Originally Posted by Idealist (Post 1378645)

Here is my analysis of the Mirrorcle World PV--

I don't think it's random at all. This is a very deep video. The song's lyrics are also important for understanding its meaning. All of the elements are chosen specifically to talk about Ayu's feelings and thoughts about the future. Not just her own personal future, but the future of mankind. Once you look at the video from the perspective of representing Ayu's internal discussion about the technological singularity, it all makes sense.

Briefly, there is a theory that our technology and ability to share information is increasing at an exponential rate; our technology allows us to create more advanced technology, which allows us to create even more advanced technology, etc., and in the not too distant future we will inevitably reach a point where the speed at which we gain new knowledge becomes nearly infinite and we transcend our bodies. That is the technological singularity.

Elements of this concept have been explored in Japanese pop culture before, for example in the anime series Ghost in the Shell and Neon Genesis Evangelion. In the west, one major example of pop culture touching on the singularity is The Matrix, which Ayu intentionally references with a couple aspects of the video.

Mirrorcle World starts out depicting a number of men who are direct references to the "agents" of The Matrix. This is important as it helps to explain the context of the video. These are beings of technology, who record information, and not in the way that human beings have had for most of our history. The seek to control information.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...d/00-01-05.jpg

We see a very quick shot of Ayu in lingerie, but aren't given a context for this yet, but it does come later. This is the first of Ayu's five aspects in this video.

Next, we hear a modem dialing in. This is very important, because it tells us that what we are seeing in the video is not the real world; it is, instead, a virtual, electronic world, a "Mirrorcle World", a marvelous echo of the real thing. We are shown an aspect of Ayu, which likely represents her adventurousness in wanting to explore this new world of possibilities; she makes simple, factual statements, and asks simple questions, like so:

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...d/00-01-07.jpg



These lines express her wonder at the world; note also the emphasis on the "future".



These lines express what she has heard from other people. These lines are in reference to fears people have about the singularity; is it the beginning for mankind, or the end? There is a choice between giving up our physical bodies, or hanging on to them. Ayu is asked if she is "shrugging" it off because she is calm about it, or because she despairs about it.

Next we see that first aspect of Ayu, finally given context.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...d/00-02-25.jpg

Here we have a representation of Ayu's body, or more specifically, of Ayu thinking about her body. Note the emphasis on her physical sexual appeal, and also the fact that the view of Ayu is in a mirror. She is thinking about her physical body, which she would have to give up if she simply became her disembodied consciousness.

Next we are introduced to a third Ayu aspect, which is her analytical mind.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...d/00-02-31.jpg

Our view of this aspect is entirely on her head, all of the expression she conveys are with facial body language and hand gestures involving her head. She asks deeper, more cautious questions.



She expresses concern about whether people can cope with the era of the singularity.

We're shown another aspect of Ayu:

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...d/00-02-44.jpg

Her sudden appearance in a red dress may seem random, but it is likely a reference to "the woman in the red dress" from The Matrix. She is the Ayu that asks questions about what to do; the Ayu of choice and decision.



Here is the crux of the entire issue, and once I thought about this line in context with the rest of the song and the video, everything finally made sense. This is exactly the question that one must ask themselves when thinking about the possibility of the singularity.



Basically, if she decides to leave her body, should she just pretend she can still "see" it, that it still exists; or is the body really significant anyway? Is she her body, or is she more than her body?



She wonders if she should fight against the inevitable march of progress towards the singularity or not. She doesn't want to just "run away" from the question, and from the future, she wants to be an active participant in it and not a victim of fate.

Now we have her dropping a handkerchief, which is picked up by the "agents"; one concern about the singularity is that it will fundamentally strip us of our privacy due to the fact that all of humanity's knowledge will be shared instantaneously. Already in the present we see the ease with which personal information is accessed online.

The "agents" represent those malignant forces that would take personal information and use it to control others. They search for Ayu-choice, because they do not want her to be free to make the choice to realize her potential; with the singularity, all information will become free from their grasp. Ayu-choice is with doves. This is more difficult to get a definite interpretation of, but it may be representative of Ayu being "at peace" and not feeling threatened by the "agents".

Ayu-mind appears again, and talks about her thoughts.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...d/00-03-41.jpg



She is thinking about the world we are in now, at the present, before the singularity occurs. We don't know everything, so, our pace is limited.



"That way" doesn't refer to her previous statement; it refers to the singularity. Ayu is thinking that it will clear the path for all people to reach their full potential.

Ayu-mind has reached a conclusion, and Ayu-adventurousness decides to act on it:

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...d/00-03-56.jpg

She "shatters" the mirror (Ayu-body, if you recall, was located in a mirror), because she has decided to embrace the singularity. We see Ayu-choice rejoice, and Ayu-body is in distress, mourning the loss of her relevance; she is not so attractive now.

The choice isn't without consequences--we are introduced to the final aspect of Ayu, her future, where she must contend with the negative forces of this brave new world.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...d/00-04-12.jpg

They trap her in the phone booth. The phone booth symbolizes traditional means of communication, as we have now; the agents trap her, not wanting to give her freedom. Ayu-future echoes her earlier lines in the song, this time the sentiments of those malicious agents, who stand to gain by Ayu-future giving up and remaining in their control. They tell her just to continue on as she is, in their control.

But Ayu is saved from this fate.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...d/00-04-47.jpg

She is not alone in this Mirrorcle World, and allies arrive to assist her, and shine a light on the misdeeds of those exploiting her vulnerability. She gives one last glance back to the phone booth, her past and our present, before getting in the car with her friends, driving off into the mists of the future.

Ayu-mind wonders:

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...d/00-04-55.jpg



Is it because she's so strong personally that she can face the future without suffering? Or...is it because of those others alongside her, who lend her their strength, as all people join together?

We hear a final tinkle of a connection signing off as the video ends.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...d/00-05-11.jpg

Ultimately it is a very optimistic view of the future, and one that I strongly identify with. Oh, and why shoot the video in Paris? What better location for a fantastic place which Ayu is foreign to? As the virtual Mirrorcle World is to the physical world, so is Paris to Tokyo for Ayu.