Michiya Mihashi -- Akai Yuuhi no Furusato （赤い夕陽の故郷）/ Hachiro Kasuga -- Umineko no Naku Hatoba （海猫の啼く波止場）

Well, out of the 45"s grab bag today, I got a 2-for-1 deal. To explain, I found this relatively thick single record that had two different and legendary kayo singers and their songs with the only thing in common being their release year which was 1958. So I said, why not cover them both in the same article?

On one side is Michiya Mihashi's（三橋美智也）"Akai Yuuhi no Furusato" (Home of the Red Setting Sun) which begins and ends with the singer bellowing "Oi!" as the beckoning call of the ol' hometown. Pure and clear as the waters of that countryside hamlet, Mihashi's voice calls out for the working stiffs in Tokyo to come back and spend some happy times again.

The deep twang of the guitar and the occasional appearance of the marimba joining the traditional strings had me thinking that this ode to the heartland would have been performed in some city nightclub trying to get the customers dreaming of home once again. Perhaps it could have been thought as being somewhat counter-intuitive since folks heading back to the countryside would have meant fewer patrons in those dancing-and-drinking lounges but hey, I'm betting even the proprietors wanted to head back home once in a while.

"Akai Yuuhi no Furusato" was written by Hiroshi Yokoi（横井弘）and composed by Tadaharu Nakano（中野忠晴）. Imagine coming back home at sunset to a welcoming family with the bath and a good hot meal all ready for you.

The flip side has Hachiro Kasuga's（春日八郎）"Umineko no Naku Hatoba" (The Wharf of the Black-Tailed Gulls). This one was written by Ryo Yano（矢野亮）and composed by Isao Hayashi（林伊佐緒）(although for some reason, J-Wiki has Yokoi writing this one...a definite error since my 45" has Yano as the lyricist).

Given my relative lack of knowledge in the enka/Mood Kayo genres, I had been having my problems distinguishing the voices of Mihashi and Kasuga. Well, thanks to discovering this record, I no longer have to worry. Whereas Mihashi has those pearly higher tones, Kasuga has a slightly more garrulous and lower delivery. As for "Umineko no Naku Hatoba", Kasuga's ballad kinda wavers into the Mood Kayo territory as the singer talks and croons about ending up falling in love with that special woman on the wharf. But is the hero happy about it? Being a Mood Kayo, not necessarily. With the horns and especially that mournful saxophone, the palooka is probably at some bar near the titular wharf filled with alcohol and a lot of complicated emotions about what to do since being in love with the sea was far simpler than actually going head-over-heels with a lady. Ah, that is life.

My respects for the owner of this old player and the 78" version of the song. In a way, I guess the song does sound like something from an even earlier decade.

Asako Toki -- Watashi no Koi to Tokyo （私の恋と東京）

Daimon in Tokyo

Lovely day out there. A nice happy Easter to you, especially to all you government types who unlike a lot of other people have another day off today. No worries...I won't be giving out sensitive information to those who resent.

I just came across this one today and found it lovely and perfectly reflective of the sunny weather and warmer temperatures out there in the GTA. "Watashi no Koi to Tokyo" (My Love and Tokyo) is by the lovely Asako Toki（土岐麻子）from her 2013 album "Heartbreakin'".

Composer Senri Oe（大江千里）, who's been more of a jazz musician in recent years, and lyricist Toki created this seeming combination of slow 60s swing and bossa nova about a couple of folks who aren't sure when to broach the topic of taking their relationship to the next level. It almost sounds like a breezy Hollywood romance from that particular decade with Audrey, Rock or Doris. And as someone pointed out at YouTube, it's a great song to read by...or blog by.

Houko Kuwashima -- Watashirashiku （私らしく）

As I mentioned in my last anime article, I didn't particularly hear any instant anison earworms for the spring 2017 season among the various themes when I visited my anime buddy's house earlier today. However, there was the usual anison hour there and I did get to hear something that was really quite pleasant.

I never saw the 90s anime "Kido Senkan Nadesico"（機動戦艦ナデシコ...Martian Successor Nadesico）although I have heard the title many times before. Plus I have to admit that each time I heard it, I was strangely reminded of snacks like Ritz Crackers.

The ending theme for the anime was something that I did hear for the first time this afternoon. "Watashirashiku" (Being Myself) was sung by Houko Kuwashima（桑島法子）who also had a starring seiyuu role in the series as Yurika Misumaru, and it was released as part of the single which also featured the opening theme "YOU GET TO BURNING" by Yumi Matsuzawa（松澤由美）from October 1996.

With all of the hard rock and cutesy aidoru-like anison that I've heard, "Watashirashiku" can be placed in that nice place of solid pop. I made the past observation that a number of anison sounded as if they had been created 5~10 years before the actual anime, and I think "Watashirashiku" can also be thought of in the same vein, although perhaps the arrangement can be considered to be 90s.

The single broke the Top 10 by peaking at No. 9 and for Kuwashima, this was her debut single. Speaking of Kuwashima, the name did sound familiar to me so I looked her up on J-Wiki and discovered that several years later, she portrayed the latest incarnation of Yuki Mori on "Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2199"（宇宙戦艦ヤマト2199...Space Battleship Yamato 2199）in 2013.

November 30 2018: Allow me to show you the cover version of "Watashirashiku" by the songwriter herself, Yuki Matsuura（松浦有希）.

(K)NoW_NAME -- Freesia

And another anime season has begun. However, it was nice that I could see the surprisingly dramatic finale for "Kobayashi-san Chi no Maid Dragon"（小林さんちのメイドラゴン）and the continuation of "Little Witch Academia"（リトルウィッチアカデミア）to help make the transition. From my friend's choices for the spring session, it looks like there is a bit more seriousness and/or action involved in the new batch.

One of the new anime that I caught today was "Sakura Quest"（サクラクエスト）which I had assumed was some sort of action-adventure-fantasy. But it is actually a much more down-to-earth comedy-drama. In fact, it is the third in the P.A. Works' series of anime featuring young women and their jobs. The first one was the 2011 "Hanasaku Iroha"（花咲くいろは）for which my buddy admitted that he was somewhat disappointed by. However, the sophomore entry was "Shirobako" which both he and I did watch a few years ago and enjoyed very much. Considering the looks of the characters on the two series, I can say that they probably take place in the same universe.

I saw the first couple of episodes of "Sakura Quest" and kinda saw it as an animated version of a typical live-action J-drama in which a down-on-her-luck young woman, Yoshino, desperately grabs what she thinks is just a one-day gig out in the down-on-its-luck village of Manoyama as the village "queen" only to find out that the job is for one year much to her dismay. Not surprisingly, it looks like the rest of the series will have Yoshino and her group of comrades-in-arms help each other and Manoyama get back on their feet.

Unlike last season, the new batch of opening and ending themes hasn't really caught my ear right from the get-go. However, the ending theme for "Sakura Quest" by the musical collective of (K)NoW_NAME, "Freesia" isn't too bad.

I say "collective" instead of "band" for (K)NoW_NAME since some of the members have their own entries on J-Wiki but the entire group itself doesn't. The singer for the group is identified as (K)NoW_NAME:Ayaka Tachibana with (K)NoW_NAME:Genki Mizuno providing the lyrics and (K)NoW_NAME:R・O・N taking care of the music and arrangement. It's a nice pop/rock song of inspiration.

Anri/Ami Ozaki -- Chichuukai Dream （地中海ドリーム）

It's been several months since I put up an Anri（杏里）article and with spring chugging ahead (despite a cold rain and a high temperature of only 15 degrees C), I think it's time to bring some of her brightness back.

Despite all those wonderful songs Anri brought in during her Toshiki Kadomatsu（角松敏生）period in the early 1980s and then going full American R&B in the latter part of the decade, I also like going back to her debut era in the late 1970s. Yep, it's kinda hard to believe that she started in the decade of Pink Lady and Momoe Yamaguchi（山口百恵）, isn't it?

Well, there is her 2nd single which followed her legacy debut release "Olivia wo Kikinagara"（オリビアを聴きながら）, "Chichuukai Dream" (Mediterranean Sea Dream) from April 1979. Compared to the introspective ballad of "Olivia wo Kikinagara", "Chichuukai Dream" was this wholly upbeat tune that starts off almost like a Disney fantasy tune before it dives right into a cheery pop song with a bit of Resort Pop feeling. That's not too surprising since the setting of the song seems to be on the island of Corsica.

Ami Ozaki（尾崎亜美）, the same singer-songwriter who provided Anri with "Olivia", wrote and composed this travel tune fit for a teen on her first trip abroad and perhaps finding a bit of romance along the way. Incidentally, the arrangement for "Chichuukai" was done by Shigeru Suzuki（鈴木茂）. The above video meshes Anri's original rather seamlessly with Ozaki's cover version on her 1983 "Points" album.

(20:12)

As for the original version, it didn't make all that much of a splash, just peaking at No. 86 on the Oricon weeklies. But as we all Anri fans know, bigger and better things were ahead for her. The song also appeared on her 2nd album "Feelin'" which was released in June 1979. It peaked at No. 71.

Isako Washio -- Tekkotsu Musume （鉄骨娘）

I wasn't ever a frequent user of those vitamin drinks such as Yunker, Oronamin C and Regain but once in a while when I was feeling especially fatigued, I would give in and buy one of them at the konbini to down at night or when I woke up in the morning. I never totally bought into the message that these drinks would power me up into a super working stiff but, hey, they didn't taste too bad.

From one of my students, I learned about the Japanese employee's way of getting rid of a cold fast. On getting home, the employee should take an especially hot shower then drink down a couple of bottles of the stronger (read: more expensive) vitamin drinks (how about the 3000-yen Yunker?) and then wrap himself/herself in some thick blankets and go to sleep. The effect would be that the cold would sweat itself out (my student didn't tell me about the effect on the blankets, mind you). I don't think I ever tried that particular remedy out.

In any case, those vitamin drinks had regular commercials pumped out to promote their health-remedying abilities. Of course, there was the one for Regain whose song "Yuuki no Shirushi"（勇気のしるし）became so famous that even CNN featured it.

That was back during my JET days. However, Regain wouldn't be alone in the catchy commercial jingles. There was one other song that made the rounds for several months to a year or so. Young actress Isako Washio（鷲尾いさ子）became quite the talk of the town when she was starred as the titular Tekkotsu Musume (Iron and Calcium Girl) and sang a catchy tune with the same title promoting the benefits of the drink Tekkotsu Inryo（鉄骨飲料）.

And compared to the military march that the Regain jingle was, "Tekkotsu Musume" was a mix of an old kayo boogie of the type that Shizuko Kasagi（笠置シヅ子）sang back in the 1950s and a Busby Berkeley dance performance according to the series of commercials featuring Washio. In fact, a full music video was even made (look at how genki the ladies are!). Tokyo Banana Boys（東京バナナボーイズ）were responsible for creating the tune.

Ego-Wrappin' -- Calling Me

Pulled out this double-CD for the first time in a while since it's been a while since I've written about jazzy Ego-Wrappin'. I went with CD 2 this time which is labeled as the setsuna (セツナ...heartrending, although I will go with balladry) disc since I was well versed with the duo's active fare like the wild "Psychoanalysis".

The last track on the CD was "Calling Me" which, according to J-Wiki, is Ego-Wrappin's very first release as an indies band. It was released as a mini-album of 5 songs including the title track in 1996. I first got to hear the group with "Psychoanalysis" and with some of their later releases, my image of vocalist Yoshie Nakano（中納良恵）and guitarist Masaki Mori（森雅樹）was as a pair leading some major bohemian rockabilly jazz.

"Calling Me" is interesting since it's a more refined pop-jazz piece, perhaps along the lines of Swingout Sister. I don't know what else Nakano and Mori whipped up on that album but it would be fun to peruse to hear what they came up with their early sound. My usual images of them smash-banging in a sweaty nightclub deep in the laneways of Shibuya or its Osakan equivalent have been replaced with them performing in a place higher up at some hotel bar.

That saxophone and piano provide a fine dreamy atmosphere to go along with Nakano's creamy vocals. It's a jazz lullaby to send everyone home happily. Don't drink and drive!