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.

Details for 9th single "Goodbye/Eureka"

Cover artwork

sakanaction's upcoming 9th single titled "Goodbye/Eureka", to be released on January 15, has had its jacket artwork and tracklist details revealed.

As the band's first double A-side single, it includes a spectacular ballad "Goodbye", and the ending theme song to the movie "Judge!", "Eureka". Aoki Takamasa will once again work his magic with sakanaction and contribute a remix of "Eiga", bringing the total tracks on the single to three.

In the limited edition version of the single will be the music video for "Eureka", and a special behind the scenes look of the "SAKANAQUARIUM 2013 sakanaction" live at Chiba prefecture's Makuhari Messe.

Furthermore, designer Kamikene of Hatos has produced the jacket artwork as usual with a lot of sakanaction's releases. The limited edition will contain a 40-page booklet of visuals and typography expressing the world view of the title track.

sakanaction to appear on Kouhaku Utagassen for the first time!!

5-member mixed rock band sakanaction will be appearing on New Year's Eve music show Kouhaku Utagassen for the very first time.

sakanaction was formed 2005 and major debuted in 2007. With their unique sound which mixes rock, pop, techno, dance music and other genres together well, and being the representative of a new era rock band, they've gathered up popularity, especially among those in their 20s. The lyrics written by vocalist Yamaguchi Ichiro (33) are also creative, leading to him also writing for SMAP and getting high praise within the music industry. It is also known that there are many firmly-rooted fans who are celebrities, such as actor Tsumabuki Satoshi who has been listening to the band even before their break came.

As their popularity continues to permeate, the number of big-scale tie-ups with CMs and dramas have also increased. "Boku to Hana" which was released last year in May was used as the theme song for Kusanagi Tsuyoshi's drama "37sai de Isha ni Natta Boku ~Kenshuui Junjou Monogatari", and "Music" which was released January this year was used as the theme song for Eguchi Yousuke's drama "dinner".

One of the conditions which led to the Kouhaku participation is their big contribution to television broadcaster NHK (the station that produces Kouhaku). "Aoi" which was included in the self-titled album "sakanaction", released this year in March, was appointed as the theme of NHK's soccer broadcasts. There may be a high possibility that they will perform "Aoi" at Kouhaku.

"sakanaction", released March this year, achieved 1st place on the Oricon charts, the first release from the band to do so. With the Kouhaku appearance included now, the band looks to round out their 2013 activities with a bang.

news source

**For those who may not get why Kouhaku is a big deal - it's the most watched music television show of the year in Japan, every year. Artists have to be invited to appear on the show, and many long to perform on it. 
The artists are separated into White (male) and Red (female) teams to compete for viewers' votes. For sakanaction, they will be in the White team as they have more males than females (general Kouhaku rule).

New song titled "Eureka" is a movie theme song tie-up!

It has been revealed that sakanaction will be doing both the theme song and ending theme of the movie, "Judge!" (ジャッジ！) which will open in cinemas on 11th January 2014.

The theme song of the movie will be the fan favourite "Identity", which was previously released as a single in August 2010. The ending theme song will be a new song, titled "Eureka" (ユリイカ yuriika). The release for this song has not been decided.

"Judge!" is a movie starring Tsumabuki Satoshi, and directed by Nagai Satoshi who is also known for his work on commercials. Besides Tsumabuki, the movie cast also includes Kitagawa Keiko, Hamano Kenta, Agata Morio which are all very individualistic actors. The luxurious cast is also attracting attention.

Billboard Japan First Half of Year Charts 2013

Billboard Japan has released its First Half of Year Charts, which counts from 19 November 2012 to 26 May 2013.

sakanaction showed impressive results on the charts, ranking in 4 categories. Each category only shows the top 20 charters.

At a glance...

Billboard Japan Hot 100 Overall Singles Chart
#6 - Music / sakanaction
(#1 - Sayonara Crawl / AKB48, #2 - Calling / Arashi, #3 - So long! / AKB48)

Top Albums
#14 - sakanaction / sakanaction
(#1 - [an imitation)blood orange] / Mr.Children, #2 - Nihon no Koi to, Yuumin to. / Matsutoya Yumi, #3 - EXILE BEST HITS -LOVE SIDE/SOUL SIDE- / EXILE)

Hot Top Airplay
#3 - Music / sakanaction
(#1 - Suit and Tie / Justin Timberlake, #2 - Spectrum / Zedd)
**sakanaction were the only Japanese artist in the Top 5.

Adult Contemporary Airplay
#2 - Music / sakanaction
(#1 - Suit and Tie / Justin Timberlake, #3 - Because We Can / Bon Jovi)
**sakanaction were the only Japanese artist in the Top 9.

You may view the full charts here.