One thing that’s managed to help Jpop retain much of its early bombastic routes is its ties to the anime industry. Many of these larger than life shows require such soundtracks and so we get fantastic songs like this. Dreamin’ On is the groups first attempt at anime opening and acts as the 23rd!! opening for long running Pirate shounen One Piece. You’re enjoyment of this song will heavily depend on whether or not you strongly connect with these kinds of relentlessly upbeat power pop tracks. For me? I practically thrive on it.
I’ve always loved Da-ice but despite the singles, their latest album, “Face” fell kind of flat for me. It was a collection of nice but rather underwhelming tracks and I came away from it feeling rather cold. But any qualms I had with that album are all but forgotten thanks to how great Dreamin’ On is. This is the kind of sound I basically grew up on and everything about this track is basically musical nirvana. Sure many may find it basic but for me it elicits the kind of musical nostalgia that’s incredibly hard to explain. After opening with a grandiose sneak peak of its titular hook, Dreamin’ On launches into its propulsive first verse. I love tracks that move at a breakneck pace and the heavy guitar and percussion assisted instrumental here is pretty much everything I could want and more.
But Dreamin’ On really ascends during its fist pumping chorus which resounds with the kind of larger than life energy I live for. Sota and Yudai are one of the industries strongest vocal pairings and their instantly recognisable vocal timbers work wonders here. It’s a moment that feels both celebratory yet nostalgic and is the kind of melody that I fall in love with at first sight. I also love the small moment of silence between the pre-chorus and chorus. It really amplifies the strength of the chorus when it comes roaring in. And to top it all off, the anthemic chanting that opened track comes in to act as an excellent post chorus hook. This is the kind of fist pumping pop song that I live for. Combine it with Sexy Zone’s phenomenal Run and you’ve got the most triumphant sounding pair of the year.
Verses: 9
Chorus: 10
Production: 9
Performance: 9
Final Rating: 9.25 / 10
KBopped 
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