Living one’s dream is the message of Set Me Apart, Pupil’s latest composition for Animax’s hip, tech savvy televiewers. The adrenaline-pumping rock ditty captures the network’s 3D, action-filled shows like Final Fantasy, FateStay Night, Honey & Clover, Paradise Kiss, Ghost in the Shell, Girl From Hell and Dragon Ball.
“It’s the sound of the youth,” shares Yani Yuzon, Pupil’s guitarist and vocalist. “We were commissioned to write a song that represents Animax’s market which is the youth. We needed to come up with something strong and explosive — similar to the larger-than-life characters and themes of Animax shows.”
The song fits the lifestyle of the station’s viewers, who are trendsetters and leaders among their peers. These are young people who are not afraid to be different and to take risks.
As the lyrics go, “Set me free. Let me be. Stay on track.”
The music video, which premieres on June 8, 7 p.m. and stars Pupil, embodies the whole idea of freedom.
“It was the first time we acted (and performed) behind the green screen,” relates Yani. “The shooting was like doing something you didn’t know what was happening behind you.”
The MTV was done in animation.
It made Set Me Apart video extra special to band members Ely Buendia, Dok Sergio, Bogs Jugo and Yani. Aside from appearing in animated form, they were also asked to share their inputs to the total look of the music video. It is a sneak peek of what each member dreams of becoming as an animé hero/character.
One will see Ely sporting a Daimos-inspired outfit in a glass elevator and shooting into space. Yani is a cowboy with high-tech pistol eliminating aliens. Bogs hits his drums amidst a busy freeway. Dok jams on his bass with the vast ocean as background.
Since the video speaks of Pupil as a band, one cannot deny the friendship that makes the members stick together. This friendship has spawned hits like Dianetic, Nasaan Ka? and Blow Your House Down.
“There’s generosity and teamwork,” says Yani of the band. “We’re also good at listening and are receptive of other ideas.”
But what makes them click for rock enthusiasts out there is the wealth of experience the members have gained all these years. And also the music genres they have listened to like punk, new wave, glam, goth, heavy and grunge.
As Ely succinctly puts it, “It has one foot in the past, one foot in the present and both eyes deadset at the future.”
If there’s one statement Set Me Apart and its video reveal about the young people of today, it is the fact that “they are audacious and aggressive, confused and angry,” says Yani. “More importantly, they have their own conviction.”