Top 10 Weirdest Japanese Pop Videos That'll Make You Say WTF
I know the most WTF music video of this year is from China, but if you’ve ever seen a really weird music video and thought “WTF did I just watch?”, it was probably a Japanese pop video.
And before you accuse me of not understanding a different culture and being utterly culturally insensitive: I’m not – they’re just geuinely completely weird. Here therefore, are the Top 10 of the weirdest, for your viewing pleasure.
10.AKB48 – Aitakatta
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7foG62jNMU]
I’ve picked this because it’s the largest pop group in Japan and one of the highest grossing pop acts in the world: $200 million in sales in 2011 alone (compare this to Justin Bieber at around $100 million in 2010 and you get an idea of how popular they are). Consisting of 64 girls from early teens to mid–20s, the group was originally formed from around 8,000 hopeful applicants, whittled down to 24, and has been growing ever since (replacing members as they “graduate”).
9.Maiyahi
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7n2xxME86U]
Ah what the hell – here’s the original Numa Numa song, as interpreted in Japanese to be cats playing a drinking game. Obviously.
8.PONPONPON
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pb3IdLdIc6s]
PonPonPon by Kyari Pamyu Pamyu? Well that makes sense. A more recent title that seem to be deliberately playing on our love of weirdness. The title may seem weird enough, but wait until you see the actual video. As one YouTuber commenter puts it: “this is what you see if you could take the entire country of Japan and grind it into a fine powder, and snort it all in one go.”
7.Nodame’s Fart Exercises
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3ooduawmAs]
Ok, not pop, but still a music video for kids. Words fail me though – I give up. Here’s my translation of the first few lines:Let’s make a good one, let’s make a good sounding one
Do-re-mi-fa pu pu pu; Waaa/The big ones, the small ones,Whatever – they’re all the same/Put your hands on your hip, come on let’s go! Hey, hey, puuuuuu~
I’ll leave it there, shall I?
6.Sailor Fuku o Nugasanaide
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwm8Zskinsg]
This one is from 1985, and it’s the lyrics that make this song beyond ridiculous. The words are as follows: “don’t make me take my off my (sailor) school uniform. It’s not time yet. You’ll just have to wait”. Yup, totally serious
5.Vegeta-rhythm
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKKT7zE_0Zg]
Took me a while to read the title of this one, but indeed this is an ode to vegetables. I love the fact that they went to trouble of recreating a supermarket shelf in 2/3rd size to make the kids look bigger. It looks like this might have been released only as a mobile ringtone, so if you absolutely must have this song, use a YouTube to MP3 converter to grab it.
4. Numa Numa: Remixed by a Japanese dude in drag
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toQQGmYekj8]
Heh. Remember that awesome Numa Numa song? Sorry to have reminded you then. After a particularly viral interpretation of the words in Japanese, it hit mainstream pop. Maeken, a popular drag comedian at the time, did this amazing cover as a schoolgirl with a crush on their teacher. If you can’t tell who the dude is (and I totally understand – the dancing gyaru look equally like drag queens), it’s the one at the front, wearing a blue jumper.
3.Hinoi Team – Night of Fire
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTBlKRzNf74]
World, meet the craze known as Para Para, a catchy mix of happy hardcore and trance set to talentless girls who dance with their hands alone, sometimes looking disturbingly like an air hostess giving safety instruction. A few years ago, you could still see high school drop outs standing in front of train stations practising this (the large glass fronts make for great mirrors apparently), so definately something to look out for if you’re ever over there. Popular because anyone can do it; have a go!
2.DJ OZMA – Drinkin’ Boys
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hySoCSoH-g8]
A dance party anthem by 2006 star DJ Ozma. There’s no frontal exposure in the video, but it’s still very much a not-safe-for-work.
1.Dir en Grey – Obscure
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUtKNtJlUM4]
Dir en Grey are a 90s visual-kei rock band, which basically means gothy metal trash with an emphasis on the presentation elements (read: lots of makeup). Unlike most of the videos here, this is so far removed from cute; and very much NSFW. I don’t blame you if you skip over this one, it may give you nightmares.
(source:makeuseof.com)
