Ayumi Hamasaki declares that it’s “Summer Again”, by giving us wigs on a beach...again

So, I got confused as to when this video was supposed to drop. Because I thought it was dropping on the night of June 1st, after the song hit streaming. But I guess not. Did I get the time of its release wrong? Or did Avex fuck up? Were they late? Can I not tell the time? Was the video not finished in time? Did somebody schedule it wrong on YouTube?

HENNYWAY.

Ayumi Hamasaki has released a new song and video for the summer. And as was the case with “23rd Monster”, she’s really cashing in on the nostalgia.

📺 Watch the music video over at YouTube: Ayumi Hamasaki’s “Summer Again”

Ayu fans will probably live for this song and video because of how familiar they are; because Ayu is giving “Inspire”, “Fairyland”, “Blue Bird”, a bit of “Brilliante” (more so with the second look) and “You & Me”.

It’s nice to see Avex actually giving Ayu budgets for her music videos again. But I feel the same way about this music video as I did “Nonfiction” - I like the concept and the setting, but the execution sells them short. The location is great. The outfits are...well, I wouldn’t call them cool, but they work. But the video as a whole feels so monotonous. Nothing in it is really happening. The cinematography gives nothing. The choreography gives nothing. And we get a whole second setup in some cave which is adding nothing to the music video. And as was also the case with “Nonfiction”, “Summer Again” sees Ayu giving us a whole concept for a video that she’s has done far better in the past.

The music video for “Summer Again” was directed by Hideaki Sunaga, who also directed “Nonfiction”. And the same choreographers worked on both videos too, which explains a lot. Because whilst the videos don’t look the same, they feel the same.

The first setup for Hyolyn’s video for “Waka Boom” gave everything that “Summer Again” shoulda gave.

As for the song?

Gurl.

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💿 Ayu album and EP reviews: Trouble | Colours | Love Again | Party Queen | Five | Love Songs | Rock 'n' Roll Circus | Next Level | Rainbow