Hey! Say! JUMP - Mayonaka no Shadow Boy PV review

Well another day another PV review. Since it will be hard to get them all done before the end of the month I think I will just do one a day from now on until May and then have what I have left be something I can fall back on when I have nothing else to post for a day.

Today's PV is Hey! Say! JUMP's Mayonaka no Shadow Boy PV. This song was the theme song of the drama series Scrap Teacher that starred Yamada Ryosuke, Nakajima Yuto, Chinen Yuri and Arioka Daiki and was the origin of the Junior group B.I.Shadow as the three original members of the group, Nakajima Kento, Kikuchi Fuma and Takahata Misaki were all regular cast members in the drama as well.

This PV is the start of HSJ's move towards a more mature sound but without straying too far from what they had already released on their previous singles.

I remember when the PV came out and how it was stressed that this was the first PV HSJ got to do that had some kind of story line in it. And while it is not much of one it was a nice change of pace. We pretty much start the PV with the boys on the run and taking a break in a hotel.

Escape from the pedos.

Yamada of course has moved to be the front man, or I guess Ace would be the idol term for it, of the group.  And it is understandable why, because TV exposure is so key to gaining popularity and Yamada had been getting plenty of that from his drama roles.

Because Arioka knows everyone loves a sharp dressed man.

Because Yamada, Yuto, Chinen and Arioka had roles in the drama this song had the tie-in for they got the main focus of the PV. In a way it pretty much set up who would get the main focus of the group over time though that has been shifting a bit as other members get work that helps boost their popularity or Johnny's decides to push them during it for promotion.

Still need to work on that in sync thing.

Even though we have a story for this PV we still get a dance portion, though we do not see much of it. The moves are more complex like Your Seed but much more with the hand gestures. And I think I have gained a greater appreciation of HSJ's current dance skill level as it has improved a lot since these early days.

Vain vanity. 

Rather love how when everyone is in the hotel rooms Takaki Yuya seeks out the mirrors and fixes his hair.

"Shadow."

Mayonaka no Shadow Boy was the song that started the trend of having a pause for a members, which was Yamada for the vast majority of the time, to say something. For this song we get "shadow" as the spoken word.

It's not nice to point Yabu.

And I forgot how tiny Chinen used to be. I think it is more apparent with this PV as this was about the time just about all the other members of Hey! Say! 7 had growth spurts but seemingly Chinen and Yamada.

Laying in bed, looking at Inoo...

I do like this panning shot that moves through some of the rooms. Though I do kinda wish they did something more with it with the boys instead of them be still.

Watching for the pedos.

Morimoto Ryutaro seems to be the only boy that decided to be useful and kept a look out for everyone. He of course spots the three black clad men coming to the hotel and signals to his roommate, Okamoto Keito, for them to leave.

The last we see of his adorable boy phase in a PV.

While I remember Yamada getting his "shadow" line I actually had forgotten that Yuto got one too later on. Which makes sense as he had one of the larger roles in the drama. This is last PV he gets featured more than Chinen until Super Delicate, which he can thank for his drama for as well.

Yabu found something suspiciously wet on his bed.

After that all the boys either are seen reacting to seeing/hearing the men approach or getting up and going.

Already making his fan girls swoon.

While the rest of the group runs Yamada keeps his cool and does not move from his chair. And when the men find his door just smirks.

"Hurry! He escaped through the closed window!"

And the PV ends with the shadowy figures entering Yamada's room to find it empty and the drapes of the closed window blowing a bit.


It is not a bad PV though I do not think it is one of their more memorable ones. Out of their singles from their first album this PV is the one I remember the least about, partly because Hitomi no Screen was very much in the same tone as this was and had more compelling cinematography with it than this which makes me remember it more.

Probably the most disheartening think about this PV is the reminder that is would take over a year before we got their next single and PV. I would really love to know what Johnny's was thinking when they did that.