2011 Year In Review ~ My Favourite Singles of the Year

Countdown! Best Idol Single Releases of 2011. (Japanese)

Japanese Edition



I am only including Japanese Idol bands and releases in this post, I will include Korean releases in my next post, otherwise it all gets far too confusing. There have been so many great releases this year and it's a shame I couldn't include more!

Onto the countdown!

10. Vivi Natsu / PASSPO*

- The PV is absolutely nowhere to be found on youtube aside from a 30 second tv spot. Luckily this performance is quite good, although I am sure they are lip syncing. You also have to turn it up quite loud. Sorry about that. Damn Youtube. :/

9. Ai, Chuseyo / SDN48

- Great song, great PV. Not as good as GAGAGA and no Kayo. (cries) but there's lots of Yukari though. The outfits are a bit ridiculous but it's very enjoyable. The baths... *nosebleed* Everyone sounds on top form here too. I only just recently found out that 'Chuseyo' means 'Please' in Korean. So it's essentially 'Love, Please'.

8. Zetsumetsu Kurokami Shoujo / NMB48

A very, very strong debut from the Namba side of the ...48 franchise. Their front girls Sayaka, Miyuki and Nana are a fantastic triad of power. They can sing, dance and are quite beautiful. Oh My God! was a good single too but it's not as catchy as this.

7. Joshiryoku -> Paradise / SUPER☆GiRLS

I really, really love this song. Super Girls are a fantastically produced group. AVEX seem to put a lot into their idol groups without trying too hard. These girls are fun and talented. Aspects of this PV remind me of MM's 'Roman ~ My Dear Boy'


6. Kaze wa Fuiteiru / AKB48

Great song. This PV is the dance version that everyone thought was the real version for ages until the physical single was released. It's simple but still really beautiful. I was sad not to see Sayaka Akimoto in this, she's proven herself to be popular a bunch of times and they still don't put her in senbatsu unless she is elected or wins a spot. It's unfair. The dresses in this are a bit uniform as well.

5. More Kiss/ Song for You / FAIRIES

Fairies debut single. This song is really, really good. Although I don't know why they only have one of the girls singing throughout. I really dislike the way they dress them though. Those heels look really uncomfortable on these girls, the youngest of which is 12.

4. Doki Doki Morning / BABY METAL

This video and this song is NUTS. That's why it's awesome. Three girls from Sakura Gakuin formed a subgroup that sing about silly things in a metal/pop style. I saw this posted on a few of my friends FB's going 'wtf?' - they don't get how good and individual this release is.

3. Everyday Kachuusha / AKB48

The song that got me back into AKB after a few years of only very sporadic following. This takes influence from AKB's earlier PV's such as 'Ponytail to Shushu' and 'Heavy Rotation' (and more) and turns them into one super awesome PV. This was their biggest seller so far, and their sales have only been going up and up since then.

2. Pareo wa Emerald/SKE48

Again, the full PV of this isn't available, and this is the best performance I could find, which is coupled with '1,2, 3, 4 Yoroshiku' - Both very catchy and upbeat songs. I love, love how SKE is the energy group. All of their songs are fantastic, but Pareo wa Emerald really got me into them full-time.

1. Limited Addiction/ Tokyo Girls' Style

Wow, wow, wow. A fantastic, fantastic release. A catchy hook and awesome vocals. Coupled with 'We Will Win!' and the epic, best B-side of the year 'Don't be cruel' - which was so good it could have been an A-side itself. These girls are fantastic, I can't say enough good things about them.

I don't think Flying Get was the best AKB single, it was a catchy song but the dance was a bit all over the place and the covers were a bit of a let down, it was probably my least favourite AKB single this year. Hello! Project had a weird year. So many changes to Morning Musume, but none of their songs broke my top 10 this year.

The closest would have probably been 'Kiss Me Aishiteru' by C-ute or 'Please! Mini Skirt Postwoman' by S/mileage. The formula H!P always seems to rely on has pushed me away a bit. I am a defector. I have switched teams to AKB48 and their surrounding groups, especially SKE.

Passpo, Fairies, Super*Girls and Baby Metal are all new entries for this year. Fairies are a new band that have serious talent, and as soon as they stop trying to market them as 'little adults' and get those ridiculous heels off them, I will follow them with more vigour. Passpo have infectious songs and are slowly gaining momentum and a dedicated fan base. Unfortunately one of their members has already graduated. I wonder if they will have second generation auditions?

Baby Metal are a subgroup of Sakura Gakuin and their pop/metal song 'Doki Doki Morning' had people talking this year, non-Jpop fans and Jpop fans alike. It's something really different and not what you usually see from idol bands. This is exactly what they needed to boost their publicity a little more. Also got people talking about Jpop, which is always a good thing.

Super*Girls have had a great year, they are cute and smiley, with very catchy songs and dances. I can't get sick of their releases this year, but my favourite was definitely their most recent, where they have started to gain a bit more fame and TV publicity. Lets hope they don't jump on the graduation bandwagon anytime soon. As they are under AVEX it may be a little harder to get out of their contracts so easily, and that might be a good thing.

SDN48 and NMB48 have had mixed years. I really liked both of their debut singles, SDN's only didn't make it because it was late last year and not this year when it was released. 'Zetsumetsu Kurokami Shoujo' is a very strong debut from an idol group and NMB are showing themselves to be the 'Smiling' group, as opposed to SKE's 'Energetic' group. Especially with Sayaka Yamamoto's lovely face always looking back at us.

Poor SDN48 and their upcoming disbandment. Ai, Chuseyo was one of those songs you think was quite average at first but it grew on you over time, and it was much better than their next release 'Min Min Min'. I was disappointed to see Kayo Noro overlooked as usual. She finally starts getting more airtime with their next single (which I am not sure if it is their last or not, it seems they may have one last hurrah) and then they are going away. Unfair. Unfair for fans of older idols.

SKE48 have had a killer year. 'Banzai Venus', 'Pareo wa Emerald' and 'Oki Doki!' all being awesome singles. Their single for next year 'Kataomoi Finally' looks like it may be their breakout single, hopefully setting them apart from AKB and getting invites to events and such more on their own.

Tokyo Girls' Style, my number one this year. Have improved in leaps and bounds. This was their best selling single of the year and it is easy to see why. With their fantastically polished dances and Ayano's amazing vocals, they are heading towards mega stardom. Even though it may be taking a while to get them there.

Please let me know what songs you think should be included!

Top 10 Current Idol Vocalists.

WHOAH! SHE CAN SING!

Who are your favourite idols? Well forget about them. This is about the best singers in idol groups. Current and active only. I may also make a former idols best vocalist's list as well, but that will be a lot harder than this one. I am not including any vocalists who are being promoted as serious singers, even former idols who are now artists are being excluded (eg: Maki Goto).

Here they are! The top 10 current idol vocalists! (In my opinion xD)


10. Risa Niigaki (Morning Musume)- Now the longest serving member of Morning Musume, she's always had a deeper voice than most, but can also hit falsetto notes with a beautiful flowing sound. Her voice is now carrying Morning Musume though, as she is by a very long shot better than their next best vocalist. Reina Tanaka.


9. Yuko Oshima (AKB48 Team K) - I remember her being a lot better than they give her credit for now, maybe because she is constantly trying to make herself sound cute, but her voice is actually very good. Listen to 'Kinjirareta Futari' - it's delicate, it's husky, and she sounds very good hitting either high or low notes. They need to give her more ballads to sing as she is very good at conveying emotion.


8. Ayano Konishi (Tokyo Girls Style)- This girl has some serious pipes on her. Sounding better than idols twice her age, she was born to sing and perform. Apparently her nickname is 'perfect voice' - I can see why. Tokyo Girls' Style as a group are ridiculously talented in both singing and dancing, and I'd eventually love to see some solo careers come out of them. Especially Ayano.


7. Miyabi Natsuyaki (Berryz Koubou and Buono!) - Always, since she was very young, being one of the best Hello! Project vocalists, she has a very unique sounding voice that you can always spot, being a tad on the nasal side in the high register, yet when in the low register, she sounds fantastic. Always a front girl since the very first Berryz single, I have a feeling she will be one of the (few) girls who will succeed after Hello! Project disbands.


6. Sayaka Akimoto (AKB48 Team K) - Extremely underrated as a vocalist, her deep and husky voice is perfect for rock songs like Blue Rose, DiVA is the most vocally powerful sub group in AKB48 and her voice is often dominating of other members because of it's power. She can also handle ballads and different styles of music. She has proven herself so many times and yet she still doesn't get the promotion she really deserves. Media Senbatsu for next year! Sayaka! I will vote for you!


5. Sayaka Yamamoto (NMB48 Team N) - WOW. Was my first thought when I heard the clearness and clarity of this beauty's voice. Her version of Bird is incredible, and it seems like this is really the vocalists AKB song, as Sayanee, Yuka, and Takamina have all gotten it as their lead songs. She will be the Takamina of NMB, whether she stays as popular as she is, or it goes up and down, she will probably always carry their songs with her great voice that can hit a varied range of notes.


4. Airi Suzuki (C-ute and Buono!) - Another H!P vocalist carrying the franchise. Although oddly, she sounded better when she was younger (anyone remember Aa!?) her voice is usually is quite high, and she is arguably one of the best, if not the best vocalist in current Hello! Project. Most of the H!P kids turned into very good talents, singers and dancers bar a few who never seemed to improve, but Airi was very good right off the bat. Her audition song was BoA's 'Kimochi wa Tsutawaru' and she was about 9 years old. Incredible.


3. Yuka Masuda (AKB48 Team B)- Originally from Team K and smashing most of the other girls vocals from AKB (especially from Team B)out of the park, Yuka continually proves her worth by doing beautifully strong versions of songs. The duet on the revised stages of 'Anata to Christmas Eve' with Sayaka Akimoto was fantastic.


2. Reiko Nishikunihara (SDN48) - While not the prettiest idol, and definitely one of the oldest in the idol industry right now. Her voice is incredible, it is a shame she doesn't get into any of the SDN A-sides, as she is the best vocalist in SDN48. Hands down. Hopefully for their last single all the girls get to shine. I'd like to see her get an enka or classical music career after SDN.


1. Minami Takahashi (AKB48 Team A) - Nobody can really dispute this. (Well, feel free too though!) She is the queen of AKB48 and supports many, many songs with her strong and deep vocals. She gives everything she sings such a depth and emotion. I hope that eventually she gets her own solo career, as even though she may not be as popular as Acchan or Yukirin, she is infinitely more talented.

How about you? Who do you think has the best voice? Or has potential to one day have a great career?

SDN48 Mass Graduation and Disbandment

The dream is over. It has been announced that on March 2012, SDN48 will officially disband. This came as a big shock to any fan of the ...48 family, as there were no clues, no hints and a 3rd generation including former Team A member (and a very popular one indeed) Hana Tojima were added just a few months ago.

This seems really unfair, and I am trying to understand why Yasushi Akimoto would start up this band 2 years ago, only to not really let it run it's course. The stage shows were selling out and the single sales figures were much higher than some other idol groups could ever hope to achieve. I have no idea about the merchandise sales figures but surely they were doing well enough to be treated better than this.

My thoughts are that perhaps a few wanted to graduate, or maybe a lot of them did, so many that it would take a major restructure of the group, and that just wasn't worth it, if it wasn't this, then I can genuinly see no reason why this group is disbanding. We thought that in the future, people like Mariko, Haruna, Yuko and Sayaka would be the first to be moved over. Although I am relieved that they aren't going to be, to be honest. The over sexualization in AKB48 alone is something I feel funny about, so having them be as overtly sexual as SDN isn't really what I wanted to see from these girls.

Even though the girls are acting quite cool and calm about it, I can understand if former AKB48 members, and especially founding members Kayo Noro, Megumi Ohori, Kazumi Urano and Yukari Sato would be ferociously angry about this. Being moved over to a new 'sexy' [re: soft porn] group just because you were too old for the original group? It's blatant ageism, and it's a problem that is long overdue to be addressed in Japan.

This group should have been treated more as a performance group and less as an idol group, they all have extreme talent and were basically made to parade about on stage half naked (sometimes practically fully naked in photoshoots >.>) and this was somehow an idol group. Girls like female groups too Akimoto! Why wasn't this group based on say, After School or SNSD? Wasn't their aim to crack the Korean market? Of course something like this would fail!

The problem is, idol pop, as quoted by Kinenbi on stage48 forums 'starting to get weird again' - and I agree with this. There are far too many idol groups that concentrate on Lolita-esque type properties, exploiting girls as young as 11, that very old and quite pervy men drool over. It's really unacceptable. Boy bands for girls, Girl bands for boys. Ridiculous. If an idol-type group debuted in the West they would be absolutely aimed at girls. Girls would want to join and the 'no boyfriend' policy would only be in adherance if it was produced by Disney (shudder).

The founding members new nothing about this group until it was announced in the team shuffle in 2009, and they didn't look pleased about it, now they have all new reasons to be annoyed. Another suggestion that has been said is that Akimoto is spreading himself too thinly, and I tend to agree with this. Why he can't hire a few protegee's that can write songs for him I don't know. He doesn't have to do everything himself. There's AKB, SKE, NMB, HKT, JKT (so there will be Team KIII and KIV -_-) and now Taipei as well. It's too much and it is destined to start folding in on itself. Like a red giant when it swells and becomes a white dwarf.

We say goodbye to SDN48 and hope that the girls will get better and more popular posts in the future, but I have a sinking feeling that most of them will probably never be seen again, which is something we should probably get used to in the ...48 world, because with so many girls, we are bound to be inundated with graduations and favourites who will just become a passing fancy. The girls themselves should be wary of this, and make sure they all have good plans for their futures, as for us, all we can do is sit back and enjoy the ride.

I must write to Kayo Noro before she leaves. I will miss her utterly and dearly.

What are your thoughts?