Hello Arama! Japan readers and welcome to this week’s installment of #1 Song Review! Last week saw Shiina Ringo beat out Johnny’s WEST and Carly Rae Jepsen to take the top spot. This week, we have 2 newcomers. 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: Kanjani8 – Maemuki Scream (not released digitally)

Ronald: I don’t like Kanjani8. I don’t like comedy in my music, and they have way too much of it in theirs. This song is like a giant joke. Like how many times can you say “maemuki” in 1 song? The vocals are bad on this, and Subaru is especially grating. I can a matsuri feel from this and that’s the only part of the song I can actually tolerate. 1.5/10

Thomas: I can definitely hear a “Matsuri” influence in this. While I think the chorus is radio-friendly and not too bad actually, the vocals sound cringeworthy to me. The “maemuki maemuki” parts are very repetitive and can get annoying very easily over time. 4/10

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Recochoku #1 / iTunes #1: SEKAI NO OWARI – ANTI-HERO (Oricon #12)

Ronald: This is very different for SEKAI NO OWARI. There’s a very noticeable hip hop influence here, which I enjoy. I’m glad they’ve stopped the carnival music for a bit. I don’t mind Fukase’s English, but the lyrics are a bit cheesy at times. 6.5/10

Thomas: This song proves that Fukase sounds pretty good without much autotune. The jazz/hiphop blend works really well for them and the overall production is great. The lyrics are rather… simple but I can live with that. 7.5/10

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Ronald’s Rank:

1. Recochoku #1 / iTunes #1: SEKAI NO OWARI – ANTI-HERO

2. Oricon #1: Kanjani8 – Maemuki Scream

Thomas’ Rank:

1. Recochoku #1 / iTunes #1: SEKAI NO OWARI – ANTI-HERO

2. Oricon #1: Kanjani8 – Maemuki Scream

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