album: i-dle jp ep (by i-dle)
I-DLE (JP EP) by I-DLE ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✧
overall: i honestly think this might be one of the best jp releases a kpop group has managed in at least the last few years. i'm always going to be a j-idol fan before i'm a casual kpoppie so being able to now also be a j-aideul fan is great for me. you can tell some of these songs were written for anime, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.
WHERE DO WE GO (どうしよっかな) ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✧
yes: likability (they're calling it the best jpop song ever produced by a kpop group and they're right), musicality (insane how well they nail the everything about the genre), lyricism (beautiful tender thoughtful and uses the different consonant stress in japanese effortlessly), earworm (i earnestly defy you to put this on when you're in a good mood and not try to honk along). no: on brand (and it kills me to say this but i'm hopeful that as i write this and toesa out-paks ive, i'll be able to change this soon).
INVINCIBLE ✦ ✦ ✦ ✧ ✧
yes: likability (it's fucking beyblade baybey!! what can i say), earworm (it's always so nice to put something in earworm because it's annoyingly catchy and not be mad about it), musicality (it's saturday morning cartoons in the absolute best way). no: on brand (i will say as someone who misses kda it hit though), lyricism (not their fault! it's for kids and it's cute enough).
FAREWELL TO THE WORLD (愛せなかった世界へ永遠にじゃあね) ✦ ✦ ✦ ✧ ✧
yes: lyricism (genuinely so beautiful and sweet), musicality (this may be one of my favourite vocal performances the group has ever put out). no: likability (which isn't to say it's bad, i just don't think about it even when it's playing), on brand (i feel like i'm typing this a lot but it is what it is), earworm (i have this cilantro gene immunity to ballads brought on by excessive childhood eurovision).
FATE (傷つくのは嫌いだから) (JAPANESE VERSION) ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✧
both of these being japanese ports of songs i've already heard means that their score is going to be my base review, with a point difference depending on how well i think the different language impacts the original. i think fate is a song that's well-suited and fluid enough that it feels like a natural inclusion on this jp release. it doesn't gain anything, but it also doesn't lose anything.
QUEENCARD (JAPANESE VERSION) ✦ ✦ ✦ ✧ ✧
both of these being japanese ports of songs i've already heard means that their score is going to be my base review, with a point difference depending on how well i think the different language impacts the original. i don't think the specific stresses and line lengths that make queencard feel so punchy adapt well to a softer consonant language, so it loses a point in translation for me. i'm haunted by the knowledge that allergy or klaxon were right there.