NiziU

You know how H!P releases a ton a things a month (not releases lol but like photosets and whatnot)? NiziU's releases can be summed up as "sold out" or "expensive on reselling sites". Also, the fanclub is Japan only, and they get cool things (like signed photocards or plates). At least H!P's things are relatively easy to buy off of Tenso or Buyee without paying a kidney. But I digress.

 

 

And I forgot to post them here but here's the b-sides from Step and a Step:

 

SWEET BOMB

 

JOYFUL

ohhh i see, i guess it's a matter of niziu being huge rn vs h!p mostly within their own fanbase. like i said i hope things become more accessible down the line lol

 

and i have to admit i haven't listened to the b-sides yet bc i'm lazy but i'll get to it lol, though i've heard some of the b-sides on make you happy from nizi project clips

 

i now have niziu brainrot. hello

mv for a fan song on the album

 

i said enough about it elsewhere but in short i really like it and it also reminds me of h!p for some reason. anyone hear mid period berikyuu in the verses???

Oooooh. I can hear it! I also prefer this song over Chopstick.

 

They were also on Sukkiri today to promote the new album:

 

i think i prefer chopstick over need u, but mostly because chopstick has more of a unique and catchy sound to it - need u has this wistful appreciative sound, but the song itself immediately reminded me of songs i've heard before (though i haven't been able to pinpoint it yet, which i'm usually good at so it's been bothering me lol), so it hasn't stuck in my head much. on the other hand chopstick has been living rent free in my mind since it came out, so that's definitely a huge factor lol. chopstick's beat and piano structure can be a bit grating and abrasive at times though, so need u is a better track to me for when chopstick isn't hitting i guess lol (step and a step is similar). but of course there's a whole album coming, and need u isn't even a lead track technically, so i hope there'll be more variety besides sounds like these two
 
speaking of which - i'm really excited to listen to the album. i'm not sure how much i'll enjoy it since i'm not really in the mood for cute concept stuff these days (i don't have the energy) but i'm really attached to niziu right now so maybe that'll bypass it lol. i also watched the cdtv chopstick performance from yesterday, mako and nina's expressions really stood out to me, especially the former, i wouldn't exactly call it stage presence but they especially have that kpop expression skill, if that makes sense lol. it was also my first time seeing the full choreo and it's super cute, i really love rima's intro moment and the chorus choreo looks fun as hell to dance -
 

 
oh and i watched this one too around when it came out, and i'm mentioning it pretty much because of the outfits lol. maya had the best outfit here imo (the crop top + the disconnected shorts/pants reminded me of stuff my sister wears lol, and maya just looks really cool), but i also really liked mayuka's outfit, and miihi's pants were cool (sorry i'm a hopeless miihi oshi lol i have to mention her)

It's definitely catchy and it's a nice use of the Chopstick sample but it gets grating quickly for me. It's definitely better than Step and a Step (still my least favorite song from them) but I don't think I'll be able to listen to it on repeat. And roughly 85% of the album are songs that we already have heard either through singles/B-sides or promotional songs. Those performances were good too! They're really shaping up nicely as performers! But I hope that they'll get some breaks now and then. JYP is working them almost nonstop. It's great that they're getting a lot of work and CF deals but I'm worried that they won't get enough rest.

 

Also, the album debuted at 1st on the Oricon charts with 95,275 copies sold!

considering most of the album consists of songs released prior i was wondering if jyp/sony will try and push another song as a single later on, kind of like western album cycles? i highly doubt it but i could see it happening maybe, if they want to further promote it. or maybe need u might serve that purpose, idk. personally i wasn't that bothered by the album lacking many new songs, since i'm mostly used to it from other j-idol releases, but it is a little strange with niziu, considering they've been marketed as kpop in nearly every other aspect, except for smaller details like (typically) live vocals in performances (as far as i can tell, sometimes there's a backing track but most niziu performances i've seen have had either a quiet backing track or none at all. i might be wrong though), double a-side singles, etc. and i do hope they get a break soon, but more in the sense that they slow down promotions and tv appearances a bit. of course knowing full well how twice was overworked, and still are even now, but even worse at their peak, i doubt niziu will be slowing down anytime soon, especially now with the album release. maybe for the sake of miihi's health (and avoiding more members potentially falling ill) promotions will slow down but i'm not holding my breath.

 

ah i heard about the sales! it seemed fans online (at least the overseas fans lol) were worried about a potential drop because of the distance between the 2nd single and the album, but i wasn't too worried because of their nonstop television appearances and CF deals keeping them in the public eye. almost 100k is a huge feat, especially since albums are more expensive (i think? cmiiw), i'm really happy for them. oh and i listened to the new songs earlier! i started with 9 colors since it seemed to be the best received by fans, but it didn't do much for me, until it picked up in speed halfway through. the backing guitar is nice though. festa and wonder dream are bangers, the latter has a crazy beat which i really enjoyed, and the former was really engaging, in a similar way to take a picture, just straight fun all around. i can't tell what the specific instrument in twinkle twinkle is, i think it might be a kalimba or xylophone? but either way i thought it was nice, it reminded me of need u with the contemplative but cheerful tone (though this one was a bit more downbeat). i don't have a favorite or least favorite yet but i really enjoyed all of the new tracks, songs like twinkle twinkle and 9 colors definitely delivered on my hopes for slower paced tracks, while festa and wonder dream were easily the most compelling, i think out of all the new tracks they interest me the most with how chaotic they sound lol. they're a bit too loud for me right now, but that's just a personal preference and not a problem with the songs, i'm sure i'll enjoy them more when i have the energy to keep up with them haha. i do wish there were more new tracks but otherwise i really liked it, will probably be listening a lot lol. and i might try to get a copy of the cd? not sure which version to get but i'll think about it

 

oh wow that's long tl;dr i love the new tracks and will probably have them on rotation for a while lol