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Ginger Root - TV Tropes

  • ️Thu Apr 25 2024

Ginger Root (Music)

It's so good to get down at the Juban District.

Ginger Root is the name of a (usually) one-man band of Cameron Lew, and a throwback to Japanese City Pop and retro soul filtered through a nostalgic The '80s/The '90s East Asia aesthetic. Picture yourself on a warm summer evening in Hong Kong or Tokyo, watching old VHSes of classic 90s anime and J-Drama, and you've got the idea.

Hitting mainstream and Memetic Mutation success with his melancholic "Loretta", he's gone on to make a full EP, Nisemono, reflecting his mixed feelings of discomfort and pressure vs. joy and gratitude in his newfound fame.

Discography:

Studio Albums:

  • Spotlight People (2017)
  • Mahjong Room (2018)
  • Rikki (2020)
  • SHINBANGUMI (2024)

EPs:

  • Toaster_music (2017)
  • Toaster_Music_v2 (2018)
  • Fresh Sounds of Ginger Root Vol. 1 (2019)
  • Toaster Music v3 (2020)
  • City Slicker (2021)
  • Nisemono (2022)

Other tidbits:

  • Live from Istanbul (2019, live album)

It's so good to trope down at the Juban District:

  • Almighty Janitor: In the "Better Than Monday" music video, all of the new Ginger Root Production members are introduced with their name, experience level, and previous job. Of all the members, it's the literal janitor with a full 5-star rating in experience, with his previous job being a "realtor".
  • All Just a Dream: In "The End of SHINBANGUMI", it's revealed at the very end that everything in the SHINBANGUMI saga (starting with him getting fired) was just part of a video pitch Cameron was proposing to Manager-San, which she rejects as being another "overzealous" idea of his. That said, she proposes a different, "big new project" for Cameron which has his attention...
  • Alternate Universe:
    • In-Universe, this is how the "original" recording of Loneliness exists when Kimiko adamantly refused to perform it - in another timeline, she's convinced (or forced) to perform it, and is visibly unhappy to do so.
    • The music videos for the songs in Nisemono and SHINBANGUMI also depict a fictional Americasia where Americans live in a period and culture heavily influenced by Japan during The '80s and The '90s.
  • Anti-Love Song:
    • "Loretta" is either about the aftermath of a breakup and the narrator's inability to move past it, or the narrator's lament that he can't bring himself to break up with Loretta, despite her "lying".
    • "Loneliness" frames the narrator knowing his lover is lying about loving him, but he doesn't care — he's not alone anymore. On a platonic level, it's a metaphor for being suspicious towards his fame, especially when much of it was due to being a meme.
  • Anti-Villain: Manager-san bluntly fires Cameron for his refusal to play ball with Juban TV, but it's clear she's Just Following Orders and it's simply a matter impersonal business. When Cameron begins his own production studio and produces a hit series, she's given hell by her superior for having fired him in the first place, and is clearly stressed from her assignment to stop Ginger Root. When she fails to steal their tapes in "All Night", she's sent packing, which ironically puts her back on track to assisting Cameron and saving his show.
  • Berserk Button: In-universe, Kimiko hates "Loneliness" so much that she angrily storms out of the studio right before her US debut. It's not stated why she hates it so much, but it's heavily implied the lyrics of imposter syndrome, fake love, and being Lonely at the Top hit too close to home for her.
  • Big Damn Heroes: In "The End of SHINBANGUMI", Cameron and his team's efforts to thwart the Juban CEO's bogus competition fails, with their attempt to break into the set leading to them getting tied up as they prepare to lock the "Overdrive Academy" master tape away forever. As they lament their predicament...
  • Call-and-Response Song: In streams and concerts, the "I (I!)" part of "Weather"'s chorus is echoed by the audience, or on streams, represented with the eye emoji.
  • Concept Album: The music videos for the songs comprising Nisemono and SHINBANGUMI depict whole storylines that revolve around a supposed "Juban TV" and a fictional Cameron Lew.
  • Corrupt Corporate Executive: During the SHINBANGUMI series, the CEO of Juban TV is framed as the Big Bad, observing Cameron starting his own indie studio and producing a hit show, seeing him as a threat, and exercising everything in his power to steal and suppress it. After Manager-San's attempt to steal the master tape fails, the CEO strongarms Cameron directly by forcing him into a deal to put the fate of the master tape on a live performance competition determined by audience vote... which is blatantly rigged to set him up for failure. He almost wins as a result, and he proudly gloats about how much he's leaving Ginger Root Productions and its show to rot.
  • Cover Version: Ginger Root has several covers to its name as non-album singles, including "What Christmas Means to Me" by Stevie Wonder, and instrumental covers of "A Cruel Angel's Thesis" from Neon Genesis Evangelion and "Linus n' Lucy" from Peanuts.
  • Creator Breakdown: In-Universe, and an overall arching theme of Nisemono:
    • One case kicks off the storyline: when famous j-pop star Kimiko Takeguchi has a breakdown and quits right before her American debut, her songwriter and stagehand, Cameron, is badgered into being her last-minute replacement and subsequently becomes more popular than Kimiko was in both Japan and America.
    • As time progresses and Cameron only becomes more famous and in-demand, Cameron's increasing discomfort at his commercialization results in him apparently disappearing like Kimiko, but thankfully, he only took a break to play Mahjong.
  • Didn't Think This Through: The "Better Than Monday" video sees Cameron and the newly-formed production team of Ginger Root Productions scrambling to make their first broadcast after their satellite rig is accidentally cut mere minutes before they're set to air. Against all odds, the manage to scrap a new satellite and successfully make it live... only for Cameron to awkwardly realize he didn't have any actual content prepared.

    Cameron: (whispering to the team) I didn't think we'd get this far...

  • Dull Eyes of Unhappiness: Kimiko has dull, lightless eyes when she Rage Quits her career after being told to play "Loneliness", a Berserk Button for her. In the Alternate Universe where she actually plays it, she's very clearly dead inside.
  • Dream Episode: The "Only You" video takes place in the span of a few seconds of Cameron receiving an ominous phone call from Juban TV's CEO with an offer for a deal. During it, he ends up experiencing a wild fantasy of finding himself trapped in his own shows and productions, teleporting from dream-like scene to dream-like scene within videos and sets, including chasing after the protagonist of "Overdrive Academy" for their VHS tape — seemingly an extended metaphor for Cameron identifying the world that he and his studio have produced, and beginning to crumble under the popularity and stakes they've raised getting to where they are, ending with the CEO simply asking if they have a deal or not.
  • Evil Laugh: Manager-san's... manager... cackles evilly like a typical toku villain when he plots to destroy Cameron's new indie TV station.
  • Executive Meddling:
    • In-universe: the plot of SHINBANGUMI starts when Cameron is fired for refusing to do a sequel to "Loretta" due to wanting to move past it and do something new.
    • Alluded to further in "The End of SHINBANGUMI": When the Juban TV CEO gets his hands on the "Overdrive Academy" master tape through less-than-honorable means, he proudly gloats about his options, varying from changing Kimiko's guitar, to milking the franchise with a spin-off, to recasting the entire show with "real" actors... before settling on simply locking the tape in storage, preventing it from ever seeing the light of day.
  • Falling into the Cockpit: Twofold: in-universe, Kimiko's return to the music industry and joint project with Cameron is the ED for an anime, Meet Me in the Galaxy, is about an Ordinary High-School Student who finds a spaceship that straps her in and takes her to a completely different galaxy. It's a metaphor for the unexpected fame Ginger Root got.
  • Fallen-on-Hard-Times Job: In "The End of SHINBANGUMI", the "Kaze" portion covers Manager-San going through a montage of these after being fired from her job by the Juban CEO in a previous video, rotating between a crossing guard, a grocery store clerk, a sign flipper, a waiter, and a deliveryman, looking utterly miserable all the way through. She's also working at a bar, and Kobayashi comes in after closing hours to convince her to help Cameron and his studio for old time's sake.
  • Foreshadowing: Kimiko's nervous breakdown and subsequent Rage Quit from being forced to sing a song she hates — heavily implied because they strike a nerve too deeply about the pressures of fame — echo the motifs of Nisemono and SHINBANGUMI.
  • Genre Throwback:
    • To East Asian (especially Japanese) City Pop and electronica (like Yellow Magic Orchestra, Casiopea) and media of The '80s and The '90s, complete with fake advertisements in the vein of quirky Japanese commercials and VHS tapes for everything.
    • Cameron's indie TV series in the MV for "There Was a Time" throws back to Sukeban Deka and other "delinquent Action Girl/tough schoolgirl kicking ass with a weird weapon" live-action series, like Shoujo Commando Izumi.
  • Grand Finale: "The End of SHINBANGUMI" is a short film that concludes the SHINBANGUMI saga, being an extra-long music video that covers all the remaining songs of the album that didn't receive videos (from "Kaze" to "Take Me Back (Owakare No Jikan)") and wraps up the story.
  • Gratuitous Japanese: Befitting its City Pop and vaporwave inspirations, Japanese is interspersed through many Ginger Root songs, though Cameron and his live band aren't Japanese. Nisemono and its titular track are particularly filled with Japanese and open on a completely Japanese track from in-universe J-Pop star Kimiko. It also serves to fit the theme of alienation: Nisemono is a Japanese word meaning "fake" or "fraud", and Cameron, who isn't a typical white pop star or a J-pop star, is dragged into such a role.
  • Hates the Job, Loves the Limelight: Downplayed, but it happens twice:
    • Kimiko's resignation was more due to her bottled-up feelings about the music industry coming out in force, but once Kimiko sees Cameron get mega-popular in her stead, she starts calling around to try and get back into the music industry and happily accepts a collaboration with Cameron.
    • When Cameron is fired for refusing to do "Loretta 2" after an album lamenting his success and the pressures that come with fame, he misses the spotlight enough to begin his own TV station to compete with his former employers.
  • High-Powered Career Woman: "Manager-san", Kimiko (and then Cameron)'s besuited, chain-smoking manager, who, despite appearances, is just as stressed-out as the two singers are. In SHINBANGUMI, she fires Cameron after he refuses to do a "Loretta" sequel... and as it turns out, she's under a lot of pressure from her manager.
  • Implied Death Threat: When the suits at Juban TV discover that "Overdrive Academy" has become a hit, Manager-san — whose firing of Cameron directly led to him starting the independent studio that produced it — gives her an ultimatum from her superior at Juban TV to stop Ginger Root Productions... or it's over.
  • Japandering: Invoked with "Holy Hell"'s music video, which is framed like a typical "American celeb uncomfortably does weird Product Placement in English and Japanese"; in this case, it's ginger soda.
  • Japan Takes Over the World: Downplayed, but as part of its Genre Throwback to The '80s where fears of Japan outright replacing Western culture competed with Western and Japanese artists collaborating (notably The Human Condition and Yellow Magic Orchestra teaming up for a remix of Kimi Ni Mune Kyun), the universe of Nisemono shows Japanese songs are big hits in its alternate America. Contrast IRL history, where Pink Lady had one American hit and their American variety show was slaughtered in ratings.
  • The Last DJ: The plot of SHINBANGUMI kicks off when Cameron refuses to do a label-mandated sequel to "Loretta", the song that propelled him to fame. He's promptly fired for it, and the label proceeds to milk Loretta for all it's worth.
  • Meaningful Name: Nisemono means "counterfeit" or "fake" in Japanese, which perfectly encapsulates the EP's theme of being a fake who somehow made it.
  • Once More, with Clarity: Played With: Kimiko's breakdown and resignation aren't given clear reasons, but the Nisemono EP makes it clear why as the same issues of feeling like a fraud and fleeting fame pound Cameron.
  • Rage Quit: Kimiko angrily quits right before her US debut of "Loneliness", and it's heavily implied that the song topics of loneliness, feeling like a fraud, and false love hit too close to home for an Idol Singer.
  • Reprise Medley: "Take Me Back (Owakare No Jikan)", the closing track of SHINBANGUMI, interpolates melodies from "Better Than Monday", "Only You", "Kaze", "There Was a Time", and "No Problems" during its second half. In the context of "The End of SHINBANGUMI", this gets turned into a proper Credits Medley as it's played during the closing credits.
  • Retraux: As with many Future Funk and vaporwave projects, Ginger Root is based on 80s and 90s Japanese city pop and Asian aesthetics. All their music videos are shot with fuzzy VHS-style effects and patterned after old Japanese and Hong Kong movies, old Japanese anime serves as soundbytes, and the world we see in Nisemono seems to be in the late 80s or early 90s, with an American night show host recalling more Johnny Carson than, say, Jimmy Kimmel.
  • Rock-Star Song:
  • Sell-Out:
    • Much of Nisemono is rumination on if Cameron has sold out his indie cred for well-loved, but ultimately empty fame. The MV for "Holy Hell" depicts his discomfort at doing commercials. There is Reality Subtext: in live concerts, Cameron has said that he'll only get bonuses if he completely sells out a venue.
    • SHINBANGUMI's plot kicks off when Cameron refuses to kowtow to studio pressure to release a heavily commercialized, to the point of being unrecognizable, sequel and spinoffs to "Loretta".
  • Shout-Out:
    • The in-universe anime show that Kimiko and Cameron write an ED for is based on classic The '70s and The '80s sci-fi anime, primarily Galaxy Express 999's themes of cosmic wonder, and its focus on an ordinary schoolgirl activating a spaceship recalls GAINAX's famous Daicon III & IV promo animations.
    • "Juban District", both a song and an oft-referred-to locale in the Nisemono storyline, is taken from Sailor Moon.
    • J-Pop Idol Singers featuring on American talk shows throws back to Pink Lady, who had a variety show in America in 1980.
    • "Loneliness" is named after City Pop song "Can't Stop The Loneliness" by ANRI.
    • The music video for "There Was a Time" depicts an off-brand version of Sukeban Deka and other "delinquent girl" shows of that decade.
    • During the "Only You" video, during the climactic montage of Cameron teleporting from place to place, there's a brief moment of him keeling over in a chair with his face in his hands, recreating the infamous image of Shinji Ikari from Neon Genesis Evangelion doing the same thing.
    • In the Alternate Universe where Kimiko was forced to sing "Loneliness", she has a obviously unhappy and dead stare even when she's performing something ostensibly cheerful. It's a dark reference to Yukiko Okada's own unhappy stare in some of her pictures.
  • Show Within a Show: Many of the music videos depict fake TV shows created by the equally fictional Juban TV, such as the movie "City Slicker", the talk show "Tonight's the Night!", the anime "Meet You in the Galaxy!", the TV show "Overdrive Academy", and various commercials Cameron is shown performing in during "Holy Hell".
  • Start My Own: The plot of SHINBANGUMI follows Cameron being fired from Juban TV, inspiring him to create his own production company, "Ginger Root Productions", which comes into conflict with the Corrupt Corporate Executive running Juban when their TV show "Overdrive Academy" becomes popular.
  • Took a Level in Jerkass: Manager-san starts out as a frazzled manager who seems to be actually concerned for Cameron. Befitting Japanese passive-aggressiveness, she starts politely pushing Cameron towards adverts, something he's uncomfortable with. During the concerts, Manager-san became a lot more brusque and dismissive, aggressively pushing Cameron to say the lines his label has mandated him to do and generally treating him like an annoying screwup. It culminates in "No Problems", where she coldly and passive-aggressively fires Cameron when he refuses to really Sell-Out and do "Loretta 2". Later backpedaled once she's given the riot act by her boss — the CEO of Juban TV — for inadvertently spurring Cameron into creating genuine competition through his new studio, and when she's fired, she ends up being roped into helping Cameron again. Then it turns out that the whole SHINBANGUMI era's videos are all just a story within a story anyway.
  • Translated Cover Version: Not long after the sudden popularity of "Loretta" — especially among Japanese audiences — Cameron released an alternate version of the song sung in Japanese lyrics.
  • "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: As "The End of SHINBANGUMI" concludes with Cameron and his associates successfully broadcasting their show across Juban TV, the short film ends with captions listing their fates, some sillier than others:

    Greg became a woodshop teacher
    Caitlyn became a K-drama star's assistant
    Ashley had another production to go to
    Bishop went to teach film at a high school
    Alton ventured to sea for 7 years, and lived
    The Luggage Bros.note  went to tour with Ginger Root
    Kobayashi won a Nobel Peace Prize
    The Manager finally quit smoking
    Cameron's whereabouts are still unknown

  • Who Would Want to Watch Us?: In "The End of SHINBANGUMI", the whole era's music videos are revealed to just be part of a pitch by Cameron to Manager-San. She isn't particularly impressed, and snarks that "the actress" playing her looks nothing like her.