Perfume are "Challenger" with their new music video for "Challenger", by the competition winner who is also "Challenger", because we are "Challenger".

Perfume have finally released the music video for "Challenger". A music video which comes as a result of an open competition for fans to create the concept and be in with a chance to have it immortalised as an official Perfume video.

The winner of this competition was 11 year old Hiroto.

I wasn't keen on this video at first, mainly because it felt so basic and like something we've seen these girls do many times before. We got this type of video with "Glitter". We got it with "Saisei". We got it with "Tokyo Girl". We even got it with the TV commercial they shot for Uniqlo. It would have been nice to have gotten something a bit different and more creative. But the more I watch it, the more I warm to it.

The sentiment behind the concept is really sweet and captures the essence of the song, and that feeling of transitioning into a new phase - which is perfect given that "Challenger" is the closure of a chapter in Perfume's career. I just wish there were a little more to it than Perfume walking around on cubes in space. Then again Perfume walking around on cubes is very on-brand for the girls and P³ (P Cubed), which is probably part of why they chose it.

For Perfume to open the creation of this video up to a competition was amazing though and I do adore that they chose the concept of an 11 year old fan. For Hiroto to have his idea become an official Perfume music video is something that he'll never forget and it'll live on forever, which in itself is a reflection of his own concept of connection and time.

Surprisingly, I actually like this Mario Kart sounding ass song. Yes, it sounds like a Pamyu Pamyu song, as far too many of Perfume's songs have as of late. But as with the video, the context and the story behind the song makes it better. The video concept is going to be an easy one for them to work into live performance too. All they gotta do is get the Rhizomatiks to project a YouTube video of space onto some screens.

I actually wanted to enter the "Challenger" contest, as I had a whole ass idea. But I lost track of time and missed the deadline. Maybe I'll share my idea in a future post when my ass can be bothered to storyboard the bitch.