J!-ENT
Asian Entertainment News and Pop Culture

GROUP: AAA

CD SINGLE: Natsumono

LABEL: avex trax

CATALOG #: AVCD-31246/B (Group), AVCD-31247/B (BOYS), 31248/B (GIRLS)

DURATION: 25:18

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

1. SUNSHINE
2. No End Summer
3. Hanabi
4. SUNSHINE (Instrumental)
5. No End Summer (Instrumental)
6. Hanabi (Instrumental)

DVD: Region 2, 4:3

(AVCD-31246/B) - GROUP - Music Video for “SUNSHINE” (4:08)

(AVCD-31247/B) - BOYS - Music Video for “No End Summer” (4:01)

(AVCD-31248/B) - GIRLS - Music Video for “Hanabi” (4:49)

With the weather beginning to warm up, I thought about AAA’s “Natsumono”, the title of the 15th CD single which features three vocal tracks - “SUNSHINE”, “No End Summer” and “Hanabi” (and their instrumental tracks).

To celebrate the Summer, avex trax has released four different releases of “Natsumono”. The normal CD release would come with a remix of “Hurricane Lily, Boston Mari” while the DVD versions will each come with a music video for one of the songs.

“SUNSHINE” is a fun CD single that embraces the Summer scene with a pop song and a video showcasing the group performing in the beach and embracing the Summer may it be hanging out the beach, lighting fireworks at night or enjoying the food such as soba or ice cream and just having fun. Also, showcasing three heavy-weight men kicking it at the beach, getting some R&R and the girls accidentally dropping their ice cream and shaved ice on them. All in all, a fun AAA track and fun music video.

“No End Summer” features the guys of AAA for their Summer pop track. The music video features the guys performing and dancing with two blondes in a bikini in the background.

“Hanabi” featuring the girls of AAA is actually a very cool but sad mid-tempo track by Uno Misako and Ito Chiaki. The video focuses on the children in traditional Japanese outfits sad and waiting for their parents to take them out. In a melancholic type of setting as sunsetting and the women looking very sad. The kids being taken by their parents one time but then the next, the time the parent is no longer there. The song can be interpreted as reminiscing of the days of going to a Summer Festival with your parent(s) or loved one and that person no longer being there.

The CD inserts for all three CD+DVD singles features the lyrics to the songs and track credits.

During the time this CD single first came out in 2007, I was still a bit bummed that Goto Yukari retired from the group weeks before the release of the CD single. One of the reasons why I enjoyed AAA was because of Goto’s bubbliness but looking at how AAA has done a year later with their career, the group is doing very well in the charts and are about to release their 18th CD single in May.

All in all, this CD single is definitely fun for the Summer pop songs and I’m sure if you are an AAA fan, you probably own one, two or all versions of the CD singles already.

But nevertheless, the CD single features a variety of fun, up-beat pop songs that J-pop fans will enjoy.

Tags: AAA, Attack All Around, Hanabi, Natsumono, No End Summer, SUNSHINE

GROUP: AAA

ALBUM:  MIRAGE

LABEL: avex trax

CATALOG #: AVCD-31364/B

RELEASED ON January 9, 2008

OFFICIAL WEBSITE 

1. MIRAGE
2. Love Candle
3. MIRAGE (Instrumental)
4. Love Candle (Instrumental)

DVD:  Region 2, 4:3, Duration: 3 minutes

1. MIRAGE (music clip)

When AAA (Attack All Around) debuted at #1 with their 17th CD single “MIRAGE”, I was very happy for the group.  I’ve been following them and just watching as they improve as a group musically and also improve on the Oricon Chart ratings.

“Mirage” was  their first CD single to debut at #1 on both the daily and weekly charts for the group and overall since the release back in January and a DVD release in the beginning of the year, the group has done quite well in 2008.

For those not familiar with AAA, the group is a hybrid boy band and girl band.  That is, the group features five men and two women and the core of their music is all out J-Pop.  Dance music that you can groove to and enjoy listening or even watching them perform live.

They are amongst the most energetic acts from the avex trax label and with their CD single “MIRAGE”, the song has a Middle Eastern vibe in the intro but transitions immediately to an up-tempo dance track.

What I like about the track is that it has the same energetic vibe as their music in 2006.  I actually enjoyed their musical releases from 2005-2006 because of that in-your-face music which is awesome to watch on their live concerts.  So, it’s definitely great to hear Nishijima Takahiro and Uno Misako (who are typically the primary vocalists on many AAA songs) at their best and to hear the overall group vocals work well.  The music is cool, energetic and lively and the vocals are pleasant and again, reminds me of why I enjoy AAA’s music.

The coupling track is “Love Candle”.  The song is breezy and fun but I did find the vocals by a few of the guys as average on this track.  I’ve heard the guys sing many songs (with just the guys only) and vocally, “Love Candle” was not their best.  But nevertheless, I like the music, I like the women singing in the background but all in all, the vocals by a few of the guys were OK.

As for the DVD,  the music video features the group in their Middle Eastern fused with Asian influence and focusing on the group’s choreography.   All in all, the video is nothing spectacular but I actually enjoyed it for the overall choreography and for those who are Nishi and Misako fans, you’ll definitely enjoy this video.

The regular CD version features a third vocal track which is a live performance of “SUNSHINE” at Budokan which took place back in Sept. 2007.

The CD insert features a bi-fold, opened up you get the lyrics to both songs.

It’s actually interesting to see how 2008 has been so far because we are not getting back-to-back releases of AAA compared to last year.  There is actually a three month gap until the group’s next CD single (April 2008), so no churning of CD singles for this group (Avex’s 2008 churning of CD singles goes to Tohoshinki with five CD singles in a six week period for Feb.-March 2008).

But all in all, the song is energetic, fun and actually a CD single that I have listened to repeatedly over and over again.  So, another cool CD single from the group and great to see them finally reach #1 on the Daily and Weekly Oricon Charts.

Tags: AAA, Mirage

 

Image courtesy of Avex Entertainment, Inc. 

 

AAA (Attack All Around), the staff and their staff are very excited about the group’s 17th CD single “MIRAGE” which debuted at #1 on the Oricon Daily Charts.

 

In the past, the group has reached #2 and somewhere in the top 10 since March but AAA has been a special project featuring a hybrid boy/girl band unit and in 2007, the group suddenly has done very well, including a performance in the US at Otakon in Baltimore.

 

The following information is from Avex sharing the news about AAA’s latest single debuting at #1 and hoping it will be #1 on the Weekly Charts:

 

本日発売されましたAAAの17枚目のシングル「MIRAGE」ですが、
オリコン・デイリーシングルチャートにて、AAA初となる1位を獲得致しました！
※5379ポイント（ちなみに2位とはダブルスコア以上の差をつけています）

ウィークリーチャートでも1位も獲得すべく、
スタッフ一同ますます気合いを入れ頑張ってまいります。

今後とも、応援とご協力をよろしくお願い致します。

Tags: AAA, Attack All Around, Mirage

It’s Wednesday and it’s new releases day in Japan. Which artist or band will take the #1 position on the Oricon Daily Chart?

NOTE: AAA reaches #1 for the first time on the Daily Charts. Sugimoto Masato’s “Waremoko” continues to stay strong on the charts. Akikawa Masafumi’s”Kaze ni Natte” continues to go strong for over a year on the Oricon Daily Charts with another surge thanks to Nihon Record Taishou and also helping out Kobukuro’s “Tsubomi”.

1. AAA - MIRAGE
2. Sugimoto Masato - Waremoko
3. RAG FAIR - Soshun Rhapsody
4. Yugin - Fate
5. Akikawa Masafumi - Kaze ni Natte
6. SMAP - DANGAN FIGHTER
7. Kobukuro - Tsubomi
8. Nishikata Hiroyuki - 雨情話
9. Momotaros, Urataros, Kintararos, Ryutaros - Kamen Rider Climax Jump DEN-LINER Form
10. V6 - way of life

Tags: AAA

GROUP: AAA

ALBUM TITLE: AROUND

LABEL: avex trax

CATALOG #: AVCD-23348/B

RELEASE DATE: September 19, 2007

DURATION: 50:00

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

1. Get chuu!
2. SUNSHINE
3. She no Jijitsu
4. Deai no Chikara II
5. kuchibiru kara romantica
6. Red Soul
7. Paradise Paradise
8. Hanabi
9. No End Summer
10. Body Talker
11. That’s Right
12. Saigo no Kotoba

DVD: Region 2, 16:9LB, Duration: 37 minutes

1. Kagi no Aru Basho (short film)

The hybrid boy band/girl band known as AAA (Attack All Around) is back with their third album “AROUND”.

A few things have changed since our last review, this time the group has seven members (former member Goto Yukari had to leave the group in June due to a major health condition. But fans can keep up-to-date with her progress through her blog and her new life as she studies to become a bookkeeper and a dedicated L’Arc~en~Ciel fan).

Also, the group continues to do very well with nearly every CD single and album making it into the Oricon Daily Charts top 10 and top 5.

Now, here they are with their third full-length album “AROUND” and after listening to the album multiple times, I actually like it a lot!

The album features twelve tracks which includes the group’s 13th CD single “Get Chu!/She no Jijitsu”, 14th CD single “kuchibiru kara no romantica” and coupling song “That’s Right”, 15th CD single “Natsumono” songs: “SUNSHINE”, “No End Summer” and “Hanabi” and 16th CD single “Red Soul”.

You get a good balance of music with the happy, dance, pop song “Get Chu!”, the big band, stylish song “Kuchibiru kara no romantica”, the smooth slow tempo song “Hanabi” which features a duet with AAA girls Uno Misako and Ito Chiaki, “That’s Right” featuring a very cool song with Nisshy and Urata and “Red Soul” which is reminiscent of their earlier songs such as “BLOOD ON FIRE”.

But with eight of the songs featured on CD singles (please check out our other World Groove reviews for these CD singles ), is it even worth purchasing the album for four more tracks?

Especially, if you are an AAA fan who bought the multiple CD single versions to get the DVD music videos (NOTE: AAA CD+DVD singles such as “Natsu Mono” had four version releases, three that comes with DVD’s and each has a music video for one of the songs featured on the CD single. A common practice for AAA CD+DVD releases).

So, taking a look at the four songs on the album that are not on the CD singles.

“Deai no Chikara” is a song that I enjoyed from the first album “ATTACK” and the second version “Deai no Chikara II” is just as enjoyable, upbeat version and a great song showcasing Nishijima Takahiro and Uno Misako’s vocals. The original is my favorite, because it’s more of a ballad.

“Paradise Paradise” is a very cool upbeat song that blends pop music with a touch of Mid East influence.

“BODY TALKER” is a pop song that incorporates a lot of brass and a average pop song. Ok, its my least favorite song of the album.

“Saigo no Kotoba” is a slow-tempo song featuring the members rapping and singing. A song that I would not be surprised if the group performed at the end of their concert. The song is also the ending theme for their short film “Kagi no Aru Basho”.

As for the DVD for the CD+DVD version, the short film “Kagi no Aru Basho” is the first to have all members of the group act together. Each member of AAA are also talented actors that have taken part in theater, drama series and film in Japan.

The film revolves around relationships. The main storyline arc is centered around Sueyoshi Shuta’s character. A young man who doesn’t get along with his father and his father seems to be out of his life, always gone. Until one day, he finds out why his father is always gone at night.

The other storyline arc features Atae Shinjiro who is always going to the combini (convenience store) to get food to eat and always sees a dog always waiting outside the store which he tends to feed until one night, the dog appears to be asking him for help.

Then there is Uno Misako’s story arc featuring her relationship with a former friend (played by Ito Chiaki).

What I found interesting is that since Nishijima is typically the actor appearing in theater and on television, his role as a traffic coordinator is quite small. As for Urata, he plays a driver and Hidaka Mitsuhiro plays a buddy of Sueyoshi’s character.

All in all, it was great to see all members of AAA act together in a short film. On previous concert DVD’s, we got to see them act in a theater-style type of play but it’s cool to see them in a short film like this and I really applaud Avex doing these type of films on their DVD’s. We had the one hour long film for Koda Kumi and another short film for Kiyokiba Shunsuke’s CD single, so I hope they continue to do more of these.

As for the CD insert, the booklet contains photos of each member and the lyrics for the songs on the album.

In Japan, a few listeners have been critical because the album mostly consists of CD singles. In Japan, the music industry is focused on CD single sales and for AAA fans, because the releases are monthly and there are various releases of the CD singles, Japanese listeners want to know that they are getting more bang for the buck.

So, typically on Japanese releases, you get an album version or the CD single but with different music or something new. That is not the case with “AROUND”.

So, it all comes down to the person who wants to buy the album. Don’t have the CD singles, then you can purchase the album and be happy. Those who own all CD singles should then purchase the CD+DVD version for the additional songs but most importantly, you get to see a cool short film with all AAA members on it.

But if you are an AAA fan, I’m sure you will buy it anyway to complete the “ATTACK ALL AROUND” album trilogy.

All in all, “AROUND” is a very cool album that features a good balance of music. I actually like them all but one song. And I have listened to the album like a dozen times already and still not tired of it.

Definitely check it out!

Tags: AAA, AROUND, Attack All Around

ARTIST: Various Artists

ALBUM: Kamen Rider Den-O Form Original Soundtrack

LABEL: avex mode

DURATION: 44:51

CATALOG #: AVCA-26349, Released on June 27th, 2007

34 tracks which include two versions of AAA Den-O Form’s “Climax Jump” (HipHop ver. and TV-SIZE EDIT). Also, includes four versions of Sato Ken and Seki Toshihiko’s (Ryotaro Nogami and Momotaros) “Double-Action” (TV-SIZE EDIT, Rod form TV-SIZE, Ax form TV-SIZE and Gun Form TV-SIZE).

As with most soundtracks, one would make the purchase because they are passionate about the television series or film. And the other is because there is a song by an artist they enjoy or they collect anything that features an artist.

With “Kamen Rider Den-O Form”, I am not familiar with the TV series at all, although I have seen several incarnations of the masked rider in the past.

Having owned many soundtracks, especially from Japan, one thing I will say that when it comes to soundtracks, they are hit and miss.

For those who come looking for a song, rarely will you find that hit song on the soundtrack. You may find a plethora of instrumental versions of it but rarely are the vocals included.

Fortunately on this soundtrack you get multiple versions of the AAA Den-O Form “Climax Jump” and Nogama Ryotaro and Momotaros “Double Action”. Although they are the TV edits, so songs are about two minutes long.

If you come for the instrumental music for the soundtrack, you get 28 songs from the television series which many are about under a minute long to under two minutes long.

The music featured is actually very good with a nice blend of orchestra to rock music. I will be truthful by saying how impressed I was with the music.

When it comes to sentai series, to tell you the truth, I haven’t really paid attention to the music, probably since “Ninja Sentai Kakuranger” back in the mid-90’s.

But the music on this soundtrack is very well done.

Now, for those of you who are curious about this soundtrack because you are an AAA fan, the HIPHOP version of “Climax Jump” alone is just awesome and being a fan of AAA, it’s one of those songs that really is fun and I just can’t stop listening to it. It’s that good.

Unfortunately, the soundtrack does not include the instrumentals of “Climax Jump” (you need to purchase the CD single of “Climax Jump”).

As for “Double-Action” by Sato Ken and Seki Toshihiko, the music is like a cross between Two-Mix meets w-inds. You get several versions with TV-SIZE edit giving you a rock/pop version, Rod form being more J-Pop disco/jungle, AX form sounding more enka-like and Gun form with another rock/pop version of the song.

The CD-insert features the lyrics for the songs on the soundtrack. Including the furigana for the children or individuals who can’t read kanji.

“Kamen Rider Den-O Form” Original Soundtrack is more than likely going to appeal to Kamen Rider Den-O Form fans and AAA fans.

If purchasing it for the overall music experience for “Kamen Rider Den-O Form”, you can’t go wrong because even though I have not seen the series, musically, the soundtrack offers a great blend of really well-done instrumental (orchestral and rock) music.

And it’s a soundtrack that offers several versions of the series vocal songs (which many soundtracks typically do not include on a Japanese television soundtrack).

If you are an AAA fan, personally I found the HIPHOP version of “Climax Jump” awesome but is it worth it to pay $25 for two short versions of “Climax Jump”?

Despite a CD single being available for “Climax Jump” which features five versions (regular and four instrumentals: power rock, sweet ballad, soul blues and the regular instrumental) of the song, my favorite is the HIPHOP version on this album and you get the TV-SIZE EDIT version as well.

But again, it all comes down to how much of a fan you are and if you are willing to spend that much for an original soundtrack.

All in all a very good soundtrack that will appeal to both Kamen Rider Den-O Form and AAA fans.

Tags: AAA, Kamen Rider Den-O Form, Kamen Rider Den-O Form Soundtrack