例大祭9: Birdtune, Innocent Key, Forest Pireo, IOSYS + more

Not a single post in over a month, boy have we gotten lazy! The ninth annual Reitaisai event took place on May 27th 2012, where thousands of new albums were released. Although we're past fashionably late on this article, let's take a quick look at some of the most interesting stuff for denpa fans. You can still order most of these through Toranoana or MelonBooks, just check each individual album's page.

First up is 「東方惑星探検隊！」 which is a brand new album from beloved studio Birdtune! What's most interesting here is that nanano is handling producer duties, which leaves KuKuDoDo extra time to focus on his side projects (such as a boy band?). Speaking of whom, he's not the only arranger on board this time around. Make way for child prodigy かめりあ and his ridiculously catchy remixes! We have another newcomer in 麻痺 who provides a sweet intro and another track with slight hardcore edges. nanano is doing vocals on most tracks, except for a guest performance by まこと. Very cool to see Birdtune alive and kicking after a few shaky years.

Innocent Key is another popular studio 'round these parts, especially since they've stepped up the quality in the past couple years. Their (believe it or not) 21st album 「東方ぺろぺろ」 is yet another example of just what yohine and 溝口ゆうま can do. You can always count on ココ and 大瀬良あい to provide unique vocals, but Nimo, めらみぽっぷ and quite a few others are also on board. This album seems to have more of a focus on lovely pop and lush soundscapes (including a few hilarious drama tracks), but rest assured pure denpa songs such as 「さとりと こいしの ランデヴー☆」 will titillate your sense of hearing.

Next we have monoROSETTA, an IOSYS spin-off that's definitely paid its dues at this point. Their second touhou arrange album 「Sweet Beat TV」 is seven tracks of stylish pop à la older Capsule. IOSYS mainstay void once again arranges all tracks, but this time we have guest vocals such as めらみぽっぷ and even 野宮あゆみ. It's a wonderful package of bubble-gum pop that's sure to put a smile on your face.

Forest Pireo keeps getting better and better which each release, which now go to 19! Although it's not very clear what sets 「Ｔ★GIRLS.03」 apart from their other releases, it definitely has a focus on "cute and sexy arrangements" and thus has slightly more moe/denpa content than usual. Prepare to be blown away right as the first track drops, since it features Lord Tenkomori with 月葉 on vocals, their second performance together since C80's explosive 「じゃあ僕もう二度寝の歌作りますよ！」 which made it to our "best of 2011" article. Then you have another killer pair in the form of めらみぽっぷ with Good Guy きくお. かめりあ with みぃしゃ? ななひら? kana? Y'all betcha. Seriously, quality album right there, make sure this one's in your collection!

Even though it's long played second fiddle to the mainline albums, the "東方アゲハ" side-project has become a fully-featured denpa series (and that's according to IOSYS themselves). ARM was mostly responsible for the first two, but in this third outing he teams up with an old flame! That's right, Princess miko is doing vocals on all eight 「東方アゲハ NIGHTMARE」 tracks, including a duet with BeatMario. Other than pure denpa, some other genres explored include EuroBeat, Soul and "Gothic Horror"! ARM can do no wrong, forever a winner. Real fans with an open mind will also check out his solo album 「distant」.

While we're at it, let us also mention two more IOSYS albums, namely 「東方ENCYCLOPEDIA」 from ユウノウミ (side-note: she's actually a he) which includes FOUR excellent かめりあ compositions. The other is their 21st album 「風櫻 SECOND PHANTASMA」 (warning: broken website) which includes a fair amount of denpa songs, such as uno's 「きのこが好きで好きでたまらない魔理沙が歌う歌」 . Can you believe this is the same guy as RoughSketch??

M3-2012春: Third ちぃむｄｍｐ☆ album 『ちょこっと電波』

One more for the shopping list! The third ちぃむｄｍｐ☆ album is titled『ちょこっと電波』 and here is its tracklist.

1. ラブ☆ファンタジー　(Lyrics/Composer：かたほとり)
2. どち×カノっ！～選んでお願い☆～　(Lyrics：桃箱　Composer：華飯)
3. 恋☆愛☆禁☆止☆条☆例　(Lyrics：桃箱　作曲：琉姫アルナ)
4. とっとこPARADE　(Singer：桃箱　Lyrics：海兎　Composer/Mix：すみじゅん)
5. あいろにーっ！　(Singer：愛原圭織　Lyrics/Composer/Mix：U-ske)
6. planisphere　(Lyrics：カヲル　Composer：やまみのり)

As expected, we get a blood-pumping opening song from Master かたほとり who can't seem to stop leveling up his 萌えソング skills. Although it's officially announced as an album, eagle-eyed fans will notice that tracks 4 and 5 were already released on the splendid 『プチリズムふぉお///』 and 『プチリズムさん！』 respectively, which you'd assume ちぃむｄｍｐ☆ fans already own. Oh well, even if this new release only had 4 tracks it'd still be worth it! Since it's being released at 500円 it's a moot point either way. As an added bonus, those who purchase the album at M3 will get チロル chocolate!

M3-2012春: Second ななひら solo album 『MagiQute!!』

It's been over a year and a half since the C77 release of the still-amazing 『ゴキゲン77ﾟ↑』but Princess ななひら hasn't gotten any less busy, lending her beautiful voice to dozens of sweet doujin albums since (not to mention a couple of commercial efforts). But for those of us looking forward to a full-on solo effort, now is the time to rejoice! Introducing her second album 『MagiQute!!』 set to be released on April 30th 2012 at the spring edition of M3-2012. Check out this fantastic sampler!




Everything's in place to ensure a high-quality album, from the requisite Satsuki-powered opening tracking to a fabulous きくお composition. ポヤッチオ circle owner and accomplished composer かたほとり mentions on his blog that they made an effort to reach out to new music fans out there, so they brought in various composers that contributed in their own way. The end result is jam-packed with lovely 萌え/電波 songs, so this is mandatory owning material for all denpanosekai readers!

Here's the tracklist, including composers and lyricists. Note that the last track is actually a cover of a 春歌ナナ song, a UTAU based on her voice! The same thing happened back in December 2011 on 『プチリズムふぉお///』. Really nifty way to re-introduce a (very good) song!

Update: Full version and PV of the song 「爆発！ラブパニック！」 was just released. Deadly denpa poison! Stellar きくお composition and out-of-this-world performance from our darling ななひら!!

M3-2012春: 3rd おでんぱ☆スタジオ mini-album 「おでんぱ☆学園 初等科」

Although most doujin artists prefer waiting until the last possible moment before announcing their new M3/Comiket albums, おでんぱ☆スタジオ seem to enjoy bucking that trend and give an importer-friendly early heads up about their upcoming releases. M3-2012春 is happening on April 30th 2012, which is also when おでんぱ☆スタジオ is set to publish their eighth official release, namely the third mini-album 「おでんぱ☆学園 初等科」. Here's the tracklist along with the just-released crossfade sampler!

1. おでんぱ☆身体測定
2. DokiDoki調理実習
3. つるつるぺったん娘体操～世界つるぺた協会公式体操～
4. ぺろぺろちゅっちゅぺろりっちゅ！
5. つるぺたは世界を救う～ピコピコmix略してつるピコ～
6. でぱらじ☆せぶんす

We've seen とろ美 and 井上みゆ making guest appearances on the past two releases and this new mini-album extends the sequence, in a big way! First we have a non-vocalist collaboration with none other than サエキけんぞう (Kenzo Saeki) a famous producer coming all the way from the glitzy 80s. Lately's he's been involved with underground otaku/idol events, including J-GEEK which our very own mandi had the chance to cover. His role here involves lyrics about "body measurements", but the opening song 「おでんぱ☆身体測定」 also has strong ska-punk overtones so maybe he also contributed to the songwriting aspect.

The next two songs are all-odenpa, all-insanity. But track #4 「ぺろぺろちゅっちゅぺろりっちゅ！」 takes it up a notch or three with the introduction of two perorians 桃箱 and ななひら! Wow, talk about an out-of-this world guest collaboration! Quite a brutal track as well, ひろて～ definitely wanted to raise the tension here (maybe even start a moshpit). The sampler ends with a superb "picopico" remix of 「つるぺたは世界を救う」 but rest assured that a new deparaji episode will be included.

MOSAIC.WAV participating on two albums in May

MOSAIC.WAV are probably hard at work on their next release and summer shows as we speak, but that doesn't mean they can't have share their tremendous creativity and contribute songs to other people's albums. They've announced a couple of collaborations not long ago to tide us over until their next big thing comes out.


First we have something that was definitely unexpected. We don't recall MOSAIC.WAV and 清竜人 sharing the stage together or publicly mentioning any affinity for one another, but somehow our Akiba Heroes got a call from this 22-year-old singer/songwriter requesting a composition for his new album 『MUSIC』 slated to release May 9th 2012. Though he mostly sings over folksy music, he has had very interesting songs in the past. A rough sample for the upcoming single 「CAN YOU SPEAK JAPANESE」 (featuring Yui Horie!) also signals a potential shift towards a funny-poppy style, for this particular album anyway.

One more unexpected surprise? ave;new head honcho a.k.a.dRESS will also be composing the second track 「インモラリスト」! Should be a very interesting album indeed, preorder now or at least keep an eye out for this one.


The next one we've known for quite a while, but it's exciting nonetheless to see confirmation coming from MOSAIC.WAV's side. As the title indicates, 「お断りします -Dempa ga Tenkomo remix-」 will be a remix of Lord Satsuki's smashing Summer of 2010 Miku-hit 「お断りします」. This song was already released on the major album 『ニコ生モラルハザード』 in late 2011, performed by the lovely ゆづか姫, but this MOSAIC.WAV remix shall prove interesting nonetheless. Don't worry, we'll have some actual coverage of Satsuki's new all-初音ミク album 『人畜無害』 which comes out May 30th 2012, until then make sure you preorder it!

Denpa no Sekai 2011 Sampler

Here we go again! Last year we kicked off the article by taking a look at the Japanese poll, but it seems this year's event was cancelled due to lack of time by the owner (I know that feel, bro). Still, a crying shame when you consider that this website held polls every year since 2003. Here's hoping someone takes over for 2012. However, that still leaves the 2ch 2011 Eroge Poll with a few Denpa picks, but mostly total domination from KOTOKO, Duca and of course 榊原ゆい. Here's the video compilation on Nicovideo.

So, short of having a Japanese top 10 to compare with, we thought we'd invite a Japanese writer to give his comments on our picks! Introducing our good buddy mossya, who's been a fan for quite some time. He contributes to a great blog (take-subの日記) on which he posts his M3/Comiket gets, as well as multiple MoeElectroDenpa mixes which are quite popular. Obviously this guy knows what's up so Mandi and I are glad to have him on board. That said, here's our 2011 sampler!

Title:	ろり☆ぱら! (opening song)
Singers:	天城あくる & ココ & mega
Composer:	ちゃぼ
Album:	ちびロリっ！
Released:	M3-2011春
Comments:	denpanosekai: Zero-Shaft had a tremendous year and really, any of their ロリっ！ songs could have been a contender. This one just happened to have a nice intro and ココ on vocals, which is always a big plus. mandichan: The dark humor of the lyrics balances out the cuteness of the vocals. A fun song that makes a good representative for the series as a whole. mossya: ロリっ！ソングに定評のあるZero-Shaft。完全合法です！2011年、素晴らしい企画力と物凄い作曲量で萌電波ソングを量産してくださいました！納得の一位です。この曲に関しては何より語りが致死的ですね！ココさんに罵られたい！お兄ちゃんとか呼ばれたい！！！ほああああ！！！！

Title:	電波LOVE～でんぱあいす～
Singer:	ちぃむｄｍｐ☆
Composer:	さつき が てんこもり
Album:	電波LOVE～でんぱあいす～
Released:	C80
Comments:	denpanosekai: Another year, another big album for the beautiful ちぃむｄｍｐ☆ girls. How will they be able to top this one in 2012? Time will tell! In the meantime, they've also released a couple of drama albums which are also worth checking out. This song was composed by Lord Satsuki and nicely conveys the feeling of a playful day at the beach. mandichan: ちぃむｄｍｐ☆ has been a blessing for denpa fans, continuing the welcome trend of original denpa groups, as opposed to those focused on Touhou or other derivative works. mossya: 桃箱さん＋愛原圭織さんのユニット。作曲はさつき先生！いつもよりキラキラしてます。歌詞もきゅんきゅいで素晴らしいですね。作詞は七色ビタミンのちなさん！このアルバムには"らじおONAIR♪"って曲も入ってるけど、桃箱さんのラジオはM-waveで金曜夜８時からです！ネットでも聴けるよ！(桃箱のmofumofuらじお)

Title:	なめこのうた
Singer:	おでんぱ☆スタジオ
Composer:	ベイビー・レモネード
Album:	ろりーたプラネット★ミ
Released:	C81
Comments:	denpanosekai: After a collaboration with とろ美, おでんぱ☆スタジオ didn't skip a beat and released a new single featuring 井上みゆ. We went with this one because they released a PV along with it, but it also highlights BB.Lemonade's unique style. mandichan: This song can and will get stuck in your head! Just be careful about singing it in public! These guys have some of the wildest lyrics I've ever heard. mossya: 性的ですね！！！所謂キャラメルダンセン的なループ→廃人コースの電波ソング！なめこを知らない海外の人がこのPVをみたら発狂しますね。知ってても発狂しました！！！最近のアルバムはゲストボーカルも豪華だけど、トラックのクオリティも高くて素晴らしいです。

Title:	オシエテスキシテ♥773
Singer:	白石なごむ
Composer:	きくお
Game:	ナナミの教えてEnglish DS ～めざせTOEIC®TESTマスター
Released:	February 2011
Comments:	denpanosekai: 白石なごむ and きくお are a dream team in my eyes, so here's hoping songs like this (and the ones featured on 『ぱらのいあ☆らヴ』) are just the beginning. The gratuitous abuse of the はいはいはい singalong is pure icing on the cake. mandichan: Nagomu is great, and this song makes a fine introduction to her currently unfortunately small library of music. I would love to hear this one live! mossya: マジでもっと評価されるべきユニット！！！でも一般受けしづらいのもなんとなく分かるのです。むっちゃ濃いからね！やっぱエロゲとかとタイアップしつつも今まで通り商業主義に絡めとられない曲を作り続けてほしいですね。応援してます！

Title:	飛び出せ! Sweet Sweet Magic☆
Singer:	ななひら
Composer:	nana(sevencolors)
Album:	プチリズムさん！
Released:	C80
Comments:	denpanosekai: Not really familiar with nana(sevencolors) as a composer, but when samples for this album were first released, I remember being blown away by the opening track! Of course with ななひら on vocals, you're in for an out-of-this-world experience. The プチリズム had two great albums this year (as well as a re-release of the first one) so that's a lot of songs to choose from, but this one was a no-brainer. mandichan: As always, this series is full of memorable songs, making it tough to chose. The arrangement builds up well and showcases Nanahira's voice to its fullest. mossya: プチリズムシリーズは神…！

Title:	Future Diver
Singer:	でんぱ組.inc
Composer:	小池雅也
Arranger:	前山田健一
Album:	ねぇきいて？宇宙を救うのは、きっとお寿司…ではなく、でんぱ組.inc！
Released:	November 2011
Comments:	denpanosekai: Perhaps what I like most about でんぱ組.inc is that they bring a human dimension to denpa songs. The girls are real and in-your-face, which is not something you can get from your favourite doujin vocalist. It's been a long road to the debut full album, but it was worth it! Having 小池雅也 and 前山田健一 on board kinda helps, too. mandichan: Although Dempagumi.inc has been around for a while, this year it feels they finally really came together as a group. I'm glad that they finally released an album so those who can't come see them live can join in the fun... but if you have the chance, come see them, or at least check out their newly released live DVD! mossya: 2011年はアイドルが日本の一般社会で市民権を得た年でしたが、それでもでんぱ組がオタク的なアンダーグラウンド感を保って活動しているのには好感が持てますね。この曲をAKBが歌ったとしても決して電波ソングには為り得ないのです！！！

Title:	オンナのコって♪マジ☆超えんじぇる!!
Singers:	あべにゅうぷろじぇくと feat. 佐倉紗織 & 白沢理恵
Composer:	どれちゅ
Anime:	快盗天使 ツインエンジェル
Released:	August 2011
Comments:	denpanosekai: Not sure what can be said about ave;new projecto that hasn't been said already. どれちゅ has this formula down to a science, even though we've been seeing more and more experimentation lately. While somewhat more "traditional", this Twin Angel OP is still absolutely insane and great primer material for those new to the genre. mandichan: I would prefer to feature 気まぐれ?つんでれ～た～, but me and denpanosekai couldn't see eye to eye on that one. Still, this one is fun, especially live when you can chant "Kyun Kyun Tokimeki Paradise!" Plus it marks ave;new project's first anime single.

Title:	two of us～姉さん、それは事件です～
Singer:	doubleeleven UpperCut (akari)
Composer:	山下航生
Album:	NUMBERS!! -Do you like Upper Cut?? 3!!-
Released:	C80
Comments:	denpanosekai: Love these guys! Pedal to the metal, one album after the other! Now they've even started focusing on live concerts, which is a rare feat considering 100% of their songs are eroge OP material. mandichan: Fun spoken lines sprinkled in pump up this relatively calm (hey, i said RELATIVELY) production from deUC! mossya: deUCの電波ソングはホントにライプで聴きたい感じのが多いですね。煽りがまじパナイ！この曲もそうで、イントロの合いの手とかのあざとさといったら！！歌詞も結構アレですがエロゲソングはやっぱこうじゃなきゃっていう。

Title:	ヒャダインのじょーじょーゆーじょーで
Singer:	ヒャダイン
Anime:	日常
Released:	August 2011
Comments:	denpanosekai: You might be surprised to see Hyadain pop up in a denpa sampler, but you have to admit this song is insane. I've had nothing but respect for this guy ever since he started releasing his video game remixes on youtube sometime ago. These wild anthems were really a form of denpa, if you think about it. Not to mention the whole female/male dual vocals thing... mandichan: Hard to resist the temptation to feature a male vocalist, lots of shock element there. Impressive how he can make such wacky songs and still come off as a "cool" guy. He's awesome in my book, and so is this song. (And Nichijou!) mossya: 上のでんぱ組.incの曲もそうだけど、2011年は前山田さんがむちゃくちゃ強かったですね。トラックもいいけど、ヒャダインの場合はピッチ編集で男でも電波ソングを歌えるんだ！歌っていいんだ！っていうのを示した功績も大きいと思いますｗ早速"ARM子"とかフォロアーが生まれてるしｗ

Title:	えっへん≦(￣^￣)≧どやどす天狗自慢
Artist:	MOSAIC.WAV
Album:	えっへん≦（￣^￣）≧どやどす？天狗自慢
Released:	C81
Comments:	denpanosekai: The Giants of Denpa strike again with a wonderful Uju theme song! These are always deliciously over-the-top and this year's edition is no different. They had a solid album earlier in the year, as well as a fantastic "best of" album with some sweet new songs... but this is their wildest stuff yet! mandichan: MOSAIC.WAV is still keeping their Uju themes fresh while keeping them (somewhat) unified in sound. I love the smug looking emoticon in the title to match the "Doya!" theme!

Title:	なむ×きゅん
Singers:	とろ美 & きこうでんみさ
Composer:	ARM
Album:	なむ×きゅん CD
Released:	C80 (DVD), C81 (CD)
Comments:	denpanosekai: Here's some math for you: 仏教 + IOSYS + とろ美 ＝ 電波!! It doesn't get any simpler than this! With Jester Misa by their side, Queen Toromi and Lord ARM rule the World of Denpa with an iron fist. We're not worthy! This blood-pumping hymn is quite memorable, but make sure you check out the CD for even more. mandichan: A worthy sequel to Ryohoji's previous theme. I just hope Toromi doesn't forget all about making her own original songs too!

Title:	ゆるしてあげないもん (ending song)
Artist:	U
Album:	ULTRA☆U -GALAXY-
Released:	September 2011
Comments:	denpanosekai: U has had a pretty big comeback in late 2011, let's just hope she won't make us wait so long for another album! Her unique voice and innate songwriting ability usually translates into timeless classics. I still remember quite vividly her 2005 songs as if I heard them yesterday and I'm quite confident this album will have the same effect! mandichan: This year we were truly blessed to have a new album release from U, as well as have her make lots of great songs for others. Although her works for the anime probably YuruYuri received more exposure than her solo works, it's her solo stuff that will always be best to me.

Honourable Mentions

denpanosekai's picks ※ 天然ジェミニ - お月見うどんてゐ! ※ cello - 通称！デンパリ娘 ※ nanano - 小町ちゃんの超すごい三途の川ツアー ※ 月葉 - じゃあ僕もう二度寝の歌作り増すよ! ※ BeatMario+ARM - ゆめゆめよめめ

mandichan's picks ※ 桃井はるこ - ジェットスマッシュ! ※ ave;new feat.白沢理恵 - 気まぐれ？つんでれ～た～ ※ おいでよ!妖精の森 - gdgd妖精s ※ Os-宇宙人 - エリオをかまってちゃん ※ 33.turbo - uta-oh

mossya's picks ※ しゅな(藤森ゆき奈＆上田朱音) - 恋向聴 ※ リズナ - Sakuramichi Overdrive ※ Chia - 幽谷ラップ!おはよーごじゃいます! ※ ココ - Subconscious Trip ※ メトロポリちゃんV - てゐのデート大決戦脳内戦略会議室!!