Sexy Zone New Single Release Information

[faded_lace]

In an update from yesterday, here's a quick translation of the fanclub mail that I got today. As always, this is from a mail, so I have no way to prove that I actually got this,

◆ Sexy Zone Family Club member-limited　info mail ◇『mail bulletin』July 16th edition

o☆*.。+o★*.。+o☆*.。+o★*.。+o☆*.。+o★*.。+o☆*.。+o★*.。+o☆*.
　　
　Sexy Zone 7th Single「otoko never give up」9/17 (Wed) On Sale!!　　 　　　

o☆*.。+o★*.。+o☆*.。+o★*.。+o☆*.。+o★*.。+o☆*.。+o★*.。+o☆*.

It's been decided that Sexy Zone's first single in four months,
「otoko never give up」will go on sale starting September 17th (Wed)!
This work sings a cheering message of "Cheer up!" "Don't give up!"
towards a member of the opposite sex who's a little depressed.
While being the sparkling support song you'd expect of Sexy Zone,
it's also a song directed at Sexy Zone themselves, cheering them up with a message of "let's face forward and progress onward!"

With a characteristically easy to remember chorus, the upbeat and lively melody
will brighten the listener's mood！ Please wait for previews with raised expectations!

The limited editions will be S・K・F versions, and will each have Sato Shori, Nakajima Kento, and Kikuchi Fuma's solo songs on them, respectively.
「Keep The Challenge」will serve as the image song
for Fuji TV's 『Women's Volleyball World Grand Prix』
for which Sexy Zone are the official supporters.

There are limited special videos, as well, so make sure to check out Sexy Zone's new single!


■Limited Edition S (CD+DVD)・・・1,296 yen plus tax
―――――――――――――――――――
☆ Special Present： Sato Shori interchangeable jacket (Includes 1 out of 3 varieties)

［CD］
01. otoko never give up
02. Keep The Challenge
03. Title TBA (Sato Shori Solo)

［DVD］
「otoko never give up」Music Clip


■Limited Edition K (CD+DVD)・・・1,296 yen plus tax
―――――――――――――――――――
☆ Special Present： Nakajima Kento interchangeable jacket (Includes 1 out of 3 varieties)

［CD］
01. otoko never give up
02. Keep The Challenge
03. Title TBA (Nakajima Kento Solo)

［DVD］
「Keep The Challenge」Image Clip in USA


■ Limited Edition F (CD+DVD)・・・1,296 yen plus tax
―――――――――――――――――――
☆ Special Present： Kikuchi Fuma interchangeable jacket (Includes 1 out of 3 varieties)
☆ Special Deluxe 12 page photo booklet

［CD］
01. otoko never give up
02. Keep The Challenge
03. Title TBA (Kikuchi Fuma Solo)

［DVD］
Making of 「otoko never give up」Music Clip ＆ Jacket Shooting　


■Regular Edition (CD)・・・1,065 yen plus tax
――――――――――――――
☆ First press only:
＊ Picture Label
＊ Original trading card (Includes 1 out of 3 varieties)　

［CD］
01. otoko never give up
02. Keep The Challenge
03. Ashita ni Mukatte Ute！
04. Boku wa Kimi no Subete ni Naritai
05. otoko never give up Inst.
06. Keep The Challenge Inst.
07. Ashita ni Mukatte Ute！ Inst.
08. Boku wa Kimi no Subete ni Naritai Inst.


□Venue Limited Version (CD)・・・926 yen plus tax
――――――――――――――――
☆ Original Sticker Sheet included

［CD］
01. otoko never give up
02. Keep The Challenge
03. Ashita ni Mukatte Ute！
04. Boku wa Kimi no Subete ni Naritai
※ The Venue Limited Version will only be sold at the locations for「Sexy Zone Summer Concert 2014」
　Please note in advance that it won't be sold in stores.

※The jacket photos will have a unique design for each version.

☆ For more details on the CD, please check the Pony Canyon Official Sexy Zone homepage.

∽∞∽∞∽∞∽∽∞∽∞∽∞∽∞∽∽∞∽∞∽∞∽∽∽∞∽∞∽∞∽∞∽

Some things to consider:
1) They never once mention the exclusion of two members. I don't really understand the point of this, since everyone must have heard it on the news by now…?
2) Of course they included solo songs >__< Since being a hardcore fan of one member is quite common in Japanese fandom, I'm afraid that this will make the single too hard to pass up to a lot of fans, even if they're unhappy with the situation.
3) I guess Fuma's versions don't sell anymore, since they're including another extra in his. I have a lot of feelings about this, but… I don't know if this is the place for them.
4) I haven't officially seen anywhere in Japanese that it's supposed to be read "otoko" so take this with a grain of salt. Other possibilities for the character before "never give up" include "dan," "oto," and "o." I'll report back if I see anything.

So, Sexy Girls, are you buying this CD or not? I'm curious to know what foreign fandom's reaction to this will be. Remember that CDs bought through CD Japan and Yesasia being shipped out of Japan don't get counted into the Oricon rankings, but they do, in the end, affect the company's revenue, etc etc etc.

Comments

[2/3]

[faded-lace.livejournal.com]

3) Simply put, Sexy Zone has always had issues ever since they were handed off to Ijima. Johnny himself handled their debut single and "Lady Diamond," but from "Sexy Summer" on, Ijima handled them. Clearly, she seems to think that splitting up a group artificially is the thing to do, since it's similar to what she's been doing with Kis-my-ft2. "Sexy Summer" brought the introduction of the first Sexy Boyz, the first grouping of Marius and Sou with juniors rather than their own group. That lead to an "excuse" to have 3-member performances on Shounen Club, but the floodgates really opened with One Sexy Zone. So-called "group" songs were really Kento/Fuma/Shori songs exclusively, such as Kimi wo Hanasanai Kimi wo Hanarenai. Around that time, Sexy Zone was cast in Johnny's World, but only Kento, Fuma, and Shori ever appeared in the show. In the beginning of 2013, there was a handhsake event for those who won a lottery from buying One Sexy Zone, and at the handshake event, Fuma, Kento, and Shori were announced as Sexy Zone, while Marius and Sou were announced no different than the four juniors present as "Sexy Boyz." The following spring, Real Sexy!!/Bad Boys was released, being a double A-side where one of the two A-sides didn't have Marius and Sou in it at all. Bad Boys was a bigger excuse to exclude Marius and Sou on Shounen Club, and by that time, it became common for Marius and Sou to only appear in about half of the Sexy Zone performances on Shounen Club. In the Real Sexy PV, too, and all the TV performances, Marius and Sou were dressed to match the juniors, almost impossible to tell apart from them, while Fuma, Kento, and Shori had personalized, unique costumes. In the Spring Tour 2013, there was one location where Sou simple wasn't present with no explanation, and there were a few Kento/Fuma/Shori only performances (Bayside Elegy is the one that's coming to mind right at this moment, as well as, obviously, bad boys. I think they sang Kimi to Milky Way and/or Namae no Nai Omoi without Marius and Sou, too. It's on the DVD, so you can check; I honestly forget). Baibai Dubai brought the first single to have K, F, and S versions with Kento, Fuma, and Shori solos but none for Marius and Sou, or even any recognition that they were in the group at all. The choreography for the PV/TV performances grouped them with the juniors for the majority of the time, while Kento, Shori, and Fuma stood together in the middle. One of the B-sides for Byebye Dubai, A My Girlfriend, was another song that was Kento/Fuma/Shori only; I don't think Marius and Sou have ever performed it on TV while Kento, Fuma, and Shori perform it together quite frequently on Shounen Club. For Johnny's World this year, no pretense was ever even made of Marius and Sou performing; it was always listed as Shori, Kento, and Fuma only. The goods were all Shori, Kento, and Fuma only, too. When Gamushara!! was announced, Kento, Fuma, and Shori (introduced as Sexy Zone, not mentioning that there were members missing) were to be the "support" guests, or something like that.