9nine sticks in my mind as that one group that puts out consistently good songs and fairly good PV’s. I don’t know if I would use the word outstanding when referring to them, but they’re an entertaining group. Seeing as how they only typically release two singles a year, this consistently good quality is appreciated. I was especially hoping for something cool with this single in particular since it will be Kawashima Umika’s last go with the group. Sadly, we’re treated to something that is decent in its own right, but falls way short of their past material.
I have to start off with a gripe. I know I rag on Japan’s love for color filters, but seriously, what is going in with this PV’s color palette? I feel like my eyes are being burnt watching this over-saturated mess! It’s not artsy looking, and it most certainly doesn’t assist the theme in any way. It just looks bad. What’s worse is it’s consistent throughout the whole PV, if not slightly stronger in some scenes. I keep hoping this color modifying will quit being a thing, but I guess I should just get used to it.
Anyway, let’s move on to some positives. How about the outfits? All of the girls look great in this PV. In the dance shots, we’re treated to unique dresses for each girl. They follow no real theme and don’t go together at all, but they all look really nice. Time has been more than generous to these girls, Nishiwaki Sayaka especially, and the outfits do a great job of showcasing them fairly tastefully. They’re definitely more mature looking than past outfits for the group, but considering all but one member are in their early 20’s, I’d say it’s alright. Man, has 9nine been around that long?
So everyone looks great. Woohoo. What’s the problem, then? Well, the choreography of the PV kinda stinks, for one. The dance shots aren’t even used that much, and a lot of the shots are just them sitting doing arm motions. This is what I’d expect from a debut idol group. 9nine is capable of way more than this. “Re:” and “With You With Me” feature some pretty awesome dancing from the group, so to go from something of that caliber to this is really jarring. What dancing is there is well executed obviously, but the downgrade in choreography is unmissable.
That aside it’s a nice enough PV. The solo singing shots are nice looking, and the group shots with the girls playing around are nice enough, if not slightly unmemorable. If it weren’t so glaringly obvious in my mind that this group is capable of more, I’d have little issue with this PV honestly.
As for the song, it sounds like 9nine through and through. The vocals are just slightly above average, and they rely on Ayaka to clutch it over the top on a few occasions as we’ve often seen in their songs, which she does. The instrumentals are also quite typical for the group, featuring dance and techno elements. It has a nice flow to it but lacks an epic hook. Like the PV, it works in its own right, but I was hoping for just a little more.
9nine’s 19th single drops May 3rd.
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