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Friday, April 26, 2019

Takanori Arisawa -- Theme for Tuxedo Kamen(タキシード仮面)


Yes, you Sailor Moon(セーラームーン)fans have known this one for the longest time...ever since the original series started in 1992. Sailor Moon, even with her innate goodness and abilities, gets herself into a pinch against the villain of the week and all seems lost, when suddenly, a rose gets thrown down at supersonic speed just scraping past the bad guy or gal enough to disrupt his/her train of thought. Then, on the top of some tall structure, there is the ippiki ohkami himself, Tuxedo Kamen (Tuxedo Mask), appearing as rescuer (well, more like diversion-maker)/mentor to Usagi-chan while the lass has valentines for eyes.



Of course, every dashing hero needs the requisite theme song for his entrance, and so, Tuxedo Kamen got his with a bit of Latin and a bit of elan. It wasn't part of the opening theme or closing theme, and I don't think it ever got lyrics,but Tux's song was that nice and reassuring bit of sweeping strings to help Sailor Moon obtain some of that extra boost to finish off the villain.

Since he provided the music for "Sailor Moon", I'm also assuming that the late composer and arranger Takanori Arisawa(有澤孝紀)was also responsible for the theme for Tuxedo Kamen. Arisawa had provided commercial jingles and other anime soundtracks until his untimely death at the age of 54 in 2005. Even before that, though, he and his wife were two of the members in the City Pop vocal group SOAP.


I have to admit that for one Halloween party back in my NOVA days, I actually made up my own Tuxedo Kamen costume. Considering that most of the students who attended were far above elementary school age and we didn't have any "Sailor Moon" fans in the school, I was given a very hearty round of indifference as a reaction. In a way, I guess I really did want to disappear as quickly as the character always did.

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