RELEASED: 06.25.2008LABEL: flying DOG, Victor Entertainment
TRACKLIST:
1. Seikan Hikou (Interstellar Flight)
2. Nekko Nikki (Cat Diary)
3. Ai Oboete Imasu ka (Deculture Edition) (Do You Remember Love?)
4. Watashi no Kare wa Pilot - MISS MACROSS 2059 (My Boyfriend is a Pilot)
5. Seikan Hikou (without Ranka)
6. Ai Oboete Imasu ka (Deculture Edition size without Ranka)
Earlier, I made a post on Sheryl Nome's single. On a side note, it's so weird talking about fictional singers instead of the actual singers behind them. But then again, it wouldn't be right to not mention the fictional singers at all when these songs are sang in character. Anyway, whatever. I don't really care.
Megumi Nakajima sings as Ranka Lee in this single and quite contrivedly, it is both artists' debut single. The first track, Seikan Hikou, is used as one of the ending themes to the series, Macross Frontier but you probably already knew that. The second track, Nekko Nikki, a really adorable song that makes me think of Sunday mornings, is also used as an ending theme midway through the series.
I don't remember where Ai Oboete Imasu Ka was sang in the series but I'm pretty sure Ranka Lee sang this song as well. Incidentally, this song is a cover of the original version used in Macross Plus, if I'm not wrong. It starts out beautifully before it weirds you out at the bridge. At that moment, all I could think of was: "this is so Yoko Kanno."
Watashi no Kare wa Pilot is a typical idol song. It's cute in a way that only Ranka Lee can, but it's too fancy for my taste. Ranka Lee's character is simplicity and her best songs are the ones that embody that. That's why I like Nekko Nikki and Ai Oboete Imasu Ka, and most especially that new one that she sang at the end of Episode 21 (beautiful lyrics).
BUY:
Megumi Nakajima - Seikan Hikou @ Play-Asia
Megumi Nakajima - Seikan Hikou @ Yes Asia
So about Megumi Nakajima. Did you know that she is half-Filipina? I didn't know that until I researched on her a bit (i.e., I checked Wikipedia). I think she also speaks Filipino. She types a few Filipino words in her blog. But I can't really trust celebrity blogs. They're mostly kept by their managers anyway. Who really has the time to do that these days if you're a celebrity? Also, the Filipino language she used is sooo formal. It's like cutting a line from a textbook on Filipino grammar and pasting it into the blog.
Uh, what else? Oh yeah, Macross Frontier is her first seiyuu job. It's also proving to be her first big break into the music industry. Oh, I hope she makes it. Being able to work with someone like Yoko Kanno on her debut is a huge thing. Make the best of it, I should say.
About her singing: it's all very well just listening to her songs on the iPod. But at a concert? I don't know. Her voice does not seem to have that much power behind it. Wouldn't she get drowned out by all the accompaniments that most always come with live concerts? I mean, in Lion, I could barely hear her voice beside May'n's. That woman has the shiny. Megumi-chan seems meek in comparison (and I'm not talking about being in character). Plus, I've seen some of her TV lives up at YouTube and...her dancing definitely needs some work. Seriously. Of course, I can't really blame her for the anime moves she has to mimic but truth be told she looked so stiff in that video. Nervous, probably.
Anyway, it would be very interesting watching her climb up the proverbial career ladder. I'll be following her because she might become someone big, yet. Also, she's kind of an underdog as compared to May'n. Most people who watch Macross seem to root for May'n (Sheryl Nome) and you can't really blame them because May'n seems to have that star quality. But, I'm really interested in how Megumi-chan develops her talents in the long run. Because she has talent, you can't deny that. Her voice may not have power right now but it's soprano and its quality is fresh and kind of floats above the notes without any effort from the singer. She just has to learn to put emotions into her songs.
MORE INFO:
Megumi Nakajima Official Site (Japanese)
Megumi Nakajima Official Blog (Japanese)
Megumi Nakajima Wikipedia
Megumi Nakajima Anime News Network
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