Nanda Collection

The title of the album is an invented portmanteau of the expression "nanda kore" (なんだこれ), meaning "what's this?" in Japanese, and "collection" (これくしょん, korekushon). The album was preceded by the release of the singles "Fashion Monster", "Kimi ni 100 Percent", "Furisodation", "Ninja Re Bang Bang" and "Invader Invader", which have all peaked within the top five of the Billboard Japan Hot 100.

The two songs on the album, "Kurakura" (くらくら) and "Noriko to Norio" (のりことのりお) were used in commercials for KFC's Krushers[4] and the mobile phone company au,[5] respectively.

The album was announced on May 23, 2013, in two editions: a regular edition and a limited edition which comes with a bonus DVD containing the music videos for the lead singles.[6] Two cover arts for the album were revealed on the same day. The regular edition cover is a "couple" shot of Pamyu Pamyu with a puppet styled after her, while the limited edition cover shows her covered in peacock feathers. Pamyu Pamyu commented, "[...] It would make so happy if the picture for the limited edition made you mutter, 'What the!?'"[6]

The album debuted at number one in Japan and performed strongly around the globe. In the United States, the album debuted at number 2 on the Billboard Top World Albums chart, the chart that tracks the best-selling world music albums in the US.[7] In Taiwan, the album debuted in the Top 10 of the G-Music J-Pop Albums Chart.[8] Upon its release internationally, the album topped the iTunes charts of several countries and within the Top 10 and Top 20 of numerous others.[9]

Online webzine Pitchfork Media awarded the album a 6.6 out of 10, stating that the album "isn't for everyone" and that "If you can handle the barrage of synthesizer marching bands, PS1-era video game noises, and Kyary’s overwhelming kawaii-ness, Nanda Collection is a fascinating listen."[2] Tinymixtapes awarded the album 4 out of 5, writing "Nanda Collection is not simply J-pop par excellence. It is J-pop personified. It is a multi-faceted, hyperdimensional prism simultaneously articulating, parodying, and problematizing a genre, a moment, a culture. Which is why we ought to be paying particular attention."[10]

Credits adapted from liner notes.[11]

• Yasutaka Nakata – written, played, arranged, produced, recorded, mixed, mastered
• Steve Nakamura – art director, designer
• Takeshi Hanzawa – photographer
• Shinji Konishi – hair, make-up
• Kumiko Iijima – stylist
• Keiko Nakayama – prop character
• Tadashi Matsuyama, Masayo Kuroda – products coordinator
• Yusuke Nakagawa, Kei Ishizaka – executive producer
• Tsuyoshi Ishii – general producer
• Ryoma Suzuki – label head
• Satoru Yamazaki – artist management
• Harumi Ito – a&r