16. Hanae- Jokyou Shokyou
Hanae's sophomore album, in my opinion, trumps her debut by a mile. The production has been stepped up, songs are more punchy and overall, its a far more memorable and satisfying release as a whole. The opening track, EXODUS really sets the tone of the album, sweet melodies accompanied by Hanae's cute and sexy vocals. It's lead single, Kamisama no Kamisama is one of the most memorable tracks in her discography and it's fun to hear her experiment with hip hop on the closer S-T-A-R-S, which is both tongue in cheek and awesome at the same time. Hanae's sound is getting stronger with each release- and this is a promising and exciting step forward for her. One of the most enjoyable and addictive releases this year. Definitely one of the best "kawaii pop" releases.
Oh and props to that album cover, for obvious reasons :-p