[Review] SuG’s VIP POP SHOW DVD & Lollipop Kingdom CD
Since SuG released their new DVD and CD so close together, I thought I’d review them in one post. This review covers the "VIP POP SHOW" 2-disc Limited Edition DVD and the "Lollipop Kingdom" Regular Edition CD.
PACKAGING
Both are pretty standard fare as far as packaging goes. The DVD features a single-fold cardstock cover with a DVD on either side and a booklet lying inside. The cover image includes nice close-up shots of each member on a brightly colored background, and the booklet insert has nice action pictures of the band as well as good shots of each member.
The CD features a cover image of an X-ray that reveals candy inside a skull. The insert includes fully credited song lyrics and comes with one collector’s card of a band member (shinpei in my case). Since I ordered from CD Japan, I also got a nice collector’s card image of the entire band.
TRACKS
You can find full tracklists for the DVD and the CD at CD Japan.
The DVD covers SuG’s oneman live show in 2011 at NHK Hall and features 23 regular tracks, plus an additional three-track Encore AND a 2-track Double Encore. It sounds like a fun show to have attended live, and it is most definitely a fun show to watch. The concert starts off with a VJ introduction by a heavily made-up Takeru as "McDowell." I loved this part, but I was a little frustrated by it. Why? Takeru was speaking English, which was awesome, but they proceeded to dub over it in Japanese. Naturally, the Japanese track was louder than the English track, so I couldn’t understand what Takeru said. I really wish they had chosen to give it subtitles instead of a vocal track, so that fans could enjoy whichever language they wanted without much trouble.
The musical performances kicked off with a fun version of "Toy Soldier," where the boys at one point all swing their instruments around like weapons and aim at the crowd. That’s one thing you’ll notice about SuG when you watch this-how synchronized they all are. Their movements and actions are all very well coordinated. This shouldn’t be surprising, since backstage footage from the bonus disc shows Takeru training very hard with a choreographer to learn complex dance routines. The show also features a team of dancers who come out at certain points to either act as background eye candy or come right up front to dance with Takeru.
They keep the pace interesting, too. They do a good job mixing fun, energetic numbers like "L.E.D Ghosty" with slower, more emotional songs like "Kira Kira." The band tries very hard to keep up the energy on stage, which is excellent in most cases, but not so much in others. SuG's show has a very heavy accompanying music track piped in on speakers, and at one point it looks suspiciously like Takeru is lip-synching "mad$hip" as he dances. Backing tracks and dance numbers are fine as long as they don’t result in the band actually not showing their live musical skills. That was the only questionable instance I saw in this show.
The bonus disc features a fun mix of backstage video, Yuji and Chiyu getting an English lesson from Takeru and attempting to take over the VJ segment from “McDowell,” and a cute video of Takeru sightseeing in New York during his Fashion Week trip.
The "Lollipop Kingdom" CD seems rather like some kind of concept album, but I’m not really sure what the goal was supposed to be. The tracks seem to be a mix of warped funhouse-style or variety show-style songs and anti-war sentiments. I’m not really sure how that’s supposed to gel here. All in all the 15 tracks on this album give off a fun, high energy feel that SuG fans enjoy. They are well produced and give off a highly theatrical element. I particularly like the inclusion of the "Toy Soldier" and "Fukanzen Beautyfool Days" singles, as well as "No!More!War!" (which puts me in the mind of an old-school Will Smith hip hop/rap song), "Kitanai Kotoba," and "Howling Magic."
However, there is nothing groundbreaking or new for the band here. These are fun, well-played songs, but for the most part, they don’t have the instantly-catchy elements that some other SuG albums have had.
GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS
(^^)b
I’d say if you’re a SuG fan, you’d be safe getting either of these releases. I do more highly recommend the DVD as a great show that is guaranteed to make fans want to dance. I’m a little more cautious with recommending the CD, since I don’t really see any new elements to SuG’s style here, but it is still an album that has a generally good feel to it.