I believe NMB48 is the final AKB sister group I've yet to talk about on here (excluding non-Japanese ones of course). They're probably my second favorite 48 group. For me it goes: AKB>NMB>SKE>Nogi>HKT.
The title track for this single is Rashikunai. The font on the single cover looks so much like Sayonara Crawl's font it's sad. That font just isn't good. Did NMB really only release two singles this year? That's too bad. I know they released the album but it was so full of B-sides that it felt like a non-event. I know they only released two singles last year too, but the album last year was awesome and Kamonegix existed so last year was great. This year's A-sides were boring to be frank. They fell into the same trap AKB did this year. When I heard that Fuuko and Miru were centering the single instead of the usual Sayaka or Miyuki, I was not sure what would happen. On one hand, I was excited for things to be shaken up, but Sayaka is my favorite member so I was a little disappointed she was no longer center. Fuuko's my second favorite member though so the center change works for me. However, this release doesn't do anything for me. Rashikunai is ok, but I've listened to it in full a couple times and always get so distracted by other things that my brain forgets to listen to the song. That's not good because that tells me that the song is very boring. Not even the brass instruments could save this song. I really don't understand what's going on in the video. They attend some sort of conservatory? And then there's cleaning, ugly outfits, and soap suds? It just doesn't make sense to me. 3/5.
The main B-side across all versions of the single is Tomodachi, which is sung by Sayaka Yamamoto and Nana Yamada. I guess this song will eventually take special meaning in the NMB fandom as Nana is graduating in April. Too bad this song is a typical idol pop ballad. And Nana's voice sounds bad. At least it's Sayaka as the duet partner and not Miyuki. Sayaka has one heck of a voice and it sounds unique too which at least makes the song easier to sit through. 3/5.
Live Performance from their official YT:
The Type A B-side for this single is Kyuusen Kyouten. It's sung by Team N and translates to "Cease-Fire Agreement". That title sounds so awesome and I was so pumped for an awesome song. And then I was let down. By a lot. I should never look at the English translation of these titles. It's not that it's a bad song, I just was expecting something wildly different than the 50s styled diner thing. I feel like they already did this concept anyway....wasn't it in their album this year? Or did I make that up in my head? Luckily for Team N I like these type of songs so I do enjoy this one. For the video....was this 50s diner/roller skate/sockhop type of thing actually popular in Japan? Or is it just modeled after the American era. I really don't know much about Japan's history when it comes to popular culture so I'm really curious about that. 4/5.
The Team M song for this single is Migi ni Shiteru Ring. I wasn't really expecting much from Team M's song, so I wasn't really let down by it when I heard it. This is certainly my least favorite Team song on this single. It's a pretty typical song for the 48s. The video is a typical one too. I loved playing "Find Momoka" though in the video xD. I love that the management allowed her to dye her hair green and allowed it to be shown in the music videos. Hooray for individuality! 3.5/5.
The Team BII song for this single is Star ni Nante Naritakunai. This was the track that I had the least hype for, but it turned out to be my favorite. In my head I equate Team BII with Team B, the more cutesy team. But this song is pretty great. It's very catchy, and although it sounds like a typical idol pop track, it's got a fresh feeling to it that's so nice. The video's pretty cool too. The only thing I dislike about it is the lighting in the shots with the purple curtain. It washes out their skin and makes them look a very sickly pale. 4.5/5.
The theater edition B-side for this single is Asphalt no Namida. First thought: Weird title for a song, but ok. Second thought: Well at least it's not the boring ballad I expected it would be. It's actually interesting that this song is better than the title track for me. I usually don't care much for the theater edition song (the last one I loved was Love Shugyou on AKB's Sayonara Crawl single.), but this one isn't bad. I guess you could say I was pleasantly surprised. 3.5/5.
Wow I can't believe how disappointed I am in this single. Almost all of the B-sides are better than Rashikunai and out of the B-sides, only two songs really stand out and only one of those two is really all that interesting. Maybe next year will bring better releases for all of the 48 groups. 3.5/5.
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