All opinions within this post ARE my own, and no one else's. Please respect my opinion and also, respect everyone else's opinions~ Whatever I say about this group, their single and music video are what I truly think and feel - do not get offended at what I say, because we ALL have different views!
Okay, I'm back and I'm ready to churn out a few reviews (and probably other things, who knows?) until the Idol world runs dry once again for a week or two. It's been pretty slow (or at least, to me) and I have become lazy, too. But I'm back and ready to roll!
And so, after not doing anything for a while, let's start with the Angels in Maid costumes...
... er, I mean, super hero-esque cute outfits?
Whatever it is they are wearing, Afilia Saga East, my favourite Maid-costume fetish group, have returned to the Wota world with their newest PV, Kindan Muteki no Darling, which I will have to say is their cutest, most Idol-like PV and song to date! This is a big turn from their last single, Mirai no Watashi Matteiru, which had that familiar Afilia sound to it with a more choir-like tone as well as being quite a hopeful (and sad) song. But this...
Well, let's just say that it's fluffy. Like, really fluffy. I swear, the producers and design crew puked up sparkles when they decided how the video would look.
Don't believe me? Well, let's head into the fluff-fest...
The moment I saw this, I was reminded of Koharu Kusumi's Chance PV, Kare to Issho's opening and Mayuyu's Synchro Tokimeki CD covers.
OMG IT'S SO PRETTY!!!
... Can you tell where the inspiration for my current banner came from, now?
... Yup~
Kyun~
Emiu is adorable, but she looks tired in this xD Love her hair though~
Okay, can I just say I love their costumes and I love that room? They just need BALLOONS FLYING AROUND!
Laura Sucreine looks shocked by Aria's sweet-nothings she whispered into her ear!
Yukafin Doll: Ayami, kawaii~
AyamaI: I know~
Maho is becoming a favourite of mine, I dunno why...
Probably cos' she's the boobs of this group. Or cos she's cute. Who knows?
Okay, this wouldn't be a pic spam without everyone's resident favourite (everyone's but mine) Kohime!
And seriously, the move where they lift their hands up and down is adorable!
Kurumi LaLa Milk, my first Oshi in Afilia!
... What? After Gardenfairy left, I kinda latched onto Kurumi and Laura Sucreine... And Maho
Hey, I want popcorn too! Also, Aria looks so stunning here~
Sleepover! Want a pillow fight?
Miku Doll really caught my eye in this clip, probably because she was really focusing on eye-fucking that camera and showing us what she's made of.
... Or it was the cat ears. Who knooows?
Can't get enough of their legs, those awesome skirts and that studio set~
Yukafin Doll looks so damn gorgeous in these shots!
But of course, no one can compare to Kurumi! <3 Her sweet face is all I need to feel happy!
And MAHO <3 Dayumn, you work that camera, gurl!~~~
This part of the dance was so cute >3<
Haha, look at Kohime as she's pulled back! Gotta love her expressions!
Yukafin: "Tasukette!~"
Louise Sforzur (I know, their names are really... confusing to remember xD) is such a doll! I love that hairstyle on her! >3< Squee, why are they all so adorable?
Okay, let's pray for new, sexier maid costumes for our fans!
The camera can't help but sparkle for Kurumi! She's just that fabulous!
SPARKLE, BABY, SPARKLE!
Okay, an adorable shot from the adorable Miku - but where are her ears!?
Next PV, have her in a cat costume!
Laura!!!~~~ So adorable, such a natural cutie pie!
Emiu is so sweet and innocent looking, you work that couch, gurl!
Seriously, this room needs those balloons flying around! Come on girls, kick those balloons!
Afilia are looking for their maid costumes! Oh, where art thou Maid costumes!
Damn, so those balloons are just for show! How disappointing!
Okay, firstly, Afilia are back, which always makes me happy. I love watching their videos because these girls have so much personality and they are all seriously adorable. Also, they are very entertaining and can really make a PV fun to watch, because every one of them brings something great (and cute) to the golden Afilia platter.
Secondly... I am loving both of the new members. Laura and Emiu seem to already fit in with Afilia, despite this being their, what, second single? Honestly, I almost forgot that they were still new girls compared to everyone else. (Especially first gen members like Kohime, Aria and Louise) I have also found that I have taken a liking to both of them! Laura because she is just adorable, and Emiu because, for some reason, she has a really intriguing face. My sister noticed it too, and we both quite like her - my sister has actually claimed Emiu as her 'Oshi', though my oshi in Afilia is Kurumi LaLa Milk~
Okay, let's get back to the important stuff...
This has to be Afilia's fluffiest PV to date. It's absolutely adorable! I didn't think that a group like Afilia, despite how adorable they are, could pull of something like this. They've never done it before, so I wasn't really expecting this ball of fluff to come from them. In fact, I was expecting more maid costumes and some more fanservice, but this video is really tame and really cutesy compared to everything else they have done since before now.
The video is one giant affair of cuteness - my first thought when I watched this for the first time was 'it's so fluffy!'. There are plenty of cute shots in this video, such as the girls dancing around in a bright and colourful polka dot room, with balloons on the floor in front of them as they dance. Their costumes are really cute and remind me of super-hero costumes because of the capes, and also remind me of what the Sailor Scouts would wear in Sailor Moon. Then there are the scenes where the girls are together, looking at clothes, holding popcorn and looking extremely adorable in cute clothes as they sing to the camera. Finally, there are the photoshoot shots, where the girls are all posing individually to the camera and smiling innocently as they charm the viewers with their sweetness.
I really enjoyed this video - I didn't know what I would think about it other than that it was 'cute', but after seeing it, I have found that it is also very entertaining to watch, especially the dance scenes. I love that the dance is sectioned into different groups for certain parts, and then the entire group dancing. The moves, though not really that complex, are cute and really add to the charm of the video, though very Idol-like and over-the-top cutesy. Despite how simple and cute the dance was, it was definitely the most entertaining part of the entire video, because it was really fun to watch the girls - especially when the Afilia girls created a bridge for the others to go under, and then the girls had to rewind back with shocked looks on their faces. It was enjoyable and very adorable, and probably the best part of the dance because, honestly, it actually looked like the girls were rewinding.
It's actually a very simple PV, with only three shots throughout the entire three minutes, but it still manages to entertain you and keep you watching it until the very end, because the girls are so wonderful to watch. You somehow want to know who will be shown next, how the dance will go, what girls will be shown, etc etc. I was just hooked on this bundle of cuteness that had come from Afilia Saga East, a group who I thought prioritised itself on fetishes (Maid costumes, bikini's, knee high socks...) and fan service. Well, this PV has proven me wrong, because this video is as Idol-generic as you can get, in a good way. There is no fan service (that I can think of) and the girls are in a costume that any Idol group could wear or pull off. Even without giving fanservice or wearing their maid costumes, Afilia still manage to deliver a great PV, and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this despite the video steering off into a new and different direction for the group.
It's cute, it's fluffy and it is all around adorable. It's a new look for Afilia, but it is also a look they suit right now, especially Kohime. It was a surprising turn, but it definitely works for them.
The song itself is also a surprising turn for the Afilia girls. From the preview, we could only hear the opening and ending tune to the entire song, so I typically thought 'Wow... it's going to sound like most of their other songs...' and I was actually disinterested in this song because of that. What I didn't expect was an extremely cute song that was very different to the opening instrumental.
The song is definitely an Idol song, but it's also really catchy, cute and wonderful to listen to. Okay, so it isn't amazing, it can be quite forgettable too if you haven't listened to it over a million times like I have already, and it doesn't stand out in terms of Idol music in general, but it's a nice song, and it's something different from this group.
I like the entire song, actually - I won't say that I 'love' it, because I don't think that it ranks so high in my list of songs that I love, but I definitely don't hate it either. I could listen to this song for a while, actually, but I would need a break in between and probably listen to some Show Luo or Rainie Yang to kind of ward off the over-bearing cuteness that this song has. By over-bearing cuteness, I mean their voices - Afilia have lovely voices, but they are terribly sickly sweet to the point where they can be annoying if you listen to them for too long. I like their songs, but I also find that the girls are all a tad too squeaky, like they're forcing it because they might not be able to sing that well... I dunno, that's just what I think when I listen to any of their songs. (Especially La*La*La Revolution)
Other than their sickenly sweet voices, the song is pretty good. Nothing ground-breaking, but it's different to other songs I have heard from this group. It's a nice change of pace, and the image they have in this video is a wonderful contrast to their more refined and professional images that they have in their other PV's. Kindan Muteki no Darling is definitely a more carefree, girly PV that is incredibly happy and cute, and will make just about anyone smile. It's sweet, sugary, fun and entertaining to watch, but also brings Afilia back into the Idol world with the generic shots and overall playfulness of the video.
It was interesting to see Afilia take this approach with their music video and song, and I enjoyed it. I just wish that it didn't remind me of Hello! Project's PV's, because honestly, doesn't this video look like something Tsunku would pull out of his hat?
It's cute, it's carefree... It's Afilia! Enjoyable from start to finish, definitely check this video out and see if you like this carefree and girly side to the group, or if you prefer their more refined and polished image as maids!
I enjoyed it, but please, bring back the maid costumes. I miss them~
EDIT: I have reviewed the short version of the song, as I didn't know that the longer version was out, however all opinions are still the same! It's adorable!
EDIT: I have reviewed the short version of the song, as I didn't know that the longer version was out, however all opinions are still the same! It's adorable!
