Release Date: January 7, 2015
Track Listing
Disc 1
- Overture
- Guru Guru Curtain
- Oide Shampoo
- Hashire! Bicycle
- Seifuku no Mannequin
- Kimi no Na wa Kibou
- Girl’s Rule
- Barette
- Kizuitara Kataomoi
- Natsu no Free&Easy
- Nandome no Aozora ka
- Dareka wa Mikata
- Kakumei no Uma
- Bokug ga Iru Basho
- Anata no Tame ni Hikitai
Disc 2
- Danke Schoen
- Ushinaitakunai Kara
- 13hi no Kinyobi
- Ano Hi Boku wa Tossa ni Uso wo Tsuita
- Sekai de Ichiban Kodoku na Lover
- Muguchi na Lion
- Namida ga Mada Kanashimi datta Koro
- Sekkachi na Katatsumuri
- Watashi no Tame ni Dareka no Tame ni
- Hoka no Hoshi Kara
- Keisha Suru
- Nazo no Rakugaki
- Jiyuu no Kanata
- Hitori Yogari
Review
Nogizaka46 is a female Japanese idol group produced by Akimoto Yasushi and is considered to be the “official rival” of AKB48. 4 years into their existence, they have finally released their first album.
Toumei na Iro contains 10 of Nogizaka46’s singles (everything up to and including Nandome no Aozora ka) and select b-sides.
The first disc in this set contains all the a-sides presented in chronological order. For some, that will represent hate of the group’s early material, eventual acceptance of their existence and then love as one gets closer to the recent single releases. For others, it will be a nostalgia trip.
The second disc is a compilation of b-sides and is by no means their complete collection. So if one of your favourites is not included, it probably didn’t make the cut for one reason or another.
If you have followed Nogizaka46 from their start, you probably don’t have a compelling reason to buy this CD since it is mostly recycled from stuff you likely already have. Luckily there are 8 new songs to absorb between the 2 CDs, so this is not just a simple compilation album. These new songs are the last 4 tracks on each disc.
They follow the template of a typical Nogizaka46 song and are mostly catchy, mid-tempo pop and ballads. The solos from Ikuta Erika (Anata no Tame ni Hikitai) and Nishino Nanase (Hitori Yogari), Boku ga Iro Basho and the Kojizaka46 song Keishasuru.
For people new to Nogizaka46, this can be considered a value purchase. Everything is presented in a neatly wrapped package, and there’s no need to seek out their entire back catalogue separately. You’ll save yourself some money for sure.
The eight new songs may not entice long-time listeners to go all in, and it might be better served for those folks to just pick and choose the ones that interest them from a digital download service instead.
Does Toumei na Iro show that Nogizaka46 is a true rival to AKB48? That’s hard to say since it is extremely subjective. They certainly have a lot going for them so far. It’s probably best you give this a listen and decide for yourself.
