PV for Momoiro Clover Z’s B-side, Santa-san, released!

Very few groups can really inject fun into a relatively so-so B-side like Momoiro Clover.

Momoclo’s PV (and thus, full song preview) for Santa-san, the B-side to their single Roudou Sanka which will be released 11/23/11, is now out on their official Youtube channel.  You can check it out here!

I have mixed feelings on it, but thanks to a really fun PV, and the fact that I just love these girls to death, I still come away from this pretty satisfied.

On the whole, this isn’t one of their best, in terms of song.  As you could likely guess from the title, Santa-san (Mr. Santa), this is a Christmasy song, and it comes complete with verse melodies stolen from Jingle Bells.  Also, the chorus melodies might be a little similar to one of their other B-sides, as well… But they acknowledge that and even take it so far as to burst into the other similar song partway through one of the refrains.  Oh, and their outfits look like they are made of over-poofed garland and decorations.  Ridiculosity is a forte of Momoclo, to be sure.

We get some pretty fun vocals from the girls.  Highlights for me, vocally, were Kanako’s first verse, which is delightfully cheerful, Shiori’s first verse, which sounds great, and Momoka’s crooning of “Oh Santa Claus!” within the refrains.  In the same vein as their other songs, the vocals from these girls are really fun and unique to their personalities and make the song enjoyable despite its obvious rips from other songs.  On the bad side of the vocal spectrum, Kanako had one line in there that came off a bit off key towards the end, where she sings about Australia’s Christmas being in the middle of summer, that I wish they had re-recorded, because she usually sounds much better than that.  Maybe they figured it didn’t matter in a song so seasonal, it will probably only be enjoyed in those 2 months every year leading into Christmas.

I do feel like this is a huge step down from their Christmas song last year, Kimi Yuki, but at the same time, the song is a completely different animal, so it might not be fair to compare them.  Kimi Yuki was one of Momoclo’s few slower, more serious songs, and is one of my very favorites.  This one is more similar to the bonus track from Battle and Romance, Momoclo no Nippon Banzai, in terms of overall feel.  It’s kinda all over the place and unabashedly goofy .  However, for me, even comparing Santa-san to songs more in the same genre, Santa-san isn’t one of their best…  But it is fun, and despite its flaws, is a good addition to their discography.

The PV, I actually like much much more than the song itself, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is a fan of Momoclo being silly.   We have all 5 girls being incredibly cute and charming throughout the PV, doing things like decorating Kanako like a Christmas tree, pretending to play guitars made of mistletoe, singing into soup ladles, jumping on the bed, stuffing cakes into each others’ faces, and randomly bursting into their Coco*Natsu outfits and singing that song.  They are just so fun to watch, I really think Momoclo makes some of the best PVs out there.  The PV increased my liking of this release, like 200%.  It’s just fun and over-the-top, and I love these girls.

Let’s have a look:

We start with the girls shot through heart-shaped garland...

They decorate the cute Kanako like a Christmas tree! This is a vast improvement on any real Christmas tree.

This is Ayaka at her cutest. She might win me over, yet.

This video is full of silliness like this. It's part of what makes Momoclo so charming.

Kanako and Momoka, rocking out with their "instruments". As an aside, I think Momoka's hair style in this is adorable.

I think the boots are the only semi-normal part of the outfits.

We can always count on Momoiro Clover to be a little over the top. Those skirts are really something.

Ayaka is king of the mountain! And by king I mean queen, and by mountain, I mean pile of idols.

Reni is pretty in her purple kimono...

Correction, Reni WAS pretty in her purple kimono. I'm not afraid to admit that I had no idea what was going on here!

The random slow-motion scenes were reminicent of Coco*Natsu...

I think Momoka and Shiori are the cutest girls in the group. <3

They pile presents on Shiori as she goes around the room.

Kanako looks way too excited to give Shiori cake.

.... That's why. These scenes were really cute, even if they already did it in Mirai e Susume.

Shiori had these tiny little braids in her bob in this video. I thought they were so cute!

So eventually the song gets so much like Coco*Natsu that they just break right into that song, horrible outfits and all. I laughed at the tribute, but would have preferred that this part be a little shorter.

More cake-smashing! I love how Momoka looks a little horrified and Shiori just looks so proud of herself.

It's OK, Momoka! You are so pretty! <3

Shiori is a little overzealous when she smashes Reni. Duck and cover, Momoka!

Reni takes it very well. I don't know who looks more happy about it, Reni or Shiori.

And that's it! Time to awkwardly hold the finishing pose!

So anyway, overall, even though this wasn’t their best song, it was still a decent B-side and the video was very entertaining.  It’ll make a cute addition to any J-pop Christmas mixes, if that’s your thing.  If not, hey, we still have the fantastic C-side Bionic Cherry.  It’s a shame that one won’t have a video, because after this PV, I really wanted more Momoclo to watch.

–Jess♫