Rock in time to rockin' neverland
A few weeks ago, I started watching Shiritsu Bakaleya Koukou. Initially, it was because of Takaki. Then, I discovered Taiga, Kouchi, Shin-chan, Juri, Jesse, and Hokuto. (Actually Kouchi, Shin-chan and Hokuto are old news, but they've been out of my radar for a few years, so yea.) As my normal idol-obsessed self does in these situations, I searched for some live performances of Bakaleya6/Bakaleya Boys. Here are my thoughts:
Hell No
I'm actually a metalhead, so hearing this rock-oriented song from Bakaleya Boys made me like them beyond their good looks. Plus, they seem to be going for the darker, bad-ass image ala KAT-TUN, and it seems to work for them. I heard that Kyomoto Taiga was a passionate singer, but I never knew he was this good. To be honest, his deep voice could top anyone in HSJ's anytime. It really suits the aggressive style of "Hell No" and pairs well with Jesse Lewis'. I'm not surprised these two have been partners for a long time in the Junior world, since their voices somehow compliment each other to point of confusion. But, I'm not that crazy about Jesse's voice. It's great at the times when he hits lower notes, superior to Taiga's even. But other times it's a higher tone than Taiga's and a bit thinner, so his high-notes are a little annoying to hear. (But Taiga's high-notes aren't that far off.) Rapping seems to run in the Tanaka family, as Juri has claimed the position in the group. The aggressive rap in "Hell No", with the "fricky-fricky" censor part, was a little cool, to be honest. Juri's rap was distorted and aggressive which gave the song more depth. I'm kind of liking Juri's dynamic rapping style in general. I couldn't really hear the individual voices of the others, so I can't really comment on them. I'm kind of disappointed with the lack of emotion in the last chorus. It felt a bit too melancholy when pitted against the aggressive rap. But the way the boys' voices harmonize with each other is a great listen, even though I hear Taiga's voice a little too clearly. The entire song, in its short 2-and-a-half minute glory, is good though. The English lyrics are the only one I understand, and they're mostly in the chorus and rap parts. But despite the language barrier, I'm liking the message they're trying to portray. It's a bit more mature than what I'd expect from boys their ages, so that's a big plus from me.
Rockin'
Is this supposed to be a Christmas song? Because I thought it sounded like a Christmas song from the get-go. If it isn't, oh well. It follows the rock-theme Bakaleya6 is sporting, but on a slightly softer tone. The rapping is dynamic as usual, but I think I prefer this one's rap over the former's. There's no unnecessary anger or censorship so there's a consistent flow. Plus the other guys joined in on the rapping so it's not only Juri's voice, which gave the song a bit of a friendly feeling. The first verse was another exchange between Taiga and Jesse, and I dig it. Their voices sound really good together and I noticed some good vocal acrobatics from Taiga. Still warming up to Jesse's, though. I have no idea what the song is about, but the chorus is also mostly in English, so I'm getting the gist. Despite the rock genre, it really is a lighter, brighter song than "Hell No" and it's nice to see the boys all energetic and jumping on stage with the band.
I'm still looking for videos of their other performances, so you'll have to settle for these two in the meantime. :)
Hell No
I'm actually a metalhead, so hearing this rock-oriented song from Bakaleya Boys made me like them beyond their good looks. Plus, they seem to be going for the darker, bad-ass image ala KAT-TUN, and it seems to work for them. I heard that Kyomoto Taiga was a passionate singer, but I never knew he was this good. To be honest, his deep voice could top anyone in HSJ's anytime. It really suits the aggressive style of "Hell No" and pairs well with Jesse Lewis'. I'm not surprised these two have been partners for a long time in the Junior world, since their voices somehow compliment each other to point of confusion. But, I'm not that crazy about Jesse's voice. It's great at the times when he hits lower notes, superior to Taiga's even. But other times it's a higher tone than Taiga's and a bit thinner, so his high-notes are a little annoying to hear. (But Taiga's high-notes aren't that far off.) Rapping seems to run in the Tanaka family, as Juri has claimed the position in the group. The aggressive rap in "Hell No", with the "fricky-fricky" censor part, was a little cool, to be honest. Juri's rap was distorted and aggressive which gave the song more depth. I'm kind of liking Juri's dynamic rapping style in general. I couldn't really hear the individual voices of the others, so I can't really comment on them. I'm kind of disappointed with the lack of emotion in the last chorus. It felt a bit too melancholy when pitted against the aggressive rap. But the way the boys' voices harmonize with each other is a great listen, even though I hear Taiga's voice a little too clearly. The entire song, in its short 2-and-a-half minute glory, is good though. The English lyrics are the only one I understand, and they're mostly in the chorus and rap parts. But despite the language barrier, I'm liking the message they're trying to portray. It's a bit more mature than what I'd expect from boys their ages, so that's a big plus from me.
Rockin'
Is this supposed to be a Christmas song? Because I thought it sounded like a Christmas song from the get-go. If it isn't, oh well. It follows the rock-theme Bakaleya6 is sporting, but on a slightly softer tone. The rapping is dynamic as usual, but I think I prefer this one's rap over the former's. There's no unnecessary anger or censorship so there's a consistent flow. Plus the other guys joined in on the rapping so it's not only Juri's voice, which gave the song a bit of a friendly feeling. The first verse was another exchange between Taiga and Jesse, and I dig it. Their voices sound really good together and I noticed some good vocal acrobatics from Taiga. Still warming up to Jesse's, though. I have no idea what the song is about, but the chorus is also mostly in English, so I'm getting the gist. Despite the rock genre, it really is a lighter, brighter song than "Hell No" and it's nice to see the boys all energetic and jumping on stage with the band.
I'm still looking for videos of their other performances, so you'll have to settle for these two in the meantime. :)