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!

Edge Of Days (2019)

It’s a bit confusing to call Edge of Days Kisumai’s 25th single, since that only counts physical single releases and not the many mvs/pvs released for album tracks or coupling songs. But under the strictest definition of “single,” this song is their 25th release and that calls for something special. Fortunately, the guys are back in fantastic form for this epic rock drama.

I definitely underrated Edge of Days when it first came out. In fact, I didn’t even review it on the blog! During that period (Oct-Nov 2019), there was so much great music emerging from both Korea and Japan and some songs just fell by the wayside. Shame on me, because a track this awesome should never fall by the wayside! I adore Edge of Days. In my mind, it’s the last truly excellent single Kisumai have released to this point.

Composed by the always-reliable Hikari, the track moves through bombastic verses. Crunching guitar pummels the listener as the group deliver a supremely catchy melody. Then, the momentum shifts and we move into a grandiose chorus. You’d think the tempo change here would bother me, but not when the production is so fiercely massive. The melody becomes even more stirring as the chorus grows, climaxing in a brilliant refrain that caps it off with style.

Speaking of that last refrain, I’m obsessed with the synching of choreo and beams of light during this moment. It’s a simple stage trick, but imbues the already-dramatic song with an extra shot of theatricality. Watching live performances of Edge of Days is goosebump-inducing. It’ll rouse your energy and get your fist pumping in the air. The entire music video is solid, but this lighting effect is a signature highlight.