Well, it smells nice… It comes in pretty bottles… It makes you smell nice…

…oh, wait, are you talking about this Perfume?

L to R: Kashiyuka (Kashino Yuka), A~chan (Nishiwaki Ayaka), Nocchi (Oomoto Ayana)

Well, in that case, I most certainly do have a love!

Often I feel I underappreciate this trio, considering all their (so far) master achievements: the supposed techno trilogy consisting of “Linear Motor Girl” (their major single debut; an alright song, if you like hearing “lineaa motaa gyaaru” [my romaji is probably completely off here] repeated about a billion times; very good PV), “Computer City” (EXCELLENT song; the PV, not so much), and “Electro World” (don’t even get me started), nevermind their most recent single “Polyrhythm”, which boosted their sales by a mile, got them recognized nationally by Japan, and has pretty much been the catalyst for their fame. But what I find most remarkable about Perfume is the story of how they came to be the cuddly technopop trio we all know and love today. It’s a far cry from the beginnings of other more or less “popular” acts, such as Hello! Project’s artists and Johnny’s numerous boybands, to name two companies that regularly churn out manufactured pretty people grouped together to sing and dance and just generally entertain the public (yet, for some reason, the latter enjoys far more success nowadays than the former?).

I’m by no means saying the girls of Perfume aren’t gorgeous. Each of them have some rather unique features (sans Nocchi, I suppose, who looks the plainest out of them) that distinguish them from other famous bands/groups, including from each other. But as a trio, they have an overwhelming amount of depth, and underlying friendship that seems (to me) exceptionally closer than Morning Musume could ever be. I attribute this, of course, to the fact that they all hail from and began the group in Hiroshima, and came up with it themselves. This isn’t some product of a “mastermind” genius corporate man, such as Tsunku, Johnny, or Akimoto. This is, simply, three girls who wanted to be pop idols more than anything else and ended up as something almost completely different. This is Perfume.

As I sit here listening to their very first single, “ＯＭＡＪＩＮＡＩ★ペロリ”, I’m not at all surprised by how simple the tune is. But for some reason, the word “generic” eludes me in this situation: There’s something about “OMAJINAI” that still sounds fresh. Is it the simplicity of the tune that distinguishes it so, when compared to more complex professional hits by other pop singers? You have to take into account the demographic Perfume was going for at that time. I mean, for god’s sake, they looked like this:

…on the cover of “OMAJINAI”. If that doesn’t scream locally-produced medicore Jpop, then I just don’t know anymore (also note that the group’s name “Perfume” is spelled in hiragana: ぱふゅむ [roughly, "pafuyuumu"]). Though another thing I noticed on this cover was just how old they all looked, even for 11-12 year olds. Going under the nurturing techno wing of Nakata Yasutaka did wonders for them, as far as hair and makeup go. They also each had brown hair — I have a thing for all members of a group having matching hair colors (I figure it’s a lost cause with Momusu and now just hope someone decides they should go blonde right this instant), but black does look a lot nicer on each of them.

But with Perfume, I’ve always felt it was more about the music than it is about portraying a cutesy idol image, even when they started out. Following their two demo singles was their first chance at an actually label (although indies), and where they were first produced by Nakata. It’s in the single “Sweet Donuts” where Perfume started to turn to a more techno flavor, and eventually shed the concept of being adorable little idols like Morning Musume altogether. While they still incorporate some cuteness into their act and are targeted by an wota fanbase (just watch this performance) fairly often, I believe Perfume’s demographic as a whole remains focused on a more general market than just appealing to older men. This is their saving grace, as far as I’m concerned. I’ve seen Hello! Project deteriorate in the eyes of the Japanese public due to the increasing focus on their core audience, and AKB48 was doomed from the get-go, being placed in Akihabara and pretty much giving themselves away to the fans (but this was most likely Akimoto’s scheme in the first place).

I still don’t see any signs of idol “personae” from them, and while it’s a big change of pace for me, I think I may actually prefer it. From what I gather, Nocchi gets to be the boyish one because of her short haircut, Kashiyuka comes across as more girlish and sweet, and A~chan is like the “middle ground”, neither one way nor the other. They’re each leaders of the group in their own right, they all love and respect their fans, and they’re actually going somewhere in their career. I couldn’t be happier for them.

Another plus side to their music is the promotional videos. Oh, my god — the PVs are just spectacular, even if there are some oddly plain ones, such as “Computer City” and “Polyrhythm”. As with most of the artists I listen to, however, I often fear of Nakata getting himself in debt with all the insane CG effects that are rampant in Perfume’s PVs. But considering “Polyrhythm”’s success, they may be earning back all the money blown on awesome-looking videos soon enough.

Have a love for Perfume, before it’s too late.