A new year with a new start

As this new year begins I plan on starting over with a few things with this blog to make it more active again. It will be a bit of a slow start up for now but I do plan on bringing some reviews back for now.

The reviews for the 2014 releases I purchased are still on the way. I do plan on doing this again in 2015, as I am enjoying doing it. It really gives me the chance to fully revisit these releases and remind myself of why I enjoy these, or sometimes not so much. So at least December and January will see a bit of an upswing in activity from this.

I do not think I am ready to get back into reviewing Shounen Club episodes weekly. I do plan on eventually doing so but until then I will try to do at least two a month to try to keep apace of the new episodes. By the end of the year I do want to be back to reviewing the episodes weekly but until I get all my schedules figured out I want to start small. In fact this month I may only get one episode done but I will start this up again no matter what.

I will be trying to have drama reviews every other Wednesday to try to catch up with my backlog. I have already begun on these reviews so I have given myself a grace period before I start to get to the point where I could fall behind. But I figure this will be the schedule for these reviews for at least this year, as there are plenty of dramas I need to watch. Not to mention movies and SPs that will also be in the mix.

Of course once I catch up with what I have I am not sure how I will go from there as the biggest resource I had for dramas is now gone. But this should at least get me through this year with what I have.

Outside of that I do want to do some other things but none have been fully planned out on what they will be. Once I have something I will announce it, but I do want to just focus on these two things for the near future. I do not want to bite off more than I want to chew after all.

Of course I will still be making posts when something new comes out for the groups I am following or any bits of Johnny's news that interest me. I hope in general to at least have about ten posts a month for 2015. Of course it will probably be an easy goal to reach near the end of the year when we should have the debut of the next FIVB group. That is definitely something that is exciting, but debuts always are.

So I hope these are things others will also be excited to follow on this blog. And hopefully keep this going, as I have no plans to stop blogging about Johnny's.

Johnny's WEST - Ee Jya nai ka LE WEST/RE single review

Regular Edition

Artist: Johnny's WEST
Title: Ee Jya nai ka
Release date:  02 APR 2014
Type: single
Version: Limited Edition Type C & Regular Edition

Limited Edition Type C

Packaging: The RE comes in a slim CD case while the LE gets a full sized one as it has to hold the CD and the DVD it comes with. The LE does have a couple of group shots for the back of CD.

The booklet for the RE gives us a few pages for group shots and three pages to divide the seven individual pictures on, as well as signatures from the members. It also contains the lyrics for all four songs included on the CD.

The LE Type C booklet is mostly a photo booklet. The lyrics to the two songs the CD has is just on a sheet of glossy paper that is not even attached to it. Instead we get a couple of group shots then a solo shot of each member with the DVD specs on the final page with one of the group shots.

The first press bonus for both was a poster. Each poster was different and based off the photo shoot for the cover. Though in the Type C it looks a lot like the group photo in the booklet but it is the same setting and outfits and the covers.

Tracks*:

1. ええじゃないか (Ee Jya nai ka)
When you are debuting a loud and boisterous group then it only makes sense to go with a loud and boisterous song. This song is just charged with energy and the chorus is really catchy. It really helps start the group on a strong note for this to be their debut song. The calls and responses in the song give it a festival feeling which just adds to the feeling of fun it is infused with. Plus everyone sounds good in it, which is nice as not everyone has the best range in the group even though there are some strong signers.

2. バンザイ夢マンサイ! (Banzai Yume Mansai!)
While not as strong a song as Ee Jya nai ka, BYM is still a fun energetic song. It has a bit more of a general pop sound to it but the instruments, like the horns, used in it help make it stand out and give it some nice flares. The rap parts feel a bit weak in the song but are not too distracting and are worked in to go with the flow of the song instead of breaking it up. Plus with all the switching of sounds in the song it is hard to argue that they do not fit.

3. その先へ… (Sono Saki e...)
Sono Saki e... gives the group a chance to show they can do more than energetic pop by being a nice ballad. Even though it is quite the switch in style following BYM it is still nice to have something this calm on the single. Also I never really felt things like having a musical flow really ever factored into singles like it does with albums so I do not have that expectation. But all that aside it is a nice standard pop ballad that helps show off another side to the main vocals of the group. My main issue would be that Shigeoka Daiki's voice sounds almost too soft for his solo lines and even with the softer music it seems to over power it. Sure the rest are singing softly as well but I do not have to strain myself to hear them.

4. 浪速一等賞! (Naniwa Ittou Shou!)
And after a ballad to slow things down Naniwa Ittou Shou! comes in full of the same kind of energy the first two tracks had. I personally love this song and it has a catchy chorus that is easy to sing along with. It is also a fun song to watch the group to perform live, which is where I fell in love with it.


* Just covering the RE as the LE only has the first two tracks and their karaoke versions.

DVD:

I think my project to review all the Morning Musume PVs has let me come to appreciate Johnny's PVs more. Sure nobody's back was being broken for the PV for Ee Jya nai ka, but it looked good and had enough going on with it to not only make it interesting but also want to watch again to see if you cannot catch something you missed before.

The PV gives the group two different settings, a set with their names in the background and a mock red carpet where they have reporters waiting to interview them. The first set they have casual clothes for while the other they are mainly in their red outfits, which were also used for the group's concert performances as well, and black suits.

Hamada Takahiro, Fujii Ryusei and Kamiyama Tomohiro have additional outfits as they play characters in the crowd of reporters. Hamada is a police man, Kamiyama as a blonde girl and Fujii in a business suit and afro.

There is a lot of little things going on in the PV that it keeps things visually interesting and the goofiness of it matches the song well.

The making of has the standard behind the scene footage of the guys actually having the PV filmed, watching others being filmed, goofing off around the set and getting to talk to the camera from time to time. Everyone gets a good amount of time to be seen and get a feel for their personalities.

There are also "interview" scenes included, which is basically each member of the group is asked some, usually basic, things about them like their name, age, hometown, hobbies and such by the other members of the group. These are good in matching member colors as each is bordered by the color of the member being interviewed.

Because the guys typically speak in Kansai-ben (a dialect of Japanese) there are plenty of subtitles thrown on the screen to help viewers follow what is being said. This is probably more help for those who know Japanese but they do have them color coded to match the members' group colors so you know who is saying what easily.

It ends with the group talking about the debut and PV shooting together which works out nicely as usually you have individual members doing so on their way out. So I appreciated that they spent the time to do so together on the set.


Overall: A great debut single with songs that do well to reflect the image the group is going for, fun and energetic. There is not a song on this that I do not like and will not usually listen to instead of skipping. The only one I might would be Sono Saki e... if just because it is an odd fit between all the energetic songs. I like ballads and all but usually I am in either a fun/energetic song mood or a ballad mood and do not tend to mix the two much.

The DVD with this LE version is a great for not only fans but even for those new to the group. It does well to introduce the members and figure out their personalities. Even though there clearly are members that are getting pushed more than others, like there is for any idol group, both the PV and the making of features still manage to give everyone a good amount of time in front of the camera so no one looked like they were getting shafted.

Listening to the CD and watching the DVD reminded me why I love this group so this is one release I am really glad I revisited for this.

Little Glee Monster - Little Glee Monster iTunes mini-album

Artist: Little Glee Monster
Title: Little Glee Monster
Release date:  16 MAR 2014
Type: mini album
Version: iTunes

Packaging: None, purchased from U.S. iTunes store.

Tracks:

1. What Time Is It
Japan was hit by High School Musical fever back when those movies were a thing and the fact that this track is even on this mini-album is a reminder of that fact. It was always a light pop song and that has not changed with this cover. It does have some of the best English pronunciation for all the songs on this and is not a bad song to kick things off with. It has energy to it, which works perfectly for the age of the girls and they add some harmonies that do well to show off their vocals even though this is probably one of the least vocally challenging songs included.

2. 能動的三分間 (Noudouteki Sanbunkan)
Tokyo Jiken is the band that popular female J-rock artist, Sheena Ringo, had for a few years before going back to being a soloist but they put out some great songs and Noudouteki Sanbunkan is definitely one of them. It has that distinct Sheena sound to it that makes it a stand out track and the girls do not sound like they had any trouble with the vocals of the song. Personally I love it when artists cover Sheena Ringo songs as they are great songs on their own so it is hard to go wrong with them as long as the singer is good.

3. 女々しくて (Memeshikute)
If you have been following J-pop in the past couple of years than there is a high chance you have heard this Golden Bomber song. In fact the group is still milking the song for all it is worth on the end of year music programs this year as well. That aside if you wanted to know what this song would sound like with good vocals LGM gives you your answer. They also add some vocal layers to the song that really helps the group make this version of the song their own. I honestly care very little of the original but have no trouble with listening to this cover of it, especially as they add harmonies that I do not believe were in the original but still manage to fit the song well.

4. If I Ain't Got You
The other all English song covered on this mini-album and the girls tackle an Alicia Keys song. This also gives us an abrupt switch in song style as we get into ballad territory from more quick tempo fare. It does get a bit Engrishy at times but that seems to depend on who is singing and it is probably understandable that Manaka tends to be the worst as she is also the youngest of the group. But a solid cover of the song over all and I love some of the harmonies in this.

5. 果てなく続くストーリー (Hatenaku Tsuzuku Story)
It seems rather fitting that after an English language power house the girls would cover a song from one of Japan's power house vocalists, MISIA. If you have not listened to MISIA before you are missing out as her five octave range makes an impressive singer no matter what she sings. That said I am quite glad that I am not so familiar with this song of her's as talented as the girls are they are no MISIA. But they do sound great even though they seem to lack the deep and rich tone of MISIA's voice but having more than one vocalists for this track kinda helps make up for that by making sure the places that are meant to sound full do, if just by having someone harmonizing with the lead vocal.

6. あとひとつ (Ato Hitotsu)
The album finishes the cover tracks with a song from Funky Monkey Babies. This is a rather basic J-pop ballad and LGM really don't seem to do much with it to put their own mark on the song. Sure it sounds nice but it is easily the most forgettable track on the mini-album, as there really was nothing all that special about the original song in the first place.

7. Harmony
This is the one original song on the mini-album for the group and ends it on a high note. Not to mention it gives the girls a song that really lets them shine as it is something actually specifically written for them. So with this we really get to hear what makes this group really stand out, harmonies and big voices. This is a fun song that probably would fit better near the beginning of the mini-album with the other uptempo songs.


Overall: Since Little Glee Monster is not an idol group, but rather a female vocal group, my expectations for them are a bit different than for an idol group. Especially when it comes to vocals, but LGM hits all the right notes for me with this mini-album. While it is mostly cover songs it helps give a good idea of the range of the girls and I do not believe these songs have been covered to death, which is nice, as on their youtube channel they have plenty of other covers with some of those overly covered songs.

Being mostly cover songs there is no real flow to this mini-album. There seems to be some kind of attempt with most of the uptempo songs being at the start with the ballads near the end. But placing Harmony at the end does not quite work then as it is no ballad. So it is probably better to listen to the songs one their own or shuffled with others than to listen to this as a whole.

Overall though it still works well in showcasing the group and the skill of the members and Harmony gives a good hint at what to expect from the group as they make the switch to doing more original songs for their major debut.

Nakayama Yuma - High Five RE single review

Artist: Nakayama Yuma
Title: High Five
Release date:  02 April, 2014
Type: single
Version: RE

Packaging: Like most releases from a Johnny's label the CD case is slim with only enough room for a front jacket and  the CD itself. The jacket is the lyric booklet but has a couple pages to use on extra photos of Yuma, though one page is shared with the track listing for the CD.

I rather like the cover. It may be simple but it looks good and ties in well with the title track. And of course it helps that Yuma is looking good as well.

The first press came with a poster, but I did not care for the photo of Yuma they picked for it. I would have much rather had it be a poster version of the cover or something than him just standing looking forward.

Tracks:

1. High Five
A rather standard J-pop song. The beginning comes off as weak but once it hits the chorus for the first time things pick up and the following versus are stronger. The chorus is really the best part of the song but even then it just does not really grab me. But it is one of the stronger tracks on the single so I cannot fault it for being the A-side.

2. 愛までがナイフ (Ai made ga Knife)
Easily the strongest B-side track and it was no surprise that Yuma was performing the song before the song came out on Shounen Club. In fact it could have been an A-side along with High Five and would not have felt out of place. It is more of a dance pop song and has this interesting background choral part in it that grabs my attention. It gives it an epic feel to it, though it never goes too much further in that direction.

3. so Crazy
A rather tame pop song that never feels like it goes anywhere. I do get bored listening to this song and it gets skipped often for basically any of Yuma's other songs. I really do not have anything else to say about the song as so little of it makes any kind of impact on me.

4. BLOSSOM TREE
A slow paced song that I like, though Yuma's voice sounds strained at times during it. But it has a nice build up throughout the song and while it is far from being one of Yuma's more stand out songs is still a nice one to listen to from time to time.


Overall: I feel that after loving Missing Piece so much I had my hopes too high for this single. While the single is not bad there just is not a lot there that I really love. Especially when the single before and the one after it have songs that I do love on them. And honestly this single put me on the fence with continuing to follow Yuma's music releases and thankfully Get Up! was a stronger single and rejuvenated my interest in those releases.

That said I do find myself liking the songs on this single a bit more than I recall when I first heard them. But I doubt they will end up as favorites but I will not skip over them so much when listening to Yuma's songs.

Looking at 2014 releases

Since I am doing reviews for the Johnny's 2014 releases that I purchased it only seemed natural to do the same for the groups I follow on this blog. The list will be much smaller as I just do not follow as many active female idols as I do Johnny's and I really only started following some near the end of the year anyway.

Releases that will be reviewed:

Little Glee Monster - Little Glee Monster iTunes mini-album(16MAR2014)
Chu-Z - Chu-Z My Music Type C mini-album (09JUL2014)
Chu-Z - Bombastic Type B/C single (01OCT2014)
DIVA - Discovery Type A single (08OCT2014)
Morning Musume '14 - Tiki Bun RE A single (15OCT2014)
Little Glee Monster - Hokago High Five iTunes single (29OCT2014)
Morning Musume '14 - 14 Shou ~The Message~ iTunes album (29OCT2014)

I'll be doing these as I review the Johnny's releases so I should hopefully be done by the end of the month.

And for anyone curious to what the iTunes indicates for some of the releases it just means I purchased the single or album off of the U.S. iTunes store so they may be different than the physical release, like not having a booklet or any bonus items.

7th Anniversary!

I cannot really believe it but as of toady this blog has hit its 7th anniversary. It may seem to be on life support now but I refuse to give up on it and I am laying down some plans so hopefully next year things will be a bit more lively.

Overall I am really amazed that I have kept this going for so long. And I really have no plans to completely quit this either. Maybe cut back on how much I post but never close this blog up or stop blogging about Johnny's in general.

In the past year or so I feel my interest in Johnny's changing. I am growing more content with following more on the debuted groups/artists that I like and less on the Juniors for example. I really do feel that once the Bakaleya6 debut or stop being featured regularly as Juniors for whatever reason than I will lose my last major link of interest in the Juniors. Not that I do not think there are not plenty of newer talented Juniors, but to me the Bakaleya6 seem to represent the era of Juniors I came in on when learning about them. So when they are no longer featured as Juniors I feel that era will have ended and it just seems like a good time to let that be a cut off for me.

Especially as I get older I find myself less interested in the younger Juniors and even groups. These days I find my interest in groups like TOKIO, NEWS and Kis-My-Ft2 growing stronger, and I do feel it is partly because of their ages. And Johnny's WEST being the newest group I am most interested in does not seem to be surprising in that light. Though I do not want to rule out not becoming interested in any future new groups, but I am more willing to wait for Juniors to debut before paying more attention to them now.

Yet despite all that change I know I am not giving up on Johnny's. At this point I have well passed the point of no return and will probably follow these groups for as long as they are around. And as long as I do that I will want to share my love for them and that was what this blog was created for after all.

So I hope I can keep counting the years for many years to come for this blog. And that others will continue to join me in sharing the love for Johnny's.

Kis-My-Ft2 - Hikari no Signal RE single review

Artist: Kis-My-Ft2
Title: Hikari no Signal
Release date:  05 MAR 2014
Type: single
Version: RE

Packaging: The regular edition comes in a standard CD case with a front and back cover. Being the first press of the RE it comes with one of two types of photo booklets. The photo booklet has a solo photo of each member then a group shot with the solo shots being basic head shots and they are all in the outfits they are wearing on the cover. Unfortunately. Because honestly those things are rather ugly and the guys look creepy on this cover.

Tracks:

1. 光のシグナル (Hikari no Signal)
I love this song. I honestly did not think I would but it has grown on me and I just adore it now. Even though this is for a Doraemon theme song the song never goes into cutesy territory and stick to being a solid pop track. I love the flourishes in the music, especially entering the chorus from the versus. The chorus is nice a catchy and I find myself singing along with it. Also Tamamori Yuta's voice works surprisingly well in the song despite not having nearly the same range as some of the other members of the group.

2. ずっと ～You are my Everything～ (Zutto ~You are my Everything~)
This B-sides falls into the dance pop style that Kisumai took up with their debut. Zutto is my favorite B-side for the single, with having a lot of what I like in a song, a driving beat and change ups with the sound of the music. This song also places the vocals mostly on Kitayama Hiromitsu and Fujigaya Taisuke so those sound solid. And Tamamori sounds fine with his main solo line, but I think they have just gotten good with giving him things in his vocal range.

3. Crush! Crush! Crush!
This track is more standard pop but very energetic and the kind of song I would want to listen to if I want to be active. This track gets a rap section that gets split between Tamamori and Fujigaya that works, though I think Fujigaya has the better voice for it. But then again he has been practicing his rapping for much longer and has created a style for it. Outside of that the group has plenty of songs like this and Crush! Crush! Crush! does not really stand out much from those. Still not a bad song, just on the forgettable side of things.


Overall: A good single from the group and a good show that while a song may be used for a something for children it does need to be cutesy to work. And I love one of the B-sides while the other I like, I just would have a hard time remembering about it if I was compiling a list of favorite Kisumai songs.

I know I must sound harsh towards Tamamori but I really do like him. His talents just do not lie with his singing abilities. Though he is still leagues above Yokoo Wataru who seems to be well on his way on becoming the Nakai Masahiro of the group when it comes to musical talent. But I do love them both, just my love is not completely tone-deaf.

So overall I enjoy the single and I do like that the group broke away a bit from their usual dance pop sound for the title track. If they are to make it in the long run variety will aid them greatly as can be seen with their sempai groups and the eclectic discographies they have, so this is a good addition to their own.

Hey! Say! JUMP - AinoArika / Aisureba Motto Happy Life RE single review

Artist: Hey! Say! JUMP
Title: AinoArika / Aisureba Motto Happy Life
Release date: 05 FEB 2014
Type: single
Version: Regular Edition

Packaging: Being the regular edition it is as basic as it can be. The jewel CD case is slim so there is no room for a back slip of paper for a back image, you just see the CD itself. The CD jacket just has the cover, a track listing and lyrics. This is the first press of the RE so the CD is pictured labeled, which just means there is a picture on the CD itself. For this it is solo images of the group members.

Tracks:

1. AinoArika
Why o' why did they add a rap to this song? It was a perfectly good song that did not need an awkward rap break in the middle of it to ruin the flow of the music. And who mixes a rap in the middle of an upbeat energetic song with classical instruments? Yet despite that one glaring annoyance I have with the song I still find myself enjoying it. I just wish there was a version minus the rap so I could enjoy it more.

2. 愛すればもっとハッピーライフ (Aisureba Motto Happy Life)
A cute song that also gets an awkward break around the middle, but instead of a rap it is some DRM thrown in for what I am assuming is a dance break. It does not come off as anything special to me as HSJ has plenty of cute, poppy, upbeat songs and this one is not as strong as some of the others. Also for a group that is supposed to be moving towards a more mature image this feels like a step back for them.

3. Oh! My Jelly! ～僕らはOK～ (Oh! My Jelly ~Bokura wa OK~)/ Hey! Say! 7
This song had to have been written for the CM tie-in it was attached to. Or I would hope so or it would mean Johnny's had a song about Jelly lying around just in case. That said the song is more in the vein of the second A-side and goes for a cute and upbeat pop sound. And again there are better songs that HS7 has that are the same style which makes this one feel rather forgettable.

4. スギルセツナ (Sugiru Setsuna)/ Hey! Say! BEST
I am happy that HSB does not disappoint. They have my favorite song on this single, and not just because of my bias for the sub-unit for Takaki Yuya being a part of it. Though AinoArika would be just as loved if it was missing the rap. Sugiru Setsuna has the more mature sound that one would expect from a group of over 20s even though like the rest of the songs on the single it is rather upbeat and poppy. It just lacks the cute and a section of the song that pulls the listener out of it.

5-8. (karaoke tracks)


Overall: This single is a great showcase of my frustration with the group. AinoArika is the kind of song you would expect them to be releasing as they mature as a group but then you have something like Aisureba Motto Happy Life pulling them back into the young and cute image they have never been able to shake.

And honestly the cute would not be so much an issue if it were better and less generic. I never forgot how AinoArika went like during the year but even after only just listening to Aisureba Motto Happy Life I cannot tell you how it goes. Same with Oh! My Jelly!, which is easily outshone by previous HS7 unit songs in all categories. So this single ends up being half good and half bland.

Tegomass - Tegomass no Seishun RE album review

Artist: Tegomass
Title: Tegomass no Seishun
Release date: 22 JAN 2014
Type: album
Version: Regular Edition

Packaging: The basic CD case with booklet. The booklet is a lyric booklet with photos of the duo interspersed within its pages. The pages that have the lyrics for Neko Chudoku in it does have cat photos from the contest Tegomass had asking for fans to submit photos of their cats.

Tracks:

1. 蒼色ジュブナイル (Aoiro Juvenile)
Not a bad track to start the album off with. It fits well with the style of songs that Tegomass usually sing and is nice and upbeat. Though it is not a song I listen to often as I do not find much about it that stands out. But it works well as background music and it does have that Tegomass standard feel to it.

2. ハルメキ (Harumeki)
This is the first song on the album that catches my attention. The string instruments used in it really help set it apart and work well with adding energy and fullness to it. It also helps that the song has a driving drum line running through it, as I am a complete sucker for songs with that. Harumeki is easily one of my favorite album songs on this.

3. いつかの街 (Itsuka no Machi)
Another track that falls well within the standard sound for Tegomass. But I rather like it. It is a bit slower than the previous track and I just love the sound of the duo's voices blending in this. Though I do enjoy listening to the song I will admit it is one that I can easily forget as it does little to really stand out among everything else in their discography.

4. DONUTS
A Tegomass album would not be complete without a song that is titled after a food. DONUTS is that track for this album and I rather enjoy. I would consider this to be a light and sweet song by the music and continues the upbeat trend the album began with. We get a some light choral vocals in the vein of gospel music near the end that adds nicely to the song though they are used minimally.

5. ファンタジア (Fantasia)
While there is nothing I would consider wrong with Fantasia at this point of the album it does not seem to offer anything unique to it. Perhaps if this was the first Tegomass album I had ever listened to it would stand out more to me but seeing as it is the fourth instead it does not. By the end of listening to the album I cannot recall much of anything about the song as it just seems to blend in with everything else.

6. タイムマシン (Time Machine)
I find this song to be the most forgettable one on the album. Like the previous song there just is so little that makes it stand out not only among Tegomass' other songs but the album itself. It also lacks any real or strong hook which also helps keep it so very bland. It is still nice to listen to but so easily forgettable and works best as background music that you do not have to pay much attention to.

7. サヨナラにさよなら (Sayonara ni Sayonara)
The first of the two single tracks included in the album. It has this sweetness that I just love as well as the little shifts with the instruments throughout the song. The chorus just has this wonderfully full sound to it and everything just sounds so great put together. I doubt I can truly explain what it is about this song I love so much but I do love it a lot.

8. 少年 ～Re:Story～ (Shounen ~Re:Story~)
This is probably the only song on the album that I feel can really rival the single tracks. The start of the song does not grab me much but once it hits the chorus for the first time it finally hits its stride and continues on strong for the rest of the song. It also gives the album a burst of energy after a couple of slower songs without being too different to make the transition jarring.

9. innocence
That transition of course is quite needed as we get nearer to Neko Chudoku that innocence sounds quite suited to lead into with a change up in style. It gives us something more funky in sound and continues to bring some more life into this album. A great break from everything that has been on the album so far while not really straying from the usual Tegomass sound.

10. 猫中毒 (Neko Chudoku)
The other single song included in the album but it could not be more different than the other. Easily the most energetic song on the entire album and incredibly catchy. It is easily one of the songs that you will remember well after listening to the album and with the build up from the previous two songs fits well where it is.

11. 色鮮やかな君が描く明日の絵 (Iro Azayaka na Kimi ga Egaku Ashita no E)
Another energetic song though a step down from Neko Chudoku but in no way bad for it. While I do not feel it to be as strong as Shounen ~Re:Story~ it is still one of the stronger songs on the album. The use of the fiddle really helps it out and makes it complement Neko Chudoku well.

12. ヒカリ (Hikari)
And then we get a complete change of pace with Hikari that is a much slower song compared to the ones before it. It does build up some for the chorus but the slow start to it makes it a bit jarring after Iro Azayaka na Kimi ga Egaku no E. It also falls into the bland category, not really bringing anything new to the album in sound but it is one of the nicer songs to listen to and has some dynamics to it with the verses being slower to lead into a build up for the chorus. And it would work well as a final track for the album, which for the limited edition it was.

13. きれいごと (Kireigoto)
The first bonus track for the regular edition. It is a nice ballad that makes great use of the tender side of Tegoshi's voice. Even though the song does build up to something strong it never completely loses the softness to it. It is one of the stand out tracks of the album for me and makes getting the RE well worth it.

14. 月の友達 (Tsuki no Tomodachi)
Another stand out track that comes off as dynamic compared to most of the other album songs. While not as upbeat as Neko Chudoku it is something more in that vein, which keeps it from blending in with the rest. Especially the "ore no doku e koi  tsuki made tsuite koi" line that has the music change up for it.


Overall: I do not want to say this is a bad album it is just one that has a lot of songs that for Tegomass seem really safe for them, especially in the first half. My favorite album for the duo is their debut album, Tegomass no Uta, and a part of that was the variety of the songs. Tegomass no Seishun on the other hand does not stray far from the main style of the group which makes many of the songs just blend in with each other. There are some standout tracks and it does get stronger in the second half but even then there are few that really sound like they are on par with the single tracks.

The album tracks complement the single tracks enough that they do not feel like sore thumbs mixed in with them for the most part. In fact I think they did well with the transition needed to get Sayonara ni Sayonara and Neko Chudoku to work being on the same album with how different the two songs sound. The only time that a song felt really jarring was with Hikari. The bonus tracks also did not flow so much with the rest of the album, but being bonus tracks it is forgivable for those.

The bonus tracks come off as a couple of the stronger songs and I would recommend that fans pick up the regular edition for them.

And honestly I do like this album better than their previous one, Tegomass no Mahou. So while it does not live up to their debut album it is at least an improvement over the previous one.

Looking at Johnny's Releases 2014

The end of 2014 is neigh and I figured I wanted to do some kind of review for some of the releases I bought from the Johnny's that I follow. After some more thought I have decided that I will be doing brief reviews for all 2014 releases that I purchased throughout the rest of this month and a bit in January, as there are two releases from 2014 that I will not be getting until 2015 because I ordered them with NEWS' upcoming single.

Full list of what I'll be reviewing in order of release date:

Tegomass - Tegomass no Seishun RE album (22JAN2014)

Hey! Say! JUMP - AinoArika / Aisureba Motto Happy Life RE single (05FEB2014)

Kis-My-Ft2 - Hikari no Signal RE single (05MAR2014)

Nakayama Yuma - High Five RE single (02APR2014)

Johnny's WEST - Ee Jya nai ka LE WEST/RE single (23APR2014)

TOKIO - LOVE, HOLIDAY RE single (21MAY2014)

NEWS - ONE -for the win- LE A/RE single (11JUN2014)

Hey! Say! JUMP - smart RE 1st press album (18JUN2014)

Kis-My-Ft2 - Kis-My-Journey RE album (02JUL2014)

Busaiku - Tei Tei Tei Terette Teretei Tei Tei ~Dare no Ketsu~ LE B single (27JUL2014)

Johnny's WEST - go WEST Yoidon! RE album(06AUG2014)

Kis-My-Ft2 - Another Future RE single (13AUG2014)

Nakayama Yuma - Get Up! RE single(10SEP2014)

Johnny's WEST - Zipangu Ooki ni Daisakusen / Yume wo Daikishimete RE single (08OCT2014)

Kanjani8 - Kanjanism RE album (05NOV2014)

Nakayama Yuma - Chapter 1 RE album (26NOV2014)

Kis-My-Ft2 - Thank youJan! (24DEC2014)

I hope to get through them all by the end of January at least as there are only 17 releases. Of course the albums will probably take the most time but there are only six of them. And I hope to get the first review up either later today or tomorrow. 

Kis-My-Ft2's upcoming concert DVD/BD or how much money does Avex think fans have?

Kis-My-Ft2 will be releasing their previous winter concert from 2014 on home video. There are two versions on DVD and one version on BD and it will come out February 4th.

The first DVD is a limited edition that will come with three discs. The first disc will have the concert, the second will have the encore, multi-angles for three of the concert performances, member angles for  three other songs, as well as the MCs of the four dome concerts. The third disc is a documentary of the tour.

2014 Concert Tour Kis-My-Journey (Title subject to change) [Limited Edition] / Kis-My-Ft2

The second DVD is the regular edition that has only two discs. The first disc is the same as the LE then the second disc will have the encore, a triple encore, an epilogue video.

2014 Concert Tour Kis-My-Journey (Title subject to change) [Regular Edition] / Kis-My-Ft2

The BD will have two discs as well. The first disc has both the concert and the encore. The second disc will have a special corner done at the concerts and will have it for all the dome concerts. And also on that disc there will be a "member making video" that will focus on two members for each, with Senga Kento being paired up with something for the full group.

2014 Concert Tour Kis-My-Journey (Title subject to change) / Kis-My-Ft2

So basically if you want all the extra footage from the concert tour you need all three versions. And I guess I am glad that the BD is not just the RE version though it seems to defeat the purpose of having a BD version in the first place, to have everything on the DVD versions but in HD. I hope Avex figures out how to do a proper BD release in the future as there is no way I can afford all those versions. So instead I am just going to aim for the BD eventually.

Little Glee Monster's busy March 2015

Little Glee Monster look to be set for 2015 as they have two announcements for March out already. The first is that their second single will be released on March 4th and the second is that they will be doing a one man tour that will have them performing in Tokyo (April 19), Nagoya (March27) and Osaka (March 26).

OHP (Japanese)


I am excited for their next single, I have been enjoying all their releases so far and like the original material they have been getting as well as the covers that they have been doing. I hope they continue doing a mix of both.

Of course I am most happy that they have been good with getting their releases up on iTunes, as it saves quite a bit of money for me to be able to buy their music off of the US iTunes instead of having to import their CDs. Not to mention not having to worry about anything going out of print.

And for a group that is still up and coming even though they have gone major a three city one man tour is a pretty big thing. I can only assume the dates chosen though are those that will align with school breaks though as being a young group they do need to deal with school being mandatory for its members.

Still I would love to be able to go to one of their concerts. From the footage they have on their Youtube account they are amazing to see live.

Sailor Moon Crystal - Episode Thoughts 12

Things speed towards the finale of the first story arc as the Sailor Guardians are set to face Queen Metalia. And we get one of the bigger cliffhanger endings for an episode.

Johnny's WEST Paradise

Johnny's WEST is set for their first single of 2015 with the announcement of the release of Zundoko Paraside to be released February 4th. Like their previous single release it will come with three different editions. Though instead of clear files for the first press bonuses like their debut single it will be posters instead. Each version will come with a different poster.

The first limited edition (Type A) will be the standard LE with DVD that will have the music video and making of for the title track. It will also come with a B-side that will be on all three editions, SAKURA ~Tabidachi no Uta~. It will also have the karaoke tracks for the two songs which are only included in the LEs. It will have a four page booklet.

Zundoko Paradise [w/ DVD, Limited Edition/Type A] / Johnny's West

The second LE (Type B) will also come with a DVD, but it will include digest footage from one of the group's debut events. (It is listed to be about 30 minutes long.) It will also have a 12 page booklet.

Zundoko Paradise [w/ DVD, Limited Edition/Type B] / Johnny's West

The regular edition will have two bonus B-side tracks, Seishun Wo!! and Time goes by. It will have an eight page booklet.

Zundoko Paradise [Regular Edition] / Johnny's West

And CDJapan is offering a bundle of all three versions that will include the first press bonus posters of all three editions as well.

Zundoko Paradise [Bundled Set of All 3 Editions] / Johnny's West

I am happy to see that JWEST is set to release their next single. Hopefully this means they will be on track for a summer album release in 2015.

And since the regular edition is the only version with bonus tracks I do not feel much pressure to pre-order this immediately and can wait for something else to be announced to pre-order with it. Though I doubt it will be something from Johnny's outside the chance TOKIO may be ready to finally release a new single. Either way it will not be long for me to get my latest bundle of Johnny's goodness and it looks like this release could be the start of the next one after.

Johnny's 2015-2016 calendars

It is that time of the year, the annual Johnny's calendars are up for pre-order. All groups from Hey! Say! JUMP on will have a calendar and the Juniors will have their usual calendar.

First up of course is HSJ. It looks like it will come with a lot to make fans happy as not only will there be the actual wall calendar but it will come with stickers and a 144 page dairy.

Hey! Say! JUMP Calendar 2015.4 - 2016.3 [2015 Calendar] / Hey! Say! JUMP

Kis-My-Ft2 will have a weekly  desktop calendar that will come with message cards according to the CDJapan listing. They happen to be the only ones with any kind of description of what to expect for their calendar at this point.

Kis-My-Ft2 2015.4-2016.3 Calendar [2015 Calendar] / Kis-My-Ft2

Next is Sexy Zone. What is worrisome about this calendar is that there is an image floating around for all the calendars and for the group only the older three are featured.

Sexy Zone Calendar 2015.4 - 2016.3 Johnny's Official Calendar (Title subject to change) [2015 Calendar] / Sexy Zone

A.B.C-Z will be a wall calendar and will come with a photo book.

A.B.C-Z 2015.4 -> 2016.3 Johnny's Official Calendar [Calendar 2015] / A.B.C-Z

Johnny's WEST seems to mention Okinawa, so I am assuming that is the location where all the photos for the calendar will be set.

2015.4 - 2016.3 Johnny's WEST Calendar [2015 Calendar] / Johnny's WEST

Johnny's Juniors do not really have anything up to say what exactly their calendar will be. It will either be some kind of book or come with one as there are plenty of Juniors to feature in it as it is every year.

Johnny's Jr. Calendar 2015.4-2016.3 [2015 Calendar] / Johnny's Juniors

While I passed on getting a calendar last year I think I may see about getting one this time around. Especially since my love for Kisumai has resurged so I would like to have one of theirs. With their ages they may not have long getting these kinds of releases as these do tend to go to the groups with younger members. Which makes sense as these are school calendars.

In any case I always like seeing what the calendars are like as some end up being really nice or creative.

Chu-Z fight-o!

Not only does Chu-Z have an upcoming single to look forward to but they may also win the chance at a CM deal. The TV show Idol Otakarakuji are having a contest between idol groups to see who will get to do a CM for SEGA's Phantasy Star NOVA PSP game.

The five current finalist are; Chu-Z, UPUPGIRLS（仮）, The Possible, Alice in Alice, and Idol Renaissance.

Famitsu article (Japanese)


I have heard of UPUPGIRLS（仮）and The Possible but not the other two groups. But it looks like Chu-Z have plenty of competition. I wish them well as a CM deal for them at this point would be pretty big for the group. So I shall be wishing them the best as they compete.A

NEWS' Kaguya

Continuing with catching up with recently announced releases there is more information for NEWS' upcoming single KAGUYA.

LE type A

The untitled B-side that will be on all three editions of the single is titled Butterfly.

LE type B

The B-side that is exclusive to the LE B is titled TRAVeLiNG.

Regular Edition

The B-sides exclusive to the regular edition are Wasurenagusa and TOP OF THE WORLD.


Also just want to say the covers for all the editions are all rather lovely. The LEs are the best but I just love the colors used in all of them. And from the PV preview that is out they look to be from the sets of the PV, which makes that something to anticipate even more.

That said from the small snippet of song that can be heard I do not think I can weigh in if I like the song or not so far. I really need to hear more, and thankfully the wait should not be too much longer. I am also really glad I was able to get the bundle of all three editions in the end as there is no way I would be happy if I missed out on any of the editions.

Thank Youjan Kis-My-Ft2!

For some reason I did not think to check up on the upcoming releases that I am getting until now so there are a couple of things I need to catch up on. First off is that the rest of the information for Kis-My-Ft2's single, Thank Youjan, has been released.

We have the cover art for the CD jackets. The top is for the LE type A, middle LE type B and the bottom is the RE. Kinda boring honestly but it is nice to see that the usual divide with the group isn't all that visible in the covers.

The B-sides that will be on the regular edition have had their titles released. Both are Christmas themed from the sounds of it: Holy night with you and Christmas Kiss.


Also I did watch the group perform the song recently and I was filled with so much joy to see that S-My-2 got a decent amount of screen time. And when I say that I mean they actually got to be in the front and be clearly seen singing the song with KiFt, as well as having outfits that matched with them. I knew eventually this would happen and it looks like Busaiku really helped with getting the group there. Just hope it continues as the future for Kisumai is bound to be brightest when they all get to shine.

Sailor Moon Crystal - Episode Thoughts 11

SMC is back! And gives us a set up episode for the finale of the Dark Kingdom saga as well as a cliffhanger ending that is going to make waiting for the next episode rather painful.

Flower Arches and Brand Boys for Chu-Z

Chu-Z has announced their second major single and first single for the year 2015 with the double A-side Hana no Arch/Brand Boy. It is set to be released on February 11th and will come in three versions, though the only difference between them will be the CD jacket. The CD contents are all the same with the two title tracks and their karaoke tracks included on all of them.

Hana no Arch/Brand Boy [Type-A] / Chu-Z

Hana no Arch/Brand Boy [Type-B] / Chu-Z

Hana no Arch/Brand Boy [Type-C] / Chu-Z

They will also be releasing a concert DVD of their oneman concert at Shinagawa Stella Ball back in October and it will come out the same day as the single.

Chu-Z My Live 2014 - Chu-Z Train Shinagawa Stellar Ball ni Teisha Chu / Chu-Z

I am a bit disappointed that the single is not like the previous releases and does not have bonus tracks for two of the versions though. I loved Bling Bling Princess' iya iya iya from Bombastic and in general I am a sucker for bonus tracks. But I am still happy to know that there will be some new music from the group I can enjoy in the near future. And hopefully as a double A-side that puts us that much closer to the group's first full album.

In any case this release comes at a perfect time as I have yet to pre-order a copy of Michishige Sayumi's graduation concert BD and since these share a release date with it they will be a perfect addition to that order for me. And since the only difference with the single types is the cover art then I have no issue with only getting one of them and save some money.

All the Johnny's

While the factions seem to split the groups on just about every other program there looks to be one that is above all that. Or at least one that will be able to for one night this year with FNS Kayousai announcing that all debuted Johnny's will be a part of a special 25 minute tribute to Kondo Masahiko (Matchy). Matchy will be celebrating his 35th anniversary since his debut and all his kouhai are invited to help celebrate.

Arama! Japan article (English)


Of course there seems to be some omissions. The soloists Yamashita Tomohisa and Nakayama Yuma appear to be missing from the list for whatever reason. Rumor is that Yamapi may still be in trouble from his phone scandal but that does not explain Yuma not being there as he is scandal free. Not to mention with Yuma's debut album just out it would be perfect for him to be on the year end programs. That said it is no surprise that Imai Tsubasa is missing as he was hospitalized a couple of weeks ago to treat his Meniere's Disease, which has put all his activities on hold for now.

In any case this is still exciting news for Johnny's fans as it is so rare to see so many Johnny's together for anything these days. But it seems Matchy is well above any of the factions at his level of seniority and this proves that. I cannot wait to see the performances, even though I doubt everyone will be together at the same place for them, but it still has the potential to be rather epic even then.