NMB48 – Kitagawa Kenji (Type-A) (a J!-ENT World Groove CD Single Review)

1. 北川謙二 – NMB48
2. インゴール – NMB48
3. 星空のキャラバン – NMB48 Shirogumi
4. 北川謙二 off vocal ver. – NMB48
5. インゴール off vocal ver. – NMB48
6. 星空のキャラバン off vocal ver. – NMB48 Shirogumi

DVD INFO: 16:9 LB, Region 2, Duration: 17:04 (for Music Videos) / 41:38 for the NMB48 Swim Meet Kouhaku Competition

1. 北川謙二 Music Video
2. 北川謙二 (ミュージックビデオ ダンシングバージョン)
3. 星空のキャラバン (ミュージックビデオ)
4. 第2回NMB48紅白対抗水泳大会 (前編) (特典映像)

It has been a little over a year since AKB48 creator/producer Yasushi Akimoto created NMB48, the idol group which belongs to Kyoraku Yoshimoto Holdings Co., Ltd. (a joint corporation of Yoshimoto Kogyo Co., Ltd. and Kyoraku Sangyo Co., Ltd.).

And before anyone gets confused between the various idol groups with the “48” attached to it. 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, after SKE48 (which are based in Nagoya).

While NMB48 is known for its captain Sayaka Yamamoto (of Team N) and Team N member Miyuki “Milky” Watanabe, as more NMB48’s singles continue to chart at #1 in the weekly Oricon CD Single Chart rankings, there has been more exposure for the group and its members.

Also, AKB48 member Yui Yokoyama recently joined the group, so things are looking up for NMB48. And with most of the five CD single release thus far charting at #1 (with the exception of “Nagiichi” which charted at #2 but remains their best selling single to date), NMB48 has released their sixth CD single titled “Kitagawa Kenji”.

And like NMB48’s other CD singles, “Kitagawa Kenji” debuted at #1 on release day and that week!

There will be a total of four versions of “Kitagawa Kenji” released. Type-A, Type-B and Type-C will include a different third track and each DVD will have a video of all three songs plus a three part NMB48 Swim Contest. So, if you want all parts of the swim contest, you must purchase all three different types. And the fourth version is the Theater Edition (which features no DVD) that includes the first two songs and all songs featured as the third track on Type-A, B and C.

The version I will be reviewing is “Kitagawa Kenji” (Type-A) which comes with a tri-fold featuring a photo of the group (from their dance version from the music video) and lyrics and production credits on the other side Plus a small insert promoting the Yoshimoto 100th year anniversary of Yoshimoto Kogyo Co., Ltd.’s traditional theatre. The cover also features Sayanee, Yui, Riho and other members of NMB48 in their student and dance girl alternate uniforms.

The single starts off with “Kitagawa Kenji”, an unusual track title named after AKB48’s video visual producer and North River President but the song has nothing to do with him. The song is idol pop with its upbeat pop track but its the lyrics that are quite fascinating. The lyrics are about a guy who is in a relationship with his new girlfriend, but it bothers the guy that his girlfriend once dated a guy named Kitagawa Kenji.

And one day, at the cafe, while with your girlfriend, Kitagawa Kenji comes by and the girlfriend says the guy is Kitawaga Kenji and the boyfriend suddenly becomes jealous. So much that he says that if Kenji comes near the two of them, he will fight him. Because the guy is jealous that his girlfriend may want to go back to him but you realize that the girlfriend is testing your love for her.

The second track is titled “In-Goal”, an idol pop track that is upbeat and positive. The song is pretty much about setting a goal and aiming for that dream and to learn from all experiences, knowing that sometimes you will win or lose. But it’s a mid-tempo pop track with positive lyrics!

The third track is titled “Hoshizora no Caravan” (which translates to “Caravan of Stardust” or “Caravan of Starry Sky”) performed by NMB48’s Shirogumi group, which I suspect the Shirogumi is in reference to the yearly AKB48 Kohaku Utagassen or the swimming competition (featured on DVD) in which teams are divided up into red vs. white.

The song is upbeat, catchy but unlike Akagumi’s “Renai Higaitodoke” which is a dance track, this track is a bit more mellow with acoustic guitars and synth strings.  It’s a beautiful winter song about looking over to the starry sky and wondering how the person met the person they love under that sky.  The couple riding on a caravan of stardust guided by a compass searching for the map of fate.  And while we leave the baggage to the past, the couple wants to make new dreams.  So, they become new adventurers not knowing where their love will take them.

The remaining three tracks are the off-vocal (instrumental) versions of the first three tracks.

As for the DVD, the first track “Kitagawa Kenji” begins with Sayaka, Yui and Milky working on an arithmetic problem and the other students (NMB48 members) bored in class. As the teacher (Kitagawa Kenji) is checking the answers on board, as Sayaka and Yui finish their problem first, the teacher looks at Milky’s answer and she answers the math problem with “Kitagawa Kenji”. This leads to the members of NMB48 performing the song with their colorful outfits.

The second track features the music video dance version of “Kitagawa Kenji” without the classroom segments.

The third track “Hoshizora no Caravan” features a drama about a wife confronting her husband about losing his job and wondering if he’ll get a new job.  Yui catches them yelling  and yells back at them. Meanwhile, Sayaka goes to check on her test grades and finds out that she has failed.  Meanwhile, another girl is shown going to a doghouse, when she finds a dog’s collar, she begins crying and we learn that the dog was sick.  The video then shows members of Team Shirogumi performing in the forest and we see images of the lives of the three girls who are experiencing problems, trying to have a good time while with their friends.  And their friends doing all they can to make them happy.

The fourth video (which must be accessed on the main menu and not play all) is the NMB48 2nd Swim Meet Part Two. It’s one thing to have nearly 18 minutes of music videos but to have 41-minutes of a swim competition which is fantastic! The competition reminds me of the past AKB48 “AKBingo” swim competitions.

The first competition has members competing in a race (where they must run on flotation steps on top of the water) to get a flag and answer the right question.  The second competition features teams trying to throw certain colored balls to the correct basket (which are also colored).

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, “Kitagawa Kenji” is a fascinating CD single. While I thought the song was silly at first listen, it’s actually a pretty fun song especially with its lyrics of a guy getting jealous over his girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend who shows up to the same cafe they are at. But you get three solid idol pop tracks but the true winner with these Type-A, B and C releases is its inclusion of three music videos and the hilarious, fun “NMB48 Swim Meet Kohaku” special.

While I enjoyed their last single “Virginity” much more for the music, as an overall package, the DVD alone for Type-A and Type-B for “Kitagawa Kenji” makes this single worth owning. If you are an NMB48 fan, you definitely want to check out each CD+DVD release of “Kitagawa Kenji”. Recommended!