CD
1) Kusabi -kusabi-
2) GIMME LUV
3) ON & ON
4) FIRE and ICE
5) BLESS (CD Only Track)
6) 4U (CD Only Track)
7) PHOENIX (CD Only Track)
8) Kusabi -kusabi- (Original Karaoke)
9) GIMME LUV (Original Karaoke)
CD + DVD A
1) Kusabi -kusabi-
2) GIMME LUV
3) ON & ON
4) FIRE and ICE
5) Boku Nari no Koi (CD + DVD A Edition Track)
6) MONSTER NIGHT (CD + DVD A Edition Track) (Ueda Tatsuya's Solo)
CD + DVD B
1) Kusabi -kusabi-
2) GIMME LUV
3) ON & ON
4) FIRE and ICE
5) FANTASTIC PLANET (CD + DVD B Edition Track)
No singles are included in Kusabi -kusabi- & this's the group's 1st release as a new quartet after the departure of fellow member/rapper Tanaka Koki in which he left the group + Johnny's & Associates talent agency on 30th Sept .
Kusabi -kusabi- was released in 3 editions , each edition of the mini album have different tracklists . Essentially a total of 10 songs are spread out in all 3 editions of the mini album .
Videos wise , a total of 3 videos were made for Kusabi -kusabi- .
Sharing the same title as the mini album , Kusabi -kusabi- (the song) was picked to be used as the theme no. for the drama Henshin Interviewer no Yuutsu starring Nakamaru Yuichi & actress Kimura Fumino .
1 of 3 songs that received videos , Kusabi -kusabi- presents a very different musical side of KAT-TUN . It's a bit hard to describe what Kusabi -kusabi- offers but even before I found out it's used to promote Nakamaru's drama , it's quite evident that the song has a somewhat drama influence attached to it .
GIMME LUV is the 2nd album song that also received a video & this was used in the ads of Suzuki Solio Bandit in which the guys can be seen in the ads themselves .
Compared to Kusabi -kusabi- , GIMME LUV is classic KAT-TUN with it being hard rock edgy sounding & this's the type of music style that most fans are quite familiar with .
ON & ON follows after GIMME LUV . In this song , Nakamaru gets to showcase his beatboxing skills which's flashed out a great deal in ON & ON which I really like as this's something that I have always liked from him which makes KAT-TUN stand out from the other Johnny's .
Song wise , ON & ON is really catchy & fun .
FIRE and ICE is the last song that's found in all 3 editions of Kusabi -kusabi- .
Just like Kusabi -kusabi- (the song) , FIRE and ICE is another interesting song that KAT-TUN has not tackled before , music style wise but they did it quite well . The song is quite angsty with it being piano driven which's very different from the 1st 3 songs included in the mini album .
The next 3 songs are found exclusively in the CD only edition of Kusabi -kusabi- .
BLESS is found as track #5 in the CD only edition's tracklist . Another strong memorable album track , BLESS sounds very uplifting if not empowering .
4U follows after BLESS . I think 4U is ok sounding even though this's something that KAT-TUN normally doesn't do . Compared to other album tracks , 4U is a bit weak if not slightly unmemorable but it's still worth a listen .
PHOENIX is found as track #7 in the CD only edition's tracklist & this song's personally 1 of my fave as it's quite a haunting no. but in the process , the song transformed into something quite unexpectedly good making this song a clear winner .
Honestly I thought that PHOENIX should have gotten a video as it deserves so , not that the other songs in the mini album don't .
The next 2 songs are exclusively found in the CD + DVD edition of Kusabi -kusabi- .
Boku Nari no Koi is the only ballad in Kusabi -kusabi- & it's also the longest track in the mini album too .
KAT-TUN are usually not known for their slower uptempo/ballads but I personally feel that they do have some great ballads in their discography . As for Boku Nari no Koi , it's somewhat a bit of a sore thumb as the rest of the songs in Kusabi -kusabi- are generally upbeat but I feel that this song showcased the harmonisation of vocals that the guys have together as a group .
MONSTER NIGHT follows after Boku Nari no Koi & this's the only solo track available in Kusabi -kusabi- which's sung by Ueda Tatsuya .
For this song , Ueda cowrote MONSTER NIGHT with Masami Okaza & it's the last song to get a video after Kusabi -kusabi- (the song) & GIMME LUV .
When I 1st heard MONSTER NIGHT , I was quite stunned because I thought Halloween came late as the whole song sounds as though it's perfect to use for Halloween 2 months ago & likewise the same thing goes for the video too where Ueda is dressed up like a wolf .
Overall , MONSTER NIGHT is not something to be taken seriously but I feel that Ueda should have picked a song that shows off his musical talents as he's honestly a very talented person in reality so in some ways , MONSTER NIGHT didn't do justice to him .
FANTASTIC PLANET is the final song in Kusabi -kusabi- & this song's only available in the CD + DVD B edition of the mini album .
I think this song's a good track to conclude all 3 editions of Kusabi -kusabi- & FANTASTIC PLANET is a catchy uptempo no. in concluding things in the tracklist .
Despite their recent controversy with the departure of member/rapper Tanaka Koki , KAT-TUN keeps marching on to the future . Kusabi -kusabi- is their 1st release as a newly restructured quartet .
I'm not going to lie that just like many longtime fans in the fandom , I was shocked when it was announced that Tanaka has departed from KAT-TUN because whether people like it or not , his unique flair & rapping skills were 1 of the many things that made KAT-TUN unique from their other counterparts , alongside with Nakamaru's beatboxing .
So when it was announced the new KAT-TUN would be releasing Kusabi -kusabi- a bit too soon after Tanaka's announced departure , I was skeptical but after listening to the 3 separate editions of the mini album , my fears were unfounded as it turns out , they actually can still continue on as a quartet .
To me it's definitely weird not to hear Tanaka's singing/rapping vocals anymore in Kusabi -kusabi- but in the absence of this , it allows KAT-TUN to try out quite a wide variety of sounds as evident just how musically versatile the songs are in the mini album .
On the other hand , I definitely do not like the way Kusabi -kusabi- was marketed as essentially , it should have been a full length album but due to marketing tactics , that changes things but at the end of the day , it's part of the music business when comes to such things .
That said , despite this really unfortunate event , I really admire the current members of KAT-TUN in still trying to stick together as a new quartet . It's not easy especially since they've already lost 2 members . They could have choose to disband but they did not due to the many fans that have supporting them from their pre debut in 2001 until their official debut in 2006 .
The road ahead for the new KAT-TUN will not be easy but I believe in them & so do their other fans that have stick with them through thick & thin until now . And to sum it up , this's not the end but merely a rebirth if not a new beginning for KAT-TUN .