Talking about the Hana Ni Kaze MV and line dist a little bit because I'm not normal about it okay (already talked about this a bit in oomf's DMs so if you're seeing this hiii hello:3)
Obviously I have to address the elephant first because what the hell. This killed everyone... I don't have a ton to say about this on it's own because it definitely speaks for itself, flashing back to the pains of their past was genuinely the perfect move for this song but I'm also really intrigued by the fact that Akito didn't change. This could mean one of two things; either Akito is currently experiencing something painful that they're going to address in newer event stories, OR (the more likely option in my opinion) is that it's a reference to Akito's feelings of being inferior that were most potent in Aki1, which although haven't been as evident since then, are something he always has and likely always will struggle with, which is exactly the reason Touya told Akito to rely on him more in Aki1.
I also want to quickly talk about Anchan saying "I've been fooled/lied to so many times" because that one stings DEEPLY, how could I not. It's obviously referencing An4, when she found out about Nagi-san's death. She was lied to by the people she loved countless times, to the point where she didn't know if she could trust them at all anymore, and she had no idea what things were true and what were lies. Who could she trust if not her own dad? How could she believe the things people said were true, if not the life of her loved one?
Touya's line of "Why is taming my uneasy heart/shutting up the clamor inside my heart such an impossible task" is also really interesting to me because it seems to shift meanings slightly at different points in the MV. At first, it's clearly a callback to his past with classical. The conflict brought so much turmoil to his heart, he wasn't able to calm it down until he found some sort of resolution with his father in Touya1. However, later in the MV (the umbrella scene) he repeats this line once again, only with slightly different wording. This could be a reference to Touya4β when he had thought the issues regarding his past were resolved, but in reality they were still affecting his ability to move forward in both his life and his musical journey.
I also find Anhane's "Finding you revolting/annoying" lines really interesting. At the start of the song, when Kohane sings it, it seems to be a reference to before she started singing; she never had a dream back then, and this was something that bothered her, but she didn't like those feelings, and didn't know what she could do about them, so she chose to ignore them. ("Finding you revolting, I ignored you.") However, when Anchan says this line in the umbrella scene, it seems she actually chooses to acknowledge those feelings. ("Finding you annoying, I looked up to the skies.") This is most likely a reference to her feelings towards Kohane that came to a head in An5. These feelings hurt to hold, they made her feel like she wasn't a good enough partner, but she couldn't help but notice them, and eventually, she had to choice but to confront them in order to keep moving forward. Kohane also follows this up with "I've forgiven you so many times", showing that no matter how unworthy Anchan feels, she'll stay by her side, and they'll keep working to surpass each other.
Even Akito, "Why do we share an umbrella while keeping jealousy in our hearts?" Akito has always stood beside his teammates, even when he felt it was wrong of him to do so. Even when he felt they were more skilled than him, more interesting than him, he stayed by their side, even while he worked tirelessly in secret to become as good as them. That's why his face is hidden by the umbrella; though he continues to stay by their sides and sing with them, he hides the pain he feels underneath, for fear that showing it would only make the perceived inferiority worsen. He asks himself why he shares the group with them while still feeling these feelings, as if these feelings make him unworthy of being with them. Though this applies to Akito the most, this line can apply to everyone in the squad, as they've all felt similar feelings to this before.
Finally, I thought the fact that the flowers they hold in front of their faces being references to past cards of theirs was a really cool detail, but I also want to take some time to talk about Kohane's flower.
Everyone's flower has very obvious card references, EXCEPT... for Kohane's. It took me a little bit of time to figure this out, but I believe Kohane's flower is the same flower shown in An4. (Which looks like a gerbera daisy, but please correct me if I'm wrong as I'm not an expert on flowers.)
This is very interesting to me for two reasons. The first is that, unlike everyone else in the squad, this Kohane card is not a four star, and comes from another character's focus instead of her own, a mixed, or a fes. The second, is that Kohane has been compared to Nagi-san many times, and An has said that Kohane reminds her of Nagi when she sings. Red gerberas also apparently mean to be fully immersed in/surrounded by love, and passion. I don't entirely know what the An4 connection means in terms of this song, but it's a very interesting detail I noticed after watching, and Kohane having this flower means that she truly is surrounded by so many people who love and care about her, and she's found something she truly finds deep passion in. The fact that she holds this now in the present may also mean that An has come to terms with her loss, and her feelings towards Kohane, even the parts of her that remind her of Nagi-san, and she's now able to embrace and love her partner without restrictions. I'm not sure what else it could mean in this context and I'm not even sure if I'm correct on this, so if you have any ideas please let me know! :D I'm no analyst (shoutout to user toyalove they're great at this stuff) but I had a LOT of fun writing this and I may strike again with some other songs lmao
Anyways shoutout to this fucking awesome MV it killed me dead and I love the full version of this cover so much, Vivid Bad Squad ily
