Walküre -- Ikenai Borderline（いけないボーダーライン）

 

This is a slightly irregular approach for this particular tune but if you can bear with me. I was doing a bit of adjusting last night on an old 2015 article featuring "Futari no Kimochi no Honto no Himitsu" （ふたりのきもちのほんとのひみつ）, the ending theme for the nutty anime "Kill Me Baby", and as I was doing so, I noticed at the right side of YouTube that there was another song from another anime, and something told me that I should give it a shot. Instinct has led me to many a great tune in the past on the blog, so I did as I was inspired.

Instinct...I owe you a Big Mac set! I heard "Ikenai Borderline" (The Borderline You Don't Cross) and was automatically smitten by the really bouncy ska beat and the feeling that this could have been the theme song for a really action-packed anime.

Well, I wasn't too far off the mark. This was actually Track 3 on the debut single for the fictional aidoru group, Walküre（ワルキューレ）, on the 2016 anime "Macross Delta"（マクロスΔ）. And sure enough, that single was "Ichido dake no Koi nara/Rune ga Pikatto Hikattara"（一度だけの恋なら/ルンがピカッと光ったら...If It's a One-Time Love/When the Rune Sparkles） whose second song was one that I covered back in 2019. "Rune ga Pikatto Hikattara" was also one banger of a tune whose spiritual ancestor happens to be one of my favourite songs of all time, "September" by Earth Wind & Fire.

As was the case with that song, "Ikenai Borderline" was also created by lyricist Naoki Nishi（西直紀）and composer Minoru Komorita（コモリタミノル）. This time, it's actress JUNNA as Mikumo on lead vocals with the rest of Walküre on backing vocals.

This video only came up in the last 48 hours or so and that is because the album only came out in the last 24. Yup, on April 6th, "Macross Yonjuu Shuunen Kinen Korabo Album Deculture!! Mixture!!!!!"（マクロス40周年記念コラボアルバム デカルチャー!! ミクスチャー!!!!!...Macross 40th Anniversary Collaborative Album） was released, and a cover of "Ikenai Borderline" is included as sung by seiyuu May'n and Megumi Nakajima（中島愛）as their characters Sheryl Nome and Ranka Lee respectively.

Nao Toyama -- Aruite Ikou!（歩いていこう！）/Minori Suzuki -- Yozora（夜空）

One of the other anime for Winter 2020 that I've been watching is "Koi Suru Asteroid"（恋する小惑星...Asteroid In Love）. It's another in the line of "Manga Time Kirara Charat" to be adapted into animated form, and basically my understanding now with anything having to do with Kirara is that it will be a very soft and fluffy slice-of-life show. For example, one other anime that was adapted from the same manga company is "Machikado Mazoku"（まちカドまぞく）. So I would say that the likelihood of eye gouging and sexually compromising positions is zero, if not in minus territory.

Something that I've learned from anime viewing at my friend's house is that it's best, though, not to watch a Kirara anime right after coming back from lunch. Digesting a large meal and a show like "Koi Suru Asteroid" don't mix well since the latter is so pleasant and mellow that a viewer can easily head off to La-La Land because of the former. Indeed, that is what happened to me with the first couple of episodes of this particular show (and certain episodes of "Machikado Mazoku") about high school girls getting interested in astronomy and geology. I found that catching the last three episodes was a whole lot more easier later in the afternoon, especially when getting that sugar rush from eating a Tim Horton's donut while downing a Double-Double.

Not surprisingly, the opening and ending themes for "Koi Suru Asteroid" fit very well due to their gentle arrangement. The opener, "Aruite Ikou!" (Let's Go There on Foot!) performed by one of the seiyuu in the show, Nao Toyama（東山奈央）, has got that down-home violin and sparkly piano. The song picks up some speed along the way but its tempo is such that it's still more analogous to an excited exploratory stride through a new town. Singer-songwriter Ai Kawashima（川嶋あい）took care of words and music here.

The ending theme, "Yozora" (Night Sky) is sung by Minori Suzuki（鈴木みのり）and has a similar tone to "Aruite Ikou!" but perhaps with a bit more epicness, perhaps in reflection of viewing that vast night sky from the title. Sawa Nakamura（中村砂羽）and h-wonder were responsible for the lyrics and music here respectively. "Yozora" was released as Suzuki's 4th single almost 2 weeks ago. For that matter, "Aruite Ikou!" was also the 4th single for Toyama from almost 3 weeks ago.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find the right scenes on YouTube, but for one episode, the girls are in the traditional Koedo district of Kawagoe City in Saitama Prefecture. If memory serves, I believe that it was the one where a couple of them are helping out in their buddy's bakery. I certainly recognized the neighbourhood since I visited that same area back in late 2017 with one of my former students, and one scene even had a shot of Toki no Kane or the Time Bell Tower as you can see below.

i☆Ris -- Fantastic Illusion/Minori Suzuki -- Dame wa Dame（ダメハダメ）

It's fifteen minutes long, absolutely goofy and has made me wonder at times whether it's really more about magical fan service than magic (the originating network is showing this at 11 pm). Still, "Tejina Senpai"（手品先輩...Magical Senpai）has been a fun little equivalent of chocolate-centred candy for the past few months during the usual biweekly anime routine with my friend. Strangely enough, though, in a season where I've gotten to know hyper-competent characters who can give advice on fitness and island survival, the titular Senpai is just the opposite; she's about as good with her magic as Inspector Clouseau is with policing.

"Tejina Senpai" is about as gaggy as gag comedy anime can get and what got me interested was that Kaede Hondo（本渡楓）, a seiyuu that I had gotten accustomed to hearing in long-suffering straight-person roles such as the central member of the undead aidoru group Franchouchou in last year's "Zombie Land Saga"（ゾンビランドサガ）, was playing the boke (funny man) to her assistant's tsukkomi. The other thing is that on first seeing the character, I wondered if she had any sort of familial relationship with either the snack-obsessed Hotaru in "Dagashi Kashi"（だがしかし）or even the sex-crazed Anna in the even more notorious "Shimoneta"（下ネタ）.

Of course, it's also the theme songs that I'm aiming for, and this season, there's been a fairly bumper crop of interesting openings and endings. I've enjoyed both for "Tejina Senpai" including the opening "Fantastic Illusion" by the 6-member aidoru group i☆Ris with the music and lyrics pretty much echoing what happens in each episode: doubt and zaniness.

I think that I was gradually entranced by one of the group proudly exhorting "Ladies and gentlemen!" each time the opening credits started up, and it's got that smash-bang feeling of getting the show up and running. "Fantastic Illusion" is actually i☆Ris' 19th and latest single released just a few weeks ago in late August, and it hit its peak of No. 13 on Oricon. Incidentally, the song was written and composed by Motokiyo.

Here is the full version of the music video by the group and I think i☆Ris has more success here than Senpai does with her own tricks. The group has been around since 2012 and has released four albums along with those nineteen singles. (October 6th 2019: Only found out now that one of the members, Himika Akaneya, voices Senpai's goofy older sister!)

Admittedly the ending credits to "Tejina Senpai" bring up the dial on the more salacious aspects of the show, but I also have to admit that the ending theme "Dame wa Dame" (No Means No) is a corker of a tune. Sung by seiyuu Minori Suzuki（鈴木みのり）although she doesn't appear in the program, I do like that skippy ska beat.

Plus, the full version also starts off with a guitar riff that might even have Quentin Tarentino nodding in approval. Unfortunately again, we only have the short version of the music video and even a full audio version of "Dame wa Dame" is not currently available (oh, really?...take a look below). The song is Suzuki's 3rd single released earlier in August, and it peaked at No. 27. The lyricist is acane_madder with Shingo Asari（浅利進吾）composing the quick melody.

Walküre -- Rune ga Pikatto Hikattara（ルンがピカッと光ったら）

I have a tradition whenever the 9th month of the year arrives, and that is to listen to both versions of "September", the early single by Mariya Takeuchi（竹内まりや）and the epic joyful R&B anthem by Earth Wind & Fire. "September" by EW&F was released in 1978 but it seems like a song that I've been hearing ever since my early childhood. Moreover, it's been the one song that could get me dancing each time in my chair at home, and as far as I'm concerned, it will be the only song that will get me onto the dance floor even at my current age (as horrifying as that image might be to many).

Then one day, not too long ago, I came across this video:

To say that I was smitten and delighted would be an understatement. This was a minute of concentrated anime joy!

What I would later discover that the original song was "Rune ga Pikatto Hikattara" (When the Rune Sparkles), one of the ending themes for the 2016 anime "Macross Delta"（マクロスΔ）which just has to have been inspired by "September".

A dang catchy song in itself, "Rune" was performed by the aidoru group in the show, Walküre（ワルキューレ）, with Freyja Wion as played by seiyuu Minori Suzuki（鈴木みのり）as the lead vocal, and then the rest of the band helping out through fellow voice actors JUNNA, Nao Toyama（東山奈央）, Kiyono Yasuno（安野希世乃）and Nozomi Nishida（西田望見）. The above is the full version covered by Nyadus on YouTube, but man, she really does sound like Suzuki! You know, this could be the type of feel-good song that could even be covered by Little Glee Monster. Naoki Nishi（西直紀）wrote the lyrics while Minoru Komorita（コモリタミノル）took care of the music.

"Rune" was one song on the Walküre single "Ichido dake no Koi nara/Rune ga Pikatto Hikattara"（一度だけの恋なら/ルンがピカッと光ったら...If It's a One-Time Love） released in May 2016. It made it to No. 3 on the Oricon weeklies and ended up as the 94th-ranked single of the year. That first song was also the first of the two opening themes for "Macross Delta". Both songs were also included on "Walküre Attack!", the group's debut album released in July that year which made it to No. 2 on the album charts and later became the 34th-ranked album.

Of course, with YouTube, the ever-popular "September" and the similarly groovy beat throughout "Rune", it was inevitable that an epic mashup just had to be done, so thanks to folks like Emdyion, there is "When the Rune Sparkles in September". Dance away!

But Emdyion wasn't finished. The YouTuber even came up with an amazing inverted version of the song, this time with the late, great Maurice White taking over on vocals.

I learned a lot here. I will no longer admire Minori Suzuki for just "FEELING AROUND" and I have a new song to love from the "Macross" franchise.

Minori Suzuki -- Crosswalk/Maaya Sakamoto -- Hello, Hello（ハロー、ハロー）

Was happy to know that there would be a second season for "Amanchu!"（あまんちゅ!）titled "Amanchu Advance"（あまんちゅ！～あどばんす～）. The first season back in 2016 was this very gentle slice-of-life anime about the budding friendship between two high school girls in the city of Ito as one helps the other in the hobby of scuba diving. "Amanchu!" was just the show to watch at the end of an all-day anime session to help digest dinner although I'm sure the producers had never meant it to be a visual digestif.

Still, as the formerly timid Teko advances through her scuba studies in this second season, it looks like the show itself has taken on a more supernatural quality. In fact, the last couple of episodes I witnessed last night actually had me thinking of another anime series that I had enjoyed in the season before the first season of "Amanchu!" premiered.

(short version)

Although I think the opening and ending themes for the first season are still the better ones, the opening and ending themes for "Amanchu Advance" are pretty nice to listen to and keep to that gentle tone of life in a seaside town (although Ito is officially a city).

Minori Suzuki（鈴木みのり）sings "Crosswalk", and at first, I had thought it was the seiyuu Eri Suzuki (鈴木絵理...who plays the zany green-haired Pikari) singing this due to the identical last name and the fact that she and co-star Ai Kayano（茅野愛衣）had performed the first ending theme "Futari Shojo"（ふたり少女）. However, it is actually the same singer who performed the high-energy opening theme to "Ramen Daisuki Koizumi-san"（ラーメン大好き小泉さん）as her debut single. "Crosswalk" is a much more sedate affair as her 2nd single. It was released in May 2018 and has so far peaked at No. 14 on Oricon. Maaya Sakamoto（坂本真綾）wrote the lyrics and Katsutoshi Kitagawa（北川勝利）took care of the melody.

Sakamoto is back to perform another theme song for "Amanchu!". Compared to the opening theme for Season 1 that she also did, "Million Clouds", which was ethereal and epic, the ending theme of "Hello, Hello" is a nice and grounded pop song that was also written and composed by the singer-songwriter. To me, whereas "Million Clouds" kinda presented the beginnings of a magical journey, "Hello, Hello" is a pleasant ride through Ito. Sakamoto's 28th single was also released in May.

(short version)

Minori Suzuki -- FEELING AROUND

It's a cold and damp Monday here in Toronto although a lot of the snow has gone and the absolute zero-type of temperatures are not with us for now. Watching NHK's "News at Nine" this morning, Tokyo underwent its first horrifying snowstorm in about 4 years...something that we go through here perhaps around 4 times a year. In either Toronto or Tokyo, perhaps a good chunk of the population wouldn't mind having a steaming bowl of ramen in a warm restaurant. Incidentally, the ramen above is the Tonkotsu Black at the branch of Sansotei up in the northeast suburbs. My favourite soup when it comes to ramen is indeed the pork bone variety. Mind you, though, my heart and circulatory system may get their revenge on me someday if I went for the stuff weekly but once in a while is always welcome.

Now the reason that I'm enticing you with ramen today is because yesterday was the first anime-and-food session of the New Year that is 2018. To let you in on an opinion, I wasn't all that happy with the Fall 2017 season of anime aside from the reboot of "Mahoujin Guru Guru"（魔法陣グルグル）and the gradually heartwarming "Konohana Kitan"（このはな綺譚）. "Two-Car"...? Aaugh. However, it seems like the Winter 2018 season is pretty hopeful; in fact my anime buddy mentioned that for the first time in a long while, we may have to look through about 20 prospective shows since he posits that they all look rather interesting.

One of those shows that my friend showcased yesterday was "Ramen Daisuki Koizumi-san"（ラーメン大好き小泉さん）which, as you can guess, is about somebody with the name of Koizumi who greatly loves ramen. She pretty much breathes it, actually. It's almost cruel for us ramen lovers as to how lovingly the animators have shown Koizumi's ardor for her dish of choice and of course the different kinds of ramen.

It was about a year ago that the first 2017-based article for "Kayo Kyoku Plus" dealt with the catchy anison theme for a show titled around another Ms. K. Well, I'm doing the same here with "Koizumi-san" although Minori Suzuki's（鈴木みのり）"FEELING AROUND" isn't quite the classic earworm that fhana's "Aozora no Rhapsody"（青空のラプソディ）has been. I would put that song as my favourite anime theme for 2017, by the way.

Still "FEELING AROUND" has got a nice bounce to it with a bit of an Asian beat as the opening credits provide everything and everyone we need to know about the premise for "Koizumi-san". Suzuki, who was known up to now as a budding seiyuu, has made her debut as a solo singer with this one and it's due to be released in a couple of days. The song was written and composed by Koji Mihara（三原康司）, the bassist for the band Frederic（フレデリック）who came up with the catchy "oddloop" a few years back. (By the way, here is the article on the ending theme)

To be honest, considering the theme of the show, I was wondering whether Akiko Yano's（矢野顕子）ode to plain simple ramen would have been used.

Finally, to completely torture you into racing to the nearest noodle shop or, at least, the nearest supermarket which sells Sapporo Ichiban, you can take a look at this video for the Yokohama Ramen Museum.