Review by Janko Raven
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KissL'Arc-en-CielAWESOME!
This is an incredibly fun album from L'Arc, with a great range of styles and sounds. I can't pick a bad song from the list, personally, but my favorites include Seventh Heaven, Pretty Girl, My Heart Draws a Dream, and The Black Rose. And you really can't argue with Hurry Xmas - JAZZ HANDS, EVERYBODY!! Lots of fun. I love this one.
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30minutes night flight [w/ DVD, Limited Edition]Maaya SakamotoThat's more like it
I was not personally very impressed by Maaya's previous album, "Yuunagi LOOP", so I was a little nervous about this mini-album, but I worried unnecessarily. Although the sound is still quite different from Maaya's work with Yoko Kanno, I think it showcases her voice a bit better than her previous work sans-Kanno, and is overall nicer to listen to. The DVD was a very fun addition. The little animated PV was incredibly sweet and interestingly stylized. I loved it. :3 Highly recommended!
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Loveless - SoundtrackAnimation SoundtrackLovely
Oddly enough, when I first started watching Loveless, what struck me the most was the music. It blends beautifully with the imagery and story of the show and doesn't let you go. I think it expressed the show's themes and emotions to a T - I absolutely love it. Definately recommended to fans of the show. My only complaint is that the opening and ending themes are the shortened versions used for the show itself - you have to buy the single to get the full-length versions!
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Faith LiveHYDEA Real Treat
Considering how much I enjoyed the ablum Faith, I'm thrilled to own this. The concert footage is extremely entertaining, but my favorite part of it might be the documentary included, as it covers some fun behind-the-scenes footage as well as clips covering his concerts in California (two of which I was lucky enough to attend!! <3 ). This is a really fun companion to the album itself. If you love your Hyde, I'd recommend this!
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Faith [w/ DVD, Limited Edition]HYDEBrilliant
This is probably my favorite solo album of Hyde's thus far - it features a wide range of styles/sounds, and throughout showcases Hyde's incredible vocal talent and musical ability perfectly. There isn't a single track I dislike on this album and I highly recommend it - if you're looking to try some JRock for the first time, this might be a great place to start! And of course, for seasoned fans, you can't miss this one. I love it!!
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MUSICMika Nakashima"Music" worth listening to
This is probably one of my most-listened to purchases of this year. Mika's voice stands out brilliantly against many other pop artists. It manages to be high and husky all at once, which gives her a lot of versatility. Almost every song on the album has a wonderful amount of strengh (save "Shadows of You", which I found to be rather flat and not very memorable, though it's still sweet enough). My favorite tracks include Hi no Tori, Kumo no Ito, Rocking Horse, Seven, Fed Up, and Fake, though I pretty much love the whole thing. This is the first of Mika's albums I bought, and I recommend it as a great place to start. :3
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Short Movie "03+"Maaya SakamotoBeautiful, artistic
Before I finally bought this film, I tried long and hard to look online for a review or substantial summary, but there appears to be no such thing out there, at least not to the extent I wanted. I finally went ahead and bought it without being too sure of its content, because I love Maaya Sakamoto too much to remain in the dark about such a film. I am very glad I did! It's a short and very artistic film - there is hardly any dialogue, but it is visually and musically stunning. It has the quiet, sort of beautiful/somber message Maaya's music sometimes has. It's a film about mourning, anger, and about letting go and moving on. While I generally found fans' reactions to be rather negative, I personally loved the movie. Maybe you have to be a die-hard Maaya fan to enjoy it, but I think it stands on its own artistic merit quite well. I highly recommend it!