[2017.03.29] °C-ute Final Single - To Tomorrow / FINAL SQUALL / The Curtain Rises 31st and Final Single 67 replies to this topic Started by Thea , Jan 10 2017 05:09 PM ·

[TicTacAnyone]

DESGUGITA KUI WA UTARE----wait a second, that's not this song. Funny, the set seemed the same   

[JPope]

 

Well yeah, compared to their last two singles, this is mediocre. Those were great singles, though. I really do think it's unfair to expect that level consistently. Compared to the rest of their catalog, though, I think this stands up nicely.

I think people are just disappointed because the previous single was SO flawless that it would've been the perfect note to end on.  It felt kind of epic, this feels... a bit phoned in tbh.

 

I'm excited for The Curtain Rises but I can pretty much do without the other two entirely.  They're just very safe and boring to me - I don't hate them but they're a little too unobtrusive.  Final Squall in particular is so similar to Tsugi no Kado wo Magare that it makes it seem worse than it actually is, because Tsugi is such a perfect take on that sound.

 

 

I see this single as an epilogue to Mugen's final epic, uh, climax. I also try my best to judge each single as a stand-alone work, especially when they follow up a masterpiece.

 

To Tomorrow is the only track the feels in any way phoned-in to me, and I dont even mind it so much since it's still an enjoyable enough listen, and I was expecting all three to be phoned-in. 

 

Although similar, Final Squall is more straight ahead, driving rock compared to Tsugi no Kado's more restrained and refined sound. Groups recycle sounds all the time, so I personally have no issue with it, as I think Squall is both appreciably different and well done in its own right. 

 

The Curtain Rises is so much better than anyone had any right to expect from a "good-bye" single, tbh.

 

Here's how I have the nine songs of the last three singles currently ranked:

 

Mugen Climax

Summer Wind

Jinsei wa STEP!

Ai wa Maru de Seidenki

The Curtain Rises

Final Squall

Singing ~Ano Koro no You ni~

To Tomorrow

Naze Hito wa Arasoun Darou?

 

Obviously subject to change, but all in all, not a bad showing considering what its up against. I don't feel as if C-ute's legacy is in any way diminished by this release, which is what I was worried about. Maybe my expectations were just so low that exceeding them was easy, but I think this single is solid, if not spectacular.

[Meikochi]

Debuted #2 on first day with 54,722 copies sold (Oricon).

[Meikochi]

C-ute #5 today on Oricon (with Sexy Zone selling 20k today, added to their 56k yesterday, they should get #1 weekly).

Better news on Billboard though : C-ute sold 94,551 copies on the first day and Sexy Zone 65k.

[DonJuan]

I wonder if it's just me but the promotion for this single seems a bit underwhelming.

 

Maybe they're saving up for their last concert? ... or their last concert is the reason they can't spend too much? I mean YokoAri is probably expensive.

[Meikochi]

It seems to me as well they didn't promote it a lot.

YokoAri is probably expensive but ~9,500 (ticket price) * 36,000 (YokoAri capacity) is also a lot of money earned for them.

[Meikochi]

Oricon : #2 weekly with 66,470 copies sold.

Billboard : #2 weekly with 103,452 copies sold. 1,301 copies less than Sexy Zone, that's really too bad for their last single... Anyway, it's their best selling single and second gold one.

[TicTacAnyone]

They definitely under promoted... The Curtain Rises only has 200k views. No matter if you like it or not that's pretty low for not only C-ute, but in H!P in general. All three MVs are generally low views, especially when they're the last single.

 

I guess UFP wanted to focus more on their live work than on promoting the single. More money in the live stuff than the selling of CDs.