Sunday 4 September 2011

A Refreshing Way to End Summer - Hapirapi ~Sunrise~

As you all know, all opinions are my own! So please respect that, and have an enjoyable day!



Kikkawa Yuu's second single, Happyrapi ~Sunrise~ finally has a full PV, and once again Kikka shows us her charms through this refreshing, end-of-summer PV with a catchy summer tune.

This is another PV that I've been waiting for - not as impatiently as Morning Musume's PVs, but I have still been waiting for this one, and the wait has really payed off - what we have here is a very natural, simple PV, much like Mano Erina's My Days For You, which Kikka really fits. From start to finish, I was simply charmed by Kikkawa and how natural all of this comes to her. She looks amazing, and she sings this song beautifully.


I heard this song for the first time a while back, so when the PV came out, it was still kind of new to me - but the song didn't take too long to sink in, because after my first listen whilst watching the PV, the song was pretty much embedded into my head - the tune is quite catchy, and Kikka's sweet voice is a pleasure to listen to, so it's nice to have this song going through my head even when it isn't playing. My favourite part has to be the chorus where the instrumental becomes up-beat and energetic - I feel like copying Kikka's dance and jumping around sometimes, to be honest.


After listening to this song a few more times, I find that this isn't exactly a summer tune - it's more like an end of Summer tune, and I feel that Kikka creates a great atmosphere through the song where I feel like there is a nostalgia of the summer that has just gone whilst we welcome in the bright Autumn that awaits us with open arms and smiles on our faces.


This song is very cute and refreshing - I find that Kikka really suits this song, and I much prefer it to her debut. She has a great voice and creates the perfect mood for this song, pairing it with her beautiful smile in the video and the energy that she has when she is singing. This is a beautiful song, one that reminds me of Summer's end and Autumn's beginning. Kikkawa really went all out when singing this and shows her fans the strength that she has when singing.


Regarding the PV, I think that it matches the song well - both have a refreshing feeling to them, and when I watch it I can't help but follow Kikka's lead when she smiles. Whenever I look at her face, I'm somewhat overwhelmed by how fresh and youthful she looks - she's still in her early days as a soloist, of course, so she still has an aura about her that tells us she's somewhat new to this, however, still a professional. Every time I look at her in this video, however, I am impressed by the level that she is at - even though she is still new to this scene, she is a lot higher than Mano Erina when it comes to this sort of stuff, in a way.


Now, what I like about this PV is the naturalness of the video. Here, we see a carefree and natural Kikkawa who is having fun during the last few days of summer. She seems completely at home and at peace, like this is where she wants to be this very moment. Her flawless, natural smile and her actions just show the viewer that she's having fun and enjoying her time outside and inside, and in return that makes the video fun for the viewer to watch. We don't only get to see a beautiful soloist at work, we also get a glimpse of this natural, carefree and refreshing girl who is still at the peak of her youth


Even when she dances, we can see that Kikka is having a lot of fun - the dance may be simple and a bit lacking, but it doesn't really take away from the video - we still get to see the radiance of Kikka's smile and the fun that she's having. The amount of jumping that there is in the dance is quite nice, because this is quite a bouncy, energetic song that you just want to jump around to. Kikka just really adds her own flare to it and makes even more energetic and cute.


My favourite parts of this PV, however, are definitely the scenes where Kikka is sitting at the window or walking around outside without lip-synching. She just looks absolutely beautiful and mesmerising - it really reminds me of how I felt when I first watched My Days For You. How Kikka acts in front of the camera and how she portrays her natural, everyday self is really amazing, and it makes me see her in a new way - the song and the video have both really impressed me, and I can safely say that I have become more of a fan of Kikkawa thanks to it.


So to wrap up this post, I will give my final conclusion.

This song is definitely something that fits Kikkawa Yuu to a T. It is light, airy and refreshing, just like she is, and really captures the audience with both the enchanting tune and her beautiful smile. This song has left such a strong impression on me, and as I previously stated, made me become more of a fan towards Kikkawa. I didn't think that the song would affect me in any way. I loved her debut single Kikkake wa YOU, but it didn't move me as much as this single did. Here I saw a natural, carefree Kikka, not an idol in front of the camera, and she has definitely amazed me by how high a level she is as a soloist.


The happiness and the energy that she puts into both the song and the video make it worthwhile to listen to for people of all ages - it is a song that really captures the feeling of the end of summer and the beginning of autumn, and the video really expresses how much effort and love Kikka put into it. You can really tell that she loves her job and that she loves singing - the emotions she portrays through both song and video are strong, and it just makes it a bigger pleasure to listen to over and over and over again.


Kikkawa Yuu is a stunning young woman with a long road ahead of her - this song just proves how strong she is and how far she can go as a soloist. When she debuted, I was worried that she would sing one song and then be forgotten, but this single just proves to us all that she is still here and fighting on. Her voice is amazing, and she really can go far - she's pretty popular already, and she will just keep growing a solid fanbase. If anything, I believe that Kikka could become a very well-known and well-liked soloist in Japan. I really have high hopes for this girl now.


So I will leave you with that. I hope you go and have a listen to this song and think about what you  like about it, and you don't. If you still haven't given this song or video a chance, then please do! You might be pleasently surprised by how much Kikkawa has grown since her last single.

~Chiima

Sadly, I can't find a youtube video of Hapirapi ~Sunrise~, and blogger doesn't use Dailymotion videos (as far as I know) so all I have is a link right now. I apologise.

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