Best of 2010: Songs (A-sides)

Two days ago I ranked my top five albums of 2010 and today I'm writing about my favorite five A-sides of 2010. Tomorrow will be the top five B-sides.

Top 5 A-sides

5. Akuma de Kyuuto na Seishun Graffiti (C-ute)



I stated before that I'm not a fan of plays or musicals (even if a Hello! Project member is present), but this one is a bit different. It's been a good two years or so since I've watched a play/musical, but I'm sure I'll be watching this one when it releases. As for the song, it really came out of nowhere. Like I said, I don't care much for plays or musicals so I didn't pay much attention to it while they were performing, but I was hooked on this song literally after my first listen so much that I had to impulsively buy it.

4. Onegai Dakara... (Mano Erina)



With most of the focus being on the other artists in Hello! Project, Mano Erina very quietly had a really solid year with her singles. Haru no Arashi, Genkimono de Ikou!, and of course Onegai Dakara are three of my favorite Manoeri singles. I like Onegai Dakara above the rest because it has something extra special that the other two don't. It's just a really cool song. It's also my #3 most played song in iTunes.

3. Otakebi Boy WAO! (Berryz Koubou)



Being the last of Berryz's double A-sides, Otakebi Boy is definitely my favorite. It's another one of those songs where I was instantly hooked the first time I listened to it. I love how it has multiple leads and virtually everyone has a chance to shine. Out of all of the Berryz members, Risako really shines here with a very strong lead. She, along with Miyabi, Momoko (and really the rest of Berryz Koubou) have this kind of angry grit to their voice when they sing Otakebi Boy, which is perfect for a song like this. It brings out the power in their voices and makes for an overall strong vocal performance by the girls.

2. Dance de Bakoon! (C-ute)



Because I am making this list judging only the songs and not the PV, I can't talk about how awesome the dance is (yet), which is why Dance de Bakoon! is number two. But still, even without talking about the dance, Dance de Bakoon! is a great example of C-ute at their best. Lines are shared fairly and the song has multiple memorable moments that are quite catchy and stick in your head far longer than they should. I absolutely love this song to death and hope to see more awesome songs like this from C-ute in 2011 moving forward.

1. Yume Miru 15 (S/mileage)



If you told me last year at this time that a S/mileage song would be my favorite A-side of the year, I probably would have called you crazy, but it's true. In the seven months since it's release, it has become my most played single of all time. I remember listening to this song like crazy in the summertime (probably something to do with the fact that I edited, QC'ed, and encoded the PV like half a dozen times for a couple of friends) as well as in my car in the mornings. I'm not so gaga over it at the moment, but it is still a really solid song from S/mileage and is officially my favorite A-side of 2010.