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Kitto Daijoubu Artist: Arashi Product Code: JACA-5039/5040 Released Date: 2006.05.17 Debut Ranking: #1 Label: J-One Records

After half a year of inactivity, where music releases are concerned, Kitto Daijoubu was released - their first for 2006. Of course, that leaves fangirls super exciting, securing it’s #1 debut ranking on the Oricon charts. However, does the single itself actually deserve that #1 ranking?

Arashi (which means ’storm’ in Japanese), is a 5-member Japanese pop group under Johnny’s Entertainment, consisting of Masaki Aiba, Matsumoto Jun, Ninomiya Kazunori, Ohno Satoshi and Sakurai Sho. Widely popular for their good looks, they literally took the Japanese pop-scene by ’storm’. The members are also involved in acting and hosting variety TV shows, boosting their popularity in the ever-fickle world of Japanese pop.

Kitto Daijoubu is Arashi’s 16th studio single, and as mentioned earlier, it was highly anticipated, considering it was their first release since November 2005. Two versions of the single was released, a limited edition CD+DVD version, and a regular version. The CD+DVD versions only contained the first two tracks, however came with a DVD of Kitto Daijoubu. The regular version contained all 3 tracks and their karaoke versions.

1. Kitto Daijoubu

Kitto Daijoubu is none other than what I would call, a typical Arashi song. Not saying it’s bad, but that’s exactly what it is. Happy and bouncy, cheery and catchy, with a slight retro touch to it. Any hardcore Arashi fan would enjoy it, and any non-Arashi fan might also find themselves bopping along to it. I don’t know how else to describe it, it’s just very…Arashi. I suppose you could say the song sounds quite cheesy, and like I said earlier, retro cheesy, perhaps because of the background music. It’s got a slight jazzy touch to it, and it’s a very nice, summery song, suitable for the time it was released (which was May).

Rating:

2. Harukaze Sneaker

I honestly do not wish to question the song title, it’s just strange beyond normality. I think it’s suitable to say this song is severely pop/rock. Leaning more on the pop side, but retaining enough guitar in the background for it to not entirely be pop. It’s very cute and, again, sounds just like something they’d sing. While the song is catchy, the title track of the single seems to weigh over this song, that you end up only ever remembering the tune to Kitto Daijoubu, sadly. Then again, I’m not exactly a huge fan of this song. I will say the instrumental is quite nice, in a pop/rock sort of way, however, and die-hard Arashi fans will definitely be able to enjoy it. I just really do not like it when all of them sing in unison, it just sounds really annoying, somehow. I will admit, Arashi sings good songs, but don’t sing as well as I’d wish they would, perhaps bringing the annoying-sounding unison singing.

Rating:

3. NA!NA!NA!

This sounds sounds like what I call: Caribbean meets Jazz meets Hip Hop meets Arashi. Or well, I’m not a jazz fan, so I could be wrong about the classification of the song, but it definitely has a slight tropical feel to it, something you’d imagine being played on a lazy beach holiday. I do also quite like the rap part near the beginning, it’s catchy, and while it completely defies the feeling of the rest of the song, it’s enjoyable. It’s slightly different from the other two tracks, and unique in its own fashion. I find this song extremely cute, and very pleasant to listen to, since it’s not exactly cuteness-overkill. Not exactly a tune you’d find yourself memorizing that much, but it catches on. Eventually, you’ll find yourself going “nanananana!” without even realizing.

Rating:

Conclusion

A fairly strong single coming from Arashi, half a year after they released their last single, WISH, and well deserving of it’s #1 debut rank. I probably consider this one of my most favourite Arashi singles, next to Sakura Sake, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, since I had a severe overdose of overly emotional and depressing Japanese rock music prior to this single. I think any fan of J-pop would like this song, yet I would strongly not recommend this to anyone looking for amazing vocal prowess. Don’t listen to this - or really, anything by Arashi - expecting that, because you won’t get it. Their vocals are just about average, and to a certain extent, annoying (Harukaze Sneaker is a song that is just that). However, the truth lies here: Arashi = cute, whether in regards to their music, or to their looks.

Overall Rating:

Regular CD Edition

Limited CD+DVD Edition

1. Kitto Daijoubu
2. Harukaze Sneaker
3. NA!NA!NA!
4. Kitto Daijoubu (Original Karaoke)
5. Harukaze Sneaker (Original Karaoke)
6. NA!NA!NA!

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