Luna Haruna - Ai wo Utae

Monogatari 2 ED

Tracklist:

1. Ai wo Utae

2. Koi no Senshi

3. Uchiage Hanabi

4. Ai wo Utae -Instrumental-

1. Ai wo Utae

I had myself wondering if I played the right single, since Luna's new song is absolutely nothing like any material she has released in the past. With the uplifting rock guitar and the noticeable violin to make it all closer to usual anison, this sounds very much like something LiSA would release. However, this actually works against her vocal power, since it doesn't have the chance to shine due to the simpler melody, even with the excellent colour. Ai wo Utae could be a nice song by itself, but the attempt of merging her extremely artistic profile (Yuki Kajiura, anyone?) with somewhat cheap pop-rock is unfortunate. If she wants to do heavier stuff, it would definitely work better if she went down the path of gothic metal, like we've been able to see in her past single, than jump right into the mainstream.

Rating: 7

2. Koi no Senshi

A quirky piano glissando opens up the next track, followed by an acoustic guitar and the cheerful hand clapping which immediately raise a red flag for something sugary and cute once again. It pretty much tries to copy the previous song, except for the simpler arrangement and only a bit more upbeat rhythm. Luna can definitely do much better, as this song made it presence only when playing, while leaving nothing memorable and noteworthy behind.  

Rating: 4

3. Uchiage Hanabi

This would be the usual ballad which would wrap up the single, but instead of more of the same, we get something more melancholic, quiet, and the Luna Haruna we're used to. Being quite relaxing and dreamy, the piano and even some silent synths play in mid-tempo over the beautiful, touching melody, and the clear vocals, which are finally filterless. Surprisingly, the chorus provides a very catchy melody, but without utilizing any of the standard chord progressions. It appears the final song is the best one of all three, and is already making a music video on itself, being very reminiscent of autumn and falling leaves.

Rating: 9

Where did our Gothic Lolita Kajiuran go? It's not like her composers don't have the ability to make good songs anymore; it's the probable attempt to copy some of her labelmates which have succeeded with ani-rock. Well, at least they had the decency to make the cover look cheesy, as to show what's mostly inside the package. My overall rating is: 7.

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Luna Haruna - Kimi ga Kureta Sekai

Fujimi Hime ~ Zombie no Sainan OP (Track no. 2)

Tracklist:

1. Kimi ga Kureta Sekai

2. Tokoshie Rondo

3. Kagayaku Hoshi no Yamai

1. Kimi ga Kureta Sekai

As expected from a Luna Haruna single, the leading song is a ballad - and quite a powerful one at that. The track starts off with her unusually strong vocals (considering she is only 21) paired with a piano, but unravels in a more upbeat, classic anisong arrangement with a laid-back hint of the incoming summer. With that in mind, the instrumentation can't go without strings, which again play on my weakness especially when used in a marching fast tempo, but the beach-like synths somewhat ruin the impression in the already uneventful verses. Following the variations between the grandiose and exciting, and the relatively boring, the mood the listener is currently in will impact the light in which the song is, so the final outcome would be average.
Rating: 7

2. Tokoshie Rondo

Just as the mind rests from the previous track, utterly unexpected synths and hard guitars kick in from the start and make this Luna's first step into rock music, and maybe even metal. Her vocals are, even though filtered, quite deeper and more dominant, with her having the ability to cause subtle scares with the unexpected key changes and purposeful lack of breath at the second chorus. Accordingly, the arrangement also stands on its own regarding the gothic style, and the horror movie effects with the trance-inducing instrumentation are very effective. Ending with an old-fashioned fadeout, like in retro rock songs, this track would definitely make for a much better A-side. 

Rating: 9

3. Kagayaku Hoshi no Yamai

The final track begins with Luna showing her voice acting skills while narrating to a music box playing in the background. Of course, nothing sugary of that kind would last alongside the previous track, and so the music box slows down, losing it pitch, until we are faced with a full stop. Starting anew, the same kind of guitars and synths from Tokoshie Rondo begin drumming, but much faster in tempo differing from most of her slow to mid tempo discography. The vocals here, now vocoded, are even deeper and more skilfully used with the purpose to frighten, with her sounding like a completely different person. For the same reason I love her vocals, the opposites colliding in this track sometimes sound very morbid and unique, making me wonder who the composer is. Wrapping up this masterpiece is the sparkly music box playing again, like nothing had happened, yet the mysterious last tone reflects the message of "To Be Continued".

Rating: 10

Sometimes I just wonder who would be crazy enough to put a relatively average A-side to the loss of the other two tracks (not to mention Tokoshie Rondo is actually tied to a media). The producers of this single made Luna in a huge disadvantage promoting her with such timid and safe songs. Don't let the covers fool you, though - Luna Haruna is one hell of a Gothic Lolita under the pretense of a cute girl. My overall rating for this single is: 9

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