HaruMIX
I-One is at it again. Last month, they released a Matsugane Yôko box set, containing two previously released DVDs and a third DVD which was a remix of the other two. They've done the same thing with a Natsume Rio box set and released a Nemoto Harumi remix DVD for good measure. The fortunate thing is that I-One seems to be rather good at editing older DVDs into new packages, as all the releases have been rather good.
HaruMIX is a compilation DVD of Oasis and Shock, both released over a year ago. While Shock was an excellent release, I found Oasis to lean more towards the mediocre side of things, but the editors have done an admirable job of choosing the best from Oasis, as well as using Oasis' talk-heavy scenes as a way to control the flow of HaruMIX.
As is expected from Harumi, she looks utterly stunning in her scenes, and always plays to the camera in a way which seems totally natural - she never appears to be looking at the camera lens, but at the viewer. There is no other idol that can pull this off as consistently or effortlessly as Harumi. The overall costuming is heavily bikini oriented, but compared to some of the odd ball swimsuits which idols are occasionally made to wear, everything here is nice and tasteful, albeit her tops tend to be somewhat ill-fitting and on the small size - uncomfortable for her, no doubt. The things she does for her fans! The down side to all this beach wear is that it's often difficult to tell some scenes apart from others, especially combined with the frequent beach and poolside scenes.
As mentioned above, another hallmark of the Nemo-chan's DVDs is present here - much more talking than is the normal for idol videos. Harumi always appears to be relaxed and in a playful mood. The DVD tends to lump these scenes together, although not more than three at a time, and they are generally quite short. One scene in which Harumi is riding a bike actually has her singing as she peddles along! Either she is a really underrated actress, or she enjoyed herself quite a bit when she made Oasis and Shock.
The pace of the scenes varies from slow moving to energetic, with most falling in the middle. There are a total of eighteen different scenes on the DVD, including the opening and closing credits. The more noteworthy tracks are as follows:
The third scene is one of my favourites - it starts out with Harumi on the beach listening to some music with headphones. I think the director just wanted an excuse to get the headphone cord in her cleavage as she dances around, but it is simply spectacular. There also some shots of her in silver one-piece in this scene, but the main attraction is Harumi moving rhythmically to the beat. Directly following that is a fun little scene where Harumi is riding a bike - lots of energy, not to mention bouncing boobs, in this scene. Although the camera work is a little shaky in this one, it can't help but bring a smile to your face.
In the second half of the disc, there are a couple of great scenes which are far too short: one with Harumi in a very tight leather/latex costume and acting very aggressively sexy. The other has her in some kind of kimono or yukata, but taking the opposite approach in attitude, and having her act quite helpless. Although a little slow moving, a scene in which Harumi poses in alternating black then white bikinis gives a number of breathtaking shots of her. I did find the backdrop to be a little at odds with Harumi's beauty (a run down building), however. The final scene has Nemo-chan at the beach near sunset wearing a bikini, and a very light, see through top. As she moves in the water and the top clings to her body, the effect is stunning - she has never looked sexier or more desirable than the last scene.
If you own both Oasis and Shock don't bother with HaruMIX - you already have it. Otherwise, this is an excellent choice for any Harumi fan, or fan of beautiful women in general.
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