In honor of Kis-My-Ft2’s complete videography being uploaded to YouTube (in edited form, of course…), I can’t resist writing about each single. To put this in context for Bias List readers, Kis-My-Ft2 (or Kisumai, as they’re often known) are my J-pop version of Infinite. That’s how much I love them and their discography.
Yet, I rarely write about them because finding online links to their music was so hard… until now!
My Resistance (2013)
I get the sense that My Resistance is somewhat underrated in Kisumai’s discography, but it’s one of my favorites. The song strips away all gimmicks and focuses on fantastic pop melody. I tend to turn to music for a sense of lift, and My Resistance offers this positive energy, rewarding a slow-burn structure with a transcendent payoff.
It’s all about melodic drama when it comes to tracks like these. My Resistance’s emotive tune is echoed by orchestral production that emphasizes piano and strings. A driving beat fuels the entire track, making sure it never succumbs to dull ballad territory. The chorus is huge and super satisfying – theatrical in its grandeur. But, we don’t reach the song’s best moment until two minutes in. The melody shifts into a secondary refrain and the whole track lifts. The air clears and we’re shuttled to a more cheerful energy. It’s a fantastic turn, and no matter how many times I hear My Resistance I still wait for this moment. That’s what we call a killer key change, folks! There’s nothing better.
This song and video represent a more serious shift in tone for Kisumai, but if that’s not your thing, don’t despair because its double a-side brings the cheesy fun. That song’s up next!
| Hooks | 10 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 9 |
| Bias | 10 |
| RATING | 9.5 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
If I have to choose my top 3 Kisumai singles, this would be in it, along with Gravity and Tonight. These are all pretty underrated compared to their other songs, so I guess I just have a taste that’s very different from the general public.
MiyaTama’s BE LOVE would also be very much in the running. This one seems to be pretty popular, especially amongst fans as they even made a short drama out of it. It was also voted as one of the performances that fans most want to see again in a recent Shounen Club Premium episode <3.
Anyway, I'm ecstatic that you are doing this!! Will you cover some unit/individual member songs too? They did release MVs for the most recent round of individual member songs. I really love Miya's Nemophila (Tama's share love is nice too) and thought you might like it too.
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I’m so glad you’re enjoying the feature!
I kind of resigned myself to the fact that only a handful of people would check out these posts, but I wanted to write them for my own entertainment anyway. The fact that they’re anticipated by even a few readers makes it more fun and exciting 🙂
For now, I’m only planning on doing the group releases that were uploaded this weekend. I wrote about Kitayama’s solo on my year-end list, but probably won’t be covering the others. I could go on at length about how much I love the ridiculous mv for Nikaido’s ジョッシー松村のSCREAM, though!
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This is my favorite single by them so far. I’m so glad you started this feature I literally would’ve never heard these songs without you.
The track is more serious but not so much that I couldn’t listen to it casually. Meaning, it’s not going to drag my mood down. I think the beat giving me something to bump to helps. Some songs just seem to throw a key change into the song and it feels really lazy. Here, it’s put in just the right place like the light from a lighthouse when you’re stranded in open water during a hurricane. Loved this song, I wish their tracks were on Spotify, since I listen to everything there
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I’m glad you’re checking out this feature and finding some songs you enjoy! I never know what readers will think when I spotlight some of these J-pop groups. Kisumai are definitely a quirky one, but in such a fun way. And they’ve got GREAT songs, which is what matters most (to me, at least!).
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Oooh! This one’s incredible. I am a sucker for this sort of melodramatic, string-driven dance track and this doesn’t fail to impress me. The melody is one of the most gorgeous things I’ve ever heard, and that dynamic transition from the soaring chorus to a euphoric secondary refrain is damn well done.
Shake It Up and Ai no Beat have grown on me, especially the latter, but this song easily sweeps both of them. Love it!
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I love this song! It was one of the first I liked from them. And I love the part you describe, after the 2 min in, I always expect that part 😀
It’s definitely one of my favorite Kisumai’s songs, thanks for reviewing their singles 😀
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