J-pop obsession

AKB48’s election drama, alan’s amazing BALLAD and Stereopony’s Smilife.

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 18:26:11 GMT

Singles:
Abe Mao - Tsutaetai Koto (Limited Edition)
alan - BALLAD ~Namonaki Koi no Uta~ (CD+DVD)
AKB48 - Iiwake Maybe (CD+DVD)
Stereopony - Smilife (Limited Edition)

I’m not buying as many Cds as I used to in the moment.
I’ll comment on Abe Mao later on, since I’m planning on making a post about this amazing singer.

alan’s BALLAD ~Namonaki Koi no Uta~

Seems like a lot of us alan fans has gotten used to her frequent releases, so when this single BALLAD ~Naminaki no Uta~ was delayed it felt like a long wait. The good thing is this single was surely worth waiting for.

The intro alone in this song is amazing. Once again alan gives us a unique song, with a deeper and almost spiritual feel. The way the song starts out is hard to describe, but we’re left with the conviction that this is no ordinary pop song. This is something more. Then alan introduces us to one of her well known wails and the song starts to follow a more “normal” pop flow. alan slowly leads us the chorus, with very slow paced verses, where she also keeps her pitch low. This pitch is kept now all the way to the end of the chorus, but she still doesn’t raise her voice to what we know she’s capable of, leaving us with a feeling of there’s more in store. This song has a beautiful and heartfelt chorus, which truly captures you. alan sings with such emotion that we’re bound to pay attention. The song builds up to the final chorus, where alan really gives her all, not so much when it comes to hitting the highest notes, but also putting every strong feeling into singing this last part.
BALLAD ~Namonaki Koi no Uta~ is already among my favourite alan songs. This song is truly beautiful and once again this shows us that alan is an unique j-pop singer, who I hope will get more popular with time.
The B-side on this single is a new version of “Shiawase no Kane”. Was a bit disappointed when this was announced, since I hoped for a new song. This new version is a bit slower and has a bit more acoustic feel to it. Shiawase no Kane is not among my favourites, but it’s still a very nice song. This new version gives the song more emotion, which makes me like this new version a bit better.
Because of the lack of a new song as B-side, it’s not possible for me to give this song the highest rate, but very close.
Rating: 9.5/10

AKB48’s Iiwake Maybe

AKB48’s newest single didn’t just bring us new songs, but a lot of drama as well. This time around it was decided that the fans now could get the chance to chose the selected members for the single themselves. A big election procedure was kicked off. All the girls got a promotional poster to hang somewhere in the AKB48 theatre and an election video as well. Which was their chance to express themselves and gives the fans a reason to give them a vote. Then when it was time the fans could cast their votes, by cell phones, fan club and similar things. One purchased single of their previous single Namida Surprise equalled one vote.
21 girls were to not only be selected, but ranked as well. Ranked based on the amount of votes these girls got, showing these girls the cruel reality of show business. Where everyone wants to be number one and where your popularity can be measured in numbers.
On the day of the announcement, the whole thing was set up as a big ceremony, where the girls would be called up one by one, from lowest to highest.

Not many was surprised when Maeda Atsuko was announced as number one and therefore the most popular girl in AKB48. Think we all saw that coming. Oshima Yuko got second place, followed by Shinoda Mariko on third. Watanabe Mayu got a, maybe, surprising 4th place. Ranking above members such as, Takahashi Minami and Kojima Haruna.
A surprise to me, was that my second favourite Sato Amina, was not only chosen, but she even got the 8th place.

This made me more happy, than I actually thought I would be. I didn’t feel any worry for my favourite member Kashiwagi Yuki, who has been selected for all singles except one. Where Sato Amina has never been a selected member so her getting 8th was very surprising, but surely also what this amazing girl deserved. The worked hard as a Research Student (girl in training) and got promoted to Team A, where she continued to do her best. And at the election this effort finally paid off. This effort the management didn’t seem to notice, but we fans did. I still remember when she totally won me over last summer, after seeing her and Team A live.
Another surprise was that Minegishi Minami had to settle for a 16th place. Despite the fact that she always seemed like one of the most popular girls, who always got selected and even has her own unit.
The girls who got from 22nd to 30th, was announced as “Under Girls” and would be singing the B-side of the single, even with their own PV.

After all the drama had settled, Iiwake Maybe was announced as the title of the upcoming single and here it is. This single, in my opinion does not live up to the drama at all. To me Iiwake Maybe is one of the most annoying AKB48 A-sides, ever.

It’s harsh, but that’s just my honest thought, which I know I’m very alone about. Since Iiwake Maybe seems very popular with most fans. I’m kind of having flash backs to when BINGO! Was released and everybody seemed to love it, except me. And fans still, today talk about how amazing BINGO! is. What is it am missing?
Iiwake Maybe and BINGO! has a lot in common, they’re both overly happy-go-lucky idol songs, with a simple chorus and they both annoy me. I guess, even I, have a limit on how bubblegum happy I want my idol songs. I don’t mind silly songs. I don’t mind childish songs and I surely don’t mind happy songs, but there’s just something about Iiwake Maybe that doesn’t feel right. It’s especially the “maybe, maybe” in the chorus, which leaves a sour taste in my mouth. It’s hard to describe, songs like Iiwake Maybe just sounds, too… generic. I better move on, since I keep on sounding too negative.

The B-side, Tobenai Agehachou, is sung my the under girls as mentioned before. I have one favourite member in the Under Girls, which is Katayama Haruka, so was looking forward to seeing her in the PV.

Tobenai Agehachou is darker and less overly energetic than Iiwake Maybe, which seems to fit my taste a bit better. I find this song a lot more catchy and pleasant. The chorus quickly got stuck in my head and I did catch myself singing “Suki jya naku, aishiteru, heart wo dokidoki honki”. That being said, I don’t think Tobenai Agehachou is an amazing song in anyway. It’s entertaining and catchy, like some songs just are and should be. Not all songs should be amazing, unique & etc. Some songs are just to be casually enjoyed.
There’s no doubt that Tobenai Agehachou are my favourite song on this single and what pulls up the rating.
Rating: 6.0

Stereopony’s Smilife

Stereopony is back with a new single since releasing their debut album.

Smilife is an upbeat pop song and it doesn’t stray from the known Stereopony style. I’ve been a fan of these girls since hearing Hitohira no Hanabira for the first time on youtube. Their music seems to be often compared with YUI’s, which actually isn’t that far off. YUI wrote the lyrics for their last single “I do it” and overall their music do have similarities to YUI’s music. The similarities are meant as positive, since Stereopony still have their own style and personal flavour and they can very well hold their own. Aimi, the vocalist in Stereopony, also have a different kind of voice than YUI - the only similarity between their voices, are that they’re both light and girlish, but in different ways. I like Aimi voice and it really fits Stereopony’s songs perfectly.
Smilife is a happy song, which are meant to brighten up our moods and I think it works. I had to listen to Smilife a few times, before I actually realized just how great this song is. At first it didn’t feel it that much, but already after second listen the catchy chorus got stuck in my head and after third listen I loved this song.
This single has two B-sides, like Stereopony’s singles normally have. The first B-side is Cupido. This is a cute and upbeat song, with some interesting clapping sounds in the instrumental side a few places in the song. My favourite part of the song is near the end, from around 2:51, where everything goes quiet and then comes back, just a bit more powerful/intense. I love Aimi’s voice in this part.
The second B-side is Nagare Hoshi, which is slower paced than the previous two songs. It has relaxing verses and a beautiful and emotional chorus.
This single has everything a single needs to have. New songs, even three of them, variety and catchiness.
Rating: 10/10

100x100 icons (92)

Sun, 23 Aug 2009 19:31:32 GMT

Preview:

- Morning Musume (56)
- Maimi Yajima (3)
- Bouno (10)
- Mano Erina (12)
- BoA (8)
- Shugo Chara (3)

Tsuji Shion's M/elody.

Sat, 22 Aug 2009 20:36:48 GMT

Tsuji Shion released her 3rd single some weeks ago and even though I had pre-ordered it, it took forever for Yesasia to ship it. For some reason they had stock problems of some kind, but I don’t think it’s because the first stock sold out. Since I had it pre-ordered and Tsuji Shion is not that known, my guess is that they didn’t have a stock to begin with. Late delivery?
Well that doesn’t matter, even though it made me a bit annoyed having to wait about an extra week and in the moment I rarely receive CDs.

My Tsuji Shion collection so far. (Complete)

Singles:
Candy Kicks
Sky Chord~Otona ni Naru Kimi e~ (First Press) + First Press Pencil
M/elody

Other:
Autograph

Her PVs:

Candy Kicks

Sky Chord

M/elody

Tsuji Shion has become known as the “happy YUI”. One of the only things they seem to have in common is their guitar and their love for the word “Baby”. Besides that these two girls doesn’t seem alike to me. Their looks are very different, their personal style and even though their voices are both “girlish” they’re also very different.
Some people seem to complain about this comparison, but I actually think Tsuji Shion’s fans should be happy about it, since it without a doubt has given her extra attention.
It helped me discover her as well, since I had come across Candy Kicks on Youtube and found it boring and average. Then I heard about the “New YUI” thing and decided to give her second chance and it surely helped. Her music kind of needs that “extra” listen. When the preview for Sky Chord was released I also had to listen to it a few times to really like it. Sky chord is a nice, slow paced song, but of course it’s nothing out of the J-pop ordinary - but nice songs doesn’t always have to be that. I was in Osaka when Sky Chord was released and was able to attend a handshake event in Umeda, where she preformed three songs as well. That’s where I got my autograph from, so I don’t have to wonder whether it’s fake or not.

M/elody.

M/elody is a bit more upbeat than Sky Chord, at least when it comes to the chorus M/elody starts out a bit slow, but then it picks up pace towards the chorus. And like with all her releases are the guitar the most dominant instrument in this song.
The song has a nice happy feel to it and it’s clearly the kind of song that’s supposed to cheer us up or just make our mood even better.
When I first heard M/elody, I found it a bit uninteresting and average, but it turned out I just needed to listen to it a few more times, to really appreciate it. Guess that’s the returning problem for Tsuji Shion’s songs, but I like her enough to always give her that extra chance.
I actually think M/elody is my favourite of her A-side songs so far, beating Candy Kicks and Sky Chord. The B-side song on M/elody is Naminori.
The pace seems very like M/elody, starting out slow and then speeding up towards the chorus. Especially the chorus is what’s making this song interesting. The way she sings “naminori” in a high tone really gets stuck in my head and later I catch myself walking around singing the same line. This is a cute and catchy B-side, which matches the A-side. This single beats Sky Chord for me, which had a weaker B-side. I really recommend this single to anyone who likes cute and a bit “average” J-pop songs.

I have some 100x100 icons I made back in January, around 90, which I plan to post soon.

Morning Musume's 40th, alan's Chinese album...

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 22:42:16 GMT

Well, it’s been long since I’ve made an update.
Yesterday three CD orders arrived.

J-pop

Abe Mao - Anata no Koibito ni Naritai no Desu (Limited Edition)
Morning Musume - Nanchatte Renai (Limited Edition A)
ONE OK ROCK - BEAM OF LIGHT
Tsuji Shion - M/elody

C-pop & K-pop

alan - Heart of the East (Limited Edition)
Brown Eyed Girls - 2nd album
Brown Eyed Girls - My Style
Brown Eyed Girls - 3rd - Sound G.
Jewelry - Kitchi Island

I’ll talk about Abe Mao, Tsuji Shion, Brown Eyed Girls and Jewelry later.

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Morning Musume is back with their 40th single, titled Nanchatte Renai.

Once again Morning Musume can celebrate some kind of anniversary. This time it’s celebrated with releasing an extra edition of the single, making the total 4 different editions - which makes me happy about not being one of those fans who buys all editions. I used to buy both Limited editions, but stopped that after Naichau Kamo, to save money.
The limited edition A includes a DVD (like usual) with the dance shot version, which I always prefer over close-up versions.
I love the cover of this release; especially the red background cover and the girls look cute in the black and white outfits. Junjun looks stunning on this cover as well.
At first listen Nanchatte Renai reminded me of Shouganai Yumeoibito, which wasn’t a positve thing for me. I got to like Shouganai Yumeoibito over time, but it’s still not a fave of mine and it took to many listens to like it.
Nanchatte Renai on the other only took me a few listens to love. The chorus is extremely catchy and I’ve had this song on repeat for long and I never seem to get tired of it and it’s already become one of my favourite Morning Musume songs. This single is perfect for celebrating their 40th single anniversary. Another great thing about this single is that all members, except the 8th generation have solo lines. Especially Niigaki and Kamei’s amount of lines has increased and they have almost the same amount as Tanaka. Kusumi has a solo verse as well and she’s finally back in the game.
Now I just want Junjun and Linlin to have lines as well. Sorry I can’t lie and say I wish that for Mitsui as well, at least she has her own unit.

Did anyone watch the making off the PV? Am I the only one who really wants to know what Kamei was on? Haha, besides just the fact it was past her bedtime. Seriously.
EDIT: Okay here's the last part of the making of. Kamei weirdness from 00:20.

ONE OK ROCK.
Not much to say, it’s not a new release. BEAM OF LIGHT is their 2nd album, which I finally got around to order so my ONE OK ROCK album collection would be completed.
Words can’t describe how much I love this group, I still bless the day I came across their “Keep it real” PV.

alan's Chinese album is here...

alan’s Chinese album, east of the heart (or something like that). This album is a “collection” of her Japanese singles, re-sung in Chinese. Every song from Ashita e no Sanka to Kuon no Kawa is included. It’s interesting to hear all my favourite alan songs in Chinese, there’s also a few non-single songs, such as: sign, Sakura Modern, Kimi Omou Sora, Shiawase no Kane (of course with their Chinese titles instead.) and then 加油!你有ME! was included as well. Which hasn’t been physically released before. Some fans complained about this happy and upbeat song being including. It’s true it doesn’t really fit her other songs, but it doesn’t bother me. Since I guess I’m one of the few people who actually like this song and find it cute and catchy. And this song is also the only song on the album I don’t already own on another album, just in another language.
The limited edition of her album, is… huge. It’s two regular CDs long and almost one and a half CD wide. It consists of the CD, a DVD, a photo book and a post card.
When it first was released I found it a bit weird only the limited edition was available for purchase. (not that a big alan fan as me would have bought the regular edition) But I just wondered whether this album would just be limited edition and when it was sold out it would just be gone. Then I wondered if it really was limited edition, but then yesterday I checked Yesasia and the limited edition is now out of stock. So it was limited, which makes me even happier about owning my copy. The regular edition is set to be released on October 22nd. What also made us fans a little disappointed was the fact that she/her management re-used the pictures from her debut Japanese album, making the cover identical except for how they were cropped/cut.

Saw Fukui Mai and alan live <3

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 15:03:16 GMT

Today I went to Zushi in Kanagawa (an hour outside Tokyo) to see Fukui Mai and alan live at the beach. I got a bit lost in the city (took the wrong turn and then it got confusing) but asked around and finally found the beach.
It was a nice beach, very much like the ones you see in dramas. Danish beaches looks boring compared to this.

Too bad today's weather was cloudy and rainy - not the best weather to stand and wait. At 16:00 (after already being soaked in the rain and heavy wind) the doors opened - for those who had the ticket. I had to wait, then later those without ticket could line up and buy.

The artists preforming was:

(Fukui Mai, alan, Moumon, Rie Fu and RYTHEM)
I only mostly came to see Fukui Mai and alan.

After we got in I found a place to sit and then I waited. First one to preform was Rie Fu, never had any interest in her, since her songs is a bit boring. Then Fukui Mai came on stage and suddenly the crowd woke up a bit and started yelling her name. Fukui Mai was full of energy and asked people to wave their hands - shortly after she told us to stand up. (What Fukui Mai asks - you do).
So we were standing up during her preformance. Where she preformed all my favourites.
The track list:
01. Can Can. So full of energy and she shouted out to the audience at every chance she got.
02. Peace friend. I hoped this would come - since I love it so much. And we all waved with her during the chorus.
03. Aoi E. This is such a beautiful song, I love it and she put a lot of emotion into it.
04. Koi no Yukue. She dedicated this song to those who was in love.
05. Ai no Uta. No Fukui Mai preformance complete without this song.
06. MY SONG FOR YOU. One of the greatest songs ever I was soo happy when she announced it, very sad when she added it was her last of today. I never listened to a song so closely before, I didn't want it to end. And everytime she sang "my song for you" she pointed to us in the audience.

And then she was gone. Then a break (actually one between every artist) I went over to the shopping area in the live house, because I had noticed a T-shirt. I thought they only sold CDs by the preforming artists, but I spotted that a T-shirt said: See you later alligator. (like a line in Fukui Mai's peace friend). And correctly it was a Fukui Mai T-shirt, I had to buy it.

After Fukui Mai, Moumon came on and I was a bit bored again and it was a bit more quiet. Then another break and the next artist were alan!. She is even more beautiful in real life - she was shinning on the stage and she was chatting nicely with the audience and she even tried to joke about finding it hard to keep her dress in place.
Later on she talked about her home town not having ocean and therefore she found the today's surroundings very pretty.
The track list was:
01. Natsukashii Mirai ~Longing future~. Very nice good opening and even the wail.
02. Gunjou no Tani. I really love this song, it's more upbeat than her others and overall just great.
03. Kuon no Kawa. She asked the audience who had seen the movie Red Cliff and a very big part of the audience raised their hands. Not surprising she chose this since it's her most popular son to date - sales wise.
04. Shiawase no Kane. Not the song I had hoped and I was very disappointed when she announced it washer last - what? Only 4? I must admit I had hoped for Ashita e no Sanka or Sakura Modern, but of course the most important thing was to see her live.

RYTHEM ended the show and after that I went home.

What I love...

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 13:40:38 GMT

... is that in Japan, I don't have to wait over a week to recieve the newest CD releases. Here you can even get them one day before the release. I just picked up Tegomasu's new single. (Limited Edition)
I bought the SweetS' album yesterday.

Thought it was a bit funny, that as I stepped out of TSUTAYA after buying Tegomasu's new single, this truck came by.

The first three days in Japan.

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 15:29:04 GMT

Three days has already gone by, it's scary how time flies - I only have 12 days left now here in this wonderful country. But it's always the same thing when I'm here - I don't want to go home.
This time around, I'm not alone here in Japan, since my mother decided to tag along - not sure if she regrets that decision. The first day here, July 2nd I showed her around Shibuya (where our hotel is), it was a great feeling being back. I love to energy of Shibuya and it's truly one of my favourite areas in Japan.

Our room has a great view, from the 19th floor. And I often just sit and look out the window.

Yesterday (July 3rd) I went to see Tokyo Tower (never got around to do that the last time I was in Tokyo)

In the evening I went to Ebisu Garden Place. Think J-drama fans must know the reason (I hope).

Today (July 4th) we went to Kawagoe in the Saitama prefecture. Wanted to show my mother all the traditional things there is to find.

Then in the evening, I finally got some alone time to do some CD shopping in Shibuya. I'm glad the CD shops doesn't close early. (23:00 the earliest)

I went to both, TSUTAYA, HMV, Tower Records and BOOK-OFF (Once again I love Shibuya)
mimika was hard to find, almost gave up until I found her CDs in Tower Records.
AKB48's single was sold out in both TSUTAYA and HMV.
Got Hamasaki Ayumi's album duty in BOOK-OFF for 250 yen - mostly bought it to complete my Ayumi album collection. (not including remix albums)

Random purchase:

Normally I don't read manga, but I love Shugo Chara and I guess manga is a good thing to read when it comes to practicing my Japanese.

Off to Japan, again.

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:09:48 GMT

Okay, a short entry before I leave for Japan.
Feels like i's been ages since I was there the last time, but it's only been four months. Guess that's long enough.
Two weeks vacation in Tokyo is just what I need.

These two albums arrived today - just in time.

Aragaki Yui - Sora
Aragaki Yui - hug (Limited Edition with bonus CD)

I unfortunately don't have the time to review them. I recommend hug though. Very good album, if you don't mind slow songs.
The weird thing is that I really disliked Yui's music in the beginning, but I kept giving her an extra chance, because I liked her as an actress and before I knew it (after a lot of effort) I was singing along to piece and her other great songs.
She just have those kinds of songs you need to hear a few times.

One of my favourite songs of hers - piece.

ONE OK ROCK & their 3rd album.

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 00:47:03 GMT

These two albums arrived while I was away to celebrate my graduation.

ONE OK ROCK - Kanjou Effect (Limited Edition)
Stereopony - Hydrangea ga Saiteru (Limited Edition)

- I’ll make an entry about Stereopony’s album later.

ONE OK ROCK - My favourite J-rock group.
ONE OK ROCK is a rock group there’s been around for about 3 years now. I discovered this group a few months ago and now I can finally add one of their albums to my collection. This is their newest album, but it’s not my favourite album from them, but decided to buy it, since Yesasia still had the limited edition in stock (shortly after I had pushed the order button, it went out of stock - so guess I got the last copy) I think this album is their only album to be released in a Limited Edition, which makes it easier to complete my collection later on. Since I’ll buy their two other albums when I’m in Japan next week. The limited edition bonus is a DVD with footage from their Live Tour 2008 “Beam of Light”.

I discovered ONE OK ROCK a day I felt like getting to know new artists. So I looked through Japanese artist names and looked them up on Youtube. ONE OK ROCK was one of the groups I decided to look up, for no particular reason - except for the reason that I had heard their group name before.
I had no idea of what to expect when I clicked on their “Keep it real” PV. (Their first single/mini album)
The song’s first few seconds give a peaceful feel, then it gets louder and more rock-like. Then one of the members suddenly started to rap, which didn’t really fit my taste and I almost clicked away, then the front singer started singing. I was instantly captivated by his unique voice.

I can’t remember the last time I was so intrigued with a voice, which made me continue to listen to the song. After the first chorus, the rapping returned, but I didn’t think of closing the window, because I was already in love, with not only the front singer’s voice, but with the song itself.
I listened to Keep it real over and over again and it still remains my favourite song of theirs - even thought a lot of their other songs has come close. Keep it real is even my ring tone on my mobile phone.
The mini album Keep it real, has 4 tracks - which are all amazing. The second track is 辛い＋一＝幸せ (Tsurai + Ichi = Shiawase.) The romanji title of this song doesn’t make much sense. Looking at the Japanese title makes a lot more sense. This song is almost as amazing as Keep it real. The verses are just as captivating as the chorus and I never get tired of this song.
The 3rd track on the mini album is P.P.S.H, which has a less serious sound, compared to the other 3 songs on this album. The last track is “And I know” which is the slow song if the album, I love the chorus of this song. I always feel like singing along with the chorus - especially the “naiteru yo” part.

They’ve seemed to drop the rapping influence, since rapping hasn’t really appeared since their first mini album. I’m happy about that, since I didn’t really felt like the rapping belonged there.
What I also like about ONE OK ROCK, is that they’re a rock group, without being too “noisy”. I really like their kind of rock music. Not too sweet and pop influenced, and not too noisy and heavy.
A fun fact is that the front singer of the rock is a former member of the Johnny’s group, NEWS.
He only participated in their single NEWS NIPPON, though - back when NEWS had as many members as current Morning Musume.
I remember watching NEWS on Hey!x3 as the 9 member group and when I saw Taka (The ONE OK ROCK front singer) I for some reason, felt that he didn’t really fit in. Of course he was already out of the group when I saw the show, since I’ve only been a NEWS fan around since Weeeek. But don’t really think that this is the reason why I felt he was the odd person out - since I felt that Kusano and Uchi fit, even though they’re out now as well. Anyway, with Taka out of NEWS I can enjoy his music with ONE OK ROCK.

My favourite ONE OK ROCK album of is: Zeitakubyou, which contains amazing songs such as: Yokubou ni Michi ta Seinendan, Etcetera, Naihi Shinsho and Yume Yume. I can’t recommend the album Zeitakubyou enough.
On their 2nd album Beam of Light, my favourite song is 100%(hundred percent).

ONE OK ROCK’s 3rd album, Kanjou Effect.
01. Koi no Aibou Kokoro no Cupido. This is my favourite track on the album. They over act a bit in the PV, but that doesn’t change the fact that this song is awesome and catchy.

The song is a little short though, I’m used to songs being at least 3 minutes. But I really love this song - it’s the kind of song I really want to listen to with the volume turned up high.
02. Doppelgänger, which is a very upbeat song. It is a good song, but compared to the group’s other songs it’s a bit average.
03. Kaimu. Another upbeat song - in kinda the same pace as the previous two songs. Seems like this is one of the popular songs at their concerts - which I can imagine, since the song probably has a lot of energy on stage. It of course also have energy in this studio version - no doubt about that. It’s just missing something.
04. 20 years old. What I like the most about this song is the chorus, because the verses are a bit average, where it becomes more interesting once it reaches the chorus.
05. Living dolls. This song has a bit more slow paced verses and chorus. It’s far from a slow paced song - it’s more compared to the previous tracks. I like this song, because it seems like there’s put a lot of emotion into the chorus. There’s also full English sentences in this song (compared to just random isolated words): Ex. “If I can touch your heart, I can tell you what you feel” “They’re all the same looking like dolls”. Overall I find this song interesting.
06. Break my strings. A louder song than the previous ones. This song is also a little average.
07. Sonzai Shoumei. Another loud song. The verses are forgettable - at least the chorus isn’t.
08. CONVINCING. This is a nice song. What I like the most is actually the verses. What I also like are the little pop-like parts of the song, just before the chorus. Where they change from rock, to a more soft sound and back to rock again.
09. My Sweet baby. A slow paced song, which is a nice change after the fast paced and loud songs. It’s a cute and sweet song.
10. Reflection. And after the slow song, we’re back to the rock tunes. This has a loud and interesting chorus. It catches my attention.
11. Viva Violent Fellow ~Utsukushiki Moshpit~. Long instrumental into and upbeat. I like this song. Intriguing verses and a powerful and very interesting chorus. This is a nice song to listen to with a high volume, like the 1st track.
12. JUST. This song is a little average. Not bad, but not that memorable either. The little annoying thing with this track is that they’ve added a hidden track to it, making it 11:14 minutes long. I actually like the short hidden track - which is a short acoustic performance. I like the song and Taka’s vocals, even though they tend to get very high in this song - I still like it a lot. What I don’t like is that it takes 5 minutes from the ending of JUST to the beginning of the hidden track. It’s too long. And the 5 minutes silence is a waste of megabyte.

Rating: 7/10
(Yes, I dropped the star, since I felt like my rating options were limited)
This is a good J-rock album, what drags it down a bit is because I can’t help, but comparing to their other material and this album can’t live fully up to their 1st album.

RANKING and The END.
ONE OK ROCK, is like stated earlier in this entry, my favourite J-rock group. They have amazing songs and a great uniqueness. Which makes me listen to their songs over and over again.

My top 10 of their songs.
01. Keep it real
02. Tsurai + ichi = Shiawase
03. Yokubou ni Michi ta Seinendan
04. Et cetera
05. Koi no Aibou Kokoro no Cupido
06. 100%(hundred percent)
07. Naihi Shinsho
08. And I Know
09. Yume Yume
10. Viva Violent Fellow ~Utsukushiki Moshpit~

I’m happy I’ve discovered this group and I’ll surely keep supporting them from now on. Now I just need to buy their two previous full length albums and then I want the Keep it real mini album.
There’s not a single bad ONE OK ROCK song, there’s good and amazing.
Of course what I still like most about this group is Taka’s voice. This group wouldn’t have been the same without it. So liking his kind of voice is a great importance when it comes to liking this group.
Since one of the members, Alex has left the group now, because he groped a young girl in a train in an alcoholic state, it will be interesting to see if this change will be evident when it comes to their sound.

おひさしぶりです... Cds, Cds and Cds... gotta love em.

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 19:01:27 GMT

It’s been soo long….
Exams are such a pain and there’s still two left.
But the worst one is over - German. I’ve always been so bad at that language. It’s too hard for me, but I survived.

So what have arrived during exam studies:

Abums
KAT-TUN - Break the Records -by you and for you- (Limited Edition)
Tohoshinki - The Secret Code (Cd-Only) (Limited Edition)

Singles:
Arashi - Ashita no Kioku/Crazy Moon ~Kimi wa Muteki~ (Limited Edition A)
Buono! - MY BOY (First Press)
Guardians 4- Omakase! Guardian (Limited Edition)
Morning Musume - Shouganai Yumeoibito (Limited Edition A)
NEWS - Koi no ABO (Limited Edition)
Stereopony - I Do it (Limited Edition)
YUI - again (Limited Edition)

I didn’t realize it was soo few, before I listed them. I’ve not bought that many cds lately. Not sure why, guess there hasn’t been that many good releases. It’s also nice to save money for a change, I guess.

(Rating: stars out of 5)

KAT-TUN - Break the Records -by you and for you-

This album is a bit too average. Maybe it’s because I’ve only heard it once, but no non-single songs seemed to stick, except MOON.
Rating:★★

Tohoshinki - The Secret Code

This album contains one of the best songs ever…: Doushite Kimi wo Suki ni Natte Shimattandarou?
I can’t express how much I love this song and I’ve loved it ever since I heard it for the first time last summer. I kind of reminds me of my first trip to Japan - since it was released around that time.
And I actually disliked them a bit when they released the single - this song changed my whole opinion about them and now, a year later I own 4 of their albums and one single. This album also contains single A-sides such as, MIROTIC, Bolero and Survivor. All very nice singles - especially Survivor takes “catchiness” to a whole new level. Unfortunate the album songs are a bit too average for me.
The verse of Track 2, FORCE reminds me of another song, a lot, but annoyingly I can’t remember which. I find the chorus a bit annoying actually for some reason, especially “Join the FORCE” part - sounds too much like an add for the army.
But overall it’s still a nice album, just not great.
Rating: ★★★

Arashi - Ashita no Kioku/Crazy Moon ~Kimi wa Muteki~

Arashi is back, again, again. They’re really on a roll lately and already have a new single planned for July 1st. And like always their sales are amazing, selling more than 500,000 copies in the first week (both this single and their previous: Believe) - had no idea it was still possible in this time of download and piracy.
Ashita no Kioku is a nice slow song. It has a peaceful feeling with a slightly upbeat chorus. The pace is a little like Beautiful Days. (Beautiful Days is a bit better though…)
Crazy Moon is the upbeat song of this single, unfortunately it doesn’t seem to live up to the normal “Arashi standard” in my opinion, it’s a bit too generic.
After a string of amazing (more than just amazing) sings, this single doesn’t really deliver the same quality. Compared to some other sings out there in the J-pop world it’s a great single, but this is Arashi. They gave us, One Love, truth, Kaze no Mukou e, Beautiful Days and Believe. They can do a lot better than this single.
Rating:★★★½

Buono! - MY BOY

Buono! Are back. This is only my 3rd Buono! Single (that I’ve bought). Since for me, the quality of their songs goes a bit up and down. The single I own/love: Renai Rider, Rottara Rottara and this. I thought about buying their second album, but never got around to do it. I even picked it up in a CD shop in Osaka, but put it down again. Their album songs tends to be a little to generic. (Except for Nakamushi Shounan that song is amazing).
When I first heard the preview for MY BOY, my impression was: noisy. There’s so much going on in this song that at first it can come off as noisy, but when I heard it for the second time I realized that this is actually a great song that got stuck in my head. It’s noisy in the good way. The kind of song you jus want to listen to, with the volume turned up. The B-side Warp, is a bit too average.
Rating:★★★½

Guardians 4- Omakase! Guardian

New opening for Shugo Chara. This new Hello! Project unit consists of: Mitsui Aika (Morning Musume) Sugaya Risako (Berryz Koubou) Kumai Yurina (Berryz Koubou) and Nakajima Saki (C-ute)
This a cute and catchy single. Especially the A-side Omakase Guardian was stuck in my heard for days, even back when only a 01:15 min. preview was released. I played that one and a half minute over and over. I’m not a person that buys everything H!P puts out (except for Morning Musume), so at first I wasn’t going to buy this single, but I quickly changed my mind. This single is extremely catchy, if you don’t mind happy-go-lucky music with average vocals.
Rating:★★★½

Morning Musume - Shouganai Yumeoibito

Morning Musume has another single. I always look forward to their releases. Especially since they’ve have some great singles lately. (I’m one of those few who prefers the new Morning Musume over the old) Shouganai Yumeoibito is a bit slower paced than their other recent singles. Most fans seems to be extremely pleased with this single. I myself, had to hear it several times before I actually liked it and more importantly actually remembered it. For me it’s still a bit unmemorable, but now it’s gotten better. Now I actually find myself wanting to sing along with the chorus. Morning Musume really likes to follow the mature image recently - which I don’t mind - we have a lot of other cute idols groups, so wont miss that cup of hyper sugar. The B-side is 3.2.1 BREAKIN’ OUT, the “theme” for Morning Musume’s visit to the USA. That doesn’t makes them close to me though - since I’m from Europe, but it’s great they’re venturing out to the West. I’m actually in Japan when they’re in the US…
Well… 3.21 BREAKIN’ OUT is an upbeat song which is catchy in the generic and average way.
Rating:★★★

NEWS - Koi no ABO

Seriously… I love NEWS. They’re the best male unit ever. Not just because of their songs, but because they have some of the most awesome members in Johnny’s. Nishikido, Yamapi and Tegoshi… enough said. I even got my mother to like them. I made her watch J-dramas (I’ve translated to Danish) with Nishikido, who she found to be very good looking. (Understatement) Then one day she suddenly wanted to hear his music and I showed her the pacific concert DVD (or more some clips) and then she suddenly liked Yamapi and Tegoshi as well.
Well they finally released a new single. (About time!) Happy Birthday was a bit too generic for a NEWS’ song.
Unfortunately Koi no ABO is not the biggest step up. It’s better than Happy Birthday, but it still doesn’t have the same quality as other NEWS songs. They should release more often by the way.
Koi no ABO is a song about blood types… it’s upbeat and has some disco-flavour. That’s where it goes a bit wrong… disco… do not want. The positive side is, that if anyone can pull of disco style, it’s NEWS. These guys are not afraid to be silly, with awkward dance moves, weird facial expressions and last, but not least: huge stupid sun-glasses. That WIN! Wow… I adore these guys. It’s actually possible to enjoy Koi no ABO just for its silliness. The B-sides Labyrinth and OPEN YOUR EYES are very decent B-sides. Less upbeat and less silly than the A-side.
Rating:★★★½

Stereopony - I Do it

I’ve recently got an interest in this group. (Recently is a few months). I came across Hitohira no Hanabira on youtube and fell in love with the song and the group instantly. Already the day after I bought this single to start my Stereopony collection. I haven’t bought their others, yet - I still have time for that. I decided to buy this single because it had a limited version. (And a good point to start a collection is to get the limited editions)
I do it, is an upbeat song with a bit of rock flavour (for pop standard). Stereopony seems to have gained attention with this single, since YUI has worked on this single as well. And there is a bit YUI-sound, but Stereopony is still themselves… of course. I do it has mid-tempo verses and very upbeat choruses and especially the chorus makes this song awesome. It’s the chorus I remember the most after having listened to the song. The B-side Signal ga Ao ni Kawaru Toki is a very nice slow paced song - a perfect match for the fast paced I do it. And besides the A and B-side we get an acoustic version for Namida no Mukou. This single and this group overall is very much recommended.
Rating:★★★★

YUI - again

YUI is finally back! Well it wasn’t the longest hiatus, but I still missed her. She’s my favourite artist above all. And this single is no disappointment. The A-side, again, is an upbeat, catchy and slightly angry song - those things that makes YUI’s songs amazing. I loved again from first preview and was listening to the radio preview non-stop. YUI keep the standard of awesomeness. And she’s surely popular as well, since the limited edition of again was out of stock long before the release. (Good thing I pre-order) The B-side Sea, is a very slow paced song and a lot of fans seems to think that thing song sounds a lot more like the “old YUI” compared to her more recent songs. Sea is a beautiful and peaceful song, making this a perfect song. Then there’s the acoustic version of SUMMER SONG as well.
Rating:★★★★★

☆☆☆

Fri, 08 May 2009 16:42:48 GMT

みんなさん。。。げんきですか。☆
私はちょっと忙しいです。試験がたくさんある。
私は日本にいきたい。。。

Just trying out... typing some Japanese.
Just figured out today it was possible on non-Japanese computers as well. (yeah I am a bit slow)
Well... I have my exams in the moment, which makes me too busy to update.
Yesterday I had my Danish exam, not really sure how it went. I felt a bit desperate after 3 hours of writing, because I had not even written one page at that time (we have 5 hours) but with 20 minutes left I finished.
Next week there is English exam...
well... never mind...
Hope everyone is okay.

Lastest arrivals.

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 20:30:16 GMT

Albums:
Hamasaki Ayumi - NEXT LEVEL (CD Only) (First Press) - Included small prize
Kanjani8 - Puzzle (2 CD)

Single:
alan - Kuon no Kawa (CD+DVD)
C-ute - Bye Bye Bye (Limited Edition)

I also got Morning Musume’s 9th album (Limited edition) last week.
But once again, been too busy.

alan’s Kuon no Kawa

alan is yet again back, with a new single. The theme song for “Red Cliff II”. This single turned out to be more successful than what most alan fans could hope for, coming as high as 3rd place on the Oricon. Where anywhere in the top 10 would have been fantastic news. Because sadly, alan’s sales has been highly disappointing with all of her previous releases, despite Avex’s various promotions.
There is no doubt that Red Cliff II helped the sales with this single, but the first Red Cliff, didn’t seem to do much for “Red Cliff ~Shin Sen~’s sales, so was not sure what to expect from this single.
The song, Kuon no Kawa, starts out with an interesting instrumental, and then alan’s peaceful voice appears. They keep building up the song, and the first actual chorus doesn’t appear before 1:50.
This is a typical alan song, with “low” verses and “high” choruses. Songs with a orchestra-like instrumental side, very dramatic songs and “The alan wail” is not left out either.
This is one of alan’s best songs, together with Red Cliff, Ashita no Sanka e and Gunjou no Tani.
The B-side of the single is called Chi Bi ~Da Jiang Dong Qu~ and is the Chinese version of Kuon no Kawa. And has also previously been floating around the internet, because the release of Kuon no Kawa.
The only thing this single is missing is an original B-side.
Rating: 8.9/10

C-ute’s Bye Bye Bye.

Well… not Bye Bye Bye in that way. I think a lot of people are reminded of the older popular song, Bye Bye Bye, by N*Sync.
Bye Bye Bye is a upbeat song and C-ute seems to keep their more mature streak. It also seems like the producers of the A-side, has played around with computers and electronic equipment, even more than usual. Since Bye Bye Bye presents us with, not only the C-ute members’ voices, but a more electronic voice as well. And then there’s also some random electronic noises various places throughout the song. Which I personally find a bit annoying, since those noises sounds like a person was playing Tetris or some other old-fashioned arcade game in the recording studio. They’re too random and they interfere too much with the words in the verses. The chorus, which of course gives us a lot of “Bye Bye bye’s” is a bit too average and predictable. It’s the type of song I get bored with way to easily, not that I even like it much after the first listens. The song also carries a 80’s kind of feel, which isn’t my thing either. But I do give Up-front credit for trying out something new, unfortunately this has become one of my least favourite C-ute songs, together with Namida Iro.
The B-side is named “Go Go Go” (They’ve been very creative I must say). This is a little less upbeat than the A-side. It’s a very typical Hello! Project B-side, very poppy, happy and average.
Which overall makes this single too average in my opinion, compared to some of C-ute’s other singles.
Rating: 5/10

Hamasaki Ayumi brings us to the “NEXT LEVEL”
Hamasaki Ayumi’s newest album has arrived! Hamasaki was one the first J-pop artists I really liked, unfortunately my CD collection shows no signs of this. Mostly because that when I first got into J-pop I was not able to buy things on the internet. So when I finally got able to do that in 2007, I’ve gotten so many other favourite artists to support. And then I’ve not been too supportive when it comes to buying her singles.
So this is what I have…
My small Hamasaki Ayumi collection.

When I first saw the covers for NEXT LEVEL, I really disliked them, but now I actually think the CD-only cover is rather pretty. Except for the first press green sleeve. (I really dislike the colour green)

01. Bridge to the sky
- What I’ve always loved about Ayumi’s music, is the way she creates a certain atmosphere with her music. With interesting and unique instrumentals, intros and interludes. This intro is 1:43 minutes long and has a few vocals included.
02. NEXT LEVEL
- A nice song, which keeps the same pace all way through. It’s not a song I remember or which gets stuck in my head though, unfortunately. 7/10
03. Disco-munication
- Ayumi really seems to like word puns and plays. This is a kind of interlude, lasting only 1:32 minutes and giving us only an instrumental. It’s interesting though.
04. EnergizE
- I really like the unique intro to this song, like I said I really like the way instrumental sides are used in Ayumi’s songs. This song has a nice beat and has changing paces. And it also has a catchy-effect to it, with the ”Put your hands up together, Keep your hands up together, let me sing forever…” 7/10
05. Sparkle
- I really like this song. The 2nd A-side on Ayumi’s latest single. At first we have a low toned verse and then comes the powerful 2nd verse, which has an awesome beat to it. Then comes another verse, yet again in a more peaceful tone/rhythm, leading us to the upbeat, catchy and powerful chorus. I’ve heard this song over and over again. I just love it. 10/10
06. rollin'
- Around the first minute of this song is pure instrumental, then Ayumi’s electronic voice appears and then the chorus appears and Ayumi’s normal voice returns. After the chorus the electronic voice is back and it goes back and forth like that. The song is nice, not great though and far from memorable. 6/10
07. GREEN
- Another double song from a double A-side single. I love the traditional Asian feel to the intro. The verses are more slow paced, and then there’s a more upbeat chorus. Once again a very nice song, and Ayumi once again brings a ”power feel” to the chorus. Like it’s building up… 8/10
08. Load of the SHUGYO
- Another 1:32 interlude. Once again reminding us of Ayumi’s musical creativeness.
09. Identity
- Great instrumental intro once again. It gives us an idea of a peaceful song, but then shortly after it changes, giving us a far more rock’ish feel. This another ”power” song and has an element to it, that makes it memorable. 8.5/10
10. Rule
- Her latest single. (double A-side) The theme song for Dragon Ball Evolution. I love the ”power” feeling to this song. (I really need new words) Again Ayumi tries out an electronic voice, only for short periods of time though. This is also a catchy song, I like Sparkle better of the two, though. 8.5/10
11. LOVE'n'HATE
- Powerful intro. This is the kind of intro, that really makes me eager to hear the rest of the song. Once again I must praise Ayumi (and her producers) for their use of the instrumental side. That’s what really makes Ayumi unique and makes her the queen. This instrumental has a mix of traditional instruments (like violins or something like that) and more modern instruments (like electric guitar). The instrumental side itself of this song is awesome. The overall song really good as well, it’s a typical Ayumi song though - nothing new. But since I love Ayumi, this shouldn’t be a negative thing. After listening to this song I’m left with a feeling of: ”That was a good and interesting song”, but I can’t seem to remember it in some way. Rating: 9/10
12. Pieces of SEVEN
- Another word pun? This is another interlude. A longer one though (2:31). It’s interesting though, because the genre/mode of the song, changes. It starts out with being peaceful, slow paced, dreamy and a bit electronic and in the end it’s become ”louder”, fast paced, and very rock’ish.
13. Days
- A single song. After the heavy end to Pieces of SEVEN, the intro to Days feels extra relaxing. This a good Ayumi slow song. What I like the most (again) is the instrumental side of the song, which I find peaceful and very enjoyable. Even though it’s a slow song, listening to this song gives me a ”happy” and ”assuring” feeling. A kind of ”everything is going to be alright” feeling. Rating: 9/10
14. Curtain call
- Peaceful, piano intro. This song has a short intro, which is more rare for Ayumi’s songs. This song has an acoustic feeling, since the only thing to accompany Ayumi’s voice is the piano. No guitar, no computer generated mixes or things like that. Just Ayumi and the piano. Except for the ending, where a choir is added to ”support” Ayumi.. This song is very beautiful ballad-like song. This is one of the songs I’ve heard the most on this album (together with sparkle). Like Days, this song has an ”assuring” feeling to it. It makes me happy and makes me relaxed. The choir near the end matches the song perfect, making it strong and memorable. And after being backed up by the choir, Ayumi’s voice is once again alone and then she ”closes” off the song and the album. Rating: 10/10.
Overall album rating: 8.3/10

Kanjani8 - PUZZLE

I must admit, I haven’t had the time to listen to this album, yet. I’ve only one album song, which is Nishikido’s solo song, ”Half down”. Which is a bit obvious why I heard that song. (Nishikido being my favourite Johnny’s and all). This is my first Kanjani8 album purchase and I wasn’t sure whether to buy it or not. But, I found their sings Wahaha and Musekinin Hero to be very good and thought this album would be worth the try (and then.. There’s Nishikido, I have to support him). I decided to buy the regular version, because I wanted to extra CD with solo songs, more than the DVD with unit music videos (Nishikido solo song wins beats Nishikido’s 3-person unit). And then… the 2 CD edition was cheaper. I’m really into saving money in the moment.
I like the design of the CD. (From what I can see, since I haven’t opened it) It’s a bit thicker than a normal cd case and then there’s a puzzle-like sleeve cover.
Design of the CD gets: 9.5/10 (the cover is a bit boring). The singles of the album gets: 9/10 and Nishikido’s solo song gets: 9/10 (yes, I’m a bit biased.)

When free time is a distant wish...

Sat, 04 Apr 2009 11:24:08 GMT

It’s been slow, when it comes to updates lately.
The end of senior year is closing in, meaning all my days are filled with school and homework. It’s like the teachers desperately tries to fill our heads, this last month. At least I can see an end to it soon. Today I’ll finish my final Danish essay of the year. Then there’s only the written exam in Danish left. Weird to think about, that it’s probably be one of the last Danish essays to write in my life.

Well…

What arrived in the middle of March…

Album:
Kusumi Koharu - Kirari Best (Limited Edition)

Singles:
Berryz Koubou - Dakishimete Dakishimete (Limited Edition)
KAT-TUN - RESCUE (First press)

Kusumi Koharu’s final release, this time around.

Think many Kusumi fans like me are sad about the end of Kirarin Revolution, which will also mean the end of Kusumi’s solo career - at least for time being.
The whole thing is ended with the release of her best album.
It contains all her singles up until now,, from Koi Kana to Happi Happi Sunday. both A-sides and B-sides. And it also contains Kira*Pika’s single and both Milky Way - and here the B-sides aren’t left out either.
So it’s Kusumi’s full career in one package - besides the album songs. So if you like her music, but don’t like spending money on singles and random albums, this is a good purchase.
The Limited Edition also contains all her music videos, and here Kira*Pika and MilkyWay aren’t left out either. Which means this is actually a Limited Edition DVD worth getting. Unlike most of the other Limited edition DVDs included in H!P releases.
But that also means that, if you don’t think that the making ofs are the best thing on a single V, or the close-ups/dance-shots for that sake. Then having bought Kusumi’s Single Vs have been a bit waste of money. I must admit, I’m happy I’ve only bought MilkyWay’s single Vs, since I now have all Kusumi’s Pvs on one disc.
So besides the fact that this album is filled with lots of Kusumi awesomeness, then there’s also a huge lack of anything new. There’s not even one new song - like normal for Best ofs. Of course the DVDs pulls up the rating a bit. But it’s impossible to give this lazy release top rating, no matter how much I love Kusumi and her songs.
Her songs are way too overused. Not only do they include her B-sides in the albums and the Kirarin Song Collection albums, they also included them in this album, instead of some new songs. I really think we can conclude buying Kusumi’s singles are close to a waste of money - unless you enjoy the instrumentals.
One positive thing I can say about this release - besides the DVD. Is the great cover. Kusumi looks so cute and beautiful, it’s her best cover to date.
Rating: 7/10

Berryz Koubou wants a hug?

Berryz are back with their newest single Dakishimete Dakishimete (yes it’s not really new anymore) Dakishimete Dakishimete (embrace me, embrace me), is an upbeat song. Showing a more mature side of the girls, which I have missed a bit lately. After singles such as Yuke Yuke Monkey Dance and MADAYADE. And the girls can really carry this mature song. This song is extremely catchy, especially the chorus which just makes you get up and dance around, sticking your arms in the air to the beat of the song. Or maybe that’s just me…
This is, in my opinion one of the best Berryz releases in a long time. And I actually think it’s one of my favourite Berryz songs of all time. What I also like is the fact that all the girls gets lines and screen time in the PV. And Chinami looks simply gorgeous.

(Just to prove me point)
The B-side Sono Subete no ai ni, is a slow song, making it very different from Dakishimete Dakishimete. The song is very nice and very relaxing to listen to - especially after dancing around to Dakishimete Dakishimete.
Rating: 10/10

KAT-TUN - RESCUE

So after being very disappointed with their release ONE DROP, I decided to only order the first press edition of this single, to save some money. What a mistake that was.
This song is so much better than ONE DROP.
KAT-TUN does not only give us a great song, but an awesome PV. RESCUE is a really catchy and upbeat song. And after the first few days I couldn’t get “I don’t wanna cry alone” out of my head. Which is the sentence repeated throughout this song. The verses are sung on a slower pace, than the chorus, giving us a nice variety to the song.
After Koki’s rap part, we get an awesome sounding interlude. In the PV they use this interlude to give all the members a chance to show off their dancing skills, since they all get their own dance choreography. And I must admit, if I didn’t love Taguchi before watching this PV, I certainly do now. He looks so handsome in this PV and his dance solo is rather entertaining as well. The dance solo I find most impressive though, is Akanishi’s. That’s quite impressive. That guy surely knows how to dance. I dislike his hair and his weird beard in the PV though.
Ueda’s dance solo looks like a cheerleading routine - a bit too feminine. Nakamaru’s looks a bit too effortless.
The B-sides are, 7 DAYS BATTLE, which is catchy and upbeat and seems to be sung entirely in English. Not that it makes it that much easier to understand. The other B-side is called On Your Mind - Please come back to me, and is the slow song of this single. The song is very nice and relaxing and has some beauty to it - like a pretty ballad. My faith in KAT-TUN has been restored.
I still regret not getting the CD+DVD edition of this single.
Rating: 10/10

BoA’s anticipated American debut.

Sun, 22 Mar 2009 22:59:20 GMT

I feel like there has been talks of a possible debut in America for BoA, for years. Now it finally came.
It’s no secret that my interest in BoA has declined as years passed by. I used to be a huge fan of her in 2005. The first Asian artist I heard was Koda Kumi, and after hearing a few of her songs I came by “Meaning of Peace” (her duet with BoA) and I thought the other girl looked pretty and she seemed very talented and that’s how my BoA obsession began. The first Japanese album I ever bought/got was her “LOVE & HONESTY”, and since my J-pop collection has surpassed 350 cds, I guess that’s an honour.

Through BoA forums and such I discovered various J-pop artists, and after my interest in J-pop increased, my interest in BoA seemed to decrease. I found her releases more and more average.
Around the release of Girls on Top in 2005, I started to loose interest a little. Then she released “OUTGROW” in 2006, which I fairly liked and my interest was awaken again. But then more average singles was released and then “Made in Twenty (20)” was released 2007, which made me even more bored with her music. And that interest has been declining ever since, only raised a bit by one or two songs on “THE FACE”.
So when the American album was announced I didn’t really pay attention to the news. I found Eat you up listenable, but nothing more. So when the full album was released, I wasn’t the first to check it out. For some reason, when I saw the covers for BEST&USA (the dark ones - not the US cover), I felt like trying out the album. I must admit I have a thing for pretty covers. (I discovered a lot of my favourite artists, because of their covers) I really those covers… a lot. I even thought about buying the album just based on those covers. But recently I’ve decided to cut down a bit on CD expenses and only buy those I “really” want or really “need” (collection purpose). Because I have a lot of travelling plans this year.
So I downloaded the album and had low expectations, the first song I tried out was “Did ya” and then I realized maybe this album isn’t that bad.

01. I Did it For Love. (Featuring Sean Garrett)
- I thought this would be a slow song, for some reason. The song is okay, but I find the repeated “I, I, I, I, did it, did it, did it, did it, for love” in the chorus a little annoying after a short while. 6/10
02. Energetic
- I haven’t listened to this song that much. Too many repeats and too techno’ish. 5/10
03. Did Ya.
- When I heard the instrumental intro, I was pretty sure I would like this song. The intro sounds very “retro” and “old” in the cool way. Like a mix between a 50’s sitcom and a circus theme. Okay… little weird way of explaining it. The instrumental changes, becomes more modern and of course added with the nice voice of BoA. The chorus is catchy and upbeat, the “Did ya” really gets stuck in my head. After the chorus the… “funky” instrumental returns, for a short notice and back to the modern style. 8/10
04. Look Who’s Talking.
- Also this song’s intro caught my attention, which sounds a bit like a intro theme for a police TV-serie from the 70’s. BoA’s voice appears and her way of singing reminds a bit of Britney Spears. And maybe that Brintey-wibe isn’t too far off, since if you look at this song‘s credits B. Spears appears.. And it really does sound like a song Britney Spears could sing. And for me that is not a negative, since I do like Britney’s music - especially her newest album Circus. The song has a lot of cool attitude, which BoA pulls off perfectly. “This song is all about me, damn right it’s all about me” 8/10
05. Eat You Up.
- Starts out sounding like it’s coming from some bad stereo and then the actual song starts. It’s a nice and catchy song, but gets a little tiring after a while. I was surprised to see the credits for this song, both of the writers are Danish. (Like me). One of them is named Remee and is quite famous in Denmark for producing various hits and for being a judge on the Danish version of X-factor (like Idols and etc.). After a quick search I was even more surprised to see that Remee, is the guy behind DBSK/TVXQ’s MIROTIC. I mean… is that song huge or what?! A personal mystery was also solved. When I heard SHINee’s “Love Like Oxygen” a while back, I felt like I had heard it before. I found out it was the same song as one preformed by a popular Danish artist. And wondered if they were both covers for some older song. But now I have the answer, Remee created both. XD Well back to BoA. 7/10.
06. Obsessed.
- Interesting intro. Then we hear a more electronic version of BoA’s voice singing; “It’s a crime, it’s a crime, it’s a shame, it’s a crime” And then she starts singing in her normal voice. This song is so catchy and keeps getting stuck in me head. BoA’s voice is obviously good, but also versatile. Which she also shows in this song. Changing her pitch at places. She almost sounds cute when singing: “When you’re not around, I’m tested, I can get arrested for carrying all this weight.” Though when she sings “weight” her pitch is slightly changed again, going from cute and poppy to cool. And then the powerful chorus appears. One of my favourite parts of this song is, around 2:31 - 2:44. Where we’re presented with a verse different from the rest of the song. Where BoA sings fast and more powerful and then gives us a even higher pitch, while singing “I’m obsessed with you tonight, I’m obsessed with you tonight”.
There’s no doubt this is my favourite song on the album, I can’t seem to get enough of it. 10/10.
07. Touched
- Another interesting intro. A mix of a sound of a musical box and modern nice beat. The musical box sounds comes and goes through the song. BoA again shows her versatile singing, presenting us with, various pitches throughout the song, going from low to high. This song has some famous elements from popular, upbeat, American Rn’B songs. Or at least my idea of those - since I never actually listen to them. 7/10
08. Scream.
An English version of “Daydream” by AnyBand. It took me a little while to figure out the original title of this song. I just knew I had heard BoA sing it, and then it suddenly hit me. “Ah… Daydream”.
The original Korean version was a little better. Mostly because of the male voices. Since BoA improved on her part in the new version. Making it more powerful. Since I don’t know Korean I’m not sure what the original version is about, but the English version surely has some “dark” elements. “There’s nobody to hear, it doesn’t matter. It’s only you and me and all of your fears, so scream.”
I find the lyrics interesting and the song does a nice powerful feeling to it. 7/10
09. Girls on Top.
Another cover. Of all the BoA songs they could have covered… I’m not crazy about their selection. I’ve never been crazy about Girls on Top. It’s not bad, but compared to some of her other songs, it falls through. The English versions, sounds very much the same to the original Korean version. I think I would have preferred a cover of “Spark” or “My Name” 5/10
10. Dress off
- And yet again, a interesting intro. They really seem to have invested in the Instrumental sides of this album. This song is very electronic and in the chorus BoA is hitting a pitch with her voice, I don’t like too much. The song is very… upbeat and the chorus sounds a bit too messy for my ears. A interesting part of the song, is where BoA keeps singing “me…” raising her voice after each time she has sung the word. And here she shows us what she’s vocally capable of. 5.5/10
11. Hypnotic Dancefloor.
- Final song on the album. Yet another interesting intro. We get a very upbeat feeling through the beat and BoA’s electronic voice. But then BoA’s actual voice appears, which is in a bit slower tempo. This song is rather interesting, with the different mixes of pitches, tempos, and beats. The verse leading up to the chorus, where BoA is singing “Tonight I‘m gonna dance for my life…” in a light, but low-pitched voice is really nice gives the song a totally new feeling. 9/10

The only thing this album need is maybe a more… slow song. Which I never thought I would be saying about a BoA album. But overall I’m positively surprised about this album and it’s recommended.
I really seems to carry the elements of the popular American pop and Rn’B songs of today. (Once again I can’t be totally sure, because I can’t remember the last time I watched Mtv or heard radio)
Overall rating: 8.5/10

Simply the best...

Sun, 15 Mar 2009 19:11:28 GMT

March 4th was a very good J-pop day for me. Since 4 of my favourite artists released on that day. Including two of my favourite soloists, who released their debut album.
The cds arrived Tuesday, but I’ve been too busy lately.

Albums:
Alan - Voice of EARTH (CD+DVD) (First Press)
Fukui Mai - MY SONG TO YOU (CD+DVD) (Limited Edition)

Singles:
AKB48 - 10 nen Zakura (CD+DVD) (First Press)
Arashi - Believe (CD+DVD) (Limited Edition)

alan’s debut album : Voice of EARTH.

This debut album, has been long awaited by fans. alan managed to release 8 Japanese singles, before her debut album finally hit the shelves. This fact hasn’t gone by, without complain from fans.
Eight singles! Was she planning on making her debut album a greatest hits/best of album? But finally it was announced and the track list revealed that there would be 6 new tracks on the album. (One is a First press track) The title of the album is very fitting, after her 5 elements singles campaign. Then EARTH really sums it up.

My alan collection so far (complete - except her first Chinese album)

I’ve already reviewed most of alan’s singles in a previous post, so not so music about the A-side songs.
1 天女 (Tennyo) ～interlude～ : This is a little wrong placed, considering interlude is something between things - not in the beginning. It’s a beautiful beginning though. Really sets the ”alan mood”. We get typical alan wails and then a traditional Chinese/Asian flavour and then mixed a little with some modern tones. - The theme of alan.
2 明日への讃歌 (Ashita e no Sanka): alan’s debut Japanese single. This song is simply amazing. The traditional Chinese feel, alans voice, the nice verses and beautiful choruses, with high tones and wails.
3 空唄 (Sora Uta): One of alan’s more upbeat songs. As upbeat as she can probably can get, and still fit her genre. This is probably the alan A-side I like the least, but it’s definitely not a bad song. I’ve heard this song a lot of times nevertheless - it’s just compared to the other amazing songs of alan.
4 懐かしい未来～longing future～ (Natsukashii Mirai ~longing future~) : Amazing and beautiful slow paced song.
5 ひとつ (Hitotsu): The song that made me fall in love with alan. It was also the first alan song I heard, I liked it was different from most J-pop songs. I thought it was a nice and refreshing ballad.
6 風の手紙 (Kaze no Tegami): One of her less popular songs. And it is a little flat compared to her other amazing songs, but still good. The chorus is upbeat and the interesting part of the song.
7 BRAVE : The first non-single song on the album, besides the interlude. As soon as this song started out I thought: I love it. In this song alan mixes a lot of English into to the lyrics, maybe not the most correct English, but guess were used to that. The song mixes between being a regular middle tempo J-pop song, then the chorus gives us a little ”electronic” feel and then towards the end we get the ”alan feel” with high notes and a wail.
8 夢のガーデン (Yume no Garden) : Slow paced song. The beginning reminds me a bit of a Hamasaki Ayumi song. Not for the song itself, but because of the fact alan’s voice doesn’t show before 0:52. Meaning a long instrumental beginning. I often love those, since they set a mood. This song is very nice. The verses are just as interesting as the chorus.
9 群青の谷 (Gunjou no Tani): alan’s newest single. This is one of her best songs to date. It’s a little more upbeat than most of her other songs. But it’s still so alan and so amazing.
10 my friend: a slow song. It’s a very relaxing song. This song is not so typical alan, it’s a bit more mainstream J-pop.
11 Liberty: a slow song. Like my friend, this is also a little more mainstream, than what we normally hear from alan. It’s one of the more boring tracks on the album. It’s nice, but still forgettable.
12 月がわたし (Tsuki ga Watashi): The mainstream has stopped and we’re back to a song more fit to alan. It has a little traditional feeling, mixed with a regular modern pop song.
13 RED CLIFF ～心・戦～ (Shin Sen): One of alan’s most amazing songs to date. Period.
14 恵みの雨 (Megumi no Ame): The first time I heard this song, I thought it was a bit boring. But during the second listen I realized its potential. It’s a very pretty song and it makes me in a good mood.
15 Together: The limited edition track. I hurried to check the back of my album, to make sure I got the first press of the album. The song has a very traditional feeling. With drums and other instruments in the beginning and through the song. It’s a very slow song. In the middle alan speaks, which I find a little annoying. But besides that, it’s a nice song.

There is of course no doubt, that it would have been nicer if the album, was released earlier on, giving us more new songs, but that doesn’t change the fact that this is a great album. Totally worth the purchase, especially for those who likes her music, but didn’t buy the singles. You also get all her music videos on the DVD.
Rating: 9.8/10

Fukui Mai’s debut album: MY SONG FOR YOU.

I was just as excited about this release as alan’s album. These two are my favourite soloists together with YUI. I love all their songs and I’m always excited when their new upcoming releases are announced. In November Fukui Mai and alan released a single on the same date, this month they release their debut album on the same date. Besides that they don’t have much in common. Maybe except the fact that they both prefer to sing slow songs. Fukui Mai has a deeper voice than alan and her songs have no traditional Asian flavour. But then they hold something else amazing.
There’s just something about the voice of Fukui Mai. She just makes every song sound amazing and worth a million (insert currency). Not that her songs aren’t amazing, but her voice just gives that little extra making me listen to them over and over. Her voice is not amazing talent-wise or anything like that, there’s just something about it I love. Her voice manages to convey feelings in a interesting way and then it’s very… soothing.
It’s probably very obvious I’m head over heals for Fukui Mai. She just has that something special, that has made me crazy about this girl/woman.
The first time I heard her voice/one of her songs, was in the J-drama Koizora, where she sings the ending song: Ai no Uta. I instantly feel in love with her voice and the song and I decided to check out more about the song and the artist. At that time she had only released that one song/single, which I went ahead and bought.

Today, she has released 3 singles and one album. (far behind alan).
So a complete Fukui Mai collection doesn’t look that impressive.

So moving on to her debut album.

01. Can Can: Great opening song. This song is such a great song. Especially the last part of the song, where the song speeds up a bit. But overall Can Can is a very catchy song I never seem to get tired of.
02. Peace Friend: The first non-single song. Just hearing Fukui Mai’s voice in the verse makes my think: ah this is a nice song. The verses are very typical Fukui Mai verses, slow paced and with a little jazzy feeling to it . Then there’s the chorus… simply amazing. I can’t express how much I love this song. This is the best non-single song on the album. The chorus is just so catchy and relatively upbeat. 10/10.
03. アイのうた (Ai no Uta): Fukui Mai’s debut song/single. This is a slow paced song, but it’s a very beautiful song. I had it stuck in my head for days. It’s a song it’s easy for most people to relate to.
04. Lucky: A little more upbeat than Ai no Uta, but still slow paced. This was her second single. It’s very nice song, which I’ve listened to a lot. With a lot of ”engrish”. Some fans seems to dislike this song, I’m not sure why, but I guess that’s a matter of taste. Fukui Mai shows of her ”cool” attitude on this song, which I like.
05. Plastic Girls: I can just imagine ”cool” Mai, being annoyed with girls with dyed hair, too much make-up and too short skirts, when I heard the title. This song is filled with English lines, which helps those who doesn’t know any Japanese with still understanding what this song is about.
”Oh miss plastic girl
I hope you’ll find a way,
at least you’ll find a guy with real love.
You are playing game,
you seem to be winning,
you’re losing it.”
06. 恋のゆくえ (Koi no Yukue): A very slow paced song, both the lyrics and the instrumental. Mai normally sing rather fast, but in this song she has slowed down a long. Stretching out the vocals and just takes things slowly. It’s a peaceful song.
07. 青い絵 (Aoi E): In the beginning it reminds me a bit of Koi no Yukue, with the slow paced verses, but it speeds up a bit in the chorus. Not much, but there is a change of pace, also noticeable because Mai raises her voice in the choruses and she’s hitting higher vocals. I find this to be an interesting and nice song.
08. I wanna be a Rock★Roll Star: I kind of expected a more upbeat song, when I saw the title. But… it was a little different. The song is slow paced, like most of Mai’s other songs. The song is interesting though. With engrish, ”shalala” and everything.
09. Hate Myself: Very interesting title. Also here I think I expected a little more upbeat song - guess I should know better since it’s Fukui Mai. The chorus is really pleasant though. And then added a ”I hate myself today” ear hanging line.
10. Promise You: The second A-side song on the Can Can single. This song has an acoustic feel in the first half, since the instrumental side of the song is mostly based on a piano. And then the instrumental volume is low as well. The song is nice and relaxing. The chorus is nice, but compared to some of her other songs it’s a little boring. It’s kind of like a song which has a huge potential in theory - but then it just kind of falls flat after a short amount of time.
11. The Sound: This song starts out interesting, with an instrumental side that’s different from the others there’s been until now on the album. The song is slow paced like the majority of the album. The song has a good relaxing feeling. And Mai seems to raising her vocals/voice for every verse and chorus which goes by, which gives the song a climax feeling. Then Mai once again makes her voice go low and, starts kinda chanting: ”I wanna feel the sound” and then a half verse with low vocals and then she breaks into the chorus with a high vocal, reaching the awaited climax.
12. My Song For You: The title song of the album and also the B-side on the single Ai no Uta. This is without a doubt my favourite Fukui Mai and according to itunes one of my favourite songs overall. It ranks as #3 most played song. (Got new computer a few months ago).This song is just amazing and beats Ai no Uta in my opinion (obviously). This slow paced song is just beautiful and no wonder she/they decided to include this song on the album. They even named the album after it.

I can’t give this album any less than the highest rating. I admire Fukui Mai and her music too much to give her any less. I would really wish she would sell better, she deserves it. Maybe that’ll come later on.
Rating: 10/10

AKB48’s 10 nen Zakura.

AKB48 is back with their newest single 10 nen Zakura. Once again it’s released in a regular CD+DVD version and then there’s the theatre version, which is CD only. This time around there’s no random cover though, which is okay with me, since we see all the chosen girls on the cover. (Instead of the last time where only Matsui Jurina was featured - where I was lucky enough to trade my way to a Kashiwagi cover) First press comes with an official random picture - once again I got the group picture.

So this is how my AKB48 collection looks now.

Singles:

Albums:

Other: (DVD, PB, units & pictures)

The A side, 10 nen Zakura is a very upbeat song. When I first heard the previews I was sold. I love everything about this song. I haven’t been so excited about an AKB48 song since Keibetsu Shiteita Aijou. And that was released back in 2007, when AKB48 only had two teams. It’s no secret I’ve been a bit disappointed with AKB48’s single releases this past year. Not that I hated the songs, they just didn’t catch my interest enough. ”Romance Irane!” was okay, but still not amazing. Especially songs as BINGO! And Boku no Taiyou hit the bottom of my ranking. But now my hope is restored.
10 nen Zakura is such a happy and catchy song I keep getting stuck in my head.
It starts out with an upbeat instrumental side, then there’s a bunch of muffled ”lalalalas” then the AKB48 starts singing a verse all together and then a verse with solo lines and then comes the awesome chorus. It’s just so upbeat and almost like a cheering/chanting song. There’s also a sense of power in the chorus, which all the girls singing together all united with a few unit lines in between. Then back to singing a verse together and then a verse with solo lines - following the same pattern.
Then back to the powerful, upbeat and happy chorus. Then we get a kind of an interlude - with a different instrumental back-up. The girls kick start this interlude with singing ”Cherry Blossom …” (Yes in English) and then after the interlude the chorus re-emerges, more powerful than ever, though only half through the chorus, since the last half of the chorus is sang with a little less power and a less noticeable instrumental back-up.
The B-side Sakurairo no Sora no Shitade, is a slow paced song. It’s a very nice and relaxing song. Especially the chorus is very beautiful and emotional. It has a few reminisces from ”Saigo no Seifuku” the amazing B-side of Sakura no Hanabira Tachi 2008.
This single deserves nothing less than a top score.
Rating: 10/10

Arashi’s Believe.

And calling Arashi slow with their releases would be a lie. Their releases has followed a nice and steadily pace and they’re once again back with their newest single Believe, which was bound to be nothing less than the new number one on the Oricon chart.
This single follows ”Beautiful Days”, but it’s nothing like that song, genre wise. Believe is an upbeat A-side. Especially the chorus is extremely upbeat, catchy, powerful and just makes you want to get up and dance again. ”Believe” is the kind of song that gets stuck in year head and refuses to leave. I have no idea of how many times I’ve heard this song - since I can’t rely on itunes, with all the times I’ve played the PV as well. (Before the single was released) The verses are a bit more slow paced, especially compared to the upbeat chorus. Which gives the song a nice balance and makes the chorus seem even more upbeat and peppy.
The second A-side is Riida, Ohno’s solo song. The verses have the same pace as Believe and the Chorus is… loud and has a bit of childish feeling to it. Even though some part of my isn’t crazy about this song, the other part keeps getting the chorus stuck in the head and goes around singing it whenever I’m alone. That must be a good thing.
The B-side is Tobira. Also an upbeat song, it’s a good song, but a bit more mainstream and average.
Arashi has done it yet again, they’ve released an amazing and solid single. And their sales certainly proves my point, with more than 500,000 copies sold in its first week - that’s something not many artists can accomplish, especially not in the year of 2009, where people prefer to download their music - either legal or illegal.
I of course always try to convince people to support their favourite artists. This single is certainly worth it - of course the Limited Edition is long time gone.
Rating: 10/10.

New cds [bought in Japan] & Tsuji Shion’s release event <3

Sat, 07 Mar 2009 19:46:01 GMT

News cds [bought in Japan] & Tsuji Shion’s release event <3

Cds bought in Japan:

- I actually managed to hold back this time.
When I was in Tokyo last summer, I bought over 40 cds. This time I haven’t even passed 20.

Cds given to me by my Japanese host:

Albums:
AAA - depAarture (First Press)
Arashi - Time
Fukada Kyoko - Moon (First Press?)
Mizuki Nana - GREAT ACTIVITY (Limited Edition)
ORANGE RANGE - RANGE
Utada Hikaru - Distance
WaT - …

Singles:
ERIKA - FREE (Limited Edition)
Hamasaki Ayumi - Rule (Version A) (First press)
Kanjani8 - Naniwa Iroha Bushi
Kanjani8 - Musekinin Hero (Limited Edition B)
KAT-TUN - One Drop (Limited Edition)
Morning Musume - Naichau Kamo (Limited Edition A)
Morning Muusme - Naichau Kamo (Limited Edition B)
Shugo Chara Egg - Shugo Shugo (Limited Edition)
Superfly - Ai wo Komete Hanataba
Suzuki Ami - all night long
Suzuki Ami - Our Days
Tamaki Nami - Reason
Tamaki Nami - My Way/Sunrize (First Press)
Tsuji Shion - Sky Chord ~Otana ni Naru Kimi e~ (Rating & talk about the event)
Utada Hikaru - First Love
Whiteberry - Natsu Matsuri
YUI - Rolling Star
YUI - I Remember You

I’m only going to rate the “new” releases. But… I have a few comments to all the cds…
(yeah I only added covers for some of them… I’m lazy)

AAA - depAarture

And AAA is back! <3
MUSIC: Single song. I was never crazy about this song, it’s a bit too happy. In a generic boring way.
SAVE YOUR SOUL: This is an interesting song, I especially like I can hear a lot of Chiaki, since she’s my favourite AAA member. She needs more attention.
Jamboree!!: This song is a very upbeat and kinda happy-go-lucky song. It’s okay.
Wonderful Girls: Also an upbeat song. This is a boy-only song, as the title kind of implies. It’s not bad, nor is it amazing. It’s a bit average. Maybe too average.
Deai no Chikara III: And not only are AAA back with a new album, Nissy and Misako is also back with the third part of Deai no Chikara. I loved the first two parts/version of this song. This third one is a bit bland and a little bit boring. It fades in comparison to the first two.
A piece of my word: The girls-only song. It’s a kind of a slow paced song. Girls-only songs means a lot more Chiaki, which is surely a positive thing. I really like this song. It has a very nice and pretty chorus.
ZERØ: Single song. ZERØ has a bit of techno flavour. It’s my favourite A-side song on this album. I liked the song after seeing the PV, back when the single was released. The PV is so different from any other AAA and so is the song. It’s just catchy and very interesting.
HORIZON: I like the intro of this song. The instrumental part is interesting. This song has a good “positive” feeling. Kinda like a “cheer up” feeling.
BEYOND ~ Karada no Kanata~: Single song. I never liked this song. It’s too “messy” for my taste and it just seems to be all over the place. Probably the AAA single song I like the least.
Mosaic: Upbeat song. It’s … okay. Not bad nor amazing. I think it’ll probably grow on me. It reminds me a bit of some other song, can’t remember which though.
Hajimari no Kiseki: Interesting intro. First it sounds upbeat and happy and then a bit slow paced and then back to the upbeat and happy feeling. This song is a rollercoaster ride. The chorus is nice.
Tabidachi no Uta: Single song. Never cared much for this song either. (guess AAA’s single has been weak lately in my opinion) It’s a bit boring.
Rating: 7.5/10

Arashi - Time

I bought Arashi’s Time album, because I don’t many Arashi releases, yet. (only 3 singles and now 2 albums) And thought I really needed to own “Time”. Since it’s my favourite Arashi album so far. My fave album songs on this album are: Firefly, ROCK YOU and Cry for You. But overall all the songs are great. A great purchase, really an album I needed in my J-pop collection.

Fukada Kyoko - Moon
The first of the cds I was given by my host. I haven’t listened to the album, yet. And I must admit, I don’t know her either, even though I can brag about knowing a fair share of J-pop artists. I guess I must try it out a day I actually have the time. The cd package looks to be a first press - since it has a see-through extra sleeve/box and a small photo book.

Mizuki Nana - GREAT ACTIVITY

I have recently taken a liking to Mizuki Nana and especially her album “GREAT ACTIVITY” was on my “to buy” list. But that actually proved to be harder than expected. I searched in several Cd shops for this album. Some places I found her name on the shelf, but then it was empty. Other places I ended up staring myself blind on cds, to find her name - which I never did. Then on my last day in Japan, I was at Tsuji Shions release event in a Tower Records. And decided to look over the cds before the show and there the album was - even limited edition. I really like this album and really wanted to add it to my J-pop collection. My favourite songs on this album are: MASSIVE WONDERS, SECRET AMBITION, Heart-shaped Chant and Chronicle of Sky. I also thought about buying her newest single, but thought I would rather just wait for her next album to be released. No matter what, this certainly isn’t my last Mizuki purchase.

ORANGE RANGE - RANGE.

The first ORANGE RANGE song I heard was Ikenai Taiyou (From Hanazakeri Kimi Tachi e) and then I decided to download one of their best albums, RANGE. And found myself really liking all the songs on that album, especially: Ishin Denshin, Hana, TWISTER, Shanghai Honey and Walk on.
I’ve for a long time thought about buying this album, but never got around to do it. Then I came across it in a Book-off in Tennoji, for 550 yen and thought it was the perfect opportunity to finally buy it.

Utada Hikaru - Distance.

Another album given to me by my host. She also offered me Deep River, but I already own that. Utada was one of the first J-pop artists I became interested in and I still love her releases. But I never got around to buying First Love and Distance. (I have her other albums) So I was nice to be one step closer to completing my Utada Hikaru collection. Distance has always been my least favourite Utada album. It’s not a bad album, just rather average compared to her others. It’s my favourite of her album covers, though. Think my favourite songs on this album is; addicted to you and Wait and See. I also like Distance, but prefer the other version of that song: Final Distance (on her Deep River album)

WaT
I don’t even know the title of this album - I’ll look into it soon. I bought this album for 105 yen in Book-off in Tsuruhashi. I bought it, because WaT seems to overly popular, so thought I would try them out. I haven’t had the time, yet though.

ERIKA - FREE
Many things can be said about Sawajiri Erika, especially about her personality. But I still admire her beauty and her talent has an actress. The first J-drama I ever watched was Ichi Rittoru no Namida (1 Litre of Tears) and I quickly gained an interest in Sawajiri. I unfortunately didn’t buy “FREE” when it was released, so the Limited Edition got sold out, when I decided to buy her singles. But then I found it in the Book-off in Tennoji for 400 yen and now my (Sawajiri) ERIKA collection is complete. Which includes: Taiyou no Uta (as Kaoru Amane) (Limited Edition), Destination Nowhere (Limited Edition) and now FREE (Limited Edition)
Even though I don’t like the personality she seems to portray in the media, I’ll still buy her new single when/if she releases one.

Hamasaki Ayumi - Rule/Sparkle

And she’s back… I always buy Hamasaki Ayumi’s albums, but when it comes to her singles it’s rare I buy them for some reason. So wasn’t sure if I was going to pick this new release up. But I was in Tower Records on the day after its release and convinced myself to buy it.
Rule is an upbeat, rock-flavoured song. My favourite part of the song is actually the first 14 seconds. I think the instrumental part of the song is really great. Hamasaki has always managed to bring something special to her songs - when it comes to creating an atmosphere in her song. Rule is a nice and catchy song and my favourite Hamasaki release for some time.
Sparkle is a more techno’ish song. For some very weird reason the first part of the verses reminds me of a t.A.T.u song. Not sure which. This is a very interesting song, Hamasaki really likes to experiment. I like the power of the chorus.
A really good single released by Hamasaki Ayumi. My only complaint is the covers, I really don’t like them. But that’s of course not the reason for the 9.5 (instead of 10). Even though it’s two very nice songs, I still don’t find them “amazing”
Rating: 9.5/10

Kanjani8 - Naniwa Iroha Bushi & Musekinin Hero (Limited Edition B)

Like stated earlier, I’ve started to like this group, which I once disliked. So long story short, I picked up their first and their newest single. I bought their first, but it seems a bit rare, at least it’s out of stock on Yesasia. So thought that would be nice to own. Then I bought their newest, because I like the song and because, yeah Nishikido is nicely featured on the cover. *insert random Nishikido fan girl talk*

KAT-TUN - ONE DROP

There was a time KAT-TUN was my second favourite J-pop, but that spot has now been taken by Arashi. Lately KAT-TUN has bored me. I haven’t even cared about listening to the previews for this song. The first time I heard it was in Japan, two weeks ago, when I was flipping through channels on TV and came across that new Kame drama.
ONE DROP is an upbeat song and I guess it’s a typical KAT-TUN song. The chorus with its “Bye bye…” is okay, but the rest of the song I find to be too average. I actually find the whole arrangement a bit “messy” for some reason.
“On My Mind” is a slow paced song, this I also find to be a bit to average.
D-T.S is an upbeat song, this song I also find “just okay”.
The most positive thing I can say about this single is… Taguchi looks great on the cover <3
I hope “Rescue” will be better. (I haven’t listened to any previews, yet)
Rating: 5.2/10

Morning Musume - Naichau Kamo

And once again Morning Musume is back. I actually picked this single up a day before its release in Tower Records, which is very typical Japan to put the releases up early. Like usual I bought both editions. There’s been complained a lot about the covers, but in real life they actually look okay.
I was really looking forward to an original Morning Musume release, after Pepper Keibu and COVER YOU. I enjoyed COVER YOU though, but I was one of those who didn’t jump on the “Pepper Keibu is so awesome” wagon. I found it way to boring.
So now there’s Naichau Kamo, which is a huge step up, in many ways. First off, even though my two favourite members doesn’t have any lines (Junjun and Kusumi), I’m still happy about more members gets to sing in this song - than just Tanaka and Takahashi. This time around there’s also lines for Niigaki, Kamei and Michishige. Now we just need lines for the rest. But think there’s been complained enough about how lines are divided in H!P.
Naichau Kamo is an upbeat song. It starts up with “Kamo, kamo, kamo, kamo” which is said/sung in a way that really catches your attention. I really like this song. Both the verses and the choruses are really nice and I feel like it’s a song I wont get tired of too easily. It’s a nice, catchy and mature song, with interesting lyrics. The genre of the song is kinda like Resonant Blue. (They’re both mature songs and etc.)
Yowamushi is more slow paced. The great thing about this song, is that it’s sung by Niigaki and Michishige. And even though Michishige is not my cup of tea, I’m still happy it’s someone else than Tanaka or Takahashi. The less exciting thing about this song, is the song itself. I find it a bit too boring and a bit too average. Naichau Kamo the song itself scores 10/10, but the full single rating is a bit lower.
Rating: 8.9/10

Shugo Chara Egg - Shugo Shugo

Shugo Chara Egg releases their second single. I’ve always been an egg supporter. So I’m happy more eggs are starting to get some “work” besides back dancing. Recently they’ve made themselves a lot more known, through Ongaku Gatas, MilkyWay, Yuuka in High-King, their own concerts and then of course Shugo Chara Egg.
“Shugo Shugo” is a nice, upbeat and cute track. It’s similar to their first A-side, Minna no Tamago. The same cuteness and the same catchiness. The song also fit’s the girls’ age. Since it’s far from a mature song.
The B-side track “Wonderland ni Tsuretette”, is also a nice song. It doesn’t beat “Hajimari no Uta” (B-side from their first single) but it’s still a nice listen and a typical H!P B-side song.
Rating: 7/10

Superfly - Ai wo Komete Hanataba

Before I went to Japan this winter, I had heard about Superfly, but never heard her music. During my trip in Japan I was introduced to this song, through someone. And because of several reasons this song has sentimental value to me. It really reminds me of my time in Osaka. So decided I needed to buy the single.

Suzuki Ami - all night long & Our Days
Got these singles from my host. I’ve never been much into Suzuki Ami though. I only like a few of her songs. I haven’t heard these though.

Tamaki Nami - Reason & My Way/Sunrize

Bought these two at Book-off. Two of my favourite Nami songs/singles. They also had other cheap Nami singles, but I really need to stop buying too many random cds, since I ran out of space/room for them long time ago. But thought I needed to buy at least two singles, since I like Nami a lot and have all her albums. Especially Reason is such an amazing song, I never seem to get tired of it. It’s hard to imagine there was a time I really disliked Nami.

Tsuji Shion - Sky Chord ~Otana ni Naru Kimi e~

HER (FIRST) INDOOR LIVE/REALESE EVENT:
So Tsuji Shion has now released her second single, the one to follow up on Candy Kicks. When I heard Candy Kicks for the first time I though it was a bit bland. Then people started calling her the second YUI and then of course I needed to give her a second chance, and found myself liking her first single a lot. So when the second single was announced I knew I would be picking it (since I saw I would be in Japan on that time) I picked it up a day late though, since I was in Kyoto on the release date.
When I bought it I received a pencil, with her name and the title of the single written with red on it. Together with a “Not for sale” sticker. It was the first time I’ve received that kind of freebie. Not that interesting, but still an rare collectible, when/if she becomes a big star in the future. In my shopping bag I also found a piece of paper. My kanji knowledge is very low, so mostly noticed the date and time written on it, together with a “Tower Records” stamp. The date was tomorrow, my last day in Japan, where I had no plans. I asked my host about it and she told me it was in Umeda (in Osaka) and that it was an indoor release event. So the next day I went there. Before the event I was together with a Japanese friend, so it wasn’t hard to find the place, since she could show me. It was in a big Tower Records.
When I got there, people were already waiting, but since we would be called in number order, there was no reason to stand in line. Around 6 pm, they started calling our numbers. I had number 14, so didn’t take long before I was let in and got a nice spot on the second row. (The first row was sitting down, so there was no problems seeing the stage) In the end, we were around 35 people.
Then 6:30 Tsuji Shion came on stage. The first 10 minutes, Shion was asked questions by a another woman. They talked about graduating and growing up (the theme of the single) Shion also mentioned it was her first indoor live event, so she was nervous. After the talking Shion got ready to perform a few songs. She sang 3 songs - Acoustic, since her only back-up was her guitar.
She performed: Candy Kicks, take me home and Sky Chord.
Even though a lot of people seems to complain about the quality of her voice, she actually did pretty well. She hit the right notes and really challenged herself and tried giving the songs a little “extra” compared to the studio version. I was excited about her performed “take me home”, since it’s my favourite Shion song. Even though I’m lately very excited about “17” (the other B-side on Candy Kicks)
After the performance, we were lined up and told to have our ticket ready. A small table was set up and Shion got behind it. One after another got up, they got to shake her hand and received an autograph. When I was next, I started getting a bit nervous, I’m not used to meeting J-pop singer and I probably stood a bit out, with my green eyes and very red hair. If it was an H!P event, I would probably also stand out for being a girl, but Shion seems to have a rather equal amount of male and female fans. I had noticed that most people before me had said something to her. I wondered if there was anything I could say, but found nothing. So I just went over to her and smiled when she took my hands. She thanked me for buying her single and then I was given her autograph, in exchange for the ticket.

THE SINGLE:
Sky Chord is a slow paced song, especially compared to her first single Candy Kicks. The theme of the single is like mentioned growing up and graduating. Which is famous theme for singles released in late February or during March, since it’s the graduation season in Japan. Shion turned 19 very recently, which means we’re the same age.
Sky Chord is a nice song, it keeps the same pace through the song. So no fast paced verse or anything like that. The only problem with Sky Chord, is that it’s a song, which I think I can get tired of easily. Which I realized when I waited for Shion to come on stage and they kept playing the music video over and over for more than 30 minutes. But it’s still a nice listen nevertheless.
“Brand new day”, the B-side song, is a more upbeat song. Compared to the B-sides songs on her first single, it’s a bit disappointing. But that doesn’t mean it’s a bad song, not at all. It’s very decent song and really fits her style.
The second B-side song is the acoustic version of Candy Kicks, which reminds me of the live event. The same acoustic feeling. Though are there some differences, between her acoustic live version and her acoustic studio version. She challenged her vocals a lot more in the live version, which made the song different from the regular studio version. More interesting.
I like the cover of the single a lot. It’s very nice, Shion looks very pretty and I like the way they’ve shown the “Sky Chord”.
Rating: 8/10

Utada Hikaru - First Love
Another single I got from my host. Not much to say about this song/single, except that it’s a J-pop classic. Simply amazing.

Whiteberry - Natsu Matsuri
The last of the cds given to me by my host. I had never heard of this group, but since I have a soft spot for girl groups, I quickly listened to it. When it first started out I was a bit,… “ehh?”. But after 30 seconds I was hocked. Natsu Matsuri is such a catchy song. I had it stuck in my head the rest of the day. (And yes I have been told the song is a cover) I hope to check out more of their songs in a near future. Too bad they’ve disbanded.

YUI - Rolling Star & I Remember You

YUI, my favourite J-pop soloist, above all. (Fukui Mai & alan follows her closely though) Guess all us YUI fans misses new releases, but it’s understandable YUI needs a break. Glad to hear that she’s kinda on her way back.
I bought these two singles, because I need to complete my collection and I needed 3 singles to do that. Rolling Star, I remember you and CHE.R.RY. I’ve been a YUI fan since her debut, but unfortunately I wasn’t able to buy her cds before after her second album. Which means I missed out of the Limited Edition of I Remember You and CHE.R.RY. Guess that can’t be helped. Now I just need to buy CHE.R.RY to complete my collection.

My two weeks in Japan - about to end.

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 13:32:13 GMT

Tomorrow is my last day here in Osaka. Wow time really goes by fast.
I thought I would update this every day, but I got too busy.

So to sum up these "almost" 2 weeks.

(February 15th to 28th)
Sunday: Arrived. Looked around the area, where I stay. (Kawachi Hanazono - Higashi-Osaka)
Monday: Went to Namba.
Tuesday: Went to Umeda.
Wednesday: Went to Osaka-jo castle.
Thursday: Went to Tennoji. Found a nice Book-off.
Friday: Went to Kobe. Great place, first place in Kansai I didn't feel lost. But it was a very long trip.
Saturday: Went to Namba with my host. To a party. Here I met a Japanese girl, who was very interested in getting to know me. There was a lot of foreign guys, but I was the only foreign girl. She wanted to talk to me, to practice her English.
Sunday: Went to Namba, with the girl from yesterday. To go karaoke and take Purikura. <3
Monday: I went to Nara and later on Namba.
Tuesday: I went to Osaka Aquarium, later on to an area near Tennoji and then went from there to Den Den town and through that to Namba station.
Wednesday: Went to Kyoto, with the Japanese girl and her friend. (Who could drive us there and around the city.)
Thursday: Went to Namba for some final shopping. Mostly just cds.
Friday: (Tomorrow) is my last day. I'll go to Umeda. When I bought Tsuji Shion's new single today, I recieved a ticket for a live show in Tower Records in Umeda. So ... I'm surely going, since I had no idea of what to do anyway. I just hope I can find it, since I felt quite lost last time I was in Umeda. (It's kinda like Shinjuku)
Saturday: Going back to Denmark.

Pictures of places:
Umeda

Osaka-jo

Kobe

Nara

Near Tennoji (forgot the name)

Kyoto.

Not lost, just... confused.

Mon, 16 Feb 2009 14:08:26 GMT

Okay, so planned to go to Namba today, since it seemed like the easiest destination, since I didn't have to change trains. I walked to the nearest station where I live, which is about 20 minutes away on foot. Finding the right train, went rather smoothly. Before I knew it I was standing at Namba station and that station is somewhat... huge.
Namba station is 3 stations in one: JR, Nakai and Kintetsu. I had no actual clue of where to go and there's was a long list of exits. I choose the park/swiss hotel exit. My plan was to find Amerikamura and I remembered seeing swiss hotel on the map. After a long time of walking and following signs I finally made it outside. I took the biggest street and started walking.
On the way I spotted the huge crab sign - the trademark of Dotonbori and decided to give it a try. The rest of the day I desperately searched for Amerikamura, walking and and down smaller shopping streets and still try to keep the directions towards the station, in mind. I managed not to get too lost, only one time I stopped and asked myself "where am I?" But I did feel confused, especially when I had to find the right train home.
But... yes made it safely home. And then looked at the internet again. I realized I should just have kept walking on the big street, then Amerikamura should be farther up the street.

Today's buys:

Not really a big shopping spree. I decided to buy the Arashi album because I think it's one of their best albums so far. Then I bought that Kanjani8 single for two reasons: 1. It's a nice song + their newest. 2. The cover. Look who got the biggest space on the cover... Ryo <3 And this limited version also have the "torn" performance. With Ryo and the other guy.

Random pictures:

Got out... a bit.

Sun, 15 Feb 2009 09:43:12 GMT

Think I'll update my blog very often these days.
With very random and unimportant stuff...

Finally decided to fight against the sleepiness in a prober way. So decided to go out, to look around in the Higashiosaka neighbourhood.
And then I really wanted to find a convinience store of some kind.
I was in the mood of some snacks and then there's one thing I love doing in Japan, besides looking at CDs, I love looking at magazines,
After 15 minutes of walking, I had almost given up. (In Tokyo those 24 hour stores seems to be everywhere.)
But then I saw a huge Family Mart sign. "Saved"!
This is the random stuff I picked up. (Japan map is from a drug store though)

Other "sights" in my area.

Still need to take pictures of the view behind the apartment complex I live in.
I looks very nice. But it got dark before I got home.

Arrival...

Sun, 15 Feb 2009 06:01:14 GMT

Okay, so I didn't get around to post icons...
Guess I'll post them next month.
Today I arrived in Japan (Osaka)
I'm so tired right now, but forcing myself to stay awake, so I'll get used to the Japanese time faster. Instead of suffering from jetlag, last I did last time I was in Japan.
My hosts, knows next to no English. The husband knows nothing and the wife only know a few words, so guess it's my chance to practice my Japanese.
I'm actually surprised I understand 80 percent of what they're saying. (Since/considering I haven't gotten any sleep in the last 27 hours)
Now I have to get used to the new train system. Last summer I finally got familiar and comfortable with the train system in Tokyo. Now I'll start all over again here in Kansai. Guess everything seems overwhelming, when you're close to passing out from sleep deprivement.

Typical MM ranking...

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 22:15:13 GMT

Junjun: I think I pretty much made it clear that I adore Junjun, I find this girl to be simply amazing. In my opinion she might not have the greatest voice, but she have a great personality. I love her goofy and silly outbursts and her whole airhead character. When Junjun and Linlin was first announced I got interested in Junjun, because she looked cute and then she was older than me. I liked that she added a bit to the Morning Musume age average. Then when she was officially a member of the group, it didn’t take me long to declare her as my favourite member - feeling out the spot Yoshizawa left behind. I justto explain why I adore this girl, I just do, she’s amazing.

Kusumi Koharu: I might look like a number typo, but it’s actually not. I simply can’t decide whether I like Junjun or Kusumi the most, therefore they both get first place. But since Junjun has been constantly associated with the first place, since she joined. She’s mentioned first in this ranking. I became a fan of Morning Musume around the time Kusumi joined the group as the sole 7th generation. I didn’t like how she was called an ace and a miracle; I thought she was way too overrated. “She’s a hyper kid, nothing else” was my basic reaction. I found her hyperness extremely annoying and I disliked her a lot. And to make my resentment worse, she started having her solo releases. Of course I had to admit to myself, that I actually enjoyed her songs. Then Kirarin Revolution was subbed and I started watching it, for some unknown reason and I’m thankful I did. I started liking Kusumi hyper personality and got used to her squeaky voice. And now I simply adore this girl.

Kamei Eri: I was prepared to make Kamei my favourite member, when Yoshizawa announced her graduation, but then Junjun was added and I started liking Kusumi. I still like Kamei a lot. This girl is so cute, beautiful and charming and tends to have her goofy moments as well, like Junjun and Kusumi. Her voices also belongs to one of the better ones in Morning Musume, it’s pleasant, but not totally stable, yet. How any deny Kamei’s sweet charm?

Niigaki Risa: Niigaki has really matured into a beautiful girl, during her years in Morning Musume. I’ve always liked her and when I first got into Morning Musume, she was one of the girls I could remember the name of first, because of her pretty smile. Niigaki seem to have a sweet and relaxed personality. She’s not one of the silliest members, but that’s also hard competition. She seems to be a little mature at times (and here I don’t really think her age counts, since Junjun is older than her) She of course also have her goofy moments. Like her random Korean skits at Haromoni. Niigaki also have one of the more pleasant voices in the group and it also seems like she’s gotten a lot more chances to shine lately.

Linlin Okay, I admit, I used to dislike Linlin a lot. And I mean a lot. I disliked everything about her. For some reason, it seems like all that dislike are beginning to vanish. I seem to like this girl more everyday. And the reason is still unknown. Linlin hasn’t changed, so it must be me, starting to see her in a new light, like I did with Kusumi. Linlin doesn’t seem to annoy me anymore. I realized the change, when I watched the Resonant Live concert, when they were performing Koi no DIAL 6700. In the beginning of the song where Linlin goes “Rinrin rinrin” while pointing at herself, I thought “that’s cute”… and then I felt confused. “Linlin cute!? You don’t like Linlin!!” Or do I? … Maybe I do… now… yeah… I actually do” And before I knew it, Linlin made it to spot 5 on my ranking. Can’t explain why though.

Takahashi Ai: Okay, Takahashi goes up and down, up and down. When I first got into Morning Musume, I liked her a lot. I liked her voice and I thought she was cute. Then she ended up a bit farther down at my ranking. Then after she became the leader she went farther down and after Mikan she ended up at the bottom. The problem is that it wasn’t Takahashi herself I disliked, it was actually Up Front behind her I hated. And yes I use hate, because I got so tired of seeing Takahashi in front all the time. I got tired of seeing her getting soo many lines even at concerts. I got tired of everything regarding Takahashi. I know Takahashi has a nice voice and all, but seriously, when has Morning Musume ever been about vocal abilities as the most important part? And my dislike grew even bigger after Resonant Blue. I was like “no more Takahashi!!!!” Now, I’ve gotten a bit past it, it still annoys me that she gets so much attention, but I’ve gotten tired of ranting about it now. And now I’ll just judge Takahashi as a member.

Tanaka Reina: Tanaka used to behind Eri, taking the 4th spot. I used to love her style, her attitude, her looks and everything. Now I’m gotten to a point, kind of similar to Takahashi - I’m tired of Tanaka. Now her attitude annoys me, her voice annoys me… everything annoys me. (still love her style though) and once again, Up Front (or whoever decides) has a part of the blame. There’s just too much Reina for my taste. And it’s not because I’m annoyed about my favourite members not getting as much attention as her and Takahashi. It wouldn’t matter (maybe more bearable). I don’t like there’s two or three members who gets all the lines and all the screen time, no matter what member it is. And I do know it’s the same for the other groups in H!P - I’m just sick of it, like a lot of people probably.

Michishige Sayumi: Sorry for the bad picture quality. Not sure what to say about Michishige. I’ve never had much interest in her. She just doesn’t appeal to me.

Mitsui Aika: To be honest I just find Mitsui,… boring. She’s not even annoying me. I don’t even dislike her. I don’t seem to hold any kind of feeling towards her, she’s just… there. Sorry all Mitsui fans, I hope she’ll surprise me one day.

I’ll see if I get the time to post some icons before I leave for Japan, Satuday.

Happy Birthday Junjun

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 08:49:46 GMT

So today, Morning Musume's 8th generation member, Junjun is turning 21 years old. Congrats.
Junjun is not only my favourite member of Morning Musume, but my favourite member of Hello! Project. Together with Kusumi Koharu. And after Yoshizawa Hitomi and Ishikawa Rika graduated at the Elder club graduation, there's no doubt about Junjun's (or Kusumi's) positions. So another year has passed as a Junjun fan/supporter. Time really flies. My love for Junjun haven't changed in all this time. When she was announed together with Linlin, to be joining Morning Musume, I was sure I was going to like this girl. And right after she had officially joined the group, she made it to the top of my ranking and has stayed there ever since.
Junjun, you're goofy, silly and a bit of an airhead and I adore you for that. Happy birthday.

February 4th ~what a nice J-pop day~

Mon, 09 Feb 2009 18:48:59 GMT

Singles:
alan - Gunjo no Tani (CD+DVD) (Limited Edition)
Fukui Mai - Can Can/Promise You
Kusumi Koharu - Hapi Hapi Sunday (Limited Edition)

So all 3 singles was released on February 4th.
Lately alan and Fukui Mai, has taken a liking in accompanying each other. They both released their single on February 4th, they’ll both release their debut album on March 6th. And they’ll according to their official site, both appear in two magazines, What’s IN and CD Data, on February 14th. I’ll arrive in Japan on the 15th, so I’ll probably pick up those magazines. I mean magazines with both alan and Fukui Mai, is not something I’ll miss out on.
Since YUI is still on her break, Fukui Mai and alan are currently my two favourite J-pop soloists. Not that they wont be it when YUI returns, then I’ll just have three favourite J-pop soloists. With YUI as the clear number one though. Very typical of me, that two of my favourite artists are so unknown to the general public

alan’s Gunjou no Tani

alan continues with her string of single releases and releases Gunjou no Tani as her 8th album. At least she’ll release her debut album soon. But in my opinion it’s 4 singles too late. There’ll only be about 4 new songs. But I’m buying it nevertheless.
Gunjou no Tani is released in the usual two versions - CD only and CD+DVD. The little change this time is that both versions has the same cover and then this time around they’ve decided to make the CD+DVD version, limited edition. Then there’s another little detail about this release. There’s no new B-side.
There’s Gunjou no Tani and then there’s Gunjou no Tani (Acoustic version)
Gunjou no Tani is an amazing song. One of alan’s best. I was so impressed when the PV was released and I instantly fell in love with this song. Both the song itself and the instrumental side is impressive. It’s more upbeat than most of alan’s other songs. And it really seems to have been an instant hit among most alan fans and even those who first had given up on her and her music. It’s still a typical alan song with her high light notes. Not much to say about the acoustic version, except that it’s a bit more slow paced than the original and then it’s of course… acoustic. The only reason that this single doesn’t get a 10/10, is because of the lack of an original B-side.
Rating: 9/10

Fukui Mai’s Can Can/Promise You.

Fukui Mai is back with her 3rd single and an upcoming debut album, next month. Which I’m extremely excited, since with only 3 singles, they’re plenty of room for new songs.
Besides sharing release dates, Fukui Mai and alan are very different artists. Except maybe, they both like slow songs better than fast paced songs.
Fukui Mai or rather her company tricked the fans a bit with this new single. Since when a preview for Can Can was released, the last part of the song was chosen. A part there’s a lot more fast paced, than rest of the song. I was extremely excited when I heard the preview and declared this to be the best Fukui Mai song ever. I was a bit disappointed when I heard the full song. To hear that most of the song was slow paced, unlike the preview. But that doesn’t change the fact that this is a awesome song. It’s so catchy, it took me for ever to get it out of my head. The chorus is still my ring tone though. (the fast paced chorus) So every time my phone rings I fell like I “can can do it” … hehe okay just scratch that out.
The lyrics are filled with a lot of English words, which is very typical for Fukui. Example [Chorus] : “Yes we can, because we can, everybody say we can can do it. Ain’t no mountain high enough…”
Fukui Mai has a typical “engrish” pronounciation, though.
The only thing that could make this song more amazing, would be that the chorus was just as fast paced all through the song as it is in the end.
The B-side (or second A-side), Promise You is a ballad kind of song. And probably Fukui Mai’s most boring song to date. I’m not saying it’s a bad song, it’s just if I compare to her other amazing songs, Promise You is a step down. Which pulls a bit down in the rating. Can Can itself deserves a 9.8/10.
Rating: 8/10

Kusumi Koharu’s Hapi Hapi Sunday.

And the sugar-high girl is back, with her 6th solo single. And this new single is just as hyper as her previous releases. Just even better. After Pa Pan Cake, Hapi Hapi Sunday is a big step up.
This is now my favourite Kusumi single, together with Balalaika.
Hapi Hapi Sunday is just a cute and catchy song. It has more slow paced verses and then an upbeat chorus. It’s a typical Kusumi song, so those who never liked her or her music, will probably hate this song as well.
The B-side, HATTEN x JOY… Oh my… I’m so in love with this song. It’s so weird - it’s awesome.
When I first started out, with the HATTEN JOY HATTEN JOY HATTEN HATTEN JOY, I thought it would be a bit too annoying. Then the awesome verse came and especially the “Dingdongdongdingdongdongdingdong…“ part and I was sold. I had the song on repeat for two days. It’s one of the weirdest songs I’ve heard in a while. And it deserves credit for that.
Rating: 9.5/10

Two "Cute" releases.

Fri, 06 Feb 2009 15:54:23 GMT

Album:
C-ute - 4 Akogare My STAR (Limited Edition)

Single:
Watarirouka Hashiritai - Hatsukoi Dash (Limited Edition C)

C-ute's 4th album.

So C-ute is slowly catching up with Berryz with their 4th album, 4 Akogare my STAR.
The first track, is the album’s title track: Akogare my STAR, which is a very upbeat song. It’s extremely catchy and without a doubt recommendable.
2^nd track in One’s LIFE (sung by Okai, Hagiwara and Umeda) This song is a more slow song. It seems like Hagiwara has the lead and then Umeda and Okai has… rapping parts. Very interesting. I find the verses a bit too average (except for the interesting rapping) but the chorus is quite nice. Personally I would have liked Okai to lead the song. But that’s just my biased opinion.
3^rd track, Yes! My family, is Suzuki’s solo song. It’s a typical Suzuki song, if I can say it like that. It’s still nice though. It’s more upbeat than the previous track.
4^th track is the A-side Namida Iro, which was a very popular single. I never really understood the fuss though. For some reason, this is the C-ute single I like the least.
4^th track, Aishiteru Aishiteru (sung by Nakajima and Arihara) It’s a slow paced song, but overall I find it to be a bit too average, there’s nothing interesting about this song.
6^th track is the a lot more upbeat Seishun Song, which is Yajima’s solo song. It’s a very nice and catchy song. I actually like this song, and now I have ”Seishun wow…” stuck in my head.
7^th track is Big dreams. Nothing special.
8^th track is the simple title SHINES. A more upbeat song. The chorus is nice. But once again nothing special.
9^th track is Yakusoku wa Tokuni Shinai wa, the intro reminds me of another song. But can’t remember which. This is a slow song. The verses are a bit boring and the chorus a bit average, unfortunately. When I first heard the intro I had some bigger expectations.
10^th is C-ute’s most recent single, FOREVER LOVE. Which is one of my favourite cute songs.
11^th and final track is Edo no Temari Uta II, my favourite C-ute song, ever. The song is just so great. I love it too bits and I never seem to get tired of it. And I love all the girls get lines.
Overall, two great A-sides, one average A-side and then some great/good songs and some a bit too average.
Rating: 8/10

Watarirouka Hashiritai's Hatsukoi Dash

Watarirouka Hashiritai is the newest unit from AKB48. This unit consists of four team B members. Which means this single is a must-have for a team B fan as me.

The members are team B’s most popular member; Wantanabe Mayu. Then there’s Hirajima Natsumi, Oota Aika and my favourite in this unit Nakagawa Haruka.
Haruka is my 5^th favourite member overall in AKB48 or something in that area, depending on my mood. The limited edition extra is a DVD, with a short “movie” of the girls baking a cake, and then there’s a random photo card included as well. You get 1 out of 5. (one of each girl and then a group picture) And I was surprised to see that I actually managed to get a hold of a Nakagawa card. Perfect!
My reason for choosing the Limited edition version C, was based on the sole reason, that version C had the cover I liked the best. In true H!P spirit, does none of the Limited Edition hold the PV. That will be released separately. I’m not buying it though, I have enough to spend my money on.
Well, the A-side is Hatsukoi Dash, which is my favourite song of this single. In this song, the four girls prove that none of them is the most vocally talented in Team B. But that doesn’t matter much.
The song is a cute, upbeat and average idol pop song. The song is nothing “special” but it’s still worth a listen if you like “cute” songs, since it’s still a nice song, which can bring you in a good mood. 2^nd track is “Aoi Mirai” which is an upbeat song as well. It’s less “cute” than the A-side. So some might like this song better. The track list actually reflect my rank of the songs, since Aoi Mirai is the song I like the best after Hatsukoi Dash. Then track 3, is Koi no Chewing, which brings us back in the “cute” atmosphere. I find Koi no Chewing to be nothing special, which also drags down the single’s overall ranting.
Rating: 5.6/10

2nd and last arrival in January.

Sat, 31 Jan 2009 16:49:25 GMT

(god LJ drives me nuts today!!!!)
January has been a rather slow month for me.
This month I’ve only received 5 new releases and one old release in total.
So the last arrival in January looks like this.

Album:
BRIGHT - Notes 4 You
Ice Creamusume - 1st Zui Bang (CD+DVD)

Singles:
Tsuji Shion - Candy Kicks.

Then there’s also Kusumi Koharu’s first single Koi Kana (Limited edition) but since that’s an old release, it’s not really interesting. I just wanted to have her first single, limited edition. When I was in Japan last summer I found her 2^nd single Balalaika (Limited Edition) in HMV in Shibuya, but couldn’t find Koi Kana. The problem with Kusumi’s singles is that they made me a feel a bit ripped off, considering both A-side and B-side are always included in her albums, and I don’t care about instrumentals. Guess that’s why I didn’t buy Happy! And Chance! When I found them in HMV as well (limited edition) I guess I just feel it’s more interesting to own Koi Kana and Balalaika, since they’re “old”. Guess I just see them more as an collector’s item for some reason.
I do buy her new singles for some reason. Picked up her Papan cake in Japan and I’ve pre-ordered her Happi Happi Sunday. Guess it’s the Kusumi fan girl in me, that makes me throw money at her releases.
Well moving on.

BRIGHT’s 1^st album - Notes 4 You.

So this month gave us the first album release from girl group BRIGHT. (If you don’t count in their first mini album - Brightest Star)

BRIGHT is a little different than some of the other popular girl groups. They sing very mature songs, no bubble gum pop here. They have very nice voices - all of them. And then most of their songs are slow songs. When this album arrived, I noticed that I actually have all their releases (not counting in their indies/EPs) I’ve subconsciously ordered their releases, okay maybe that sound a bit weird. I just thought I missed a single or two. But then again they haven’t had that many releases yet.

BRIGHT collection:

Singles ranking:
01. I’ll be There
(02. Brightest Star)
03. Sora Iro
04. Tegami

I’ll be There is without a doubt my favourite BRIGHT song, together with Brightest Star.
The reason for the (…) is that Brightest star isn’t considered a single like the others, but felt I couldn’t leave it out. I’ll be There, is such a beautiful song. I love it.
I started liking BRIGHT around the time they released their 1^st mini album, so I’ve been interested in them from before their 1^st major single. I liked their voices a lot, and then their mini album Brightest Star was great/solid. I especially love “Tears” on that mini album, that’s my favourite non-A-side song, from BRIGHT. That’s a song I can listen to over and over. Actually when I saw the cover of their mini album, I thought they were a Korean girl group. And they actually do seem like a Korean girl group, instead of Japanese. When it comes to their vocal and also some of their songs. Well moving on…

So now there’s the new album. I have only had time to listen to the album once. Overall it’s a nice album, although it’s not a extraordinary release. The album songs are very typical BRIGHT. Most of the songs are slow paced except two or three. This album contains their 3 singles: I’ll be There, Sora Iro and Tegami. Then there’s an unplugged version of Brightest Star,
My favourite songs/ the most noticeable so far, are; “Watch Out” the most upbeat song on the album. It sounds a bit like Destiny’s Child’s “Lose my Breath” at some points though. Then there’s “Believe”, “Koi wo Shite” and “My Darling ~I Love You~” overall I actually like most of the B-side tracks equally. Though if you’re totally new to BRIGHT, I recommend you listen to their mini album first.
Rating: 7/10

Ice Creamusume debuts with “1^st Zui Bang”

I’m pretty sure all H!P fans knows this new group, since they’ve gotten a nice amount of attention.
And this is not only their first mini, but also their first release overall. But the nice thing with Chinese and Korean releases is that they’re a lot cheaper than Japanese releases. So this mini album has the same price of an regular JPN single, and this even includes a DVD.
This album has 7 tracks, so that’s a nice deal. Though are 4 of those 7 tracks covers. There’s a cover of Morning Coffee (both in Chinese and Japanese) then there’s a cover of Renai Revolution 21 and then a cover of Go Girl! Koi no Victory. Their covers are overall, I never liked Morning Coffee a lot, though (I’m one of those who doesn’t like the Morning Musume oldies - so called golden era songs) But it’s a nice to hear the song’s instrumental side has changed a bit. Renai Revolution, sounds a bit too much like the original, except for the language. The instrumental side is totally the same, you can even still hear the “Morning Musume drop it” and then there’s also the “Chou chou ii kanji”.
The same kinda goes for Go Girl!. Then there’s Ame no Furanai Hoshi de Aisenai Darou, I’m not sure if I should consider this a cover. I know that H!P has preformed it, and there’s also a Morning Musume recording, but it has been released before now. It’s of course the Chinese version, but awesome never the less. I’ve always loved this song, since I heard the Japanese version for the first time.
For some reason the song makes me feel happy and sad at the same time, in a good way. It’s just such a beautiful ballad. I miss Junjun’s solo though XD
The only “original song” is Lian Ai Deng Chang/Debut! ~Koi Suru Kado ni wa Fuku Kitaru~. (Chinese and Japanese version) This is a typical, cute and upbeat Hello! Project song. It’s a nice song though. It’s very catchy and fit’s the group’s image.
Though does the many covers pull down the rating a bit, especially considered they covered some of my least favourite Morning Musume songs.
Rating: 6/10.

Tsuji Shion’s debut single, Candy Kicks.

Candy Kicks is the debut single of the new young singer Tsuji Shion. She is probably unknown to most people, still. She will release her second single next month, I’ll sure pick it up when I’m in Japan.
A lot of people call her the new YUI. And to be honest, there’s some similarities.
They’re both with Sony, they both play guitar, they both have a girlish voice and they both like the word “Baby”.
The A-side Candy Kicks has slow paced verses and then a more upbeat chorus. And that’s also where she puts the word “Baby” to use, a lot in the chorus: “Baby, Baby, baby….” and also the verses begins with: “Baby lose my way…”. First I came across the Candy Kicks PV by accident, and thought it was too average and then I forgot about Tsuji Shion. And the whole “The New YUI” surfaced on J-pop forums and then considering how much I love YUI, I felt the need to give Shion a second try. And this time I actually liked it and decided to download her single. The single consists of 3 songs, Candy Kicks, then a song called 17, which is a lot more upbeat. It’s a very decent songs, the chorus is nice and catchy and then with a bit rock’ish flavour. The last track is “Take me home” which is a slow paced song.

This song has a acoustic sound, since we only hear Shion’s voice and her guitar. This is probably my favourite Shion song so far, this is the song that made me order the single. I’m in love with the simplicity of this song. This is the kind of song where I like the verses just as much as the chorus. The chorus is very easy to remember since it’s in English.
“Take me home, noboby’s home, I know I know, look in my soul, I’ve got no one to love me. Take me home, nobody’s home, I know, I know, look in my soul, you take me away”
Rating: 8.5/10