Hello AramaJapan readers and welcome to this week’s installment of #1 Song Review! Last week saw KAT-TUN come out on top against Kumamushi and back number. This week we have 2 returnees plus a newcomer. Find out what various staff members thought of the songs that topped the physical and digital charts this week and share your thoughts on them too!

Oricon #1: 2PM – Guilty Love (not in the Recochoku top 50 / not in the iTunes top 10 all week)

Ronald: I used to like 2PM years ago when I was a KPop fan. I don’t think I’ve liked them since… Heartbeat? They basically got kinda lame once Jay Park left. I think the last time I paid attention to them was this past summer when they released this song called “Go Crazy” in Korea. Someone showed me a MR Removed performance of the song and it was so bad/funny. One of the few good things in that MR Removed video was Junho’s vocals. The same thing can be said about “Guilty Love.” Junho and Jun.K are the only things that caught my attention in what basically boils down into a Johnny’s song with a fresh coat of paint. I got bored listening to this because there’s nothing fresh here. I’d rather listen to to the KAT-TUN song from last week. 4/10

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Recochoku #1: Kumamushi – Attakaindakara (not released physically til 2/4 / iTunes #2)

Ronald: Same review as last week – This is an interesting song. There’s a bit of a bait and switch here. At first the song start off as your typical folky pop song but in the middle, things change. The song becomes a lot more upbeat, more fun, a bit funky. I was pleasantly surprised by this. It made me a lot more interested in the song. It made me feel a bit warm in the end. 6.5/10

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iTunes #1: back number – Heroine (Oricon #22 / Recochoku #4)

Ronald: Same review as last week – This is nice enough. I do like the voice of the band’s singer, especially on the chorus and towards the end of the song. I just wish there was more going on in the song. It’s verging on background music. This just sounds like so many other songs. I wish there was something else here that set this song apart, kinda like what happened with the Kumamushi song. 5.5/10

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Ronald’s Rank:

1. Recochoku #1: Kumamushi – Attakaindakara

2. iTunes #1: back number – Heroine

3. Oricon #1: 2PM – Guilty Love