Album Review: Johnny's WEST's "go WEST Yoi don!"

I was pretty darn proud of Kansai Jr.'s having their first major debut since Kanjani8, so I was very eager to check out Johnny's WEST when they came out with "Ee ja nai ka," especially since it carried on some of the fun spirit of their Kanjani sempai. I was a bit surprised but pleased to get a debut album out of them so soon so I could get a better feel for their overall sound, so let's, in the words of KAT-TUN's Taguchi, "Check it out, yo!"

Ee ja nai ka: This is a fairly standard Johnny's pep anthem with the loud "EE JA NAI KA" at the beginning, hooky chorus, and call-and-response fun in the verses, but it's fun and catchy in the same way a lot of Kanjani songs are. I like it for the same reason I've always liked "weeeek" by NEWS: it's just so much fun to listen to! It's not my favorite Johnny's debut, but it's charming, and will probably do more for older listeners than Sexy Zone, for example.

Summer Dreamer: "Ee ja nai ka" is a little bit hammy, but "Summer Dreamer" shows the group can still do fantastic power pop that's a little bit less silly (in case you didn't already know that from following them in Johnny's Jr.). I'm not always a fan of a lot of Johnny's synth-y backbeats, but it actually works quite well in this style of pumped up summer anthem. These guys have some solid vocals, and the high notes don't sound as chipmunky as some Johnny's artists are accused of being. A very good way to keep the energy from "Ee ja nai ka" going strong on the first half of the album.

Komon: This song moves back into the group's hammier sound, and though I'm usually not a huge fan of these kinds of songs as much as tracks like "Summer Dream," I did find the chorus pretty catchy. It lost me on the instrumentation, though: I can tolerate synth, but synth paired with dubstep is not my thing. If you understand Japanese, this song will also increase your cravings for Japanese food as a side effect, so be warned.

Wake up!: Just as the title suggests, this is another pep anthem of the "get-out-of-bed-and-do-something" variety (need a new alarm track? Here you go!). It's not one of the more memorable tracks off the album, but it's likable and will fit very well into their style of lives. Let's get touring, boys!

LET'S GO WEST ~K A N S A I!!~: Okay, so being the first group to debut from Kansai Jr.'s in awhile is a big deal, so our boys take this short little break to celebrate and say banzai to Kansai and their group together. Time to get crazy! I'm proud of them, too, so I liked this song being featured on their debut album, though I may have put it as the lead off instead of sticking it where it is on the album. Regardless, I am most definitely singing those "na na na na"s with them. Let's go WEST, indeed!

P & P: Oh, Johnny's and your mysterious acronyms. I think one of the Ps has to do with "perfect," but the meaning of the title isn't immediately coming to me, although it doesn't sound as shady as NEWS's "DTF," where I honestly thought they meant the dirty meaning until I looked up the lyrics. This track has a lot in common with "Summer Dreamer" as far as it being a fun summer-y anthem goes, and it's very feel good. Once again, I have to say that I love the vocals in this group. They do get bonus points from me for not doing the vocal split that Kis-my-ft2 and now Sexy Zone has been engaging in. I like hearing everyone sing.

Break Out!: Here we finally get a break from the peppier songs in favor of something more rock based. Fans of this group are already familiar with the live stages of this song, but the album version is even better. Though their growling at the beginning could use a little bit more polish, they're not half bad at delivering the rock-type sound, and I really enjoyed their performance on this track. I also liked the music box type instrumentation in the background, although I wasn't a huge fan of the explosion type sounds randomly thrown into the melody. Overall, though, it's a very good shake up for them on the album.

Criminal: This track keeps some of the rock-based elements from the earlier track while mixing in dance beats to keep their sound edgier and dancefloor ready. Once again, I could do without the dubstep, but overall, I was very impressed by the maturity of their sound in this track. It's a personal favorite, and it does a good job of showing the diversity of the group. They do their upbeat "Ee ja nai ka" songs in true Kansai style, but they definitely aren't a one trick pony. I'm so happy that the group was so firm about bringing the 7 WEST boys into the debut, since it really rounded out their sound perfectly.

Chaunen!: Latin flair? Looks like Johnny's WEST can do a little bit of that, too. I'm a fan of Hispanic pop like Belanova and Juanes, so I'm picky about artists jacking the style, but that being said, Johnny's WEST actually did a credible job of keeping the spirit of those kinds of songs alive, although of course they don't really have the same kind of smoking accent that Juanes has. Not so sure about that random "boing" sound effect at the end of the track, though.

Ban Ban: If you haven't kept up with WEST stages, this one might try and trick you, since it starts off with a ballad-type opening, but then again, the fact that "Ban Ban" is equivalent to "bang bang" in English should clue you into the energetic nature of this track so it won't surprise you. I've liked the group's performances of this song thus far, particularly the slower parts sprinkled throughout the song to shift up the pace, but this one I think comes across better as a live song than as an album version.

Ole Ole Carnival: Another solid summer track that's fun spirited and very Johnny's in style. I prefer "Summer Dreamer" and "P & P" overall, but the dialogue bits and occasional random exclamations in this song are pretty cute thanks to their Kansai accents. Not my favorite, but not bad.

Naniwa Ichitosho: This is another track fans of this group should be familiar with from their stage performances, and though it's one of their sillier style songs, I would be completely lying if I said I didn't sometimes prance around when this song comes on chanting "DANCING NUMBER ONE! SINGING NUMBER ONE! NUMBER ONE ONE ONE!" even though I completely stink at both dancing and singing. It's just too good of a self-anthem to ignore, so even though I'm a bigger fan of their more serious tracks, I still love this song. BECAUSE I AM NUMBER ONE ONE ONE!

Sono Saki e...: This album was in sore need of a ballad at this point, and "Sono Saki e..." is just the ballad to fill that missing spot. The piano instrumentation is beautiful and soothing, and their vocals remain solid. I usually get annoyed when all the B-sides from a single show up on the album, but I wasn't too bothered to see this track again. It's a good ballad, and I hope this group continues to release more in the future.

Banzai Yume Mansai!: Another "Ee ja nai ka" B-side appears, so if you haven't checked out Johnny's WEST's debut single, you don't really need to make a special trip-- just give this album a listen. The track is pretty much ideally styled as an album closer, the placing of it is good, and the "thank you thank you"s are well received. 

Overall? I'd put this album in the B range. Minus points for reusing all their B-sides and for only including one ballad, but plus points for showing some diversity with tracks like "Break Out!", "Criminal", and "Chaunen." Johnny's vocalists can be hit and miss sometimes, but I like these guy's vocals, and their Kansai flavor gives them a lot of the entertaining spirit of Kanjani8, though their overall sound is unique. I'm looking forward to these guys making their dome tour debut, since I have a feeling the footage will be killer with this kind of tracklist. I'm very proud of this group, and will be continuing to watch over their career with excitement!

Thoughts on: Arashi

NEWS and KAT-TUN were the first two Johnny's Entertainment groups I got into, and although I knew of Arashi as the agency's most popular act, it took some time for me to begin listening to them in earnest. When I got around to it, I definitely liked them, but I didn't quite get how they were the current ichiban Johnny's group compared to the others. I thought KAT-TUN had the most unique sound, what with their rock influence and irreverence a la Tanaka make-u-wet Koki, and when Kis-my-ft2 debuted, I was spellbound by their skating routines and gorgeous lives. Arashi was in my Johnny's top five, but still I didn't quite get them hype-wise until I started digging into their TV shows and members and began to fall more and more in love.

Ask your average Arashi fan why they love Arashi, and the answer is usually "because they love each other." And I don't just mean the member-ai kind of love fangirls thrive on, but a deep kind of love where they are attached to the group they are in and all want to be a part of it. Ohno's leadership of the group has always been about letting the members do what makes them happy, which includes encouraging them to pursue acting opportunities and allowing their unique personalities to shine through so there is no specific group "center," but evenly divided love for all the members among their fandom. They all have several side projects going on at once, and normally there would be concerns about a member dropping out to go solo or to solely pursue acting, but one thing is clear about Arashi: they realize that they need their other members to be Arashi, and they want to continue to be Arashi. The group with a single member missing would cease to be Arashi, because Arashi is more than a group: it's a bond formed by Ohno, Nino, MatsuJun, Aiba, and Sakurari over their years of working together. You can see it in their TV appearances and in VS Arashi and their interviews. They are a true team, and the fans can see that in everything they do, and love them for it.

Now that I know Arashi better, I like to think of them as a necessary presence to Japan's music industry. I earnestly believe they have something no other group has, something that fans in Japan love and need in their music. Groups like AKB48 and Morning Musume are beloved, but they are still transitory-- members come and go, and their stay in the group is always meant to be temporary. That works for them, but for Arashi, it's just as much about their bond as it is about their music. Staying together, supporting each other, and growing together through music: that's what Arashi is about. You could argue that a group should focus only on the kind of the music they release and that everything else distracts from the art, but I disagree. Witnessing Arashi's bond has only increased my appreciation for how their sound has matured over the years, and even though I'm still a bigger fan of KAT-TUN than any other Johnny's group, I can understand now why Arashi holds Japan's hearts and are treasured by their fans (and each other!) 

The Good and the Bad of the Johnny's Fandom

As a female fan of J-Pop, the Johnny's Entertainment groups were some of the first to hook me into the genre and soothe my heart with the fact that though America had largely abandoned boy groups following the golden age in the 90s and early millennium, they were still alive and well elsewhere in the world. NEWS was my first Johnny's group, and from there I picked up KAT-TUN and Arashi and majorly fell in love with Kis-my-ft2 when they debuted (I supported Hey! Say! JUMP at a bit of a delay, but better late than never). These days, I've been following along with the new groups Sexy Zone, ABC-Z, and Johnny's WEST, while visiting old classics who debuted before I discovered J-Pop-- SMAP, Kanjani8, V6, etc

Balancing being a Johnny's fan with loving other J-Pop acts and supporting the K-Pop industry has been a challenge (see my post on being an Asian Pop generalist-- the struggle is real), and there's definitely been high and low points of being in the fandom:

The Good

1. The groups all interact with each other
Johnny's is very organized as an industry, and the groups are an even more closely knit family than competing labels and agencies in both Japan and Korea. The groups show up together on Shounen Club, the juniors work together and pair up with debuted groups as support for concerts, they often end up on the same episodes of Music Station or act in the same dramas, and visit each other's reality shows. The inter-group friendships are rampant!

Chinen fanboys over Ohno, and even gets to hang out with him, too!

2. Johnny's Jr. makes it easy to support members before they debut
Most Johnny's idols spend plenty of time as juniors so you can get to know them before they debut (the exceptions including Sexy Zone's Marius and Matsushima who had a very short training period), and the juniors actually have quite a few of their own activities for fans to follow along with so they can learn about and root for them until they debut (or at the very least pick up an acting career from the agency).

You can still have your moment in the spotlight, even before you debut!

3. Not all the groups that debut are super young
Sexy Zone and Hey! Say! JUMP were both really young during their debut year, but that isn't always the case. Almost all of the members of Kis-my-ft2 were in their 20s when they debuted, and new group Johnny's WEST has several veteran members to offset the youth of youngest member Kotaki. If you're an older fangirl like myself, it definitely keeps you from feeling like a pedophile when you want to start supporting the new groups.

There are three members of the new group who are older than me! -Fist pump-

4. The boys all have strong personalities
If I have any complaint about K-Pop, it's that a member can cause a scandal simply by opening their mouth and saying something that could be construed as "inappropriate." In spite of all the rules Johnny's has, they allow the members much more freedom in speaking their minds and getting a bit dirty from time to time. Honestly, would Kanjani be half so entertaining if they had to watch their mouths 24/7?

Murakami will say what he wants!

5. They act like village idiots and it is hilarious
What idol image? From their PV makings to their variety shows, it's more difficult to find these guys acting like dignified, well-behaved men than complete nutcases. But we love them for it, right?

The inevitable always happens

6. Plenty of member-ai for the fangirls
Though skinship isn't as much a part of Japanese culture as Korean, absolutely no one lets that stop them from flirting, taking half naked pictures together, snuggles, and fangirl bait interview answers. Even if they didn't provide the ammunition directly themselves, the fact that they're a male exclusive agency would lead to it anyways...

We even have Tegomass, our own member-ai laden sub-unit!

7. Their concerts reach new levels of epicness
Backflips, gymnastics, roller skating, dog shows, high wire flights, tumbling, outrageous costumes, cross dressing, fanservice... welcome to a Johnny's concert

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's CHINEN!

8. Handsome men. Everywhere.
No words. 

9. Triple threats!
More like threats to the nth power when you factor in their special acrobatic skills, but almost all Johnny's members are ace at singing, dancing, and acting.

Even the Sexy Zone boys have started transitioning into dramas!

10. Lots and lots of realities
VS Arashi, Soukon, Hamakisu, Cartoon KAT-TUN, Sexy Channel, SMAP x SMAP, Gacha Gacha V6, Kanjani8 no Janiben...

VS Arashi counts as a game show, too!

The Bad

1. No PVs on Youtube :(
Japanese PVs are scarce on Youtube to begin with, but Johnny's is particularly notorious for blocking their videos from appearing there. Try hunting them down from a livejournal community or alternate music site like Jpopsuki instead.

2. Navigating Livejournal communities for subs
I love the generous fans who donate their time and energy to subbing things for other fans, I really do. It's really the fact that Japan blocks attempts at streaming that makes things difficult. Subbers want to protect their work from being stolen or streamed, so to be allowed into their communities you have to rewrite the rules, sing Arashi's entire catalog, and write an essay on why you love KAT-TUN (I'm exaggerating a bit, of course. A bit.) Doing this once can be a necessary pain, but to access the bulk of the videos out there, you're going to have to go through this process with multiple Livejournals. Some of the ones with the content you're looking for are inactive, too, and they won't answer to your membership request, and in many cases the links are dead thanks to the loss of megaupload.

3. Losing members
Jin Akanishi. Koki Tanaka. Hiroki Uchi. Ryutaro Morimoto. Hironori Kusano. Johnny's doesn't provide much leniency towards rule breaking and illegal behavior, and of course some people like Yamapi and Akanishi eventually want to go solo. It can be pretty darn heart breaking for die hard fans to take.

The four member NEWS is still awesome, but they broke our hears a little bit to get here

4. The amount of media makes it difficult to fully follow multiple groups
Yeah, just watching Arashi's entire body of work including varieties, music show appearances, and dramas would take a few years off of your life. Add all the other groups to that, particularly long term veterans like SMAP and V6, and you may never emerge from your lair. It's best to either develop loyalty to a certain group or else sample a little bit from each fandom.

They've been around for awhile, and have left a lot gems along the way!

5. Getting quality scans from Japan
If you're doing a quick Google search for images, a lot of them will be on the small and blurry side. You'll have better luck digging around livejournal and tumblr, so it's worth it to make the effort

6. Being able to afford to actually buy all the albums and singles
As I mentioned in my post of CD packaging strategies, those singles contain B sides and photos, so if you're die hard, you'll want to get them. And then the bands that have been around for forever have a gazillion albums. Johnny's manages to top the Oricon charts about every other week or so, so they're VERY prolific.

Collect them all= spend lots of $$

7. Keeping everyone straight
It's not too difficult to tell the members apart given their distinct facial features, but it gets complicated when you want to join the extended Johnny's fan communities or join fanfic communities. Some fans call them by their last names, some by their first names, some by their nicknames, and of course, there are members with the same surnames or the same first names, which can add to the confusion because they don't use stage names when names repeat, like with K-Pop. And then when shipping factors in, I don't even know how people understand pairing names. They wind up looking something like YaJimaYamaKamePiChiiMaruTegoFujiShige whuuut?

These guys are my favorite since their couple name is the same as their sub-unit

8. Never being able to see them in concert as an international fan
I think my best shot of seeing them will be to go to Japan one day. Even though Arashi is coming to Hawaii, their fan club still gets priority ticketing, and New York is a wee bit too far from there for me to afford it.

I just want to see these hunnies live

9. Not having easy access to merch as an international fan
God bless Yesasia, CD Japan, and other merch stores for simplifying this process, but it still isn't the same as being able to browse like Japanese fans are able to do. And how cool would it be to be able to read all those Johnny's magazines without waiting for subs?

Is this a bookstore, or heaven?

10. Shipping wars. Everywhere.

I don't really ship Johnny's, just enjoy all the member-ai coming from all directions, but since there's so many Johnny's members, they pretty much get shipped with everyone under the sun, and people with loyal OTPs can get a bit... perturbed... by competing ships. That's what happens when these guys fanservice indiscriminately!

Is this real love?

Or is this? CHOOSE OR DIE

Single Review: KAT-TUN's "In Fact"

KAT-TUN is a Johnny's Entertainment group that has put our hearts through the ringer a time or two. Akanishi's decision to leave the group in 2010 to go solo was not incredibly unexpected as he had previously shown an interest in performing English-language music, and the split seemed fairly amicable since he remained a part of Johnny's up until his decision to make a permanent split in 2014. The firing of Koki Tanaka in 2013 was a little bit more shocking, although the fandom was already aware of his contract violations (and Johnny's isn't exactly known for turning a blind eye, now is it?). Trimming KAT-TUN down to a four member group was heartbreaking for many, especially since it continually altered the overall sound of the group. I was personally a bit less affected by it since I'd practically gone through the exact same thing with NEWS, my first JE group, but I was still interested to see how the group would be able to recover, first with kusabi, and now with their In Fact single release and upcoming album.

So does In Fact promise that good things are ahead for this fresh foursome? Let's see how Taguchi, Kamenashi, Nakamaru, and Ueda fare!

In Fact: The single album leads off with the brand new single "In Fact," the theme to Nakamaru's new drama. From what I've seen of their new album's tracklist, it doesn't look like this track will be included, so if you're on board with this single, it's a good idea to invest in purchasing it, since you won't be seeing it again on come Here. 
Though short of their rapper, KAT-TUN still manages to deliver up a very KAT-TUN-esque sound with this track. It's not their most mind blowing number, for sure, but it's still an infectious and fun dance track, and the video proves that it suits their dance skills quite nicely. The lyrics are by far some of my favorites from their recent works, on the other hand, so be sure to drop by your favorite KAT-TUN livejournal sub community to check out the translation.
Overall, I would have to argue that the loss of Tanaka keeps KAT-TUN from sounding as well-rounded as they used to, but does not completely destroy their overall sound as a group. The remaining members can't really compensate for the hole in the rap department, but the trademark Johnny's vocals are still there, and their sound is still enjoyable enough to sustain them as a group, just like with NEWS. You won't hear me calling for disbandment!

Believe in Myself: Out of all the In Fact tracks, I'd pick this one out as the one that would be the most appealing to the broad base of Johnny's fans. It's got the spirited sound, the uplifting lyrics, and the infectious, pulsing dance beat that has made us fall in love with Arashi and NEWS and Kisumai and all the others over and over again through the years. Kame has always been one of my favorite JE vocalists because he's good at avoiding sounding super sharp while still staying in the high range preferred in J-Pop, and once again, this is a KAT-TUN track that will appeal to both the old KAT-TUN listeners and the new.

Birds: If you loved "in the DARK" from their "Fumetsu no Scrum" single release, this one will be your track off the single album. The vocals are some of the best on In Fact, and slower verses combined with the more upbeat chorus keep things from sounding too sleepy on any part of the track. It's another great lyrical number as well, which makes me wish I was just a wee bit better at understanding the Japanese naturally without first having to work out the English. J-Pop lyrics are gorgeous and poetic, and the melody of this track suits the message seamlessly.

Black: When the song starts off with a police siren, it raises a few concerns that they're going to venture into rap territory and not pull it off well without Tanaka, but KAT-TUN pleasantly surprised me in this track with their well-executed vocal-layering and harmonies in this funky number. It's a great sound for them, but I would still argue that their repeated refrain of "black, black, black" sounds dangerously close to "blah blah blah," which somewhat undermines the skills they show off in the verses. It's only a matter of foreign pronunciation, but it does jar you a little bit as an international listener. Otherwise, not a bad addition to the album.

Dangerous: As much as I like the whistling on this track, this was the one I was most indifferent to on the single album. It's catchy and there's nothing in particular wrong with the vocals, but after so many years as a J-Pop and K-Pop fan, I already have an Ipod full of songs about dangerous boys and dangerous girls and dangerous love and kisses and touches that it just doesn't happen to be very exciting or dangerous subject for me anymore. You're a few years too late to be able to win me over with this, KAT-TUN!

My Secret: I'm a sucker for KAT-TUN slow tracks, so even though people seemed to be half-and-half about this one on the forums, I absolutely fell for their "that's my secret" harmonies on the chorus. The verses are gorgeous, but I do agree that the chorus tries to speed it up unnecessarily right before those aforementioned harmonies hit. They've done more cohesive ballads in their day, but I still managed to connect with this one thanks to the loveliness of their high tone notes.

Overall, I'd place the overall single album in the B+ range. It's a promising taste of what's to come for come Here album, and while there is a sense of vacancy left by Tanaka's departure, it's nothing that the remaining members can't survive through (I mean, hey, at least it's not Tackey & Tsubasa losing a member!). Since "In Fact" won't be on the album, it's worth investing in since you get five solid tracks along with the single, which in the K-Pop fandom, we'd shell out around twenty dollars for in the name of having a "mini-album." As with NEWS, I'm still going to keep my faith in KAT-TUN, though I'm sure we'll all look back fondly on the glory days. This is the reality of KAT-TUN now, and it isn't a bad one, in my opinion!

6 J-Pop Artists Who Should Come to America Right Now

Outside of the convention scene, J-Pop acts don't usually make it to America. Kyary Pamyu Pamyu is one of the few singers who has rolled out a full-blown touring stage in the recent years, and though the J-Rockers have continued to draw crowds, most of the best-known names of J-Pop remain a distant dream for their North American fans.

Here are five shows I think is America is ready for!


1. A Johnny's Entertainment Showcase

SMTown and YG Family do tours-- why shouldn't Johnny's? Sure, there's a lot of them... but that's kinda the point!

2. AKB48

If they can't bring the otaku boys out, I don't know who will (Miku?)

3. EXILE

They may be an older act, but do we fangirls really care? I sure don't! They sound good, look good, and put on a great live show.

4. Momoiro Clover Z

Their costumes and stage antics would be so fun to see live. They may be kawaii, but it's a powerful kind of cuteness

5. Namie Amuro

Out of the female solo pool, Namie's got the full package when it comes to singing, dancing, and putting on a crazy show

6. TM Revolution

He's an icon, fan favorite, and visually one of the most remarkable non-visual kei performers in Japan. He'd bring the house down and have a lot of fun doing it