Mika Nakashima -- FIND THE WAY

 

I heard this song a number of times when it was released, but I never realized until very recently that it had been used as one of the ending themes for a "Gundam" anime. To be specific, it was part of the franchise known as "Kidou Senshi Gundam Seed"（機動戦士ガンダムSEED...Mobile Suit Gundam SEED） which was televised between 2002 and 2003.

Up to that point, I'd known Mika Nakashima's（中島美嘉）"FIND THE WAY" as one of her many ethereal ballads of that time, and not anything that I would have connected with a bunch of gigantic battle mecha. Released in August 2003 as the singer-songwriter's 9th single, those strings really tenderize the song into a heart tugging love tune that I would have associated with a regular live-action TV drama. Nakashima was behind the lyrics while COLDFEET's Lori Fine took care of the melody. Both ladies would collaborate again in the following year for Nakashima's 11th single, "SEVEN".

I myself cracked the tip of the mighty Gundam iceberg by watching the first few movies in the franchise but never caught any of the series. According to Wikipedia, "Seed" has been one of the shows that has been widely well regarded. My anime buddy has often talked about the various entries on TV, but I can't quite remember whether he enjoyed "Seed" or not. He can be quite contrarian.

J-Wiki states that "FIND THE WAY" was Nakashima's first stab at an anison. Well, it was a successful hit since it did break the Top 10 by peaking at No. 4 on Oricon. It also ended up as the 79th-ranked single for 2003. The song can be found on her 2nd original album "LØVE" from November that year which hit No. 1, quickly became the 14th-ranked album for 2003 and then even rose to become No. 12 in 2004.