Jpop: My current top 20 songs

As I am leaving for 17 days in Sapporo, Japan, I thought it suitable to do a semi-sorted top 20 list of my current favorite jpop songs. Although the looks of the videos are important, the songs and how much I actually listen to them rate the highest. I also, a little illogically, chose to give an artist with several top 20 songs only one spot, but I really wanted to squeeze as many as possible into the list...
But first, I would like to mention 10 songs/artsist that didn't make it to top 20, and they are:

• Yun*Chi - Your Song
• Sowelu - Let Me Lead U
• Mademoiselle Yulia - Gimmie Gimmie
• Tommy February
• Iwasa Misaki
• Oomori Seiko - Zettai Girl
• Kanon Wakeshima - Lolitawork Libretto
• Dempagumi
• Bomi - Party Night, Hold Me Tight
• Kotoko - Re-sublimity

Now for the top 20. Lets start from the bottom. Remember, the order is not hewn into rocks, but roughly true.

20. Scandal - Pinheel Surfer. I have a great respect for Scandal, because the four girls seem to me be one of the most "believable" girl rock acts in Japan. Just watch the live version of Space Ranger to see what I mean. Respect.

19. C-ute - Adam and Eve's dilemma. Having matured with the last few songs and videos, they are one of the Hello Project! groups I now follow with interest.

18. Baby Metal - Headbangerrrrr! They may not seem to imposing but their mix of jpop and metal is really fun and they go all in in their videos and performances.

17. Kyary Pamyu Pamyu - Ninyari Pang Pang. One of the biggest profiles of Japanese pop, Kyary has made a name for her internationally for her quirkiness and just cray videos. This video may not be the strangest, but the best song in my opinion.

16. Sweet Vacation - Sayonara my days. A really sweet Japanese classic sung by a thai girl. ;-)

15. Immi - Swimmer. She writes her own electronic jpop and does it well.

14. Juice=Juice - Don't be spiteful, but embrace me. J=J may be the most energetic of the Hello Project! groups, even though I have chosen one of the "slower" tracks.

13. Ami Suzuki - One. One of the older tracks in my list this is still going strong.

12. Mizca - 1925. I had a hard time choosing between 1925 and Dame Yo, both energetic and focused pop songs.

11. World Order - World Order. I have been impressed with this dance group since I found them, but with the latest song I also find I enjoy it even without the video.

10. Naka Riisa - Tears through his heart. The movie for which this song was written (and it is actually shown almost unchanged as part of the story), Zebraman 2, may not be the best there is, but the song is really special with actress Naka Riisa showing her potential as a singer.

9. MAA - Ghost Enemy. There is something sexy and early 90s over this video, and thats two words I don't often combine in the same sentence...

8. Ringo Sheena - Discovered during passionate love. I really loved her return video this autumn.

7. Inshow-ha - Swap. Chic indie-jpop.

6. Perfume - Laser Beam. Perfume has made so many hits and to be honest their thing is about a certain sound and choreography, but some songs stand out, among them Laser beam, Spring of Life and 1mm. (Yes, I know, the image is from Spring of Life...)

5. Aural Vampire - Cannibal Coast. Love this semi-nerdy song who wants to be emo/alternative or something.

4. Emi Maria - Mr Alien. This is my kind of Japanese R&B.

3. After School - Heaven. Hey, what does this korean pop group do on a jpop list? Well, Koreans has a clear presence on the Japanese market and they sing in Japanese. Usually this translation from kpop to jpop actually doesn't work that well in my opinion, but After School has with their releases this year, Heaven and Shh, really managed to create something that works by combining Korean style and slickness with Japanese sophistication to create something really worthwhile.

2. Tofubeats - Don't stop the music. With this song, lone musician tofubeats may have created a indie classic, with veteran jpop singer Moritaka Chisato really making an impression with her voice. A masterful happy/melancholic piece that the Japanese do so well.

1. Omodaka - Fortune 1 Mark. This may seem like a pretentious "i am soo indie"-kind of choice for my number one spot, but it is actually just that I really, really like when Omodaka/Soichi Terada combines classic Enka music with modern bit pop. This is also really what the Japanese music scene is about - invention and experiments. If you want to find inspiration and something new, then Japan is where to look.