Maki Ichiro -- Ameagari no Hoshizora（雨上がりの星空）

 

The first time that I heard this song, I kinda figured that the singer must have come from the Takarazuka Revue Company, the famous all-woman song-and-dance-and-acting troupe, just from the elegant delivery and the fact that her name was quite stylized. To be honest, she also had a certain timbre in her vocals that also reminded me of the dulcet tones of Misato Watanabe（渡辺美里）.

But indeed, Maki Ichiro（一路真輝）is a graduate from the Takarazuka Revue who first entered the troupe as a teen in 1982, reaching the heights as a top star. But in 1996, she left the revue to pursue other acting opportunities on television and stage. Ichiro also released a few singles which included her debut of "Ameagari no Hoshizora" (The Starry Sky After the Rain) in October 1997. Written by Kyoko Tomita（とみたきょうこ）and composed by Joe Rinoie（ジョー・リノイエ）, it's an OK pop song of its time with a funky beat that kinda skirts with Shibuya-kei. From seeing the top of that CD single in the thumbnail, the song was used as the theme for a TBS drama, "Bancha mo Debana"（番茶も出花）which also starred Ichiro.