HKT is my least liked of the 48s. It seems like they release the same song over and over on their singles. I hope NGT takes a different direction and doesn't go cutesy at first. I am excited to see HKT next release though. I keep hoping it will be something a little different even though that hasn't happened yet.
The title track for the single is Sakura, Minna de Tabeta. Out of their five current singles, this is my least favorite title track. To me, it's the most generic one. It's a typical idol pop track and it's not energetic at all like Melon Juice or Suki Suki Skip. The music video is adorable though. It reminds me a lot of Perfume's Sweet Refrain video (can't remember which came first). I actually miss Meru as center. I like her as center more than Sakura and Haruka. 3/5.
The first B-side is Kimi wa Doushite? found on all versions of the single. Really this just feels like a more upbeat version of the title song. The vocals are also a little too high pitched for my taste. 3/5.
The next B-side is Kidoku Through by Team H found on the Type A version of the single. Even though this single has my least favorite title song, it's B-sides are among my favorites from HKT. Even though this song is still over-hyper idol pop, it has song electronic pieces and is very energetic. This type of song would make a nice title track for HKT. It would still be energetic idol pop like their image, but it would be different enough to distinguish it from their other A-sides. The music video is just as energetic as the song. It also serves to show just how out of place Rino Sashihara looks in HKT. I'm glad that she doesn't want to be center in HKT because I don't think this style suits her much at all. Meru again does a wonderful job as center. I hope she gets to center something again in the future. 5/5.
The next B-side is Mukashi no Kareshi no Oniichan to Tsukiau to Iu Koto by Team KIV found on the Type B version of the single. First of all, yikes that song title is long. Second of all, this is my all time favorite HKT song. The instrumental reminds me so much of A*Teens cover of Gimme Gimme Gimme and that makes me so happy. I would love it if one of the 48 Groups would go all the way with a crazy Europop track like was popular in the early 2000s. The music video's pretty standard for 48G...just done in reverse. 5/5.
The next B-side is Oboete Kudasai by the Kenkyuusei found on the Type C version of the single. Even with this being a Kenkyuusei track (which I generally dislike from all groups), it's pretty catchy. It actually sounds like a mix between J=J's Ca va & the H!P Kenshuusei album. It's definitely an enjoyable song. 4/5.
The final B-side is Kimi no Koto ga Suki yaken found on the Theater edition. This is actually a cover of AKB's Kimi no Koto ga Suki Dakara except it's sung in the dialect of HKT's area. I personally can't see the difference besides the change from dakara to yaken. I'm sure to the trained ear/for natives speakers it sounds a lot different. It's like MM's Osaka Koi no Uta where they're supposed to be singing in the Kansai dialect. I've listened to that song over 100 times and I still can't figure out what they're pronouncing differently. AKB's version is better though.
If it weren't for the title track, this single would be incredibly solid for a 48G single. I'm sure fans of the cutesy idol pop stuff will love the title track along with the rest of the release though. 4/5.
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