[Review] [Music Video] Kyary Pamyu Pamyu – Furisodation

I tried so fucking hard not to like this girl, but I think I love her. Kyary Pussy Pamyu is a hot mess, but she knows she’s a hot mess, which is why I like her. She really does not give a shit. I honestly don’t even think she cares about the yen in her account, because as long as she gets to play dress-up in a music video, has a beat from Nakata Yasutaka to dance to, and somebody hands her a wig and a Hello Kitty eye patch, she’s gravy!

Pamyu Pamyu stays crazy as fuck, albeit in a toned down and easier to digest manner, for “Furisodation“, in which she kisses a troll who bears a slight resemblance to Hamasaki Ayumi, gets drunks, and dances with a candy cane, all while looking like Alice In Wonderland turned pimp to a bunch of Willy Wonka‘s leftover hos.

Pamyu didn’t have to do a great deal for me to like this. With the man behind Perfume supplying the music, and her music videos always being a visual spectacle, this was never going to lose. I’m simple and easy to ensnare, and Pamyu had me the second she started acting an alcoholic mess. Plus, it’s always nice to see a music video which looks like it had a budget and some creative vision behind it: two things which seem to be light on the ground in J-pop at the moment.

“Furisodation” is one of Pamyu’s most ‘normal’ music videos to date. It’s easy to follow, features a uniformed color palette, and doesn’t feature ‘WTF?’ scenes which send you into an epileptic fit and leaves you planking on the floor. I watched “PONPONPON” once and had an aneurysm. I can’t watch that shit ever again.

—–

Musically, “Furisodation” is a nice departure for Nakata, who seems to have given Pamyu more instrument-driven, dynamically melodic songs, as opposed to the wholly electronic pieces he’s given to Perfume; it helps the music diverge that little bit more. Granted, their material is still completely interchangeable for the most part, but he seems to be at least trying to carve out a separate type of sound for Pamyu, and “Furisodation” is a nice example of this, just as “Fashion Monster” and “100% No Jibun Ni” were.

Pamyu’s music has always drawn comparisons to Perfume’s due to both of their music being helmed by the same guy, but this marks the first time where their visuals also overlap. “Furisodation” plays out like a cross between “Spice” and “Fushizen Na Girl“. “Fushizen Na Girl” is obviously better though, for no reason other than the opening with Nocchi staring into the camera, giving sex, and singing “Can stop fillin’!“, so excuse me whilst I go play my copy of ‘JPN‘.