February Anime Music Highlights
Quickly speeding through some of the releases that caught my ear in February.
Odyssey. Nanri Yuuka
Been looking forward to this for a while now. While it doesn’t really break new ground for Yuuka musically, it is at least a chance for her to shrug off the association with Kajiura Yuki in an attempt to find her own style. Odyssey is still a video game theme though, so there are obviously certain parameters which the song probably had to fall within – it’s catchy enough in parts but doesn’t exactly blow me away. Dear is more interesting in that Yuuka had a hand in writing the song, the first time she’s done so – perhaps it’s more indicative of what sort of music she might wish to pursue in the future given the opportunity. The song has a slightly soulful flavour to it and I’m not sure that suits Yuuka particularly well, I keep thinking how a Ito Yuna or Fukuhara Miho type-voice would’ve sung Dear better. I like the song itself though, and will definitely keep tabs on Yuuka from now on whether she chooses to sing theatrical stuff (that suits her better) or cheesy idol songs a-la Tiaraway. And that’s why I hope more people buy this (it’s only 1000 yen!), the lack of promotion makes me worried that lacklustre sales may mean that she doesn’t get to put out more solo material.
Kazahana. Ono Daisuke
I’ve been waiting to hear this to make up my mind about whether I should buy the album or not, and early signs are that I just might. Ono-D definitely possesses one of the strongest and most distinct male seiyuu vocals I’ve heard in a long while (he kinda sounds like er… Takizawa Hideaki to me), but a lot rides on the type of material Lantis produce for him. It seems they’ve decided to go the typical pop-rock route (same as Suzumura Kenichi) and I think that’s fine for a first effort. A fair chunk of the material has already been on previous releases, but songs like Nostalgia and Shiawase na Risu still sound as good as they did before. Of the new tracks, Riaru no nai Sekai is probably the one that sticks in my mind the most. Overall Kazahana is a decent debut album and carries enough mainstream appeal to ensure a relatively successful idol career – it’s certainly doing well enough on the charts.
Uchuu wa Shoujo no Tomodachi sa. MAKO, Endo Aya & Makino Yui
It’s interesting to learn that the song was recorded separately by the girls so it seems a miracle the producers managed to get the three voices to blend together. Well enough to hide each other’s vocal deficiencies in fact. Uchuu wa… is very, very similar to the Mai-Otome ending Otome wa Do my Best Desho? as quite a few have noted, and parts of the song also remind me of the Minami-ke Okaeri opening Keikenchi Soku Joujou. It’s happy, it’s bouncy, it’s catchy – what’s there not to like? I think my affection for it is somewhat helped along by the hideousness of the AliPro opening (thank god Kuribayashi Minami will be replacing that in cour 2).
Everlasting Songs. FictionJunction
Kara no Kyokai & kalafina managed to reignite my wavering interest in Kajiura Yuki as a songwriter (rather than just a composer), and this CD certainly might ensure further revival. I’ll admit that the only FictionJunction vocalist I know and love is Yuuka – hers is the most distinct amongst the voices and I must say I would never be able to tell who was singing the other tracks without referring to the liner notes – WAKANA, KEIKO, KAORI? They etc all sound the same to me…
Still, that matters little as long as the music is good – and I’m certainly reminded of the quality of some of the pop songs Kajiura wrote are – although I still prefer the original vocals of stuff like Houseki (formerly Inoue Marina), here we stand in the morning dew (Chiba Saeko) and Michiyuki (Hikita Kaori), they still stand up really well a couple of years on. Of all the tracks I’ve never actually heard, Hoshikuzu is a particular favourite – it kind of reminds me of See-Saw in parts… come to think of it, I’m rather disappointed that no See-Saw material made it here, but it’s probably better that way as nobody could ever live up to Ishikawa Chiaki. Apart from that, I really like the two Yuuka tracks (Kioku no Mori & cazador del amor) as well as WAKANA’s version of Mizu no Akashi while Himitsu is goes back to Noir, one of the first few anime I watched – fond memories. And that’s why I really like this CD, it’s a fun little personal journey through the years remembering what made me a Kajiura fan in the first place. Good stuff.
Ga-Rei-Zero- Character Song Vol.1 – Kagura & Yomi (Chihara Minori & Mizuhara Kaoru) and Vol.2 – Ayame & Kiri (Aizawa Mai & Tsuchiya Maki)
The quality of the Ga-Rei-related music continues to impress even on releases such as character CDs, which most of the time, are just throwaway efforts designed to squeeze a couple more dollars out of anime fans. Discounting the fact that probably only Minorin can truly sing, the songs on both CDs are catchy enough that I could imagine them being used as opening/ending themes. Hopefully the trend will continue on the next volume with Shiraishi Minoru’s Kazuki & Takahashi Shinya’s Noriyuki… well, I’m not holding my breath for Takahashi, but at least Shiraishi can sing, if that’s any sort of consolation.
Kumori Garasu no Mukou. Hikita Kaori
Marimite shifted to the use of pop songs after two seasons of Katakura/Ali Project and I recall a lot of people being aghast over KOTOKO’s Chercher last time out. Hikita’s Kumori Garasu no Mukou should be an easier pill to swallow, helped along by those oh-so-yuri images that accompany the song at the end of every episode. I’m sure the very cheesy lyrics about two people separated by cloudy glass will send all the fangirls squealing with glee too. I really like the song myself, very pleasant on the ears. Though I guess that the alternate version was rather pointless since I can barely hear the difference.
Hikari to Yami to Toki no Hate. Ceui
Ceui is fast developing into one of my favourite anison singers – I’m a total sucker for these type of floaty, ethereal voices. At last, someone to fill the void left by Arai Akino who seems to be floating in a state of semi-activity.
Akasha. Okui Masami
Mmm. I’m not into Makkun as much as I used to be but Akasha is hitting the right spots for me so far – bearing in mind that I’m kinda retro.. OK, old-fashioned. If you’re looking for innovation, something new and fresh here, then you’ll be disappointed as she sticks to the same formula that has served her well in the past. Akasha is ’safe’, but it’s a good type of ’safe’ – LOVE SHIELD and Shusoku are personal faves.
oh and not forgetting
Namida no Mukou. Stereopony
I had to check to confirm this was an anime theme, I’m clueless as to what songs are used for all those Sony-sponsored anime like Naruto, Bleach and Gundam these days. Regardless of what tie-up they have, Sterepony rock and they’re close to overtaking Chatmonchy as my favourite female power-pop trio.
And also, I just discovered that one of my favourite Jpop songs from 2 years ago got turned into an anime theme. AZU’s CHERISH is still hot, but I can’t see why they chose to use it in xxxHOLiC.
Briefly, stuff I didn’t like as much
Kimi ni, mune kyun by Kobayashi Yu, Sanada Asami, Inoue Marina – The idea of a sped-up, Vocodered version of the original by Yellow Magic Orchestra certainly made me smile about a month ago, but I’ve realised that the song sounds 10x worse without the visuals.
HANAJI by Kobayashi Yu – Like the ending, HANAJI suffers when you cut out the visuals. Without Mariya using Matsurika as a guitar, the song is reduced to a shouty, noisy mess.
Asu no Yoichi Character CDs – Hahaha. Anyone who thinks Tomatsu Haruka can sing should listen to Ayame’s CD. It’s so horribly off-key, I can’t believe they let that pass as a recording.
Anemoi by eufonius – A long, long while since I hated a eufonius song but I guess it had to happen eventually. The anime it’s from sucks balls too.
Sora o Kakeru Shojo Character Song CD 1 – Shishido Akiha by MAKO – I can’t be the only one who finds the image of Akiha with maracas highly amusing right? Sadly that’s the best thing about the CD; while I can give MAKO 100% for effort and enthusiasm, she gets a big fat 0 for singing.
Front Breaking by Hayashibara Megumi – Since I started listening to anime music, I think I’ve found less than 10 Hayashibara songs I liked. I just can’t make myself love her, no matter how much I try.
Chizu Sanpo by kukui – This is the type of song I’m not really fond of kukui doing – for me they’re like a bridge between the quiet melancholy of eufonius and the weird gothic sounds of Ali Project, leaving the odd galpop type songs tucked away as album fillers. I did actually start off liking Chizu Sanpo but then I went off to listen to Concordia & Little Primrose and suddenly remembered what made me like them in the first place.
Life and Proud by Misato Aki – Very bland, like 99.8% of her songs.
Komorebi no Rosette by Tamura Yukari – I was hoping I would like this but again, it’s the same old story with Yukarin. I’m just not into her brand of cutesy pop *shrug* But then I don’t think my favourite Yukarin songs (Koi no Chikara, miss you & Douwa Meikyuu) are anybody else’s favourite Yukarin songs.
Tomorrow by Tsunematsu Ayumi – Tomorrow tries hard to be epic but really, as much as I love Kawai Kenji he is not great at writing pop songs. Leave it to Kajiura?
Yasashii Uta by Chrome Shelled – Uhhh. I actually wanted to check out the seiyuu versions but there’s a problem when the original song sucks to the point that not even a vocal masterclass can save it. It doesn’t help that parts of it are sung in a key so low that the three seiyuu sound like they’re being strangled.
Brave your truth by DaisyxDaisy – Don’t like Asakura Daisuke one bit, so it’s no surprise I hate this too. Sorry Nana-imouto.
Tsubomi by Shimokawa Mikuni – Are all my favourite anison singers losing their touch or something. Tsubomi is just so terribly boring, I want more epic songs like Bird please.
Uh yeah, for a short month there sure was a lot going on and it screwed my ears and brain over before I even got to listening to the soundtracks. March already seems equally busy and it’s really bad for my bank balance…
- I love Douwa Meikyuu, so does everyone else which made it ranked 6th in Yukari-chan Matsuri, heh. And I don’t know any Yukarin fan who likes Komorebi no Rosette either.
- Agreed on HANAJI, though the PV is certainly pleasing the eyes. xD
- Good review, I might get Odyssey and Kazahana. And WTF I forgot to order Everlasting Songs!!
- Doing my review on Akasha now, mostly on the delicious DVD though.
- I hope Shimokawa’s anniversary album will do better. I miss her older songs too.
I had no idea Sorakake’s ED was recorded separately, they sure did a fine job at the final song.
“the very cheesy lyrics about two people separated by cloudy glass will send all the fangirls squealing with glee“…yes I think I’m one of those! *embarrassed* hahaha I agree – at first I didn’t even realise I was listening to the alternate version!
@FictionJunction: Houseki will sound good only with Inouse and that is unbracable fact. The worst think abotu Kaori singin Houseki is that when she sang it at live it sounded somewhat decent but the recorded version sucks on unbelievable stake. I still can’t believe that Kaori sang it since she’s rather capable singer <_< I prefer original vocals just like you but at least I can listen to the new versions a lot more than i expected (but Houseki … *burst in tears* ) accept for Mizu no Akashii and Gin no Hashi …. i’m hardcore Wakana fan xD
as for Hoshikuzu it’s a cover of Velvet no Inori song that was published on The Velveteen Rabbit audio book only, originally sang by Ogawa Noriko, but its really hard to get this online so that’s probably why i you don’t know it. I actually prefer the original here and find Hoshikuzu likeable just because of the different lyrics D:
I agree that Dear was the better song on the Yuuka single, but it’s so nice hearing her. Too bad it’s starting to feel like, uhm, how do I explain…. Sakamoto Maaya is to Kanno Yoko as Nanri Yuuka is to Kajiura Yuki.
I feel really disappointed with the Everlasting Songs album. I found the originals much better, though I’m unsure on what to think about that other YUUKA song. It seems kind of forgettable. The only songs I did like were Miyukichi and Mizu no Akashi, the latter mostly because I don’t care much for Tanaka Rie’s singing. I never heard the original of everlasting song, so I can’t really comment on it.
…. now I’m reminded on how much I miss Chiba Saeko’s singing.
I don’t think anyone likes the same Yukarin songs I do. My favourites are songs like Black cherry, Kirara Jikan Ryokou and Saihate no Mori. I really like Koi no Ageha and Nageki no Oka off the new album and the last song is kind of cool, if only for the fancy brass and reminding me of a slowed down version of Swing Heart.
Oh, and I like miss you way more than Douwa Meikyuu. I still think I’m the only Yukarin fan to not like that song.
I really like Tomorrow, but what I hate is that some people have been comparing it to Aimo from Macross Frontier. I happen to like both songs equally. I think the lyrics in Tomorrow are beautiful as well.
I didn’t know Ono’s album came out already. I’ll have to check that out. I’ll take your word on his vocals.
So AKASHA finally got leaked? I was checking it to no avail last week -____-.
I think I’ve reviewed a couple of these so in short of my opinions:
-Odyssey really grew on me after a couple listens. I didn’t think too much about Dear (doesn’t suit her) too much but now that you mention it, Miho would be amazing with this song. Or ayaka.
-Daisuke Ono was pretty good but safe. I’d like him to take more risks + add variety in the future.
-Everlasting Songs is a bit of nostalgia to the ex-Tsubasa fan.
-Yukarin sucks. As usual. But when does she not suck?
I kinda liked Kaoru Mizuhara’s ED song for Ga-Rei. Did she and Minorin sing a duet, by chance?
@danie~
Looking forward to that Akasha DVD review, I won’t be getting the album for a while yet.
@chibi-chibi & r
I guess I went into everlasting songs with zero expectations because I honestly had stopped caring about all those different FJ projects that coming out. Comparing these versions to the originals is inevitable, but I try to remember how somebody who’s never heard them may find the songs wonderful – just like how I thought Hoshikuzu was great.
Oh, and I associate Yuuka with tiaraway much more with FJ.. it’s what made me like her in the first place.
@Vness
Aimo? Hmmm, never thought about that. Don’t really hear the connection myself, it’s more like a Ghibli or Ito Masumi song to me. Or Honda Minako’s Kaze no Uta from Hunter X Hunter.
@kiseki_gurl
Lantis aren’t good at mixing things up so Ono will get stuck doing the same songs over & over again unfortunately.
@Andrew
Yes, the two songs on the first CD are duets by Minorin & Kaorun.
The only part of HANAJI worth listening to is the “YAMETE YAMETE ah~ ahhnnn~!” part. I can get that from the anime opening so it is enough for me
.
“Still, that matters little as long as the music is good – and I’m certainly reminded of the quality of some of the pop songs Kajiura wrote are – although I still prefer the original vocals of stuff like Houseki (formerly Inoue Marina), here we stand in the morning dew (Chiba Saeko) and Michiyuki (Hikita Kaori), they still stand up really well a couple of years on.”
Pretty much my thoughts for the reworkings of the songs. The songs are solid stuff by themselves, though I prefer the original singers myself as well. Of the other stuff, I’m such a sucker for Hanamori no Oka. Such an absolute sucker for it.
Heh, I thought that the asu no yoichi character songs being kinda bland. Although, i thought tomacchan was singing in character, but i agree though, her songs sound very off key, specially the tsundere one, she’s still hot hehe :p
Man, Megumi Hayashibara’s latest single “Front Breaking”, didn’t go in the Oricon charts, unlike the previous single. But the only song that I like is Sunadokei because it fits the Slayers theme.
Hopefully, her next single would be better because of the Evangelion tie-in.
Yeah, all those FJ projects make my head spin. Now that I think about it, it really is only the vocals that bother me about most of these re-makes. Except for synchronicity. I really don’t like how much edgier this KEIKO version sounds, though it probably sounds better like that with her kind of voice. Wish I could re-listen to the CD without knowing what most of the songs sound like.
While I’ve heard Nanri first through tiaraway, much like how I’ve heard random Sakamoto Maaya songs somehow, it took Kajiura Yuki/Kanno Yoko to make me really like either…. I feel bad for thinking like that.
question… have you checked out kourin’s (callin’?) album? she sang the ED for zoku natsume yuujinchou, right? i’m enjoying it… and thought maybe you would. dunno. you and my brother seem to have the same music tastes, and he likes it…
and rie fu gets a guest cameo in one of her songs
which i squeed over XD
@veester
Oh yeah I’ve been a Callin’ follower for a while, loved their Irodoori album which is great to listen to on a lazy day. I was surprised that they got a chance to do an anime song but I must say their laidback style does suit Yujincho very well.