138 replies to this topic

[tadase]

Update: As Takagi Sayuki resigns / gets terminated / whatever you call it from Juice=Juice HP, UFP has decided to postpone the single to April 28 due to production reasons.

We'll update this post with more information as they are announced

http://www.helloproj...com/news/12835/

 

---------------------------

 

As announced in this story: https://natalie.mu/music/news/412088
Officially on HP site: http://www.helloproj...ail/HKCN-50646/
 

 
 
Video announcement: https://twitter.com/...824721110913024

 
6 Editions: RE A and B, LE A, B, SP1, SP2. Since the titles were switched after the announcement, the contents will be reversed:

• RE A will get a Ganbarenai Yo DOWN TOWN Trading Card (a random card of a member or a group shot)
• RE B will get a DOWN TOWN Ganbarenai Yo Trading CArd (a random card of a member or a group shot)
• LE A will get Ganbarenai Yo DOWN TOWN MV + Making
• LE B will get DOWN TOWN Ganbarenai Yo MV + Making
• LE SP1 will get Ganbarenai Yo's Dance Shot + Solo Close-Up shots of all members
• LE SP2 will get DOWN TOWN's Dance Shot + "Inoue Rei Sings Juice=Juice..." series, Inoue Rei's cover duets/trios with other J=J members as released on YouTube.
  It's worth noting that the one unreleased here is Naite ii yo with Riai and Yume.
  • "Hitori de Ikiraresou" tte Sore tte Nee, Homete Iru no? - Inoue Rei x Taisei 
  • Watashi ga Iu Mae ni Dakishimenakya ne - Inoue Rei
  • Potsuri to - Inoue Rei x Kanazawa Tomoko
  • Sunao ni Amaete - Inoue Rei x Uemura Akari 
  • CHOICE & CHANCE - Inoue Rei x Takagi Sayuki
  • Romance no Tochuu - Inoue Rei x Miyamoto Karin
  • Bitansan - Inoue Rei x Inaba Manaka 
  • Suki tte Itte yo - Inoue Rei x Dambara Ruru
  • Naite Ii yo - Inoue Rei x Kudo Yume x Matsunaga Riai

 

CD Tracklist:

• DOWN TOWN
  
  Japanese Lyrics:Ito Ginji
  Composition:Tatsuro Yamashita
  Arrangement:Anders Dannvik
  Voice Percussion: Inoue Rei
  (first performed at the HP 2021 Winter Con)
   
  DOWN TOWN is a cover of the 1975 song from Suga Babe:
  
  
   
• Ganbarenai Yo (がんばれないよ)
  
  Lyrics: Yamazaki Aoi
  Composition & Arrangement: KOUGA
   
  
   
• DOWN TOWN (Instrumental)
• Ganbarenai Yo (Instrumental)

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Single Comments (via A of JPLOP) via the TokyoSports article
 
The release of the single was announced in a comment video posted on the group's official Twitter account. "Ganbare nai yo / DOWN TOWN" is the first single released by Juice=Juice in about a year and the first single after Inoue Rei joined the group. The single includes the new ballad song "Ganbare nai yo", which was first performed at the graduation performance of Miyamoto Karin, and a cover of the 1975 famous song "DOWN TOWN" by Sugar Babe, a band formed by singer/songwriter Tatsuro Yamashita and others. To make it a 2021 style cover, Swedish producer Anders Dannvik doing the city pop arrangements for the song is also a highlight. It also features voice percussion by Inoue Rei.
 
"DOWN TOWN" comments

• Inoue Rei:"I'm doing voice percussion in the interlude. I'm using a new technique, so I hope you'll pay attention! The dance corner in between is also very cool!"
• Takagi Sayuki: "In "DOWN TOWN", I hope you can feel the nostalgia and the newness of our singing."

"Ganbare nai yo" comments

• Kanazawa Tomoko : "It's a song that will gently help you cope with the negative feelings of not being able to do your best. By the end of the song, you'll feel like 'I'll try a little harder' with the gentle lyrics."
• Dambara Ruru "When I listen to this song, I feel a little refreshed or relieved of my burden. Please listen to it!"

I'm looking forward to DOWN TOWN which has names we haven't seen much in HP releases! ALSO THE INOUE REI COFFEE SHOP EXPERIENCE IS COMING OMG THIS IS IT

[Zoe]

DOWN TOWN is a cover of the 1975 Sugar Babe song. It will feature Rei beatboxing.

SP2 will have all the Inoue Rei cover videos.

[rurupedia]

omg i'm so excited!!!! it's definitely expected but i don't mind, i'm really excited to hear them in studio recordings and to see their mvs and the general concept of both (especially down town)

[mizukingdom1]

Yes!! New single!! But I wonder how well it'll sell as the main song is a ballad and the second song is a cover.

[DiegoKashiwagi]

i didn't really expect this? lol...now that i think about it, they were next in line but i didn't expect it this soon

 

i don't like how they had shown both costumes before and 1 one song (plus the other being a cover lol) but oh well, it is what it is

 

i love the styling for down town! its seems promising, and having a ballad as the main song seem odd, i like it lol

[patapataful]

Wow, didn't see this coming! Like everyone said, Main Side is a ballad and the other is a cover, we'll see how this sells.

Finger cross for B-Sides? Please *lol*

BUT the promo cover looks promising!

[tadase]

^No B sides but lots of DVD content this single. Tracklist has already been out since it's announced.

 

--------------

 

Single Comments (via A of JPLOP)

From the Tokyo Sports article https://www.tokyo-sp...e/news/2610597/

 

The release of the single was announced in a comment video posted on the group's official Twitter account. "Ganbare nai yo / DOWN TOWN" is the first single released by Juice=Juice in about a year and the first single after Inoue Rei joined the group. The single includes the new ballad song "Ganbare nai yo", which was first performed at the graduation performance of Miyamoto Karin, and a cover of the 1975 famous song "DOWN TOWN" by Sugar Babe, a band formed by singer/songwriter Tatsuro Yamashita and others. To make it a 2021 style cover, Swedish producer Anders Dannvik doing the city pop arrangements for the song is also a highlight. It also features voice percussion by Inoue Rei.

 

"DOWN TOWN" comments

• Inoue Rei:"I'm doing voice percussion in the interlude. I'm using a new technique, so I hope you'll pay attention! The dance corner in between is also very cool!"
• Takagi Sayuki: "In "DOWN TOWN", I hope you can feel the nostalgia and the newness of our singing."

 

"Ganbare nai yo" comments

• Kanazawa Tomoko : "It's a song that will gently help you cope with the negative feelings of not being able to do your best. By the end of the song, you'll feel like 'I'll try a little harder' with the gentle lyrics."
• Dambara Ruru "When I listen to this song, I feel a little refreshed or relieved of my burden. Please listen to it!"

[Touki]

Wait, promoting Aari along with Reirei? I still don't understand the logic behind this. I think current Aari's popularity is only above Yume and Riai, even though in the past she was at an average level, while girls like Manakan and Ruru are another two main weapons of J=J now and they are all quite popular, and they are pushed to the edge. When there were hypes around Aari, the company pushed her back (I think it was around 2016 - 2017), and right now when people start to lose interest in her, the company decides to promote her visually and even sometimes vocally.

 

While I don't support this promotion strategy, I don't really know what motivation leads the manager to that decision.

[rurupedia]

its just a promo pic, like with most profiles i don't think there's much to read into when it comes to pushes and it's more about the positions/screentime/lines the girls get in songs. also i'm pretty sure ruru is more mid tier popular, she definitely isn't one of the top members of the group

[Touki]

its just a promo pic, like with most profiles i don't think there's much to read into when it comes to pushes and it's more about the positions/screentime/lines the girls get in songs. also i'm pretty sure ruru is more mid tier popular, she definitely isn't one of the top members of the group

 

I agree that there's almost nothing to read when looking at a promo pic with no change in line-up. However, when something changes, it implies something, especially the center position. For instance, if Ruru and Sayubee is constantly in the back in promo pics, I cannot infer that they are demoted and featured less. However, when Aari is suddenly at the center when she was usually at the back, like the very back, of most promo pics, starting from the period when Yanamin and Ruru joined, it implies something. The center position in promo pics tells you something: an ace is usually at that position (Karin of J=J, Kiki of TF, Yuhaemon of BEYOOOONDS), then newly joined members are usually at that position. When one member jumps to the center suddenly in the promo pics, it does imply something. Plus, Aari gets quite a lot of solo lines in Ganbarenai yo, on par with KNTM, Reirei, Ruru. Then, Riai, Yume, Manakan, and especially Sayubee, got none. If there's no change in center position, there's nothing to read. However, when it changes, there is something, usually a promotion. I saw Omizu getting pushed after appearing at the center, I don't know whether this case is similar.

[Nayok-Kihara]

I'm pretty excited to hear their version of "DOWN TOWN" (I like the original a lot), and I'm still surprised with how much I enjoy "Ganbarenai.." in general. I do wish they'd go back to announcing these while I'm usually still online though.

[YellowAccel]

More Akari is always a good thing.

[midnightbottle]

Wow. What a way to launch Rei's first single in J=J. The SP edition 2 is really a good way to do that. I knew that she has done something with Yume/Riai, it's pretty good that they are saving it as an incentive to purchase it.

I am not fond of that ballad, so let's hope the cover is a good one.

[Juandalyn]

Finally!

 

Good things that I immediately thought of:

- finally!

- Oh wow, so Rei did record a song with Yume and Riai. Good to hear it then!

- They're all so beautiful!

- No center for Tomoko or Sayuki in these pictures, so they're safe from graduation for now

 

I wasn't too fond of Ganbarenai yo though. Ballads as the main a-side are always difficult.

The original version of DOWN TOWN sounds nice, but it's not incredibly catchy. I feel that after nearly 3 years, starting in 2018 with every single having at least one amazing a-side (for me at least: Vivid Midnight, Bitansan, Hitori de, Pop Music AND Suki tte), this might be the first single without one. But well, we will see how everything turns out - MVs included

 

On the topic of popularity, Aarii has definitely lost oshi fans in Japan, but she's still very much liked in general. I am surprised to see her in center of the promo pics for both songs, though... (Please don't let this become a graduation single...)

[claneksi]

Ganbarenaiyo is one rare ballad (by JJ) that I absolutely love, so it's great that they release it as a single.. It has nice melody and I felt like it truly showcase JJ's 'next gen' singing force in Ruru & Reirei. Plus JJ's unison... *chef kiss*

 

I'm not the one that usually fret too much about line distribution, but here's hoping Ganbarenaiyo is just one of the very few exception where only half of the group get solo lines.. Can't wait for Down Town preview!

 

 

Also, I don't know where they (the news outlets) get their info, but Ganbarenaiyo was actually performed for the first time at H!P concert The Ballad Extra Number, 2 Dec 2020.

 

Still my favorite version lol

[rurupedia]

 

its just a promo pic, like with most profiles i don't think there's much to read into when it comes to pushes and it's more about the positions/screentime/lines the girls get in songs. also i'm pretty sure ruru is more mid tier popular, she definitely isn't one of the top members of the group

 

I agree that there's almost nothing to read when looking at a promo pic with no change in line-up. However, when something changes, it implies something, especially the center position. For instance, if Ruru and Sayubee is constantly in the back in promo pics, I cannot infer that they are demoted and featured less. However, when Aari is suddenly at the center when she was usually at the back, like the very back, of most promo pics, starting from the period when Yanamin and Ruru joined, it implies something. The center position in promo pics tells you something: an ace is usually at that position (Karin of J=J, Kiki of TF, Yuhaemon of BEYOOOONDS), then newly joined members are usually at that position. When one member jumps to the center suddenly in the promo pics, it does imply something. Plus, Aari gets quite a lot of solo lines in Ganbarenai yo, on par with KNTM, Reirei, Ruru. Then, Riai, Yume, Manakan, and especially Sayubee, got none. If there's no change in center position, there's nothing to read. However, when it changes, there is something, usually a promotion. I saw Omizu getting pushed after appearing at the center, I don't know whether this case is similar.

 

hmm thats true, i think it might just depend on the song since sometimes it does turn out to be accurate and sometimes it's just random placements of the members in the pics. i guess we'll find out once we get a first performance or the mv, whichever comes first.

 

anyway, does anyone know what those red outfits are for? i saw them like all last year and thought they'd be for a single or something but it seems they were just for the concert performances. i would've liked to see them for a single since they look really nice but they definitely wouldn't fit this one lol

[chaosgamma]

I thought the name Sugar Babe sounded familiar. Juice=Juice covering Tatsuro Yamashita is all right by me.

 

Also, Reirei is the first new Juice member to have a proper debut release. Albeit still after almost a year in the group, even if that only because of the Wuhan...

[Abbe Sieyes]

J=J likes to divide up releases so that several members are featured on each single. Bitansan was Karin/Manaka focused, Potsuri To was KanaTomo/Sayuki. Naite Ii Yo was KanaTomo/Yuka/Akari, Vivid Midnight was KanaTomo/Ruru/Karin, and Sexy Sexy focused on Yanagawa. Hopefully this one will be the same. 

[Punkin]

I made THE MOST inhuman sound out of my mouth when I saw this thread!! I haven’t read through everything yet but I’m already pumped!!

Okay so some thoughts
— SO HAPPY to see Making ofs make a proper return on DVD rather than the stupidly small clips on UF’s YT shows... unless they’ve actually been back on DVD for a while and I just didn’t know about it lol. I do remember that before they took them off the DVDs they had them as only like 10 minutes long instead of how they formerly were like an hour long... which use to annoy me so much lol.
— Akari is getting the push she deserves after years of being sidelined. Hearing her as a main vocal on Ganbarenai yo (I knew it would become an a-side for sure) back when they first performed it was so exciting to me. She has a lovely voice and it shows really well in ballad tracks.
— love the style of the outfits for DOWN TOWN. Ganbarenai yo might get the usual white outfits like most HP ballad song MVs these days, so I’m not holding my hopes up for interesting outfits this time. Unless maybe that picture of Juice in those pretty pastel outfits from back in December released shortly after Karin’s grad as an updated lineup picture was actually the outfits for Ganbarenai yo? Would be nice but wishful thinking I bet. Lol

Like others have said, Juice often divides things nicely for releases so that each song has a few members to focus on at a time, which allows those members to shine and also gives us something fresh with each song on a release rather than the same voices on each track. Ganbarenai features only three members as main vocals really (Akari/Tomo/Ruru) so it’s likely the others will be the mains of DOWN TOWN (Sayubee/Manaka/Riai/Yume). Rei seems to have a smaller role in Ganbarenai yo as all she has is harmony lines and maybe a small solo (from what I remember of watching that performance above a few times since Karin’s grad), so I think she’ll also have a smaller role in DOWN TOWN (beatboxing but maybe not singing much) as an introduction to her as a new member but not pushing her in our faces outright on each track. That’s just my prediction though.

I think Riai and Yume are due to have a song that’s focused on them, so pairing them in the second a-side with Sayubee and Manaka is a good choice. Given Rei’s comment I have a feeling we’re gunna get that “have 1-2 members do a cool dance choreo and the others just do something simple or nothing at all” thing that H!P’s been doing since 2014, and it’ll be Manaka doing the dance break while the others stand there posing or something. Sayubee/Yume/Riai would then take main vocals, and Rei has her beat box opening and such. Again — all just my own prediction. Im excited to see how much I get right!!

Also side note: ballads typically don’t do well unless they’re tied with something like a popular drama or movie, or unless they’re just particularly special and capture the hearts of the masses (Utada Hikaru’s First Love, Koda Kumi’s Ai no Uta, and Higedan’s Pretender for example... there’s SO many), but Japan does really love ballads and songs that are either nostalgic or heartwarming in some way. Given the fact that 2020 was an awful year for so many, these types of songs especially seem to be doing well lately because this is the kind of thing people need right now... uplifting, encouraging songs that make you feel better about the state of things/yourself. I don’t think this song will be the next big ballad in Japan but I do think it’ll do fine in terms of sales, and probably won’t sell much less than their usual releases at least. I’m not concerned at all about sales related to the fact it’s a ballad, but I do think that if anything it would be the lack of live events encouraging bulk buying — with the numbers going up in Japan it’s unlikely 2021 will look much different for H!P as a whole in regards to live events and concerts (though they haven’t exactly been playing things safe lately).

[Solarbladepsy]

So it seems that according to the main site, DOWN TOWN is now the leading A-side over Ganbare nai yo.