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Tokyo Girls’ Update Recommend: Our Favorite MVs for Songs Released May 2015
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The month of May started off slow but, with AKB48’s annual Senbatsu Sousenkyo single “Bokutachi wa Tatakawanai”, You Kikkawa’s epic 17-minute plus “Hana”, Yufu Terashima’s major label debut, the revival of the notorious BiS, and final single from the 5-member formation of Dorothy Little Happy, there were still quite a few impressive MVs released. Here are 10 of the most interesting MVs for songs released in May listed in chronological order according to their release date.
You Kikkawa – “Hana” (release date: May 6)
Soloist You Kikkawa released one of the most ambitious songs of the current era with “Hana”. At 17 minutes and 25 seconds long (the MV is slightly longer with the ending fade out), it will be a while before anyone else attempts to match or surpass her. The unconventional arrangement of “Hana” is closer to an opera or symphony compared to any of her previous more conventional releases and is overflowing with the charisma that has made “Kikka” one of the most popular solo idols active today.
PASSPO☆ – “Honey Dish” (release date: May 13)
PASSPO☆ took a step back in time with the lead track of their first album after the graduation of Makoto Okunaka on New Year’s Day. “Honey Dish” is a throwback to their earlier cute rock sounds and the outfits scream pure retro American diner! The only bad thing about this video is that it reminds us that Sako Makita won’t be participating in any “flights” (PASSPO☆ term for lives) after May 31st as she will be going on an indefinite hiatus to recover from some health issues. However, knowing what a hard worker she is, “Sakoti” should be stronger than ever when she comes back!
Team Syachihoko – “Tensai Bakabon” (release date: May 13)
Team Syachihoko shocked the world with their “normal” MV for “Shampoo Hat” but, it was not the beginning of the end of their unusual and creative image! They dance down Harajuku’s Takeshita Street in Tensai Bakabon-themed outfits as 5,000 miniature copies of them created through 3D photography are abducted by UFOs and smashed beneath plates of miso katsu. As no members of Team Syachihoko (real or digital) were harmed during the filming of this MV, it’ll be alright (kore de ii no da)!
AKB48 – “Bokutachi wa Tatakawanai” (release date: May 20)
Directed by Keishi Ohtomo (Ruroni Kenshin, Ryomaden), AKB48’s “Bokutachi wa Tatakawanai” is a MV that doubles as an action packed short film set in the not so distant future. Center Haruka Shimazaki barely breaks a sweat as she battles unending waves of armored enemies. This is the first summer since 2009 that AKB48 has not released a summery MV set on the sunny beaches of Guam but, with this level of attention paid to detail, there isn’t much to complain about with one of the group’s most memorable videos of the post-Atsuko Maeda era.
Dorothy Little Happy – “Tell me tell me!!” (release date: May 20)
Dorothy Little Happy was off to an strong start to 2015 after a very productive 2014. They released “The best of Dorothy Little Happy 2010-2015″ at the beginning of April and seemed to have returned to their rocking ways with “Tell me tell me!!” However, when Ruuna Akimoto, Mimori Tominaga, and Koumi Hayasaka announced they would be graduating to concentrate on callme a week later, it really began to feel as if this would be a bad year for idol fans. Here is the final MV of Dorothy Little Happy in their 5-member formation.
Yufu Terashima – “Fuhehehehehehehe Dai Sakusen” (release date: May 20)
For her major label debut single “Fuhehehehehehehe Dai Sakusen”, soloist Yufu Terashima went north to Gunma prefecture to dip her feet in the healing waters of Shibukawa Ikaho Onsen, and dance in front of the World Heritage Site Tomioka Silk Mill with 2014 Yurukyara (mascot) Grand Prix winner Gunma-chan! It’s a fitting celebration of her new start and with the amazing MV for “Hatsukoi no Silhouette” included on the same single, it’s a sign of promising things to come from her in the future.
Kiyoshi Ryujin 25 – “Mr.PLAY BOY…♡” (release date : May 27)
Ryujin Kiyoshi’s 26th birthday and the release of this single was surrounded by speculation as “wife number 5″ Natsuki Kiyoshi announced that she would be stopping her activities with Kiyoshi Ryujin 25 in April. This was followed by an audition resulting in the debut of “wife number 7” Yuka Kiyoshi a few short weeks later. It’s kind of sad to watch the MV for “Mr.PLAY BOY…♡” knowing that it would be Natsuki’s last with the group but, it’s such a catchy song! On the night of Ryujin’s birthday concert at TSUTAYA O-WEST, the news that Natsuki would not be returning to the stage on account of “pregnancy”, was immediately followed by the first live performance of “Mr.PLAY BOY…♡”! What timing! Such entertainment!
BiSH – “BiSH – Hoshi Ga Matataku Yoru –” (release date : May 27)
The resurrection of the legendary controversial “anti-idol” group BiS under the name BiSH with all new members had been a hot topic ever since it was announced. Junnosuke Watanabe, who had been behind a lot of BiS unconventional antics, wasted no time in pushing boundaries with the MV for “BiSH – Hoshi Ga Matataku Yoru –”. When a group is covered in what looks like raw sewage in their first MV, where can they go from there? Based on the large crowds this young group has already attracted at release events for their debut album, it seems that the next generation of the “Brand-new idol Society” is still going strong! Kenkyuuin is not dead!
PassCode – “Now I Know” (release date : May 27)
Osaka electronicore idols PassCode are the second group to release a MV set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland in May. However, “Now I Know” is a less optimistic interpretation of what could happen when civilization collapses. With the “Idol Warring States Period” (Idol Sengoku Jidai) having raged for as long as it has, perhaps this is a metaphor of how hard idols must work to survive as new groups seem to appear every week and old ones disappear just as often. With “Now I Know” backordered at most record stores across the country, it looks like PassCode has earned the right to keep going…for now.
Girls’ Band Category: Ganbare! Victory – “Zenryoku! Start” (release date: May 20)
Baseball-themed Ganbare! Victory got some valuable pointers from former Hanshin Tigers outfielder Tsutomu Kameyama aka “the Heisei era (1989-present) King of Sliding” on how to dive headfirst into bases in the MV for their major label debut single “Zenryoku! Start”. Together since elementary school, Ganbare! Victory has been honing their skills in the “minor leagues” in preparation when they would be called up to the big leagues. Powered by a hook uncannily similar to the one from the Guns N’ Roses classic “Sweet Child O’ Mine”, the girls from Saga prefecture look to be entering a hot streak in their rookie season.
With May coming to an end, the rainy season will be starting soon in Japan, followed by the hot and humid summer. With slightly less releases this month, the list stands at 10 but thankfully, there were some girl bands from which to choose from this month. Let us know if there was someone that you felt should have been included in this list that might have been overlooked!
AKB48 Official site: http://www.akb48.co.jp/
BiSH Official Site: http://wack.jp/bish.html
Dorothy Little Happy Official site: http://dorothylittlehappy.com/
Ganbare! Victory Official site: http://ganbare-victory.com/
You Kikkawa Official site: http://kikkawayou.com/
Kiyoshi Ryujin 25 Official site : http://www.kiyoshiryujin.com/25/index.html
PassCode Official site: http://www.passcode-official.com/
PASSPO☆ Official site: http://passpo.jp/
Team Syachihoko Official site: https://team-syachihoko.jp/
Yufu Terashima Official site: https://yufuterashima.com/
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Kai Okudara
Writer, researcher, photographer, foodie, KSDD
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