A Year of Rainbows

Super Mega Rainbow post incoming

This has been a good year for Rainbow with a strong comeback and strong Japanese debut. With their 2 mini-albums and 2 singles, Rainbow has accumulated nearly 100K copies sold this year.

"To Me" 4/8

"Sweet Dream" 6/21

"You & I" City Hunter OST

"A (Japanese Ver.)" 9/14

"Mach (Japanese Ver.)" 12/7

And they also performed two different remixes at this year's Gayo Daejuns






Here's to hoping for an even better year for Rainbow!

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Hope you're all having a great time today =D

Girl's Day releases music video for "New Trial"

I think this is one of their best songs yet.

Its been way too long since there was a post so here's some Crystal Kay and After School

Superman live




Rambling Girls

JJ Lin releases "Never Learn" audio

With he album "Lost N' Found" releasing on the 31th, JJ Lin and went ahead and released the audio of "Never Learn"

Check it out below!

dwango announces its yearly download ranking

dwango (mobile content provider) has announced the results of its yearly download ranking!

Check out the results below!



dwango.jp (Uta) Chaku-uta 2011 Yearly Ranking

01. “Lotus” – Arashi
02. “Everybody Go” – Kis-My-Ft2
03. “Meikyu Love Song” – Arashi
04. “Aoi Bench” – Tegomass
05. “Maru Maru Mori Mori!” – Kaoru to Tomoki, Tamani Mook.
06. “Distance” – Nishino Kana
07. “Promise” – A.N.JELL
08. “Miss You” – A.N.JELL
09. “GO GO Summer!” – KARA
10. “Mada Minu Sekai e” – Arashi

dwango.jp (Full) Chaku-uta Full 2011 Yearly Ranking

01. “Everybody Go” – Kiss-My-Ft2
02. “Memeshikute” – Golden Bomber
03. “Maru Maru Mori Mori!” – Kaoru to Tomoki, Tamani Mook.
04. “Flying Ger” – AKB48
05. “Everyday, Kachuusha” – AKB48
06. “GO GO Summer!” – KARA
07. “Yowasete Mojito” – Golden Bomber
08. “Mata Ashita…” – JUJU
09. “MR. TAXI” – Shoujo Jidai
10. “Distance” – Nishino Kana

dwango.jp (Full) Artist 2011 Yearly Ranking

01. Golden Bomber
02. AKB48
03. KARA
04. Nishino Kana
05. EXILE
06. NEWS
07. Shoujo Jidai
08. Kis-My-Ft2
09. Koda Kumi
10. JUJU

dwango.jp 2011 Android Download Ranking

01. “Memeshikute” – Golden Bomber
02. “Flying Get” – AKB48
03. “Everyday, Kachuusha” – AKB48
04. “Yowasete Mojito” – Golden Bomber
05. “Motokare Korosu” – Golden Bomber
06. “Heavy Rotation” – AKB48
07. “Nanika Hitotsu feat. JAY’D & Wakadanna” – JAMOSA
08. “Suki da yo. ~100-kai no Koukai~” – Sonar Pocket
09. “Toilet no Kamisama” – Uemura Kana
10. “Trauma Kyabajo” – Golden Bomber

dwango Movie / TV / KPOP Chaku-uta Full 2011 Yearly Ranking

01. “Aikawarazu” – A.N.JELL
02. “Yakusoku” – A.N.JELL
03. “Let Me Cry” – Jang Guen Suk
04. “Hello Hello” – Jang Guen Suk
05. “Bye Bye Bye” – Jang Guen Suk
06. “In My Head” – CNBLUE
07. “MR. TAXI” – Shoujo Jidai
08. “Don’t say good bye” – CNBLUE
09. “SATISFACTION” – FTISLAND
10. “Gee” – Shoujo Jidai

Billboard OfficialChaku-uta Full 2011 Yearly Ranking

01. “Born This Way” – Lady Gaga
02. “What The Hell” – Avril Lavigne
03. “Judas” – Lady Gaga
04. “Baby I Love You” – Che’Nelle
05. “The Edge Of Glory” – Lady Gaga

Nico Nico Douga Related Contents 2011 Yearly Ranking

01. “Matryoshka” – Hachi feat. Hatsune Miku . GUMI
02. “Happy Synthesizer” – EasyPop feat. Megurine Luka & Megpoid
03. “Senbonzakura” – KurousaP feat. Hatsune Miku
04. “Juu Mensou” – YM feat. Megpoid
05. “Ama no Jaku” – 164 feat. GUMI

TOKYOHIVE

Crystal Kay release Superman PV

Gorgeous gal Crystal Kay released her new PV for her upcoming single "Superman". It is her first single with her new label Universal Music Japan.

Koda Kumi to perform at MAMA

It’s been announced that singer Koda Kumi will make an appearance at the “2011 Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA)” which will be held at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on November 29th.  MAMA is the biggest music award show in Asia which is broadcasted live in 45 countries, and this upcoming show will be the 13th time for the event to be held.

Koda who has been active inside and outside Japan, received an offer for her powerful performance and singing skill.

Koda will be the only Japanese artist at MAMA, and she will go on the stage with other great artists.  She commented, “I would like to try my best on the performance with great enthusiasm.”  Koda will also release a new single “Love Me Back” on the 30th.

Source: Tokyohive

I've been waiting for this for a long time. I've been hoping to see her perform on a Korean show and I finally get my wish!

Rainbow - Mach (Japanese Dance version)

Mach is probably my favorite song from Rainbow, either that or To Me. The girls look great and I think sound even better in Japanese.

Himeka to release her first album!

It’s been revealed that anime singer HIMEKA will be releasing her 1st album, “Himekanvas“, on November 30th.

The album will include “Hatenaki Michi“, the ending theme song for “Tegamibachi“, and the ending theme song for “Senkou no Night Raid“.

HIMEKA came to Japan from Canada on a working holiday visa back in March of 2008. She then wonthe ‘Second Annual Animax Anison Grand Prix‘, which led her to make her debut in May 2009 with the single, “Ashita e no Kizuna“. This past summer, she held a live concert at the anime convention, “OTAKUTHON“, in Canada.

Check out the jacket covers for “Himekanvas” below!

Queen Beni gives a live performance of Darlin'

Princess Maki delivers an acoustic version of "You" off her recent album

Former Morning Musume member Maki Goto performed "You" off her latest album Voice on nico nico live on 11/3.



Gonna cry buckets when she goes on hiatus. For those that don't know, Maki will be taking a leave from her music career starting next year. Maki has endured many hardships in her short 26 years, with the death of her father in 1996 and her mother in 2010. Her younger brother was also arrested in 2007. Many fans believe the death of her mother has influenced her coming hiatus. Voice is Maki's first full album with avex, and on November 3rd she held her final handshake event according to Tokyohive:

On November 3rd, singer Goto Maki held a release event for her final album, “Aikotoba (VOICE)“, at Lazona Kawasaki.

Goto, who will be going on hiatus after this year, felt tears brim when she surveyed the crowd of 10,000 fans.”I’m moved to tears. I was fine just a few minutes ago, this is strange,” she said.

She continued, “It’s been a while since I met my fans. My feelings run high being welcomed at a place like this after my hiatus announcement.”

The release event consisted of a mini-live and a handshake event. Before kicking off the handshake event, Goto reflected on the time when she debuted at 13 years old. She confessed, “During that time, I was so preoccupied that I didn’t have a private life. These past few years, I was able to create music I wanted to make with the staff. I think I’m slowly growing.”

Noting that her final live at Makuhari Messe was nearing, Goto commented, “Little by little, I’m starting to feel the reality. I haven’t reached the final point yet. I want to show the Goto Maki no one has ever seen before.”

As for her plans during her hiatus, she stated, “I have no plans. I want to stay at home at my own leisure until I find something I want to do. I want to get married in about 2 or 3 years!!”

Goto also showed her interest in joining Dream Morning Musume by saying, “Standing on this stage, it’s like my home, so I would be delighted if they invited me.” She then shared that she’s been exchanging e-mails with her ’senpai’ Nakazaka Yuko, ”She told me that she’s supporting me from the shadows. I never thought I would receive a mail like that, I was so surprised.” 

Maki has grown from a wonderful Hello!Project idol to an amazing singer and songwriter.  She will be missed greatly from fans who will eagerly await her return.

Make sure to purchase her album if you enjoy it. This will be her first and final full album before her leave.

Regular Edition

Album + DVD

Album + DVD First Press Limited Edition

I'll be writing a full bio on her in a couple weeks. In the meantime, enjoy this video of two of her songs from Voice

                                                                         

NINKI ratings for the week of 11/8~11/14

Albums:

01  KinKi Kids - K album

02  Sakamoto Maaya - Driving in the silence

03  Howie D - Back To Me

04  Taylor Swift - The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection

05  Quruli - Kiseki / Original Soundtrack

06  Kim Hyun Joong - Lucky

07  TEE - Baby I Love You

08  Base Ball Bear - Shin Kokyuu

09  IL DIVO - WICKED GAME

10  Teshima Aoi - Collection Blue

Singles:

01  SKE48 - Oki Doki

02  Sandaime J Soul Brothers - Refrain

03  Yusuke - Isshoukenmei / Inazuma Zamurai

04  Nishino Kana - Tatoe Donna ni...

05  765PRO ALLSTARS - CHANGE!!!!

06  Berryz Koubou×℃-ute - Amazuppai Haru ni Sakura Saku

07  ViViD - FAKE

08  Kuribayashi Minami - Kimi no Naka no Eiyuu

09  Kitamura Eri - Shirushi

10  LM.C - The LOVE SONG

Note: Ninki ratings are just a measure of anticipation for upcoming releases, and do not indicate how well an artist will do on sales charts.

165,000 fans flood Mixi to chat with Shimizu Shota

Over 165,000 fans logged into mixi on October 26 to participate in a real-time chat with singer-songwriter Shimizu Shota, despite just one day's notice!

The event was held to mark the release of his 11th single, "Mada Owaranai". Fans who came last year to Shota's mixi event in July said, "It was so fun last year so I want you to do it again!" and due to the demand, Shota announced the day before the event, "I want to get together with everyone on mixi, so let's chat! I'd like to reply to a lot of people!"

He proposed, "'Mada Owaranai' is a song for those people who are trying hard in their everyday lives, so I'd like to hear people's troubles. I will reply with something to cheer you up and cheer you on! Yes. Let's do it. It'll be fun!" Over 15,000 messages were sent to Shota in an hour, and he replied to numerous people. Likes and comments totaled over 42,000!

The new single, "Mada Owaranai" is a song to encourage those trying very hard right now, and features a new jack swing style, with a fresh melody. The video, which features a smiling Shota, is also a hot topic!

Source: Arama

TeeTop's Songs of the Week (October Week 3)

Kumi Koda be loving you back

A 30-second sample of Koda Kumi’s latest song has just been revealed!

As reported previously, Koda Kumi will be singing the opening theme song for Fuji TV’s upcoming drama, “Nazotoki wa Dinner no Ate de“, which stars Arashi’s Sakurai Sho and actress Kitagawa Keiko. She felt inspired by the fresh script, and expressed that she’s created an exciting song to match.

Her song, “Love Me Back“, carries a retro flavor that’s almost reminiscent of those ’70s spy movies. It’s got a playful sound and a great energy that’s sure to make it a popular hit once it gets released



Source: Tokyohive

Wheesung is Coming with Miyro

Wheesung performs "They are Coming" ft. Miryo on Music Bank. Miryo is filling in for Ailee tonight. Gonna miss him when he goes to the military.

Orange Caramel is bringing you some Shanghai nights...next week.

Personally I can't wait. "Wo ai ni"

W.I.T.C.H.

Since the full opening is too good to not hear again and again.

BEG - Sixth Sense

This is the best video of 2011. Not just in kpop, but in all of music. The level of detail & prowess speaks levels.
The video is pure art and speaks for itself. The symbolism of how singers are treated nowadays is apparent.

BEG is back and they're back with a vengeance! 

For Old Time's Sake...

Lee Hyori - Toc Toc Toc

Final Fantasy XIII-2 Archylte

Final Fantasy 13-2 is due out for release this Winter. Be sure to check out a new song from the soundtrack below.

TeeTop's Songs of the Week (September Week 1)

15. "Mr. Simple" - Super Junior
14. "Top That" - U-Kiss
13. "I Hate You" - G.NA
12. "Be Mine" - Infinite
11. "Ppappa Pierrot" - Elizabeth
10. "Turn Off The Light" - Daichi Miura
9. "Shake It Up" - Seo In Guk
8. "Baby Don't Cry" - U-Kiss
7. "Banana" - G.NA
6. "We Will Be Okay" - BB.Boys feat. G.NA
5. "After The Rain" - Daichi Miura
4. "Hello Bus" - April Kiss
3. "Syndrome" - Chocolat
2. "Figaro" - Nine Muses
1. "????" - ???

Culture Quirk's lesson on Made vs. Mada

Delphine is back with a lesson on the difference between the word "made" and "mada"



Be sure to follow her!

Vlog Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/QuirkyLifeBlog
Blog: http://culturequirk.org
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/culturequirk
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CultureQuirk
Email: culturequirk@gmail.com

TeeTop's Songs of the Week (August Week 5) Part 2

15. "Don't Spray Perfume" - Teen Top
14. "After The Rain" - Daichi Miura
13. "Mr. Simple" - Super Junior
12. "Just Calling" - BB.Boys
11. "Hate You" - 2NE1
10. "Love of a Friend" - U-Kiss
9. "I Hate You" - G.NA
8. "Ppappa Pierrot" - Elizabeth
7. "Shake It Up" - Seo In Guk
6. "Be Mine" - Infinite
5. ???????
4. ???????
3. ???????
2. ???????
1. ???????

TeeTop's Songs of the Week (August Week 5) Part 1

30. "Lonely Rain" - Yuya Matsushita
29. "Kiss Kiss Kiss" - SHINee
28. "Longer" - Chi Chi
27. "Roly Poly" - T-ara
26. "Wanna See You Again" - NS Yoon Ji feat. Sangchu
25. "Hot Girl!!" - Yuya Matsushita
24. "Baby Don't Cry" - U-Kiss
23. "Show Me" - Jessica Sutta
22. "I Remember" - Bang Yong Guk w/Yang Yoseob
21. "Banana" - G.NA
20. "I Am The Best" - 2NE1
19. "Super Drive" - Yuya Matsushita
18. "Someday" - U-Kiss
17. "Run Away" - Wei Chen w/Lee Joon & Thunder or MBLAQ
16. "Superman" - Super Junior

A lot of songs came out this month so TeeTop slit this week's countdown into two parts. Make sure to watch and enjoy.

Culture Quirk's Arashi Beautiful World Review

Let me introduce you to Delphine of the Culture Quirk Channel. Delphine is a blogger and vlogger with a passionate interest in Japanese culture, and here's her review of Arashi's "Beautiful World" album.



Be sure her to follow her!

Vlog Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/QuirkyLifeBlog
Blog: http://culturequirk.org
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/culturequirk
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CultureQuirk
Email: culturequirk@gmail.com

Oricon Album Rankings for September 5th

1. “megaphonic” – YUKI : 8/24 (76,386)
2. “SMAP AID” – SMAP : 8/17 (59,033)
3. “Ray Of Hope” – Yamashita Tatsurou : (21,089)
4. “M BEST” – Kato Miliyah : (16,503)
5. “Perfection” – SUPER JUNIOR-M : (16,071)
6. "Watch Out" - ZE:A: (15,375)
7. "Bran New Kiss" - U-Kiss: (13,012)
8. "Luv Songs" - Che'nelle: (12,656)
9. "Girl's Generation" - Shoujo Jidai: (10,689)
10. "Heart Song collection" - Minmi: (9,840)

Kpop groups can still sell pretty decently even without debuting, tho they're lower than in Korea or around the same for ZE:A and U-Kiss.

Che'nelle and SNSD got some staying power. Been on the top 10 for weeks. Che'nelle isn't doing too bad for an Australian singer singing in English.

MAY'S - I Love You

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. Came across this song today and just had to share it.

ChoColat - Syndrome

I'm really liking the song. It's addictive and flows well.

But my issues. They have to do with just kpop fans.

People are complaining how it sounds the same and usual song for debut. The thing is, then people start disliking and even hating them (like the made the song) and then pay more attention to them when they comeback. I love fresh and more unique songs as much as anyone else, but the sad thing is they hardly get noticed, especially if the performers aren't super talented to get them noticed for that.

This is how kpop fans work when it comes to new groups:
New group--->Song is the same thing, I hate them---->Comeback, I kind of want to see them fail--->Watches video "omg the song is pretty good, I'm a fan now."

All it takes is one good song and people are hooked. In my personal opinion, all that is great, but if you're basing liking them off a song then you should spread it out, see if you like their album or most of their title songs before making an opinion. Most don't compose their songs so I don't always get instantly falling in love with a group for a song they didn't even help write. Fall in love with their performance, or at least when they have more songs under their belt.

2. The bi-racial thing. 3 members are bi-racial, but some readers are making it seem like that's all they want to be known for. Their profiles are released to the public close to debut, so obviously netizens and interwebs are going to take notice. People hating on them for saying their are mixed is like hating on a singer because they say they are from a certain region of Korea. It's just part of them that everyone is going to find out. But alas, netizens will contort everything to fit what they believe.

Music For Life August Week 2 Countdown

Music For Life August Week 2 Countdown

New piece this week, showcasing Music For Life's Weekly countdown of Jpop and Kpop songs. Countdown is entirely theirs and it shows some great songs of both genres.

One of the best songs on the countdown is Seo In Guk's "Shake It Up" Take a look!

Music For Life August Week 1 Countdown

New piece this week, showcasing Music For Life's Weekly countdown of Jpop and Kpop songs. Countdown is entirely theirs and it shows some great songs of both genres. Take a look!

Picture of the Day

G-Dragon...in a mouse suit :)

AAA - Call

Probably my favorite song from them. It sounds like some of their older stuff, which fans have been missing lately. And I love Shuta's part from 0:59-1:01.

Version A

< CD Track List >01. CALL
02. I4U
03. CALL (Instrumental)
04. I4U (Instrumental)

< DVD Track List >01. CALL (Music Clip)
02. CALL (Music Clip Making part. 1)

Version B

< CD Track List >01. CALL
02. I4U
03. CALL (Instrumental)
04. I4U (Instrumental)

< DVD Track List >01. CALL (Music Clip Making part. 2)
02. Eh~ Panda?!

Version C

< CD Track List >01. CALL
02. I4U
03. CRAZY GONNA CRAZY * New Version
04. CALL (Instrumental)
05. I4U (Instrumental)
06. CRAZY GONNA CRAZY (Instrumental)

I play video games...

However, I despise most of the gamer community. It rivals the worst parts of the kpop community.

Do you think so?

Miss A - Goodbye Baby

The above video is Miss A's Goodbye Baby. I think it made me a fan of them. I've always liked their stuff before, but I really like the quality of the video and the story, and they way they perform and dance. The lyrics aren't particularly deep but they are powerful, as is the imagery used in the video. Overall its a, wait for it, A+!

Twitter & Celebrities

Twitter is a great tool to communicate and follow celebrities. It allows people to possibly communicate with them, bringing them down from their godly pedestal some put them on, forcing those fans to realize they are just normal people trying to live their lives. However, on the same hand, one tweet back from a celeb and a person will get all crazy and think they are friends with them. It's a double-edged sword, as are many things in life.

CSJH Dana & Sunday - One More Chance

After a 3 year hiatus, The Grace is back as a sub-unit.


Its really annoying people complaining about too much autotune. I mean its totally fine if you don't like it, especially since they do have awesome voices, but don't say there is too much, because there really isn't. Please don't confuse autotuned vocals with an electronic backbeat.



Just because someone is a good singer doesn't mean it has to always show off their vocals a ton. And honestly the pitch changes in this song and tempo jumps at certain parts aren't that easy to do, this song still requires more skill than some girl idols have.



I'm a fan now =)

Beyonce - Best Thing I Never Had

This is the Beyonce I love. This is when her voice is the best I think. The dress was lovely, even though she looked like she was about to pop out of it. I liked the video too. It was a bit confusing, but I think its better than most American Music Videos.

Now i want to go hear the album.

2NE1 - I'm The Best

I wasn't crazy about the song at first, but the video is really fun to watch. I liked the dancing, and i really liked the spinner ring Minzy has. The song doesn't have a good melody but it has a strong beat.

2011 MTV Video Music Aid Japan

Here are all the performances from the show =]

Namie Amuro ft. AI & Anna Tsuyicha - Wonder Woman


Best show of the night in my opinion. Three awesome ladies with awesome voices putting on an awesome performance. Its awesome to finally see a live this awesome song ;)

Lady Gaga - Edge of Glory and Born This Way


Lady Gaga sounded great tonight, and I love the inspiration in her songs now. She truly is a performer in every sense of the word.

Kana Nishino - Esperanza & Kimitte 


The video will probably be gone in a few hours, but it was a real sweet performance. Kana is getting better at singing live, and her songs always give a nice message. The talk segment in the middle was really touching as well.

AKB48 - Beginner, Everyday, Kachuusha, and Heavy Rotation



I'm not a huge fan of AKB48, but I really enjoyed this performance. Beginner is a really nice song and its fun its listen to. I usually don't like their chorus singing, but it worked well this time. Also, its hard to deny all the good they do for their country.

Shoujo Jidai - The Great Escape & Mr. Taxi


Minus the low quality, it was a real fun performance to watch. SNSD.Shoujo Jidai may not be the best singers in the world, but they are still good, and what really captures people and fans is the dancing. They have some of the catchiest dances.

Monkey Majik


I never heard of Monkey Majik, but I fell in love with the song instantly. Also, the video in the beginning really shows how Japan was changed by the Tohaku Earthquake and what this show is for.

Shinee - Replay



Aww the boys seemed a bit nervous this time around. I don't know about this performance, since I like the song, but being as mellow as it is, I don't know if its the most inspirational one. The more upbeat ones really got people moving and having fun, and some of the slower ones had very inspiration lyrics.

Also Exile performed today, but I can't find the video unfortunately.

Rainbow - Sweet Dream

I'm in love with this song so much right now. I really like this sound and musical style on them, with the piano meets electro-pop. My take on the video is that They are all in a dream-like state because of a man who left them for whatever reason. The song showcases their vocals more and its a really nice video.