Is This What Virginity's Like?

Guess what? I'm a virgin! Shocking isn't it? Not all teenagers are hormone-addled sexbots! Who would have known it was still possible? Yes, I know this is an increasingly uncomfortable way to begin a post but now that I've got your attention, let's segway into NMB48! Or... NMB48's new single titled Virginity. See what I did there?

We last saw NMB prancing around the beach and working their fanservice to death in the PV for Nagiichi and now they're back to prance around in god-knows-what in their Virginity PV! Excluding the PV for a moment, how does the song itself hold up in terms of quality? NMB has always been hit-or-miss for me when it comes to their songs. Like Zetsumetsu Kurokami Shoujo? Awesome. Oh my God? Sucky. Junjou U-19? Awesome again! And Nagiichi's pretty blah, not terrible for a summer song but it doesn't hold a candle to Manatsu no Sounds good. But something I do find with NMB is that they don't really have a set style. True, their songs usually tend to be upbeat and high-energy but some songs are more disco-y, others are more perky, certain ones are cliche-y... you get the point. I think it's always nice to have varying styles of music since it gives a change for artists to expand and not get restricted into just one genre. Of course for some groups like SKE48, one genre (theirs being cutesy-ness) works quite well! With a title like Virginity, I guess you could say my interested was piqued a little more than usual. The song sounded like it could go a bunch of different ways: serious like Kataomoi Finally, flirty like Heavy Rotation, idol-y like most of the 48 groups' discographies. Would be something raunchy, like another Heavy Rotation to shake up the idol world and give the AKB haters something else to bash about? Because it could have gone that way. The concept of virginity is not having had sex so would the song be about sexual awakening? The strain of forced celibacy at the price of being idols? A social commentary on the standards of sexuality in Japan?

Nope! This is an idol group so it's just a love song!

Not that I mind. When I finally listened to the whole song and watched the PV at the same time, I definitely found it a lot less interesting than I thought it would be. Granted, it's not bad but it's not the standout single I was secretly hoping for. Why do I keep expecting so much from idol groups when I know that they're made to create mostly vapid love songs to please the male fandom? Meh, I gotta love them anyways! Overall this song is decent and there are some higher points than other but it definitely could have been more interesting. The strongest point of the song is the chorus which is probably good because it's played the most consistently, even opening the song. You get a jazzy instrumental and the song almost sounds like something you'd hear in a sleazy Old Hollywood movie. After the chorus was over, I really did find myself enjoying the song. But then the verses started and all that enjoyment sort of went down. It was like the entire mood of the song changed from playful and flirty to just... okay. The verses are the more upbeat part of the song and unfortunately that works more to Virginity's disadvantage. Unlike the strong chorus, the verses are more forgettable and sound much less fun to me. It might be because I'm juts not a fan of that perky, idol "We're so kawaii-desu-desu!!" sound and that's pretty much what the verses are. So yeah, the song's okay. Even so, part of me wondered... what did the translation consist of? Did it talk about virginity at all? I was able to find a partial translation and the lyrics do mention sex. In a very subtle, very clean way. And boring. In a nutshell, Girl X likes Boy Y and... yeah. I think that sums up 90% of music in general! Anyways, Girl X crushes on Boy Y and mentions the idea of going all the way with him and yeah. Virginity woo hoo! Well... despite the flaws, NMB48's 5th single really isn't a bad song and I think a lot of fans will enjoy it and buy it. So hopefully NMB can claim another number one and not get trumped by [insert Johnny's group here].

So as a virgin, should I dance around in someone's backyard like NMB48 does? Let's find out!

...The shoes symbolize virginity?

How irresponsible! Idol group or not, you can't just dump your stuff everywhere!

I wonder who's backyard they paid for to shoot this dance shot in...

Let the hip-thrusting dance begin!

Seriously, this dance is flirty. Like, really flirty. Like super flirty.

In fact, this dance is making me feel awkward. Can we cut to something else?

Okay... that works! I like Sayanee!

Although I have no idea who this is. I really need to learn more faces of NMB48.

Nana emerges from a long, rough night of doing god-knows-what.

Hello, gratuitous leg shot!

I used to like Milky. But then I saw the PV for Mousou Girlfriend it's just not the same.

Nothing more fun than biking down a hill!

Except lazing around on the couch. That's my idea of fun!

All the single idols, put your hands up!

Uh oh, Aki-P found out she's not single!

I admit, the line dance is cute. NMB does a lot of line dancing in their PVs, don't they?

Sayanee, after a long night of doing god knows what when someone walks in...

BUSTED!

The crushed tomato symbolizes... virginity?

Here we have lovely NMB48, forever alone but forever alone together!

Before you ask, this has absolutely nothing to do with the song. Get used to that.

Nana, no. Never make that face again.

Milky, what in the hell are you wearing on your head? It looks like a cabbage you thought would make a cute hat!

See? It's relevant because Sayanee plays the guitar in real life! Though ironically I don't hear any guitar in this song...

That does not look comfortable.

But that looks freaking awesome. Quick, I need 19 volunteers so we can replicate this dance move!

The rest of the PV just consists of NMB either dancing flirtatiously or putting their hands up because... why not?

Don't forget the can-can!

I have no idea who this idol is but I like her! I hope she gets more screen time for the next PV!

Put your hands up one last time, NMB48!

Well that was confusing. In fact... that had absolutely nothing to do with the concept of virginity! It was just NMB48 dancing around in someone's backyard and then other shots of them doing mundane activities. I know I don't dance in my backyard as far as you know. It doesn't even seem remotely related to the English lyrics but I could be wrong. What does this possibly have to do with virginity!? Unless... it's really a representation of how absolutely nothing is different about life if you're a virgin! Of course! Now I get what this PV was doing. Or maybe I'm completely bullshitting and the director had a totally different vision and concept in his mind.

Either way, I found this PV kind of... silly.

I just can't take anything about it seriously! The flirty dance, the weird shots of NMB doing regular stuff, it doesn't make for a cohesive PV that actively presents a storyline. This is nothing but random shots of random stuff leaving me with no idea what to make of this video! Okay... strong points, strong points... the dance is pretty awesome! Albeit, it's very flirtatious and rife with hip-shaking and other suggestive moves but just because it's a little overly sexy doesn't mean it's bad. One of my favorite parts is when the girls form a platform with their bodies and Sayanee runs across them with the help of Nana and Milky! It was really creative and very fun to watch, remind me of something I'd do as a kid (I was a very stupid kid). And I admit of those very random shots, a few of them did make me laugh like the one where Member X was hiding behind something and got caught. Not to mention there's a lot of Sayanee in this PV and Sayanee's one of those front girls I'm okay with. Of course, I'm not terribly fond of Nana or Milky but they're the only other members I currently recognize right now. But I'm attempting to change that via forcefully making myself remember the names and faces of a few other front girls in NMB48. But back on topic, the PV can be amusing at moments but there are a lot of confusing parts and other things about it are just plain silly. Like those costumes remind me of very toned-down playboy bunny suits. And the pastel colors really don't do much for the girls... then again, pastel doesn't do much for human beings in general. Other than that the PV just isn't relevant despite having a decent-sized budget. Put it to use! The random shots of them doing everyday stuff are nice but could easily be cut out and the PV would probably make more sense. So overall... this isn't one of the stronger releases from NMB48. Sure, it's not Oh-my-god! level of bad, I'd say it's on par with Nagiichi. Good, but not very interesting.

God, with NMB's PV being meh and AKB's looking to be a hot mess and Nogizaka46's being pretty boring as usual... what am I to do!? Nothing from the 48 groups has been uber-good for this release era of the year! SKE48 had better step up their game! I'll be watching. And waiting. So don't disappoint me!