Welcome to the wonderfully wacky world of sailor-suit (or is school uniform?) wearing Japanese girl group ATARASHII GAKKO! and their tribute to old school Japanese TV - not to mention the The Beastie Boys' classic video for Intergalactic.First came their own version of Intergalactic. Then they took it to the next level with Tokyo Calling, and the fabulous video directed by Pennacky. From the performance to the choreography, to the numerous setpieces, it's exceptional work from a visionary creative team.It's a love letter to tokusatsu - the heavy use of special effects in film and television programmes - the video is a satirical commentary on Japanese society, with jaw-dropping miniature work and a retrofuturistic aesthetic.Sure, we have seen something like this before - in the Intergalactic video and elsewhere. But having the four girls of ATARASHII GAKKO! towering over Tokyo, Godzilla-size, is the most enjoyable thing we've seen so far in 2024. That includes Jeremy in his underpants.

Mackenzie Sheppard directs a brilliant promo for Japanese pop outfit Atarashii Gakkou.[Woo! Go!] is a music video made for Nike to launch NIKE JUKU, a new program to improve the physical, emotional and mental health of students in Japan, who are under so much pressure to perform that they notoriously attend cram schools (“juku”).The video opens with a classroom full of students all exhausted and struggling to stay engaged, before the girl group crash the venue with a choreographed performance which provides a moment of clarity and pause. It's over the top in the best way, and feels very organic in its presentation, despite the offbeat nature of the vignettes. Unique, distinctive and for a good cause - what more can we ask for?