Quiz! Hexagon, the popular variety show, has scored the no.1 album this week with We Love Hexagon. The album features Pabo (with Country Musume's Satoda Mai), Shuuchishin, misono and other celebrities on the show, collectively known as the Hexagon All Stars. The show's popularity soared the album to the top of the charts with a whopping 270K sold. Last week's no.1 Expressions dropped down to second after a 3 week reign at no.1. Takeuchi Mariya's best-of has now garnered close to 600K in sales.
Hey! Say! JUMP unsurprisingly leap frogged their way past any opposition, easily taking the top spot on the singles chart with 211K. Mayonaka no Shadow Boy continues their string of no.1 singles since their debut (4th) and their first week sales are up over 50K from their previous single. Fukuyama Masaharu sold over 110K to take second position while AKB48 has eclipsed their previous singles' first week sales to take 3rd with 48K. Tohoshinki, who held the top spot last week with Jumon -MIROTIC-, had a huge fall to no.25 only managing to sell 5K in their second week.
CHARTS:
Singles: 01 Mayonsaka no Shadow Boy Hey! Say! JUMP 211,322 02 Sou ~new love new world~ Fukuyama Masaharu 110,598 03 Oogoe Diamond AKB48 48,258 04 Shiawase ni Narou mihimaru GT 15,002 05 Kirei à La Mode Nakagawa Shouko 13,758 06 The Birthday ~Ti Amo~ EXILE 13,584 07 Vanilla Salt Horie Yui 13,099 08 Akai Ito Aragaki Yui 12,776 09 Hyakunen no Kodoku GARNET CROW 12,344 10 Itsuka Lee Byung-Hun 12,293
Albums: 01 WE LOVE HEXAGON Hexagon All Stars 270,310 02 Expressions Takeuchi Mariya 82,733 03 Akuma no Koori (Black Ice) AC/DC 19,246 04 12 Love Stories Dohzi-T 17,061 05 SHAKALABBITS SHAKALABBITS 14,672
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.
ORICON ROUNDUP: Avex's EXILE has totally obliterated the album charts selling 400K of their EXILE ENTERTAINMENT BEST album to rocket to #1. This is their 10th no.1 album, with only their debut album not reaching the top of the charts, and their second BEST album this year, with their third EXILE BALLAD BEST to be released in December.
GReeeeN's A, Domo. Ohisashiburi Desu sold another 40K this week to place 2nd and bring their total sales closer to the 650K mark, while last week's no.1 ZUSHI dropped to 3rd selling 33K. Koi no Uta continues to sell, the love song compilation charting at no.4 on their 3rd week, while Ayaka's Sing to the Sky is no.6 on its 6th week.
On the singles' chart, Hey! Say! JUMP scores a predictable 3rd #1 single, though their sales seem to be slowly declining, selling 20K less than their previous single. 160K is nothing to scoff at and they easily took the top spot. Aiko's new single KissHug is at no.2 selling 75K and FUNKY MONKEY BABYS are in 4th spot.
My single of the week, Hayashibara Megumi's Plenty of grit / Revolution charted at a delightfully surprising 6th with 15K sales, better than expected. Last week's top single Tohoshinki's Doushite Kimi wo Suki ni Natte Shimattandarou? dropped out of the top 10 to no.18, while GReeeeN's Kiseki returned to the top 10 in its 9th week.
CHARTS:
Singles:
01: Your Seed / Bouken Rider Hey! Say! JUMP 160,032 02: KissHug aiko 75,086 03: Gake no Ue no Ponyo Fuijioka Fujimaki & Oohashi Nozomi 36,973 04: Kokuhaku FUNKY MONKEY BABYS 16,551 05: Make my day Aragaki Yui 15,223 06: Plenty of grit / Revolution Hayashibara Megumi 14,940 07: Behind love ~ Kataomoi Park Yong Ha 13,149 08: Kiseki GReeeeN 13,027 09: Tsume, Tsume, Tsume/[F] Maximum The Hormone 12,794 10: One Love ARASHI 12,317
18: Doushite Kimi wo Suki ni Natte Shimattandarou? Tohoshinki 6,367
Albums:
01: EXILE ENTERTAINMENT BEST EXILE 400,038 02: A, Domo. Ohisashiburi Desu GReeeeN 39,878 03: ZUSHI Kimaguren 33,502 04: Koi no Uta (Various Artists) 23,736 05: Persona 4 Original Soundtrack Meguro Shouji 21,083
Stephanie teams up with male vocalist Tanaka Roma for her newest single, an uplifting piano ballad. The track is the new ending theme for D.Gray-man. Stephanie's vocals shine in this song, her falsetto beautifully building up an otherwise conventional chorus. I've only heard the D.Gray-man version of the track which doesn't include Tanaka Roma, so I can't fully comment on his addition to the song. His smooth vocals should work well with Stephanie's to create a somewhat engaging ballad.
Rating: B
I DON'T KNOW MICA 3 CHU
Nakashima Mika's new single is a collaboration with Morisanchuu. The most interesting thing about this single is that it is sung entirely in English. Mika's English isn't bad, but at times can be difficult to understand. The song has a edgy indy-rock flare and Mika's vocals suit the genre well. Morisanchuu back up the vocals well with cool, though slightly unoriginal music. Fans of the genre may find the song uninventive, yet Nakashima Mika fans should find it a refreshing new track. Rating: B-
kisshugAiko
Aiko's 24th single is the theme song of the film Hana Yori Dango Final and follows your typical film ballad format. The vocals on this track are very sweet, with an innocent fragility which aids the single, especially in the verses which are somewhat lackluster. The chorus picks up, as does Aiko's voice accordingly and the song is quite pretty despite not having much substance to it.
Rating: B
KokuhakuFUNKY MONKEY BABYS
Summertime is here with the FUNKY MONKEY BABYS' new single, the uplifting Kokuhaku. The standout in this track are the rapped verses. They are refreshing and suit the summer mood, making an airy, spirited song. The vocals in the chorus are a tad iffy as usual, and somewhat detract from an otherwise decent song, they do however add a humbling nature to the tune which may actually be a greater addition, you decide.
Rating: B
NO RAIN NO RAINBOWHome Made Kazoku
NO RAIN NO RAINBOW is the theme song for the animated film, Naurto Shippunden Kizuna but breaks off from your typical animated theme songs, providing a nice, laid back tune. The track incorporates a smooth, beautiful chorus with relaxed rapped verses. The boy's vocals are exceptional on this track, especially in the chorus where they truly shine. A beautiful message about overcoming adversity makes this an all around lovely song.
Rating: B+
Your Seed / Bouken RiderHey! Say! JUMP
I haven't really jumped on the bandwagon of this new(ish) Johnny's group and Hey! Say! JUMP's latest venture is unlikely to change my mind. Your Seed is a dramatic, mid-tempo song which incorporates a hint of Latin flair with a Chinese inspired instrumental and decent vocals. The song is kind of lackluster to me, feeling like an album song (though a good one). The vocals, as I mentioned, surprised me and the boys seem to be improving. Bouken Rider is a light hearted, summery track. The song isn't bad, but once again just doesn't feel like a single. The song does pick up towards the end but it's just too little, too late for me, unfortunately. The single is almost like 2 coupling songs and I'm still waiting to actually hear the main song.
Your Seed: B- Bouken Rider: C+
SINGLE OF THE WEEK
Plenty of Grit / RevolutionHayashibara Megumi
Hayashibara Megumi, a popular anime seiyuu, releases my pick for 'Single of the Week' with her double A-side Plenty of Grit / Revolution. Both songs on this single are from the Slayers Revolution anime, (Plenty of Grit being the opening and Revolution, the closing) and this single is very obviously an anime single, Megumi's vocals and the synthesized tracks being an obvious giveaway. While Megumi's vocals are far from splendid, they are charming and enhance the songs on this single.
Plenty of Grit is a synthesized track incorporating rock elements with somber verses and an uplifting chorus. The greatest thing about the song is the gradual growth from the beginning of the verses to the Chorus which really rockets off and is the highlight in this song.
Revolution is more of a rock song, despite having a synth intro. Megumi's vocals work well with this song and once again the chorus is the highlight. The verses in this song are also very strong and the rock/synth instrumental is creative and original.
Plenty of Grit: B+ Revolution: A-
You can listen toPlenty of Grit / Revolution on the media viewer at the top of the blog.
Posts
