Minami Kuribayashi -- signs ~Sakutsuki Hitoyo~ (signs 〜朔月一夜〜)

http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNDQ2MDIxNjQw.html

NOTE: I couldn’t find the full video on YouTube, but if, somehow, the Youku link provided above fails, you can watch a part of the video on YouTube just clicking here.

As I told in the “Tsubasa wa Pleasure Line” (翼はPleasure Line) post I wrote last year, Minami Kuribayashi (栗林みな実) is one of my favorite singers. Sadly, I dislike a good portion of her songs. Maybe it’s a bit strange to consider a singer one of my favorites while the songs are not really of my taste. I confirm the strangeness, but trying to redeem myself, when Minami records a good song, it means it’s REALLY good. Most of the time she (or who else is responsible for these choices) chooses to record cute, lame and generic pop/rock synthy anime songs, but sometimes she delivers a great song, and “signs ~Sakutsuki Hitoyo~” is easily in this bunch.

With a dramatic and epic big chorus, “signs ~Sakutsuki Hitoyo~”, which was released as a single in August 2012, is a very strong ballad that showcases what I think is Minami Kuribayashi’s best vocals to date. Her falsettos in some parts of the choruses are just beautiful, and to think that she can also deliver this high quality performance during live concerts is something really great. As for the arrangement, what I like the most, besides the strings, of course, is the nice guitar solo during the bridge. As it follows some melodies used in the choruses, it’s a nice complement to the overall epic vibe of the song.

Finally, Minami Kuribayashi is gorgeous in the "signs ~Sakutsuki Hitoyo~" video (sorry, my everlasting crush on her didn't let me end the article without telling this).

"signs ~Sakutsuki Hitoyo~", which ended being the theme song for the “Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse” anime series, reached #20 on the Oricon charts. It was written and composed by Kato Yusuke (加藤裕介), while Narumitsugi Nagaoka (長岡成貢) was responsible for the arrangement.