"Shinjuku Anison Scope," a column by Sho Higuchi, the anime buyer at Tower Records Shinjuku store, known for its extensive selection of anime songs, shares the latest anime song sales trends and firsthand accounts from the sales floor. The number one seller at the store from April 27th to May 3rd was "Nighthawks," the first mini-album by "3SKM," a male unit from the VTuber group "Nijisanji."
◇Last week's results
3SKM is a male unit consisting of Nijisanji VTubers Kitami Yuusei, Kaisei, and Sakaki Ness, who are highly regarded for their singing abilities and have released many popular original songs and cover videos. Their first album, "Nighthawks," includes seven completely new original songs.
Coming in at second place is "Fear Nothing," the 19th single from Roselia, a band from the popular anime and game franchise "BanG Dream!". The song was written specifically for the story of the smartphone game "BanG Dream! Girls Band Party!". Also from "BanG Dream!", Poppin'Party's 22nd single, "Dokidoki Date," also made the list at fourth place.
In sixth place is "THE IDOLM@STER MILLION BATTLE OF THE@TER 06 Especially Angel," which features songs from in-game events in the popular game "THE IDOLM@STER MILLION LIVE! THEATER DAYS (Mirishita)," and in seventh place is "THE IDOLM@STER SHINY COLORS Song for Prism Ring Ring Ring no Mahou / Machikado Melancholy," which features songs by the unit "The Futari Traveler" from the popular game "THE IDOLM@STER SHINY COLORS Song for Prism (ShaniSon)."
In ninth place is "Illid/Sayonara Tengoku Mata Kite Jigoku," the 12th single from the unit "Wonderlands x Showtime," which appears in the smartphone game "Project Sekai Colorful Stage! feat. Hatsune Miku (ProSeka)," making its debut on the chart.
◇This week's trends
I'm particularly interested in "THE IDOLM@STER MILLION LIVE! SPECIAL SOLO RECORDS Miya Miyao," part of the "SPECIAL SOLO RECORDS" project, which will release 52 solo collection CDs of all 52 idols from the popular game "THE IDOLM@STER MILLION LIVE!" over 52 consecutive weeks.
◇Tower Records Shinjuku Store Anime Song Corner Ranking (From left: Title, Artist, Titles omitted)
1st Place: "Nighthawks" - 3SKM Album
2nd Place: "Fear Nothing" - Roselia (Single)
3rd Place: "WEATHER" by Haru Kaida (Album)
4th Place: "Dokidoki Date" - Poppin'Party (Single)
5th Place: "No One" - Lauren Iroas (Album)
6th Place: "THE IDOLM@STER MILLION BATTLE OF THE@TER 06 Especially Angel" - Toyokawa Fuka (Suegara Rie), Futami Mami (Shimoda Asami), Miura Azusa (Takahashi Chiaki), Kitakami Reika (Hirayama Emi), Shimabara Elena (Kakumoto Asuka), Baba Konomi (Takahashi Minami) - Single
7th Place: "THE IDOLM@STER SHINY COLORS Song for Prism Ring Ring Ring no Mahou / Machikado Melancholy" The Futari Traveler Single
8th Place: "Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Season 2 Original Soundtrack" by Evan Call (Album)
9th Place: "Illid / Goodbye Heaven, Come Again to Hell" Wonderlands x Showtime Single
9th Place: "Ensemble Stars!! IDOL SONG CD 'Assortment' MELLOW DEAR US" MELLOW DEAR US Album
◇Profile
Sho Higuchi is the anime buyer for the 10th floor (Japanese music and sales promotion) at Tower Records Shinjuku store. His passion for anime began with works from the 1990s such as "Neon Genesis Evangelion," "BLUE SEED," and "VS Knight Ramune & 40 Flame." Among anime songs, he particularly enjoys character songs, especially those related to idol anime. His anthem is "Up! 10sion Pleeeeeeeeease!" from "THE IDOLM@STER Million Live!". His favorite anime and game titles include "Pretty Rhythm," "THE IDOLM@STER," "Photo Kano," and "Sakura Wars."
