For the first time in years I feel like I am actually qualified to write a column like this. While for 5 years Tsunku's Hello! Project consumed much of the time I devoted to music, 2003 was the year that I began to remember how much more music was out there. Boo shocked everybody by nominating Mikitty's album as number one this year. I will shock everybody by not.

Consistency is vital. I am the type to prefer an album with 10 strong songs over an album with 5 amazing songs and 5 mediocre ones. Top heavy and bottom heavy albums that prompt you to stop listening prematurely or start from the middle infuriate me. Buying individual amazing songs is what the CD Single format is for. AYAUETO didn't follow a single pattern. Instead, it made the rounds of several genres. There are retro songs and ballads along with various takes on modern pop. The thing that makes the album great is how each of them, while distinct from each other in terms of genre, manage to come together to create a balanced listening experience. Top heavy and bottom heavy albums that prompt you to stop listening prematurely or start from the middle infuriate me. I listened to this album for about two months straight. The result is the coveted Album of the Year prize.

Runner Up
NO PLAN - NO PLAN

2003 was the year of fusion between music and comedy. Dandy Sakano, Hanawa and Testu&Tomo all flooded the market. The result was surprising - while comedy CDs had been attempted in the past, sales were never that good. 2003 showed that comedy can sell. A late addition to the 2003 comedy free- for-all was a CD called "NO PLAN". A group of comedians from the popular late-night show "Produced by Uchimura" came together in song. The result was not only good comedy, but great music. I found myself listening to the tunes on the CD more than the spoken parts. Putting good laughs and good music on one disc turned out to be a good idea.

As soon as I heard the song "Kurumi" I knew it. It was the kind of song that only comes around once a year. The emotion invested in this song goes beyond the lyrics. You can heard it in the tone of Sakurai's voice. Usually I have a short attention span and prefer catchy songs with high tempos, but listening to those songs leaves you wanting more. Before you know if you've listened to a playlist of 30 of them and you can't remember which one was witch. After listening to Kurumi I felt complete. I could sit down and do something else. It's that kind of song.

Runner-up
Morning Musume Otome Gumi - Ai no sono ~ Touch My Heart ~

One of the strangest twists to Hello! Project in 2003 was the division of Morning Musume up into two groups. Most wrote it off as a mistake, but Tsunku seemed to know what he was doing. He dreamt up a very funky sounding song for Otome Gumi. With strange gospel-type background singers in the background, and a funky retro beat, this song had Tsunku written all over it. Only he would try something like this, and only he could pull it off.

I WiSH came out of nowhere. All of a sudden the group's debut song "asu he no tobira" appeared as the themesong on the ridiculously popular variety show, ainori. As a result, sales went through the roof. Instead of cashing in on her success however, the girl behind I WiSH chose to remain anonymous and do street performances with unreleased music. By the time she finally came out, she had released another single "tenshitachi no melody" and a great debut album. Her voice is enough to capture any listener. I expect big things again from I WiSH in 2004.

Runner-up:
Hayashi Asuka

When I realized that Hayashi Asuka was a 13 year old I was pretty taken a back. I had heard her debut single "ake-kaze" and remembered thinking how mature sounding her voice was. The lyrics were also very deep and the song sounded like the work of a veteran singer. In truth, the opposite was true. While I don't think Hayashi fulfilled her potential after an explosive debut, I think 2004 might see her find her niche.

I don't think anything comes close. The song and the PV go together so well. It fills us will all kinds of conflicting emotions. You already know that it's a great PV by about half way through, but the ending makes it even more special.

In many ways, 2003 was the year of the comeback. One one hand, acts like L'arc~En~Ciel, Fukuyama Masaharu, SPEED and Southern All Stars returned to the scene to much success. Fukuyama Masaharu proved that he wasn't washed up by releasing an explosive triple a-side single. Mr. Children also showed their faces again for the first time in a while in 2003 with a brand new single, easily the best of the year. Another type of comeback was that of SMAP. While the group had quite disappointing sales in 2001 and 2002, one television drama kickstarted what would prove to be a year- long SMAP marathon. Whether the public liked it or not, and most of the public liked it, the song "sekai ni hitotsu dake no hana" was played over and over taking many forms. It was even released later in the year in classical form on the debut album of the Chinese group Joshijunigakubo. Shortly after the release of sekai, it's stellar sales made up a whopping 1/4th of the total single sales for the year. Comebacks would continue throughout the year with amazing sales numbers and delighted fans.

A few trends started to take hold in 2003, all aimed at increasing sales. The first was the more consistent use of double and even triple a-sides. While this had started earlier, it seemed that in 2003 everyone was willing to take a shot at it. 2003 saw the most tracks on the average single single the maxi-single (12cm disc vs. the previous 8cm disc) boom that hit Japan in '98 and '99. Not only were CDs themselves getting more tracks, bonus features took on a new meaning. While "first edition" CDs used to be about nice booklets or pretty boxes, DVDs became more a part of the equation. While Zetima had started the practice of launching CD singles and DVD singles simultaneously in 2002, big names such as Avex took the next step in 2003. Many albums were bundled with DVDs to increase their value. This also affected the price structure of the market. 2003 saw the beginning of the 2 version format with one barebones album selling for about 2,500 while a DVD bundled version sold for up to 1,000 yen extra. As CD sales continue to decline and competition heats up, 2004 should show even more innovation in the "bonus" department of CDs.

A final theme would be the decline of Hello! Project. While 2002 had already seen the slide begin, there were also promising signs. For example the debut of Fujimoto Miki pumped new life into the organization. Following Matsuura Aya in 2001, a new 1st year Kouhaku artist was born. In 2003, however this all changed. Commander-In-Chief Tsunku started the year by adding 4 new members to his flagship group Morning Musume. This included Fujimoto who was then stripped of her solo career. As the number increased to a staggering 16 members, the public clearly began to get bored. After promising strong sales from Matsuura Aya in early 2003, numbers plunged across the board for the rest of the year. Tsunku also began to show signs of defeat. He started work on a new album and returned to television, hosting Pop Jam on NHK. As the walls of Fort Tsunku continue to crumble, will he make a Komuro-like exit, passing his prized possesions off to other composers? I think we will find out in 2004. On the male side of the spectrum, Johnny's continued it's utter dominance in 2003. SMAP obviously ruled the pack but amazing performances were seen by Kinki Kids, V6, Tacky & Tsubasa, Arashi and the new NeWs. Did I really just list all of those? Shame on me.

Overall 2003 proved an interesting years. While it lacked a lot of originality, familiar faces came back to make us feel better. Meanwhile a number of small acts continued to gather momentum suggesting a possibly explosive 2004. Only time will tell.

1. Ueto Aya - AYAUETO
2. NOPLAN - NOPLAN
3. Joshijuunigakubou - Joshijuunigakubou ~Beautiful Energy~
4. Fujimoto Miki - Miki1
5. Matsuura Aya - T.W.O
6. Nakashima Mika - Love
7. Hirai Ken - Life is...
8. Morning Musume - No. 5
9. Hyde - 666
10. Gackt - Crescent

1. Mr. Children - Tenohira/Kurumi
2. Morning Musume Otome Gumi - Ai no sono ~ Touch My Heart ~
3. Fukuyama Masaharu - Niji/Himawari/Sore ga subete sa
4. Fujimoto Miki - Boogie Train '03
5. Matsuura Aya - The Last Night
6. Inaba Koushi - KI
7. GLAY - Beautiful Dreamer/Street Life
8. I WiSH - Asu he no tobira
9. Nakashima Mika - Yuki no hana
10. Hayashi Asuka - ake-kaze