I've always thought the BabyMetal costumes were one of the big reasons for their success. Your discussion is really interesting. I clicked as soon as I saw the title!

I didn’t realize this would be so interesting.

As an older fan who is more interested in Babymetal's music than their image, I haven't paid very much attention to their costumes. I have a much greater appreciation for the creativity that goes into these costumes. Thanks for shining a light on this topic.

That was very different and really interesting, thank you. Clearly a whole lot of thought has gone into all their costumes with the subtle changes and differences over the years. I've noticed changes and can sometimes recognise different concerts from what they're wearing, but its never been a main focus for me. I have always liked and appreciated the fact that they have clearly made a conscious and deliberate decision to not sexualise them in any way and to keep their costumes modest ... unlike the vast majority of female artists who don't seem able to perform unless they're in very little other than the skimpiest knickers or high cut leotards. Looking forward to part two now.

This was interesting. I really like that they have never gone for a sexy look. They can be badass without showing skin

Great video! Very informative! Looking forward to the current and Metal Galaxy costumes

Realy great video!!cant wait for part 2🙂

Hello Professor, this doesnt feel like an one hour video, i didn't know the costumes talk could be be so interesting, im hyped for the second part :D

Loved this conversation. Would've liked another hour. :-) Edit: I just noticed that it's "part 1". Nice! Looking forward to the second part!

This is an interesting take on an element of Babymetal's persona. I have always noticed the different costume styles between the girls and also in different songs. I would never have thought there were so many stylistic choices and cultural influences that go in to Babymetal costumes. I am constantly amazed how nothing is left to chance with Babymetal. From sound, performance and image. I was particularly drawn to the costumes where Yui and Moa had opposing ears and masquerade masks while Su wore an almost squared-off oriental bridal headdress. Su's head piece had strong Chinese vibes, but as Aly pointed out there are nods to other Asian cultures. I saw a similar shaped matrimonial headdress worn in Thailand up at the Thai/Laos/Myanmar border region (I think the village/city was called Mae Song, right near the Thai-Myanmar border). It was a good spot by Aly anyway, with the dangling ornaments from the headdress. Though in the version I saw seemed to have miniature stamped coins and various amulets that dangled from the headdress. It was incredibly beautiful. I really like the concept of this video. Visual images are the first thing we notice and as such are an important cue to whether we will enjoy something or not. To borrow a phrase from the culinary world: "We eat with our eyes!" We also consume the arts the same way. Before we taste a morsel of food, or have heard a word sung, or the opening line of a play has been uttered, we have already made judgements based on our perceived biases or preferences. Such are the importance of visual clues. I really appreciate the insight your guests brought with them in relation to Babymetal costumes. Add to this your subtle interjections that provided specific Japanese historical clothing and battle dress insights which added to the general understanding of different Babymetal attire. Thankyou to Maggie and Aly for their unique insight, and thankyou to you AJ, for enabling and moderating what is an important instalment in the overall understanding of the goliath that is Babymetal. I really look forward to the next installment. Stay safe.

⚡ 💀 💕 Yes! I've been really looking forward to this one since the announcement. Su's 'Doki Doki ☆ Morning' era jacket did belong to a staff member. In addition, Moa's blouse originally belonged to Yui, and Yui's blouse was borrowed from fellow Sakura Gakuin member Raura Iida. Yui talked about this in her Sakura Gakuin diary/blog entries. The tie, etc. were Yui's "personal clothes" she had used in a dance recital some time before. Of course Raura is never getting that blouse back. : ) It's since been part of a couple of special Sakura Gakuin anniversary museum exhibits. I'm a little surprised that no one mentioned Megumi Date. She's been designing BABYMETAL's costumes for many years. Here's a magazine quote from her: “I have been making their costumes since their major debut (since 2012), with the same concepts since then, consistently. The key concept is ‘a blend of metal and kawaii.’” Color and material, or outline and detail, I try to play with these opposing elements as BABYMETAL does with opposing musical concepts. For example, in the music video of the new song “Karate,” the girls fight against something that’s invisible. I have a feeling that this something that’s invisible represents the challenges they have had to overcome. Such challenges have brought them strength that has a core the girls can hold on to. Their strength gained so transformed the ephemerality of adolescent girls in them into the beauty of grown women. With those thoughts of mine, I tried to express the girls’ strength, dignity, ephemerality, and their beauty by changing the arrangement of colors this time and adding rubber coating and distressed effects.

Surprisingly interesting ! Definitely one of the better Babymetal episodes .

According to Wikipedia there is even a Japanese term for that bare-thigh look, 'Zettai ryōiki (Japanese: 絶対領域, lit. "absolute territory")'. There is even an optimal ratio. I am glad they abandoned it. There is another Yoshiki reference though not in the costumes, in one concert Yui and Moa sit down at a clear acrylic piano which is a Yoshiki trademark. Yoshiki was both a keyboardist and drummer for X-Japan. I had forgotten they had done lace sleeves early on, they seem to be a permanent part of the current costumes. I look forward to the discussion of the costumes of 2018 where they got really adventurous.

Of the many trivia that I know or came across , this is perhaps the most endearing. It seems that very few people are aware that the whole Harajuku (Gothic) Lolita anime look originated from or certainly flourished because of an early 80s synthpop Scottish band/duo called Strawberry Switchblade. It never occurred to me that the duo was likely the pioneer of this outfit until recently when I saw their video of one of my all-time favorite songs - Let Her Go. You won't miss the connecrion with even just one quick view in KZfaq. Incidentally, that song is a woman's call out to stop an abusive relationship - right up Babymetal alley 🙂. Anyway, the reason why I find this so charming is that I adore Strawberry Switchblade in the same manner that you love XTC Prof. Hartley. My fascination is as much because of their unique and distinctively 80s synth sound as the fact that I only know a handful of people who have even heard of them. Their obscurity somehow makes me feel special haha! And here they are apparently also credit-worthy as progenitors of the Babymetal costumes and aesthetics. Now how cool is that?.. 😎

This is a great topic ! Thank you ! I'm a jeans a t-shirt guy myself, but evolution is always fun to look into. Maybe say Heavy Music Club ? That's at least how it's usually called. As I understand it X-Japan's Yoshiki always had a fragile body, at birth the doctors thought he wouldn't life long. He broke is neck from headbanging and wore the neckbrace for years because doctors told him he couldn't perform anymore. Having had multiple surgeries over the years. Also regularly still wears a scarf, probably to hide scars or other less aesthetically pleasing features of his neck or even because he's sensitive to drafts...? 26:35 from an interview with Kobametal I think he mentioned Joan of Arc as an inspiration of the girls in armor look. For example from Loudersound: ---- Frock N’ Roll Stars _There’s feminist thinking behind Babymetal’s kawaii stage clothes, explains Kobametal _ WHAT ARE THE INSPIRATIONS BEHIND THE GIRLS’ LOOK? “The basis is goth lolita fashion, and they’re also inspired by images of Joan of Arc. Babymetal’s concerts and performances are like battles to them, and their costumes are their uniforms that they put on to face the challenges that come their way, so it’s only natural to take inspiration from a heroine like Joan of Arc, or other knights from the medieval times and warriors from Japan’s past.” WHAT WAS DIFFERENT ABOUT THE GIRLS’ COSTUMES AT YOKOHAMA ARENA? “That gig represented the final show of Metal Resistance Episode 3, and the costume was made with a fusion of elements from all their past costumes up to that day, adding a triangle motif that would represent ‘trilogy’. In the past Su-metal’s top was made to look like an armour suit with scales, which we replaced with triangles instead. Every edge of the triangle symbolises Babymetal’s story - Saitama, Makuhari and Yokohama, the three cities where they gathered for their celebration and concerts with their fans - and of course the three members of Babymetal.” ---- 35:05 Babymetal when they were young almost look like dolls, if you've ever checked a Barbie doll they have nothing down there anyway. It's how I would see Babymetal. That said... I wonder if western media is the cause of Babymetal having a more conservative look, showing no skin of their legs. Babymetal in 2014 got a lot of press, but had performance action shots used with them kicking and thus showing their black under-frilly skirts and it seems Babymetal/Kobabymetal wasn't pleased with that at all (possibly because of the possible sexual connotation). And strict restrictions were put in place on what kind of Babymetal photos were allowed to be published after that. 46:15 My guess is you are referring to Babymetal have the record of youngest female act by average age at Budokan. Looking forward to part 2... Also photographers have said no band ever has been as photogenic as Babymetal. Every photo they look at least good, never bad, even during performance action shots. You can see it when you pause videos.

Very interesting, looking forward to the next one!

I didn't realize the costumes they wore into the coffins with the headpieces were the same ones as the vogue cover.🙂

Very interesting video always adding more knowledge about Babymetal and their attention to the slightest details. Looking forward to part 2. Comment about the boots the girls wear. Su frequently forgot to tie her shoes (see the Surprise Appreciation Party for Su's SG Graduation). So she wears boots with a zipper and MoiMoi are laced. To add a little more height difference, Su wears elevated heels, while MoiMoi wear flats. I always thought the boots were an interesting choice for performance footwear.

Good stuff! This is very interesting and not something that I ever thought I might wanna know, lol. Can't wait for part 2!

Really interesting. Thank you, professor. They actually performed more times aside from the "Rock-May-Kan" concert with the "Headbanger" style costume (at Legend I for example). Can you imagine the crowded Rock-May-Kan in July plus Su's jacket? 😱 They switched to the "IDZ" type at the Singapore AFA 2012 gig and they used it later at Legend D and Legend Z. Costumes changed again on Legend 1999. And all that in just one year. And people say they always wear the same outfits 🤣 Cannot wait for part 2!

This is interesting. Couple notes. As time went on, studs went away, and I think that is from a performance point of view. The Sonisphere show where Yui's skirt was caught on a wrist stud and proceeded to unravel is one example. You don't see many studs after that show. Also Su's boots have zippers. Speculation is that this is because Su twice forgot to tie her shoes in Sakura Gakuin and they came flying off on stage. Yui and Moa's boots are always laced. When talking about the masks and neck brace, and the thowback to Yoshiki. Who's accident was headbanging too strenuously and damaging vertebrate in his neck. Anyway, AJ mentioned the Kitsune, but the crossed arms are also a thowback to X-Japan, who used crossed arms as their symbol of an X. As in We are X. The things Babymetal borrowed from X are many. The cross Su wears in some costumes is an homage to Okuni, the woman who invented Kabuki, and wore a cross according to legend,. I have heard other pop stars wearing crosses to channel Okuni, and I am pretty sure Su does too.

This was a very interesting look into what makes BM's persona unique.

ファッションを熱く語る2人の女性の間で、さすがの教授もあまり口を挟めませんでしたね…🤣 少女が年齢を重ねるにつれ、衣装も少しずつ変わってきました 大人カワイイ感じですね　赤がなくなったのもそのせいかと… ただ黒を無くさないところに、彼女たちがmetal music sceneに飛び込んだ頃の覚悟を感じます SUMETALのシューズのヒールが少し高くなってるのには、成熟した女性の魅力が見られます✨

Really cool, it always amuses me when some reactors comment they always wear the same outfits when the opposite is true, they did miss the white costumes though which is a shame

The Karate/Wembley costumes immediately reminded me of Elizabethan/Shakespearean-England men's attire. Great post & look forward to Part Two!

Thank you , that was interesting, especially the historical references!

Su‘s crown from the Budokan special costume also reminds me of one of those typical Maiko hair ornaments: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanzashi#/media/File:Shochikubai_kanzashi.jpg

Great attention to detail! Nice podcast.

As with everything about BABYMETAL, I suppose I always assumed that a great deal of thought went into their costumes. Having never given the costumes a lot of thought myself this video has opened my eyes. Very interesting. Thanks again for all your efforts.

I think the thing with Budokan is that artists have to be invited to perform there. They can't just book it as a venue. Bit like Geisha, you can't book them or just buy your way in. You have to receive an introduction.

Very interesting!

On the costumes, I think they were born with the idea of Seikima-II wearing armors on their performances and this becoming the cliche image of who heavy metal people is in Japan. So they put armors on the girls to give them this strong feeling of girls playing to be metal. So, they had to do the Seikimatsu thing but for cute girls, and this battle dresses were born. On the designs, I don't think they went for historical armor, they were probably more influenced on how anime has adapted armors from all over the world into popular culture and invented something that looked cool and allowed the girls to perform comfortably. On the ceremonial attires. I read funnytoss mentioning not long ago in somewhere on the babymetal community sphere, maybe Babymetal Discord, that Koba said in his recent book that he purposedly tied story of them leaving during the ending on the coffers in Budokan on the ceremonial attires with the story of them returning in the Megitsune attires during Legend 2015 opening. I am looking at the picture right now and I can't help but see a bridal hat from the Miao minority in China in that thing Su is wearing. I don't think they wanted a deep meaning in this, mostly look cool. But I can see some elements in there: carnival masks on what Yui and Moa are wearing, a fox ear in each of their hats, a kind of Tiara in the center of the head, and two ram horns from which some jewelry is hanging. Thank you again professor you manage to keep bringing interesting topics and interesting guests to discuss. And thanks to Maggie and Aly for their time and insight.

Rad discussion, thank you Professor Andrew. I am definitely a fashion handicapped person, so I really never gave their outfits much attention other than I really thought the 2018 black leather Roman look totally sucked. They can wear whatever they want and still rock out to the max in my opinion. Cheers - E in NorCal

「Vivienne Westwood」のゴシック系の服が好きなので、かねてからBABYMETALの衣裳には興味がありました。 お話しの中にもありましたが、少女から大人へと成長するにつれ「ゴシックロリータ 」 から 「ビクトリアンゴシック 」へと変化してきたように思います。 機会があれば、ビクトリア朝の美術、音楽、文学について、ご教授いただけましたら幸いです。

Nice review of the outfits. It's fun to look into how their outfits have changed and developed over the years. The time they walked into the coffins Yui and Moa had to turn sideways so their headdress wouldn't hit. They did it subtly so it's hard to notice that's what they're doing. The outfits seemed to add a sense of courtliness to them. I guess when folks started referring to Su-metal as queen, they have to start dressing the part too. See You in part 2

Interesting. Just wondering about the all white costumes they wore at "Live at Zepp Tokyo 21.02.2013" and what was behind that (I think this is the concert where they changed to a live band.) - Su-Metal looked like she had one of those winged suits: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/nLOSldmL1K7Od6M.html Reminds me a bit of the Seinfeld "Puffy Shirt" episode. BTW I think they look great in white with their black hair, Oh, and the bit at the end where SU-Metal says "Take care of your neck." Edit: think I worked it out, with the live band they are dressed in white and with the other band/actors they had their usual costumes on

I agree with you that their initial costumes are my least favourite. I was watching early BABYMETAL videos with a smile on my face, when my son-in-law (great guy, BTW) advised me with a serious look that if the FBI saw me like this and start asking questions, not to answer and call my lawyer. 😝 I was 73 at the time.

A wise man knows when to stfu :) Great work as always, we are all indebted to you! (and thanks to your knowledgeable guests too, of course)

Thank you

Babymetal Bodukan 2014 were actually the 2nd Female Band to perform there. 1st was Scandal in 2012 in their SCANDAL VS BUDUKAN CONCERT. which is a great concert. Ive got the DVD (do not import from Japan. Get the American issue. 4th or 5th the cost ie £50 from Japan £10/12 fr9n USA) . POINT is 2nd

First thing I look at with a new posting from you is how long the video is, and I am delighted when it is around a hour long. Usually indicating a lecture with some gravitas will be forthcoming. Two observations about Doki Doki Morning. First in the famous "white t-shirt guy" video Su has pigtails and Moa and Yui have pony tails, more importantly the mike cover in the Doki Doki video looks like a stuffed animal, but it looks like a skeleton version. Any one have an idea about this?

Before watching the video: Somehow the costumes looks like they are made to show they are wearing a persona on stage. The big zipper on the back (would be easy to hide), up to the hairstyle on yui & moa look like its a body suit.

Hey Maggie!

I wish you would have covered the white outfits from legend Z never heard any backstory on those outfits maybe you can go back to them in your second part when you continue after karate outfits

これまでの教授のBABYMETALの考察を書籍化してくれる日本の出版社は無いかな？

The Budokan was built for the 1964 Olympics.

Where is Yui? Four years and not a single picture or video of her? There should be an investigation done by Japanese police to confirm that she is alive and well. This is ridiculous.