Selection
- Nippon Manju - LADYBABY
- Itooshikutte Gomenne - Country Girls
- Mondai Girl - Kyary Pamyu Pamyu
- Zenkai! Kamiyado World - KAMIYADO
- Zenryoku Swimmer - Petit PASSPO☆
- UNIT - pla2me
- Mr.PLAY BOY...♡ - Kiyoshi Ryujin 25
- Aogeba Toutoshi ~from Sakura Gakuin 2014~ - Sakura Gakuin
- snow irony - Maison book girl
- Nee Vardia - Negicco
General Comment
Making a list of just 10 MVs for 2015, a year that was packed full of incredible images, as well as heatbreaking departures, was no easy task. Obviously, the breakthrough group of 2015, LADYBABY was one of them. With the exception of Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, many of our choices veered more towards the groups that we have been able to watch very closely here in Japan. Watching KAMIYADO, Petit PASSPO☆, and Maison book girl as they began picking up momentum and witnessing things come to an end as Mari Mizuta left Pla2me (now POP) and Yui Mizuno, Moa Kikuchi, Hana Taguchi, and Yunano Notsu attended a graduation ceremony that was crashed by an Ewok in a mech suit. Any of Kiyoshi Ryujin 25's MVs could have made it onto our list but, how can we ignore a song that begins with the members chanting "sukebe" (pervert)? Sentimental favorite Negicco rounded out the list by bringing us along as they traveled from Niigata to their first Hibiya Yaon concert.
Selection
- Pararell World - Ayami Muto
- Bokutachi wa Tatakawanai - AKB48
- J.A.N.A.I.C.A. - Team Syachihoko
- Bare Bare Bushi - AKB48
- Nippon Manju - LADYBABY
- Taiki Bansei - ANGERME
- OTNK - BiSH
- Choice&Chance - Juice=Juice
- Deep Snow - DIANNA☆SWEET
- Durian Shounen - NMB48
General Comment
2015 was packed with exciting new idol music and PV concepts. From the high production and slick choreography of AKB48's Bokutachi wa Tatakawanai, to the incredibly creative use of frames in Team Syachihoko's J.A.N.A.I.C.A., we saw many idol releases this year that piqued our interests. One particular PV takes the cake among NSK staff. Muto Ayami's Parallel World was a perfect display of creative stage work done with a limited budget. Pair that with a catchy electro-pop tune and we too are dreaming of being in a parallel world! We are always on the lookout for new and creative techniques used by PV directors on The NSK Podcast so please come take a listen and we hope to see even more great things in 2016!
Selection
- Bokutachi wa Tatakawanai - AKB48
- Must Be Now - NMB48
- Baby, Love me! - HKT48
- Hikaeme I love you! - AKB48
- Coquettish Juutai Chuu - SKE48
- Magical☆Change - Magical ☆ Dreamin
- Colorful Starlight - Cheeky Parade
- Girls be Ambitious - KAMEN RIDER GIRLS
- MY ONLY ONE - 9nine
- Soushi Souai☆destination - Fairies
General Comment
We wanted to keep the list well-rounded to fit a variety of tastes. I felt more strongly about the first seven videos, as you can tell, but the latter three are still some of my favorites however I just had less to say about them. We believe our list is a satisfactory sampling of what J-pop has to offer and a great introduction to people who have never listened to the genre before. I think part of the stigma with J-pop (as opposed to a majority of the K-pop acts) is the focus on "young and cute" which can be misunderstood and might make some judgmental viewers raise an eyebrow. I hope we've helped
Selection
- Happy Lucky Kirakira Lucky - POP
- Omote Nadeshiko Denshochu - Moso Calibration
- Akihabalife♪ - Dempagumi.inc
- Chocolat・Love(Umare Kawari ver.) - Bandjanaimon!
- Mr.PLAY BOY...♡ - Kiyoshi Ryujin 25
- OTNK - BiSH
- Hamidasumo! - Yurumerumo!
- Nippon Manju - LADYBABY
- Kanata ni… - BILLIE IDLE®
- Wonder Ground - lyrical school
General Comment
2015 was a new chapter in idol history, after "domination" by huge agencies like Up-Front and AKS. It was the counterattack of Akihabara idols like Dempagumi.inc and other Dear Stage groups which were reprensentative of that movement. After BiS disbanded in 2014, a new type of group appeared appeared on the battlefield, with a "punk " aura to them. Of course, this includes those that rose from the ashes of BiS like BiSH, BILLIE IDLE and P.O.P but, groups like Yurumerumo have been representative of this movement. Groups with crazy concepts made their presence felt in the form of Kyoshi Ryujin 25 with its controversial "harem" concept and of course, LADYBABY who practially broke the Internet with "Nippon Manju".
Selection
- Inochi wa Utsukushii - Nogizaka46
- Seisyun Kozou ga Naiteiru - Morning Musume。'15
- Kiss Me Babe - Fairies
- Itooshikutte Gomenne - Country Girls
- Colorful Starlight - Cheeky Parade
- SUSHI PARTY - Pink Diamond
- Aviator／Boogie Aroma - Especia
- Magic Mirror - Seiko Oomori
- Kimi to Mirai Tsukuritai! - Doll☆Elements
- YOU - Idol Renaissance
General Comment
The idol scene in 2015 caught our attention with several MVs that introduced us to a worldview full of impact. In particular, there was a subtle theme of “life and death” shown by the dark gloominess of Nogizaka46, the overwhelmingly detail-packed images of Morning Musume. ’15, which were the top-ranked MVs in our opinion. Additionally, there were groups like Pink Diamond and Especia that were bursting with a palette of bright colors that filled the entire screen and a sense of playfulness that had us noticing new things each and every time we watched them. However, the straightforward works of Fairies and Country Girls also impacted us deeply on a completely different level as well.
