The Kings and Princes of Your Heart! A Review into Kinpuri's Debut
Would I say it's the best music video out there? No. However, would I say that it's bad? Also no. There are worst music videos out there. You have no idea how many bad music videos I've seen, and this is not in terms of age. Back to the point, I'll start by saying that this is a very solid music video that follows the royalty concept that group has been pushing with their debut song as well as indicated by their group name. Plus, if you gave this video to like fourteen year-old Airi, I would've screamed in delight cuz I'm a sucker for royalty concepts/visuals.
In terms of the setting, they filmed in a very familiar location that I've seen in various other music videos. Nonetheless, it fits the royal castle aesthetic they were trying to go for. The main "ballroom" they used for the dance shot is very white and pristine; it contrasts with the more darker and golden-hue rooms and halls they used for individual close-ups. This is just me being nit-picky but I didn't enjoy this contrast so much. Yes, it was very nice touch but it the super bright white just didn't transition well into the darker black and golds. Maybe it was just because the quality of the video I saw was bad which made the contrast very obvious and an eyesore almost. Also, I feel like I wish I had seen more with the white "ballroom." For me, there could been potential to see more scenes aside from dancing. Like, them actually meeting Cinderella - which leads me into my next point.
Story. The one music video where I thought that they might actually play out the Cinderella story into this (despite how cliche it could be) and they didn't deliver. From my personal experience, a good chunk of music videos from Johnny's don't have a story to begin with. All we really have are the guys wondering about while carrying a tiny glass slipper. Personally, I would have liked for them to do more - have the guys meet Cinderella before center Hirano Sho wins her heart in the end, bring in extras to create an elegant but lively ball, get a fairy godmother. With a Cinderella concept, there was potential to see nice scenes but they didn't do so. Perhaps due to budget? I don't know. I'm just saying. We could've had it all.
I can't really comment much on the dancing, since the most I've seen of it are through live performance videos. The dance is nothing too crazy and follows the upbeat tones of the song pretty well. While it doesn't appear to be the easier dance due to footwork (at least from what I can observe through various camera angles from numerous videos), the hand movements seem less difficult to follow along. In general, the dancing's fine but if I had to add something? Maybe add in more elegant elements to it? A classical music break with a waltz? I don't know. /shrugs;
I actually like the outfits! Their visuals for this music video are amazing, as expected since they're a group of very pretty flower boys. The thing I hate about Johnny's sometimes is that some of their costumes can be really random and completely covered in feathers and sequins. I actually love the suits that the guys were given for their debut. It's not too flamboyant, it's very polished. I saw a picture of them without their jackets and I love that look too - with just the vests and the sashes. The white-ness of the suit does makes them blend in with the white "ballroom" setting too much which leads into my next point- I like the colored sashes and ties which makes adds a pop of color that was needed. Also, have you seen Kishi? I loved him in Kinkyori Renai and I still love him now.
Overall, I think this is a very average video. Yeah, with the Cinderella concept, I feel like there could have been more. However, they still pushed out a satisfactory royalty aesthetic. It's not my most favorite music video out there but it's nice to start.
╰(•́ ヮ •̀)━☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ.*･｡ﾟThe Songs .*･｡ﾟ .*･｡ﾟ
シンデレラガール / 3 ★★★☆☆
As the main theme for Hana Nochi Hare, this is a girlish but sweet tune that complements the overall feel of the drama. Upon first listen, which was like months ago, I didn't really like it that much. It was your generic bubblegum love song. Don't misunderstand, the song is not bad but it just wasn't really my taste. Although, the song title is cute though. However, since I'm watching the drama, I hear the song more and it grew on me over time.
What I like about the song more was that the lyrics actually make references to the Cinderella story, albeit in a more modern like setting. An example being her midnight curfew but the guys (the "kings & princes") didn't want to let her go just yet. In terms of the vocals, they're not that bad. In fact, judging from past performances, I had expected their vocals to be more nasally with the exception of Hirano and Nagase. However, they've improved since I last heard them. Although, the one that stood out to me the most was Kishi and his solo lines.
Overall, it's a very girlish and sweet tune. Not my most favorite song out there but it's a pretty solid debut song that suits their royalty concept.
Funk it up / 2 ★★☆☆☆
Perhaps, my least favorite song out of the entire single. After hearing Sexy Zone overuse the band sound in the past, when I hear it come back- I just want to skip the song. However, I sat through and listened to the entire thing for you guys! Although, five run-through of the song later, it's still not really my favorite. As indicated by the title, it is a very funky song that shows off disco vibes with the trumpets playing in the instrumental.
The vocals are as great, perhaps a lot less nasally compared to the main track. I don't know whether if it's either just me, the fact they're singing a bit lower in this song, or if it's the background instruments covering it up. Overall, I can't really comment too much on the song. It's not my favorite track; sometimes, it's actually very forgettable. However, I'll give it two stars since it's still slightly fun with the whole funky disco vibes. It's personally not my cup of tea, okay? I don't know how I used to like the band sound so much back then.
YOU, WANTED! / 3 ★★★☆☆
Every Johnny's group isn't necessarily complete without having that one "cool" song. This is Kinpuri's "cool" song until more come along in the future. The song actually isn't that bad, and can be quite catchy as you're listening to it. I actually like the autotone used, giving the song a more electro vibe to it. out of the all vocals, I find that this time Hirano and Genki stood out to me the most. For me, they sounded the most distinguishable.
While it's my second most favorite track of the single, it's similar to the other B-side in which it can actually be forgettable for me after I listen to. I just can't remember what the song is until I listen to it again. Again, it's not a bad song but it just doesn't stick in my head. Also, I wish that there was a translation for the song because I really want to know what the theme is to have the song title such as that. Although, the secret inner Grammer nazi in me wants to erase that random comma.
Overall, I would give this single a rating of 3 out of 5. It's a solid single, fun to listen to but not my most favorite. Hey, we could've had another Sexy Zone but we didn't.
╰(•́ ヮ •̀)━☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ.*･｡ﾟPersonal Thoughts on Their Debut .*･｡ﾟ .*･｡ﾟ
I stated this in the start of the entry that, from my own perspective and experience with others, that Kinpuri's debut has been very hyped up. Taking recent events into consideration, there's honestly no perfect timing to debut a group like them aside from right now. If you were to list out the most popular Johnny's Juniors currently, I can guarantee that these six would be either at or near the top.
They were more or less introduced through Sexy Zone, having been in their crazy (and currently non-existant?) sub-unit family that they had for a good year or so. I have no idea what the agency was trying to do with that at the time, but that aside- they were "introduced" and gained popularity from there. Hirano Sho gained a lot of popularity through his drama appearances having starred in 2018's Hana Nochi Hare (with Nakagawa Taishi), Honey, We Love/You, I Love (with KR Ghost's Isomura Hayato).
Their debut single is the main theme for the sequal/spin-off of the hit legendary drama Hana Yori Dango. They have a center like Hirano Sho, who will probably be the next Tsuchiya Tao or Yamazaki Kento in which he'll most likely be starring in a lot of shoujo manga adaption - basically their ace. Their first weekly sales are the one of the highest Johnny's ever seen so far with more than 500,000+ copies. To put it simply, the odds are very in their favor
What do I personally think? Since the formation of Kinpuri, I always had a feeling that they're going to be a group bound for debut and I am happy that they did debut - no one should ever say that someone didn't deserve a debut. They were a group of very popular Juniors and they were on the rise. However, do I think that they could maintain this high of a success they have right now at the moment of their debut? Maybe they can, maybe they can't. The circumstances right now are just so good but I can't say for sure until maybe their next release.
I've also seen some comments that remark that Kinpuri are the future of Johnny's and perhaps the successors of Arashi. I don't completely agree with this comment. Rather I think they're the start of a new era of Johnny's instead, indicated by the agency having a new label created for their debut. Furthermore, Johnny's Jrs actually have their own YouTube channel now? Like whoa, sometimes I think the world is ending with how (for the lack of a better term) digital Johnny's is starting to become. We're definitely at the start of something new. As for them being the successors of Arashi? First, they're two very different groups. Arashi is still big in the industry that it wouldn't be wrong to consider them the entertainment kings of the industry. It's going to be hard for any group in general to knock them down. Could Kinpuri replace Arashi? No. Can they gain a lot of success similarly to their senpai group? Yeah, it's possible if the circumstances are still extremely good!
I will admit that there's a part of me that still wants some of the older Juniors to debuts, especially those like Kyomoto Taiga who's been in the agency for approximately ten years now. We'll just have to see how things will be in the next few years. We've had Juniors leave and starts their own groups like ANTIME that features Okamoto Kauan, Takahashi Fuu, Haniuda Amu, and Kawaguchi Yuu.
Overall, my thoughts on Kinpuri are this- they have a solid debut with the odds definitely in their favor. We have members staring in dramas and films, their Anan cover was sold out and getting reprinted due to high demand, their fanclub is growing exponentially recently. I'm happy that they were able to have their major debut and I hope that they continue to be successful in the future. I'm not that big of a fan of them now, but we'll see about that as Kinpuri release more music in the future.
CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR CORONATION DEBUT, KING & PRINCE
Comments
Post a Comment