Review: Berryz Koubou - Anata Nashi de wa Ikite Yukenai

Released: March 3rd, 2004

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Artist: Berryz Koubou

Other songs you might enjoy: Koi no Jubaku - Berryz Koubou First Kiss - Aa! Iku ZYX! Fly High - ZYX

This is the debut single for Berryz Koubou, one of the most popular acts in the Hello! Project today. A group that was once seen as a joke before their debut has proven J-pop fans wrong time and time again. With the lackluster sales of the other Hello! Kids related sub units, you couldn’t really blame the fans for not expecting much out of this group. However, these girls managed to make a fairly big impact with this debut single.

First we have “Anata Nashi de wa Ikite Yukenai”, which roughly translates to “I can’t live without you”. The song starts out with some intriguing beats and sounds, combining random chimes, drum beats, and synthesizer effects. The beginning of the song is fairly solid, with lines that are spread out equally among members. Once it hits the chorus, you’ll definitely be hooked. I can’t really explain what makes this song so good…but everything runs so fluidly, and the chorus really gets the job done. The lead choices for vocals are questionable, but do not lower the scale because the song itself is so strong.

The next track is “Berry Fields”, which is just an upbeat, happy-go-lucky song that’s a lot of fun to listen to. The almost repetitive, techno like beats really makes this song stand out. The song does get repetitive after a few listens, mostly because of the repetitive nature, but is still pretty enjoyable to listen to.

The music video is definitely one of the strong points of the single, and does not disappoint. The girls run around an empty arena in their silver coats, and perform on stage. It’s pretty enjoyable to watch, although the choreography could be a bit better.

All in all, this remains as one of my favorite Berryz singles, so I’d definitely recommend it. The main track has a very strong chorus with meaningful lyrics, and the vocals help out the song in my opinion. This is arguably one of the most popular Berryz singles, so it would be a great song to start out with if you’re new to the group.