Hello, Arama! Japan readers and welcome to this week’s installment of #1 Song Review! Last week saw Arashi defeat Mai Kuraki. Mai is back this week, facing off against two 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 / Billboard #1: Choutokkyuu – Cho Nebagiba DANCE (not in the Recochoku or iTunes top 50)

Ronald: There are parts of this song that are decent, and then parts that are quite crap. The verses, which are in a more standard boyband style, are actually kinda nice. But it’s the chorus where things get messy. It’s like they threw a completely different song in there. And in a style of music that they thought they would look cool doing, but instead it just made them look behind the trends. 5/10

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Recochoku #1: Mai Kuraki – Togetsukyou ~Kimi Omofu~ (Oricon #21 / iTunes #2 / Billboard #9)

Ronald: Same review as before: This is decent. The intro suggested that the song was going to be a lot more interesting than it ended up being. The use of traditional instruments was nice. Mai’s voice was soft and unforced. I will say that this song was just a pleasant listen, but nothing more than that. I just felt like it didn’t go anywhere. 5/10

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iTunes #1: RADWIMPS – Saihate Ai ni (not released physically / Recochoku #10 / Billboard #14)

Ronald: I’ve never really cared for RADWIMPS. I hear their songs and I think “Ohh, this sounds just like that other RADWIMPS song…” Honestly, is this really that different from “Zen Zen Zense”? I went back and looked at my review for that song and I feel the same way about this song: I’m not really feeling this. It’s OK, but it’s just that: OK. This could’ve been made by a bunch of other bands. There’s nothing really special here that is grabbing me and making me pay attention. Frankly, I’m bored by this song. 5/10. Why did I give this such a high score? I don’t know… Due to the fact that this just makes me think of their earlier release, I’m knocking them down a bit. 4/10

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Ronald’s Rank:

1. Oricon #1 / Billboard #1: Choutokkyuu – Cho Nebagiba DANCE

1. Recochoku #1: Mai Kuraki – Togetsukyou ~Kimi Omofu~

3. iTunes #1: RADWIMPS – Saihate Ai ni

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