Crystal Kay – ONE

“ONE” is Crystal Kay’s 25th single and it was released in Japan on 17th July, 2008 in two editions. One edition had the a-side, a b-side and two remixes of the a-side. But the special edition was a Pokemon version with a duet of the title track with Pikachu and Shaymin (um – WTF is a Shaymin? It sounds dissgrossting to be honest.).

1. ONE

“ONE” starts off really dream like, with eerie yet cute sounding bells and such. But soon pops in Crystal’s voice and a nice urban beat full of bass and synth. I have no qualms about Kuri’s voice, she sounds great as she usually does in most of her songs. But I do feel this song is pretty forgettable, sure it has a really strong chorus that gets stuck in your head, but other than that, it’s a pretty bland number. I don’t think this should’ve been the lead-in to her new album “COLOR CHANGE!”, since it’s so – normal. I think the single before this, “涙のさきに”, would’ve made a better lead-in single. It’s aggressive and different, unlike this a-side which is just another R&B mid-tempo song to me. I do like it though.

2. すき

This song begins really mysteriously with her repeating “S-U-K-I. Never wanna say goodbye.” And it’s really surprising because this song has a really strong dance feel to it, yet another experimental thing for Kuri. But to be honest, I don’t find this song as amazing as all the CK fans think it is. It’s nice and different, but I can barely remember anything about it other than the part that she says over and over at the beginning. Is that bad?

The PV for “ONE”, like her previous single’s PV, is bizarre. It’s mostly CK standing in a full of balloons or singing to some girl in a matching outfit who doesn’t seem to care too much about her. And there’s also some weird girls holding hands and other things. It’s honestly nothing special, kind of like the song!

Kaori’s Conclusion: Wow, this is kind of a disappointment after such a strong single. It’s not that ONE is bad, it’s just that it’s nothing really new. I thought after experimenting with pop rock, Kuri would surprise us with something again, but all we got was another R&B mid-tempo. And the b-side wasn’t that interesting either. And I couldn’t even review the Pokemon version, it was just – HILARIOUS. Wow, the funniest thing I’ve ever heard.

Score: 6.5/10

Nacho’s Conclusion: This is really weird! Anime songs are not supposed to be this way. “ONE” is just OK,  I find it quite boring and generic actually. I could’ve liked it just a little bit more if it hadn’t been used in Fuckemon. Pikachu definitely deserved a catchier song. “Suki” is a good b-side. It’s nothing special really, but it’s kinda sweet. It’s “listen-able” and that’s usually what matters when it comes to b-sides. Overall, I find this single quite bland, mainly because the songs sound too generic. I bet Pikachu is pretty disappointed. =(

Score: 5/10

Crystal Kay – 涙のさきに

“涙のさきに”, Crystal Kay’s 24th single, was released in Japan on 11th June, 2008 in only one edition. The title song was used as the CM song for ITOEN TULLY’S BARISTAL SPECIAL – whatever that is. It debuted on the Oricon charts at number 42 and has so far sold 3,144 copies. (WTF Japan! I love how no one buys her stuff. ;_; )

1. 涙のさきに

The song starts off with blaring guitars which stunned me at first, since this is Kuri I’m listening to right? Usually she sticks to her R & B or Pop songs, but this song is full on Pop-Rock, which is actually a nice change for her. This is definitely one of Crystal’s more enjoyable songs, not only is it different than anything she’s ever done, it’s really fun and makes you want to dance. And the way that she laces her English into the Japanese lyrics makes the song even more catchy and I tend to find myself singing along with it. The only “problem” I have with this song is that after such an exhilarating opening, the rest of the song kind of wanes. The beginning sounds a lot harder with the snaps in the background and the harder sounding guitars, while the rest of the song is a lot more light and poppy. I just wish she could’ve somehow continued with that sound.

2. Girl Move On

OK. Now why the hell wasn’t this the a-side? The way it starts off with the beautiful yet hot Latin music is just perfect, it‘s urban like most of Kuri‘s songs yet with a really nice twist. Kuri’s voice sounds amazing as she improvises along with the beautiful sounding Spanish guitar. Kuri is even able to weave in a couple Spanish phrases which enhance the Latin flavor of the song. And of course throughout the entire song, her voice remains strong and never falters, which gives the song an even more strong feeling. There’s just something about this song that makes it so amazing, I don’t know if it’s the music, her voice or the Spanish laced into the lyrics, there’s just something. This is absolutely one of my favorite Kuri songs, everything about it is perfect, I just wish there had been a PV for it.

The PV for “涙のさきに” is well – different. It’s mostly Kuri and a group of cheerleaders dancing around while trying to evade some weird murderer looking guy. I’m not sure what it has to do with the song, but that’s what it basically is. I don’t really like it. It’s pretty stupid if you ask me.

Kaori’s Conclusion: Crystal Kay’s 24th single is a nice step in a new direction. Unlike some of her older stuff, we don’t get watered down US -sounding urban music, but something that sets it apart from her other songs. To be honest, I love Crystal, but a lot of her songs tend to sound the same to me. However, both songs on this single were absolutely amazing. You get an awesome pop-rock song and a sexy Latin-flavored urban number! I just hope she continues to take risks and experiments with music. I’d be so happy~

Score: 8/10

Nacho’s Conclusion: ~coming soon~

Score: ~coming soon~

Update~

Sorry about not updating recently. My partner, Nacho, hasn’t been on much so I couldn’t really update. But it’s been a while, so I decided to keep on reviewing things. We’ll just have to wait for his return so we can receive his conclusions. Sorry for the wait!

–Kaori.

Ayumi Hamasaki – Mirrorcle World

“Mirrorcle World” is the 43rd physical single and 44th single overall by Ayumi Hamasaki. The single was released on April 8, 2008, exactly ten years after her debut single, “poker face”. It obviously hit #1 on the Oricon charts, and it sold over 145,500 copies during its first week.

As usual, it was released in 2 different editions; CD only and CD+DVD. But, unlike other releases, the limited edition of the CD+DVD’s package was different (it came in a vertical sleeve). The first press of it also included a poster of the respective cover, and an extra-long vertical casing (i wanted this version so badly >.<).

Apart from this, there are 2 different versions of this single, as you can see in these track lists:

“YOU” version:

1. “Mirrorcle World (Original Mix)”
2. “Life (Original Mix)”
3. “YOU (10th Anniversary Version)”
4. “Mirrorcle World (Instrumental)”
5. “Life (Instrumental)”
6. “YOU (10th Anniversary Version -Instrumental-)”

“Depend on You” version:

1. “Mirrorcle World (Original Mix)”
2. “Life (Original Mix)”
3. “Depend on You (10th Anniversary Version)”
4. “Mirrorcle World (Instrumental)”
5. “Life (Instrumental)”
6. “Depend on You (10th Anniversary Version -Instrumental-)”

Each edition has a different cover, which means there are 4 different covers (I love them all)

Ok, let’s start the review:

1. Mirrorcle World

WOW. This song is fucking brilliant. It is an extended version of GUILTY’s opening song “Mirror”, which, as you can see in our GUILTY review, was already an amazing song.

While Mirror started with the modem sound, Mirrorcle World has a beautiful classical intro, which lasts like 50 seconds. If I hadn’t listened to Mirror, I would totally think this song would be a ballad.

As soon as the intro finishes, the “real” song starts. The arrangement is the same as in Mirror, but the vocals are different. If you think they were already powerful in Mirror, you should wait to listen to these ones. You might find them a little bit weird if you’re used to Mirror, but with time you’ll find they’re definitely better.

Just when the chorus finishes we can hear the drums again, and we’re ready for the new part of the song. The music is the same, the only thing that changes (obviously) are the lyrics.

After the second chorus there’s a guitar solo, and then the song slows down while Ayu sings the bridge.

Suddenly a mirror crashes and Ayu starts singing some orgasmic “yeah yeah yeah’s” “wow wow wow’s” and back to the chorus.

The song slows down again and we listen to Mirror’s original ending.

Some people were afraid that Mirrorcle World wouldn’t turn out to be as good as the original song, but believe me, it’s way better. And that means this song is beyond perfection. Without any doubts, it’s 2008’s best song so far.

2. Life

Meh, there’s nothing special about this song. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not bad at all, but there’s nothing that could make it stand out.

The song starts with some powerful guitars, followed by Ayu singing in a very sweet way. To be honest, the chorus does remind me of Seasons, but in a more rockish way.

By reading the lyrics, we could assume this song is like a sequel to untitled ~for her~, but it’s not as gorgeous as this one at all. untitled ~for her~ was beautiful and is one of my favourite songs from Ayu.

On the other hand Life’s just there, and it’s somehow forgettable, except its lyrics, which are beautiful.

3. YOU (10^th Anniversary Version)*

Perfect. I love this song. I’ve always loved the original version, but I definitely prefer this one.

The arrangement is very similar to the original song. What changes the most is Ayu’s vocals. OMFG, they’re perfect! Some people didn’t like the first version cause Ayu sings with a very high pitched voice. But this one is completely different. She sings in a deep yet sweet voice. I love every single second of it.

4. Depend on You (10^th Anniversary Version)*

Just like YOU, this song is awesome. The arrangement is rockier than in the original song, and it has a completely new intro that is so cool.

Apart from that, there’s nothing to say that hasn’t been said in the YOU review.

If you love the original, you’ll love this version. And even if you didn’t like the original version, I’m sure you’ll like this one.

Nacho’s Conclusion:

What can I say about this single. OMG, it’s perfect. I just love everything about it. The covers were gorgeous and are, by far, 2008’s best covers. The PV is awesome as well. Most people hate it cause they don’t get its meaning. Even if the message isn’t that clear, Ayu looks STUNNING.

It definitely was the best 10^th anniversary single she could ever had. It shows how much she’s evolved since she started and it’s one of her best singles.

Even if you’re not an Ayu fan, you should totally give it a shot. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Score: 9/10

Kaori’s Conclusion:

I remember when everyone hated “Mirrorcle World” because it wasn’t a very “10^th Anniversary-ish Song”. Um – what the fuck is a “10^th Anniversary-ish Song” anyways? “Mirrorcle World” is one of the most awesome songs I’ve ever heard! It’s ayu’s most explosive rock song yet and with her gorgeous deep vocals, it makes the song so much better. But the b-side “Life” is probably the most forgettable song I’ve ever listened to. I don’t remember the words nor the melody, it’s that unmemorable. The 10^th Anniversary versions of the two old songs really sparked my interest in them, before they weren’t anything special to me, but now I like them. Both the new and older versions. “Mirrorcle World” is still one of my favorite singles of this year, mostly because this is actually a single where the a-side outshines the b-sides, like it should.

Score: 8/10

Hey! Say! JUMP – Your Seed ／冒険ライダー

“Your Seed ／冒険ライダー”, Hey! Say! JUMP’s 3rd single, was released in Japan on 23rd July, 2008 in two editions: a regular edition with both a-sides and their karaoke mixes and a limited edition with just the a-sides and an extra DVD. The song “Your Seed” was used as the image song for the Japanese release of the movie “Kung Fu Panda”. The single hit number one in it’s first week and has so far sold 160,032 copies.

1. Your Seed

If you’ve listened to HSJ’s previous songs, you know this song is completely different than those. When they debuted, JE had them present a much more cute and young image, but this song is definitely more mature. It’s not anything too hardcore, but it’s a step into a better and more mature direction. It’s a really fun dance song with a truly infectious rap section thrown in. And to fit the image of “Kung Fu Panda”, there are a lot traditional Asian instruments thrown in, giving off a nice kung fu atmosphere. My only problem with this song is that we don’t get enough of my husband Keito! They never let him sing or let him dance in the front, it’s so sad! But you know what makes this song even better?! Not that much crazy Chinen high notes! I love Chinen and all, but sometimes his high notes freak me out. D:

2. 冒険ライダー

The beginning of the next song, “冒険ライダー” or “Bouken Rider”, is kind of misleading. It starts off with synth and heavy drums, making the listener think it’s another one of those cutesy HSJ songs. And don’t get me wrong, this song is cute, but in a different vein than their previous works. This song is more laidback than “Your Seed”, which is really refreshing. It was a lot of brass instruments in the music, giving it a fun retro kind of feel, it reminds me a lot of a song that Arashi might sing. And all of their voices sound really strong together in this song, I hope that they can do more songs like this because it shows off their voices really well. At first I hated this song, especially since it’s an a-side like “Your Seed”, but it really grew on me. I like it a lot now, but of course not as much as “Your Seed”.

A PV for “Your Seed” was released to promote the single. I didn’t really expect much from the PV and good thing I did or I would’ve been extremely under whelmed. The entire PV is just them dancing to the song, I guess it’s good because we’ve never seen HSJ do a full on complicated dance routine, but it’s bad because that’s all that they do throughout the PV. It’s good, but really nothing special.

Kaori’s Conclusion: This was Hey! Say! JUMP’s first double a-side and I was actually really satisfied with it. I like their first two singles, but I hardly listen to them since they’re so – cutesy. But this single was a lot more grown up than their crazy sparkly smiley happy songs and I liked that. Hopefully Johnny keeps this kind of music for them and doesn’t revert them back to the crazy sugar-pumped boys they once were.

Score: 7/10

Nacho’s Conclusion: Meh, to be honest this single doesn’t impress me at all. I think it’s really boring. I always try to avoid comparisons with other artists, but this single has nothing to do with other JE works from 2008, like KAT-TUN’s “DON’T U EVER STOP” or Arashi’s upcoming single “truth”. I understand they’re still newbies, but if they wanna be like their JE workmates, they’ll have to be more charismatic. Nacho! Says! Spice it up, bitches!

Score: 5/10

Upcoming Reviews (31st July)

Just so you know, these are the review Nacho and I will be working on soon! If you’d like anything reviewed, you can request in this post.

Upcoming Reviews

Albums~

MYUSIC – Yamada Yu

KAT-TUN III -Queen of Pirates- – KAT-TUN

STEP – MEG

GAME - Perfume

Kaori’s Singles~

Say you luv me ~魔法のコトバ~ - Foxxi misQ

DON’T U EVER STOP – KAT-TUN

涙のさきに – Crystal Kay

ONE – Crystal Kay

Nacho’s Singles~

Prisoner of Love – Utada Hikaru

ONE – Suzuki Ami

love the world – Perfume

Crazy World feat. AI - Tsuchiya Anna

DVDs~

ayumi hamasaki countdown 2007-2008

Koda Kumi – MOON

“MOON” is Koda Kumi’s 40th single, which was released on June 11, 2008 in Japan. As some of you may already know, this is her first single after she stated that “when a woman reaches the age of 35, her amniotic fluid begins to sour”, which caused a lot of controversy throughout many women. Even though she said that on January, it seems that her audience hasn’t fully forgiven her yet, and this is reflected on her Moon sales.

It hit the #2 spot on the Oricon charts and sold 88,309 in its first week.

The single was released in 2 editions (CD only and CD+DVD) and contains 4 songs which try to represent the 4 elements (WTF), and they are: Moon Crying, That Ain’t Cool, Once Again and Lady Go!

1. Moon Crying:

*YAWNS* The single just starts and I’m already bored. Could someone please tell Kuu to stay away from ballads?

It starts with a soft piano sound followed by Kuu, who sings in a deep yawn-inducing way. The verses are slow, the chorus is slow, the bridge is slow. The song takes like forever to finish. Instead of relaxing you, you’re always waiting for it to finish.

You might be wondering “What’s the problem with this song?”, and well, the answer is: it’s a typical unoriginal ballad, as most of her ballads. The only one that I enjoy is “Aisho”, and it’s not great either.

About the PV (OMG, the PV) well, it sucks as well. I know we usually don’t review PV’s at Raw + Delicious, but this one is totally “worth it”.

At the beginning we can see Kuu laying on her bed when she suddenly wakes up to find that her man is no longer sleeping next to her. “What a bastard” u might be thinking. “Getting laid and then leaving the poor girl alone”. But you’re wrong, my friend. Kuu actually wakes up to find he has left her a present on the couch: a gross yellow dress. And there’s also a note: “Please, wear this dress and come to the party”. While she examines the dress, you can totally see her what-the-fucking-fuck-is-this face and she decides not to use it. OMG Kuu! What did u do?! Now the moon is totally covered by clouds =(. This smells like disaster.

We can see this guy looking at Kuu who is dressed in a pink dress. She suddenly turns around and when she sees him, she puts this “Damn it!” face:

She tries to smile but we can see the guy is totally pissed off. He talks to her and we can see how they start arguing.

ZOMG! The next scene shows this guy dead in what I think is a hospital and Kuu is crying next to him. Damn Kuu, I told you! You gotta listen to what the moon says =( *sighs*

Then we waste like a minute of our lives watching Kuu cry, until she takes the decision to come back to that place…and omg, I can’t believe my eyes. The clouds dissapear, the moon shines and its ray of light brings back that unfortunate party, and of course, it brings him back as well.

And suddenly, we can see Winnie the Pooh….sorry, Winnie the Kuu! Wearing the yellow dress.

The guy approaches her, smiles and they start talking. But damn it! The moon is being covered by clouds again! God, don’t let this happen!

Awwww jizz….sorry, geez! Everything disappears and our Kuu is left alone again. The moon takes pity on her and emanates a last ray of light.

Holy shit! It’s him!

The pious moon has given her a last chance for saying sorry. Let these pictures talk for me:

“…X-san…..ano ne….the truth is….the truth is!…..that it wasn’t my size!”

“That’s ok. I should’ve bought a bigger size. You had been pigging out the last months.”

“Arigatou, X-san”

The clouds reappear and the guy vanishes into thin air. We can see Kuu still crying until she suddenly stops and says to herself “Oh well, his dick wasn’t that big. I’ll call my American bitch friend. I’m sure she knows some better hoses”.

And with this, we’re ready for the next song:

2. That Ain’t Cool (feat. Fergie)

That ain’t Kuu…sorry, That Ain’t Cool is a duet song with one of America’s most beloved ho’s: Fergie. She and Kuu are supposed to be friends, but this is just a way for Fergie to become more popular in Japan in my opinion.

Well, that doesn’t matter. The songs starts with Fergie singing with a synthetised voice “Somebody saw you in the parking lot, with a girl heading to the spot”. Remember these lines, cause they are pretty much the only thing that they say in this song. Yes. The song is monotonous as hell. The choruses lyrics don’t even change, which is so not j-pop. This song is American in every single way.

After 1:30 minutes, Kuu finally starts singing. This totally sucks, considering it’s her own song. It should be called That Ain’t Cool (feat. Koda Kumi).

Her engurish has certainly improved, but since this song “features” an American artist, it makes her English sound like shit.

The PV is mainly about Fergie showing off how flexible she is, and just like in the song, Kuu barely appears on it.

Being a guest in your own song, that, my dear Kuu, is what ain’t cool.

3. Once Again

*SNORES* Ok, this song doesn’t even deserve to be reviewed. WTF is this? Moon Crying was a ballad and it was boring. That Ain’t Cool was an upbeat song and it was boring. This is a hard to describe piece of shit, and guess what, it’s boring!

As all of the songs in this single, it’s monotonous and it’s just there. Avoid it at any cost.

4. Lady Go!

Finally a decent track. And by decent I mean that at least, it’s “listenable”. I could’ve appreciate it a little bit more, if it wasn’t such a rip-off of these 2 songs: Here We Go! (from Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon) and WOW (from Kylie Minogue).

Here We Go! (Shinjiru Chikara): http://youtube.com/watch?v=8N6BPm-O9R8&feature=related

WOW: http://youtube.com/watch?v=MmYGVcWSGlU

After the intro, which as you can see is a total rip-off, she starts singing “Lady Lady Go! Here We Here We Go!” ……..go figure.

It could’ve been a good song, if it wasn’t so damn unoriginal. And the worst thing is that it’s not even a good rip-off. Any of the other songs pwns this one.

Nacho’s Conclusion:

There’s only one word to describe MOON: boring. The single is boring as hell. The songs are unoriginal, the PV’s laugh-inducing and I still wonder what the fuck do they have to do with the 4 elements.

The covers are gorgeous and they’re the only good thing about this single (tho the moon looks so cheap). Or at least, that’s how I used to think, until I found out they were a rip-off as well:

My advice: stay away from this shitty single. I’m sure the moon is still crying over how bad it is.

Score: 4/10

Kaori’s Conclusion:

MOON – wow. Where do I even start? After dissing all of my lovely aunties with her rude rotten amniotic fluid joke, Kuu needed a strong comeback, right? Well MOON totally wasn’t it, it was actually total fail. Instead of a hot urban number that we all needed, she comes back with a forgettable ballad, a shitty duet with Methface, a weird rip off and one song that was actually enjoyable. This single was so anticipated and then she comes back with that shit, is she even serious about her career anymore?! I can’t even remember what Moon Crying sounds like, That Ain’t Cool was so stupid and should’ve never been made, Lady Go! is just gross, I don’t like her voice that much but hearing it in a vocoder is sickening, and then Once Again is the only good song. It’s calming and cute and has a great beat, PUSHIM did a really great job on it. Kuu should do more reggae music, it suits her voice. But on a serious note, Kuu is ugly. Like really ugly. She’s never been much of a looker but her crying face is absolutely disgusting. PLZ SAVE THE CRYING FOR US PRETTY FOLK, KTHX. And yeah, this single was fail.

Score: 4.5/10

Ayumi Hamasaki – GUILTY

“GUILTY” is j-pop diva Ayumi Hamasaki’s 9^th studio album . It’s official release date was January 1, 2008, but it actually hit the stores 2 weeks before that date. Selling over 400,000 copies its first two weeks, it reached #2 on the Oricon charts, which caused a lot of controversy throughout her fandom, because Ayu lost her #1 streak. It’s a shame to see how many of her fans actually cared more about her sales rather than the album itself.

Anyways. The albums was released in 2 versions: a CD+DVD version and a CD only version. Both versions had different covers (as expected) and they received mixed reviews. One the one hand, they were refreshing thanks to the background. The dress was gorgeous and the nails were fucking awesome. On the other hand, they didn’t fit the album at all. I wanted to see an Ayu suffering and actually feeling guilty. Plus, there’s something weird about her face. I’m getting a little bit tired of her I’m-ready-to-suck-you face.

As for the album itself, it received some mixed reviews as well, but well, we don’t give a fuck about them, right? Our review pwns all those craptacular reviews, so here we go:

1. Mirror

WOW. This intro is amazing. It starts with a modem sound and just when it’s finished, we can hear some drums which make me think of some soldiers marching. Then we can hear Ayumi who starts with a soft, yet defiant voice. Hard guitars start playing and we’re finally at the most powerful part of the song. I can’t describe how good this part is. It’s ausawm. Then the song slows down and ends in a sweet, mysterious way.

This intro definitely gets you in the mood for GUILTY, and, along with Not yet, is the best album opening.

2. (don’t) Leave me alone

Let me tell you something: this song rocks. Ayumi radiates attitude. When I first listened to this song, I felt somehow disappointed. I thought it was kinda monotonous and the chorus didn’t feel like a chorus to me. But now I’ve definitely come to like it. It’s powerful and it’s a great song when you’re feeling angry. And for the record, this song was actually really successful in Japan. It should’ve been released as a single or something. 10 points for bad-ass Ayu.

3. talkin’ 2 myself

Arguably the album most rockish song, and definitely one the rockiest in her entire career. There are hard guitars (again) playing all the time, and Ayu’s vocals are deep and mysterious, which makes this song dark as hell. I’m tired of using this word, but the song is powerful. When the single came out I overplayed this song, so I rarely listen to it anymore, but it’s definitely worth it.

4. decision

These 2 songs (t2m and decision) shouldn’t be together. They didn’t work out as a single and the don’t really work out together in the album. Why? Simple. Talkin’ 2 myself tends to overshadow decision, which is also a great song.

It starts softly, which makes you think you’re just about to listen to a ballad or something alike, but with a sudden BAM! we’re dragged in a rock song. I don’t know if it’s the music, or Ayumi’s vocals, but I consider this song even more powerful than t2m. The ending is superb, with her already signature “woo yeah’s”, which are an exquisite orgasm.

5. GUILTY

Disappointing. Not as bad some people say, but still disappointing. I guess Ayumi wanted to make a really dark song, but it end up being quite boring. It never comes to a real climax. There’s nothing that could take your breathe away in this song. I expected more from it, since it’s the album’s title. It does, however, serve as the perfect transition between decision and fated. Even the lyrics can be somehow related. In decision she was the bad ass Ayu who can choose whatever she wants. In GUILTY she wonders if she has made the right choices, while in fated we finally see how she regrets the decision she made.

6. fated

Released as a b-side of the summer single “glitter”, fated has been quite a controversial song. It came out when Ayumi announced her break-up with the actor and singer Nagase Tomoya, who had been her boyfriend for almost 7 years (holy shit). Since the song kinda talks about a break-up, we could assume she’s talking about him.

As for the song…it’s depressing from start to end. It’s a slow rockish ballad which most people consider to be lame. I don’t. The music is beautiful, and she sings it in such a special way. You can feel her sadness in her voice. Maybe it could’ve been a little bit more powerful. Just like in GUILTY, there isn’t a breath-taking climax, which is why most people didn’t like this song.

As an album track, it’s such a nice break from the “hard-rock” songs, and it’s followed by another master-piece, which is:

7. Together When…

Oh my God. This song is so fucking sad. If you weren’t sure if she was talking about Tomoya in fated, now you can totally be certain. This song is beautiful in every single aspect. The music is beautiful and touching. Her vocals are painfully gorgeous, while the lyrics are totally heartbreaking. The first time I read/listen to it, I broke down in tears, and I still do it sometimes (I’m an emotional bitch <3). The ending of this song is epic. The way she sings the last two choruses is fabulous. It makes me shiver.

Nobody should miss this song. It’s already became an Ayu classic.

8. Marionette -prelude-

OK. Wow. This interlude is absolutely terrifying, like it’s something that I wouldn’t listen to alone in a dark room. It begins with these creepy sounding chimes and then an even more scary instrumentation. At certain parts you can hear an old grandfather clock chiming or even at one part, the entire song stops and you can hear a music box being wound up. The interlude really gives the listener the creepy feeling of being in a haunted house or in some place where you don‘t belong and feel as though something is following you. It gives off an empty and really malevolent atmosphere, but towards the end, the music gets higher and happier and then leads right into the next tune.

9. Marionette

Like the song before it, this one begins pretty scarily also, with a gorgeous arrangement of a piano, music box sounds and haunting strings. Soon after it begins, Ayumi comes in with her deep, throaty voice singing the verses slowly and melancholic. It really gives the song that sorrowful feel, everything just works together to sends out that feeling. Then when the chorus comes in, the music speeds up and bit and Ayumi’s singing becomes louder, giving off a much more powerful and strong vibe than the sorrowful verses. It’s really stunning. It’s totally one of my favorite tracks on GUILTY, I have nothing bad to say about it.

10. The Judgement Day

When you hear the title what would you expect? A dark rock song or something right? But no, we get some bizarre poppy dance interlude. WTF. Throughout the whole song she sing “la la la” which really bugs me, since she says that in nearly every song anyways. What makes her think I want to hear it through an entire interlude? Although it begins slow with a creepy organ in the background, it soon picks up to the poppy dance tune that I mentioned before. This is like the happiest Judgement Day ever, WTF Ayumi. </3

11. glitter

The following song is the very first single ayu released for the GUILTY album, glitter. The song begins with the chorus, which is really different, but soon breaks into an uplifting twinkling instrumentation. Now this is a perfect summer song, not the crap that we reviewed previously. Throughout the verses, we get a sprinkling of some QT Engrish like “Yes, cuz believe in love~”, which just add to the happy summer feeling. The verses are much more laidback, but the choruses are definitely the part that shine in the song. The lyrics, the singing, the music all work so amazingly in the chorus to just lift up your spirits and make you want to dance. It’s an awesome summer song and even after a year, I love it to death.

12. MY ALL

We get another upbeat track with the next song, MY ALL. A lot of people compare it to “Replace” from MY STORY, but I don’t really hear it. Maybe it’s because a lot of ayu songs tend to sound alike, I’m not sure. Anyways, the song begins with a really happy guitar solo and some poppy synth laid in the background, it instantly sets the feeling of the song to follow. The verses are song really quickly but really mellow, which is completely different than the way the happy lyrics of the chorus are sung. The chorus gives the listener a really happy uplifting feeling, I love it so much. I used to hate this song because I thought it was kind of boring and repetitive, but I’ve definitely learned to love it. It’s a song that’ll keep your spirits up, fer shurr.

13. reBiRTH

Ugh – another interlude. This is the third one I’ve reviewed so far. It’s yet another ayu interlude that’s really spacey and bizarre, it’s kind of like LABYRINTH on her last album, Secret. I’m not sure what else I can say about it but that’s it’s really out there … so yeah….

14. untitled ~for her~

I know that everyone loves this song since it’s for ayu’s dead friend or whatever, but I personally find this song disgustingly boring. Sure it’s a nice gesture or whatever, but did she have to make it so yawn inducing? But don’t get me wrong, I love the emotion that ayu puts into this song, you can tell it’s really a heartfelt number. Her voice goes really well against the pretty synth in the music, but that’s about it that I loved. The person she wrote it for was very close to her so it must’ve hurt to lose her and I’m glad that she showed her love this way, even if I REALLY don’t like the song. The choruses aren’t really stand out when a song’s chorus should really stick in your mind and the verses are even more forgettable, I just don’t like this song at all. It’s a long and boring way to finish off a pretty good album.

Nacho’s Conclusion:

GUILTY is an underrated album which deserved both better sales and better reviews. It’s definitely not her best album so far, cause it feels kinda rushed (*cough*4 interludes*cough*). I think she should stop releasing an album each year. That way she would have some extra time, and she’d only release when she feels she’s ready.

About the PV’s, they’re definitely not her best either, but some of them are pretty interesting (Together When…, Marionette, and the so fucking hated “mini movie” (mini movie my balls) Distance Love. For God’s sake, we can finally see Ayu kissing a guy! Enjoy it, bitches!

Overall, the album’s really good, and it shows a much mature Ayumi than in her previous albums. I’ll give it an 8.5 cause there are way too many interludes, but, if you don’t care about them, then imagine it’s a 9 lol.

Score: 8.5/10

Kaori’s Conclusion:

Hm, what’s one word that I can use to sum up GUILTY? Different. This album was a really dark album with lots of rock tunes and deep lyrics, I think that surprised a lot of her fans, especially me. You usually expect some rock songs and then a handful of pop songs on an ayu album, but this one was different. It’s not as bad as people say, but it’s totally not her best effort. There’s so much I could whine about, like it could’ve been longer, it could’ve been less rock, it could’ve cut out “untitled ~for her~” but WTF does complaining do? In the end I enjoyed it, but not as much as I usually enjoy an ayu album.

Score: 7.5/10

NEWS – SUMMER TIME

“SUMMER TIME”, NEWS’ 9th major single, was released in Japan on 8th May, 2008 in two editions: a limited edition with a song not found on the regular edition and a karaoke mix of the a-side and a regular edition with a track not found on the limited edition yet without the karaoke mix of SUMMER TIME. The a-side was used as the Crymsom/RUSS-K Summer CM song. The single hit number one in it’s first week and has in total sold 256,892 copies.

1. SUMMER TIME

OK. I’ve been dying to review this single for the longest, SRSLY. Now this craptastic single starts off with the bland a-side “SUMMER TIME”. Initially, I loved this song so much, it was so nice and perfect for summer. But after listening to it for a couple of times, it dawned on my how boring and plain this song is. Like SRSLY, they release this dumb pop after the awesomeness of “太陽のナミダ”? The music is nice I guess, it’s not really much, I think. Sure it’s sweet and twinkling sounding, but it’s bland. And even their vocals are boring. The chorus are nice and catchy, I guess, with vocals going smoothly with the music. After every chorus the boys finish off with a lame sounding “beautiful days~”. Usually NEWS has really strong harmonies but this harmony just sounds lazy and tired. The only part I actually like about this song now is the rap, mostly because KoyaShige is just adorable and I love hearing them together. The rap is really fun and happy and is probably the most original part of the song mostly because NEWS hardly ever has raps in their songs. All in all, I hate this song and it’s one of the worst a-sides of the year, IMHO.

2. EASY COME, EASY GO

The summer feel continues with this breezy number. I guess someone could find this song fun, but not me. Honestly, once again I was bored to death. Listening to this single I was so disappointed, it could’ve been so much better. But I have to remember that NEWS is probably JE’s weakest group, IMO. Most of their songs are bland pop like this song. The vocals in this song are nice though, very laidback and fun, I just wished the song didn’t suck as much. This is probably the most forgettable song on the single, it really does nothing for the ears.

3. Liar

I honestly didn’t want to review this song. I think it’s SO BAD. NEWS should really stay away from rock songs, their voices seriously are not mad for this kind of music (except Ryo and Shige<3). The song starts with really hard guitars and drums and Ryo’s voice, he’s really the only one who sounds great with the rock sound. Then Koyama and Yamapi comes in and completely ruins the song, their voices just don’t work with this kind of music AT ALL. This is definitely more of a KAT-TUN song, I could see them pulling this off perfectly. But don’t get me wrong, their voices don’t sound BAD, they just don’t go with the music. This song actually shows off some of their voices, I just wish it wasn’t terrible.

4. Baby! Be My Baby!

OMG WOW! A song I like!!! Now this song should’ve been the a-side, this is the perfect summer tune! It’s poppy, but not bland and stupid and it has that perfect amount of guitar too make it not so rock-ish! It starts off with a really upbeat and cheerful guitar which soon we hear Tego’s voice which draws you into the song instantly. I love how fast the verses are song, it’s just so cute and fun! The chorus is even as exciting as the verses with their QT English thrown in like “Yes! I’m crazy for you~”! I’m honestly really upset that this song was stuck as a b-side, it’s definitely more a-side material than crappy SUMMER TIME. I love it to death~ <333333 I just wish it wasn’t so short! =[[

A PV for the a-side “SUMMER TIME” was aired to promote the single. And unlike the song, this PV is adorable and sweet. I just wish it was for “Baby! Be My Baby!” instead! D: It’s basically Massu’s daydreaming about his summer memories with the boys, so it’s just the boys having fun in a beach shack somewhere. It’s pretty plain, but fun. But why wouldn’t you give a plain song a plain PV?

Kaori’s Conclusion:

Wow. This single was just all around terrible. I’ve never been so disappointed and upset that I wasted my money on something. Out of four tracks, I only liked one! I even liked their shiteous ballad from the “太陽のナミダ” single! But WTF, the rest of this single was absolutely horrible. I’m so sick of NEWS releasing such bland stupid boy band pop, at least give us something different. Even fucking Hey!Say! JUMP is doing something different, like SRSLY. OMG. Right now, I’m so done with NEWS. Ew. I love “Baby! Be My Baby!” tho~ ;D

Score: 4.5/10

Nacho’s Conclusion:

SUMMER TIME is just a typical JE summer release. It doesn’t offer anything new, which is very disappointing. Even if it’s a crappy single, it was obvious that it would have some very good sales (we’re talking about a JE group after all), but it kinda pisses me off that it’s just because of their looks.
The only good thing I can say about this single, is that it’s indeed very summer-ish. The most summer-ish single I’ve ever heard, to be honest. I just hope their next release will be something like weeeek instead of weeeeak.

Score: 5/10

ARASHI – One Love

“One Love“, Arashi’s 22nd single, was released in Japan on 25 June, 2008 in two editions: a regular edition with the b-side How to fly and a Limited Edition with a DVD with the One Love PV and the b-side FINAL Remix feat. WISH, Love so sweet & One Love. The a-side was used for member Matsumoto Jun’s movie, Hana Yori Dango Final, which hit theatres on 28 June. And of course the single hit number one, like, why wouldn’t it? To date, One Love has sold 408,385 copies.

1. One Love

The beginning of One Love instantly draws in the listener. Bagpipes are being played along with drums to give the song a traditional feeling yet also an uplifting one. It soon changes to more poppy sounding instrumentation and the singing starts. Matsujun is the first to sing in the song and even though he doesn’t have the best voice in the group, his vocals have definitely improved from the group’s earlier works. As the song continues on, the boys show off their wonderful harmonies and strong voices along with the extremely catchy chorus. To me, Arashi never had strong harmonies since everyone’s voice is so different, but in this song, their voices work so beautifully together. I was really surprised. The song itself is so uplifting and happy and cute and sweet, that it just cheers you up listening to it and the lyrics about love fit the theme of Hana Yori Dango perfectly. The only problem I have with the song is the choreography for the live performances. There’s a lot of bizarre hand motions and not a lot of actual dancing, it’s cute, but just utterly strange. Whenever I watch it, I’m like: “WTF. ARE U SRS?” But I’ve become used to it, it’s what boy bands do. All in all, this song is definitely one of their best a-sides, it may not be their best Hana Yori Dango theme, but it’s still a great song.

2. FINAL Remix feat. WISH, Love so sweet & One Love

The limited edition of the single came with the b-side called FINAL Remix feat. WISH, Love so sweet & One Love. It’s basically one big mash-up of all of the singles that Arashi has released as the theme songs for Hana Yori Dango. And let me just say it now…THIS SONG IS SO WEIRDLY GOOD. Like the music itself is really dreamy and spacey, it makes you really wonder what they can do with it. Then like out of nowhere part of a verse from WISH is sung and it gets into the song. It’s such a cool way to do it too since it’s really subtle and kind of understated, I love it. They even keep the QT bells from the original WISH song. Then about 1:30 into the song, you can hear the distorted voices of the members singing “Wow, wow, wow~ Yeah yeah yeah~” and then suddenly they get into Love so sweet. It’s such a sudden change after WISH’s abrupt ending, it’s a little startling but still awesome. But once Love so sweet’s chorus kicks in, all of the distortion in the boys’ voices is gone and we can hear them clearly. Then at about 3:20 the “La la la~” part from One Love is faintly heard and then repeated for a while until it breaks out into the chorus. The music that goes with the chorus is really different than the original, it’s a lot more pop sounding, but it’s still really nice. This is definitely an interesting remix not to be missed.

3. How to fly

Now on to How to fly which is one of the best Arashi b-sides I’ve ever heard. To start it off, there’s a light guitar playing which suddenly leads up into the boys’ singing. The verses are really quickly sung going along with the quick paced music. Now the chorus is where the song really stands out, it was a really nice distinct ethnic flavor to it, almost Spanish sounding! The guitars and their vocals and the cute chants of “Ay yo~” definitely help to enforce that sound. I don’t know what else to say about this b-side except that it’s amazing. It’s a lot different than what Arashi ever does and I really like that they step out of the box with their music and experiment, unlike a certain bland boy band from JE. (I think y’all know who…) I just love every single thing about this song! I really wish a PV for it had been made it would’ve been amazing, like Enrique Iglesias’ “Bailamos” or something. <3

The DVD for the LE of the single comes with the One Love PV only. It’s pretty boring unless you like looking at the sexy boys’ faces like I do. But the effects are so amazing, it makes the boys look animated as if they were in a cartoon of some sort. It’s pretty much them just standing in a bunch of flowers or on top of a wedding cake. But it’s cute and sweet, I love it~

Kaori’s Conclusion:

One Love is an amazing single if you let it be. People will probably be turned off by the a-side, but that’s not fair to the rest of the single. I think this isn’t an unbalanced single at all, all three songs are equally as good as each other. It’s a really great single that I recommend to everyone!

Score: 9.5/10

Nacho’s Conclusion:

“One Love” is a really good song. It’s not the kind of song you’ll love at the first listen, but it’s definitely a grower. I think it’s very original, cause even if it’s a pop song, it uses some instruments like bagpipes that gives it a very special feeling.

How to Fly is easily one of their best b-sides ever. It definitely has a Spanish feeling, which makes it sexy and fun. The “E-O’s” will be stuck in your head for hours lol (and yes, in case you’re wondering, I’m latino XD).

The remix, as Kaori said, is so weird, but at the same time it’s really good. It makes you want to watch Hana Yori Dango again. The only problem I find here is that it never comes to a “real” climax. Maybe they could’ve played a little bit more with the songs, and not just blend them. Anyway, it’s a really good remix and if you like HYD you’ll love it.

The PV for One Love was weird and corny, while the covers are definitely one of their best.

Overall the single is really good, but the biggest problem is that it has to be “at the level” of the other HYD songs, and, at least in my opinion, Love so sweet is still the best.

Score: 8.5/10