SKE48 7th [Oki Doki] 1st Week Sales + Review

The week is over for SKE48's latest single [Oki Doki]. How did it fare? On the first day sales I expressed some concern about the lower than expected sales figures. Did it manage to pull through?

It did in fact! Oki Doki sold 382,802 copies in it's debut week, just barely breaking Pareo wa Emerald's 1st week by 4,055. Too close for comfort for me. Hopefully their next single will do much better.

Oki Doki (オキドキ)
SKE's a-sides never fail to impress; their lively and sharp dancing only serves to compound this track's utter greatness. The hook is wonderfully catchy, one listen and you're bound to remember it for weeks to come. The retro-rock inspired intro and the jump that the girls perform when they shout "Oki Doki" are some additional highlights of this track and its PV. While the song may be one of SKE's best to date, I can't say the same about the video; I'm guessing that management spent its whole budget filming Pareo wa Emerald? I understand that the set is supposed to resemble a 'Westside Story'-esque backdrop, but it looks more like the alleyway of a casino, except ten times more spacious. That aside, here's to hoping that SKE48 will keep the train rolling with more amazing title songs.

Bazooka-hou Hassha! (バズーカ砲発射!)
Compared to the borefest that was Tokimeki no Ashiato, this song is light-years better in that there was actually some energy spent in writing this song. I'm happy that Shirogumi is finally experiencing some change in musical genre; I was sure that they would be stuck singing ballads forever. However, this is still your typical Undergirls b-side and I would not bother comparing it to Oki Doki.

Hohoemi no Positive Thinking (微笑のポジティブシンキング)
Looks like Akagumi has done away with their former dark and cool image in exchange for an innocent one. I mean… they're singing a ballad and wearing white; one could have mistaken them for Shirogumi, or at least the casual fan would. This song is in no way boring as it is more akin to an uplifting pop-ballad than an actual slow tune. There is a single solo line sung by Rena featured in this b-side; I've never really paid much attention to her Rena's singing, and now that I have heard her voice, I think the song could've done without it.

Hatsukoi no Fumikiri (初恋の踏切)
Glad that the entire group has been given a decent song to sing. Generic, but still fun and cute; it sounds almost like a stage song. The guitar verses also help in making this song a bit better than it actually is. The girls' voices blend so well together; I'm quite surprised that there are actually more than 48 members featured in this song. Overall, a worthy b-side.

Utaoyo, Bokutachi no Kouka (歌おうよ、僕たちの校歌)
The second song to feature SKE48's 8 front-girls. I really enjoyed their last song, and had hoped that this song would be just as awesome. This is one of those tracks you have to warm up to if ballads aren't your cup of tea. I, for one, love it; in my opinion, this is one of SKE's best mellow songs. The lines are also distributed well among the members. I would love to see the group close a concert/event with a performance of this song.

Verdict:

I'm just blown away by how SKE48's musical repertoire is improving. Although I may not fancy a few of their older b-sides, I absolutely adore the single and its songs. I'm just wondering how long SKE can keep this up; I didn't have high expectations for them because most of management's attention usually goes to AKB. Please support the girls by purchasing a copy of this single!