i think i like the new dance version better than the other one (at least what we've seen of the other one), if for nothing else than the formations are more noticable. in fact, the black background messes which the depth perception which i like because it makes it look like there's a crap ton of girls (like at the beginning when they stick their arm out to the right). i also like not being able to see some of the weird hair and shoulder accessories, it fixes part of what i didn't like about the outfits. and in general the black parts blending in with the background is interesting effect.. not sure how it will look mixed in with the other scenes, but on its own i like it. i think i like these boots they used too.. were they used in the other PV as well? i'll have to take a closer look.
however now that i can see it properly i really don't like how they changed the formation for the arm thing during the chorus. you can't even see it that well either in the PV or in concerts. you really need a specific camera angle for that to look super cool and it makes it pointless if you don't AT LEAST make that happen for the PV (which is what's going to be watched over and over long after concerts stop featuring it). so all they ended up doing was making a perfectly awesome formation look messier (especially when they move they move closer together just before doing the arm thing). i did like the change (i think it was a change?) of how the front 3 (Haruka, Masaki & Haruna) get lower down for the slow parts of the song.
yes, some of the girls weren't up to par with their energy, but the same can be said for the original dance shot (for example, though Sayu didn't do as well this time, Reina did better). so i prefer this one, and i hope they pick and choose the best parts from both to use in the final edit of the PV.
i'm gonna go watch the rehearsal video and the PV to see if any of what i said is just stuff i didn't notice before rather than a change lol.
EDIT: yeah, the things i mentioned were changes. the one where the front 3 girls sink down lower is an even more recent change (they didn't do it for the PV) which i really like the effect of. i also noticed they change the slow part where they do the awkward wave so it looks a little better! thank god. i hope they did that in the other dance shot too (it's hard to explain, just compare it to the dance rehearsal.. not the one where they hold hands, i mean the first one).
the most obvious formation change is that they do the arm thing and then reverse it (the girls that had their arms low move them high, and vice-versa) which i noticed in concert and i don't think it looks so good. not terrible, but i liked that the move looked cleaner before. i'd like it better without the tightening of the formation thing they do.
the Sayu leg kick thing looks like she always did, it's in the dance rehearsal too. also that reminds me, i forgot who mentioned it but it's Riho and SAYU (not Mizuki) who do the fire scenes. my guess is that they picked the (popular) girls who are best at being expressive with their body. that sounds awkward, but you know what i mean. these two move more gracefully and confidently than the others for this type of scene.
i think the boots are new ones, i just can't see them very well so i can't be sure.. it looks like they might have less height to them, which i'm glad for on behalf of the girls' well being.
lastly, SO GLAD Ayumi is back. comparing to the rehearsal vid, she got better at the dance and she was already doing so well. so her presence makes a difference.
AAAAAAAANND i think i'm done over-analyzing. for now. i'm sure i'll be at it again before long.