With a title like this, a kpop fan may misinterpret and think that I am referring to my own favorite member of a music group. It does not (coming from a jpop background, i always call my favorite member my oshimen).

This is about the bias I experience when watching music videos. What constitutes as an expensive video? What constitutes as a cheap video?

I actually have another post similar to this in my drafts where I compare two music videos: One from Hello! Project, and one from another idol group in Japan. Both videos have similar PV concepts: the idols are on a very basic set in very basic costumes dancing and playing with items and getting closeup shots. However, I find myself constantly considering the Hello! Project video to be of lower quality.

As I was writing this post, and truly watched both videos, I realized that all of the criticism I had for the H!P video was exactly what I was praising about the other video. I was biased.

There are some subtle differences between the two PVs, namely that Iketeru Hearts’s “Rosetta Stone” uses a more minimalist set, especially for the closeup and extraneous shots. Beyond that, however, it could probably be argued that H!P spent more making the PV (especially considering that overall UFA and H!P have a higher budget than Iketeru Hearts’s agency).

Why, then, was I so convinced that H!P’s PV was Worse™?

I took the question to Twitter and was managed to convince myself that my misinterpretation came from years of following primarily H!P, especially during their lowest point: 2007-2011. The quality of Music videos during this era was so bad that it has almost permanently skewed my expectations for what MVs from H!P will be.

I spent so long watching only music videos from this era of poorly animated CG, awkward closeups and cheap sets that I immediately assume that the any music coming from Hello! Project is going to be the exact same.

Another issue that definitely leads to my misinterpretation of the quality of these music videos is H!P’s love of camp. Since LOVE Machine, Hello! Project’s music videos have been known for their camp. Pretty much any artist to go through H!P has experienced the camp that H!P is known for, regardless of the budget.

While at some times this camp can be welcome (a song like ‘Koi no Telephone Goal’ should have a campy PV), there are some times that H!P is taking itself completely seriously while still providing a campy experience.

For example, Password is 0 is a song that came from H!P’s comeback that started in 2013. The song was a tie-up, which are extremely rare in H!P in todays era, and is still a popular song in Hello! Project and Morning Musume concerts. The song also has a cool sound, but despite this the music video features graphics and camerawork that just feels awkward, but the video still takes itself completely seriously.

On some levels, there’s a charm that comes from this camp. On the other end, H!P is not offering the same quality in other areas that they were able to even at their lowest point, namely variety, so as a result one would hope they’d put more effort into what they’re able to show off, but there’s not much I can do about that.

Comparing Music videos from H!P to artists from Korea or groups with bigger budgets like AKB48 or Nogizaka46 will still show that the PV is lacking, but H!P is doing well enough for itself now that all songs on singles are getting a PV (albeit using a weird workaround that is probably to get the extra budget from zetima), so I think I need to sit down and think about what these videos were in the past and compare them to where H!P is today.

Finishing this post I’m realizing that I don’t know if I actually made a point at all, but if I were to summarize, I guess I will say that my own bias gave me writers block and an existential crisis regarding Japanese music and Music Videos.