Pungdeng-E プンデンイ Japan 1st Single 側にいて Stay - Single Review (Type B Edition)

After months of searching, I finally got my hands on a copy of Pungdeng-E's first Japanese single 側にいて Stay. I came across the Type B edition of the single on Zenmarket and jumped at the chance to purchase it. So let's take a look at the elusive Japanese release from Pungdenge-E.

Pungdeng-E Japan 1st Single 側にいて Stay

側にいて Stay is Pungdeng-E's 1st Japanese single and was released in May 2017. The group had previously released a Japanese album titled 1st Japanese Album Ppi Ppi Ppa Ppa ピピパパ in 2016 which was an amazing release. I've posted a review of the album here so take a look to find out more about the group. 側にいて Stay was released in two editions: Type A and Type B. I purchased a copy of Type B in excellent condition from a seller in Japan. Now this single is incredibly difficult to find and I believe that is due to it being one of those releases you can only get at certain events/stores in Japan when the group is promoting. I've been looking for a long time for the single and only seen a copy available recently. These types of releases are always such a pain to find. At least the group's Japanese album was available for purchase through online stores. The copy of Pungdeng-E's Japan 1st Single 側にいて Stay I brought includes the following contents:

• Jewel case
• Plastic sleeve cover
• Lyrics booklet
• CD - 4 track album

Front & Back Covers

The front cover of the album features the three group members in their representative colours: Red, Yellow & Blue. The artwork features a graffiti style print with some musical images such as speakers and music notes. The groups current logo is used on both the front and back cover as well as the group name プンデンイ being printed in Japanese. The back cover features another set of pictures of the girls along with track listing and single information. The 4 tracks on the CD are listed up the top and the publishing information is listed on the bottom. The RRP for the single is ¥1500 according to the group's Japanese website but I got mine for only  ¥280 (excluding shipping and fees).

Track listing on the back cover

The inside of the jewel case has a simple black and white colour scheme and contains a lyrics booklet and CD. The CD features the group's beetle symbol as well as the group logo and single name. I quite like the design of the CD as it ties in well with the group's image and branding. The jewel case was sturdy and held the CD in place during shipping. I talked more about the shipping in my original haul post of the single as well as my AFTERSCHOOL albums I received.

The lyrics booklet is just a fold out booklet containing the lyrics for the two songs featured on the single. All songs on the single are in Japanese unlike their previous album which contained two Japanese songs and the rest were Korean re-releases. The back page of the lyrics booklet contains the single credits and information on the group's Japanese focused social media sites. Not sure if a photocard was originally included with the album as I brought mine second hand. My copy of the first album did include one, so it is something that the group is doing with their Japanese releases.

Lyrics booklet

Lyrics booklet

Lryics booklet

Credits & Social Media Links

Now for the track listing of the single! The single contains the Japanese versions of Stay and Reversal. You could say that Stay was a new song as it had not been released in Korea yet. Stay and the corresponding album were not released in Korea until October 2017 whereas 側にいて Stay was released in Japan in May 2017. So the Japanese version is technically the first release of the song. The Japanese version of the song is well composed and the Japanese lyrics flow nicely with the melody. The Japanese version of Reversal is worth a listen, I wish they had included a Japanese version of Al-Tang or Jal-Tang as they are two of my favourite songs from the group. Here is the track listing for the 1st Single 側にいて Stay:

1. 側にいて Stay (Japanese Version)
2. ヨクチョン Reversal (Japanese Version)
3. 側にいて Stay (Japanese Version) [Instrumental]
4. ヨクチョン Reversal (Japanese Version) [Instrumental]

Japan 1st Single 側にいて Stay Type B & 1st Japanese Album Ppi Ppi Ppa Ppa ピピパパ

Pungdeng-E's Japan 1st Single 側にいて Stay is available in two editions: Type A and Type B. According to the Pungdeng-E Japanese website, both editions contain the same track list and just have different covers. The cover for Type A is super cute and features the girls in dresses matching their representative colours.
[Update - Finally found a copy of the Type A edition which you can check out the review for here!]

Type A of Japan 1st Single 側にいて Stay

Overall I am pleased with Pungdeng-E's 1st Single 側にいて Stay and hope they continue with solid Japanese releases. Their first Japanese album has always been a favourite of mine with the Japanese version of Baechu Bossam being one of my most played songs on my car stereo. Hopefully with the recent release of 슈퍼마켓 Supermarket from the group in Korea, another mini-album or Japanese release is in the works. I'd like to see another Japanese album with Japanese versions of all their other songs. The group has a solid fan base in Japan so I think there is a market for an album release. I shall leave you with a photo of both Japanese releases from the group along with the Korea release of Stay. There's a size difference as usual with the Japanese releases being the standard jewel case and the Korea one is your typical photobook release.

Japan 1st Single 側にいて Stay Type B, 1st Japanese Album Ppi Ppi Ppa Ppa ピピパパ & 4th Album Stay.