Pornograffitti -- Melissa（メリッサ）

From Wikipedia

At one point several years ago, my brother mentioned that he had read or seen at least some of the popular manga and anime "Hagane no Renkin Jutsushi"（鋼の錬金術師）, otherwise known as "Fullmetal Alchemist". The anime had a one-year run between 2003 and 2004 involving the Brothers Elric on a quest to search for the Philosopher's Stone.

I never got into "Fullmetal Alchemist" myself but I certainly recognize hearing that first opening theme song for the anime "Melissa" since it was another one of Pornograffitti's（ポルノグラフィティ）hits during the 2000s. In fact, it was the band's 12th single released in September 2003, and as has been the case with many a Pornograffitti song, it's darn catchy thanks to Akimitsu Honma's（本間昭光）bouncy composition (known back then as ak.homma) with guitarist Haruichi Shindo's（新藤晴一）lyrics. That B-verse is especially romantic and sweeping. I used to see the song up on the various music ranking charts and music shows but never realized that this had been an anison.

As for how the song got its title, it didn't have anything to do with any of the band members having a relationship with a lass named Melissa. Instead, it was a word that lyricist Shindo had seen in the dictionary from time to time. Initially, he had thought about going with a prospective title "Messe" because he simply liked how it sounded, but when he discovered that it meant "trade fair", he fled over to the word (and not the lady) Melissa. The above information I got through J-Wiki with the original source being an October 2003 issue of "PATi・PATi".

The official music video definitely had the Pornograffitti guys exploring their inner adventurers. Directed by Ryuji Seki（セキ★リュウジ）, the video went for an otherworldly setting with Shindo enthusiastically wishing for some stage combat. Well, that he got as he was cast as a warrior while vocalist Akihito Okano（岡野昭仁）got to be a clown and bassist Tama became a scientist. It would fit the "Fullmetal Alchemist" aesthetic, I gather.

"Melissa" hit No. 2 on the Oricon weeklies and it ended 2003 as the 34th-ranked single. It even held on for another year to finish as the 66th-ranked single for 2004, going Platinum. Its first album was "PORNO GRAFFITTI BEST BLUE'S", their 2nd BEST compilation from July 2004 which scored a No. 1 ranking, and ultimately No. 9 on the yearly rankings, becoming a million-seller.