Ongaku Cafe (2010-2019) – NMB48 – Kamoneggekisu (Type-A) (October 2013)

If you are a fan of NMB48, I definitely recommend the single.  While the drama may be hard for people who can’t understand Japanese to follow, those who just want the music may want to opt for the Theater Edition, while NMB48 hardcore fans will definitely want to pickup Type-A for the music videos and first half of the NMB48 drama.

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GROUP: NMB48

CD SINGLE: カモネギックス Type-A / Kamoneggekisu (Type-A)

LABEL: Kyoraku Yoshimoto

CATALOG #: YRCS-90036

DURATION: 27 Minutes

RELEASE DATE: October 2, 2013

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1. カモネギックス – NMB48
2. サングラスと打ち明け話 – 研究生
3. どしゃぶりの青春の中で – NMB48 (白組)
4. カモネギックス off vocal ver.
5. サングラスと打ち明け話 off vocal ver.
6. どしゃぶりの青春の中で off vocal ver.

DVD INFO: 16:9 LB, Region 2, Duration: 13:44 (for Music Videos) / 23:24 for the NMB48 Drama

1. カモネギックス (ミュージックビデオ)
2. カモネギックス (ミュージックビデオ ダンシングバージョン)
3. どしゃぶりの青春の中で (ミュージックビデオ)
4. ほしにねがうこと ~前編~ (特典映像ドラマ)

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And similar to every single before it, “Kamonegikkisu” debuted at #1 with over 374,000 singles sold during its first week.

For those not familiar with NMB48, AKB48 creator/producer Yasushi Akimoto created NMB48 back in 2011.  The idol group which belongs to Kyoraku Yoshimoto Holdings Co., Ltd. (a joint corporation of Yoshimoto Kogyo Co., Ltd. and Kyoraku Sangyo Co., Ltd.).  For NMB48, it’s best to remember that NMB stands for “Namba” which is in the Minami district in Osaka. So, NMB48 is the main Akimoto-related idol group being showcased in the Kansai area and is the second sister group for AKB48, after SKE48 (who are based in Nagoya).

Similar to previous NMB48 single releases, there are four different versions.  Type-A, Type-B and Type-C feature an exclusive third track and come with a DVD, while the Theater Edition is a normal version without a DVD.

The version I will be reviewing is the Type-A version which features Sayaka Yamamoto and three other members on the front of the cover.  The CD insert is a tri-fold and features the main cover, a photo of Team Shirogumi and production credits while the other side features the lyrics for the three tracks.

The single kicks off with “Kamonegikkisu”, an upbeat dance track and similar to how AKB48 had “Uza” as one of their premiere dance tracks with quick but complex choreography, the same can be said for NMB48’s “Kamonegikkisu”.  A synth driven track, some may feel it strays too far from the group’s idol music, while other’s will appreciate something different from the idol group.

The song is about a guy who immediately catches a girl’s attention.  She feels the guy is “Kamonegikkisu”, a Japanese proverb that is equivalent to “stroke of luck” and in this case, the the romantic timing and seeing this cool guy has been nothing but awesome.  But she has gotten herself involved too soon with guys and it’s been a mistake that she has not learned from.   And while the brief fling ended too soon, now she wants him back.

The second track is titled “Sunglass to Uchiakebanashi” (which translates to “Sunglasses and a Confession”) and is performed by the NMB48 Kenkyuusei.  I have to admit that once I grew tired of listening to “Kamonegikkisu” over and over again, I started to listen to “Sunglass to Uchiakebanashi” much more.  I enjoyed the musical arrangement especially with the synth brass and enjoyed the overall vocals and how fun the song was overall.

“Sunglass to Uchiakebanashi” is about going to the beach in the final days in the calendar, with the sand feeling cold, the person reminisces of how hot it was one summer and how that person fell in love and shared a kiss with the other person.  And later realizing they not only left their sunglasses on the beach but also their confession.

The third and final vocal track on this single is “Doshaburi no Seishun no Naka de” (which translates to “In the Downpour of Youth”) and is performed by Team Shirogumi.  The song is an upbeat pop track with synth brass and is a track that is more of a sad but yet hopeful ballad with an upbeat melody.

The song is about a person feeling sad about her relationship and in the downpour of youth, she is dripping wet and she wants to confess her feelings.  The song is actually quite deep and poetic in a way, but it’s a sad song with hope because the person wants to overcome her sadness.  But as she waits for the person at an abandoned railway station, will that person she intends to confess to…show up?

The final three tracks on the single are the instrumental songs of the first three tracks on the single.

As for the accompanying DVD, there are a total of four DVD tracks.

The first DVD track is the music video for “Kamonegikkisu” and I have to say that this is possibly the best choreographed performance I have seen of NMB48 by far.  Sayaka (Sayanee) Yamamoto and Miyuki (Milky) Watanabe lead the routine but everyone is in sync.  While the performance is shown, with the ladies in silver outfits, clips from the NMB48 drama is shown during the music video.

The second DVD track is the “Kamonegikkisu Dance Ver.” without the drama clips and my preference as it focuses on the actual choreography without any interruptions.  While watching this video, it was great to see the other members get into the dance routine but also to see temp. AKB48 member Miori “Fresh Lemon” Ichikawa really doing well with the group and having grasp the choreography.  At first I questioned the move, but the more I see her as part of the group, she blends in quite well.  But for the most part, all members featured in this music video do a fantastic job!

The third track is for “Doshaburi no Seishun no Naka de” and is performed by Team Shirogumi and features the girls performing and dancing during a heavy downpour of rain and are all soaking wet.  Clips were made specifically for this music video to appear as it was a from a major film. But it’s great to see how this video was shot because of its various scenes and to see the members act and showcase a variety of emotions.  But a pretty cool music video overall.

The fourth and final DVD track is “Hoshi ni Negau Koto” (which translates to “I Want to Wish”), a 24 minute NMB48 drama about certain members making life changing decisions and it focuses on the characters played by Sayaka Yamamoto and Miyuki Watanabe.  It’s important to note that this is part one of the drama, part two is continued on Type-B.

Also, it’s important to note that this is a region 2 DVD and will not play on a region 1 player (unless you have a non-region DVD player) but can be played on a MAC or PC using free video playing software such as VLC or Daum PotPlayer.

Overall, “Kamonegikkusu” is a fascinating single, one because I have never heard NMB48 perform to a dance track in this nature before and while the coupling tracks maintain the idol pop that the group is known for, this single allows the members to showcase much more harder hitting dance moves and I’m sure the choreography was tough but they looked great performing it on the music video.

I also have to say that I enjoyed the NMB48 Kenkyuusei’s performance of “Sunglass to Uchiakebanashi”.  It’s a catchy, addictive idol pop track that I listened to so many times already.

The drama was also fun to watch and glad that they included it in this CD+DVD release instead of having people to purchase it separately on Blu-ray or DVD like the AKB48 “So Long” dramas.  But overall, this is a solid single but it all comes down to whether people dig this dance number from NMB48.  I know some may feel it strays too far from the idol pop they love but I’m sure similar to AKB48 and their song “UZA”, it’s just one song and NMB48 will be back to creating the music that they are known for.

So, if you are a fan of NMB48, I definitely recommend the single.  While the drama may be hard for people who can’t understand Japanese to follow, those who just want the music may want to opt for the Theater Edition, while NMB48 hardcore fans will definitely want to pickup Type-A for the music videos and first half of the NMB48 drama.

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