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