[PV] Arashi - Meikyuu Love Song

The second single of the year for them. So few this year. We all know Arashi sells a lot because they threw out a lot of singles, not because their two singles sold extremely well. Volume, Arashi, always, volume!

I don't like the video. It is not colourful and awesomely rainbow-treated with colours and gheyness. Not to say that there isn't any ghey. I am saying NOT ENOUGH! Though it is not without the group's signature sense of humour and randomness.

I am blaming it on the dull colours, maybe a failed attempt at artsy-fartsiness? Boybands should be boybands, they should be fruity, colourful, ghey and stuff. I say more colours! I say more ghey! I say throw in some rainbows! I say group hugs!

So I tried to make sense of the video. The setting is within a jigsaw puzzle. And in jigsaw puzzle world, there was a sugoroku game. And five people who move together with the number of steps taken decided with the roll of an unnecessarily huge die. Puzzle world also has cheap cardboard buildings.

The first game requirement is that you stand around trying to look pretty while dressed like poor stage players of perhaps the Victorian era.

Then you sit on dice of many colours and sizes and look soulful, I am going to assume it was to serenade a love with obstacles. Tell me something new.

Then out of nowhere, you must give each other high-fives because of reasons unknown. Then again, why not? You are reasonably young, and you dick around for a living, if I were you, I'd sit around and give myself high-fives all day.

Lets just assume the theme to be board and card games, because the background is made out of decks of cards. Why? How? I thought this was a board game? I think this has something to do with the Japanese and that game of association that they keep playing. So board games, card games, they're all games, why bother making sense?

Awwww look at them, so happy. They are so happy! Do you think Sho's pants are a little tight here? I can't help noticing. But look, they're so happy! 

A huge part of their draw is that watching them makes you happy. Look! Grown men dicking around like they have nothing to worry about. Why worry? 

The quality of the video is reasonable. But I am not sure if there's even any effort into linking it to the song. I mean, I am no Japanese speaker, but I think it has something to do with a maze or labyrinth of some sort, no? Meh, whatevs. This is like a more sombre and adult version of Troublemaker. I'd take Troublemaker over this video any day.

Ohno. Cute. But when you think of the fact that he's 31, it sorta turns you off a bit that he's acting like a hurt puppy. I think I lost something since the hiatus. I believe its joy. I no longer appreciate humour. But Ohno fooling around at 28 is so much cuter than Ohno fooling around at 31. I am just saying. 

I liked it when they were doing the squat, so adorable. I worry for Sho's crotch in those tight pants, but suuuure, do whatever. Looked like he could barely go all the way down, no? Oh so cute when they are all lined up and singing like a bunch of.... LOOK! SHO! CROTCH!

[PV] Arashi - Monster

I am not sure if I remember how to do this.

Let me just get warmed up a bit.

I know, I know, the absence has been... seemingly perpetual. It is, I am just taking a stroll down memory lane, catching up on the news and everything.

Reminiscing my younger, more carefree years. After all, this blog started a long, long time ago, when Arashi was not... what it is today and I was more exciting about the underrated. Now that they are like... I dunno, big? Now that I am older... (that's 23...) All these took a backseat to real life.

This was the second single released in 2010. 4 more were coming. Main theme to Ohno's "Kaibutsu-kun" drama. I watched, like, 3 episodes and then I had to quit all things Japan. Long story about moving to another city (my country's equivalent of Jou-Kyou?) and find a job, living on your own...

So sad stuff, let us not go into that. Arashi, Arashi, how have you grown since I left you behind? Going about setting all kinds of records, each member becoming leading men of their own rights. Things have truly changed since 2007. This song, upon first hearing it, was horrible. The verses were subpar and the chorus was mildly catchy. The video reminds me of a cheap version of "truth".

But I guess it is okay. Like any other Arashi songs, after a few more plays, it became bearable, then... it become.. okay. Not something that I would rave over.

The video became okay after a while too. I know they are trying to project the sort of gothic aura and be all vampir-y and cool. Well, after all the shyt they did in their weekly shows, do they really think they'll be taken seriously?

I think MatsuJun, Sho and Nino could look better. I never liked the hairstyles that look like there's a dead octopus attached to your skull. It just looks nasty. Ohno looked overworked and dried up, like a dried octopus.

The only pretty one in here is Aiba. This hair works, that is why he looks good here. The color on the clothes worked on him too. His features aren't deep and strong, thus, the hair and the color affects greatly. 

The snapping was hard because the video was made grainy, probably intentionally to project the sort of dark goth Ed Wood sorta feel. Gawd that movie creeped me out, btw. 

I like the video though. I mean, though the Arashi being all dark and twisty did not work for me (they are the epitome of wholesomeness) but it is a good effort to depart from their usual posing around in a pastel color background singing the ballad that encourages people to look forward to the bright future ahead.

Sounds familiar, well, trying looking at videos for their subsequent singles, four of them. "To Be Free", "Love Rainbow", "Dear Snow" and "Hatenai Sora". Upon first hearing the four of them, you would have thought they were the same song.

Somewhere up there is a snapshot of Sho doing his signature hand movements. Very lame. Is it me or is this getting old?

Maybe it is just me. I am neither fun nor fanatical anymore of this. But god I still love their variety shows. I amassed a large amount of Himitsu no Arashi-chan and am currently doing the same for VS Arashi, next will be Arashi no Shiyagare. I am trying so hard to find all the performances since I last bothered.

It is just like opening a time capsule, really.

I never bothered to revisit something I liked at such an epic proportion though.

This fandom defined my youth. Lol.

[PV] Arashi - Troublemaker

Here it is, the first Arashi PV of 2010. Right? I dunno. I've been quite absent. My PC wasn't exactly cooperating. So I threw it out and got a new one. Savvy? I know I've mentioned it before, but I am so psyched you see.

I shall spell ribbons as ribon from now on.

You can tell the video is not low budget, but it is hilariously low quality. And it has RIBON. Paprika and RIBON. I love Engrish.

Okay, the song is not something I'd be addicted to. The chorus is slightly catchy in an annoying Steve Urkel kinda way. The verses make me want to cry from boredom. It's a subpar song with a subpar video. It is like a really bad slideshow with music.

The above, was my opinion before I watched the full video. Repeatedly. So as to screencap the thingie for this entry. Then I begin to see it. That scam that pulls you in over and over again. The crack moments. I didn't see them before because I watched the short version and started typing this before the long version came into my handsies.

Then there's the chorus. I swear if it is played enough times, it gets... better. My favourite part of the entire song is the bridge. The bridge is good and then it makes the chorus that follows it even better that it was.

Shit. I wonder when can I get over this boyband phase-type-thing. I mean, I am not getting any younger okay. Sigh. But I am still reasonably young. Whee. It took me a while to realize that they were sitting on a 'bus' and the big dark round things are actually... clouds.

Lookie! Colours! I love colours. They manage to get the Arashi colours for most of the stuff too. Aww... sweet. Okay, like I think I ran out of things to say.

Okay, the stylist this time has something against Aiba. The clothes... what do you call that colour? Indigo? I don't know, that is one hideous colour. And he's been looking so pretty these days they have to ugly him up. I am placing my money on Jun bribing the stylist because he wants to be the pretty one. What a prima donna.

The fishing scene, Ohno slipped the director some money to insert it.

Sho is such a camwhore in here. His clothes were bad too. Bad. Did anyone spot Ohno's dark circles? You gotta be blind to not. Make up people are not good at what they do.

Jun, always wanting to look pretty eh. What a girl.

I like the goofing around. I guess. Good thing the video doesn't look too cheap. There's an Arashi vibe to the video. The brightness, the happiness, the vibe is very Arashi when they're not doing the cool thing. I thought the single would be a double A-side, but it turns out, Yurase Ima wo is actually the B-side. Hmm... It is a good B-side.

Jun is taking happy pills. Lately. He's so happy, it is scary. Bring Do-S back so I can hate him. Pretty please?