So when I first got wind of this news, I was more than just baffled; I pulled a lengthy Kagamin-like “jiiiii~” after looking at the track list, recognizing about half the songs. I then realized that having these female seiyuu cover these old rock songs would be really weird, but at the same time, the ridiculousness intrigued me to a huge extent. Ergo, this was a must-listen. Expectations were all but present in my mind. I somewhat assumed they would change all of these to better fit the seiyuu. Once I started listening to the album, I wasn’t beginning to expect this…

Below is the tracklist which includes the song titles, the original artists, and the seiyuu covering the songs. Those of you that are interested, here’s a little preview you can hear on YouTube here.

Tracklist:
01. Sex and Violence – The Exploited (Mamoi Halko)
02. Basket Case – Green Day (Ikezawa Haruna)
03. White Riot – The Clash (Shimizu Kaori)
04. Pretty Fly (For A White Guy) – The Offspring (Kadowaki Mai)
05. Anarchy in the U.K. – Sex Pistols (Tanaka Rie)
06. London’s Burning – The Clash (Gotou Yuuko)
07. Call Me – Blondie (Mamoi Halko)
08. God Save the Queen – Sex Pistols (Ikezawa Haruna)
09. Blitzkrieg Bop – The Ramones (Shimizu Kaori)
10. Search and Destroy – Iggy and the Stooges (Kadowaki Mai)
11. Ruby Soho – Rancid (Tanaka Rie)
12. Smells Like Teen Spirit – Nirvana (Gotou Yuuko)

Interesting choice of songs, though it kinda irks me that this is called a punk songs collection when most of these aren’t really punk. With that said, let’s see what I think of each song…

Sex and Violence
To start things off, we get this song about sex and violence. The only words in this song are “sex and violence” repeated over and over. It’s not the first time songs have had repeated lyrics before, but you know what, it actually sounds a little catchy despite the redundancy. In this version, Mamoi repeats the words, but there are some bits of chitter-chatter in-between so as to not sound repetitive, I’m guessing. At the same time, it sounds really cute, even though I’m well aware it sounds like a little girl singing about sex and violence. Quite amusing to listen to this, but I don’t think this has very strong influence if you know what I mean.

Score: 7.5/10.0

Basket Case
I’ll admit, I never actually listened to Green Day much, and that includes this song. Nevertheless, Haruna does a decent job with the Engrish, so it’s not too bad. I think the only problem I have is that her voice doesn’t actually stand out at times.

Score: 7.0/10.0

White Riot
The Clash is yet another old group I never heard of, but their song being covered by Kaori isn’t actually bad at all. Kaori uses her Hiyorin voice from Lucky Star and it sounds just as good as her character song. I can’t say it’s something I’d listen to often, unfortunately. Also, the song is a little less than two minutes so that also disappointed me.

Score: 6.5/10.0

Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)
Single-handedly the best song on this album. This was actually the biggest reason I wanted to listen to the album so bad. Having listened to Offspring in the past, I thought their songs were quite humorous, yet awesome. So now I’m listening to Kadowaki Mai’s rendition, and I just laughed so much and facepalm’d because I couldn’t contain myself from the sheer greatness. Sheer greatness. During my listening, I was wondering if Mai even knew what she was saying. Offspring’s songs have a lot of explicit words in there, so it’s funny hearing Mai say them. Let’s see, she says “homie as he pass,” and “kick his lily ass” among others. Now that I think about it, when I first heard the beginning part with the gibberish (throwing me off guard in the process), it reminded me of our lovely gaijin, Patricia Martin. Perhaps the best thing is how she says “give it to me, baby.”

Score: 10.0/10.0

Anarchy in the U.K.
Tanaka Rie’s voice is as lovely as her looks, so when I learned that she was part of this collection, I was thrilled. I’ve listened to this song a few times before on Guitar Hero and on Rock Band, but the usual fast tempo song is now very slow paced and a bit more soothing. Overall, it’s a great cover from Tanaka Rie. It was a little hard to hear her despite having much better English than anyone else. Still, I at least would say this is worth listening to. I was a bit scared at the end when she says “I get pissed. Destroy.” I don’t ever recall that in the actual song, but I guess I should find out.

Score: 8.0/10.0

London’s Burning
Okay, what’s with all the anti-Europe? Yeah, I get they’re from English bands but… lol, whatever. I had no idea the song would actually start off with Yuuko’s moe Mikuru voice going “London’s burning!” As cheerful as it is, it’s almost freaky. Again, did the seiyuu know what they were saying? I guess that doesn’t really matter so I should stop concerning myself over it. I can’t figure out what Gotouza-sama is actually saying most of the time aside from “London’s burning.” If I can describe it in one word… pyromaniacal.

Score: 6.0/10.0

Call Me
After the six seiyuu get their swing, it’s back to Halko and this time she takes on Blondie’s famous Call Me song. I know the song pretty well, actually, so hearing the song was amazing, as it didn’t have to transform into a more denpa style song. Finally, I get to hear her say more than just the same three words over and over again and that’s satisfying. Now that I can tell Halko can sing Engrish, I was able to enjoy it more.

Score: 7.5/10.0

God Save the Queen
Hate to say it, but I’m just not really feeling Haruna. Not saying she’s doing a bad job, but it’s not actually something superb either, even though I do enjoy listening to her sing. Like I said though, it just doesn’t really stand out to me. Maybe it was just her songs? I mean, hey, if she got a Metallica song or something, then I’d be catching on.

Score: 6.0/10.0

Blitzkrieg Bop
Hey, ho! Let’s go! Hey, ho! Let’s go! Finally, a tune that’s fun and bubbly! Well, the Ramones’ song wasn’t really bubbly, but it was something to light up too with it’s melody and rhythm. Again, Kaori makes this song sound so good, almost like it suited her. Well, it did, so there’s really no surprise there.

Score: 9.0/10.0

Search and Destroy
We’re back at Kadowaki Mai again, and she pulls another excellent cover. I’ve only heard Search and Destroy from Guitar Hero II, but I liked it a lot, so this was another song I was looking forward to. The song actually doesn’t sound that moe but with Mai on the vocals, it sounds both daringly cute and awesome as the original. The instruments are perfect and Mai does a job well done with her Engrish, particularly when she gets to “somebody gotta save my soul!” Now that I think about it, she almost reminds me of Misao from LS, just not as wacky in the voice.

Score: 9.5/10.0

Ruby Soho
Looks like Tanaka Rie can’t help but sound good every time, and that’s fine with me because she deserves it. This was my first time listening to Ruby Soho. Frankly, it’s a great song and with Rie, she makes it all the greater. Like before, her voice is really clear and it has a sort of strong presence. The chorus is quite catchy that sometimes I wanna sing along. This is my second favorite track on the album.

Score: 10.0/10.0

Smells Like Teen Spirit
Wow, the final song is a Nirvana cover. I think they should’ve done more of them, but oh well. Anyway, Gotouza-sama is on the mic again, thankfully not singing about London burning down. Her version of this song sounds slightly melancholy and also calm for some reason. I think her voice makes it so, but that’s just me. Not a bad one at all, I’d say; although, it is a little unnerving that this is the last song of the album.

Score: 8.0/10.0

Final Thoughts:
What looked like it was gonna be massive idiocy (okay, not really) turned out to be the funnest Engrish-infested denpa-like album ever, and with seiyuu, no less! Whoever was responsible for coming up with this deserves a medal because it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, and because I had lower expectations, I liked it more in the end. It might sound cringing, but once you do give it a listen, it really isn’t that bad. Some songs are better than others, of course, but overall, the album is not something to pass up, especially since you know what they’re singing.

Total Score: 8.3/10.0

Verdict: They have to have a second album. Like, seriously.

Otaku Inbou has recently gone through changes… a lot of changes. The supposed “latency” issues and whatnot never fully reached my end. I’m still not exactly sure why it had to end up this way, because personally I think it’s just redundant.

That being said, we’re limited to two to three people for each session. Now that doesn’t mean we can’t interchange between the staff. We can, but due to lack of communication, there’s no telling if that will even happen at all. For the moment, I’ve set up the new podcast featuring Blade and me. As the DJs, we host and talk music, from explaining why we don’t care for ALI PROJECT to wondering who the hell was the person responsible for using a song by Jinn for CODE GEASS.

As always, comments are very much appreciated. I know some of you out there actually do listen to it, but without any feedback, we don’t know what you guys want from us, so let us hear you out; we’re all ears.

You can play the stream below, download the podcast here, or subscribe to us on iTunes.

Podcast Stream:

Feel free to add our Podcast Release Feed to your RSS Reader, and follow us on our Twitter page as well.

Also, please review us on iTunes!

Third round and this time, it’s all about the music. You can have anime with voices, but once you cue the music at the right time, you get some pretty amazing results. Kudos to all the composers and arrangers, and the vocalists for all their hard work! Firstly, we’d like to get our Top 10 Opening Themes and Ending Themes outta the way.

Top 10 Opening Themes

1. Ash Like Snow by the brilliant green (Gundam 00)
2. PAPERMOON by Tommy heavenly6 (SOUL EATER)/SHUT AND EXPLODE by BOOM BOOM SATELLITES (Xam’d: Lost Memories)
3. Hakanaku mo Towa no Kanashi by UVERworld (Gundam 00)
4. motto☆Hade ni ne! by Tomatsu Haruka (Kannagi)
5. O2 by ORANGE RANGE (CODE GEASS Lelouch of the Rebellion R2)
6. resonance by T.M.Revolution (SOUL EATER)
7. Beautiful Fighter (Shikabane Hime: Aka)
8. PSI-missing by Kawada Mami (To Aru Majutsu no Index)
9. Lion by May’n & Megumi Nakajima (Macross FRONTIER)
10. CLOSER by Inoue Joe (NARUTO Shippuuden)/Pre-Parade by Kugimiya Rie, Horie Yui, and Kitamura Eri (Toradora!)

1. motto☆Hade ni ne! by Tomatsu Haruka (Kannagi)
2. PAPERMOON by Tommy heavenly6 (SOUL EATER)
3. Paradise Lost by Chihara Minori (Ga-rei -zero-)
4. F.D.D. by Itou Kanako (CHAOS;HEAD)
5. Aoi Kakera by Chara (Telepathy Shoujo Ran)
6. resonance by T.M.Revolution (SOUL EATER)
7. Pre-Parade by Kugimiya Rie, Horie Yui, and Kitamura Eri (Toradora!)
8. O2 by ORANGE RANGE (CODE GEASS Lelouch of the Rebellion R2)
9. SHUT UP AND EXPLODE by BOOM BOOM SATELLITES (Xam’d: Lost Memories)
10. Kuusou Rumba by Ootsuki Kenji & Zetsubou Shoujo-tachi (Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei)

1. WORD OF THE VOICE by FLOW (Persona -trinity soul-)
2. Donten by DOES (Gintama)
3. Last Train ~Atarashi Asa~ by Knotlamp (Yu-Gi-Oh 5D’s)
4. Gekidou by UVERworld (D.Gray-man)
5. PAPERMOON by Tommy heavenly6 (SOUL EATER)
6. Hakanaku mo Towa no Kanashi by UVERworld (Gundam 00)
7. WORLD END by FLOW (CODE GEASS Lelouch of the Rebellion R2)
8. CLOSER by Inoue Joe (NARUTO)
9. CHU-BURA by KELUN (BLEACH)
10. kimi=hana by pigstar (Junjou Romantica)

1.) “Hakanaku mo Towa no Kanashi” by UVERworld (Gundam 00 S2)
2.) “Lion” by May’n & Nakajima Megumi (Macross Frontier)
3.) “motto☆Hade ni ne!” by Tomatsu Haruka (Kannagi)
4.) “PAPERMOON” by Tommy heavenly6 (Soul Eater)
5.) “Ash-like Snow” by the brilliant green (Gundam 00)
6.) “resonance” by T.M. Revolution (Soul Eater)
7.) “PSI-missing” by Kawada Mami (To Aru Majutsu no Index)
8.) “SHUT UP AND EXPLODE” by BOOM BOOM SATELLITES (Xam’d: Lost Memories)
9.) “O2″ by ORANGE RANGE (CODE GEASS Lelouch of the Rebellion R2)
10.) “Futatsu no Kodou to Akai Tsumi” by ON/OFF (Vampire Knight)

Top 10 Ending Themes

1. Friends by Stephanie (Gundam 00)/Prototype Ishikawa Chiaki (Gundam 00 S2)
2. Super Special by Kagami Seira (CHAOS;HEAD)
3. Bakusou Yumeuta by Diggy-MO’ (SOUL EATER)
4. Northen Cross by May’n (Macross Frontier)
5. My story by angela (Shikabane Hime: Aka)
6. Musuhi no Toki by Tomatsu Haruka (Kannagi)
7. Shiawase Neiro by ORANGE RANGE (CODE GEASS Lelouch of the Rebellion R2)
8. Katahiza no Yogore by Last Alliance (Real Drive)
9. Hitosashiyubi Quiet! by N’s (Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu)
10. changes by Base Ball Bear (Library War)

1. Style. by Kana Nishino (SOUL EATER)
2. Super Special by Kagami Seira (CHAOS;HEAD)
3. Bakusou Yumeuta by Diggy-MO’ (SOUL EATER)
4. Musuhi no Toki by Tomatsu Haruka (Kannagi)
5. Koiji Romanesque by Zetsubou Shoujo-tachi (Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei)
6. Hitosashiyubi Quiet! by N’s (Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu)
7. Vanilla Salt by Horie Yui (Toradora!)
8. Shiawase Neiro by ORANGE RANGE (CODE GEASS Lelouch of the Rebellion R2)
9. Broken Youth by NICO TOUCHES THE WALL (Naruto Shippuuden)
10. Tokyo et Paris by Miyamoto Emiri x solita (Nodame Cantabile Paris-hen)

1. Broken Youth by NICO TOUCHES THE WALLS (Naruto Shippuuden)
2. Bakusou Yumeuta by Diggy-MO’ (SOUL EATER)
3. Style. by Kana Nishino (SOUL EATER)
4. Shiawase Neiro by ORANGE RANGE (CODE GEASS Lelouch of the Rebellion R2)
5. Orange by Lil’B (BLEACH)
6. Sunao na Niji by surface (BLEACH)
7. Koyoi, Tsuki ga, Miezu Tomo by Porno Graffiti (BLEACH)
8. ONE DAY by The Loose Dogs (Major)
9. I, Ai, Ai by ghostnote (Gintama)
10. Friends by Stephanie (Gundam 00)

1.) “Prototype” Ishikawa Chiaki (Gundam 00 S2)
2.) “Friends” by Stephanie (Gundam 00)
3.) “Northen Cross” by May’n (Macross Frontier)
4.) “Vacancy” by Kylee (Xam’d: Lost Memories)
5.) “Bakusou Yumeuta” by Diggy-MO’ (Soul Eater)
6.) “Namida” by 2BACKKA (Skip Beat!)
7.) “Shiawase Neiro” by ORANGE RANGE (CODE GEASS Lelouch of the Rebellion R2)
8.) “Suna no O-shiro” by Wakeshima Kanon (Vampire Knight: Guilty)
9.) “Let’s go together” by Afromania (Birdy the Mighty Decode)
10.) “Tokyo et Paris” by Miyamoto Emiri x solita (Nodame Cantabile: Paris Chapter)

Best Insert Song

Winner: Iteza – Gogo 9ji – Don’t be late (Sheryl On Stage), Diamond Crevasse by May’n (Macross Frontier)

I can go on and on about how awesome these songs are and about how much I’m in love with Sheryl Nome. So to cut all the fanboying ranting short, you should just go and listen to them. Better yet, go watch Macross Frontier and you’ll see why these two songs more than deserve the title of “Best Insert Song” of 2008 for sure. Better still, go watch AND listen to the songs.

Winner: The Song of Hello Soybeans by Dokkoi Foods, performed by Nagi (Tomatsu Haruka)

Clearly, this was the best song out of the whole karaoke room, with Takako’s putrid song coming in second. The lyrics are straightforward, but Haruka delivers her tone so perfectly horrid that it’s amazingly really funny. My favorite part is definitely when she says the line “a fierce sex appeal.” I wonder how she would’ve done with Shirigeya.

Winner: “Diamond Crevasse” by May’n (Macross Frontier)

Obviously I’m referring to the episode 20 insert. That was no doubt the highlight of the show. I’ll admit it was a bit weird when Sheryl stood up and started singing all of sudden; but then it cut to Michael and BAM, we got hit so hard that it left us breathless by the end. One of the most memorable scenes this year if not the most.

Best Soundtrack

Winner: Macross FRONTIER

Honorable mention: SOUL EATER

Well, well now. Had this been another year or a year without Macross, the winner would either be SOUL EATER. However, Kanno Youko, Sheryl Nome/May’n and a few other artists clinched this year without a doubt . It’s mighty hard to beat out awesome pieces such as Big Boys, Alto’s Theme, Iteza – Gogo 9ji – Don’t be late (Sheryl On Stage), and Diamond Crevasse. It’s the kind of stuff that makes you fall in love with music over and over and that which you hear even when you’re not listening to the actual songs. That’s not to take anything away from Iwasaki Taku’s work though. Some of my favorites from SOUL EATER’s OST are: PSYCHEDELIC SOULJAM, DEATHCITY, Overdrive, and Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Have a Nice Dream.

Winner: SOUL EATER
I was never a big fan of Iwasaki Taku’s work, though I did like some of the music he composed for Black Cat and TTGL. However, I believe that SOUL EATER showed just how amazing Taku is with a variety of tracks with different moods that clearly distinguishes a sad moment or an action-packed scene. It fits so perfectly with the scenes that I’d be crazy enough to call it a masterpiece. Furthermore, he even composed a great deal of vocal tracks. We have Soul’s track, which is indeed so scandalous, Black Star’s “never lose myself” song, which is, funnily enough, about him and also his hatred for Excalibur, and the last character track for Death the Kid. The other vocals are “harmoNIZE,” “Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Have a Nice Dream,” and “PSYCHEDELIC SOULJAM,” with the last two having some of the best arrangements and rhythms I’ve heard.

Winner: Soul Eater
From the person who brought you the Gurren Lagann soundtrack, we have an upbeat soundtrack for the year’s most exciting anime. Ironically enough, the most memorable track in the show for me is the bad flute instrumental whenever something idiotic happens. It’s one of those moments that are so bad, yet they are so good because they compliment the scene so well.

Winner: Macross Frontier

Honorable Mention: SOUL EATER

Macross Frontier and SOUL EATER both have a strong, an amazing OST. My choice could have gone to either one, but in the end I gave it to Macross Frontier because it had a much deeper impact. Anybody who’s seen the series knows how the music is an integral part of the story as well. Like when a concert is being held parallel to an intergalatic space fight, it’s a real treat to both the eyes and ears. Endo Aya and Nakajima Megumi lead the music for Frontier and both are just really amazing singers. I especially love Endo Aya’s “Diamond Crevasse.” That’s just a really powerful piece and she performs it so well.

I loved Gurren Lagann’s OST, so when I heard Iwasaki Taku was coming back for SOUL EATER, I was shitting bricks. SOUL EATER’s OST has so many great tracks and Iwasaki manages to keep the variety there as well. I really enjoy songs that really pump up your adrenaline like “Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Have a Nice Dream” and “never lose myself” which are my two favorite. I can still remember people going in a frenzy when the OST was first released. Iwasaki Taku has definitely made a name for himself.

Because I have my own needs!

I have done this a year ago at the boards of Naruto Fan so I figured, why won’t I post the awards here for this year? The rules are pretty simple, it has to be an song that is a part of an anime and its single has to be release this year. For example: The song “Velonica” by Aqua Timez may aired this year, but its single is yet to be released, so it’s not eligible. That being said, here are some of the smaller awards, leading up to the main awards.

Rookie Award:
- Shuhei Kita
- pigstar
- Inoue Joe
- Kana Nishino
- NICO TOUCHES THE WALLS

Winner:
- Inoue Joe: The reason why I gave the award to Inoue Joe because he is the very first artist I have heard that sang and English and actually made some sense, not to mention he has a great voice.

Best Double:
- Shuhei Kita
- FLOW
- UVERworld
- the brilliant green\tommy heavenly6
- ORANGE RANGE

Winner:
- FLOW: I bet Aniplex were thinking that since FLOW’s WORD OF THE VOICE wasn’t popular since Persona wasn’t a great success, they thought of putting their next song WORLD END as the second opening for the new season of Code Geass. Either way, FLOW has done great job compensating me for not having any anime songs last year with two great ones, that is the only reason why they topped UVERworld.

Best themes in one anime:
- Naruto Shippuuden
- Code Geass R2
- Soul Eater
- Gintama
- Gundam 00

Winner:
Gundam 00: When it came to overall quality, Gundam 00 had it. The best songs from the beginning of the year were easily “Ash Like Snow” by the brilliant green and “Friends” by Stephanie. Later, UVERworld did the opening for the second season which was stellar as well, and while Prototype was okay, I still found it easy reward this year.

Best songs:

20. Porno Graffitti – Koyoi Tsuki ga Miezu Tomo

Porno Graffitti have surprised me. They gave us GTO’s OP in 2000, Fullmetal Alchemist’s OP in 2003, Ayakashi Ayashi’s ED in 2006 so I would imagine a new song in 2009. BUT, we got one sooner, and it is an ending to a Bleach movie. Really? It was as surprising as L’arc~en~ciel doing a Naruto OP. The song is dark and it fits the mood of the movie well.

19. LM.C – 88

God tell me why this song is named 88? Maybe it’s the number of times one gets tired of it? Either way it’s a nice theme, but like many great songs I have on this list, it ends too quickly, even the vocals of the anime version are very limited. Either way, while not as great as “Boys and Girls”, LM.C’s other Reborn! theme, it’s still cool and definitely more serious.

18. Ikimono Gakari – Blue Bird

Aoi Aoi ano sora. You know a Japanese song is great if you memorize the words… in Japanese. Ikimonogakari have been around for a while and their Naruto theme song was definitely a change from the somewhat comical “distance” (although I like it). Its main flaw? Aired on a filler season.

17. the Brilliant Green – Ash Like Snow

I know I placed it quite low on the list, but it’s only because I burnt that song to death. It’s amazing how an opening that succeeded a L’arc~en~ciel opening is regarded as a superior one. To me, I prefer Daybreak’s Bell, but Ash Like Snow is great too.

16. surface – Sunao na Niji

Last year I gave surface’s Yume no Tsuzuki e the “song of the year” award. While Sunao na Niji is a soothing and serene song, it is not nearly as memorable as “Yume” was last year. It even aired on the most popular shounen show, Naruto Shippuuden, and yet if I try to reminisce about the theme songs, most people don’t remember it, which is sad, because it reminds me the 5th ED of the original show, Ima Made Nando mo. I just hope that surface would do an OP for a change and will get more fans, they deserve the recognition.

15. pigstar – Kimi=hana

Shounen-ai or not, the one thing that should be a consensus regarding Junjou Romantica is that the opening songs rock. Pigstar had two songs for the show, but the first one is the one that sticks with you. It is so popular that I see hundreds of fangirls on youtube covering it. As for me, I’d be fine with the mp3 and not watching bishies walk a flowers bloom from their footsteps.

14. KELUN – CHU-BURA

KELUN is a band I didn’t really count because I wasn’t the biggest fan of SIGNAL, their Gintama ED. However I started to like it and along came CHU-BURA, an upbeat opening for Bleach that pretty much skyrocketed the band’s popularity, and for a good reason. Same problem with Blue Bird though, the song aired on a filler season, and even worse is that all the episodes of the season were fillers unlike BB. At least unlike most openings this season, the song was actually longer than 4 minutes.

13. Inoue Joe – CLOSER

If the song was longer it’d probably make it higher, but as it is, CLOSER fits well with Shikamaru Shippuuden. The reason why he sings so well in English is because of his American origin, but that doesn’t stop him or the song to sound any less than epic.

12. Lil’B – Orange

Yes it sounds like a bar-mitzva music at the beginning and yes, the cover looks like it’s some washed-up hip hop, which may be half-way true. But Orange is a fun song to listen to and despite the fact it is 5 minutes, it’s hard even to notices its long, unlike Gallop by Pe’zmoku that is 5 minutes as well, but 3 of them are instrumentals.

11. Orange Range – Shiawase Neiro

I bet people expected me to put O2 there, and while that’s a great song, I liked Shiawase Neiro a little bit more. The irony is that the full version, despite the long instrumental segments, is superior to the TV version, but I still wished they had an extra verse there.

10. Kana Nishino – Style

After “I wanna be”, I can’t really imagine that song in Soul Eater, and quite frankly it doesn’t fit at all. But after listening more and watching Kana Nishino moving her hips in the PV makes it all the more adorable and much more playable than the song that preceded it.

9. FLOW – World End

I think the only reason why I haven’t been a fan of WORLD END as much as COLORS is because it’s far less powerful, especially the chorus. That being said, it doesn’t make it bad. I still finding myself remembering it more than I remember O2.

8. UVERworld – Hakanaku mo towa wo Kanashi

In a typical UVERworld tradition, I expected UVERworld to only release anime singles in the spring season, but they pulled a FLOW by releasing one a month ago. Hakanaku is more reminiscent of the older UVERworld songs that end for no explained reason, but this one fared better than either D-tecnolife and dare I say: Colors of the Heart.

7. Tommy Heavenly6 – PAPERMOON

It’s no secret I didn’t like resonance. It’s not bad, but it’s just traditional T.M. Revolution style. Tommy Heavenly, instead of doing something happy like “Pray” (from Gintama), did something a lot darker. The opening of Soul Eater itself is very enigmatic in its scenes, but that made the song even a bigger impact than before.

6. Diggy Mo – Bakusou Yume Uta

Oh Diggy Mo. Your voice and unintelligible rap sounds make you as likable as time passes by. I didn’t know what to expect when the ending theme aired, but maybe the fact the opening wasn’t ready by the time made the song more prominent in the mind of people. Whatever reason, this is my favorite song that came from Soul Eater.

5. UVERworld – Gekidou

Another UVERworld entry. The reason why this one is rated higher than Hakanaku is because it actually ends with a normal chorus and it’s longer than most of UVERworld songs. The only problem is the 45 second build up that doesn’t contribute anything, but thankfully with the help of an audio program I managed to overcome this problem. This is definitely my favorite anime opening that UVERworld has ever done, and I know it’s a very bold statement, but the energy of the song and the fact the rap segment actually fits perfectly makes it a winner in my book.

4. NICO TOUCHES THE WALLS – Broken Youth

I have to say that this is THE ending theme song of the year. For one, it had the best animation in an ending theme, fitting perfectly with the song and the whole samurai theme of Naruto and Sasuke. Two, the song itself is just great. If I had any complaints it may be against the band’s name… Nico Touches the Walls? Isn’t it a little odd they showed up right after the release of Grand Theft Auto IV?

3. Knotlamp – Last Train

I know I have been saying that I hate Yu-Gi-Oh 5D’s compared to the other adaptations, and while it gotten a bit better, it is still a bad show. That being said, I did mention the opening song, Kizuna by Kra, was the only bright spot. The song was good, but Last Train is excellent. It so good it has two version: English and Japanese. The English version isn’t very intelligible but because of the fast and catchy melody, you don’t even mind that. While the anime is stuck in a rut, at least this song make it shine if only this time.

2. DOES – Donten

Up until that point, Gintama’s theme songs, openings and endings, were pretty much upbeat and happy. Donten just throws all that away, and like Shura before that, it’s dark, gritty and easily the most bad-ass song of the year. However, like After Dark last year, it ends too soon, and I really wish it’d be longer than just 3 minutes. Either way, do yourself a favor and at least see the opening animation to Gintama and dare to tell me the song isn’t cool. It’s impossible.

1. FLOW – Word of the Voice

Is a FLOW song winning song of the year? How preposterous is that?! I have to say that unlike COLORS two years ago, which seemed like an obvious choice for everyone, WORD OF THE VOICE isn’t like that. In fact, I bet most people would thing I’d go with WORLD END. The reason why WORD won is the fact it is darker, the verses and chorus fit perfectly and even the animation they used in persona was cool to watch, albeit not the best one. You know a song is great if I put it as a ringtone on my cell phone for 8 months and not getting tired of it until this day. Congratiulations FLOW, you have done it again! Can’t wait for your new album next month!

[ Episode 5: guidance ]

Okay, so…skipping all the technobabble (which, in short, is stuff that I really like to tinker with internally), FES tells Takumi about Di-Swords more in-depth. I have to say though, I couldn’t avoid thinking of the Matrix during some parts of this episode. That goes especially for the scenes where she spoke about wills and such. Takumi also seems to be an exception when it comes to delusions (no surprise there) as evidenced by him bringing into existence another FES wearing a school swimsuit. Hilarious.

Yua was pretty awesome again in this episode. She caused me to jump a little when she threw open the door to Takumi’s room and started her little repeat-the-same-thing-in-different-sentences technique. I’m still not sure exactly what her intentions are but for the time being she seems to genuinely want to help Takumi. Though I don’t think calling the police on him will do any good…

Sena’s explanation on visual rebuilding and such caught my attention. It’s a little hard to swallow, but I think what she said held some merit to it, but I’m not too sure at what extent. Basically, what Takumi sees in his delusions are manifesting into reality. The Di-Swords that the girls wield are also a realization from delusions as well. I’m still not sure exactly why it’s like that though. I kinda had a very eerie vibe after watching. I dunno, it felt almost like Suicide Circle, especially after Takumi watched the Dive video.

So the new girl Kozue was shown once again for whatever reason. I laughed when she tripped and bled on her knee but Takumi passed by her so apathetically. He’s just minding his own business. Honestly, he has such a bad memory. Not surprising since his mind is jacked up most of the day.

Motteke! Sailor Fuku Re-Mix001 -7 burning Remixers-

With the OP single selling millions, you can’t help but think there should be some sort of follow-up. Well here’s the answer: remixes! So good that it gets seven new mixes! You know, if they were able to do this, I wonder why they never bothered with a Hare Hare Yukai remix album?

Motteke! Sailor Fuku [Choushi Koite Gyokusai Mix]

The song starts out with a long intro full of the lyrics right before the chorus and such, being repeated through editing effects, much emphasis on the DADADA part. It completely leaves out the actual lyrics and even the chorus, but it does sound funky with words being mashed up so now it makes even less sense. The lines “choushi koite gyokusai” from the song is repeated through most of the song, hence the name of this remix.
7.0/10.0

Motteke! Sailor Fuku [Metabo Taisaku Mix]

This one has a disco/rave feel to it. The fast tempo remains, and there isn’t any drastic change to the arrangement, which I like.
7.5/10.0

Motteke! Sailor Fuku [Naka no Hito on the floor mix]

This one is probably my favorite from the album. It has a slow tempo this time, and you can hear “sailor fuku dakara desu ketsuron” through a digital voice thing (not good with this name) throughout the song. The change of pace is really nice because I can clearly hear them a bit more, and it’s easier to sing along too, I suppose. I think my favorite part is the end where they keep repeating “SUGAR SUGAR SWEET” over and over until the song fades.
8.5/10.0

Motteke! Sailor Fuku [-Undakada ~ Kyou no Yabou-]

“Undakada” is another phrase that’s part of the lyrics, as was the first remix song. And just like the first one, the arrangement is a bit jumbled up, but the main chorus is still intact. The sounds have that digital effect to it too. As a whole though, not all too appealing for my ears, especially on the way to the ending. It’s the longest remix in the album, clocking in at at 6 minutes, 15 seconds.
5.0/10.0

Motteke! Sailor Fuku [Glucosa Mix]

The instruments I’m hearing and the quality of it sounds like it came straight from the 60s or something! While unique in its own right, I don’t really see what they were thinking with this. There’s nothing from the song itself so can they even call this a remix? If you’re wondering where this is coming from, it’s the dialogue you hear after the chorus is repeated a second time. Now that’s actually a pretty good idea and it’s a nice touch. Still, I wish this had more.
6.0/10.0

Motteke! Sailor Fuku [Matsuri Mix!]

Taniguchi desu!! There’s just something about this one that I love. It sounds basically like the original, but the brass instruments and the bass are more noticeable and the added beats really do make it sound it’s a festival. When you got Shiraishi blurbs added to the mix, it sounds more grand as well. I’m kinda surprised they didn’t go with Shiraishi the character, but Taniguchi instead. Well, there is that bit with him yelling “Lucky Channel!” so I guess you can say it’s all about Shiraishi then.
8.0/10.0

Motteke! Sailor Fuku [Seishun orz Mix]

Another great mix that indeed, brings a bit of “youth” to it. The new arrangement has that feeling of exuberant fun and dancing, perfect for a party. The last part is really cute when you hear the girls going “woo” (or “foo” / “hoo”) in the background.
7.5/10.0

Overall: 7.1/10.0
The remix brings a lot of fun and entertainment to the ears, but I think only a couple of them are actually worth listening to again while the rest might be treated as one-time only. That’s not to say it’s something you shouldn’t check out ever. You should all go and “Take it!”

And now it’s time for even more Shiraishi Minoru. Drum roll please….

Lucky Star ED Album – Shiraishi Minoru no Otoko no Lullaby

Since half the tracks are actually like, literally extracted from the endings in the show, I’m just gonna go over the actual, full versions.

Ore no Wasuremono

Well, here’s the song that started it all. This one-liner gave Shiraishi Minoru huge net attention on 2ch, turning that infamous Taniguchi scene into a meme. And now it has manifest itself to this ballad of a song. Not bad actually. Shiraishi’s a good singer, no doubt about that. Great way to end the song too.
7.5/10.0

Shikaidaa no Uta

Gurugurugurun! Todoke! I already mentioned how it sounded like tokusatsu before, and because of that, I find it really good. Gotta give props for the pun name there, a nod to “Kikaider,” which I’ve seen a couple of episodes of before.
8.5/10.0

Kaorin no Theme

Remember this sweet ballad before? It’s Kaorin’s theme! This time you can hear Shiraishi sing without messing up the falsetto! It’s a great song, but I think I actually liked the faster paced one that he did in the show.
8.0/10.0

Koi no Minoru Densetsu

I can’t go wrong with this one. Shiraishi + Koi no Mikuru Densetsu = awesome heavy metal music. The lyrics are tweaked a bit to fit Shiraishi too. Overall it’s arguably the best track on the album! It’s not even a manly lullaby, no way.
10.0/10.0

Waga Itoshi no Santa Monica

Lol a studio recording of Shiraishi singing about Santa Monica. Kinda sounds like it could be a nursery rhyme song or some sort of song performed during a soldier march, you know, those kind of things?
7.0/10.0

Koishita tte Ii Janai

Another hilarious recording. Every time he utters those words I just wanna freakin’ laugh out loud.
6.5/10.0

Omuko Rumba

Actually, why am I reviewing these too? Well, it does sound good, but I guess they didn’t wanna blow their budget and turn them all into awesome songs. So I’m assuming they want to save some dough at least. That explains why the booklet is black and white.
7.0/10.0

Otoko no Iki-sama

I wonder, is Shiraishi the one coming up with all these songs or someone else suggesting them? First time I heard this song I thought it was ridiculous, especially that phrase he keeps repeating. Tsuppon, I think? All the songs seem to be of the same genre.
6.0/10.0

Shiroishi Minoru ~Oku-san Series~

Okay, this isn’t even a song now. Maybe this was a bad idea after all (lol).
0.0/10.0

Overall: ~6.7/10.0

Well that was different, right? I can see why they thought it’d be a good idea to give him an album. I definitely think if they gave him more Kanzenban versions of songs it would’ve been better. I could really do without the TV rips and the studio ones, even though those aren’t really terrible.

Still got more to review. Check ‘em out soon.