L☆IS – Running On (a J!-ENT World Groove CD Single Review)

1. Running On (15 Millions collect MIX)
2. 赤い花
3. Running On (Original Karaoke)

For fans of the TV show ASAYAN, we have watched as producer Cozy Kubo (and executive producer Tetsuya Komuro) have tried to work their magic in creating an all-female pop group.

The group is L☆IS (Lolicon Ike Ike Sisters) and the group consists of 15 members, young women, who were given the opportunity to work with Japan’s greatest musical producer TK and successful CK and unfortunately messed up all chances they had in becoming a music group.

After the young women were selected, there was disaster. Cliques developed within the group, some of the young women did not want to put in the same effort to learn the choreography which was essential for the group and in the end, by the time the girls had to perform live in an audience, some of them seemed out of it.

They were so unorganized that they had to receive verbal lashing from the producers to get better and reminded that if they want to make it in the industry, they had to put everything they have into learning the choreography and getting well together as a group.

Eventually the members were able to get things going for the single “Running On”. The single features each member performing a verse from popular TK-related songs such as FREEDOM~FRIENDSHIP~Don’t Wanna Cry~Overnight Sensation~I’m proud~DEPARTURES~You’re my sunshine~Hey~ Ladies & Gentleman~I BELIEVE~ Feel Like dance.

For the most part, the vocals were good, the problem was the harmony and execution (especially live on television). More time was needed to develop these 15 women. I just felt they took on too many members and that is the producer’s fault. It’s one thing to see what they did with dos (dance of sound) three members but 15, way too much to manage.

The coupling track “Akai Hana” (Red Rose) was good. The arrangement for this song was by TM NETWORK’s Naoto Kine and Cozy Kubo and unlike the first song is performed solely by Arisa Kido. I did find this quite interesting that they worked with only one member for the coupling track but overall, a good coupling track.

The third track is the instrumental for “Running On”.

But eventually, after watching the recent ASAYAN episode, it was too late, the girls didn’t all get along together as hoped, they didn’t learn the choreography as expected by the producers and they took it for granted. So, to the group’s shock, TK ended the unit immediately after the release of their single.

I was very shocked to see how this experiment turned disastrous but maybe it would be easier if TK or Cozy Kubo focused on young members than young women. Maybe slightly younger and are not going to give much attitude. Who knows… maybe ASAYAN will attempt the experiment again but its unfortunate that L☆IS had a perfect opportunity to become a music group and literally messed it all up for themselves. But not all blame goes to the women, there has to be blame put on the producers.

If you are going to develop such a large group, this takes time and effort, not weekly for the sake of a television series. There was too much, too soon for these young women and it was a half-assed effort that they were doomed to begin with. I have no doubt that similar to what TK did with dos (dance of sound) and focusing on three members, he could have done the same with L☆IS but with half the members. Possibly seven or eight members but 15 was just too much to manage and I’m sure TK and Cozy Kubo learned from this unfortunate situation.

Overall, “Running On” is a good single, not great but OK. If anything, the women’s attitude and lack of preparation for their TV appearance just hurt this project and what we have here is literally a TK one-shot for his failed group, L☆IS.

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