Notes from the Couch: Idol PVs 2017 Week 13 (0402-0408)


Over at New School Kaidan, I write a few words about some of the recently released promotional videos. At times, this is a bit of a grueling task, and all of my thoughts can get a little scattered when multiple PVs are released on the same day. But, I always try to present the promotional videos in the best light possible, and I try to remember that each of these pieces of entertainment for your a me is actually the manifestation of a dream for some young girl or girls out there in Japan. Here then is a collection of those write-ups, with a few words sometimes added after a week+ of viewing.

This week we have Promotional videos from:

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu – Iisuta

In the most improbable of improbable, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu’s newest single is an Easter song. I’m not sure how much Easter saturation the Japanese market experiences, not do I know what Japan is doing with a “Christian” holiday like Easter. But, here we have it! To be fair, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu only celebrates the fun and hijinks side of the Spring Equinox with eggs galore. The eggs in question are pastoral colored claymation beings that look like they belong in the fictional Kingdom of Borovnia. You’ll find egg carnage, a half shell bubble bath, and the puzzling inclusion of capybara in Kyary’s Easter. Bagpipes and fifes call out an interesting musical blend that plays less like a dance floor and more like a jaunty jig. So everyone: march along with Kyary and try not to be abducted by the sunny side up flying saucers. Yes, that makes sense in the context of the PV. Kyary Pamyu Pamyu’s “Easta” beams down to Earth on April 5, 2017.

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J-Pop Summit Report – Kyary Pamyu Pamyu at the Regency Ballroom 20160722

KPP concert report 20160722

Five years is a long time. Maybe that should read “5ive Years”, because Kyary Pamyu Pamyu brought her “5ive Years Monster World Tour 2016” to San Francisco on July 22. Like the tour name implies, Kyary celebrated her five year career with inimitable style, fashion, and music on a worldwide scale.

One her third trip to the States, Kyary brought a stage setting more elaborate than anything she had brought before. Fluorescent prop pieces decorated the stage, transforming the Regency Ballroom into a psychedelic forest right out of the pages of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures. Oversized flower petals opened into a DJ setup upstage, while flowers and stone arrangements adorned the wings.

Although I arrived a bit later than comfortable, I found myself just in time for the main show. The lights dimmed suddenly and Continue reading