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Tokyo Girls’ Update Recommend: Our Favorite MVs for Songs Released August 2015
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August 2015 was extremely busy in the world of Japanese idols! Beginning with Tokyo Idol Festival (August 1-2) and ending with @JAM EXPO (August 29), the month was full of events happening all over the place! Similar to the jam-packed lineups of all the music festivals taking place in August, there was no shortage of big-name idols releasing music. Here are some of the most interesting MVs for songs released in August listed in chronological order according to their release date.
Moso Calibration – “Genso Koi Hanabi” (release date: August 4)
It’s nothing new for groups to adopt the use of traditional Japanese instruments, especially during the summer months when one feels the urge to put on a yukata and go to the many festivals taking place across the country. Moso Calibration take things another step further by mixing the imagery of traditional yokai (supernatural beings) with popular modern series like “Yo-Kai Watch” and “GeGeGe no Kitaro” while telling a bittersweet story of a love that will never be realized.
TsuriBit – “Tsurisen wa Iraneze” (release date: August 5)
Fishing idols TsuriBit reeled in a big catch with the cinematic MV for “Tsurisen wa Iraneze”! In a continuation of the story begun in 2014’s “Tabidachi Kirari”, Aya is in Thailand helping her father fend of thugs who want to evict them from their beachfront restaurant so their employer can redevelop the area. In case you don’t need all the drama, there is also a dance version. While they were there, TsuriBit also filmed the MV for “Hadashi Mermaid” and shot pictures for their recently released photobook “Fishing Heaven”!
Onna Juku All Stars – “Waki wo Minaide” (release date: August 5)
Originally titled “Watashi wo Mite” (look at me), this silly yet undeniably catchy song by Onna Juku All Stars, a group made up of well-known and upcoming Japanese idols brought together by the Internet program “Nukegake! Onna Juku”, has been around since 2014 but finally was released in August of 2015! It might be the only idol song about underarms! If you didn’t already have an underarm fetish, you might have one after watching the MV! Look! Don’t look! The MVs for the other songs from the single, “Rapper to Sugoshita 2-nenkan no Nichijou” and “Do the Shakin’ Up Baby Lonely Fight” are also worth a look if you are someone who likes idols that don’t take themselves too seriously.
Country Girls – “Wakatteirunoni Gomenne” (release date: August 5)
Even after the devastating loss of ace member Uta Shimamura earlier in the year, Country Girls keep going strong with the school love story of “Wakatteirunoni Gomenne”. Mai Ozeki is fairly convincing as a boy who is terrible at reading the signals of his girlfriend played by Chisaki Morito. Unsurprisingly, Momoko Tsugunaga nearly steals the show, starring as the narrator and an old woman. Most importantly, there is a kabe-don scene!
Yurumerumo! – “Yume Nante” (release date: August 12)
On the subject of the world ending, Yurumerumo! deal with the impending end of all life on earth as only they can, by building a rocket out of cardboard and escaping to outer space! With an eclectic sound, unconventional look, and unusual MVs, Yurumerumo! show that idols are not just cute burikko girls performing bubblegum pop music. For some traditional idol fans, groups like them might just be a sign of the coming apocalypse.
SKE48 – “Mae Nomeri” (release date: August 12)
SKE48 went straight for the heartstrings with Rena Matsui’s final single with the group. “Mae Nomeri” opens with footage of that fateful June 10th broadcast of AKB48 no All Night Nippon where she confirmed that she would be graduating and is full of scenes showing the members throwing her a surprise party on small island in Okinawa. As if that wasn’t enough, there was also the Team E song “Nagai Yume no Labyrinth” where Rena is the only one awake in a house on the morning after a party as well as “2588 Days” where she is heading to the SKE48 Theater for what seems like the last time.
Morning Musume. ’15 – “Oh my wish!” (release date: August 19)
Morning Musume. ’15 releasing a triple A-side single did not make things easy as all of the songs were well received by fans and worthy of consideration but, “Oh my wish!” wins due to it being released the first. Kanon Suzuki supporters all over the world were able to see that she had made a complete recovery after being injured in late 2014. Coming after the backlash against Karin Miyamoto (Juice=Juice) when she filled in for Suzuki during the previous single, hopefully fans can now rest easier knowing that their girl is back! “Sukatto My Heart” or “Imasugu Tobikomu Yuuki” could have easily also been picked.
AKB48 – “Halloween Night” (release date: August 26)
If you have only seen the short version, this may seem like a strange pick since A) the extras seem to get a lot more screen time than the members who earned their spot in the senbatsu for “Halloween Night” and B) the Halloween costumes make it more difficult to see their faces but, if you have seen the full version, you might just change your mind? What is not shown is Sayaka Yamamoto dressed as Michael Jackson and best of all, Minami Takahashi as MC Hammer!
In Japan, the end of August is considered the end of summer even though there will still be some blazingly hot days mixed in with some bitterly cold ones for several months to come. The season of MVs full of bikinis and white sand beaches may be over but that just means that the fall colors and fashions will soon be making their appearances. AKB48 might have released their Halloween song in the middle of summer but, there will probably be many more to come as that day draws closer.
Related Links
AKB48 Official site: http://www.akb48.co.jp/
Country Girls official site: http://helloproject.com/countrygirls/
Morning Musume.’15 Official site: http://www.helloproject.com/morningmusume/
Moso Calibration Official site: http://mosoclbr.com
Onna Juku All Stars Official site: http://onna-juku.jp/
SKE48 Official site: http://www.ske48.co.jp/
TsuriBit Official site: http://tsuribit.com/
Yurumerumo! Official site: http://ylmlm.net/
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tsuri bit Country Girls Moso Calibration SKE48 AKB48
Kai Okudara
Writer, researcher, photographer, foodie, KSDD
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