mihimaru GT – Kimi Dake no Story February 24, 2013

Track Listing

1. Kimi Dake no Story
2. We Got Restart
3. Kazoku ni Narou yo
4. Kimi Dake no Story (Instrumental)
5. We Got Restart (Instrumental)

1. Kimi Dake no Story

I was surprised that mihimaru would make their next A-side kind of a midtempo R&B track that’s quite upbeat and happy sound.  I do like the fact that there’s some electric guitars present and the song gots a lot more color than some of their more recent offerings.  It’s not a bad song though, so I suppose that’s good right?

2. We Got Restart

Then we slide into the B-sides and We Got Restart is definitely more along the lines of what I like in mihimaru GT.  Minus the small tinges of Oriental music, the song has more of a dance style and I actually like listening to HIROKO’s vocals in the song.  Though I still do think it’s just a bit strange hearing the title sung and all because that’s broken as hell lol.  Not bad, not bad.

3. Kazoku ni Narou yo

I’m surprised that mihimaru did a cover of a song that was released back in 2011.  You know, that Masaharu Fukuyama song that was immensely popular?  Granted the song keeps its sentimentality and quiet feel but with HIROKO singing by herself.  It’s a pleasant cover, nothing that ultimately says KEEP ME…but it’s a nice extra.

With mihimaru getting all ridiculous with releasing best albums now, it’s nice they threw this single out there.  Kimi Dake no Story isn’t too bad and it’s cute and fun to listen to but We Got Restart was a much better track even if the title makes 0 sense lmao.  Their cover of Kazoku ni Narou yo was pretty good, but I think I like Masaharu’s version more still.  Overall not bad…but the group needs to stop releasing so many best albums T.T

mihimaru GT – Banzai Sanshou!!! November 1, 2012

Track Listing

1. Banzai Sanshou!!!
2. Bakapoji “Don’t stop the music”
3. DE.SU.NE
4. Banzai Sanshou!!! (Instrumental)
5. Bakapoji “Don’t stop the music” (Instrumental)
6. DE.SU.NE (Instrumental)

1. Banzai Sanshou!!!

Starting the single, Banzai Sanshou!!! opens up in a completely strange way for me with horns and strings in a classical fashion but it turns into this hip-hop fusion which is different but kind of cool in a way.  miyake starts essentially with a pretty cool rap with hiroko following him with some singing.  It’s lively and kind of fun for the duo since they’ve been slightly lagging in recent times so this is a nice comeback.

2. Bakapoji “Don’t stop the music”

The first B-side is more quirky and silly to listen to but I kind of like that whole 80′s pop sound which is like a blast of nostalgia for me.  Of course hiroko this time is leading which is rather cool and she fits this sugary sound.  I feel like it’s trying to be “Switch” but with less oomph which is nice but the song needed something more to make it feel more complete.

3. DE.SU.NE

I’m a little confused to see this song get a PV and yet it’s not on the DVD >.<.  This song is VERY weird when compared to the previous two tracks for sure.  It’s has that whole urban hip-hop feel but is also quite funky as well which is cool…plus the PV is totally absurd LOL.  hiroko does some rapping, but it doesn’t seem to flow as good as miyake who shined in the track.  Though this song’s chorus is quite annoying with that call and response of ~desu ne, desu ne~…really vague.

 

 

It feels like it’s been so long since mihimaru GT released “One Time” and with the second single, Banzai Sanshou!!! brought back the randomness of the duo and it’s something I’ve missed.  The leading track was classy but also totally them.  Bakapoji was more a nostalgic trip but it’s good for what it is and DE.SU.NE was random at its finest.  There were a couple issues, but this single was good for the most part.

mihimaru GT – One Time December 14, 2011

Track Listing

1. One Time
2. SURVIVOR
3. One Time (Instrumental)
4. SURVIVOR (Instrumental)

1. One Time

It’s awesome to hear HIROKO and miyake start the A-side off singing together.  While they don’t have the best vocals to mesh together, it’s nice.  After all the excitement from the last few singles, One Time takes a much needed chill pill and we are left with a mid-tempo R&B track.  It’s simple and nice but there’s parts where I kind of cringe at HIROKO’s higher register and miyake’s lack of enthusiasm.  It’s just a very low key song for them, but the fans that like mihi’s more chilled out songs might enjoy this a lot.  Think “Omedetou” and you’ll get the gist of the song.

2. SURVIVOR

SURVIVOR was definitely not what I was expecting as a B-side (strange placing IMO).  I actually liked SURVIVOR and how peppy and kind of upbeat it was.  There’s a lot of ~whoa whoa whoa’s~ and quite a bit of muted trumpet to give it more spice to an already synthy kind of song.  HIROKO sounds so much better here but miyake is just being himself.  Much more memorable than “One Time”.

 

 

As their first single since “mihimalight”, One Time is alright but nothing special from the A-side.  It reminds me too much of “Omedetou” and while that was a while ago, it still brought up a lot of similarities.  At least SURVIVOR sounded pretty different and brought the energy that the single needed.  It’s half and half, but the B-side is clearly the winner here.

mihimaru GT – mihimalight September 19, 2011

Track Listing

1. Theme of mihimaLIVE 4
2. Evo★Revolution
3. Thank U 4 Today
4. Neo Generator feat. KEN THE 390
5. Kon’ya mo Cinderella
6. Di-lemma
7. 1/2 no Shiawase
8. Masterpiece
9. 880 ~EiEiO!!!!!!!!~ feat. Daimaou Kosuka
10. Ka・Cha・Ina
11. Omedetou
12. Rajimaru GT Kessaku Talk Shuu part.3 with Daimaou Kosuka

1. Theme of mihimaLIVE 4

It’s not surprising that once again we have an introduction to an album.  Even weirder is that it’s longer than the last mihimaLIVE but like almost 30 seconds longer.  It starts with speaking lines by someone who’s fluent in English.  Once the halfway is passed, HIROKO and miyake pop in by doing some quick lyrics (miyake does it better not gonna lie).  After their parts it goes into some chanting for the rest of the song.  It’s a little strange as an intro but worse is that it moves into our next tune in a kind of abrupt way…

2. Evo★Revolution

Gotta love funky and exciting songs from the duo, case and point, Evo★Revolution, the duo’s 3rd A-side released in the era and I seriously loved HIROKO’s energy as well as miyake’s interesting rap section.  Amongst the other lead songs from the era, this had the most fun and really stood out to me more than the other two.

3. Thank U 4 Today

Since the group is well known for their more urban hip-pop songs, Thank U 4 Today is quite a positive song that makes you want to enjoy life.  It retains the funky bass and arrangement for this song and while I don’t think HIROKO’s performance isn’t worth gawking over, miyake’s rap actually pulled me in.  It’s alright, but I don’t remember it much.

4. Neo Generator feat. KEN THE 390

At least I can seriously enjoy Neo Generator a lot more since it’s a bit more danceable and funky with the synths this time around.  The tune is pretty fast-paced and both miyake and KEN has a great time together even at one point rapping together lol.  HIROKO seems to have a minor part in this song but she’s still present, but clearly isn’t of total importance.  Still, I was impressed with this tune…shows off the rappers in a great way!

5. Kon’ya mo Cinderella

After the excitement of “Neo Generator” the opening of Kon’ya mo Cinderella sounded so weak and felt like it was created in ten minutes hahaha no offense.  It is pretty much relaxed though so that’s good but how they pronounce ~cinderella~ sounds really off-putting and just kind annoyed me when they said it every time in the chorus.  At this point, I’m just kind of over the song.

6. Di-lemma

Of the new songs on this album, I was impressed the most with Di-lemma ^_^.  I love the stringwork in the song and it worked with HIROKO’s light vocals which sound perfect in this song (makes you wonder why she wasn’t like this in some of the previous ones).  It’s just right and miyake’s part works along with the song even though it does change the arrangement a little.  Pretty awesome song here!

7. 1/2 no Shiawase

As the album’s first ballad, it made good and moving away from “Di-lemma’s” use of the strings into a slower setting.  It kind of reminds me of “Ai no Hikari” which was off the single preceding this album so it kind of makes me frown.  Moreso, miyake is absent in this song so take that as you will.  To me, it sounds like leftover “OPEN THE DOOR” material that just either didn’t make the cut or just was too bland to even be there lol!

8. Masterpiece

To call a song masterpiece is pretty ballsy and this is DEFINITELY not one in any meaning of the word.  The first time I heard the duo’s second A-side of this era, it left me generally confused and bewildered at what happened.  mihimaru GT has tackled rock before but usually on B-sides and album tracks but leading it as an A-side was so unlike them.  Did anyone know wth HIROKO/miyake said in the beginning?  It was bizarre and the rest of the song isn’t any better.  HIROKO’s vocals do no justice to the arrangement and it was a major sour note to me on this album.

9. 880 ~EiEiO!!!!!!!!!~ feat. Daimaou Kosuka

Remember “Dosu Koi” from their last album?  Yeah that was a pretty awesome song and it seems Daimaou returns once again for some fun times with the duo.  Out of the songs I’ve heard so far, this has the most synth usage but once again I get the very exciting presence from everyone and I find myself loving this song and miyake is just pure WIN!  Daimaou stands out as well and he’s just lulzy in his line while HIROKO takes a sexy feel.  Yeah, this is an amazingly fun song and cleans up the mess that “Masterpiece” left.

10. Ka・Chi・Na

So if HIROKO can get a solo track on here, miyake can easily do one as well and that’s what we have here.  I love miyake’s rapping in the verses and the song is just pretty dark and mysterious.  Loving the marching drums and HIROKO is present, but in breaths and small parts and repeating ~kachaina~.  It’s catchy as hell and the tribal things later in the song add more spice to the already awesome track…yeah it’s pretty damn good.

11. Omedetou

I find it slightly strange that they pulled Omedetou to the album despite being about over a year old and released before “mihimaballads”.  Omedetou feels a little strange coming after two energetic pieces and add that this is like mihimaru’s regular ballads with pretty vocals from HIROKO and a rap included by miyake.  At least I’m more interested in this ballad than in “1/2 no Shiawase”.

12. Rajimaru GT Kessaku Shuu Talk part.3 with Daimaou Kosuka

Just like the last two studio albums, this album ends with another Rajimaru GT and I have NO IDEA what they are talking about.  Maybe liner notes…but I’m not sure because there seems to be humorous parts throughout this 10 minute track.  I wonder if there’ll be anyone who could do a rough translation of what’s going on here x.x; (and of course the other 2).

Tracks Recommended

• 880 ~EiEio!!!!!!!!!~ feat. Daimaou Kosuka
• Di-lemma
• Evo★Revolution
• Ka・Cha・Ina
• Neo Generator feat. KEN THE 390

Song of Avoidance

• Masterpiece

Unlike “mihimalogy” where it was full of pre-released A-sides, mihimalight ended up being sort of a stalemate for me.  I really did think that they left all the good songs towards the end plus a couple of songs in the first half.  Sadly, they also had so incredibly plain songs as well (and the atrocious “Masterpiece”).  I don’t know…I like both album and if it was my way I would take tracks off both albums and stuck em’ on one haha.

mihimaru GT – Evo★Revolution August 4, 2011

Track Listing

1. Evo★Revolution
2. Ai no Hikari
3. Evo★Revolution (Instrumental)
4. Ai no Hikari (Instrumental)

1. Evo★Revolution

I love funky mihimaru GT songs and Evo★Revolution fills that gap that’s been missing for quite a while.  both HIROKO and miyake have pretty good parts going for them even though HIROKO does sing a whole lot more in the long run.  I just love the energy from this song and they’ve brought back a lot of interest in me into them after the last couple A-sides were a little bit blah.

2. Ai no Hikari

I do think that it’s a little strange to see that the B-side is a ballad from the duo and is a total 180 switch from the spazzy “Evo★Revolution”.  I like the pretty arrangement that consists of mostly piano and strings with HIROKO singing the entirety of the song while miyake is nowhere in sight of the song. 

 

 

Closing the “mihimalight” era, Evo★Revolution is quite a good single and much better of an A-side than their last one, “Masterpiece”.  There’s just something I love when it’s HIROKO/miyake mixing up in a funky track.  I do think Ai no Hikari is a little strange being only HIROKO present, but it’s still a pretty good ballad.  Overall, it was a nice single!

mihimaru GT – Masterpiece June 10, 2011

Track Listing

1. Masterpiece
2. Hajimari no Ippo
3. Masterpiece (Instrumental)
4. Hajimari no Ippo (Instrumental)

1. Masterpiece

I’m kind of surprised that Masterpiece brings the duo into a rockin’ atmosphere.  I will say that I was surprised by HIROKO’s speedy vocals at the beginning of the song.  Given the tie-in to the new Yu-Gi-Oh series that’s playing in Japan, this was interesting choice.  miyake doesn’t have as a big of a role compared to her but it’s interesting nonetheless.  I’m not sure what to think of the song since it’s not a normal GT song if you know what I mean.

2. Hajimari no Ippo

Unlike the A-side which has a prominent rockin’ atmosphere, Hajimari no Ippo seems to fit amongst the likes of “Torokechou Dandy~” and “Un♥Lock” since both are pretty much summer songs of their era and this feels like one too.  miyake also has a bigger job doing his raps amongst the lighthearted brass sound.  It’s light, but it suited them nicely and doesn’t feel strange, unlike the previous song.

 

 

After releasing their last single, “Omedetou”, their ballad best-of, and doing their solo activities, it’s nice to see mihimaru GT back together for another single.  However, Masterpiece is a bit of an odd choice of a comeback track.  I love the guitars and arrangement, but HIROKO’s vocals don’t sound that intriguing and her fast parts were weird and add in the fact that miyake had little to do in the song and you get something forgettable.  Hajimari no Ippo though is a good summer song and features both members better.  I wonder what’s next for them.

mihimaru GT – Omedetou April 21, 2010

Track Listing

1. Omedetou
2. Fascinating Girl
3. Omedetou (inst)
4. Fascinating Girl (inst)

1. Omedetou

Hey, another ballad from mihimaru GT!  After some off choices from the “mihimalogy” era, Omedetou is kind of the upbeat kind of ballad since it’s got a catchy beat and hiroko sounds just as lively as the music of the song.  I do also love the strings in the song that gave it a more prettier feel than previous “Love Letter”.  Of course miyake is also in the song rapping his lines across, luckily the song is beat-driven enough to keep his rap alive.  Good song overall!

2. Fascinating Girl

While I’m not surprised that Fascinating Girl would’ve been a more funkier song from the duo and I kind of liked this song a lot.  While the more evident acoustic flow mixed with hip-hop disc scratches.  hiroko’s vocals are lively and once again very girly and miyake’s rapping here is nice.  I do get that summer feel from this song and trust me….didn’t we have enough of those recently?

 

 

While I’m sure it begins the duo’s 6th era, I’m sure Omedetou will be on “mihimaballads” which is a collection of ballads (surprise, surprise).  I actually liked Omedetou better than previous ballads which is definitely a step in the right direction.  As fitting as Fascinating Girl was on the single the other summer songs are still better TBQH.

mihimaru GT – mihimalogy February 24, 2010

Track Listing

1. Theme of mihimaLive3
2. Un♥Lock
3. 777 feat. ET-KING
4. Shiawase ni Narou
5. Sayonara wo Iwanakatta feat. Ryota Mitsunaga
6. SIGNAL
7. S.ku.n.k
8. Switch
9. Love Letter
10. Torokechau Dandy~
11. Naki Natsu with SOFFet
12. Michishirube
13. Rajimaru GT Kessaku Talk Shuu pt. 2 with Daimaou Kosaka (bonus track)
14. Dosu Koi with Daimaou Kosaka (bonus track)

1. Theme of mihimaLive3

As the short opening to mihimaru GT’s 5th studio album, I thought it was pretty cool to have an epic opening kind of like this.  I like there’s some English lines that are in the song, even though I don’t think that was miyake speaking them.  After that we get into an instrumental with some blazing guitars and rhythmic strings before miyake and then hiroko start to rap which is pretty cool.  Pretty nifty introduction to the album!

2. Un♥Lock

As the 5th A-side of the era, Un♥Lock is still kind of underwhelming when compared with the other songs of the era.  It does have a cool funk-styled arrangement which works and hiroko sounds really nice in the song since she’s the singer.  I don’t know why, but there’s just nothing in the song to really keep me put. 

3. 777 feat. ET-KING

Of all the B-sides that were released in the era, why did they have to put the worst one of the era on the album?  There’s no words to show how much I loathe this song period.  While it is a crowd-pleasing song, it’s way too slow and ET-KING’s rappers sucks in the song….even miyake is a part of this list of terrible rapping here.  I’m sorry but this was a major issue for the album.  I think the only reason I’d listen to this would be because of hiroko’s parts.  Everything else is shit!

4. Shiawase ni Narou

Ok, so I might’ve been hard on Shiawase ni Narou, but it’s a pretty ballad from them even though miyake doesn’t really fit in the song at all.  Rappers + ballads = FAIL.  Everything else about the song from the arrangement to hiroko’s vocals were spot-on and worked for me quite nicely.  I just wish miyake could’ve sounded a little interested in the song.

5. Sayonara wo Iwanakatta feat. Ryota Mitsunaga

Our first new song, Sayonara wo Iwanakatta is a nice break from the miyake mistakes that’s been happening so far and this song worked for me because Ryota has more emotion in his rapping which fits with this R&B-tinted tune.  The arrangement is a little generic, but it does fit in this case so I’m happy with this song.

6. SIGNAL

While we did have a small break from miyake, he returns for SIGNAL and he actually sounds more interesting with this heavily urban sound.  Though it doesn’t really go anywhere for me since the arrangement is rather repetitive and since hiroko is doing double duty of rapping/singing it’s kind of a song you either like or hate.  It’s alright, but it’s nothing too memorable.

7. S.ku.n.k

For a song titled S.ku.n.k, I was surprised that we got a happy-go-lucky song to go with it.  Though I’m also surprised it’s so summery like two of the six singles released in the era.  That being said it’s actually more energetic than both “Un♥Lock” and “Torekechau Dandy~”.  I do think the chorus is somewhat jarring since it’s basically let loose and loud.  Otherwise, I like it quite a lot.

8. Switch

The era’s 3rd single, Switch was totally out of left field for mihimaru GT.  I mean when compared to the other songs, it’s a little bit more electro than most tracks which is awesome because this song is what got me into the duo in the first place.  Even though there’s a lot of rapping from both members, I didn’t mind it all since it worked altogether.  Let’s not forget, it’s ridiculously catchy!!!!

9. Love Letter

Even though it’s been a few weeks since the 6th A-side’s release, Love Letter tries to battle up “Shiawase ni Narou” in which ballad was better of the era.  To be honest, they are in the same area of how I feel for both songs.  I definitely enjoyed hiroko’s performance in the song, but miyake’s dry performance made it a hard listen at points and felt very unnecessary.  Good ballad, just no more rapping!

10. Torokechau Dandy~

Since it was the 4th A-side, Torokechau Dandy~ stands out for me as the song with the very suggestive PV.  Like the other summer songs, this one was pretty relaxing and kind of fun to enjoy since there was a lot of steel drums and Caribbean-like noises that made the song stand out more for me.  Definitely another good song from the album.

11. Naki Natsu feat. SOFFet

While it is the first single released for the album, Naki Natsu is pretty good, but is just unbalanced because of the amount of different rappers in the song and hiroko.  Usually, I’m not bothered by this, but here I am because SOFFet and miyake aren’t really bringing it.  I’m so happy hiroko saved the song because her parts with the guys are really nice and fits with this mid-tempo sound.

12. Michishirube

The last track off the album, Michishirube is another ballad from the group.  I like this quite a lot since it shows off hiroko way more than the other ballads off the album which is a plus and I don’t even hear miyake in this song which is another plus.  Ok, no miyake makes me a happy Solarblade!  Definitely a good way to finish the album!

13. Rajimaru GT Kessaku Talk Shuu pt. 2 with Daimaou Kosaka

I know that there was one of these back on their last album “mihimarise” and if I’m guessing right it’s the same thing as it is here.  Sounds like some kind of interview on a radio station between the members of mihimaru GT and some other people since I hear more than 4 people.  Unfortunately, I don’t know Japanese enough to follow along so most people will not understand this…

14. Dosu Koi with Daimaou Kosaka

After the random weirdness, Dosu Koi comes after and is just as weird since it starts with some weird traditional Japanese thing.  Even weirder is this electro arrangement that comes in.  To be honest, this is what I wanted instead of the hot mess in “777″.  I found the members having a lot of fun with this and it’s actually pretty good.  Even miyake was stronger here.  OK good song!

Tracks Recommended

• Switch
• Dosu Koi with Daimaou Kosaka
• Torokechau Dandy~
• Michishirube
• S.ku.n.k

Song of Avoidance

• 777 feat. ET-KING

First off, there wasn’t enough new tracks for this album!  I mean 6 preceding singles is a little too much.  While miyake was a big reason most of the songs were icky at parts, some of them he was really good.  Now as a whole, not too bad, but some of the tracks are just not their deal.  mihimalogy is alright, just not what I was hoping for.

mihimaru GT – Love Letter February 10, 2010

Track Listing

1. Love Letter
2. Unbelievable feat. TAKUYA
3. Love Letter (Instrumental)
4. Unbelievable feat. TAKUYA (Instrumental)

1. Love Letter

It’s been awhile since we’ve gotten a ballad from the duo, the last being “Shiawase ni Narou” and while I’ve said on that review that if it was just hiroko singing, it would’ve been amazing, but due to miyake’s strange rapping it kind of ruined the mood.  This time on Love Letter, the same can be said, but then again this isn’t a normal ballad, it’s more like a hip-hop styled ballad if that makes any more sense.  I still don’t like miyake’s contribution to the song as it feels rather boring and dry.  Though the song and hiroko are pretty nice.

2. Unbelievable feat. TAKUYA

The other B-side carries on with the party atmosphere from past singles with Unbelievable.  What I mean is that it still feels like a summer song which would’ve fit on any of the last few singles.  I’m surprised the hiroko and miyake sound a bit more better.  I wonder if the TAKUYA is the same one from JUDY AND MARY because he’s just playing the guitar in the song…so unless he’s hiding under miyake’s vocals, then I don’t know.  Still, it’s got some great guitar moments and the song is a bit better.

 

 

Ending off the “mihimalogy” era, Love Letter is like “Shiawase ni Narou” except for the fact that the B-side is actually good.  I don’t mind ballads from the duo, but wouldn’t it be nice just to have a straight one without miyake?  Just saying.  Unbelievable is pretty awesome and makes up for the less than fortunate rock B-sides of the era. 

mihimaru GT – Shiawase ni Narou January 20, 2010

Track Listing

1. Shiawase ni Narou
2. 777 feat.ET-KING
3. Shiawase ni Narou (Instrumental)
4. 777 (Instrumental)

1. Shiawase ni Narou

Of the other songs in this era (besides “Love Letter”), I’m surprsied to know that Shiawase ni Narou is a R&B ballad of sorts.  It brought out hiroko’s vocals out a whole lot more than it was in other songs.  miyake seems to not be present for this song and I kind of wanted that because he’d just sound weird in a beautiful song like this, but then the unthinkable happens and he basically threw me for a loop with his sort of dead rapping.  Still,  Congratulations, you have a really good A-side.

2. 777 feat.ET-KING

Omg, the B-side is just so out of left field from the duo.  Sadly, I keep thinking of “Kibun Joujou↑↑” it’s got that same party feel with people chanting and yelling and that’s what everyone is doing in this song.  ET-KING kind of ruined the song for me because someone in the group sounds like BIGGA RAIJI and makes me frown hard. 

 

 

While Shiawase ni Narou brings up the awesomeness in the ballads even though miyake almost ruined it.  777 is kind of messy but that’s just from the one-sided collaboration and I kind of disliked all-around…oh well at least we have “Naki Natsu”