I've been a fan of Japanese popular music for 40 years, and have managed to collect a lot of material during that time. So I decided I wanted to talk about Showa Era music with like-minded fans. My particular era is the 70s and 80s (thus the "kayo kyoku"). The plus part includes a number of songs and artists from the last 30 years and also the early kayo. So, let's talk about New Music, aidoru, City Pop and enka.
Credits
I would like to give credit where credit is due. Videos are from YouTube and other sources such as NicoNico while Oricon rankings and other information are translated from the Japanese Wikipedia unless noted.
I've just discovered that the expression "out of the blue" had been popular enough in the television zeitgeist that several shows around the world used it for their title. Well, my "Out of the Blue" was a very short-lived 1979 sitcom involving an angel who decides to live with a family. According to its Wikipedia article, there's been a hopefully good-natured debate among those who can remember the old sitcom days on network TV on whether "Out of the Blue" was a mere weird crossover or an actual spinoff of the famous "Happy Days".
To be honest, I barely remember watching the pilot episode of "Out of the Blue" in which Mork from Ork (Robin Williams) popped in for some quicksilver-witted banter with Random the angel. Since "Mork & Mindy" was a direct spinoff of "Happy Days", I always considered "Out of the Blue" as a "Happy Days" spinoff twice removed. I remember even less about the fact that Random even did a cameo on a "Happy Days" episode.
All that preamble ramble about old and obscure American sitcoms is just to introduce "Out of the Blue", a coupling song for Nogizaka46's（乃木坂46）Type-D CD of "Boku wa Boku o Suki ni Naru"（僕は僕を好きになる...I am Starting to Like Myself）, the aidoru group's 26th single from January 2021. I hadn't heard this one before, but a couple of days ago, NHK's morning variety show "Asaichi"（あさイチ...Morning Market） spent most of its air time on folks' own cheer-up songs and apparently "Out of the Blue" passed muster with a lot of music-loving citizens.
And why not? The disco already grabbed me from the start. Yup, that's cheerful for me, I thought. A song about how one fateful encounter can change a person's outlook on life, I can understand why a lot of people have listened to this one to get out of the doldrums. Written by Yasushi Akimoto（秋元康）as usual, "Out of the Blue" was composed by youth case. The official music video has the group partaking in one of the rites of Japanese youth: the school field trip.
As Eizin Suzuki (鈴木英人) has so wonderfully depicted above, the hot season may already have arrived. The temperatures are a little cooler but it's certainly comfortable and the sun out there is gorgeous. Who wouldn't want to tear off those work clothes including the stifling leather shoes and socks and wade into some cooling water?
The ladies at Nogizaka46（乃木坂46）share your pain and desire, and back in July 2016, they released their 15th single, "Hadashi de Summer" (Barefoot Summer). Written by Yasushi Akimoto（秋元康）and composed by Hidetoshi Fukumori（福森秀敏）with arrangement by APAZZI, it's just the aidoru tonic to get fans ready for the season. The music video by Takeshi Maruyama（丸山健志）filmed in Okinawa Prefecture may have gotten viewers to book their tickets on ANA or JAL for Japan's southernmost province. Nothing like a summer vacation with friends.
"Hadashi de Summer" hit No. 1 on the Oricon weeklies and it would become the 6th-ranked song for 2016. It was also a track on Nogizaka46's 3rd studio album"Umarete kara Hajimete Mita Yume"（生まれてから初めて見た夢...The First Dream I Had Since I Was Born） from May 2017. The album also reached the top spot and became the 7th-ranked album of that year. It also shares space with the hit single "Influencer".
Again this year my good friend Ryo has invited me to share my top 10 Japanese songs (in my case, idol songs) for their newsletter This Side of Japan. It is always a very nice exercise and I find myself thinking all year "this song is probably going to make it into my top 10." After I submitted my choices, I ended up listening to a few more great songs that could have made the cut, so I decided to dedicate an entire post to these very honorable mentions.
SKE48 - Jikan ga Nai (時間がない)
I have been a long-time enthusiast of AKB48 and its related groups, but I confess that SKE48 was never a group that standed out for me. That has changed last year when they announced they would be collaborating with none other than Tetsuya Komuro. I have yet to listen to all of those songs, but in the meantime they announced another partnership with city pop extraordinaire Night Tempo, releasing an EP with 4 songs. This EP is probably one of the greatest releases of the year to me.
Blueberry Soda (ブルーベリーソーダ) - Tenshi ga Tooru (天使が通る)
Blueberry Soda is a collaboration between actor agency Tanabe Agency and Yasushi Akimoto. Therefore, it is no surprise that this song sounds a bit like some releases from AKB48 and company. I put it in a category of "waltzy" songs like Yurina Hirate's "Yamanotesen" and AKB48 "Negaigoto no Mochigusare," however it feels like "Tenshi ga Tooru" is taking it one step further, refining this delicate feeling.
Yufu Terashima (寺嶋由芙) - Koi no Atoaji (恋の後味)
"Yuffie" has been going strong on the retro sounds for a few years now, but "Koi no Atoaji" sounds like a very authentic 80's ballad to me. Not much else to say, in a positive way... Just a warm, cozy love song perfect for this season.
Nogizaka46 (乃木坂46) - Ato no Matsuri (アトノマツリ)
One of my favorite idol groups, lyrical school, is going through a lineup revamp, which means no new release for a while. I feel like this piece by Nogizaka46 has been a good substitute for the time being. Even the music video reminds me of some of lyrical school's videos such as "Tokonatsu Return." A very solid approach to rap by some of the group's best voices with a self-made video that is a very nice change from the high production of what is probably the biggest female idol group in Japan today.
Ringwanderung - Pulse (パルス)
Ringwanderung is a group with a very distinctive sound and looks, always choosing a dark blue and red palette for their costumes. My partner usually describes this sound as "my cat is strolling on the keyboard" and I think it is a good way to describe it. Every release from this group is a personal highlight, an expected sound but always very pleasing, and I hope this group gets some more traction in the coming year.
I finish this post by wishing Happy Holidays from Portugal to the world, wherever you are reading this from. Here's to another year of great Japanese music from the past and the present.
I've got no idea about Mouse Computer Co. Ltd. aside from the fact that it offers a lineup of laptops, and it's gotten a goodly amount of celebs hawking them such as TV personalities Chiaki Horan（ホラン千秋）and Matsuko Deluxe（マツコ・デラックス）as you can see above. Apparently, this ad was from last year.
Although I couldn't find out exactly in which year the campaign began, it seems possible that aidoru group Nogizaka46's（乃木坂46）involvement in a series of commercials started in 2017 (according to an article at the site "Branding in Asia"), so we'll go with that for now. But since seeing the above ad for the first time, the Mouse Computer jingle by the group has grabbed me by the ears thanks to the electro swing arrangement and the members' own little minimalist choreography.
Mind you, the YouTube channel Mina's Erotic Cookie concocted a longer version stringing together a number of those ads, and I gather that there was also a version with a bit more 60s Group Sounds rock at the start. As supremely infectious as it was during its time, I don't think a single version was ever released although maybe a version may have found itself on a compilation, but I am purely speculating here. If there are any Nogizaka46 fans who could let us know whether the jingle has ever appeared on a CD or on a download site, that would be much appreciated. In the meantime, we can rely on the good folks at YouTube.
I’ve
not been keeping up with Japanese pop music from nowadays, so I’m only
introduced to new music basically when I watch the mid-year and year-end TV
shows. Thats right, I’m talking about Ongaku no Hi (音楽の日), FNS Uta no Natsu Matsuri (FNSうたの夏まつり), FNS Kayousai (FNS歌謡祭), Music Station Super
Live (ミュージックステーションスーパーライブ),
Kouhaku Uta Gassen (紅白歌合戦)
and some others as well.
Since
at least July, Nogizaka46 (乃木坂46)
have been performing “Route 246” on these shows, but I had to listen to it only
once to like what I was hearing. Of course I was already curious about the song
even before listening to it, because I was aware of the composer behind it, who
was none other than Tetsuya Komuro (小室哲哉).
Komuro
may be already past his prime as a composer and music producer, but I’ll probably
always like, or at least pay attention to his new Technopop songs, especially when he gives songs to random aidoru acts or groups out there, just like it was the
case with Nogizaka46.
Anyway,
the song is far from the classics from the past, but that’s just an obvious statement. The
chorus can get quite annoying with all the “wow wow wow wow” chants, but I
quite like the melody, and even more when TK does his magic, following it with his classic mix of
piano and synths. In a way, it’s always nostalgic to hear a Komuro song, and I
remember feeling the same when he composed a new song for Namie Amuro (安室奈美恵), titled “How do you
feel now?”, during her final days in the industry.
“Route
246” was released as a digital single in July 2020, reaching #4 on the Oricon
digital chart. Lyrics were written by Yasushi Akimoto (秋元康), while music was composed by Tetsuya Komuro. As for
the arrangement, it was done by Komuro and Music Design, which apparently is comprised of
his own staff.
I believe that I've heard this Nogizaka46（乃木坂46）single before but I can't quite remember. But I think I know why "Route 246" sounds so familiar.
Didn't look up the group's latest digital download single on J-Wiki at all before I heard it, but immediately from the opening notes, I pegged it as a Tetsuya Komuro（小室哲哉）creation. And sure enough, when I did look up the article, it was indeed Komuro behind the melody with Yasushi Akimoto（秋元康）on lyrics.
Released in July this year, Akimoto's lyrics just seem to be tailored for "Route 246" to be one of those Olympic campaign songs. There's no mention of any Tokyo 2021 association but I wouldn't be surprised if it gets the nod sometime down the line by the Japanese Olympic Committee and/or a commercial TV network. And with the Kohaku Utagassen lineup announcements coming out sometime in the next few weeks (yep, it's still scheduled...they already announced the hosts), Nogizaka46 will probably be invited.
Well as for the familiarity angle, on hearing those Komuro synths once more, my memories took me back to the Komuro Boom of the 1990s with trf and globe. I could easily imagine Komuro having created "Route 246" for either of those units a quarter-century ago. The nostalgia is simply flowing.
A few days ago, I was rewatching some music videos and it crossed me that one particular song would be one of my picks when it comes to the most representative songs of the late Heisei era in terms of idol music - it's catchy and prone to be liked by the general public. So, I decided to brainstorm a few others I would consider worthy of entering that category and joined them in one post. It is a top 6 of my Modern Idol Classics (from 2010 to 2019).
1. BiS - nerve
This one takes first place for me because it is personally one of my favorite idol songs ever, and I feel like it embodies what was the late Heisei for idol music. The traditional idol trope started to be defied by some groups such as BiS and now we have a pot-pourri of genres being presented by the kind of performer one would consider an idol. I also feel like, even though there is still one or two major groups ruling the idol scene, there is a larger number of "tiers" when it comes to popularity. No longer do we have the popular idols and the underground ones, there is more to that, and the idol scene in this moment is very diverse.
2. AKB48 - Koisuru Fortune Cookie (恋するフォーチュンクッキー)
To me, this was the absolute peak of AKB48, since which they have started losing momentum as the "national idol group" of Japan. So, it seemed like an obvious pick for this selection. To this day, this is the go-to song to present in all kinds of TV specials, and had a small revival when it propelled the Thai sister group BNK48 to national stardom. I like this song very much! It's catchy and retro sounding and I don't really get tired of listening to it. I think it is the true classic of AKB48 and showcases the very best this group has to offer.
I feel like it had been a long time since any group had such a strong debut single as Keyakizaka46 did. This song was the absolute hit of 2016 and made me hooked into the group for quite some time. Besides this A-side, "Saimajo" is a very solid single with really good songs (I feel like I still want to write about it someday). I haven't been following Keyaki closely, but it seems to me that the popularity they achieved at the time of their debut has vanished a bit. Still, Silent Majority is unforgettable.
4. Maneki Kecak (まねきケチャ) - Kimi Wazurai (きみわずらい)
This is actually the song I mentioned at the beginning of the article. I don't know if it is surprising, since this group is, let's say, at a different level of popularity as the other groups I mention in this article, at least in the West. But to me, this song is an absolute classic. I think it's the whole progression, starting slow and then building up to a quick succession of emotional lyrics. At first, I had to get used to the difference in sound and skill in the members' voices, but it definitely grew on me.
5. BiSH - Orchestra (オーケストラ)
Well, Orchestra comes in the same category as Kimi Wazurai - a slow progression that builds up quickly. I find it better executed technically in Orchestra, but there is something about the rawness of vocals and emotions in Kimi Wazurai that also pulls me into that song. But when it comes to whether they are classics, they both are. And Orchestra is one of the songs that brought BiSH into national fame, and they keep rising by the day, which has been amusing to see! Let's hope Reiwa brings a lot of success for these girls.
6. Nogizaka46 (乃木坂46) - Kimi no Na wa Kibou (君の名は希望)
I wanted to include a Nogizaka46 song because they are the current top idol group in Japan, and whenever I think about Kimi no Na wa Kibou being used as a jingle in the Nogizaka Station, the song stands out to me as a classic. The thing about this group is that they have several songs that stand out to the general public, but not one that one can pin-point as their true number one hit. When it comes to sales, I think Influencer takes the cake, but Kimi no Na wa Kibou is, in my opinion, the one tune that better appeals to the general public. It's a pop song without a doubt, but it sounds so warm and with lyrics so encouraging that I would recommend it to anyone.
People usually ask each other "Where were you at the 9/11?" or some other remarkable happening. Here in Portugal, since last year, we started asking each other "Where were you when we won the Eurovision song contest?"
I'm not aware of non-European people's idea of the Eurovision song contest, but basically, it's a pretty big deal in Europe. Here in Portugal it was big until the late 90s and our participating songs are still icons of the country. We never really got great classifications but people enjoyed the show anyway.
At some point, the quality of the songs became worse, everyone lost interest, and we sat off the contest for some years. Last year, our public TV network grabbed that lack of expectations and called a group of young talents who competed for the place in the European contest, generally thinking "we're not going to win anyway, let's just have fun". Guess what, we won. We submitted a wonderful song, Amar Pelos Dois, sang by Salvador Sobral, a melancholic ballad amidst the explosive, mostly generic pop the other countries presented.
I still remember that feeling of national happiness. This year, we're hosting the contest and the final is tonight.
I wanted to share that hype I felt last year (and am still feeling now that the event is happening) and link it to another song I love that won a nationally recognized prize last year. That song is Influencer by AKB48-related idol group Nogizaka46, which won the Grand Prix in the 2017 Japan Record Awards.
Before hitting that landmark, it was the first single by the group to sell a million copies. This year, with their latest single, they managed to surpass AKB48's simultaneous release's sales in the first week. So they are basically riding the wave their parent group used to ride.
Influencer is a pop song with latino sounds composed by Shinya Sumida (the maker of AKB's Flying Get, another Grand Prix winner) and arranged by APAZZI. The lyrics were penned by Yasushi Akimoto, as usual with his produced groups. People speculated if "influencer" was intended as a pun with "influenza", as the lyrics describe such an intense obsession with one person that one would think they were sick.
It's definitely a earworm, with the repeating "boom boom boom", and visually interesting due to the choreography which relies intensely in arm movements. While shooting the official music video, the members reportedly panicked because of the difficulty of the dance.
Not only because Nogizaka46 is probably my favorite idol group, I see this song as a classic tune. There's something about the melody that takes me back and makes me feel like it would fit other decades. It's not Nogizaka's signature song but it's one of those I won't forget.
It's a shame that the Japan Record Awards headed the same way as Kouhaku, with a gradual lack of prestige and interest by the spectators. Even worse are the rumours that the recent winners may have been arranged by their respective companies. Nevertheless, I see Influencer as the kind of song who could win regardless of those circumstances. It was also Nogizaka46's song choice for 2017 Kouhaku.
As for today's Eurovision final, I'm positive that Portugal won't be winning again, but I heard Salvador Sobral is making a special appearance with Caetano Veloso... Maybe I'll check that out.
(By the way, here's my Twitter for more idols (both modern and vintage) and related stuff.)
Happy Friday the 13th! Yes, believe it or not, even before the concept was associated with hockey mask-wearing nutjobs, it had already been known as a bad luck day. As such, I decided to see if there were even any kayo out there to signify this auspicious day.
Well, yes and no. I didn't find a kayo per se but I did find something from the recent J-Pop realm, and it turned out to have the exact title "Juu-san Nichi no Kinyoubi"(Friday The 13th). The song was one of the tracks on Nogizaka 46's（乃木坂46）5th single,"Kimi no Na wa Kibou"（君の名は希望...Your Name Is Hope）from March 13th 2013. I had wondered whether that single was released on a Friday but nope, it was actually a Wednesday.
In any case, far from it sounding like a Halloween tune, "Juu-san Nichi no Kinyoubi" had that pleasantly fun & cheerful (if eminently forgettable) melody by Naonobu Amimoto（網本ナオノブ）backing Yasushi Akimoto's（秋元康）lyrics about a boy and a girl having fun together with a group of other friends, only when it's time for everyone to head home, said boy and girl are back alone. As Akimoto wrote down pretty insightfully, this is when horror and love actually share a common feature: both spike the emotions.
The other notable thing about "Juu-san Nichi no Kinyoubi" is its music video. It all centered on a flash mob performance by the Type-B group of Nogizaka 46 (I take it that means the second-stringers of the group) at Mitsui Outlet Park Yokohama Bayside about a month before the single's release (the poor lasses must have been freezing in those spring dresses). I have to say that the production staff and the 46 planned it out with the precision of the Impossible Missions Force. The customers who were caught off-guard apparently were there for some big sale, according to J-Wiki.
We can all hope that our Friday the 13th is as happy.
The picture has nothing to do with the post itself, being just one of the random photos I took while walking around in Rio de Janeiro at night (I'm not a good photographer, though).
This year, my Author’s Pick list is comprised solely by songs released
in the past 12 months. They’re all new entries, so I’m not repeating songs I
covered through the year. Also, most of them were a big part of my year, just
to make obvious how personal this list is in the first place. I can only hope
you guys like some of the songs I’ve chosen.
10)
AKB48 -- High Tension (ハイテンション)
This one was a last-second addition – by the way, dethroning a
Dempagumi.inc (でんぱ組.inc) single –, and I
feel somewhat guilty for liking it so much right now... but AKB48’s“High
Tension” conquered its spot in this list fair and square. Probably due to the
fact I started watching the drama it’s related to with my best friend very
recently (it’s the theme song for AKB48’s drama “Cabasuka Gakuen” [キャバすか学園]), the song’s catchy factor just impregnated in
my mind – the chorus, albeit full of silly repetition, is engaging, and the
brass section in the background just helps it standout. In the end, even though
it’s AKB48 in safe mode – they recorded similar disco songs in the form of “Koi
Suru Fortune Cookie” (恋するフォーチュンクッキー) in 2013 and
“Halloween Night” (ハロウィン・ナイト) in 2015 –, I liked
its straightforward approach very much. Easily the funniest AKB48 single this
year, hands down!
NAOMiRUSTY’s “La Niña Night” (released in January) is that type of exciting
hyper processed Hi-NRG song that was so common in mainstream pop music during
the late 80s. I don’t know why she chose to record this straightorward
80s-sounding thing – with all the "cheese factor" involved – in 2016, but it
easily works for me. Also, kudos to the amazing instrumental breakdown with the
screeching synth playing alongside the relentless bass line right before the
final chorus. In some way, it reminded me of Tommy February6’s songs, and
that’s not a bad thing at all.
Okay! By now, after almost 25 years of watching Namie Amuro’s (安室奈美恵) evolution in the J-Pop landscape, it’s obvious
that she’s only worried about following Western trends and recording unashamedly
in-your-face pop hits. Is there a problem with it? No, not at all. Especially
when Amuro really commits to it, and this catchy dance number called “Fighter”
(released in October), while far from being something revolutionary – and that
was never her proposal, after all –, showcases very well how she can still
mantain her relevance in the industry after so many years.
Released in November, “In The City” is Monari Wakita’s (脇田もなり) solo debut after parting ways with aidoru
group Especia earlier this year. The song, while a little bit more mature and
far from the quirky sounds charmingly explored by Especia during their prime
days, is still close to the overall 80s-inspired City Pop sound from the group.
In the end, even though I was sad when I read the news about her departure from
the group, it’s great to follow both the renewed group’s trajectory and Monari Wakita's solo efforts as well. After all, it’s more modern City Pop and 80s fun to us.
This year, Especia lost some members and changed their sound a little
bit, trying to be more mature and laidback. With this in mind, I must say that “Danger”
(released in December) and its great combination of groovy bass line with
Philly strings is Especia’s best song in a while (last year’s “Aviator” turned
out to be my favorite Especia song), even if the choice to sing in English may
sound a little bit odd at first.
When I received my copy of Perfume’s latest album “COSMIC EXPLORER” from
the post office and put in the stereo, my father quickly asked if the Perfume
girls’ were now recording Progressive Rock-inspired songs... and I couldn’t answer
him properly at the time. However, Yasutaka Nakata (中田ヤスタカ)
undeniably embraced past sounds while creating “COSMIC EXPLORER”, and even a
whole mentality of retrofuturism that was so alive around the 70s and 80s. In
the end, even though the album itself was below the expectations (it’s nice and
fun, but not as good as past works), the title track alone – with its
futuristic arrangement coupled by Perfume’s airy yet sad vocals, or even the
mishmash of influences that ranges from Italo Disco to the aforementioned
Progressive Rock – stands out as a very strong song that showcases a more
mature group still capable of interesting things in the Technopop soundscape.
It’s a pity Nakata didn’t stick with this sound for the whole album, but I
understand he had some commercial obligations to fulfil...
Few things are more escapist than dreaming about Tokyo in the 80s/90s.
Based on that, indie producer Boogie Idol’s aptly named “Kinmyaku Rettou” is a
true ode to that space and time – with a video full of footages of urban life
in one of the world’s biggest metropolis. However, if the video wasn’t enough,
there’s also the exciting Eurobeat-esque piece of retro electronic music, which
makes for a full futuristic yet nostalgic trip.
Veteran anison singer Minami Kuribayashi (栗林みな実)
returned to the spotlight last August after two years of absence (she put the
career on hold for a little bit because of her pregnancy) with a strong number
called “Patria”. The song is not that different from what she’s been doing for
some years now – a mishmash of hyper-speed rock and electronic music with classical touches –, but the celtic (I think it can be called that way)
flourishes were very nice additions. Also, the vocals are strong as ever, even
if her pitch is still a little bit high (it’s an old characterist of her,
though). The only difference is that, right now, she’s just called Minami, as,
somehow, the Kuribayashi “surname” got lost in the way (I think it has
something to do with record labels, but I’m not sure). Anyway, it's good to see her back.
02)
Rena Matsui with SHARAN-PO-RANTAN – Shabon (シャボン)
Ex-SKE48 Rena Matsui (松井玲奈) teamed up with
cabaret-styled duo CHARAN-PO-RANTAN (チャラン・ポ・ランタン) for this little
number called “Shabon”, which was released in March. Even though I find it hard
to classify, I assume it brought some inspiration from Showa Era Kayo Kyoku –
but with some quirky twists here and there. The arrangement is quite rich with
all the accordion – courtesy from Koharu, one of the CHARAN-PO-RANTAN sisters
–, but Rena Matsui was able to shine on her own as well. It was nice to see the
famous aidoru out of her confort zone for a bit – releasing music with one of
the wackiest acts of nowadays –, and I hope she continue to do so in the near
future.
My number one position goes to a collaboration between AKB48 and
Nogizaka46 (乃木坂46), called Nogizaka
AKB (乃木坂AKB). A very unusual
song for AKB, but maybe not so much for Nogizaka, “Mazariau Mono’s” power
relies in how beautiful the melody in the chorus is. Also, it’s not a hot dance
number, not a proper ballad, but I like how classy it sounds – even if the
video seems a little odd. For me, it’s one of the rare moments when one – or
two, in this case – of the infamous “48 family” groups truly shines.
I
never really cared much for AKB48’s “official rival” group, Nogizaka46 (乃木坂46).
For me, they were nothing more than another AKB48 sister group, but with
different numbers in the name. In other words, another infamous gimmick coming
from mastermind Yasushi Akimoto (秋元康).
Criticisms
aside, Nogizaka46 caught my attention for the first time thanks to an aidoru collaboration
medley on “FNS Kayousai THE LIVE” (2015 FNS歌謡祭THE
LIVE), which aired in December 2015. If I remember correctly, our fellow group,
alongside AKB48, Momoiro Clover Z (ももいろクローバーZ), Morning Musume (モーニング娘。)
and other aidoru groups from Hello! Project and Stardust Promotion (Momoclo’s
agency) performed a lot of famous aidoru tunes, such as “Koisuru Fortune Cookie”
(恋するフォーチュンクッキー) and “LOVE Machine” (LOVEマシーン),
to name a few. Clearly, Nogizaka46 also had to contribute with one of their own
“classic” songs, and the chosen one was “Seifuku no Mannequin”.
“Seifuku
no Mannequin”, which was released in December 2012, is a Technopop piece
comprised of playful synths and that type of urgent melody so typical of the
more serious-toned songs by AKB48 and its sister groups. There’s also a little
bit of drama in the air, and it’s quite interesting how it harmonizes itself with
the “happy sounding” electronic features. It’s Nogizaka46 at its finest!
"Seifuku no Mannequin" reached #1 on the Oricon charts, selling 313,152 copies. Lyrics were written by
Yasushi Akimoto, while music was composed by Katsuhiko Sugiyama (杉山勝彦). As for the
arrangement, Hajime Hyakkoku (百石元) was the
responsible.
