[PV Roundup] Team Syachihoko, Nogizaka46, GANG PARADE, Shiraishi Mai

by Mike

Nogizaka46 – “Hadashi de Summer”

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Nogizaka46 has a refreshing take on centers in that they really don’t see much harm in shuffling them on a fairly regular basis. The trade-off for this is the center sometimes really doesn’t feel very central. This time, we get the upcoming Saito Asuka taking the lead. It’s a nice gesture toward her seemingly rising popularity, but doesn’t affect the video much. In any case, this one’s pretty enjoyable.

The first thing that stands out in this video is the outfits. Many of them are not too desimilar from what we saw a few months back in Kiyoshi Ryujin 25’s “LOVE&WIFE&PEACE” PV. They have a very outdoor, hippie aspect to them with a generous use of multi-colored fabric, feather-laden headbands, brignt and/or multi-colored tops, and beady necklaces. I think everyone looks pretty nice, although I could do without the super feathery hairpieces.

I’m a little shocked how showy some of these outfits are. Matsumura Sayuri’s tummy is in plain view the whole time, which is not the norm for this group. No complaints, but it definitely stands out. Hori Miona’s top also reveals a generous amount of skin if she moves around a bit. I have even less complaints about that. Legs are also on full display for a majority of members. It’s interesting to see this group get a little more summer friendly, but still not quite cross the gravure line they’ve drawn in the sand since their formation. Well, photo books exempt of course. In any case, the girls look really nice in most shots.

Unfortunately the visual appeal of this PV is lost a little in the camerawork and scene selection. It’s not the best. Most of the solo and small group shots are very brief, and the scene switching is really jarring at times. You never get too good a look at anyone, and end up having to watch the video a few times over in order to get a fix of your favorite girl. Even Asuka doesn’t get many extended shots. It’s unfortunate that this is the case because what is there looks nice for the most part. The outdoor scenery could use some work though.

The scenes where they are sitting in and dancing around chairs in the ocean would look much more beautiful if it weren’t filmed in water that’s shit brown. Seriously, we couldn’t find some nice blue ocean for this? The other outside shots are nice enough and make use of sunlight well, similarly but not as epically as Keyakizaka46’s latest A-side. The indoor shots take place in random settings that are hard to describe due to the rapid transitions. Ultimately the PV doesn’t really have a story due to this lack of cohesion, but everyone looks to be having fun and we’ll have to call that good enough. It’s not a bad presentation, just a little empty due to the issues described above. There’s enough summer fun to satisfy, though.

The song itself is average Nogizaka46 fare. The tempo is a bit higher than usual though, sharing that summer energy that the PV is projecting. The vocals stick to a full chorus for 99% of the song, or smaller groups that are still big enough to be pretty much indiscernible. If you can hang with this setup, it’s an okay song. Overall this A-side is beautifully average.

z3stars

Nogizaka46’s 15th single drops July 27th.

Watch: YouTube (Official, Region Locked) | Dailymotion (UNOFFICIAL)

 
Buy on Amazon JP: Regular Edition | Type A [CD+DVD] | Type B [CD+DVD] | Type C [CD+DVD] | Type D [CD+DVD]

Buy on CDJapan: Regular Edition | Type A [CD+DVD] | Type B [CD+DVD] | Type C [CD+DVD] | Type D [CD+DVD]