Narumi Yasuda -- Kaze no Tani no Nausicaa (風の谷のナウシカ)

Long before the Tokyo local Narumi Yasuda (安田成美) made a permanent switch to acting, she started off as an aidoru in 1984, putting out 6 singles and 2 albums until 1988. Her debut single was created as a theme song for "Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind" (風の谷のナウシカ), the film responsible for launching the mighty force that is Studio Ghibli. Yasuda herself has often been referred to as "Miss Nausicaa" because her ethereal voice reminded the listeners of the main character. Because I haven't yet gotten the chance to watch the film myself (it is on top of my "to see" list), I cannot speak of how the lyrics reflect any of the scenes there. One thing I can say is that it's one of my top favorite aidoru songs ever.

Written and composed by the team of Takashi Matsumoto (松本隆) and Haruomi Hosono (細野晴臣), the song emits the aura of girlish sweetness combined with a sense of wonder and mystery. Yasuda was never a strong singer and every live performance I've seen of this has been terribly underwhelming, but I can still vouch for her studio vocals being a perfect fit for the song's fantastical atmosphere. Hosono's presence is evident in that quirky melody and light techno synths throughout the verses, though it was actually Mitsuo Hagita (萩田光雄) who arranged the song. With a huge repertoire dating back to 1973, Hagita's approach was always along the lines of traditional kayo kyoku, which is what you hear in orchestral backing of the chorus. I still think Hosono was partly involved in the arrangement, just uncredited. The combination of those two elements is what makes this a classic techno kayo piece in the purest sense of the word. I have to say the best part is that flute that blows through the bridge like a gentle breeze before the triumphant strings launch the march of the chorus. Makes me want to look out the window at the blue sky hovering over green hills. In my case, it's the range of tall green mountains surrounding Gifu City.

The single "Kaze no Tani no Nausicaa" peaked at No.10 on Oricon weeklies and became the 63rd-ranked song of 1984, selling 209,000 copies total for the original release. It was also remastered 3 times in CD format in 1988, 2000, and 2004.

Source: Big Wave blog at www1.plala.or.jp