Sexy Second

I was lucky to receive Sexy Zone’s second album Sexy Second on the release day! How awesome is that? So I thought I would make a first impression review right away here on my blog.

Album cover

Album back

Photobook tracklist

1. Sexy Second（Introduction）
This instrumental opening was very orchestral and grand! Something I didn’t really expect, but I think it was a nice surprise and gave a unique intro to the next opening song.

2. We Gotta Go

I’ve already listened to the previews of this song many times, but was really impressed with the full song! It has such a fresh sound to it, which I love. Also, the lyrics is so energetic and happy, I can’t help feeling all set to go somewhere (haha). All in all a really good album start track!

3. Butsukacchauyo （ぶつかっちゃうよ）

Hahaha! This song! Soooo crazy! The tempo of this song was veeery upbeat and the lyrics so funny! Also, the song title’s meaning “I’ll bump into you” is just too comical. However, it fits the crazy lyrics with all their repetitiveness and madness. But overall, this song sounds different from Sexy Zone’s usual songs, so I like it! Also I have a feeling it will be stuck in my head pretty soon too (haha).

4. 4 Seasons

This was a nice -more relaxed- song after the overly upbeat song, which came before. I almost felt like on summer vacation while listening to this, feeling like  I was relaxing on the beach or something like that! I’m not sure why (haha). Overall a good song, but mostly FumaKen dominant throughout though. I think it will grow on me, probably.

5. BAD BOYS

Well have listened many times to this song already (of course). It’s definitely a song which has gotten better with more listens. As I wrote in my review of Sexy Zone’s Japan Tour from 2013, I’ve come to quite like this song, in spite of the lack of two very important members. It has a cool “rock” sound to it, which isn’t that typical for Sexy Zone songs I think.

6. Ghost ~Kimi wa Maboroshi~　（Ghost～君は幻～）

Wow. This song was damn good! I loved the beat of the instrumental and the interesting theme of ghosts (haha). I’m very interested in watching them perform this live, especially with the dubstep parts and all! Uwaa~ I think I like this song the best so far!

7. Congratulations

Love this song. Actually I loved it from the first listen. I know some people say it doesn’t sound like a Sexy Zone song and all that, but why should they continue to just always sound the same? I think the message and heart of this song is beautiful and I think there are also some pretty awesome vocals delivered here from all three members. Yet again, would have been even better if Marius and Sou were in it too, but well, nothing I can do about that. *sigh*

8. Bye Bye Du Bye~See you again~　（バイバイDuバイ～See you again～）

Love this song as well. I remember being all, Dubai? Why Dubai? When I first listened to it, but I’ve really come to love this song. I don’t know, I like the theme of friendship apparent, when they perform this and how they included arabic phrases! Also I like the whole “eastern” sound to it, if that makes any sense? (haha). Then of course, it’s also incredibly catchy like all the past Sexy Zone singles!

9. Shout!!

Well, this is one of the more plain songs of the new album imo. I don’t know, it just doesn’t do anything for me (as of now). I wonder if it will get better with more listens? Right now it’s just boring for me, sorry.

10. Soba ni iru yo　（そばにいるよ）

This was almost a FumaKen duet (only, Shori had one solo line, but who can tell? lol) and a really lovely ballad song! I think I’ve heard some preview of it from Johnny’s World 2020, because especially the introduction sounded very familiar! However, as I wrote earlier, this is a really good ballad with some good vocals from Fuma and Kento. I don’t know what more to write… no lines from Marius and Sou, from what I could hear… again. *sigh*

11. Be Free

Uwaa~ so funky! This song almost sounded like a song that could be on Arashi’s new album (haha). It’s very mature somehow! I like how Shori got so many solo parts, yay! And overall this song had a nice beat/rythm and so on. I think they could do a really cool dance for this song as well! Kyaa~ *already excited*

12. Real Sexy!

Yeah, well another song I’ve heard many times now. I think this song got a lot better with more listens as well, but I feel like I need a little break from it, perhaps (haha). Otherwise a good song. It’s cute~

13. Doki Doki Break Out!!　（ドキドキBreak Out!!）

So different from what I imagined from the title! I imagined this song to be more of a cute pop song, but turned out a lot more like a rock-type song. So very surprised. Apart from that I think it was an interesting song… sort of weird even. But in a good way, I think? Hmm… this will take more than one listen for me to decide on! So far I like it though.

14. A MY GIRL FRIEND

Aww this song… brings back good memories from the drama series 49 with Shori. I think Shori’s intro lines are so adorable in this song – melts my heart every time really. Half of this song is basically a Shori solo! (lol) I don’t mind it though~ The song itself is not that amazing, but I think because it’s tied with a good drama and Shori’s charm, it’s still awesome!

15. Watashi no Okite　（私のオキテ）

This song is just made of awesome! (hahaha). I loved it in 49, but it’s even better in full version! Not only is the concept of the song really interesting (boys working part-time at a host club in girls clothes) and the song very catchy, but the lyrics are really something too. A part of the lyrics says: “If you say I’m ugly, I’ll kill you” (lol). And there are many other funny parts in this song. In a way, I just find it fantastic they included this song on the album – thank you Johnny-san! A great bonus track for us fans indeed.

Well now I will talk about my overall opinion of the album!

First the positive… I think it’s great to hear how much the group’s sound has matured with this album. Somehow their first album seems a little immature now, after listening to this. But alright, that also makes a lot sense with this being over a year after their first album. I liked how this album tried out other sounds, instead of just staying with Sexy Zone’s typical genki, cute, catchy pop sound (or what I should call it haha). Songs like 4 Seasons, Celebration and Be Free definitely had a more mature sound to them. Butsukacchauyo and Ghost ~Kimi wa Maboroshi~ was very energetic like usual Sexy Zone, but still had a different sound and style to them, which I really liked. Then we had a few ballad songs, which sadly didn’t come close to Kimi to… Milky way at all, but that’s also kind of tough to beat.

Then to the negative (sorry), but where were Sou and Marius in this album? I swear if you thought they weren’t much present in their first album, they are nearly completely absent in this album *cries* Well, I guess I should have expected as much from the resent trend in Sexy Zone but STILL. The only songs I could hear their voices a little tiny bit was in the songs 4 Seasons, Ghost ~Kimi wa Maboroshi~, the first line in Shout!! and maybe a little bit in Doki Doki Break Out!! of the new songs. So disappointing.

Apart from that I really liked the new album. It contains a lot of great new songs, which I’m sure to listen to many times from now on and in all eternity! (haha). I also look very much forward to watching them perform the new songs in their spring tour beginning soon (I think?). Going to be awesome! Yay~

Here are more pictures of the album. I really like the look of it! Especially the theme with the door and the blue sky, so pretty! And got Sou’s photo card as you can see.

Notebook cover

Notebook back

Inside notebook – paper

Notebook mark

Photo cards (group + Matsushima So)

Photo cards back

Photobook cover

Photobook back

Inside album

CD and DVD and holder images

Close-up of CD holder image

Close-up of DVD holder image

Will talk about the DVD material soon!

Sexy Zone Japan Tour 2013

Another Christmas has passed and a new year has begun~ This year I received Sexy Zone’s Japan Tour on blu-ray, which I thought I would make a review of here on my blog (which ended up taking much longer than intended!). I’ve actually wanted to watch this for a long time, but simply didn’t have the money to buy it when it came out back in summer last year. These blu-ray concerts are really expensive! I think this costs over 6000 yen, which is around 60 dollars! But even though these Johnny’s blu-rays are crazy expensive, I must admit they are all their money’s worth. I just can’t get enough of watching my favorite idols on a big screen in HD. It’s the closest I get to being next to them, apart from going to their concerts of course. But when at a concert I’m usually so far away from the stage, that the members are so small, I have to look at the concert screens anyway… So yeah, these BDs are worth gold in my opinion!

So this blu-ray is a limited edition with two discs, a photo booklet and five member cards. The first disc include the main concert from their Japan Tour in May, whereas the second disc include a cut version of their New Year concert from January (which I went to!) and a Tour Documentary.
Here is a closer look on the covers and inside the BD case. I think this cover isn’t as pretty as the one for their first concert release, but I do like the cover with the blue outfits though. It’s clear that they choose a red/purple theme this time around, where the first concert had a more white/red/black color theme (like the rose in Sexy Zone’s first single, I suppose). Red and purple are the member colors of Shori and Fuma, but I don’t think it’s supposed to give meaning here maybe (haha). Their logo also changed its look for their second concert. They have added a heart instead of a rose, which makes me wonder if they have totally moved away from roses now? But I probably wonder too much, when it comes to Sexy Zone (lol).

cover case front

cover case back

cover front

cover back

inside case with discs

inside case without discs

Here is a closer look on the member cards and the photo booklet. This time around the member cards are much smaller than those from the first concert release. The first concert came with post card-sized member cards, whereas these are more the size of lobby cards. I guess they wanted to save on the expenses huh? If I have to choose my favorite card though, I would probably say Sou’s. His card is the only one with a member actually looking into the camera and then I also think he shows the best pose and facial expression. As for back of the cards, they just show a picture of the concert stage and the member name. The cover of the photo booklet is a bit boring, once again just showing a picture of the concert stage. However the inside is certainly something else!

member cards

back of member card

photo booklet cover

Here’s some inside pictures from the photo booklet! I’m thinking of scanning the whole booklet though, as I didn’t had the patience to take pictures of all the booklet’s pages.

And now to my review! I will start of with talking about the Japan Tour. This concert is 2 hours and 19 minutes long and took place at Yokohama Arena.

The setlist is as follows:

01. Overture
02. Sexy Zone
03. Sexy Summer ni Yuki ga Furu （Sexy Summerに雪が降る）
04. Lady Diamond （Lady ダイヤモンド）
05. Sukisugite （スキすぎて）
06. With you
07. I see the light ~Bokutachi no Stage~（I see the light～僕たちのステージ～ ）
08. BAD BOYS
09. IF YOU WANNA DANCE
10. Tsuki no Michi （ツキノミチ）
11. CANDY ～Can U be my BABY～
12. Onaji Sora no Shita （おなじ空の下）
13. Don’t Stop Sexy Boyz!
14. Bayside Elegy （ベイサイドエレジー）
15. Kimi no Tame Boku ga Iru （キミのため ボクがいる）
16. Yuuki 100 % （勇気１００％）
17. MC
18. Namae no Nai Omoi （名前のない想い）
19. Kimi to Milky way （君と…Milky way）
20. Jr. corner
21. Real Sexy!
22. We can be one
23. Knock! Knock!! Knock!!!
24. FaKe
25. Silver Moon
26. Just Ima Shika Nai （Justいましかない）
27. Kanzen My Way （ 完全マイウェイ）
28. Kyou Arigatou （今日はありがとう）
29. Kaze wo Kitte （風をきって）
30. High!! High!! People
31. Real Sexy!
32. Sexy Zone
33. Real Sexy!

Pretty long this time! But then again they didn’t have additionally three singles and one album included in their discography at the time of their first concert. I had heard much about this concert having treated the members unequally, with more focus on Shori and FumaKen, so I was sort of anticipating the worst. However, after having watched this concert 2-3 times now I actually don’t find it that bad. Of course, the introduction of the concert already separates the members, with Shori and FumaKen getting special introduction spotlight and being put in the elevated cranes, while MariSou only get to run around with the juniors on the arena stage.

 

But soon after they join each other singing Sexy Summer ni Yuki ga Furu. This time around you also see that all members got their own box, which runs across the audience area. Usually Marius and Sou had to share one. It’s clear in some performances though, especially Real Sexy! and BAD BOYS, as well as the distribution of solo songs and MC talk time, that Shori and FumaKen got way better treatment. Marius and Sou only got to perform solo together with the juniors. I do think that the majority of songs represented all members with mostly equal spotlight, but I didn’t approve of the different costumes though. To me it felt like it made a big division between the members, making Shori and FumaKen seem more important than MariSou. The most important thing for me however, was that all five members performed together most of the time. Of course, there’s no denying the unfair treatment was there, but I think it was endurable.

I do hope this unfair treatment stops soon. I know that their new volley ball theme song Shout!! (which I fear will be a single) only features Shori and FumaKen, but I sincerely hope that this is the first and last time for this to happen. (EDIT: after having listened to a short preview I’m not so sure anymore, maybe Marius and Sou also sings in this, but are just not volleyball supporters?) They did feature all five members on their last single, so I hope this is a one timer or even better only a B-side song (like BAD BOYS). But only time will tell, I guess. As for their second album getting released in February, I hope MariSou will finally get some more spotlight. They deserve it so much! If Shori and FumaKen once again are the only one to get solo songs, I will be mad. But I fear there’s a good chance that will happen though… *sigh* And that’s despite the fact that my favorite member is Shori. I just despise unfair treatment in idol/johnny’s groups. I know it’s sometimes inevitable in big groups, but hey, Sexy Zone only has five members. I really don’t see the excuse, except the fact that So and Marius are the youngest members of the group. I still don’t feel like that’s a proper excuse. But well, I guess there’s nothing really I can do about it. So I will shut up now, and pray for them instead. And I should probably get back to talking about the concert, don’t you think? (haha)

Now I want to talk about my favorite parts of this concert. As usual, the concert started with Sexy Zone’s first and most well-known as well as genki songs like Sexy Zone, Lady Diamond and Sexy Summer ni Yuki ga Furu. I always enjoy to listen to these songs and I think they suit the intro of a concert really well. Soon after they perform one of my favorite SZ songs Sukisugite! I just love this song and its dance choreography. I think it’s one of their most catchy songs and I always find myself dancing along with the members. I loved how Kento announced the song with asking: oretachi no koto suki desu ka (“do you love us?”), and afterwards saying: oretachi no Sexy Zone – minna sukisugite da yo! (“we Sexy Zone – love you all too much!”) So cute~ Actually, the choreography to this song with the mike stands, reminds me a lot of Arashi’s Wild at Heart‘s choreography! The style I mean.

I loved the part where each member said an individual quote.
Sou said: Yokohama baka yabee! (“Yokohama you are ridiculously awesome!” or so I think, haha!). Kento the eternal romantic said: sukisugiru kara (“because I love you too much”). Adorable Marius with his English phrases said: I kiss you! (aww) Shori made an adorable chu~ face with Jinguuji Yuta and Nakamura Reia joining in (haha).

And lastly Fuma said: omae ga kawaisugiru, gamandekinai (“you are just too cute, I can’t resist you”). Well, Sexy Zone themselves are all too cute! Kyaa~ (haha) At this point in the concert I couldn’t help notice Fuma’s very obvious flirting with Marius. He has really started to show his love for Marius in a very direct way (haha). I find this really amusing, as he used to tease him rather than hug him. But maybe he was just being shy? Boys are like that sometimes I think (haha). Well, after this song, they performed yet one of their genki and catchy songs With You and concluded the first act with the slower song I see the light ~Bokutachi no Stage~, which I think is a wonderful song with a great choreography as well!

In the second act (well I really don’t know why I’m separating the concert into acts haha), my next favorite part begins with the song BAD BOYS. I used to really despise this song, because of the fact MariSou wasn’t included. However, I ended up loving it anyway because of Shori (kyaa~). And also because it’s such a really catchy song! But yeah, I thought the performance of this song was really cool, and the outfits fit the song perfectly.

The fire effects were amazing in this performance as well!

I also found it really cute when Shori tried to act “tough” throughout the song. MORE POWER TO SHORI (haha).

As always Shori was also awesome dancing solo in the introduction to IF YOU WANNA DANCE (love that song to death).

The lack of Sou and Marius was recovered as well in this performance, where they joined the stage again. The choreography of that song would look wrong without all members, anyway. I liked how they danced to this song on separate platforms moving up and down, which gave the performance a new look, instead of just repeating the same thing.

I didn’t like how they wore different outfits though…Also, especially in this performance I couldn’t help marvel at Marius’ height! I remember how he was so tiny when performing this “sexy” song in their first concert, and now only one year after, he just looks way older! Height sure changes things a lot, huh? This act concluded with Fuma and Shori performing Tsuki no Michi (as Kento prepared for his solo). I like this song a lot and wonder if it finally will be included on their second album. I hope it will!

The third act – or maybe I can also call it the solo act? – started of with Kento’s performance of his solo song CANDY ~Can U be my BABY~.  The first time I listened to this song, I found it really hilarious. And I guess I still do, but I love it all the same! Kento’s nickname “love-holic senpai” really shines through in this song, and you just can’t help singing back “Love Kenty!” (haha).

Also all the juniors in pink and blue costumes with their huge lollipops or roller-skates were simply just adorable. Also Kento kissing the lollipop in the end~ They know how to make this girl happy! (haha)

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Loved how Kento gave Takahashi Fuu (aka. “TakaFuu”) time to show off his awesome head spinning skills too! As Fuu is one of my favorite juniors~

During the performance Kento made Jinguuji shout “LOVE KENTY!” in full force, poor lad (haha). It was cute though~ After Kento’s solo performance ended, Sou entered saying “Love Kenty” in a funny voice and jokingly said he loved Candy (the love interest in Kento’s solo song) the most (to Kento’s horror), but then added: “No that’s a lie~ I love my fans the most!” (haha) I love when Sou’s acting a troll.

Afterwards Sou introduced Kento to a challenge. He had to remove a tablecloth without making the objects fall off the table. And of course he achieved it without a sweat. That’s Kento for you! (Our Superman haha).

He then began what seemed like a new magic trick, but actually turned out to be Shori’s surprise entrance! Was really surprised by the shift of heads, which happened in a blink of an eye! But what a great way to start of my all time favorite part of this concert~

Yes, you’ve probably guessed it, but my most favorite part was without a question Shori’s solo performance! The cute yellow prince-like outfit, Shori’s radiant smile, the song’s adorable lyrics and the awesome dance choreography, made Shori shine the brightest of all in this concert! (imo) Just look at this beautiful outfit! The dance choreography was so incredibly cute too…

Somehow they added a new “marching” segment to the number, which I didn’t really see the point of, but it was cool I guess? I just love this boy so much, it sometimes scares me (haha). He’s just so precious~ *sigh* I already can’t wait for Shori’s next solo performance now ♡♡♡ *fantasizes about all the possibilities* And I’m sure Shori will just continue to get more and more popular from now on, no doubt about it! The solo act concludes with MariSou and Sexy Boyz’ performance of their song Don’t Stop Sexy Boyz! (love that title btw hehe). This performance was also one of my favorites, as we finally get to see Marius and Sou shine more. I loved the bright green/yellow colored outfits for this song and the energetic dance choreography.

The clothes made a really cool effect with different lighting! It’s really apparent in this song how much Sou and Marius have grown since the last concert. They are full of confidence here and Marius even shout out English lines by himself thoughout the performance. I really liked this performance and hope they get to perform more and more independently from now on!

In the fourth act, Shori and FumaKen joined Marius and Sou to perform the song Bayside Elegy. In this performance Marius, Iwahashi Genki and Jinguuji Yuta tried out filming by themselves, which called for special poses from the members! (haha)

Oh yeah, LOL’ed so hard at this part! I actually love the talking-part with Shori of this song, but sadly it wasn’t included in the shortened concert version. Hopefully they will include it another time! They then sang Kimi no Tame Boku ga Iru and Yuuki 100 %, which are songs I love too, so happy they got included~

Kimi no Tame Boku ga Iru!

Afterwards there was a long singing break, where they talked about how happy they are to have their own fan club now (which I won’t be able to enjoy *sob*) Then they fooled around a bit and Sou and Kento did cute monomane of Nobita and Doreamon. Was so adorable! They also teased Marius with a heartfelt line he was trying to say by himself, but Sou finished for him. Poor Marius (haha).

Poor Marius (haha). Luckily for him, Fuma was there to protect him from bullies like Sou! Aww~ However there is something Fuma is even better at than protecting Marius, and that is talking! He just went on and on and on, so the other members started asking him: when do you come to the point? (haha)

That’s Fuma in a nutshell! Really, that boy loves to talk!

After talking, they performed the song Namae no Nai no Omoi. This song is always very soothing somehow, isn’t it?

After the break, the fifth act started off with one of the best songs of their first album: Kimi to Milky way. I just love this song! Even after having listened to it like 50 times, the live version of this song still gives me the chills. So of course this performance was also one of my favorites from this concert.

Cute, how Kento was looking in Shori’s direction during his solo line~

By the way, I liked how the members created black silhouettes against the lit up S and Z stairs. Such a cool idea~ After this slow emotional song the concert took a drastic step in a more upbeat and energetic direction, with the juniors performing solo. The junior dancing solo in the beginning of this performance, was so good! Too bad I could recognize who it was though. The juniors performed with amazing energy and the song choice was really nice this time around. I didn’t know which songs they performed either though. Hope someone can enlighten me ~please~

Marius and Sou then joined the juniors, to start off the next performance in the 6th act: Real Sexy!

I enjoyed how they had sort of made it seem like the PV, with Marius touching an invisible barrier and even adding a sound effect as well. Was a nice touch!

Also Shori, Kento and Fuma’s entrance was so epic! Seemed like each member had their own element.
Shori – fire, Kento – water and Fuma – wind (or smoke? Dunno!). I must say I wasn’t a fan of this song when it came out, because of the treatment of MariSou, but quite enjoyed the live performance of it.

OMG THIS CUTE MOMENT ♥

The next performance was of the song We can be one, which also is one of my other favorite songs from their first album. So happy it got included~ I do think it would have looked better if they had performed in similar outfits here to go better with the song’s theme (to be one), but wasn’t possible with the previous performance being Real Sexy! I guess.

On a site note, Shori’s intense look with the smoke effect in the end of this performance was just too epic for words! (kyaa~)Then they performed Knock! Knock!! Knock!!!, where I couldn’t help notice how obvious it was Marius’ singing  parts were playback. His voice wasn’t that light and clear at the time of this concert. I just don’t see why they had to do that, as I personally think it wouldn’t hurt anyone to hear his singing voice having changed a little bit.

The seventh act starts off with Fuma’s solo song FaKe – which I’m not that much a fan of – but must have to admit it’s kind of catchy. I just feel like he’s trying too hard to imitate Akanishi Jin. Would like him better if he found his own style, I think. And Fuma should know, it’s completely okay to just be himself! It really seems like he care a lot about what other people think of him. I say this, because I read in an interview that he put his watch on his left wrist, even though he likes to wear it on his right (because he’s left handed), just because fans had commented it was the “wrong” wrist! And true enough, I noticed in this concert too that he wore it on his left! I think that has to say something about him (haha). Maybe this is the reason why he imitate Jin? Because he’s popular, so he thinks it’s safe? I don’t know though. 

I did find the effects in the start of the performance pretty cool ~After the Fuma solo the other four members performed the amazing song Silver Moon~ Fuma joined soon after to make the performance complete of course. I just love the intro to this song! One of the juniors danced to this, and I was really impressed! I think his name is Miyachika Kaito. So talented! The music and the dancing also worked really well together, I think! I liked the black and white outfits for this act, even though it looked like Kento was wearing a skirt (haha).

Following this performance, they sang the songs Just Ima Shika Nai and Kanzen My Way. It was funny to see Fuma and Shori giving it their all in this performance! (haha)

However, they ended this act in a more calm manner, singing Kyou wa Arigatou, which is such a “concert ending song” imo. I really like this song though. Especially Shori’s intro line ♥

They then said goodbye and disappeared from stage, followed by a huge encore chant from the audience.

The eight act was just a sort of a typical “saying goodbye –> fans shouting encore —> coming back to sing again —> saying goodbye —> encore again etc.” ending to a Johnny’s concert. I get the point they want to prove: they want to show their love for their fans. I just think it goes a tad overboard sometimes, especially when they do three encore performances (haha). I love to watch them sprint around on the stage though and marvel at the amount of energy they have left, after having performed for two and a half hour with a lot of energy consuming performances! But they are young, I guess (haha).

Now they look a bit tired after all!

I also suspect the reason for doing all these encores is because the members want to get in contact with their fans more. However, it usually ends up being the children who get the best treatment! (so unfair… haha)

Shori was the last to leave the scene and was kind enough to say: “be careful going home” to his fans. Awww!

All in all, I liked this concert a lot and will probably go back to watch it many times in the future, to enjoy special moments like Shori’s first solo performance, the awesome BAD BOYS performance and cute Fumarius moments. This concert had so many good performances and wonderful moments, which you can probably tell just by watching how much I wrote about in here! (sorry guys haha)

But I’m not nearly done yet! I still have to talk a bit about the New Year concert, which was the most special to me personally, because I attended it myself, but also the tour documentary! So yeah… this post is going to be super long (sorry!).

The New Year concert also took place in the Yokohama Arena and had a similar length to the Japan tour concert, however they shortened it down to only last just under an hour in this release. Too bad, but then again it was added as “extras”.

The setlist looks as followed:
01. Overture
02. Sexy Summer ni Yuki ga Furu （Sexy Summerに雪が降る）
03. Lady Diamond （Lady ダイヤモンド）
04. Sukisugite （スキすぎて）
05. With you
06. I see the light ~Bokutachi no stage~ （I see the light～僕たちのステージ～ ）
07. Silver Moon
08. IF YOU WANNA DANCE
09. Za ABC ~5stars~
10. Kimi wo Hanasanai Kimi wo Hanarenai （きみを離さない　きみを離れない）
11. Teleportation
12. MC
13. rouge
14. Kyou wa Arigatou （今日はありがとう）
15. Knock! Knock!! Knock!!!
16. High!! High!! People

So short… But still great to watch it again! I went to this concert with my twin sister and it is a very dear experience of mine, so am so happy they released some of this concert on blu-ray! I remember feeling very out of place, being almost the only foreigner in a sea of Japanese girls, but that was sort of expected! (haha) It was great fun though and sort of surreal to sit in the Yokohama Super Arena, which I had watched on the TV/PC screen so many times before. Sexy Zone and the juniors looked so small down on the stage platforms, but yet they were so close! At some point Fuma was lifted up just in front of our seats in one of those standing boxes and was really close to us. And remember that some hardcore Fuma fangirls went beserk in front of us, pointing like crazy at their own heads to catch Fuma’s attention (which I have no idea if worked). But it was really fun and entertaining to look at all the things happening at once on such a huge stage. Usually when watching the recorded concert, the camera focuses at one thing at a time, but when you are sitting in a seat above the whole arena, you can get quite busy following all the things going on (haha). That’s something you can only experience being there yourself! As well as singing along with the other fans and shouting your favorite member’s name. When watching this New Year concert once again on blu-ray it felt like I was just there yesterday. Just amazing. I’m sure I will treasure this release forever.

I won’t make a long walk-through review like the one above (can’t manage it! lol), but I think I will talk about my favorite parts of this concert and also the things that separated it from the Japan Tour. A thing that made this concert different was especially the member treatment! I think the members were much more united while performing, as well as mostly wearing the same outfits. The solo performances differed from the Japan Tour as well, with Fuma performing rouge and Kento performing Teleportation. Fuma’s hair was also still dark brown in this concert (much prettier imo). They also hoisted huge canvas posters with the members’ faces on in the ending of the concert to express their gratitude to their fans, which came as  a big surprise for me, I remember! Was a pretty cool effect though~

As for my favorite performances I will have to mention: IF YOU WANNA DANCE, Kimi wo Hanasanai Kimi wo Hanarenai, Teleportation, rouge and High!! High!! People.

I (almost) think the new year concert version of IF YOU WANNA DANCE beats the Japan Tour one. The members wear matching outfits here (which are a come back from their first concert with small modifications though) and Marius haircut is better (lol). I also think they kind of filmed it better? I’m not sure what it is – it was just full of epicness. Or maybe I just love this song too much? (haha) I also think gold looks more epic than red~

Now to Shori’s (almost) solo song! Kimi wo Hanasanai Kimi wo Hanarenai was not included on the Japan Tour, so good thing it was included in the new year concert. I love this song, so of course I would also love the performance~ I think Shori looked so dashing in the white suit with the red rose attached (so romantic ♥) and his smile was just the cutest thing! He didn’t get the spotlight all to himself, as I meant by “almost” solo song, Kento and Fuma joined the performance too in nice black suits. The only thing is that the performance felt too short. I’m not sure, but maybe they cut it? I think it’s a shame if they did (*sobs*). 

The best part of the performance was when Shori threw the rose to the audience though *kyaa*

~Sexy Rose~

My next favorite part was Teleportation. I love this Kento solo (even more than the Candy song lol) and he performed so well here! I remember when I watched this live, they did a cool intro to this song, where it looked like Kento “teleported” himself round on the stage. Such a waste they didn’t include that! However, it was really amazing to watch this close-up (kyaa). Kento’s dance moves were awesome and the dance fit really well with the song imo. You could really see he had practised long and hard for this performance! That’s Kento for you. Always working extremely hard to impress his fans. Have also noticed how often he expresses his gratitude for being where he is now and how surreal it all is to him. I think that’s a really cool thing about Kento~

Now to Fuma’s solo song rouge~ This is without a doubt my favorite solo song of Sexy Zone’s discography, even though I want to say nothing beats Shori’s solo,  I must have to admit that Fuma’s vocals are amazing! They added some special intro to the song though in the concert performance, which I remember made me believe Fuma would perform another song instead of rouge (gave me quite a fright actually). Luckily, that wasn’t the case though! And the performance turned out just as good as the song~ Loved the dance choreography and the whole blue/red color symbolic. As the song’s meaning is “red”, I wonder if there was a special meaning to that? Oh, and there was also a chair segment included in the dance, which I love when they do in concerts! So epic~

chairs (oh yeah!)

red

blue

Now to my last favorite part of the new year concert (well I would have had more if just they had included the whole concert!), which turned out to be High!! High!! People. This was the last song they performed and loved it because of all the funny things going on while they performed it! In the beginning of the performance Kiyomoto Taiga and Morimoto Shintaro made their guest appearances on stage out of nowhere, and  started doing silly stuff with Fuma and Kento. There were also a cute moment with Marius and Kento~

Mariken moment ♥

They also gave the juniors some credit in the last minutes of the concert. So cute~

Matsukura Kaito

Miyachika Kaito

Matsuda Genta

Iwahashi Genki

Kuramoto Kaoru

Haniuda Amu

Nakamura Reia

Takahashi Fuu

And this was a cute moment with Jinguuji and Shori ♥ They seem to be good friends! Well that’s it for the new year concert I guess? I just want to comment that I really wish they had included MariSou and Sexy Boyz’ performance of Ame Datte
（雨だって） which was really adorable, after what I can remember and watch from clips included in the tour documentary. But, I guess I will never get to watch that performance again now *sobs*. Well, nothing to do about that… But holy moly, this turned out a long post! I didn’t know I had the patience in me to make such a long post, but I guess I just proved it (haha). For you who made it this far, I want to give you something in return, which is the scans from the booklet included on this release.

Here you go! download booklet *hugs*

And last but not least, pictures from the tour documentary! Enjoy~

Marius in English: “So Fuma, please stop destroying my hair, OK?!” ROFL

‘one Sexy Zone’ to rule them all

Yesterday I bought Sexy Zone’s very first album in the huge Tsutaya in Shibuya. Even before entering the store big Sexy Zone posters greeted me outside the entrance. The first thing I saw when I entered the store was the cd stand made for the Sexy Zone album with a screen showing Sexy Zone PVs. The next thing I noticed was the numerous Sexy Zone banners hanging from the cealing. Seriously, it was amazing! (wish my camera hadn’t gone out…) I had pre-ordered the anniversary box limited edition of the album and went to the second floor to receive it. When I came up to the second floor they were playing the Sexy Zone album in the speakers and I saw another cd stand with the albums lined up. So excited! I also noticed a cd stand with Fairies new single, White Angel, which had a screen showing the making of the PV.
Practically the whole store were filled with various single stands showing PVs or making ofs. I really liked it a lot, especially because you could listen to the songs before buying the single/album! And then also because they were so pretty with pictures and autographs attached. Almost pieces of art (haha).
When I received the album it came with 6 postcards and a special Sexy Zone themed Tsutaya bag. But I didn’t get to flash the baby, because they immediately packed it all up in a plain bag (you know Japanese people and their fear of getting embarrassed!). After having paid I didn’t feel like leaving yet, so I looked around a little longer and noticed there even was a cozy cafe as well on the second floor. Will definitely check that out when I come with a friend next time.
The first thing I did when I came back to my dorm was of course opening and listening to the album. Felt like I had waited forever to do this, even though it was only a month ago the release was announced (but you know!).

The anniversary box was so incredibly beautiful; a simple white cardboard box with the members on the cover in these classy clothes, their names written in gold on the sleeve and another group shot on the back. I think the subtle but beautiful style just blew me away. It got even better when I opened the case, which contained two discs and photobooks all in gold and white, whuaah! I totally didn’t expect such great design and style for Sexy Zone, but I’m so glad they cared to make the album timeless.
The photocards  were Christmas themed as promised and the photobook pictures so gorgeous! The black and white theme works so well for Sexy Zone, yay~

But now to the songs! Shall I start from the beginning?

1. Kanzen My Way
A very energetic song to start off the album. Even though this song is probably the only genetic and a tad boring song on the album I still love it, because I just can’t help love all Sexy Zone songs. It fits well for an intro song though and the instrumental reminds me a lot of a Buono song actually (haha).

 
2. Silver Moon
The intro to this song is so beautiful~ And then it’s even song by Shori! That fact alone is enough reason for me to like this song already. This song isn’t that great the first time listening to it though, but actually it grows surprisingly much on you, the more times listen to it. I love the chorus and melody and the name is kind of cool don’t you think?

 
3. Lady Diamond
I don’t know what it is with this song, but it’s just impossible to get tired of! The sound is energetic, the lyrics adorable, the PV magical and the song catchy as hell (lol). Oh and I must not forget to mention Shori’s haiku; so random and weirdly captivating, I can’t help loving it. No matter what, Lady Diamond just always make my day!

 
4. IF YOU WANNA DANCE
This song being on this album is just like the best Christmas present anyone could give me! Yes, I love this song to death. I really hope Sexy Zone will get more songs like this in the near future, especially if they are aiming for the “Michael Jackson style/sexiness” (or whatever they started out saying). The perfect harmony of the members’ light and deep voices and the catching melody is just killing me~ I also love Fuma’s rap part, so great! But I must also admit the live performance sort of raised the epicness bar with a major margin (lol). But my only complaint is they left out the cool intro part with drums, rock guitar, violin, quick breaths and breaking glass sound effects (that almost takes a minute!) in the beginning of the song… It was sort of part of that song imo (cries).

5. rouge
Fuma’s solo song really surprised! Of course I know he’s the best singer in Sexy Zone, but I just didn’t expect his solo to be so well-composed if you know what I mean? It’s almost in league with Justin Bieber imo. I’m also in love with Fuma’s rapping – he’s really talented! This is one of the really strong tracks on this album. Am impressed.

 
6. GAME
The “rivalry” theme in this song is so nice~ it also sort of has a latino sound to it with the guitar play, which I love in Johnny’s songs ♥ But my favourite part has to be Shori’s solo line. That particular solo line was the first one I ever heard Shori sing  as opposed to his mostly spoken parts like “sexy rose” and the Lady Diamond haiku. Otherwise this is just a cool and very likeable song!

 
7. Kimi to… Milky way
This song starts out all epic with beautiful piano play and then usually in Johnny’s songs that would change into a typical energetic beat and turn boring, but this doesn’t! Was truly impressed with this song all the way through. First – I didn’t know they could do this sort of ballad style – second – Shori’s solo parts OMG!  (dying) This song is just so beautiful I can’t express how much I love it. I know I have always been a sucker for ballad songs, but this is really something! Both Kento, Fuma and Shori’s solo parts really surprised me. Their voices have such a good chemistry, I’m just wow. This has turned into my new favourite Sexy Zone song and is without a doubt the best song on their first album imo.

 
8. Sexy Zone
Sexy Zone’s signature song following that amazing ballad just makes me love the album makers so much. Sexy Zone’s first single is such a fitting song for a first single. It has that natural “let’s do our best”  feel to it and is great for concerts. Well done Johnny-san!

9. Don’t Stop Sexy Boyz!
Wait a minute, when did Sexy Boyz actually turn sexy? This song is kind of kakkoii ikemen potential (haha). The only thing that ruins it is maybe the title and line “Don’t stop Sexy Boyz!”. It just sounds so comical I can’t help grinning when listening to this song. But otherwise I like this song. I’m looking forward to hear more from them. I’m only wondering when will we actually hear Marius and Sou in this unit? They are sort of the main members right?

 
10. Kimi wo hanasanai kimi wo hanarenai
This was rumored to be a Shori solo song, but unfortunately it’s not… It’s still a pretty nice song though. Maybe a bit typical as a Johnny’s song, but overall pretty catchy. It’s just not the best song on the album that’s all.

11. We can be one
This song is kind of Sexy Zone turning K-pop, but then again not really. It’s just some parts of it (especially when they sing “you know I want it”) has that feeling to them. I have a feeling this song has a connection to the album title “one Sexy Zone” and “We can be one”, but then I could be wrong. This song is sort of mysterious (haha), but I like it! Lol’ed so hard when Kento broke out in that “boku ga iru yo!” line though – almost over the top (haha).

 
12. Teleportation
This song really grows on you. At first it sounded kind of bland and typical, but with more listens it turned really catchy, wow! I think this type of song fits Kento’s style a lot and even I must admit he’s kind of sexy when performing this song ♥ (I’m not that much a fan of him).

 
13. Sexy Summer ni yuki ga furu
でたーThis song is so random and crazy it’s actually pretty cool. Who can pull of performing in Christmas costumes with Hawaiian style hibiscus flowers and sing about Christmas taking place in summer apart from these adorable guys? The whole idea of this song is just sort of intriguing to me (haha). Was it really Johnny-san who came up with the idea for this song or was it perhaps Sexy Zone themselves? Well, I’ll probably never know… As a song though, it doesn’t beat Lady Diamond in cuteness, but it’s very close! I still like it though (obsessed, I know).

14. Sukisugite
Yay another concert song included on the album! I’ve always liked this song when they performed it at concerts and Shokura, so was really glad to see it included on their album. The best part is definitely the chorus (tied with the cute dance moves of course lol) and then I also like the “I love you” individual member lines.

 
15. Kyou wa arigatou
Shori intro again (wee~). His voice is seriously way too cute for my health. It could turn a fangirl crazy okay? But I still want more~ Ehem! Well back to the song (lol). This is a nice ending track (I know it’s not officially the last track, but if we don’t count the bonus track it sort of is) and reminds me a bit of earlier HSJ ending tracks. Not anything in the league of  “Kimi to… Milky way”, but still pretty awesome.

16. Namae no nai omoi (bonus track)
This is a Kento and Fuma duet, kind of slow-paced (some would think boring perhaps), but I like relaxed songs like this once in a while as well. This track is actually only available on the limited edition of this album, so that makes it sort of special I guess. It’s not that amazing though. Still a nice relaxed ending to the album (am not fond of fast-paced ending songs) so it’s definitely approved by me~

 All in all I’m really satisfied with Sexy Zone’s first album. Heck, I’m practically just grateful we are already getting an album from them! I hope they will keep the releases coming (haha). But back to the album; I think the balance (if you can use that word) of the songs in this album is simply spot on. For example the number of happy and lively type of songs opposed to more cool/serious songs and ballads. From the new songs there appeared some real pearls as well, like “Kimi to… Milky way”, “Silver Moon” and “rouge”. Yes even the Sexy Boyz song was surprisingly good! Apart from the new songs, Sexy Zone already had tons of great songs to include on this album, so it wasn’t really possible for it to fail. My only complaints are probably the missing presence of Sou and Marius in the new songs. It was only Fuma, Kento and Shori who got solo lines and in a couple of songs I actually wondered if they were even present at all… I could also have done with a Shori solo, now they made me think he was going to have one and all! (cries) But putting that aside this is really a fantastic debut album, who has a lot to offer and which I’m sure will become a favourite album of mine in my Johnny’s collection. Let me finish with saying I have big expectations for you Sexy Zone and may you rule over them all~