Hello, Arama! Japan readers and welcome to this week’s installment of #1 Song Review! Last week saw Kis-My-Ft2 defeat DAOKO x Yonezu Kenshi and Kegani feat. DracoVirgo.This week, we have three newcomvers facing off. Find out what various staff members thought of the songs that topped the singles charts this week and share your thoughts on them too!

Oricon #1 / Billboard Hot 100 #1: Bodan Shonen Dan – MIC Drop (not available for streaming / Download Songs #65)

Ronald: I’m at a loss as to what to say about this mess. Actually, I’m not: this is an utter disaster. A bunch of random noises mixed with hip hop cliches instead of an actual song. I had a hard time trying to understand what language this was in exactly. This is like a bad Big Bang album track. Even they have enough dignity not to release crap like this as a single. I hear time and time again about how this group is unique, but everything here is just very copy and paste. Maybe this group just has their own distinct brand of tackiness to sprinkle on top?  0/10

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Streaming Songs #1: Chris Hart – I LOVE YOU (not in the Oricon top 50 / Billboard Hot 100 #7 / Download Songs #3)

Ronald: This is a fairly standard ballad, but Chris’ vocals make it stand out. His voice is so emotive. 6/10

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Download Songs #1: Utada Hikaru – Anata (not released physically / Billboard Hot 100 #3 / not available for streaming)

Ronald: I’ve been quite critical of Utada since her comeback due to her releasing music that I feel doesn’t live up to her legacy. This is one of those songs that I would rank in the middle. I don’t really see it as single material, but it’s a nice album track. I think the jazz influence is quite interesting. It’s a bit like a stripped down Shiina Ringo song. 7/10

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Ronald’s Rank:

1. Download Songs #1: Utada Hikaru – Anata

2. Streaming Songs #1: Chris Hart – I LOVE YOU

3. Oricon #1 / Billboard Hot 100 #1: Bodan Shonen Dan – MIC Drop

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