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I would like to give credit where credit is due. Videos are from YouTube and other sources such as NicoNico while Oricon rankings and other information are translated from the Japanese Wikipedia unless noted.

Friday, September 24, 2021

Keiko Toda -- FADE IN ~ Youmei(溶明)

 

Wow, Anpanman! I knew that you could fly and save friends and defend against the scourges of Baikinman, but you could sing City Pop?! You are truly a tasty superhero of the world!

Yup, actress/singer/seiyuu Keiko Toda(戸田恵子)has voiced a number of characters in the anime world but probably her most famous role is that of Anpanman(アンパンマン). Also in the live-action series forum, she's also been known as the sidekick to tall and tough Makiko Esumi's(江角マキコ)character in the Fuji-TV franchise "Shomu-Ni"(ショムニ).

Frankly, because I've had theme songs of both "Sore Ike! Anpanman"(それいけ!アンパンマン....Let's Go! Anpanman) and "Shomu-Ni" written up on "Kayo Kyoku Plus", I'd assumed that Toda was already represented here but such was not the case up to today. And yet, the Nagoya native has had a singing career which has probably been overshadowed by her long list of achievements on TV, cinema and anime; as I mentioned in the "Anpanman" article, Toda had started out as the 1970s aidoru Akemi Ayu(あゆ朱美). But I was a bit hasty when I remarked that she then went swiftly into acting since even under her real name, which is indeed Keiko Toda, she still released many singles and several albums.

Case in point: Toda released a 1983 album titled "Naturally" and I managed to find one track called "FADE IN ~ Youmei" (Melting) which is about as City Pop as all get out. Written by Keisuke Yamakawa(山川啓介)and composed by Ken Sato(佐藤健), if you like your sweet bean paste-filled buns served on a table next to a glass of wine on a balcony overlooking West Shinjuku with a wonderful sunset, THIS is your song. There are synth-horns, that necessary bass and a nighttime piano all coming together for a round of nocturnal classiness in the megalopolis.

Under the name of Akemi Ayu, Toda released just four singles between 1974 and 1976 but I will have to take a look among those very soon, too.

1 comment:

  1. She is a regular in Koki Mitani movies. Good actress.

    ReplyDelete

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