Let’s Talk Pokemon Gen 7! September News Pt. 2 (Corocoro & Trailer) September 24, 2016

Yeah as we’re heading for the end of the month we had Corocoro leak and another official trailer released (technically two, but the first was little to no information given really.  So let’s talk about the small things

• Customization is finally confirmed and there’s a LOT more choices this time around even a small nudge towards a new Pokemon (looks like a toucan actually!)
• Pokemon-amie is now called Pokemon Refresh and this time comes with an additional things you can do including taking off their status effects (eh, Poke Centers becoming less necessary?).
• Forgot to mention but we did get our first version exclusives from old Pokemon with the Drifblim line in Sun and the Mismagius line in Moon.

So let’s get on to our new Pokemon!

Lycanrok (Midday & Midnight Form)

Let’s start things off with with Corocoro new Pokemon starting with the answer to the mystery of Rockruff.  Now this post in itself is entirely about Version Exclusives.  So with Lycanrok, in Sun it has the Midday form (on the left) and in Moon you’ll get Midnight form (due to the power of Solgaleo & Lunala respectively.  As both are still Rock types, I don’t feel too much out of them but at least the Midday form learns an exclusive move in Accerlerock which it always goes first.  Midnight form gets Counter, but it’s a well-known move.

UB02: Absorption, UB02: Beauty

While we still don’t know the true purpose of the Ultra Beats, we do get two more in Absorption and Beauty (UB01 does have a name but it’ll come sometime later.  Personally, I think the designs are quite something and definitely doesn’t scream Pokemon right now but they are seen in-game fighting against Tapu Koko.  It doesn’t help that Beauty looks a LOT like Lusamine (the head of the Aether Foundation) and the color scheme of Absorption does suit Gladion (member of Team Skull) and on top of UB01 looking like Lillie…this could be quite interesting!

Passimian & Oranguru

The last two on this post are also split into each version and are not related in evolution!

The Pokemon in sun is Passimian who is funny enough a pure Fighting type.  While I am interested because it does support the Chinese leaks, in-game it has a new ability called Receiver where in 2 vs. 2 battles, if your team member faints, Passimian will obtain their ability.

In Moon, we get Oranguru which is the 3rd Normal/Psychic (next to both Girafarig & Meloetta).  Personally, I wasn’t surprised by all the Harambe jokes, but c’mon😄.  Anyways, Oranguru has a new move called Instruct where it makes the Pokemon it uses it on use the same move.

SEE YOU IN OCTOBER!

Country Girls – Dou Datte Ii no/Namida no Request September 19, 2016

Track Listing

1. Dou Datte Ii no
2. Namida no Request
3. Dou Datte Ii no (Instrumental)
4. Namida no Request (Instrumental)

1. Dou Datte Ii no

It seems like Country Girls seem to be sticking to this rockabilly/50’s vibe for now and Dou Datte Ii no has a lot more energy than what “Boogie Woogie LOVE” had previously and is just a song to really let loose and dance wild.  I am a bit perturbed at why the song is generally shouted moreso than sung it feels like.  Either way, it is a bit short barely reaching 3 minutes and the 6 members do get solo lines throughout, just not as plenty as previous singles.  It’s an OK song, but they’ve had better.

2. Namida no Request

The other A-side just like “Ranrarun ~Anata ni Muchuu~” is a cover song this time from a band from the 80’s, The Checkers.  I have to say the intro of the song really caught me off guard especially the harmonies of that last ~request~, that was was beautiful.  After that, the song once again harps on the rockabilly vibes and that’s fine and I’m happy they toned it down a bit after “Dou Datte Ii no”.  It does seem like this one has a LOT of Chisaki, Risa, and Momoko as the other 3 members sing the chorus and doesn’t have much to go on.  Maybe except Yanamin, because she has sax solos throughout the tune.  Overall, a pretty good song, if not a little sad…but I was impressed here.

 

 

So if you haven’t noticed this is Country Girls’ first single without Manaka as she had to graduate to do her asthma issues which is quite unfortunate because I think she would’ve been great for Namida no Request since that was a wonderful cover and just pleasant to hear.  Dou Datte Ii no could’ve laid back a little from the yelling but it’s catchy and Funakki really stood out in the song.  Can we just have a stable line-up in Country Girls for at least 2 singles?  Jeeze!!!

TOKYO GIRLS’ STYLE – Shinkai September 10, 2016

Track Listing

1. Shinkai -Hi-ra Mix-
2. Kimi e -Royal Mirrorball Mix-
3. Shinkai -Royal Mirrorball Mix- (CD only)
4. Shinkai -Hi-ra Mix- (Instrumental)
5. Kimi e -Royal Mirrorball Mix- (Instrumental)

1. Shinkai -Hi-ra Mix-

As the leading version of the single, Shinkai begins with a simple snapping beat and then turns into a pretty cool EDM track with some tricks up its sleeves.  It is a bit slower than their normal sound, but the change of the arrangement is pretty neat (except for the interludes…a little out of place).  Still it’s nice to see that Hitomi and now Yuri kind of have front lines this time.  Overall it’s nice, but “Never ever” was way better!

2. Kimi e -Royal Mirrorball Mix-

To bring back some familiarity, we have RM remixes next, the first is of a song that was released in its original arrangement back in April and now reappeared as a remix.  As I mentioned already for long-time fans you already know what’ll sound like essentially.  A lot of brass and funk involved.  The tune itself is alright, but there are some weak vocals here and there (the kind of pseudo-rap section is a major red flag).  To be honest, it’s one of the lesser-liked remixes RM has done.

3. Shinkai -Royal Mirrorball Mix-

On CD only versions of the single, it comes with another Royal Mirrorball remix, but this time of the leading track!  After being disappointed over “Kimi e’s” remix, I was hoping Shinkai’s was better, but I think I might’ve expected too much because while it has more oomph, the track sounds so much like their previous songs that it’s just hard to separate it from the similar tracks.

 

 

As the first single since Ayano Konishi left the group, Shinkai feels a bit like nothing has totally changed except that Yuri has a lot more lines than before.  Really it’s just the usual release for the group.  The leading mix of Shinkai is OK, but definitely not better than their last single.  The remixes are more or less the same as we’ve been getting for years so meh.  Overall, it just seems to be that weird transitioning era of trying to fill in the hole that Ayano left.

T.M.Revolution – RAIMEI

Track Listing

1. RAIMEI
2. Route 20 Exclusive Medley
3. RAIMEI (Thunderbolt Fantasy Touriken Yuuki OP ver.)
4. RAIMEI instrumental

1. RAIMEI

I suppose we needed another high-octane song from T.M.R and we’re here with RAIMEI which honestly sounds a lot like “resonance” and a lot of his other works.  There’s just something about this song that makes me yawn and make me thing Asakura might be running out of ideas for songs as they’re once starting to jumble into the same ole, same ole.

2. Route 20 Exclusive Medley

• HIGH PRESSURE
• WHITE BREATH
• HOT LIMIT

It seems that this time we aren’t doing Re:boot versions on this single and instead we have a medley of 3 of his A-sides, granted no idea why it’s these three and for what reason.  For a 15 minute track, this is pretty cool watching the songs get transformed into a mix of synths and hard rock (almost making me feel like there’s some abingdon boys school riffs going on here.  I actually didn’t remember how HIGH PRESSURE or WHITE BREATH went, but this made me appreciate them with this new arrangement and HOT LIMIT was pretty good too, but I’ll take HIGH and MIGHTY COLOR’s cover of it.

 

 

As the first single after their best, RAIMEI is meh single for me with the leading song not really breaking new ground and sticking to what they’ve know with their anison songs.  Even though the medley tried to fix things (and trust me, it tried), I feel like this was a thrown out single to make due.

UVERworld – WE ARE GO/ALL ALONE

Track Listing

1. WE ARE GO
2. ALL ALONE
3. Colors of the Heart (Live at Marine Messe Fukuoka 2015.12.30)
4. Kokoro ga Sasu Basho to Kuchiguse Soshite Kimi ga Tsuite Kuru (Live at Zepp Tokyo 2008.06.02)
5. WE ARE GO (short ver.)

1. WE ARE GO

Ignoring the Engrishness of the title, WE ARE GO is pretty different for the band, but yet familiar to many of their loud and proud songs.  Including a good amount of saxophone and a pounding beat, WE ARE GO is one of the hardest A-sides they’ve done in quite a while.  While the melody is hard to pinpoint sometimes because of its chant-heavy sound…it’s a loud song and would be amazing live!

2. ALL ALONE

As for the other A-side, ALL ALONE is a lighter affair that has TAKUYA rapping alongside some light arrangements and acoustic guitar though it does come and go with heavier sounds throughout the song.  I do feel like this is more akin to what I expected of UVERworld at this point.  It’s actually not bad and while TAKUYA sounds all over the place (once again, normal) it’s sticking out better than “WE ARE GO” did.

3. Colors of the Heart (Live at Marine Messe Fukuoka 2015.12.30)

So the remainder of the single contains live songs of tracks of the past starting with Colors of the Heart (which was their 4th single).  Returning to a song from the past is nice and I was a pretty big fan of this one when I took a listen and hearing it live is just awesome!  Even the crowd was way into it which is pretty rad!

4. Kokoro ga Sasu Basho to Kuchiguse Soshite Kimi ga Tsuite Kuru (Live at Zepp Tokyo 2008.06.02)

Then we get to the other song which is an album song from their sophomore album, “PROGLUTION” and honestly, I’ve actually never heard this song (hint,hint).  What surprised me more is that they chose a performance from 2008 (wow…that’s 8 years ago >.>).  As one of the more serious songs in their discography, this long titled track sounds pretty good live and TAKUYA sounds a lot more youthful (thanks 8 years).  One of the few slow UVER songs I can dig!

 

 

Has it really been almost a year since they released “I LOVE THE WORLD”?  It sure doesn’t feel like it.  Anyway, their return with WE ARE GO/ALL ALONE is OK for the most part.  I would say the weakest track is WE ARE GO because it feels more like a B-side or a tour-only track for pumping crowds up but in a studio…didn’t really mesh well.  At least ALL ALONE is a bit true to form so I suppose it saved the single.  Though the live versions were a nice treat (weird for the 2nd live being so old).  Interesting single overall!

FLOW – Kaze no Uta/BURN

Track Listing

1. Kaze no Uta
2. BURN
3. Kaze no Uta -Instrumental-
4. BURN -Instrumental-
5. Kaze no Uta -TV Size-
6. BURN -Game Size-
7. Kaze no Uta -TV Size Inst.-
8. BURN -Game Size Inst.-

1. Kaze no Uta

As a song titled as Song of the Wind, Kaze no Uta definitely feels like a breezier entry for the band including more acoustic guitar and just a lighter arrangement overall.  I do have to say that the singers do a great job as per usual.  While I do love their edgier songs, Kaze no Uta isn’t a bad song and does a nice job for its anime tie-in!

2. BURN

As the theme for Tales of Berseria, the intro for me sounded familiar for some reason but I couldn’t really place it.  After the piano/strings intro, the actual song kicks off and it’s a lot more of what I was expecting from FLOW with such an honorable tie-in!  It’s catering to the fans that like more of their rockin’ tracks and I’m loving the mix of jazzy bits in the pre-chorus to the open chorus.  Great track overall!

 

 

FLOW returns after their 10th album with a pretty big single in Kaze no Uta/BURN being tie-ins for the Tales of… series.  While I do think BURN is the better song with its stronger arrangement and powerful punch (and surprises), Kaze no Uta is no slouch either, giving us a lighter and airy song.  Great way to kick off a new album era.

 

Momoiro Clover Z – The Golden History

Track Listing

1. The Golden History
2. DECORATION
3. Hanabi
4. Shinruka Soruka
5. The Golden Histroy (off vocal ver.)
6. DECORATION (off vocal ver.)
7. Hanabi (off vocal ver.)
8. Shinruka Soruka (off vocal ver.)

1. The Golden History

I was curious into how Momoiro would return and The Golden History is a pretty funky and poppy track for the group which is a little bit different to have since their last two eras.  While I still think that vocally they’re a little weaker than what they’ve been at in recent times, I think the fun atmosphere and idol-like sound fits them quite well.  Not quite their strongest A-side they’ve had since debut, but I suppose it passes for the time being.

2. DECORATION

As the first B-side (which also ended up with a PV), DECORATION feels like it continues some of the fukier sounds that “The Golden History” had and I quite thought that was nice and it worked because it’s a bit more upbeat and exciting as a whole.  While the beat is a bit lighter, there’s a lot more brass and bass and the members showcase a much more spazzy feel.  I actually ended up liking this more than the leading song :0

3. Hanabi

As the single does split the 2nd B-side, the regular editions include both hence why I didn’t split tings around.  Hanabi is an interesting song as it leaves the funky arrangements for a stronger mid-tempo ballad.  I thought the Disney-esque verses are pretty to listen to and then leads into this powerful chorus which kind of switched moods and I ended up loving this a lot!  Even the little waltz bit in the second verse added color to the song…wow very impressed here!

4. Shinruka Soruka

The last track from the single, Shinruka Soruka takes the group into more of an EDM style of song and at first I thought it was a bit messy and the beat was counteracting the verses, but it does kind of clean itself up going further in.  It’s a little surprising it’s as straightforward as a song.  It does give me certain “Battle and Romance” vibes, but there’s not too much to say.

 

 

After the dual release of “AMARANTHUS” and “Hakkin no Yoake” at the beginning of the year, I thought the group would take a longer break, but here we are, 7 months later with a new single.  Overall, The Golden History is a pretty decent single overall.  While I’m not too fond of the leading track or Shinruka Soruka, the main highlights are definitely DECORATION & Hanabi (which the latter could be one of their best songs yet!).  Wonder what’s next for them!