I like Dschinghis Khan. That is, I like the German pop band. Truthfully, I only know two songs that they have done. The song Dschinghis Khan and Moskau. Moskau is the better of the two. The star of the band, Louis Hendrik Potgieter, was charismatic enough that I’d watch him doing almost anything. I can imagine him reading the daily newspaper dancing like he does in Moskau. It is a fantastic little scene in my head.

I like Koi no Dance Site. Morning Musume’s 8th single was fun. It was goofy and wacky. However, it all worked. Despite acting like goofs, there was a charm to it. It was a very different music video as it incorporated odd sets, many costume changes and a great deal of editing to achieve some special effects. Somehow, it fit the song, which involved a lot of nonsense “Ba ba bon’s” and “Uh ha’s.”

But I’m not so sure if I like Berryz Koubou’s Dschinghis Khan.

It combines elements from both the original Dschinghis Khan and Koi no Dance Site. It is a cover of Dschinghis Khan. Obviously the arrangement is different, being put together by DANCE☆MAN. It is still pretty similar to the original, at least similar as it can be with replacing older Germans with young Japanese teenagers. The Uh Ha’s of Koi no Dance Site are similar in timing and delivery to Dschinghis Khan, so I can’t help but bring up the comparison. There are even some similar dance moves.

A music video doesn’t have to be a visual interpretation of the lyrics of a song. I don’t have the lyrics (and more importantly, their translation) to Koi no Dance Site memorized. Yet when I watch that PV, I think to myself, “this fits, this makes sense.” In Dschinghis Khan, Berryz Koubou performs on stage for a bunch of kids and does some goofy stuff in a school hallway. Does this fit the song? Berryz Koubou’s version of the song - yes. Dschinghis Khan’s version of the song - no way in hell. This is what bothers me. Perhaps if I had no knowledge of the original song, I wouldn’t mind the connection between video and song.

I took the time to watch the video muted. It is better. However, I think that I (and to a larger extent, everyone) am so starved for variety clips of Berryz Koubou that my opinion of this is affected. The girls having fun may seem like a breath of fresh air, but that is only because the last few videos of them have shown them as a less exciting group. I think their new show will go a long way to proving this.

As I watch Berryz Koubou fool around with the instruments, I can’t help but be reminded of the recent change that The Possible has undertaken in the last few months. The Possible definitely look a lot cooler in the band style.

Momoko bothered me in the video. She is great in Buono but I can’t stand her in Berryz. I think she has a better opportunity to showcase her talents in Buono. With less people, she has the chance to show off a more subdued side, which only enhances her hyper side. In Berryz, it’s all about being hyper, and that is why I never got into Momoko. I always viewed her as a one sided personality, and it remains true, at least within Berryz.

Yurina is now firmly entrenched in the Bottom 4.

Chinami is the only thing that makes the entire package worthwhile. However, I know it is just a tease. I am quickly giving up hope that she will receive more attention. They can’t do it when they devote so much time to Risako, Miyabi and Momoko. It really is a shame because I think Chinami could be the most entertaining of the bunch. She isn’t the best singer, but that doesn’t matter.

There isn’t much to be said about the others. Miyabi is her usual self. Risako is her usual self. Saki and Maasa get more than a 5 second clip, but nothing breathtaking.

The song itself is extremely disappointing. I have no idea what happened, but I don’t like the group’s voice in this. I’m certain that it is just how they sing together in this particular song though. Unfortunately, there aren’t many solo lines to offset the group. Making matters worse, Miyabi only gets one of those lines. I can’t listen to this song.

So what’s the final call? The video isn’t as disastrous as I anticipated. I can’t get into the song and not much will change that. I think I would have loved this if it was just another song. Is it really that hard to create a fun song? Berryz did a lot of them in the past. As with C-ute’s Lalala Shiawase no Uta, the impression is that Berryz Koubou isn’t good enough to get a single of their own. I don’t understand why the H!P Kids have been given this material. They’ve gotten original and worthwhile stuff in the past. It is definitely a confusing time for the Kids.

Tags: Berryz Koubou, Chinami Tokunaga, Hello!Project, Maasa Sudou, Miyabi Natsuyaki, Momoko Tsugunaga, Morning Musume, Risako Sugaya, Saki Shimizu, Yurina Kumai

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Tags: Berryz Koubou, Chinami Tokunaga, Hello!Project, Maasa Sudou, Miyabi Natsuyaki, Momoko Tsugunaga, Morning Musume, Risako Sugaya, Saki Shimizu, Yurina Kumai

This entry was posted on Friday, February 15th, 2008 at 7:35 pm and is filed under PVs, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.