Ryuusei -- Oute!（王手！）

 

I've been meaning to get this enka and min'yo singer onto the blog for a while now. I saw Ryuusei（彩青）on a past edition of "Shin BS Nihon no Uta"（新BS日本の歌）, and in my estimation, he's quite striking. Although he has been the apprentice of fellow enka singer Takashi Hosokawa（細川たかし）, his appearance reminds me more of the beatific presence of the late great Haruo Minami（三波春夫）and his abilities on multiple traditional instruments bring to mind another enka legend, Hiroshi Itsuki（五木ひろし）.

The Hokkaido-born Ryuusei made his debut back in 2019 and up until now, he's released eight singles and the one that I'm posting to start his file on KKP is his fifth from December 2023, "Oute!" (Check!) meaning the ultimate threatening move in shogi. Written by Hajime Tateishi（多手石松観）and composed by Shosuke Ichikawa（市川昭介）, it's a proud and manly-man enka about the ancient Japanese game as an analogy for life that also brings to my memories of another shogi-themed enka, "Osho" (王将), by another legend who left this mortal coil long ago, Hideo Murata（村田英雄）. 

Ryuusei has yet to make an appearance on the Kohaku Utagassen but I think it's simply a matter of time. If he does get an invitation and he accepts, it would almost be like the second coming of Minami and a brief return of the more enka-dominant days of the New Year's Eve special.

Young Gun Silver Fox -- Moonshine

By Jane023 via Wikimedia Commons

When it comes to moonshine, my image is always that of jugs of homemade alcohol with the "XXX" as the label. They are no less than 200 proof and could potentially conk out even the Incredible Hulk (HULK!!!....crash😵). So, when I encountered this song by Neo-AOR duo Young Gun Silver Fox called "Moonshine", I was rather intrigued.

But then again, whenever Young Gun Silver Fox comes up here, I am always intrigued and delighted. They have often come up in the fifth and final position during Urban Contemporary Fridays on KKP as something to clean up the list of smooth and groovy.

However, what makes this particular song even more special is that not only did YGSF create it, the late great Rod Temperton had a hand in it. And as with a handful of Japanese and non-Japanese songwriters, if I see that a song was made by Temperton, then I automatically investigate. After listening to his creations handled by folks like Michael Jackson and the Manhattan Transfer, it's almost Pavlovian how I react to a Temperton tune. Please read the story of how Andy Platts who would become one-half of Young Gun Silver Fox met Temperton and collaborated with the songwriting legend over twenty years ago (Temperton passed away in 2016) to create "Moonshine".

And no, "Moonshine" wasn't written to celebrate drinking the rough stuff out in the forest. It's about that special lady who can knock a man out like the "XXX". And unlike the real moonshine, the song is one real smooth ditty (Bailey's Irish Cream smooth)...what else from Andy Platts and Shawn Lee? The song finally came out in its final form as a single in March 2023. In fact, the way that Platts and Temperton designed "Moonshine", I swear that I could imagine MJ covering the song himself.

kiki vivi lily -- Hoshi Kissaten（星喫茶店）

 

I remember when the very first Starbucks landed in Japan on a side street just south of the main drag in Ginza, Tokyo. It was thirty years ago in 1996 and not surprisingly, trying to get into the place just after it opened was another exercise in futility. Again with any new and popular shiny place, hourlong (at least) lineups were the usual thing. The video above by Destination Japan shows Starbucks No. 1 in Japan celebrating its 20th anniversary.

Eventually, I did get to go into the place and since then, Starbucks has become a frequent destination to meet people and even teach them. Although the Ginza branch didn't become one of those oft-visited places for me, I was a fairly regular customer at the West Shinjuku branch. To be honest, I never became a huge fan of the coffee there since it seemed to taste somewhat charred, but I did like their seasonal miniature take on Sacher torte (imported from Austria) which is this dense chocolate cake completely slathered in rich chocolate icing. It looks like and feels like an NHL-issue puck going down the gullet. As I said, I enjoyed it but I learned never to have one during a school night.

Anyways, singer-songwriter kiki vivi lily has given her own tribute to the modern coffeehouse via her "Hoshi Kissaten" (Starcaffe). A track on her May 2023 EP "Blossom", if I can use some complimentary coffee terms, it's a creamy and rich number that goes down well and could be entered into the Neo-City Pop genre or perhaps it can be considered to be a good ol' pop tune. Also, give thanks to kiki vivi lily's own creamy vocals. As someone who's not a coffee connoisseur (since I love cream in my coffee), I'm all for this, along with a latte and a cinnamon roll.

I've heard about this Starbucks Reserve in Tokyo, which is purportedly the largest Starbucks of its kind in the world. A couple of my friends have had dinner there. Only in Japan, eh?

Ado -- All-Night Radio（オールナイトレディオ）

 

A few nights ago, I was wondering about all-night radio after having taken another look back at my article on my fantasy radio show. I then punched in "All-Night Radio" into the YouTube search engine. I'd been expecting at least a few excerpts on how the DJs sounded back then on their midnight-6 am shows, but I got nothing. Instead, though, I did get a lot of videos featuring singer-songwriter Ado and something "All-Night Radio".

Well, this was interesting, I thought. Up to now, I've always seen her as the enigmatic rock chanteuse who can soar up and down the vocal range like an express elevator powered by a ramjet. But with "All-Night Radio", which was released as her October 2023 single, it actually sounded like a very perky and upbeat pop tune that was ready-made for radio. In fact, it came across as a disco-inflected Neo-City Pop song that could have a lot of nightcrawlers cheerfully turning up that dial. Mind you, it may be a little too upbeat for the beginning or middle of a 6-hour all-night broadcast. Perhaps this could be the song to finish it off just when the sun peeks over the horizon in the morning.

Created by Mitchie M., "All-Night Radio" was used as the theme song for some sort of stage play on the Nippon Broadcasting System radio station, and its lyrics happen to be about getting ready for that radio show. There's even a shoutout to Mood Kayo and Frank Nagai（フランク永井）. The song reached No. 12 on Oricon.

Naotaro Moriyama -- Romantique（ロマンティーク）

Wikimedia Commons

I've noticed that Noelle has been working on her special autumn song list and indeed, it's feeling completely like fall has arrived to stick around for many weeks. My image for both sides of the Pacific when it comes to this season is folks huddling together a little closer and partaking in some of the warmer rib-sticking dishes to generate some more heat for the cooling bodies.

Another sign that autumn is here is seeing people taking things a little more calmly when compared to the more active hijinks that signify a typical summer. And this brings me to an NHK anime that ran between Fall 2023 and Spring 2024 called "Ochibi-san"（オチビサン...The Diary of Ochibi-san） which is about as laidback and slice-of-life as one can get. It's based on Moyoco Anno's（安野モヨコ）manga of the same name which ran from 2007 to 2014.

Now, what had eventually brought my attention to "Ochibi-san" was its ending theme song which was performed by its composer, singer-songwriter Naotaro Moriyama（森山直太朗）, on an episode of "Uta Con"（うたコン）. "Romantique" was written by singer, actress and essayist Yayako Uchida（内田也哉子）and she even takes part in the singing of the song along with Hanaregumi（ハナレグミ）. Fitting the vibe of the anime, "Romantique" feels very laidback in a jazzy way and the recording technique makes it feel as if it had been created several decades back during the Cool Jazz phase of the 1950s. Maybe it was created for an anime but it also feels at home in some underground jazz club in Paris or New York City.

The First Day of Summer!

Muke Tever
from Wikimedia Commons

 

Well, I found out early this morning that Summer 2025 will officially arrive today at 10:42 pm EDT. I would say that it arrived a few days ago with the high temperatures and humidity. It already arrived in Japan where it's beginning to tucker millions of residents out. But in recognition of the change in seasons. I'm leaving some summery City Pop stuff for you. Enjoy the beer and your weekend!🍺

(2012) Hitomitoi -- Summer Breeze '86

(2023) Natsu Summer -- Think of Summer

(1983) Kiyotaka Sugiyama & Omega Tribe -- Summer Suspicion

(1982) Tohoku Shinkansen -- Summer Touches You

(1983) Anri -- Windy Summer

Francis feat. Emiri Kanou -- Sabakaru Emiri（裁かるゝエミリ）

 

A few days ago, I caught the teaser for "TRON: Ares" and was intrigued enough by it that I actually and finally watched a copy of the original 1982 film "TRON".

Yep, that's right. I never saw "TRON" in its entirety although of course, the scenes of the light cycles are absolutely iconic. Having lived through that time, I can understand how mind-blowing the concept of a movie that has a good chunk of its running time take place within a computer program was back then, but I was still surprised at how much of the real world was still shown before Flynn got sucked into Digital Wonderland.

Back in late 2010, when I made what would be my final Xmas trip back to Toronto before returning for good, I caught "TRON: Legacy" at the theatre during its first run. To be honest, a combination of confusion since I hadn't seen the first movie and major jet lag had me sleeping for a lot of the movie. I felt a bit less guilty when some of my other friends told me that they hadn't been too impressed by "Legacy". But now here comes "Ares", so let's see how this one turns out. The amazing thing is that Jeff Bridges is back once more in a sequel whose original movie he had starred in 43 years ago.

Well, why don't we start this new business week with something appropriately blippity-bloppity technoppy? I found just the tune. I posted about techno aidoru Emiri Kanou（加納エミリ）for the first time last week via her debut single "Gomen ne"（ごめんね）.

A few years later in 2023, Kanou collaborated with DJ and self-professed New Wave dandy Makoto Francis Ori（小里誠）to release a scintillating single called "Sabakaru Emiri" which could mean "Emiri Under Judgement". Well, I've made my judgement...I like it. I like it for its old-style technopop feeling which had me reminiscing of Kyary Pamyu Pamyu（きゃりーぱみゅぱみゅ）and the collaborations between Ryuichi Sakamoto（坂本龍一）and Taeko Ohnuki（大貫妙子）in the early 1980s. While Francis took care of the music and arrangement, Yasuharu Konishi（小西泰治）came up with the lyrics.

Not sure what Emiri is under judgment for, but she looks to be battle ready...like a Kanou of Arc!😤

Yoko Minamino/ClariS -- Haikara-san ga Tooru（はいからさんが通る）

 

Last Friday night, as we usually do, we watched the latest episode of NHK information variety show "Chiko-chan", and found out that a franchise's original manga, the anime, the live-action movie and its theme song managed to revive a traditional form of clothing for graduating women.

Now, for some years, I'd known that the hakama was a popular but not mandatory special clothing that's worn by women during graduation ceremonies in Japan. But according to the "Chiko-chan" segment, it had been once worn as a regular school uniform a century ago during both the Meiji and Taisho eras but once World War II passed, the hakama disappeared from view for several decades.

But then, a manga titled "Haikara-san ga Tooru" (Haikara-San: Here Comes Miss Modern) by Waki Yamato（大和和紀）made its debut in 1975 followed by an anime in 1978. It detailed the romantic (and otherwise) adventures of high-flying, hakama-wearing Benio during the Taisho era.

In 1987, the live-action version starring aidoru Yoko Minamino（南野陽子）premiered at the end of the year, and during the "Chiko-san" segment, it was related that the rerun of the anime and then the popularity of the movie brought back the hakama to graduation ceremonies everywhere. It may have also changed Nanno's image as she had been one of the "Sukeban Deka" girls with her contemporary sailor suit high school uniform and deadly yo-yo.

Of course, the live-action movie had the aidoru also sing the theme song which had the same title of "Haikara-san ga Tooru". Sounding very late Showa era contemporary, its synth perkiness probably reflected Benio's personality herself. Written by Megumi Ogura（小倉めぐみ）, composed by Wataru Kuniyasu（国安わたる）and arranged by Mitsuo Hagita（萩田光雄）, Nanno's 10th single was released in December 1987 and was another No. 1 hit for her, finishing 1988 as the 19th-ranked single and selling 270,000 records. Along with its single status, "Haikara-san ga Tooru" was also included in the soundtrack for the movie. Not surprisingly, she appeared in that hakama on any music show performances which probably further boosted its comeback.

KKP contributor Joana Bernardo was the first to bring aidoru group ClariS to the blog with their cover of Wink's "Sabishii Nettaigyo"（淋しい熱帯魚）, and on that same special 2023 EP of the same name, the unit recorded their version of Nanno's hit. Cute video tribute to all of those music shows of the 1980s, too.

Nostalgic New Town -- Mafuyu no Winter Love（真冬のWinterLove）

 

Indeed, welcome to February! And as would be the case here in the Great White North, it's sunny but the temperature is currently a frigid -12 degrees Celsius with a -19-degree wind chill. Seeing the NHK weather caster in Tokyo do a cute shiver and say that the Japanese capital is faced with the deep freeze at +7 degrees C had me sighing. We Torontonians would kill for a +7 right now!

However, the skiers and snowboarders are definitely not crying the blues right now and they're most likely flocking like pigeons to the slopes north of us. There was quite a lot of snow falling in southern Ontario a few nights ago. 

And that of course has reminded me of the connection between J-Pop and skiing. About a month ago, I posted up an Author's Picks regarding the popular ski songs which kinda centered on the ski boom days of the 80s and 90s. Well, relatively recently, a solo act called Nostalgic New Town (with lyricist/composer connie also as the vocalist, I'm assuming) came up with an enthusiastic tune in early 2023 that hearkens back to those lovely ski times and songs.

"Mafuyu no Winter Love" (Mid-winter Winter Love) reflects the nostalgia in Nostalgic New Town as I got reminded of the Queen of Winters, Kohmi Hirose（広瀬香美）, and even that duet between Hiroshi Takano（高野寛）and Takao Tajima（田島貴男）, "Winter's Tale ~ Fuyu Monogatari"（冬物語）. I can even hear a bit of an Earth Wind & Fire riff in there, too, although that could be heard as an aural version of the snow-dusted winds whipping up on the slopes.

I couldn't find much information on Nostalgic New Town aside from one blurb that's been repeated on other sites. Apparently back in 2022, a Niigata Prefecture metal manufacturing company known as Marudai launched a project called M.CREATE which collaborates with artists of various stripes and genres to create products under the concept of making fantasy into a reality, and Nostalgic New Town has been one of those creations. In the same year, NNT had also released a debut single titled "Seaside Breeze" which I'll have to check out soon enough.

First Love is Never Returned -- Okachimachi Friday Night

 

The neighbourhood of Okachimachi is smack dab between Akihabara and Ueno and there's even a stop for it on the JR Yamanote Line. Since the first few months of my long stay in the Tokyo area involved work at the Ueno branch of NOVA back in the mid-1990s, I got to know the place with its own collection of shops, department stores, restaurants and bars. And indeed, I probably was there on a Friday night either teaching or making merry.

Speaking of which, I found out about this song "Okachimachi Friday Night" by the band First Love is Never Returned. Released as a digital single in August 2023, I think it's a nice brassy Neo-City Pop tune with a good dollop of soul and even better, I'm happy that Okachimachi has a song attached to it. I am hoping that there may be some past kayo kyoku also associated with the neighbourhood.

2023 was also the debut year for FLiNR which is a Hokkaido band consisting of five people. The vocalist is Kazuki Ishida who studied about singing in New York City. Along with other releases, it looks like the group is also having its round of concert dates including a few this year. Their genres are pop, R&B and indies rock.

Kokoro Umetani -- Ban'etsu Sai Sen Hitori（磐越西線ひとり）

 

Garlic and pasta, Laurel and Hardy, cola and ice cubes...matches made in pop culture heaven. May I add one more? Enka and trains...a Japanese combination that generates the feeling of loneliness and longing as a person deals with romantic adversity. Over here, we seem to deal with breakups by meeting with friends or engorging oneself on a tub of ice cream. Over there, song protagonists seem to hop on a train for the north...probably because of the cold and the snow.

Anyways, I have another example of an enka-and-train song. This is "Ban'etsu Sai Sen Hitori" (Alone on the Ban-etsu West Line) by 17-year-old enka phenom Kokoro Umetani（梅谷心愛）. I've referred to her a couple of times on the blog including my recent article on a couple of tourist sites in Asakusa but had yet to actually put up a song by her. However, Umetani has been making an impression with a surprisingly mature voice and a standout look which strikes me as being Akina Nakamori（中森明菜）in her "Desire" appearance and Ringo Shiina（椎名林檎）.

But there is nothing rock in her debut single which was released in July 2023. It's very much an enka song with Shinichi Ishihara（石原信一）and Tetsuya Gen（弦哲也）providing words and music respectively. Very melancholy fare, it deals with a lady taking a lonely introspective ride on the titular JR line going from Koriyama in Fukushima Prefecture to Niigata City in Niigata Prefecture. My good friend who's been going to the Tohoku region for the last couple of years can probably give me some more insight on how wintry the area gets. 

Considering her youth and her very oaken voice, I couldn't help but get some prodigy vibes from Umetani along the lines of a young Hibari Misora（美空ひばり）back in the day. "Ban'etsu Sai Sen Hitori" reached No. 23 on Oricon. She has since released a second single in 2024 along with an album, so it'll be interesting to observe how her career develops in the years to come. Maybe in the near future, she will even show up on the Kohaku Utagassen.

Fujii Kaze -- Hana（花）

 

If I'm not mistaken, singer-songwriter Fujii Kaze（藤井風）wasn't included on the 2023 Kohaku Utagassen lineup so it's nice to see him back for 2024 for his third appearance on the New Year's Eve special. Strangely enough, he had released the single "Hana" (Flowers) last October but either he simply didn't get invited or he declined the invitation for last year.

Well, for those who have always wanted a cheerful spin on the fragility and transience of life itself, "Hana" is the perfect song. I've always loved a groovy piano pop tune and "Hana" fulfills that, and so I'm reminded of acts such as Blue Peppers when I hear this one. Although I realize that it's been over a year since its release, I wouldn't mind seeing Fujii Kaze tackling this one on the Kohaku. It reached No. 6 on Oricon.

"Hana" was also used as the theme song for the Fall 2023 Fuji-TV drama "Ichiban Suki na Hana"（いちばんすきな花...My Beloved Flower）. 

Sake Songs by J-Canuck

 

Well, here I was last night stating that my previous Author's Pick was going to the final one for 2024, and then this opportunity comes along. Four weeks to go...what else can happen?

First off, congratulations to Japan for getting that UNESCO recognition for traditional sake brewing as an Intangible Cultural Asset. All those who have been steady viewers of KKP probably realize that I don't drink a whole lot but I have appreciated the higher brands of sake such as Kubota and Hakkaisan. One Cup Ozeki...not so much.

In any case, in commemoration of the news, I'm providing my own list of "sake" songs.

(1966) Hibari Misora -- Kanashii Sake （悲しい酒）

(1979) Sachiko Kobayashi -- Omoide Zake （おもいで酒）

(1980) Miyuki Kawanaka -- Futari Zake （ふたり酒）

(1988) Ikuzo Yoshi -- Sake yo （酒よ）

(2023) Yoshimi Tendo -- Hoshimizake（星見酒）

Naniwa Danshi -- Prime Time

 

Haven't watched anything on network television in years, let alone any program on prime time (7-10 pm). It's basically been whatever I see on YouTube, Jme and the sports channels (got to see a lot of NFL last night due to Thanksgiving). Way back when, it used to be some nights were absolutely must-see TV whether it be Thursdays for a few hours' worth of prime time sitcoms or Mondays for the action dramas.

A few days ago, one commenter told me about Naniwa Danshi（なにわ男子）and one of their newer tunes, "Prime Time". The Johnny's Entertainment/STARTO aidoru group was first put up on KKP a couple of years ago with their 2021 debut single "Ubu Love"（初心LOVE）. It was a tune that I described as being a mix of disco and late 1990s/early 2000s J-R&B.

"Prime Time" is the second track on Naniwa Danshi's second studio album "Popmall" from July 2023. This time around, the group went even further back to the 1980s with a touch of that decade's dynamic dance-pop and Toshiki Kadomatsu（角松敏生）, thanks to music duo youth case along with Swedish composer Erik Lidbom coming up with the melody and the lyrics. I also noted to the commenter that there was also a feeling of 2010s female aidoru group Especia in the arrangement as well. I also doff my hat to the electric guitar play in there. 

Shiori Sasaki -- Simple Love（シンプルラブ）

 

Continuing on from Akiko Matsumoto's（松本明子）cover version of "Tasogare My Love", I would like to also feature yet another loving tribute to the works of Junko Ohashi（大橋純子）. "Tasogare My Love" in its original form may have been more of a straight pop or kayo kyoku, but this next one is most definitely in the good-time City Pop mode.

In early 2023, music journalist Toshikazu Kanazawa（金澤寿和）launched the direction of an album compilation of City Pop covers called "City Pop Avenue ~ Paper Moon Project" featuring female singers who have taken the baton for the urban contemporary in recent decades. I'm pretty confident that the name of "Paper Moon" was taken from Ohashi's 1976 album of the same title and it's one of her covers that starts the album off.

"Simple Love" was Ohashi's 5th single from 1977 that seemed to highlight all that was cool and good about the night life in Tokyo. The disco times are back again (including the wacka-wacka guitar) for the cover version by Shiori Sasaki（佐々木詩織）, who has been on KKP before as a featured performer with the urban contemporary duo of Blue Peppers, and she sounds as smooth as butter. The arrangement isn't quite as brassy as that for the original but it does reflect how the urban sounds sound these days. Ohashi's husband, Ken Sato（佐藤健）, took care of the melody while Takashi Matsumoto（松本隆）was behind the lyrics.

As well, back in 2022, I posted my own favourites by Ohashi so you can have a gander at those, too.

Natsu Summer -- Think of Summer

 

I haven't spoken to any of my Japanese friends to find out their thoughts of the past summer in their nation. Temperatures have apparently fallen to a much more comfortable degree when compared to the broiling season and my impression is that most folks out there are happier to see the summer fade away. Over here in Toronto, I think a lot of folks are once again muttering about how short our summers are and dreading the inevitable arrival of frost, snow and icy temps. Perhaps the coffee house signs of pumpkin spice latte have had people screaming in terror.🎃

Anyways, Torontonians may be swooning and dreaming of summer, but singer Natsu Summer would like you to "Think of Summer". This was her October 2023 digital single written and composed by Cunimondo Takiguchi（クニモンド瀧口）. According to one site though, a CD version has been available since earlier this year. True to form, "Think of Summer" has that Natsu Summer mix of reggae and City Pop that will have listeners hitting the hammock and cocktails. Think summery thoughts!

Ayako Suzukawa -- Go! Shinkansen（GO！新幹線）

 

Well, ten years ago, I commemorated the 50th anniversary of the launch of the very first Bullet Train on October 1st 1964 with the 1967 song "Hashire Chotokkyu"（はしれ ちょうとっきゅう）which has been very kid-friendly. 

News on the 60th anniversary of the pride and joy of Japan Railways has been showing up on NHK over the past couple of days including a special one-hour show earlier this morning. The above video by JR Tokai ought to also have train otakus' eyes glistening.

For "Hashire Chotokkyu", I related one of my experiences on the ol' Shinkansen. One regret is that I didn't get to go on as many rides on the Bullet as I could have during my very long stint in Japan between 1994 and 2011 (although I was riding the Joetsu Shinkansen monthly while I was living in Gunma Prefecture between 1989 and 1991). Still, there was that one time in 1990 when I had to attend the Renewers' Conference for the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme in Kobe. We took the Tokaido Bullet from Tokyo Station and we had some pretty decent seats. However, one of my colleagues who was a CIR (Coordinator for International Relations) got his own suite and he was most generous in inviting us over for a while. It was basically a moving lounge so some of us enjoyed some drinks.

I will commemorate the 60th anniversary by putting up this also kid-friendly song titled "Go! Shinkansen" which was written and recorded last year by Ayako Suzukawa（鈴川絢子）with the composer being Akinori Suzuki（鈴木秋則）. The Chiba Prefecture-born Suzukawa is a YouTuber and a comedienne who is also a huge train fan. Therefore, I'm pretty sure that she's been on a lot of those frequent train-focused variety programs. 

Her YouTube channel, unsurprisingly, has a lot of similarly-themed videos including this one where she is heading from Tsuruga City to Kinosaki Hot Springs on a tourist train.

Eiichi Ohtaki -- Hormone Kouta ~ Genki de Cha-Cha-Cha（ホルモン小唄〜元気でチャチャチャ）

 

It's hard to believe that we're approaching the 11th anniversary of the untimely passing of singer-songwriter Eiichi Ohtaki（大滝詠一）. He really had that timeless voice which struck me as very much of an old-fashioned lonesome cowboy croon. There are so many examples but I can state one here which is "Shiawase na Ketsumatsu"（幸せな結末）, his November 1997 hit and theme song for the Fuji-TV drama "Love Generation".

But Ohtaki also had his sense of humour that up until recently never got noticed. In March 2023, a double-CD album was released, "Ohtaki Eiichi ~ NOVELTY SONG BOOK/NIAGARA ONDO BOOK". Disc 1 was the novelty songbook which features unreleased tracks with Ohtaki behind the mike and tongue firmly planted in cheek for at least some of the tunes. One such number is "Hormone Kouta ~ Genki de Cha-Cha-Cha" (The Hormone Song ~ Happy Cha-Cha-Cha) which had originally been created for singer-actor Akira Kobayashi（小林旭）back in 1976 for an album project but when those plans fell through, the song was shelved for the last few decades, except for one time when Ohtaki played it on Internet radio. In fact, it was so rarely heard that folks wondered if "Hormone Kouta" was nothing more than an urban legend.

Written by Tetsuro Hoshino（星野哲郎）and composed by Ohtaki, "Hormone Kouta" is a song about replenishing one's mojo that sounds like a mix between kayo kyoku and a march from Disneyland. Certainly, it's a different voice from Ohtaki who sounds as if he needs some of those aphrodisiacs listed in the lyrics such as liver, raw eggs and honey (hopefully not together). The tongue-in-cheek aim is to have the song aimed at the middle-aged and elderly to get some of the sexual energy back. It's definitely ironic in that this had originally been meant for Kobayashi since his reputation has been that of a virile and masculine personage.

Masayoshi Oishi -- Shinda!（死んだ!）

 

Yesterday, I was informed that the latest holiday craze is Summerween which is basically celebrating Halloween a couple of months or so earlier than scheduled. The Japanese would probably react by saying "Well, it's about time!". Although the big cities and its young populations have fully embraced Halloween in recent years, the dog days of summer have been the traditional time for the spooky in Japan. After all, telling those ghost stories and leaving a chill up and down listeners' backbones has been one way to stave off the torrid heat and humidity. Or so the theory goes...

I've never seen the anime "Yuusha ga Shinda!"（勇者が死んだ!...The Legendary Hero is Dead!）which had been broadcast early last year on Tokyo MX and it's not really a Halloween-themed show. I'd say that it was more of a comedic isekai program with at least one major supernatural element. 

But what got me to bring Summerween in here was the opening theme song for "Yuusha ga Shinda!", "Shinda!" (Dead!) as written, composed and performed by Masayoshi Oishi（大石昌良）. The official music video and the arrangement of the song certainly hints at something more Halloween (and of course, Oishi himself still enjoys being the song-and-dance man). I actually wrote about Oishi's most recent anison outing earlier this year, "Namaramenkoi Gyaru"（なまらめんこいギャル）for the heartwarming Hokkaido-based show "Dosanko Gyaru wa Namaramenkoi"（道産子ギャルはなまらめんこい...Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable!）. That one is quite a bit more funk but "Shinda!" brings in more of the synthpop spookiness and the usual Oishi catchiness. Perhaps Danny Elfman might be a tad jealous. In any case, the singer's 10th single from May 2023 peaked at No. 28 on Oricon.

Ai Tomioka -- Good bye-bye（グッバイバイ）

 

I've seen the late 1980s as part of the Golden Age of aidoru but also the time of female singer-songwriters who came out with their brand of relaxing pop. Names including Miki Imai（今井美樹）, Midori Karashima（辛島美登里）and Akiko Kobayashi（小林明子）come to mind.

The current age of aidoru is continuing in the early 2020s, although the alphabet aidoru groups have somewhat waned in influence compared to, let's say, a decade ago. However, there are also the non-mainstream aidoru groups that have popped up over the last several years such as BiS and Maison Book Girl. At the same time, I've noticed another group of female singer-songwriters with their distinct sound emerging out of the woodwork. Just in the last week alone, I've come across MAO and XinU for example.

Now for today, it's Ai Tomioka（冨岡愛）. On her Namu Wiki page, I found out that for much of her childhood and adolescence, she had been living in Australia after her birth in Tokyo, and currently, she's now residing in South Korea. Unfortunately, I don't have an exact handle on when she began her music career although part of it was spent busking on the streets, but I was able to find this soothing ballad called "Good bye-bye", about sadly accepting the fact that a guy that she has had feelings for has now been lost to another woman.

Released in 2023, there is something quite country pop with "Good bye-bye" although I'm not sure if Tomioka had meant to make it sound somewhat Swift-ish. Her voice is pleasingly breathy, rich and mellow as if that initially bitter coffee got the cream treatment. Also, the official music video above seems to take things into nostalgia with that opening shot of an old-fashioned tape recorder, a real pool table (instead of one in a video game) and even some of those crane games.

Qa'pla to Tomioka and all those up-and-coming singer-songwriters. It would be nice to have a solid layer of pop again including the guitar pop variety.