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It’s a “making of” video like you’ve never experienced before!

Yesterday was the magical day when Utada Hikaru‘s 8-year musical dry spell broke and the world was once again awash in her music.  Fans rejoiced and at this very moment, the album sits at #3 on the Apple Itunes chart. In conjunction with the release of the album, a new video was released for the song “Hanataba wo Kimi ni” (A Bouquet for You). However, this isn’t your typical music video; it isn’t even a typical “making of” music video! It’s a 360-degree video.

Huh? What does that even mean? Don’t worry, I asked the same thing as I stared dumbly at the video, wondering why it was of such poor quality and why nothing was happening. Then I noticed that my cursor had changed to a hand, the kind of hand that grabs and drags. Suddenly, I was in control and I began to understand exactly what makes this video so cool.

You see, YouTube actually started supporting 360-degree videos in March 2015, but they haven’t really caught on for a number of reasons, primarily related to things such as the cost of the equipment needed to make such a video. So, for those of us who are Utada Hikaru fans and were in the dark about the existence of 360-degree videos, the “Hanataba wo Kimi Ni” video is like a double-whammy of excitement-inducing experiences. Not only do we get to enjoy one of her songs from her latest album Fantôme, but we get engage with the video and see exactly what it looks like from her perspective as she’s making it and what the camera crew is doing to capture the best moments. In a way, we can act like a director, too, choosing which angles and whatnot to help the song achieve maximum emotional impact.

All in all, it’s something different and a little bit more fun that the usual music video. Check it out below and tell us what you think!

Source: KAI-YOU
Featured image: YouTube/Utada Hikaru
Image: Utada Hikaru