capsule -- Sugarless GiRL/Plastic Girl（プラスチックガール）

It's been quite a while since I wrote anything on the intriguing duo known as capsule. I'd been planning to just talk about "Plastic Girl" tonight but I came across one of capsule's later songs, "Sugarless GiRL" tonight, so I decided why not cover both of them girls to compare the difference in time and style for both of them.

The reason that I opted to do the two-for-one tonight was that up to now, I'd always known capsule, which consists of DJ/songwriter/producer Yasutaka Nakata（中田ヤスタカ）and vocalist Toshiko Koshijima（こしじまとしこ）, as this second coming of Pizzicato Five in the early 2000s, evident in the music and the music videos, taking a look at "Music Controller" and "Tokyo Kissa" for instance. However, as I went through the music stores such as Tower Records and HMV later in that decade, I noticed that capsule's later albums indicated that Nakata and Koshijima had chosen to go in a more electro direction.

So I was curious about how the techno capsule sounded and so I took a look at "Sugarless GiRL" which for some reason reminded me of Trident gum (perhaps 9 out of 10 critics liked the song). Remembering the cover shots of Koshijima looking like a metallic disco queen with futuristic shades from Rigel V, I took a look and listen at the video and noticed that the lass was wearing an outfit that seemed more fit for an old-fashioned soiree. However, Nakata's style in music was definitely away from Shibuya-kei. "Sugarless GiRL" resembles the technopop or electropop (not sure what the difference is here or if there is even a difference in the two genres...sorry, I've always been a neophyte in this area) that I've associated with his other even more successful project, Perfume. Plus, I am also reminded of some later tunes by Fantastic Plastic Machine. Nakata's lyrics speak to a fellow seemingly trying to woo a young lady who doesn't exactly have the warmest personality toward him. Still, the song keeps on bouncing along like a happy pinball in the machine; the man probably won't ever give up in trying to defrost her.

"Sugarless GiRL" is the title track for capsule's 8th album released in February 2007. It peaked at No. 25 on Oricon and has been described by Nakata himself as something that turned out not to be club-like pop but pop-like club music, according to J-Wiki.

Meanwhile a little over 4 years in the past, capsule released their 5th single, "Plastic Girl", in November 2002 following the aforementioned "Tokyo Kissa" and "Music Controller". Of course, Nakata wrote and composed this breezy tune which has that Shibuya-kei feeling that I first associated with the duo. But I do notice some of the techno lightly seasoning this one as well.

The official music video is noteworthy since I see that Koshijima is making like a Japanese version of 60s pop icon and model Twiggy, a figure that I barely remember from my early childhood. And yup, I also get reminded of Maki Nomiya（野宮真貴）of P5, too, watching this example of happy-go-lucky life. "Plastic Girl" describes a young lady who has decided to take on that titular veneer to enjoy the footloose-and-fancy-free city life while staving off any potentially disruptive influences such as falling in love, perhaps. I don't know how the single did but it's included on capsule's 2nd album "Cutie Cinema Replay" from March 2003.