Release Date: July 27, 2016
Track Listing
Type A
- Hadashi de Summer
- Boku dake no Hikari
- Offshore Girl (Shiraishi Mai Solo)
- Hadashi de Summer ~off vocal ver.~
- Boku dake no Hikari ~off vocal ver.~
- Offshore Girl ~off vocal ver.~
Type B
- Hadashi de Summer
- Boku dake no Hikari
- Inochi no Shinjitsu Musical “Ringo Uri to Kamemushi” (Ikuta Erika w/ guest performer Sakamoto Kenji)
- Hadashi de Summer ~off vocal ver.~
- Boku dake no Hikari ~off vocal ver.~
Type C
- Hadashi de Summer
- Boku dake no Hikari
- Hakumai-sama (Matsumura Sayuri, Ito Karin, Sasaki Kotoko, Terada Ranze)
- Hadashi de Summer ~off vocal ver.~
- Boku dake no Hikari ~off vocal ver.~
- Hakumai-sama ~off vocal ver.~
Type D
- Hadashi de Summer
- Boku dake no Hikari
- Secret Graffiti (Under Members)
- Hadashi de Summer ~off vocal ver.~
- Boku dake no Hikari ~off vocal ver.~
- Secret Graffiti ~off vocal ver.~
Review
Hadashi de Summer is the 15th single release from Nogizaka46, featuring Saito Asuka as its center. The a-side is a lighthearted summer pop song equivalent to an AKB48 disgusting bikini type of track.
It doesn’t break the Nogizaka46 song mould by any stretch of the imagination, nor is it one of their better singles, but Hadashi de Summer is pleasant enough to put in your Nogi playlist for a few spins.
Nogizaka46 b-sides are known to be comparable in quality to the main track and sometimes even surpass the a-side altogether. This time is no different, with various songs to choose from spread across the different versions of this single package.
The one song that is the most aurally opposite of anything Nogizaka46 has released is the Ikuta Erika solo song Inochi no Shinjistsu Musical “Ringo Uri to Kamemushi” featuring Sakamoto Kenji. These theatre/stage play types of songs give Ikuta a chance to show off her vocals outside of the idol realm, and it seems her voice is well suited for them.
Other b-sides to take note of are Secret Graffiti, performed by the Under members, and Iku Ate no nai Bokutachi, performed by Ito Marika and Inoue Sayuri. The former is some sugary and catchy retro pop.
The latter is a dance/pop song that sounds like it belongs to an avex girl group instead of Nogizaka46. I like it, but I can see it not being everyone’s cup of tea if they don’t like that type of sound.
Overall not a bad outing by Nogizaka46. The a-side may not be up to par, but the b-sides more than make up for whatever it lacks.
