Song Review:: fromis_9: LIKE YOU BETTER (Japanese ver.)- Sky Runner {Japanese Debut}

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  • Release date: 2026 April 01
  • Album tracklist: LIKE YOU BETTER (Japanese ver.), Love=Disaster (Japanese ver.), Sky Runner, LIKE YOU BETTER (Instrumental), Love=Disaster (Instrumental), Sky Runner (Instrumental)
  • Album runtime: 18 minutes

 I don't do a lot of the Japanese releases, but I figured I'd do fromis_9's since I've got a moment and also because they're fromis_9. I don't care that they aren't at Pledis anymore. I'll still support my girls and will continue to do so even after TWS gets a set of younger sisters, since I'm hearing that rumor for this year rumbling in certain spaces. I just want them to do well, because they've just got excellent music, you know? And apparently this is their long-awaited Japanese debut! Yay! That's fun and exciting! I'm glad I decided to cover it!

And oh, look. They're no longer at HYBE and have a three-and-a-half minute title track. Shocking.

Literally this song got mentally slotted into the 2026 playlist from the very first note. My head popped up so fast upon hearing it and I missed the next two seconds while it got categorized, but we've got strong variations in this song. The strong rock at the beginning and during the chorus (along with the occasional skittering beat), and then the softer settling during the bridge and the verses provides such a good contrast. It's a high energy song, it really is, but that energy is controlled when it needs to be so that the louder parts can be louder without needing to make them that much louder. 

The other reason for the immediate adding to the playlist, and this is just me being sentimental, but they're shouting "Fly high". Which, as we know, was the Battle of the B-Sides post I've done for them. This song is gorgeous. We've got a lot of full-throated voices and we also have softer, breathier vocals. It's great contrast, and we've got a good belt going on. I've got playlists I can add this to, quite happily.

This is a very soft and sentimental music video. We're in full slice of life territory here, with that home video quality I love to see. It's very sweet. I'm really happy for them.

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