[Blog] Yamaguchi Ichiro 2014.11.04 & 2014.11.21

Yamaguchi Ichiro's blog post translations. These two posts are his thoughts related to songwriting and musical direction.

Sayonara wa Emotion/Hasu no Hana chart performance

sakanaction's 10th single, Sayonara wa Emotion/Hasu no Hana, ranked in at number 4 on the Oricon Weekly Charts in its first week.

Sales took a slight dip from previous single Goodbye/Eureka, with a difference of 1557 copies. Little change to ranking was seen throughout the week, and sakanaction would have still been in the same spot even with the sales of their strongest selling single, Music.

The week's top 2 places were taken by releases that were related to the Youkai Watch anime that has reached phenomenal heights of popularity with young children, and in 3rd place was a solo release from EXILE ATSUSHI, member of supergroup EXILE.

Promotions this time round on TV were performances on Music Station and LIVE MONSTER. Although Hasu no Hana had a strong tie-up with the movie Kinkyori Renai (which held #1 in Japan's box office for three weeks), the movie version of the song was released via digital distribution such as iTunes Japan.

See below for the comparison chart with previous singles.

[Feature] Sakana LOCKS! - About Hasu no Hana

This post is a translation of the transcript of the 9 October 2014 episode of Sakana LOCKS! radio program, provided on their website.

This episode discusses sakanaction's new song "Hasu no Hana" and its two versions.

10th single "Sayonara wa Emotion/Hasu no Hana" release and tracklist announced

sakanaction has announced the release of their 10th single, a double A-side, "Sayonara wa Emotion/Hasu no Hana" (さよならはエモーション / 蓮の花, Goodbye is an Emotion/Lotus Flower).

Jacket cover for single

The single will be released on 29 October 2014, and includes "Sayonara wa Emotion" which was used in Toshin High School commercials, as well as "Hasu no Hana" which is the theme song of movie Kinkyori Renai, currently going on its promotion rounds.

On the physical single is a "single version" of Hasu no Hana, which is different from the one used for the movie. It is said to have a psychedelic pop sound. Receiving a separate digital release on iTunes and Recochoku is "Hasu no Hana -movie version-".

Jacket cover for digital release "Hasu no Hana -movie version-"

There are a total of four tracks, and the remaining are remixes. AOKI takamasa and the band remixed "Ame(B)-SAKANATRIBE MIX-" with an approach keeping in mind the club scene. For the first time, musician Cornelius worked with sakanaction, and remixed "Music".

The Limited Edition version will contain a DVD of two previously Ustreamed sessions - Good-bye Session featuring 環ROY (Tamaki Roy), and Sample Studio Live - and respective interviews regarding these sessions.

Tracklist
1. Sayonara wa Emotion [さよならはエモーション]
2. Hasu no Hana -single version- [蓮の花-single version-]
3. Ame(B)-SAKANATRIBE×ATM version-
4. Music (Cornelius Remix) [ミュージック (Cornelius Remix)]

DVD
1. Good-bye Session featuring Tamaki Roy -Broadcasted on Ustream on 2013.11.28-
2. Yamaguchi Ichiro x Tamaki Roy Talk Session
3. Sample STUDIO LIVE guest Sasaki "SUNNY" Yukio -Broadcasted on Ustream on 2014.8.5-
4. Sasaki "SUNNY" Yukio Interview

SAKANATRIBE 2014 -LIVE AT TOKYO DOME CITY HALL- DVD/BD Sales

One Oricon week has passed since the release of SAKANATRIBE 2014 -LIVE AT TOKYO DOME CITY HALL-, so let's check out how it performed on the Oricon Charts!

The past week's releases included Arashi, AK-69 and Dempagumi Inc., which provided some competition.

However, sakanaction managed decently despite the hiccup along the way (the BD version's extra content had its audio/video sync off and fans who bought the BD had to send in proof of purchases to Victor Music to get a replacement BD in late August).

Here are the respective weekly ranks:

DVD (Overall) Chart

DVD (Music) Chart

Blu-ray Chart

If you remember, the DVD version was released in 2 parts/versions, one being the Standard Edition and the other being the TEAM SAKANACTION Edition. They were counted together on the DVD charts.

Oricon doesn't provide the sales numbers for DVDs and Blu-ray discs publicly, but I was able to pick up the weekly total from subscribers of Oricon.

SAKANAQUARIUM 2014 "SAKANATRIBE" DVD/BD Release 30 July

It's been announced sakanaction will be releasing SAKANAQUARIUM 2014 "SAKANATRIBE" on DVD and Blu-ray this July 30th.

The work will contain the live recorded from their tour leg at Tokyo Dome City Hall on 16 March 2014.

There will be two parts to this release, with SAKANATRIBE 2014 -LIVE at TOKYO DOME CITY HALL- Featuring TEAM SAKANACTION Edition and SAKANATRIBE 2014 -LIVE at TOKYO DOME CITY HALL- Standard Edition being separate DVD releases, whereas the Blu-ray disc will contain both parts in one release. All will be released on the same day.

The Standard Edition will contain solely the live footage, while the TEAM SAKANACTION Edition will contain footage of the backstage work of staff members while the live is ongoing, mixed together with the live footage to make a special viewing experience.

On top of these, the Blu-ray edition will contain additional special videos, and its first press run will come with a 104-page art book.

"Goodbye/Eureka" chart performance and sales

sakanaction's 9th single, Goodbye/Eureka, achieved the number 2 ranking on Oricon Weekly Charts for the week of 13 to 19 January.

The single ranked at either 2nd or 3rd place throughout the week. The band managed performances on Music Station and CDTV, increasing promotion of the song to TV viewers.

This is the highest that sakanaction has ever ranked for a single, beating Aruku Around's 3rd place back in 2010. However, its sales are less than the previous two singles, Music and Yoru no Odoriko. This was possible due to the relatively weak music releases for the week, with the exception of popular idol group Kanjani8 who firmly held the first place.

Though maybe a bit of a surprise coming after their participation at Kouhaku Utagassen, there are plausible explanations. For Music, the price was much cheaper at 500 yen, which of course resulted in better sales. Let's not forget tie-ups - Music had TV drama "dinner" while Yoru no Odoriko had a Mode School CM. In contrast, Eureka has a tie-up with "Judge!", a movie that was just barely released, and has less chance to sink into the general public.

Lastly, Goodbye/Eureka being a double A-side single actually may have less appeal to a number of fans. It means that an upcoming album will likely contain both A-side tracks, so there is less of a pressing reason to get the single - the only exclusive track is a remix of a song we have gotten before. Therefore, even though they sold less this time, it should not be much of a concern. Their digital sales remain strong, with Goodbye topping iTunes Japan song downloads for the week.

See below for the comparison chart with previous singles.