[PVs] utada hikaru // 9 PVs, 1 live
today i bring: lots of utada hikaru!! she needs no introduction, i assume. i was originally going to post these as a simple leftovers post (like my last post), but hikki deserves screen caps and the whole shebang, so here you have it:
[PV] utada hikaru - colors [bigupload]
type: .avi size: 47.6 mb quality: good
comments: this PV is pretty serious, but so is the song and so it fits. ot seems kind of simple at first, but then they bring on the metaphorical (or at they just random?) symbolic imagery. there's a lot of utada singing in a windy set, and and a lot of her singing in a building. then some red leaves come along, and she sings in front of half-naked men (who just stand there). then there's a close-up of the drinking fountain and the tree appears in the building. then there's shots of nature. yeah, i don't get the video, but it's utada so i like it anyway. the song also get's more intense toward the end, it's actually pretty enjoyable if you don't let the odd images distract you too much. ^^;
[PV] utada hikaru - deep river [bigupload]
type: .mpg size: 37.1 mb quality: okay
comments: i really like the way this PV was made. the color scheme ranges from vibrant, to sepia/monotone, to black and white. it changes througout the video, but it's really subtle and adds a nice quality to it overall. i'm not sure what the message of the song is, but in the video utada is hanging out (excuse my unsophisticated vocabulary) with some villagers who live in this amazing paradise-like island (which is hawaii, i believe), so it makes me think of going back to your roots or respecting those who live with less material beliefs, or a different way of life. there is some breathtaking scenery in this video, i wish i could find it in better quality to be able to see it better. the song is calm (i read it was a ballad, but i don't know much about music, i'm a video person), and even without translations you get the sense that it's deep and meaningful.
[PV] utada hikaru - easy breezy [bigupload]
type: .mpg size: 30.6 mb quality: good
comments: i don't do much research (sorry), but i'm pretty sure this was utada's american release when she debuted in the u.s. because a) she is credited only as "utada," b) the song is completely in english (except for the words "konnichiwa" and "sayounara" which i'm sure they thought would be cute), and c) it lacks the depth of utada's usual videos, instead it has a pool scene, a rain scene, and a sports car. the song is kind of catchy and it's interesting to see how they adapted utada hikaru for american audiences, but it's definitely not an utada-caliber video, in my opinion.
[PV] utada hikaru - first love [bigupload] [sendspace]
type: .mpg size: 40.3 mb quality: iffy **
comments: (the quality issue with this PV might be due to the fact that it's old, but i'm not sure) utada hikaru's debut! if you haven't heard this song you must either be new to jpop, or have steered clear of utada until recently. it's a cute love song with a simple beat, and it's interesting to go back and see how utada has progressed since then. the video seems simple when you first watch it, but if you really pay attention it's sort of weird. she seems to be a loner (or just avoiding socialization because she's sad) at a dance/party and pretty much just sings to the camera. but if you pay attention to the people around her, they're not only dancing. some are holding parrots and birds, some are actually falling (like they just got shot), and some are just making freaky faces. it's kind of scary, actually, maybe that's why utada is keeping to herself.
[PV] utada hikaru - hikari [bigupload]
type: .wmv size: 11.1 mb quality: iffy **
comments: this is the song utada did for the video game, kingdom hearts. i really like this PV for some reason, the straight-forwardness of it and to just be able to watch utada be cute and get into it like she's singing in a car or something, it's really nice. i always thought it was a bit ironic that the video so literally fills the image of the english version of this song, simple and clean. i doubt it was on purpose, but c'mon! this is probably her most simple PV to date and she's cleaning the dishes. i wonder if the PV or the english song came first...that'd be nice to know. oh, the quality isn't good but if you have no other place to download it from, it's bearable. if you have a better quality version (that's not wmv), please let me know so i can beg you for it!
[PV] utada hikaru - keep tryin' [bigupload]
type: .mpg size: 259.3 mb quality: okay
comments: utada hikaru's most recent PV. this one is a lot cuter than most her videos. she plays the role of several different working people including a waitress, a police officer, a flight attendant, a student, a secretary/businesswoman, a newscaster, etc. and then some people join her in a little dance at the end. her message with this song is that she is trying her best everyday, even when things get rough, so she invites everyone to do the same. it's very colorful and feel-good (though traveling is still my favorite for feel-good), so if you like that, give it a download. :] goodness knows why the file size is so big though...it's good quality, but it's not like it's hi-def or anything...
[PV] utada hikaru - living on my own * [bigupload]
type: .avi size: 36.4 mb quality: good
comments: i think this was on a DVD she came out with called "bohemian summer 2000," though what's so bohemian about it, i don't know. this seems to be a cover of queen, though i don't remember the original song that well, it does seem familiar. i love utada's outfit here, you don't often get to see her in plaid rocking out. i also love the enthusiasm she puts into this performance...though it's not her usual style, she tries her bests and it's certainly got her own flair to it. great performance, i say, give it a try. :]
[PV] utada hikaru - passion [bigupload]
type: .mpg size: 39 mb quality: so-so
comments: a beautiful song, this was done for kingdom hearts ii. she did such a good job for the first one, they couldn't choose another singer, now could they. ;] there's some gorgeous animation at the beginning of it, unfortunately it doesn't repeat much after. however you do get to see utada in a very long dress. i remember reading something about this having been a high-budget PV, however i can't seem to find anything particularly expensive-looking...it could be that i'm just not observant, though. anyway, gorgeous ethereal song, nice PV but not my favorite, utada-style all around, so you can never go wrong with that (but it's fairly recent, so i'm sad that i don't have a higher quality version).
[PV] utada hikaru - sakura drops [bigupload]
type: .mpg size: 49.1 quality: so-so
comments: i love this song! it's so mysterious and mystical. and actually, so is the PV. it's very detailed and surreal, very creative and full of colors. i ended up with lots of screen captures and it was hard to choose just four to use for my preview! it's not my favorite of her videos (then again, i'm not sure i know which one is my favorite), but it's certainly interesting. i also have a version that's a bit higher in quality and has subtitles/translations if anyone is interested!
and a live...*
[LIVE] utada hikaru - letters (cdtv) [bigupload]
type: .mpg size: 47.6 mb quality: okay
comments: er...it's a live. ^^;; i don't download a lot of lives, so i don't have a lot to compare it to. she doesn't do much, but her voice is hot (as usual). if you like collecting lives, download!
* = note: living on my own can also be considered a live, but it's more special than the average tv live, so i put it down as a PV. i don't know how i should label DVD lives, any ideas?
** = don't let the screen caps fool you, the quality really isn't that good on these two PVs (see here for a guide to how i rate quality). i'd only recommend you download them if you haven't seen them before or if you don't mind bad quality...not if you want these to keep in your collection.
you may have noticed how i don't consider a lot of these good quality. there are so many jpop videos out there that are great quality, why haven't i been able to find the same for utada hikaru videos? she's just as popular as the next artist, but for some reason she isn't spread as much as the others. if anybody knows where i can find her videos in good quality (that hikkiforever site is a prime candidate for spreading mediocre-quality hikki PVs, though it's nice of them to be sharing at all), please let me know so that i can help spread them. if you have any good quality hikki PVs, i'd appreciate if you could upload. ^^;;
to my members: do you guys follow this community on your friends lists, or do you come to the community itself? i'm just asking to know whether i should put part of this (and future) post behind an lj-cut because there are so many images. if you don't mind though, let me know!