Shocking Mermaid
There's one thing that really sets most of Nemoto Harumi's videos apart from other gravure idols': an overwhelming sense of personality. That's not to say the others are devoid of personality, but whether through her natural charm or just having a better crop of producers/directors, you can always tell a Harumi video from the rest. Shocking Mermaid is no exception: of course you get the thing which the fans come to see, lots of Nemo-chan playing around in various tight and revealing outfits, but the way she works the camera is unique.
Be aware that Shocking Mermaid is basically divided into two parts: the gravure idol part (about thirty minutes) and then at the end, a very odd skit called Room #305 (about fifteen minutes), which looks like something which should appear on the stranger part of Japanese TV. If you're looking strictly for flesh, you can stop watching after the main feature, as this as far removed from typical gravure fare as possible!
The video starts off on a nice sunny day at a Saipan beach, with Nemo-chan reclining in the sand, wearing a loose top, which, of course, is quickly discarded to reveal the bikini she's wearing. After her unveiling, Harumi proceeds to prance and frolic around the beach as the camera, rather intrusively, gives us many zoom ins on her straining bikini top. The scene then shifts to what appears to be a hotel room, where Harumi (wearing a straining, striped bikini top and matching hot pants) heads into the bathroom and proceeds to wash her face, or pretends to. The camera has positioned itself inside the sink to give the viewers maximum view of her pendulous breasts, as she bends over to scoop water from the basin. After she finishes "washing", Harumi returns to the bed room and paints her nails.
Following that, we have Nemo-chan riding around in the back of a convertible while some soothing music plays in the background... that's it. I mean, it would seem to be a nice was to kill a couple of hours on a lazy Sunday, driving around with one of the world's most beautiful women with no particular place to go, but it doesn't exactly make for interesting viewing. We have a quick behind-the-scenes interlude next, and it sets the tone for all the other little "behind-the-scene" sections - Harumi just constantly talks (rather loudly, at that) and mugs for the camera. In a good way, of course. I'll give the editors credit here - they're nice, light breaks which never go on too long as to become annoying. A little cosplay follows that with Nemo-chan as some kind of cat-woman in a lush forest. This scene also illustrates why Harumi is, in her own way, brilliant: the costume is quite conservative (relatively speaking), but she has mastered the come-hither, sexy gaze like no other current gravure idol. Good stuff.
Another making of interlude with Harumi eating follows that, then segues into a bedroom scene with Harumi rolling around on the bed, both covered up by some light sheets, and wearing the same outfit as the earlier hotel room scene. A quick interlude where Harumi fools around with one of the hand cams under the sheets, and then on to the streets. The costumer has seen fit to dress Nemo-chan like a street walker here. Okay, a drop dead gorgeous street walker with a professional make up job, but a hooker nonetheless. For unknown reasons, she sees the camera and then starts to run from it, discarding her pumps and jacket in the process. The camera eventually catches up with her as she's trapped against a chain link, and proceeds to give us some very nice shots of Nemo-chan in her revealing polka dot top as she looks on nervously.
We return to the beach for the prerequisite shower scene which must be included in at least every other release from a gravure idol. Nice (the breast cam has made it's triumphant return after being absent for a few scenes), but nothing you haven't seen before. Another behind-the-scenes section, shots from - you might want to turn down your volume here - for some reason, Harumi has a tendency to shout very loudly in this one! Anyways, we then get a horrifying glimpse into young Japanese fashion - apparently, Nemo-chan is supposed to be some kind of waitress in a bar, but the outfit is just weird. Silver cowboy hat, a low cut, sequined top, a silver mini-skirt laced up the sides, and some plain bizarre boots. She still looks fantastic, though, so the scene isn't a total loss. The penultimate chapter starts with a lot of silhouetted shots of Harumi at the beach drinking from a wine glass at sunset, the shifts to her in a blue bikini posing in the surf. Given the fairly high energy level of the rest of the disk, this one seems a little out of place, but is it does give the view a chance to wind down and take in some stunning scenery along with Nemo-chan's always beautiful face and figure.
The final chapter is, well, odd, to say the least. There's a kind of likable absurdity to it, but it's definitely not for everyone, and if you can't speak Japanese, the only thing to do is marvel at the oddity. Basically, it's Harumi in a room with a dummy, and involves three costume changes, including nurse, business suit, and kimono. She appears to be "rehearsing" for a TV show which aired in 2003 called Room Number, which starred various gravure idols (including MEGUMI). However, it's not provocative or sexy, but seems have humour as its main point. At one point, Nemo-chan plunges her face into a cream pie. Let's just leave it at that.
All the production values are top notch here... solid camera work, good wardrobe and lighting, and excellent locations. The main drawback here is the lengh - although the DVD runs about forty five minutes, the Room #305 skit takes up valuable space which could have been used for more gravure idol scenes. Furthermore, the scenes included are rather short themselves. Still, Harumi looks as gorgeous as she ever has here, so despite the short length, Shocking Mermaid is well worth your money.
