REVIEWS: We're so close to the end of the year! I actually think this is the final week for the Oricon Rankings for 2008 (the weeks ending and beginning the new year are combined for 2 week rankings/sales). I don't think it will be my final reviews for the year, I'll hopefully find time to review next week. This week I'm reviewing Ayu's new single, Manoeri's latest offering and a really odd DJ OZMA track.

Days/GREEN Hamasaki Ayumi

It seems like a millennia since Ayu’s last single Mirrorcle World, released in April. It’s certainly been quiet 10th Anniversary for Ayu on the release front, granted she has spent a lot of the year touring around Asia. Anyway, to make up for the wait we get a double A-side but has it been worth the wait?


When I first heard Days I honestly wasn’t too impressed, but I blame that on it being a tiny little clip and I probably wasn’t really paying attention lol. It ended up being a very good track. It’s a beautiful, sweet ballad and Ayu sounds really good on it. The track grows really well and the chorus is particularly nice. While I’ve heard people rave about this track I beg to differ, it’s sweet but it’s not a knock out.

Now the next track is more my style. GREEN is another mid-tempo sort of song and its unusual instrumental wins me over this time. It has a really beautiful musical arrangement with some wonderful sort of Chinese highland type sound. I suck at explaining the intricacies of instrumentals so just give it a listen and call it what you will. The song itself is really nice, the chorus has a wonderful sound to it. Ayu’s vocals go vibrato crazy on this track which bothered me at first but I got used to it very quickly.

This whole release has a bit of a different sound for Ayu, she’s sort of dabbled in these styles before but it’s nice to get a single with 2 really nice, unique tracks – it makes for a refreshing single. I wonder if Ayu is moving away from the rock sound she’s been hooked on for the past few years. That’s one thing I do enjoy about Ayu, her genre and style is ever changing as she grows as an artist from pop, techno, dance, rock etc. I welcome anything new that Ayu wishes to bring to the table and thus, this single is great.

Rating: 8/10 and 9/10

Lalala Sososo Mano Erina

Oh hai Manoeri! Is it release time again already? I’ve been watching more Manoeri stuff lately and I’ve realised she’s not the devil-spawn demon child I thought she was. She’s pretty cool but that doesn’t mean I have to like her music and I don’t, sorry Manoeri.

Lalala Sososo isn’t as slow as ManoPiano and it’s not as fast as LUCKY AURA, it’s sort of a cross in between. Let’s talk about the song itself – it’s pretty much ‘meh’ to be honest. It’s not horrible but it’s not even close to being good. It reminds me of an early 90s British children’s show theme song. I can just see some horrible claymation characters strolling down the street XD Manoeri’s voice – erm. I’ve heard people saying “wow she’s improved” – I honestly don’t hear it; perhaps a very slight improvement. I still think she sounded yards better in Ongaku Gatas which defies all logic. It’s almost as if they told her to start sounding crap … although knowing UFA that’s a possibility. It’s not really Mano’s fault and I don’t blame her, UFA need to just get her some vocal training, which is something ALL H!P members should be receiving ALL THE TIME … even Takahashi.

The whole piano gimmick is stupid. Unless she goes out there and does some Alicia Keys piano work then there is no real point. Any person and his dog could be taught to play the routines Mano performs and I have no doubt that she can probably do much more difficult stuff. All in all Mano falls victim to UFA pushing her in the wrong direction. She needs to be doing fun, upbeat, dance tracks that suit her voice, instead she’s stuck doing … well this. Bland and boring.

Rating: 6/10

I RAVE U ravex feat. DJ OZMA

Ok so I have no idea what ravex is… I assume it’s some sort of rave themed project from avex? I RAVE U features DJ OZMA and his band of merry men and topless ladies (see infamous Kohaku performance).

I’ve heard DJ OZMA songs before and I know going in it’s gonna be a little over the top and unusual … but I wasn’t expecting this at all. It took me a while to even figure out what to make of it. To make things worse I heard the song for the first time while watching the PV (oh god lol). I’d hate to ruin such an experience for anyone else so check it out! >.<

This is one of those songs where I don’t know what to say about it, you kind of have to make up your own mind on it. You’ll either love it or hate it. I think I’m leaning towards love, it has spread throughout me like some awful plague. It's quite addictive.

Rating: 8.5/10

REVIEWS: Review time again! As it gets closer and closer to Xmas, I'm running out of winter ballads. I'm still haven't found one that totally knocks my socks off... maybe next year. This week none of the tracks are especially wintery, well except for Shuuchishin newie but ... well read the review. I also review new tracks from Porno Graffitti, RSP, Tommy heavenly6 and H!P's newest unit Shugo Chara Egg!

Koyoi, Tsuki ga Miezutomo Porno Graffitti

Porno Graffitti are sort of entering a new chapter of their singing career, coming off their successful BEST ACE/JOKER albums released last month. They kick off this phase with Koyoi, Tsuki ga Meizutomo which is the ending theme for the third BLEACH anime film (Bleach: Fade to Black –Kimi no Na wo Yobu-).
The song has a great sound to it throughout; it’s an upbeat, energetic song with some rock and synth elements. It really is very high energy from start to finish … It must be a bitch to perform lol so all credit to Okano who does really well vocally. The song is really going for that exciting, upbeat sound, but for me I would have liked a little more variety in the instrumental. It tends to maintain pretty much the same energy throughout, there’s no highs or lows, it’s much of the same all the way through. It’s still a pumping track though and a great start for this new chapter for Porno Graffitti.

Rating: 8/10

LA.LA.LA LOVE SONG ~Koko kara Hajimaru Koi Monogatari~ RSP

LA LA LA LOVE SONG ~blah blah~ (lol) is RSP’s first single since their debut album DICE which was released a little earlier this year. The track sees the girls (+dancers) team up with DA BUBBLE GUM BROTHERS and is a cover of a Toshinobu Kubota song.
One thing I love about RSP are the edgy vocals of Saki and Ai. They both sound very unique and give RSP their own unique vocal sound. Unfortunately we’re bombarded by DA BUBBLE GUM BROTHERS who are some old dudes who rap. I’m not really sure why the girls just couldn’t rap themselves, we all know they can… urgh wateva. In regards to the song, it’s a great track. Very catchy with a bit of a disco beat but still maintaining that street feel that RSP have. Maybe on their next album they’ll have an RSP only ver of this track? I’ll keep my fingers crossed.

Rating:7.5/10

Minna no Tamago Shugo Chara Egg!

Ah~! ‘tis a debut single from a new H!P group! Shugo Chara Egg!’s Minna no Tamago is the opening for the new season of Shugo Chara (Doki!!) and is very much inspired by the colourful anime.
I always love when new groups debut and this one has one of my fav eggs Wada Ayaka in it! Unfortunately pretty much my whole fandom of DAWA was based on her cute performances where I hadn’t really heard her sing solo. This song sort of crashes my pure image of her. Everytime she opens her mouth I feel like sticking a gun in mine -_-; Oh well, I still love ya DAWA! (even if you can’t sing) -_- The other girls are all very cute and it’s generally just a fun, childish song. It’s not the most terrific song to ever grace H!P but for its purpose it does well.

Rating:7/10

PAPERMOON Tommy heavenly6

PAPERMOON is Tomoko Kawase’s new single and her first since release as Tommy heavenly6 since Heavy Starry Heavenly back in early ’07. It’s good to have heavenly back!
To be honest, the track is a pretty conventional Tommy rock track but I still really enjoy it. For me the song is very upbeat and catchy, the chorus in particular has a great sound to it – but I do really like the whole track. Tommy’s vocals go a long way – she is a pleasure to listen to, especially when she really goes for it. The rock instrumental is pretty good, if not totally original, and it works well with the track.
Perhaps one of the very exciting things about this release is IW’s fav gaijin rocker Elec (LAVERITE) appears in the Wizard of Oz themed PV, rockin’ out as the scarecrow. It’s a pretty nifty PV so check it out:

Rating: 8.5/10

Yowamushi SANTA Shuuchishin

Everyone’s favourite Shuuchishin has a Christmas track which is almost certain to rocket to no.1 … yay! (-_-; ) … lol I don’t watch Hexagon so I don’t really ‘get’ the appeal of these dudes but each to their own I guess.
Yowamushi SANTA is pretty dodgy. I’m sorry lol, but it just is. Firstly the guys can’t really sing very well, which I can look past if the song is good (hell, I’m a H!P fan) … but the song just isn’t anything special either. It’s like a mid tempo sway session song … what a bore. The chorus is kind of catchy I guess, I’ll give it that. It might work on the whole retro tv song level – I can totally picture this being sung on their show. It’s not bad, I mean I can listen to it, but it’s just a very average song – so I’m giving it a very average rating.

Rating:5/10

REVIEWS: I've been a bit MIA this past couple of weeks and as a result I didn't get the reviews done last week. I almost wasn't going to do them again but I decided I had to try and get my act in gear and dedicate some time to my blog! ^_^ I'm reviewing new singles from KAT-TUN, Ikimono Gakari and JYONGRI this week.

Kimagure Romantic Ikimono Gakari

I really enjoyed Ikimono Gakari's previous single Planetarium, it wasn't stellar but it grew on me a lot and was a song I did enjoy. Their new single, Kimagure Romantic is more of an upbeat, fun pop track and is a real winner in my eyes.
The track begins with this great, upbeat instrumental that is repeated throughout the chorus and it's just amazingly infectious! I really love the build in this track, the song gradually grows from the verses to the pre-chorus bridge and then the chorus really takes off. While the whole track is great it's really the chorus that makes this song, it's just so happy and fun - it really gets you feeling great! The PV is also a lot of fun for anyone who wants to check it out. The dancing at the end is just too cute ^_^
Kimagure Romantic is the type of song which just lifts your spirits, no matter what mood you are in. It's definitely one of my favourite tracks of the year.

Rating: 9.5/10

White Xmas KAT-TUN

White Xmas is KAT-TUN's first single in what seems like a while. DON'T YOU EVER STOP from memory was their last, earlier in the year? Damn theppn for being down! Either way it's nice to have something new from KAT-TUN. Christmas themed tracks are very popular at the moment and KAT-TUN give it a shot with their ballad White Xmas.
I gotta say, apart from the odd Christmas in the lyrics every now and then, this doesn't sound Christmassy at all. It's just a normal ballad, but still, it's a nice track. It sounds a bit melancholic so I'm sure it's about not being with someone for Christmas, something along those lines. The vocals are ok, some solo sections aren't strong but the chorus sounds reasonably good. Though White Xmas doesn't leave too much of an impression on me I will say that it's a nice change of pace though from their previous rock tracks.

Rating: 7/10

Winter Love Story JYONGRI

Winter Love Story is another winter themed track (I love winter ^_^) this time from Korean songstress JYONGRI, who I don't really listen to, but I'm willing to be won over (please please please!)
The track wasn't really what I was expecting - I was expecting a ballad but it's a nice mid-tempo track and it has quite a bit of English in it which always helps me decipher the meaning. The instrumental isn't the greatest, I mean I like the pace but it sounds a bit synth in parts, could have been better but not altogether horrible. JYONGRI's voice is really great; She has a deepish, unique sounding voice which I really enjoy. She's apparently fluent in English which explains her English sounding uncharacteristically decent. It's a really nice track and gets me interested in her other songs.

Rating: 8/10

REVIEWS: It's always nice to see some new artists hitting the scene and these two perked up my interest straight away.
Ogawa Mana has always been my favourite girl in Canaria Club; She is a total star with an incredible voice and great stage presence. When I heard she was releasing a solo single for the anime Hyakko I was very excited and Suppin' Rock is definitely not a let down.
On the other hand we have Twe'lv who are new to the scene and who I discovered when their PV was posted to DohhhUP!. I was pretty impressed with the Seishun Oden PV and the retro feeling of it.
Now both singles have been released I can finally do some full reviews of the two ^_^

Suppin' Rock Ogawa Mana

Suppin' Rock

Mana's voice has real punch to it so Suppin' Rock is the perfect debut single for her. It shows off her voice whilst being catchy and fun to listen to. The choruses are the high point in this song, with the "It's only love" lines being very catchy, and there is a general joyous feeling to the track helped by Mana's whoo!ing and yeah!ing throughout .^^. The rock instrumental is pretty good, though a little uninspired which tends to describe the track - good but far from great. It's not something that stands out to you straight away as an awesome song and is something I think would work much better in concerts. I'd love to sit through a live performance of Mana rockin' out, it would be sublime! So while it's not a suburb track, I do love it and listened to it yesterday for like an hour on repeat, which has to say something for it ;)

Gakuen Seikatsu; Campus Life


The b-side Gakuen Seikatsu; Campus Life is a duet featuring Orikasa Fumiko who is a seiyu/singer also featuring in the Hyakko anime. This track is not rocky like the previous but is a sweet, little pop number. It is unfortunately a bit forgettable and very similar to a lot of other idol songs having that school days, reminiscent feeling to it that you tend to often see. I can't say it makes much of an impression on me at all.

Suppin' Rock: 8.5/10

Gakuen Seikatsu; Campus Life: 6/10

Seishun Oden / Junjou Seishun Love Twe'lv

Seishun Oden


I'm not sure I was as infatuated with Seishun Oden when I first heard it as I am now but I just love this song. For the retro style it is going for, it hits a home run and is a great, interesting track. I know it might not be the style of song everyone is going to enjoy but for me it's a definite winner. Usually I pick out the highlight of the song (whether it is the verses, choruses, bridge etc) but everything here is just wonderful and of the highest quality. The girls' solos aren't stellar but they do sing well enough together that you don't really think about the vocal abilities either way. They are neither great nor bad, which is better than being bad, I guess - they can only improve in the future. Overall it's a great track especially for a debut, from what I hope will be a strong group in the future.

Junjou Seishun Love


Twe'lv's debut single is a double A-side and, the second A-side, Junjou Seishun Love continues the style of the previous track to create another retro styled song. While I generally dispise double A-sides which sound very similar, it is obviously the theme of the group so I can overlook it. The track though just isn't as strong as the previous and ends up feeling like an inferior version of Seishun Oden. Despite this, it's still a decent track and would have been a great b-side. As an A-side, I'm not sure it is as strong as it could have been.

Seishun Oden: 9/10
Junjou Seishun Love: 7/10

REVIEW: When the hANGRY&ANGRY news dropped a little over a month ago, so did all our mouths - what in God's name was going on?! We didn't really know but we knew we frekin loved it! (well most of us). Over the past month we've been enticed and teased with small clips and PV shots but now finally we have the album in its full glory. So does it live up to everyone's almost unrealistic expectations?

Kill Me Kiss Me, the title track of hANGRY&ANGRY's first album, is a song we all heard when the group was first announced and one we have likely replayed over and over again this past month (I know I have). Personally I think it's the perfect song to start the album out with. It's different and unique from anything H!P has done but it isn't as far off the mainstream path as some of the other tracks.
The song has a great rock vibe to it; The instrumental is really wonderful with an awesome beat. One of the best points of this song is how it builds towards the chorus, it really begins to pump you up and the chorus rocks! The girl's vocals are also pretty good - I really like how Yossie and Rika's voices are so different that they compliment each other well. There are a number of vocalization effects in this song which are done very well and add to the atmosphere.

Angelia opens with a haunting synth instrumental and the whole track is like some scorned lolita love song - it's creepily awesome. This track has a LOT of vocalization in it, especially in the chorus, but it works surprisingly well and the 'angelia' sections are very catchy. The track is produced impeccably, it sounds very cool and the mood is great. Rika's voice suits the song nicely, it would have been great as a solo - but I adore Yossie so Angelia rocks, regardless. The instrumental section with the ringing bells just adds to that spooky feeling the song gives and that whole section of the song is awesome.

GIZA GIZA is a synth-rock track and opens with an awesome little intro leading into a cool instrumental. The vocals on this track are very crisp and perhaps the best on the album, with both girls sounding terrific. The emotion in their voices is very apparent, especially in the verses and they shine in this song. The chorus is a total winner for me; It's just really catchy and great to listen to to. I love the antithesis of the fast paced chorus and the song's slightly slower verses - it allows for lift and growth in the song. GIZA GIZA also has a vocal bridge, which further shows off the girl's vocal abilitiest, followed by a cool instrumental. A great track and one of my favourites on the album.

Romantic ni Violence is as ballad as this album gets and the chorus still rocks out heaps, but the first verse is very sweet and pure. This song, like Kill Me Kiss Me has an awesome build up leading into the chorus with the instrumental ever so gradually picking its pace. The pre-chorus bridge has some cool vocal effects and it makes for one of the highlights of the track for me. The chorus as I said earlier is very rocky and the "Romantic ni Violence" line is repeated throughout making it easy to catch onto. The track is one of the more upbeat, fun numbers on the album.

The album closes with the mid-tempo WALLFLOWER, opening with one of the more creepier intros the album offers. The opening is decieving though, as the song eventually ends up being a very happy-go-lucky affair with some fun synth effects and a general joyous feeling. The choruses have some horrid Engrish in them lol, I'm not even sure what they're saying... (I'm a bright flower, yeah! ... ?) It's not my favourite track on the album, infact it's probably my least favourite and the song isn't that bad, which just goes to show how awesome this album is.

Kill Me Kiss Me is a totally different affair for a H!P act and something I generally feel H!P has needed for a while. I wish H!P would be more willing to branch out into this more mainstream, appealing sound even if it is not rock, but something that would appeal to a more general audience. It just feels like a much higher quality, professional album compared to recent H!P stuff. Unfortunately it took some crazy fashion label tie-in to create something like this, when really H!P should and could have had a group like hANGRY&ANGRY as a stand alone unit.
My only gripe with this album is that, being a mini album, it is over in 20minutes. FAR TOO SHORT!!! This group NEEDS to continue!

Rating: 9.5/10

REVIEWS: I’m being so punctual this week to make up for last week’s tardiness. I’m doing reviews of 3 singles for today's review post: Perfume’s Dream Fighter, UVERWorld’s Hakanaku mo Towa no Kanashi and GIRL NEXT DOOR’s Jounetsu no Daishou / ESCAPE. I really wanted to review Ogawa Mana’s new single but I couldn’t find it anywhere and I didn’t want to review it from the PV only. I’ll wait and do a joint review of Mana and Twe’lv soon.

Dream Fighter Perfume

I could never really get into Perfume. I do enjoy their style, they have some catchy songs, but the whole synth vocals really aren’t my taste – so I’m warning you already lol and I’ll try to remain impartial.
Dream Fighter actually has a really funky beat to it and that is something Perfume is great at, their instrumentals are always very catchy and get my feet tapping and my body moving. The chorus is really nice and catchy, all throughout which I haven’t been able to say about too many Perfume songs - granted I haven't heard many. I tend to find their songs sound very similar or don’t really have a distinct sound to them but Dream Fighter stands out for me. I can’t say I love the song, purely because of the synth style, but for a Perfume song, it's quite nice.

Rating: 7.5/10

Hakanaku mo Towa no Kanashi UVERworld

I loved loved LOVED UVERworld’s last single Koishikute, it was a great rock ballad. Hakanaku mo Towa no Kanashi is a much more upbeat number and is the new theme for Gundam 00.
Hakanaku mo Towa no Kanashi kind of worried me at first, since it opens with synth vocals lol. I thought ‘oh god!’ but thankfully it’s back to normal after a few seconds. I can handle synth vocalization in small doses only :p and to be honest it does sound good as the intro to this song. The instrumental in this track is really great, I love the sections after the chorus, the pre-chorus bridge is also really great. So I love before and after the chorus, but the chorus itself doesn’t leave a huge impression on me. It’s upbeat and rockin’ but it’s just not particularly catchy, I don’t think, which is a shame since the song is pretty solid.
I feel that this track seems to get less interesting and captivating as it goes on, which is slightly odd. It is an anime theme so maybe they focused too much on making the intro really catchy and the rest of the song suffered because of that? I’m not particularly sure. By no means is it a bad song but it just doesn’t give a long lasting impression.

Rating: 8/10

Jounetsu no Daishou / ESCAPE GIRL NEXT DOOR

GIRL NEXT DOOR is a funny group for me because I want to like them so much and, to tell you the truth, I do - but not for the right reasons. I enjoy their image, Chisa is adorable and a great singer. Their PVs are great … but the music does little for me. Unfortunately that’s really the most important thing, right?


Jounetsu no Daishou continues their dance beat style of songs but it is pulled back ever so slightly which is a nice change of pace from their previous upbeat singles. The chorus in this song is pretty good, I love Chisa’s voice and this song allows her to express a bit more emotion than previous singles. I just wish they’d actually gone the full way and made a nice ballad out of this instead of feeling like they had to create some 90s style dance track. It is rather similar to their other stuff and it’s getting old really quickly. That being said, it’s probably my favourite of all their tracks and I do like it.


This single is a double A-side just like their last single and ESCAPE is another dance track (surprise, surprise) which sounds just like all their other songs. I have to say this track’s verses are almost identical to their first singles’ Guuzen no Kakuritsu, I mean the beat is exactly the same. The song in general is really boring, I have no idea why it is an a-side. I think they delayed the single too in order to make it a double a-side. meh whatever.
This group is starting to get on my nerves only because I want to like them just sooo much! RELEASE BETTER MUSIC PLEASE!!! (or at least more diverse stuff)

Rating: 8/10 for Jounetsu no Daishou & 6/10 for ESCAPE

REVIEWS: I’m late once again with my new release reviews, I apologise – BUT I have an excuse this time… I spilled boiling hot soup on my hand yesterday (It stung like hell) and I literally had my hand in a bucket of iced water the whole day – so while I was able to slowly navigate my computer, typing reviews would have been extremely difficult, especially with the amount I’m tackling this week.
Lots of great artists are releasing this week and I couldn’t even review all that I wanted to. Some new releases I had to skip were the GazettE’s new song which is doing really well on the charts, Nakashima Mika’s ORION, Hirahara Ayaka’s new double A-side and alan’s final elements single, Megumi no Ame. I liked some of these tracks but they didn’t really make a huge opinion on me either way. I also skipped reviewing Wakeshima Kanon's Suna no Oshiro because I ordered that and I'll do a review of it later when it arrives (bulk order so it'll be a while). In the end I went with new tracks from SPEED, HALCALI, Buono!, Aoyama Thelma, Satoda Mai, ORANGE RANGE and DREAMS COME TRUE. Enjoy!

Ashita no Sora SPEED

SPEED’s much anticipated new single Ashita no Sora is their first since their charity single in 2003, after disbanding in 2000. They apparently have regrouped due to Eriko’s son’s hearing difficulties; that if he couldn’t hear her music, she wants him to be able to see his mother perform. So while making her son happy, she’s also made thousands of SPEED fans absolutely ecstatic.
Their comeback single is a nice mid-tempo track with a bit of a soul feel to it. The song starts with the chorus which is by far the best part of the song. I think it’s really catchy and is the highlight of the song for me. The verses are a bit uninteresting unfortunately and I found myself just waiting impatiently for the next chorus. It definitely saves this song. Thankfully the verse sections aren’t too long – the chorus makes up most of the track as well as some nice instrumental sections.
I think for a comeback this is a nice sound for SPEED, it has a more adult feel to it, reflective of their members having grown up since the early days of the group. This works because they’ll be targeting a different age group, their fans having also aged. For myself, who was not a fan of SPEED (purely because they were around before my j-pop fandom kicked in) I think it’s a great track that can also attract new fans.

Rating: 8/10

Long Kiss Goodbye HALCALI

It’s been over a year since we’ve had a new song from the HALCALI girls and it was over a year too long to wait! I adore HALCALI and their unique, fresh tracks so it’s great that they’ve come out with a new single FINALLY.
Long Kiss Goodbye has the signature rap style vocals from the girls paired with a nice smooth chorus, an effect that works really well and that I am personally a fan of. Unlike the last review, the verses this time are probably my favourite parts of the song, though I do adore the chorus too. It’s almost a shame that after the second verse there isn’t any other rap sections, with the bridge of the song being similar to the chorus, but that’s ok. I’m not too nit picky when it comes to HALCALI tracks, I just enjoy them for what they are and I’m thankful that these girls are still producing great music.

Rating: 8.5/10

Lotta Love Lotta Love Buono!

Lotta Love Lotta Love (or Rottara Rottara as some of you like to say) is Buono!’s newest single and the closing for Shugo Chara! Doki! – While Buono! aren’t doing the opening themes anymore, they are still doing the closings, which isn’t really a huge issue. Only their B-sides have ever been opening themes for the anime, with the rockier signature sound of Buono! always being used for the closings.
Lotta Love Lotta Love, I have to say is my favourite Buono! track or at least on par with Renai Rider. The whole song is just great, it’s like a roller coaster of awesomeness – thrills at every turn. The "Lotta Love" sections are catchy and fun to sing along to (not that I’ve tried), the rocky instrumental is awesome, the pre-chorus builds really well, the chorus is fantastic, the girls sound great … what more can I say? I LOVE IT!

Rating: 9.5/10

Mamoritai Mono Aoyama Thelma

Aoyama Thelma really shot to fame with Soba ni Iru ne earlier this year, which sold close to 500K and her follow up single Nando mo selling 70K which is still a good number. She has an R&B style to her music which isn’t really my favourite genre and I haven’t particularly been able to latch onto her stuff yet so I was hoping her new track Mamoritai Mono could change my mind.
The track is a winter ballad which I always really love, with a touch of an R&B feel to it, which I love ... not so much. The winter sounding instrumental is really beautiful, with nice orchestral sections in it and Thelma sounds really wonderful on this song. For a ballad I have to say this track is quite good. The pre-chorus is particularly nice and interesting and the whole song has really nice elements to it. Despite this, I dunno, I just can’t get into it that much. Maybe it’s because of the R&B feel, I'm not really sure. I think this will appeal to her fans (if they are into ballads) but not particularly for me.

Rating: 7/10

Mou Sugu Christmas Satoda Mai with Gouda Kyodai

So now we get to the most popular H!P girl, Satoda Mai (who would have thunk it!) with her new single Mou Sugu Christmas. She sings this track with Gouda Kyodai (Fujimoto Toshifumi and misono) and it's linked to the Quiz! Hexagon variety show so it’s sure to sell pretty well, I would think.
The track starts off with a sweet Christmas-y intro but then kind of switches to a more mid-tempo, fun beat. Apart from the odd bell or two in the instrumental it doesn’t really give off a huge Christmas feel, but Mai-chan with Reindeer antlers on the cover more than makes up for that. The song really isn’t that good lol, but let’s be honest, it’s meant to be a fun, crazy song – it’s not meant to be a masterpiece. Vocal wise, not the best from any of the singers, because they’re trying to sound silly and cute, so on that front ... mission accomplished. For fun factor, it scores high for sure.

Rating: 7.5/10

Oshare Banchou feat. SOY SAUCE ORANGE RANGE

Oshara Benchou feat SOY SAUCE is another crazy track from ORANGE RANGE, with a techno dance style. It’s the promo song for the Glico Pocky Chocolate cm which features a scantily clad model crazily dancing to the song with pocky in her hands. Yum! ... the pocky I mean ... ^_^ - I really enjoy the track there, but sans hot model I’m not sure I will :P
The track is a bit hard to review lol. I’m not sure where to start – This song feels a tad repetitious but then I guess all dance tracks are to some point. The chorus is repeated ad nauseam; thankfully it’s the best part of the song. It’s been produced really well, there are some interesting effects throughout – yeah… I dunno, just listen to it *lol*

Rating: 7/10

Tsuretette Tsuretette DREAMS COME TRUE

DREAMS COME TRUE is another really popular group that I haven’t ever gotten around to having a good listen to but this single really stood out to me – The winter promo pics, the “winter limited edition”, the snowman on the cover … this all screamed AWESOME WINTER TRACK to me. I was a bit disappointed though, this song isn’t very Winter-y at all o.O Despite this I gave the song a listen and it actually was better than I expected.
The whole song is quite a laid back, mid-tempo track with a bit of a soft dance beat to it. The chorus is the highlight of the song, beginning with a really lovely line which has a nice melody to it that’s quite catchy and repeated with the "Tsuretette Tsuretette" lines. The song sort of floats on by really nicely and towards the end of the track there are some pa ra pa pum pum’s (at least I think that’s what they’re singing) which makes it a bit more Winter-y.
Tsuretette Tsuretette is the kind of track that grows on you I think, it got a lot better each listen for me (I usually listen to the tracks over and over before and while I review – ;) I’m listening right now!). So yeah if you don't like it straight away, maybe give it another few listens, as it's quite a nice track... even if it is only slightly Winter-y :P

Rating: 8/10

REVIEWS: I'm tardy with my reviews once again this week but I am determined to keep reviewing new singles so here are this week's reviews, new singles from BREAKERZ, ARASHI, Berryz Koubou and Yuzu.

Angelic Smile / WINTER PARTY BREAKERZ

I really liked BREAKERZ last single and I’m really interested in the double A-side thing they’ve been going for. I get really annoyed with double A-side singles when the two songs are really alike, but BREAKERZ last single had two totally unique, great songs, so I had high expectations for this one.

Angelic Smile is an upbeat rock song and it’s a great track. DAIGO of course is great on vocals, his voice really suits the rock genre; It’s really great to listen to. Like I mentioned on my review of BREAKERZ last single, this truly feels like a group rather than a front man and some band. AKIHIDE and SHINPEI get some awesome solos and the instrumental is generally really good. I like the bridge after the instrumental break in this song, it melts back into this great change of pace before the final chorus.

WINTER PARTY excited me because of the title, if you had read my post on Koda’s new track, you’d know I love all things Winter. The little bell chimes at the beginning just get my spirit soaring ^_^ … this track is really quite fun. It definitely has that Christmas vibe to it, from the instrumental to the lyrics (the chorus mentions silent night, holy night and later on they sing Merry Christmas … you can’t get more Christmasy than that ^_^ ). It actually gets me kind of excited for Christmas, so it does its job well especially for a rock song. I really like the pre-chorus bridge, it’s the highlight of the track for me.
Another great single for BREAKERZ, both tracks being unique and top quality songs. They’ve captured the winter theme really well.

Rating: 8/10 & 9/10

Beautiful days ARASHI

2008 is definitely ARASHI’s year with all their ’08 singles selling huge amounts, their last, Truth/Kaze no Mukou e in excess 600K. So now that we’ve determined they are hugely successful, let’s get to their latest single Beautiful days.
The thing I immediately like about Beautiful days is that it is unique from the rest of their recent singles which have shown a nice range for fans. While it doesn’t have the immediate infectious hit of Truth, Beautiful days has a charming, pleasant arrangement. It’s easy to listen to and the guys are all sounding pretty nice, it is definitely a genre they excel in. The chorus is particularly likeable, and pretty catchy actually. I was totally getting into it even on the first listen.
I’m predicting another huge seller for ARASHI (yes kind of cheating since its two day sales are pretty amazing) … but I would have predicted this 2 days ago too, I swear ;)

Rating: 9/10

MADAYADE Berryz Koubou

Why am I doing a H!P track review in my new release reviews? – There is a very simple reason … I can’t be bothered doing a full review ;) I totally forgot to review Pepper Keibu, so I’m just gonna stick MADAYADE in here or I’ll forget that too.
Berryz lately has been on top of the fun, upbeat tracks and I think that is really working for them. MADAYADE is another upbeat, catchy, fun song. I really dig the surf feel to the instrumental and the verses are really cool, especially the Arabian sounding bit (I’m probably the only one who thinks it sounds Arabian but yeah, that bit :P ). I gotta say my tiff with this song is the chorus. While the chorus is undeniably catchy, it’s also really effin annoying. HA HA!! MADA MADA MADA – I can take maybe 15 or 20 MADA’s but after that it starts to get repetitive and boring. Despite this, as a whole it’s a good song, but it doesn’t live up to the previous two singles imo.

Rating: 7/10

Shish Kebab Yuzu

Shish Kebab is Yuzu’s 3rd single of the year, and is the theme for the drama Salary Man Kintaro. I don’t know the duo well, so I don’t have much to say on them. They’ve been around for AGES, I probably should know their stuff, but alas I don’t. I’m going into this blind.
So, my first impressions are that it’s a fun, upbeat, endearing song. The shish-shish-ka-bab lines are catchy and really cute (see Berryz, sometimes less is more :p ). The pre-chorus bridge has lines which sound suspiciously similar to some lines from MM’s Da Di Du De Do Da Di! … but it’s probably just me. The song grows really well leading up to the chorus and the instrumental has a nice folky sound to it.
Shish Kebab is one of those happy, fun songs that doesn’t take itself too seriously. From the silly chanting to the let loose chorus, it invites you to have a fun time listening.

Rating: 7.5/10

REVIEWS: Whooo~ Weekly review time again. I actually really enjoy doing these reviews because it's totally opened my perspective on the Japanese music industry. A lot of the time I used to let true gems slip past me but now I pretty much listen to all the popular new releases each week so I'm discovering lots of new artists and songs I like. It's great fun!

36ºC WaT

36ºC is WaT’s first single in a while (since April to be exact), and it’s a ballad which so many of their songs are. I do enjoy some of WaT’s tracks but 36ºC is more of the same stuff that we’ve all heard before. The boy’s voices are on the high side, which some will find detracts from the song; personally I’m used to their whiney voices and it’s the only thing they really have going for them for uniqueness atm considering their music lately has been *yawn* a tad boring.
This being said, it isn’t as horrible as I may have made out. It does have a charm to it, it’s a sweet song and not a total disaster. Fans of WaT who drool over their soppy ballads will likely come rushing from the shadows to grasp their copy. I have tried to like WaT. Wentz and Teppai are undoubtedly very endearing guys with nice personalities, but yeah … it’s just not happening for me.
Raid has a scintillating little fantasy post on his blog pertaining to the PV for 36ºC. Check it out for some tear jerkingly sweet boy on boy fanfic (sad or happy tears – will depend on the reader lol). It’s probably the most entertaining thing about this single, unfortunately.

Rating: 6/10

Ame ga Furu Sakamoto Maaya

Popular Seiyuu Sakamoto Maaya releases her 17th single this week with Ame ga Furu, a sweet ballad with a fresh, interesting sound to it.
One thing I have to note straight away is Sakamoto’s vocals. I’m so used to Seiyuu’s having very high pitched, squeaky voices and while Sakamoto’s are high, she could be a standalone singer, her voice is really very good.
There are some nice attempts to turn this song from a plain ballad to something a little different in the way of an upbeat, interesting chorus which definitely helps the song.
Personally, it really isn’t the genre of song I can picture myself going back to too often, but I can’t deny that it’s pretty good. I like how it has a very distinct autumn sound to it, it’s really nice to hear.

Rating: 7/10

Musekinin Hero Kanjani8

I have to admit I don’t listen to much Kanjani8, so I have to ask ... are they usually this crazy? This song has a lot of crazy, comedic elements – refreshingly not taking itself too seriously. The JaJaJaJa~n chorus parts are catchy and the whole song is a fun little adventure
The instrumental is pretty cool, with a nice rocky touch and the guys have a lot of fun with little shouts and random phrases throughout.
I’m not certain about replay value, I tend to think for fans it would have quite a bit, but perhaps not so much for non-fans. For a song like this you really need to have some investment in the guys and their personalities, I think. I still enjoyed it, but perhaps not as much as Kanjani8 fans would have.

Rating: 7.5/10

Nihon no Mikata -Nevada Kara Kimashita- Yazima Beauty Salon

Oh dear lord - MY EYES! Yazima Beauty Salon (Yajima Biyoushitsu) is trio comprised of DJ OZMA and comedic duo Tunnels (Kinashi Noritake / Ishibashi Takaaki) playing the roles of a former nude Las Vegas showgirl Margaret Camellia and her two daughters, Naomi and Strawberry.
The scariest thing about this is not the hideous wigs, nor the tight showgirl outfits, it’s not even the big guy with hairy armpits playing 11yr old Strawberry … the scariest thing is that the song is actually pretty good *hides under rock*. It’s quite a funny, catchy tune and for a comedic song it ticks all the right boxes.
This song needs the PV to get the full impacts, it’s hilarious! Enjoy:

*lol* I crack up every time Strawberry is on screen. Too funny!

So there we have it. An original, yet slightly disturbing idea and they’ve come up with a surprisingly good release. I almost want to dress up in drag and frolic around town singing this song! Don't give me that look ... I said almost! -_-

Rating: 9/10 ... What? It's FABULOUS darlings!

By 'tomorrow' I meant today (it was like 3am) ;) ... so here are my reviews for this week's new releases: Hey!Say!JUMP's Mayonaka no SHADOW BOY; AKB48's newest single Oogoe DIAMOND; Mihimaru GT's Shiawase ni Naro; and Nakagawa Shouko's Kirei À La Mode!

My blog's been up since July now and I'm getting to the point where I'm starting to review new singles from artists for the 2nd or 3rd time even, and it's quite interesting to compare. This is the 2nd single I'm reviewing of Hey!Say!JUMP's while Shokotan is popping those singles out, her 3rd in the latter half of this year.

Mayonaka no SHADOW BOY Hey!Say!JUMP

I wasn’t too impressed with Hey!Say!JUMP’s last single Your Seed / Bouken Rider, but Mayonaka no SHADOW BOY is actually quite good.
The song has a funky beat with a hint of an Arabian flair, which I always enjoy. It doesn't overpower the song, it isn't an Arabian style song, but it has certain moments which keep give it a really unique sound. The verses are quite catchy, thanks to some girl named ‘Cherry’ (I think) … actually I have no idea who Cherry is but they refer to her/it often and it’s catchy. The chorus lifts really nicely and is set apart from the rest of the song. The boys also take their shot at English giving a ‘Shadow’ or two, not too bad.
It’s not amazing enough to hook me onto the group but it’s definitely a top notch track and to be honest, I wasn’t expecting much of anything; A nice surprise.

Rating: 8.5/10

Oogoe DIAMOND AKB48

AKB48 have been a bit quiet on the Single front this year. This is their 3rd real single of the year (they had some digital one a little while back), but their first since February. I haven’t overly enjoyed AKB48 ‘s singles since maybe BINGO! but for me, Oogoe DIAMOND is quite a *gem* ^_^ ~
The chorus is what wins this single over: it’s extremely catchy, enjoyable and easy to pick up. The instrumental is also really fun and has some nice moments. Vocally I have to say that AKB48 has a lot of decent singers, I’m not certain how many actually lead in this single but they all sound pretty good.
It's a good track and I really enjoy this style from AKB48.

Rating: 8.5/10

Shiawase ni Naro mihimaru GT

While we’re on the subject of quiet years, I’ve been waiting 6 months for a new mihimaru GT single and finally we’re here (I didn’t count that SOFFert collab, didn’t like it much). Praise hiroko! :D Shiawase ni Naro is a ballad but with mihimaru GT’s distinctive style; It’s a ballad with a twist of GT ;)
The not-quite-but-almost rap verses are really great from hiroko, who is just incredible. She rocks my socks, majorly. miyake’s obligatory rap is also very nice and his beats really make this the great song that it is. Then we come to the chorus which is just beautiful. I really love how hiroko sings it, especially the 'Shiawase ni narou' line , so cute ^_^ ~ This song could melt even the blackest of hearts! :p
Did I mention I love hiroko? ... :)

Rating: Song ~ 9/10; Hiroko ~ 11/10

Kirei À La Mode Shouko Nakagawa

Shouko is kind of a hit and miss artist for me. She has a good single, then a couple of bad ones, then a great one, then a bad one … the cycle just keeps continuing. Her last single Tsuzuku Sekai was a good song so, you guessed it, Kirei À La Mode isn’t.
This song isn’t necessarily bad and it does have its charms. The chorus is quite cute, I’ll give it that but the song as a whole just kind of drags on. It honestly almost put me to sleep, though I am pretty tired atm. No, I’m pretty sure it’s the song.
Better luck next time Shokotan.

Rating: 6/10

REVIEWS: 4 songs up for review this week and 3 of them are 6 minutes or longer in length so it'll take some listening time if you wish to check them all out: Yui Aragaki's Akai Ito; TOHOSHINKI's Jumon -MIROTIC-; Planetarium from rock trio Ikimono Gakari; and finally alan's RED CLIFF ~Shin.Sen~.

Akai Ito Aragaki Yui

Akai Ito is Yui Aragaki’s second single and is a cover of an old Kobukuro tune. While Gakki’s first single, Make My Day, was pretty popular, I have to say it didn’t warm to me and this one isn’t much different. The song itself is pleasant but on the bland side. Gakki’s vocals are void of much emotion and let’s be honest, she isn’t a very good singer. All in all, it’s a pretty boring release that will likely sell well, purely because of Aragaki’s popularity.

Rating: 6/10

Jumon -Mirotic- TOHOSHINKI

Jumon -Mirotic- is the Japanese version of TOHOSHINKI's title track off their newest Korean album Vol.4 – MIROTIC so I’m pretty familiar with the track already. I’m really used to the Korean vocals so this Japanese version sounds a bit odd to me. The Korean vocals provide more punch to the song imo, which is something missing in the Japanese edition. The chorus in particular loses the edge of the Korean version. I’m not sure if my opinion would of changed had I not heard the song earlier, but I guess now we’ll never know >.< Mirotic, I’ll stick with their album ver.

Rating: 7.5/10

Planetarium Ikimono Gakari

Planetarium is a charming, yet typical pop/light rock song for me. It really is quite a sweet, little tune with a nice instrumental and is uplifting. Kiyoe’s vocals fit nicely with the style and the whole thing is very pleasing to listen to. It’s a style of song you can just play in the background as you go about your daily activities, a nice easy listen. That being said it is very typical, you hear a lot of this style. Fortunately Ikimo Gakari do it well but they don’t offer much of anything new to the table. This doesn’t seem to matter much though when the song is as enjoyable as it is.

Rating: 8/10

RED CLIFF ~Shin.Sen~ alan

I was so ready to just give up on alan; She’s obviously not very popular, Avex is churning out singles for her like there is no tomorrow and the last song did nothing at all for me … then she brings out RED CLIFF. RED CLIFF is another Japanese remake, with the Chinese version of the song released earlier this year in conjunction with the Chinese and Japanese releases of the film, Red Cliff. I hadn’t heard the other version so this song is very new to me and I absolutely love it. The pre-chorus gives me chills up my spine, like seriously, alan is an incredible vocalist. alan’s characteristic wailing makes an appearance and all round it’s just a beautiful song.

Rating: 9/10

REVIEWS: This week I'm reviewing 3 pretty good singles: GIRL NEXT DOOR's Drive Away / Shiawase no Jouken; Porno Graffitti's Love,too Death,too; and Koda Kumi's Taboo.

Drive Away / Shiawase no Jouken GIRL NEXT DOOR

GIRL NEXT DOOR's second single is a double A-side, both songs being upbeat, pop numbers.


Drive Away is the standout track on this single for me, pretty much because both songs sound very similar and Drive Away is just a lot more catchier. The chorus really makes Drive Away stand out from Shiawase no Jouken. It is very catchy, especially the "drive away" bit and the song in general just has a really uplifting feeling. I had a problem with their debut single not quite being able to distinguish itself between rock and pop/dance. This single clears that all up, both songs are very up tempo, dancey ... very pop.


My issue with this single is that the second A-side, Shiawase no Jouken, is very similar to the first track. It's almost an extension of Drive Away - If you did a nice transitioning, they could be the same song. The problem with this is that neither track really distinguishes itself enough. I personally had trouble remembering what each song specifically sounded like shortly after listening, despite being able to recall the general sound of the single. It's all one big mush of dance/pop.

I do like this pop style GIRL NEXT DOOR is going with but some variation between the two songs would have been nice. Perhaps a rockier tune for the second to compliment Drive Away's pop style? Why have a double a-side if both songs offer you exactly the same thing? Still both songs are fun and reasonably decent tracks.

Rating: Drive Away 7.5/10 - Shiwase no Jouken 6.5/10

Love,too Death,too Porno Graffitti

Porno Graffitti's 26th single adopts a jazz/rock kind of style ... whatever it is, I really enjoy it!


Love, too Death too is just an undeniably catchy, fun tune. It has a really interesting arrangement with inspirations from jazz styles plus their typical rock sounds and even some orchestral strings. I'm not really a regular listener of Porno Graffitti's stuff so at first I found Okano's vocals slightly off putting (he has a unique voice) but I got over that pretty quickly and actually really enjoy them now (the same thing happened when I reviewed Gift lol). The chorus is obviously the highlight in this song, the "Love, too Death too" line is the song's hook and it's repeated a lot but never gets tiring. The verses have a great style to them and the instrumental sections are a joy to listen to. The bridge towards the end of the song is also another highlight for me, it has a great melody and sets up for a cool guitar instrumental.

All in all, just a really refreshingly unique track from Porno Graffitti. The boys have 2 BEST albums released in a couple of weeks BEST ACE and BEST JOKER ... I'll have to check them out.

Rating: 8.5/10

Taboo Koda Kumi

This single has been a LONG time coming but it was definitely worth the wait. Koda's Taboo sees her return to the funky, dance tracks that she has been so popular with in the past.


I've loved this song ever since the previews and I'm a fan of Kuu-chan's stuff in general, especially her past two albums. Despite hearing this song, probably a month or so ago and listening to it over and over (and over) again, I still haven't got sick of it. It's such a great song; The chorus is catchy, the verses are catchy, the beat is infectious... What more can I say? I definitely prefer this style for Koda, her voice suits and excells in this genre. The random English throughout is a nice touch, even though a lot of it is hard to decipher without lyrics (ahh Engrish^_^ ~!)

Taboo is everything that a Koda song should be (more of this, please!) and it's already in the mail, heading to me right this moment.

Rating: 9.5/10