World Order -- Censorship

 

Long time no see, World Order. Glad to see that Genki Sudo（須藤元気）is back at the helm for this song-and-dance group with the robotic and geometric choreography.

Watching the video for their 3rd and most recent digital download single "Censorship" from September reminded me that there is a national election in Japan on Halloween tomorrow. I was slightly tickled by Sudo and the gang in their sober suits making like politicians in the Diet., especially when they pretended to be sleeping during Parliamentary speeches (that's virtually a pastime among the guys in the Lower House). The even more hilarious thing is that Sudo has been a member of the Upper House representing the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan since 2019. Yes, we are seeing Japan's funkiest politician making his moves in the video. Incidentally at the same time, Eriko Imai（今井絵理子）, formerly of the 90s group SPEED, also became Parliamentary Vice Minister of the Cabinet Office in the same year for the governing Liberal Democratic Party.

All of the World Order tropes are accounted for: the technopop melody by Sudo and Ryo Shimamoto (lyrics are by Sudo and Takashi Watanabe), the Vulcan-like demeanors, the trademark World Order walk and the liberal usage of Tokyo neighbourhoods and structures to enhance their dancing. It's a wonder that the Japan Tourism Agency hasn't used their services to encourage inbound travel once the pandemic is past.