Sakura Girl single review
These are from both Limited and Regular Edition. (My sister bought the LE but it's still not here yet. Sigh.) The LE has arrived safe and sound ^^
1. Sakura Girl (さくらガール)
Hey, I can type in Japanese! Nah, I copy-pasted it. The song was just OK for me at the beginning, but then it grew on me and now I'm totally brainwashed. I even use it as my call ringtone nowadays, it's very catchy ;P It also helps to watch the performances on Music Station, where the boys finally dance in sync (!!). It seems we have Yamapi to thank for this, so thumbs up for the leader. (Rating: 8/10)
2. Anata ga Tonari ni Iru Dake de (あなたがとなりにいるだけで)
It's a really slow ballad that ends up as rather boring for me, kinda like Utsukushisugite Beautiful Eyes. Maybe I'll change my mind if they perform this live, hopefully with an accompanying Johnny's Jr. church choir in the background. (Rating: 7/10)
3. FREEDOM
The upbeat song in the single. Again, it doesn't get me all excited or anything. Am I too hard to impress? I know one uptempo song that's better than this, but I'll get to that later. (Rating: 7/10)
4. Love Melodies
Now this song I fell in love in first listen. It's catchy, cheery, fresh and very NEWS-like. I think they all sing well in here, and who can resist Massu singing "yura yura yura" all cutesy and adorable? I can even overlook the Engrish pronunciation where they supposedly sing "presented word" but sounded more like "crazy eat the world". This is a positive, happy song similar to Gan Gan Ganbatte, and I hope they get to perform this in a (much awaited) concert too. (Rating: 8.5/10)
5. Sakura Girl (Acapella version)
This one kinda falls below my expectation. It's too slow and the backing vocals are not very apparent, plus it's not a full acapella anyway. I much prefer their previous endeavors, Sono Egao Boku ni Misete or even the 8-member Yume no Kazu Dake Ai ga Umareru. I'm still waiting for the day NEWS perform acapella on stage, and I hope it's not long in coming. (Rating: 7/10)
Overall rating: 7.5/10
And what is that upbeat song that's better than FREEDOM? Of course it's BE FUNKY!, the latest NEWS song for Shige's drama Troubleman. It's got a catchier melody and has a macho feel to it. I don't know what the arrangement's gonna be for this song, but it seems a shame if it's not released as a single since it's apparently the first time NEWS got a theme song for a drama a member is starring in -- and Shige's first drama leading role too, at that. Am crossing my fingers. In the meantime, I'll be singing along to the tune: "Fun fun funky tiiiiime...."
1. Sakura Girl (さくらガール)
Hey, I can type in Japanese! Nah, I copy-pasted it. The song was just OK for me at the beginning, but then it grew on me and now I'm totally brainwashed. I even use it as my call ringtone nowadays, it's very catchy ;P It also helps to watch the performances on Music Station, where the boys finally dance in sync (!!). It seems we have Yamapi to thank for this, so thumbs up for the leader. (Rating: 8/10)
2. Anata ga Tonari ni Iru Dake de (あなたがとなりにいるだけで)
It's a really slow ballad that ends up as rather boring for me, kinda like Utsukushisugite Beautiful Eyes. Maybe I'll change my mind if they perform this live, hopefully with an accompanying Johnny's Jr. church choir in the background. (Rating: 7/10)
3. FREEDOM
The upbeat song in the single. Again, it doesn't get me all excited or anything. Am I too hard to impress? I know one uptempo song that's better than this, but I'll get to that later. (Rating: 7/10)
4. Love Melodies
Now this song I fell in love in first listen. It's catchy, cheery, fresh and very NEWS-like. I think they all sing well in here, and who can resist Massu singing "yura yura yura" all cutesy and adorable? I can even overlook the Engrish pronunciation where they supposedly sing "presented word" but sounded more like "crazy eat the world". This is a positive, happy song similar to Gan Gan Ganbatte, and I hope they get to perform this in a (much awaited) concert too. (Rating: 8.5/10)
5. Sakura Girl (Acapella version)
This one kinda falls below my expectation. It's too slow and the backing vocals are not very apparent, plus it's not a full acapella anyway. I much prefer their previous endeavors, Sono Egao Boku ni Misete or even the 8-member Yume no Kazu Dake Ai ga Umareru. I'm still waiting for the day NEWS perform acapella on stage, and I hope it's not long in coming. (Rating: 7/10)
Overall rating: 7.5/10
And what is that upbeat song that's better than FREEDOM? Of course it's BE FUNKY!, the latest NEWS song for Shige's drama Troubleman. It's got a catchier melody and has a macho feel to it. I don't know what the arrangement's gonna be for this song, but it seems a shame if it's not released as a single since it's apparently the first time NEWS got a theme song for a drama a member is starring in -- and Shige's first drama leading role too, at that. Am crossing my fingers. In the meantime, I'll be singing along to the tune: "Fun fun funky tiiiiime...."