Otaku Magazine ISSUE #11 January 2015

♪ J-Pop

♪ J-Pop

        Hey guys! Welcome to the first issue of the new year with Otaku Magazine! Anyways, I'm emeralddrop, and I'll be your host in this brand new article.

        Continuing on, let's actually talk J-Pop, shall we? Let's talk about a band for the first article . . . Enjoy!

        ⤵ kaishi!

        🔃 loading files . . . 100%

        ↪ . . . files loaded!

                ROOKiEZ is PUNK'D

        ♛ Bio - The three-piece band based in Shibuya exploded onto the music scene in June 2010 with their very first single, “Complication.” The single quickly reached number one in downloadable tracks, ranked 11th on the Oricon Weekly ranking, and was featured as the opening theme for the animated series “Durarara!!” ROOKiEZ is PUNK’D went on to have songs featured in the anime series Bleach with “song for…” and “IN MY WORLD,” the second opening theme for Blue Exorcist.

In 2011 the band collaborated with the creators of Durarara!! to release their first album “DRRROOKiEZ!! – ROOKiEZ is PUNK’D respect for DRRR!!” featuring “DROP,” the opening theme for the PSP game Durarara!! 3-way Standoff.

ROOKiEZ is PUNK’D attracts Rock and J-Pop fans through their unique sound which includes Rock, Punk, and Emo. They have performed for their fans over 100 times in a single year and every time, the audience was hungry for more. The band’s influence has also expanded to fashion with collaborations with SRH Clothing in San Diego and Shibuya-based Subciety.

        ☫ Label - defSTAR Records (sublabel from Sony Music Japan)

        ❔Genre - Rock, Light Rock

        ⚛ Fame - Growing Steadly With Their Tours

        ⚔ Fan-base - Not too big and a big on the small side, but big enough to be sold out on tour.

        ☢ Anime - Durarara!! & Ao No Exorcist (Blue Exorcist) & Bleach & Yowamushi Pedal (Possibly More)

        ℹ Rating - (2010-2012) 3.5 out of 5 (2014) 4.5 out of 5

        ⚖ Critique - The guitar and drums are usually the most prominent of all the instruments in the music, along with the vocals. However, a lot of their songs are actually slightly similar to each other. I noticed this over a course of a month after finding and listening to a lot of their songs. And its similar enough that most of their songs can actually get really boring. They also tend to use many of the same musical techniques throughout their music as well. Very rarely do they toss in a new one.

        The main vocalist's voice is also a little bit different from other vocalists from this genre. He tends to sing more smoothly then most would. His voice also sounds as if he's actually from an American band, minus the accent.

        The music itself is a mix of rock and light rock. (Which is my kind of genre.) Most people into alternative and light rock will probably like their mix.

        Comparing their 2010, 2011, and 2012 songs to the newly released 2014 songs was just . . . Bottom line was I fan girled. They have grown so much better, (along with adding one more member apparently), along with dipping more into the Rock side. I'm just dying right now - they're just amazing in my opinion.

        Everything in the 2014 songs I've listened to is just brand new. No wonder they're once really small fanbase has exploded! Most of their tours are also being sold out as well. Their songs are jsut amazing.

        ⏩ Example Songs - Complication

                                        In My World

                                        Dance on the Floor

                                        Zero Satisfaction

                                        Fortune

                                        Don't Wake Me Up

                                        Reclimb (in Multimedia)

                                        Realize

        ⏏ Known Albums - Complication - EP (2010), Song For... - EP (2011), From Dusk Till Dawn (2012), DRRROOKiEZ!! (2011), (Possible Other Albums from 2013 and 2014)

        ♔ Current Status - On Tour!

        🔗 Links - http://rookiez-official.com (Watch out! Their website is mainly in Japanese!)

        〽Overall Opinion - With their quickly growing fanbase, they may just be the ones to watch.  They also may be a growing force in the anime industry. They actually did perform at an Anime Expo somewhere. And this year, I saw some stuff about them that involved one of their older songs and an anime producer. So who knows!

        And considering two of their newer songs are on iTunes and I was actually able to listen to some of it, they're someone you should ready yourselves to watch out for. Their music has become so much better! They're a 100 mph train that ain't gonna stop.

        ⎈ Facts - Performed at Fanime 2013! - Have been seen performing on the streets! -

        ツ Thanks for reading and hello 2015!

        ⤴ Ja ne!

        🔃 closing files . . . 100%

        ↩ . . . files closed!