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Japanese, Reviews

Ken Hirai’s “Boku wa Kimi ni Koi o Suru” Single (Review)

December 26, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 1 Comment Share this

Two months, two single releases. It’s a good time for Ken Hirai fans! He’s known for taking his time with his studio albums, but September and October of this year each saw a single release. After being impressed by the new direction he took with his Candy single that we reviewed a couple months ago, we thought we’d look into his latest Boku wa Kimi ni Koi o Suru single from October to see if he’s continuing this trend.

Well, the answer is no. This one is a traditional pop ballad, but it’s still awesome. Even better, similar to Candy, there are three new songs to enjoy here, with two B-sides in addition to the title track. Also, if you’re really motivated to check out the limited edition release, the bonus DVD has a nice surprise for you as well.

Find out what Ken Hirai has been up to in our review after the jump. (more…)
Japanese, Reviews

Sweet Candy: Ken Hirai’s New Candy Single (Review)

November 7, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 4 Comments Share this

Dale was actually the one who turned me on to Ken Hirai, one of Japan’s top make J-pop stars. We talked about him in one of our OSVchannel episodes, and we also learned that he was under consideration to record a song for the Final Fantasy series, but the general consensus at the time was that most of you were more interested in female J-pop artists, but hey, he’s my favorite, so you’re going to have to live with it!

His last album was the amazing Fakin’ Pop in 2008, and while Hirai has been pretty quiet since then (he generally takes his time with his music), he’s released two singles in the last month alone. One of those singles was Candy, which features three new songs from Hirai, and offers a few surprises in the process.

Find out what Ken Hirai is up to this time in our review of Candy after the jump. (more…)
Japanese, Reviews

The CHEMISTY Joint Album; Music With Swagger (Review)

August 21, 2009 | Tim Sheehy | 2 Comments Share this

Back in 2000, Sony Music Entertainment Japan held their Asayan talent search–which at the time, was like the Japanese equivalent of American Idol. Chemistry’s Yoshikuni Douchin and Kaname Kawabata ended up winning the contest that year, and have since gone on to release 11 albums including their latest The CHEMISTRY Joint Album.

Featuring collaborations with other artists, The CHEMISTRY Joint Album contains twelve tracks which are a bit more synth heavy than their previous albums and might be marketed a bit more as a general pop album than their typical R&B fare. That said, I wasn’t disappointed, and despite Jayson’s clear disdain for the first single from the album “a Place for us,” I adored every minute of it.

Read more about it after the jump. (more…)
Japanese, Reviews

WTF Moments: Devparade’s “Body & Soul / cosmic mind” Single (Review)

March 6, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 2 Comments Share this

Lots and lots of pink. This is what you’ll be greeted with when you pick up the “Body & Soul / cosmic mind” single from Japan’s fattest band, Devparade. It was just a few weeks ago that we reviewed the group’s second single, “Bacchikoi!!!,” which was featured as the closing theme for Naruto’s eighth season. This time we’re taking a trip back in time to the summer of 2008 to check out their debut single, “Body & Soul / cosmic mind.”

One thing that amazes me about Devparade is that each and every one of their songs sounds completely different from one another. While “Bacchikoi!!!” was energetic and over-the-top, this release features a more laid back sound… sort of. You’ll just have to see what I mean.

Hit the jump to get re-introduced to this unique act that’s shaping up to be one of my favorites out of Japan. (more…)
Japanese, Reviews

Sounds Like Korea: CHEMISTRY’s “Koisuru Yuki Aisuru Sora” Single (Review)

February 27, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 1 Comment Share this

It’s been a pretty cold month (even in San Diego!). Fortunately, CHEMISTRY has this winter season covered with their single, “Koisuru Yuki Aisuru Sora.” The popular J-pop/RNB duo released this one at the end of 2008 specifically as a “winter ballad,” and it’s quite effective even outside the context of winter. It actually reminds me of one of my favorite tracks from one of my favorite MMORPGs that happens to be from Korea… can you guess what it is?

Anyway, while “Koisuru yuki Aisura Sora” is the star here, the single also features the sweet and playful “キスからはじめよう” (KISS Kara Hajimeyou) along with “less vocal” versions of both tracks. Given the stellar music featured in “Koisuru Yuki Aisuru Sora” I was actually happy about the “less vocal” version for once, but more about that later!

Read our review of the “Koisuru Yuki Aisuru Sora” single after the jump. (more…)
Anime, Japanese, Reviews

Japan’s Fattest Band Rocks Naruto: devparade’s “Bacchikoi!!!” Single (Review)

February 11, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 4 Comments Share this

I’m not kidding, these guys weigh a combined 1250lb. They didn’t allow any in the band who was under 220lb, and the result is both funny and awesome. The first Devparade press release I received from Sony Music was riddled with stories about how the band couldn’t fit into elevators and restaurants, etc. I guess I’m allowed to laugh at fat jokes since I’m not too far away from that 220lb figure!

Anyway, while Devparade is just getting started, they’ve already had their second single, “Bacchikoi!!!,” featured as the closing theme for the eighth season of Naruto. Things are definitely looking up for the group. While the single itself is only available for import from Japan, both songs featured on the CD release will be hitting iTunes on February 17.

If you’re thinking you may want to pick up the single or the iTunes tracks, feel free to check out our impressions after the jump. (more…)