Overview
BaBan!! －甘い罠－ (BaBan!!, Sweet Trap) is one of the oldest original tracks in the maimai arcade series, having debuted alongside the very first maimai cabinet on July 11, 2012. The song is a commission by composer Hiro featuring vocalist Rina Nagae (永江理奈), and it has remained continuously available across all regional releases, Japan, international, North America, and China, through every major version update.
The title pairs the playful, almost nonsensical exclamation "BaBan!!" with the kanji phrase 甘い罠 (amai wana, "sweet trap"), hinting at a contrast between a bright, poppy surface and something more dangerous underneath. Driven at 161 BPM, the track rides an energetic pop-rock arrangement with punchy percussion and a catchy vocal melody that anchors its chorus. As a "maimai" genre entry (the in-game category for Sega-commissioned originals, historically grouped as オリジナル＆ジョイポリス), the song represents the sound of maimai's founding era rather than a licensed or externally sourced piece.
From a charting perspective, BaBan!! is notable for the unusual parity between its Expert and Master difficulties: both are rated Level 12 with a difficulty constant of 12.5, making them identically rated despite the Master chart packing 124 additional notes (457 total versus 333). The Expert chart was designed by the pseudonymous 譜面-100号 (Chart No. 100), while the Master chart was handled collectively by maimai TEAM. Over its lifespan, the song's difficulty ratings have been revised at least eight times across different version updates, the Master chart, for instance, started at Level 10, dipped to 9, and later climbed back to 12, reflecting the gradual recalibration of maimai's difficulty scale as the series evolved.
Videos
Charts
STD
BASIC
6(6)
200 notesDesigner: -|Tap 186Hold 7Slide 4Break 3
ADVANCED
8+(8.6)
288 notesDesigner: -|Tap 234Hold 45Slide 5Break 4
EXPERT
12(12.5)
333 notesDesigner: 譜面-100号|Tap 236Hold 75Slide 18Break 4
MASTER
12(12.5)
457 notesDesigner: maimai TEAM|Tap 381Hold 48Slide 20Break 8
Trivia
- BaBan!! －甘い罠－ was part of the launch lineup for the original maimai arcade release on July 11, 2012, making it one of the very first commissioned original songs ever added to the game.
- The song belongs to the in-game 'maimai' genre category (stylized as オリジナル＆ジョイポリス in the Japanese wiki), reserved for Sega-commissioned originals rather than licensed pop, anime, or game tracks.
- The Expert chart was designed under the alias 譜面-100号 (Chart No. 100), a recurring pseudonym seen in early maimai original charts. The Master chart is credited collectively to maimai TEAM.
- The Master chart has undergone the most dramatic level journey: it launched at Level 10, was reduced to Level 9 from maimai+ through ORANGE+, then gradually rose to 9+, 10, 10+, and eventually 12 by the Splash version, where it has remained.
- No Touch notes appear on any chart, as the song predates the DX cabinet hardware, the original maimai cabinets lacked the touch-screen sensors introduced in later DX models.
- Despite both Expert and Master being rated Level 12 with the same 12.5 difficulty constant, the Master chart contains 124 more total notes (457 vs. 333), a significant jump in density that the shared rating does not reflect.
- The Basic chart's level was increased from 5 to 6 starting with UNiVERSE+, and the Advanced chart was raised from 7 to 8 in FESTiVAL and then to 8+ in BUDDiES+, as part of ongoing difficulty standardization efforts across the entire maimai catalog.
- The song uses the standard five-note-type scoring (Tap, Hold, Slide, Break) without Touch notes, consistent with its origin in the pre-DX era of the series.
FAQ
- Who composed BaBan!! －甘い罠－ for maimai?
- The song was composed by Hiro with vocals by Rina Nagae (永江理奈). It is an original commission created for the maimai arcade series.
- When was BaBan!! －甘い罠－ added to maimai?
- It was added as part of the original maimai launch on July 11, 2012, making it one of the earliest original songs in the series.
- What difficulty are the Expert and Master charts for BaBan!! －甘い罠－?
- Both the Expert and Master charts are rated Level 12 with a difficulty constant of 12.5, an unusual case where both difficulties carry the same rating despite the Master chart having 124 more notes (457 vs. 333).
- Who designed the charts for BaBan!! －甘い罠－?
- The Expert chart was designed by 譜面-100号 (Chart No. 100), a pseudonymous charter active in early maimai. The Master chart was created collectively by maimai TEAM.
- Has BaBan!! －甘い罠－ changed difficulty over time?
- Yes. The song's levels have been adjusted at least eight times across versions. For example, the Master chart started at Level 10, was lowered to Level 9, and later climbed back to its current Level 12 by the Splash update.
- What does the title BaBan!! －甘い罠－ mean?
- BaBan!! is a playful exclamation, while 甘い罠 (amai wana) translates to 'sweet trap' in English, creating a contrast between a fun, poppy exterior and a more dangerous or deceptive theme.
- What genre is BaBan!! －甘い罠－ in maimai?
- It is categorized under the 'maimai' genre (also referred to as オリジナル＆ジョイポリス), the in-game category for Sega-commissioned original songs as opposed to licensed pop, anime, or game tracks.
