Hello, Arama! Japan readers and welcome to this week’s installment of #1 Song Review! Last week saw Yonezu Kenshi defeat KAT-TUN and TWICE. This week, we have three newcomers facing off. Find out what various staff members thought of the songs that topped the singles charts this week and share your thoughts on them too!

On May 13, TOKIO’s The! Tetsuwan! Dash!! aired for the first time with four members and received an average rating of 20.8% (Kanto region).

“The! Tetsuwan! Dash!! is TOKIO’s long running, highly-rated variety show on NTV where the members work on various long term reconstruction projects. Its May 6 episode broadcast was cancelled following the scandal of former member Yamaguchi Tatsuya. On its return episode, its peak rating of 23.7% was achieved at 7:55 pm when leader Joshima Shigeru apologized at a rice farmhouse at Fukushima Prefecture, bringing a lot of its viewers to tears.

Two artists that have recently garnered buzz due to their new albums are cero and Nariaki Obukuro. The Japan Times recently interviewed both acts.

cero will release their new album “POLY LIFE MULTI SOUL” on May 16. This is the band’s first album since 2015’s “Obscure Ride.” cero garnered some mainstream attention with that album, reaching new heights for an indie band when they performed with SMAP on their show “SMAP x SMAP”. cero has decided not to cash in on the laid back sound of their previous album, and instead have advanced into a new music territory featuring genre clashes, elaborate arrangements, intricate harmonies, and polyrhythms. This new sound is in part influenced by music from various parts of the world, which led cero to also discuss the concept of cultural appropriation.

Nariaki Obukuro has been making a name for himself for years with his production company Tokyo Recordings. He reached a new level of attention when he collaborated with Utada Hikaru on her 2016 song “Tomodachi.” Returning the favor, Utada co-produced his debut album, “Bunriha no Natsu”, which was released on April 25. It’s a personal record, something that Nariaki believes separates it from typical JPop.

Check out both interviews below!

On May 12, Gesu no Kiwami Otome. will celebrate the sixth anniversary of the band’s formation. To celebrate this occasion, Gesu no Kiwami Otome. will release the digital single “Mou Setsunai to wa Iwasenai.” The song has an emphasis on strings, which adds a new layer of emotion and beauty to the band’s usual sound. Check out the cover and music video for “Mou Setsunai to wa Iwasenai” below!

This week’s guests were King & Prince, LiSA, and miwa.

King & Prince – Cinderella Girl

miwa – Update

LiSA – Rising Hope

Singer/songwriter Daisuke Yamamori released his latest mini-album, “Gin no Pistol”, this past week on May 9th.  In addition to handling the more typical songwriting duties, Yamamori also performed, mixed, mastered, and produced the entire release on his own.  Another mini-album, this one to focus more on the band-based side of his sound, will be coming early this winter.

“Gin no Pistol” includes five new tracks from Yamamori, among them the ‘painful’ love song “Full Moon no Kanojo” and a self-cover of “Can’t U See?”, a song which he originally wrote for idol group Kanjani8.  Animated music videos for both the title track and “Full Moon no Kanojo” have been uploaded to Yamamori’s Youtube channel.

Read on below to find both of these PVs, as well as the cover and complete track list for “Gin no Pistol”.

We previously reported that rock band Straightener will be releasing a new album titled “Future Soundtrack” later this month on May 23rd.  Straightener have described “Future Soundtrack” as a record which meshes their signature alt. rock sound with lush pop soundscapes, aiming to produce a work which straddles the boundaries of both genres.

Ahead of its release date, the group have now published a digest video which previews all of the songs which will be included on the album.  Of note, this trailer will also include a snippet from the band’s upcoming music video for “Time Leap”, a track which was included on their most recent single.

You’ll find the digest for “Future Soundtrack” right after the jump.

Girl group Fairies has announced the release of their long awaited second studio album Jukebox.

Their debut self-titled studio album was released four years ago in March 2014. All nine singles released after their first album will be included on Jukebox, along with five brand new songs.

With titles like Bangin and Fashionable it’s safe to say the girls brought their usual high energy sassiness. Along with the MVs for their previous singles, three of the new tracks will also receive their own videos available on the DVD and blu-ray editions of the album.