Best of 2013 - H!P

This really has been a GREAT year for Hello! Project. The groups have finally used a lot more promotion and had awesome songs that charted pretty good (just look at °C-ute renewing their highest selling single everytime they release something!). Also, all of Momosu's three singles charted at number 1 and H!P really seems to love these double/ triple A-sides nowadays.. (Where did Tsunku get all the creativity??)

There were of course a few downsides, especially the graduation of Mano Erina and Tanaka Reina. Also, I didn't hear anything from Mitsui Aika, and now that she announced jer hiatus, I guess I won't ever talk about her again (we will see..). I won't talk that much about these members, but I will resume the activities of all the groups a bit.

Juice=Juice

The group was just founded this year and they already are very popular, selling even more than some other H!P groups. Their indie singles ''Watashi ga iu mae ni Dakishimenakya ne'' and ''Samidare Bijo ga samidareru'' were already pretty good and their major triple A-side debut single consisting of ''Romance no Tochuu'' and memorial edits of their two idie's singles. And well, it placed second on the weekly Oricon charts! Their second single ''Ijiwaru Shinaide Dakishimete yo/ Hashimete wo Keikenchuu'' wasn't as awesome as their first one in my opinion, but it was still a good single and sold even a bit more than their debut single! Well, and lastly they were nominated for the Japan record award for best new Artist. Sadly, they didn't win it, but that's alone a great achievement and their performance was very good! But the worst thing for was the sudden graduation of Aina, so shortly before their major debut. Even though I didn't really like her voice, it's still sad that she left so early.. -.- I hope the surrent line-up will stay like this and that they will be even more succesful next year! (and also, I hope their song titles will be less complicated next year.. -.-)

S/mileage

Last year, I didn't even know about S/mileage, and I didn't like their appearance at the beginning of the year because ''Tabidachi no haru ga kita'' was a rather boring song. But with ''Atarashii watashi ni nare/ Yattaruchan'' everything changed and I began to like them. Okay, they aren't really a group i follow, but their latest release ''Eeka!/ Ii yatsu'' was also amazing, so I really enjoy their songs right now. Some of their older songs are also pretty awesome, and even though their voices still annoy me sometimes (Dawa!!) some of them improved and it actually sounds fun in their recent songs, especially in songs like ''Yattaruchan'' and ''Eeka!''. This year has been good for them and they also improved in sales again. They are still the lowest selling H!P group, but they are improving!! :)

°C-ute

C-ute really outdid themselves this year! All their three singles were amazing, and I liked especially ''Crazy Kanken Otona'' and ''Adam to Eve no Dilemma''. They improved their saled, performed in Paris and finally at the Budokan. Their bond seems to be pretty great and they are really good performes, probably the best out of H!P. So only good things for them this year, and I'm happy about it!!

Berryz Koubou

In terms of song originality Berryz didn't do that well this year. Also, it seems like they don't get that much promotions and their PV's are kinda shitty, too. But of course this was also a great year for them, since they sold pretty good. Adding to that they got to perform at Budokan for the first time!! And ''Sayonara Utsosuki no watashi'' is actually a really good song (the best from them this year). It's just that compared to the other groups this doesn't seem that great, even though it is a great accomplishment! I just hope their song and video quality will improve a lot next year!!

Morning Musume

And finally the flagship group itself. With one new amazing member Oda Sakura, the graduation of one of the core members Tanaka Reina, the dance formation sensation and THREE number 1 hits, this was a great year for them. Especially since the latest single sold the best since 10 years!! All their singles have been amazing and I like especially the songs ''Brainstorming'' and ''Wagamama Ki no mama Ai no Joke''. But ''Help Me!'' also marks a very important single, since it was their first number 1 in three years and also the first single of Sakura.
We can really call this an awakening year for Morning Musume, as they also had some great appearances in shows and such. Sadly, they didn't get invited to Kouhaku, let's hope they will reach that goal next year. Also, there is now a name change for them, which means that Morning Musume will be Morning Musume ´14 in 2014, Morning Musume ´15 in 2015 etc.. I think it's a bit unnecessary, but well. Let's see what Morning Musume ´14 will bring to us next year. ;)

I still didn't really get into the Kenshuusei, but ''Oheso no Kuni kara Konnichiwa''  and the debut of Juice=Juice was a great beginning, so I hope I will learn more about them next year!! xD

To sum it up, I really loved Hello! Projects releases this year. The quality of videos and covers got better and as a hole this ahs been a pretty good year sales-wise. Hello Pro! Station is a good way to show more of the members, even though I still hope for them to get a TV shows! But yeah, great job for this year!

Best of 2013 - K-pop

Well, this year of music has been pretty interesting. I already talked about the 48group releases, so let's now concentrate on the Korean music!
Okay, so I really want to follow Kpop, but it's just so hard as I don't have enough time. I couldn't talk about every song I wanted to talk about, and I'm happy I thought about the K-pop Wrap-ups, as they are a good way to still talk about these songs! I hope to continue with them next year, too until there's nothing left that impresses me (which hopefully won't happen!!). But let's now talk about the K-pop songs that were the best of 2013 (in my opinion).

Girls Day - Expectation/ Female President

Girl's Day really impressed me this year and I LOVE both of these songs. They are just so full of confidence and I actually think the sexy image fits them really good! These are also two awesome songs I love to dance too.. xD

BEG - Kill Bill

Yep, this comeback was definetely awesome. Perhaps not as awesome as some of their earlier works, but it's overall one of the best releases of this year!! The video is really exciting, and it's cool, that they used the Kill Bill story in it. xD Lots of fighting scenes, oh yeah!!

Lee Hyori - Bad Girl

Lee Hyori's comeback surprised everyone.. including me. This song + video is just so awesome and individual.. Especially the whole feminism thing. Thanks Hyori for this awesome comeback!

ChoColat - Black Tinkerbell

A unerrated song! I don't know Chocolate that well, but this song just has so much emotion and is so dark,  I love it soo much.. I will defintely watch out for them!

EXO - Growl

Unddoubtly this has been EXO's year!!
I like this a lot more than Wolf, especially for ist rather slow and rhythmic beat. It's not chaotic like many K-Pop songs nowerdays. No, it's smooth and shows the talent of the boys clearly!!

SHINee - Everybody

And there I thought SHINee won't release an awesome title song any more this year.. well, until Everybody of course (their Album tracks were awesome before!). Such an amazing song, I especially love Minhos parts.. **

VIXX - Hyde

VIXX totally rocked this year!! But I really like Hyde a lot more that Voodoo Doll, even though both Songs are freaking cool! Hyde is just so dark and creepy and gaaah, it's soo cool!!

2PM - A.D.T.O.Y

Oh right, I almost forgot that 2PM had a comeback. Well, I looped this song soo much, and I still really like its sexy tone.

T-ara - Number 9

T-ara really showed why they are so popular with this amazing dance track. I really love the song!

Kara - Damaged Lady

And this is the last featured song, but nevertheless it is a very cool and confident song.

I honestly really like these songs, but somehow I really lost a bit of interest in Kpop. There are so many groups and they get more every year. Also in my opinion K-pop got a lot more Americanized last year. You know, I love a few English phrases, but after Psy's succes it seems to me as if everyone only releases their music for the international fans and to me it seems as if K-pop isn't even that succesful in Korea itself.
Well, as you can see there are still a few songs I really like but I'm not concentrating that much on the groups anymore..
Sadly Big Bang didn't have a comeback this year.. Oh right, that's another thing that annoys me: the newer groups all have thousands of comebacks, while the older and bigger groups just have one or no comeback the whole year.. So as a Big Bang and Super Junior fan, the year sucked for me. Okay, all the members of Big Bang had individual comebacks which was great and Super Junior had their two japanese releases. But honestly, I am so bored by ''Blue World'' and the only reason why I want to review it is Heechul.. But enough of that now. I listen to music, because it makes me happy, and these groups still make me happy even if I only listen to their older songs. I'm all happy with the songs I like, so I look forward to the next year!! :D

Best of 2013 - 48 group

There have been quite a few awesome releases from AKB48 and the sister groups this year. Even though it probably wasn't the most original year in terms of main singles for the groups there were some interesting gems hidden especially in form of b-sides or album tracks (NMB). So let's start with the 12 singles that I ranked from worst to best.

12. AKB48 - So long!

Well, I don't want to say that this song is bad or anything. No, it's a relaxing song but it's just a bit boring ( not just a bit). Okay, as a b-side and with a better video I would have probably liked it a lot more, but this song just doesn't do it for me.. I didn't listen to it AT ALL, perhaps just a very few times and if it comes on my mp3 player, I just skip it...

11. HKT48 - Suki Suki Skip

Which leds to number 11, HKT48's very first single. Again, this isn't a bad song. It is even growing on me lately (so perhaps I would even rank it higher in a few months). But this again isn't a very original song. It's cute of course but it isn't that exciting, the most interesting thing being the chorus. But at least here the video is really amazing and kind of saves the song from the last places (but actually, I like this one way better than So long!).

10. HKT48 - Melon Juice

I kind of feel sad with placing both of HKT48's songs so low. But I can really see an improvement with their second single!! This is one catchy piece of song here and I'm happy it is a bit more individual than Suki blah..
I really hope HKT48 keeps on improving and of course I didn't forget that they are still pretty new!!

09. AKB48 - Sayonara Crawl

Ooooh, here it comes, the summer bikini single. I actually even like the video a lot more now (even though the bikini's are still way over the top) and I replayed the song pretty often. o.O This is a good example of a song that grew on me. xD But it still isn't the most interesting song and it's just a little bit higher than Melon Juice, the main factor being that this is AKB.

8. NMB48 - Bokura no Eureka

Another song that grew a lot on me. I kind of understand the hype around the single now and the video is AMAZING!! It's definetely one of the better summer songs even though I still think ''Nagichi' is better. xP

7. SKE48 - Choco no Dorei

I don't want to place this song so low. Of course it's catchy and catchier than the previous ranked songs, but given the fact that I normally adore everything SKE does, it seems more like a forgettable song to me. It grew a lot on me and of course I love the awesome video, but there's not that much more to say.

4. AKB48 - Heart Ereki



Now to continue with the better half of the singles, it's AKB48's fall single. Heart Ereki shows what the members can do with their vocal abilities! It's more sexy and edgy and since I love such songs the most, Heart Ereki is the highest AKB48 song on this list!! Even though the video is pretty boring, I really like to listen to this song the most and it shows that the fall singles still get the most interesting arrangements!!

5. AKB48 - Suzukake Nanchara

This is AKB48 newest single, the Jurina centered single. That alone probably boosts this single for me, but I also think it is way more interesting than ''So long'' and ''SayoKuro''. I just love the catchy tune of the chorus and I like that it's a bit more melodious and not just shouting.. ;) Also, the video features a lot of Jurina. ;D

4. SKE48 - Sansei Kawaii

Ah, forget everything I critisized about this song (that wasn't even much). Compared to the other singles this is pretty AMAZING. This is the energetic SKE I love and gosh it's sooo cool that they went to Thailand. Be sure to check this out, since it is the cutest song in this ranking!!

3. AKB48 - Koisuru Fortune Cookie

This is of course the AKB song that was hyped the most. And I can understand why, since it has a more 80's feeling and I think this is the best example of a song that can grow the more you listen to it. The fun video and of course the memorable dance are of course two big factors two, adding to that the amazing line up with a few people that after this would not return to the senbatsu.. :(

2. NMB48 - Kamonegikkusu

Hello kakkoi Namba girls! This one is definetely a very cool NMB48 song. From the electro music to the difficult dance, it could easily be a second UZA. Also, I LOVE the bits of Japanese music thrown into the mix as they create a very traditional feeling. For me this is the perfect combination of traditional Japanese music with the new music genres! The video is just beautiful and even though it doesn't fit the music that well, seperately is is simply amazing. Video wise but also single wise NMB48 had a really great year!!

1. SKE48 - Utsukushii Inazuma

Last one and with that my favourite 48group single of 2013 is of course the amazing ''Utsukushii Inazuma''!! I love SKE48, and even more when they try hard dances and more badass songs. This song is so amazing, I could listen to it forever. Also, the video is such an interesting video. Okay, it is mostly fanservice but the shots of the girls are just so beautiful with awesome and natural locations!

As you can see from my list I really prefer the more edgy sounding singles to the cute ones, even though there are a few pretty good from the latter ones, too (''Sansei Kawaii'', ''Suzukaka Nanchara'' etc). All in all I do have to say that I enjoy almost everything these groups do to a certain extent. I guess I'm deep enough in the fandom now to enjoy a song even if it isn't the most interesting piece of music.. xD But if it is as boring as for example ''So long!'' I will talk about it and critizise the hell out of it!!


B-sides

Let's now talk about something that has hidden most of the creativity of AKB48: the b-sides. Like every year, there have been really amazing b-sides this year!! I actually think this is the year of the b-sides and that the b-sides in 2012/2013 got really better (in comparison to the single title songs that were a bit worse in that time). So let's talk about them now sorted by groups.

AKB48

Ikiru koto

If you didn't listen to the song yet, DO IT NOW!! This is the most meaningful AKB48 song of the year and you can really feel that in the music as well. It's a rather sad song about the meaning of living and makes me pretty depressed from time to time. Team A definetely showed their awesomness through this song! The video is also very good and shows the various members in different situations with sad and desperate facial expressions everywhere!

How Come?

The amazing Team K showed not only their dancing skills but also brought us an electro pop song here. Seriously, it's so much fun to dance to this song and even though the vide isn't that amazing, it is one of the best b-sides of 2013! Also, don't forget that it's the last Team K song for many members (Tomochin, Sayaka, Natsumi).

Bara no Kajitsu

With this we finally didn't have a cute Undergirls song again. The song is so endgy and elegant, I really love it! And of course the line-up is gold with not only Yuka, Tomu, Karen etc. but also with the video debut of Mako and Nana! Definetely worth a check out if you are tired of the cute songs but still want to see the new generation.

Kondo Koso Extacy

I really think that the Next Girls got the most interesting piece this time. This song is sexy and badass, showing some real girl power in the video. And of course the Amina center is amazing (now even better as she announced her graduation) even though her voice isn't present that much.. Here we can hear some of the better vocalist, such as Haachan, that are left in the group.

Ruby

This is another Team A song that is a bit electronic and has a very mature sound. The video is in a very elegant and classy look, showing the members in dark clothes and doll-like positions. The dance looks also pretty good!

Sasameyuki Regret

A rather melancholic song by Team K, but I really like these types of songs. The melody is sad and the members sound beautiful so this is a very strong song. The video is also interesting, even though we don't really know what the members are running after.

Seijun philosophy

The first original song for the new Team 4. This actually sounds way more serious than you would expect with the pink outfits. Of ourse it's a typical Idol song, but it's still catchy nevertheless with a slight edgy touch.

Party is over

The newest song on this list, but a very interesting piece. It's a slow relaxing song with a few interesting instrumental changes and a latin choir at the beginning/end. The song has a rather depressing feeling but it's nice to listen to it. The video is amazing and shows the taking over of the new generation

Kimi dake ni Chu! Chu! Chu!

Probably the cutest song on this list, but I actually think it's one of the catchiest cutesy songs of this year! It's just so much fun to listen to it, and I really love the subgroup!!! :D The video is so funny and original and shows the cute girls really good!

Kimi no Hitomi wa Planetarium

This is AWESOME! I actually think this is one of the best AKB48 songs of this year as it's catchy, but not over the top cutesy stuff. It's sad that it wasn't used as a title track, but good for Nana&co. Oh right, this is only sung by 10 people who are the current kenkyuusei's.
The theater songs really should be performed a lot more often, especially this song and Aozora Cafe!! I'm happy that at least LOVE Shugyo gets a bit more recognition, even though it isn't the most original song. Well, the theater editions are the ones that get sold the most, so these songs HAVE to be good to some level, right? xD

SKE48

Darkness

Thanks to the person who had the idea to create Darkness (probably Aki-p, right?). This song is soooo good, I'm still looping it like crazy after almost a year, how is that even possible?? xD I still love the electronic sound of this (it's way better than in Jyuri Jyuri Baby) and the whole dancing in suits theme.. *-* And of course, JURINA! Gosh, this should better be her trendmark song.. But noo we have the Janken single and Jyuri Jyuri Baby.. Well, at least I enjoy this song way more than the other two.. xD

Escape

Ok, this is actually on an AKB48 single but I'm still placing it here, since it is sung by SKE48. Here we have yet another masterpiece b-side, that could easily be an awesome single.. But oh well, it does it good job as a b-side. This song is so badass, it is the most hardcore of all the songs here (even the lyrics aren't that fluffy xP) and has a lot of English. And that PIANO, wow Rion is an amazing talent there! Also, the dance looks so cool and seems to be pretty hard (but harder than UZA?? I don't know.. xD). Be sure to REALLY chek this one out, if you love to see a badass SKE!

Sore wo seishun to Yobu hi

Now for the contrast we have the slow ballad Sore wo seishun to Yobu hi. This is the graduation song for 9 of the SKE48 who mass graduated at the beginning of the year. The song is led by Yagami Kumi and is actually a really beautiful song. I think it is the best released graduation song of the year! (Sayaka's wasn't released, but it will be next year!) It's just so simple and natural, with a very nice video that shows each member individually. It actually makes me sad to listen to this song.. :/

Zakuro no Mi wa Yuu'utsu ga Nantsubu Tsumatte Iru?

Okay, so all the b-sides from the 13th single have been nice, but there isn't a REAL stand-out. Still, I think this song is slightly better because of its beautiful vocals and a very interesting instrumental use. Also, the video is beautiful yet touching.

Through the night

I just had to place this song here. Even though it also isn't a real stand-out, it's such a nice song and I really like the use of guitars here. Also, the line-up is pretty awesome!!!


NMB48

Doshaburi no seishun no naka de

Gaaaah, this song, this video. Everything is so edgy and dark and sooo good!! I really love the seriousness of this song, the concerning tone and moving melody. This song is really perfect!! Adding to that, the video has very interesting scenes about the ups and downs of love and youth and even a dancing scene in the rain..

Okuba

And here we have the beautiful Okuba. You know, this may seem to be a boring song, but the awesome vocals and relaxing tone definetely make up for that!! Also, the video is beautiful and Yuihan appeared. :'(

Sunglasses to Uchi

THIS is again an underrated song. To me it seems that the songs without PV's sadly won't be performed that much. :( But the KKS of NMB48 seems to have some beautiful vocals and this si definetely a catchy tune!!

HKT48


Doro no Metronome

Only one HKT48 song and I really hope this will change next year. Well, but this awesome song makes up for it. It is really one of the most serious songs of the group and sounds almost as concerning as ''Doshaburi no..''! Also, the video seems so depressive, especially the rain scene. (what's with the rain scenes???)

So yeah, these are my favourite b-sides of 2013. Here you can see my preference for serious and powerful/ dark songs/ videos, but I listed a few cute songs, too. ;)

Songs I DON'T like:

Yeah, of course they DO exist. The single ''So long!'' actually is pretty close to this list, but still I don't actually dislike it. But there is one song that I truly dislike!!!!

Crappy Team A with Kiss Made Countdown
Like, UGH, I can't even think of this song.. I HATE it. Look at my Heart ereki post for the whole rant, but I don't even want to talk about that here.. -.-

All the Team B songs
Of course, Romance Kenjuu was interesting and Tiny T-shirt is also a bit catchy, but there is nothing that truly impressed me *yawn*. The members are awesome, but it's sad that the Songs can't stand out.

The are a few other songs that I think are bland (Waiting room, Kaisoku to Doutai Shiryoku, NMB48 Akagumi etc) but most of them I just don't listen to but they are okay. ''Kiss made Countdown'' is probably the only real song I hate. xD
That being said.. let's move on to happier things..

Members

I'm not really the person to do member rankings and I think it's clear who I like the most..
Naaah, here are my top 6 starting with Jurina:

Sae-chan:

Yuko:

Sayanee:

Sasshi:

 Rena:

Oh well... so now I want to talk about a few ''new faces'' that grew a lot this year and catched my eyes!!

Tano Yuka (AKB48 Team A)

Of course this tiny girl has to be mentioned first. I actually didn't even know her last year and I still don't know her THAT good. But I do know that she's awesome. She can dance, she has a good voice, she is cute/ annoying and beautiful. There is just something about her that captivates me, so I will root for her even more next year and we will see how she grows even more. Sadly, amnagement doesn't really seem to push her but at least she scored a place in the most recent Janken senbatsu!!

Okada Nana (AKB48 Team 4)

This girls really impressed me with her serious way to handle things.. She looks strong-willed but she can also look pretty cute in some videos (since she gets stuck in many cute units). Also, her acting and singing are really good and she seems so professional and elegant! Even though she isn't very tall, I still think she looks pretty mature for her age!

Shibata Aya (SKE48 Team KII)

You know, I am actually one of the persons who didn't know Shibata before her sudden ranking in the sousenkyou. Yes, I know.. I'm still new to SKE48. But holy cow did she impress me over the last few months!! Not only her performance is awesome, but also her personality is so cool. She is again a Idol with a dark side, that got revealed on SKE no Ebi Friday Night so much! There she really was one of my favourites and I will keep my eyes open for her. (hahaha, I mean, her eyes are pretty big.. xP not funny?? okay.. ._.)

Saito Makiko (SKE48 Team S)

So in Makiko's case, I actually already knew her before EbiFri, but that show really helped me to learn more about her! She is awesome and I'm really happy that she ranked this year. Also, I love hear smile!!

Yoshida Akari (NMB48 Team N)

Oh Akarin. Everything about her is so awesome. Like, how she is one of the tallest among the NMB48 members, but she is still sooo young!! Still she looks so mature and I dare to say sexy. But of course she also has her cute side and her voice just sounds so funny compared to her face.. xD

Kamieda Emika (NMB48, Team BII)

Where have you been all the time girl and why did you just appear so late??? She looks so cool in Doshaburi.. yet she has one of the most beautiful smiles ever. I'm so happy she got 2nd place in the Janken Taikai, so she could show everyone in ''Suzukake nanchara'' that she is freaking amazing!

And then I could put every HKT48 member here, because I didn't know them AT ALL until even after their first single. Okay, I know Sasshi and Rabu-tan way longer and I even know Sakura since UZA.. But I decided to put Moriyasu Madoka in this list.

Moriyasu Madoka (HKT48, Team H)

Madoka just has such a mature look. She doesn't have bangs, she can look so super serious and her voice is so relaxing. She seems like a real professional and even masters the cute image of HKT48 (even though I prefer her in songs like ''Doro no metronome'').

Special Mention: Ichikawa Miori (a.k.a the annoying Lemon,
AKB48 Team B/ Nmb48 Team N)

Wow, this girl really did it. She impressed me and now I like her.. Only half a year ago I still was so annoyed by her and didn't think she fitted good into NMB48. But that group changed her a bit and now (especially since Kamonegikkusu) I actually think she's awesome. She's still annoying, but in a funny way. xD

Graduations
So, there were a few very important graduations this year. The most important being: Shinoda Mariko, Akimoto Sayaka and Itano Tomomi. Well, and for me Sayaka's graduation was the saddest. I really cried so much but now I am happy that she is doing so well and that she's happy.. :D Mariko also seems to do well and even though I am not that interested in Tomochin's career, I'm happy that she also seems to survive in the entertainment world and can even release a new single next year. :)

Now these are my experiences with the 48groups. I can't even write everything down or I would still sit here in ten years! xD
Thanks for the nice year, Girls.. ;)

IMPORTANT EDIT:
OMG, Yuko just announced her graduation at the Kohaku Uta Gassen!! OMG, what!!! :o
I'm actually crying right now and my mum asked if everything is okay.. Omg... I will write about that later when I sorted my feelings..