Yoko Minamino -- Film no Mukougawa（フィルムの向こう側）

Oooh! It's been a few years since Yoko Minamino（南野陽子）has graced the pages of "Kayo Kyoku Plus". Not that Nanno was the only one with that image, but I've always seen this latter-half-of-the-1980s aidoru as more of the princess-y type than as the girl-next-door. Although I can't say that I've heard every bit of her discography, the songs that I do know by her and her sweet and high voice gave me that regal and innocent image.

One case in point is Nanno's 16th single from November 1989, "Film no Mukougawa" (Beyond the Film). Ryo Aska（飛鳥涼）of Chage & Aska fame was the composer and lyricist for this song which has the atmosphere of fantasy castle life, thanks to Jun Sato's（佐藤準）arrangement. If I've read the lyrics correctly, it seems as if a princess from a fairy tale world has gotten rather curious beyond the veil or film and perhaps romance may be coming for her.

Looking at the settings for the two TV performances and considering the release date of the single, I'm wondering if the record company were seeing "Film no Mukougawa" as an Xmas tune of sorts. It's kinda got that jingly feeling. Although I didn't hear it on the TV versions, according to the J-Wiki article on the song, the outro for the recorded version adopts a bit of Pachelbel's "Kanon". In any case, Minamino's number hit No. 1 on Oricon and was the 100th-ranked song on the yearly charts for 1990. In fact, this would be her final No. 1 hit to date.