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Chart Toppers | June 06, 2006 |
 As expected, the debut solo single by Yamashita Tomohisa (photo, 21) has gone straight to No.1 in the Oricon chart. "Daite Senorita" is the theme of the TBS drama "Kurosagi", in which he stars, and is the best-selling single by a solo male artist since Kuwata Keisuke's "Shiroi Koibito-tachi" in 2001. Yamashita has had six chart toppers as a member of the Johnny's Jimusho unit NEWS, and also released one of the biggest singles of the last six months, "Seishun Amigo", as one half of the duo Shuji & Akira with KAT-TUN's Kamenashi Kazuya (20). The latest single has already sold over 700,000 copies since it went on sale May 31. Yamashita also features in the new TV commercial for major beauty clinic chain TBC, which shows the singer in a shower scene.
• Oricon this week also released the overall rankings for the first half of this year. KAT-TUN's "Real Face" is the only million seller of the year so far, followed by "Konayuki" by Remioromen (which only reached No.2 in the chart), "Seishun Amigo", "Tada...Aitakute" by Exile, and "Supernova/Karuma" by Bump of Chicken. SMAP also have a couple of singles in the Top 10.
• Also topping the charts is the debut single from jealkb, the "visual-kei" rock band led by comedian Tamura Atsushi. "Metronome" has sold only a few thousand copies and is at No.63 in the overall Oricon chart, but that's enough to put it on top of the indie rankings. Five of the seven band members are with Yoshimoto Kogyo, the agency that represents most of Japan's top comedy acts. But Atsushi, best known as one half of London Boots, is clearly taking the project seriously. Using the stage name haderu, he wrote the music and lyrics for the new single and the band have a very professional website (http://jealkb.jp/). They also have top-notch support, including L'Arc en Ciel's sleeve designer, makeup artist of the late X Japan guitarist Hide, and famous visual-kei photographer Tanaka Kazuko.
• Former Morning Musume member Yaguchi Mari (23) has broken up with actor Oguri Shun (23), according to this week's issue of "Josei Jishin" magazine. Her agency confirmed that the two have not seen each other since April.
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