Album Nogizaka46 4th [Ima ga Omoide ni Naru Made] (2019/04/17)

If it is like the previous singles, then it should take around 2 weeks. But I would check everyday just in case they released it unexpectedly.

 

Nogizaka46's 4th Album (Ima ga Omoide ni Naru Made) 7th round HS results
rank. (prev. rank.) sold slots/total slots (+change) member name (sold out status)

01. (01.) 15/15 (+00) Yamashita Mizuki (2nd round sold out!)
01. (01.) 15/15 (+00) Hoshino Minami (2nd round sold out!)
01. (01.) 15/15 (+00) Kubo Shiori (2nd round sold out!)
01. (01.) 15/15 (+00) Umezawa Minami (2nd round sold out!)
01. (01.) 15/15 (+00) Ozono Momoko (2nd round sold out!)
01. (01.) 15/15 (+00) Hori Miona (2nd round sold out!)
01. (01.) 15/15 (+00) Yoda Yuki (2nd round sold out!)
08. (08.) 15/15 (+00) Terada Ranze (3rd round sold out!)
08. (08.) 15/15 (+00) Shinuchi Mai (3rd round sold out!)
08. (08.) 15/15 (+00) Inoue Sayuri (3rd round sold out!)
11. (11.) 15/15 (+00) Suzuki Ayane (4th round sold out!)
11. (11.) 15/15 (+00) Saito Yuri (4th round sold out!)
11. (11.) 15/15 (+00) Sato Kaede (4th round sold out!)
11. (11.) 15/15 (+00) Watanabe Miria (4th round sold out!)
15. (15.) 15/15 (+00) Ito Riria (5th round sold out!)
15. (15.) 15/15 (+00) Iwamoto Renka (5th round sold out!)
17. (17.) 15/15 (+00) Sakaguchi Tamami (6th round sold out!)
17. (17.) 15/15 (+00) Nakada Kana (6th round sold out!)
17. (17.) 15/15 (+00) Ito Karin (6th round sold out!)
20. (20.) 12/15 (+00) Yamazaki Rena(*)
21. (21.) 10/10 (+00) Higuchi Hina (2nd round sold out!)
22. (22.) 09/09 (+00) Endou Sakura (5th round sold out!)
22. (22.) 09/09 (+00) Kaki Haruka (5th round sold out!)
22. (22.) 09/09 (+00) Kakehashi Sayaka (5th round sold out!)
22. (22.) 09/09 (+00) Tamura Mayu (5th round sold out!)
26. (26.) 09/09 (+00) Tsutsui Ayame (6th round sold out!)
26. (26.) 09/09 (+00) Yakubo Mio (6th round sold out!)
28. (28.) 06/06 (+00) Kanagawa Saya (3rd round sold out!)
28. (28.) 06/06 (+00) Shibata Yuna (3rd round sold out!)
28. (28.) 06/06 (+00) Seimiya Rei (3rd round sold out!)
31. (31.) 06/15 (+00) Mukai Hazuki
32. (32.) 05/15 (+00) Ito Junna
32. (33.) 05/06 (+01) Hayakawa Seira
34. (34.) 03/15 (+00) Nakamura Reno
34. (34.) 03/06 (+00) Kitagawa Yuri
36. (36.) 02/15 (+00) Yoshida Ayano Christie
00. (00.) 00/09 (+00) Wada Maaya
00. (00.) 00/06 (+00) Sasaki Kotoko
Total: 403/469 (+1 since 6th round) [85.9%]

1st Gen: 70/79 (+0) [88.6%]
2nd Gen: 107/126 (+0) [84.9%]
3rd Gen: 146/180 (+0) [81.1%]
4th Gen: 80/84 (+1) [95.2%]​

266/435 (+137) last album (increase/decrease over 3rd album 7th round)

*: No more slot available(As the remaining one is at already happened past event/closed 2 weeks prior to nearby event)
**: Apparently this is the last round for the album.

 

Day 3 : 27.349 (Total : 403.017)

 

Great sales! Happy to see them still going strong ahead!

 

One thing... I can't wait for the 6th Year Bday BluRays to be released... I hope they offer the 4K version, that performance for Iori and Chi-chan's at the Synchronicity Bday Live is super, super clear... looking forward to it in June...

EDIT
What I'm not looking forward to is the terrible editing and direction of the concert... Not sure how after countless shows they still don't understand how to make their concerts look good on video. I mean I love me some closeups, but sacrificing the performance seems a bad choice.

 

This one i don't understand about Nogi's concert video. Sometimes i want to punch the cameraman when they put a close-up to some certain member when the choreo of the song is so beauty like Synchronicity or cool like Influencer. Like, seriously?

 

Sorry...I want to ask whats the meaning of Arigachi na Renai?

 

Day 4 : 19.247 (Total : 422.264)

 

No promotion schedule at major music program?

Really wanna see live performance of Arigachi na Renai.




if the video does not show watch the video here

 

Day 5 : 13.842 (Total : 436.106)

 

It’s time to review the new songs on this album. I am listening to them for a week now, and I have formed an opinion about them. First of all, I want to say that the period starting with the announcement of the album to the actual release was rather underwhelming. There weren’t many song previews, and not all of them made me do uncontrolled dance movements. The artwork isn’t as strong as the 3rd album. But I was most baffled that some of the members didn’t get to participate on one of the new songs. But this review is all about the music. Is the music underwhelming as well? Let’s find out!

Arigachina Renai

As the main song of the new album, don’t expect many surprises. It’s a trademark Nogi song, playing it safe on every aspect. Its predictability doesn’t ruin the song though. It is a pleasant listen, and especially the vocal lines in the chorus are very uplifting. The layered synth melodies flow well. The bridge lives up by giving the rhythm section some room for creativity. A slow but steady grower.

Moshi Kimi ga Inakereba

Speaking of predictable, this is the mandatory graduation tearjerker. It would be nice if they did something other than a ballad for these occasions. Ballads are not my taste anyway, and this one is no exception. It’s not bad, but it lacks the punch, the emotion. I don’t feel anything, which is a missed chance. Especially because the chorus starts promising, when the vocal lines take on a more dramatic feel, but it never gets to a climax. From a technical point of view, Misa’s vocal delivery is fine though.

Hodzue wo Tsuite Nemurenai

This one’s a toughy. It’s very progressive, mixing up rhythms, tempos, melodies at the most unusual of moments. It’s what makes this song a goldmine for those who like to explore Nogizaka’s more adventurous spells. Some parts remind me of Final Fantasy music, but I haven’t discovered why yet. There is also lots to enjoy in the vocal department, with five distinct voices going back and forth, sometimes very flowy, sometimes rather staccato. Still, I would say this song is ‘interesting’, rather than ‘great’. Maybe one day, I will.

Sayuringo Boshuuchuu

I love this song. There is so much going on! It starts of quite calm with a distorted guitar and Apple’s trademark vocals, but soon enough the brass kicks in and the rhythm accelerates. The song lets go of the usual verse-chorus alternation and just does as it pleases. Let’s do some yells! Wait, let’s throw in another guitar melody. Oh we need a section that builds up to a climax, so here you go! It is great part after great part, and I am smiling the whole ride.

Kiss no Shuriken

A rather bland, happy go lucky idol song with quite a lazy approach. The rhythm is the same for the most part of the song, but the drums are also mixed very prominently. It drowns out the melodies, of which there aren’t that many to begin with. Vocally, it’s the same story. Not bad, but nothing stands out. Luckily, the guitar section and the bridge prevent me from falling asleep.

Bocchito

This song is so cool! Hyper tension arpeggio melodies, driving beats, rocking guitars and don’t forget the piano synths and guitar solos, all going at breakneck speed to give the listener an energy boost. It’s never too fast for the girls, as they manage to show their vocal abilities at the same tempo. There is room for a breather in the second part of the song as well. It’s almost soothing, thanks to the harpy synths and calming vocals. One of my favorite songs of the bunch.

Gorgonzola

A laid back song, of which the vocal delivery is the most strong point. Instrumentally, it’s easily forgettable, since it mostly serves as a backdrop for the three girls to show what they’re made of. There is not a lot to discover, so this song will probably bore me very soon.

Mou Sugu - Zambi Densetsu

Strictly speaking, this is not a new song as it is the Zambi theme song. It might be the best thing about the drama though. The atmosphere is perfect! Haunting organs, church bells and Saito Asuka introduce you to the sound of horror and fear. The choir like singing in the chorus is goosebump inducing, and the shadows grow with each subsequent verse as the bass creeps around the corner and high pitched strings lament the curse of Zambi village. A lovely piece of music.

Conclusion

Back to my original question. Is the music as underwhelming as the other aspects of Nogizaka’s 4th? Honestly speaking, yes. The 3rd album did set the bar very high, with many stellar songs. Although there are a few terrific new songs on this album as well, none of them reach the top elechon of Nogi’s discography. It’s disappointing that this album lacks such a kami song. There are plenty of great moments to be found, but also many that are average at best.

 

Nogizaka46's 4th Album (Ima ga Omoide ni Naru Made) (6th Day Sales)
Day 6: 10,399 (Total: 446,505) (1st)

Past Day Sales

Spoiler

Day 1: 320,831 (1st)
Day 2: 54,837 (375,668) (1st)
Day 3: 27,349 (403,017) (1st)
Day 4: 19,247 (422,264) (2nd)
Day 5: 13,842 (436,106) (1st)

First-week CD sales according to Oricon: ~447k (almost matches what's above cumulative total after six days; subject to rounding). (Source)

Still awaiting 'combined' score (and possibly exact sales numbers?) tomorrow. But in the meantime, for comparison:

(Toumei na Iro)

 

100K jump from previous album, that's such an amazing sales even without any promotion.... I wonder why though, they used to always have music show appearance. We don't even know who center Arigachi na Renai....

 

- fans bought because of the 8 new songs!
- because of the bonus videos
- because of having a chance to have dinner and cruise,etc with members (1 entry, x3 tickets which is 3 cds)
- ticket to the summer tour or bowling, pingpong with members
(1 entry, x2 tickets)
- game or signed photo (x1)
-- the above events used to be via post but now it's online
plus separate ticket for poster exchange

my reason is because of the bonus videos
they did have promotion but not on major tv shows , just radio shows and local tv i think
reika, ringo in fukuoka
maichun, kubo in sendai
some in nagoya....

 

Nogizaka46's 4th Album (Ima ga Omoide ni Naru Made) (1st Week Sales)
Week 1: 446,618 (1st)

I told you it was subject to rounding... (447k -> 446,618 - rounded up)

Also, Oricon combined: 453,646 pt

• CD sales - 446,618 (1 CD = 1 point)
• Download - 5,416 (1 album bundle = 1 point)
• Streaming - 1,612 (1,440 plays = 1 point - over 2.3 million plays combined!)

----

Also, why is the album (at least for the new songs) not on Spotify internationally yet??? That's ood... It was supposed to come out last Friday, but what happened?

 

It's also not on iTunes outside Japan yet, I'm still waiting for it, sigh....

 

With the previous releases, it took about two weeks to appear on the international music platforms.

 

Oh yeah, I remember when Nogizaka46 releases their singles digitally a week early before its release date (in Special Edition) form, and they release it internationally on the Friday after the actual release date, which meant a nine-day window between first releasing digitally and becoming available outside of Japan...did this happen to the previous album as well? (Though the previous album was in 2017 - I don't count the 2018 Under best - but I don't think Spotify was that popular in Japan back then.)

Hopefully it should come out this coming Friday; if that happens, I'd guess Nogizaka46 was still stuck on the 'nine-day delay' protocol for Spotify between initial digital release in Japan and digital release worldwide. (Actually, it may come out as little as 12 hours or less from now!)

 

What do you think is the reason why the new songs on this album don't hold up to previous albums? Unexpected mass graduation in 2018?

 

They probably reduce resources and budgets for Nogizaka and use it for Hinata instead. There aren't even TV promo.
I just hope the upcoming single won't be disappointing.