Tomoko Tane -- Mizu no Naka no Wakusei（水の中の惑星）

Singer-songwriter Tomoko Tane（種ともこ）has been someone that I hadn't heard in quite a long time. And commenter Robert B reminded me of her recently through a video that he'd found on YouTube. I remember first hearing her via her 1986 "Mermaid In Blue", the theme song for the anime "Sangosho Densetsu -- Aoi Umi no Elfie"（サンゴ礁伝説～青い海のエルフィ...Coral Reef Legend -- Elfie of the Blue Sea） and noticing her remarkable voice. Truly the voice of angels.

I was reminded of that voice through her performance of her June 1990 single "Mizu no Naka no Wakusei" (The Planet in the Water), and in fact, through Robert's introduction, it's the first time that I've been able to witness Tane performing in concert, so thanks to him for that. The song is so upbeat and hopeful that I'd thought that it must have been used for some sort of charity or anime, but as it turns out, it was used as a campaign song for a Denso air conditioner commercial. Considering the usual torrid heat and humidity in Japan in the summer, an air conditioner would probably provide the same sort of upbeat and hopeful feelings. And happily, it seems as if the nation may be finally cooling down for the autumn.

The original recorded version can be heard here at Nico Nico. By the way, the ad below is for Denso although it's not the one with "Mizu no Naka no Wakusei" and it was filmed all the way back in 1974.