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Tuesday 10 July 2018

All SDN48 singles, Reviewed and Ranked

Heyo,
This blog has been pretty dead for awhile but I recently got the urge to start writing again so I figured I'd start with a topic that is close to my heart. For those who don't know SDN48 was a sister group of AKB48 active from 2009 to 2012. It holds the distinction of being the only AKB48 sister group to have disbanded, as well as the only one to have not received it's own theatre to perform in. Instead, the group performed every SaturDay Night at AKB48's theatre in Akihabara. The group stood out for it's adult concept (not excepting members under the age of 20, having some pretty raunchy performances in general etc.) and powerful performance skills. They are the only 48 group to not separate their members into teams, instead going by generation, in much the same way Nogizaka46 does today. A final point that sets SDN48 apart from the rest is it had some of the first international members of the 48 franchise (the first and currently only Korean member and a Chinese member long before SNH48 was a thing). The group didn't ever reached huge mainstream success but were very loved by their fans, myself included.

For this reason I've decided to set up a new series on this blog: The Reviewed and Ranked Series. I plan to go through every song released in an SDN48 single and, as the name suggests, review them and rank them. I won't be covering the songs from their 1st Stage (Yuuwaku no Garter) here, mainly because I don't have the CD for that yet but all will come to those who wait (hopefully). If it goes well, I'd like to try this out with other groups too (for groups with very large discographies, I might break it up into parts. For example: Morning Musume Colourful Era Songs, Reviewed and Ranked.)

I hope if you haven't given SDN48 a chance before, this list will give you an idea of what kind of song you might like.



So, on with the show!

20. Kudokinagara Azabu Juuban duet with Mino Monta
This isn't a bad song per se. It's just not really what I look for in an idol single. 8 super sexy girls sing a song with special guest, the host of the Japanese version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire? It's a pretty nice song, and has a fun novelty factor, but I rarely seek it out to listen to. It's very similar in my eyes to Futari wa Dekiteru, Kojima Haruna's duet with Kenji Kitagawa in AKB48's single 36th single (Labrador Retriever) so if you enjoyed that, you'll probably like this too. One fun piece of trivia for this song is that it is the only SDN48 A-side track to have an 8 member senbatsu (technically 9 if you count Mr. Mino), every other A-side featuring 12 members.

19. Kashaasa de Jihaku suru
A slower song with a Latin sounding twist. I'm not crazy for this style of music, so it loses points for me. It's a nice song though. Nice tune, sung beautifully. It's almost like a sister song with Kamajatan Bojou in my eyes and I expect anyone who likes one song will like the other.

18. Awajijima no Tamanegi
I find the singing parts of this song very catchy, especially the chorus. However, it has a lot of the girls chanting in the background and I find it kind of annoying since they seem to be putting on the most annoying voice possible. This song would be ranked much higher if there was a version without the chanting.

17. Yaritagariya-san
Dancy Dance Dance. I bet you can't guess what kind of song this is. It's a cool dance song. It is cool and catchy like the rest of SDN's songs. I really like the "ah ah aha..." parts but the "aiyee aiyee yai ya" bits annoy me a little (does that make sense?).

16. Kamujatan Bojou
Another song with that trademark SDN sexiness to it. It's a little slower than their other songs, which gives it less of a catchiness factor. It has a really nice atmosphere to it but doesn't stand out very much to me, unfortunately.

15. Abazure
Out of all the songs, this one has the verses I like the least. I just find them kind of boring. However, the chorus is awesome. It's another dance track and when competing with SDN's other songs in this category, it kind of fades into the background. That's not Abrazure's fault though, in a group with this many awesome dance songs, one has to be the one you find forgettable. If any other 48 group released this song, it would be A-side material.


14. Ue Kara Natsuko
The second AKB48 cover song recorded by SDN48. It fits their image slightly better than Everyday, Katyusha but still has a very cute image that makes it stick out from the rest of their discography. I didn't like the original version of the song that much (I found it kind of forgettable) but the SDN version has won me over to it's charms. Neither version will ever be my favourite 48Group song but I do like it a lot more since hearing SDN sing it.

13. Onedari Champagne
Another song with the annoying chanting. When the singing starts it's amazing but the chanting at the beginning knocks some points off. Luckily, unlike some other songs, the chanting is limited enough to not be too annoying and doesn't feel completely tacked on. In some places it even adds something. This song is one of SDN's more upbeat songs and has a very fun chorus. Would recommend to people who prefer more cheerful songs.

12. Tengoku no Door wa Sankaime no Bell de Aku
This song starts out a little slow but has a banger of a chorus. It has a Latin sound and a very sexy feel to it. I don't normally like the Latin sounding songs but this one has something special. The chorus is so powerful. It's definitely a song that encapsulates all I love about SDN48.


11. Everyday, Katyusha (SDN48 ver.)
SDN's first of two covers of AKB48 songs. Out of the two, this is the one I prefer, despite it not fitting SDN's image at all. It's way too cutesy! Even so, I can't help but love it. Even the girls of SDN48 have to be cute once in a while. If you try being sexy all the time, you'll wear yourself out (trust me, I'm a doctor). While for fans of other groups (cough cough) this style of music can definitely grow stale after a while, here it is like a breath of fresh air.





10. Makeoshimi Congratulation

The main track of SDN's final single. The opening piano makes you think it's gonna be a tearjerker but then the girls start singing and it becomes all happy and optimistic. I'm somewhat thankful for that. SDN's disbandment was sad enough, it's nice to hear the girls act fun and cute for their final A-side. It's a little generic compared to some of their other songs but the cheerful atmosphere more than makes up for it. I feel like rather than a sad goodbye, this song is there to remind fans of all the good times they had with the group, and to be thankful for the short time they did have.

9. MIN・MIN・MIN
Catchy dance track in a similar vein to the group's debut single, GAGAGA (even their names follow the same pattern). This song is a bit cuter and more hyper sounding than it's sultry cousin. It's definitely an ear worm. If you like any of SND's dance tracks, you'll probably like this too.

8. Ai, Chuseyo
Catchy dance track (if you haven't figured it out yet, a lot of SDN's songs can be described this way.) I don't why but I often forget how awesome this song is. When I was making this review I was like "Finally, a song I don't only have glowing praise for" but I put in on and in the first 30 seconds my thoughts did a complete 180. Maybe this group's several other awesome songs with a similar feeling overshadowed this one for me. Maybe I was just a complete fool when I heard it for the first time. All I know is, it has quickly shot up in my rankings. It has all the hallmarks of what makes SDN so great: awesome vocals, catchy tune, danciness! SEXINESS!

7. Kurikuri
Kurikuri has a Cuter feel compared to some of their other songs, which makes it stand out. It's very catchy and easy to start singing along to. It does have the kind of catchiness that some people may find annoying (if you've listened to C-ute Ookina Ai de Motenashite, you know what i'm talking about) but I guess I'm a masochist because I love songs like that.

6. Eros no Trigger
Classic SDN48. This song has a beautiful piece of instrumental at the beginning. One the girls start singing they ooze sexiness into this track. The verses are a little slow but things really pick up for the chorus. My favourite part of the song is that instrumental though. It's got a very sophisticated, elegant sound to it.

5. Sado e Wataru
Another of the super catchy dance tracks this group is famous for. Very easy to sing-along and dance to. The final chorus sends chills down my spine. This song was A-side material stuck as a 48Group coupling track, not something you see very often (but you seem to see a lot with SDN48, why did you forsake them Aki-P?!).

4. Owaranai Encore
SDN48's goodbye song. It's a ballad. It has a nice tune but may be overshadowed by some of the more in-your-face songs. Hearing this song makes my heart ache for a group that should have been allowed to last longer. The largest senbatsu in the group's history, including every single member at the time of the group's disbandment. It definitely has the power to tug on your heart strings. The "lala la..."s at the end... Any song with "lala la"s at the end is bound to turn me to a puddle of tears by the time it's over. I'm not crying, you're crying.

3. Ai yo, Ugokanaide
This is the most mellow song in their discography. It isn't as catchy as their other songs but I will never skip it if it comes up on shuffle. It kind of reminds me of the ending songs of the anime Natsume Yuujinchou and that association only gives the song more emotional punch (the singer, Nishikunihara Reiko, even shares her given name with one of the anime's most prominent characters!). Speaking of Ms. Nishikunihara (that's a name and a half), her voice in this song is spine tingling. God, this song rattles my emotions.

2. Kodoku na Runner
This song is almost like the SDN48 anthem and for a good reason. It's fricking awesome. It's catchy. It's cool. It's sexy. It's got girls singing "Don't stop!" in English (why do so many cool J-pop songs seem to do that). Iconic. 10/10

1. GAGAGA
SDN's debut single and easily my favourite song of their's. The chorus is so catchy. The whispery singing style is so sexy. The beat is so dancable. SDN48 set the bar high right out the gate with this song. Not only my favourite SDN song but one of my favourite 48Group songs in general.



With that, the Ranking and Reviewing is over. Jeeze this group had a lot of kickass songs. It was really hard to look at all those awesome dance tracks and try to pick them apart and figure out which was superior.

I'm still bitter Aki-P disbanded this group. They weren't as profitable as his other project but that's partly because he sort of set them up to fail. They didn't get their own theatre to rule over like the other 48 groups and with that came less chances for interactions with fans. Out of all the 48 groups, they easily had the most original concept and the most skilled members, if they had been allowed to run with it, I think they could have been very successful (especially with the anti-idol trend these days). I honestly think disbanding SDN is the biggest mistake Aki-P ever made and he's made a few (that man might be the dumbest genius I've ever seen).


I can't help but wonder what AKB songs they could have covered if they had been allowed to stay. Imagine SDN doing an even more controversial version of Heavy Rotation, or an even more baddass version of RIVER. Oooh, and they should have gotten their own version of the song AKB48* (but obviously, that song would be called SDN48). If you have time, comment and tell me what song you would have liked to hear performed by SDN48 (if you're really awesome, even include your ideal senbatsu for it!).

I still want to keep the hope alive that Aki-P will revive them someday. There was that Otona AKB thing a while back. Maybe if Miichan still refuses to graduate in a few years he'll revive SDN just to give her something to do, lol.

Love you forever SDN48, in my eyes, you'll always be the best of the 48 franchise.



* If anyone's curious, Akimoto's 2nd biggest mistake is given that song a name where it's impossible to search for on google. Good going, buddy.