As Marcos V. and I were discussing briefly the other day, I think it was time to put up a Nana Mizuki（水樹奈々）article. The Queen of Anison neglected up to now? Sacrilege! Must repent! Although I cannot say that I am anywhere near an expert on this enka-trained veteran seiyuu/anison singer, Mizuki has made her voice very clear in my pop culture bubble over the past few years since coming back to Toronto. And aside from her career in the anime industry behind the mike, she's popped up on shows such as an NHK animal documentary series that broadcasts weekly on TV Japan and there was that string of appearances on the Kohaku Utagassen that I think was finally broken last year in 2015.
But in the anime field, I've known Mizuki for basically one character thanks to those viewings supplied by my buddy. And that would be the "Symphogear"（戦姫絶唱シンフォギア）franchise which revved up in 2012. Not only has she played the kickass character of Tsubasa Kazanari (風鳴 翼...singer and soldier) in the show about battling with over-the-top music-activated weaponry, but she supplied the theme songs. So why not go with the very first opening theme of "Synchrogazer", her 26th single from January 2012?
"Synchrogazer" is the template for me when it comes to current Mizuki songs whether it be for any of the "Symphogear" shows or her appearances on the Kohaku. Epic rocking techno (trance?) accompanying warp-speed often-operatic vocals. She could probably trounce the enemy NOISE just on that one song alone. As for the above video, I believe that is for "Madoka Magica", but hey, it works for me, too.
Anyways, Mizuki wrote the lyrics while Noriyasu Agematsu（上松範康）provided the melody for the song that got as high as No. 2 on Oricon. "Synchrogazer" was also a track on her 9th album from December 2012, "Rockbound Neighbours" that also peaked at No.2 and became the 42nd-ranked album for 2013.
Hi, J-Canuck.
ReplyDeleteGreat choice for Nana song!
“Synchrogazer” is a fantastic tune. It can be too much sometimes, but I’m a fan of pop music in its maximalist form.
Nana is a true talented singer, and I don’t recall many other singers that could handle a song like “Synchrogazer” with this mixture of strenght and elegance. She usually sings this flying above her fans, and it’s quite hypnotic to see how she can still sound great.
I can’t say I’m a big fan of her music in general, though... much of her songs are quite too explosive to my taste, but I surely enjoy some of her songs. I had a friend, around 7 or 8 years ago, who was a big Nana fan. He was constantly showing new songs from her, while I only wanted to listen to Megumi Hayashibara (he was a Megumi fan too, so we always kept arguing who was better between the two legendary seiyuus). In the end, he was able to make me fall in love with a couple of Nana’s songs, such as “Astrogation” and “Discotheque”. Years later, she released “Synchrogazer”, and I knew it was one of her masterpieces (alongside her two classics, “ETERNAL BLAZE” and “innocent starter”).
Hi, Marcos.
DeleteI've heard of singers going from aidoru to enka but I think it's pretty rare for the opposite thing to happen. Perhaps Mizuki is the only example I know. I wonder how much of that discipline from enka training helped her in achieving that sound of hers for anison.
Generally, no, I'm not a die-hard fan of hers either since her songs are often a little too ballistic for my tastes. But her material is perfect for the battles in "Symphogear".