J-Pop Top 100 Songs Of 2011

27 12 2011

It’s that time of year again when I compile a list of the best 100 J-Pop songs I’ve listened to during the year. IMO 2011 was slightly better than 2010 in terms of great music coming out in Japan. It was tough as it always is in doing this countdown but overall I’m satisfied with what I picked.

Anyway, give me a shout about what you think of the chart.

100 EXILE – Each Other’s Way
99 AAA – Daiji na Koto
98 9Nine – Shining Star
97 Negoto – Charon
96 Aqua Timez – Mayonaka no Orchestra
95 Mai Kuraki – Your Best Friend
94 Idoling!!! – Yarakai Heart
93 Ayahi Takagaki – Takaramono
92 SDN48 – Ai, Juseyo
91 Nana Mizuki – Scarlet Knight
90 Maximum The Hormone – Greatest The Hits 2011~2011
89 Mika Nakashima – Dear
88 Yui Horie – Presenter
87 You Kikkawa – Kikkake wa You!
86 Kana Nishino – Distance
85 Buono! – Zassou no Uta
84 SDN48 – MIN MIN MIN
83 Kie Kitano – Kizuna
82 Happiness – Wish
81 Nana Mizuki – Junketsu Paradox
80 FLOWER – Still
79 YUI – Green a.live
78 SCANDAL – Haruka
77 Angela Aki – Hajimari no Ballad
76 JASMINE – ONLY YOU
75 YGA – Jounetsu Heroine
74 KAT-TUN – Ultimate Wheels
73 JUJU – Kono yoru wo Tomete yo
72 Sphere – Hazy
71 Morning Musume – Only You
70 KARA – Jet Coaster Love
69 miwa – 441
68 Tokyo Girls Style – Limited Addiction
67 Eri Kitamura – Be Starters!
66 ClariS – nexus
65 KARA – Winter Magic
64 PASSPO – Vivi Natsu
63 SCANDAL – Pride
62 Afterschool – Diva
61 Koda Kumi – Pop Diva
60 YUI – Hello~Paradise Kiss
59 Super Girls – MAX! Otomegokoro
58 May’n – Scarlet Ballet
57 Perfume – Spice
56 Superfly – Ai wo Kurae
55 Tohoshinki – Why? (Keep Your Head Down)
54 4Minute – Heart To Heart
53 Aoi Teshima – Sayonara no Natsu
52 SCANDAL – Love Survive
51 L’arc En Ciel – Good Luck My Way
50 Infinite – BTD
49 NMB48 – Zetsumetsu Kurokami Shoujo
48 Perfume – Laser Beam
47 Supercell – My Dearest
46 EXILE – Rising Sun
45 Kis-My-Ft2 – Everybody Go
44 4Minute – WHY
43 Girl Next Door – Silent Scream
42 no3b – Answer
41 French Kiss – If
40 DiVA – Cry
39 Idoling!!! – Don’t think. Feel!!!
38 Kaoru to Tomoki, Toma ni Mook – Maru Maru Mori Mori
37 Not yet – Shuumatsu Not yet
36 Bump Of Chicken – Tomodachi no Uta
35 Namie Amuro – Love Story
34 Meisa Kuroki – Wired Life
33 French Kiss – Kakkowarui I Love You!
32 Watarirouka Hashiritai 7 – Hettapi Wink
31 FictionJunction – Stone Cold
30 Atsuko Maeda – Flower
29 2NE1 – Go Away
28 French Kiss – Saisho no Mail
27 Arashi – Lotus
26 no3b – Kuchibiru Furezu
25 Namie Amuro – Fight Together
24 JASMINE – ONE
23 Watarirouka Hashiritai 7 – Valentine Kiss
22 SKE48 – Pareo wa Emerald
21 DiVA – Tsugi no Uragawa
20 B’z – Don’t Wanna Lie
19 Tomomi Itano – Fui ni
18 AKB48 – Ue kara Mariko
17 AKB48 – Sakura no Ki ni Narou
16 Not yet – Pera Pera Perao
15 Atsuko Maeda – La Brae Ave
14 NMB48 – OH MY GOD!
13 SKE48 – Banzai Venus
12 Not yet – Naminori Kakigoori
11 AKB48 – Everyday Kachuusha
10 AKB48 – Kaze wa Fuiteiru
09 AKB48 – Flying Get
08 SKE48 – Okey Dokey
07 Watarirouka Hashiritai 7 – Kibou Sanmyaku
06 Koda Kumi – Ko-so ko-so
05 Shoudo Jidai – Mr Taxi
04 Namie Amuro ft Afterschool – Make It Happen
03 Tomomi Itano – Dear J
02 AKB48 – Seishun to Kizukunai Mama
01 AKB48 – Gondola Lift





Idoling!!! Just Got Bigger

7 03 2010

Yesterday saw the idol group Idoling!!! gain 5 new members as auditions for the 4th generation came to an end. There were 10 finalists in the last round and the lucky 5 are:

#22: Ruka Kurata (13)
#23: Yuna Ito (14)
#24: Manami Nomoto (13)
#25: Kaoru Goto (14)
#26: Chika Ojima (15)

Idoling!!!’s membership is now up to 20 girls. The new girls are set to debut with the group in Shibuya on May 3rd.





Idoling!!! – S.O.W Sense Of Wonder PV

4 02 2010

I haven’t posted anything about Idoling!!! for a while so here’s their latest single which hit no.6 in this week’s Oricon Charts. Nice PV.





Idoling!!! – Baby Blue PV

22 05 2009

I should have put this PV up a while ago but I forgot but anyway here is Idoling!!!’s latest single Baby Blue. In it’s first week on the Oricon Charts, 14,383 copies were sold and it peaked at no.10 before dropping down the following week.





Oricon Charts Update – Kumi/Misono At The Top

8 04 2009

The super sisters Koda Kumi and Misono entered the Oricon charts at no.1 this week with their song It’s All Love which sold over 74,000 copies. Last week’s no.1 by Perfume dropped down to no.8. Coming in at no.2 was the AKBIdoling!!! collaboration which did well and sold over 32,000 copies. I expected a bit more to have been sold seeing how popular AKB48 is these days.  Another new entry sees Mai Kuraki at no.3 with Revive. Most of those in the top 10 last week have not surprisingly dropped out of the top 10 with Mari Yaguchi now at no.13, Namie Amuro at no.11 and I think Mano Erina is out of the top 30 completely. What’s remarkable is that Junko Akimoto has gone back up 1 place to no.10 and Angela Aki is still hanging around in the top 25 with Tegami. Those 2 songs have got a lot of staying power and with Angela’s song it’s been in the charts for over 6 months.

AKBIdoling!!!





AKB Idoling!!! – Chuu Shiyou ze PV

26 03 2009

As promised a couple of weeks ago, I did say that I’d post the full PV once it came out on Youtube so here it is for everybody to enjoy.





AKB-Idoling!!! – Chuu Shiyouze Live Performance

12 03 2009

As many AKB48 and Idoling!!! fans have realised since the turn of the year, several members from both idol groups will team up to release a single on the 1st April called Chuu Shiyouze. I can’t seem to find the full PV at the moment only a preview which cuts 3/4 of the way through so I thought I’d give you the full song that was performed live at the Push 1 Idol Championship. Jury’s out on the song at the moment, I’ll need to listen to it a few times more until I decide if I like it or not. Once the full PV comes out I’ll post it.





Idoling!!! To Lose 4 Members

13 02 2009

It’s not just AKB48 that are losing members as now comes the news that 4 members of Idoling!!! including their leader are going to graduate on March 18th. I know I haven’t taken an interest in them in the past but their appearances on AKBingo made me sit up and take notice of them. The members graduating are Sayaka Kato, Maria Eto, Mira Takiguchi and Michelle Miki. I’m disappointed with Kato’s graduation as she was my favorite in the idol group.  The 4 will not be leaving showbizness at all but doing other things as idols although no specific plans have been quoted yet. Idoling!!!’s numbers will drop from 16 to just 12. No announcement if any new members will be joining the ranks to replace those leaving or who’ll take over from Kato as leader.

What is it with all these graduations from idol groups lately? I have a sneaky feeling that there’ll be a graduation or two from Morning Musume before the end of the year. Ai-chan and Gaki-san could well be the ones to go. Why am I saying this? It’s just a hunch I suppose.  Things have been static in the group for well over a year and I think it’s time to shake things up once more and get new members in.





Idoling!!! sub units

13 01 2009

To be honest when it comes to idols my interest has mostly been on the big two (AKB48 and H!P), well it was 4 when dream and SweetS were active so I haven’t been following other idol acts such as 9nine or Idoling!! until now that is.

Members of Idoling!!! (late 2007)

Members of Idoling!!! (late 2007)

Thanks to their upcoming collaboration with AKB48 and their appearance on AKBingo last week I’ve decided to take a further look at Idoling!!!. They look like a fun idol group and I know they’ve got a daily show on Fuji TV which I haven’t seen yet. Apparently they’ll be showing up on several episodes of AKBingo. Their songs, well let’s just say they’re not on a par with AKB48 or H!P. It seems like I’ll be taking more interest in them from now on. There’s plenty of eye candy available but I’m drawn to Idoling!!! leader 23 year old Kato Sayaka.

The first sub units from Idoling!!! are now beginning to appear: GizaGiza Idoling and FuriFuri Idoling. The 2 songs they offer (Hannin wa Anata desu and Nagara) are an improvement of what Idoling!!! have released so far IMO. Take a look at the 2 PV’s below and judge for yourself how good they are:

As if 2 sub units wasn’t enough, there’s another 2 coming soon called KyunKyun Idoling!!! and BanBan Idoling!!!