Kobushi Factory Continues to Churn Out Success

Kobushi Factory caught us by surprise when they were first announced, and they had a very solid debut as well. With that under their belt, let’s take a look at their 2nd and 3rd releases, and see if they’ve kept the steam rolling.

Their second release kicked off with ‘Sakura Night Fever’ which is a very nostalgic themed song. It reminds me of the type of music that Hello! Project started off with, and that’s a really good thing. It’s a very cute and fun song that is totally grounded in the type of theming that made Hello! Project so endearing over a decade ago. Their second song, ‘Chotto Guchoku ni! Chototsumoushin,’ keeps with the jazzy theme of the recent Hello! Project releases, with a lot of really fun vocal range. In fact, I really love how this song helps to show off how talented these girls can be when given the opportunity. The song offers a little bit of high-end vocal talent mixed with the kind of silly fun we had with ‘Ramen Daisuki Koizumi-san no Uta’ (from their debut single). It’s just plain fun! ‘Osu! Kobushi Tamashii’ is their final song, and brings a far more modern musical style to the table to help round out the package of this release. Keeping with the theme of this release, the song is simply fun. It may not excel in any real way but it has a very enjoyable sound that helps assure that it’s worthy of being next to the other two fantastic songs in this release. It’s no wonder that they managed to hit number 1 on the Oricon charts with this release!

Their third release starts off with ‘Samba! Kobushi Janeiro’, which is exactly what it sounds like: a samba-style song. While it may seem like a major departure from what they have done thus far, it’s actually very representative of the style they’ve built for themselves. That style being all about fun. The samba touch helps to give it a bit of an exotic flare to help give it an alluring quality that further improves the really snazzy beat. ‘Bacchikoi Seishun!’ is an odd song. It actually makes me feel like it’s what Sakura Night Fever would be if it were a modern rock song. Depending on what you’re looking for, that could be great or terrible. Personally, I actually really liked that. I could be the only one that feels that way, but the song is a great entry into their growing library nonetheless. ‘Ora wa Ninkimono’ is our expected silly song this release. It’s also my favorite song on the release because of how over-the-top fun it is. When I listen to the song it simply lifts my spirits and really puts me in a good mood. It helps that the song is super catchy. It isn’t a particularly complex song but not all songs need to be complex to be good!

As you can see, they’re still doing a great job and I look forward to whatever they plan in the future. Their 2nd single released in Japan on February 17th while their third one released in Japan on July 27th (yes, it just came out!). Be sure to get your copies from cdjapan.co.jp or your preferred retailer!

- Teepu

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