Arashi – Believe / 曇りのち、快晴 (Starring Ohno Satoshi) [25th Single]
Arashi’s 25th single, entitled Believe / 曇りのち、快晴 (Starring Ohno Satoshi), was released on 03.04.09. Believe was used as the theme song for the movie Yatterman starring group member Sakurai Sho. 曇りのち、快晴 (Starring Ohno Satoshi) was used as the theme song for the dorama Uta no Oniisan and is a solo song sung by Ohno, who stars in the movie.
Believe is a fun song with a dance beat. The song begins with a very pretty upbeat instrumental that has a sort of carnival feel to it, which really catches the listener’s attention. Then it’s the first verse and the vocals are enjoyable, staying with the music perfectly. It is kind of disappointing that the music loses those carnival elements in favor of a more simplistic and relaxing sound because they make the song so interesting. Luckily they come back in the chorus and they boys sing with a rapidity that make them stand out. Surprisingly, the rap section fits perfectly although the voice sounds a bit weird. It’s commanding but it would have been nicer had it been gentler and sleeker rather than so powerful. Overall, Believe is an enjoyable song and allows the listener to get up and move with Arashi.
The second A-side is Ohno’s solo song, 曇りのち、快晴. Opening the song is the piano driving the instrumentation and then Ohno singing quite loudly. It was surprising to hear him go so loud and it felt more like shouting then singing, honestly. Thankfully, on the first verse, he tones it down and the pretty instrumental gives a very natural and special feel. There is a little instrumental introduction to the chorus and it sounds great, a true standout point in the song. The chorus is the fuller version of what was sung at the beginning. With a fuller instrumental, he doesn’t sound so loud and it is much more bearable. What I’m assuming are little kids also have a small part in the song and that was a mistake since they just sound awkward. The pure instrumental section is enjoyable just because the prettiness of the music is given the spotlight. It’s a pretty good song although Ohno does sound a little too loud for my tastes.
トビラ is the B-side, only available on the regular edition of the single. The song starts off with a fun upbeat instrumental that immediately catches the listener’s ear and has kind of a similar sound to Believe. Then the boys come in the first verse and their vocals come together nicely and smoothly. The music keeps those carnival-like elements, which keeps the listener’s interest up. The chorus is a little disappointing because there is no real instrumental or vocal change but it’s still nice. It’s no surprise that the pure instrumental section is wonderful since the music is so addictive. It’s a great song and actually should have replaced Believe as an A-side. They have similar instrumental elements but the music stays stronger on this one.
In order to promote the single, two PVs were made: one for Believe and one for 曇りのち、快晴. Don’t be fooled by the dark atmosphere in the Believe PV, it’s actually very lighthearted. When the boys are dancing, you can see this light in their faces shine through. It just makes the video all the better. There are also various close-up shots which are enjoyable. They all look pretty good so that’s definitely also a plus.
The video for 曇りのち、快晴 is cute, featuring Ohno dancing with a bunch of background dancers all wearing white. They do some dancing and it’s just really cute because you can see the sweetness in his eyes. Both videos are nice and Johnny’s are really putting the effort into Arashi for their 10th anniversary.
Single Ranking: B +
It’s Arashi’s first single for their 10th anniversary and they certainly started things on the right foot. Believe is a fun carnival-like dance number which will have the listener moving along with them. Ohno Satoshi gets the chance to shine on his solo number, 曇りのち、快晴, which is cute and fun. He does sing a little too loudly at points but it’s an enjoyable song overall. The B-side is also nice with a similar sound to Believe. It honestly could have been an A-side. After a very successful last year, I believe Arashi will be releasing a lot this year so this is only the beginning.
Amai Wana 
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