Let’s turn back the hands of time as we look back at the songs that made the Japanese music industry through the Oricon Weekly Chart. This week we look back on the first week of April for both 2010 and 2015, when Korean boy group Tohoshinki and Johnny’s boy group Kis-My-Ft2 reigned supreme with “時ヲ止メテ” (“Toki o Tomete”) and “Kiss魂” (“Kiss Damashii”), respectively. But just what exactly made these songs so great?

“Toki o Tomete”

This was the thirtieth single the then-dominating Tohoshinki released in the Japanese market. It was released as a re-cut from their greatest hit album Best Selection 2010 which released a month prior. Written by the duo Ichiro Fujiya and Shinjiroh Inoue and composed by Daisuke Kahara, the track is arranged in a majestic ballad which is raised tenfold by all five band members’ powerful yet soothing vocals capable of bringing fans to tears.

Unfortunately it really did result in some teary-eyed admirers, as this was the last single to feature members Jeajoong, Yoochun, and Junsu due to contract disputes (As this subject is a very extensive issue which could warrant its own write-up, check out a summary of the dispute here.) The single was released with five tracks and its B-side track, “Checkmate”, was member Yunho’s solo track, with its third track being a remix version of “Toki o Tomete”. The single originally sold over 195,000 copies during its first initial week of sales and ended up placing twenty-sixth overall on the yearly single chart.

“Kiss Damashii”

This one was the thirteenth single by ever-surprising Kis-My-Ft2. While not changing the formula of Johnnys tracks released during this era, the boys’ ever-impressing and evolving choreography along with their vocal prowess were put at the forefront here, making this an unforgettable song. The track was originally written by KOMU, who had worked with the group extensively in the past, and the compositions were done by industry veteran Kazuhiro Hara; this was his first time working with the group. The single dropped with four tracks and three different editions and sold over 350,000 copies. This was the thirteenth consecutive single to take the number 1 spot.

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