The Answer is Flower

I must have some Flower fans on this blog. At least enough to get two different requests to review two of their music videos. And then someone else asked me about E-girls... I think I underestimate how many E-girls/Flower/Happiness/Dream fans exist.

I never hear as much news about E-girls as I do Hello! Project or AKS. I suppose because that entire cluster of groups aren't technically idol groups. I could simply be looking in the wrong places for my news. Regardless, another reader asked me to review Flower's next single, Akikaze no Answer, and since I enjoyed Nettaigyo no Namida so much, I thought why not? I am all for reviewing another high-budget music video with amazing choreography.

But first, the song.

Flower's Nettaigyo no Namida was my first acquaintance with the E-girls franchise, and both the song and music video left me impressed. The music video was high budget, the dancing was phenomenal, the vocals were polished and smooth, and Flower as a whole seemed to be compromised of highly trained, skilled members. It's a stark, but refreshing, contrast to groups like AKB48 which emphasize imperfection and the growth of an idol. My favorite thing about Flower was their dancing. The group dynamic of having only three girls sing and everyone else dancing seemed a little strange, but the music video for Nettaigyo no Namida really showcased the dancers of Flower. I hadn't been so blown away by dancing since Perfume.

Ironically, the most unimpressive aspect of Nettaigyo no Namida was the song itself. Reviewing the song at the time, I liked Nettaigyo no Namida quite a bit. Since then though, I've barely listened to it. I still think it's a good song, but Nettaigyo no Namida was a little... whiny. Not enough to be an annoying song overall, but enough that listening to it again, I noticed. Luckily, a good 90% of Nettaigyo no Namida sounds beautiful, but there's a handful of notes that hit a little wrong. I think Washio Reina, who sings most of Nettaigyo no Namida, might be why. While she has a really pretty voice, and most of the time she sounds fine, on a few of the higher notes, Reina sounds like she's singing through her nose. She doesn't sing that way enough for it to annoy me but enough to be noticeable.

As much as I hate to admit, Akikaze no Answer sounds a little whiny too. In fact, Akikaze no Answer sounds a bit whinier than Nettaigyo no Namida. Luckily, not enough to ruin the song, but enough that I can tell. Again, Reina sings a good chunk of Akikaze no Answer, and at parts like the chorus, she sounds like she's forcing the notes out. That's a more of a vocal nitpick, and by no means does it make Akikaze no Answer a bad song. However, Akikaze no Answer is the last single with one of the singers, Muto Chiharu, before she leaves Flower and E-girls to study abroad. So with only two vocalists left in Flower, I'm wondering just how that's going to effect their future songs...

Other than that fraction of the vocals though, I love Akikaze no Answer. It's a beautiful song. What's weird about Flower is that they seem to generally stick to the same sound, but their individual songs vary enough that none of the songs I've heard so far sound like repeats of others. Akikaze no Answer is another mature fast-paced ballad, but the song still has its own memorable sound. I love the piano in the beginning; I wish it came up more in the rest of the song. I also wish I heard the three vocalists sing together more; they sound like they'd blend well together.

I can only give so much mind toward lyrics of Japanese songs, but the lyrics to Akikaze no Answer are just as beautiful as the song. I don't hear a lot of autumn songs in J-pop, so Akikaze no Answer stands out in that regard. The lyrics are very emotional; the song is about falling in love and wanting to be close to the person the singer's fallen in love with. However, the singer herself is too nervous to approach the person of interest. Knowing what the lyrics mean, they match up to the build up the song has into the chorus. Actually, Akikaze no Answer is kind of a sad song... A sad song with a beautiful arrangement and instrumental though. Overall, I am just as impressed with Akikaze no Answer as I was Nettaigyo no Namida. The song has its imperfections, but for the most part, Akikaze no Answer is a well-made ballad.

But that's just the song. I'm more interested to see what the music video for Akikaze no Answer has to offer. Nettaigyo no Namida was summer-themed. Will Akikaze no Answer be autumn-themed? Can you even make an autumn-themed music video? Hold on to your hats, because we're foraying into the land of high-budget music videos and top-level choreography!

Someone made the Nice List this year!

Nia, please don't make the A-chan On the Phone Joke again.

Too late! This joke will never die!

That's not a flower! That's a heart! Get your labels right!

Ah, that's better. A heart made of flowers. Clever!

That... is a lot of flowers. Are you sure this is an autumn PV?

Nevermind, this is an autumn PV. An autumn PV with a gorgeous dance shot.

I take that back. This dance shot is gorgeous.

Nononono wait, this one! This one! All of these dance shots are so pretty!

Oh my god, they're all dancing and connected by a giant ribbon. And dancing.

I wish all the music videos I reviewed has styling this on point.

I'm still not over this. They're all connected and somehow not in a tangled mess. How!?

Can I be in Flower?

I can't contribute anything to the group. I just want to wear pretty dresses and be in glamorous music videos.

I didn't have much appreciation for dance until I watched this video.

Seriously, this dance is so entrancing. I love the lighting effects too.

And I love how the dancers are so flexible they make my joints cringe.

I am equal parts impressed and pained.

So I found out this Ichiki Kyoka girl sings and dances in Flower. That's some mad skills.

I'm not sure which member this is, but she's really pretty. And photogenic!

Reach for the stars! Lucky for you, they're hanging off strings a few feet about you!

More pretty shots. What else is new?

Watching this PV makes me want more autumn-themed PVs. Why don't we have more of those?

Jewels! Still, this PV has lots of flowers, so this isn't a diamond only music video.

Oh right, I found out this girl's graduating from Flower. Pity. She has a nice voice!

Maybe I should just post the screencaps with no commentary... the pictures speak for themselves...

Oh! This member's photogenic too! I really should learn the names of the Flower members...

I just noticed they're all wearing ballet shoes. Does this mean they're all proficient in ballet as well?

Holy shit, they are. At least enough to impress me.

They're doing the thing! The... an arabesque! That's an arabesque, right?

Over already? I guess nice music videos can't last forever...

Oh, that was pretty. That was really really really pretty. I didn't think Flower could top Nettaigyo no Namida... but that was really pretty. I'm kind of curious to what goes into the design process for Flower's promotional material. Because looking at their past videos, these nice, high-budget music videos are a constant. I'm not questioning good quality too much, but I've got to think that Flower must generate some sort of profit, either from E-girls or maybe endorsements. Wherever the money's coming from... that was really pretty.

That's honestly all I can really say about Akikaze no Answer. Well, that's not necessarily true. I can say many things about this music video. I can talk about the gorgeous costumes, the variety of locations, and the amazing choreography. Or I can sum it up in one word: pretty. Flower seems like a group that relies on visuals over storytelling, and luckily, their music videos have some stunning videos to make up for the lack of a story. Even then, I don't think Akikaze no Answer needs a story. I just love looking at the many different visuals put into this video. And believe me, there are many things to look at in Akikaze no Answer.

First and foremost though, the dance. Like with Nettaigyo no Namida, Akikaze no Answer has a huge emphasis on the choreography. And why not? The choreography for Akikaze no Answer blows my mind. First of all, the fact that they used a giant ribbon in the central dance shot and somehow didn't end up tying themselves in knots has me more then impressed. The choreography itself look so delicate and graceful, almost like ballet. Actually, do they dance ballet-style in the choreography? I'm not the expert, so if someone could me in, that would be great. I also love all the different dance sets. My favorite is the one with leaves and the giant quilt hanging overhead. That one and the stage area with the dazzling light effects. What works with Flower's dance shots is that it's never just a dance shot. There's some kind of trick, something outside the dancing that adds to it. Those lighting effects for example. Without them, the dance is still beautiful, but adding them in, they enhance that part of the dance.

The non-dancing shots look just as beautiful. I love how Akikaze no Answer looks like an autumn themed PV through the colors and the set decorations. The color scheme in particular looks very autumn. And all the individual shots look wonderful; I love all the detail put into the sets. I mean, think about many flowers they had to get for this music video. They're everywhere! Not to mention all those presents and wall decorations... I wonder what happens to all the set decorations once they're done shooting. The girls themselves look just as stylish as they did in Nettaigyo no Namida. Whoever styles Flower has really good taste.

Overall, Akikaze no Answer is an amazing music video. There's not a single thing I can nitpick about it. Except maybe that I didn't get to screencap the last few seconds. What amazes me about the music video is the sheer number of different sets. It's like just when I think they've reached the limit, another scene comes in and blows me away. The dancing is just as marvelously showcased as Nettaigyo no Namida, and I love the little effects they used for Akikaze no Answer. Choreography's good, costumes are great, the sets are exquisite... I have nothing else. Oh right, Muto Chiharu. I don't really know much about her, but I think if I were going to leave a group, Akikaze no Answer would be a great music video to go out on. There aren't enough autumn. music videos for me to compare Akikaze no Answer to, but if there were, Akikaze no Answer would be one of my favorite autumn music videos.

Should I just go ahead and start reviewing Flower regularly? They seem like they have consistently beautiful music videos, and their music seems pretty decent too. I also know there are at least a few Flower fans on this blog. They're technically not an idol group, but half the groups I review technically aren't idol groups. I'm still not completely sold on Flower's music, but everything I've heard from them is at least listenable. Besides, when they're playing over those gorgeous music videos, they actually sound a teensy bit better. I'm curious now to see what Flower's going to do for their next music video. Something seasonal? I think they're next single's being released in early 2015 so maybe something wintery? I don't know, but I look forward to whatever it is!

For the moment, I'll give Akikaze no Answer four and half apples. I like most of the song, and I think it's a very pretty ballad. The music video is even prettier. Akikaze no Answer is one of my favorite music video I've reviewed this year, and I can't thank the reader who recommend it to me enough! I only wish that the other idol groups I reviewed got this much budget to make music videos...

Fish and Tears

Hey guys, who wants to review a new group? No one? Well too bad, I'm reviewing a new group, and there is nothing you can do to stop me. Say hi to Flower, guys!

I know nothing about Flower.

Okay... after some research, I know like three things about Flower. Thank Generasia for that. You see, one of my lovely readers requested I review Flower's latest music video, and I had to oblige! Anyone who takes the time and courage to request something deserves at least acknowledgement and thanks! Luckily, Flower fits the mold of J-pop groups that I like to review on the Wonderland: they're a girl group that's not really considered an idol group! They'll fit right in with Perfume, Tokyo Girls' Style, Kyarypamyupamyu, Scandal, and 9nine! Anyways, I knew Flower as one of the Avex groups that make up E-girls which from what I understand is the female version of Exile. Flower was actually formed in 2009 as a backup dance unit for Exile, consisting of four girls. Then in 2011, Sony Music Japan formed E-girls, and in that same year, Flower got added both singers and dancers to the lineup. That's the thing about Flower. Even though there are eight members in the group, only three of them actually sing. The rest are dancers. Which I'll be honest, comes off as kind of a strange concept, but I read that E-girls and Exile are set up the same way. From what I can tell, all those groups place a huge emphasis on dancing with sharp, complex routines, so at least the dancers aren't just relegated to backup dancing.

But what about Flower's music? Of their music I've perused through, I get the impression that Flower sings more serious, ballad-y songs in comparison to E-girls. And let me say that they have some pretty music videos. The sets are always so artistic and the costuming matches perfectly. And for a dance unit, the music videos put a really strong emphasis on the dancing. Which is good because hot damn, are there some good dancers in Flower. They're all so graceful and fluid. Makes me bemoan my two left feet. Anyways, I'm not getting paid to talk about Flower's choreography! I'm not getting paid at all, so let's talk about Nettaigyo no Namida. Nettaigyo no Namida is Flower's most recent A-side, and the one I was requested to review. Nettaigyo no Namida is another ballad-y song with a faster tempo, which I always prefer over the slower ballads (with a few exceptions). I actually really like the way this song opens. There's the sound of rain, which is always soothing, and then these very nice strings. They give the song this kind-of oriental vibe. It's cool! I think what I like most about Nettaigyo no Namida is that overall, it's a very calming song.

I actually really like the dynamics of Nettaigyo no Namida. It starts out as a very soft song then the chorus grows much louder and more powerful before trickling back down to that softer and more delicate sound. It's kind of like being in the ocean. Which I suppose makes sense considering the title of Nettaigyo no Namida translates to, "Tears of a Tropical Fish." What I think carries the song though are the vocals. There are only three girls singing this song, but at times it sounds like a much larger group is singing. That's probably thanks to some good vocal editing. I got very curious about who sings what in Nettaigyo no Namida, so I pulled up the color-coded lyrics to it. Turns out, most of Nettaigyo no Namida is sung by this one chick named Washio Reina, while the other two girls, Muto Chiharu and Ichiki Kyoka, do more harmonizing and backup-singing. I don't know why, but I'm surprisingly okay with this arrangement. I think because this Washio Reina chick has a very nice voice. All three of these girls do, so I wouldn't mind if the line distribution was a little more equal. But I don't really need to complain about that. The imbalanced solos don't take away my enjoyment of Nettaigyo no Namida at all. Besides, I said before that I think the lead singer Reina has a really nice voice. It's soft and delicate then loud and resonant at all the right parts.

Overall, as the first song by Flower that I've ever listened to, Nettaigyo no Namida left a really good impression with me. I listen to so much technopop and idol pop and pop rock and alternative psychedelic idol songs that it's very refreshing to cover something that sounds a little more mature. When I was looking into Flower, I was surprised to find that the members are actually very young. I thought they were all in their early to late 20s, especially when I watched the music video and heard them sing. But some of the girls in Flower are even younger than I am! Like that lead singer Washio Reina? She and Momota Kanako are the same age. I guess it just goes to show the wonders of different producers and groups. Despite the surprisingly young age range of Flower, Nettaigyo no Namida sounds like a very mature song. I got that vibe from their other A-sides I listened to as well. Something else I also noticed from their other A-sides is that Nettaigyo no Namida sounds very similar to a few of them. That doesn't mean I don't like Nettaigyo no Namida any less. Still, it's an observation. On its own, I think Nettaigyo no Namida is a pretty good song, and I'm happy that I got the opportunity to listen to it! Thanks, random reader who happens to be a Flower fan!

But it's not over yet! You see, I got a request to review the music video for Nettaigyo no Namida. The best part was that an HD version was available on Youtube! Gosh, my life gets so much easier when HD music videos are available on Youtube. Perfume's management could learn something from Flower's. Anyways, let's check out the PV for Nettaigyo no Namida!

Paper lanterns. Pretty!

The titular tropical fish. Also very pretty!

Anything's possible when you put your heads together and think!

There are so many colors in this PV, and they're all so vibrant!

Let me guess: those are the three vocalists?

So do the dancers just stare off dramatically when the vocals are going on...?

...or they dramatically embrace each other! I guess that works too!

Ooh, what a pretty dance set! And it kind of reminds me of the Earth Kingdom.

Also, the dance is really good, but it is a pain trying to screencap it.

Just watch the video on Youtube! You'll see what I mean!

Oh yay, they did that formation-thingy! I love the formation-thingy!

Dammit, that fish tank has gotten more action than I've gotten in two years.

I really like how the dancers get a lot of individual dance solos. It's very considerate!

Ouch. I think my spine just cracked.

They're all such good dancers. I'll bet they're super flexible too!

Man, this chick's been staring wistfully so much her eyes are gonna fall out.

There, there, we'll get more solos in the next single.

That's a little harsh. What did she ever do to you?

I've yet to see a single fish cry in this PV. I want my money back!

Wow, I didn't know Miyamoto Karin had an older sister!

A very sad older sister.

In fact, everyone in this PV needs to lighten up!

They're just fish! Happy little fishies with very tiny brains!

God forbid any of you ever go to an aquarium.

Time's up!

Are all of Flower's PVs this pretty? I've only watched Taiyou to Himawari, Shirayukihime, and Sakura Regret, but they were also very, very pretty. And so is Nettaigyo no Namida! Hell, this might even be the prettiest PV I've had the pleasure of screencapping this year! This or Juujika. And maybe Toki wo Kore Sora wo Koe. But Nettaigyo no Namida is definitely the most colorful! I think that's what I love most about this PV: the color spectrum. Everything looks so bright and vibrant, from the blues to the reds to the purples to every other color of the rainbow that wriggled itself into this PV. Together though, all the colors in Nettaigyo no Namida give the music video a very tropical look. The tropical fish also help. In fact... technically, think this is a summer PV. Obviously, not an idol summer PV, but still a summer PV. I mean, Nettaigyo no Namida's lyrics do revolve around summer (and heartbreak!). As a summer PV, it's definitely more striking than what I usually review. I think the closest summer PV I could compare it too is SKE48's Utsukushii Inazuma. And even then, Nettaigyo no Namida is a lot more polished whereas Utsukushii Inazuma is much more unrestrained and wild.

It took me several watches to notice this, but I noticed that really, Nettaigyo no Namida is really just a dance shot and a bunch of close ups. It's a very simple, straightforward formula that many a group I review uses copiously. There's not really any story to Nettaigyo no Namida. There's a tease of a story between two members bumping into each other, along with that one member breaking down in front of the fish tank. I think those both have more to do with the lyrical content of Nettaigyo no Namida. At its core though, this music video is a very well-done series of dance shots and close-ups. I bring this up because I think Nettaigyo no Namida is a good PV that shows that this music video formula doesn't always have to be a blunder. Because the dance shots and close-ups in this PV are beautiful. There are all these different locations from the bright, sunny rainforest to the dark, moody mirrors to the happy little fish tank. And the set for the dance shot is so impressive that you forget how formulaic this PV is. But (and I can't emphasize this enough) tropes aren't always bad. Why do you think they're still around? Nettaigyo no Namida is a PV that excels in creating visually memorable close-ups combined with a very good group of dancers.

Speaking of which, the dance in Nettaigyo no Namida is great. I think what I like so much about Flower's dancing is that it's very graceful. Nettaigyo no Namida is a flowing type of song, so the choreography needed to match that flowiness. I personally think it succeeded. All the motions look so effortless and clean; one movement just flows into the next smooth as a river. Watching the members of Flower dance is captivating, and I can tell that they're all really skilled dancers. And the PV makes no qualms about showing that! There are a lot of great shots with the girls dancing solo or in small groups. I guess that's how they compensate for the fact that there are only three vocalists in the 8-member group? Even outside of those dancing shots, the PV still shows the dancers in a lot of other miscellaneous closeups. Maybe not quite as much as the singers, but you know, it's better than I thought it would be. I almost wish I could match names with faces, because I am curious as to who some of these girls are. Like the short-haired chick was cool. And the chick who had the hourglass at the end; she looked like an idol whose identity I can't pinpoint. Now that I think about it, Reina looked like another idol I also can't pinpoint. She looked a little bit like Oda Sakura only older and better at working the camera. But I digress.

I have to say, Nettaigyo no Namida was a pleasant surprise to review! I'd only ever vaguely paid attention to Flower, so I didn't really know what I was going into when I got this request. But what I've learned today is that their production team is really good at making captivating music video. Nettaigyo no Namida won't win any awards for storytelling, but visually, it is sooooooo pretty. So much that I needed those extra o's to emphasize how pretty it is. Seriously, if a music video is pretty enough, I don't even need a story. Because then I can just stare at it with this glazed look in my eyes. Nettaigyo no Namida has a great variety of gorgeous shots, along with a very strong dance. I'm actually kind of surprised that Flower isn't as popular as E-girls. I know that E-girls the big giant group with all the little groups in it, so naturally they'd be more popular. But if all of Flower's music videos look as distinctive as Nettaigyo no Namida's, I'd think they'd get more attention. Ah well, maybe they have really good digital sales or something! My final impression: I think Nettaigyo no Namida's is gorgeous. It is eye porn as simple as that. But oh, it is orgasmically wonderful eye porn.

Overall, my verdict of Flower's Nettaigyo no Namida is four and half apples. Will I review anything else by Flower in the future? I did also get a request to review their Taiyou to Himawari music video, so I will try and tackle that when I have the time. For future releases, who knows? I do like their stuff, I just don't know how much I can review before I start sounding redundant. I mean, I can only say, "This PV's sooooooo pretty!!" in so many different ways!