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Kagrra - Chikai no Tsuki single review

June 28th 2009 05:55

Kagrra's single which is the ending theme of the anime, Kinnikuman Nisei. The cover shown here is for the regular edition.

Tracklist:

1. Chikai no Tsuki
2. Bikuni
3. Kokyou

Comment:

This is the first song that makes me very hooked with Kagrra. Yes, another reason why I like this song is it's the theme song for the anime even though the anime is crap. Okay, I'll stop talking about it. If you have listened to Kagrra's song (it doesn't matter whether it's their new songs or old songs), you will notice that Chikai no Tsuki sounds slightly different than any of their songs. This song is a lot more upbeat compared to their other songs. I know this kind of song isn't as fast as Gazette's songs but for me, I think this song sounds absolutely different than their typical songs. Even though the song sounds different than their typical styles, this song still makes me hooked to them and this song is the reason why I started to like Kagrra. Before I listened to this single, I've listened to their other songs but I was left with a horrifying experience because I hate Isshi's voice. But ever since I've listened to Chikai no Tsuki, my opinion towards Isshi's vocal has changed and I think Isshi's vocal is absolutely wonderful. This song really left me a very deep good impression about them so I highly recommend you to listen to this song.

Other songs in this single such as Bikuni and Kokyou are indeed nice songs but I don't fancy these songs as much as I love Chikai no Tsuki. I believe the reason behind this is because I was thinking that the other two songs might sound similar like Chikai no Tsuki but unfortunately these two songs are the typical Kagrra songs.

Honestly, I only like Chikai no Tsuki (the song) but I don't feel that this single is a waste of money. Besides, this single is not included in any of their album (I thought they might include this single in Shizuku but sadly they don't) so it's still worth buying this single because there's nothing better than listening to Chikai no Tsuki in high quality audio instead of downloading it.

If you don't get why I'm so hooked with Chikai no Tsuki, then have a look at their pv:

If you're interested with this single, you can purchase this single here:

Chikai no Tsuki ("Kinniku Man 2sei" Ending Theme) [Regular Edition]

Kagrra,

Chikai no Tsuki ("Kinniku Man 2sei" Ending Theme) [Limited Release]

Kagrra,

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Posted By: Suhaili - Category: No Category

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Kagrra - San album review

June 21st 2009 05:49

Kagrra's second full-length album. This album is available in two types which are limited edition and regular edition. This review will focus on regular edition version.

Tracklist:

1. Murakomu
2. Gen Ei no Katachi ~San remix~
3. Ibitsu
4. Oni o Awaremuuta
5. Satsuki
6. Boufura
7. Omou ~San remix~
8. Meguru
9. Izanai no Jyukai
10. Himitsu
11. Sarasoujyu no Komoriuta ~San remix~
12. Arishi Hi no Bishou

Kagrra, San, Isshi, Akiya, Shin, Nao, Izumi

Comment:

I have to admit that I really love most of the songs in this album. This album itself has lots of amazing music and it will make you go green with envy even if you're not Kagrra fans. I maybe over-exaggerating about it but let's take a look at each and every single songs in this album.

Firstly, let's start with the songs which are remixed solely for this album. Call me blunt but as far as I've listened to the single version a couple of times (mostly Omou since I really love this song the most), I didn't really notice any difference for the album version. I've no idea why they called a remix version, but I didn't spot any obvious difference. Therefore, whether you purchased the singles or not, you don't miss anything so don't worry about being left out.

Murakomu is indeed a very nicely-made intro for this album as the song starts with the traditional instruments and there is an oni-like voice in between the music. After that, then you will hear Isshi's voice. I really love this intro so much because it has the traditional Japanese music feeling.

Most of the songs are very upbeat (not An Cafe's style, mind you) but it still has calm feelings so this album is a bonus because of this. The songs that I feel are upbeat are Ibitsu, Izana no Jyukai, Himitsu and Arishi Hi no Bishou. I really love Ibitsu and Izanai no Jyukai but I don't really like Himitsu and Arishi Hi no Bishou that much. It's not that these two songs are horrible, it's just that I'm not hooked to them unlike Ibitsu and Izanai no Jyukai.

And yes, this album is not complete if the music doesn't have koto as a part of the music. Meguru will be the song that you should be looking forward to because this is the song that has koto in the music. So, there's nothing special about Meguru other than the koto itself.

So far, I'm only talking about the modern aspect of this album and perhaps if you're looking something more on the traditional side other than Murakomu, songs like Oni o Awaremuuta and Satsuki will be the songs that you've been looking for. I'm pretty much okay with Satsuki but I don't really like Oni o Awaremuuta. Seriously, Oni o Awaremuuta reminds me of Heian era, lol.

Now, Boufura is something that I find the most unique song I've ever listened compared with other songs. What I find unique about this song is that it gives you a melancholic feeling with coarse guitar sound and Isshi's slow and melancholic voice. Okay, I admit that it gives you negative feeling but this song is unique because I don't remember Kagrra actually made such song. Listen to this song and tell me what do you think about this song.

Overall, I really love this album the most compared with their later release such as Shizuku and Core. Since I really love this album so much, I completely forgotten about their latest album, Shu. Okay, maybe I should listen to Shu properly this time and I'll tell you what do I think about this album. This album, San is a recommended for those who have never heard of Kagrra before and if you do like Kagrra, this album is a must have.

Here's Satsuki pv if you're curious how does Satsuki sounds like:

And this is Omou pv which is the song that I really love the most in this album.

If you're interested with this album, you can purchase this album here:

San [Regular Edition]

Kagrra,

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Posted By: Suhaili - Category: No Category

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Holiday in Japan for singles

June 17th 2009 05:46

I know this is not a single or album review, but instead of talking about the album or single perhaps I should be saying something about holiday. With tour finals scheduling around the corner along with new releases which comes along with special bonus (think Gazette's new album, DIM. If you don't know what I'm talking about, read my post here). I'm also in the process of going to Japan but I'm going there for the entrance exam instead of holiday but I just cover the holiday part along the way.

Now, let's move on to the subject. Since I'm planning to go to Japan, I happened to stumble upon this site which is perfect for singles holiday. If you don't get what I mean, I'm referring it as having vacation in your favorite spot all by yourself which can also mean going on vacation alone. Just have a look at it first.

Ready to have Singles Holidays? Then, let's find out together, shall we?

Comment:

If you live in UK, you're very fortunate because this site is based in UK. From what they claim, they will arrange everything for you from the flight ticket to your accommodation so if you live in UK, they will arrange everything for you from the moment you depart from UK until you come back to UK. What I really love is this facility that is provided is specially caters for you and only you. Even though this program is meant for single travelers, you can also ask your friend to tag along if you find uncomfortable to travel alone. But I'm warning you to bring someone who has the same fandom with you. You don't want to bore that person with the fangirls/otaku activities.

Firstly, let's talk about the overall holiday package. I have tried their holiday search result and it really does provide the result that I want because in this case, I want holiday in Japan. The page will tell you the summary of the package (shown below) which includes expected hotel services and transport when you are there. This is a good idea to introduce what you can expect from the package you choose and I think this summary is useful because I get to decide whether the package is for me or not.

Since you already know what you can expect to get from the package you chose, now you can take a look at the itinerary. This itinerary will tell you the details of your tour. Assuming that you want to go for the anime convention or live, you can simply just tell the tour manager that you want to be excluded from the tour and you can simply wander off on your own. By looking at the itinerary, you can choose what day you want to be excluded from the tour. I would do this as well since they don't have a package specifically for otaku, lol.

Not just that, this page (shown below) is also helpful by providing which airport you want to depart and the price. You have to choose which airport as different airports have different schedule for departure. If you love this package, you can simply book the package by clicking next to the date you want. Another nice way to illustrate the price.

This page (shown below) also provides extra information such as where to change your money or if you want to buy new clothes for your holiday. This section of this page provides you with the service you need so then you'll be fully prepared for your holiday.

I haven't fully discovered the page yet, but I find the single traveler FAQ is quite useful because it's easy to understand and very straight-forward. So if you can't find the answer in the FAQ, you can always ask the editor about your query.

Even though I'm focusing on holidays in Japan, this site also provides traveling to places around the world, not just Japan. The reason why I'm focusing on Japan is because I want to go to Japan. If you really want to go elsewhere, you can always search for your desired location or spot in this site.

Another good thing about this site is that they also provide you a package specifically for your weekends if you think taking a big holiday really kills your pocket or big holiday package is too much for you, then signing up for their Discovery Weekend will be the perfect choice for you. The offer for this package isn't so bad so you want a break but don't want to spend so much then this is the right package for you.

Overall, this site is perfect for people who wants to travel alone because it provides you everything from arranging for your flights, accommodation and tour manager to make you travel with ease. Therefore, if you want to have vacation by yourself, perhaps SINGLES HOLIDAYS is perfect for you.

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Posted By: Suhaili - Category: No Category

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SuG - 39Galaxyz single review

June 13th 2009 11:35

SuG's latest single. This single is available in two types which are Limited Edition Type A and Regular Edition Type B. This review will focus on Limited Edition Type A.

[ Click here to read more ]

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Posted By: Suhaili - Category: No Category

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Gazette - Distress And Coma (Auditory Impression) single review

June 7th 2009 05:36

I know it's a bit late to do this review since I believe that everyone here must have listened to this single by now. But still, I really want to share with you my thought about this single. So, let's move on to the subject. This single as usual as two different type which are Optical Impression and Auditory Impression but this review will focus on Auditory Impression version. As for first press bonus, you'll receive a sticker if you buy both Auditory and Optical Impression.

[ Click here to read more ]

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Posted By: Suhaili - Category: No Category

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An Cafe - Cosmos single review

May 23rd 2009 04:41

In conjunction with An Cafe's live performance in Nippon Budoukan next year, I'm thinking of writing a review about their third single when they're still indie. So here is their third single during their early year, Cosmos.