Sexy Zone CD single debut: Versions B & C
Faster than a slow moving bicycle, I got my Sexy Zone CD/DVDs last night, and of course breathlessly watched every minute before going to bed at around 2AM. So...how did I like them? Did they live up to expectations? Would I buy them again? Hopefully, you want to know.
Did I like them? Yes, a lot. The two DVD versions I ordered were the behind-the-scenes and the "close-up" version of the PV. Of the two, the behind-the-scenes was the one I wanted to see most, and the one I liked the best. They spend a lot of time on the photo shoot, and it's great to watch them react to seeing their poses on the studio laptops. Marius and So looked almost astonished that they could look so good, and even the experienced Kento looked kind of giggly-embarrassed at how sexy he can pose. Shori is maybe the most natural on camera: he's easy-going, always smiling, and cool. Fuma is impressive too. He seems both serious and friendly on camera, somehow a much nicer person than I used to think (although why I used to think that, I'm not quite sure).
I loved the behind-the-scenes views of the PV shoot, too. Then about half of the 39 minute DVD is devoted to one-on-one interviews with the 5 members. I'm really hoping for translations at some point, because without understanding Japanese there's a lot to miss here. You can tell a lot from body language, but not enough. They're all asked about the 4 other members by name, and that's what I most want to find out...what they all said about each other.
After watching the long version C DVD, the close-up version B seemed incredibly short. It's "Sexy Zone" without the big production. If you've seen the regular PV, think of the shots where you just see one group member by himself on the set, singing a line. Take that concept and apply it to the whole song, one line after the other. This is a lot more personal and less show-bizzy than the full PV. It's the exact same audio version of the song, but in video terms it's more like an acoustic version.
Did they live up to expectations? I guess not 100%, but pretty close. I had kept thinking back to the Hey!Say!7 and Hey!Say!JUMP debut CD singles, which I thought were a couple of the best productions I'd ever gotten from Johnny's. Watching those (much younger then) JUMP members romp through the studios, play with each other, and look with wonder at the PV sets was just pure joy. There's a lot of that atmosphere with Sexy Zone too, especially with Marius, So, and Shori, who are all pretty new to anything beyond Shonen Club performances. I would have liked to see more video where they just let the cameras run, and a little less time on the interviews. As for the close-up DVD, I kept thinking of the Hey!Say!7 DVD where they made the incredible use of the DVD "angle" feature. You could watch the song from beginning to end, with one camera and one shot focusing on each group member individually singing their part. So you could either create your own video by clicking through the angles, or just watch Chinen, for example, in one take from beginning to end of the song. I had really been hoping for that with the SZ close-up, but that didn't happen. They could have done it, too. So I liked what they gave me, but I wanted more.
Would I buy them again? I would definitely buy version C again, and I'm sure I'd buy any behind-the-scenes DVD whenever I had the chance. Version B was nice too, but not quite special enough to be worth $21 by itself. Honestly, I think Johnny's really overextended the special editions with this release. It would have been much better to have a photo album with the CD single, and a second limited edition that included all of the DVD elements on one disc. Of course they were counting on multiple CD sales to boost week 1 to #1, and they succeeded. But I wonder how many fans really bought all 5 versions, and if they really would have lost a lot of single sales counts if they'd done 2 really good ones instead of spreading it so thin over 5 versions?
The bonuses are nice. I now have 2 large Sexy Zone posters, although I really only want one of them. I also have 2 "thank you" cards which is kind of sad because from what I hear they would admit me to the Christmas handshaking event, and I don't plan on being within a zillion miles of Japan on that day. (Since I don't read Japanese I don't know what they say - except to me they look just like the handshaking tickets I've seen online.) As always, I love the elegant packaging you get on everything that's from Japan. And I noticed a little detail on these CDs - unlike the NYC w/Yuma "debut" CDs, Snow Prince Gasshouden, or the Ya-Ya-yah "Sekai" CD, these CDs actually say "Debut Single" on the CD label card. I'm not sure if that's really significant, but it does suggest there's a future planned for Sexy Zone.
Did I like them? Yes, a lot. The two DVD versions I ordered were the behind-the-scenes and the "close-up" version of the PV. Of the two, the behind-the-scenes was the one I wanted to see most, and the one I liked the best. They spend a lot of time on the photo shoot, and it's great to watch them react to seeing their poses on the studio laptops. Marius and So looked almost astonished that they could look so good, and even the experienced Kento looked kind of giggly-embarrassed at how sexy he can pose. Shori is maybe the most natural on camera: he's easy-going, always smiling, and cool. Fuma is impressive too. He seems both serious and friendly on camera, somehow a much nicer person than I used to think (although why I used to think that, I'm not quite sure).
I loved the behind-the-scenes views of the PV shoot, too. Then about half of the 39 minute DVD is devoted to one-on-one interviews with the 5 members. I'm really hoping for translations at some point, because without understanding Japanese there's a lot to miss here. You can tell a lot from body language, but not enough. They're all asked about the 4 other members by name, and that's what I most want to find out...what they all said about each other.
After watching the long version C DVD, the close-up version B seemed incredibly short. It's "Sexy Zone" without the big production. If you've seen the regular PV, think of the shots where you just see one group member by himself on the set, singing a line. Take that concept and apply it to the whole song, one line after the other. This is a lot more personal and less show-bizzy than the full PV. It's the exact same audio version of the song, but in video terms it's more like an acoustic version.
Did they live up to expectations? I guess not 100%, but pretty close. I had kept thinking back to the Hey!Say!7 and Hey!Say!JUMP debut CD singles, which I thought were a couple of the best productions I'd ever gotten from Johnny's. Watching those (much younger then) JUMP members romp through the studios, play with each other, and look with wonder at the PV sets was just pure joy. There's a lot of that atmosphere with Sexy Zone too, especially with Marius, So, and Shori, who are all pretty new to anything beyond Shonen Club performances. I would have liked to see more video where they just let the cameras run, and a little less time on the interviews. As for the close-up DVD, I kept thinking of the Hey!Say!7 DVD where they made the incredible use of the DVD "angle" feature. You could watch the song from beginning to end, with one camera and one shot focusing on each group member individually singing their part. So you could either create your own video by clicking through the angles, or just watch Chinen, for example, in one take from beginning to end of the song. I had really been hoping for that with the SZ close-up, but that didn't happen. They could have done it, too. So I liked what they gave me, but I wanted more.
Would I buy them again? I would definitely buy version C again, and I'm sure I'd buy any behind-the-scenes DVD whenever I had the chance. Version B was nice too, but not quite special enough to be worth $21 by itself. Honestly, I think Johnny's really overextended the special editions with this release. It would have been much better to have a photo album with the CD single, and a second limited edition that included all of the DVD elements on one disc. Of course they were counting on multiple CD sales to boost week 1 to #1, and they succeeded. But I wonder how many fans really bought all 5 versions, and if they really would have lost a lot of single sales counts if they'd done 2 really good ones instead of spreading it so thin over 5 versions?
The bonuses are nice. I now have 2 large Sexy Zone posters, although I really only want one of them. I also have 2 "thank you" cards which is kind of sad because from what I hear they would admit me to the Christmas handshaking event, and I don't plan on being within a zillion miles of Japan on that day. (Since I don't read Japanese I don't know what they say - except to me they look just like the handshaking tickets I've seen online.) As always, I love the elegant packaging you get on everything that's from Japan. And I noticed a little detail on these CDs - unlike the NYC w/Yuma "debut" CDs, Snow Prince Gasshouden, or the Ya-Ya-yah "Sekai" CD, these CDs actually say "Debut Single" on the CD label card. I'm not sure if that's really significant, but it does suggest there's a future planned for Sexy Zone.