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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.

Saturday, May 24, 2025

Junko Tokumaru -- Kaze mo Tomaru Juu-gatsu(風もとまる十月)

 

No, folks. I haven't gotten my months mixed up here. It just has to do with the title.

I am talking about "Kaze mo Tomaru Juu-gatsu" (October, When the Winds Stop) which was a track on aidoru Junko Tokumaru's(徳丸純子)2nd and final album "Ao no Nai Palette"(青のないパレット...Palette Without Blue) from December 1983. The singing part of her career ended not long afterwards, although she was able to keep on acting for quite a while longer. However, this particular song is (ironically considering the title) a pretty breezy affair with a touch of old-time pop thanks to the melody and arrangement by Nobuyuki Shimizu(清水信之). I'm just a sucker for shimmering strings and nostalgic chorus. Yuuho Iwasato(岩里祐穂)took care of the lyrics. 

You can also give a listen to the song's track mate, "Koi wa Seesaw Game"(恋はシーソーゲーム). I was wondering about the meaning of the title depending on how it's read. Is it "Kaze Motomaru Juu-Gatsu" or "Kaze mo Tomaru Juu-Gatsu"? However, when I defined the first reading as "Wind Calculating October", I figured it was probably the second reading.

3 comments:

  1. Junko Tokumaru's voice is very crispy, 明るい, and almost playful! Her voice, tone, and range sound so familiar, but I can't actually think of anyone else who sounds like her at the moment. I am trying hard to listen to the lyrics but her voice is some what mesmerizing because it is so so clear bright.

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    Replies
    1. Hello, Brian. That's a good adjective for her voice: crispy. The fact that it stands out from everyone else should have been a great advantage for her, but for some reason her aidoru career never got off the ground entirely.

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  2. Well, I happy that at least she could go on to be an actress and a model. But, I wonder why her musical career didn't take off?

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