1. KinKi Kids – Swan Song(160,407)
2. UVERworld  – Kanashimi wa Kitto (51,743)
3. Nana Mizuki – Mugen (44,718)
4. Morning Musume – Kimagure Princess (36,274)
5. AKB48 – River (16,943)
6. Ken Hirai – Boku wa Kimi ni Koi wo Suru (13,653)
7. Hilcrhyme – Shunkanshuuto (13,548)
8. BoA – BUMP BUMP! feat. VERBAL (m-flo) (10,805)
9. Kana Nishino – Motto… (10,460)
10. B’z – MY LONELY TOWN (9,987)
11. Plastic Tree – Sanatorium (7,672)
12. Aki Toyosaki – love your life (6,999)
13. Sheryl Nome starring May’n - pink monsoon  (6,601)
14. Kalafina – progressive (5,339)
15. JASMINE – No More (5,287)
16. Ikimonogakari – YELL / Joyfull (4,410)
17. Sukima Switch – Golden Time Lover (4,207)
18. JAM Project – Bouken Ou ~ Across the Legendary kingdom ~ (3,972)
19. Kra – bird (3,899)
20. AAA – Hide-away (3,726)

Kinki Kids easily grab themselves the top spot.  Great sales also for UVERworld and Nana Mizuki also.  Dissapointing sales for Morning Musume, as this is the second lowest selling single of the band’s career, as well as the last single featuring member Koharu Kusumi.  BoA is down in 8th this week (but she never was a strong single seller).  Lots of singles also still up there from last week (and weeks before in B’z’s case).

Due to a moment of boredom yesterday, you can now get here through www.tasukidaisuki.co.uk - maybe it’s because all my friends had domain names and I was jealous, maybe it was due to my retail therapy related afternoon, or maybe it was due to the fact that it is approaching, what would be, my beloved SSUK’s 9th Birthday – but that seems a life time ago!  It’s simple domain forwarding to be perfectly honest.  I can’t remember the last time I touched CSS, used photoshop with some level of decency or did anything other than use the very basic tools of word press.  It’s lack of time and effort as I’ve grown old and lazy.

Back on track, my HANGRY & ANGRY album arrived this morning, and although I’m going to listen a little more before I review, so far, I’m a little disappointed. Four tracks are remixes, albeit they sound better than the originals in some cases, and 2 tracks have been previewed / released previously – leaving just four tracks of fresh material. That being said, there are three tracks which have justified me buying this album.

So another week has come and gone, HANGRY & ANGRY apparently had an amazing performance at the Chibi Japan Expo, the Shibuya style crossing was opened at Oxford Circus by Boris Johnson… and cosplayers!  But most exultingly, for myself this week, is that HANGRY & ANGRY’s new album is finally listed on Amazon UK.

But more importantly, we now have an extremely large television to watch anime, CSI, Harry Hill and whatever else amuses us, as well as play games on – however this large TV isn’t as great for viewing as you would expect.  We had three DVDs to watch this weekend from LoveFilm – Gurren Laggan, Get Backers and Firefly.  While Get Backers and Firefly looked okay, Gurren Laggan (and maybe it’s because it was one of the first things we watched on the TV, and maybe because I’d previously watched it in HD) looked like utter crap – and considering it was the most recent of the three, was mildly disappointing.  If blu-ray wasn’t so slow, maybe we’d invest in one of those, but at the moment, I’ll have to put up with the DVD quality. 

The second negative, and which we fully expected to be disappointing, was playing the Wii on such a large screen.  It was similar to the effect of when you really want to play a N64 game, plug-in the  N64, with all those great memories of Golden Eye or Mario 64 flooding back to you, and then realising that the game now looks so repulsive you don’t actually want to play it.  It’s just the way technology goes.  But still, it’s pretty disappointing from the Wii considering how both XboX 360 and PS3 have HD compatibility (don’t ask me about the technical side of it too much, as it’s my boyfriend who knows all the settings on how to make everything look lovely).

Back to the real world, outside of watching TV / DVDs all weekend and playing farmvile on face book, I’m attempting to use my google calendar a lot more effectively, and in the process, account for all the great – well I list them as – “J-Culture” events.  This isn’t just the bi-anual Expos and the big Summer cons, but more the small local events, the WOTA nights and the J-Pop Go’s.  Hopefully if it becomes conclusive enough I’ll make it a public calendar, and if I work out how to use it properly I’ll attempt to add people if they want to be added.

1. AKB48 – RIVER (178,579)
2. AAA – Hide-away (43,659)
3. Ken Hirai – Boku wa Kimi ni Koi wo Suru (30,034)
4. B’z – MY LONELY TOWN (25,002)
5. Sheryl Nome starring May’n - pink monsoon (23,563)
6. Kana Nishino – Motto… (17,956)
7. Hilcrhyme – Shunkanshuuto (14,690)
8. K! ON Image Song: Ui Harasawa – Lovely Sister Love (13,202)
9. K! ON Image Song: Nodoka Manabe – Coolly Hotty Tension Hi!! (12,144)
10. KITAGAMI MIMI with MM GAKUEN GASSHOUBU – Daisuki ni Nare! / Kokoro Kimi ni Todoke (11,410)

Amazing results for AKB48 considering sales from hand-shake events are no longer counted.  AAA’s single was being sold as a tripple A-side (or an AAA side?… okay that’s not very funny), although the Oricon has only listed Hide Away, which is the ending to Inu Yasha: The Final Act.  More anime contributions from May’n (Macross F), 2 K!ON image songs and MM Gakuen Gasshoubu!

A new mini-album from former Morning Musume member Maki Goto, proving there is life after the Hello! Project!

1. Queen Bee with BIGGA RAIJI
2. Lady-Rise
3. Candy
4. TEAR DROPS with KG
5. Mine with KEN the 390
6. Fly Away
7. Plastic Lover
8. with…

For the past 18 months, Ms. Goto has certainly be teasing us with how her career would play out after the Hello! Project.  There was her blog, following her progress in LA which launched last summer, a performance at the Avex shareholders concert, and then – nothing.  Finally, this year, Maki has begun releasing songs again, under the SWEET BLACK project.  Although this is not, as seen by many, the start of her solo career, it has given her a chance to wipe the slate clean, not only of her former idol image, but also of the scandal involving her brother.

And credit due to Avex also.  They’ve handled Maki and the development of this mini album amazingly well.  Not only does it showcase Maki’s vocal skills, but it also has enabled her to create a variety of images for herself.  Not to say I had my doubts, especially with the PV for Lady-Rise, where they seemed almost content as selling Maki as a Kumi Koda double – doubts which have since been quashed.

Unlike her previous albums with Hello! Project, this album lends itself to an RnB style close to that of Kumi or Namie’s styles.  However, Maki holds her own.  Her voice has a more mature tone after her training, and copes well with the majority of these songs, although there are only a couple of tracks which really test the extent of her vocals.

But then again… I’m not entirely impressed with this album.  As expected, with most albums, there are tracks that have purpose, and tracks which pad out the album – well there’s only one track I would brand as a padding track, that being Candy, which sounds disappointing after the strong start of Queen Bee and Lady-Rise.  The other problem I have, which is more of a personal one, is simply that I could see Kumi Koda singing any of this tracks… I do wonder if Maki is a replacement due to her falling sales – but let’s not speculate too much – you know I always get it wrong! 

But, don’t write this album off, no, not at all.  Queen Bee, the opening track, is an absolute master piece, and I’ve been deathlooping it for the past few weeks.  Equally, with… and Fly Away are great pieces of music, with… probably sticks out to me because it’s the only real “slow” track on the album and really sticks out from everything else, and Fly Away due to the vocal performance (especially during the chorus).  Plastic Lover is also another track to listen out for if you want something a bit different from Maki (and it’s a great dance track).   Although there’s a lot of generic-RnB going on here, there’s also room for some individuality from Maki – which helps with the want to get in the mainstream, but also give your own take on things.

In short, like most albums, this one works really well as a whole and plays through brilliantly.  Although a couple of tracks may find it hard to stand-alone, the good on here outweighs the bad, and hopefully, when Maki starts her solo career with Avex next year, we’ll hear a lot more of what she has to offer.

Single to listen to: Fly Away
Album track to listen to: Queen Bee

I know, I know, it’s been a very long time since my last update.  I wont go into boring reasons why this is – I’m sure anyone who ventures here would much rather hear about J-Pop / Anime etc.  So, on the eve on the release of Kimagure Princess, Koharu’s very last single with Morning Musume, and with all boring real life business out-of-the-way, I will resume.  Watch this space – I’ll be posting the Oricon some time tomorrow morning (with good news for AKB48 fans) along with some H!P and misc. J-Pop stuff… and let’s not forget anime!

Not in my wildest dreams would I have predicted this graduation – in fact, in an early post, I was dead sure that Koharu would be the least likely person to graduate next from Morning Musume, let alone the Hello! Project.  I thought she would have a Mini Moni type career in H!P after her success with Kirarin Revolution, but instead, they seem to have decided that Koharu is next to graduate.

As much as I love speculation, here I will reserve my judgement a little.  A lot of people have got very upset with the news, and things are being mistranslated left, right and centre.  I think as all the girls grow up, both the pros and cons of staying within Morning Musume build up, as they know it’s not forever Getting out now and embarking on a modeling career may be a good step for Koharu – I just hope she doesn’t fade into non-existence, and that some of these decisions really were her own to make.

I think a lot of things have changed in Hello! Project since the Elder Club graduated – it mainly made me think that Ai and Risa would be next to go to bring the average age of the new Hello! Project down – instead two members of C-ute have gone!  It seems the new Hello! Project has given more focus to promoting the girls as individuals, as well as packaged bands – Sayu on London Hearts and Yurina in the Base Ball Bear album advert are both good examples of this.  The girls are being pushed out of the “idol” circle into a bigger audience.

Koharu is still young – she’ll be 18 when she graduates.  Tsunku has also hinted at wanting to work with her in the future, and it sounds like her busy schedule in Morning Musume will be dropped so she can concentrate on developing her skills – which reminds me a little of what happened to Maki Goto when she joined avex.  Hopefully, this time next year, we’ll be discussing Koharu’s come back, but in the mean time, the best of luck to the charismatic Koharu!

Today, for the first time in 5 years – I pre-ordered a single.  As much as I love J-Pop, I have very little incentive to pay £15 a go for 3 tracks - one usually below par and another a karaoke track, wait an extra week or so from release for it to show up, when I can buy the main track from iTunes for 79p.  However, there were two things that tipped me this time.

The first was the “Limited Edition type C”.  Anyone who knows me, knows my H!P collection is mainly composed of CDs, with 1 Reina T-shirt / picture / wrist band set.  I like these “free” prizes you get every now and then from 1st edition type CDs, my Reina photo in Platinum 9 Disc being one of them.  So a CD single with 10 pictures in it ~ absolutly up my street.

Secondly, was the song itself.  I haven’t been a fan of the previous few singles.  Nothing’s stuck out that much for me since Resonant Blue – and I haven’t been able to loop anything months past it’s release since Mikan.  All Morning Musume’s current songs have been moody and samey (especially SYO and NR).  So having a refreshing track like Kimagure Princess, which sounds borderline golden era, is right up my street.  I’m actually excited about this - unlike Nanchatte Renai – and can’t wait to see the PV – although I feel I’m not going to get much more than the bog-standard dance-shot + pouting close-ups.  Okay, the beginning does sound a bit like the opening to a Borat sketch, but we’ll ignore that now: it’s fun, and a side of MM that’s been lacking in their mainstream image lately!

I’m really frustrated with Hello! Project, as they seem to be giving their Western fans the carrot with one hand, and then beating them down with a stick with the other.  I would have happily bought the Hello! Project weird marriage album from them, as well as C-ute, Buono! and Berryz Kobo’s latest singles.

Unfortunately, H!P don’t seem to be putting anything new up - with the exception of Morning Musume, which is a massive shame.  As I probably have feelings closer to the British frame of mind than the Japanese on buying singles, and I can’t justify spending that amount of money on two songs and a karaoke track when I could buy a Korean album for the same price, it’s left me a little bemused again with Hello! Project’s handling of their Western expansion.  I’ve noticed the lack of singles really increased after iTunes took away DMR… I wont start going into it though… it just confuses and irritates me anymore.

But for those of you who want Nanchatte Renai – that’s up there!

A: More than I thought.  It’s been almost a year since I started full time employment, and I decided to see how much I had bought, firstly by measuring how many J-Pop CDs.  Considering I’ve been collecting J-Pop CDs since 2003 this even surprised myself a little. 

So I’ve bought 24 albums and 1 single (and received 2 albums and another single as a gift)… I’ve even shocked myself with this, as this – especially as I didn’t buy my usual winter stash of CDs due to the exchange rate.  So what the hell did I buy?

Brand New On Release

• Anna Tsuchiya – Nudy Show
• Arashi – All the Best
• GReeeeN – Shio, Koshou
• Hello! Project – Pucchi Best 9
• Hello! Project – Shuffle Unit Mega Best
• Melon Kinenbi – MEGA MELON
• Morning Musume – Platinum 9 Disc
• Perfume – Triangle
• Pucchi Moni / Tanpopo – Mega Best

 New but old

• Ai Otsuka – Ai am Best
• An Cafe – Gokutama Rock Cafe
• the brilliant green – singles collection
• Heartsdales – The Legend
• Heartsdales – Ultra Foxy
• Hello! Project – Pucchi Best
• Hello! Project – Pucchi Best 3
• NewS - Pacfic
• Tommy heavenly6 – Heavy Starry Heavenly

 Second Hand (and dead cheap)

• Mini Moni – Lucky Cha Cha Cha
• Morning Musume – First Time
• Morning Musume – 4th Ikkimashoi
• Morning Musume – Rainbow 7
• Orange Range – musiQ
• Princess Princess – Single Collection
• ZARD – Today is another day

Well that’s a bit of an odd mix.  As you can see it’s mostly Hello! Project orientated with another random bits and bobs thrown in.  I was quite shocked when I realised how much I’d actually bought.  Seeing as I have 2CDs already on re-order tentative 3rd I’m thinking about buying, htis trend of around 2cdsa month could easily continue… so that’s where all my money went…