Music Video for “JAB!”, an original project track by music producer Xansei. Built from footage shot in LA, with red and blue planes added to the composition. Glitch effects were sometimes used. The aim was to emphasize the decadent world and occult atmosphere of the track through the visuals as well. Meanwhile, Xansei himself directly approached us after resonating with Renki Yamazaki’s “CONTINUITY” series from the One Shot a Day project. It can be said that this MV came to be because the worlds of the song and the visuals were originally adjacent to each other. Needless to say, the music remains the true centerpiece of the MV. However, this MV made us feel the possibility that the visuals and the music could stand on equal footing. In other words, it gave us an opportunity to reconsider how the visuals in an MV might avoid being “closed off” within the MV itself.

This piece was created with the concept of naturally conveying the atmosphere of the manga Witch Watch even to people encountering it for the first time. Nico’s innocent magic-driven chaos and her sincere feelings for Morihito are portrayed through pop graphics and fast-paced motion. The song was interpreted as a love song from Nico to Morihito, and the structure was designed to convey the warmth of that emotion. Rather than simply using footage from the anime, we reworked it with inspiration from the design of the manga volumes, redesigning the entire screen so that it would evoke the unique feel of Witch Watch. My role centered on overall direction, as well as the final composite and some of the motion graphics. The aim was to create an MV that offers original fans the pleasure of “getting it,” while giving first-time viewers a reason to think, “I want to watch this.” Each audience has its own point of entry.

I captured as a documentary on film the events from the artist (mejifunny)’s college days. The death of a friend and a breakup with his girlfriend. I infused the direction with a sense of transience, using chaotic emotions as the theme. Through many discussions with the artist, I created this work while also processing my own past memories and experiences. ~The feelings I put into it~ My girlfriend, whom I broke up with three years ago. The days I spent with her in my student years—faint, painful, childish, yet somehow happy. I’m sure I will forget these feelings someday. But there is still a nostalgic, sad feeling somewhere inside me. During the preparation period for this work, I thought about those things as I made it. My first MV work, created in my 10th month since I started filming.

One morning, the cyborg girl Pulse was awakened by a phone call from her boss, Mr. Higekuma. It seems that a large number of enemies had appeared in the city. Pulse, who works part-time in the Good Deeds Department, heads out into the city with a Game Boy in hand.