I realized I forgot to review this single. It’s been a pretty hectic month. So MM ’15 is starting a new era after Sayumi’s departure. In this regard, it means all the current members are new and has no tie with the Golden Era or Platinum Era. Sayumi was the last member holding that connection you see. So with her departure, MM ’15 is fully renewed and with an addition of 4 new members (12th gen). Surprisingly though, being the first single for 12th gen members, they didn’t get much solo lines or anything to stand out in the songs but MV-wise, they did get a bunch of solo close-ups and focus, albeit, the whole Karin issue did affect their screentime a lot. Fans and wotas alike have been complaining about the lack of Kanon Suzuki in the music videos so I will restrain from touching the issue here.
This single also showcased a balance of solos and obviously, you see less of Riho (the Ace) in all 3 songs. Line distribution seem to have improved especially when the shadow singer like Eripon gets 5 solo words in Seishun (she demands you pay attention to that in a recent TV show), you can’t help but be glad for her. So Riho doesn’t hog the songs and members like Sakura gets to lead in Ima Koko Kara and mid-members like Maachan gets some prominent lines in Yuugure.
Moving on to the songs, Seishun Kozou ga Naiteiru is not a track that you instantly fall in love with, at least not for me. It’s a very into your face kind of music that demands concentration. You see, while it follows the similar EDM vein like all of the previous MM’s singles, it has abrupt pauses in the verses that may sound odd to most people, me included (my first impression). It doesn’t flow smoothly and it may ruin the experience for some. However, I also can’t help but feel Tsunku is going ahead of the time again with this track. He takes risks and this move is very bold. In fact, it feels revolutionary. It’s not conventional/mainstream and it’s not something you hear from other artists as well. So while the verses may be appalling, the chorus is actually pretty good. If anything, this is truly Tsunku’s quirky style. Not to mention, there are parts in the verses that he referenced a poem (iroha karuta).
Yuugure wa Ameagari is my favorite of this single and I think most of the fans approve. The consensus is not hard to grasp because this song reminds of the beautiful TokiSora. It’s a piano driven ballad but there’s also a tinge of EDM beats in the background. I like the bittersweet atmosphere and the lyrics are supposed to be a form of encouragement for the members from Tsunku as in looking forward to a new start.
Ima Koko Kara is a tie-in with Precure anime. While the song is not an original track by MM ’15, the song was produced to fit their style and I think they did quite a good job with it. The piano keys resembles again, TokiSora’s style and Sakura singing the first verse was beautiful. The only downside is it feels tad short. It lacks a bridge so it feels really short.
Score: 8/10
In my opinion, MM ‘15 sort of got the short end of the stick among H!P groups for their first single in 2015. Compared with the others, groups like °C-ute and ANGERME especially, had more solid singles. I can’t say much about Juice=Juice because I’m not really into that single but being the flagship group, I can’t help but feel slightly sorry for MM ’15. On the bright side, the new members blend very well already with the group and their dance choreography may have stepped up especially in Seishun. I recommend to watch the Alternate version too because it is the most random and awesome H!P MV ever.
Music videos:
Alternate version
Ritsu no Jpop Land 