Rica Matsumoto/Shoko Nakagawa -- Type: Wild（タイプ:ワイルド）

 

Ahh, it is rather nostalgic. I used to remember not only the whole "Pokemon: GO" craze but the Pokemon（ポケモン）card mania from the late 1990s. When my mother actually asked me to get some of those cards for her employer's grandkids when I came home biannually for Xmas, I knew that this was a fad of monumental proportions; I figured that somewhere cats and dogs were living together (that's a "Ghostbusters" reference, by the way). Never got into "Pokemon" myself, though.

So, why talk about it? Well, I had this particular video in the backlog and it belongs to singer and tarento Shoko Nakagawa's（中川翔子）cover of "Type: Wild", one of the ending themes for the 1997-2002 run of the anime "Pocket Monster"（ポケットモンスター）on TV Tokyo. Coming from her December 2019 5th studio album "RGB ~ True Color", I wanted to write about it today since I heard that Nakagawa had recently gotten married so many congratulations to her and her new husband.

When I first heard about "Type: Wild" via Nakagawa, though, I hadn't known about the "Pokemon" connection since there was nothing written about it in the J-Wiki article on "RGB". It actually took the Yahoo Japan search engine to reveal several references to the anime before I realized that it had been a "Pokemon" theme song. 

"Type: Wild" was the 5th ending theme for the series and it was originally recorded by seiyuu/singer Rica Matsumoto（松本梨香）who has been on the blog before under fellow contributor Marcos V.'s paragraph on the singer's other "Pokemon" theme, "Alola!!"（アローラ!!）in his article "Special Selection Vol. II". The original "Type: Wild" was released as one of the songs on Matsumoto's 9th single, "Rival!"（ライバル!）which came out in March 1999, peaking at No. 13 on Oricon. It also appeared on her second BEST compilation "Matsumoto Rica ga Utau Pokemon Best"（松本梨香が歌うポケモンソングベスト...The Best of Pokemon Songs by Rica Matsumoto） from July 2011. 

The original song was written by Akihito Toda（戸田昭吾）and composed/arranged by Hirokazu Tanaka（たなかひろかず）. Both versions are that morning OJ for the kids to get really excited about the franchise and characters (while the parents practice saying "NO!" forcefully in turning down their charges' requests for merch), but the Nakagawa cover as arranged by Kenichi Maeyamada（前山田健一）sounds like a major otagei anthem. Make sure you have the RUB-A535 or other liniment handy when you're swiveling your waist.

Otome Shintou -- Mousou Koukan Nikki（もうそう★こうかんにっき）

 

I've been getting through my own group of anime for the past several weeks, and as it has turned out, it's been on a weekly schedule. And so, this is the final week for shows such as Season 3 of "Karakai Jouzu na Takagi-san"（からかい上手の高木さん...Skilled Teaser Takagi-san） and Season 2 of "Komi-san wa, Komyu-sho desu."（古見さんは、コミュ症です。...Komi Can't Communicate） for me. I caught the finale for the latter last night and yep, I guess that the production team crafted it so that it could look like the end for not just the season but for even the entire anime, although I hope that there is a Season 3. 

In the group of six shows that I have been watching over the fall, one is actually an anime that goes back almost a decade, strangely enough. My interest in the adaptation of the light novel "GJ-bu"（GJ部...GJ Club） was sparked by the above video where the lone male member of a really laid-back high school club, Kyoya "Kyoro" Shinomiya（四ノ宮京夜）, got a massage from the club leader Mao Amatsuka（天使真央）. Not surprisingly for this show, poor Kyoro paid a heavy price.

After catching a few more scenes on YouTube, I decided to check out the entire one-and-done series that was broadcast on NTV between January and March 2013. Yeah, it hasn't been bust-a-gut hilarious like "Grand Blue" or even several episodes of the "Kaguya-sama" franchise, but personally since I've been more of a fan of the quieter slice-of-life programs for the most part, "GJ-bu" has been fine with me. I've had a few chuckles here and there, and the half-hours have been nice and relaxing despite the occasional violence by the crew against Kyoro (plus, there's a Canadian in the club, too!). It's also notable for the fact that seiyuu Hiro Shimono（下野紘）as the oft-suffering Kyoro and Maaya Uchida（内田真礼）as short-tempered and bitey Mao were headlining "GJ-bu" since both would go onto even bigger and better projects, although the latter already had a big role the previous year in "Chūnibyō demo Koi ga Shitai!"（中二病でも恋がしたい!...Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions）.

The opening theme "Mousou Koukan Nikki" (Delusion Exchange Diary) is a spritely tune (I'm never going to turn down a beefy bass and snappy percussion) written by Kenichi Maeyamada（前山田健一）and composed/arranged by Denkyu（電球）of the male musical trio Cyclamen（シクラメン）. It kinda reminds me a bit of Perfume's "Monochrome Effect" in the main chorus without the techno aspects. Initially, I'd thought it was the actual female cast behind the performance, but in point of fact, the singers responsible were an aidoru group called Otome Shintou（乙女新党...Maiden New Party） which had their time between 2012 and 2016. "Mousou Koukan Nikki" was their debut single released in February 2013 which peaked at No. 37 on Oricon. They released 9 singles (one of which was a digital download) and 2 albums.

One of the early members of Otome Shintou who graduated in the middle of 2014 was actress Aoi Wakana（葵わかな）who would go onto land the lead role in the NHK morning serial drama "Warotenka"（わろてんか...Laugh It Up） in 2017 and 2018. Wakana also had a supporting role in "GJ-bu" as the Kyoro-loving Geraldine Bernstein, the younger sister for the heavily carnivorous Canadian member Kirara.

Shunsuke Kikuchi -- Abarenbo Shogun no Tehma（暴れん坊将軍のテーマ）/Ken Matsudaira -- Matsuken EDM（マツケンEDM）

 

Almost a decade ago when I first started the blog, I wrote about my memories and the famous theme song for "Mito Komon"（水戸黄門）, the televised jidaigeki that my family used to watch in the early days of the VCR when the local Buddhist church held video nights on Wednesdays. The theme song's title of "Aa, Jinsei ni Namida ari" (ああ人生に涙あり）was most likely far harder to remember than simply calling it the "Mito Komon" theme, but it's about as memorable and epic as the lightning-fast swordplay which inevitably results in the penultimate scene of an episode.

One of the other famous jidaigeki that has lasted long over the decades is "Abarenbo Shogun"（暴れん坊将軍...The Unfettered Shogun） which first began its run in 1978. Starring veteran actor Ken Matsudaira（松平健）, the story revolved around the shogun Yoshimune Tokugawa（徳川吉宗）who brought swordsman justice to the corrupt and evil while in disguise as Shinnosuke Tokuda（徳田新之助）, the employee of a fire brigade in the capital. I would have loved Stan Lee's take on this.

As with "Mito Komon", "Abarenbo Shogun" has had its own legendary theme song, simply titled "Abarenbo Shogun no Tehma" (The Theme of Abarenbo Shogun). Not quite the march that "Aa, Jinsei ni Namida ari" is, this theme still reflects the wisdom and intrepidness of Matsudaira's shogun, and the introductory seven-note fanfare is the equivalent of the opening brass blast from the "Dragnet" theme. They both mean "Evildoers, you are so done!". 

The late composer Shunsuke Kikuchi（菊池俊輔）who passed away in April 2021 was responsible for the theme song. He's been the one behind themes and incidental music ranging from anime such as "Doraemon"（ドラえもん）to cop shows including "G-MEN★75". For the "G-MEN★75" article on "Kayo Kyoku Plus", I lifted a quote from the Wikipedia article on the composer and would like to use it here again: "...people began to say that 'if Kikuchi Shunsuke is in charge of the music, the show will be a hit.'". Well, "Abarenbo Shogun" did last well into the 21st century, and its theme song is probably as well as known as the one for "Doraemon".

Taking things all the way into this year, this video got put up just yesterday on Matsudaira's own YouTube channel, and it features a new song by him called "Matsuken EDM". Since his fighting shogun days, the actor has also gotten further fame from performing his flamboyant "MatsuKen Samba"（マツケンサンバ）. Well, this time, if you're willing to download or stream, you can now also get his latest as he moves away from Rio over to the electronica dance music club. It's basically the techno version of "Abarenbo Shogun no Tehma" surrounded by some extra music and lyrics for Ken-san, thanks to anime songwriter Kenichi Maeyamada（前山田健一）. If you can imagine the shogun spinning discs rather than waving katana, then "Matsuken EDM" is for you.

Say bye! Seibai!（成敗...Judgement）

Natsuko Aso -- More-more LOVERS!!

 

What brought me here was actually Hyadain's（ヒャダイン）"Hyadain no Kakakata Kataomoi-C"（ヒャダインのカカカタ☆カタオモイ-C）, the frantic 2011 song which started off a number of the zany and hilarious episodes of the anime "Nichijou"（日常）. Now, as a reminder from that article, Hyadain is the pseudonym for anison creator Kenichi Maeyamada（前山田健一）but in the video, there seemed to be a duet between him and a young lady under the name of Hyadaruko（ヒャダル子）. Actually, although the lass was singer/actress Natsuko Aso（麻生夏子）, her voice in the song was supplied by Hyadain pitched way up through technology.

So as such, I was curious to hear what Aso really sounded like since she's been active as of 2006. Through listening to her 5th single "More-more LOVERS!!" from November 2010, her voice is just a tad lower than the technologically-altered Hyadain voice which made me wonder for a bit why Maeyamada couldn't have allowed Aso to sing the song with her own voice. But then again, "Hyadain no Kakakata Kataomoi-C" had been recorded before the video so really Maeyamada only needed the young lady to provide a body and mouth for the vocals.

Maeyamada, in fact, was behind the just-as-frantic music and arrangement for "More-more LOVERS!!" with prolific anison lyricist Aki Hata（畑亜貴）taking care of the words. Aso hasn't been listed as an aidoru in her J-Wiki profile, but everything about the song and the pastel-coloured music video pretty much screams the recent teen idol genre (although the Tokyo-born singer had already been an adult for about 3 months at the time of release). She reminds me of a few solo aidoru from the Hello Project cadre.

"More-more LOVERS!!" peaked at No. 38 on Oricon and it served as the ending theme for the late 2010 anime "MM!"（えむえむっ!）, a show whose characters displayed a lot of their own special kinks. Unfortunately, I couldn't track down a video with the ending credits featuring Aso's song but I did discover that the seiyuu cast consisted of a lot of current A-listers who were already making waves in the industry such as Saori Hayami（早見沙織）and Jun Fukuyama（福山潤）.

Sayaka Sasaki -- Zzz

 

I still refer from time to time to certain scenes from the loopy 2011 anime "Nichijou"（日常...My Ordinary Life） such as the one above in which Mio is willing to commit assault on a police officer, her best friend and even an innocent goat to keep her BL hobby secret, and it's all done to a soundtrack that would make Bernard Herrmann cry with joy.

Mio and her aforementioned best friend, Yuuko, go through so much overdramatic hell in each episode that perhaps viewers consider the adorable ending credits a relief from the comedic anarchy. The ending theme is also quite reassuring. "Zzz" is the May 2011 4th single by singer Sayaka Sasaki（佐咲紗花）, the same person who performed the timeless "Anko Ondo"（あんこう音頭） for "Girls und Panzer"（ガールズ&パンツァー）and the opening theme for the motorcycle-themed "Bakuon!!" (ばくおん!!) , "FEEL X ALIVE".

Written and composed by Kenichi Maeyamada（前山田健一）, the same fellow behind the opening theme of "Hyadain no Kakakata Kataomoi-C"（ヒャダインのカカカタ☆カタオモイ-C）that he sings under his other name of Hyadain, "Zzz", as its name would suggest, is a slightly more caffeinated lullaby with the enriched goodness of a music box. After all of the hijinks of a typical episode and after listening to this, viewers can almost be confident that Yuuko will actually fly over the high jump bar and Mio will finally get her BL manga published.

Sasaki's single, which is her most successful one to date by peaking at No. 19 on Oricon, also contains an acapella version and even a cute bossa nova take. "Zzz" is also available on her debut album "sympathetic world" which was released in November 2011.

Hey, can't forget the music video either!

Hayabusa -- Choten Fever!（超天フィーバー!）

Caught a rerun of an NHK kayo program yesterday afternoon, and one of the featured guests was the group Hayabusa（はやぶさ）with their return of the good ol' kayo in the 21st century. I first mentioned about them in late 2017, and since then, the trio has been whittled down to a duo (just Hikaru and Yamato now).

Hayabusa performed their September 2019 single "Choten Fever!" (Ultra Heaven Fever!), an odd amalgam of enka and disco as the main vocalist Hikaru sings about the good life in the dance clubs with that characteristic vibrato of the former genre done to the beat of the latter genre. As Hikaru goes high, Yamato goes low like the bass guy of a doo-wop group. Written and composed by Kenichi Maeyamada（前山田健一）, who I usually associate with zany anison, "Choten Fever!" sounds as if it should have been a theme for an anime somewhere, and sure enough, it was one of the opening themes for "Duel Masters!!" in 2017. It doesn't quite hit the mark for me, but it's fun and quirky enough that I had to mention it.

Tacoyaki Rainbow -- Zesshou! Naniwa de Umareta Shojo-tachi（絶唱!なにわで生まれた少女たち）

Toronto had its love affair with Japanese souffle pancakes last year, and I think although the initial bloom of excitement has worn off, it looks like places like Fuwa Fuwa are here to stay. I always wondered how those folks were able to make those flapjacks so fluffy. Well, I watched tonight's episode of "Gatten!", that NHK educational variety show that goes into the wonders of health and food, and apparently the power of gluten has a lot to do with it. But that's all I will say about that since really I wanted to focus on the aidoru group that helped out in tonight's episode. The ladies there helped out by having their adoring audience shake up some bags of dough during the performance of one of their songs to create some venue-made udon (I guess you had to have seen the show).

This particular group is called Tacoyaki Rainbow（たこやきレインボー）, and the members all hail from the Kansai region of Japan where Osaka, Kobe and my ancestral home of Wakayama Prefecture are located. I was surprised that Tacoyaki Rainbow has been around for quite a while now (from 2012 according to Wikipedia), and there have even been some changes in the lineup. Apparently, each of the members get their own colour.

So, intrigued by Tacoyaki Rainbow appearing on "Gatten!", I decided to take a look at what could be seen on YouTube, and I found this lively number which was their 3rd single from September 2014 during their early indies days with Stardust Records. Given the lengthy title of "Zesshou! Naniwa de Umareta Shojo-tachi" (Epic! Naniwa-born Girls), it's nearly 5 minutes of happy and bouncy pride for Naniwa and themselves as Tacoyaki Rainbow; incidentally, Naniwa is the old name for Osaka.

"Zesshou!" has got some generous splashes of jazz and old-style kayo. To be honest, I thought it was a tune that could have been created by Ringo Shiina（椎名林檎）but actually it was written and composed by Kenichi Maeyamada（前山田健一）who's made frantic songs for himself and anime. Considering the antics by the quintet in the colourful music video, I could just about say that it has all the energy of an Osakan year-end party, and I'm surprised that it didn't become the theme song for some sort of anime. There's something quite similar to the aidoru group Momoiro Clover Z（ももいろクローバーZ）...not surprising since both groups come under the Stardust Promotions umbrella.

"Zesshou!" peaked at No. 13 on Oricon and is also a track on their debut album "Maido! Ohkini!"（まいど!おおきに!...Always! Thank You!）from December 2016. Up to now, Tacoyaki Rainbow put out 5 singles under Stardust Records (September 2013 to December 2015) and then have released 4 singles with the major label of Avex Trax. So far, they also have three albums.

Hyadain -- Hyadain no Kakakata Kataomoi-C（ヒャダインのカカカタ☆カタオモイ-C）

I've mentioned about this anime in other articles not directly related to it, but this is the first time that "Nichijou"（日常...My Ordinary Life）will be getting its due in terms of its theme songs. It's perhaps the earliest example of the zany school-based comedy anime that I've come across although I've only gotten my fill via the good folks at YouTube. One of the more hilarious yet epic scenes which I've watched is the  titanic "Principal vs. Deer" battle. As one YouTube commenter stated, there were scenes in "Attack on Titan" that were less brutal than this. Plus, I have to give my kudos to the guy behind the background music for the series, Yuji Nomi（野見祐二）.

The opening credits for "Nichijou" were also quite epic in their own way and were more than happy to show off what was to come in each of those episodes broadcast in 2011. The theme song as well was something that I found to have as much energy as a superball in a confined room.

The first opening theme for "Nichijou" was "Hyadain no Kakakata Kataomoi-C" (Hyadain's O-O-O-One-sided Love-C) by Hyadain（ヒャダイン）himself, aka singer-songwriter Kenichi Maeyamada（前山田健一）. Now, I've also mentioned one of his other creations under his stage name, the bitterly humourous Xmas tune "Christmas? Nani Sore? Oishii no?"（クリスマス?なにそれ?美味しいの?）.

"Hyadain no Kakakata Kataomoi-C", his impressions of having that first crush, was also his debut single released in April 2011. A lot of earworm fun in this one with that synthesizer, the voices and the varying tempo. Also, the video has plenty of amped-up zaniness and colour in there. I had first assumed that it was a duet between the stripe-suited Hyadain and the young lady who I found out was actress/singer Natsuko Aso（麻生夏子）. However, it turns out the female part, nicknamed Hyadaruko（ヒャダル子）, was also sung by Hyadain whose voice was pitched higher through technology as Aso gamely mouthed the lyrics in the video.

The song peaked at No. 12 on Oricon and was also placed in Hyadain's sole album so far, "20112012" from November 2012. That one reached No. 24 on the album charts.

One other track on the album is "Hyadain to Nomiya Maki no Kakakata Kataomoi-F"（ヒャダインと野宮真貴のカカカタ☆カタオモイ-F...Hyadain and Maki Nomiya's O-O-O-One-sided Love-F）which is the same song in a slightly lower register, and this time Hyadaruko is played by Maki Nomiya, formerly of Pizzicato Five. So I guess the duet did come to pass.

As a postscript, I gotta say that the original music video with Hyadain's head replaced with a box representing both him and Hyadaruko reminded me of the video of Thomas Dolby's "Hyperactive". I also have to point out that the whole aura around "Nichijou" is hyperactive in itself.

Yutaro Miura -- Home Sweet Home!

Almost a couple of months ago, I wrote about the cheery opening theme to one of the more comically violent anime I've seen in recent memory, "Jashin-chan Dropkick"（邪神ちゃんドロップキック...Dropkick on my Devil!）.

Yes, folks! Quentin Tarentino and anime...discuss.

Anyways, along with that opening theme, there is always the just-as-cheery ending theme by Yutaro Miura（三浦祐太朗）"Home Sweet Home!" that comes across as half-anime ender and half-game music. Perhaps for all of the mayhem that Jashin-chan generates and attracts, the song may be pointing out that the half-girl/half-serpent actually likes being on Earth in Tokyo.

Written by Miura and composed by prolific anison writer Kenichi Maeyamada（前山田健一）, there's nothing here that makes "Home Sweet Home!" a classic but it's a nice enough ending theme which reflects a typically chaotic episode. The download-only single came out in July of this year.

Kenji Ozawa/Dempagumi.inc -- Tsuyoi Kimochi - Tsuyoi Ai（強い気持ち・強い愛）

Kyohei Tsutsumi（筒美京平）...the one Japanese composer who can be identified with a song and folks would go "HE MADE THAT?!". A few days ago, I had just written about one of his early creations in the late 1960s for Taeko Kawabe（川辺妙子）, and "Midnight Tokyo"（ミッドナイト東京）reflected those times.

Well, listening to his special 50th anniversary 2-CD collection recently, I came across a number of surprises, and the subject of this article is another one.

All I can say is that Tsutsumi must have really liked his disco time (incidentally, disco never died; it merely moved to Japan and became an English teacher) since I can still recollect his handling of TOKIO's "Ambitious Japan" in 2003. Almost a decade earlier, even, he collaborated with happy popster Kenji Ozawa（小沢健二）to create "Tsuyoi Kimochi - Tsuyoi Ai". It translates literally as "Strong Feelings/Strong Love", but the official English title is "Metropolitan Love Affair".

After Shibuya-kei darlings Flipper's Guitar split up, the biggest song that I remember by Ozawa has been his mellow and jazzy "Otona ni Nareba" （大人になれば）. Little did I know that he had indulged in his disco suit a few years earlier. Cue the mirror ball and do the Hustle! Ozawa took care of the lyrics while Tsutsumi provided the nostalgic dance music of the 1970s and the image of riding at supersonic speed on that Soul Train.

Ozawa's 7th single was released in February 1995, and to rather illustrate that Japan❤disco relationship, it went all the way to No. 4 on Oricon and went Platinum. In fact, it is his 2nd-most successful single next to his previous single "Corolla II ni Notte"（カローラIIにのって...Get On The Corolla II）. By the end of the year, "Tsuyoi Kimochi - Tsuyoi Ai" was the 92nd-ranked song on the charts. The song was also placed on his BEST compilation album, "Setsuna"（刹那...Moment）from December 2003 which peaked at No. 29.

I remember Marcos V. talking about Dempagumi.inc（でんぱ組.inc）back in 2014 and introducing the hypersonic genre of denpa music through them. Well, their May 2012 double-A side 4th single included their cheerful technopop cover of "Tsuyoi Kimochi - Tsuyoi Ai", and I think like their "Sakura Apparition"（サクラあっぱれーしょん）, it's perhaps a more restrained outing (at least until the last number of seconds in the shortened music video above) of their warp speed performances judging from some of their other videos.

The single did fairly well as it went up to No. 37 on the charts, and this version was arranged by Kenichi Maeyamada（前山田健一）.

Riho Iida in Portugal (Iberanime, 2018.05.26-27) + KISS! KISS! KISS!

Writing articles based on personal viewing experiences makes me feel like I'm a lucky girl who gets to see Japanese singers every week. I wish that was the case, but I don't have the time nor the money to follow that lifestyle.

Still, I try to grasp every chance, and I had the tickets for this event months before I decided on my other trip to UK. I am talking about Iberanime, the biggest anime and Japanese culture event in Portugal (the second biggest "geek" convention, after Comic-Con, which is more recent).

It is an event I attended when younger, in my first years of anime-loving, but stopped going as soon as it got too expensive for what it offered. Since then, other events started decreasing in size or disappearing, as this one got more relevant and started inviting some bigger guests. I went this year to see Riho Iida (飯田里穂).

Riho Iida (affectionately known as Rippi) is a former child actress who is now a voice actress and got her breakthrough through Love Live! (ラブライブ!), the anime and mobile game which popularized the "2D/seiyuu idol" concept. This means the characters are idols both in animation and in real life.

I actually got the ticket as soon as I found out one of the voice actresses of Love Live was going, since it's a media I enjoy, both anime, mobile game (which I don't play anymore, though) and, of course, the music. Most tunes are essentially typical idol anisongs but there are some gems. Rippi's character in particular is not one of my favorites but I like her, mostly because of her singing voice, which is very good, including during live performances.

During the two days of the event, I saw Iida three times. The first was at a meet and greet, where I got the signed DVD shown above. It was actually the first time I talked in Japanese to someone (besides that sole "otsukare" I got to say to Maison book girl), and all those years of anime and variety binge-watching paid off, lol. (I still want to attend a proper course, though.)

The other two times were two concerts. The first was a smaller, demo concert and the second was the full version. The setlists were mainly composed of her solo career repertoire, finishing with one Love Live song, different for each day. It was actually my first time listening to anything from her individual career, but I was pleasantly surprised. I got the feeling that her songs are all pretty catchy and nice to hear.

KISS! KISS! KISS! was the song that got stuck in my head because she sang it one time in each concert plus an encore. It is the main song from her first solo single, released in 2015, in the peak of the Love Live boom. Both lyrics, composition and arrangement are credited to Kenichi Maeyamada, better known as Hyadain (ヒャダイン). That basically explains why it's such a fun and catchy song, and everyone was singing along the chorus.

Rippi is a very sweet person and everyone welcomed her very warmly. In the audience, you could notoriously see Love Live cosplayers and dedicated fans carrying penlights. One person offered her a bouquet during the meet and greet. We don't have this kind of artists coming here that often, so I'm glad Iida seemed to enjoy her stay in Portugal as well.

As for the rest of the event, I found it pretty enjoyable, plus some of my favorite and cutest national cosplayers won a prize (let's aim for European gold), so all went well.

Ayana Taketatsu -- Oh My Sugar Feeling!!（OH MY シュガーフィーリング!!）/ Hachimitsu Rocket -- Okashi na Watashi to Hachimitsu no Kimi（おかしなわたしとはちみつのきみ）

I thought the above Niigata bamboo dumpling flavoured Langue de chat confection that I kindly received from my lone student would be the ideal thumbnail image for this article since it is covering the opening and ending themes for a personally anticipated sequel to the snack-themed anime "Dagashi Kashi"（だがしかし）.

I've noticed a couple of the differences with "Dagashi Kashi 2". One is that the animation is slightly different; my anime buddy told me that this time the studio is trying to get it to resemble the original manga illustrations. OK, no problems there. However, the second difference was disappointing in that this time the show is only 15 minutes long compared to the full 30 minutes for each episode in the first season back in 2016. There is also a bit more drama in the proceedings along with the feeling of transition...that things won't quite be the same anymore.

First off, let me say that there haven't been any anison earworms this Winter 2018 season. Still, the opening theme of "Oh My Sugar Feeling!!" is quirky and pleasant enough so that it has grown on me to a certain extent. Sung by seiyuu Ayana Taketatsu（竹達彩奈）who voices the main character of Hotaru, it really does feel like the aftermath of gobbling down an entire bag of M&Ms in 5 seconds flat.

Written by Kanata Nakamura（中村彼方）, composed by Motokiyo and arranged by Kaoru Okubo（大久保薫 ）, this is Taketatsu's 10th single from January 2018. It peaked at No. 19 on Oricon.

The ending theme for "Dagashi Kashi 2" has had a bigger attraction for me. Once again, the ending credits have been quite colourful. But instead of the Alice In Wonderland theme (with dancing from Hotaru and Saya) from the first season's credits with Taketatsu, it's more a combination of Candyland and cheesecake among the female characters.

Plus, although "Okashi na Watashi to Hachimitsu no Kimi" (Weird Me & Honey You) hasn't quite had me running for the repeat button on YouTube, it is another sugar rush of a song by this aidoru group called Hachimitsu Rocket（はちみつロケット）that launched in 2014. I definitely don't need to get any Kit Kats for several hours after hearing this one.

Composed of 7 ladies in their late teens from the Kanto region, this song is just their 2nd single and it hasn't even been released yet. Release has been set for early March. Apparently, Hachimitsu Rocket originated from 3B Junior, the aidoru training department of Stardust Promotions. Momoiro Clover Z（ももいろクローバーZ ）and Shiritsu Ebisu Chugaku（私立恵比寿中学）were also founded through this department. "Okashi na Watashi to Hachimitsu no Kimi" was written and composed by Kenichi Maeyamada（前山田健一）.

Hyadain -- Christmas? Nani Sore? Oishii no?（クリスマス?なにそれ?美味しいの?）

Valentine's Day, Halloween and Christmas are the non-native holidays that most Japanese have embraced like a cute teddy bear. As any person who has spent a Xmas in Japan would know, the religious aspect of the holiday is largely absent while pop cultural parts of December 25th such as Santa Claus and Xmas trees are the most visible elements. Of course, as with a lot of imported pop culture into Japan, the Xmas traditions have been given their own J-twist: Kentucky Fried Chicken being the go-to choice for family dinners on the day, original J-Xmas tunes which are well represented here on "Kayo Kyoku Plus", and the fact that the Yuletide in Japan is basically a second romantic holiday several months after Valentine's Day. February 14th is the day of courtship and kokuhaku but December 25th (or the 24th) represents the furthering of the relationship (although it is still a regular working day).

Yup, reservations at the establishments of fine dining and accommodations are booked solid in Tokyo on those days as couples celebrate their happiness. But what of those folks who have never been that lucky in love during Xmas? No strolls down Omotesando, no sharing of a cocktail through two straws and no clinking of champagne glasses over a candle on a table fit for two. Instead, it's the usual trip to the convenience store for a Cup O'Noodles or karaage bento perhaps with a can of beer or Calpis.

For those folks (and me), I think I have just the J-Xmas song for you. Came across it by accident on YouTube several days ago, and it seems to be just the tonic against all those gleeful Christmas tunes that might get a bit treacly over time. This would be "Christmas? Nani Sore? Oishii no?" by singer Hyadain（ヒャダイン）. Now, I know the official translation of the song is "Xmas? I Don't Know Such A Thing" as shown at the beginning of the hijinks. However, in keeping with the snarky nature of the song, I would like to translate it as "Christmas? What The Hell Is That? Is It Tasty?"

Hyadain is actually the singing moniker for musician-songwriter Kenichi Maeyamada（前山田健一）. If that real name sounds familiar, then you are probably an anime fan since he's been responsible for creating a number of anison. The list on him here includes the high-speed "Nippon Egao Hyakkei"（ニッポン笑顔百景）which was the ending theme for one of my favourite anime "Joshiraku"（じょしらく）, and Hiroko Moriguchi's（森口博子）"Hoshi yori Saki ni Mitsukete Ageru"（星より先に見つけてあげる）that served as the atypical ending theme for "One-Punch Man".

He not only created and performed the song but also starred in the video as a hilariously embittered lad once again having to spend another Xmas by himself. However, he shares his unenviable fate in epic fashion through dance and song with the help of the clever lyric of "Single Hell, Single Hell" and a shoutout to some of the most famous English-language Christmas songs including "Jingle Bells" and "Joy To The World". I can guarantee that there is no joy in Hyadain's world.

"Christmas? Nani Sore? Oishii no?" came out in November 2011 as his 3rd single. It managed to get as high as No. 49. Meanwhile, it also got onto first BEST compilation "20112012" released a year later. That peaked at No. 24.

Now if you'll excuse me, I will be preparing to catch the annual Christmas special of "Doctor Who" on the 25th.

Miyu Tomita, Saori Onishi, Naomi Ozora and Kana Hanazawa -- Gabriel Dropkick (ガヴリールドロップキック)

Well, today is an off-Sunday from the usual biweekly anime-and-food sessions with my friend, and it is just as well since the city is being pounded by a good heaping of snow. I don't think even he would have wanted to travel out on the roads today.

However, the winter anime season is in full swing and it looks like the shows that we have been watching are of the magical and mystical variety. At this point, "Little Witch Academia" seems to be the big hit so far but we've also been having fun with this other purely comedic program called "Gabriel Dropout" (ガヴリールドロップアウト).

The plot reads like something for an old 1960s daffy sitcom on the order of "Bewitched" or "I Dream Of Jeannie": the top student, Gabriel, at the Angel Academy in Heaven gets sent down to Earth to learn the ways of humanity (I guess this would be the divine equivalent of an immersion programme) only to crack and end up as a rude and antisocial slacker. Meanwhile a couple of devils-in-training, Vignette and Satanichia, who end up as classmates are far less malicious than Gabe (who even has her horn) while the No. 2 angel, Raphiel, gains a reputation as a slightly psycho stalker. Your weekly dose of irony, anime fans!

The opening theme, "Gabriel Dropkick" seems to be gaining a reputation itself as a sinister earworm including for my own auricular canals. I mean, even it has some ambitions to be a fun 60s-sitcom theme. Sung by the seiyuu for the 4 main characters, Miyu Tomita（富田美憂）as Gabriel, Saori Onishi（大西沙織）as Vignette, Naomi Ozora（大空直美）as Satanachia and Kana Hanazawa（花澤香菜）as Raphiel, it's a back-and-forth musical onslaught between the light and dark side...a little gospel here, a little rock there...all fun everywhere. And I gotta say that Tomita has got quite the angelic voice despite her devilish character.

Veteran anison creator Kenichi Maeyamada（前山田健一）took care of words and music. It looks like the full single is yet to come out (February 22nd is the release date) since we're not that far into the new season but I'm looking forward to getting my copy.

I guess it doesn't matter where you come from. If you're in Japan, you are automatically terrified of cockroaches.

Momoiro Clover Z -- Rodo Sanka （労働讃歌）

Welcome to December! The above photo was actually taken in January of this year but going outside today to take my walk, the intersection near my place didn't appear all that much different from above. It has been a drab day to match the drab environment without snow to brighten up things.

Since my good friend and collaborator Marcos V. decided to talk about some of the old stuff featuring Hikaru Utada's mother yesterday, I decided to start the month with something from his usual neighbourhood, Momoiro Clover Z (ももいろクローバーZ).

From what I've read from Marcos and other sources is that Momoiro Clover Z has been quite the aidoru phenom in terms of trying a bit of everything in the music spectrum. My first article on them was their mix of traditional Japanese and dance music in "Nippon Egao Hyakkei"（ニッポン笑顔百景）which was the ending theme for one of my favourite anime "Joshiraku" (じょしらく), and in retrospect, I think that it was certainly the interesting musical concoction.

Momoclo's 6th single, "Rodo Sanka", came out several months before that one in November 2011. Translated as "Hymn to Labor", it is a tribute to the working man as the cog in the corporate machine of Japan. The Wikipedia article on the song even went into the music video by talking about the fact that the ladies sported these so-called energy-saving suits that were heavily promoted in the late 1970s during the 2nd Oil Shock in Japan. My take on the video is that Momoclo was trying their darndest to show off that the salarymen not only worked hard but played hard as well. Those ties around their heads are the typical symbol of the guys immersing themselves in drink and carousing after another 12-hour day.

What got my attention was the arrangement behind "Rodo Sanka" which sounded like something to be found in a Quentin Tarentino flick or a rerun of "Shaft". There is quite the 1970s funk in there, and it turns out that the melody was provided by a fellow by the name of Ian Parton. He and his UK band The Go! Team specialize in a mix of genres including rock and blaxploitation music. In fact, he and his former fellow bandmate, Jamie Bell, also participated in the recording of the song on guitar, drums and bass. Kenji Otsuki（大槻ケンヂ）took care of the lyrics.

Now, what got me to write about Momoclo today was this song which was included on the CD alongside "Rodo Sanka". "Santa-san" (サンタさん) was one of the tunes performed by the unit when they had their first concert in New York City recently. "TV Japan Club" had some excerpts from their visit to the Big Apple, and I figured that with the Yuletide around the corner, it was time to put up an Xmas song on "Kayo Kyoku Plus".

Kenichi Maeyamada（前山田健一）took care of words, music and arrangement for "Santa-san" which is this hyperkinetic experience of Momoclo enjoying a typical Xmas party in Japan after the ladies have had a few too many candy canes and slices of fruitcake. Speaking of fruitcake, Maeyamada combines in that frenzied aidoru music with bits from "Jingle Bells" and "Joy to the World". Hope they didn't sugar crash too badly after making that video.

The third and final song before the karaoke versions come into play is "Bionic Cherry". Now I've actually heard and seen "The Bionic Watermelon" which was a silly-as-heck parody segment of the old ABC 1970s sci-fi series "The Six Million Dollar Man" (yep, they actually had successful sci-fi shows back then) that was featured sometimes on the old variety show starring singing duo The Captain & Tennille. But "Bionic Cherry"? That was a new one.

In any case, the song composed by AKIRASTAR starts off a bit techno but then goes into full frenetic pop/rock mode with Natsumi Tadano's（只野菜摘）lyrics also acting as the orange juice to kick you on to tackle the planet. So it was rather appropriate as the theme song for the 2011 tongue-in-cheek action flick "Salvage Mice". Still, I also like the original music video for the song itself. Apparently the song has been officially labeled Melodic Hardcore, a genre of punk.

The entire song under "Rodo Sanka" managed to peak at No. 7 on Oricon.

Just to end things, I actually found one video about "The Bionic Watermelon". Yes, we were easily amused back then.

Shiori Muto, Yū Asakawa, Sumire Uesaka, Chiwa Saito, Mutsumi Tamura and Ayumu Murase -- Chiisana Hoshi (ちいさな星)

Finally, I got to watch "X-Men: Apocalypse" last night some 3 weeks after its premiere (I think you folks in Japan will have to wait another couple of months before it hits your shores). Considering the mediocre reviews, the lack of buzz behind the movie, and my talk with JTM last weekend, my expectations had been brought lower than The Blob's centre of gravity, so I was actually quite happy with the finished product. Nope, it's not quite up there with Marvel's big superhero grand prize fight "Civil War" but it's also no "X-Men: The Last Stand" either. And once again, Evan Peters' Quicksilver stole the show again. I am actually hoping that that scene gets onto YouTube fairly soon.

Speaking of superhero movies, I have got quite the cast listing up there in the title line this time, don't I? Well, following up on my article for Pay money To my Pain's "Respect for the deadman", the opening theme for "Nobunagun"（ノブナガン）, here is the ending theme for that same 2014 anime. I'm now approaching the end of that entertaining show about mutants of another kind although it seems as if there won't be any large franchise coming out of this manga adaptation, unfortunately.

https://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm22734364

Unlike the thrashy rock of "Respect for the deadman", the ending theme of "Chiisana Hoshi" (A Little Star) is all cute technopop starring a large chunk of the cast from "Nobunagun". And the song is divided into two versions with "Chiisana Hoshi ver.α" first hitting the ending credits with seiyuu Shiori Muto（武藤志織）as the main character Sio Ogura, Yū Asakawa（浅川悠）as French kiss-crazy Isaac Newton and Sumire Uesaka（上坂すみれ）as moe (and now perhaps cyclopean) Galileo behind the mike.

https://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm22981292

Then, there is "Chiisana Hoshi ver.β" with Muto again but this time, she's joined by Chiwa Saito（斉藤千和）as good-but-not-nice Geronimo, Mutsumi Tamura（田村睦心）as just-as-good-but-just-as-not-nice Cyx and Ayumu Murase（村瀬歩）as fellow hero and frequent doormat Gaudi. This was the version that finally got my ear when it was first introduced at the end of episode 6. For some reason, it sounds fuller and so the Beta version is the one I actually prefer.

With lyrics by Rie Otsuka（大塚利恵）and music by Kenichi Maeyamada（前山田健一）, "Chiisana Hoshi" shares something with the opener of "Respect for the deadman" in that it has unexpectedly got my ear although I wouldn't say it has leveled up to an earworm. But there is a lot about "Nobunagun" that was unexpected in a happy way.

In any case, I'm looking forward to "Suicide Squad" and "Doctor Strange".

Dempagumi.inc -- Future Diver

NOTE: After a long absence... I'm back, folks! \o/

I remember the first time I watched/listened to Dempagumi.inc’s (でんぱ組.inc) “Future Diver” and how bad I felt after. The worst part was that I liked and watched/listened to it more times. In the end, I forced myself to erase it from my PC, because I thought it was too wrong for me to like something like that. It was in December 2011, almost four years ago.

My initial experience with Dempagumi.inc was strange. Obviously, they were very different from AKB48, Perfume, or whatever aidoru group anyone wants to choose. In fact, the only group that could be mildly compared to Dempagumi.inc was Momoiro Clover Z (ももいろクローバーZ), but even Momoclo was not that crazy.

Dempagumi.inc’s “Future Diver” was chaotic and the video kind of sexualized the girls in a strange way (not so strange for a moe fan, let’s say), but both the song and video were also very mesmerizing and catchy. I just couldn’t get enough of that, and the only thing I was capable of thinking was how Dempagumi.inc seemed like a group in the darkest edge of the aidoru world. Like I said, it was wrong in so many ways... and no, I could never guess they would turn into a true strong force in the aidoru world a couple of years later.

“Future Diver” was not Dempagumi.inc’s debut song, but it was the first one to really radicalize their Akihabara/otaku gimmick. And you know what? The song did its job very well, thanks to the arcade-like arrangement, exciting feeling and also the girls’ vocals, which were full of dramaticity and interesting melodic shifts. Let’s say it established Dempagumi.inc’s style in a great way.

“Future Diver” is now one of Dempagumi.inc’s true classics, and they show their affection to the song performing it at almost every concert. Also, based on the amount of energy the public disposes everytime the girls are performing it, we can really tell “Future Diver” is very loved by the fans. Here’s a live performance of it.

“Future Diver” was released as a single in November 2011. It was later included in their debut album “Nee Kiite? Uchuu wo Sukuu no wa, Kitto Osushi... de wa Naku, Dempagumi.inc!” (ねぇきいて?宇宙を救うのは、きっとお寿司…ではなく、でんぱ組.inc!), from December 2011, and also in their second album “WORLD WIDE DEMPA”, from December 2013, but as a re-recorded version (there were some members changes between the original release and this one). The single reached #46 on the Oricon charts. Lyrics were written by Aki Hata (畑亜貴), while music was composed by Masaya Koike (小池雅也). As for the arrangement, Kenichi Maeyamada (前山田健一) was the responsible.

Source: generasia.com

Hiroko Moriguchi -- Hoshi yori Saki ni Mitsukete Ageru （星より先に見つけてあげる）

My biweekly Sunday routine of watching anime and eating with my old friend continued, but what was a little more special yesterday is that the new crop of shows for the season got started over the past couple of weeks. "Gochuumon wa Usagi desu ka??"（ご注文はうさぎですか？？）was the first to enter my range (oh my word...those ending credits), but then there was this other one which was pretty much on the other end of the hardboiled-fluffy scale.

My anime buddy told me about "One-Punch Man"（ワンパンマン）, the story of a jaded superhero who can end a fight...and the opponent's life...with just one well-aimed fist. It's basically a god as an X-Man with plenty of tokusatsu city-smashing and an animation style that can wildly range between "Fist of the North Star" and "Chibi Maruko-chan". We saw the first couple of episodes yesterday and they were fun for the snarky banter and timely amounts of grue (I kinda wonder whether Tarentino would like this). My first thought after watching the pilot episode was "Well, I've been missing 'Kill La Kill'...". And to top off some of the satire of the superhero genre, JAM Project comes up with this over-the-(mountain) top opening theme "THE HERO!!" which had me thinking of "Ai wa Torimodose"（愛はとりもどせ）from the aforementioned "Fist of the North Star". The only things missing from "THE HERO!!" were "YOU" and "SHOCK".

I certainly was expecting an opening theme of that caliber and decibel level for "One Punch Man", but after 20 or so minutes of glorious screaming and clobbering (including a uniquely cringeworthy way of offing a human-crab hybrid), my friend and I were caught off-guard by the ending theme. Huh? As a number of YouTube commenters have been remarking, the song could have fit the ending credits for any dozen anime...and not necessarily for the sci-fi genre. It's just this pleasant little semi-technopop tune which could have been delivered with a bunch of azaleas and a chamomile tea grin. But I think that was perhaps part of the producers' overall joke with the show. Just imagine the most notorious scene of "School Days" and then right after the first stab of the knife comes the hilariously soothing Nice Boat sailing through the fjords.

"Hoshi yori Saki ni Mitsukete Ageru" (I Will Search Beyond The Stars) has that incredible title of hokeyness and was created by the prolific duo of Aki Hata and Kenichi Maeyamada（畑亜貴・ 前山田健一）. Plus, it has the voice of one Hiroko Moriguchi（森口博子）.

Perhaps for a lot of folks outside of Japan...and Wikipedia, Moriguchi has been known only as an anison singer, including the entries for the "Gundam" franchise. But for me, her official singing is the part of her long career that I know the least about. Actually, I've known her since my Gunma days over a quarter-century ago as a comedic tarento and impressionist who seemed to appear everywhere almost daily. In fact, I always looked forward to seeing her on TV just to see if she would break down into a soft mass of giggles (the Goldie Hawn of Japan) as she often did. But she was also famous for impersonating a number of female singers which included the distinctive Shizuka Kudo（工藤静香）such as above.

In the early 90s, just after I had left Japan for a few years in Toronto before returning for my far longer stint in Tokyo, she and fellow tarento Kenji Moriwaki（森脇健児）, teamed up to host a half-hour variety show called "Yume ga MORIMORI"（夢がMORIMORI...Dreams with Gusto） which also featured a group of young singing and dancing lads who were being groomed to become something big....I think they were called SMAP or something.

My fellow collaborator JTM has written a little more history on Ms. Giggles in his 80s playlist of anison and drama themes; scroll down to entry No. 6.

The Gundam Café in Akiba. Not sure if Moriguchi ever
showed up here.

ZAQ -- Alteration/Kana Asumi -- Shintouatsu Symphony （浸透圧シンフォニー）

Well, I've been quite grateful for my current translation gig handling things like travel articles. For one thing, I'm getting paid for my efforts and I'm also learning vocabulary on places such as onsen towns and the myriad shrines and temples. The unexpected benefit has to do with that latter tourist site in Japan. You see, over the past few months, I've been watching the 2013 anime "Sasami-san@Ganbaranai"（ささみさん@がんばらない...Ms. Sasami@Unmotivated） in which the plot and characters involve a lot of terms having to do with Japanese mythology such as the Sun Goddess Amaterasu and The Three Sacred Treasures of Japan. In fact, you might say that Amaterasu and those treasures are the characters. A lot of that stuff going in "Sasami-san" would have been over my head if it hadn't been for those shrine/temple articles. I had only just translated an article about a certain shrine which dealt with The Cave of Heaven, and a couple of days later, the cave got a mention in an episode of the show. Kismet or what? Anyways, the show's gotten a lot deeper and somewhat more complex compared to the debut episode which seemed to be about a sassy hikikomori ensconced in a rather nice house with an overly devoted brother with a sister complex.

But right from the beginning, I was drawn to the opening theme by singer-songwriter ZAQ, "Alteration". I have seen the singer-songwriter's name in the credits for other anime but "Alteration" has been the one by her that has finally grabbed me due to its blastoff right from the opening notes and melody which strikes me as reminiscent of a dance tune from the parapara days. Plus some of those key shifts certainly kept my ears on their toes.

"Alteration" was released as ZAQ's 2nd single from January 2013 and it peaked at No. 25 on Oricon. It is also a track on her lone album so far, "NOISY Lab." from April 2014 which got as high as No. 8 on the charts.

The other interesting thing about the show is the running gag that is the innocent ending credits. Instead of the technopop excitement of "Alteration", "Shintoutatsu Symphony" (Osmotic Pressure Symphony) is a cute aidoru-esque ending theme which for 11 of the 12 episodes, seiyuu Kana Asumi（阿澄佳奈）in character as Sasami-san refused to perform correctly for various reasons, often handing over the mike to one or more of the Yagami Sisters, her guardians, with varying results. I'm still in the middle of watching the series but I have heard that Sasami-san finally gets her act together at the end of the finale and provides the proper rendition. Lyricist and composer Kenichi Maeyamada（前山田健一）must have sighed relief. I certainly did and will be looking forward to the decent version.

Momoiro Clover Z -- Mōretsu Uchū Kōkyōkyoku Dai 7Gakushō "Mugen no Ai" （猛烈宇宙交響曲・第七楽章「無限の愛」）

(instrumental version of the opening credits)

A few years back, I was enjoying the nutso comedy in the 2012 anime "Joshiraku"（じょしらく）along with both opening and ending themes. The ending theme, "Nippon Egao Hyakkei"（ニッポン笑顔百景）, was especially something that got batted beyond the outfield wall with Momoiro Clover Z（ももいろクローバーZ）as the girls sang the lyrics at something like the speed of sound. It was the first time that I had ever heard of the group and I felt like bowing in respect at how they handled it.

Earlier in the same year, there was another anime that got released but didn't get shown to me until much later in 2012 at about the same time that I got to see "Joshiraku". Once again, I got to hear Momoiro Clover Z rip through the opening theme like The Flash and with some shredding rock guitar accompaniment by former Megadeth guitarist and current tarento Marty Friedman. With the amazingly epic title of "Mōretsu Uchū Kōkyōkyoku Dai 7 Gakushō "Mugen no Ai"" (Bodacious Space Symphony's Movement VII 'Infinite Love'), the theme song welcomed all to the world of "Moretsu Space Pirates"（モーレツ宇宙海賊...Bodacious Space Pirates）, the adventures of Captain Marika Kato and the mighty crew of the Bentenmaru. I enjoyed the series although some of the unsubtitled episodes dealing with the nitty-gritty of space yacht training had me dozing off sometimes....but that's why we have Crunchyroll, isn't it?

Got to see the official music video for "Mugen no Ai", and neither does it skimp on the excitement either. Cute girls in pirate costumes, somewhat dated special effects and tributes to a key scene from "E.T."...it's all good. Plus the whole song itself comes off as a mighty battle hymn given "Les Miserables" heights of epicness. Captain Kato would have been proud...or knowing her modest personality, perhaps a bit bashful. And I rather muse if the late Freddie Mercury had ever gotten his hands on the song. :)

Written and composed by Kenichi Maeyamada（前山田健一）, Momoclo's 7th single was released in March 2012, and did very well for an anison, peaking at No. 5 on Oricon. and ending up as the 95th-ranked song of the year. To be honest, I was a bit disappointed that the group didn't perform this particular tune at the Kohaku Utagassen.