A video showing United States Marines performing the hottest dance craze in Japan right now, “U.S.A” by Japanese pop group Da Pump, has gone viral on social media.
海兵隊員が「U.S.A.」を踊ってみました。 pic.twitter.com/HqGeu8sN0H
— 在日米海兵隊 (@mcipacpao) August 17, 2018
Posted on the official Japanese-language Twitter account of the U.S. Marines’ Japanese operations, the compilation video shows men and women dancing to the song’s catchy chorus “C’mon baby, America.”
Da Pump’s comeback song proved to be a viral hit in Japan. The group’s official music video garnered more than 53 million views on YouTube since it was first released in May.
The group was one of the biggest acts in J-pop in the 90s and early 2000s, according to SoraNews24. Da Pump then took a hiatus after releasing their single “New Position” in 2014 and returned to the scene this summer.
The U.S. Marines’ take on the viral dance trend was well-received in Japan. The video has been viewed more than 6.74 million times, liked by more than 371,000 netizens, and shared over 149,000 times.
Reactions from netizens were also very positive:
“Soldiers having fun is proof that we’re at peace. USAヽ(´ー｀)ノ！！”
“That’s the U.S. Marines for you. You can feel their sense of humor, broad-mindedness, cheerfulness, and patriotism.”
“They’ve got some pretty sharp moves!”
“Please make a full-length version for the entire song!”
“Cool and cute.”
“Awesome! Now I want them to dance with members of the Japan Self-Defense Forces.”
In response, Japan’s Self-Defense Forces also created their own version of the dance craze:
確かにそうですね！
日本版U.S.A.です😬#USA pic.twitter.com/r9X9DqnDSg— まこと (@ym8gogogo) August 18, 2018
The U.S. Marines’ effort did not go unnoticed. Da Pump’s lead vocalist Issa Hentona reacted to the video on Twitter with a nod to the men and women.
カモベビってんね〜😆#いいねdance https://t.co/9oHI1bKdZ5
— ISSA from DP (@ISSA_from_DP) August 19, 2018
Images via Twitter / mcipacpao
