Hello, Arama! Japan readers and welcome to this week’s installment of #1 Song Review! Last week saw AKB48 win against BOYS AND MEN and Hoshino Gen. This week, we have 3 newcomers, 2 of which have songs from years ago. 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: Inaba Koshi – Hane (not released digitally)

Watch here

Ronald: I’m not a B’z fan. I don’t really consider myself a rock fan, and B’z is a bit too hard rock for me. They don’t have that indie edge that I like in the rock that I do listen to. This song is better than the ones I’ve heard from them though. I don’t know if Koshi’s solo work is fundamentally different from B’z or not, but I do prefer this. It’s more energetic than what I’ve heard from B’z. It has a fresher sound. But I do find Koshi’s voice annoying at times. I’m not fond of that wailing thing he does with his voice. It’s very old school rock, and I’ve never liked it. 6.5/10

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Recochoku #1: SMAP – SMAP – Sekai ni Hitotsu Dake no Hana (Single Version) (Oricon #75 / not released on iTunes)

Ronald: This song topping Recochoku is the result of all the SMAP breakup drama. I’ve heard this song before in montages, and it’s never really struck me as anything that special. It’s pretty standard JPop fare. It’s just kinda there. The only positive thing I can say about this is that SMAP sounds a lot better vocally than they normally do now. Maybe they’ve had some vocal deterioration since 2003. 5/10

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iTunes #1: ONE OK ROCK – Wherever You Are (not released physically as a single / Recochoku #5)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzzZ-9TE5L4

Ronald: I’m going to be completely honest: I don’t like ONE OK ROCK. And it’s pretty much for the same reason I don’t like B’z: they’re too stereotypically rock. However, they are different from each other in a generational kind of way. ONE OK ROCK just reminds me of the kind of band that would be played at Hot Topic. I was never a fan of that pop punk sound. That being said, I find this song more appealing than the other songs of theirs that I’ve heard because it’s softer. This song is supposed to be a ballad, but I find it too aggressive musically to really be one. I don’t like the vocals on this though. They’re ok at times, but other times they just remind me too much of some random pop punk band from last decade (which may make sense since this song is from 2010) and I’m not here for it. He’s trying to be emotive and instead it just annoys me. Just sing the song, I don’t need all this yelling. 4/10

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Ronald’s Rank:

1. Oricon #1: Inaba Koshi – Hane

2. Recochoku #1: SMAP – SMAP – Sekai ni Hitotsu Dake no Hana (Single Version)

3. iTunes #1: ONE OK ROCK – Wherever You Are

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