hats, winter jumpers and scarves also helps in me believing this is all about winter. Plus, the lights and the natural, cold look of their surroundings only strengthens this case I have going.

Though it might not necessarily be about the winter, the snow or even the Christmas holiday, let's celebrate the warmth and beauty of a camp-out in the coldest season, and entertain ourselves with all that Morning Musume provide, in all its gorgeous glory.

It's time to relax, spend time with our friends, and forget the rest of the world as we sit together with our bowls full of miso soup...

I Love You, I Love You Forever...~


A beautiful, crisp winters morning dawns once again...


Ooooh, bunting! Looks like all those old concert costumes came in handy, eh?


This is sweet, and it reminds me of one giant sleepover with friends. I miss those kinds of days.


Dang, Masaki really is beautiful, when she's in standstill mode. I prefer her cute and weird, however.


Gotta shoe-horn in my favourites, somehow.


Potato Princess is here! Let's not forget she exists, Chiima >o>


Akane: "Zzzz..."

Good lord, look at that beautiful Duu. So gorgeous. So Duu.


Aww, look, H!P are actually paying attention to detail.


This video makes me want to camp, and I hate camping. (I do, however, love nature)


God damn, H!P, who did you hire? Aki-P's director? This is freakin' gorgeous, and perfectly tranquil in all the right places.


Dem faces, tho. It's what you look like when the cold first hits your face when you leave the house in the morning.


Okay, time to initiate the then-n00bs. What'll it be? Hazing? Sending them out into the wild in only their underwear? BiSH style running through the woods nekked? What'll it be, folks?


It'll be... A PARTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY! Someone break out the champagne, quick!


Look at Sakura, she's having the time of her life! So cute.

Miki in the background, though, She is living life to the fullest, and I adore her for it.


I just love how natural this feels, how pure and entertaining everything is. This is youth at its best.


Duu, you adorable girl, you. I love how she just runs up to them with a smile and so much energy ;;


Campfire songs are great, aren't they? I wanna do one with someone.

Dearest Readers, shall we have a campfire night, one time?


SPARKLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERS!

The best kind of sparkles you'll ever get in a PV. Plus, they're real, and not some fake CGI shit.


Okay, how is Ayumin so cute in this? I love all of her reactions and expressions thus far.


Mizuki making eyes at the camera. We all know you wanna stay relevant, girl.


I don't even care for Ayumin that much, but damn, I can see why y'all adore her. She has that Daaishi feeling, yo.


This is brilliantly shot, and it feels so natural and pretty. There are so many wonderful aspects to this MV.


PonPon together again! So cute, and so touching to see these two close like this.


The bubbles and the campfire song are just adorable. It feels so effortless, carefree and friendly.


ERIPOOOOOOOOOON <3 I love that little smile, it's so heartwarming.


This part of the choreography is so freakin' cute. How much more adorable can they get?


PonPon need more time together. I demand a unit! Gimme a unit, dangit!


Oh lord, the cuteness is overloading. Akane is so wonderful, how is she not more popular in the Western fandom?


Miki, you freakin' gem. I love how suave and confident she is, before bursting into laughter at her own playa tendencies in this scene.

Miki: "Aye, gimme a hug, sweet cheeks~"


Once again, Ayumin takes the cake. She really shines in this video, and her energy is so charming. She is charming, and you can see all the fun she's having.

How have I not Oshi'ed her?


ERIPOOOON <3

Don't sleep, darling! Let's talk all night and make jokes and cringe at things we did as high schoolers.


Waht can I... DUU!

I love how quick Duu is to wake and claim the pillow as her own after it's hit her face.


Pillow fiiiiiiight!

This is one giant, cute sleepover, isn't it? Where are the s'mores?


Masaki doing what Masaki does best: Being cute as fuck.


Duu and Reina are adorable together, but I am loving the hoarder tendencies little Akane-chin has. No! They are her pillows!

Now, that's the kinda gal you want on your pillow fighting team.


Eripon: "Eriman DEATH GRIP!!!"

Oh, good, it looks like Eriman's taking out the trash :D


Ayumi is so adorable in this, how is she this cute?


OOHAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

Two wonderful members together, at last.


Way to pick on Kaedy, guys XD


Oh shit, I'd better stop calling Maria trash if she's that lethal with an Axe... >o>

Maria: "Heeeeeeeeere's JOHNNY!"



Okay, OOHaa, do not prick your damn finger on that splinter. I don't need a Sleeping Beauty scenario with you >o>


Duu: "Here ya go..."
Masaki: "Oh, thanks, it smells so... WAAAH, why does it taste like liquor!?"
Duu: "AHAHAHHAHAHA, drink up, bud!"

Duu, what the heck did you spike that soup with? XD


MaaDuu, for all you shippers out there. I support your love.


And finally, the miso soup has made its cameo appearance! No sign of cartons anywhere, though, so product placement is Zero!



This is just so charming and sweet, and the moment feels both quiet and personal all at the same time between the members.


This is great. I love that they're having a blast here.


I do wonder how they all managed to get the table to the forest, of course, but whatever. These are details we should not concern ourselves with, not when everything else about this PV is so pretty and nice.


Look at OOHaa, look at the way she lights up. And look at how Ayumin watches over her kouhai with a smile as they drink their soup. It's adorable.



S'mores!?

Nah, they're just sparklers. I can get my hopes up, though, can't I?


ERIPON PUNCH!!!!

Look at how gorgeous she is, how can we ever deny her charms?


This is such a pure, candid moment, and I am going to cherish it. I love everything about this scene.


Once again, Ayumin delights me, as do the aesthetics. This is a glorious MV.



Maria: "Hmm... Fresh miso soup tastes as good as human flesh..."

Wait, what was that, Maria?


Look at how gorgeous this is. Look at it. This PV is beautiful.


Duu is a goddess, and whoever shot this, knew what the heck they were doing. These close-ups are beautiful and clear, and the natural lighting only enhances each members' beauty. How did Hello! Project achieve this level of perfection?


So crisp and clean. Wow. I'm honestly taken aback by how wonderful this looks.

Oh, and yeah. It's AYUMIN!



Reina and Kaedy, the promising stars of Morning Musume <3


Though Potato Princess can be bland, she is really beautiful in this PV, and I love her scenes in this video. She looked like she had a lot of fun with it.


Akane is wonderful in this, too. I'm loving how much of a little push she had throughout. <3


Some Masakins goodness for you Masaki fans out there. She loves you <3



Sleepy Eripon is a wonderful Eripon.

Any Eripon is wonderful, to be honest.


Ayumin and Duu are adorable together. So sweet, so caring towards one another. Me gusta.


Gosh darn, look at that OOHaa. Isn't she perfect?


Perfection! Perfection, I say! I just love her eyes in this.



And Harunan is a beauty, as always. It looks like she's sighing contentedly after the first sip of miso soup on a cold, beautiful day...


Blow on the soup to cool it down, Eripon. Don't wanna burn your mouth if it's too hot DX


That's the look of someone who had some quality miso soup. Yummy!


Maria: "Ah, that was good. Now it's time to find dessert, mufufu~"

Yo, it better not be one of the members, Maria!


And together on the cold winters morn, they sat together and drank their warm miso soup, content with all they had done...

In The Morning, Let's Drink Miso Soup Together, Okay?

I feel like I have somehow reaffirmed my love for this video, despite knowing well that I already adored it. Honestly, it's perfection, and there is so much to adore about Morning Misoshiru. This has to be one of the most well-made music videos from Hello! Project this year, though in general, they have done really well on the MV front.

But yeah, this is just glorious. Natural, crisp, clean and clear, Morning Misoshiru looks and feels amazing, featuring some high quality shots that I would more or less expect to see in a Nogizaka46 or AKB48 music video, not something from Hello! Project. It's so promising, and honestly, it set the bar really high for H!P videos this year, and I know I'm not the only one who thinks of this video in such high regard.

Okay, so I know that this might not be a winter PV, necessarily. It could actually be spring, and whilst we might argue on which season Morning Misoshiru is set, I like to think that it's mostly a winter themed video. Yes, it lacks snow and even coldness in some ways, but from the attire to the way the members react to the wind and the woodlands, it feels like it's a colder temperature than usual. Plus, I find the things that they're doing - camping, bonfires, drinking miso soup, using sparklers and the like - only help to make the song feel that more wintry. Camping and bonfires and sparkles, of course, also happen during the summer time in Japan and other countries, but eh, I see them at least two of them as winter themed activities (because November 5th = Bonfire night in the UK).

Regardless of whatever season we think this is set, though, I love this video for all it shows. I love the togetherness it promotes, the tranquility and the nature. I love how Morning Misoshiru has its quiet moments visually, whether it's a scene of the members sleeping peacefully, or a small clip of the nature that surrounds them. Likewise, I love how noisy it can look, too. The campfire, pillow fight and bubble sequences show off just how lively the members can become, and how exciting their time together is, before the scenes are contrasted with the members eating their miso soup quietly, but together. It's moments like this that I think 'wow, they're so close', because even when they're not talking to one another or interacting with each other, you can see how relaxed they are with one another. That's really beautiful, and it speaks volumes for how close these members might be as both colleagues and friends.

Shots wise, you know I think this video is gorgeous. Every scene we see, he moment is crisp and clear, and I swear, I can see the texture of everything in this video. I can see how soft or coarse a jumper or hat is, and I can see every sparkle of the streamers when Reina and Kaede walk into the tent to the surprise party by the other members. I can feel the warmth of the miso soup as the steam rises from the bowls, and I can feel the cold on my hands in the early morning when the members walk out of the tents. I can even feel the cold water on my face when Ayumin splashes it to wake herself up. That's incredible, that I can actually feel these sensations myself, but the director has done such a good job at filming these small events, so I can imagine it all happening to me as I watch it. I feel so connected to this video, because it's natural and pure, and it's real.

Morning Misoshiru has a lot in it that is missing from current MoMusu PV's, and that is the personal touch of reality and nature. Though we want to escape from reality with our music, promotional videos and movies, seeing something as natural and beautiful as this is an escape in itself, because the members are escaping to a place that is similar to sanctuary. It's out of the way, few people are there, and they have nature on their doorstep. It's essentially a mini-holiday getaway, and it's glorious to see, especially when the members look like they are having the time of their life. I love that.

Not only is this a beautiful video, but it's also warm and caring, real and full of small touches that make it so much more wonderful than we realise. It's simple in that it doesn't play with technology or effects too much, and the way the members have fun and play games is simple as well, but that makes it great. This is stuff we as people can relate to, and it's things we have probably done once or twice in our lives, and remember fondly from our own childhood.

It's real, it's pure, and it's beautiful. The feeling of togetherness and companionship this video delivers is wonderful, too, and it reminds me of how winter and Christmas bring families and friends together, and allows us a rare day or two to appreciate one another without strife or work getting in the way. What a caring, loving music video, filled with joy and energy, nature and laughter. What more could we ask for this winters day?



When you spend a day in the winter with those you care about, remember all the good times you have had with them, and make sure to share something together, something that will create a new memory. Even when it's cold outside, let the winter warm your heart and bring you closer together.

There will always be something to warm you up in the winter, so what will it be this year? Hopefully you will find it on this winters day, and if not, I hope that you find it soon.

Until the next Idols of Advent post, dear Readers. May all your wonderful Idols deliver a package of happiness and warmth to you soon.

Stay merry and warm,
Chiima~

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