The Busy Mind of a Die-Hard Listrers Fan ⑨ Do As You Please

Introduction

Golden Week has long since passed, and I hope everyone is doing well. The hustle and bustle of the beginning of the fiscal year has settled down a bit, and I feel like I've finally managed to get a sense of the pace for this year.

Since discovering the Listrers, I've had more opportunities to listen to Showa-era songs, and I've been struck by how many of them are about heartbreak. No, perhaps it's the same now as it was back then.
Maybe you can share your happy feelings while in love with your partner or friends in real life, but the frustration and sadness of heartbreak are things you want to share with someone you have no connection with.
Or perhaps, while happiness doesn't need to be understood by others, unhappiness is something you want someone to understand.

With that said, here is the ninth installment of my mental play-by-play series, "Do As You Please" (Katte ni Shiyagare).

Mental Play-by-Play

【0:00–0:12】

・The breathing sound at the very beginning is great, isn't it?
・Whose is it?
・Since there's no count-in, this breathing sound feels like a signal.
・The intro features Kusano-san's singing voice ringing out high.
・It's like a fanfare.
・It's not emphasized much, but the vocal percussion is secretly cool.

【0:13–0:26】

・While everyone else is moving like "Okay, turn right," Nomura-san is the only one doing a "Right face!!" move, which is the best.
・As always, his sharpness is...
・Rat-ta-ta, rat-ta-ta.
・I feel like it's rare for a song to have Kusano-san in the chorus come to the front like this.
・Sawada-san's singing voice really has a gloss, or rather, a mature sexiness to it, doesn't it?
・If you're going to recreate Julie, Sawada-san is the one!

【0:27–0:40】

・From "Right face!!" to "About face!!"
・If you watch it frame by frame, you can see that Nomura-san's face (head) turns first, and his body follows a split second later.
・The others turn their bodies and heads at the same time.
・Maybe that's what gives it such momentum.
・By the way, it's a secret that Nomura-san looks very charming while turning.
・I really love Kato-san's standing posture; you can tell there's no unnecessary tension.
・The mismatch between his beautiful voice and his Arale-chan glasses.
・That's what makes it good.
・The gesture of stuffing things into a bag is so addictive I feel like I'll end up doing it at karaoke.

【0:41–0:51】

・The rhythm section is cool.
・They don't insist on themselves, but they feel like they're doing a solid job.
・Kusano-san's smile is wonderful.
・If I were pulled in like that, I'd probably end up being dragged right back.

【0:52–1:02】

・The hands placed on their chests are... each one is wonderful...
・The "Star of the Day" aura radiating from Sawada-san.
・Especially around the "Let me act cool" part.
・I'm hallucinating party goods that look like they'd be sold at Don Quijote.
・Even though he has such a beautiful voice...

【1:03–1:17】

・I love Nomura-san's "Pan♪".
・Kusano-san's voice, which had been so prominent, suddenly dissolves into the background.
・Instead, Kato-san's voice becomes clearly audible.
・Sawada-san's overwhelming singing voice.
・And here, Onishi-san is at his coolest.
・The depth and power that increase as the notes go down...
・I suspect Oshima-san, who did the mix, likes this kind of thing.

【1:18–1:29】

・Wait, how is that working?
・It's certain that Kusano-san and Kato-san are harmonizing on the "Pa-ra-ra-pa-ppa~" part, and the rhythm section is each keeping their own rhythm.
・Visually, Sawada-san isn't singing, but there's someone else under Nomura-san who is holding an "Ah~" note.
・Maybe they aren't singing in the video, but they are on the recording?
・I really love the chord before the "Pa-pa-pan".

【1:30–1:43】

・Wait, wait, what is happening this time?
・I can hear the same "rat-ta-ta♪" as in the first chorus, but at the same time, I can hear Kusano-san's "Fu~".
・Nomura-san is properly singing the upper harmony for the "rat-ta-ta♪".
・At first, I thought Kato-san was singing the "rat-ta-ta" with maximum edge, but listening closely, I feel like he is singing the lower harmony in his usual voice.
・Of course, the rhythm section is doing their job, and Sawada-san is singing the lead.
・Should I assume this is multi-tracking?
・I don't think there's any other way to explain it...
・Sawada-san's furrowed brow is still present at this point.
・Not just the arm that is extended, but the hand pressed against his chest is also perfectly poised, right down to the fingertips.

【1:44–1:55】

・It might be due to the camera angle, but Uemura-san's gaze is sharp and cool.
・I really love Sawada-san's emotional expression during the line "Ai to iu no ni tereteta dake da yo" (I was just shy about calling it love).
・I feel like Sawada-san has the widest range of emotional expression through his facial expressions.

【1:56–2:06】

・Yes! I've been waiting for this!!
・Words cannot describe how cool Kato-san is here.
・No, the word "cool" feels cheap now...
・He's like a rival character (not a villain) who suddenly appears in the story.
・Setting (my delusions) aside...
・This is the moment when the spotlight suddenly hits Kato-san, who had been keeping a low profile in a subtle position until now.
・It gives me chills.
・Sawada-san's singing voice is already glossy and extra sexy, but when Kato-san joins in, I feel like I'm going to get drunk and dizzy.
・I assume the choreography instruction was just "place your right hand on your chest," but Kato-san's movement is just so... elegant...

【2:07–2:21】

・Even though I think the melody is the same as the first chorus for everyone except Kusano-san, the sense of excitement is incredible.
・Is it the lingering effect of the harmony by the Sawada-Kato pair just before?
・I'm probably still drunk.

【2:22–2:33】

・Kato-san again...
・Truly, the harmony of these two is like fine wine.
・Even someone without the acetaldehyde dehydrogenase enzyme can get drunk to their heart's content.
・The harmony is even more luxurious with Nomura-san and Kusano-san joining in.
・I feel like Kusano-san is switching between upper and lower harmonies.
・What is that swirling motion Sawada-san is doing?
・I thought it was that move for catching dragonflies.

【2:34–2:48】

・This dance, which people call window cleaning or kelp (or seaweed), really shows off their personalities.
・Sawada-san does a figure-eight (or infinity ∞ shape, which is more accurate).
・Kato-san, how can you make this movement look so graceful...!?
・Others include a Bon Odori style (!?) or a kelp style (the sea is very rough).
・During the "Daba-daba-da~" part, how can they harmonize so beautifully while doing these movements?
・Maybe at their level, singing with the correct pitch is just a standard expectation, but they are even matching the tone color.
・And Onishi-san's deep bass sounds great no matter how many times I listen to it.

【2:49–3:00】

・Nomura-san joins the harmony of Kusano-san and Kato-san, making it light and gorgeous.
・I want to say "good job" to Uemura-san's necktie, which has become crooked from moving too much.
・The swirling again.
・Kato-san, do the notes jump in this part?
・From his expression, I think he's doing a somewhat difficult movement, but it's amazing that you can't hear that in the audio.
・Even the final "Thank you!" is cool.
・The Best Actor Award for this time (also known as "Star of the Day"), well done!!

Conclusion

　Among all the Listlers' videos, this one has a very high number of views. In fact, this song is the one that got the most views on Shorts. Many viewers must have been captivated by Sawada-san's beautiful voice and the strange movements (pardon me) of the middle-aged men (pardon me again).

　Come to think of it, I've heard that "Playback Part 2" is the answer song to this one. If that's true, then the woman who left the man who turned over to the wall and pretended to be asleep is driving a red Porsche down the coastal road. They seem to share the common trait of liking to listen to music at high volume in the middle of the night, but it doesn't seem like he's going to be in the mood to come back...