Morning Musume - Brainstorming/Kimi sae ireba nani mo iranai REVIEW! (Part 2)

Hello my lovely readers!
Today I will be continuing on from my last blog post and I will be reviewing the second A-side of Tanaka Reina's graduation single and Morning Musume's 53rd single release! Now this full single looks to be a promising release with two A-sides and three B-sides it looks to be another promising release for fans and wotas alike with a good assortment of songs.

Now my first listening to Kimi Sae was through a 30-second preview that was released and I have to admit I was very disappointed. However, due to it only being a short preview I thought I'd shrug my pessimism to one side and decide on what I thought of the song when I heard the full thing. When I saw the dance shot and heard the song fully for the first time, I liked it but didn't fall in love with it like I did Brainstorming.

Now I'm going to start this review with my thoughts on the song, now that I've listened to it a lot more. Now the first thing I heard in this song was 2000 people on the dance floor and even though it was such an odd addition to the song, I liked it and thought it was quite a catchy intro to draw you in. You then get the format of different verses where the lines are divided between pairs of members and then of course we get lead vocals from Reina, Riho and Sakura which isn't surprising. Then you get an uplifting chorus that gives you hope and if you know the English translation of the lyrics it emphasizes it more.

Now the thing I liked about this song better than Brainstorming is when I saw the English translations to each song. Brainstorming has the same old message of being empowered and living life to its full potential but I feel like this kind of message has been repeated a lot in the last few releases and it's getting a bit tedious for me to hear the same old kind of storyline through the lyrics. However in this it also bases itself on a lover and helping each other through life and being there for each other through thick and thin, which I think is a better message. I mean it's good to be independent but sometimes it's nice to have someone there to share the memories of success with. Oh, I'm going off on a tangent. Being a Performing Arts student I get into the habit of going through the meanings of things and reading between the lines. Now back on track.

I thought it was fantastic that the members had some good lines paired up, but the downside was that the use of auto tune didn't allow you to pick out who was singing and who wasn't. I love to hear the different sounds of the girls and they all just sounded the same apart from the solo lines that had less auto tune on them.

The only parts of the song I loved were the 2000 people on the dancefloor hooks (even though it's clearly only 11 members on the dancefloor) Oh Tsunku! Time to go back to school to learn to count haha! I also adored the chorus, because it was just so empowering and really made me want to sing out loud. I think this song will be a fantastic one for them to perform live.

Now of course, the PV is just another cheap UFP production with just a dance shot and close ups within the dance shot, which is a slight disappointment in the case that this is Reina's graduation single. However, just because it's cheap doesn't mean it can't be excellent creativity wise. The use of the rotating camera shots throughout the dance gave it variety and allowed different girls to stand out with their dance skill even if they weren't at the front in the spotlight. Sayumi stood out a lot to me even though she didn't have any singing lines, but her movements in the dance and expressions really stood out to me. Well done leader-sama!!! /bows/

I also really adored how happy Reina seemed in this PV, she seemed to enjoy herself and it's nice to see that in her last PV shooting as a Morning Musume member. And I am a big fan of her little beret with the cute little yellow bow, it wouldn't be the real Reina without some cute bows and accessories galore! Her vocals were stunning in Brainstorming but in Kimi Sae she didn't sound as good, she held a good tune but that was about it. The same with Sakura, her voice just didn't shine for me, and I am surprised to say that Riho sang better than them in my opinion in this song. A lot of people will disagree with me, but I, who hasn't always been a fan of Riho's voice, think she has improved loads and it does show in Kimi Sae and Brainstorming.

The set was simple with a stage and a white curtain that allowed the lighting to shine through and it gave it a good effect and it contrasted with the yellow well to make their costumes stand out. I also liked the contrast of when the lighting would dim at the right times of the song to really create tension with the lyrics and then the lights would burst in the chorus' to emphasize the hope that the lyrics showcase.

In terms of the costumes, I didn't like them when I first saw them, but when I saw the girls dancing in them, the looseness of the dresses allowed them to flow fantastically in the dance. And the girls were all so sharp in the dance and I love their thrusting moves within the chorus! Especially Mizuki she stood out to me the most in terms of that. And Haruna danced fantastically in this too, she has improved in leaps and bounds so much! Again Zukki didn't stand out to me at all which is a shame. When she first debuted in Maji Desu ka Ska she was fantastic and was a breath of fresh air to MoMusu but now she's kind of diminished to me a little and I don't like it. I still like the girl but she doesn't attract me to her as a fan in terms of girls like Reina and Mizuki.

The funny thing within this PV as well were the little errors. I didn't notice them until people pointed them out to me but there is a point in the PV where you can clearly see a staff member stood in the frame. And you can also see the studio ceiling. People make mistakes but when it comes to the flagship group of UFP it can't really be forgotten about. If mistakes like this appear in PVs it makes people wonder about the professionalism of the company.

Overall I enjoyed this song and I still love to listen to it now and again but it didn't have an impact on me like it did with Brainstorming.

RATING: 7/10