Directed and produced the music video for virtual singer “Yunagi Ushio” (@yng_ushio). With “soft aggression” as the central theme, we pursued choreography that expresses immature negative emotions. By linking shots that remain open to multiple interpretations, we aimed to create imagery in which the predicative elements of each shot—verbs and adjectives associated with the motifs—come to the fore, without relying on the reading of symbolic motifs.

A collection of video works produced by Imahara Denki in 2017

Since this was the music video for the opening theme of the hit anime *Ya Boy Kongming!*, we prepared costumes inspired by all kinds of party people. I thought this was the kind of project that avex is often known for, where they force a Japanese cover onto a foreign dance track like MAX’s “TACATA’” or DA PUMP’s “U.S.A.,” so rather than making it feel like a standard female idol dance MV, I wanted it to have a sort of joke-like quality. That’s why I took the feel of a Para Para instruction video, or those avex trance MEGAMIX videos that were everywhere in the ’90s and 2000s, and warped it through a 2022 sensibility to create a kind of outrageous spectacle you’ve never seen before. The background is constantly shimmering and insanely acidic, creating a totally incomprehensible cutting-edge design where momentum, madness, coolness, lameness, and stylishness all exist at the same time. The animation near the end, which shows Shibuya—the setting of *Ya Boy Kongming!*—being covered in hearts by a kaiju’s heart attack, was created by Rapparu!!!!! Thanks to this animation, the MV gained so much depth and became a very moving piece of footage. Rapparu’s animation is truly the best.

To express a world that has become the future while retaining the retro feel of the Showa era, we used a combination of low-poly and GI techniques. It also pairs well with retro-style sound effects and audio sources, and although one purpose behind the low-poly production was to significantly shorten the production schedule, I believe that, in the end, it allowed us to draw out the song and the artist’s worldview within the limited time available.