MMD Cup 3 Finals Preview – Theme 1

As we move closer to August 14th, Vocaloidism will preview some of the top vids from the 3rd MMD Cup Qualifying and see if they’re up to snuff.  With over half of the 86 entries earning a perfect score, leave it to V-ism to sort the trash from the treasure.

In our last installment, the process and scoring system were broken down.  Today we look at the entries using the first theme: kisetsu, or season.  13 of the 22 previews hit the 100 point maximum in qualifying, so how good are the Top 5?  Read on to find out.

Vocaloid On Ice ～ Miku no ICE☆SHOW
MyList (as of writing): 882   Overall Rank: 1

There’s no two ways about it, this is Miku’s figure skating debut (at least to a mainstream audience). It’s clear that the creator is a fan of the sport–either that or he’s great at winging it–as Miku’s triple axles fly effortlessly around the rink.  My only knock is that it’s figure skating, which tends to be a little repetitive and dull.  Luckily, it’s just one run, but I wouldn’t be surprised if I found myself checking my watch part-way though.

Big thanks to Miku to help display the score.  It’s definitely more engaging than text, no?

Sentou
MyList: 640 Overall Rank: 2

This feels like a follow-up to one of last contest’s entries, the one where Len went into Miku’s pantsu drawer and then got pelted with weaponry of increasing ridculousness.  I wasn’t that enthused before, and the joke hasn’t gotten funnier since.  The ceiling doesn’t get much higher for this one.

K-On! + Vocalo zenin + α de Sooran
MyList: 254 Overall Rank: 7

The premise is lost on a “typical” American like myself who also avoids K-On.  While I’m sure it’s a thrilling number (enough to get 250 ML’s) it’s a strike against it to this reviewer.  Another thing is that all the flowing hair is a distraction.  This is more the fault of the program than the user, though.  Hair in MMD doesn’t seem to react inutitively to gravity, which is a problem for vids like these.  Uninteresting + quality issues = no thank you.

Hissatsu Hatsune-san
MyList: 196 Overall Rank: 12

I’m a sucker for old Japanese TV show music, so it gets points for that.  The clip is just mysterious enough that you want to watch the final version to see what will happen, so it gets points for that, too.  The ending is abrupt, so it gets points off for that.  Overall, I like it.

Basuke de hajimaru Kimi to Boku to…
MyList: 184 Overall Rank: 13

The fact that the video uses a Chibi Miku-san pairing amuses me.  Otherwise, it’s a solid Next Episode preview, with the exception of strange idiosyncracies with Len’s basketball skills.  I really don’t think the right hand is supposed to be that way when you shoot.  Then again, it’s been a few years since I played, so maybe it’s just me.

Anyway, that wraps up our look at the Kisetsu group.  Vocaloid on Ice looks to be the prohibitive favorite to take the whole thing, but it wasn’t appointment viewing.  Luckily, the closest in-group competitors looked a whole lot worse.  In our next installment, we’ll see if a look into the future proves fruitful with our 2nd group.