Nogizaka46’s latest single is featuring a few solo B-sides, and one of them happens to be from my favorite member of the group, Shiraishi Mai. I’m all for Maiyan solo projects as this girl is pretty much the ultimate package. She’s got the looks, the personality, the voice, pretty much all of it. I think this PV does a good job of showcasing all of them, too.
So, as a video, obviously the first thing featured is how fine this girl is. Seriously, she’s ridiculously gorgeous, so it’s a lot of fun to watch her do just about anything, or nothing at all. Luckily this video gives her plenty of fun activities to do. It’s pretty much an outdoor affair and everything has a summer theme. ‘Tis the season, after all. We do get a few shots of her in a clothes shop looking for her next killer outfit, but mostly we’re on the beach hanging out or messing with a surfboard. The settings we’re taken to in this PV are all very nice looking. The only issue I find with the setting is there are absolutely no twists or surprises. Everything presented is very literal.
Getting back to Maiyan though, she more than outshines the pretty scenery. I really can’t describe to you how hot I find her, so I won’t even try. All you need to do is look at the several awesome outfits she gets in this PV to find it out. From jean shorts and a casual polo shirt to a dressy long skirt to authentic surf wear, Maiyan dresses to impress. Those triggered by gravure don’t need to worry too much. The outfits are tame and realistic, although we get plenty of leg action in this PV for those of us unafraid to look. From my perspective it’s most welcome. She has such wonderful pale skin. Nothing but eye candy from this girl in every regard for this video.
As far as choreography goes, while there’s no dance shot of any kind, there are some scenes were Maiyan plays up to the camera and sings along to the songs. They’re nice enough and connect the video to the audio, and personally I find these shots quite lovely due to the generous display of legs. Ahem. All of the other scenes of summer fun are very well shot and selected. Colors are presented fairly brightly and naturally, giving no major sense of post production which adds to this video’s natural feel. It may be formulaic and a very common premise this season, but when you put it together this well, who cares?
As for the song, it’s a nice one. The instrumentals don’t stray too far from what we might expect from a Nogizaka or AKS B-side, but they’re nice quality and have a good energy to them. Maiyan sounds very nice in her vocal delivery. She may not have the most dynamic voice, but she more than holds her own alone. Overall she does sound a little monotonous, but this is vastly preferred to any digital alteration to add fake depth. Good stuff.
Nogizaka46’s new 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]