I had big expectations for this song (being the 50th single and all…) so when I first heard the song, I was truly surprised as I had been expecting some kind of epic “disco” hit that was strongly reminiscent of a golden age single. One Two Three was so different to what I was expecting – shockingly mainstream and really reminded me of K-Pop. It’s modern, sexy and cool with heavy instrumentals, modern electro and a fair bit of auto-tuning – which for once actually sounded good. The vocals blend well in this song, and it’s nice to see a variety of voices used, with lots of unexpected solos.
Costumes and Image
I really really like the costumes – costumes which fit the mood of the song well, look good when dancing and are a mixture of sexy and cute which is appropriate for the age-ranges of the members. They’re not overly fancy costumes, but a contemporary lolita-style in black and white with individual member colours – which is a nice touch and of course fits the title of the upcoming album “Colourful Character”. The use of the member colours was certainly a good move, as all the girls stand out individually and this in turn, adds variety to the whole performance. The corset-style dresses, lace, bows, ruffles and net gauntlets add to the “lolita-ness” and stylishness whilst the short skirts, bright colours, boots and the simplicity of the outfits as a whole, makes them look cute in a contemporary way, and defines Morning Musume’s new image as a reborn, youthful girl group. The unique hairstyles were also important in helping the members stand out individually (which can be difficult when you have a lot of similar young girls with black hair). The hairstyles were cute, and the coloured bows brought them together with the costumes. Haruka’s hair style was very cool and stylish and she looked really mature, but I wonder whether it’s a bit too much for a 12 year old.
Single Covers
Continuing with aesthetics, the single covers (which I never normally write about) caught my attention. There’s 7 different editions, and it was nice to see a variety of different covers – all were good quality, cute, colourful and eye-catching without being garish and overpowering. Included in the limited versions are versions for the different generations, with their own generation songs (I will be reviewing these in another post!). There was an appealing mixture of styles, Rokkies had a sexy-pop image, Kyukkies had a cute, elegant “tea-house” cover and the 10th Gen had a slightly more cool/casual “doll-house” scene. As a whole, there are a nice array of single covers (as to be expected from the 50th single) and these will certainly stand out on the shelves.
The Music Video & Dance
The music video is very glamorous and the bright, sparkley effects (esp. in the close-ups) are mesmerising but at times a little bit over-done. It would have been nice to see a bit more variety in the backdrop, but at least the camera shots focus on all the members, and there are enough close-ups of each girl to make up for any lack of solo lines. It’s a shame to see another simplistic HP music video which is basically just a dance shot, broken up by close-ups, but on the other hand, I don’t think that a music video with a story would have fit this song at all. The music video in it’s entirety, was really good quality and captured the energy and coolness of the song.
The dance was updated, modern and sexy. I think if it had been anymore sexy it might not be age-appropriate for Morning Musume at the moment, but the dance was cool, contemporary and really showcased what the group is capable of now.
The Matenrou Show
On to the next point: I won’t forget to include “The Matenrou Show”… At first I liked this better than “One Two Three”, but I quickly found that the over-use of Reina and Riho’s solos was driving me crazy – there was simply not enough diversity in the range of voices. However, the chorus with the girls all singing sounds really good, well-blended and upbeat. I love the funky sound in this song and it was much more like the kind of groovy, upbeat song I would have expected from the group. All in all, if you didn’t like the K-Pop sound of “One Two Three”, then this song is probably more up your street.
The dancing is good quality, and a little different from other Morning Musume dances. It’s wacky and there’s a lot of movement, which is really refreshing in comparison to the “dancing in a line” dance that most groups seem to do. Since its the 50th single, I had hoped they would do a different video and costume for “The Matenrou Show” (like they did for Ai’s last singles), as “The Matenrou Show” makes a good single on it’s own and it’s a shame that it’s not getting as much exposure.
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As a whole, “The Matenrou Show” couples well with “One Two Three”, as it reminds us of the classic, funky sound of Morning Musume, whilst “One Two Three” showcases a cool, refreshing and fashionable group which are capable of mainstream success (even after almost 15 years). The fact that the first day sales surpassed the first week sales of all Morning Musume singles since ‘Iroppoi Jirettai’ is a good measure of how successful this single was. There has been a massive amount of promotion surrounding the 50th single and I’m sure it’s contributed to some of the success of this single, and I think it will be interesting to see how the group fares with their next singles without the hype and promotion push of “a 50th single”.
Overall, this single was a nice surprise, and a cool kick-start to a new updated Morning Musume. The success of this latest single has certainly promising and has renewed my hope in the group – they’re not going stale just yet. I just wish that they can continue pushing the boundaries and surpass this single with even better ones.
Overall Rating: 9.5/10 One Two Three
Music: 9.5/10
Costume: 9/10
Dance: 9/10
Music Video: 7/10
The Matenrou Show
Music: 8/10
Dance: 10/10
Costumes and Image
I really really like the costumes – costumes which fit the mood of the song well, look good when dancing and are a mixture of sexy and cute which is appropriate for the age-ranges of the members. They’re not overly fancy costumes, but a contemporary lolita-style in black and white with individual member colours – which is a nice touch and of course fits the title of the upcoming album “Colourful Character”. The use of the member colours was certainly a good move, as all the girls stand out individually and this in turn, adds variety to the whole performance. The corset-style dresses, lace, bows, ruffles and net gauntlets add to the “lolita-ness” and stylishness whilst the short skirts, bright colours, boots and the simplicity of the outfits as a whole, makes them look cute in a contemporary way, and defines Morning Musume’s new image as a reborn, youthful girl group. The unique hairstyles were also important in helping the members stand out individually (which can be difficult when you have a lot of similar young girls with black hair). The hairstyles were cute, and the coloured bows brought them together with the costumes. Haruka’s hair style was very cool and stylish and she looked really mature, but I wonder whether it’s a bit too much for a 12 year old.
Single Covers
Continuing with aesthetics, the single covers (which I never normally write about) caught my attention. There’s 7 different editions, and it was nice to see a variety of different covers – all were good quality, cute, colourful and eye-catching without being garish and overpowering. Included in the limited versions are versions for the different generations, with their own generation songs (I will be reviewing these in another post!). There was an appealing mixture of styles, Rokkies had a sexy-pop image, Kyukkies had a cute, elegant “tea-house” cover and the 10th Gen had a slightly more cool/casual “doll-house” scene. As a whole, there are a nice array of single covers (as to be expected from the 50th single) and these will certainly stand out on the shelves.
The Music Video & Dance
The music video is very glamorous and the bright, sparkley effects (esp. in the close-ups) are mesmerising but at times a little bit over-done. It would have been nice to see a bit more variety in the backdrop, but at least the camera shots focus on all the members, and there are enough close-ups of each girl to make up for any lack of solo lines. It’s a shame to see another simplistic HP music video which is basically just a dance shot, broken up by close-ups, but on the other hand, I don’t think that a music video with a story would have fit this song at all. The music video in it’s entirety, was really good quality and captured the energy and coolness of the song.
The dance was updated, modern and sexy. I think if it had been anymore sexy it might not be age-appropriate for Morning Musume at the moment, but the dance was cool, contemporary and really showcased what the group is capable of now.
The Matenrou Show
On to the next point: I won’t forget to include “The Matenrou Show”… At first I liked this better than “One Two Three”, but I quickly found that the over-use of Reina and Riho’s solos was driving me crazy – there was simply not enough diversity in the range of voices. However, the chorus with the girls all singing sounds really good, well-blended and upbeat. I love the funky sound in this song and it was much more like the kind of groovy, upbeat song I would have expected from the group. All in all, if you didn’t like the K-Pop sound of “One Two Three”, then this song is probably more up your street.
The dancing is good quality, and a little different from other Morning Musume dances. It’s wacky and there’s a lot of movement, which is really refreshing in comparison to the “dancing in a line” dance that most groups seem to do. Since its the 50th single, I had hoped they would do a different video and costume for “The Matenrou Show” (like they did for Ai’s last singles), as “The Matenrou Show” makes a good single on it’s own and it’s a shame that it’s not getting as much exposure.
*************************************************************************************************************************************************
As a whole, “The Matenrou Show” couples well with “One Two Three”, as it reminds us of the classic, funky sound of Morning Musume, whilst “One Two Three” showcases a cool, refreshing and fashionable group which are capable of mainstream success (even after almost 15 years). The fact that the first day sales surpassed the first week sales of all Morning Musume singles since ‘Iroppoi Jirettai’ is a good measure of how successful this single was. There has been a massive amount of promotion surrounding the 50th single and I’m sure it’s contributed to some of the success of this single, and I think it will be interesting to see how the group fares with their next singles without the hype and promotion push of “a 50th single”.
Overall, this single was a nice surprise, and a cool kick-start to a new updated Morning Musume. The success of this latest single has certainly promising and has renewed my hope in the group – they’re not going stale just yet. I just wish that they can continue pushing the boundaries and surpass this single with even better ones.
Overall Rating: 9.5/10 One Two Three
Music: 9.5/10
Costume: 9/10
Dance: 9/10
Music Video: 7/10
The Matenrou Show
Music: 8/10
Dance: 10/10