Hello, Arama! Japan readers and welcome to this week’s installment of #1 Song Review! Last week saw Ken Hirai top THE IDOLM@STER. This week, we have 3 newcomers facing off! 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: GENERATIONS – Namida (Recochoku #2 / iTunes #3)

Ronald: I don’t really have an opinion of this song because it’s a nothing of a song. I play it and I don’t really feel or think anything. It just sounds like some random thing that you hear in the background of a drama and CM and think nothing of. There’s nothing here that I haven’t heard a million times before. 4/10

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Recochoku #1: Kuwata Keisuke – Taiga no Itteki (Oricon #2 / iTunes #6)

Ronald: I surprisingly don’t mind this. It’s an interesting mix of things: strings, Spanish guitar, even that horn sound in old rap songs. There is a certain vintage sound to the song, but it doesn’t sound dated. It sounds more like something from that past that just wasn’t heard before, as if it was sitting in some vault of unreleased material. 6/10

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iTunes #1: SawanoHiroyuki[nZk]:Tielle – Into the Sky (Oricon #6 / Recochoku #5)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DTwP2wMlIE

Ronald: I have mixed feelings on this one, but the main thing is that I don’t think the musical track and the vocals match. The track is more subdued, while the vocals are very Broadway, very TV talent show. That’s not to say that they’re not nice, because they are, but they just don’t mesh well with the musical track. That out of the way, I do like how powerful and the emotion the song is in the end. 5.5/10

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Ronald’s Rank:

1. Recochoku #1: Kuwata Keisuke – Taiga no Itteki

2. iTunes #1: SawanoHiroyuki[nZk]:Tielle – Into the Sky

3. Oricon #1: GENERATIONS – Namida

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