Still digesting my buffet lunch at The Dragon Legend earlier today. Even at my advanced age and inclusion of wisdom in using pacing and conservatism when it comes to the number of rounds and choices at the buffet tables, I still ate a goodly amount of food. The Dragon Legend comes by its name quite honestly.
Anyways, I start my night on "Kayo Kyoku Plus" from a rather extraordinary setting this time: the toilet in my host family's house while I was on the JET Programme. Yup, you heard me. Ironic that I had started with a report on my huge lunch today and have now transitioned to the end of the digestion process. Well, luckily I will spare you the gory details but the reason that I start here is that by the porcelain god, there was always a pile of manga.
Now, I've always heard about the age-old tradition of taking some reading material into the washroom when you need to do your business. Take in stuff while disgorging stuff. Though that was never something I did while growing up here in Canada, I have to admit that I did pick up a few of those manga and leafed through them. One of those comics was the sci-fi epic "Cobra"（コブラ）about the titular man-of-adventure surrounded by plenty of gritty settings, sex and violence. I didn't convert into a fan but at the time, I kinda wondered if there had ever been a Hollywood live-action adaptation, a merging of Dolph Lundgren and Harrison Ford would have been in order or a really kick-butt version of Owen Wilson.
Getting back to the music aspects of the original 1982 anime "Space Cobra"（スペースコブラ）, I was at my buddy's place during anison hour when the opening theme for the series came on. Simply titled "Cobra", I was automatically entranced by that epic jazz orchestra and the silky and sultry vocals of Yoko Maeno（前野曜子）who had been the first vocalist for the 1970s pop group Pedro and Capricious（ペドロ&カプリシャス）. Of course, the music was composed by Yuji Ohno（大野雄二）who could come up with some very spicy theme songs. "Cobra" is a stylish and rousing romp with some spectacular horns and strings. Kayoko Fuyumori（冬杜花代子）provided the lyrics.
The same trio of Maeno, Ohno and Fuyumori was also responsible for the ending theme, "Secret Desire" which keeps the jazz. However, whereas "Cobra" is sweeping and action-packed and spy-jazzy, the ender is playful and relaxed with a more swing jazz arrangement. Even Cobra needs to unwind once in a while in his favourite gin-soaked watering hole-in-a-wall. Both songs came out as official and separate singles for Maeno in 1982.
It is nice to see you post about Space Cobra. A lot of the older anime fans in America who I talked to do fondly remember the opening, even when they have forgotten about the actual show.
ReplyDeleteI have this question though: Did Japan love blue, soul, jazz, etc. in the late 1970s and early 1980s? I notice a good number of anime (escially sci-fi shows) have openings and endings in these genres. And was it tie to the popularity of City Pop at the time with songs like Ruby no Yubiwa?
Hello, Fireminer.
DeleteI think there were a lot of Japanese fans for the genres that you mention which would explain the rise of City Pop, AOR and New Music. As for anison, it wouldn't surprise me if their creators followed musical trends of the time, and certainly City Pop did have its time.