Review - S/mileage's Choto Mate Kudasai!

S/mileage - Choto Mate Kudasai!

1. Choto Mate Kudasai!
2. Namida Girl (Regular Version)
2. Chance Tourai (Limited A, B, and C Versions)
2. S/mileage Singles Gekiatsu Remix (Limited D Version)
3. Choto Mate Kudasai! (Instrumental)
Source

S/mileage has evolved, not necessarily for better or worse. Instead of being a colony of four unicellular organisms, the group is now one multi-cellular organism, each of the six girls filling a role. We have the front girls, but they don't dominate the lines they can't handle. We have the main singers, chipping in for the parts that need to be handled with skill. We have the back-up, mostly dancing to fill the stage, but contributing a different voice for the sake of variety or a bit of humor to the music videos and television performances. It's a situation I hope Morning Musume develops into for future singles (i.e. more fair while still sounding good.) Berryz Koubou and C-ute are already there.

Choto Mate Kudasai! screams Showa era (late 1926- early 1989) to me. The dance moves with the shaking head and outstretched arm, the chorus tune and high parts, and the retro dresses similar to the ones from Morning Musume's "Onna to Otoko no Lullaby Game" all contribute to that feeling. That combined with S/mileage's trademark adorable voices makes for a pretty cool song. The high parts especially stand out, sounding like something recovered from the 1960's (which definitely tickles my fancy, because it delights me when I hear contemporary songs that continue old styles as though they never went out of fashion and instead became genres.) Or for an even older song that Choto Mate Kudasai! reminds me of, there's "When I See An Elephant Fly" from Disney's Dumbo (1941). It's more of a mood kind of thing since the two songs sound nothing alike; but my mind still connects the two. Overall, I'm in love with this song. S/mileage is doing great even without Yuuka, so hopefully Yuuka fans can pick a new current favorite and still appreciate the group.

The main b-side, Chance Tourai, is more laid back, just like the last single's b-side. It sounds like it could be the ending to a children's anime (like ones aimed at preschoolers, the Nick Jr.-type crowd.) The beginning instrumentals sound like they were performed on toy instruments. Throughout the song, the instrumentals stay simple, subtle, mostly leading the way for the melody. But you need good singers for such a song. So I was pleased to hear a lot of Kanyon and Takechan. The rest of the chipmunks seemed to get shared or group lines. I can't complain with such a set-up. The only negative point I would give this song is that the energy is more subdued, less exciting than the a-side, but that's just a preference. Chance Tourai is a cute song that doesn't betray the S/mileage sound, and is great for a change of pace.

The b-sides on other versions include a cover of Miki Fujimoto's Namida Girl and a remix. Namida Girl is an awesome hard rock song and Kanyon and Takechan's strong vocals deliver again. If you listened only to the b-sides, you might think they were the main front girls, not Dawa and Meimei! The energy in this song has a very "flowing" feel to it and it's very catchy. Really makes me want to scream "Namida Girl" in the chorus with them.

Rating: I want to give this a "Classic" label because I love it so much, but I don't really think this is going to be noted as a high point for S/mileage's discography. The lack of Yuuka will likely leave a stigma, too. Yet it still might become a concert favorite. This definitely fits in the Fondly Remembered category, but time will tell if it actually becomes a "Classic." That's up to the fate of the new S/mileage.

Buy this single on:
iTunes - Limited Version, Cover B-Side Version, Remix B-Side Version
YesAsia - Limited Version, Cover B-Side Version, Remix B-Side Version
CD Japan - Limited Version, Cover B-Side Version, Remix B-Side Version
Amazon Japan - Limited Version, Cover B-Side Version, Remix B-Side Version

* The other limited versions contain the same b-side, but different cover photographs and DVDs.