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

by Mike

GANG PARADE – “WE ARE the IDOL”

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First Pla2me, then POP, and now GANG PARADE. No, I’m not referring to the latest street gangs. We’re going through the numerous name changes Kamiya Saki’s group has had. There’s been a lot of changes to this group. So much so it’s easy to forget this project isn’t even two years old release-wise. Even so they’ve managed to dish out some pretty decent melancholic sounding pop tracks. This one doesn’t stand out much from their norm, but at least it keeps the status quo going.

This PV is not their most energetic or particularly innovative, but it gets the job done I guess. The lighting gives off an almost stoic atmosphere, and post production modifications accent this further. I actually think it looks decent since it compliments the song’s aura fairly well. It also helps that the modifications are kept to a mild degree so that they don’t wreck the shots.

The choreography and filming also add to this cause. There’s really no dance aside from some brief shots toward the end that barely qualify as dancing. Instead, choreography is delivered via the many member interaction shots and expression scenes. These don’t give off your typical idol pink and positive atmosphere. They’re not overly sad looking, and just artsy enough to tie into the song’s sound. There are a few shots where things get a little darker, but not to an overdone degree. I really can’t say any of it is that exciting, though. This is no “pretty pretty good” for sure, but I can appreciate the atmosphere of it all.

Outfits for this one vary quite a bit, but aren’t the most memorable. There’s white dresses, black dresses, and a more idol-like uniform we see in maybe four shots, tops. They all look fine but there’s nothing particularly special about any of them. Also slightly unimpressive but fitting are the locations and sets this PV was filmed on. Dark rooms and tunnels are a favorite of this video. Again, very theme fitting but simply not something to write home about.

A few shots do transition to a white room, but the camera focus is tuned so harshly on the members that you really can’t see much. Perhaps the most unique of shots are the ones with Kamiya Saki lying on a bed with a plastic over it and her, and a table with random bird cages on it. I’m sure there’s probably some reason behind these oddly artistic scenes, but it’s ultimately lost on me at this time so I’ll just enjoy the uniqueness of it if nothing else. The shots where all of the girls seem to be hypnotized into their singing roles with Saki trying to shake them out of it are also interesting. It’s a nicely put together PV. It’s not exciting, but that’s by design. Considering this kind of PV isn’t usually my thing, I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I might.

As for the song itself, I would contend it’s not their best, but it’s more than listenable. The instrumentals have a nice pop-rock quality to them with an extreme dose of melancholy that sounds really nice. The instrumentals are delivered well and I have no complaints in that department. All in all it’s pretty nice.

z3stars

GANG PARADE’s new singles dropped July 19th.

Watch: YouTube (Official)

 
Buy on Amazon JP: Regular Edition

Buy on CDJapan: Regular Edition