Remember when the mere idea of an SKE48 rose everyone’s eyebrows? When the group was first formed, there were a multitude of predictions and criticism going against the group, thinking it was destined to be a half-assed attempt at capitalizing on AKB’s growing success. Seems pretty silly now, seeing how SKE48 has generated a huge following, now easily selling over 100k copies with every release. Well, more potential could be unleashed with SKE’s latest development: it was announced that SKE will be changing their label from Crown Records to Avex.

Avex is quite the monolith in the Japanese music industry, with countless sub-labels under their name for every genre of music, and distribute for many American artists as well. Amuro Namie, Hamasaki Ayumi, EXILE, SNSD, Koda Kumi and even Miley Cyrus are released under Avex in Japan. This presents a lot of intense promotional opportunities for SKE48.

We won’t know if this will directly affect SKE’s songs or PVs until we experience their next single, ‘Pareo no Emerald’, on July 27th. I’m hoping Avex will properly push SKE48 and financially back them up for quality releases while Akimoto is still able to reign over the creative side that keeps the quirky aspects of SKE that we know and love.

Dae

Recorded May 26h, 2011.

NSK sits down this week to talk about the first six episodes of Majisuka Season 2. A discussion about character development, plotlines, and predictions.

Subs can be found Here and Here.

Opening:

Yankee Soul – AKB48

Closing:

Majijo Teppen Blues – AKB48

[download]

Following the mature ‘Heroine ni Narou Ka’, ‘Ai no Dangan’ is a nice addition. This time they go in a more rock direction, with more bite and a catchier melody that I would say is an improvement and a fine direction for Berryz Kobou.

The chorus was was instantly embedded into my brain. I’d hum it, whistle it, and even tap to the chorus beat throughout the day. ‘Ai no Dangan’ had sunk its hooks deep into my head. It doesn’t help that I’ve been indulging myself by having it play on repeat even as I’m writing this review, but I’d say that’s a testament to the song’s solid composition and melody. This song sounds tailored to fit Berryz Kobou’s cast of voices, and gives it the extra edge compared to some of their past releases.

However, there’s more bad than good to be taken from ‘Ai no Dangan’s PV. There are moments of inspired ideas, but the presentation is so lackluster that it sucks out any impact that it could have made. It seems like all of the money was used on a big screen and a rental motorcycle. Seeing how Buono’s latest PV releases involved luxury cars and a yacht, I’m confused as to why there’s such a disparity between the quality of PVs in different groups. The basic set for this video is not unlike Shoujo Jidai’s PV ‘Mister Taxi’ that came out around the same time, but just look at the two:

‘Mister Taxi’ also has a giant screen displaying dynamic graphics during the dance scenes, but just look at how the set is dressed: Something as simple as a reflective floor and wall panels lights up the whole set and makes it more interesting to look at. One might say it’s unfair to compare the two because Shoujo Jidai had a bigger budget but if that’s what it takes to pull it off, maybe they should have gone in a different direction for ‘Ai no Dangan’.

That said, it deserves some credit in the creative department, because this PV uses its screen in almost every way possible, creating visual illusions and quirky arrangements I haven’t seen in an idol video. It’s just too bad that its faded screen, empty background, matte floor and lack of dynamic camera angles make the PV look more antiquated than modern, even with interesting ideas.

The outfits were surprising at first, but I grew to like them. I still wish they were more subtle than bright red latex, but seeing a H!P group take on a romanticized “spy” theme was refreshing and bold. The dance is noticeably more salacious than usual to fit the premise, and the music video does a decent job at showing the different dance formations.

To summarize it all, it seems like another classic case of a good song disserviced by a clunky and underwhelming PV.

SONG

PV

‘Ai no Dangan’
Berryz Kobou
Releases June 8th, 2011

Dae

The first results are in, and while it’s not indicative of how the final results will be, it’s still a very interesting result. Click below for the full list and commentary!

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As well as AKB has been doing in the past year, I never expect them to sell more than their previous hit. It’s easy to say, “Of course they sold well”, but we know this isn’t always going to be the case. Maybe it’s to keep myself from being disappointed or maybe it’s just because sales numbers aren’t end-all-be-all, but I figure every super idol group has to plateau somewhere in sales or popularity and start the gradual decline, even if the songs are as great as ever; So every time I see an announcement like this, it rocks my socks.

‘Everyday, Katchyusha’ sold a staggering 942,745 copies on its opening day. Their last single ‘Sakura no Ki ni Narou’, which held AKB’s record for the most ever sold in the first week, sold 942,479; falling a bit short of ‘Katchyusha’s first day sales.  And to think that this time last year, I was convinced that AKB wouldn’t be able to break a million.

It’s rare, but at times like this I love being wrong.

Dae

Expanding on an formula that AKB first capitalized on with Ponytail to Shu Shu, Everyday Katchusha releases this week with more girls, more Guam, and more Bikinis. When Ponytail was first released, I was a little put off by AKS parading around their girls in swimwear. I felt it would send the wrong message and well, attract the creepos. It’s difficult to make the girls look classy when they’re dancing around in two pieces, but I think it came across rather well, at least compared to some of the other Idoling groups.

I’m a fan of swimsuits, not just because I’m a guy and Idols are nice to look at. The design aspect of women’s clothing has always been somewhat foreign to me. I’m someone who values purpose over style and function over design. When Ponytail first released, I had this idea that I’d identify all the members by their outfits. The chance passed me by but with Kachuusha I’ve been given another chance to do some detective work.

So here’s my report. For all you Haters of Bikinis, this post is probably not for you.
Read more>

Recorded May 22h, 2011.

NSK sits down this week to talk about the new Morning Musume covers, Mano Erina’s new single, MM’s graduation concert, AKB’s newly promoted member, Kojima’s fainting spell, greedy fake camera men, talent in the idol industry, and more.

Opening:

Candy Pop – Kikkawa Yuu

Closing:

Chou Wonderful – C-ute
Sayonara Namida – Kikkawa Yuu

[download]

After the understated-but-powerful ‘Sakura no Ki ni Narou’, fans have been anticipating the upcoming summer single. Every major AKB release in the summer have been energetic blockbusters: ‘BINGO!’, ‘Namida Surprise’, and ‘Ponytail to Shushu’ were all great songs to kick off the season, and ‘Everyday Katchuusha’ is another first-rate addition that practically beckons summer to your doorstep.

Even for an upbeat idol song, ‘Everyday, Katchyusha’ has a surprising amount of tenacity and vigor. When put up side by side with the elegant ‘Ponytail to Shushu’, ‘Everyday, Katchyusha’ is almost boisterous in comparison. While ‘Ponytail’ invites you to a fun and pleasant day at the beach, ‘Katchyusha’ grabs you by the arm and drags you there. Every aspect of the song has a more assertive and kinetic quality than usual, from the choral aspect of the overlaying vocals to the downright zany musical track. There’s more than enough here for the song to stand out, even with its voluminous discography.

The PV is directed by filmmaker Katsuyuki Motohiro, best known for the mega-hit action series ‘Bayside Shakedown’, but also for his quirky comedies like ‘Summer Time Machine Blues’ and ‘Space Travelers’. Unfortunately, the film elements he’s known for has a faint presence in this PV, and opts for a very ambitious concept that I felt wasn’t able to come to full fruition. The music video is essentially pieces of visuals and narratives taken from a wide variety of past AKB PV releases, which were then rearranged and completely re-shot to fit into one universe. The end product is a fun game of “catch that reference”, but any sense of coherence in the PV is left in the dust. There’s too many starkly different things going on to have any fluidity in the progression of events leading up to the ending, leaving just the core themes and no real explanation.

Despite the choppy narrative, the PV is an impressive assortment of some stellar visuals. Strangely enough, the opening shot of Maeda Atsuko pedaling down the street for a over a minute before the song even starts became one of the most defining and beautiful shots of the PV. The cinematography is amazingly diverse and expressive, much of it in tune with bringing the setting of Guam to life. ‘Ponytail to Shushu’(also set in Guam) was my favorite PV of 2010, and while I would admit that ‘Katchyusha’ falls a bit short, there’s still a lot to like. Since AKB has reached their mainstream audience, I feel like they’re naturally going further into experimental territory, which is both exciting and terrifying. All of AKB’s releases since 2010 have offered more variety than I ever thought possible from one idol group, and I anxiously await the next.

SONG

PV

‘Everyday, Katchyusha’
AKB48
Releases May 25th, 2011

Dae

It’s been a confusing journey up to Kikkawa Yuu’s debut single ‘Kikkake wa Yuu!’. There was the initial confusion between the single and a film of same name about a (fictional?) documentary of Kikkawa Yuu’s debut, and then the confusion I felt when I found out that she was a finalist for 8th generation auditions but didn’t make it(yes, I’m late to the game), only to be in H!P Eggs for a tedious four years until she finally had her first major debut release this year on May 11th.

After having followed Mano Erina in the past year, I didn’t have high expectations for Kikkawa Yuu. Mano Erina has had fleeting glimpses of greatness, only to be buried in mediocre songs. Out of all of Hello!Project’s performers, I felt that the soloist ended up getting the least amount of attention and care in all aspects. So while I’ve harbored little to no optimism for Kikkawa Yuu, I can happily say that my preconceptions have been completely wrong.

I am completely smitten with this release. I don’t know if it’s because of Universal J’s involvement, but ‘Kikkake wa YOU!’ released with 4 different b-side songs(one for each version), which is hefty for a H!P single. The song quality has been cranked up to eleven; Her strong vocals and robust instrumentals sound fantastic together across the board. Her smooth and mature singing voice stands perfectly on its own, and is quickly becoming my favorite voice in all of H!P.

The PV has a narrative, albeit a bizarre one. There’s several things going on which seem interesting if you follow all the threads, but none of the follow-throughs really have the satisfying punch that they ought to. The lack of backdrops and the overbearing color palate of saturated yellows give the PV a cramped look, with the only different and spacious set being from a self-reflective “hall of mirrors” scene that I felt looked out of place. That said, Kikkawa Yuu is absolutely captivating. Her performance has such charisma and positive energy that you can’t help but be convinced that this is what she was born to do. The way she presents herself in the dance and close up shots is refreshingly vibrant and exudes confidence in her abilities like a seasoned pro.

This release definitely revived my interest in Hello!Project’s solo division. It’s always a pleasure to find unexpected treasures. What I got from Kikkawa Yuu is confident vocal ability, raw energy, versatility, and quality songs; something I still need to see from Mano Erina’s releases. I hope this release heralds a great new beginning for both of them.

SONG

PV

‘Kikkake wa YOU!’
Kakkawa Yuu
Releases May 11th, 2011

Dae