fripSide - eternal reality

To Aru Kagaku no Railgun S OP2

Tracklist:

- Regular Edition -

1. eternal reality

2. Scorching Heart

3. eternal reality -TV size-

4. Scorching Heart -Instrumental-

- Limited Edition -

1. eternal reality

2. Coupling Tune A

3. eternal reality -TV size-

4. eternal reality -Instrumental-

1. eternal reality

Wow, another single in such a (relatively) short notice? I was barely finished rotating sister's noise when eternal reality opens with a usual fripSide instrumental, except the atmosphere is slightly happier and more anison when compared to the first opening. SAT, unfortunately, has an unchanged formula here, and, if I had to choose a previous Railgun song to compare it to, another average fripSide A-side would be LEVEL-5 Judgelight; the arrangement has no innovations whatsoever, while Yoshino is thin and faltering when singing, and the partial absence of filters doesn't help. 

Rating: 6

2. Scorching Heart (Regular)

A darker ambient ensues, utilizing more of fripSide's rockier style than the usual techno, with the guitars being quite subdued to fit the dance sequences, but still noticeable. Sadly, at least in the verses, the arrangement is the only thing that distinguishes the song from their overused cadences, before the chorus comes in using a standard pop chord progression, which, at least in this case, is a new thing. Yoshino is filtered the whole time, with even a slight vocoding layer to emphasize the robotic feel of it, but the vocals haven't exactly been the highlight of fripSide's song anyways, so the change is barely discernible. Following the second chorus is an almost non-existing middle eight section, which is only bridged by a small vocal-only part and Yoshino's whisper before wrapping up the track.

Rating: 7

2. Coupling Tune A (Limited)

In spite of the somewhat generic soundtrack name, Coupling Tune A is very much a full song. Opening with Yoshino singing to a synthy background, it made me wonder if it's the same singer in question, as she opens very deeply, suiting the dark atmosphere. Unlike the previous two tracks, this song turns more towards trance than anison, which is that missing originality and spirit, and is easily detected by the constant bass hitting in the background and the unusual lack of guitar and piano until right before the chorus. Fortunately, Yoshino acts as a real trance vocalist for once, as her vocals are quite subdued, especially in bridges, and used more as a background and an addition to the instrumentals. Of course, you can't have a fripSide song without a guitar solo in the middle eight section, but it doesn't break the overall flow of the track, or steal the spotlight to cheerless synthage which shows the serious, dramatic side To Aru Kagaku no Railgun can sometimes have.

Rating: 9

Unlike sister's noise, the very opening to the show was somewhat disappointing this time around, but Coupling Tune A makes up the listening time for all that was lacking in the previous two songs as, by far, the best song in the single. My overall rating is: 8.

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Nana Mizuki - Vitalization

Senki Zesshou Symphogear G OP
Space Battleship Yamato 2199 ED (Track no. 2)

Tracklist:

1. Vitalization

2. Ai no Hoshi

3. Dramatic Love

1. Vitalization

Even after several attempts to write about it, Vitalization still manages to slip through with its overwhelming amount of epic, making it next to impossible to do justice to. A chopped-up pile of heavy synthage opens the track, exploding into a suddenly deep ambient and Nana's almost operatic vocals. Being even crazier than Synchrogazer, the complex arrangement utilizes every imaginable kind of techno and electronic samples, from 8-bit chips, over sub-woofers and extremely hard, strong dubstep sequences right before the salve of the insanely fast, seizure-inducing chorus. As not to forget the roots of her music, on the top of all the trancelike spins a single hypnotic violin is added as well, making another venture into techno-anison. In contrast, Nana's voice flawlessly slips from heavily layered tones to the impressive pureness similar even to one of Yuki Kajiura's vocalists. Summing up, the effectiveness of it might just be present there because it's all new and unique, but it will definitely be present in the legends as one of her best songs, and a masterpiece.

Rating: 10

2. Ai no Hoshi

Suddenly, the atmosphere completely changes, with a silent piano slowly playing in the background accompanied by a touching violin. The dreamlike, soft scenery gains a bit of tempo afterwards, joined by drums and an acoustic guitar, and even a harp, but it still leaves the serene impression unimpaired. Accordingly, Nana's vocals have the main spotlight here, soaring up to heights and returning even deeper, all while following the moving melody and tear-jerking chord progressions which make this song so special. The fans are somewhat split on either Ai no Hoshi or Vitalization being the better song, but all I can say is that it's definitely up to the challenge of the famous tie-in it was given.
Rating: 10

3. Dramatic Love

Closing the single, Dramatic Love is perhaps a bit of a load-off for Nana because of the lack of the overall seriousness and vocals stunts, being more like an upbeat, filtered version of DISCOTHEQUE mixed with the 80s catchy charm. For some reason, aside the uplifting and happy instrumentation, heavily techno-related elements from Vitalization appear occasionally, such as deep pulsations, slightly noticeable dubstep and such, which together with the piano and bells creates a quirky game-like feeling, especially in the middle eight section. There are some unusual harmonies present, but the song is very enjoyable and caters to her more J-pop oriented fans. 

Rating: 9

Considering this single is yet to officially come out in Japanese stores and charts, fingers crossed that it will reach the #1 spot it definitely deserves. I was rather too rash to say Jiyuu e no Shingeki is the best single of the season, since Vitalization has a fair chance at beating it, especially in the eyes of a devoted fan. My overall rating is: 10 - RECOMMENDED.

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Aya Hirano - Hoshikuzu Garandou

DoDonPachi Saidaioujou OP

Tracklist:

1. Hoshikuzu Garandou (Game Ver.)

2. Hoshikuzu Garandou (Original Ver.)

I'll be skipping the first track, since it's just a 90-second short version.

2. Hoshikuzu Garandou (Original Ver.)

A laid-back, jazzy electronica sequence opens Aya's new single, suddenly exploding into an agressive barrage of synths and hard guitars in a very fast tempo. Here, the classical game music sound is shifted around a bit with the hell-like atmosphere in the verses and the effective switches with Aya's vocal solos. Surprisingly, though, her vocals aren't filtered at all, which is what one would expect in such a techno-driven song, but it is a sign of how her voice has matured from the good old days of Haruhi Suzumiya to the now serious and powerful performance. In contrast with the constant build-ups and downs with the song's flow, the middle eight section returns to the funky ambient back from the introduction, employing a glissando (gliding) piano and western-like guitar melodies, only for unusual dubstep synths and a prolonged vocal solo to finish the track with an impressive chord.

Rating: 9

Judging by the style of her previous single back in February, nobody could have guessed that Aya would do another tie-in. Still, her music sounds quite compelling, and is a definite listen for everyone, both her anison and J-pop audience. My overall rating is: 9

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Sayaka Sasaki - Daybreaker

Tie-ins:

Track no. 1 - Senran Kagura OP
Track no. 3 - RE:LOADED CARMINE ED
Track no. 10 - Dakara Boku wa, H ga Dekinai OP

Tracklist:

1. Break your world
2. BLAZE MOMENT? Guren Jouka?
3. Tsukioku no Scarlet
4. My Dignity
5. RESETLUCK
6. Ordinary Day...
7. Ryuusei Voice
8. Eternal Wish
9. World end
10. Reason why XXX
11. Starting Again
12. Daybreaker

1. Break your world

A Chinese-themed introduction makes way for the energetic piano. Unfortunately, in contrast with the quite fast tempo, the arrangement fails to be as hard hitting, as we are greeted with generic synthy-rock anisong. Of course, nothing can save a song like her under-appreciated vocal power which shine in the dynamic chorus of the track, albeit being sometimes squeaky and having the "vocaloid syndrome" - a filtered voice that goes too far beyond its range. This track is a good album opener, but misses on the potential to be as effective as its potential allows it to.
Rating: 7 ½

2. BLAZE MOMENT? Guren Jouka?

Following is a similar arrangement to Break your world, although accompanied by much, much better performance in terms of both the instrumentation and the vocals. The track opens with several nostalgic guitar riffs, unraveling into powerful and dramatic techno-rock. Unlike in the previous song, the composition isn't empty at all, and is constantly in a loop of either guitars or Sayaka's underused vibrato. Being more significant on the rock part, with less relying on occasional, weak synths, this would give a better impression of what the composers are really capable of, and as well be a very enjoyable listen, especially with the quite touching melodic sequences in spite of the fast tempo.
Rating: 10

3. Tsukioku no Scarlet

Unsurprisingly, being a game tie-in, Tsukioku no Scarlet is trancelike and very electronic, with striking similarities to most of fripSide's songs. Although I was looking forward to another techno-rock track, the arrangement can pass as usual and generic, featuring only gliding synths and and occasional bell. At least the rhythm is something constantly varying in ups and downs, following her filtered voice. Sayaka is as great as usual, but the song can't really constitute for a unique one, even if you are only looking for a simple, energetic listen.
Rating: 9

4. My Dignity

Breaking the streak of up-tempo tracks, this song follows more of a clubby and jazzy fashion, even with the guitars sometimes reappearing. If Tsukioku no Scarlet was formulaic as fripSide can get, then My Dignity surely must be as original as Perfume, with various instruments featured (even human claps), while creating a chaotic, laid back old anime meets sci-fi atmosphere. The underlying dubstep and 8-bit synths in all their creativeness can draw attention from Sayaka's voice, which doesn't really make any special artistic stunt, but does perfectly add up to the fun surrounding.
Rating: 9

5. RESETLUCK

Pure acoustics make an entrance, only for the gentle vocals to bring some electric guitars in and make this a representative American-like pop-rock song. A mid-tempo and natural arrangement are quite needed as a rest after all the techno craziness, and the listen got from this is very catchy and enjoyable. However, only a tone or two from the strings are needed to remind that it is actually anisong, but it only brings to the infectiousness. Following the surrounding, the vocals are a bit more relaxed and sung lower, and still somehow manage to have a cute texture. It would be great if Sayaka had more pop-oriented stuff in her discography like this.
Rating: 8

6. Ordinary Day...

Well, this would be like an electrified version of RESETLUCK, seeing as it has the American country spirit to it, but wit a somewhat more exotic instrumentation. The song is very slow and simple, with just piano chords and the organ (not in a Gothic fashion, mind you). Her voice is again a grace to listen to, and substitutes for a children's song, especially near the end, where it becomes even brighter and more uplifting.
Rating: 6 ½

7. Ryuusei Voice

We are returned to classic anisong from the ventures into the J-pop realm with a vocal solo followed by a synthy ballad. Unfortunately, it is again very bland and unoriginal, although the better use of piano and guitars. Seeing that, her voice also seems lazy and needlessly high, opposed to her normally used deep colour. With something that is too conventional, the 5 minutes this track gives seem like a stretched time, and quite the boredom.
Rating: 5

8. Eternal Wish

A single violin sets up the ambiance just right for the classical arrangement with multiple violins and chello used in a relaxing fashion with the silent drums in the background. Sayaka's good voice colour returns here, being very serene and gentle, but refreshing at the same time with the heights she reaches. In the already complex instrumentation, a piano kicks in and gives even more substance to the march-like tempo which appears in the chorus, but the dreamy melody centerpiece takes the whole spotlight. As the song progresses, the impact is built up until guitars start playing silently and end with a peaceful revelation. This is how you do a proper ballad.
Rating: 9

9. World end

For such a dark title, World end is an unexpectedly light, simple but upbeat track. A mandatory amount of synths, strings and piano is present, as to make a complete full-on anisong arrangement. With the relatively tame start, the song isn't as epic or astounding as some others in the album, but it can be quite effective in more subtle ways, largely thanks to the amazing vocals and traditional cadences present. The violin-heavy middle eight finishes the track with a high note from Sayaka, and wraps up another great song.
Rating: 8

10. Reason why XXX

I'm not quite sure what to classify this song in genre wise, because if you look carefully enough, anything can be found from 8-bit synths, happycore tempo, dramatic violins and rock guitars. With the colourful arrangement and creative use of most everything, the impression also varies from epic and powerful to cute and pleasing. Even that said, the main plus here is the ability to keep an incredibly tense, restless state, not letting go from the silent, impending beginning up to Sayaka's serious lamenting which is on the verge of slipping into a cheerful whistle that ends with a final guitar riff. Also, unusual melodies are bound to occur when you have to change from melancholic to sugary in a second, and that is perhaps the best hook and addiction this track has. An instant favourite on this crazy song.
Rating: 10

11. Starting Again

In the spirit with the title, an optimistic, happy song ensues. The light guitar and synths are again a feature from J-pop, but still fun, catchy and enjoyable to listen. Sayaka is again cursed here with the "vocaloid syndrome", but, fortunately, it doesn't show much even with her using her higher voice. Perhaps this was to be called "Daybreaker", as it does reflect the feeling of hope, and a new day rising in the skies.
Rating: 7 ½

12. Daybreaker

The closing song is, very predictably, a ballad, but it also has the honour to be the titular track. Usual instruments for an anisong ballad appear, with a deep beginning unraveling in acoustics and her soft voice. Guitars drum on in a seemingly retro style, with the mysterious-sounding synths constantly being repeated, but even with all of these quirks, the song doesn't save itself from being cliched and tiring. As with several other pieces in this album, Sayaka Sasaki's vocals, and perhaps the lyrics, are the only thing memorable, which doesn't spell good for material that is supposed to promote the whole album.
Rating: 7

The main drawback is mostly the clear lack of originality, both for the new songs and for previous releases. Sayaka needs to build her own image and style, because she is just being spread all over the place with these different genres, but with that voice, she'll be able to do anything. Of course, not all songs were that bad, since hidden jewels are apparently easy to appear - I am still looping BLAZE MOMENT and Reason why XXX. My overall rating for this album is: 8

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fripSide - sister's noise

To Aru Kagaku no Railgun S OP

Tracklist:

1. sister's noise

2. I'm believing you

3. sister's noise (Instrumental)

4. I'm believing you (Instrumental)

1. sister's noise

Having heard this song before, it is a pretty standard one for the numerous fripSide's tie-ins in the To Aru series. The track opens with an altered intro very similar to Level 5 Judgelight, and moves in a barrage of hard-hitting synths and guitars that merge with the occasional short piano sequences. Increasingly, Yoshino's voice is becoming much better with each of their new releases, and while it's still not especially impressive, she does manage to avoid the frail and thin tones. This song follows most of the usual formulas for fripSide, and with that said, it's not very original, but the sheer dramatic effect and catchy tune manage to save it.
Rating: 8

2. I'm believing you

A soft vocal solo with a significant amount of English opens the next track, accompanied by creatively used 8-bit synths, and after slowly gaining tempo, the result is a touching mid-tempo song. With the more serious overall atmosphere, the track is much more original than their seasonal ballads were when used as B-sides as well. The song retains the usual instrumentation also found in sister's noise, but with even more electric guitars added for impact. Appropriately, Yoshino's voice is sung at a lower pitch, with which she sounds quite a lot better than when incidentally screeching at too high tonalities, but the vocals tend to get lost in the varied arrangement, especially in the "middle eight" section. Even with the length of almost 6 minutes, I find this track to be a bit more enjoyable than sister's noise, and would serve as a much better ED theme in To Aru Railgun S than the current one.
Rating: 9

Currently, fripSide's composer is managing to bring up songs to the table with just enough changes to make it seem like completely new material, but the great similarities between sister's noise and only my railgun/Level 5 Judgelight (which have become almost a model to which everything else will be written) are already starting to be observable. The freshness is in compositions like I'm believing you, which I hope to hear more of in the future. My overall rating for this single is: 8 ½ 

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Minori Chihara - Kono Sekai wa Bokura wo Matteita

Suisei no Gargantia OP (Track no. 1)
Disgaea D2 OP (Track no. 2)

I'll try really really hard not to be biased. The woman is my queen ♡＾▽＾♡

Tracklist:

1. Kono Sekai wa Bokura wo Matteita

2. CRADLE OVER

3. Ai ni Ikitai

1. Kono Sekai wa Bokura wo Matteita

What a strange themed opening for a supposedly serious anime. Anyways, continuing from the streak she had with her last single, the track is uplifting and energetic as well, but not overly cute like Self Producer was.With that in mind, her voice has also outgrown the phase in which she used her nasal tone all the time, and is finally in its full strength here, following the colourful arrangement with bells, guitars and quirky strings, which are (unfortunately) not omnipresent like in most of her style. Well, I guess you have to make sacrifices if the point is to make a good anime OP.
Rating: 9

2. CRADLE OVER

Wow, if the previous song was kind of unusual, CRADLE OVER just screams "Minori", as it is the mind-blowing epicness every of her fans lives for. Though opening with a relatively calm start, the instrumentation moves in a techno-rock rhythm, accompanied by the sheer power and height her voice gives away and the insane violin work usual to her (I half idolize, half pity her violinist). It seems that ever since she stepped in on the RPG game music market, all of the songs made for them are pure masterpieces, even compared to the other hits in the discography, and this is certainly not an exception.
Rating: 10

3. Ai ni Ikitai

And, the following and final track of this single is a great custom her producers are beginning to use, and that is to leave the track that isn't tied to a media for Minori to compose and write herself. The only thing I perhaps mind about her skills in composition is that she's never done anything else besides a ballad, even though they aren't just a filler. Nevertheless, the song is very touching and gentle, mainly consisted of a piano, acoustic guitars and a few violin intersections. As to convince us fully, her voice is again not nasal at all, and it's actually quite a tearjerker. Yeah, I'd like to wake up to this every morning.
Rating: 9

... See? I wasn't biased at all. I gave 10/10 marks instead of 14/10  (￣▽￣人)

Summing up, this has been one amazing single as well, but it's a shame Minori doesn't put B-Sides in her albums, as CRADLE OVER would be a bit of a better choice than Kono Sekai. Speaking of which, her next album should come soon, and I'll be prepared with high expectations. My overall rating for this release is: 9

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