Junko Iwao -- Koibito ga Uchuujin nara（恋人が宇宙人なら）

 

Ah...yes. Sarek and Amanda Grayson of Vulcan. The Doctor and River Song. The Scarlet Witch and the Vision. I gather that mixed marriages can have their unique issues but also some distinct benefits.

Yesterday, commenter Martin let me know on the article for Miki Matsubara's（松原みき）"Ganmo Doki!"（ガンモ・ドキッ!）and "Hyokopon Kankei"（ヒョコポン関係）, the opening and ending themes for the 1984 anime "Gu-Gu Ganmo"（Gu-Guガンモ）, that he knew of another similarly-premised anime adaptation of the manga "Mojacko"（モジャ公...Duke Moja） which had its run between 1995 and 1997. Instead of chicken-type aliens, though, "Mojacko" simply has alien aliens turning a student's life upside-down.

Martin has also stated his love for the first of the four ending themes that were used during the anime's run. And I have to admit that I like it, too. "Koibito ga Uchuujin nara" (If My Lover Were An Alien) is performed by sweet-voiced seiyuu Junko Iwao（岩男潤子）who plays Miki on "Mojacko", the designated target of affections by at least one of the main characters. With lyrics by Yumi Yoshimoto（吉本由美）and music by Motoyoshi Iwasaki（岩崎元是）, Iwao, perhaps in character as Miki, wonders what it would be like dating an alien like Moja. I gather that it wouldn't be like dating Ambassador Sarek of Vulcan, although chaos is possible with The Doctor.

However my affinity for "Koibito ga Uchuujin nara" lies in the fact that there is something quite EPO-tastic about the arrangement. It's got that amai doo-wop 50s sound that EPO and her good buddy Mariya Takeuchi（竹内まりや）had been known for in their early works in the late 70s and early 80s. Heck, even the opening that sounds like an old-fashioned radio identification call is right out of the EPO and Mariya playbooks. And then the full version tops that up with some jingly-jangly Phil Spector Wall of Sound piano (or Eiichi Ohtaki, if you like) in the bridge.

I was looking up Iwao's file on J-Wiki and I found out that she has also played the mother of key character Rikka Takanashi on "Chūnibyō demo Koi ga Shitai!"（中二病でも恋がしたい!...Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions） in 2012. Indeed, I am feeling even older now.