Review by Kobayashi Suzie

While I don't think the title song Cynical Work is among Black Gene's stronger songs (although it certainly isn't bad in any way) the other songs included are very, very strong. Particularly, Tokyo Samurai Theater showcases all the good things that the band has (a good mix of calm and aggressive music, some melodious deep singing, some very emotional screaming and an extremely catchy tune). The lyrics also include some old samurai dialect which is a very nice touch. Show the Cloven Hoof will also probably get stuck in your head, and Piglect (from Type A) includes lots of good screaming. Not to mention the CD art itself is flawless and creative, as usual. I highly recommend this single (and anything from Black Gene) to people who enjoy hardrock, electro and/or visual kei. (Type A includes Cynical Work, Tokyo Samurai Theater and Piglect. This Type B includes Cynical Work, Tokyo Samurai Theater and Show the Cloven Hoof. Type C includes a short Instrumental and Cynical Work.)

Aural Vampire brings another great album with catchy songs and entrancing vocals, this time Halloween-themed! I think it is their first release with a full band (not just Exo Chika and Raveman), and the extra instruments sure add a lot to their usual style. Having the instrumental tracks was also a huge bonus.

Love this! I was worried about the sizing, wondering if maybe it's the kind of clothes that only look good on a few specific body types, but it actually seems like it will look good on pretty much anyone! You can wear it a few different ways, unzipping the top or bottom part, you can also remove the leather straps and the 'collar' if you like, for a different look. Highly recommended.

I really wasn't sure how good this game was gonna be, but the graphics looked cool, and I love Bakemonogatari, so I figured I'd just go ahead and get it. It's a great game! The "combat" system is really fun, but might confuse people who don't speak much japanese. It follows the story of the novels/anime, using bits and parts directly taken from the anime, and in-between those scenes, you get to "fight" using sentences. Well, it's really fun, and it's got a good replay value, too.

The main song on this single is quite alright but not outstanding, however the B-side song Test Tube Skeleton is really catchy, I loved it! So, especially considering the price, it's a pretty good release and I'm looking forward to hearing more from Art Cube!

Great single! I thought Kaya's other recent work was alright but a bit plain, but this one is great. The songs are catchy and interesting, even the two short instrumental tracks were nice.

Floppy has a very unique style of music. The songs are catchy and pleasant to listen to. Sharaku has a really cute voice, but some people might find it too unusal so you should give it a listen before buying perhaps. Either way, very nice release!

I wasn't reallly sure what rating to give.. I'm a huuuuuge Durarara fan, so it's not like I'm disappointed, but I thought the songs didn't fit with the characters very well. Also, I always think character songs are too pop-ish and too plain, and sadly it is the case with this CD as well. But there's one or two songs I kinda like, so I guess it's alright. I thought the stickers were really cute though haha.

Kiryu is one of the rare bands that keep producing outstanding and unique music every single time. There isn't even one song that feels plain or average. I highly recommend every one of Kiryu's releases. The music is original, the singer is strong and does some crazy things with his voice, always right with the feel of the music.

I bought this without knowing exactly what it was, but as I am a huge Durarara fan I thought why not.. It is actually a collection of humourous or cute doujinshi with the characters from Durarara, and yes, they are very good! Some of them are centered around Mikado, some are about Celty, and of course quite a few are centered around Izaya and Shizuo, so there's something for everyone really.

So I got all 3 versions of this single. I must say Kiryu has always been one of my favorites, and that's not about to change. All versions have 2 songs in common, version A includes the PV for Kisai, version B includes an extra track, and version C includes a different extra track. The PV was quite nice, the guys all have wonderful outfits and wonderful faces, nice quality overall. The songs were amazing, same as their usual style, very catchy and emotional. The extra track on version C is softer and the one on version B is harder, so B was my favorite.

I really love Aliza Marie's Murasaki Sanatorium (which isn't on this CD, by the way), but sadly all their other songs just don't compare. The CD wasn't bad, but it wasn't as good as I hoped. Aliza Marie has quite a unique sound, so that's a good point, but something about the songs doesn't always work.

Firstly, I'm new to SCREW, this was my first time listening to them. I thought the main title, Ancient Rain was a very typical Jrock song, but I really liked the two other songs. I found them to be more interesting and in the end I'm quite satisfied with buying this CD.

It's sad to say but I was sort of expecting to be disappointed in this release, but I was pleasantly surprised with it. I really love Despa's older stuff and I was worried this would be like some of their moderately recent releases which I didn't enjoy nearly as much. I was really glad to see some very unique sounds, and I'm a big fan of Hizumi's voice! I absolutely adored Love is Dead and Devil's Parade. I highly recommend to any fans or newcomers.

Metronome is one the weird happy hardcore funny bands out there, and this album sums them up pretty good. It has all my favorites (Hello, Zetsubou-San, Computer, Isshukan, ...) and more awesome songs I didn't know of. It's a definite must for fans and a good summary of the band for newcomers, too.

Floppy is a really interesting band. They have incredibly catchy songs and Sharaku has a really cute voice in my opinion. I also loved the variety of the songs, with some instrumental, some softer, some harder, some weirder.

Very nice full lenght album, a good diversity of the songs but stays close to the usual Inugami style (retro hardrock with a japanese feel to it, I'd say). The singer is one of the rare female vocalists I like, she has a powerful voice and really looks and sings differently than what we're used to.

This album might be Kaya's best yet. It includes a few of his most recent singles and some awesome new songs. His style, his music and his voice are all perfect. Even the CD itself looks beautiful. The quality of this release is outstanding.

This is the first Doremidan album I got, and I really wasn't let down. I loved the style and pretty much every single song was great. I can't wait to get more of their stuff!

I started looking into Xa-Vat because I really loved Kozi's solo stuff, so I was a little bit disappointed that the style was SO far away from his original style. It's still pretty cool, and really a style we don't hear often. It's a bit of an old disco style, and a lot of the lyrics seem to be in english (which gives the singer a strong accent and attitude when he sings).