PV / To Aru Kagaku no Railgun

fripSide – only my railgun PV (To Aru Kagaku no Railgun OP1)

 

Somehow, I’ve taken it upon myself to post more PVs here. There’s a reason behind this madness though (and insanity isn’t it!). While I used to listen to a fairly diverse selection of music (Japanese, Korean, Chinese, English), I slowly drifted away from that over the years. This is primarily due to 1.) the amount of anime I’ve been watching and 2.) the drastic change in what constitutes “anime music”. Unlike the music used in western cartoons, anisongs were pretty unique to begin with since they’re usually “normal” songs borrowed for anime use. However, even songs written specifically for a series these days tend to sound like music anyone would listen to. As such, I no longer look for new music to listen to; I can just let it come to me via anime opening/ending themes. The natural extension of that are the PVs to those songs, hence why I’ll post about entire concerts these days. At least, that’s what my music collection of 950+ singles/albums/soundtracks labeled with an “Anime” genre tell me.

So with that, I have the PV of fripSide‘s “only my railgun” here. Surprisingly, it’s “available” ahead of its scheduled November 4th release. As a pop group that started in 2002, flipSide’s music sounds anything but anime-only to me, even though they became a part of the visual novel publishing/distributing company Visual Art’s in 2006. They’re comprised of two main members, Nanjou Yoshino (vocals/lyrics) and Yaginuma Satoshi (composition/arrangement/lyrics/guitar), the former of which replaced the originally vocalist Nao earlier this year. Some of you may be familiar with Yoshino’s work as a seiyuu, having voiced Oosawa Maria in CANAAN and Tsukishima Koko in Da Capo II.

Given the title of the song, I assume that it was written specifically for To Aru Kagaku no Railgun, but you probably could’ve fooled me if you told me it wasn’t. The song has a surprisingly good beat and could probably pass as a dance song if remixed a bit. Because of that, I originally thought it was something by I’ve Sound, especially since they had done the music for Index. I tend to like I’ve Sound’s KOTOKO and Kawada Mami‘s songs almost immediately, so fripSide’s similar sound was easy for me to get hooked on. As for the PV itself, it’s anime-themed with a girl in a Tokiwadai uniform and espers showcasing their abilities. Befitting of the song, you also get to see a Misaka Mikoto style railgun at the end. Pretty cool.

I have more PVs in store, so stay tuned. (Feel free to comment though. :P)

Show To Aru Kagaku no Railgun OP1 「only my railgun」 by fripSide ▼

Darker than BLACK / PV

Stereopony – Tsukiakari no Michishirube PV (Darker than BLACK 2 OP)

 

I gather Stereopony doesn’t need much introduction after their “Namida no Mukou” song earlier this year, but I’ll redirect you to my introductory blurp here if you do. I know I tend to say this a lot with songs, but I found “Tsukiakari no Michishirube” (Moonlight Guidepost) catchy right when I heard it. Here though, at least I can say it’s because of the tune in the chorus. With the release of the single still several days away (09-11-04), it’s nice to finally get to hear the full version of the song. However, since it’s a direct extension of the TV size version, it can start to sound a bit repetitive if you listen to it too much (which I found out firsthand while writing this). As for the PV itself, it’s fairly simple with Aimi (guitar, lead vocals), Nohana (bass), and Shiho (drums) performing on a barren wasteland while weathering a rainstorm, but Aimi’s new hairstyle looks really good. That’s probably the farthest thing from an analysis of their music, but what can you do — I’m talking about a PV here, so enjoy the eye candy!

Show Darker than BLACK 2 OP 「ツキアカリのミチシルベ」　by Stereopony ▼

Nyan Koi! / PV

Imai Asami – Strawberry ~Amaku Setsunai Namida~ PV (Nyan Koi! ED)

 

Aside from her role as Solva in NEEDLESS, I admittedly don’t know much about Imai Asami. Based on her previous work, she’s been a fairly low profile seiyuu in the anime industry for the past eight or so years. Her more notable roles have been in video games, with Kisaragi Chihaya in THE IDOLM@STER standing out in that department. Despite her relatively uneventful career, I wouldn’t mind seeing more of Asami in anime, since her psychotic portrayal of Solva is absolute money. (Oh I can just hear the “Magnetic World” screams now!) Because of her role there, it’s hard to believe she can sound as sweet as she does here for the Nyan Koi ending theme, but she has displayed some incredible range voicing Solva.

In undoubtedly Nyan Koi style, the PV features a cat to increase the cuteness factor. As for the song itself, “Strawberry ~Sweet and Painful Tears~”, I didn’t think much of it when I first heard it, but it’s surprisingly catchy the more you listen to it. As such, I’d recommend giving it a few more listens if you’ve been watching Nyan Koi but haven’t really bothered taking notice to this song. It may just grow on you like it has for me.

For those interested, this PV was released along with the single about a week and a half ago (09-10-21).

Show Nyan Koi! ED 「Strawberry ~甘くせつない涙~」 by Imai Asami ▼

PV / Tegami Bachi

Suga Shikao feat. Mummy-D – Hajimari no Hi PV (Letter Bee OP)

 

While the release of Letter Bee’s opening theme single is still several weeks away (09-11-25), the PV for it has already been aired. Unlike the anime version, the full song features a rap portion by Mummy-D, the MC/producer of a fairly old hip hop group called RHYMESTER. I haven’t really listened to Suga Shikao‘s music outside of one or two songs he wrote/performed for Honey and Clover, but I took an instant liking to “Hajimari no Hi” (Day of Beginnings) because of its catchy beat. Nowadays, anime songs tend to be no different than the music normal people would listen to, but I find they still tend to fall into pop and rock genres. I’m not sure what to classify Shikao’s music as, but it’s a refreshing change in the anime scene.

Surprisingly, the arrangement of the full version sounds a bit different from the TV short one. You’ll probably notice this immediately with the way it opens and of course, with the inclusion of Mummy-D’s rap later on. This is actually kind of cool, since it’s a whole different dimension to the song I wasn’t anticipating. Normally you’d just expect the TV short version plus a second verse at the end, but they mixed things up here.

As usual, I like to include the actual TV anime sequence for comparison purposes, so see below if you need a “Tegami Bachi” spin on the song.

Show Letter Bee OP 「はじまりの日」 by Suga Shikao ▼

Macross / Miscellaneous / PV

Macross F Galaxy Tour FINAL in Budokan – Part 5


A surprise for May’n and Megumi as the anime cast members step on stage to present them with flowers.

 

For this last part of the Galaxy Tour, we’ll look at how things wrap up in the encore. While the DVD includes clips from a smaller concert at Yokohama as well as various behind the scenes footage, this concludes the 165+ minutes of Macross F performances on Japan’s biggest stage. Picking up from the Seikan Hikou duet and band member introductions, May’n and Megumi take a moment to thank all the fans. Following that is an encore duet performance of Anata no Oto, where everyone asks Kanno Youko to make their heart skip a beat. Like with all the duets thus far, May’n’s voice just compliments Megumi’s here, so it was quite a treat to hear.

As the concert nears the end, we have a performance of the goofy SMS anthem with the crowd singing the majority of it. Before that song’s over though, the anime cast members that were there stepped on the stage to surprise May’n and Megumi with flowers. Apparently the two songstresses weren’t aware of this part of the script. Unfortunately though, it looks like Sakamoto Maaya wasn’t there after all, but Endou Aya definitely was. Just when you think things are over though, Youko, May’n, and Megumi appear from beneath the retracting stage for one more piano performance of Diamond Crevasse! It’s one to remember too!

…More after the jump!

Macross / Miscellaneous / PV

Macross F Galaxy Tour FINAL in Budokan – Part 4


The galactic fairies Sheryl Nome and Ranka Lee sing off with “Lion”.

 

What would a Macross Frontier concert be without THE Macross song that has transcended time itself, “Ai Oboete Imasu ka?” (Do You Remember Love?) If there’s anything that blew my mind with the series that marked the 25th anniversary of the franchise, it was the inclusion of this song. Having seen the original series way back in the day, the song not only gives off a real sense of nostalgia but “completeness” as well. It’s hard to imagine anyone ever matching up to Iijima Mari‘s original Lynn Minmay, but Nakajima Megumi makes a good pitch for it as Ranka Lee. For the performance of this infamous song, May’n also helped sing backup.

In part 4, we also see the conclusion of the main portion of the concert, which reaches a climax with the awesome instrumental medley “Fold Out ~ Shinkuu he! Flying Guitar” before going all out in a flurry of songs “Nyan Nyan Service Medley” Budokan Special style. However, with no full performance of “Lion”, things seemed incomplete. This brings us to the beginning of the encore portion of the concert, which realistically could’ve been a standalone mini-concert on its own. Starting with an instrumental performance of “Private Army” featuring Kanno Youko on an accordion, we’re set up for the long-awaited live performance of Lion… and more!

…You know what to do. Videos after the jump!

Macross / Miscellaneous / PV

Macross F Galaxy Tour FINAL in Budokan – Part 3


Sheryl Nome rises high above the crowd and welcomes them to her fan club’s night.

 

In part 3, we’ll take a look at May’n’s return to the stage. After a costume change, she comes back in Sheryl Nome-like fashion with a dominating presence care of the big screen. While the crowd gets excited about her performance of “Welcome to My FanClub’s Night!”, it’s not until the start of “Northern Cross” did they get really fired up. For that performance, they even had the air blowers going to give May’n’s hair and fluffy clothes that extra angelic touch. Surprisingly, Megumi returns to the stage right after (costume change and all) in a never before seen Aimo acappella performance. May’n also adds in her Aimo acappella bit, before Megumi takes us into a full-blown Aimo O.C. It was amazing to see the captivated crowd of 14,000+ go completely silent for the acappella performances.

…More after the jump, including videos of course!

Macross / Miscellaneous / PV

Macross F Galaxy Tour FINAL in Budokan – Part 2


Ranka Lee starring Nakajima Megumi.

 

Part 2 of god knows how many I’ll need to cover this Galaxy Tour concert. Continuing from the two marathon-like performances in Part 1, Megumi takes the stage alone to perform six more songs. She did get a bit of a break in the middle with the character skit and “Chou Jikuu Hanten Nyan Nyan” CM commercial song I mentioned before, but her “singing endurance” is still pretty amazing. I couldn’t help but wonder why they decided to sit May’n for so long, but she did show up for the Ranka version of “Iteza Gogo Kyuuji Don’t be late” before taking over the stage for the next couple of songs. In any case, part 2 is all Ranka Lee. Enjoy~

…Lots of videos after the jump. Not recommended for computers with limited RAM!

Macross / Miscellaneous / PV

Macross F Galaxy Tour FINAL in Budokan – Part 1


Nakajima Megumi, Kanno Youko, and May’n serenading us with a piano version of Diamond Crevasse.

 

In pure anime-like fashion, the Macross Frontier colony landed in Budokan last November 5th, 2008. Almost a full year later, we finally get to see what what down there in our very own homes and almost a week ahead of its scheduled release! (DVD: 09-10-30, Blu-ray: 09-11-27.) Starring May’n as Sheryl Nome and Nakajima Megumi as Ranka Lee, this huge concert marks the long-awaited onstage duet I’ve been absolutely dying to see since Macross Frontier was still airing. With over FOUR hours of footage (150 min concert, 90 min specials), this gigantic two disc DVD release doesn’t disappoint. It wasn’t all about these two singing princesses though, as the concert featured the one and only Kanno Youko. In addition to conducting her beautifully arranged score, Youko was also center stage on the piano for a lot of the songs.

…Videos after the jump!

11eyes / PV

Ayane – Arrival of Tears PV (11eyes OP)

 

I finally got my hands on Ayane’s newest PV, “Arrival of Tears”. Since the single’s release a few days ago, I’ve been listening to the full version of the song a fair bit and it’s quickly grown on me. It’s currently on my playlist and mp3 player and will probably be a mainstay there for a while. Back in my post about the first episode of 11eyes, I mentioned how Ayane sounds freakishly similar to Mizuki Nana at times. While I still feel that’s the case when she sings certain notes, I’ve listened to Ayane’s songs enough now to be able to tell them apart fairly easily now. That said, I would still love to hear Ayane sing one of Mizuki Nana’s songs or vice-versa just so I can be in awe.

As for the PV itself, it reminds me a bit of her “cloudier sky” one, except it’s completely 11eyes-themed with the Red Night and black moon. (Pretty cool.) Seeing as Ayane performed songs for the original visual novel and the Xbox 360 port “11eyes Crossover”, I guess it’s only fitting that the PV somewhat reflects the story of 11eyes. I tend to enjoy PVs that have some connection to the anime the song’s featured in, but I realize that’s usually the least of their concerns — especially when a song wasn’t written specifically for a show. In any case, I’ve included the anime opening below as well as the visual novel’s “Lunatic Tears…” for some extra 11eyes “feel” should you need it. Enjoy.

Show 11eyes OP 「Arrival of Tears」 & VN OP 「Lunatic Tears…」 ▼