Music Video 2009 : Stereopony - Namida no MUKOU

Stereopony, a relatively new Japanese rock band that was formed in Okinawa, Japan in 2008. Although they have performed live, so far their discography consists of only 2 singles that are mainly geared towards the Anison (Anime song) genre. What's great about their accomplishment with "Namida no MUKOU" is debuting at the Oricon Charts Week 8 at No.2, something that is not often achieved by songs categorized under that genre amidst the more mainstream Japanese music releases. Whether or not Stereopony will live up to the same feat as L'Arc-en-Ciel remains to be seen, but the song itself (currently used as the 2nd opening theme of Gundam 00 -2nd Season-) is likable in its own way, with arrangements that make it easily recognizable as an Anison rock song.

As for the music video, this is one of the recent few which I genuinely like, or maybe I'm just a sucker for nice visual effects and camera shot editing. Smart use of a city backdrop interchanging scenes with the band. What worked for me is that they showed each scene for a suitable amount of time - not too short to cause eye seizure, and not too long to send the viewers into a bored sigh or doze.
PS. Watch the HQ version.

Song's Rating: 4.5/5
Watchability: High
Recommend: Yes
Ratings: 4.5/5

The Ups: Great song. Creative MV.
The Downs: Quite frequent use of the same kind of visual effects but that will probably only irk folks who are picky with detail.