This time I also have Jpop Wrap-up. Why? Because there were soooo many cool songs and I just didn't have the time to talk about them.. -.-
As I mentioned in the Kpop Wrap-up post, I had to do so much for school.. But still, I listened to many songs and this month was full with awesome Japanese songs!!!
Singles
04.09 Up Up Girls - Samurai Girls
Starting up are Up Up Girls, who are back with their 14th indie single SAMURAI GIRLS/ Widol Seven. Yeah it's again a double A-side, but I will only talk about the one I like more: Samurai Girls.
The song is very different from their image and is heavily autotuned and a lot harder to dance. And it's dark!! Muahahaha!! The chorus sounds really cool and is sooo catchy!
The video is also dark and all he girls have samurai swords and even the dance looks like they are fighting. But there's also soo much editing, and that's a bit annoying and makes it really hard to recognize something. STill, it's an awesome song and it's better to have such a video than nothing, right? (there is also a laser version, but you can't really recognize anything at all there)
04.09 HKT48 - Melon Juice
HKT48 released their 2nd single this month. Okay I didn't really care thaaat much for them on their debut (I didn't review ''Suki Suki Sukipuuu'', even though it's a fun song) but that has changed now. Over the past months I learnt so much more about the group and the members (Thanks to Hakata Hyakkaten mostly). I also really like Sasshi, so I'm happy they have their 2nd single being slightly more succesful than their first! I guess everyone bought to many AKB copies.. xP
But about the song: ''Melon Juice'' is a rock song. Okay, Idol rock, but it has some loud guitars in the beginning and the girls are headbanging. xP The song is pretty cute and catchy and I like it more than their debut actually. I think this is very awesome and I hope they will continue doing such songs.
The video is cute. It's not as creative as their debut, but it's fun. They are on a concert with many extras (What's it will all these extras lately? lol). Even though MeruMio are center, Sasshi stands behind them so that it looks a bit as if she was center (I can dream). All in all it's really good.
''Kibou no Kairyuu'' is sung by Amakuchi Hime and is the b-side of Type A. It is a Sakura lead (oh yeaah) and is typically cute. It's also a bit bland it kinda fits the members really good. xD
The video is also cute, especially the big stuff they have (pencil etc.). Oh and Aanya is awesome.. xD
''Doro no Metronome'' is sung by Umakuchi Hime and is on the Type B. This is the first real dark song HKT has ever made! OMG it's soo awesome. From the sad voices to the edgy melody and the depressive intrumentals, I love everything! Haruppi, Sasshi, Madoka and Natsumi fit to that so much! The video is also pretty depressing and at one point they even start fighting, screaming and run into the rain. Ok, not everyone's acting is perfect, but I'm really convinced by Sasshi's acting. All in all it's a very, very good song and I will listen to it even more from now on that I have more time. xD
11.09 Juice=Juice - Romance no Tochuu / Watashi ga Iu Mae ni Dakishimenakya ne (MEMORIAL EDIT) / Samidare Bijo ga Samidareru (MEMORIAL EDIT)
This is Juice=Juice's major debut and it sold 37,123 copies and ranked 2nd on the weekly Oricon charts.. OMG, what? Isn't that great? Not even Momosu accomplished that and they just outsold almost all the Hello!Pro Kids songs. :o Wow.. Ok, they have been promoted really much and have a triple A-side (lol, not even Momosu has one..) but this is still unbelievable!! I didn't pay that much attention to them at the beginning and I'm kinda happy that Aina isn't there anymore (sorry guys, her voice was the main reason I didn't care for their indies debut). So now I can say that I support this group and that I really like their debut!!
''Romance no Tochuu'' has a very oldies feeling and reminds me of old Hello!Project songs. It's really catchy and has the same mature sound that JuJu always has. Yes, they have yet to release a cute song. ;)
The song is great, but there's one thing that I don't really like and that's the line distribution! Okay, this is HaroPro, but still, give Akarin and Yuka some lines!! (I like the melon the most if you wonder)
The video is a simple H!P video and there isn't that much special about it. But it's cool to see the members and they have three different clothes!!
''Watashi ga Iu Mae ni Dakishimenakya ne'' was their first indies single and we have a Memorial edit of the song on their debut single! I see no reason for this, but to boost the sales and show that Aina isn't there anymore, but yeah. I REALLY liked the song (except for Aina's voice and the awkward looks of everyone) so I'm happy it is included again. The edit isn't that different but it sounds cool nevertheless. The saxophone is so amazing and I really love it.
The video isn't special either, except for the cool shadow thing.
Samidare Bijo ga Samidareru was their second indies single and they again include a Memorial edit in their debut single. Well, this song is also really cool and a lot more groovy than Dakishimete.. Nice trumpets. ;)
Oh and the edit is also amazing. The video even is a bit more interesting than the other two, because it includes some trumpet players (ahaa) and a cool dance break. Great song and video!!
18.09 Maeda Atsuko - Time Machine Nante iranai
The queen of Idols is back. Yeay, this is Acchan's first song after her graduation from AKB! And it has been over a year already, wow. Her sales sadly declined a bit, but she still managed to get 2nd in the weekly charts (well who can beat Exile anyways.. except for AKB, oops).
''Time Machine Nante Iranai'' is a really beautiful song and follows the simple tune of Flower and Kimi wa boku da, that fits her soothing voice really good. This song rather reminds me of a relaxing spring song and is just very nice to listen to!
The video is also really beautiful and it's cool that she is in New York!!
I'm really happy that Acchan has this wonderful present for all her fans and wish her so much luck in her career!
25.09 Not Yet - Hiri Hiri no Hana
Oh yeah, Not Yet is finally back with their 5th single. I think declining sales are normal for AKB related stuff now, so that also happened to them, to (I just hope Yukirin can stand tall!!). But they managed to grab number 1 emmidiately and I guess they will also top the weekly charts (actually, I'm sure, but yeah it's not out yet).
''Hiri Hiri no Hana'' isnt as ultra happy as Not Yet songs usually are. Still it's a very good song. It is catchy and beautiful and I really like it!! The video is a bit sad at first, because all the girls' boyfriends didn't show up, but at the end of the video they all happily leave the cinema they were in all the time. Yuko really shined in the video because her acting is really one of the bests and and I love her charisma. But Sasshi was also great and it was awesome seeing both of the top girls of AKB next to each other again. Yuihan and Kitarie also got their very fair amount of screen time and lines. They were great and it's nice to see more of them than we usually do when they are at the back of AKB.
Albums
04.09 C-ute - 8 Queen of Jpop
C-ute released their 8th album. It's full of their latest singles and other awesome songs, so I can understand why they called it ''Queen of Jpop'' (even though they aren't the queens obviously). It actually sold good for a C-ute album. Albums in Japan don't usually sell as much as the singles, so it's alright.
Their title song is ''Bagel ni Cheese & Ham''. It's a really cute and funny song, that still highlights their awesome voices (what song wouldn't). Okay, the lyrics are a bit cheesy (typical lovey-dovey) but it's still great!!
And OMG, the video is soooo good. It's simple but shows their great group chemistry and how much fun they have together!! SO cool!!
25.09 Morning Musume - The Best ~Updated~
Morning Musume released theirnew Best of album and updated many old songs like ''Love Machine'', ''Ren'ai Revolution'' and ''The Peace''. C-ute did the same thing last year and I think it's a wonderful idea to promote the members even more. It's just sad that most songs have the same front members. And I wish they also covered some Platinum Era songs.. :( Nanchatte Ren'ai for exaple.. That would have been soo cool!! The best thing of the album though is the only new song: Wolfboy.
OMG, I haven't been hooked on a song that fast in a long time!! Lol. Okay, perhaps I'm overreacting, but I LOVE the song!! It could easily be a single. Just imagine some Halloween setting with wolves.. Wow, that would have been so amazing! But yeah, it's just a ´n album song, so I hope I will at least see the live version soon!!!!
Other news:
AKB48's 34th single Janken Taikai was held this month and the winner is Matsui Jurina. OMG, my Kami Oshi won the Janken Taikai!!! :O Okay, I'm seriously happy about that, but doesn't it sound fishy to ou, too? I just hope it wasn't rigged and that she won fair (well, her reactions seemed pretty real). Even though I'm really happy she won, it would have been a lot more interesting if Yuka or Rina would have won. But nw I hope the Janken single will be a lot better than the last attempts.. With Jurina as center ;)
The costumes were really awesome this year again.
Speaking of AKB48.. KojiYuu did a collaboration with Robin Thicke!! They appeared in ''Blurred Lines''. Well, this is probably to promote him in Japan but I'm not fully happy with this. Okay, both of them look amazing, but do they know what he sings about?? I like the song, but I don't like the lyrics..
Well, I guess they just had fun..
So that's it from my very first J-pop wrap-up!! Yattaaaa!!!
Good night!!