Cast of "Kageki Shojo!!" -- Hoshi no Tabibito（星の旅人）

 

Conversing with my anime buddy weekly, I've been aware that he has not only been enjoying the second season of "Kobayashi-san no Maid Dragon"（小林さんちのメイドラゴン）but there's been another series catching his eye.

Titled "Kageki Shojo!!"（かげきしょうじょ!!...Opera Girls!!）, the original manga is all about a fictionalized version of the famed Takarazuka Revue Company, the all-female musical acting troupe known for their very elaborate performances. I actually put up an article earlier this month on what has become the troupe's trademark song. As for the anime adaptation that began almost a couple of months ago, it's all about the laughter, tears, trials and tribulations for the girls going through the exclusive academy to train and educate them into becoming top stars on the stage.

Frankly speaking, I've yet to see an episode (it may be a tad too melodramatic for me) but my anime buddy did cotton me onto the ending theme. As soon as I saw that ending credit sequence, I knew that it was just screaming Takarazuka at me. The ending song itself is "Hoshi no Tabibito" (Star Traveler) which is performed by a couple of the seiyuu cast, Sayaka Senbogi（千本木彩花）and Yumiri Hanamori（花守ゆみり）. Both voice thespians are familiar to me from other shows, especially with Hanamori since she has portrayed the long-suffering but immensely resourceful Ai Hayasaka from "Kaguya-sama: Love is War".

In the past, I have heard of the same anime ending theme being performed by different members of the cast in a particular show for different episodes, but I think that this might be the first time that I've ever heard of an ending theme of the same composition being performed under different lyrics, a different title and by different members of the seiyuu cast for each episode. And indeed, this has been the case for "Kageki Shojo!!". 

For this particular ending, Riko Sasaki（佐々木李子）and Sumire Uesaka（上坂すみれ）tackle the theme under the title "Shinayaka na Mirai"（シナヤカナミライ...An Elegant Future）. Apparently, the ending for Episode 8 features yet another version with another change in title and lyrics and seiyuu. In all cases, I can also hear the Takarazuka-ness of it all through the nimble and dramatic melody by Tsuneyoshi Saito（斉藤恒芳）, and he was also responsible for the different sets of lyrics.

Ah, I can feel the sweet pain!

Danjuro Kikkawa/Manami Kawada -- Ah, Miyagi-ken（ああ宮城県）

 

Happily from what I've read, the annual Tanabata Festival in the city of Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture was back on tap earlier this month after having to cancel the 2020 edition due to COVID-19. Mind you, it was apparently a smaller version because of the ongoing pandemic but at least the show did go on. Sorry to say, though, I never had the opportunity to visit Sendai or any of Miyagi Prefecture, especially considering that one of my good friends here hails from the area.

Some months ago, I discovered this folk/pop song in tribute to the province titled "Ah, Miyagi-ken" (Ah, Miyagi Prefecture) as originally created and sung by Miyagi-born radio personality, potter and singer-songwriter Danjuro Kikkawa（吉川団十郎）. Released as his second single in April 1976, it's a down-to-earth and happy singalong about his home prefecture with the usual lyrical theme of realizing that the fresh fish and incredible rice, among other charms, of Miyagi outweigh anything that Tokyo has to offer.

Almost a quarter of a century later, a more contemporary version of the song titled "Ah, Miyagi-ken 2020" was recorded by local tarento Manami Kawada（川田愛美）.

Yumi Kojima -- Feel so Nyan-Nyan

 

Obviously, there have been plenty of tie-ups between anime and hit songs but once in a while, I encounter songs that have been inspired by manga. In fact, I think that I have written about one other example but unfortunately at the moment, I can't remember the song although I'm pretty certain that it was an 80s tune.

Anyways, one example that I have here is the manga "Neko Janai mon!"（ネコじゃないモン！...I'm Not a Cat, You Know!）by Kentaro Yano（矢野健太郎）that had its initial run in "Young Jump" magazine between 1982 and 1985. The story revolves around the character of college student Naoko Miyamoto who suffered lasting trauma as a young girl involving a kitten, only to draw the attention of a cat. For some reason, although J-Wiki doesn't have any article about the manga (though it does have one devoted to Yano), Wikipedia has one, and according to it, there has yet to be any sort of anime adaptation.

Still, the manga was popular enough that a single and a full album based on "Neko Janai mon!" were created in 1983. The single's A-side took on the title of the manga but for this article, I'm looking at the B-side, "Feel so Nyan-Nyan" which I guess could be translated as "Feel so Meow Meow". Written and composed by singer-songwriter Hiroko Taniyama（谷山浩子）, the singer behind the song is Yumi Kojima（児島由美）who brings her own kittenish qualities to the performance. I'm happy enough with "Feel so Nyan-Nyan" to call it a pop song but it does have elements of jazz and City Pop bouncing around here and there, and the lyrics talk about the carefree life of a cat.

Kojima herself is a singer-songwriter who was raised in Sapporo but currently lives in Tokyo. She started learning piano at a tender age and then learned koto in her teens. As with many budding artists in the music industry, she entered the Yamaha Popular Song Contest in the late 1970s where she won a prize for her creation "Yume no Tabi"（夢の旅...Dream Trip）. In 1979, she made her single debut with "Otoko no Ko Mitai ni"（男の子みたいに...Like Boys） with an album later on called "Comme des Garcons"（コム・デ・ギャルソン）. I've just heard one track on YouTube from that album, and I will cover it next month.

evening cinema -- Neon Sign ga Yonderu（ネオンサインが呼んでる）

 

Ahhh...the bright lights of East Shinjuku. I just hope that they are still burning bright during this pandemic. Would love to walk on those streets once more. 

Mind you, when I was living in the mountains of Gunma Prefecture over 30 years ago, I learned a gesture and an expression from my fellow staff and teachers at probably one of the many enkai that I had to attend. The gesture was doing jazz hands and the expression was "neon ga yonderu"（ネオンが呼んでる）. It literally means "The neon lights are calling" but I believe the true meaning is an invitation to paint the town red, and of course, living in the old town of Tsukiyono where the traffic lights start flashing on and off from the late hour of 8 pm every night, yep, I can imagine that there were folks in Gunma who were itching to get some big city time in Tokyo, 70 minutes away by Bullet Train.

During my time in the Tokyo area, I basically had access to the nocturnal lights and delights of the megalopolis pretty much all the time, but of course since I had something called a job and I was frankly anything but a party animal, "neon ga yonderu" only applied to me for a surprisingly smaller amount of time than expected. Of course, I had acquaintances who more than compensated for my introverted nature...and sometimes paid a heavy price, and I just don't mean financially. Still, I can understand the attraction of having fun in one of the largest cities on Earth.

Anyways, my preamble ramble was all to introduce a song whose title is quite similar to that expression that I learned in Gunma decades ago. The band evening cinema, which now has fair representation on "Kayo Kyoku Plus", has been around to give out their brand of urban contemporary music with a base of 70s and 80s City Pop. The most recent article that I devoted to leader and vocalist Natsuki Harada（原田夏樹）and company was back in December with their 2020 single, "Night Magic", which I felt had some of those influences of Kirinji and ORESAMA.

Well, I've gone back even further into November 2019, and this time, their single from back then, "Neon Sign ga Yonderu" (The Neon Signs are Calling) seems to be harkening back to the rhythms of Tatsuro Yamashita（山下達郎）. Written and composed by Harada, the song also has those tiny bleeps and bloops to keep things nice and contemporary. However, the lyrics don't really talk about getting that invitation to frolic in the big city; actually, they seem to be about a guy hopelessly in love and getting all restless every minute that he's away from the target of his ardor. Still for me, it's the bass, piano and saxophone that have gotten my attention. 

"Neon Sign ga Yonderu" is also a track on evening cinema's August 2020 mini-album "Aesthetics". I think the effect of Vaporwave was not lost on these guys, and certainly the cover for the single itself has that sort of look.

Rumiko Koyanagi -- Sayonara Shibai（サヨナラ芝居）

 

When I first heard this song, I had initially thought that this would be a City Pop tune but then on repeated listenings, I now feel that this is something else although there is something quite urban and urbane about it.

Singer and actress Rumiko Koyanagi（小柳ルミ子）has delved into a number of styles whether it be her early aidoru tunes of the early 1970s such as "Watashi no Joukamachi" (わたしの城下町）, her sexier stuff starting with her 1984 kayo hit "Ohisashiburi ne" (お久しぶりね）and a bit of Mood Kayo thanks to her "Midare Gami"（みだれ髪）. Therefore, there was initial excitement from me when I first heard "Sayonara Shibai" (The Goodbye Game) since I'd thought "Oooh, even Koyanagi was getting on board the City Pop bandwagon!".

However on second and third thoughts, I have to change my mind. Now I believe that her "Sayonara Shibai" is maybe more appropriate to that chaise lounge-friendly and more European-sounding Fashion Music from around the turn of the decade from the 1970s into the 1980s. A few years ago, I actually wrote up an article talking about that very sub-genre with sample singers so have a gander at that, if you so desire.

For me, "Sayonara Shibai", which was created by lyricist Fumiko Okada（岡田冨美子）and composer Kimio Mizutani（水谷公生）, begins with that languid rhythm that feels quite French and fairly jaunty for something that I have described as Fashion Music but I did envisage that representative chaise lounge with its inhabitant asking for those grapes, one at a time. Then again, I could also imagine Koyanagi acting as that veteran hostess tying each of her paramours around her well-manicured pinkie at the same time. 

Interestingly enough, that combination of synthesizers and bass reminds me of another singer with the same initials as Rumiko Koyanagi: Ruiko Kurahashi（倉橋ルイ子）. And Kurahashi is another member of the Fashion Music sorority.

It took quite the effort to track down when "Sayonara Shibai" made its premiere but I finally found out that it was a track on Koyanagi's April 1980 album "Limelight"（来夢来人）. 

Naoki Watanabe -- Saigo no Coin（最後のコイン）

 

Just a little over a year ago, I wrote about bassist Naoki Watanabe（渡辺直樹）, who has worked with the bands Spectrum and AB's, and his solo album "She" from 1987 via the laidback track "Veranda no Carib"（ベランダのカリブ）.

Later that year, Watanabe cut another album called "Star Child" and the launching song here is "Saigo no Coin" (The Last Coin). Composed by Watanabe and written by his old bandmate from AB's, Yoshihiko Ando（安藤芳彦）, I've read in a YouTube comment that the person was hooked within the first several seconds. It took me about the same length of time as well to get with the program on "Saigo no Coin", and the Japanese-language "Music Avenue" has also praised the opening acapella chorus and how Watanabe shows off more of that falsetto of his. Not sure whether he had a lot of opportunities to show off his vocals when he was with AB's and Spectrum, but I think he certainly has the chops for the mike.

Image-wise, I think of that dreamy sunset walk along the beach when I listen to "Saigo no Coin". I don't quite know what Ando's lyrics are alluding to, although the title might hint at a rather sad but perhaps necessary final phone call to a soon-to-be ex-paramour. If that is indeed the case, I will take my image over that.

Hitomi Tohyama -- Baby, Baby, Baby

 

A penny for your thoughts...😋

This will probably be the first and last time that you'll ever read a City Pop equivalent of a Dad joke, so either savor it or spit it out. Still, it's a sunny Friday in Toronto and even better, it's a lot less oppressively humid than it has been for the past few days, but unfortunately heading into the weekend, the 3H (hot, hazy and humid) weather will be back.

Getting back on track, I've found a sunny and relaxing tune by Hitomi "Penny" Tohyama（当山ひとみ）from her debut album "Just Call Me Penny" released in May 1981 (considering that provocative way she's seated in the chair on the album cover, I may have no choice). "Baby, Baby, Baby" is a track written and composed by Yoshihide Yonekura（米倉良広）that possesses that essence of 70s soul, and I'm almost always going to enjoy anything that has a sweet flute and mellow horns in it. Unlike my City Pop oyaji gag above, I'm hoping that listeners will totally savor "Baby, Baby, Baby". Along with that 70s soul, I can also say that some Boz Scaggs got into the arrangement about halfway through.

I feel as if I've already covered a good chunk of "Just Call Me Penny" already since I have written up a number of articles for the individual tracks. You can also look at "Rainy Driver", "Door Goshi no Good Song"（ドア越しのGood Song） and "SFO-OAKLAND".