[2016.05.11] Morning Musume '16 - Tokyo to iu Katasumi/The Vision/Utakata Saturday Night

[DonJuan]

They really thought they could save the MV with last minute shots around the UF HQ, huh.
 
Which is sad because the quality of these shots is better than the rest of the MV. Which makes it a too big contrast and the overall MV even worse, especially with the idea in mind that we could have had something better.

[nosomi]

Why does the biggest group in H!P have the worst MV?!?
The whole bunch of recently released MVs and songs were better than this... even the outfits...Though I don't hate them, they all look the same.
 
One can wonder if they are not secretly (or not) trying to make this group disappear   *conspiracy theory*

[Elpis]

I actually sort of like the song now. The MV on the otherhand is shit. UFP went extremely cheap with this. The shots that weren't of them dancing were the good parts, but they were too disconnected from the rest of the MV to really work. 
 
I don't think they're really trying to make the group disappear, they are the flagship group of H!P and the group that sells the most. But at the same time, now that Tsunku doesn't have as much control, things are probably changing in the internal structure quite a bit.

[DonJuan]

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="nosomi" data-cid="196744" data-time="1460982194">
One can wonder if they are not secretly (or not) trying to make this group disappear   *conspiracy theory*
</blockquote>
 
Would be sad since they're looking for 13th gen already.
If they wanted to end Morning Musume they should have done so at the end of Platinum Era, that was the best time. The general interest was already on an all-time low and the 5 last girls were about to graduate in the next few years after all.

[JPope]

[quote="DonJuan"]
 
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="nosomi" data-cid="196744" data-time="1460982194">
One can wonder if they are not secretly (or not) trying to make this group disappear   *conspiracy theory*
</blockquote>
 
Would be sad since they're looking for 13th gen already.
If they wanted to end Morning Musume they should have done so at the end of Platinum Era, that was the best time. The general interest was already on an all-time low and the 5 last girls were about to graduate in the next few years after all.
 
[/quote]
 
Having experienced "Renai Hunter" through, say, "Toki wo koe..." I have to disagree. That era produced some of the best songs in the group's history.
 
But yeah, they're currently running auditions, so MM isn't going anywhere soon. 

[DonJuan]

Ah, I didn't mean that everything after that was bad, it was just at a point where the group was, well, done. As in, finished. Once the 9th gen joined, of course, this changed, as we got 4 new girls and the group went a new direction, but since Platinum Era in itself was rather isolated it felt like a good point to end.
 
As in, the remaining 5 girls after the EriJunLin graduation were ready to go, too. After the transition era ("Twilight Musume"?) Koharu and Aika still felt new, so that wasn't a good point to end. All the time before, when Morning Musume changed, there were some members that felt like they had so much to do for the next era. After Platinum era ended everybody knew that at least Ai, Gaki, Sayumi and Reina weren't going to last long. Sayumi stayed surprisingly long, regarding that. Aika, well, can't predict something like health quits, but since she was really unpopular her graduating before Ai would've not been that surprising.
 
I'm talking in circles, what I mean is that the cut between the last Platinum members and the new members beginning with 9th gen was the biggest the group ever had.
 
Now that's off-topic, sorry.

[TicTacAnyone]

All they had to do was go out on a corner of Tokyo and film the dance shot. I get it, they're shooting a video and they're behind the scenes. But what does that have to do with anything in the song, beyond studio sets being in Tokyo (which is where entertainment is made.) Why are the girls just standing around backstage all sullen and dancing in front of a door? Why is the choreography so bad? Like everyone else has said, mixing that studio set and backstage is definitely not working. 
 
If you're going to go the Shouganai Yume Oibito route, go all the way.
 
Keeping my hopes low for The Vision and Utakata Saturday Night. Hopefully all the budget went on those two videos and Tokyo to Iu is the worst of the bunch.

[Mugi]

I like it lol   But I do agree the dance is crap what was the choreographer thinking? 
I do get that the shots are a little disconnected though.  They really needed an opening and some connecting shots between backstage and the set.
This totally could have had a story about them being a new idol group or something and filming for the first time. oh well.  Its still good.
Reading this thread makes me feel so basic lol. I like (almost) everything.

[rallyleo]

I'm not sure what ya'll are complaining about. The video was fine.


I don't know where the western fandom's high bar comes from, because it's a decently shot and edited video in comparison to others that were accommpanied by arguably better songs.

The budget, like just about everything in H!P, was pretty low, but they seemed to make the best of it.

For the dance shots I enjoyed the filter that was used, because it made the hideous outfits serviceable.


And those backstage scenes were a little awkward, yes, but the quick-cuts of the girls dancing in front of the door absolutely exuded the personality and energy everyone is bitching that they don't show enough of. Just proves that they're never allowed to show it - because obviously they were told to go nuts and took full advantage.


I love singles like "Ai no Gundan" and "Wagamama", but the videos for both songs were even cheaper looking and amateur-ish at best. Better choreography, sure. But they weren't done justice.

This is definitely a lesser song in comparison to those, but it got a better treatment than it could have.



tl;dr - I'm going to be the one fan that actually loves the song and video for Tokyo.

Still hate the 12th gen, though. Talk about dead weight.

[smtmissin]

I will never be able to understand how there are some who say this is a good MV. It's so messy I can't figure what's the idea behind it. There used to be cheaper MV but at least they tried to be something.
Tastes realy do differ. Like how I never found Goto Maki pretty, at all.

[MejraThea]

[quote="smtmissin"]
Like how I never found Goto Maki pretty, at all.
[/quote]
 
Me either.

[JPope]

[quote="Rally"]
 but the quick-cuts of the girls dancing in front of the door absolutely exuded the personality and energy 
[/quote]
 
These and the quick-cut closeups of them singing were the best parts of the video for me. If the dance shots had somehow matched those, it would have been great. But count me in with who find the video kind of a mess overall.

[TicTacAnyone]

[quote="Rally"]
I'm not sure what ya'll are complaining about. The video was fine.


I don't know where the western fandom's high bar comes from, because it's a decently shot and edited video in comparison to others that were accommpanied by arguably better songs.

The budget, like just about everything in H!P, was pretty low, but they seemed to make the best of it.

For the dance shots I enjoyed the filter that was used, because it made the hideous outfits serviceable.


And those backstage scenes were a little awkward, yes, but the quick-cuts of the girls dancing in front of the door absolutely exuded the personality and energy everyone is bitching that they don't show enough of. Just proves that they're never allowed to show it - because obviously they were told to go nuts and took full advantage.
[/quote]
 
Personally I don't think the video was "fine" at all... The off-shots in H!P HQ don't start until almost 2 minutes into the song, leaving almost an entire half of the song with one single theme. Not to mention that first half is 80% dance shot/close-up dance shot, which makes the choreography a focus point. And that's odd with how bad the choreography is.
 
Then you jump to the off-shots--Which I like, by the way. But you go from a warm-colored video immediately to a cold-colored one. Which is usually fine for contrast but it just doesn't feel right. Yes the girls are backstage before a concert/shooting the video/whatever, but it really has little to do with the lyrics. The dancing they do solo is really nice, and well-edited. But it feels like the staff realized "Oh no, we can't do just a dance-shot and close up in this same set. Let's film them backstage!" It's almost like it had two different directors and editors.
 
Director/editor #1:
Warm colors, slow cuts, filming set, strong and cool performers theme
 
Director/editor #2:
Cold colors, fast cutting between girls, backstage, powerful girls who look sullen when not dancing backstage. The thing is the cuts slow down when it's the girls looking sad, even.
 
I understand the concept they were going for... Real girls off stage, not always happy and strong, but themselves vs. their entertainer personas. It could have been executed better.
I think if it had all been in the style of the off-shots, it would've been a good MV. But the disconnect between the whole PV is weird.

[momoirosaya]

Unfortunately I think the group started going downhill after Sayu left. I wish she had stuck around and become an artistic director for them or something.

[DonJuan]

Preview of Utakata Saturday Night from Zukki's radio show.
 
It's different from the rest. I kinda like it, but I'm sure it's another grower.
 
/e Better quality.

[Anderei]

Not a fan of whoever's voice that was at the end of the first chorus. Hopefully there's a big buildup near the end but it's still way better than the other two songs.

[Elpis]

It's okay. I'm not really sure if I like it or dislike it though. I'm curious on what they're going to do for the MV though.

[JPope]

First impression: I like it a lot. Not sure how DANCE☆MAN didn't get the gig to arrange this, but it's damned good anyway. The chorus is a winner.
 
There's a borrowed melody in the chorus from somewhere, and I can't place it.

[MejraThea]

It's very generic and thus boring but likeable.

[TicTacAnyone]

It doesn't sound like MM... But from what I can hear (if I'm not mishearing), 12ki got some solos???
 
I think the MV will make this song for me. Not as groovy/nice as Kono Chikyuu, but still sounds nice. Also, I think that's Maa-chan at the end of the 1st chorus?

[rallyleo]

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="JPope" data-cid="196819" data-time="1461096979">
First impression: I like it a lot. Not sure how DANCE☆MAN didn't get the gig to arrange this, but it's damned good anyway. The chorus is a winner.

There's a borrowed melody in the chorus from somewhere, and I can't place it.</blockquote>


There's a similar melody in there to an older Utada Hikaru song I can't quite recall at the moment.

[JPope]

[quote="Rally"]
 
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="JPope" data-cid="196819" data-time="1461096979">
First impression: I like it a lot. Not sure how DANCE☆MAN didn't get the gig to arrange this, but it's damned good anyway. The chorus is a winner.

There's a borrowed melody in the chorus from somewhere, and I can't place it.
</blockquote>


There's a similar melody in there to an older Utada Hikaru song I can't quite recall at the moment.
 
[/quote]
 
I played it for my wife, and she can't place it either, and she's usually really good about pin-pointing stuff like this. I'm starting to think it's from a 70s or 80s pop song, so it might be complete coincidence. It's the melody over bars three and four of the chorus.
 
The more I listen to this, the more I like it. This is a nice throw-back to the Golden era disco sound, and it's the one song on the single that feels complete and flows naturally. I personally don't think it's generic -- there are some really subtle unexpected chord progressions, and the chorus is catchy as fuck. It's far superior to "Sukatto My Heart" in my estimation.

[Derby]

I knew Utakata would save this single for me 

[yuzuriha]

This is like classic H!P quality for me.  I still actually like Tokyo to iu Katasumi but this is shaping up to be a strong single for me (and since 12th gen joined I've skipped a few...now maybe I'll actually buy zukki's grad single).

[Mukuro]

I know they're in heels but the video for The Vision would be much more pleasing if the dance team pointed their toes more.

[DonJuan]

Here, the preview on H!S.
 
It's nothing too special (and the wooden walls don't fit) but it just looks so much better than Tokyo to iu. You know, quality-wise.
I also actually like that dance team. Now, if only the others would dance in sync...
 
Also, can Harunan get any prettier? I also like the costumes.

[Elpis]

I like the costumes. But I don't like the preview. It feels like they're going more for TokiSora 2.0 and it feels like it's lacking in several places. I like the song even less, and while the dance is good it doesn't really make up for much of it. Them also just standing in front of a white background doesn't do much. It's a standard MV but I don't know, I just don't like it.

[TicTacAnyone]

[quote="DonJuan"]
Here, the preview on H!S.
 
It's nothing too special (and the wooden walls don't fit) but it just looks so much better than Tokyo to iu. You know, quality-wise.
I also actually like that dance team. Now, if only the others would dance in sync...
 
Also, can Harunan get any prettier? I also like the costumes.
[/quote]
 
This is for The Vision, btw. I thought it was Utakata since that's what the thread was talking about beforehand lol.
 
I like it, I really love the dance team. MV felt a little too jumpy for me, still... but better than Tokyo.

[DonJuan]

True, changed the topic too quickly, sorry haha.
 
Full version of Utakata Saturday Night
 
I like it quite a bit.

[rallyleo]

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="DonJuan" data-cid="196913" data-time="1461267882">
True, changed the topic too quickly, sorry haha.

<a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYqUbwO9Lbo' class="bbc_url" title="External link">Full version of Utakata Saturday Night</a>


I like it quite a bit.</blockquote>


It's so good!


I'm gonna call it now - this is going to be a staple at the H!P concerts by this and the other groups here and there. It seems like a big crowd rouser.