It's that time of the year again! Although late February might horribly unpunctual for a review of last year's best denpa offerings, keep in mind that a good 30-40% of the eligible material comes out during the Winter Comiket. Also, we're actually a month ahead of last year's Best of 2009 overview, which was published in March. Furthermore, the Japanese Top Denpa Songs of 2010 list was just published on February 15th 2011, with the following top 10 songs (all links point to youtube videos)
- 寺ズッキュン！愛の了法寺！ (とろ美 + あゆ (IOSYS)) (257 votes, 21.9%)
- 妹プリ～ズ！(竹達彩奈) (252 votes, 21.4%)
- イチャイチャ☆りちゅある！！ (ave;new feat.佐倉紗織＆白沢理恵) (178 votes, 15.1%)
- 恋愛満塁ホームラン～ほぼイキかけました～ (あゆ) IOSYS (70 votes, 6.0%)
- はっぴぃ にゅう にゃあ (芹沢文乃(伊藤かな恵) + 梅ノ森千世(井口裕香) + 霧谷希(竹達彩奈)) (56 votes, 4.8%)
- 超越↑↑恋してナイしょ☆メア！！ (あべにゅうぷろじぇくと feat.佐倉紗織＆井上みゆ) (44 votes, 3.7%)
- 侵略ノススメ☆ (ULTRA-PRISM With イカ娘(金元寿子)) (43 votes, 3.7%)
- 正解はひとつ!じゃない!! (三森すずこ，徳井青空，佐々木未来，橘田いずみ) (34 votes, 2.9%)
- 愛妻家でりでりっく (Little Non) (32 votes, 2.7%)
- キグルミ惑星 (高垣彩陽) (30 votes, 2.6%)
These are some great picks overall, with quite a few surprises. We're stunned that Ayu's "Baseball Song" ranked so high, given that her splendid 「*antipasto*」 CD seemed to be largely ignored this year. Plus, it's actually a 2009 song but we'll let that one slide. It's possible that her fans passed the word about voting her all the way up, not that she doesn't deserve a fourth place! Little Non also definitely earned that ninth place, sure wish they'd release more songs like that one... oh wait, RIP Little Non! Finally, the website ran a Best of 2000-2009 list, but the results seem a little unfair given the paltry ~400 total votes, so we'll let you dissect that one on your own.
Now, the moment you've all been waiting for... The Official Denpa no Sekai 2010 Sampler!
Please note that these songs are not ranked, and make sure to switch to 720p!!!
Now, the moment you've all been waiting for... The Official Denpa no Sekai 2010 Sampler!
Please note that these songs are not ranked, and make sure to switch to 720p!!!
| Title: | お節介な妹が毎朝起こしにきて生きるのがつらい |
| Singer: | ななひら |
| Composer: | azuma |
| Album: | ゴキゲン77ﾟ↑ |
| Released: | C78 |
| Comments: | denpanosekai: Nanahira's summer album came as a surprise and was chock-full of quality denpa gems. This pick represents all of her best features: relentless cadence, unequivocal passion and a heart-melting voice! mandichan: Could be Nanahira's best song yet? I love the grand storytelling feeling. It's a common story setup, but pulled off flawlessly. Although the song is from the sister's point of view, the title said from the grumpy brother's point of view is cute. The whole album was great, but this one was definitely my favorite. |
| Title: | イチャイチャ☆りちゅある！！ |
| Singers: | ave;new projecto feat. 佐倉紗織 + 白沢理恵 |
| Composer: | doreCHU |
| Comments: | denpanosekai: It's not a "Best of 20XX" sampler list without an ave;new projecto song! This song is doreCHU's current apex, but I am positively convinced he can reach for an even greater apogee in 2011. Long live the projecto!!! mandichan: One of ave;new's most addicting songs to date. Saori and Rie team test their speed and singing together in beautifully controlled chaos. ave;new are experts at keeping things fresh while sticking with their trademark sound. |
| Title: | ウォータープリンロワイヤルッ☆ |
| Singer: | ココボク |
| Album: | ココボク MUSIC PARTY |
| Released: | C79 |
| Comments: | denpanosekai: Been a fan of koko/boku for a long time. Her angelic-yet-infernal voice leaves no one indifferent, so it was with great pleasure that I found out about her first original album. This first song just happens to sum up her Music Party very well, but it could have been any other! mandichan: It's really hard to choose a favorite from this album. Koko's voice is one of the wildest out there, and this song showcases it in its natural habitat: having fun and being cute! Also, unlike most of Innocent Key's albums which only have a few denpa songs, this one is almost 100% saturated. |
| Title: | Honey I Scream! |
| Singer: | リズナ |
| Composer: | t+pazolite |
| Album: | Honey I Scream! |
| Released: | C78 |
| Comments: | mandichan: We all know t+pazolite and Rizuna is a deadly combination, and this song is a great representative of their high energy and high contrast. I love the gentle and almost cartoony touches here and there in the arrangement. denpanosekai: Denpa purists and JCore snobs will both scoff at this pick, but to hell with the lot of them. This song is pure madness both vocally and musically; you'll notice our sample mixes both the beginning and ending of this glorious track. The best thing is that this album was announced just a couple of months after we published our extensive t+pazolite feat. リズナ article... as if we called it... |
| Title: | Love Wars～愛の宣戦布告～ |
| Singer: | akari (doubleeleven UpperCut) |
| Composer: | 山下航生 |
| Album: | Do you like Upper Cut??? |
| Released: | M3 2010 Spring |
| Comments: | denpanosekai: This new unit released twelve new songs in 2010, at a brisk pace of one per month. That's dedication! Not to mention they already have three concerts under their belt in 2011 alone. They may not be pushing the genre's boundaries yet, but at this time next year, they'll be big! Mark my words... mandichan: doubleeleven UpperCut has some of the most energetic compositions out there. This song features great denpa staples like crazy fast talking and hyper chants. Take a listen whenever you need some energy! |
| Title: | リプルリプル☆Twinkle Show！ |
| Singer: | のみこ |
| Album: | リプルリプル☆Twinkle Show！ |
| Released: | 2010/5/26 |
| Comments: | mandichan: Probably the most overlooked album this year, 「Ripple☆RippleTwinkle Show!」 was a drama cd with のみこ in the lead role(s), but the real draw here is the music. Unfortunately, the drama tracks jacked up the price for a CD with just 2 real new nomico songs... but both of those songs were so good, it's worth it. The title track is everything you expect from nomico: cute, fun, and most of all addicting. She sings it with all the right sweetness, squeaks, and endearing "imperfections". 「 しすぎました。」, nomico's other new song, is even more denpa and hyper. It might catch you more on the first listen, but in the end I think 「リプル☆リプルTwinkle Show!」 is the better of the two, the urge to sing along while listening is almost impossible to overcome! |
| Title: | 侵略ノススメ☆ |
| Singer: | 月宮うさぎ (ULTRA-PRISM) |
| Composer: | 小池雅也 |
| Released: | 2010/10/27 |
| Comments: | denpanosekai: As a proud owner of their (criminally underrated) debut album 「inspiration」, I was more than thrilled to see them grow so rapidly in 2010. When I visited Akihabara in late 2010, all the shops were playing this song on repeat. Too bad their new Rainbow Gate ending theme song seems to be ignored because it's associated to a mediocre anime. Regardless, let's hope for a second original album in 2011, you can do it aniki! mandichan: ULTRA-PRISM really lucked out by having their anime debut song being the anthem for followers of the invader who came from the bottom of the sea! The chants worked perfectly for riling up the already hypnotized fans of cute lil' ika-musume. Hopefully it's a turning point in the career of this great duo. |
| Title: | とってもヴィーナス!みこおねえさん |
| Singer: | miko+Resurrection (ALBATROSICKS) |
| Composer: | Dr. ARM |
| Album: | PARAMOUNT FEVER!!!!!!!!!!11111 |
| Released: | C78 |
| Comments: | mandichan: Listeners of mikoraji (miko's radio show) will get a kick out of all the inside jokes. Those unfamiliar will still be able to bask in the cuteness and perfection of the princess! Those who are moe for miko's "bad" singing (like me) will flip their lid over the version on the MERGE THE STRAWBERRY remix album too. denpanosekai: Bad ass guitar solo! |
| Title: | 専属メイド☆宣言 |
| Singers: | 桃箱・愛原圭織 (ちぃむdmp☆) |
| Composer: | 塚越雄一朗 |
| Album: | 電波っぽいのっ! |
| Released: | C79 |
| Comments: | mandichan: Truly a blissful combo of voices, it's hard to go wrong with anything on their amazing debut album. The gentle sounding classical instruments mixed with the usual crazy denpa noise makes a sweet and dainty maid image. denpanosekai: We went with the "maid song" but yeah, any track was fair game! However, this one might just be the most debilitating moe song ever made. This enchanting duo knows exactly how to hit the sweet spot! |
| Title: | 寺ズッキュン!愛の了法寺! |
| Singers: | とろ美 + あゆ (IOSYS) |
| Composer: | ARM |
| Album: | 寺ズッキュン!愛の了法寺! |
| Released: | C78 |
| Comments: | mandichan: Lives up to the expectations of such a true dream team collaboration. Immediately addictive and a great sense of humor. I'm so glad the success of this song is helping Toromi get the recognition she deserves. denpanosekai: Same here! Toromi has been working her tiny butt off for years, it's great to see this sudden surge of interest in her songs and albums, not to mention the international coverage she's been getting since becoming Ryohoji's mascot. Her C79 album was splendid and features even more collaborations with ARM! Her IOSYS track would also have been a potential candidate for this list (check out this live performance!). |
Honourable Mentions
