PassCode is one of the cooler rock-oriented idol groups around these days, although their songs often feature pop and electronic elements as well. It’s hard to guess what they will do next. As they start to promote their second album, we’ve been given a very good track with a pretty awesome PV.
The intro of the PV lets us know right away that visually, they’re going to play up the ninja theme. After an intro that I honestly can’t read, we’re led right into the dance shot set, which appears to be a dojo of some kind. Please don’t smack me if it’s not really a dojo. A fan of idol music does not a Japan expert make. In these dance shots, the girls are wearing black ninja outfits with gold belts and other decals. They fit in with the set very well and look pretty gorgeous.
Not much time later we’re taken to the second scene, which is outdoors and feature these navy green ninja outfits. In most of these shots, the girls are running away from a bunch of ninja dudes while occasionally stopping to do something silly, like grab snacks. It all fits the theme very well, and there are some light special effects added in to increase the the comedic value and accent some of the scream-laden parts of the song lyrics. Toward the last third of the song, we’re even briefly treated to some kind of ninja rave party. It’s all pretty fun to watch.
The dancing is pleasing enough, but the real strength of the PV is the more humorous shots, in my opinion. PassCode does really well with this mixing of themes but still has that rock edge to them. The dance shot’s great atmosphere is always really pleasing when it is switched to, and the outdoor shots are done with an almost movie-like quality. You can always very clearly see what’s going on and it feels really fluid. It’s an impressively produced video.
As for the song, I really like this one. I think it’s a step above PassCode’s previous offerings. I especially like how the vocals are far less processed than some of their past songs. In fact, they don’t even use significant voice modification except for the short rave scene. These girls sound pretty good and there’s no real need for them to be modulated as significantly as they sometimes are. The instrumentals are really pleasing to listen to. They aren’t the best quality of this genre, but they never feel cheap or too synthesized. The song is also really energetic and maintains a very fast tempo. It all adds up to a very cool song.
“Ninja Bomber” is part of PassCode’s second album, “VIRTUAL”, which drops May 25th.
Watch: YouTube (Official)
Buy on Amazon JP: Regular Edition
Buy on CDJapan: Regular Edition
