j1m0ne’s blog

Not sure many people will have noticed, or are indeed, bothered that I’ve ceased doing weekly Jpop reviews. Such are the woes of working life that one has to consider which of their hobbies to cut down on and for me, Jpop (and video gaming) was it. Too time-consuming and not fulfilling enough unfortunately. Nevertheless I intend to cover the music scene albeit on a smaller scale and taking all things into consideration, I’ve narrowed it down to coverage of anime-related releases only. Not too tough a choice to make, I suppose.

I aim to do a quick round-up of what I dub the ‘Lantis & Starchild Release Day’, which, if anyone follows the anisong release schedule will realise happens at least once every month. For this month it’s the 23rd January – a large percentage of the winter season’s theme songs are getting released on the day, which also makes me think that anime record companies are bonkers. Who the hell has that much money to spend on all those CDs anyway? Why not spread out the release schedule to maximise sales? The mind boggles. But that’s not what I’m gonna continue prattling about. Onwards!

23 January Highlights

Wasurenaide. Suara (KimiKiss ED2)

After the disappointment of the Blue Drop single, Suara starts anew with Wasurenaide, the new ending theme for KimiKiss. And thankfully it’s a major improvement – I really, really like it! Much more Snow*’s awful Negaiboshi anyway. Suara (Indonesian/Malay for voice if anyone doesn’t know it yet) lives up to her name – an emotional vocal that makes a seemingly ordinary piano/ string-laden ballad that extra bit more special. Too bad KimiKiss is too weak a tie-in to give Wasurenaide a bigger push.
First Day Oricon Chart Placing: Outside top 50
Rating: ★★★★☆

Kokoro no Tsubasa. Satou Rina, Inoue Marina & Chihara Minori (Minami-ke: Okawari OP)

A 180° turn from the cheerful Minami-ke opening theme Keikenchi Joshochu – I think most people hate Kokoro no Tsubasa, which is a bit unfortunate. I guess the biggest problem is that the song doesn’t fit the feel of the Minami-ke world, which is supposed to be all bright sunshine and blue skies, bakayaros and Fujiokas. Kokoro no Tsubasa is a bit… less sunshiney and reminds me a lot of avex songs; Hikaru no Go’s theme songs for example (dream, shela etc).

Throwing all thoughts of Minami-ke out of my mind, I find that I do quite like the song - it suits Minorin’s personal musical style pretty well. Huge departure for Rina though, whose own music is…..how should I describe it? Ethereal, dream-like, slow etc? I never quite imagined her trying out dance songs but she pulls it off alright IMHO. The new radio opening HAPPY MY LIFE is a complete failure though. It even manages to suck more than the first one did, which is quite some feat.
First Day Oricon Chart Placing: No.25
Rating: ★★★☆☆

Kuso Rumba. Ohtsuki Kenji & Zetsubo Shojo-tachi (Zoku.SZBS OP/ED1)

The title always makes me laugh – I keep thinking ‘Shit Rumba’ instead of ‘Daydream/Imaginary Rumba’ (糞 [くそ] instead of 空想 [くうそう]). Anyway, Kuso Rumba is probably Ohtsuki’s best out of his three ventures into animesong-land - the ‘Rumba Rumba Rumba’ refrain is already permanently lodged in my brain. The girls also come to the fore this time, counterbalancing Ohtsuki’s menacing growl with their sweet vocals – Miyukichi in Mataro mode brings a smile to my face. Adding to the package is Koiji Romanesque, a long overdue opportunity for the ‘other’ girls (Goto Yuko, Matsuki Miyu, Sanada Asami, Tanii Asuka) to shine. Sanada’s really the only one out of them with strong vocal credentials, but the fact that it’s such a fantastic song means singing ability matters nought.
First Day Oricon Chart Placing: No.12
Rating: ★★★★★

FIGHT OR FLIGHT. Kobayashi Yu (Dragonaut ED2)

FIGHT OR FLIGHT is certainly an improvement on Fukui Yukari’s first ending theme (Rain of Love) for Dragonaut, a show that I’m not sure whether I should be taking seriously anymore. I wonder if Kobayashi has any intentions of pursuing a music career in the long-term, or if she’ll just be limited to doing stuff for Konami. I’m pleased though, that she’s getting to try out different styles – Yu-tan’s certainly got the vocal chops to tackle anything. The first two tracks on the single are typical HAL pop-rock compositions, and Massara na Tenshi is an acoustic song, not something I think she’s done much of. And she pulls them all off equally well - I certainly enjoyed the single a lot more than I thought I would. Is it just me, or does Kobayashi resemble a certain Hamasaki Ayumi on the cover?
First Day Oricon Chart Placing: Outside top 50
Rating: ★★★★☆

Kasanaru Kage. HEARTS GROW (Gintama OP4)

It’s always the shonen shows that get the best songs for opening/endings, thanks to the fact that Sony are sponsors for most of them (Bleach, Naruto, FMA, Gintama too). That said, most of these songs have bugger all to do with the show in question and that is the reason why nobody outside of gaijin otaku even thinks of something like L’arc~en~Ciel’s READY STEADY GO as a great anime song - it’s just a normal Jpop tune that happens to be tied-in to some big-name anime. Anyway, HEARTS GROW are another one of those bands Sony are hoping to get some exposure for via an anime tie-up (they also did one for…. Naruto I think). I actually really like them – much more than I do ppl like Captain Straydum (ugh) or GaGaGaSP (eww). Gintama songs have been consistently good all the way through and Kasanaru Kage continues the trend nicely. Maybe lacks the impact of redballoon or KELUN, but still packs a pretty mean punch.
First Day Oricon Chart Placing: No.19
Rating: ★★★★☆

Spirale. Makino Yui (ARIA The ORIGINATION OP)

Right, let’s get it over with. Spirale is the worst ARIA opening theme ever. Yeah, I even like SONOROUS more than this one, I’m afraid. To be fair, the bar was already set pretty high with the fantastic Euforia and the even more brilliant Undine. Spirale gets stuck in a rut fast, with a chorus that goes flat when it should be peaking, and verses that are apt to make Suara’s BLUE sound like Beethoven’s Ode to Joy. And to my chagrin I can’t skip the song when I’m watching the show because, as ARIA fans will know, the song blends into the episode (no opening animation). I’m in despair! Yokogao is more likeable, and less sleep-inducing and saves this single from…. well, my Recycle Bin I suppose.
First Day Oricon Chart Placing: No.20
Rating: ★★★☆☆

Kin no Nami Sen no Nami. Arai Akino (ARIA The ORIGINATION ED)

I was caught in two minds when Arai was announced as the singer for the ED of the new ARIA; on the one hand I was happy cos I her music’s great and I’ve missed her as she hasn’t done anything at all since Zegapain. On the other hand I was disappointed that the trend of Makino OP, RT feat.Nino ED was broken. Kin no Nami Sen no Nami is well worthy of the ARIA title but wait…. Torikago no Yume is an even better song! Why it isn’t the ending theme instead I’ll never know.
First Day Oricon Chart Placing: No.21
Rating: ★★★★☆

oblivious. Kalafina (Kara no Kyokai theme)

I may be a Kajiura fan at heart, but I can’t say I get terribly excited by the stuff she puts out these days. Kalafina is more of the same old same old, and it might as well be Oda Kaori, Nanri Yuuka or Ishikawa Chiaki at the mic cos it makes nary a difference. No change in the instrumentation and overall structure of the song. So obviously I’m bewildered that this is selling well. Must be the Kara no Kyokai license…
First Day Oricon Chart Placing: No.08
Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Reflectia. eufonius (true tears OP)

Reflectia was the single I was most looking forward to when I scoured the release calendar a few months back – I love eufonius, and I had really high hopes for Reflectia even without hearing the song. And it’s oh so lovely; one of my fave eufonius songs by far. I think the fact that I’m still watching true tears has something to do with the opening theme – a great song to go with great animation. This is probably not a very appropriate place to mention it, but I love Isurugi Noe’s boots. I wonder why she’s allowed to get away with wearing them whilst everyone else wears regulation shoes….
First Day Oricon Chart Placing: No.22
Rating: ★★★★☆

Tatta 1tsu no Koi. KOKIA (Gunslinger Girl -Il Teatrino OP)

You just wonder why good songs are wasted on a show as… awful as this. KOKIA’s career hasn’t nosedived to the point of needing anime tie-ins to sell a few records has it? FYI: Former Jpop stars that have resorted to anime tie-ins in a desperate attempt to revive their career include Kiroro, Aikawa Nanase and now, the brilliant green. HAHAHA. Kiroro and Aikawa are more or less dead and buried now, but I sure hope KOKIA doesn’t go the same way - the stuff she’s been doing lately has been pretty good. I think Tatta 1tsu no Koi is one of the only positive changes from the first Gunslinger GIrl.
First Day Oricon Chart Placing: No.33
Rating: ★★★★☆

Sakura Emi Kimi ni Omou. Chihara Minori (D.C.II Insert Songs)

I’m getting this feeling of deja vu with this….. reminds me of the Manabi Straight song. And that’s probably not a good thing cos I hated it. I can’t even remember what it was called, that’s how much I think of it. I’m not really into Minorin singing upbeat, happy happy songs - it just ends up sounding rather forced.
First Day Oricon Chart Placing: No.31
Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Hisamazuku made 5byo dake!. Hashimoto Miyuki (Kimiaru OP)

Oh dear. We’re back to crappy Hashimoto mode with Hisamazuku…., which tends to happen when she lets someone else write her songs. Sha-la-la is so much better, and a good example of why I despair at the fact that Miyukichi doesn’t release more of her self-written stuff as the A-side. This also gets my vote for most crappy cover design of the week - taking the main promo image for the show and pasting against a purple background is just plain laziness. And damn ugly too.
First Day Oricon Chart Placing: No.48
Rating: ★★★☆☆

No, no ALI PROJECT or JAM PROJECT or Squid-Algae-Monster-Whatever-Project. It’s a pass on the Haruhi CD too, I don’t really feel like breaking my already fragile eardrums.
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In future I’m gonna list out stuff I’ve bought or pre-ordered, just to show off how good/bad my tastes in music are, or how crazy I am cos I keep buying stuff I’ve not heard a single second of, therefore I have no idea if they’re actually any good in the first place ^^;

Stuff on order for January:
(2008-01-16) Suteki Tantei Labyrinth Character Song Vol.2 – Koga Rakuta. Inoue Marina
(2008-01-30) Anime on Bossa. Iwao Junko
(2008-01-30) Sweet. Takahashi Mikako

On hold: (2008-01-23) Amaoto. Ono Daisuke
(2008-01-23) FIGHT OR FLIGHT. Kobayashi Yu

Stuff released in February that I’m planning to order:
(2008-02-06) Starcamp EP. Mizuki Nana
(2008-02-20) Moment. Kubota Mina [composer for Kaleido Star & Kannazuki no Miko]
(2008-02-27) Izayoi no Tsuki, Kanaria no Koi (title not confirmed). Tamura Yukari

The next Lantis/Starchild bumper release day is 6th February. Releases that day include the Minami-ke: Okawari ED Sono Koe ga Kikitakute, Shigofumi ED Chain, Rosario + Vampire OP/ED, KimiAru ED and true tears ED. Stay tuned.

Posted on January 23rd, 2008 under anime music, this week in japan • RSS 2.0 feed • Leave a response, or trackback