is the 8th

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

by the Japanese female

idol Idol or Idols may refer to: Religion and philosophy * Cult image, a human-made object that is venerated or worshipped for the deity, spirit or daemon that it embodies or represents * Murti, a devotional image of a deity or saint used during puja ...

group

Momoiro Clover Z is a Japanese idol girl group, commonly abbreviated as MCZ or . The four members of MCZ are known for energetic performances, incorporating elements of ballet, gymnastics, and action movies. MCZ is notable for being the first female group to ho ...

, released in Japan on June 27, 2012. It became Momoiro Clover's first single to be certified Gold by the

Recording Industry Association of Japan The is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved in the music industry. It was founded in 1942 as the Japan Phonogram Record Cultural Association, and adopted its current name in 1969. The RIAJ's activities include pro ...

for shipments of 100,000 copies.

Release

The single was released in four versions: Limited Edition A, Limited Edition B, Regular Edition 1, and Regular Edition 2 (Pokémon Edition). Each version has a different cover. The limited edition A came with a DVD featuring the music video for the title track, the limited edition B with the music video for the B-side "Push", but the limited editions contained less songs on the CD in comparison to the regular CD-only edition.

Music

At over 7 minutes long in the music video version, the song is unusually long for a single. It was written by

Etsuko Yakushimaru is a Japanese singer, producer, composer, lyricist, arranger and artist. She is broadly active, from pop music to experimental music and art. Her output has also included drawing, installation art, media art, poetry and other literature, and reci ...

a.k.a. Tika α, who had composed for such artists as

Tomohisa Yamashita , also widely known as , or Tomo, is a Japanese singer, actor, and TV host. Yamashita joined the Japanese talent agency Johnny & Associates as a trainee in 1996 and made his small acting debut for NHK's ''Shonentachi'' (1998). He made his musi ...

and

SMAP was a Japanese boy band, composed of Masahiro Nakai, Takuya Kimura, Goro Inagaki, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, and Shingo Katori. The group was created in 1988 by music producer Johnny Kitagawa, founder of Johnny & Associates, originally as a six-p ...

. When the title and the cover art were made public, she hinted at what the song was like by describing its outlook of the world as "When this battle is over, we are all going to a chorus contest." The song is a mosaic of Japanese-oldies-style melodies and contemporary music. The song can be interpreted as Momoiro Clover's (whose popularity is rising) proclamation of war for the top of the Japanese

music scene, as a declaration of war for an ultimate idol showdown. The B-side "Push" is a cheer anthem. It was used as an advertising song for an ice cream product called "Sō" by Lotte. "Mite Mite Kotchitchi" is included on the regular editions only. It is an ending theme for the TV anime series '' Pokémon: Best Wishes!'' and for the Pokémon theatrical film ''Meloetta no Kirakira Recital''.

Cover art

There is a secret hidden on the cover of the Limited Edition B. If you look closely at

Reni Takagi is a Japanese idol and a member of the girl group Momoiro Clover Z. She is the former leader of the group, before leadership was passed to Kanako Momota, and her signature color in the group is purple. Takagi was born in Kanagawa Prefecture ...

who is lying on the grass, there's an ''Sō'' ice cream treat nearby. On the edition's back cover, the girls form the ice cream's name, the character (''Sō'')

Music video

The "Otome Sensō" music video switches between Momoiro Clover in school uniforms praying that their bittersweet youth won't be destroyed and Momoiro Clover in combat armor fighting affectionately. The combat costumes were drafted by Sushio, an animator who worked on such films as ''

Neon Genesis Evangelion , also known as ''Evangelion'' or ''Eva'', is a Japanese mecha anime television series produced by Gainax and Tatsunoko Production, and directed by Hideaki Anno. It was broadcast on TV Tokyo and its affiliates from October 1995 to March 1 ...

'', ''

Gurren Lagann ''Gurren Lagann'', known in Japan as , is a Japanese mecha anime television series animated by Gainax and co-produced by Aniplex and Konami. It ran for 27 episodes on TV Tokyo between April and September 2007. It was directed by Hiroyu ...

'', theatrical versions of ''

One Piece ''One Piece'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy and his crew, the Straw Hat Pirates, as he explores the Grand Line in search of the myt ...

''.

Critical response

Yūki Sugioka from ''Hotexpress'' gives the single a highly positive review. She notes that the title track, written by

, is completely different from the band's previous work. In the song, she counts roughly six or seven distinct parts, one of which, in her words, "is a melancholic ennui melody that will definitely put a smile on the face of a Sōtaisei Riron fan." (Sōtaisei Riron is the band where Etsuko Yakushimaru is the lead singer.) Overall, she defines the title track as a "mix of high-calorie youth anthems", and the B-side "Push" as a "fast-paced inspiring fight song". She adds that what is most important is that the whole single, every track on it, really makes you adore Momoiro Clover Z.

Reception

The CD single debuted at the 3rd place in the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart, selling 67,596 copies in that first week. It tied for Momoiro Clover's highest position with "

Ikuze! Kaitō Shōjo is the debut major label, major-label single by the Japanese girl group Momoiro Clover Z, Momoiro Clover, released in Japan through Universal J on May 5, 2010. It reached third place on the Oricon charts. The dance routine for the song incorporate ...

" and "

Mirai Bowl / Chai Maxx is the 3rd major-label single by the Japanese female idol group Momoiro Clover, released in Japan on March 9, 2011. It was the last to feature former member Hayami Akari. Track listing Limited Editions A, B Regular Edition Chart per ...

", but could not do better because of new songs by

KAT-TUN was a Japanese boy band under Starto Entertainment. Their formation under Johnny & Associates was in 2001. The group's name was originally an acronym based on the first letter of each member's family name: Kazuya Kamenashi, Jin Akanishi, Junnos ...

and

Girls' Generation Girls' Generation (), also known as SNSD, is a South Korean girl group formed by SM Entertainment. The group is composed of eight members: Taeyeon, Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona, and Seohyun. Originally a nine-piec ...

that were released on the same day. In the ''

Billboard Japan ''Billboard Japan'' is a sister organization of the U.S.-based music magazine '' Billboard''. It is operated by the Japanese Osaka-based company Hanshin Contents Link (a subsidiary of Hanshin Electric Railway), holding an exclusive licence fr ...

'' Hot 100 chart, the title track debuted also in the 3rd place.

Track listing

Limited Edition A, Limited Edition B

Regular Edition 1, Regular Edition 2 (Pokémon Edition)

Chart performance

"Mite Mite Kotchitchi"

References

External links

CD single profile on the official site
. {{DEFAULTSORT:Otome Senso 2012 singles Songs in Japanese Momoiro Clover Z songs King Records (Japan) singles 2012 songs