j1m0ne’s blog

31 October 2007
A little less busy than last week, but plenty of high-profile Jpop releases and only a handful of anime-related CDs.

Last week’s reviews’ chart placing
Singles
01.Hana no Na. BUMP OF CHICKEN (176,744)
02.Mayday. BUMP OF CHICKEN (171,095)
04.Saigo no Kawa. CHEMISTRY (20,167)
05.Yellow. Kimura Kaela (19,774)
07.Akaneiro no Yakusoku. Ikimonogakari (16,420)
10.Urban Mermaid. Ito Yuna (12,045)
14.Sakura Kimi ni Emu. yozuca* (9,174)
19.Yasashisa wa Ame no Youni. CooRie (7,455)
20.Keikenchi Joshochu. Satoh Rina et al (6,990)
22.euphoric field. ELISA (6,178)
23.Soshite Boku wa… Sakakibara Yui (6,008)
29.Et Cetera. ONE OK ROCK (4,129)
33.Tears Infection. KAORI (3,646)
34.Yuen no Amulet/Opera Fantasia. momo-i (3,424)
38.Sketchbook o Motta Mama. Makino Yui (3,168)
45.Anata ga Koko ni Iru Riyuu. Rie fu (2,565)
47.I’m Here. Taguchi Hiroko (2,512)
53.Aozora Loop. marble (2,184)
56.disarm dreamer. Misato Aki (2,051)
57.Kimi to Yozora to Sakamichi to. Ito Kanako (2,022)
61.Kaze Sagashi. Kiyoura Natsumi (1,836)
62.Retsu! Ohimesama dakko. Kitamura Eri et al (1,830)
69.BLUE/Tsubomi -blue dreams-. Suara (1,613)
95.Platinum Smile. Kosaka Riyu (1,032)

Albums
02.Seimeiryoku. Chatmonchy (70,641)
07.Okuda Tamio Covers. Various (25,562)
11.Contact. Chihara Minori (15,546)
15.569. GO!GO!7188 (13,548)
147.Sayonara Zetsubo-sensei OST. Hasegawa Tomoki (1,358)

Amazingly, all the singles I reviewed last week managed to get in the top 100. Bit amused by Suara’s eventual low placing, perhaps people realised how boring BLUE was ^^; A much stronger looking singles chart overall - if Keikenchi Joshochu came out last week it’d be at No.12 and the likes of Sakakibara Yui, ELISA and even KAORI would all be in the top 20. And thankfully they didn’t choose this week, they’d be battered to bits. Backstreet Boys are No.1 in the albums chart, yawn. But next week’s albums charts will be a complete blow-out; I’ll be amazed if SEAMO (likely No.1) tops 60k sales. Dire.

Singles
Tabidachi no Uta. Mr.Children

I thought Tabidachi no Uta was extremely boring the first time I heard it, but it’s grown on me lately. It’s always Sakurai’s heartfelt vocals that make a Misuchiru song infinitely better than it actually is…. This is the theme song for the upcoming Aragaki Yui-starring Koizora, a movie based on a best-selling novel. It should ensure sales reach their usual 300k+ mark. Their ballads always do better, unsurprisingly.
Watch: Tabidachi no Uta PV
Tabidachi no Uta live
First day Oricon chart placing: No.01 (second day=⇔ at No.1)
Rating: ★★★☆☆

Ashes.EP. GLAY

Admittedly I’m not GLAY’s biggest fan, but credit where credit’s due - Ashes.EP is a rocking single. It sounds like L’Arc~en~Ciel…. more than Laruku sound like themselves these days in fact. This might be No.1 in any other week, no thanks to Mr.Children standing in their way.
Watch: Ashes -1969- PV
First day Oricon chart placing: No.02 (⇔ No.02)
Rating:

Honto no Jibun. Buono!

Buono! consists of members from two groups I don’t give a toss about, Berryz Kobou and ℃-ute. Honto no Jibun is actually the ending song for anime Shugo Chara!, with the opening Kokoro no Tamago relegated to c/w status. Good thing, as I really cannot imagine them promoting Kokoro no Tamago on all the TV shows going Shugo Chara!! ^^;;; I don’t like the song much either. Prefer Honto no Jibun with its cheesy ‘don’t give up!’-themed lyrics written by Iwasato Yuho, who I’m sure Kanno Yoko/Sakamoto Maaya fans may recognise as the lyricist of songs like Yakusoku wa Iranai, Kiseki no Umi and Sousei no Aquarion. Anyway, it’s a half decent single and seems to be doing well on its first day, but I don’t expect them to keep it up with plenty of competition from the likes of Aqua Timez, ELT and FMB.
Watch: Honto no Jibun PV
First day Oricon chart placing: No.03 (↓ No.05)
Rating: ★★★☆☆

Koi o Shiteiru/Fuyu ga Hajimaru yo. Every Little Thing

Wow, ELT debuted at No.4 today 0_o They’re not the powerhouses they used to be, and their last few singles did diddly-squat chartwise so it’s a bit of a surprise. Guess it’s cos Koi o Shiteiru is a ballad - it’s not as good as say, nostalgia or Koibumi but it does have that trademark ELT sound about it. The other A-side is an excellent cover of Fuyu ga Hajimaru yo, and they managed to get the original singer Makihara Noriyuki on board to provide backing vocals too. A strong single, and it’ll be interesting to see if they keep up the sales throughout the week.
Watch: Koi o Shiteiru live
First day Oricon chart placing: No.04 (⇔ No.04)
Rating: ★★★★☆

Chiisana Tenohira. Aqua Timez

I thought Chiisana Tenohira was OK on the first listen, but its been usurped by FUNKY MONKEY BABYS in my affections this week (see below). And that I’m beginning to be unable to tell their songs apart, I thought I was listening to Sen no Yoru o Koete before I realised it was something else. I just hope that Aqua Timez can inject a bit of innovation and variety in their music before everyone gets bored of them.
Watch: Chiisana Tenohira PV
First day Oricon chart placing: No.05 (↑ No.03)
Rating: ★★★☆☆

Doubt&Trust. access

Oh joy, the yaoi duo. They remind me of Wham! minus the catchy songs -_- I only gave access a go cos there was a bit of hype surrounding their reformation in 2002 (the group split in the mid 90s) and I remember being distinctly underwhelmed by Only the love survive. Their principal songwriter is one Asakura Daisuke - the famous producer for acts like T.M.Revolution, Kotani Kinya and Pool Bit Boys amongst others. Anyhow, Doubt&Trust is the new opening for D.Gray-man which I stopped watching ages ago. I didn’t like the song access did for Code Geass (Hitomi no Tsubasa) and I don’t like this one either. Synth pop just isn’t my kind of thing.
Watch: Doubt&Trust PV
First day Oricon chart placing: No.06 (↓ No.05)
Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Mou Kimi ga Inai. FUNKY MONKEY BABYS

Ooh I really like this. FMB are yet another one of those Ketsumeishi reggae-tinged rap soundalikes but I don’t mind if they can produce songs as good as Mou Kimi ga Inai. It’s a ballad with a pretty strong melody, and another nicely done PV this time featuring actress Toda Erika (Misa in the DEATH NOTE movies).
Watch: Mou Kimi ga Inai PV
First day Oricon chart placing: No.07 (↑ No.06)
Rating: ★★★★☆

Aishiteru. Base Ball Bear

BBB have had a string of great singles this year with Manatsu no Joken, Dramatic and Dakishimetai but the run stops here. Aishiteru is abominable - if they’re trying to sing a love song to capture somebody’s affections then it’ll be a miserable failure.
Watch: Aishiteru PV
First day Oricon chart placing: No.14 (⇔ No.14)
Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Tashika na Koto. Ulfuls

Ah, it’s a ballad…. I was hoping for more of their silly Baka Survivor or Banzai-styled material but Tashika na Koto isn’t too bad, though it’s not something that’ll catch your attention upon the first listen.
First day Oricon chart placing: No.21 (↑ No.19)
Rating: ★★★☆☆

Ashita wa Ashita no Kaze no Naka…Yume no Naka. U-Ka Saegusa IN db

Good heavens. If you’ve got insomnia, I wholeheartedly recommend this CD as a perfect cure. A cumbersome title, a crappy song, a boring PV - don’t bother.
Watch: Ashita etc PV
First day Oricon chart placing: No.22 (↓ No.32)
Rating:

JOINT. Kawada Mami

Am I the only person who dislikes JOINT? Triangle is a bit more likeable but tbh, neither of them are a patch on Hishoku no Sora. I’m normally very fond of I’ve songs, but I’ve not liked their last three relases (this, KOTOKO’s Shichitenhakki Shijoshugi and MELL’s Virgin High), and I don’t like Utatsuki Kaori’s upcoming Chasse either.
First day Oricon chart placing: No.10 (↑ No.09)
Rating:

Lucky Star Character Song CDs
Just when you think that the end is in sight, Lantis announce another 2 character song CDs. *sigh* Volumes 11 (Kanata + Sojiro) and 12 (Yui & Nanako) hit shops on 21st November.

Vol.009 - Haikei Combi. Mizuhara Kaori & Aizawa Mai

Generally not a fan of duets, especially not when they’re between two people who can barely sing. Not to mention that both songs are awful.
First day Oricon chart placing: No.18 (↓ No.21)
Rating:

Vol.010 - MunePettan Girls. Hirano Aya, Hasegawa Shizuka & Chihara Minori

Oh great, another bunch of tinny-sounding tracks that sound like they were written by a 2-year old on a toy piano. Gets a half star more for having at least one person who can sing on it.
First day Oricon chart placing: No.17 (⇔ No.17)
Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Albums
LAS VEGAS. Onitsuka Chihiro

It’s been 5 long years since Onitsuka’s last studio album - has the patience of her many loyal fans been rewarded? ‘Not really’ is the verdict. There’ve been well documented record label disputes and personal troubles over the last few years & finally Onitsuka returned with a new producer (Kobayashi Takeshi) and a weaker voice. And both points are key to LAS VEGAS’s failings - Haketa Takefumi’s arrangements are superior to Kobayashi’s, and Onitsuka’s voice lacks the power it once had, making the songs flat and emotionless. Some of the better songs include the country-ballad opener Sweet Rosemary, the upbeat Rou no Tsubasa and the acapella BRIGHTEN US but almost everything else is terribly unexciting. I’m glad that Onitsuka’s back making music, but I really do hope that her best is yet to come.
First day Oricon chart placing: No.02 (↓ No.06)
Rating:

Round About. SEAMO

SEAMO’s rise to fame (and success) has surprised me a bit - I really liked his first two singles Kanpaku and DRIVE but neither were chart hits. Then he got a leg up from the collab with BENNIE K, followed up by his most well-known song Mata Aimasho. There’ve already been a bunch of well-received singles prior to Round About (Cry Baby, Kiseki, Fly Away) and Hey Boy, Hey Girl (featuring BoA) has been used to promote it. I generally do like the album, but suffers from the same problem as SEAMO’s first two efforts - it’s too long. There’s 16 tracks and a few of them are dispensable; Hot! is anything but, and Rap no Hanamichi is a poor attempt at rock-rap. There are a couple of highlights though, including Takarajima,the duet with mihimaru GT’s hiroko and the fun Oishii Gohan. Overall, a mixed bag but good for those looking for a soft intro to Japanese rap music.
First day Oricon chart placing: No.01 (⇔ No.01)
Rating: ★★★☆☆

COVER ALL YO!. Yamazaki Masayoshi

A little note to Japanese artists: When doing a covers album of famous English songs, wouldn’t it be nice if you learned to actually speak the friggin’ language first? AFAIK, Elton John’s Your Song didn’t start off with the line ‘It’s a little bit fanny’ nor did it include lyrics about a man who makes ‘portions’ in a ‘travelly’ show. Plus it’s really unconvincing to hear a Japanese dude singing ‘I’m an Englishman in New York’ with a broken accent. It doesn’t matter how good the arrangements or Yamazaki’s vocals are - his terrible Engrish makes this a tortuous listening experience.
First day Oricon chart placing: No.04 (↑ No.03)
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆

COVER ALL HO!. Yamazaki Masayoshi

Yamazaki is back in familiar territory with covers of classic Jpop tunes, including faithful but excellent versions of Sakai Masaaki’s Saraba Koibito, Kuwata Keisuke’s Tsuki and surprisingly, dub band Fishmans’ Ikareta Baby. Thankfully this makes up for the travesty that is COVER ALL YO! but I’d still prefer to hear him doing original material, thanks very much.
First day Oricon chart placing: No.03 (↑ No.02)
Rating:

Posted on November 2nd, 2007 under music, this week in japan • RSS 2.0 feed • Leave a response, or trackback