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// On :Monday, December 12, 2016
Hey guys, kanna here. This one is going to be relatively short. Final exams are coming up soon, and I'm not sure if I'll be able to get more Anime Mondays out before my final exams. I'll do my best, but I make no promises.
Let's talk about songs from musical anime. More specifically, my personal Top Ten from UtaPri.
First off, I'd like to start by saying that David Letterman makes this look so easy. Then again, he has a team of writers working for him who go out and survey people. Here at kanna's Cafe, it's all me. I have no one to talk to or bounce things off of. It's not like I can go to someone and say, "Hey, what do you think of this?" and they'll say, "Oh, I think...". No, it's all me. I don't mind, but these Top Ten lists are hard when you don't have anyone to talk to or survey for their opinions. Just saying.
This list is will have an honorable mentions section, and there are some songs that I like that won't be included in the list (just like my last Top Ten list).
Additionally, some of the song titles will be in Japanese. What I'll do is put the Japanese title with the English title in parentheses, as well as the name of the singer or group that sings each song.
Two last things: This list is also based off of what I could find on YouTube and DailyMotion. The songs that I couldn't find but wanted to include will be in the Honorable Mentions section. Lastly, if I couldn't find the full version of a song you wanted, just comment below, and I'll look for it on another site and post the link for the song.
Let's get started!
#10: 七色のコンパス (Seven-Colored Compass) - Maji LOVE 1000% - Tokiya Ichinose
Why #10: I LOVE Mamoru Miyano. I'm a huge fan of his. But this song...just isn't one of my favorites from this season of UtaPri. Don't get me wrong, it sounds great (nothing less from Mamoru Miyano). But I feel that this just doesn't measure up to the other songs in the first season of UtaPri.
Speaking of the first season of UtaPri...
#9: マジLOVE1000% (Maji Love 1000%) - Maji LOVE 1000% - STARISH
Note: I'm pretty sure Maji means "serious" or "real," but I'm not 1000% (tee hee...1000%...and it's the name of the series...okay, bad joke) sure.
This song is sung by all the members of STARISH from the first season of UtaPri. In other words, this version was sung without Cecil, who (spoiler) doesn't join STARISH until the second season of the anime. We have Natsuki Shinomiya (Kishou Taniyama), Tokiya Ichinose (Mamoru Miyano), Ren Jinguji (Junichi Suwabe), Otoya Ittoki (Takuma Terashima), Syo Kurusu (Hiro Shimono) and Masato Hijirikawa (Kenichi Suzumura). I would have included the Rainbow version, which has all seven members, but that one sounds pretty much the same. The only difference is that Cecil is the one who introduces the song. Yeah. He only gets ONE LINE in the entire song. I understand why, but they couldn't have adapted the lyrics? Really?
Why #9: I wanted to put this higher on the list. Really, I did. But when you compare this to the songs from the other seasons that came out, I just felt that this song wasn't as good as the others. Not only that, but I feel that the lyrics are a little...lazy? I mean, each character literally names their character song in this song in the second half. It's like the writers couldn't think of anything and said, "Hey, let's just have them name their character songs. It doesn't matter how it fits in; we'll make it work!".
#8: マジLOVEレボリューションズ (Maji LOVE Revolutions) - Maji LOVE Revolutions - STARISH
This song, unlike "Maji Love 1000%" is sung by all the members of STARISH, plus Cecil, who joined STARISH in Maji Love 2000%. So our seven member group is finally complete. Cecil is voiced by Kosuke Toriumi.
Why #8: This song is actually pretty catchy, but they say "revolution" so many times, it makes you start thinking of that Beatles song, "Revolution." It's a good follow up to "Maji Love 2000%," which wasn't as catchy (actually, now that I think about it, "Maji Love 2000%" wasn't catchy at all). And as much as I want to put this higher on the list, the character songs from this season, as well as the other seasons, are better.
#7: 愛のREINCARNATION (Reincarnation of Love) - Maji LOVE 2000% - Cecil Aijima
Why #6: This is a kinda-sorta ballad. I think. I'm not sure what genre of music it falls under, so I'm going with ballad. This song was better than Tokiya's other song, "Seven-Colored Compass," in my opinion. Mamoru Miyano has a great voice, and I feel like it was being underused in "Seven-Colored Compass." However, Tokiya has other songs where he really shines. In fact, the other song where he really gets to show his stuff is #5 on this list.
#7: 愛のREINCARNATION (Reincarnation of Love) - Maji LOVE 2000% - Cecil Aijima
First off, I'd like to point out that this IS NOT the full song. However, it might as well be, because we barely hear the beginning part. Seriously, the beginning part is super faint...anyway, this song is sung by Cecil before he became a member of STARISH. I wouldn't call it his character song (that's a different song that may or may not be on this list, we'll see), though.
Why #7: I'm...not that big of a fan of ballads. Some I like, some I don't. I'm pretty picky about it. But this ballad somehow found its way into my heart on the first listen. I can't explain it. Maybe it was the meaning of the lyrics, maybe it was Kosuke Toriumi's voice (I still don't get how he could sound so good on this song and so bad on "Mr. Sadistic Night"), I don't know. However, there are better ballads in the series, and that's why this gets the #7 spot.
#6: Crystal Time - Maji LOVE 2000% - Tokiya Ichinose
#5: Original Resonance - Maji LOVE Revolutions - Masato Hijirikawa and Tokiya Ichinose
Sorry for the lack of video, guys. Blame YouTube.
This song was part of a cross-unit project that paired up Masato and Tokiya in Maji LOVE Revolutions.
Why #5: This is where Tokiya really gets to show his stuff. Mamoru Miyano and Kenichi Suzumura (Masato's voice actor), really shine together here. Their voices match up and they sound amazing together. Masato's songs are great, and while this isn't individually sung by him, it is one of my favorite songs from the series that has Masato in it.
And speaking of Masato...
#4: Lasting Oneness - Maji LOVE Legend Star - Masato Hijirikawa and Kira Sumeragi
This song was sung as part of the duet project that STARISH and HEAVENS had to take part in. It was one of the few songs from this season that I actually liked.
Why #4: Again, Kenichi Suzumura's voice matches up perfectly well with Daisuke Ono (Kira Sumeragi's voice actor). And if you recognize Daisuke Ono's name, you might be just as shocked as I was to find out that he was also the voice of Sebastian in Black Butler. Who knew he could sing? I sure didn't. Anyway, I feel that out of all the members of STARISH, Kenichi Suzumura's voice is the most versatile. He can sing almost anything. However, this is #4, because Revolutions, 2000%, and 1000% have better songs. Like I said, this was one of the few songs from this season that I actually liked (so far...the other episodes haven't aired yet).
#3: HE★VENS GATE - Maji LOVE 2000% - HEAVENS (as a 3-member group)
Why #3: THIS SONG IS FREAKING EXPLOSIVE. I don't think I can stress that enough. It's a kinda-sorta-rock-ish song that just leaves you breathless by the end. The voice actors are perfect (again, who knew Daisuke Ono could sing?) and the lyrics have great meaning. This is better than the seven-member version (in my opinion). But there are two songs that top this one.
#2: ポワゾンKISS (Poison KISS) Uta no Prince-sama Maji LOVE 2000% - Quartet Night
Poison KISS (not the full version)
Why #2: It wouldn't feel right having this be all STARISH and HEAVENS. Quartet Night is my favorite group out of the three of them (STARISH, HEAVENS, Quartet Night). This song is actually our introduction to Quartet Night, and they sing it in the first episode of 2000%. The members of Quartet Night are Reiji Kotobuki (Morikubo Showtaro), Ai Mikaze (Aoi Shouta), Ranmaru Kurosaki (Tatsuhisa Suzuki), and Camus (Tomoaki Maeno). As far as introduction songs go, this one is probably my favorite.
Before we get to our #1 song, let's take a look at the honorable mentions. Please note I wasn't able to get the full versions for all the songs. Also note that the ones that have subtitles are subtitled in languages that aren't English. The important thing here is to listen to the songs and enjoy them.
- Orange Rhapsody - Maji LOVE 2000% - Ren Jinguji
- Knocking on the Mind - Maji LOVE 1000% - Masato Hijirikawa
- 夢追人へのSymphony (Dreamer's Symphony) - Maji LOVE 2000% - STARISH (7 members)
- 未来地図 (Map of the Future) - Maji LOVE 1000% - STARISH (6 members)
- マジLOVE1000% -RAINBOW STAR ver.- (Maji LOVE 1000% -RAINBOW STAR ver.) - STARISH (7 members)
- 男気全開Go! Fight!! (Full-Throttle Chivalrous Spirit Go! Fight!!) - Maji LOVE 1000% - Syo Kurusu
- 星のファンタジア (Fantasia of the Stars) - Maji LOVE 2000% - Cecil Aijima
- Only One - Maji LOVE Revolutions - Ranmaru Kurosaki
- Heavens Gate -Beginning of the Legend- - Maji LOVE Revolutions - HEAVENS (7 members)
- Smile Magic - Maji LOVE 2000% - Otoya Ittoki
And the #1 song from UtaPri is...
What, no drum roll? Seriously, guys? Do I have to do EVERYTHING myself? Fine. No drum roll. The #1 song from UtaPri is...
I would like to apologize once again for the lack of video. Blame YouTube.
Why #1: First off, I may or may not have a HUGE celebrity crush on the guy who sings this song, Shouta Aoi. Looks aside, his voice is AMAZING. As for the song itself, it grabs you right away from the beginning, and Shouta's voice keeps you hooked. The meaning behind the lyrics is great, too, and I feel like this is one of those songs that only Shouta could sing. I don't think any of the other voice actors from UtaPri could pull this off. Maybe Kenichi Suzumura, considering how versatile his voice is, but that's about it.
My favorite line in the song is "翼が欲しかった 冷たいハートじゃなくそんなボクへと 君は羽根(うた)を…" which roughly means "I’d wished for wings, not a frozen heart You gave feathers of song to someone like me…". But that's not even the best part of the song. The chorus is FANTASTIC and Shouta's voice really shines at the end when he sings, "「ありがとう、傍にいてくれて…」," which means "Thank you for being by my side." I mean, that high note just...I can't even put it into words. It really allows Shouta's voice to shine, because his high notes are what he's known for (among other aspects of his voice).
Well, those are my top ten songs from all four seasons of UtaPri. If I didn't mention your favorite, I'm sorry. I'm curious as to what your favorite songs from all four seasons of UtaPri are, however, so leave a comment telling me what some of them are!
As for which season has the best music...well...that's up for debate. Personally, I think it's a tie between Maji LOVE 1000% and Maji LOVE Revolutions. Guys who don't want to watch this anime but are curious about the music: listen to these songs. I think you'll really like "Only One" and "男気全開Go! Fight!!". Like I said in my reviews of Maji LOVE 1000% and Maji LOVE 2000%, guys should at least check out the music.
EDIT 12/19/16: Now that the twelfth episode of UtaPri: Maji LOVE Legend Star has aired, I would like to add two more songs to the honorable mentions list. They are:
