Tokyo Girls’ Update Recommend: Our Favorite MVs for Songs Released July 2015

| Artist | Posted by Kai Okudara on Jul.30.2015

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July was packed with a lot of great releases and MVs but it actually made things easier when compiling the list because of it. The stakes were raised to where a MV had to be truly interesting and bring something new to the table to be considered. Then again, it could just be the rising temperatures and humidity of summer making it harder to concentrate for long periods? Here are some of the most interesting MVs for songs released in July listed in chronological order according to their release date

Tomomi Itano – “Gimme Gimme Luv” (release date: July 1)

Just about anything that the pint-sized Itano does is met with high expectations because doesn’t it seem like she’s living the dream? Making big budget music videos as a soloist and remaining a fashion icon. It’s not as over the top as “Come Party” but will still put you at risk of sensory overload. If you think this video is a copy of 4Minute you might be a little bit “Crazy”. Is it because of that one shot of Tomomi with the bucket hat on? Since when did 4Minute have a copyright on bucket hats? The chances of anything being “original” in pop music are microscopic so why not just enjoy what you like and let others do the same?

Cheeky Parade – “Colorful Starlight” (release date: July 15)

“Colorful Starlight” captures the energy and fun of a Cheeky Parade live performance and condenses it into the span of a 5-minute MV! Although the MV for “M.O.N.ST＠R” makes a lot of sense for those who have experienced the power of it being performed live, it’s kind of difficult for that to translate without feeling the sweat rolling down your face.

NMB48 – Durian Shonen (release date: July 15)

The first center appointment of Ririka Suto for a NMB48 single featured a parade through the streets of Taiwan complete with lion and dragon dancers, a ride on the Gravity Max tilting roller coaster, unforgettable dance scenes and the king of fruits! For those of you adverse to even seeing a durian (or parades), there is also a dance version! Yay!

Seiko Oomori – “Sacchan no Sexy Curry” (release date: July 15)

Even though the MV for “Magic Mirror” reflected the anguish and loneliness of several people living in Tokyo, there was no way that it could compare to Seiko Oomori eating curry with her friend Megumi Koshoji and gravure idol Mai Tsukamoto, who starts undressing! It’s probably the sexiest that curry has been since Sonim’s “Curry Rice no Onna”!

Sumire Uesaka – “Inner Urge” (release date: July 22)

The MV for the ending theme song for the anime adaptation of “Shimoneta to Iu Gainen ga Sonzai Shinai Taikutsu na Sekai” (A Boring World Where the Concept of Dirty Jokes Doesn’t Exist) is full of Sumire staring intently at and office lady (OL) and nurse. The hook and accompanying SOX (Shimoneta Terrorist Organization from the anime) dance is dangerously catchy too!

MAX – “#SELFIE 〜ONNA Now〜” (release date: July 22)

MAX show that, like Namie Amuro, growing older doesn’t mean that you have to stop being fun! They party in the streets of Aoyama, Odaiba, Roppongi, and Shibuya all night long in the MV for “#SELFIE 〜ONNA Now〜”! Even though this is another remake of a song that was popular overseas, it shows that MAX still have what it takes to shine like superstars.

Yamaguchi Kassei Gakuen – “PARADOX” (release date: July 28)

Representatives of the local idol scene in southern Honshu, Yamaguchi Kassei Gakuen pick up swords and guns to fight off flying skeleton warriors under the light of a shattered moon! It’s no comparison to “Bokutachi wa Tatakawanai” (AKB48) but, what is? Perhaps next time they will chose blunt weapons since skeletons don’t have any flesh to cut?

LADY BABY – “Nippon Manju” (release date: July 29)

Probably the most viewed and most polarizing MV of the month, if not year goes to LADY BABY with their debut single “Nippon Manju”, racking up more than 5 million views since it went online just a few weeks ago. Whether you love or hate LADY BABY, one thing is certain, you will probably never forget them. The amount of big names involved with just this one song is fairly unprecedented: composition/arrangement – Takashi Asano (Team Syachihoko, Dempagumi.inc, Otome Shinto), lyrics – Natsumi Tadano (Dempagumi.inc, Momoiro Clover Z), guitar – ROLLY (ex-Scanch, ex-Rock Fujiyama), keyboard – Hajimetal, choreography – Honmono Mikitty (BiS, Shiritsu Ebisu Chugaku, Pla2me/POP, Hakoiri Musume, BELLRING Shojo Heart, Lovely DOLL, Maison book girl). Whether or not LADY BABY can truly “Change the rules, Smash the boundaries” remains to be seen but, they’re off to an impressive start so far.

Read more about LADY BABY.

Girls Band Category: SCANDAL – “Stamp!” (release date: July 22)

SCANDAL’s 2015 World Tour began in Japan this January and took them to 8 different countries for their most extensive international expedition but, they still found time to write a new song just in time for summer! Filmed in sunny Guam, the girls rock out to the millennial sounds of “Stamp!” with a salty ocean breeze blowing through their hair. Thankfully, there were no Transformers murdered like there were in the MV for their previous single “Image”?

July was just too strong of a month for MVs! There were quite a few well-made MVs like “Summer Nude Adolescence” by Yumemiru Adolescence, “Futakotamagawa” by Ciao Bella Cinquetti, and “Tell me why Umarete Kita Imi wo Shiritai” by Chu-Z to name a few but, when simply looking at content, the verdict could have gone either way. Additionally, there were quite a few MVs that came out that didn’t seem to have any release date attached to them such as: Negicco’s collaboration with Sachiko Kobayashi “Niigata☆JIMAN!”, Team Syachihoko’s collab song with Shimajiro “Jirijiri Natsu-Katsu Iin-Kai”, and Hakoiri♡Musume’s “Hohoemi to Haru to One Piece”. Let us know if there were any videos you think that we might have overlooked or considered more carefully because it is possible!

Related Links

Cheeky Parade Official site (English): http://www.cheekyparade.jp/cheeky_en/

Tomomi Itano Official site: http://tomomiitano.jp/

LADY BABY Official site: http://www.clearstone.co.jp/ladybaby/

MAX Official site: http://avex.jp/max/

NMB48 Official site: http://www.nmb48.com/

Seiko Oomori official site : http://oomoriseiko.info/

SCANDAL Official site: http://www.scandal-4.com/

Sumire Uesaka Official site: http://www.starchild.co.jp/artist/uesakasumire/

Yamaguchi Kassei Gakuen Official site: http://www.yamaguchikasseigakuen.com/