Reviews: 10/1 New Releases

REVIEWS: I've been a little under the weather the past few days so I'm not going to do reviews as long as usual unfortunately. What I will do though is give my usual little commentary and post audio of each song and you can make up your own minds. Feel free to leave a comment sharing your thoughts on the new releases this week :)

Happy Birthday NEWS

Happy Birthday is NEWS' 10th single and is an upbeatish style song. It sounds really similar to some other song I've heard before but I totally can't put my finger on it (it may be many songs). It's a nice track but nothing spectacular. I enjoy the rap style verses and the chorus is pretty decent. It's not really something that catches my interest though, I doubt I'll be returning for subsequent listens. I expect it to sell over 200K, those Johnnys' fangirls like anything :p

Rating: 6.5/10

Natsu no Kakera Aqua Timez

Aqua Timez FINALLY release their new single after the awesome Niji way back in May (oh wait, it only SEEMS like long ago). Either way this song kind of flips from the really upbeat Niji, to a more flowing, laid back style of song. Futoshi's vocals are an acquired taste I'm sure, though I quite enjoy their uniqueness. Unfortunately Natsu no Kakera stands in the shadow of Niji and isn't anywhere near a strong enough effort to live up to its predecessor. It's pretty forgettable.

Rating: 5.5/10

Trickster Mizuki Nana

Ok now this one has been a long wait. Nana-chan's first single since Febuary is the cool pop/rock track, Trickster. This song could have been all sorts of awesome but the chorus is nowhere near catchy or memorable enough for the style Mizuki is going for. The rest of the song is pretty much perfect, the verses are great, the bridge builds and is the high point of the song, but that chorus ... it doesn't have enough punch; The vocals seem to blend too much with the instrumental (as good as it is). I still like it but..

Rating: 7/10

Single of the Week

Sai Ai KOH+

The enchanting Shibasaki Kou teams up with Fukuyama Masaharu once again as the duo KOH+ for their Galileo franchise. The single is the theme for the upcoming film version of the popular drama, Yougisha X no Kenshin and is very different from their first collaboration KISS Shite.


Sai Ai goes back to Shibasaki's roots as she once again shows off why she is the Queen of ballads in Japan, her first since Prism. Fukuyama has arranged a really stripped back and beautiful song which showcases Shibasaki's unique vocals. The chorus is particularly nice and Kou sings with such raw emotion. The bridge was really unexpected for me and it changes the pace of the song quite well, helping it from being a bit bland. I'm not really a huge ballad fan but there is something about Shibasaki's voice that I just love so much. I pretty much adore anything she releases. Another album please Kou-chan! <3

Rating: 8.5/10