Japanese Artist Hikaru Utada's New Music Video is a Visual Representation of 'Growing Up'

TOKYO director Eiji Tanigawa took to the director’s chair for the latest music video of world-renowned Japanese artist Hikaru Utada.

His first time working with the acclaimed musician, this music video was unchartered territory in many ways for him and for Hikaru herself, as they both ventured into a new world.

‘Pink Blood’ is the visual journey of 'growing up'. Telling the story of striving to challenge the next stage of our lives, Hikaru speaks particularly to young women like herself. Growing up often requires experiencing pain, confusion surrounding our identity and questioning ourselves, but all of these experiences give us the strength to move on to the next chapter of our lives and enter into new worlds.

Eiji visualises the panorama of the mind with great detail. He explains: “The moment I first heard the song, a scene began to form in my mind. I saw Hikaru Utada standing alone and centered, like a bodhi tree. She expresses personal feelings and self-affirmations which spread like a wave out to the world, purifying it and creating empathy and harmony among all of creation.”

Eiji came up with the idea of creating a world in which time is governed by the moon and people must face themselves in the process of growing up. After discussing the concept with Hikaru and building on the idea together, they were set to shoot the stunning otherworldly music video.

The overall tone of the film is inspired by the contrast of 'light and dark' that can be seen in the paintings of Caravaggio. Eiji designed each and every shot to let the darkness and the blank space tell stories through unusual lighting. His aim was to create a music video that is bold, strong and stands still through time, bringing out the subtleties and true nature of the mind.