► Sexy Zone's 'Sexy Power3' Album Review!

It is here, Sexy Zone released their third album. Honestly, I think that this was pretty fast. It's because one year ago, they released their second album. And now, they already released their third album. That was kinda fast. Hahaha.

▼ Seriously though, there's a lot of triangles in these photos. They're emphasizing 3 a lot too. Err- Okay? ▲

(｀・ω・)メ＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝*;’*';☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ

 
To be honest, I wasn't really excited about this album. It's not because they were promoted Shori, Kento, and Fuma. I'm over that already. I honestly don't care anymore. When the release of the new album was announced, I simply shrugged and thought 'Whatever.' Afterwards, I completely forgot about its existence until a few days ago. Oops. Anyways, on with the review!

► Note: This time, I will not be reviewing the music videos for 'Maware Miracle' and 'Let's Go to Earth.' I will be reviewing those two at a later time. Also, sit back and grab some popcorn. This review is gonna take awhile. We got almost 10+ new songs to review. The heck- I apologize if I rush towards the end.

We're just gonna skip the introduction song, because-- I feel like it. If anyone's curious about the introduction song, 'Sexy Power3,' it has a very techno sound to it. It's seriously does have an EDM feel to it. It sounds rather too cool and mature. Although I am somewhat a fan of these kind of cool EDM sound, I don't really like it. To be honest, I like the introduction song for their second album better. I believe that introduction song suits Sexy Zone much better.

- - 01. マワレ ミラクル - -

When I first heard about this song, I thought that it was going to be a new single- that it was a title of a new single. At least that's what rumor has it. Afterwards, I found out that it was actually the lead track for the album. Honestly, I didn't think to much about it. I didn't really expect anything. I didn't have any standards. The only thing I thought about the song was that it had a cute title. I did listen to the radio rip afterwards, and I just- I love it, okay?

I found 'Maware Miracle' to be a very cute song. Although it's sung by the main three members only-- I really don't care anymore. I sincerely do love this song. Immediately, the song is ranked within my top ten favorite Sexy Zone songs of all time. That shows just how good this song is- If you did not like 'Otoko never give up!' or 'Kimi ni HITOMEBORE,' give this song a try. I can guarantee that you'll love this song. I know, I do! ❤

From what I heard, the instrumental has a bit of a electronic feel to it? However, they pulled it off to make it sound much more prettier in a way. The song has a very light-hearted and fun feel to it. The song has a very mellow, relaxed feel to it- somewhat similar to Flower's 'COLOR ME UP!' I do commend all three of the guys in this song. They all sound amazing in this song. They harmonized pretty well. In my opinion, Shori stood out to me. He sounds really good in this song!

Overall, this is a really great song. I'm honestly happy that this song has been made at the leading track for the album. I sincerely do love this song. I cannot express my happiness for it into words. For all those anti 3nin-Sexy Zone fans, give this song a try. I cannot bring myself to hate this song, whatsoever. I just can't. This is a very upbeat, cute, pretty happy song.

- - 02. Hey you! - -

Immediately after the song started, I did not technically like this song. It's pretty ironic since this is a 5nin Sexy Zone song. When I was listening to the album for the first time, I skipped this song. I would only listen to the first ten seconds of it before skipping. However, I took the time to actually sit down and listen to the song from start to end. Now, I kinda like the song. However, I do not particularly like it as much as 'Maware Miracle' or 'Party up!'

The song really suits Sexy Zone's style. How do I describe it correctly? It's very Sexy Zone-like? (What? Airi, what the heck? What are you saying? Did you have coffee yet?) A good chunk of the group's songs has that band-like feel to it with the trumpets, guitars, etc. A few examples of such would be '2020 Come on to Tokyo' or 'Lady Spicy.' Like all those other songs, 'Hey you!' also has that sort of band-like feel to it. It's a pretty loud yet very up-beat song. Again, I didn't really like it. However, it grew onto me the more I listen to it. It's not too bad~

The song is not that memorable to me. While it is a pretty good song- after awhile, I immediately forgot what it sounds like. I do hope that by listening to the song more often, I will remember it. The regular verses and the verse leading up to the chorus were really good; however, I did not enjoy the chorus that much. I don't know why. I'm just weird, okay? I think everyone delivered pretty good vocals in this song. Again, Shori stood out to me. I'm not trying to be biased. It's just his voice that sticks out to me. /shrug;

I have a pretty good feeling that this song will be shown in future episodes of Sexy Zone Channel a lot. I have a pretty good feeling that it will. The song is a very fun, very up-beat. It has very summer-like feel to it... Wait, I can put this on my 2015 summer playlist! Enough of that. Either way, I feel like this song can really make you feel happy. This song can really cheer you up.

- - 03. Black Cinderella - -

Fans of Nakajima Kento, please withhold all fangirling and comments until the end of the entry! Thank you for your cooperation. (I feel like a business person by saying that, hahaha.) This is one of Kento's two solo songs on the album. I really do like how they put on all these solo songs [of the three main members] for the album. Personally, I feel like that's a little bit better than creating a lot of 3nin Sexy Zone songs. /shrugs; Now fans of Nakajima Kento, do not hate me. This is my own opinion, but I do not like this song. /runs away;

Judging from the song title, I was expecting this song to be really cool and dark. I was expecting it to be the next 'Rouge' or 'Teleportation.' No, it was more like- I was expecting it sound somewhat like Flower's 'Boyfriend (Moonlight Version).' I imagined the song to have a very slow, R&B/Pop, cool sound to it. I had my hopes up for this song. And then, I ended up being disappointed. Instead, I have never felt so awkward in my life. I cringed a little bit.

The song was just very, very awkward for me. I feel like this song is a step down for Kento. He's a very great vocalist and I whole-heartedly respect him for that. His last three solo songs were quite decent and suits his style. And now, I feel like Kento's trying to change his sound and it's not working out too well. I'm still cringing a little bit from this song. The song has a somewhat bubblegum pop-rock feel to it? It sounds somewhat like a club song.

Now that I think about it, maybe this should've been an insert OST for 'Kurofuku Monogatari.' Overall, I do not like this song. There's nothing else that I could say about it. It was quite boring. It didn't really make me feel anything (such as happy, want to dance, etc.) I have the tendency to skip this song a lot. The song title was really misleading. I was so excited for this song, and I ended up being disappointed. 'Black Cinderella' sounds like a pretty cool story title, tbh..

- - 04. 好きだよ - -

This is a very cute song, 'nough said. Okay, moving on. No, I'm just kidding~ I need to go into detail about this song. As the album are mainly focusing on solo songs, this is one of Shori's two solo songs. I had a pretty good feeling about this song. Shori's songs fails to disappoint me. I enjoyed listening to 'Onnaji Sora no Shita' and 'Hachidori.' Similar to those two songs, I also enjoyed listening to this song! I'm not being biased. I just really do like his solo songs.

'Suki da yo' has a very funky yet fun sound to it. Similar to the lead track, this song has a very band-like feel to it. They were really emphasizing on the trumpets a lot. This is a seriously a very cute song, I cannot bring myself to hate it. Honestly, I feel like this song is 'Onnaji Sora no Shita' and 'Hachidori' combined. This song takes some components from his two previous songs. I don't really have a problem with that. I like Shori has this consistent music style.

And then 'Mada Minu Keshiki' came in and ruined that consistency.

Day by day, Shori has been improving more and more as a vocalist. Yes, he may not be the best vocalist when compared to Kento or Fuma. He doesn't exactly have an angel's voice. However, his voice is unique and I really do love hearing his singing. This song was seriously made for him, and him alone. I cannot imagine anyone else trying to sing this song. I secretly hope that ten years from now, that Johnny's Jr don't ruin this song for me.

My favorite parts of the song would have to be the chorus. Kiss to love, Kiss to love, Kiss to love~ I really did like that part. Also, I want to point out that the song also some parts that are similar to 'Koi no ABO' by NEWS. Especially in the chorus when Shori goes 'nandemo, nandemo, nandemo.' I didn't really pay attention to the song until that part came up. And I was like 'Gaaaaaaasp. NEWS!' and stuff. Overall, this is seriously a very cute song. I really do love it! ❤

** EDIT: I just read the translation of the lyrics on Tumblr a few seconds ago, and ohmygod- this is seriously a frekin' cute song that just screams 'SHORI.' This love was made for him. I'm done. ❤

- - 05. 20 -Tw/Nty- - -

Twenty kenty shining star~ When I first heard the song title, I assumed that it was going to be a solo song from Kento. However, it turns out that this song was actually Fuma's. I have no problem with it. In the year of 2015, Fuma will turn twenty. Well, a few days, he did turn twenty years old. Aside from 'FaKe,' I love all of Fuma's solo songs. I swear to God, you cannot hate this song. If you did, then get out. Lol, no! I'm just kidding! Don't leave me, guys! Don't leave!

From the minute the song started, I can tell that this was different from all of Fuma's solo songs up until now. Fuma is known to be the next Akanishi Jin, in terms of music style. His solo songs have a very cool and edgy sound to it. His last solo song was purely autotune, and I freakin' love it. '20 -Tw/Nty-' has very different sound. It's a pop ballad. While it does incorporate a little techno here and there, it's mostly very gentle. It's a super pretty song. Honestly, I feel like Fuma pulled this song off very well! He should do more songs like this!

Also, correct me if I'm wrong, I'm assuming that Fuma also personally wrote this song? If he did, then good job to him! He needs to write more songs like this. This was seriously a beautiful song. It was a very smooth, gentle ballad. Nothing feels awkward or out of place. Even the short techno-like parts didn't sound awkward. For me, the song sounds very relaxing. It didn't overwhelm me. It helps calm me down. I freakin' love this song, alright?

Ever since I first downloaded the album, I've been listening to this song a lot! That just shows how good it is. Also, after reading a JWEB entry from Fuma, I learned that the lyrics have meaning to them. It's not your ordinary 'I've turned 20! Let's party!' kind of song. This is a song that will touch your heartstrings and make you reflect on how far you have come. I have yet to read a full translation of the lyrics, but I seriously do want to. Overall, this is just a beautiful song. It has become one of the best Sexy Zone songs I've heard in a pretty long time.

- - 06. トラフィックジャム - -

This song has been sung by the sub-units, Sexy Boyz and Sexy 松 (Show). Honestly, as time passes, I've grown to really adore these units. They're slightly awkward at times; however, they're all just cute. And I love them. That aside, I first listened to a preview of the song on PonyCanyon. It was just a short excerpt but I liked it. I really did like the song and I was pretty excited for it. My first impressions of that song was that it was cute and has a bit of funky beat to it. It definitely sounds like a summer song.

To be honest, although I do truly like the song, I do not find it memorable. After listening to the song, I'd forget what it sounds like afterwards. Also, I feel like it takes some components of Hey! Say! JUMP's 'Pastel' in a way. The instrumental sounds vaguely similar in some parts. When I tried to remember the tune to 'Traffic Jam,' I somehow started singing the lyrics to 'Pastel' instead. I don't know, I'm just weird like that. I'm sorry. There really wasn't any solo lines in this song. However, everyone sang great as a group.

As said before, 'Traffic Jam' is a very cute song with a funky beat to it. I love how they incorporated actually street/traffic sounds in the background! At least the song wasn't misleading, similar to another song on the album.. /coughcough; It's very up-lifting and has a happy tune to it~ I can really imagine myself listening to this song in the summer time~ And especially when I go on a road trip~ Or traveling of any sort~ It's that kind of song. Actually wait, I feel like you can just listen to this song everywhere. Yep, that's it.

I'm random, I'm sorry guys. I didn't have coffeeeeeeeee.

Overall, this is a very cute song. I honestly like this song a lot more than the last official Sexy Boyz which was.. 'Ame Datte' and 'Don't Stop Sexy Boyz.' Oh my god, that was so long ago. That was like three years ago. I feel kinda old. But seriously though, I do recommend giving this song a try. In my opinion, Marius and Sou stood out to me in this song. They harmonize with everyone perfectly and made the entire group sound amazing. I love it.

- - 07. 桜咲くColor - -

Ahh, it's another one of those 'Sakura' songs for Johnny's World. I'm still slightly.. surprised that it's still going on. When it was first introduced, I initially that it was going to be a one year thing. A few years later, it's still going strong. One thing that I want to point out is that this song was performed by only Kento, Marius, and Shori. I'm quite happy about this~ Now if only we can slightly shove Kento out of the way and put Sou into his place. /shrug;

Honestly, I prefer 'Hyakkryouran' over 'Sakura Saku Color.' But this review is mainly focusing on Sexy Zone so... yea. Nonetheless, all three guys really performed great in this song. It is a very pretty song, I won't deny that. It has a very pretty and light-hearted sound to it. And perfect timing because spring is right around the corner! Winter is over- Spring is coming in. Eventually all the trees will have cherry blossoms sprouting all over. Pink, pink everywhere~

Although this is a very pretty song, I found it to be another unmemorable song. There really wasn't anything that stuck out to me. The song didn't have that catchy hook that I needed. All I basically remember from the song is that 99% of it consisted of nothing but Kento. Kento was the center for the song. And I have no problem with that. He's a good vocalist and such. I was also glad to see that Marius is getting a few solo lines in this song too!

When listening to this song, I had to constantly remind myself that Shori's in this song too. The reason was that Kento and Marius easily overpowered him, in terms of vocals. I could not distinguish his voice at all. Throughout the song, I mainly heard Marius and Kento. Even in the group lines, I heard Kento and Marius. While Shori is improving as vocalist, I want him to continue to work on his vocal technique and try to project his voice stronger. At least make everyone know that you're here! ... He was just there. /shrug;

- - 08. ディア ハイヒール - -

Alas, we have another solo song from Kento. Again, all fans of Nakajima Kento- please withhold all fangirling and comments until the end of the entry. Thank you for your cooperation~Here it is, Kento's second solo song for the album. Before downloading the song, I want on Twitter and I recall seeing some tweets about how this song was absolutely perfect and such. And now here's the ugly truth- I ended up not liking it. /runs away;

I honestly didn't really have any standards for this song. I didn't care so much about the song. I imagined this song to have a very funky beat to it, similar to Hey! Say! JUMP's 'Yes!' in a way. No wait- the instrumental for 'Black Cinderella' should've been the instrumental for this song. That's how I imagined it to be. However, I was sincerely surprised to see that it was ballad instead. Again, this has become a very misleading title for me. The heck-

The song has a very soft, gentle melody to it. I can really hear the piano in the background. As always, Kento is an excellent vocalist. He really did great in this solo song of his. However, I found this song to be very unmemorable. 'Dear High Heel' did not necessarily have a catchy hook to it. What comes through one ear- goes out in another. After listening to it once, I'd totally forgot how it sounded. Also, I was quite bored when listening to it.

Recently, I've read the translation of the lyrics on LiveJournal. And the song has some meaning to it. It's a love song after all. However, even with the lyrics- I don't think it can do much justice for the entire song. Out of all the tracks from the entire album, I would have to say that 'Dear High Heel' is my one of my least favorite songs. I didn't technically enjoy listening to that song. It sincerely may end up being another random filler song on my iPod.

- - 09. まだ見ぬ景色 - -

WHO ARE YOU. AND WHAT DID YOU DO TO THAT ADORABLE KID KNOWN AS SATO SHORI. I DON'T APPROVE OF THIS.

Almost all of Shori's solo songs are known to be a very light-hearted and funky beat to them. They're always very cute and puts a smile on your face. It is the rainbow after the storm. Honestly, I don't think anyone can bring themselves to hate Shori's solo songs. Shori has a specific and consistent music style. It's almost as if he knows what works for him. And then BAM! This hell of a song comes out. What happened to all the cutesy, sunshine songs?

Strangely enough, I actually love this song. I'm sucker when it comes to semi-dark, semi-serious cool songs. Why do you think I like 'Ghost ~Kimi wa Maboroshi~' so much? Yes, I was quite surprised to see Shori having this kind of sound for his solo song. However, in the end, I really did love it. I think Shori really pulled off this new music style very well. For once, he seems/sounds really really cool and mature. I'm really impressed with him and this song.

The song has a very intense yet somewhat classical feel to it? I could really hear the use of string instruments in the background. I really did like that. Again, as said before, the song had a bit of an intense feel to it. The tension of the song gradually builds up, at least that's how I feel. I also really want to commend Shori on his performance on the song. Day by day, he's slowly improving as a vocalist. He's not the best, compared to Fuma or Kento. However, he's getting better. He really did pull of this song extremely well.

Overall, this was a pretty damn good song. I really do like it. I've yet to read the translation of the lyrics. However, I'm assuming that it would be a semi-serious song. This has become one of my most favorite songs from the album.

- - 10. Party up! - -

This is the second solo song from Fuma in this album. And like every other song on the album, I was necessarily excited or had high hopes for it. I'm serious, guys. I did not care for the album that much in the beginning. However, it's Fuma. I like almost every of his solo songs. And I loved 'It's Going Down!' For some reason, I had a premonition that I was going to like this song.. and I did! When I first listened to the preview on PonyCanyon, I was immediately in love with it. The autotune is back! I literally screamed out 'Yes!'

As indicated by the title, the song is sincerely a party song. However, I feel like it's also a song you might here in a club too. It'll make you want to stand up and dance. It has a really steady beat to it~ It's really catchy, especially during the chorus. While it does maintain an EDM feel, it has a band-like feel in some parts. And honestly, the two music genres mashed together didn't sound that bad. The song didn't sound to awkward. The song was very well-composed and commend the producers for that.

When reading Fuma's JWEB entry prior to downloading the album, I learned that the song has a lot of English in it (especially in the chorus). I don't really have a problem with it. However, I could barely understand what Fuma is trying to say. English in Japanese songs can be really slurred- words are sometimes mashed together or there are additional syllables. Personally, I feel like the English of the song kinda ruined it for me. But oh wells.

Overall, this was seriously a very good song. I absolutely love it and I'm jamming it everywhere I go. In my own opinion, I feel like techno and ballads are Fuma's best music genres. His ballads are absolutely beautiful while his more EDM-like songs are much more awesome and cooler. A majority of Fuma's solo songs are just plain awesome, alright? Okay, guys. We're almost done! We're like 2/3 done! Bear with me a little longer~

- - 11. 一歩ずつ ～Walk On The Wild Side～ - -

Similar to some other certain songs on the album, the song title is quite misleading. When I first looked at the song title months ago, I was expecting this to be sort of a pop-rock song. I was expected this song to be somewhat similar to 'BAD BOYS.' However, when I listened to a preview of the song on PonyCanyon- I have to say that I was quite surprised and disappointed. The song, surprisingly, ending up being a ballad instead.

This song is sung by the main three members, similar to 'Maware Miracle.' I seriously couldn't care less. Like every Sexy Zone ballad out there, this song is also very pretty. It has a very soothing and gentle, melody. Honestly, I did not particularly like the song initially. When I listened to the album fr the first time, I often skipped this track. I didn't even bother to listen to it from start to finish. However, now that I took the time to sit down and listen- I came to somewhat like it. It will eventually grow on me over time.

I believe that all three guys really did amazing in this song. All them sounded great in their group lines, as well as their solo lines. They all stood out to me, equally as individuals. However, I have this weird feeling that in this song- I feel like Kento's trying to overpower the other two. I don't know, I just have that strange feeling. Anyways, my favorite parts of the songs would have to be the verses as well as the last half of the chorus. So pretty~

Overall, I guess that this is a pretty good song. I was quite disappointed that this song wasn't a pop-rock song as I had expected. The song title is so misleading. However, it's still a very good song nonetheless. I'm assuming that this song has very meaningful lyrics of encouragement. I'm assuming! I don't know for sure- I didn't read a translation for the lyrics yet. Also, in the back of my head- I kinda want all five members of Sexy Zone to perform this song. However, it can't be helped. I'm fine with three members singing this. /shrug; 

- - 12. この手をつなごう - -

Oh, you thought one song was enough? No! They have another song for Sexy Boyz and Sexy 松 (Show). You can find this track on the Limited A edition of the new album. This song was first introduced last year at their Spring Tour. My first impression was that it was okay. I found it to be a pretty cute song. I think the only reason that I cared about the song was that Sou and Marius were sorta center members for it. /whacked; I know, I'm terrible. I'm sorry, guys! After awhile, I fell out of love with the song.

Yes, this is a very cute song that I'm assuming it's about friendship and sunshine. We got a lot of clapping and hand-holding in the song. It will surely put a smile on your face and be the rainbow after a rainy day. For the first month after listening to the song for the first time, I loved it. I found to be a very cute and energetic song~ I found myself humming to it from time to time. However, afterwards, I grew to be quite bored of it.

While the song is quite boring and fades away over time, I will acknowledge that it was good song. I can tell that everyone was putting a lot of effort into this song. They all sounded great and harmonized well in the group lines. They also looked like they had fun while performing live. They were all smiling. This is not my most favorite song. However, when I'm in the right mood and when it's a bright sunny day out- I'll listen to it again.

- - 13. Let's Go To Earth - -

This song is also another bonus track from the album. You can find it on the Limited B edition of the album~ I'll be frank- when I imagined the full studio of this song being released- I thought Hey! Say! JUMP would release it. Instead, I was surprised to see Sexy Zone releasing the full studio version first. It's not that I had a problem with it. I'm perfectly fine with that. I loved Sexy Zone's performance of the song on ShoKura. Surely, they can't screw it up that bad? Or did they? While it is a very good, it was actually pretty boring. I yawned a lot.

Compared to the original sung by Hey! Say! JUMP, the arrangement for this version is slightly different. The new arrangement has much more stronger (?) sound to it. It was made to suit Sexy Zone's vocals more. Personally, I love this arrangement more. This song is also very long as well. It's approximately six and half minutes. However, all they did was sing the same two verses twice- and sung one verse in English. Oh yeah about that- what happened to all the English in the song? Where's the English? The heck-

However, nonetheless, the harmonies are just simply beautiful in this song. There were only a few solo lines in the beginning- afterwards, it was mainly group lines. Everyone sounded great in their group lines. Every harmonized with each other so well to create this very pretty song. the only reason why it was so boring was that it was same two verses twice. Honestly, I wished they added new verses to the song- to make it more better.

Also, I will be skipping the single medley in this review. If you're curious, you can find the single medley on the regular edition of the new album. It's just basically a medley of every A-side from Sexy Zone. It's very self-explanatory. I don't feel the need to review it. /whacked;

(｀・ω・)メ＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝*;’*';☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ

So that's it. That's my review on Sexy Zone's third album. Honestly, it's not too bad. It is certainly better than their first album. However, I'd have to say that I prefer their second album more. What are your thoughts on the album and what are your favorite tracks? Until my next entry, jyaa ne~

MUSIC; The Middle Management～女性中間管理職～ / ºC-ute
MOOD; I finally finished this review! Accomplished! ヾ(@^▽^@)ノ