Single V "Dakishimete Dakishimete"

The Berryz girls dance up a storm in this one and the DVD includes the Dance Shot Version, easily the best high-energy dance number these girls have done and better than most of Morning Musume's output of the last two years. The girls all look and sound great. They each wear individualized costumes and accessories (leggings, skirts, shorts, jackets, boots, hats, chokers, etc.), with a quirky quality and mix of patterns and color schemes designed to complement each other and look great in a dance lineup. In the main video, the dance shots are intercut with individual shots of each girl dancing against CGI backgrounds, some nice closeups of each of them, and some very cool posed runway-style shots. There's a DJ theme to the number, with a turntable and columns of giant speakers. There's good production quality here and it's a well-made video. Plus, the song is a very catchy, danceable tune. The Dance Shot Version edges out the main video by a small margin simply because the dancing is so well staged, shot and edited. Why can't the crew that shoots the videos be in charge of shooting the concerts as well? There's 17 minutes of "Making of" footage and it's all delightful. These girls have great rapport with each other and are fun to watch, no matter what they do. Each of the girls gets significant play in both the video and the "Making of" part. No one dominates in the way that Maimi and Airi are routinely given center stage in the C-ute videos. Momoko stands out because she's just so awesome-looking with that strong jaw and jutting chin and those piercing eyes. Not to mention the black and red ensemble outfit. The others are all pretty spectacular, too. Berryz is easily Hello! Project's most important unit after MM and may eventually outclass them.