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CONFIRMED: Are You Happy? is the BEST Japanese pop album this YEAR.


Midna

ARE YOU HAPPY?  

11 members have voted

  1. 1. Did you like the album?

  2. 2. What was your favourite song?

    • DRIVE
      0
    • I Seek
    • Ups and Downs
    • Seishun Boogie
    • Sunshine
      0
    • Fukkatsu Love
    • Amore
    • Bad Boy
    • Wonder Love
    • まã?ä»?æ?¥ã¨å?ã?æ??æ?¥ã?来ã??
    • Daylight
    • Ai wo Sakebe
      0
    • Baby Blue
      0
    • Miles Away
    • To My Homies
    • Don't You Get It?
    • TWO TO TANGO
  3. 3. Which song did you not like?

    • DRIVE
      0
    • I Seek
      0
    • Ups and Downs
      0
    • Seishun Boogie
    • Sunshine
    • Fukkatsu Love
      0
    • Amore
    • Bad Boy
    • Wonder Love
      0
    • まã?ä»?æ?¥ã¨å?ã?æ??æ?¥ã?来ã??
      0
    • Daylight
      0
    • Ai wo Sakebe
    • Baby Blue
      0
    • Miles Away
      0
    • To My homies
    • Don't You Get It?
      0
    • TWO TO TANGO
      0
  4. 4. Which member had the best solo?

  5. 5. Which member had the worst solo?



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DID THIS ALBUM MAKE YOU HAPPY?

 

 

If you're interested in my thoughts:

 

 

I would like to start off by saying that before I heard it, I had 0 interest and hope for this album. After hearing the title of the album and some snippets of the PV, I was convinced that I would hate it. (I still have no interest in the PV and the album cover.) I thought the entire album was going to be a mess because of the theme of "happy" they were going for. An album with a "messy" concept is NOT a good album if most of the tracks are filler (I'm looking at you LOVE). BNMF was the only album that had this theme  but it was good because majority of the tracks were good. I seriously have so much love for that album, you don't understand. But anyways, I'm so glad it didn't go in that direction. 

 

Anyways, these are just my thoughts on the album. I'll give each song a rating out of 10 as well. I recommend listening to the album with headphones (or any album really), it really does make a difference.

 

  1. DRIVE: The album starts off wonderfully with a cool slow jam that is supervised by Jun. I was delighted to hear this. I mean, it's not a song I'm going crazy for, but it's a good starting track to the album. The song starts off with harmonizing (can ya hear it?!). It is a nice slow jam to listen to on a weekend drive. I think Jun conveyed this very well.  I also think Sho and Aiba fit this song very well. It's a nice song. 7/10
  2. I Seek: Our slow jam goes fast! We get energetic with I seek! This is one of my favourite A-sides this year. I seek is a lovely pop jazz tune. At first, I was pretty indifferent of  it, but after listening to a few more times it's nice. Ohno is the STAR of this song (as he should be. He has an amazing voice). 8.5/10
  3. Ups and Downs: Continuing with a fun jazzy tune, we get into Ups and Downs. This song starts off pretty grand with a cute little intro then sails into a smooth groove. It's a cute song. Still my choir singing though (why????). But Ohno does adlibs, I can't even be mad. 7.5/10
  4. Seishun Boogie: Continuing on with the wonderful flow, we move on to SB. Surprisingly, I like this song a lot. It's reminiscent of old Jpop songs (think SHOUNENTAI). I think Aiba did a great job producing this song. If Japonism had more songs like this, maybe I wouldn't dislike it as much as I would've of. 8/10
  5. Sunshine: Ugh. I don't like this at all. I honestly thought the album would sound like this ( I was terrified). The song is just boring. Sorry Sho. It's not terrible, but I just have no desire to hear it again. The saving grace of the song was the drums. Whoever played the drums for this song was fucking slaying it. 4/10
  6. Fukkatsu Love: UGH. This is my favourite Japanese single this year. Fukkatsu Love is amazing and it's such a nice transition for Arashi into a more mature sound that I have been wanting (and away from songs like Sunshine). I love everything about this song. The instrumentals, the vocals, OHNO. Seriously, I have nothing bad to say about this song. I just wish we got more Ohno. Heh. I also found that a lot of non-fans liking this song. I can definitely see why. It's amazing. 10/10
  7. Amore: I LOVE HOW THIS BEGINS. The Okaeri~ from Fukkatsu Love and then goes straight into Amore is genius! Good work, Producer-san! I tend not to like Aiba's solos, but I like this a lot. It's cute! Definitely my third fave solo. 8/10
  8. Bad Boy: Who would've thought that such a song could immediately flow well into this EDM song? Okay, this is my FAVOURITE solo of the album. I just love this song a lot. Those who don't like EDM will HATE this song because it's a pure EDM song. Everything about it is just EDM. I don't mind the autotune that's used in the song either. It's great! It's not overbearing and you can still tell Ohno is singing his head off. I love everything about this song. He's seriously delivering in this song. The high notes at the end are AMAZING. I have always loved Ohno's solos the best, and he definitely disappoint me this time. 10/10
  9. WONDER LOVE: This is probably one of the best Arashi songs ever. Nino supervised this and I am IMPRESSED. It’s also such a Nino song too. I don’t know what he did, but the mix of genres in this song… it worked, and it worked well. This is definitely one of the best songs in the album. It’s just so unique, and I am a sucker for songs with weird or different compositions. Nino did GOOD. 9/10
  10. ã¾ãŸä»Šæ—¥ã¨åŒã˜æ˜Žæ—¥ãŒæ¥ã‚‹: YAAAAS. I can count out Nino to give me unique-sounding songs. If he’s good at choosing songs that fuck up the album’s flow, he definitely chose a good song this time to FLOW with the album this time. This song is so good, Idk, he’s so on point in this album. This is such a cute but unique sounding song. His fast singing and the whispers… *shivers*. What is this amazing transition from Bad Boy to this song?!?!??! The piano, the synths, his voice, the pace, the composition. On POINT. 9/10
  11. Daylight: Jun’s drama song! I think Nino’s solo flowed well into this song (AGAIN, THIS ALBUM’S FLOW!) It’s a cute pop song. Hard to dislike. It’s not a song I put on repeat, but it’s a good song. 8/10
  12. Ai wo Sakebe: When will Arashi stop releasing songs like these is what I want to know. At least’s it’s better than Love so Sweet because this song is really catchy. Not a fan then, and not a fan now. No thanks. Just waiting for the day they stop making these songs. 4/10
  13. Baby Blue: Next, Jun wants to take us to a nice warm and sunny island with his song. I don’t like this. It’s better than Sunshine at least. But I just don’t like this at all. No thanks. Sorry Jun.  5/10
  14. Miles Away: IS2G. This song is amazing and since Ohno had a hand in it…. NO FUCKING WONDER. This is the Arashi song I have been looking for all my life. Where da hell. Can we get Ohno to do more producing if the result is this amazing magical song? It has my violins, the soft pop sound, the harmonizing, Ohno’s beautiful voice… it’s what I’ve wanted from Tadaima but didn’t get. AND NOOOOO CHOIR SINGING!!!!! *CLAPS* This song is just magic. Can you hear Nino’s beautiful voice harmonizing throughout the whole damn song? Can you hear Omiya’s beautiful voices together??? Can you hear THE SAKUMIYA, AIMIYA, MATSUMIYA, AND OHMIYA HARMONIES? CAN YOU HEAR AIBA’S LOW VOICE NEAR THE END OF THE SONG? CAN YOU HEAR THE ADLIBS? CAN YOU HEAR OHNO’S VOICE SOARING???????? CAN WE JUST GET OHNO TO PRODUCe FIVE SONGS NEXT TIME? 10/10 
  15. To My Homies: This was the song I was most curious about, and I knew I would’t like it. Once that dial tone came up, I was like, WRONG NUMBER? (DBSK song), but then… *nosedive.* This song is very Sho. It has Sho written all over it (including Ohno’s laugh in the beginning). But sorry, Sho. This song isn’t me. It’s better than Sunshine at least. I was disappointed with Nino’s rap tbh. He’s the other one in this group that can rap. I WANTED HIM TO GO HARDER. You disappointed me, bb. LOL let’s not talk bout Jun’s rapping. Kudos to him for trying xD 4.5/10
  16. Don’t You Get It?: Once again such beautiful transition. When I first heard this song, I hated it so much. I thought the album was gonna suck, but after hearing this in HQ, the song is amazing!! There’s actually a lot going on and the song is just so well produced. It’s a jam for sure. The trumpets are killing it. I like the WOAH OH WOAH parts. :D This is a really Arashi song, and the harmonies AGAIN! Slay me harder, why don’t you????? 8.5/10
  17. Two to Tango: Oh goodness. This is like some James Bond shit. This song is SO GOOOD. I didn’t know what to expect but dang, the instrumentals and the vocals, I just love it. The guitar rift, the verses, everyTHING. This song actually gives us harmony again, can ya HEAR IT? NO MORE CHOIR SINGING FOR THESE GENTLEMEN, NOPE. Sakurap was cute in this. This song is cute. I love it. 8.5/10

 

As I am typing my final thoughts of the album, I have Miles Away playing again. This is my second time going through the album fully (I didn't skip Ai Wo Sakebe this time!). Honestly, the album is the best they've released since 2011's Beautiful World. 

 

After my constant complaints about their music last year and my wishes for them musically, they have DELIVERED. I got the Ohno vocal gymnastics that I've wanted (Akatsuki didn't give me this), harmonization (finally!!! No choir singing!!), and a cohesive album. The flow of this entire album was great, and this was what I wanted for the LONGEST time. Their older albums had absolutely no flow at all sans Beautiful World(The Digitalian tried), and that's why those albums were a mess. 

I

Ohno finally did vocal gymnastics. Riida has the chops for it, and his voice was wonderful throughout the entire album. He really impressed me with his high notes and solo song. I finally got the harmony from Arashi. Seriously, if they just harmonized more, any shitty song could become an okay or good song for me. The reason why their ballads are mainly boring is because they don't harmonize in them at all. You would think they would do it more since they sound great together. So glad to finally hear harmonization from them instead of the damn choir singing they always do. They have evolved. Seriously, it's time to let go of the choir singing and harmonize, guys. 

 

And finally... the COHESIVENESS OF THIS ALBUM. Can I get a fucking YAY!!! The flow of this album, the transition from song to song... absolutely amazing. This is what I have always wanted Arashi to do. And we finally got it... YEARS LATER. if you listened to these songs individually (some of them) you would be like meh... but if you listened to them one after another like this... amazing. I can't stress how important it is to have an album that flows well. You want to give your listeners a good smooth-sailing experience, and this album has done it. I would like to note that you don't even have to have an album in the same genre to make it cohesive. Superb!

 

Overall, I enjoyed this album a lot. It's my favourite Japanese album this year. I do wish they had included intros, interludes, and outros, but they've already given me so much other things I wanted that I can't even be mad. The album was a great surprise, and I hope they keep this up for their future releases! Am I happy? YES! (AND PLEASE END YOUR CHOIR SINGING!!!).

 

My favourite songs of the album: Fukkatsu Love, Bad Boy, Wonder Love, Nino's solo, Miles Away, Two to Tango.

 

My least favourite: Sunshine, Ai Wo Sakebe, and To My Homies. 

 

Favourite Solos: Ohno>>Nino>>>Aiba

 

Overall Rating: 9/10

 

 

 

 

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I've seen you getting so excited over this lately. :lol:

 

I've been going back and forth over whether I should listen to it, but you've convinced me. Off I go~ If only J&A released things on iTunes...then I wouldn't have to go searching for it...

 

Sis, I haven't liked a single arashi album like this for a LONG time. this impressed me greatly. and I honestly thought I would hate it.

 

Also, I agree T_T

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9/10

 

I had to delete my votes several times lol. Can't decide which song to put in the disliked category. I'm a critical fan but this album surprised me because I have not much to complain.

 

Just going to touch on solos for now. Sho's solo is a bit too poppy for my liking but I don't hate it. It's uplifting. Jun's solo was an improvement from his last (atrocious) solo in Japonism. This kind of jazz suits him well and the lyrics are sweet. Ohno's Bad Boy threw me off a bit at first but I like that its different from the usual Ohno. I'm not even mad at the copious amount of autotune and silly PERFECT HUMAN moment. At first Aiba's ballad opening worries me a bit so I'm relieved its just a short one. I've been loving Aiba's past couple of solos and I like this one as well.

 

Nino. Oh Nino. I don't think I can do justice writing a review on this song now. Maybe later after I've replayed it for the 50th time.

 

We were spoiled for choice in Japonism solos (except for J's stupid baby song) while the album songs was a tad underwhelming. In comparison their solos in Are You Happy are weaker than the album songs.

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Quite happy. I think i am on the minority side, the one who prefers their previous previous album. I really love Miles Away though. I can safely say that i really like half of the songs, the other half are just so so for me. Not into anybody's solo this time around. I hope it will grow on me later.

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Done reading ur review Midna xD

and im posting here instead on ur post in SF cause im upping ur thread u should thank me xD

 

I pretty much already wrote a damn long review regarding this album in my lj so i'll just keep it short this time..

and u also already know how i feel with this album anyway xD

 

Miles away and Nino's solo are hands down my fav songs in the whole album..

I really love this album and definitely one of my favorite from them.. its been a long time since I fully liked their album which is surprising considering how low my expectation for this album is.. The flow is really good that I can listen to the whole album without skipping some track except for coughAiwosakebecough xD..

 

also for solos

Nino>>>>>Aiba>>>Sho>Jun/Ohno

Bad boy hurts my ears I'm sorry Ohno sigh

 

9/10? YESSS! xD

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  • 4 weeks later...

I'm torn between seishuun boogie and wonder-love as most favorite song. But i think i love seishuun playful beat more. Wonder-love is more like digitalian piece which couldnt make into the list. Nino solo sounds so much like sekai no owari. No wonder bc nino said he loves that band. And i never thought the song had pretty deep meaning. I wonder how he's gonna perform it.

 

Overall, it's not bad album but japonism is still better.

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  • 1 month later...

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