j1m0ne's blog

Next in my series of 2007 lists is video game songs, though it could almost be called ‘Top Ten Eroge Songs’ instead.

Hardly anybody outside of Japan plays Japanese games, therefore hardly anybody outside of Japan knows how good Japanese game songs can be. Funnily enough I don’t hold much interest in J-games myself either, apart from the odd yuri visual novel (stuff like the Sono Hanabira Kuchizuke o series).

I do have a pretty sizeable interest in doujin music, which is how I got to know most of this stuff. Maybe someone out there will be inspired to try out some of the games below from watching the videos – some of the art & characte designs are fabulous. Too bad I can’t find videos for the songs that were used as endings. I didn’t cover this category last year but this time I will in hope that some of these great songs will get more attention.

10.cry for me, cry for you. Kotera Kanako (Eiyuu Densetsu – Sora no Kiseki the 3rd OP)
Otherwise known as The Legend of Heroes VI: The 3rd. This must be the only non-visual novel/eroge theme song on the list ^^;
Download song

09.Megunatsu. KAKO (Natsumegu ED)

Natsumegu had a great bunch of songs, but KAKO’s bittersweet ending theme is the pick of the bunch.
DL

08.Narcissu. eufonius (Narcissu side 2nd theme)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhuYdiBGeEE]
Apparently the original Narcissu is one of the best visual novels around – there’s a full English translation available and it’s free to download (website). eufonius’ theme tune is so forlorn it almost makes me want to play the game just to see if the story’s really that good.
DL

07.Gacha gacha Hertz. Figu@Radio. MOSAIC.WAV (Figu@Carnival OP)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFTw3wTgxkk]
The Figu@Carnival (Figu@Mate fandisc) opening animation is almost as insane as the song itself. MOSAIC.WAV sure know how to write songs to make your blood vessels burst.
DL

06.Nanairo no Sora. Duca (Amesarasa ED)

A simple, yet effective love song written by Kurosu Katsuhiko, whose recent works include Hirano Aya’s NEOPHILIA and most of Misato Aki’s BLOOD QUEEN.
DL

05.Awayuki. ave;new feat. Sakura Saori (Mashirobotan theme)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pj-Ps_T2asg]
With MOSAIC.WAV having made a semi-successful move over to making anime songs, surely it’s only a matter of time before Sakura Saori gets her turn. Saori’s super-high, super-squeaky voice has been making the rounds in various MADs featuring the infamous True My Heart, so loads of people should be familiar with her already.
DL

04.Shizai Senri~Koihime yobite Hyakka no Ou to nasu. Chata (Koihime Musou ED)

All the songs from Koihime were fantastic, even the one used in the promo (☆396☆’s Souten no Mukou e). I really do prefer it when Chata drops her cutesy voice and sings properly – as she does on this lovely ballad.
DL

03.Gekka no Rasen. Fei Lan (Touka Gettan OP)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hc1pjfid8vM]
Nobody quite knows who Fei Lan (飛蘭) is, outside of the fact that she seems to provide vocals for Elements Garden-produced video game themes. She’s sung two of the best game songs this year (Reconquista is the other) – Gekka no Rasen IMHO trumps both of the anime’s theme tunes with its strong melody and lavish Agematsu Noriyasu arrangement.
DL

02.Star☆drops. Hashimoto Miyuki (Hoshiful OP)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsThtAkQYpM]
Self-written/composed, Star☆drops is a contender for Miyukichi’s best song ever. Too bad it was ‘dumped’ onto an eroge that nobody played/liked.
DL

01.Sukiss STEADY Kiss!!. ave;new project feat. Sakakibara Yui (STEPxSTEADY OP)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-XCMF4VAhk]
My brain still goes into meltdown everytime I hear this song. OK, so Yui-nyan is no Sakura Saori but she still pours in as much sugary moe as she can muster, helped along by some pretty dumb lyrics punctuated with plenty of (ﾟ∀ﾟ)ﾉ and (>_<)s. It’s a match made in heaven for moe fans.
DL

EDIT: fixed links to MF for convenience. All songs can still be DLed from eSnips.