Cartoon KAT-TUN II You
Encyclopedia
Cartoon KAT-TUN II You is the second studio album by Japan
ese boy band
KAT-TUN
, released in Japan
on April 18, 2007 by J-One Records
. It is the group's first album to not feature all six members with Jin Akanishi
taking a sabbatical to study overseas six months prior. The album was released in three editions; a regular version with all 14 tracks, a first press edition with the same track listing as its regular counterpart with a 40-page photo booklet and a limited edition which came with an extra EP
of seven bonus tracks. The limited edition did not feature the song, "You".
With the release of this album, KAT-TUN became the first artist in Japanese music history to have all of their collective releases (three singles, two albums, and five DVDs at the time) reach number 1 on the charts. KAT-TUN went on a seven-city nationwide tour from April 3, 2007 to June 17, 2007 in support of the album. The last performance at Tokyo Dome
was filmed and released on DVD entitled "Tour 2007 Cartoon KAT-TUN II You" on November 21, 2007.
, which began airing two weeks before the album's release on NTV
. The album was recorded in Tokyo
and Bennett Studios in Englewood, New Jersey
. Songwriters who presided over the group's debut album also contributed several tracks to the record. ma-saya who worked with KAT-TUN before penned their second single, "Signal
", and the third track, "Splash...". Kazumasa Oda
, folk singer-songwriter formerly of Off Course
, wrote their third single, "Bokura no Machi de
", a tender love ballad. Yoji Kubota, a prolific lyricist for many of Japan's contemporary pop artists, wrote "Movin on..." with arranger
Nao Tanaka and also penned "Heartbreak Club". The group's senpai
, Takizawa Hideaki of Tackey & Tsubasa, composed the music for "My Angel, You are Angel". All tracks from the bonus CD are songs KAT-TUN had been performing in concerts and Shōnen Club since their junior days. The second track, "Peak", was used in a commercial for NTT
DoCoMo
's 903iTV series of cellphones which Kazuya Kamenashi
starred in.
KAT-TUN members also received a solo track each which they co-wrote themselves, with the exception of Kazuya Kamenashi
and Junnosuke Taguchi. The fourteenth track, "You", was not officially released as a single but a music video
was shot marking Jin Akanishi
's return to the group. The song also served as a theme song to Kamenashi's drama, Suppli
. All rap lyrics featured in the album were also written by Koki Tanaka himself; he also co-wrote his rap verses in "Fight All Night" with Tomohisa Yamashita
of NEWS and with bandmate Yuichi Nakamaru for "No Matter Matter".
at the end of the year and was later certified Double Platinum by RIAJ denoting over 500,000 shipments.
KAT-TUN also won six awards at the 21st Japan Gold Disc Awards with "SIGNAL" and "Bokura no Machi de" placing on the "The Best 10 Singles (Domestic)" list.
1 2 3 4 5 Koki Tanaka, Yuichi Nakamaru, Tatsuya Ueda, Junnosuke Taguchi and Kazuya Kamenashi solo tracks, respectively.
6 Regular and First Press Edition only.
Limited edition bonus EP
|-
! Country
! Provider
! Sales
! Certification
|-
| Japan
| RIAJ
| 500,000+
| Double Platinum
|-
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese boy band
Boy band
A boy band is loosely defined as a popular music act consisting of only male singers. The members are expected to dance as well as sing, usually giving highly choreographed performances. More often than not, boy band members do not play musical instruments, either in recording sessions or on...
KAT-TUN
KAT-TUN
KAT-TUN is a Japanese boy band formed by Johnny & Associates in 2001. The group's name is an acronym based on the first letter of each member's family name until the departure of Jin Akanishi in 2010. As of 2010, KAT-TUN stands for Kazuya KAmenashi, Junnosuke Taguchi, Koki Tanaka, Tatsuya Ueda,...
, released in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
on April 18, 2007 by J-One Records
J Storm
is a Japanese music and film company owned by Johnny & Associates. It was established on November 12, 2001, initially as a label for the Johnny's group, Arashi, after which it was named ....
. It is the group's first album to not feature all six members with Jin Akanishi
Jin Akanishi
is a Japanese idol, singer-songwriter, actor, seiyū, and former radio host. Akanishi is a former member of the J-pop group, KAT-TUN, and was one of the two lead vocalists...
taking a sabbatical to study overseas six months prior. The album was released in three editions; a regular version with all 14 tracks, a first press edition with the same track listing as its regular counterpart with a 40-page photo booklet and a limited edition which came with an extra EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
of seven bonus tracks. The limited edition did not feature the song, "You".
With the release of this album, KAT-TUN became the first artist in Japanese music history to have all of their collective releases (three singles, two albums, and five DVDs at the time) reach number 1 on the charts. KAT-TUN went on a seven-city nationwide tour from April 3, 2007 to June 17, 2007 in support of the album. The last performance at Tokyo Dome
Tokyo Dome
Tokyo Dome is a 55,000-seat baseball stadium located in Bunkyo Ward of Tokyo, Japan.The stadium opened for business on March 17, 1988. It was built on the site of the Velodrome which was next door to the site of the predecessor ballpark, Kōrakuen Stadium...
was filmed and released on DVD entitled "Tour 2007 Cartoon KAT-TUN II You" on November 21, 2007.
Album information
The album's title is similarly named to the group's late-night talk show, Cartoon KAT-TUNCartoon KAT-TUN
was a Japanese variety show hosted by KAT-TUN, a Japanese boy band formed by Johnny & Associates. The show began airing on April 4, 2007, and ended on March 24, 2010. It aired every Wednesday from 11:55 pm to 12:26 am on NTV for 3 years...
, which began airing two weeks before the album's release on NTV
Nippon Television
is a television network based in the Shiodome area of Minato, Tokyo, Japan and is controlled by the Yomiuri Shimbun publishing company. Broadcasting terrestrially across Japan, the network is commonly known as , contracted to , and abbreviated as "NTV" or "AX".-Offices:*The Headquarters : 6-1,...
. The album was recorded in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
and Bennett Studios in Englewood, New Jersey
Englewood, New Jersey
Englewood is a city located in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 27,147.Englewood was incorporated as a city by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 17, 1899, from portions of Ridgefield Township and the remaining portions of...
. Songwriters who presided over the group's debut album also contributed several tracks to the record. ma-saya who worked with KAT-TUN before penned their second single, "Signal
Signal (KAT-TUN song)
"SIGNAL" is a song written by Ma-saya, Joker, Joey Carbone, Lisa Huang and Akira for the second single and second studio album of the Japanese boy band, KAT-TUN...
", and the third track, "Splash...". Kazumasa Oda
Kazumasa Oda
is a Japanese singer-songwriter, composer and is also known as the leader of the folk rock band Off Course.As a vocalist and leader of Off Course, Oda wrote many Japanese standard numbers in the 70s and 80s. He and Yasuhiro Suzuki were important composers in the band...
, folk singer-songwriter formerly of Off Course
Off Course
Off Course was one of Japan's most influential Folk rock bands. It was formed in early 1969 by Kazumasa Oda and Yasuhiro Suzuki（鈴木康博）. They broke up in 1989 after their February 26 farewell performance at Tokyo Dome....
, wrote their third single, "Bokura no Machi de
Bokura no Machi de
"Bokura no Machi de" is the third overall single by the Japanese boy band KAT-TUN, and the second from their second studio album, Cartoon KAT-TUN II You...
", a tender love ballad. Yoji Kubota, a prolific lyricist for many of Japan's contemporary pop artists, wrote "Movin on..." with arranger
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
Nao Tanaka and also penned "Heartbreak Club". The group's senpai
Senpai
and are an essential element of Japanese seniority-based status relationships, similar to the way that family and other relationships are decided based on age, with even twins being divided into elder and younger sibling...
, Takizawa Hideaki of Tackey & Tsubasa, composed the music for "My Angel, You are Angel". All tracks from the bonus CD are songs KAT-TUN had been performing in concerts and Shōnen Club since their junior days. The second track, "Peak", was used in a commercial for NTT
Nippon Telegraph and Telephone
, commonly known as NTT, is a Japanese telecommunications company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Ranked the 31st in Fortune Global 500, NTT is the largest telecommunications company in Asia, and the second-largest in the world in terms of revenue....
DoCoMo
DoCoMo
DoCoMo is a trademark of the NTT DoCoMo corporation of Japan, used in its home market and in India in partnership with Tata Teleservices. It is an acronym of the phrase "Do communications over the mobile network."See also the following mobile phone operators:...
's 903iTV series of cellphones which Kazuya Kamenashi
Kazuya Kamenashi
, often called Kame, is a Japanese idol, singer–songwriter, actor, television personality, producer, radio host and occasional model. Born and raised in Edogawa, Tokyo, he joined the Japanese talent agency, Johnny & Associates, at the age of 12 and was drafted as a member and co-lead vocalist of...
starred in.
KAT-TUN members also received a solo track each which they co-wrote themselves, with the exception of Kazuya Kamenashi
Kazuya Kamenashi
, often called Kame, is a Japanese idol, singer–songwriter, actor, television personality, producer, radio host and occasional model. Born and raised in Edogawa, Tokyo, he joined the Japanese talent agency, Johnny & Associates, at the age of 12 and was drafted as a member and co-lead vocalist of...
and Junnosuke Taguchi. The fourteenth track, "You", was not officially released as a single but a music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
was shot marking Jin Akanishi
Jin Akanishi
is a Japanese idol, singer-songwriter, actor, seiyū, and former radio host. Akanishi is a former member of the J-pop group, KAT-TUN, and was one of the two lead vocalists...
's return to the group. The song also served as a theme song to Kamenashi's drama, Suppli
Suppli
is a manga series by Mari Okazaki. It is published by Shodensha, and has been running in the magazine Feel Young since 2004. It ended its serialisation in the December 2009 issue, and a sidestory to Suppli also ran in the magazine. It has been collected in seven volumes so far, and is published in...
. All rap lyrics featured in the album were also written by Koki Tanaka himself; he also co-wrote his rap verses in "Fight All Night" with Tomohisa Yamashita
Tomohisa Yamashita
, also widely known as Yamapi, is a Japanese idol, actor, and singer.Yamashita joined the Japanese talent agency Johnny & Associates in 1996 at the age of 11 and made his official CD debut with NEWS in 2004. He debuted as a solo artist in 2006 with the hit single "Daite Senorita". His first solo...
of NEWS and with bandmate Yuichi Nakamaru for "No Matter Matter".
Chart performance and reception
In its first week of release, Cartoon KAT-TUN II You sold 270,976 copies in Japan, a sharp drop from the first-week sales of their debut album. Despite the stark difference in reported sales, the album's two singles which had been released months in advance had seen more than 1 million shipments altogether before the album's release in April 2007. The album's first week numbers were enough to grab the number 1 spot on the Oricon album charts, however, and it stayed on the charts for another 3 weeks before dropping off the top 30. The album has sold more than 354,973 copies to date and was certified as the 30th best-selling album of 2007 by OriconOricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...
at the end of the year and was later certified Double Platinum by RIAJ denoting over 500,000 shipments.
KAT-TUN also won six awards at the 21st Japan Gold Disc Awards with "SIGNAL" and "Bokura no Machi de" placing on the "The Best 10 Singles (Domestic)" list.
Track listing
Regular and First Press edition- "SignalSignal (KAT-TUN song)"SIGNAL" is a song written by Ma-saya, Joker, Joey Carbone, Lisa Huang and Akira for the second single and second studio album of the Japanese boy band, KAT-TUN...
" (ma-saya, Joey Carbone, Lisa Huang, AKIRA, JOKER) - 3:37 - "Peak" (Buduo Koike, Ayumi MiyazakiAyumi MiyazakiAyumi Miyazaki or Ayumi for short, born August 25, 1971, is a Japanese singer and composer.Ayumi Miyazaki has sung several songs in the Digimon series. He sang the evolution theme song for Digimon Adventure called "Brave Heart" and the two evolution theme songs for Digimon Adventure 02, called...
) - 4:13 - "Splash..." (ma-saya, DoiToki, Seikou Nagaoka) - 4:59
- "" (Kazumasa OdaKazumasa Odais a Japanese singer-songwriter, composer and is also known as the leader of the folk rock band Off Course.As a vocalist and leader of Off Course, Oda wrote many Japanese standard numbers in the 70s and 80s. He and Yasuhiro Suzuki were important composers in the band...
) - 4:42 - "Make U Wet"1 (JOKER, silvertongue, AKIRA) - 3:06
- "Key of Life"2 (Yuichi Nakamaru, Nao Tanaka) - 4:06
- "Lost"3 (Tatsuya UedaTatsuya UedaTatsuya Ueda , born on October 4 1983, is a Japanese singer from the Japanese idol group KAT-TUN. Born in Kanagawa in Japan, he joined the Japanese talent agency, Johnny & Associates in 1998.- Group Participation :* B.B.A.* M.A.D.* B.B.D....
, Ayumi MiyazakiAyumi MiyazakiAyumi Miyazaki or Ayumi for short, born August 25, 1971, is a Japanese singer and composer.Ayumi Miyazaki has sung several songs in the Digimon series. He sang the evolution theme song for Digimon Adventure called "Brave Heart" and the two evolution theme songs for Digimon Adventure 02, called...
) - 4:13 - "Jumpin' Up" (Ami, Shoichirou Hirata, Masayuki Iwata, JOKER) - 4:17
- "" 4 (Anchang, ha-j) - 3:58
- "Freedom" (Gota Nishidera, Makihiko Araki) - 4:42
- "Someday for Somebody"5 (H.U.B., Koutaro Egami, Seikou Nagaoka) - 4:21
- "Movin' On" (Yoji Kubota, Nao Tanaka, JOKER) - 4:09
- "" (Narumi Yamamoto, Satomi Narumoto, Seikou Nagaoka) - 5:28
- "You"6 (kenko-p, SAKOSHIN, CHOKKAKU, JOKER) - 4:26
1 2 3 4 5 Koki Tanaka, Yuichi Nakamaru, Tatsuya Ueda, Junnosuke Taguchi and Kazuya Kamenashi solo tracks, respectively.
6 Regular and First Press Edition only.
Limited edition bonus EP
- "" (kenshin, Kaori Niimi, Joey Carbone, Anthony Mazza, ha-j, Taku Yoshioka) -3:06
- "Love or Like" (Jin AkanishiJin Akanishiis a Japanese idol, singer-songwriter, actor, seiyū, and former radio host. Akanishi is a former member of the J-pop group, KAT-TUN, and was one of the two lead vocalists...
, SPIN, AKIRA) - 4:06 - "Fight All Night" (ATOZI Makoto, LaVenDer, Masaya Suzuki, JOKER, Tomohisa YamashitaTomohisa Yamashita, also widely known as Yamapi, is a Japanese idol, actor, and singer.Yamashita joined the Japanese talent agency Johnny & Associates in 1996 at the age of 11 and made his official CD debut with NEWS in 2004. He debuted as a solo artist in 2006 with the hit single "Daite Senorita". His first solo...
) - 2:29 - "Heartbreak Club" (Yoji Kubota, Arata Tanimoto, CHOKKAKU) - 4:18
- "My Angel, You are Angel" (TAKESHI, Hideaki TakizawaHideaki Takizawais a Japanese actor and member of the J-pop duo Tackey & Tsubasa from Tokyo, Japan. In 2002, when he reached the age of 20, he debuted with Tsubasa Imai in the group Tackey & Tsubasa under the record label Avex Trax. That same year, he graduated from Johnny's Junior. Tackey & Tsubasa have released...
, Hiroshi Shinkawa) - 4:15 - "" (Ayumi MiyazakiAyumi MiyazakiAyumi Miyazaki or Ayumi for short, born August 25, 1971, is a Japanese singer and composer.Ayumi Miyazaki has sung several songs in the Digimon series. He sang the evolution theme song for Digimon Adventure called "Brave Heart" and the two evolution theme songs for Digimon Adventure 02, called...
, Hideyuki "Daichi" Suzuki, JOKER, YUCCI) - 3:51 - "Peacefuldays" (Akio Shimizu) - 4:15
Sales and certifications
{| class="wikitable" border="1"|-
! Country
! Provider
! Sales
! Certification
|-
| Japan
| RIAJ
Recording Industry Association of Japan
The Recording Industry Association of Japan is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved the music industry...
| 500,000+
| Double Platinum
|-
Credits
- Producer – Julie K.
- Executive producer – Johnny H. KitagawaJohnny Kitagawa, born , is the founder and president of Johnny & Associates, a production agency for numerous popular boy bands in Japan. Kitagawa assembled, produced and managed more than a dozen popular bands, including SMAP, Arashi, Kanjani8, Hey! Say! JUMP, V6, NEWS and KAT-TUN. Kitagawa's influence has...
- Management – Toshiya Kamada, Kaio Tsuruta and Atsushi "Sushi" Kosugi
- A&RA&RArtists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
– Jun Inoue - Recording engineerAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
– Dave Darlington - MasteringAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
– Hiroshi Kawasaki - MixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
– Hideyuki "AK" Akimoto, Shigeru Tanida, Mikirou Yamada, Hiroshi Yokote, Manabu Yokota, Maki Kosugi, Tetsuro Takeuchi and Noboyuki Aoyagi - Assistant mixers – Masahiro Shinbo, Takeshi Inoue, Kei Iizuka, Shinya Matsuo and Tadashi Hashimoto
- Recording studios – Victor Studio, Warner Music Recording Studio, Folio Sound, On Air Azabu Studio, little BACH studio and Johnny's Studio (TokyoTokyo, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
); Bennett Studios (New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
)
- Art director – Shirohide Azuma
- Designer – Kohsuke "Tommy" Tomizu
- Photographer – Takeshi Machara
- Stylist – HIRO
- Hair and make-up – Koichi Toyofuku and Yoshinori Takeuchi
- Promotion – Yuichiro Iida, Shogo Okusu and Daigo Imai
- Sales promotion – Chiho Kitabayashi
- Artist promotion – Suguru Shirahase and Masami Yazaki
- Artist managementTalent managerA talent manager, also known as an artist manager or band manager, is an individual or company who guides the professional career of artists in the entertainment industry...
– Ritsuro Sekiguchi