medorē #34 – Favorites of 2025
omunibasu's end-of-the-year j-song roundup!
Good afternoon, good evening, and welcome to a very special edition of the medorē!
For those who aren’t sure of what this is all about: this is one of the few recurring segments here on omunibasu where I take some songs I’ve been listening to and showcase them alongside my thoughts. Think of this as any ol’ music/song roundup, except you’re getting it from an average bub like me.
Normally these roundups revolve around a specific theme/topic, and while today’s post can technically be categorized as that, this installment of the medorē is a bit different from the rest of them since I’ll be going over my absolute favorite songs from 2025. Tracks that I took an extensive liking to, whether they’re from artists and albums I was looking forward to or brand new ones that I came across by chance. I know I say this every year but 2025 really felt like a fantastic time for music, and I’m especially glad I got the chance to discover some cool stuff from people I hadn’t heard of before. Heck, I couldn’t even settle on my album of the year until pretty late in the year; that’s how many great releases there were.
And just like in the past, I gave myself some stipulations and restrictions to follow when I organized this year’s list. This is mostly to make it easier for me to narrow down my favorites and make it a collection of songs I’m 100% content with:
all songs must be released in the year 2025 – interestingly enough, I feel like the majority of the music I listened to this year was from the past twelve months so there wasn’t much of a struggle with this rule compared to previous years (…except for botakura’s “Bubble”, that song definitely woulda been on this list had it not originally come out in ‘24 lol)
no songs from the Exchange/Rate – as much as I enjoyed a lot of the 2025 releases that Leap gave me for the E/R (e.g., the stuff from Harusaruhi, Sato, KUNI, and kurayamisaka), I will unfortunately have to leave any songs from those albums out of this list, mainly since I prefer to limit my roundup to stuff I personally discovered. As per usual though, I made a thread on Twitter/X of all the songs I enjoyed from each of the albums I talked about, so definitely check that out if you’re interested!
no specific order (kinda) – like always, I never intend for my roundups to be seen in a ‘ranking order’, like from worst-to-best or vice versa; although I do intentionally save the final spot for my actual ‘song of the year’
One other thing I wanted to point out, and some of you will probably notice, is that not all of the songs featured on this list were ones that I talked about on my quarterly medorē roundups from this past year. Really, the main purpose of those posts were to showcase some tracks that most likely wouldn’t appear on this very roundup, rather than it being a precise preview of what we’re talking about today. Plus, there were bound to be some albums/EPs/singles that I completely missed out on and never got the chance to discuss during Q1/Q2/Q3/Q4, and coincidentally half of this roundup happens to consist of exactly that. Hopefully that made sense!
That being said, I did my best to come up with a great, diverse list of songs today so let’s just jump right in!!
BONUS - ♫「Ai♡Scream!」 AiScReam
Released: 2025.01.22
A first for the year-end medorēs: this is an unofficial pick and one that should not be considered in my actual top ten for this year… but c’mon. There was no way I wasn’t gonna talk about this song.
Being a long-time & avid Love Live fan, it was quite mind-blowing to see how much “Ai♡Scream!” took off in both the Japanese and general global internet/pop culture. What started off as a one-off song for a special cross-gen radio show somehow turned into possibly the most viral track of 2025, which feels so odd to me for a variety of reasons (in a positive way, don’t get me wrong). Especially being a huge follower of the franchise’s voice actresses, it’s kinda nuts to see the likes of Furirin, Agupon and Kumachan—all of whom tend to be more known within the LL/seiyuu fandom bubble—suddenly be shot into the mainstream limelight. To the point where they’re now being featured in advertisements for mega corporations and were even rumored to make an appearance on the famed NHK Kouhaku year-end event.
As for the song itself, I personally think it’s a banger. And this isn’t even really the Love Live fan bias talking; whether or not it came from this series specifically, I just think it’s a song that’s straight-up fun to listen to. I love the bubbly, chic electro tone it gives off, the chorus is incredibly catchy, and as expected from a fictional multimedia-based series filled with a wide variety of characters, we really get to hear a nice balance of personality within the trio’s vocals where it’s easy to hear the differing energies and vocal stylings between each singer. And of course, as much as it’s been a bit draining to hear THE iconic part of this song over and over again, I think it’s such a good and clever way of exemplifying the whole ‘call-and-response’ tradition; not only within the Love Live franchise, but idol culture in general (I especially like how fellow idols/well-known talents are doing their own, personalized versions of it on TikTok/IG Reels/etc).
Plus, for better or for worse, it’d be cool if this ended up generating more interest in the Love Live series, especially since this is yet another example of how virality & memery has been a legit gateway for people to become a fan of it (myself included).
And lastly, because it revolves around one of the greatest desserts of all time: I’m a cookie dough guy myself.
♫ 「Q」 goethe
Released: 2025.05.30
Sapporo-based goethe is a band we actually talked about on a previous medorē, when I discussed “Kimochi” off their Uchinaru Wakusei EP from February. And while that song was another great example of the slower, more chill vibe I was familiar with from goethe, this more recent release is one that was honestly a bit of a pleasant surprise.
“Q” takes on a peppier tone, as it eases us into the song with a real nice guitar melody from Higuchi. It almost gives off a cool bossa nova vibe to it, which I am very much a fan of, and how it melds super well with the cool and chill atmosphere from the rest of the band’s instruments felt fantastic. What really caught my ears, though, were the pre-chorus and chorus parts, as there’s just so much to take in and enjoy. The way it suddenly hits us with some trap-like beats, combined with that pretty-sounding & contrasting piano, all of which leads us into this bright chorus that hits the right spots… while I became a fan of goethe through their earlier, more low-key compositions, seeing this group experiment a bit with their music and inject some energy into their stuff feels equally as enjoyable. They obviously have managed to find a balance between the two, at least in my opinion, and “Q” is a great display of that.
♫ 「Rain Shower」 Natsudaidai
Released: 2025.02.05 ▸ Featured on medorē #31
After regretfully snubbing Natsudaidai from my 2024 favorites list, they finally get a spot on this year’s roundup!
Having considered them an ‘artist to look out for in 2025’, I feel like they truly did live up to those high expectations of mine, especially with the amount of good stuff they started the year off with. “Tasting!” was a cool, jazzy/funky tune; their CHEW EP showed off many more sides to the duo, such as their expertise with city and house pop; and we even got to see them put out a couple summer bops alongside other artists like THA OMEDETAZ and Yamamoto Daichi.
Overall, what a fantastic 2025 for Yoo and Nanae, and while I enjoyed all the stuff these two put out, I’d have to say that “Rain Shower” was one that stuck with me the most throughout the year.
Being someone who adores the rainy weather, I’ve always been a fan of songs that deal with the rain, as a lot of them exert a chill and comfy atmosphere that feels perfect for those kinds of days. “Rain Shower” is yet another great (and even unique) example of that, where its emphasis on cool-toned soul, as well as those high-pitched synths and deep drum loops, make for a track that can definitely accompany you on any gloomy day. One thing I also mentioned in my Q1 roundup is that it has a bit of an ‘old school’ feel to it; even Natsudaidai themselves described this as ‘Reiwa-era kayōkyoku’. I can totally see the strong ‘80s atmosphere, particularly through the instrumentation, in which I believe Natsudaidai conveys that pretty darn well through this bop.
♫ 「Amayadori」 Mama Rag
Released: 2025.05.28
As much as I love the rain, getting soaked is a different story, so how about we find some shelter through this next track… what a smooth segue.
Kansai-rooted duo Mama Rag and their first full-length album, titled Nan no Hi, happened to be a very late discovery for me personally. Even though it was released back in May, I only found out about it a couple months ago through a random find on my YouTube homepage. But, like I said in Leap’s review on it for the Exchange/Rate, I just adored the sound they were going for; it being older era, feel-good pop/AOR/R&B that may invoke some nostalgia for some. Not only because of their strong resemblance to the Ozawa Kenjis, KIRINJIs, and Shin Rizumus of the industry, but especially since Mama Rag really seems to embrace the artists they’re heavily influenced by; particularly through a dedicated playlist they made featuring all the Western songs that inspired each track on Nan no Hi.
Whilst that whole album was really fun and ended up being one of my favorite releases of the year, one song really stuck with me: “Amayadori” (or “Rain Shelter” in English). Similar to a song like “Skip Skip”, I’d say this track does a good job embodying the kind of music Mama Rag makes and enjoys: fun, joyful, acoustic-heavy songs that are light on the ears and can easily put you in a good mood. And without question can you tell where their influence comes from based on the melodies and overall vibrant mood they convey; that’s why it’s so easy to compare them to the likes of Simon & Garfunkel (for me personally), and how this specific track was directly inspired by The Beatles’ “The Word” with its funky basslines.
It was legitimately cool to discover Mama Rag and their passion for this era of music; I really can’t wait to see what else they got in store for us!
♫ 「Old Friends (feat. SIRUP & Shin Sakiura」 YonYon
Released: 2025.01.15
I had the pleasure of talking about this very song in February, when I wrote a blurb on it for Ryo Miyauchi’s This Side of Japan newsletter. It was honestly a really cool opportunity to write something for a site I’ve admired for a while, and I do hope that my thoughts made an ounce of sense to those who happened to check it out (and a huge thanks to Ryo!).
And now looking back, who knew that “Old Friends” would only be the first of many incredible things that happened to Seoul-born, Tokyo-raised DJ and singer YonYon this past year. Ranging from releasing her very first full-length album, collaborating with the likes of KIRINJI and Chaki Zulu, and ultimately celebrating ten years as a music artist and helping bridge the cultures of Japan and Korea through her artistry… it was pretty incredible to see everything that YonYon accomplished in 2025, and it only feels like the start of her high potential-filled career.
But let’s take a quick look at the catalyst that may have started this monumental year for YonYon, in the form of a song she made with her long-time music pals SIRUP & Shin Sakiura. And in many ways, I truly do feel like this is the literal definition of the word ‘collaboration’, as we get to hear so many talented folk bring an idea and song to life; whether it’s through how well YonYon and SIRUP bounce off each other vocally, or Shin Sakiura’s sleek, gospel-inspired production on full display, or even that neat trumpet feature from Terakubo Reiya.
Ultimately though, this track has YonYon, SIRUP & Shin Sakiura reminiscing about their storied friendship, and how they were just a bunch of aspiring musicians trying to make a name for themselves back in 2018. Their shared experiences of performing at venues or spending quality time together were reflected beautifully through the song’s lyricism, particularly with how they compare the concept of life to climbing a mountain. And while they’ve all gone their own separate paths at this point, as well as illustrating how difficult of an upward trek it can be to pursue music professionally, these three continue to support one another along the way and hope to meet up when they all reach the top of that ‘summit’.
♫ 「Door」 80KIDZ & ☆Taku Takahashi with Sagiri Sól
Released: 2025.09.24 ▸ Featured on medorē #33
Prominent anime studios TRIGGER and the now-defunct GAINAX, like other anime fans, have had a significant influence on the kind of stuff I grew up watching and enjoyed. Gurren Lagann was literally the first Japanese TV program I ever finished (loved it so much that I even bought and wore Simon’s core drill necklace when I was in middle school), which led to me loving their other creative works like Neon Genesis Evangelion, Kill la Kill, and Uchuu Patrol Luluco, to name a few.
There are many commonalities that you can identify throughout their now-40+ year history, especially on the visual art/animation side of things, but when it comes to music, I’ve always had an admiration for them including multilingual artists & singers on their featured songs. Everyone’s probably familiar with the ‘row row, fight the power’ line from “Libera Me From Hell”, or how Kill la Kill had an unbelievably epic, German-performed track in “Blumenkranz” from famed producer Sawano Hiroyuki.
Another popular GAINAX/TRIGGER production has further pushed that agenda; it being the raunchy and wild action comedy of Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt. And while its first iteration from 2010 had some great vocal features from singers like Aimee B and Debra Zeer, their long-awaited sequel that aired this past July took it up a notch and put a good handful of performers from today’s scene into the anison spotlight. Obviously you all know how much I love Wez Atlas, and it was awesome to see so many P&S fans becoming curious about who the fuck was cooking on “FLO ANGEL”. But it’s easy to say that the collaboration between producers 80KIDZ & ☆Taku Takahashi, alongside Icelandic-Japanese singer Sagiri Sól, was very much on repeat this past year.
Just like I said in the past medorē in which this song was featured in, this really is another instance of Sagiri Sól perfecting a vocal feature like usual. It almost feels second nature to her, and whenever you see her name on a new track, you already know you’re in for a good one. In the case of “Door”, Sagiri and her huskier vocal styling complements this downbeat love ballad, particularly through the narrative shown in its lyrics. The way it depicts the uncertainty of advancing a relationship, and even the consideration of it not being destined to work out, is conveyed really well through Sagiri’s melancholic tone and the atmospheric production. And while I have no idea how this song was used in the context of the actual Panty & Stocking show, I can totally imagine it fitting gorgeously in a scene where the characters are at a crossroads and having to mull over their thoughts while taking a night-time cruise around the brightly lit city streets.
♫ 「Tabibito to Muudo」 DADARAY
Released: 2025.06.06 ▸ Featured on medorē #32
Out of all the projects that music/composer phenom Kawatani Enon is involved with, DADARAY continues to be my favorite. They might not be as deep as indigo la end, they might not be as technically proficient as Gesu no Kiwami Otome, nor are they as experimental as what we saw with Genie High or Biteki Keikaku.
Yet they sure as hell don’t need to like any of them to be an outstanding and enjoyable band.
I’ve always been captivated by this band for many reasons, whether that be the talent lineup it has or how their overall sound clearly shows that Kawatani’s fingerprints are all over it, yet the actual trio still gives it a fresh and unique flair that long-time Kawatani fans can easily appreciate on its own. And while this group isn’t as active as before, with all of them being more involved with other musical acts nowadays (such as Kyujitsu Kacho providing his bass skills in other Kawatani-led bands, or the vocals of REIS being heard in (K)NoW_NAME’s anison-focused compositions), I still look forward to whenever these three decide to come back together and create some sick music.
And luckily, we got exactly that in the form of LOVE 0517, a digital single released back in June. While I really do enjoy its A-side with its cool nature and familiar ‘loudness’, the way I was infatuated by “Tabitbito to Muudo” from my first listen of it is exactly why it’s getting a second mention on the medorē.
Again, DADARAY has always had this ‘in-your-face’, hectic tone to them, much like a lot of Kawatani Enon’s other music. However, the trio decided to REALLY tone it down with this song in particular, thus showing us a way different side to them that even I hadn’t heard before. The slow acoustic guitar picking and atmospheric synths perfectly illustrate the type of sadness shown in the lyrics, where it conveys a person’s on-going journey to some place and their struggle with not being by their love interest’s side anymore. One word I used to describe this song was ‘hypnotic’ where, at least for me, its slower tempo can ease you into a relaxed state of mind and even help you reflect on the past. Especially with how gorgeous REIS’ vocals sounded here, the harmonizations from Etsuko, as well as Kacho’s bass interestingly taking a backseat on this song… it’s clear that DADARAY has the ability to show off this new facet to their music and perform these more calm and emotional-sounding songs, with “Tabibito to Muudo” being a pristine example of that.
♫ 「Café Rakuen」 ≠ME
Released: 2025.04.30 ▸ Featured on medorē #32
Frequent listeners of Japanese pop are very much aware of former idol-turned-producer Sashihara Rino and her idol group ensemble of IKONOIJOY, as many of the songs from those units can be seen topping the charts or going extremely viral on social media. And it’s no wonder that =LOVE, ≠ME and ≒JOY have become major players in the J-pop idol scene, thanks to their overall lovable image & massive appeal, as well as the catchy, sometimes wholly relatable songs they tend to put out.
And one underrated aspect of IKONOIJOY and the way they do things is how much they embrace variety with their songs. I’ve only started to notice this within the past couple years, but I love how Sasshi and her team are more than willing to play with different music genres across the three units and not just stick with the cutesy, glamorous idol pop that we hear all the time. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, and obviously IKONOIJOY has done their fair share of that kind of music, but it feels so refreshing to hear these units take on a darker or edgier or unexpected genre that totally feels ‘out-of-left-field’, especially from a group of their stature.
And I’d say that “Café Rakuen” from this past April is an easy example of that. In fact, I feel like Noimii has pushed this ‘music variation agenda’ the most out of the three units, as we’ve heard them go full-on burikko cute, have a slower & more sentimental side to them, and even put on a wildly cool image in a couple songs.
No doubt am I very impressed by the vocal combo that was picked out for this song specifically; the mature demeanor that Tomita Nanaka and Kanisawa Moeko both frequently convey with their personalities/appearances feels very fitting, with Nagata Shiori 100% holding her own in that regard despite her younger age. But I sure as hell didn’t expect them to take on a more retro tone with this track, as the prominent horns, the groovy bassline, and that tasteful inclusion of a violin in the chorus all come together to give off a real nice funky, jazz-focused vibe with a hint of mystery to it. And how Tomita/Kanisawa/Nagata’s sheer elegance shines through with their deeper vocals; it’s a song that you may not expect from a Japanese idol group of all things, but it certainly has the potential to make you hit that replay button.
♫ 「mild days」 Hitsujibungaku
Released: 2025.05.14
In 2025, I surprisingly DOUBLED my music concert attendance from last year; first one being a Hitsujibungaku live in April, and I most recently participated in Ado’s HIBANA World Tour back in July… very impressive, I know.
In all seriousness though, both of those concert-going experiences were amazing and eye-opening in their own right, and while I did enjoy witnessing the sheer talent and flashy presentation of Ado’s event, I honestly liked Hitsujibungaku’s concert a bit more. It was in a significantly smaller venue and thus felt more intimate, which you could very much argue that it’s fitting for a band like this and the kind of music they perform. And while I couldn’t say I was that knowledgeable about this band prior to attending their concert, it certainly made me go into a Hitsujibungaku rabbit hole afterwards and I came to appreciate a decent amount of their music from then on.
The first song they released this year, “Koe”, very well could’ve taken this spot, as I had that on repeat for some time throughout the summer. But I later came to fall in love with “mild days” a lot, especially considering the context of what I just talked about.
The track itself feels very- well, mild for Hitsujibungaku’s standards, which I don’t mean in a bad way. Sure, it was purposefully made with an anime tie-in opportunity in mind, but still, I really enjoyed the overall mellowness it had with that laid-back acoustic guitar and Moeka’s signature softer vocals. Plus, the simplicity of it, especially with the instrumental composition they went with here, feels like a perfect song to vibe with on any given day.
However, what caught my attention the most was its accompanying music video, as it’s essentially a digest or behind-the-scenes look at Hitsujibungaku’s first US tour, where it shows Moeka, Yurika and interim drummer Yuna traversing the Pacific Coast. Other than seeing them experience California staples like Trader Joe’s and Denny’s for the first time, it was pretty neat to watch them go through touring in a completely different country. And I’m sure it was mentally and physically tough at times, but you could tell that the trio wanted to go all-out with each performance, which was very evident in both this MV and during the concert I went to. Emphasis on the latter, since I’m sure this video can make the memories rush back in for those who went to see them live; I remember being infatuated with “OOPARTS” that night, and the nutty interlude they did leading up to “more than words” still amazes me, even to this day.
♫ 「Can we do it again?」 Julia Takada
Released: 2025.06.04 ▸ Featured on medorē #32
The streak continues.
Tokyo-based creative label w.a.u and the music they produce seem to have become a real staple on the year-end medorēs, as they’ve consistently held top spots on the past couple December roundups. And for good reason since they’ve helped many vocalists and artists (particularly ones with multilingual skills) really shine through their composition work, especially with the likes of R&B singer reina and the aforementioned Wez Atlas, to name a couple.
And 2025 ended up being no different with one of the many superb releases from Japanese-American singer-songwriter Julia Takada, titled “Can we do it again?”. And I sure as heck took that title literally, as shown on my Apple Music Replay and the number of times I looped it throughout the year (70 total plays, apparently).
But genuinely, I love this track. w.a.u has always been known to produce hip-hop, dance and/or R&B music, but for them to take it down a few levels and put out a very loose, cute, Westernized bedroom pop song was both surprising and endearing. The main melody really is simple-yet-adorable in nature, and how it was performed in so many different ways throughout the track—either the sweet synth-y keyboards or Takada doing her own vocal rendition of it towards the end of the track—ended up making it so catchy that I couldn’t help but to whistle it around the house.
Add on the overarching story of desperately wanting to relive a particular experience with someone they met at a random party (despite the rumors they heard about them), as well as the fact that Julia Takada’s voice can feel sentimental in some ways if you grew up listening to female SSWs in the 2000s/2010s… to say that I was captivated by this fuzzy track would feel like a massive understatement and I’m just glad I was able to discover another fantastic talent from the w.a.u space this past year.
♫ 「SKUMSCAMSCUM」 AQ
Released: 2025.02.19
Back in February, I made a very bold claim on my annual idol roundup, stating that this would be the year that I’d put more focus on discovering and listening to the music from ‘chika idols’ (aka, underground/independent idol groups). And while my admiration for the big names continued throughout 2025, I can confidently say that there was a genuine effort to stand by what I said.
And what I settled with for my ‘song of the year’ is, I’d say, clear-cut proof.
I still vividly remember how I discovered Kyoto-based idol group AQ and their first full-length album from June. It wasn’t from a streaming service, nor did I stumble upon it on the front page of YouTube or any social media platforms. And while I did hear a couple of mentions of it beforehand, it was a literal random person on Twitter/X who gave strong praises, saying that S.E.A was the best idol release of the year at that point. I feel awful that I can’t find whoever sent out that tweet, but through their convincing persuasion and my impressionable wota mind, I couldn’t help but to fall in love with and pick up what AQ was putting down. Their emphasis on rock music, the palatable variety of styles they expressed, the cool repetition and loops, how “DEEP DIVER” and “(One More) deep diver” both served as literal perfect bookends to this entire experience… it all led to me- not only also believing that this was the best idol music I heard in 2025, but ultimately becoming my personal choice for album of the year.
With that said, out of all the songs off that record of theirs, it was a really close toss-up between “FANTASTiQUE” or “SKUMSCAMSCUM”. And as much as I adored the tasteful repetition and gorgeous vocal layering in “FANTASTiQUE”… the former ended up beating it out, juuuuuust by a hair.
How can you not be mesmerized by those tribal-like drums and the intense guitar playing. They hook you in immediately with that punk-ish tone, which leads us into hearing the powerful vocals from Ruka, Gin, Roku and Mota that fit perfectly with the song’s overall atmosphere. And despite the edgier sound they give off, the lyrics surprisingly feel positive, and motivating to some degree; as they vow to leave all the unnecessary ‘scum’ and suffering behind so they can move on to where greener pastures await, all while encouraging everyone else to do the same.
And while not entirely important in the grand scheme of me liking their music, I really do love the accompanying dance video AQ posted for this song. Being able to see these ladies express themselves on this wild song, the sometimes odd choreography, and the insane lighting and camera cuts… even if it’s just a ‘dance video’, and not a properly produced ‘music video’, it still felt like such a cool showing of what this group is all about and made me love them even more. I’ve absolutely become a fan of AQ, and I hope INSHOW-HA’s Miu can continue to make incredible bangers for this talented quartet.
Honorable Mentions
As per usual, I also include this short section at the end where I give some brief praises to a few tracks that narrowly didn’t make the cut (although, some were already brought up in the quarterly roundups). Despite the pain that I had to go through with having to leave these out, ALL of them are still worth checking out, which I highly suggest you doing at some point:
「WAVE」 harukaze record
「Ameto」 Suzuki Mamiko ▸ Featured on medorē #33
「Puff/Pass」 reina ▸ Featured on medorē #33
「AI SEE CHAT」 Saishu Mirai Shoujo
「Minami Shinmachi」 Haku. ▸ Featured on medorē #32
「Crack」 Inami Anju ▸ Featured on medorē #33
Aaaaand that’s all I got for you today!
Just like in previous years, I compiled every single song mentioned in this post into its own Spotify playlist, so feel free to look through it and/or save it to your library!
And that’ll do for the omunibasu newsletter in 2025.
This was honestly a fantastic year. Other than some personal achievements in my own life, I had a lot of fun experiencing different things in this Japanese entertainment-filled space. I loved listening to all the new music I came across, the fact that I got to watch two incredible artists perform live in-person, and just being able to write posts about a lot of the things I enjoyed in 2025… it obviously feels very fulfilling from a personal standpoint, but I’m eternally grateful for everyone who decided to swing by and read my stuff this past year. Being able to share so many mutual interests with so many cool people and fellow writers is a big reason why I run this blog, and I hope I can continue that in 2026. I already got a few, neat post ideas in mind, so stay tuned!
Thank you so much for reading, I hope everyone had a beautiful holiday season, and may the new year treat everyone well! :D
-al