Who tells Atarashii Gakko what to do? Insights from a coffee commercial with AJ Hartley. AG chat #10

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[@gjunky1513]

I've been a fan of certain idol groups in particular the groups of Hello!Project. My favorite being Morning Musume. Morning Musume's concept is be 'The girl next door' type of idols. One thing you are absolutely correct about, is that in the 26 years they have been active, they still very much a product of what Hello!Project wants us to see. With Atarashii Gakko we get what the members want us to see. Suzuka, the one girl that does not need to wear glasses as a visual aid, chooses to wear glasses as part of her stage persona. Their chosen sailor uniform is one of the most basic uniforms a school can choose to have their students wear. Even then, AG chooses to wear them as if they are following school rules. By that I mean they are choosing to be less attractive by wearing the skirt below the knee. Managers of idol groups will usually try to sell the image of a cute girl in short skirt. One defunct idol group literally described their image as the "The shortest skirts in the idol industry". AG are purposefully choosing to look less attractive are still able to attract by their motto of "personality and freedom". They are amazing.

[@AndrewHartley]

Totally agree. I love how they push the boundaries of the form, balancing commercial appeal and their own creative impulses.

[@criseldasamson2470]

AG! One of a kind! 🔥🔥🔥🔥 Salute to these four unique, authentic, talented and very entertaining ladies from Japan.

[@shokoo.1300]

Hi! I’m Japanese and I recently see their commercial footage on TV. Still, I hadn’t found that AG choreographed by themselves until I listened to your explanation. Actually, it’s very rare in Japan. It would be happy if the CM director expected something from them and thought much of their ideas.

[@AndrewHartley]

Yes, I thought so too. Thank you!

[@funnytoss]

Finally got around to checking out this fascinating behind-the-scenes view; thanks for bringing it to our attention! There are many great producer-centric groups (such as BABYMETAL) out there and we generally know how that works, but artist-focused groups like AG seem to be much rarer and it is really interesting to to see how their creative/zany brand in a sense is what these commercial projects actually want, where you *want* them to come up with something that your own advertising/marketing team might not be able to create themselves.

[@AndrewHartley]

Right? I can't wait to see them next month :)

[@funnytoss]

@@AndrewHartley they unfortunately aren't visiting Taiwan during their Asia festival tour stops. But I think they're on a good upwards trajectory that should indicate we may seem them around soon enough!

[@bleedsmetal]

Thank you for expanding my world.

[@AndrewHartley]

My pleasure!

[@roberthradek7100]

AG ARE the directors of others. They also do choreography for other groups. Here kzbin.info/www/bejne/g6Ham2qpoNqMeNE is one where they show off the Choreo they did for HeySayJump's "Negative Fighter", and here kzbin.info/www/bejne/l3m7pK2uga5sp9E is where you see them directing Magicour to do a dance for "Wanna Gonna". It's funny because Mizyu is dancing along with them and after the dance is over, Magicour is gasping for breath while Mizyu is bouncing around. Yes, they are a very anti-idol idol group, and even if they may have started out of the Asobisystem, I think they have garnered enough respect to do their own thing. Also, when there are pictures of the members holding hands with a boy on the internet, no one cares and there aren't calls for them to leave the group like in Korean or other Japanese groups.

[@AndrewHartley]

Agreed. I forgot about the HeySay choreo. I'd love to see footage of them building their choreography from scratch.

[@otobokegaijin6218]

Japanese sets always have lots of personnel: management agency and record label people, all sorts of folks from the company whose product is being advertised, the ad agency people, tech staff and others from the production company, and assorted unidentifiable individuals. Coincidentally I saw this commercial this evening, very good slot in primetime. The "soiya" will be familiar from Babymetal's "Karate". AG were asked in an interview with Suntory if they say "soiya" in their daily lives, and Suzuka replied all the time, such as when she gets up in the morning and when she goes to the toilet. Evidently no one tells AG what to say either.

[@AndrewHartley]

Yes, I saw that too. Pretty funny. And, as you say, on brand.

[@lencooke944]

A really cool video. You have simply provided another reason for me to believe that AG are unique. I can't think of another outfit that comes close to what AG is doing. I live in hope that one day they will have a big enough following to make it worth their while to slip in a tour down under.

[@AndrewHartley]

Glad you enjoyed it! I think there's no question that they'll come to you soon. They are just getting started. I was amazed how quickly their US shows sold out.

[@thedrbooty2691]

AG move through projects with different partners incredibly fast. They're pretty punk rock, and the polar opposite of a studio-produced act. I really get the feeling that they have been planning, dreaming, and working very hard together from a very young age. It's remarkable how "industry savvy" they are and how they never get tied down to one producer, distributor, or studio. They recorded an album with Money Mark, and after they left he seems to have given them the rights to "Intergalactic" to record a little cover track. Think of how much money a #1 Grammy Award winning song must be worth! AG played it off like they were doing HIM a favor!

[@AndrewHartley]

I suspect the licensing is more restrictive than giving them the rights, but I take your point. Their energy and innovative creativity is certainly remarkable.

[@minamihideki7123]

It's a fun / interesting making of video with your commentary. 'ソイラテ' (Soi-rate) is apparently a name of café latte made from soy milk. And it's also a pun on it and the Japanese word, 'soiya'.

[@AndrewHartley]

Yes! I meant to say more about that 'soiya' encouragement shout but forgot :)

[@joelmartincrawford]

Great video. Thank you. I’ve been very impressed by them. They really are becoming something special. And when in doubt, just let Suzuka go nuts lol.

[@AndrewHartley]

Couldn't agree more!

[@glenkelley6799]

Very interesting. AG seems to be consummate professionals that have honed their skills to the point that they all know what the others are thinking/doing. Their talent for improvising seems natural and easy for them. BTW, when is the sequel HIDEKI coming out (it only lasted one day)?

[@AndrewHartley]

You read it in a day?! I guess that's good. But the next one will be a while yet :) Oh, and if you liked the first one, please post a review :)

[@glenkelley6799]

@@AndrewHartley Day and a night. Where do you post reviews? (BTW, my reviews probably tend more in the vain of "This is really, really, really good"

[@AndrewHartley]

@@glenkelley6799 Authors love reviews like that :) Amazon, Good Reads, anywhere, really, but those two get the most attention.

[@glenkelley6799]

@@AndrewHartleyShould be able to find one of those, thanks

[@ralfklonowski3740]

It does indeed look like they are at liberty to just work it out on the fly. And they have the skills to do it. Taking Suzuka up on the shoulders, doing some flashy dance moves and then letting her down again is one fluent motion. Two short sentences, a bit of eye communication and off they go into a gorgeous koordinated (!) dance sequence - only to vary it ten seconds later, everything looking natural and easy. They must have practiced countless poses and the transitions between them to the point where they don't need to think about all that and just dance because it is engrained in their system. Much the same as learning an instrument or the way you described Hideki Smith's sword training, for that matter. As you pointed out, making it look that easy is a lot of work, each for herself on the basics as well as them all practicing together. By now, they are a well oiled machine as they are, and telling them what to do would be like throwing a spanner into the gears. Why would you want to do that? I just have this weird daydream where the Soya company hires Babymetal to do a commercial based on Megitsune with new lyrics (Soya, Soya, Soya!). Or Metali; the might kick aside a coffee table before proffing the bottles. As always, professor, thanks a lot for sharing you insights and pointing these little gems out to us!

[@AndrewHartley]

I am currently learning more about how they work and will hopefully have a new video in teh works soon. Fascinating stuff.

[@ralfklonowski3740]

@@AndrewHartley Looking forward to it.👍

[@cuttysark8017]

AG are the hardest working group in J-pop. They endorse a lot of products, from Crocs to noodles and now coffee drinks in addition to everything else they do. Product placement seems to be part of their DNA as early on they did a remix of a bubblegum jingle, so while they might not be idol they truly started with bubblegum music ;-) AG have been doing adverts for a long time so their skills are probably well known in the industry and they will be in even higher demand now that they have some level of fame. Also AG look like good value for money if you get choreographers and performers all in one and they are probably hired for that very reason. There are several interview videos where AG are shown developing the dances and they will bounce ideas off each other and Mizyu diagrams the dance moves and ideas in note books. I imagine they use video to record each dance as well, and given the number of dances they have developed the documentation will be very important.

[@AndrewHartley]

Agreed. I had forgotten about those early ads, but yes: Bubblegum pop, indeed :) I'd love to be a fly on the wall in the rehearsals studio to see how they build a routine from scratch and see how long it takes.

[@gokairedwillcipher]

88rising just let them do what they want XD

[@AndrewHartley]

I hope so :)

[@garytruex9336]

Thanx, super interesting!

[@AndrewHartley]

Glad you liked it!

[@DeePal072]

"SOYA, SOYA, SOYA!" ... I'm surprised it's not a BM commercial 😂! Seriously, they've nailed it, they clearly have such a good team work, they can "easily" come up with something that can fit perfectly this job, refining it right on spot, that says a lot 😮

[@AndrewHartley]

Right? Great stuff.

[@paul_laws]

This piece actually raised questions for me. I was mad for AG a couple of years ago but I haven't really been following them as closely recently! Am I a fan of AG or did I just REALLY like Otona Blue? Perhaps I have idol-bias and just don't realise it.

[@AndrewHartley]

Do you have more of their stuff? I recommend diving into their first 2 albums. It's great stuff. And the new EPs have been really strong too.

[@hombremanq]

Estupendo video, y genial tu análisis... es sorprendente entender el espíritu de las cosas simplemente observando sus formas, me gustan tus videos por eso, porque aprendo a mirar de otra forma... saludos desde Chile

[@AndrewHartley]

Gracias. Me alegro mucho de que encuentres interesantes estos vídeos!

[@hedobannord1184]

So cool, this makes me liking AG! even more. And I usually don't watch andy commercials but these are really funny. 🙂 The product itself sounds a but strange though - probably something very japanese...

[@AndrewHartley]

Glad you enjoyed it! Yes, I think it's a latte made with soy milk, and therefore packing a little protein.

[@channelmasakazu6823]

Soy（大豆）と祭のかけ声のsoiya!をかけてるんだよ。 言葉遊びなんです。 言葉遊びをするとCMを見た人の気に留まるという監督の考えなのだと思います。

[@AndrewHartley]

その通りだと思う。

[@user-hk4wy5pl6n]

To illustrate some of your points: 10:23 at the end of this segment, where Suzuka improvises an over-the-top embellishment, the director says “cut” and then “dame” (meaning “no good”) and everyone, including the crew, extras, product and production executives, and AG themselves, LOL. Which only indicates a high level of respect and a lot of that sort of back and forth that had been happening heretofore. 12:38 at the end of this segment, one can hear the loud murmur of appreciation, of many voices, that indicate their satisfaction and even amazement, with how things are going. 13:17 notice how this take differed from, and was their own improvement upon, the previous take. And then Mizyu (Suzuka is the on-stage, public leader, but Mizyu is the oldest, and therefore the actual leader) views the playback, and grants artistic approval for that final cut.

[@AndrewHartley]

Yes, exactly. Totally agree. Good point about Mizyu speaking for the group. Thanks!

[@user-hk4wy5pl6n]

I'm back with an addendum: An AG fan posted a clip from a Dec. 12 broadcast of News Every (Nippon TV's weekday evening news program) featuring 6 mins. of AG as international cultural ambassadors for Japan. At &t=4m43s, live on the studio set, AG is invited to contribute a pose to represent the News Every program. Without hesitation AG gets right into it and after a few iterations---taking less than 30 seconds---they present their impromptu version. Brilliantly. All the show's presenters (there seems to be 6) gasp and make the same approving noises as at the Soy Latte shoot. One of them exclaims at &t=5m24s "it's amazing, and so quickly". As an aside, I note Kanon's role in the development of this improvisation. She initiated the seminal idea, and as the other members introduced and discarded their own ideas, they kept returning to Kanon's. I've seen her take that role in more than this incident, leading me to believe that they work this collaboratively and quickly all the time. They have such talent and experience and trust in each other that they suggest ideas but are quick to shelve them on their own when a better idea seems to be working. There is no pride of authorship here.

[@user-hk4wy5pl6n]

Also, I want to add a more nuanced observation of Mizyu as leader. Perhaps she can be seen as the executive leader, and Suzuka as artistic director. In the segment referenced above, where Mizyu "grants artistic approval", she only does so after Suzuka grunts her approval. Mizyu is the quintessential Japanese leader who leads by consensus. In an interview, she calls herself the program director. In any case, she seems to have the last say.

[@AndrewHartley]

@@user-hk4wy5pl6n Super interesting. Thanks! I totally agree. Their collective intellect/creativity and independence make for a great combination. I think they may truly be unique as an act of this kind, and it bodes well for the future. Great stuff.

[@johnschultz7765]

I've never cared for soy in my coffee. But they do present a forceful incentive. And despite seeing them in a working setting rather than just performing, like Babymetal, I not sure we saw them out of character.

[@AndrewHartley]

Yeah, their on stage persona seems crucially rooted in their actual personalities.