Irresponsible (but fun) Heroes
Dec. 31st, 2008 03:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
elennielI was typing out a review of my 2008 fandom and then realised, to my absolute horror, that I still haven't reviewed my first and second favourite PVs of the year! *appalled at self*
So I'm pushing that review to next year (might as well do it on January 3rd or so - a year from the last review) and reviewing my favourite two PVs now. (Don't know who's going to read it though... it's a busy time of the year.)
On second thought, let's make that just Musekinin Hero. Reviewing two PVs in one post with screencaps is a bit of an overdose - and I think Swing! and Musekinin Hero deserve their own post each. It doesn't do them justice to share a post. ^^
Musekinin Hero
I liked this because it was so very "Kanjani∞." And I will admit that there's probably a lot of personal bias involved in this choice. I'm not a professional critic, so I'm allowed to play favourites sometimes, okay? :P But I do think that comparing this with at least two other office-themed PVs that I can remember (Nice na Kokoroiki and weeeek), this one stood out. Nice na Kokoroiki and weeeek both had their own unique slants - the former having slightly more abstract take with the dance sequences (and nerdy Arashi) in between, and the latter making use of comic book-style panels and lots of green screen/compositing work.
Why did MH stand out compared to those two? Because in the middle of all the randomness, it still had some semblance of a storyline. And they had very clear-cut roles that matched their personalities yet didn't distract from the overall PV. The other two that I mentioned did give the guys involved different roles, but those roles weren't used so much, or at least were not the focus of the PV. Clearly, the director understood that Eito's great strength is in their characters.
So according to the set, Eito are the members of the marketing department... (More details on these fun details at en's blog here! :D)
Boss Yoko! Enjoying his top-of-the-food-chain role thoroughly, I believe. And General Manager Hina!
Section Chief, Shibutani Subaru, reading magazines at work. And "Account Executive Special Planner", Nishikido Ryo. (I know. What's that supposed to be? lol)
Hardworking newbie, Yasuda Shota. And the "deadwood" (useless) employee who eats all the time. Who else could it be but Tacchon, Eito's gourmet? XD (Who is nonetheless a very good-looking piece of deadwood...)
And then there's Maru-chan. Janitor who transforms into... well, into an undercover something or other XD
I just thought those roles were so appropriate. The san-ossans had the top positions, befitting their seniority of age (gosh that sentence makes them sound really old)... Hina might be more of the leader type, but Yoko's definitely funnier in the role on screen! Baru played up his hentai image by reading a magazine with girls on the cover instead of working - although, as we later find out, you just can't judge a book by its cover. XD
Ryo the workaholic on three computers at once kind of reminds me of his real-life role in two different groups. Ryo the multitasker! Yasu is the newbie whom everyone bullies. And that says it all. Tacchon is the lazy guy who sits around and eats (and sleeps) all day. No doubt that's his ideal job. :P As for Maru... Who but Maru would suit the bizarre janitor role? :D
MH wasn't fantastic artistically, but it did prove that you can do a lot with simple, static camera angles. Of course, it helps if your cast are exuberant, naturally inclined to be funny and are pretty good at improvising on the spot with whatever they have. (Eito were literally told to do anything they like - except strip. XD )
Also, because of all the freedom the guys were given, you get a lot of little fun and amusing things that you really don't notice until you've watched the PV the second time round... or third... or fourth... or fifth... Seriously. I don't know how many times I watched this PV when it came out. And even after watching so many rounds, there were still new things that I kept noticing!
Such as how when the others are all hopping around there behind Ryo, Yoko's just decided to calmly sit at one of the tables and read stuff. lol
(Side note: Again I will say this - I love this agatte sagatte part. >P )
Then there were the little story-like bits. Such as Boss Yoko deciding to pay hisminions subordinates a visit. Sleeping 'deadwood' employee Ohkura is hurriedly woken up by concerned newbie Yasuda and Boss Yoko tells off Section Chief Shibutani for slacking on the job. XD
Or the part where the newbie takes tea to the boss... and it would seem that the tea was no good. ^^;
I also liked the little twists they gave... like Janitor Maru suddenly climbing into a closet and emerging dressed like a would-be politician about to give a campaign speech. Or Baru showing us that he's not hentai - he was just looking at cute pictures of baby animals. LOL.
And more randomness!
All in all, a hugely fun PV that always gives you new surprises every time you watch it (unless you've watched it about 100 times, in which case I think you've probably covered every surprise they could throw at you XD ). No particular artistic distinction, but very distinctive to Kanjani∞. And when it comes to PVs, I always think it's best to do something unique yet make sure it retains the feel of the song and the artist. So in that sense, I think Musekinin Hero succeeded wonderfully. :)
So I'm pushing that review to next year (might as well do it on January 3rd or so - a year from the last review) and
On second thought, let's make that just Musekinin Hero. Reviewing two PVs in one post with screencaps is a bit of an overdose - and I think Swing! and Musekinin Hero deserve their own post each. It doesn't do them justice to share a post. ^^
Musekinin Hero
I liked this because it was so very "Kanjani∞." And I will admit that there's probably a lot of personal bias involved in this choice. I'm not a professional critic, so I'm allowed to play favourites sometimes, okay? :P But I do think that comparing this with at least two other office-themed PVs that I can remember (Nice na Kokoroiki and weeeek), this one stood out. Nice na Kokoroiki and weeeek both had their own unique slants - the former having slightly more abstract take with the dance sequences (and nerdy Arashi) in between, and the latter making use of comic book-style panels and lots of green screen/compositing work.
Why did MH stand out compared to those two? Because in the middle of all the randomness, it still had some semblance of a storyline. And they had very clear-cut roles that matched their personalities yet didn't distract from the overall PV. The other two that I mentioned did give the guys involved different roles, but those roles weren't used so much, or at least were not the focus of the PV. Clearly, the director understood that Eito's great strength is in their characters.
So according to the set, Eito are the members of the marketing department... (More details on these fun details at en's blog here! :D)
Boss Yoko! Enjoying his top-of-the-food-chain role thoroughly, I believe. And General Manager Hina!
Section Chief, Shibutani Subaru, reading magazines at work. And "Account Executive Special Planner", Nishikido Ryo. (I know. What's that supposed to be? lol)
Hardworking newbie, Yasuda Shota. And the "deadwood" (useless) employee who eats all the time. Who else could it be but Tacchon, Eito's gourmet? XD (Who is nonetheless a very good-looking piece of deadwood...)
And then there's Maru-chan. Janitor who transforms into... well, into an undercover something or other XD
I just thought those roles were so appropriate. The san-ossans had the top positions, befitting their seniority of age (gosh that sentence makes them sound really old)... Hina might be more of the leader type, but Yoko's definitely funnier in the role on screen! Baru played up his hentai image by reading a magazine with girls on the cover instead of working - although, as we later find out, you just can't judge a book by its cover. XD
Ryo the workaholic on three computers at once kind of reminds me of his real-life role in two different groups. Ryo the multitasker! Yasu is the newbie whom everyone bullies. And that says it all. Tacchon is the lazy guy who sits around and eats (and sleeps) all day. No doubt that's his ideal job. :P As for Maru... Who but Maru would suit the bizarre janitor role? :D
MH wasn't fantastic artistically, but it did prove that you can do a lot with simple, static camera angles. Of course, it helps if your cast are exuberant, naturally inclined to be funny and are pretty good at improvising on the spot with whatever they have. (Eito were literally told to do anything they like - except strip. XD )
Also, because of all the freedom the guys were given, you get a lot of little fun and amusing things that you really don't notice until you've watched the PV the second time round... or third... or fourth... or fifth... Seriously. I don't know how many times I watched this PV when it came out. And even after watching so many rounds, there were still new things that I kept noticing!
Such as how when the others are all hopping around there behind Ryo, Yoko's just decided to calmly sit at one of the tables and read stuff. lol
(Side note: Again I will say this - I love this agatte sagatte part. >P )
Then there were the little story-like bits. Such as Boss Yoko deciding to pay his
Or the part where the newbie takes tea to the boss... and it would seem that the tea was no good. ^^;
I also liked the little twists they gave... like Janitor Maru suddenly climbing into a closet and emerging dressed like a would-be politician about to give a campaign speech. Or Baru showing us that he's not hentai - he was just looking at cute pictures of baby animals. LOL.
And more randomness!
All in all, a hugely fun PV that always gives you new surprises every time you watch it (unless you've watched it about 100 times, in which case I think you've probably covered every surprise they could throw at you XD ). No particular artistic distinction, but very distinctive to Kanjani∞. And when it comes to PVs, I always think it's best to do something unique yet make sure it retains the feel of the song and the artist. So in that sense, I think Musekinin Hero succeeded wonderfully. :)
