REVIEW: The Hello!Project hits us up again this week with another joyous track from Berryz Koubou, Yuke Yuke Monkey Dance. As usual, the single comes in Regular, Limited & SingleV editions.
SINGLE REVIEW
Yuke Yuke Monkey Dance
Similarly to Dschinghis Khan, the song begins with a pithy yet catchy intro. In contrast to DK's cd scratching, Monkey Dance has its very own Jamaican-style call, which leads us directly into the tracks infectious melody which is littered with childlike screams and laughter.
The song's composition itself is rather complex with a repetition of short verses and hooks with a short chorus thrown in every now and then. The tikitiki verses are perhaps the most catchy, no doubt sending wota everywhere tikitiki'ing in their living rooms as they listen.
The bridge before the chorus is a nice change of pace as it slows the beat down, using an effective echo, setting a nice contrast with the upcoming chorus.
While everyone gets lines in this single I have to single out Risako, whose singing ability is constantly debated, for impressing me with her vocals in this single. Whilst usually shakey, her voice seems to have improved and her tone works well in the bridges of this song.
Maji Good Chance Summer
The c/w of this single is an up tempo summer track. There isn't a whole lot to say about this song, it isn't horrible nor is it very good.
It has a fresh summery feeling which I guess is the point of the song. There are a couple of speaking parts at the beginning and towards the end which honestly don't add much and could have been left out.
I will once again give kudos to the vocals which seem a lot better on this single than previous ones. Kudos Berryz, kudos!
Berryz Koubou is known for having some really great, memorable b-sides. This unfortunately isn't one of them. It's forgettable.
PV REVIEW
The PV for this single was highly anticipated amongst the H!P community and when it finally popped up on Dohhhup! everyone eagerly bombarded the site to get their first glimpse. I have to say that I set my expectations low (it is a H!P PV afterall) and somehow I was still rather disappointed.
The PV is pretty much a mix of 3 shots: 2 dance shots and a close-up. Usually this could make for a decent PV however the dance shots are filmed against a bare backdrop with a really ugly giant cellophane/crepe paper banana of some sort. Post production puts some circling stars floating around which manage to make the PV look even cheaper as they go over the girls too despite being made to look like a backdrop effect.
The dance itself isn't anything to write home about. The actual monkey dance is a nice addition but a lot of the time the girls just stand around doing nothing much other than bobbing up and down. The close ups are introduced with a crazy banana animation flying across the screen: where's Junjun? She may have saved this PV, probably not, but maybe.
Despite all that was bad there was still some good things. I did like the background of the close up shots which almost seemed as if the girls were trapped in some overgrown banana grove. Nice touch. The monkey suits were also a cool addition and the switching back and forth was done well thanks to Berryz meticulous dancing skills (not that they needed much with the dance they were given.) Perhaps the major winner of this single was the Berryz girls themselves (with the exception of Risako who could not look any more bored if she tried). The most memorable shots were the shots where the girls (sans Risako) played up for the camera and acted like idiots, which is fast becoming their specialty. Any other group may have gone down with the ship but Berryz somehow kept this PV afloat.
The PV is pretty much a mix of 3 shots: 2 dance shots and a close-up. Usually this could make for a decent PV however the dance shots are filmed against a bare backdrop with a really ugly giant cellophane/crepe paper banana of some sort. Post production puts some circling stars floating around which manage to make the PV look even cheaper as they go over the girls too despite being made to look like a backdrop effect.
The dance itself isn't anything to write home about. The actual monkey dance is a nice addition but a lot of the time the girls just stand around doing nothing much other than bobbing up and down. The close ups are introduced with a crazy banana animation flying across the screen: where's Junjun? She may have saved this PV, probably not, but maybe.
Despite all that was bad there was still some good things. I did like the background of the close up shots which almost seemed as if the girls were trapped in some overgrown banana grove. Nice touch. The monkey suits were also a cool addition and the switching back and forth was done well thanks to Berryz meticulous dancing skills (not that they needed much with the dance they were given.) Perhaps the major winner of this single was the Berryz girls themselves (with the exception of Risako who could not look any more bored if she tried). The most memorable shots were the shots where the girls (sans Risako) played up for the camera and acted like idiots, which is fast becoming their specialty. Any other group may have gone down with the ship but Berryz somehow kept this PV afloat.
ROUNDUP
While the childlike themes of Monkey Dance may not appeal to all H!P fans, there is no doubt that avid Berryz fans will eat it up and ask for seconds. Berryz is renowned for pulling off tracks like this and it seems what they and their fans are most suited to.
Whilst the single will likely not be able to emerge from Dschinghis Khan's large shadow, it is a solid single that can easily be enjoyed until Berryz next kiddy jam. The PV is disappointing but the SingleV is a worthy purchase for fans if purely for the making of featurette where we can see Berryz in all their goofy glory.
Yuke Yuke Monkey Dance: B+
Maji Good Chance Summer: C+
Yuke Yuke Monkey Dance PV: C
Overall: B-
Whilst the single will likely not be able to emerge from Dschinghis Khan's large shadow, it is a solid single that can easily be enjoyed until Berryz next kiddy jam. The PV is disappointing but the SingleV is a worthy purchase for fans if purely for the making of featurette where we can see Berryz in all their goofy glory.
Yuke Yuke Monkey Dance: B+
Maji Good Chance Summer: C+
Yuke Yuke Monkey Dance PV: C
Overall: B-
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