Hello, Arama! Japan readers and welcome to this week’s installment of #1 Song Review! Last week saw Hoshino Gen defeat Morning Musume. ’16. Gen is back again this week, facing off against a newcomer. 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!
Everyone knows by now that Hoshino Gen’s “Koi” is the big hit of the tail end of 2016. One reason behind its success is the dance that is featured in the song’s music video, which has become know as the “Koi Dance.” It’s gone viral over the past few weeks, with everyone from the cast of Gen’s drama “Nigeru wa Haji da ga Yaku ni Tatsu” to the Japanese figure skating team doing the dance. So it comes as no surprise that the part of Gen’s FNS Kayousai performance of “Koi” which featured the dance was the highest rated moment of the show’s two night run. The “Koi Dance” received a rating of 16.8%.
Today, Fuji TV aired the second part of its annual year end music show, FNS Kayousai. The show was about 4 hours long, and was hosted by Chisato Moritaka and Watabe Ken. Performers on the show included [Alexandros], Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, Keyakizka46, AAA, Piko-Taro, back number, Daichi Miura, Hoshino Gen, and many more. Check out the full show below!
This week’s guests were Makihara Noriyuki and Yamazaki Masayoshi
Makihara Noriyuki – Riyuu
Yamazaki Masayoshi – Kimi no Namae
Nippon TV’s new drama series ‘Tokyo Tarareba Musume‘ has announced who will providing the opening theme, and it’s quite high profile. The romantic comedy was able to nab popular group Perfume and their new song ‘Tokyo Girl‘ as the show’s intro. Perfume are big fans of the manga that the show is based off of and jumped at the opportunity to sing the live-action’s opening. Continue on to hear the song and see some clips of the show.
Anime Boston, the largest anime convention in New England, has announced one of it’s very important guests. J-pop/rock duo Puffy AmiYumi will be performing at Anime Boston on March 31 through April 2, 2017.
Puffy AmiYumi are one of the most famous music icons in Japan, where they are a household name synonymous with all things pop and fun. Featuring dual vocalists Ami Onuki and Yumi Yoshimura, the group has reached enormous success with their pop/rock songs, but are also loved for their effortlessly cool and nonchalant fashion styles. Debuted in 1996, the duo are still in high demand after 20 colorful years, glittered with dozens of commercial endorsements, sold-out tours, and a total of 20 million CDs sold to date.
“We are incredibly proud to able to host musical superstars, Puffy AmiYumi. For many of us, Puffy AmiYumi was our introduction to Japanese rock music through their appearances on American television. Now, Anime Boston can show them how much they mean to us!” said Victor Lee, Convention Chairman.
Is your soul strong enough to make its way to afterlife?
Metal idol group NECRONOMIDOL has recently uploaded to their YouTube channel the MV for “psychopomp”, leading track of their EP “from chaos born”. The MV, recorded in the infamous Aokigahara forest (also known as the Suicide Forest), features ghostly shots of both the idols and the decadent nature of the forest. The staff has been kind enough to translate the dark though somewhat hopeful lyrics about the journey of a soul to afterlife after dying, so don’t forget to turn the subtitles in YouTube on! Check the MV just after the jump!
Alternative idol group Maison book girl released their major label debut single “river (cloudy irony)” last November 30th, and after already having released the MV for the A-Side “cloudy irony”, they have now published a clip for its B-side, “karma”, coinciding with the announcement of their first live release “Solitude HOTEL 2F + faithlessness”. The MV, which doesn’t feature any of the four members, consists in a camera recording urban landscapes at a high speed from a vehicle, revealing the beauty and poetry these everyday pictures hide. Check the MV and the live Blu-ray+CD tracklist just after the jump!