Music video analysis

Dir En Grey is a Japanese band; formed in 1997. Japan is notorious for its extreme cinema.

Dir En Grey - Obscure

Genre. Does the purpose of the video promote an artist, song or album? Does is fit a clear genre?
This music video definitely promotes this particular song very well, yet it does not promote the artist accurately. This is because this song/video is very unique compared to the rest of the band's work. This is a heavy/dark and almost gothic song which the video fits in well with. This is down to the excessive gore displayed to accentuate the heavy yet sensitive topic of abortion. This fits in well with the typical theme found amongst metal: topics of a taboo nature. This is actually the norm amongst this genre as metal bands can be very controversial.
Codes and conventions. technical and stylistic elements of the genre the video adopts.
This disturbing music video, opens with a fast-cut montage of graphic images.

• CGI used to fabricate unnatural ideas within the video.
• Very short and fast clips played in a sequence to accentuate the fast pace, structure and extremity of the music and video.
• Odd clips played in fast motion to a give disorganised feeling to match the disorganised pace. 
• Some short clips in black and white for a bleak yet dark effect.
• Display of characters usually found in a circus. A circus' aim is to make an impressed audience, laugh. This is combined with blood, gore, distress and sex in the video. This gives a subliminal impact of insanity as there is a mix up of emotions.
• Close ups of characters' and band members' faces to intensify music video.
• Overlapping layers of imagery - busy video. 

Narrative and Performance. What is the story running through the video? Is the artist performance a part of the video or a cut-away?
This story behind the video is about males and females being careless with sex and therefore having unwanted pregnancies. The brutalised geisha girls (gore, sex scene) represent girls who get hurt by sleeping with many of the wrong people and the geisha girl feeding on a baby's head represents the unnecessary killing of her own baby through abortion. The other disturbing clips and images are just to intensify the horror and distress this topic has on women and men. It also represents how this kind of event can produce more distressing problems for someone. The way this sensitive and taboo topic is portrayed in this video is extremely bold, brave yet true. It is an eye opener for the audience and even though it is a disturbing and shocking video the message is for a good cause. Lust plagues many people in varying degrees even when the consequences are carrying a child, while in ignorant or blatant disregard for responsibility of how such a decision can impact our world. The sickness is not always apparent but, truth and reflection of affliction lies in the video.
The band performing is a cut-away in the video but the individual band members are involved in some of the shocking clips. The bassist shoves a spear through his head, the guitarist rips his heart out and eats it, the drummer grows multiple arms and the lead singer expands his alien/monster-like mouth.
Representation of particular groups.
The music video doesn't represent much of a social group to an extent, but if forced to it would come under a sub genre of metal due to the overall shocking display. The song is positive due to the good message behind it but is delivered in a negative way due to the excessive gore. The shocking aspect helps deliver the message to the audience effectively. The profundity of the video derives from its underlying meaning as, whilst on the face of things it bears the usual sentiments of videos of this genre, it also embeds in the viewer's mind a disturbing sense of discomfort. This song/video represents promiscuous individuals.
Audience.
This music video is aimed at 15-30 year olds. It is attractive to this age group because it tends to be younger people who enjoy horror-like media. It is also directed at this age group as they are the most promiscuous and fertile.
Meaning
The meaning behind this music video is both explicit and implicit. This is because the meaning is buried in the video very metaphorically rather than literally, yet the metaphorical actions are very apparent.