MARIYA TAKEUCHI PLASTIC LOVE FULL
For those of you unfamiliar with the concept behind a “Short ver.” music video, let me fill you in in an effort to push physical sales of a DVD album tie-in release, Japanese labels will often share “Short ver.” music videos that give viewers a taste of the full video, promoting the idea that they should go buy the full release. Warner Music Japan uploading a “Short ver.” music video is blatantly tone deaf to the global movement that shot “Plastic Love” into the public eye once more.
That’s all great, but this is where the biggest issue comes into play, and is something we’ve discussed quite recently. Directed by Kyotaro Hayashi, the music video showcases Tokyo in a manner that perfectly captures the sensibilities of the ’80s through a modern lens. Releasing an official music video 35 years after the songs initial release is an interesting move. Produced by her husband and fellow industry veteran Tatsuro Yamashita a full two years after their marriage, the song captivated an entire global audience during its resurgence. It was her first #1 album on the ORICON charts, and several cuts from that album remain a celebrated part of her expansive career to date. Plastic Love (2021), a single by CHAI, is available on Sub Pop Records.Originally released on April 25, 1984, Mariya Takeuchi’s seminal “Variety” was a major turning point for the then 29-year-old musician. In spite of the irony of the post-internet age, a heartfelt joy shines through. The journey through Tokyo that CHAI takes listeners on is also a historic one, connecting the time of Mariya Takeuchi to the reality of current urban life. Their video’s lo-fi dreaminess alludes to the peculiar mark that 1980s Japan made on the popular imagination through the lens of the internet-but in sharing their favourite places, the band addresses audiences in the present. While showering listeners with immaculate City-pop instrumentation, their up-to-date production style is matched by soft and playful Shibuya-keivocals, echoing other moments of the band’s post-modern legacy. Meanwhile, as the new flag-bearers of Japanese pop music, CHAI’s rendition shows a self-awareness towards the band’s own position in cultural phenomena by forming connections through time. For future generations, ‘Plastic Love’ has become an imaginary reference point for a historical moment of extreme optimism. But now, having had one of her hit singles circulated ubiquitously online in various remixes and mashups by fans, she has become known as a figure of vaporwave meme culture. She was a best-selling legend of the bubble era, forever immortalised in the ongoing international craze for City pop music. Shortly beforehand, CHAI released their cover of ‘Plastic Love’, the most iconic single of chart-topping 1980s idol Mariya Takeuchi, alongside a video in which the band, dressed all in white, guide viewers across Tokyo.ĭuring the disorientating changes that rapidly unfolded in Japan’s 1980s post-war economic boom, Mariya Takeuchi’s song was a universal anthem for modern love amongst idol-obsessed youths.
While known for an explosive sound and chaotic performances, amidst disruptions of the 2020 global pandemic, the band reinvented themselves through the softer melodies of their most recent release, WINK (2021). Originally based in Nagoya, the ‘neo-kawaii’ frenzy of MANA, KANA, YUUKI, and YUNA has become an international phenomenon since the releases of albums PINK (2018) and PUNK (2019). Linking back to the era, CHAI’s rendition recharges Tokyo’s urban scenery with joy. Their cover of 1980s city-pop star Mariya Takeuchi’s ‘Plastic Love’, released by Sub Pop Records in November 2020, pays tribute to a moment in Japanese pop-cultural history that was as age-defining as it was timeless. Japanese four-piece rock band CHAI have been gaining a reputation for their self-conscious song writing, going far beyond the surfaces of bubblegum pop. The moment CHAI begin performing-with the sweetest incantations of the line ‘I’m just playing games, I’m just playing games’-listeners are electrocuted by a sugar-fuelled sense of deja vu. Artwork for ‘Plastic Love’ Single (2020) Courtesy of Sub Pop records.
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