Review by Aya

This is the soundtrack to the controversial anime "Koi Kaze". The central story was the blossoming love between blood-related siblings who had lived apart for over 10 years due to their parents' divorce but due to certain circumstances, they found themselves living under the same roof again. Despite the risky topic, the anime managed to rise above any disgust the viewers may have first experienced upon finding out what it is about through excellent characterization, a somber, life-like animation, and the soundtrack. The soundtrack ranges from whimsical to heart-wrenching, but all are unique and fitting to the anime. And as a special treat, it includes the FULL opening theme song "Koi Kaze" as well as the tv-edit of the ending "Futari Dakara". Usually the opening/ending songs are released as separate singles so I really commend them for including them in, because they are truly the highlight of Koi Kaze. When I ordered this CD, CDJapan's page stated that there weren't any first press editions left, so I wasn't expecting to receive it, but when I opened my order...surprisingly, it was a first press edition!

"Taiyou no Uta" recently won the Japanese drama award for best soundtrack--and with good reason. The two songs, which were played repeatedly throughout the whole series, are included here- "Taiyou no Uta" and "Stay with Me". They have guitar-driven melodies, and the lyrics sincere with a touch of melancholy. For me personally, I enjoyed the acoustic versions much more than the polished, in-studio covers because they added another dimension to the drama that made it effective as it was. Sawajiri Erika makes an impressive debut, similar in many ways to Shibasaki Kou's singing debut a few years back. She has a whispery voice that can at times be lost in the music, and she does sound a bit strained at times for the high notes (especially evident in the studio-vers. of "Taiyou no Uta") but there's just something so magnetic about the atmosphere she exudes through her voice that makes me less critical of what she lacks. What I was disappointed in though was the lack of the lyrical-included version of "Wish". The instrumental vers. is a great added bonus to this CD, but I can't help but wonder if "Wish" will be released any time soon.

This has definitely been a long time coming! I've been waiting for this CD to be released ever since I heard they finished recording TWO years ago! This CD is worth the wait. I've been a fan of theirs ever since I stumbled upon their CD (quite accidentally actually--they had somehow ended up in the discount bin at my CD store!) "Sentimenal or Die!" Ryoko's singing is very unique--it's lightning speed singing than anything else! That is the signature of this band, it is what sets them apart from everyone else, and this style is back in "Otome no Kunsho" as well. The only downside to this album is--I've been waiting over two years for an album to be released, and it turned out to be a mini-album with only 8 songs, racking up only around 30 minutes in length. But as I always say, ANY dera*sentimental is good :) I'd recommend this band to any fans of Ketchup Mania, Shaka Labbits, and Muramasa. This album is a must have!

I first heard about this band when I was looking at the site for the record label of another favorite band of mine "Aeronauts". I listened to a short clip of their song "Neutral" from this album (sadly, they took down the clips shortly after 9 Space Market broke up in 2005) and I was hooked. What's so unique about this band is---there is no guitarist. Eight out of ten songs from "Saikou" involve only a piano, drums, and bass. The other two songs have guest appearances by the lead guitarist of Aeronauts. The funny thing is though, I was never aware of the absense of a guitarist until I read the liner notes! It's sad though that a band with this much potential had to disband. They've grown so much from their "Gessekai"-era, and I would have looked forward to them growing and evolving.