Greetings. I'm gonna spare the long introduction and just say that I'm Amethyst's creator and I've been invited by Amethyst herself (ironic, isn't it?) to do a review of the PVs from Ayumi's latest album GUILTY. I kinda find it silly that she wanted me to do this for her considering she could have done it herself, but in any case I'm not complaining. This is Ayumi we're talking about. And like Amethyst, I'm a big fan of hers.

This will be the first part of a series of reviews on the PVs included in the GUILTY album DVD. Note: I'm excluding glitter / fated because I don't really have much to say about either of the PVs. So let's start off with our first PV, Talkin' 2 Myself.

Talkin' 2 Myself

This song is heavier and darker than some of Ayu's recent ones. And so is this video.


The first thing you hear? Crackling flames as they lick the debris of a crumbling, destitute city.


The trees are dead. Whole branches fall off alight in flames.


The city lies in ruins. Fire and smoke is everywhere in this PV. Yet there are still people who inhabit this place, the expressions on their faces as grim and sombre as their surroundings. The effects of a natural disaster? Doubtful. The devastation of war? Most probably.


What is this place? I'm not sure what language that is, but it looks like a South Asian script, ie. India.


Notice the searchlights? Okay, you probably can't see them very clearly in this shot, but try watching the PV. They're everywhere. Other than doubling as stage lights for Ayumi and her dancers here, they also lend credence to my theory that this city is in the midst of war.

Searchlights were used extensively in defense against nighttime aerial bomber raids around the time of World War II. In particular, pairs of searchlights spaced a known distance apart were used to determine (via triangulation) the altitude of enemy bombers, so that the fuses on anti-aircraft flak shells could be set appropriately for maximum effect. In addition, the lights may have helped blind bombardiers using optical bombsights.

Source: Wikipedia

Aerial bomber raids could have caused all this destruction.




And of course, there's Ayumi.


Observing a group of children playing football(soccer for you Americans). Their joyful and carefree nature is in stark contrast to the gloomy atmosphere.



A boy falls down. A friend helps him up. It's nice to have friends there for you, isn't it?


I like this shot right here. Rain pounding on a weathered old jeep.


And Ayumi keeps on singing and dancing come rain or shine.


One final glance back at us.

A nice, dark PV from Ayumi. My only complaint is probably her choice of outfit - looks a little too butch. But the setting and tone of the PV fits the song perfectly. Great job, Ayu!

Watch the PV!