It has been a great few weeks for MNL48's first sub-unit Baby Blue.
The sub-unit composed of Jan Elaurza, Coleen Trinidad, and Amy Isidto never wasted time as they went on to release their first single "Sweet Talking Sugar" last September 1. The fresh tune and vocal prowess of the members ruled the song, which made an immediate impact across the MNL48 fandom and the P-Pop community.
Expectations went high as the days went on, with a major culminating point reached yesterday as its official music video (MV) was released. Directed by Carlo Manatad who masterminded the MVs for "Palusot Ko'y Maybe" and "365 Araw ng Eroplanong Papel", it was a treat to behold for the fans despite constraints set by the ongoing pandemic. But did it truly deliver and satisfy?
In the first edition of "Thinking Out Loud", our writers sat down to give insights about what went good, bad, and all in between about the music video.
p0tAt0cHip
The "yay" things: The music video was high in terms of quality and production, and its simplicity in terms of the graphics and editing became a unique quality of the video.
The "nay" things: I did not like particularly some of the movements of the girls in the music video, and the part where there was only the spotlight. I felt like some of it was unnecessary, and should have been shot better.
What shocked you: Honestly, I didn’t find anything unexpected because I expected the music video to be good and it turned out well.
Verdict (1 lowest, 5 highest): 4
John Rabelas
The "yay" things: At first glance it's a visual masterpiece, nice color blend, and the doodles are a good touch.
The "nay" things: A bit too schizoid tone-wise, some blank frames, and weird cuts (or lack of).
What shocked you: That it would good for what it is considering the context of things.
Verdict (1 lowest, 5 highest): 4.7
Teddy C.
The "yay" things: Creative use of color hues, ranging from pastel backgrounds, to retro limelights to use of aesthetic elements (i.e. palm plants, “random” luggage against a solid background). As expected from Plan C, the use of retro limelights was like a trademark for them, evident when they shot similar sequences for “365 Araw ng Eroplanong Papel”.
The "nay" things: Excessive cuts within the music video, especially with the individual artist sequences. Could be improved with more smooth transitions, like Jan using her hand to “pan” the lens to another scene.
What shocked you: The frame-by-frame doodles etched within the visuals of the performers. This is reminiscent of the music video for “Where Are U Now” by Justin Bieber, and while the sequence seems pretty simple, the technical aspect makes it more difficult, as artists would have to make several doodle sequences that match every frame of the video. It might not be as detailed as other “doodle sequences” counterparts per se, but a quaint and nice addition to the music video.
Verdict (1 lowest, 5 highest): 4.9
ZeroRyuu
The "yay" things: I like the subtle but smart color coding of each member. The minimalist approach of the MV due to the pandemic concerns but turned out great here. There was good screen time for each member, good transitions and on-point camera angles.
The "nay" things: There was no proper theme in mind. For example, they introduced the girls as fierce and independent, then it transitioned to strong and powerful women then it went to mushy and cutesy, then went back to angst/edgy then back to cutesy again. It might be okay but it just left a bad taste in the mouth, like eating a salad with too much sugar on it. (pun intended) There are also too much black frames on some parts and doodling could have used more there.
What shocked you: To pull off something good like this is already unexpected on so many levels, though the smart use of what they have (more likely the language and the dress where from the girls themselves) and the good angles were a nice presentation. The bad unexpected part is the "story telling" which I was actually expecting the most from Plan C seeing how they made PKM and 365 ANEP's story line great. Maybe the song just doesn't have a story, or does it? Who knows?
Verdict (1 lowest, 5 highest): 4.8
NC
The "yay" things: It's a visual treat, your eyes won't get bored. Likely to hook you from start to end.
The "nay" things: Looks odd in some cuts and frames.
What shocked you: The dark and doodly cuts were an unexpected but welcome surprise as I sort of expected an sweet and cute tone for the music video. But overall it's still something I recommend everyone to watch at least once.
Verdict (1 lowest, 5 highest): 4.9
Yonacchi
The "yay" things: Everything's superb especially the aesthetics and the natural singing voices of the members.
The "nay" things: The blinking lights and flash kind of made my eyes dizzy.
What shocked you: A bit of some Easter eggs of sorts, but what could it that be?
Verdict (1 lowest, 5 highest): 4.5
Kent Garcia
The "yay" things: The color grading is great and all of the members were given enough exposure on the video. The doodle-like graphics also made it more visually pleasing and added more color.
The "nay" things: There's no story whatsoever and some camera angles are odd.
What shocked you: I didn't expect an MV of this quality in the first place so it was a pleasant surprise as far as I'm concerned.
Verdict (1 lowest, 5 highest): 4.5
DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and does not reflect the views held by the entirety of PAKSA MNL and fellow MNLoves.
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