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.
