Aya Hirano GETS!

Hey Everyone!  

At Anime Overload a few weeks ago, I found a booth that was selling Japanese movies and music.  I found "Yo Yo Girl Cop" with Aya Matsuura and Rika Ishikawa, but it was too expensive for me.  T___T  

BUT.

I did find two Aya Hirano CDs there for $5 each! 8D

The two singles I bought were:

Bouken Desho Desho?

Motteke! Sailor Fuku

Here's some pictures!

Some butthead stepped on my CD in the maid cafe.  But it's okay, since he didn't crack her face or the CD.  I would've been more pissed off if I had paid the standard 20 bucks for the single. 

What I find strange about these singles is that all of the text on them is romanized.  The title, tracklist, the lyric book...even the text on the CD itself is romanized.  I asked the booth that was selling these if they had business cards, and they quickly said no.  If y'all have any idea what company this is, please let me know.  

Oh!  And the lyrics have English translations too!  I'm just hoping this isn't a fansub thing, since I do want at least part of my money to go to supporting Aya.  

Anyway!  On to the songs!

Tracklist for Bouken Desho Desho:

1.  Bouken Desho Desho?

2.  Kazeyomi Ribbon

3.  Bouken Desho Desho? Karaoke Ver.

4.  Kazeyomi Ribbon Karaoke Ver.

       This single is a part of the Haruhi Suzumiya series, so the both of the songs are used in the anime.  Bouken Desho Desho was used as an opening, and Kazeyomi Ribbon was used as an opening to Haruhi's radio show in the anime.  Bouken Desho Desho is a very interesting track, as it is happy sounding, but it also has some mystery involved.  The lyrics especially add to that mysterious feel, with the song being about destiny, adventure, and the unkown, all of which are central themes in the anime series.  Aya's voice has a mature tambre to it in this song which suits the themes of it well.  

        Kazeyomi Ribbon, on the other hand, is more of an upbeat song.  The central themes of this song are ambition, one's dreams, and perseverance.  The song is a great characterization of Haruhi, and Aya's voice reflects that, as she uses more of her character voice for this song.  The instrumental in the song is a lot more fast paced and a bit hectic, so it leaves you with your heart pumping and a smile on your face.  

          This single shows a shift in the anime to a more serious and plot driven section, as the show had been going on for some time and was getting more twists and turns in the story when the single came out, so it's a good reflection of the story at the time.  I love how seiyuu's singles reflect their characters and the story itself.  It's almost like you could track the series through the songs that Aya released. 

Moving on to the second single!  The tracklisting for Motteke! Sailor Fuku is:

1.  Motteke! Sailor Fuku

2.  Kaeshite!  Knee Socks

3.  Motteke! Sailor Fuku (off vocal)

4.  Kaeshite! Knee Socks (off vocal)

             This single is like the COMPLETE OPPOSITE of Bouken Desho Desho.  At first glance, both songs are a stream of consciousness, and basically are nonsense.  Aya's voice reflects that by sounding more youthful and high pitched.  She sings with three other seiyuus in this single, since these songs are in theory supposed to be sung by the four main characters in the anime series.  These songs to go the show Lucky Star by the way, if you didn't know. 

              Motteke Sailor Fuku is the opening song of the anime, and the dance to the song is one of the most famous dances in the anime world.  You can't go to any anime convention without hearing this song, or seeing the dance be done, (a concert, in the hallway, people derping around).  This song is like slipping into the mind of a hyperactive Japanese middle school girl.  The lyrics are complaining about the sailor fukus, liking Summer uniforms better, food, hating their part time jobs, being cute, crushes, good weather...everything but the kitchen sink.  It's so wonderfully random, and there are also random bits of dialogue or shouting in the song, which makes it even more hectic!  I can't listen to this song without feeling ridiculous and grinning stupidly from ear to ear.  It's the nonsense that makes me so happy, and it's what makes the song a great song to listen to!  The instrumental itself is super fast paced, and it almost feels like a jazzy traffic jam or something.  I totally love this song and I'm so happy that it was created.  

               The B side to this single is called Kaeshite Knee Socks, and it's much more simple than its A side counterpart.  It has a rock feel to it with some electric guitars in the instrumental, and it feels like girly teen angst.  The song is about losing one's favorite pair of knee socks, how annoying it is to lose them, the cost of replacing them but wanting to buy other things.  Normal teenage girl stuff.  I imagine a bunch of girls singing this in their room at a sleepover into hairbrushes and thinking they're really rebellious...but they're actually super cute. XD  I'm not into this song as much as Motteke Sailor Fuku, but I think it's a good glimpse into tweenager-hood.  

I hope you enjoyed the review, and I have a few more coming up for ya!

Kaya