Review by Akemi

I first heard the songs on this single from a friend of mine who bought it when it first came out, and when I heard it, I couldn't help but want my own copy. The songs are just so great. The first track, "Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni" has a dark and mysterious sound to it, but that's what makes it so cool. ^ ^ And Shimamiya sings it so well too. And the second track, "All Alone" is very nice. The lyrics give you a somewhat sad and lonely feeling, but the music itself makes you feel free at the same time. I recommend this single to everyone whether you're a Shimamiya/I'VE fan, a Higurashi fan, or just someone looking for good music. This single includes two of Shimamiya's best songs (in my opinion) plus karaoke versions for both of the songs. So there is absolutely nothing bad about this single. Grab it while it's still in print! ^ ^

I wasn't actually familiar with Takahashi until I started getting into Harukanaru Toki No Naka De. After listening to some of his songs from Harutoki, I became quite fond of his voice as well as his style of singing. So I decided to give his first album a try. At first I was disappointed because his voice and singing style were different from his Harutoki songs. But as time went on, I began to appreciate the contrast, and now I'm glad to own this CD. ^ ^ The particular style of singing he uses on the A to Z sounds cuter compared to the songs he sings for Harutoki, which are more popish. My favorites from this CD are "Boku Wa Hero", "COME ON!" and "Skylight No Sora."

I bought this soundtrack after playing the game many times, and every time I listen to it, it brings back memories... ^ ^ Overall, it's been nothing but enjoyable to listen to. I really like how they also included the event BGMs, unlike the 2nd Kiss soundtrack which mainly had character themes (no event BGMS). This soundtrack is among my favorite Tokimemo OSTs. ^__^

I'd say buy it only if you're a fan of classical music (or if you're a desperate person like me who only bought it for one track XD). Yeah, I only bought it for the Brand New Breeze quintet version. I love "Brand New Breeze" and I love instrumental versions (usually), so I figured, why not buy it? ...I was hoping the rest of the CD would be worth listening to. But to my disappointment, it sucked. I'm apparently not a fan of classical music, so it wasn't quite pleasing to my ears. X( ...But that's ok. As long as I have that ONE track, I'm happy. XD It also contains the violin & piano version of CRESCENDO, which is nice too, but I had already heard it on the CRESCENDO single. Besides the fact that classical music is not my thing, I still LOVE Kiniro No Corda (aka La Corda D'oro) and always will. ^ ^

Unfortunately, this particular soundtrack didn't really catch my attention very well. Some tracks were nice, but most of them weren't that memorable. ...I haven't seen the entire anime series yet though, so none of the BGMS really stuck in my head. But I had recognized the few BGMS that played during the beginning of the series, and they were pretty good. ...Overall, I think this is one of those CDs you'd have to listen to over and over before you really start to take interest in it. Or possibly one that you'd have to wait sometime and then come back to it and then maybe you'll find something in it that makes it worth liking. But it's not a bad a CD, and I won't support any reason not to buy it. ^ ^