When I was tasked with reviewing this album, I had to take some time to consider writing about it. The reason is that while I like the iScream and Happiness members and the music from those groups, I don’t have the same sentiment for f5ve. I don’t necessarily like their music that much, and that inherent bias I felt would probably affect my ability to be as objective as possible. However, after many revisions, I have come up with something that fulfills my ability to complete this task and doesn’t make me sound like a complete anti.
Release Date: May 5, 2025
Track Listing
- Initiate Sequence 01
- Underground
- Magic Clock
- UFO
- Firetruck
- Lettuce
- Sugar-Free Venom feat. Kesha
- Television
- Bow Chika Wow Wow
- Jump
- Real Girl (リア女)
Review
f5ve is a group that should look very familiar to followers of current female Japanese pop groups. Formerly known as SG5 (Sailor Guardians 5), the group rebranded in 2024 with a new concept unrelated to Sailor Moon.
Now, the members of f5ve are interdimensional dream agents from Tokyo on a mission to infiltrate the subconscious mind and eradicate self-doubt and negative energy. There’s more word salad to describe their new concept, but much of it is nonsensical and causes headaches when applying logic. So, we’ll stick with the short version.
Like other Japanese pop albums, Sequence 01 is primarily a compilation of previously released material rather than a complete album of new, unreleased songs.
Sequence 01 includes f5ve’s first five digital singles, Firetruck (as SG5), Lettuce, Underground, UFO, and Magic Clock. Six new songs fill out the remainder of the album, which is rather generous. If you’re a fan of f5ve, you’re at least getting fed here.
So now we come to what can be considered a contentious point regarding f5ve. Is their music any good? This is where it gets dicey since we all have different ideas of what is “good.” As the saying goes, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”
Looking at this album specifically, if you liked all of f5ve’s digital singles, you’ll have an excellent idea of what to expect from the rest of Sequence 01. The six album cuts are consistent with the motif they set up. I recommend Sugar-Free Venom, Television, and Real Girl as they stand out the most.
Subjectively, Sequence 01 suffers from the same problem as most modern pop music. The songs are too short and don’t last long enough to leave an imprint. It isn’t easy to invest in a song when it only stays in first gear for its running time.
While musically, f5ve doesn’t titillate the juices of my guilty pleasures; I can appreciate that they occasionally deviate from the typical LDH group formula to try something unexpected. Well, except Firetruck. That song is atrocious.
There’s a disconnect somewhere when I listen to f5ve’s music. Something feels off. I’m not expecting Happiness, iScream, or even E-girls’ style of music. It’s just whatever f5ve is selling; my ears aren’t quite buying. Without the fantastic visuals of the members in the music videos, I’d not even be able to tell you the names of the songs on this album since I wouldn’t have anything to associate them with.
Objectively, Sequence 01 has its charms and will appeal most to those already indoctrinated into the LDH camp or who want quick hits of female-driven Japanese pop music that isn’t hyper, squeak toy idols. This album may also call out to those who miss the days when female pop acts like f5ve were more abundant in numbers. If you fall into one (or more) of these categories, this album will help fill the gap in your music library.
Stream on Spotify
Stream on Apple Music
