Bugright

What songs are on this cd? There are 13 songs and a bonus acoustic track of Kimi no Suki na Uta. Unfortunately my Japanese reading skills are fledgling, so I cannot give you all the song titles or all of a song title.

1) Zero no Kota (?Zero is the Answer)
2) Shamrock
3) Home Bi Netsu 39 degrees C
4) ~Nagare Kuukyo This Word~
5) Colors of the Heart (2nd Opening from Blood+ anime)
6) Live everyday as if it were the last day
7) SHARUMANO NO URA
8) Hitori Janai Kara (I think this is the translation)
9) Kimi no Suki na Uta
10) 51%
11) LIFEsize
12) Empty96
13) Discord
14) Kimi no Suki na Uta (acoustic version)

The first time I heard D-tecnoLife on Bleach I knew I liked the sound and the voice, the energy. When I heard Colors of the Heart for the first I immediately recognized the energy and wanted more. Bugright does not disappoint. Each song is filled with the same sort of energy; they are very catchy even if you do not speak or understand Japanese.

Kimi no Suki na Uta is a beautiful love ballad and was used as a theme song for the Japanese television show, Koi Suru Hanikami. Shamrock has also been used as a theme song. And ~Nagare Kuukyo THIS WORD~ was used for the film soundtrack for DEATH NOTE the movie.

So if you like D-tecnoLife and/or Colors of the Heart, I think you will definitely like this cd. I cannot pick a favorite or a least favorite song. Enjoy.

Bugright is UVERworld's second album. If you are already familiar with UVERworld, you can skip to the end of this for my notes specific to this album.

The chances are that you're checking out this album because you like the UVERworld tunes you've heard in association with anime, and you're curious to know more. Good move - there is plenty more where that came from. If you've just stumbled across UVERworld and are curious, they are for the most part a high-energy Japanese band that has been around for a few years. They have a scattered but very loyal following across the globe.

Their music defies a specific category, which is one of the fun things about listening to them. While a great many of their songs rely on heavy rhythm guitars and bass, and absolutely superb drumming, you will also encounter some very nice acoustic guitar, ballads, orchestral accompaniment, electronic programming, techno-dance beats, head-banging club music, and a Japanese species of rap interspersed with good melodic lines¡­sometimes two or three of the above within a single song (these guys will give you whiplash at times). Confused yet...­? This is feel-good, infectious music that is great whether you're on the road or hanging around the house. They have a strongly identifiable sound. They are talented musicians who have, for the most part, known each other since they were three years old.

Since UVERworld CDs are not distributed in the U.S. and - as far as I know - are not available as MP3s, they can be a bit pricey. Understandably, you'll probably want to get to know UVERworld a little better before taking the plunge. This is not difficult if you know where to look. I would suggest focusing on their music first - decide whether or not you like it, and then worry about the lyrics.

Your best move is to check out the UVERworld page on [...]. Most, if not all, of their promotional videos (PV) are posted there along with lyric translations for a fair number of their songs (unfortunately, hardly anyone translates the song titles). Start with the anime material that will be familiar to you: Hakanaku mo Towa no Kanashi, Change, & Qualia from Gundam 00; D-Technolife (Bleach), Colors of the Heart (Blood+), Gekidou (D.Gray-man), and Endscape (Toward the Terra). For variety I also recommend Shamrock, Chance!, Just Melody, Laka Laka La, and Koishikute; this last one is not a PV but is posted on YouTube with French Subtitles. There are plenty more songs posted on YouTube (a lot of them paired with various anime clips or pictures of the band), along with the "UVERworld Premium Live at Budokan" concert in five segments, a few other live appearances and some short interviews (which are amusing to watch but pointless if you don't speak Japanese).

If you want general information, there are about half a dozen good UVERworld websites in English and some in Spanish. Sony Music Japan has an English and website for UVERworld but, like the band's English Facebook page, it contains only basic information and is not regularly updated. The Japanese sites are far more extensive but good luck with the text showing up. Translation programs such as Babelfish have about a 50/50 success rate.
Sadly, at this point, UVERworld only tours in Japan, generally playing University halls and public venues. Takuya-san is supposedly studying English and is very interested in reaching the U.S. with UVERworld's music, so one can only hope that down the road they will be able to justify making the trip.

It's impossible to downplay Takuya-san's contribution to the group, since he does the vocals and programming, and writes all the lyrics and a fair portion of the music. His voice is decent and has certainly matured over time. Shintarou-san is a talented, manic drummer and - in my humble and obviously biased opinion - one of the best on the planet.

So - now that you've done some homework and you're completely hooked like the rest of us, you are ready to track down some UVERmusic. To date, UVERworld has put out an album per year. The five albums, in order, are Timeless, Bugright, Proglution, AwakEVE, and Last. There is a "Neo Sound Best" CD that is simply a "Best of" compilation, but I¡¯d recommend spending the money on one of the others instead. There are also (at the time of this writing) 17 singles with another one due in March 2011. These "singles" come out about three or four times a year and actually have about 4 songs on them, which is why you will see a LOT of different listings for UVERworld on amazon or any other site. Usually three of the four songs end up on the album CDs, and the remaining song is nowhere else to be found unless some kind soul posts it on YouTube.

A word about all UVER CDs, both singles and albums: there are almost always "regular edition" and "special edition" versions with slightly different covers. The Special editions frequently have DVDs with a few more songs, concert snippets or interviews - but unless you are in the same DVD zone as Japan, these will probably do you no good.

To purchase UVERworld CDs, amazon.com is one of your best bets, but only if the items are actually in stock. There is an EXCELLENT amazon.com marketplace vendor called nobackorder, which sells Korean pressings of the UVERworld CDs. These are completely legitimate Sony pressings for distribution outside of Japan, and the only difference is that they come with an additional lyric sheet in Korean. This vendor's prices are excellent compared to what you will pay for Japanese imports - about half. Their customer service is top notch, and you'll probably get your CDs well before the estimated delivery date. (Mine arrived in the northeast US in about a week and a half.) Best of all, they are covered by the usual amazon.com sale protections.

You'll probably have to look elsewhere to round out your collection. I recommend [...](enter UVERworld into their search field); they have a complete selection of UVERworld CDs and singles. They will have you set up a login with your basic info just like any other online vendor. Their shipping and purchase policies are very clearly explained, and for logging in - as well as for each CD ordered - they will allow you to accumulate "points" which can be used for nominal discounts, some of them immediately.

SO-this brings us back to BUGRIGHT. Another good album, and you can tell the group has started to flex their wings a little bit in terms of incorporating some more rhythmic, slower tunes with Sharuman Noura and Hitori jya naikara, and as mentioned in another review, the really nice ballad Kimi no Suki na Uta.

I really hope you give this band a chance, because they're worth it. Enjoy.