The best of 2015 [Charts Edition]

2015 is long gone, and at first I wasn't going to do the usual year-end-post, but I have to! A Youtube channel I've been following for a while now, put out the video seen above. It's a real interesting watch! The same channel posts a similar video weekly, so if you want to follow what's hot in Japan easily, do subscribe it!

If I understood right, these are the things measured for Billboard Japan charts: Physical sales, Digital sales, Radio airplay figures, Tweets related to the songs and the number of times a CDs has been registered as being inserted into a computer. At least according to Wikipedia.

Billboard's way, of course, is only one way to measure the popularity, so let's take Oricon's TOP 100, which only measures the physical sales, to this too, and talk about what's going on in Japanese music a bit!

So, the Billboard song chart's TOP 5:

1. Sandaime J Soul Brothers - R.Y.U.S.E.I

2. Arashi - Sakura

3. Arashi - Ai wo Sakebe

4. Arashi - Aozora no Shita, Kimi no Tonari

5. Sekai no Owari - Dragon Night

Oricon album chart's TOP 5:

1. Arashi - Japonism

2. Sandaime J Soul Brothers from EXILE TRIBE - PLANET SEVEN

3. DREAMS COME TRUE - DREAMS COME TRUE THE BEST!
Watashi no Dream Come

4. AKB48 - Koko ga Rhodes da, koko de tobe!

5. AKB48 - 0 to 1 no aida

Oricon singles chart's TOP 5:

1. AKB48 - Bokutachi ha tatakawanai

2. AKB48 - Halloween Night

3. AKB48 - Green Flash

4. AKB48 - Kuchibiru ni Be My Baby

5. SKE48 - Coquettish juutai chuu

Are you seeing the same three names all over?

To sum up this, I'll quote the uploader of the Billboard video: "A new challenger had entered to fight for the top spot which is no longer exclusive to the two 'A' groups", which of course means that Arashi and AKB48, who have been dominating the music scene for years, are facing a new challenger that is Sandaime J Soul Bothers, who did take the #1 spot on the Billboard list.

That isn't a big surprise if you've been following any charts over the past year, but compared to how Arashi topping albums and AKB48 literally ruling singles could possibly be seen coming three years ago, it's a nice refreshment to the scene.

When I started writing, I though I'd have much more to say about the subject, but none of the charts really include any big surprises, at least for me. AKB did not reach the TOP 5 of Billboard, which is on the verge of being interesting, but when you look at physical sales, they're still going strong.

A few names that have been popping up often during the year, could be mentioned. Sekai no Owari is a very popular and trendy group right now, and I think they're still growing. Nishino Kana is a name I wasn't familiar before subscribing to the Billboard channel, but she's featured in most of the videos from last year and did well in the year-end-compilation too. Johnny's groups, as well as old rock groups like Mr. Children and B'z are still as strong as ever.

The most popular Korean group by far is Tohoshinki (TVXQ), and only the biggest western hits reach the top positions of the charts. It makes me really happy that Japanese people haven't stopped listening to Japanese music. Of course they haven't - it rocks - but still.

What did you think of 2015?

Who surprised you? Or disappointed?

Do you think these charts really tell what's good music?

I'm still planning to do a second part of year-end-posts, possibly called "The best of 2015 [Me Edition]" or something. Please stay tuned!

Cute girls can do it

Opinion alert.

"Idols don't need to learn dancing or singing."
- Sashihara Rino, AKB48. Please read before reading this.

"An idol can be successful by only being cute."
- Many people. Some talking about Kyary.

True. In the idol industry, yes, there is space for cute only girls. There's demand, even.
Not all idols are the best singers nor are they supposed to be, what they're supposed to be is a relevant package of all singing, dancing, charisma, looks, you name it. But what I highly appreciate in making art - actually for me it's the most important thing to it - is effort. Putting all your heart in your work. Showing the world you've worked hard on what you do. And being honest about it.

This coming from an 48 member makes it questionable. Honestly, I never liked AKB as a group. I never appreciated the group's system or image. This is of course only about my personal preferences.
But. It's a fact there are hundreds of girls in total in these groups. In AKB alone, dozens. They dance together, they sing mostly playback. It's the truth, not all of them have to be good at everything. I understand Sashihara, she's seen idols who really don't need to learn things like singing correctly. It's natural to her. This is the truth in some groups, but it shouldn't be said as the fact would concern all idols.

Look at for example Kyary. She's often getting scolded for getting to the top by cuteness. She's sometimes stated untalented and annoying. Sure, Kyary's all cutesy and weird and I acknowledge that those are the main reasons she's popular. Nothing wrong with that. That's one way to get to the top. What's harder, is staying there.
As I see it, Kyary has to work so much more for her image, for her music. She must sing the songs all by herself - I hope you understand how a group can make a weak singer a superstar - she has to learn the dances and she has to remember to smile, because there's no one other to do these things for her. Okay, maybe she sings playback and all that, I don't know, but one of the hardest things in being an idol is to represent yourself and in cases of groups, to represent the group. Even if it was someone else singing your lines, it's you who gives the audience their show. It's you on the billboards. It's you who gives the fans the smile they hope for. Once you're made an idol, you maintain that image. In a group the attention is shared, the responsibility is shared.
In a group the least you can do for success is cuteness. Go solo, and, the least you can do is cuteness and effort.

But why to take the easiest way? One of the main things why I appreciate Momusu so much is the effort they put into the stuff they're doing. I'll use Sayumi, the cutesy queen of ours, as an example. She's often considered only cute, but I know she's much more than that. Morning musume has about 260 songs. Morning musume always sings live. There are usually about 10 girls in the group, so you actually notice if someone fails the choreography or misses the line. Even the cute girls and even the weak girls must know how to sing and dance.
Sayumi is often thought as the weakest singer on at least platinum era, but I've noticed, depending on the concert of course, her voice can be very strong. Not trembling at all. She just happens to have that kind of a quiet, high voice that seems weak. Sayumi has much stronger vocals than for example Junjun. Even Ai when Ai has her bad days.
Unpopular opinion time: Ai Takahashi is not a strong singer. She sure is a good singer, not just that strong on the stage. I love Ai.
What I'm trying to say is that you can clearly see how much effort Momusu puts in their performances. They know so many songs and dances from so many different eras and even if they're so fucking exhausted they can't get a voice out of their mouth, they try to sing the line.

Some defended Sashihara by saying that she meant to encourage the young girls wanting to be idols. Much possible, and if so, it's a sweet thought.
The thought just happens, in my opinion, to be wrong. It shouldn't be that way. An idol shouldn't be saying "you don't need to learn this and that, you can still do it." Actually, no one should. What we should say to ourselves and to our friends everyday, and what idols should tell people and of course themselves:
"Believe in yourself. Do your best. Always give it a try. Always learn new things. That's how you can do it. You don't have to be anything more than you are, if you only give your best."
The message doesn't really differ from the original one, does it? It could ne this is what Sashihara meant. All my kisses to her, honestly.

Just remember guys, idols are talented and cute and inspirational people, who are allowed to make mistakes. They're not any kind of heavenly or higher creatures, they're just so wonderfully human it makes me feel so.

ALL MY RESPECT TO THE CUTE IDOLS OUT THERE
YOU ARE THE BEST!
♥