Aquarion Evol OP/ED Single – Kimi no Shinwa ~ Aquarion Dai Ni Shou – Review
| Album Title: | Kimi no Shinwa ~ Aquarion Dai Ni Shou |
|---|---|
| Anime Title: | Aquarion Evol |
| Artist: | AKINO with bless4, AIKI from bless4, Yoko Kanno |
| Catalog Number: | VTCL-35125 |
| Release Type: | OP/ED Single |
| Release Date: | February 15, 2012 |
| Purchase at: | CDJapan, iTunes |
| Track Title | Artist | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 01. Kimi no Shinwa ~ Aquarion Dai Ni Shou | AKINO with bless4 | 5:28 |
| 02. Gekkou Symphonia | AKINO & AIKI from bless4 | 3:50 |
| 03. Kimi no Shinwa ~ Aquarion Dai Ni Shou (Karaoke) | 5:28 | |
| 04. Gekkou Symphonia (Karaoke) | 3:50 |
Fans of Yoko Kanno and her music for Genesis of Aquarion won’t be disappointed at this addition to her body of work. AKINO, undoubtedly the best J-pop singer Utah’s ever produced, again lends her beautiful voice to Aquarion Evol. I’m not going to mince words — the only reason I started watching the anime was that I knew the songs would be surefire hits. As I expected, the opening theme is an energetic track with a criminally catchy hook and needless to say, I was really excited about the single.
“Kimi no Shinwa” is the single for the opening. I knew it was serious business when it starts off with a stylish organ solo — exactly the stuff we love Kanno Yoko for. This is very much a song of contrasts. The verse is gentle and terse while the chorus soars and delivers tremendous energy. The structure is similar to the original Genesis of Aquarion opening. The main attraction of “Kimi no Shinwa” is the chorus. Listen to the dramatic melody and intervals when AKINO sings “kawaita kokoro hotage chi wo nagasu kedo” in the middle the the first chorus. Kanno Yoko takes advantage of every last ounce of AKINO’s singing talents in this beautifully uplifting song that fits perfectly into the legendary discography of the Aquarion franchise.
“Gekkou Symphonia” is a graceful ballad featuring AKINO and her brother AIKI. The siblings’ voices complement each other beautifully, but AKINO’s more piercing register almost has the effect of erasing the sound of her brother’s voice during parts where they sing simultaneously. I expected a little more out of this song — there’s no single part of the song that really stands out — but it’s still very well constructed. The piano binds the song together and all of its component parts come together to create that magical ethereal feeling.
Both tracks on the album are undoubtedly crafted from the same mold as the original Genesis of Aquarion. They have that intense passion and emotion that makes Aquarion so memorable, despite its rather subpar storytelling. I believe Aquarion Evol is a vigorous continuation to its predecessor, both from the standpoint of story and music. And as far as music goes, listeners can take heart that Kanno Yoko has not lost a single beat, and still turns everything she touches into gold.
Rating: Excellent
Opening — Kimi no Shinwa
Ending — Gekkou Symphonia
Thanks for the review! I pre-ordered the CD and it should arrive in a few days.
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Firstly, that’s a great review! Written well and highlighted very good points of the single.
Now, and this is a very personal point of view here, I’m going to be the bad guy and say… I don’t really like it. 🙁 I wish I did. I’m a big Kanno fanboy and I find this very weak, even in her current Jpoppy anime phase. I really preferred her older AKINO works, even GO TIGHT! was better than this. This didn’t have the similar urgency or strength of her other opening pieces. I found it pretty generic.
Once again, it’s a personal opinion. Great writeup, just don’t like the song 🙁 Sorry!
Then what do you think about the ending?
Hmm.. that one’s not bad. Good harmonies, a lush orchestra, and the arrangement’s… alright. Doesn’t blow my mind, but it’s ok you know? But compare it to the 1st series, that Omni song. Sure it wasn’t the greatest of endings, but it was different from the jpop fare that has flooded the industry. My point being, this is Kanno, and she really can do better.
I disagree. It would be bad to expect all of Kanno’s works to be “Inner Universe” — it’s nice that she has some diversity, even if it is in J-pop. After all, it’s Aquarion, so it fits well. It’s a little generic, because it’s SUPPOSED to be that kind of style. I think it’s still quite listenable.
Well, I’m comparing this to the previous 2 openings for Genesis of Aquarion. Personally found Opening 1 brilliant, and Opening 2 quite an anime opener. And if I compare Kimi no Shinwa to the Jpoppy openers for Macross Frontier (which is really as Jpoppy as it can get), Escaflowne, Rahxephon (which are all giant mecha shows), even Star Racers, they all have a special something that this one I, personally, find lacking a bit.
This probably just means, we will have to agree to disagree 🙂 Sorry for the annoyance!
I absolutely adore both songs! Very catchy and uplifting.
Now we wait for the OST release.
Excellent review.
But IMHO you need to turn up the volume a bit on “Gekkou Symphonia”… “AKINO’s more piercing register almost has the effect of erasing the sound of her brother’s voice during parts where they sing simultaneously” I disagree, although it does seem overpowering at times if you truly listen closely Aiki’s voice isn’t drowned out, but rather envelopes Akino’s voice. Kind of like a soft velvet chocolate covering.
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