Hello, Arama! Japan readers and welcome to this week’s installment of #1 Song Review! Last week saw AKB48 defeat Anly+Sukima Switch= and WANIMA. This week, we have a newcomer facing off against a returnee from a previous week. 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 / Billboard #1: Nogizaka46 – Influencer (Recochoku #20 / iTunes #9)

Ronald: Nogizaka46 is back with a new song showing the more palatable side of the idol world. I like the Spanish feel to this. It’s a nice flair which is quite unexpected coming from a group like this. It’s a nice departure from their more electronic and ballad style songs. 6/10

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Recochoku #1 / iTunes #1: Doughnuts Hole – Otona no Okite (not released physically / Billboard #5)

Ronald: Same review as before: Ringo gets another check! Ash is going to kill me, but I like this a lot. You can definitely tell that Ringo is behind this, even moreso than with some other songs she’s given away. At times, it even seems like she’s doing background vocals on this, which I wouldn’t be surprised it was true. There’s a dramatic tension in the song that I really enjoy. I also like the combination of male and female vocals. I’m actually a bit surprised how much I like this because it has such an old time feel to it, like early 20th century. 8.5/10

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Ronald’s Rank:

1. Recochoku #1 / iTunes #1: Doughnuts Hole – Otona no Okite

2. Oricon #1 / Billboard #1: Nogizaka46 – Influencer

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