We’re still a few weeks away from 2011 being complete, but I’ve found this year to be the biggest test on my Hello! Project and Up Front Agency fandom.

2011 was the year where Hello! Project were going to make up for the mistakes of 2010. S/mileage were coming into their own. Morning Musume had it’s first new members added since 2007. And Dream Morning Musume were going to debut. But why did things not come off as planned?

The S/mileage Disaster

Like a lot of people, I’ve believed S/mileage to be one of the most interesting groups to come out of Hello! Project for a long time. Instead, this year we were treated to a shock announcement of auditions and three shock departures – okay one of them wasn’t even a full member, but everything that happened in S/mileage seemed to be a reaction rather than a calculated decision. Addition of members = reaction to Saki leaving; full membership of the 4 sub-members = reaction to Yuuka and one sub-member for health reasons departing. S/mileage were not just the most interesting group within H!P, they were one of the most interesting idol groups at the moment. I also don’t thoroughly subscribe to the idea that Yuuka and Saki left due to bad management or something being wrong with the group – my next point will go into more detail about that…

C-ute and Berryz Kobo and the rubbish singles

I can categorically say that since Maji Bomber, Berryz Kobo haven’t had a good single. The same about C-ute with Kiss me Aishiteru. Where focus has been put on the new Musume’s and S/mileage, C-ute and Berryz have suffered, and not even a joint single can save them. Under investment, aging members, I don’t think either group will be notching up many more sales – and I think S/mileage must have looked at their two sempai groups and got nervous. I think their stability may be the thing which is killing them. But, they have been booked up into 2012 (well Berryz and Buono! at least). Maybe if they release a few more interesting singles or properly merge into one super group… I no doubt think that Yuuka and Saki looked at Berryz and C-ute, thought “that’ll be me in 4 years time, I better go to university if I want to earn more money” – especially if they weren’t particularly interested in fame and wota. A focus into photobooks and DVDs has meant that I have little interest in these groups.

Buono! don’t rock as hard

I love Buono!. Their early singles were ace and I loved “Our Songs” with a passion. However, no longer linked to Shugo Chara, their latest singles have been boring and a little less rocky. Their mini-album was interesting, because it seemed to have a essence of K-Pop about it. Still, these girls have a long way to go to get anywhere close to where they used to be. A live in France is an interesting development, but we all remember what happened last time they were going to come to Europe. Let’s hope another recession doesn’t mess it up.

Let’s release our most boring single as Mobekimasu

The majority of singles from Hello! Project have been dire. Kiss Me Aishiteru, Maji Desu ka Ska, Uchoten Love and Kare to Issho ni omise ga Shitai! have been the only tracks to really write home about. Considering this, it’s also a massive shame that the “shuffle” single – Busu ni naranai tatsugaku is as boring and hell and simply uses the lead singers from each H!P unit (sans Mano Eri). What is the point?

Sorry, who are Yuu?

Kikkawa Yuu – you know? The girl from MilkyWay who could sing? Apparently she’s a solo artist!

Is she a member of Hello! Project or UFA?

Well… I’m not sure.

You’re not sure?

Well there’s this weird agreement with Sony going on – but she was promoted by H!P promoted her at first.

And now?

They seem to have abandoned her… but her singles are great.

Yeah the Kikkawa Yuu situation is a weird one. What the hell is going on?

But on the upside…

Like 2010, I think 2011 has been pretty much a write off year for Hello! Project single wise. Although a few gems peek out, lack of consistency and a focus on photobooks and DVDs has marked a sharp shift in Hello! Projects overall aim, and have also made me question whether or not this is the idol collective for me. I don’t particularly have the “photobook bug” – I have a handful of the things. Nor can I afford, nor want DVDs of the girls in bikinis. I want great singles, something a lot of idol collectives (not just H!P) have lacked this year.

But prep for 2012 is already done. I think Momusu fans understood that 2011 would be tough – 4 new members, Ai-chan leaving, and Aika out of action for the most of 2011 (which was not predicted). A lot of moves also made sense. Riho being pushed to the front. 4 new members being added. These investments will surely bare fruit in the future. I still think a Momusu live performance DVD is worth 10 of any other idol collective. I still remember of disappointment of watching an AKB live DVD. Yes, they do have better singles, they are more popular but there’s something inherently lacking for me which I find within Hello! Project, which is why I haven’t abandoned all hope.

S/mileage will probably suffer a little from Yuuka leaving. She was their star player, and it will be tough, but getting graduations and auditions in place will strength the girls in the future.

Berryz, C-ute and Buono! – I always doubt how much longer these girls have with Hello! Project, but considering they have international lives booked for next year, I’m impressed. Hopefully they’ll be allocated better singles.

One person I haven’t mentioned is ManoEri… I think her music career has gone the same way as other Hello! Project solo artists, but she’s still considered an important member of H!P or she would have been graduated.

And, the Dream continues

I would have included Dream Momusu earlier in what I though was crap about 2011… their album was a major disappointment. But there’s something great about their live performances. Also, the fact that Maki Goto is “taking a break” from Avex and has also stated that she would love to be brought into DoriMomusu. Maybe it was a grass-is-always-green situation with avex, or maybe the huge changes in her personal life made her reassess her relationship with Hello! Project and UFA. I can imagine that there’s an awful lot of bitchyness and bullying, but there also must be a great support network, especially as the girls mature. Pure assumption, but I’d love to see the girls all perform together again! What would make my 2012 for H!P and UFA? This!

Over the past couple of years, my interest in K-Pop has been growing. I won’t start with the K-Pop vs. J-Pop debate because for the most part it’s redundant.

I also love 4minute – their lead tracks are insanely catchy, so when I heard there was a possibility they would hold a gig in London, regardless of who they were coming with, I wanted to go.

Sadly, parent company Cube Entertainment have got everything wrong. Firstly they’ll be playing at Brixton. There’s nothing essentially wrong with Brixton, but let me just list a few acts I’ve seen there:

• Tenacious D
• Placebo
• Less Than Jake
• Blink-182
• Billy Talent
• Goo Goo Dolls

It’s a good “rock” venue, or raving venue, but for squeaky clean K-Pop… err it’s a bit of a dive! This being said, this hasn’t put me off going – Brixton has very good transport links and I can get a train directly to the venue.

The thing which has really been the deal breaker is a combination of the ticket prices and the relatively short performance each act was given. As InsaneLampshade has pointed out on twitter, the ticket prices are the same in the UK as they were in Korea – which works out as £65 before any additional charges are applied, e.g. booking fees, having the tickets posted… once you’ve added that on, the tickets climb to around £70-£75. That is a terrible price. Furthermore I’ve heard that the performance will be around the standard hour and a half for the 3 acts combined (4minute, Beast, G.NA) – although I can’t find this confirmed, this is usually how long J-Pop/Rock concerts are with one act.

To try and put the price into context, I paid £35 to see Paramore at the London O2, who were supported by B.o.B and some act I’d never heard of. That concert finished at 11. I paid £50 to see Gackt at the Islington O2, and despite the price, those tickets sold out within minutes. Demand + time frame does not equal the ticket price in this scenario. The ticket price should be half of what it is (at least!) and United Cube should concentrate more on selling merchandise, like most concerts do. Or they should have chosen a small venue.

Hopefully other K-Pop agencies wanting to bring acts to the UK will take more to the “when in the UK, use UK ticket prices” but until they do, it looks like the United Cube will be looking out into a pretty empty crowd on December 5^th.

According to a translated post on Arama Johnny’s Entertainment are being pulled out of leading roles in J-Dramas.

I wouldn’t call myself a die hard Johnny’s fan, but I do have a lot of time for them, and I also have a lot of time for dramas. I probably haven’t watched something starring a JE star since Uta no Onii-san in 2009. The Japanese public seem to have coined on to the idea that just because someone famous appears in the drama, it doesn’t essentially make it good.

It’s also quite amusing when considering this coupled with the sudden surge of AKB in drama. Hana Kimi 2 (which had one of it’s supporting roles played by Ikuta Tomo, a JE actor) has got dire ratings – and deservedly so as it seems like a selection of female cast popularity over series and male casting quality. Putting a large number of members of a female idol group dedicated to wota fanservice into a reverse harem drama which the subtitle is “Ikemen Paradise” is completely nonsensical, especially when members of that idol group need a few more acting lessons.

And despite this, JE still have a lot more roles than most other idol groups. In short – I don’t really think they’re in much trouble as some talent agencies would like to think. Maybe they’re just being more selective and not putting their talent in every drama available and chosing quality scripts and production teams in future over shows with sliding ratings.

So why the hell are they holding auditions for a 5^th member, and at that, why with an age range of 13-18?

Let’s back track a little… S/mileage was formed two years ago by tsunku, just after the idol collective had had a serious shake up, and what was followed by Morning Musume’s most successful period since Yossie and Mikitty departed. A year and 4 Indies singles later, under much less favourable conditions (e.g. declining single sales from all groups), S/mileage made a successful debut. Unlike other Hello! Project units, they’ve managed to maintain fairly stable sales, with each single selling 17-20k copies in the first week of charting. For an idol group, this isn’t bad at all, and in some cases their singles have outsold Berryz Kobo and C-ute, and have left Mano Erina very far behind.

The girls also have a definitive style in their music, PVs and costumes. It’s the epitome of “KAWAII“: energetic songs, cute mini skirts and playful PVs. They have a clear theme, much like EmoMusume did, and unlike, say, C-ute.

And talking about C-ute, here comes the dilemma which S/mileage will one day face: they’re not going to stay cute and youthful forever. C-ute’s plan was to try some new things – sexy outfits, mature songs and fast paced, energetic dance routines. However, they’d then produce something like Momoiro Sparkling, which is probably very confusing to any mainstream fan base trying to follow them – pick a formula and stick to it! Like S/mileage.

You might say that adding a new member to S/mileage is a good idea then, to keep the group youthful. However, why the heck have they put an age range on the auditions which is two years older than the oldest member? Not that I can imagine they’ll add anyone older than Dawa… More to the point, why try and “fix” something that isn’t broken. S/mileage are the last Hello! Project unit which needs a new member or some kind of big change. ManoEri needs some serious investment in her career, followed by someone who can keep C-ute in one direction and then someone who can promote Berryz Kobo properly. I’m also wondering how one new member will disturb the dynamic of the 4 girls who spent ages as Eggs, and a year in preparation for their mainstream debut. Maybe tsunku feels they’ve got too complacent and are taking their success for granted (which I doubt). Or maybe one of S/mileage members is unhappy and/or thinking of leaving (as they’re all getting to High School age)? I doubt that, but it wouldn’t be unheard of.

I have a feeling it’s all about publicity however. Morning Musume may not be the most popular idol group at the moment, but whenever “auditions” are mentioned, they begin to trend on Twitter and member’s blogs are bumped up on ranking sites. I also wonder if tsunku is once again trying to replenish his Egg stocks and maybe he’s not getting the right kind of girls audition for Morning Musume. Maybe he’ll even switch some girls around between the S/mileage and Morning Musume auditions. Who knows what Hello! Project and Up Front Agency are thinking any more? I find the whole situation bizarre and unnecessary. It’s a publicity stunt which could wreck a decent Hello! Project unit.

1. Passpo – Shoujo Hikou (42,706)
2. MBLAQ – Your Luv (40,281)
3. THE ALFEE – Let It Go (23,0108)
4. Jang Keun Suk - Let me cry (22,707)
5. Shoujo Jidai – MR. TAXI / Run Devil Run (20,623)

Narrow sales margins between first and second, but really well done to Passpo, who have broken a couple of records with their debut #1.

This week has been the first in a while where we’re looking at the possibility of a top 10 full of new entries. Battling at the top are, also, three very different acts.

Male idol group Kanjani8 come back with the second of the trio of singles they’ll be releasing this summer, “My Home“. A gentle rocky number, with a nice guitar solo in the middle. The PV is pretty generic, switching between the boys doing DIY poorly in a house and them playing instruments and singing the song. JE fans will probably bump this to number 1.

BUMP OF CHICKEN are back with “Smile“, a simple acoustic number. It’s quite a nice track, and quite different to what we here in this half of the Oricon. I do love the screaming of “aaaaah” and any song with a key change at the end has to be epic. PV pretty bland – shots of cartoon like sketches.

French Kiss make sure the 48 franchise also has an entry this week with “Kakko Warui I love you“, an up-beat pop number being used as the theme to anime “SKET Dance“… not my favourite single this week, but none the less, selling well. PV is just dance shot + close up. I’m feeling pretty indifferent towards this.

Other entries include double a-sides from aiko and Tokyo Jihen, more anisong from UVERWORLD (CORE PRIDE for Ao no Exorcist) and May’n (Scarlet Ballet for Hidan no Aria).

May’n's latest entry sounds slightly like they’re trying to turn her into Nana Mizuki. Stay true to your style May’n, you’re epic in your own way (although her PV does rock).

My favourite entry this week has to be Yuu Kikkawa‘s “Kikkake wa you” which has been stuck between 10-12 position, but I’ll save that for another post, but even if you’re not a Hello! Project fan at the moment, it’s really worth a listen as the B-sides are also really good.

So this week, amongst the boring PVs, I’ll leave you with a gem – Tokyo Jihen‘s “Onna no ko wa Daredemo“. I’m not a big fan of their style of music, but they’re PV is definitely the most interesting of the week!

Wow, this came out of the blue. Tsunku has announced that Morning Musume will now be accepting applicants for the 10^th generation audition starting from today and ending on June 13^th.

The theme of the new generation is “Genkijirushi” which my dictionary tells me means “Promising“. Looking back however, names are meaningless to a generation. Wasn’t Koharu supposed to be the Miracle? Miracle for her own solo career in Kirarin Revolution maybe, but not so much for Morning Musume. The age range is also very slim: 12 – 15 years it’s probably one of the most specific yet.

This announcement could be the prelude to something a little more ominous, however. Could another of the older members be graduating before the end of the year? Either that or the amount Ai‘s being paid is going to support two new members and excessive promoting alone (which I actually wouldn’t doubt). I would not at all be surprised if we saw Aika being the leader of Momusu within two years, as the new wash of talent being recruited and new style will definitely lead to Gaki, Reina and even possibly the “forever young” Sayu looking out of place with a bunch of under 16s.

But, the news isn’t all bad. New members wouldn’t have been put into the group unless the 9^th generation were proving popular – right? Either something is going terribly wrong at Hello! Project HQ or tsunku thinks enough has already been done for the girls to attract new fans. Also, many fans have noticed the depletion in the stock of Eggs lately. Personally, I’ve never had much time for the Eggs, except for the MilkyWay girls. When they hatch, they can produce some excellent talent (S/mileage, ManoEri, V-U-DEN, Lin Lin), however, watching an Egg be incubated is sometimes a slow and monotonous process. Maybe it’s a secret ploy to get another Egg into H!P to stop a particular girl from leaving? Who knows?

I do wonder how the 9^th generation will feel about this however. They were probably looking forward to being the juniors for a little bit longer, and instead, it looks like they could possibly be mentors with less than a year of experience. I would imagine that it will push them to really up their game and stand out. For me, Zukki (Kanon Suzuki) with her hilarious behaviour and Riho (Riho Sayashi) have done this alone. Riho is being branded the next Ai-chan, which we can see from her extraordinary dance skills. The problem is, none of the 9^th generation have those exceptional vocal abilities that Ai-chan has. Out of the remaining members, Gaki and Reina are the only girls who have very, very good singing voices, but neither compare to Ai-chan.

All the same, I’m keeping my eyes open, as I suspect at the Summer Hello! Project concert we may hear another “shock” announcement from Gaki, Sayu or Reina.

Any chance they’ll let Mogi in this time?

You’re still my #1 Mogi! Speaking of age range, Mogi wouldn’t have been accepted by last years standards? I wonder how young the mysterious 6^th girl who dropped out was? Maybe they felt that the ender 12s were too young?

Anywho, I’ll look forward to the current unfolding events from Hello! Project. They know how to keep me interested.

To be honest, from the reactions people were having to the song, I was expecting it to be a regression of the girls, but instead, I was nicely surprised. A bright, airy summer PV, traditional H!P backing vocals (it sounds like tsunku and Atsuko Inaba although as her contract with UFA has ended it probably isn’t) and… equal line distribution – in C-ute?! For me it’s always been a fact of life that C-ute was the Airi and Maimi show, but to see and hear so much of Nakky, Chisa and MaiMai is great!

As people have said, this single is a bit of a departure from their previous singles. Since Dance de BAKOON! C-ute have been pushing hard towards a sexier image, which really worked for them. But, although I can understand many fans’ disappointment, I’m glad that they can still put Maimai in some dungaree shorts, let the girls play with water-guns and inflatable balls and still pull it off. I think all the girls are wearing fantastic costume choices, and those killer heels still give all 5 girls an element of maturity. I especially love Chiasato in this PV. She’s really starting to stand out, in a very good way, in C-ute – and her hair and outfit are adorable.

For once, the main problem with this song isn’t the PV, the vocals, the balance or even the arrangement of the song. It’s that the song just isn’t very catchy. The chorus just doesn’t draw you in enough, there are no real hooks to the song, making the track forgettable.

Overall though, I love this PV, and the song does grow on you. H!P have seemed to perfect the “budget PV” (although I’d ask for your money back for those pink CGI bubbles) and regardless of making comparisons to other groups it’s a cracking effort from C-ute, going in a different direction to their usual one.

“DUPH DUPH DUPH”

This sounds like the noise which sometimes comes through my walls at 3 a.m. on a Saturday morning, while I bang in response on the wall and threaten under my breath to play Kirarin Revolution with my speakers pressed against the wall at 7 a.m. for revenge (not that I ever will…). To say that heavy drum and bass and hip-hop in general aren’t my kind of thing is an honest statement. There are a few artists I really like (Eminem, B.o.B. etc.) but if I had to chose a genre outside of East Asian music to listen to all night, this wouldn’t be it.

So when VERBAL announced his new solo project, dropped names like Lil’ Wayne, I did cringe slightly at the prospect of another TERIYAKI Boyz style sound. I’m a big fan of m-flo, the act which has probably got VERBAL most of his recognition, but TERIYAKI Boyz is still a little too far out of my comfort zone.

The main pull to some people in trying this album, both in the East and West, are the heavy weights who VERBAL has convinced to feature on his tracks. Nicky Minaj (or rather a sample of Nicki Minaj), Lil Wayne and Drake are the main US pulls, while Namie Amuro also stars on the albums feature track, the addictive, “BLACK OUT“. There’s also a Jay-Z sample used in “BALL and BOUNCE“. Other things you’d expect from this type of album are also true – it’s heavily auto tuned and contains a large amount of, what has been described as “Jungle/drum and bass/dub step” but to me is mostly unpleasant noise.

But name dropping aside, what’s the album like? There’s certainly an East meets West feel to this. Surprisingly or not, I found most the tracks I love to be those where VERBAL has been given a free reign and hasn’t been constrained by a “collaboration”. “I CAN’T HELP MYSELF“, one of my favourite tracks, has a very retro 80′s/90s new wave feel to it, while “FALL OUT feat. Shunya“, released as a digital single before the album is probably my favourite track, sounding like another new wave crash with sweet male vocals and VERBALs elite rap skills. It says something about my taste when the tracks I find a heavily like are those with a more Eastern influence. However, to say that the other tracks are strictly “Western” is completely untrue. VERBAL has created his own style with a mash of styles from the traditional hip-hop (CHANGE CHANGE feat. Nicki Minaj) rock outfits like the Transplants (LIAR feat. MADEMOISELLE YULIA), RnB (YOU ARE) and still has elements of his J-Pop stylings – there are also tracks like “NOTHING” which make no sense to the album at all… Whether you like the random variety or see this as an uncalculated mess is down to you.

So, overall, I have mixed feelings about this album. Yes, there are a few tracks that sound worthy of being blasted from the idiot boy racer’s car while you sit next to him at the lights (STOMP DEM ROACH), but there are also those tracks which you could easily listen to all day long. However, as for the flow of the album, or even the concept of the album, I feel something is lacking. To me, it almost seems like an epitaph of “look what kind of shit I could do” – without a real target audience, or direction.

So overall, definitely worth a listen, but I think VERBAL has a little way to go before really breaking out into the mainstream with his elicit style.

1. VISION IN THE AIR
2. BLACK OUT feat. Lil Wayne & Namie Amuro
3. I CAN’T HELP MYSELF
4. BALL N BOUNCE
5. DOPE BOY FRESH
6. Fall Out feat. SHUNYA
7. HEY MISTER feat. Minami (CREAM)
8. I WANT IT ALL
9. CHANGE CHANGE feat. Nicki Minaj
10. STOMP DEM ROACH
11. LIAR feat. MADEMOSELLE YULIA
12. YOU ARE
13. I SEE YOU
14. NOTHING
15. Some Other Place feat. Drake

Oh and my favourite line, from I can’t help myself, “X-Men, Magneto, Let me go”… WTF?

1.  B’z – Sayonara Kizu Darake no Hibi yo (130,195)
2. Nana Mizuki – SCARLET KNIGHT (55,366)
3. Nana Mizuki – Pop Master (51,883)
4. KARA – Jet Coaster Love (24,399)
5. Aki Toyosaki – Haru Kaze SHUN PU (12,453)

After dominating the DVD chart last week, Kanjani8 have released their first of three monthly consecutive singles with T.W.L. and Yellow Pansy Street which are both being used in the latest Crayon Shin Chan movie.  Avid fans will also note that this will be the most singles the band has ever released in a year.  I’ve never really taken to Kanjani8 (I’m more of an Arashi fan), but the double A-side isn’t too bad.  There’s a lot of brass in both singles, with T.W.L. reminding me a bit of Nagisa no Sinbad, while Yellow Pansy Street sounds somewhat of a Beatles Sergent Pepper-esc tribute (from the music video, it looks like JE ordered too much felt…).  I’ve always found Kanjani8 a bit tongue in cheek, so I suppose if you approach this single with that in mind, and the fact that it’s for a kid’s movie, into account, it’s not too bad.  Unless something insane happens, this single will get the top spot this week.

Moving on FT Island are keeping the interest going with Korea with their single “SATISFACTION“, currently being used as the ending to theare the ones I’m really loving, so FT Island are also fitting this bill.  The verses are a bit boring, but the chorus builds up dramatically and is the real pulling point of the song.  It’s a bit bland, but the kind of track I’d probably love if I was really into these guys.

SCANDAL have also got a new entry in the mix this week with “HARUKA”, not one of my favourite tracks by them, as I prefer their more energetic numbers, but the PV is definitely worth taking a look at just to see the girls perform a dance routine while still playing guitar / bass (we’ll let the drummer off for not joining in). 

Other new entries this week include nano.RIPE with “Hana no Iro“, a rock band with a lead vocalist who sets your teeth on edge (e.g. her pitch is higher than YUKI on Helium), Kou Shibasaki with wish and various artists who have decided that they’d rather release a single this week on Saturday, including enka from Miyako Otsuki and the anisong opening to “Katte ni Kaizo Shitemo Iize“ from Ichi Mizuki to Tokusatsu.

So it’s looking like a 1, 2, 3 respectively for my former mentioned singled.  I’ll leave you with SCANDAL’s “Haruka” – I really hope they do that dance live…

1. KARA – Jet Coaster Love (122,820)
2. Tsuyoshi Domoto – Eni o yuite ( 90,685)
3. SDN48 – Ai, Juseyo (64,020)
4. UVERworld – MONDO PIECE (45,668)
5. Morning Musume – Maji desu ka SKA! (33,686)

A rather predictable week from day 2, to be honest, but it’s surprising to see sales back to normal levels after such devastation problems in Japan.  KARA have also had most epic sales of their singles, and as a Brit, it’s traditional to love under dogs, so anyone who outsells an AKB group always gets a thumbs up.

This week is a no brainer number 1, as the B’z release single number 48,  “Sayonara Kizu Darake no Hibi yo” – and I have to admit, it’s fantastic.  I only got into B’z a couple of years ago (through their Ichibu to Zenbu / DIVE double A-side) and it’s actually quite cool how such a veteran rock act can make music which still sounds contemporary enough to chart.  Rock on B’z – I’m not even going to dispute this one is yours.

Above the squabble for fourth, Nana Mizuki has released two separate singles this week which are both selling pretty similarly – “SCARLET KNIGHT” and “POP MASTER“.  SCARLET KNIGHT (anisong for Dog Days)is a more traditional Nana/voice actress single with emotional vocals and a climatic chorus, and is also pushing out its competitor – maybe it’s also got something to do with the single having PV (which the other doesn’t) and features Nana dressed as a nun.  POP MASTER is a little bit more funky and upbeat than it’s rival.  I can’t really decide which single I like better, it’s a bit like trying to decide whether I like cheese or jam on bread as they’re both pretty different songs by the same artist, but still predictably within her range.

Amid the mass of AKB, KARA, JE and, yes, still, Maximum the Hormone (oh how I love the Japanese music chart), relatively few new acts are jostling for top 10 places this week, including The Birthday with Naze ka kyou wa, Hideaki Tokunaga andAki Toyosaki, who we probably know better as Yui from K-ON, with a sticky sweeet ballad “Haru Kaze SHUN PU” (no, I have no idea what a SHUN PU is either?) who has a long way to go before she can sell like the almighty Nana Mizuki.

So predictable week is predictable?  My favourite new single has to go to B’z, but the PV is boring, so have Nana Mizuki as a nun and “Haru Kaze SHUN PU” because it sounds funny…