#1 Song Review: Week of 9/17 - 9/23

Hello AramaJapan readers and welcome to this week’s installment of #1 Song Review! Last week, E-girls topped Southern All Stars. This week, we have a returnee from about a month ago and a new challenger. 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: EXILE TRIBE – THE REVOLUTION (nobody has bought this digitally in weeks)

Video Source

Ronald: My thoughts on this song haven’t changed from a month ago but I am dropping it down a point because of the bundling gimmick (buy a concert ticket, get a free cd!) that got it to #1 a month after its release. The Oricon singles chart is irrelevant and has been for years… 2/10

Zara: Wow. I mean wow. The music video was packed with a lot of colours and moves and explosions but the song itself bored the hell out of me. Whilst this was playing on my computer, I was paying more attention to my homework than it.
Unfortunately, this is an easily forgettable song. Now that it’s stopped playing, I can’t remember a single note at all. 1/10

Kanki: Not going to lie, this is my first time hearing this even though it’s been out for weeks. The beginning made me think that it was going to come out with a punch like one of my favorite songs ‘Rising Sun’. Buuut then it fell flat. The music video was great and so was the dancing, but hey it’s EXILE. This sounds like an album filler track, not a main single. It’s actually kind of a boring song. Disappointing. 2/10

Ryan: EXILE (THEM FROM THE CHARTS). My opinion of this song hasn’t changed much since it showed up in its first week. I’ll say their trick for sales is ingenious, but it’s still a trick to say they topped the charts a month later. A little more honesty on the charts would be ideal, but I hope other companies don’t give it a test-run because I’d like to actually see new songs on the charts possibly indicative of what the general public is listening to (but that might be asking too much). It was a 2/10, and not to jump on the anti-Revolution train, let’s make it a 1/10.

Ryusenkai: I’m really NOT a fan of the method that they’re using to sell this single (which allows it to have these faux chart jumps), but I’m not going to allow that distaste to cloud my opinion. That said, listening to this track again… I’m still bored out of my mind and really unsure who thought this song was a good idea. It actually gets worse with age, so… let’s drop it a full point from my last review. 2/10

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Recochoku / iTunes: JUJU – Last Scene (Oricon #7)

Ronald: Ohh, how I’ve waited for this day! The day when a song that I actually am really into gets #1! I loved this song from the moment I heard it. It’s such a rich and elegant song. There’s strings yet there is a more urban beat to this song as well. This is JUJU’s most urban-sounding single in quite a while. There’s also a baroque element here. And I don’t really need to say a lot about her voice because it sounds great as usual. A really good combination here. I think the somewhat contrasting elements work well here. 8/10

Zara: I have a weakness for string instruments but JUJU’s voice gives this song credit. I like this one. The mix of string instruments plus extra sounds in the background only compliment her voice and I found it really pleasant to listen to. So much so I had to listen to it twice. I don’t have a lot of experience with JUJU but if all her songs are this good, I might have to look into it. This song was a beautiful combination of all sorts of sounds mixed in one, I’d highly recommend it if you’re looking for something nice to listen to. 8/10

Kanki: Give me more of them strings! I actually think I like the background music the most, but JUJU’s voice has this sort of power…even when she’s singing softly, which I like. I didn’t think I would like this song from the beginning, but getting toward the chorus its building up quite nicely and I just like the overall feel. Video is pretty boring, but I guess I’m supposed to review the song…not the music video. Oh but the part where her dress changes from white to red was fantastic! Anyway, I do enjoy this song. It would be a fun song for me to personally sing at karaoke 7/10

Ryan: I’m so glad she finally has a nice A-side. This song draws in musical cues from so many different styles of music which really suits her. It’s modern, but at points it has a very classical-inspired baroque pop sound. Strings in upbeat ballads is possibly musical perfection for me. The rose imagery falls flat for me, but the visuals in the last 20 or so seconds are amazing. JUJU better keep this up since she’s been a little boring lately. Her music is very polarizing for me some reason, but that’s still a good thing because it actually manages to get a reaction out of me unlike a lot of releases lately I’ve been indifferent about. 8/10

Ryusenkai: Honestly, it would be hard for any track not to come out on top of “The Revolution”, but JUJU at least manages to claim victory with a song that I actually like anyway. I’m a rather big fan of music with baroque influences, and there are more than a few of those present in the overall style of “Last Scene”. Honestly, the song itself is very much a meshing of a lot of the styles which JUJU has tried over the years (baroque, pop, ballad, and urban), the mix happening to come together in just the right way. I’ve always enjoyed the tone of JUJU’s voice (I still think it works best when she sings jazz) and it’s obvious that she’s received some vocal training, given her very solid range, pretty decent stability, and all right breathing (it’s still noticeable, but her breaths are at the least quick and short). I just enjoy “Last Scene” a lot and think it’s both a pretty solid entry into JUJU’s back catalog and a great start to this next era for her. 7.5/10

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Ronald’s Rank: