Katagoshi ni Kinsei - Sailorasteroid (Jedite)
Mood:
Sometimes, everything just comes together and works. What we have here is a sad song by a sad character played by an actress who does sad well. Plus, I'm not quite sure how, but Komatsu Ayaka looks exactly like she sounds. However, as sad as the song is, it's a song about looking forward to something positive while mired in pain. So after the first verse and chorus, we get electric guitars. Now, this is very controversial, as I would not have complained had they just done a straight acoustic ballad. See, before the guitars, Ayaka sings, and you can hear her, and the acoustic guitar, and the piano, and the bells, and it's very raw, like someone pouring out pain. After the guitars it's a bit more pop-ish, but by the end of the song we're back to a capella, with Ayaka talking a few lines, and then going into pure melody. By the end it's so intense that the guitars are forced to the background and you're picking out phrases again. At times, it seems like she has no emotion, but really that seems forced, like she's stifling tears.Placement:
This song was not in the show, but that actually is a good thing. This song isn't the symbol for anything, it's there to give Venus some popularity, and Ayaka another song. Remember, she has the least amount of screen time, so it's only fair that she get more songs than anyone.Memorable:
Because of its simplicity, it's very easy to remember details like the exact intonations Ayaka uses for each phrase and the lyrics. It's also a good song for me to karaoke. The best songs are ones where I find my own inflections and such. In this case, whenever I sing along, right before the final "Zutto zutto" line there is the phrase "dakishemete ne" and I find the irresistible urge to double up on the "te ne" notes. Listen to it and try to hear what I mean. You may not feel it, but for me the music takes over and I've got to sing.Lyrics:
Once in a while I'll get lyrics I can remember without having to memorize them phonetically, because I know the words. Like the chorus, "Zutto zutto, suki dakara, namida wa misenai." I need no translation for that. Now, the song is about a girl who, having lost her love, is restored to confidence by seeing Venus. A little odd, but consider that Venus was sometimes called the morning star. So to me it creates an image: a girl is dumped on a date late at night, she runs off to some distant hill, she cries all through the night, and then the Sun finally rises, and she sees the star, and stops crying because it's time to move on. And since that star is the planet of the goddess of love, she feels she will find a new love. Reading too much into it? Maybe, but it's still a powerful message, especially for poor loveless me.Why Favorite:
Great love songs are like rare jewels: you don't wear them everyday and you don't leave them out for any chance passerby. You hoard them and once in a while when the mood strikes you take them out and play with them. Katagoshi ni Kinsei is not a song I leap to when I sit down to listen to music. It's not a song that gets in my head every day. But when it does, the joy I get from it is something far greater than that I get from my everyday songs. Sailor Moon has produced three such vocal pieces: Moonlight Destiny, Kaze mo, Sora mo Kitto, and now this.
