J-Pop Top 100 Songs Of 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

AKB48 & Morning Musume To Collaborate On TV

No, you’re not imagining it – Morning Musume and AKB48 will collaborate together on TV on the 29th when they’ll sing a medley of Ghibli songs on 24 Hour Television. I’m not sure if they’ll sing the same songs together but even so this will be an interesting thing to watch – two of the biggest Japanese idol groups in the past 10 years teaming up on TV. I can’t wait to see this and I hope there’ll be some interaction between them. This is sure to add more fuel to the fire on the war between the two sets of fans online!

CDTV Top 20 Female Lovers 2010

CDTV ran it’s bi-annual chart over the weekend compiling which female music artist that Japanese men would like as their girlfriend/lover. It came up with some surprising results:

01. Kaori Mochida (Every Little Thing)
02. Yuki Kashiwagi (AKB48)
03. YUI
04. Ai Takahashi (Morning Musume)
05. Reina Tanaka (Morning Musume)
06. Atsuko Maeda (AKB48)
07. Nana Mizuki
08. Nocchi (Perfume)
09. A-chan (Perfume)
10. Maimi Yajima (°C-ute)
11. Kiyoe Yoshioka
12. Kana Nishino
13. BoA
14. Eri Kamei (Morning Musume)
15. Ai Otsuka
16. Kashiyuka (Perfume)
17. Ai Kawashima
18. Sayumi Michishige (Morning Musume)
19. Ayumi Hamasaki
20. Yuko Oshima (AKB48)

This is the 1st time ever for AKB48 members to appear on the list and there’s 3 of them in this chart. I’m shocked that Yukirin is no.2 and she even beats Acchan. I wonder how close she was to nabbing the top spot? I can understand how Japanese men have been won over by her charm and beauty. She’s a great girl and so nice to see a newcomer appear so high in the chart. I’m wondering how did Japanese men rate the women on – looks, personality??? If so, some of the names on the chart are a bit dubious….personality wise that is (naming no names!!).

I thought I’d make my own top 10 up. Here’s who I would have picked. My no.1 girl is obviously biased on my love for AKB48!!!

1. Yuko Oshima (AKB48)
2. Kana Nishino
3. Yui Aragaki
4. A-Chan (Perfume)
5. YUI
6. Kashiyuka (Perfume)
7. Amina Sato (AKB48)
8. Mari Yaguchi
9. Mano Erina (H!P)
10. Minami Takahashi (AKB48)

Just missing out was Tomomi Itano (AKB48) and JunJun (Morning Musume).

Who would you choose as your dream girl?

Morning Musume – Onna ga Medatte Naze Ikenai PV

The PV for Morning Musume’s 42nd single and the first since Koharu graduated came out yesterday. It’ll be released on the 10th February (guess that means the chart battle between Morning Musume and AKB48 is over then with the AKB48 single coming out a week later).  I think the song is awful and forgettable but I do like the chorus though. That’s 2 bad songs in a row from the girls now. I think they need to get a new songwriter to spice things up a little and to give them an edgy song – something that’s different from the norm and to make the fans sit up and notice.  The PV for the song is OK but there’s a lack of imagination if all the director can think of is making the girls go up and down the catwalk. Come on, surely they can come up with something better than this!

Idol War – AKB48 vs Morning Musume

According to CD Japan and HMV, Morning Musume and AKB48 look set to release their new singles on the same day next year – 17th February.  If this is true, it’ll be the first time ever for both idol groups to go up against each other in the first week. Last year it would have been difficult to announce who would come out on top but now the odds are firmly stacked against MoMusu. AKB48 will wipe the floor with them unless the mowotas  buy multiple copies of the single. Even then I don’t think it will be enough to upstage them unless AKB48 come out with a useless song.

AKB48 Preparing For War Against Morning Musume!!

AKB48 – River – 2nd Week Sales/Oricon Yearly Charts

AKB48 did exceptionally well during 2nd week sales for River. They stay inside the Top 10 and drop down to no.5, just one place below Morning Musume. They sold 20,574 copies bringing their grand total up to 199,153. Looks good to breaking another milestone – 200k tomorrow. Morning Musume even though they beat AKB48 last week have crashed down to no.28 in the daily rankings at the start of the 2nd week for sales for Kimagure Princess. River manages to hold steady and is still selling reasonably well in it’s 3rd week.

So far AKB48 has 4 entries in the Top 50 of the Oricon Yearly Charts. River is presently at no.19 but with sales continuing who knows how high it could go. Other AKB48 songs are at no.32, no.41 and no.44.

I’ve been thinking to myself because of the success that AKB48 have achieved this year, if they don’t get invited to appear on the annual New Year’s Eve extravaganza Kohaku Uta Gassen it will be a big disgrace and a slap in the face for them so I hope the people that pick the artists for the show see sense and invite them.

AKB48 vs Morning Musume Oricon Chart Battle

With it being the 2nd week of sales for River, you would have thought that the new single by Morning Musume ‘Kimagure Princess’ would make them favorites to win the idol battle this week pretty easily but AKB48 haven’t done so badly against them. OK, so MoMusu got 16,666 on the first day which is poor anyway but since then AKB48 have battled back strongly to overtake them in the daily rankings on the 2nd day. It’s embarassing to say the least and now on some online forums MoMusu fans are starting to argue amongst themselves. If AKB48 manage to nudge ahead of Morning Musume when the weekly figures come out next week their humiliation will be complete. Besides what do they expect with a stinker of a song! You would have thought they’d have come up with something better for Koharu’s last ever single.

Japan’s Idols Hit Hard By The Flu

It seems from reports coming out of Japan that a lot of Japan’s music idols have been hit hard by the flu. It’s not swine flu they’ve been infected but just ordinary seasonal flu. The hardest hit of them all is Berryz Koubou. Two thirds of the group is out: Momo came down first followed by Miyabi, Maasa, Risako and Saki. I’m sure the other two will get the flu sooner or later.

AKB48 is another idol group that has a couple of members down namely Mayu Watanabe and Reina Fujie. Expect some more names to have been taken ill over the coming week.

And now C-ute has been targeted too with Saki laid out with the flu.

What are the chances that somebody from Morning Musume will catch the flu this week?

Morning Musume – Kimagure Princess Full PV

It’s just gone up on Youtune so here it is, the PV for Morning Musume 41st single Kimagure Princess which is out on the 28th October 2009. I’m afraid this song doesn’t do anything for me, I find it frankly meh and the PV is nothing to write home about either. Given the great quality of their last couple of singles I’m very disappointed. I’m surprised given that this is Koharu’s last with the group that she’s hardly featured in it.

Pocky Commercials

One of Japan otaku’s favorite snacks and also popular with teenagers is Pocky (a thin biscuit stick covered with chocolate). Pocky can be found nearly everywhere in the globe. Last year the UK renamed it to be Mikado. It’s a shame this country only sells one flavor as Japan has many different varieties to try out such as banana, caramel, green tea, orange and many many more.

These CM’s below advertising Pocky stars one of my favorite Japanese teen idols – Yui Aragaki and Morning Musume. Does my ears deceive me as I’m sure I hear Nacchi say “touch my boobs” during the 4th CM!!!

EDIT: For those that want to buy the original Pocky in the UK and live close to London, pop down to the Japan Centre otherwise you can always order it from their excellent website. That’s what I do anyway.