AKB48 Gunning For Speed’s Record

The inevitable happened a couple of days ago – AKB48 with Manatsu no Sounds Good finally overtook Morning Musume’s Love Machine record of being the best selling idol single of all time. Although the group have threatened to break this record several times, they seemed to come up a little bit short each time but not this time round. 1.61m copies of Manatsu was sold during the first week which in itself set a new record. Speed’s White Love currently holds the best selling single by a girl group with 1.845m copies sold and AKB48 could very well break that record by next week.

There’s the argument that Morning Musume didn’t have any gimmicks with Love Machine and AKB48’s sales have been vastly boosted by the voting ticket for the senbatsu election. That’s a valid argument I suppose but the fact that we’re in a recession and CD sales are in decline this is still a huge accomplishment for AKB48. Even sales for Not yet and WH7’s new singles has been affected with many fans abandoning buying their singles to seek more election votes. Both singles are considerably down on sales compared to what they usually shift. WH7 seems to have suffered the most.

Not yet vs Watarirouka Hashiritai 7

With the upcoming senbatsu elections coming ever so closer, there seems to be an interesting clash happening on the 30th May and I think this is the first time for 2 AKB48 sub-units to go head to head against each other. Not yet will release ‘Suika BABY’ whilst Watarirouka Hashiritai 7 also release Shounen yo Uso wo Tsuke! It’s possible that management wanted one of the groups’ single to be released on the 6th June but seeing as it’s such an important day for AKB48 fans they had no choice to have these 2 groups releasing their singles on the same day.

There’s no doubt that it’s going to be a difficult choice for fans who aren’t blessed with money which one they’ll support. Buying both sets of singles is going to be really expensive. I think it’s Not yet who will triumph as they have more popular members than WH7. I don’t like to see them go against each other but such is life.

For Not yet’s single, Rie Kitahara has had a go in writing lyrics for a song that will appear as one of the b-sides. Her track is called ‘guilty love’. She did have some support from Aki-P in writing and she now has more respect than ever for him as she found out that it’s not easy to devise lyrics for a song. Overall though, she quietly satisfied with the track and I’m looking forward to hearing it.

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

Not yet – Pera Pera Perao Full PV

The full PV to Not yet’s Pera Pera Perao has finally been revealed. Check out the PV by clicking on the Vimeo link below.

http://vimeo.com/30178010

Not yet – Making Of Perapera Perao PV

Click on the link below to check out the behind the scenes filming of Not yet’s upcoming single Perapera Perao PV. This was my first time to hear the track and I love it. It’s a cute pop song and the foursome look fantastic in their waitress garb.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Djw5a_RedIM

Not yet 3rd single Details

Not yet have announced some snippets about their latest upcoming single ‘Pera Pera Perao’ which is scheduled to be released on November 16th.

Although no track details have been released yet, the girls have been filming the PV for ther single in which they’ll become waitresses.  The meaning behind the name of the title track is apparently about a boy who wishes to become better at communicating in order to talk with a girl he likes.

As soon as the track details come out, I’ll post them here.

Not yet’s Official Web Store Opens

Not yet’s official online web store opened today. There’s not that much you can buy at the moment – some t-shirts, keyring and another 2 items which you can associate with your favorite Not yet member but I’ve noticed you can’t buy anything with Yui Yokoyama in the store. That’s a little bit unfair on her if the other 3 girls have their own little section with goods and she doesn’t have one. They’ll probably add her in very soon I imagine and more items too.

Check out the website below:

https://store.colors-ent.jp/not_yet/

Not yet Hit The Top Spot And Breaks A Record

Not yet took the no.1 position in the new Oricon weekly charts by selling approximately 156k of their latest single “Naminori Kakigoori” and have set themselves a new record for AKB48 sub-units. This has given them 2 consecutive no.1 singles and matches that of Morning Musume sub-unit Mini Moni (the last sub-unit – male or female) who achieved the same thing around 10 years ago. Their 1st single “Shuumatsu Not yet” sold around 3k more during it’s 1st week and has gone on to sell 229k so far.

Congratulations to all 4 members of Not yet on their achievement.

Not yet – Naminori Kakigoori PV

Here’s the PV for Not yet’s 2nd single Naminori Kakigoori. I’m sorry that it’s mirrored which is a little bit annoying but I’ll change it once the right version pops up on Youtube. Yuko confessed that it was her first time to surf for the PV! Check out the PV below

Also here’s a link to behind the scenes footage from the PV shoot. You can see more of Yuko learning how to surf and finally succeeding in staying up on her surfboard.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPpunpkXmZ4

Not yet – Naminori Kakigoori Radio Rip

You’ve seen the covers and the tracklisting for Not yet’s 2nd single so now’s the chance for you to hear the main track itself which has been ripped from a Japanese radio station. You’ll have to turn the volume up a bit to hear the song properly. I think the song is much better than Shuumatsu not yet – it’s a great Summer pop song.