❃ BoA - The Discography Rate (Part 2) ❃ - Final Stats

Crisp X

Crisp X

she/her
nanapop99 said:
I believe this is documentary I was talking about. It's pretty insane to see how overworked she was by both SM & Avex back in the days... Going back and forth between both countries, and with a broken leg to top it all?!?!

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Thank you for sharing this! I'm familiar with the YouTube channel's handle, but it looks like that particular channel popped up last year. I hope it won't get striked like another one I was following during Part 1, as they've already got a ton of great, rare-ish content!



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Love Can Make a Miracle
Geudaemani nae mameul chaewojwoyo

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6.073

Jumping BoAs: (8.5) @RUNAWAY ; (8) @odyism
Still BoAs: (4.5) @M24 ; (5) @evilsin, @clowezra, @Monado, @Attis
Crispy's Score: 5.5

5 voters: #64 (average: 6.5)
10 voters: #74 (average: 6.45)
15 voters: #77 (average: 6.16)
17 voters: #77 (average: 6.073)

"Love Can Make A Miracle" is the 5th track from Girls On Top, BoA's fifth Korean album, released on June 24, 2005. It was written by BoA, composed by Samuel Waermoe, Mimmi Waerm, and Marcus F Engl and arranged by Ahn Ik-soo.​


On a pop album, what would you follow a ballad with? With another one of course! It's okay unnies, they're soon going to take a breather, I know you're impatiently waiting for more painful eliminations fff. Despite appearing on her sole Korean full-length of the rate, this album track feels more rooted in J-Pop to my ears. It's nothing to write home about, unfortunately, but I'd lie if I said that very dramatic piano lick in the intro doesn't make me feel things.

—

@evilsin (5) — "See, this one is worse than "If you were here". It does sound positively OST-y though, gonna give it that."

@Kaz D'Oerba (7) — "I really like the middle 8, the strings make me feel some kinda way"

@nanapop99 (7.25) — "Usually I'm not a fan of two emotional ballads in a row but this is a another great one. Beautiful melodies and I love how the strings add a certain epic feel to the song."

—




The next song is from an album that has been untouched so far...​
 
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odyism

odyism

I haven't been following this as much as I had wished.
A strange summer schedule plus Beyoncé release season means that I just lost track of any other Popjustice forum topics! But here we goooo!!

I am not surprised by any of these songs leaving this early. Wintery Christmas Ballads and Extras songs are the first out! I managed to write up some commentary for all the songs on Girls on Top so I can copy and paste my reasoning for Breathe Again and Love Can Make a Miracle

Breathe Again - (Originally I gave this a 6, and then somehow it dipped back to a 4.5)
I think I enjoy ballads more than most here on Popjustice, but this one is part of the early 2000s k-pop tradition. Ballads can be beautiful album highlights, but in BoA’s discography alone this sound is just faceless and overdone. There was a standard and almost requirement in these early K-pop albums to have a ballad like this where the focus is on the melody, vocal performance, and lyrical content. But from a songwriting perspective this song could be on any of BoA’s first 5 Korean albums, that’s how generic it is.

Love Can Make a Miracle - Originally I gave this a 7 but after a last minute listen, I felt generous and gave it an 8 even though I knew it would be one of the first to go.
This song can get lost by being another ballad right after If You Were Here on the tracklist. But the simplicity of the strings and the background vocals across the chorus is heartwarming. I often wonder how much I would still appreciate a song like this had I not heard it upon the time of release. But I think alot of ballads in the My Name and Girls On Top have a personal fondness because hearing the rapid improvement and growth to BoA's voice and delivery on her k-pop ballads was really something to hear. To go from the ballads on ID Peace B and No. 1, to songs like Love Can Make a Miracle, Goodbye, etc is a feat that I will never downplay.
 
Crisp X

Crisp X

she/her
odyism said:
But I think alot of ballads in the My Name and Girls On Top have a personal fondness because hearing the rapid improvement and growth to BoA's voice and delivery on her k-pop ballads was really something to hear. To go from the ballads on ID Peace B and No. 1, to songs like Love Can Make a Miracle, Goodbye, etc is a feat that I will never downplay.
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That's a good point and, for me personally, the main reason I tend to be less forgiving regarding the ballads this time around. Many of them are in that mid "been there, done that" range, so they shouldn't be offensive in theory. However, put them right next to songs that showcase her growth not only as a vocalist but in the range of styles tackled, and they do stick out more. I don't strongly dislike any of them, but there's an air of stagnancy that permeates that batch of songs.
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1/2

Anata totemo itoshikute
Motto motto aitakute
Isshou tonari ni itatte tabun jikan ga tarinai

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6.147

Jumping BoAs: (10) @RUNAWAY ; (8) @evilsin
Still BoAs: (4) @Kaz D'Oerba ; (5) @lalaclairi_, @ohdenny, @Attis
Crispy's Score: 6

5 voters: #71 (average: 6.3)
10 voters: #78 (average: 6.275)
15 voters: #76 (average: 6.216)
17 voters: #75 (average: 6.147)

"LONG TIME NO SEE" is the 7th track from OUTGROW BoA's fourth Japanese album, released on February 15, 2006. It was co-written by BoA and Natsumi Watanabe, composed by Misako Sakazume and arranged by Hitoshi Harukawa.

To stay on topic, here we have a breezy, lightweight semi ballad that I'm suddenly appreciating more as I write this than the moment I settled on my score. It's inoffensive on its own, but BoA's gentle vocals and the backing acoustic guitars add some levity to it. Something about it brings me a lot of comfort, like curling up under a cozy blanket. It may be one of those songs that shine more during an individual listen, I guess.

—

@Kaz D'Oerba (4) — "a bit boring, and the water drop beat irritated me a bit teebs. Once I noticed it, I couldn’t ignore it."

@nanapop99 (6) — "This is another cute bubbly ballad. I don't have a particular connection to this song but the image of BoA sobbing on stage while singing this song during her 20th anniversary concert has been ingrained in my brain for weeks."

@evilsin (8) — "This is such a sweet song. Very cozy and pretty."

—


​
 
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odyism

odyism

Crisp X said:
That's a good point and, for me personally, the main reason I tend to be less forgiving regarding the ballads this time around. Many them are in that mid "been there, done that" range, so they shouldn't be offensive in theory. However, put them right next to songs that showcase her growth not only as a vocalist but in the range of styles tackled, and they do stick out more. I don't strongly dislike any of them, but there's an air of stagnancy that permeates that batch of songs.
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I also agree with this!
I think the My Name and Girls on Top ballads showcased that growth. And I think mentally I group debut to 2005 altogether. But by the time I get to ballads like Stay Gold, Precious, Be With You, Smile Again, Our Love ~to my parents~, etc I am just very whelmed and totally feel that stagnancy. It's intriguing to see how early Japanese ballads felt like career highlights (Every Heart, Moon & Sunrise, etc). But I think this era totally had avex scrambling for another Merikuri, and going heavy on the ballads now that she was maturing. So many of the sounds of this era felt like throwing things at the wall and trying to please everyone, that the actual sound crafted from debut to Best of Soul lost its edge.

Anyway! Long Time No See, I gave a 6.25.
It's inoffensive, but feels like a more boring version of Konoyono Shirushi.
It's the type of song that feels like a fine throwaway B-side. But experiencing it at the time of release was a moment of frustration to have Make a Secret be whelming, and then have another whelming b-side. You could just really hear in this era that they were leaning into a softer ~young lady~ BoA, and I think I could have enjoyed it more if there was a different ratio overall, or if these songs didn't soften the r&b tendencies BoA had.
 
Crisp X

Crisp X

she/her
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2/2

SMILE AGAIN egao wo mou ichido
Kokoro no naka hane hiroge
Sora ni mukatte miyou

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6.147

Jumping BoAs: (10) @RUNAWAY ; (8.5) @Kaz D'Oerba
Still BoAs: (4) @M24, @Ana Raquel, @Monado ; (5) @ohdenny, @Slice of Life, @askew
Crispy's Score: 6

5 voters: #67 (average: 6.45)
10 voters: #74 (average: 6.45)
15 voters: #75 (average: 6.233)
17 voters: #75 (average: 6.147)

"Smile again" is the 13nd track from THE FACE, BoA's sixth Japanese album, released on February 27, 2008. It was written by BoA, composed and arranged by Nao Tanaka.

I could copy paste some of my thoughts about some ballads that were eliminated earlier here. With that being said, I'll echo one of the comments below regarding the stripped down version she has performed on tour. The slightly different arrangement suits it better, while making more space for BoA's vocals. Sometimes less is more!

—

@Attis (6) — "The random girl in the Youtube playlist asfdds" Looking forward to her debut, hwaiting!

@nanapop99 (6.25) — "It's sweet but suffers from an instrumental that does not fit with the actual song. I prefer the piano only version she performed on tour."

@evilsin (7) — "Never really been a fan, but it has some classy strings to it and some classic ballad vibe going on that I kinda dig, so yeah, quite nice."

@Kaz D'Oerba (8.5) — "beautiful"

—



​
 
odyism

odyism

Smile Again I gave a 6.75
The song feels a bit disappointing because @nanapop99 pointed it out perfectly.
The melody is nice and the vocal performance is strong from BoA, but the instrumental is just *too* faceless.

I have to say though that the chorus of this song encapsulates some of my favorite parts of BoA's voice.
I love when you hear her natural tone that can be a hint piercing, a hint of nasality. But then a gorgeous supported soaring belt in her chest voice, with moments of sweetness going into her head voice.
There is just something very BoA and wonderful about the "dakara TRY AGAIN"

Unfortunately, while i love the chorus, the production is forgettable, the bridge at 3:50 feels undercooked, and the verses are fine. Not terrible, not great!
 
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nanapop99

nanapop99

I actually didn't mind these last 4-5 ballads so I'm quite surprised to see them already eliminated. I could possibly name 10 other tracks that are way worse... Dress Off next, juseyo!
 
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Crisp X

Crisp X

she/her
nanapop99 said:
I actually didn't mind these last 4-5 ballads so I'm quite surprised to see them already eliminated. I could possibly name 10 other tracks that are way worse... Dress Off next, juseyo!
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Alright, because you asked nicely...










But not today!


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Ai ga yobu kono hatsuyuki no hi wa
Futari dake ni wa wakariaeru no
Shiroku somatteku machi ni ai no ato wo
Kimi to egakou, sa rang hae

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6.161

Jumping BoAs: (10) @Kaz D'Oerba ; (8) @lalaclairi_, @RUNAWAY
Still BoAs: (3.5) @M24 ; (4) @Ana Raquel
Crispy's Score: 5

5 voters: #64 (average: 6.5)
10 voters: #66 (average: 6.8)
15 voters: #74 (average: 6.366)
17 voters: #74 (average: 6.161)

"First snow" is a bonus track from OUTGROW, BoA's fourth Japanese album, released on February 15, 2006. It was written by BoA, composed and arranged by Takuya Harada and JUNKOO.

We're back to eliminating a Christmas song, and a ballad at that. I think I may have been a bit harsh in my score this time. I love how soothing her voice gets, even more so during the chorus, and the arrangements are above some of the ballads that got thrown out earlier. It also shines more in a live environment, as seen in the performance embedded below.

—

@nanapop99 (7) — "Yet another christmas ballad. I consider this one as Meri Kuri's less good younger sister. It's cute but there's nothing special about it."

@Kaz D'Oerba (10) — "this song just hits everything I love in a ballad. Distant keyboard instrumentals, a melancholy theme, and a heartfelt chorus. Just great"

—





Another Extras song is leaving us later...​
 
Crisp X

Crisp X

she/her
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Baby mamotte ageru
Dakishimete ageru
Tayorinai watashidemo
Zutto kitte itai no motto wakaritai no
Kimi no kokoro dare yori ? ... Always kissing you

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6.264

Jumping BoAs: (9) @RUNAWAY ; (8) @evilsin, @Kaz D'Oerba
Still BoAs: (3) @nanapop99 ; (4.5) @M24
Crispy's Score: 5.5

5 voters: #79 (average: 6.05)
10 voters: #72 (average: 6.575)
15 voters: #73 (average: 6.416)
17 voters: #73 (average: 6.264)

"Kissing You" is the 1st track from Vivid, BoA's 26th Japanese single, released on June 4, 2008. It was used as the theme song for the drama Shichinin no Onna Bengoshi. It was written by Shoko Fujibayashi, composed by ArmySlick and arranged by Naoki-T.

What can be fun with artists who have released so much material is when they allow themselves to be self-referential once in a while. In that sense, this song is a total throwback to her early days, with a sound that's much more in line with the teen pop from her first albums than the material she was putting out at that point in her career. This is super bubbly and cutesy, with the music video reflecting that vibe to a T. While I love a sugar rush of a pop song, this one feels a bit too... generic to my ears? It's like she threw all of her past songs in that vein into a blender, and this came out of it. It doesn't really feel distinct. I also find the production to be a tad busy, like there's too much going on in the chorus or the levels in the mix aren't balanced well enough that I end up getting ear fatigue, kinda like ingesting too much sugar...

—

@nanapop99 (3) — "What an odd decision to go back to this cutesy concept after establishing herself as a more mature artist with her 3 previous albums. I always saw the "Vivid" single as a backwards misstep in her career. Maybe I'm too harsh but this song is not good and it deserved to flop."

@M24 (4.5) — "This is a cute bside."

@evilsin (8) — "What a cute song. On a simpler side, still it's kinda a part of its charm."

@Kaz D'Oerba (8) — "cute enough Japanese bop"

—





Tomorrow's cuts are from the sole Korean album in this rate...​
 
odyism

odyism

Kissing You is an example of a song where the context surrounding the song can really shift my perception and rating of it. I gave Kissing You a 6. It's a cute and sweet song, and in small doses I like BoA on this sound. She had done it plenty of times before with songs like Feel The Same, Easy to Be Hard, My Sweetie, Cosmic Eyes, Brand New Beat, etc. But the previous songs had the benefit of being earlier in her career, so the sounds were new and had less history attached. Or some of the songs had a little bit more going on in the production.

But in the context of a listener in 2008, the entire Vivid single felt so tired, repetitive, and safe. At the time of release, Vivid felt like the peak of my frustrations as a BoA fan. Times were ROUGH. In the golden era we would have one or two uptempos with strong dance performances, a midtempo/r&b single with some fun vocal moments and again a strong dance performance, and then a ballad. But by 2008, fans only had Lose Your Mind, Dakishimeru, and Sweet Impact as the more uptempo singles since Best of Soul. And then you add in that she stopped releasing music in Korea after Girls on Top, and it just felt like fans were PARCHED for a bop, a groove, or anything with some energy/warmth/sensuality.

I remember it being so strange to see releases from Kumi, Namie, Crystal Kay, etc in these years and all of them were releasing a good balance of uptempos/midtempos/ballads. And BoA who was such a phenomenal dancer was giving such demure~matronly~ energy on stage and in song choices.
(Of course right after this song she boomeranged into the US album which was all dance/uptempos....but unfortunately very cold, robotic, and erased any sense of her singing capabilities)

ANYWAY!!! This is all to say that I can listen to this song now, and it's just a standard faceless j-pop sweet and bubbly midtempo. But at the time of release it was very disappointing.
 
evilsin

evilsin

What? Didn't expect to see this going now. Surely cute songs aren't that popular with the Western fans, as we've seen time and time again with all of the divas, but the Japanese people love these, so I'm not surprised one bit, that she released something like this seemingly out of the blue.

And as always, @odyism raises some interesting arguements that never applied to me, dddd.
 
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