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[Music video filler #1876] Rating the Space Shower MVA winners

  • May. 20th, 2006 at 9:28 PM
Jigglypuff - Singing w/ the Beatles
May's PVs have been pretty dull, so instead, I thought I'd rate the winners of March's Space Shower Music Video Awards. Space Shower is a Japanese music channel, so I'm sure they're more qualified to judge last year's videos than me. ;) So, which ones did they think were the Best of 2005?

Best Video of the Year/Best Female Video

YUKI - JOY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r71t6epJIls (4m36s)
Can someone explain to me why YUKI's so popular? IMO, she has a forgettable name, an annoying voice, and dances like she's high on pot. :P As for the video, I think it would be interesting to see live, but as a PV, I don't think it's even in the Best 20 of the Year.
Rating: ** (out of 4 stars)

Best Your Choice / Best Art Direction Video

Remioromen - Konayuki (Powdered Snow)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79GivRMhgqA (5m23s)
Sepia sure is popular in Japan. Reeee(x100)ally slow but gets a little more interesting midway. Still, I think K's "Only Human" is the better sepia video.
Rating: *

Best New Artist Video

YA-KYIM - Elec-Trick
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfGG-glphFQ (4m18s)
More like Best Suicide-Inducing Video. "Turning the left, turning the right" ARRRGH!!
Rating: *

Best Male Video

KREVA - Kokuminteki Gyoji (National Event)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LawJGWqPafk (2m50s)
If you're on the committee for the preservation of classical music, you'll hate this video. For everyone else, it's a pretty amusing video.
Rating: ****

Best Group Video

ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION - Blue Train
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKN0GnQ_pSQ (4m24s)
Kinda interesting, kinda silly, and kinda . . not.
Rating: ***

Best Rock Video

Sambomaster - Utagoe yo okore (Sing out loud)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6ImNHq3-zY (5m32s)
I love Sambomaster's music, and looks like they're great at making videos, too. The most entertaining moments comes from Sambomaster's back-up singers = a crowd of average joes who sing so badly, you'd think this was a Johnny's audition. [/oh snap]
Rating: ****

Best Pop Video

Hirai Ken - POP STAR
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJo2EzL5DC4 (5m3s)
Good God, what has Ken been smoking? LMAO!! Best Video of the MVA!
Rating: ****+

Best Hip Hop/R&B Video

Teriyaki Boyz - HeartBreaker
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyQ8Mi_hEQc (4m40s)
Beatles rapping + Camouflage Car & Girl + Cow = Interesting. Repeat, repeat, repeat = Not interesting. I think Verbal should stick with m-flo.
Rating: **

Best CG/Animation Video

Hifana - WAMONO (Fish food(?))
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2QclFMoxhE (4m6s)
Ok, that was very weird. Hands down, the weirdest of the many weird PVs I've seen. Seriously, whatthehuhthewhawazat? o_O
Rating: Sorry, it's hard to rate something this weird, but it's definitely worth a look.

Best Concept (3m24s)

Polysics - I My Me Mine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJVPS-KOcMM (3m24s)
Ok, just when I thought Hifana was the weirdest PV I'd ever seen, this comes along. O_O
Rating: Again, hard to rate, but worth checking out.

Best Collaboration

Koda Kumi & SOULHEAD - D.D.D.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abKbi6X-0Xo (4m23s)
S&M and Music Videos just don't mix IMO
Rating: *

Best Story Video

Ketsumeishi - Sakura
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqQFyG5Naw0 (7m7s)
It's a beautiful video and a nice song, but Guy meets Girl + fall in love = What story? :P
Rating: ***

Best International Video

Madonna - Hung Up
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Id_NxM5t-PM (5m25s)
DDR Madonna rocks, though she probably Failed that song. :P In case you're wondering, the other nominees were Black Eyed Peas' "Don't Phunk with my Heart," Coldplay's "Speed of Sound," Jack Johnson's "Sitting, Waiting, Wishing," and Kayne West's "Diamonds from Sierra Leone."
Rating: ***

Breakthrough Video

Kimura Kaera - Real Life, Real Heart
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1Jlgn0fbWU (3m49s)
Very genki video and a very genki song w/ a very catchy beat. But enough's enough, leave my head already! >_<
Rating: ****


In related news . .
"In Japan, there exists a regulation called “no-discount resale system” that does not allow retailers to sell music CDs at discount prices." - This article
Hm, that explains why I rarely saw CDs in Japan on sale. Then again, Amazon Japan often offer discounts, and older CDs also get discounted at music stores. So, does anyone know how this rule works, why it's implemented, and why DVDs are exempted?

Y'know, I used to think that because Japanese music doesn't have the global demand that Western music does, the prices needed to be jacked up. However, now I'm thinking Japan's less populated neighbors like Hong Kong and Taiwan sell CDs for way less, but the music industry and artists seem to be doing fine. Is the no-discount resale system a result of greed, or is it really justified somehow?

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Comments

( 6 comments — Leave a comment )
[info]starkodama wrote:
May. 21st, 2006 09:48 am (UTC)
Great post!! I recently caught Madonna's Hung Up video and I sat there mesmerized watching till it was over.... I couldn't tear my eyes away D:
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[info]cheesemon wrote:
May. 21st, 2006 11:34 pm (UTC)
Heh, me too, all there is is dancing, but I was really awed by how flexible Madonna still is at almost-50. o_O Still, I think Madonna's "Sorry" is the better video since they do more than just dance. :) Have you seen it?
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[info]joe_greatness wrote:
May. 21st, 2006 02:40 pm (UTC)
Good question. I also don't seem to find any music stores, like Shinseido, offering any discounted promotions for the albums. I'm guessing that it's cause of the fixed price that goes along with the CDs since I realized that when I shop for CDs in Japan, there aren't any price tags and the pricing are printed at the back of the CDs instead, probably avoiding any discounts to be implemented. Makes me wonder what is up with that myself. Hurts even more that the CDs are hell expensive there as well.
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[info]cheesemon wrote:
May. 21st, 2006 11:40 pm (UTC)
Then again, most books have fixed price tags and they're usually on sale. Although . . while that applies to the West, I can't remember seeing books on sale in Japan except on Amazon. DVDs also have fixed price tags in Japan, but they're often on sale.

CD prices in Japan are nuts. After awhile, if I found a song I liked, I'd actually just wait for them to release it on DVD because DVDs were usually the same price or cheaper, and you get the videos too. ;)
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[info]shingomama wrote:
May. 21st, 2006 11:35 pm (UTC)
Yuki rocks because she once was the lead singer of Judy and Mary, and they are one of my favorite J-Rock bands ever. Especially their late 90s stuff when it appears they all went insane. XD Track down their music video for "Music Fighter" and you'll understand what I mean. O_o

But yes, she does sound like an electronic mouse.
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[info]cheesemon wrote:
May. 22nd, 2006 02:03 am (UTC)
Whoa, I thought I read somewhere that she was from Whiteberry. Wow, Judy and Mary . . she must be pretty old though she looks early 20s.

I just checked out "Music Fighter" and that. was. crazy. o___O Like stepping into a pop-music nightmare. Never thought I'd see something crazier than Zung Zung Funky Music, but there ya go.
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