KAT-TUN 2 Me

I may have graduated from college, but I still enjoy playing with numbers. And what numbers could be more fun to someone like me than Oricon Sales Figures? Behold, graphs!

This first graph shows the average yearly single sales of all the currently active Johnny’s groups. Average meaning that if a group produced three singles in a given year, I added up the total for those singles, divided by three, and plotted the resulting number on the graph. I couldn’t find the numbers for many of V6’s early singles, unfortunately, so they are not included in the beginning portions of the graph. Also, no SMAP because I’m missing some of their early numbers too, and they threw the whole scale off with the Sekai ni Hitotsu song selling like 2 million some copies. Besides, they’re only barely members of Johnny’s now a days anyway.

I thought that graph looked a bit messy around the end, so I redid it with only 2002 on . There are a few interesting things to notice on these charts, like how Arashi’s overall line is kind of bowl shaped, with gradual decline in popularity followed by a gradual increase. KAT-TUN has a big drop at the beginning due to Real Face being such a smash hit, but they’ve leveled off above the other groups, and recent single sales have been on the increase for them. Oh, and I made these graphs before DUES, but I don’t think that would change things too much at this point. I’d say the Kinki Kids have had the harshest decline, retaining decent popularity, but falling A LOT from where they started. If I had the figures for V6 I suspect they’d show a similar pattern. Tokio has sort of scooted along the bottom, slowly and steadily for a long long time. NewS may have been surpassed by Arashi lately, but it’ll take a few more singles before I’m totally convinced of that. Kanjani seems to fall in the middle, with some gains in popularity in the last year or so. Finally, Tackey and Tsubasa tend to be on the lower side of things in terms of the Johnny’s, but they’re still consistently pulling in singles close to the 6 figure range which is quite good for any JPop artist.

Don’t let the downward sloping trend lines on either of these graphs fool you. Johnny’s is still very much on top of things as far as sales numbers go, and most of the lowered numbers that you see reflect the decline in CD sales in the Japanese market in general. The Jimusho is far from being in decline. In fact, if we just look at KAT-TUN for this year, there has been a grand total of 1 single released so far that currently has higher numbers than Lips and DUES (KAT-TUN’s singles for 2008 so far) that being ‘Soba ni Iru’ by Aoyama Thelma ft. Soul Ja, at 435,209 copies, and it’s certainly possible for DUES to end up pulling ahead since it’s only had two weeks of charting so far and 412,892 copies have already been sold. The next closest competition for the year is that Shuuchishin song at 362,406 copies, falling behind KAT-TUN but ahead of many of the other Johnny’s acts. Aside from those two singles, the only groups that have even come close to KAT-TUN’s numbers are other Johnny’s, such as Arashi. Here are all of the weekly winners of 2008, from lowest to highest, as reported by Oricon. In order, I’ve listed song title, artist, release date, and 1^st week sales. Those with a purple star belong to Johnny’s.

“Mirage”, AAA, 1/9, 25,333
“60’s 70’s 80’s”, Amuro Namie, 3/19, 38,162
*“Ore ja Nakya, Kimi ja Nakya”, V6 20^th Century, 3/26, 38,898
“Purple Line”, Tohoshinki, 1/16, 40,033
“Soba ni Iru”, Aoyama Thelma, 1/30, 47,409
“Beautiful You”, Tohoshinki , 4/23, 62,139
“Anata ga Koko ni Itara”, Porno Graffiti, 2/13, 63,529
“Order Made”, Radwimps, 1/23, 73,130
“Drink it Down”, La’Arc en Ciel, 4/2, 94,086
*“No More”, Maizu Tsukasa aka Domoto Koichi , 4/30, 110,538
* “Sono Mama”, SMAP, 3/5 115,100
“Burn Fumetsu no Face”, Bz’s, 4/16, 141,562
“Mirrorcle World”, Hamasaki Ayumi, 4/9, 145,576
*“Dreams Come True”, Hey!Say!Jump, 5/21, 181,064
* “Wahaha”, Kanjani, 3/12, 194,304
*“Summer Time”, NewS, 5/8, 201,266
* “Taiyou no Namida”, NewS, 2/27, 230,186
* “Step and Go”, Arashi, 2/20, 324,223
* “Lips”, KAT-TUN, 2/6, 351,294
*“Don’t U Ever Stop”, KAT-TUN, 5/14, 381,672

Notice who’s clustered at the top there? Correct me if I’m wrong here, but I don’t think there are any weeks this year that a Johnny’s group released a single and it didn’t get 1st. However, I know that first week sales aren’t everything, so let’s look at total reported sales of those same singles, again, from lowest to highest. Keep in mind that most of the more recent releases are still charting, so these aren’t the final totals for some of them. I’ve also added in Shuuchishin, which is not a weekly winner, but a monthly winner, so I thought it ought to be included.

“Mirage”, AAA, 1/9, 32,234
“Purple Line”, Tohoshinki, 1/16, 47,303
*“Ore ja Nakya, Kimi ja Nakya”, V6 20^th Century, 3/26, 50,011
“Beautiful You”, Tohoshinki ,4/23, 79,897
“Anata ga Koko ni Itara”, Porno Graffiti, 2/13, 85,545
*“No More”, Maizu Tsukasa aka Domoto Koichi , 4/30, 110,538
“Order Made”, Radwimps, 1/23, 116,465
“Drink it Down”, La’Arc en Ciel, 4/2, 122,919
“Burn Fumetsu no Face”, Bz’s, 4/16, 125,335
* “Sono Mama”, SMAP, 3/5 158,837
*“Dreams Come True”, Hey!Say!Jump, 5/21, 181,064
“Mirrorcle World”, Hamasaki Ayumi, 4/9, 188,047
* “Wahaha”, Kanjani, 3/12, 228,463
*“Summer Time”, NewS, 5/8, 243,086
“60’s 70’s 80’s”, Amuro Namie, 3/19, 279,851
* “Taiyou no Namida”, NewS, 2/27, 291,447
“Shuuchishin”, Shuuchishin, 4/9, 362,406
* “Step and Go”, Arashi, 2/20, 374,449
*“Don’t U Ever Stop”, KAT-TUN, 5/14, 412,892
* “Lips”, KAT-TUN, 2/6, 421,902
“Soba ni Iru”, Aoyama Thelma, 1/30, 435,209

A few switch-ups, but still a very strong showing for the pretty boy factory.

May their Reign be Long and Prosperous,

~Celestia~

Disclaimer: Yes, I am using Oricon numbers, and yes I know they don’t count online sales and they don’t poll every single store and blah blah blah, so it might not be perfectly accurate, but it’s the best thing we’ve got, and I do believe that it gives a good picture of where one song stands relative to another, even if the overall numbers for both are lower than they should be. If you don’t trust Oricon or whatever, fine, but please don’t comment here to lecture me about that, k?

I’m going to use this entry to keep tabs on the DUES sales figures. I’ll be updating it every day this week with the latest index numbers from Oricon and estimated total sales, so keep checking back if you’re curious as to how things are going. I I think it’s safe to say that DUES is kicking ass and quite possibly taking names. Here are the numbers! I’m using the 1.75 multiplier, but the actual number is almost always higher than that, so my estimated total is really only a conservative estimate.

DAY 1: 104,864 (x 1.75)= 183,512

DAY 2: 51,136 (x 1.75)= 89,488

DAY 3: 21,873 (x 1.75)= 38,278

DAY 4: 11,829 (x1.75)= 20,701

DAY 5: 11,157 (x1.75)= 19,525

DAY 6: 8,680 (x1.75)= 15,190

ESTIMATED TOTAL: 366,693

ACTUAL TOTAL: 381,672

And for comparison’s sake, here are the index numbers and total first week sales for their last three singles.

Yorokobi no Uta

Day 1: 69,659

Day 2: 43,322

Day 3: 16,190

Day 4: 7,437

Day 5: 10,834

Day 6: 10,806

First week sales: 300, 396

Keep the Faith

Day 1: 88,353

Day 2: 51,173

Day 3: 20,553

Day 4: 13,093

Day 5: 8,702

Day 6: 10,590

First week sales: 350,863

Lips

Day 1: 86,096

Day 2: 45,454

Day 3: 18,475

Day 4: 11,684

Day 5: 10,845

Day 6: 12,657

First week sales: 351,294

Maybe everyone’s not quite so number-loving as I am, but please do take note of how DUES’ numbers are higher than their last three singles so far. Let’s hope this pattern continues throughout the week!

Yes, I really enjoy calling it ‘DUES’,

~Celestia~

PS: There’s a new poll up! Vote for your favorite DUES solo track!

I’m a little late on mentioning this, but first week sales for Arashi’s latest album “Dream A Live” came in at 220,722 copies. *cheers* That’s higher than all their albums except for the very first one (which I have never listened to…maybe I ought to). Now, I’m pretty sure that “Time” was a better album overall, but DAL does have some nice tracks. I particularly like “Sirius”. I think it’s safe to say that Arashi’s popularity is still on the rise. I wonder just how far they can go? Edit: Just found out another bit of news. Arashi will be the main supporters for 24 hour Terebi this year. It’s on Matsujun’s birthday too!

I looked, and it’s been almost a month since I’ve posted any quotes! That’s long enough to wait between bouts of bombarding you with quotations, right? In celebration of successful album sales, here are some quotes from my favoritest member.

First, it seems fitting to have some of his thoughts on their own rising popularity. He’s smart, ne?

Nino: Arashi is not the type of group who is frequently praised. Therefore we are not used to being commented on our rising popularity(laughes). … Hence when I was told that we were to hold a concert in a place as big as Tokyo Dome, it was a bit surrreal. At first, I thought it was a prank by a variety show. The big deal about performing in Tokyo Dome is not about the size of the place. When I see the fans filling up all that vast space, in my mind, thinking in the opposite direction, I can imagine that a time would come when all these people would disappear. No matter what venue it is, the fact that there are fans who are coming to the concerts means everything to us. This is something that will never change

January 2008, Nikkei Entertainment
Source

Nino: It was about 1:00 AM and I was already asleep and he called me three times!
Jun: Leader did?
Nino: Yeah. So I thought, “What IS it?” and answered, and in a drunken voice he said, “Ahh, Nino-chan aishiteru yo~ (I love you)“
Daily dose of Ohmiya love. <3

2007, Utaban

Nino: For me, the meaning of being myself is when I am part of Arashi.

2007, Concert Speech
Source

Nino: I don’t really find much value in acting. After all, I’m not an actor. I don’t really have much attachment to my work or roles.

Now this is interesting, isn’t it? If anyone in Johnny’s deserves to call themselves a legitimate actor, it’s probably Nino by virtue of having a main role in “Letters from Iwo Jima”, but the thing about him is that he is very aware of his status as an idol. He knows that’s what he is, and he’s perfectly content to just be that. Proud of it even.

April 2008, Non’no
Source

Nino (to Ohno): Did you make something today? Your nails are black.
Ohno: I was using resin.
Nino (holding up Ohno’s hand): What? *disgusted* It looks like KAT-TUN or something!
Ahahaha! True, some members of KAT-TUN have a tendency to paint random nails black, but it’s funny how awful Nino thought it was that it looked like Ohno was copying some of their tricks. Oh why can’t my two favorite Johnny’s groups just get along?

2008, HeyHeyHey Audience Report

Source

A few comments on the new album…

Ohno (on inspiration for his solo track): I had gotten a lot of fish that day.

Nino: It’s a great fishing song! When you sing it, you should have the Johnny’s Juniors lined up behind you fishing.

Ohno (on Jun’s solo the title of which is “Naked”): Are you going to be naked for this song too?

Matsujun: I’ll be arrested if I do that. There are security officers all over Tokyo Dome.

Sho: Matsumoto! Secure him!

Nino: And if your arms are being held down by the cops, even if you want to cover your front you couldn’t do it

Matsujun: Well, I’ll be naked in spirit then.

Aw. C’mon Jun-kun. Just a little bit of nakedness couldn’t hurt…

June 2008, Kikinini

Source

And finally, one really really cute quote from Aiba who is still trying to make a name for himself in the Member-Ai category. He’s making some gains, but he’ll probably have to do something a little less “awww” and a little more “gay” if he wants to join the elite ranks.

Aiba: It’s already been 9 years since we debuted. Thinking back to Jr. days when I would go play over at Nino or Matsujun’s house makes me nostalgic. Arashi: my friends, family, rivals, companions. For me, ‘member’ is a whole new genre. Everyone is strong so we don’t talk about our problems much, but you can feel the stregnth of our bonds when we’re doing something with all of us, ne. We get along so well. I love Arashi.

June 2008, Popolo
Source

As Always,

~Celestia~

I’d like to congratulate Arashi one of their strongest first week single sales ever! Reported sales for “Step and Go” this week are around 324,223 copies, which blows most of their past singles out of the water in just the first week! I’m not exactly sure what the first week sales figures for their earliest couple singles are, but I think it’s safe to say that this is the highest they’ve been in at least 7 years. I am thoroughly impressed that a group can be around for 8+ years and be steadily gaining popularity. Not just popularity, but increasing in CD sales, even as the the course of Arashi’s existence has seen such a dramatic increase in music downloading. Further evidence : each album that they have produced in the last few years has sold more than the one before it.

Other congratulations include congratulating them on getting a prime time TV show (a huge f’king deal, btw) and the announcement of their new dome tour (May-July) at domes Osaka, Nagoya, Fukouka, Sapporo and Tokyo. So far, only Kinki Kids and SMAP have done that tour route. It’s another BFD, and further supports the theory that Arashi are pretty much SMAP’s heirs.

Finally, I’d also like to congratulate them on producing one of my favorite song lyrics in J-Pop: “WE. ARE. COOL. YEAH!!” It’s not the fact that saying so pretty much negates any possible coolness. No, it’s the way they shout that particular line, with all the same enthusiasm that they had when Matsujun’s hadn’t yet learned to pluck his eyebrows, and Ohno somehow looked older than he does today* There’s nothing like a bunch of 24-27 year-old men wearing the most ridiculous costumes that Johnny’s wardrobe department can come up with shouting “We are cool!!” to a crowd of 50,000 people and having those people enthusiastically agree with them.

If you’re keeping track of releases, next week is NEWS (2/27) (but I hate the song, so it’d better not do better than Arashi or KT, grrr), followed by SMAP(3/05), followed by Kanjani (3/12), followed by a week’s break (gasp!), followed by V6 (3/26). I’m not particularly interested in any of that other than to comment that the other groups need to get through their rotation so KAT-TUN can have a turn again! Oh, and new KT album, please! We are desperately in need of one since the last one was so distressingly Jin-less, and another album would likely mean another tour and another tour means a very happy Celestia.

*really, what’s up with him? He’s the oldest in the group (27), he does the most actual singing and dancing in performances, and yet he still looks and sounds the least tired at the end of concerts. The rest of them are pretty much collapsed on the stage panting when they finally finish the last song, and he’s bouncing around, smiling, and flashing peace-signs. Even the other members comment that he seems to somehow get younger every year. The man has discovered the fountain of youth. It’s the only explanation .

Woo hoo! On its first day charting ‘Lips’ has come in 1st (of course) with an index number of 86,096 which puts them at first day sales of 150,000-160,000 copies depending on what kind of modifier you use. The index number is above “Yorokobi no Uta”, but slightly below that of ‘Keep the Faith’, though only slightly, and I think that ‘Keep the Faith’ was a better song, or at least one that was marketable to a wider range of people. I’m going to go ahead and say that KAT-TUN’s popularity is continuing to grow, and this single is shaping up to be another huge success for them.

I’m also a big fan of the female side of the music-focused idol industry (hello project), and I will support them to the bitter end, but I’ve got to say, it feels good to be able to cheer for the winning team once in a while.

You know, it’s been said many a time before, but it’s amazing that Johnny’s, a franchise that was started so long ago, has such popularity today. I mean, take the old example of a group like SMAP, still topping the charts after how many years has it been now? In America, a group or singer is lucky if they can maintain top popularity for a year or two, but these groups release chart topping singles over and over again. It’s kind of astounding, and the Johnny’s franchise has only been increasing in popularity recently.

Number of Johnny’s Singles in the Yearly Top 20 for….
2002- 0
2003- 3
2004- 3
2005- 4
2006- 9 (including 3 of KT and 1 w/Kame)
2007- 9 (including 5 of the top 10)

I see no reason to believe that 2008 can’t be even better.

All the best,
~Celestia~