This is frustrating as Johnny's is definitely headed to being more available internationally yet the use of region blocking by Japanese companies is a familiar hurdle international fans have been stuck with for years. When Sexy Zone switched labels to a label with Universal it was to understood it was in part to help them reach a more global audience. So the region blocking is pretty disappointing. Especially since Johnny's, who seem to drag their feet in doing anything that brings them into the 21st century, know better than to that if they want to reach an international audience. I hope Johnny's is able to get the labels their groups are with to get on the same page and region restrictions can become a thing of the past.
Wednesday, October 28, 2020
A step forward but with an old stumbling block for Sexy Zone
The other day Youtube recommended me a video of the dance shot version of Sexy Zone's NOT FOUND, the title track of their upcoming single, which of course I watched immediately as nothing made me happier than seeing the group performing as five again.
Of course seeing that the dance version was out I went to see if the regular version of the music video was also available, and it was. Sort of. As while the dance version is on Johnny's official Youtube channel the normal edition of the music video is on the Universal Music Japan Youtube channel and is region restricted. I can only assume it is only available for those in Japan, I am in the U.S. and it is well and truly blocked for me.
Tuesday, October 27, 2020
Finding a Treasure and possibly Enhypen -ing
I know it was not too long ago that I went over the K-pop groups that I am interested in but I am going to have to add to that list already. And then maybe add one more group beyond that.
Treasure has been a group that I have been on the fence about, I loved their first single but was not as enamored with their second single though I did like it. But I found myself coming back to the group again and again, then finally took the time to watch some of their videos on Youtube and there was no turning back after that. I have a favorite member with Asahi but really like Yoshi and Hyunsuk as well. If anything I am just going to be glad they are a new group so there is not much to catch up on. Though they are on a release blitz with a new single being released November 6th and they are supposed to be releasing an album in December.
I am interested in Enhypen as I love the concept for the group that has been seen so far. But I cannot make a final decision until I actually hear what kind of music they will be releasing. And since K-pop does not release the music video of the main track of a release until the day of I will be waiting until November 30th to do so. But if I like their music as much as their concept then I will be adding them to my list.
But I seriously hope I like their music as I am loving this vampire-esque vibe from their debut trailer.
That said I am hitting the point where I know I cannot take on following anymore groups than these two. I just would not have the time or the money for it. Especially if 2PM starts activities again next year.
Saturday, October 24, 2020
Snow Man's 3rd single announced
We have a release date for Snow Man's third single but not much else. None of the song track titles are known, including the title track, but it is set to release January 20th of 2021. And it looks like the release will be like their second single with 3 versions, 2 limited editions and one regular edition.
The first limited edition is the usual CD and DVD combo. The CD will have the title track as well as a B-side not on the other limited edition. No mention of what the DVD will contain yet.
The second limited edition is the same CD and DVD combo. The CD will have the title track as well as a B-side not on the other limited edition. No mention of what the DVD will contain yet either.
Snow Man
The regular edition is just the CD that has all the songs from the other versions as well as an exclusive B-side track and the karaoke versions of all the songs.
It is surprising to have a single announcement so far out from the release date for a Johnny's act, or more specifically the fact that this is already available to pre-order. Mostly because of how little information is available about the release. I would assume that they would at least have the title for the A-side at least.
Despite that I am happy to see that the wait for Snow Man's next single will not be nearly as long as the wait between their debut and second single. And it is not surprising as the sales for their second single was really strong so it only makes sense to continue the momentum from that. Plus adding to Snow Man's discography is always a plus.
Tuesday, October 13, 2020
NiziU's debut single track list trying to Make You Happy again
The full track list for NiziU's upcoming debut single has been released and it looks like all four tracks on the single will be song tracks.
Of course only three songs on the single are going to be new as it looks like Make You Happy is getting a physical release with this single. So in overview all versions of the single will have the title track, two new B-sides, Joyful and Sweet Bomb! and well as the pre-debut song Make You Happy.
While I am slightly disappointed in not getting more in the way of new songs from the group I am glad that we are getting as many as we are. It could have easily been the title track a B-side and then karaoke versions for the other two tracks. Plus with some members of the group still in high school I can see the lack of new songs being in consideration of that as Japanese child labor laws could be reducing the amount of time some of them have to work.
With the pre-debut songs plus the new songs for NiziU's debut single it is not a bad start to their discography. One that if they follow the usual Japanese release schedule that should grow at a steady pace and the following single for this one should be out in Spring. Plenty of time for fans to save up for it.
Saturday, October 10, 2020
King & Prince make a promise
What is the end of the year without a glut of new releases just in time for the holiday season? For Johnny's they have another release to add to their list with King & Prince releasing a new single on December 16th, titled I promise. And with the release news we have all the information for it except what the cover art will look like. The single will have three editions that can be purchased in stores, two limited editions and then a regular edition.
The first limited edition will be a CD and DVD combo. The CD will have the title track and a B-side exclusive song titled Little Christmas. The DVD will have the music video and the first part of the making of video for the music video. The first press of this version will come with a sticker.
The second limited edition will also be a CD and DVD combo. The CD will have the title track and a B-side exclusive song titled Happy Holy Night. The DVD will have the dance version of the music video and the second part of the making of video for the music video. The first press of this version will come with a clear poster.
The regular edition is just a CD but comes with two exclusive B-side songs, Winter Love Story and Glad to see you, with the title track. The first press version of this will come with an eco bag.
There will also be a 7-11 version of the regular edition that can be purchased at 7-11 stores in Japan that will have a different CD cover. Though to get your hands on that version as an overseas fan you have to either use a proxy or wait to get it from a Japanese auction site.
As the group's last CD release was their second album back in September this single is not surprising. It is plenty of time between releases plus it gives Kinpuri a new song to perform on music programs as those should start ramping up for the end of the year. And the tie-in with 7-11 stores in Japan will mean it will be hard to escape the advertising for this release.
I am tempted to get the RE of this single, though I really want to just get the group's albums so they can be affordable to follow for me. But I love goods that are practical and can be used for everyday things so the eco bag is tempting. Especially since I do not really have Kinpuri goods.
Thursday, October 1, 2020
NiziU ready to step out
After about a week of counting down to an announcement on their twitter, NiziU has a release date for their debut single. The single will be released on December 2nd, 2020 and the title track will be Step and a Step, which will be written by J.Y. Park. The single will come out in three editions, two limited editions and a regular edition. (There are even more but those editions are only for those a part of the group's fan club.)
There are still some details about the release that are currently unknown, such as the only CD information for all the different editions is that they will all be 4 tracks in total with the first track being the title track but no further information about the other 3 tracks.
The first limited edition will be a CD with DVD combo. There is no mention of what is on the DVD but it is probably safe to assume one thing that will be included is the music video for the title track. The limited edition will also come with a trading card randomly selected from a set of ten that is exclusive to this version.
The second limited edition is a CD and booklet combo. The booklet will be a 28-page photo booklet. The limited edition will also come with a trading card randomly selected from a set of ten that is exclusive to this version.
Then there is the regular edition that is just the CD.
Different shops will have different first press bonuses included for pre-ordering the singles. For the CDJapan links I have in this post that bonus will be a clearfile for each copy.
While the release date is a little later than the November debut that was announced it was not delayed enough to make too much a difference. What is more important is that the group has a new release to promote if they get on end of year music programs. I do think they have a good chance of that with how popular they have gotten with just their pre-debut release. And I have to speculate that this date may have been chosen in hopes they do not have strong competition that week and can get a #1 debut single with this. A hard feat to do near the end of the year as that is usually the time for Japanese artists to release new music to make use of the end of year programs and the extra spending that comes with the season.
What I am most curious about is the full track listing. While there has to be at least one B-side I would be disappointed if that is it and the other two tracks are just karaoke/off vocal versions of the title track and B-side. Not to mention I would like to know if the different versions would have different B-sides as while I am willing to pick up the limited editions for this release, I want to know if the regular edition is something I need to budget for. At least there is a good amount of time before the release to make that decision.
Overall I am just excited for this debut single to be announced, and hope we are not made to wait long to get to hear the title track.
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