Suika Baby
Not Yet's 4th single has something in store for everyone
29 May, 2012 by Mus
AKB48 sub-unit Not Yet is back, this time releasing a new single on May 30th. Titled Suika Baby (transliterated to Watermelon Baby), it will be the fourth single in the swiftly rising sub-unit’s discography. Following the solid Pera Pera Perao, does Suika Baby live up to the expectations, or does it fall flat?
The cover for Type A.
Opinions are split amongst the fans about the answer to that question. The guitar driven melody is a little overdone, and as a result the song sounds rather generic. The chorus however, is catchy, and would probably bounce around in a listener’s head after a while.
Type B's cover.
Fans would also be delighted to hear the solo lines that each member is allocated. Due to the small nature of the group, it’s easy to split the lines and still maintain the group dynamic. Of course, solo lines also mean solo shots in the promotional video, of which there are a lot.
The promotional video for Suika Baby is probably the most interesting of the whole package. The beginning feels rather uncharacteristic, with the girls walking out to a group of foreign journalists waiting to snap a picture. The classy image fades however, once they get out of the public eye.
Type C also has Yokoyama Yui's solo song.
It’s hard not to feel like the video is a parody of older music videos (think Duran Duran); instead of trashing the classy hotel setting in the usual way however, Not Yet does it through their own quirky celebration, complete with bathtub scene and ultraviolet lights. And it’s all seemingly staged inside the privacy of the hotel suite.
The regular / Type D cover.
The tracklist of the singles has something for everyone. Kitahara Rie wrote the lyrics for one of the tracks on Type B, guilty love. May on Type C is Yokoyama Yui’s solo song, with a style reminiscent of old j-pop classics. Lovers of the old AKB48 sub-unit ICE would also be interested in the re-make of Aisareru to iu Koto by Not Yet.
Overall, Suika Baby would probably not interest many who aren’t already invested in the group or its members. However, the other songs in the tracklist will provide the needed boost to persuade fans to sink some money into getting a copy.
Click here to search CDJapan for official AKB48 goods.Click here to search CDJapan for Suika Baby and other related items.
Writer who also doubles as the photographer during event coverage. Mus' interests in Japan lie in the language, literature, popular culture and underground rock bands. Having an academic background in Japan, Mus is also particularly interested in the study of Nihonjinron.
