Watashi no ichiban suki na uta (Part 1) :: By Illusion, 17th Feb 2003

For those not aware, the title translates roughly to "My favorite songs". And that is exactly the topic I'm going to discuss here. Like most anime fans, I have a lot of favorite anime songs, since there are so many fantastic songs out there. However, I will endeavor to discuss only some of my absolute songs ever so that I won't go on and on. This is only part one, so I hope to write up more pages of my personal favorite songs as time progresses. For this particular column, I will only keep to lyrical opening and ending themes (in other words, no BGM or image songs). I will probably talk about those other types some time in the future. Anyway, let's begin and in no order whatsoever.

Song title: eX-dream
Performed by: Myuji
From: X TV (opening theme)
Rating: 9/10
Comments: Nothing captures CLAMP's apocalyptic masterpiece, X, quite like this song does. I couldn't have picked a more appropriate opening theme. It's a fast, intense song that seems to reflect the cynical and dark nature of this series. There are also quite a few lines in English. This is a brilliant song. I can't recommend it highly enough.

Song title: Pure Snow
Performed by: Yuko Sasaki
From: Himikoden (opening theme)
Rating: 9/10
Comments: I haven't seen this anime and I'm not really willing to pay money to buy it. All I've heard are bad comments about it: inconsistent art, unoriginal story, low quality of animation, etc. However, the best thing about this series is without a doubt the opening theme, sung by one of my favorite singers, Yuko Sasaki. It is a beautiful song with one of the most addictive melodies. I have actually seen the opening clip of this anime and it seems rather nice. However, the quality of animation supposedly goes downhill very fast after that. The question always posed is "can a brilliant opening save a series?"

Song title: Myself
Performed by: Changin' my Life
From: Full Moon wo Sagashite (ending theme)
Rating: 9/10
Comments: Wow. This song is so sad that it can nearly bring tears to my eyes, especially if you know the premise of Full Moon wo Sagashite. If you don't, it's about a young girl who loves to sing but discovers she has a tumor in her throat and only has a year left to live. So the "gods" transfer to a body of a 16 year old so she can spend the last year of her life singing. *sniff* So sad. Anyway, this song captures the series perfectly and the female vocalist, Myco, has a nice strong voice (she is also the main seiyuu of the show). Changin' my Life also sung 'New Future' and 'Eternal Snow' for this series, both of which are extremely beautiful as well. (The basically did all the ending themes for Full Moon).

Song title: 4th Avenue Cafe
Performed by: Larc~en~Ciel
From: Rurouni Kenshin (4th ending theme)
Rating: 8/10
Comments: I was quite surprised by how much I liked this song, especially since I'm not really a fan of rock. Upon first hearing I wasn't hooked as yet, but after a while it really grew on me and is now one of my favorite Kenshin songs. It's sort of a slow rock tune with a very melancholy feel to it. The sound effects at the beginning of the song as well the title brought on a lot imagery into my mind, such as a desolate cafe lit dimly by streetlights as rain fell down. It just gives me that sort of isolated feeling filled with an indescribable sadness. Fantastic song.

Song title: Saa
Performed by: Surface
From: Mamotte Shugogetten (opening theme)
Rating: 9/10
Comments: This is the catchiest song I have ever heard! And it does it without sounding boppy or annoying like a lot of really upbeat songs do. I was addicted to this song from the first time I heard it. The electric guitar, the male vocalist, the drums, the trumpets, everything about this song screams coolness. It makes me really want to see the anime, which is about goddesses from China or something. Similar to Ah! My Goddess, which I really love. ^^

Song title: Future
Performed by: Little Viking
From: Kiddy Grade (ending theme)
Rating: 8/10
Comments: A slowish kind of song with a nice beat. Although I don't like Kiddy Grade from what I've seen so far (Eclair's voice annoys me no end), the opening and ending theme for this series is fantastic. Especially if you watch the opening and ending clips with the songs. With the ending theme, you get a sense of longing and isolation from Lumiere and Eclair as they walk on a endless road into space.

Song title: Motto Motto Radical Fight!
Performed by: Angels
From: Voogie's Angel (opening theme)
Rating: 7.5/10
Comments: Ok, truthfully there's nothing really that great about the lyrics or melody of this song. Why do I like it then? Well, I'm extremely biased towards the females who make up the Angels. The Angels are, in fact, actually the five main seiyuus of the 3-part OVA, Voogie's Angel who were formed for the very purpose of performing songs for the show. The five girls are: Mitsuishi Kotono, Inoue Kikuko, Hisakawa Aya, Tange Sakura and Kikuchi Shihou. Now do you know why I like it? *wink*. The main problem I had with this song, then, is that the music was too loud, making it very difficult to hear them singing. I did, however, manage to distinguish all their voices, and just hearing them sing together makes me like this song very much. ^^ Even though Mitsuishi Kotono is my favorite seiyuu, I don't really like her singing, so I liked the parts Inoue Kikuko sings the best.