GRANRODEO - Henai no Rondo

Karneval OP

Tracklist:

1. Henai no Rondo

2. Y.W.F

3. Sakura Shoku Dai 2 Button

4. Henai no Rondo (OFF VOCAL)

5. Y.W.F (OFF VOCAL)

6. Sakura Shoku Dai 2 Button (OFF VOCAL)

Ah, the same situation is going on as when I was reviewing Mamoru Miyano's Canon. You get a pretty typical, shoujo anime, but the producers decide to surprise you with such a great theme song. Henai no Rondo opens with a mysterious and foreboding accordion solo, setting up a circus-like ambient, but only a guitar riff is needed to remind what GRANRODEO is really about. A upbeat, dark track rich in arrangement quirks like bells and synths follows, ensuring that the infectious melody is stuck in your head. Kishow's voice falls back in some bits of the song where the accordions are actually the main feature, but his training in voice acting has really blessed him with a fantastic, deep colour. It seems that Ani-rock as a genre is really picking up, and Henai no Rondo is a great example of it, which is why it deserves a 9.

Following in a similar matter, Y.W.F retains the rocky guitars, but it's tempo and rhythm make it more of a dance song. The vocals here are almost unrecognizable, as they are both vocoded, and used at unusual heights, but along with the synthy arrangement and the occasional dubstep sequences, the track sounds very mainstream and pop. Nevertheless, it is enjoyable as much as Henai no Rondo is, although it can get repetitive, seeing as it is longer by a minute. Also, it shows that GRANRODEO can move into other genres sometimes without decreasing the quality in the music itself. Its rating is 9 as well.

With a slower intro and a happier atmosphere, Sakura Shoku Dai 2 Button is the single's ballad. Of course, with the single being released in April, the verses, even though somewhat generic in the group of sakura-related songs, reflect the feelings of spring, being uplifting and optimistic. The choruses, on the other hand, for some reason are completely contrasting and are actually the better part of the song, as they are melancholic, sad and very touching, making for a great anime ED. Just when you thought the track has been rounded up by the slowly disappearing bells in the background, a choir of children and Kishow's random ad-libbing needlessly elongate the great finish, making this a 6-minute song of which half is not really that good. The mark it gets is 7.

Disregarding the random, generic ballad which can be found in almost every release from the beginning of March to the end of spring, the single is a great start for GRANRODEO this year, making way for more great anime OPs like Henai no Rondo was. My overall rating is: 8

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On another topic, this is the 50th post on Japanese Melodia. Yay!