Hello everyone. Not sure if anyone still visits because the site has been pretty inactive lately. Sorry but I’m not sure when I’ll be adding anything new. I haven’t really been wanting to review anything? The music scene is pretty bland to be honest. I’ve been listening to alot of the same things, and alot of old favourites. I haven’t been reading manga lately either, and I barely watch movies.

So the site is on hiatus…

PS. new layout

Now I… (Ima, ga…) starts with 20 year old Suzuki Satoru who has graduated high school and now lives with his mother in their small apartment as a form of hikikomori. Although Satoru ventures out for lonely walks or for magazines, small items of food etc he otherwise stays in the house, sleeps, reads Manga and plays video games. Satoru has no friends and barely interacts with his mother, sometimes growing angry or even violent with her. Everything changes the day his mothers’ friend Tosawa comes round and informs him that she has arranged for Satoru to work with him. This sets in motion a whole series of events where Satoru is forced to learn to deal with what has kept him isolated all this time and everything else…

I had very high expectations of this film- with its unique premise and the reviews I read. I almost expected to be let down by how I had already judged it a masterpiece before watching. But no, Now I… did not let down.

The film is realistic and beautifully told. It’s is a gorgeous film that achieves a lot with so little. The film obviously has a low budget, is filmed simply with an equally sparse soundtrack yet it is one of the most powerful and moving things I have seen for a while. The storyline is so basic yet could so easily go wrong, but it never gets convoluted or ridiculous: it’s so real that it hurts. You are left feeling awkward for Satoru as he struggles to work or talk, left feeling sympathy for his mother as she breaks down etc. The actor who plays Satoru barely says anything yet conveys so much with his movements and facial expressions- and this is the same for the other actors who perform there parts so realistically you wouldn’t think they were acting. The simple camera movement almost helps to keep it real- it’s filmed in natural lighting with all the background noise not isolated in its own world. Overall, you feel like you are looking in someone’s real life- not watching a movie.

For those of you who feel isolated sometimes or often because of your different interests then the film becomes even more powerful, it’s easy to see yourself as Satoru who keeps to himself and pushes away other people. Yet because of the strong acting and the way it is filmed you can understand all the characters and somehow feel like you know them, even though you are never told much about them.

The only thing I dislike about the film is one scene which felt out of place and then the ending which I dislike for purely personal reasons; at the end of the day the main character has found someone who does and says all the rights things to help him out. In life it’s rarely like that. That is my own pet peeve though and really, I think that this film it works. The way Tosawa steps into Satoru’s life and changes it feels perfectly natural.

And that out of place scene mentioned is soon forgotten about when the film climaxes to it’s final conclusion. The ending was amazing, telling you just enough for it to be closed but also being open enough to leave you to imagine what happens for yourself. I found myself moved and almost in tears by the end. And it also made me think alot about myself and about…just things in general.  It’s not the sort of film that will be forgotten easily for sure.

Highly recommended!

I stumbled upon Presence of Soul after reading a recommendation on some music blog and was more than a little glad to uncover this band. Blinds is their second album released sometime in 2008. The album is eight tracks long, each one distinct from the next but carrying the same sort of style; a perfect blend of guitars, synth, and ethereal female vocals that evokes an extreme sense of sadness, regret and loss. Their music is sorrowful, at times angry, but it doesn’t leave you feeling depressed; instead it wraps itself around you and leaves you feeling calmed and comforted.

“Japanese group PRESENCE OF SOUL is led by female singer and composer YUKI, who also handles guitars, keyboards and Mellotron. She’s accompanied by a guitar player, a bass player and a drummer. [...] From the very beginning, PRESENCE OF SOUL proves to be absolutely innovative and mature at the same time: ethereal female vocals create a sharp contrast with guitars fury and drumming power. Sad atmospheres, often enhanced by Mellotron and a great sense of slowliness (Without mentioning softness) evolve step by step, with an increasing violence, reaching its climax in an overwhelming maelstrom. It’s a kind of “Progressive post-rock”, and one cannot imagine a more intense musical world. You’ll surely be haunted a long time after listening…” (xx)

Opening with Seven Mortal Sins and Seven Doors- a dark and tense track that blends the slow rock with foreboding synth. The song builds up slowly, retaining a heavy feeling throughout. Finally right at the end it changes tone completely, but remaining dark and threatening. It is one of the shortest tracks on the album although you’ll never realise. It is followed by one of the longer tracks, Sink Low which is over 10 minutes long. Sink Low is the first on the album to feature Yuki’s haunting, sorrowful vocals sounding pure and ethereal over gentle guitar parts. Just like the track before it builds up slowly, calmly. I love how soft and sorrowful this song is- it’s so quiet and gentle which only makes the build-up to the frenzied end all the more powerful. Then there is complete silence before a sudden, harsh and furious and LOUD, ending that is all the more shocking after the rest of the song has lulled you into a calm state of mind. Although the first time you hear the track the changes surprise you, but once you familiarise yourself with it it lends a tension to the song- you sort of left waiting for the next change, the next change in emotion and that final explosion of noise. Much like Dir en Grey’s NAMAMEKASHIKI ANSOKU, TAMERAI NI HOHOEMI it still never fails to affect you, but it makes the song all the more tense and dramatic for knowing what will come next (which is true for a lot of the tracks on the album). It is interesting to note the use of complete silence to lend tension to this song, something not many bands or singers do.

The third track is Lost. This track doesn’t have the same build-up as the others, it is loud from the beginning but has that same overwhelming sorrowful feeling and it changes throughout in a more subtle way. Lost has something extremely bittersweet about it- gentle and ethereal on one hand, frenzied and repetitive on the other. It’s beautiful and haunting nonetheless. Track 4 Whitenoise Snowfall opens with a simple piano part and quiet synth. It builds up grandly, introducing the trembling guitars and sluggish drums that gives it a similar (literal) heavy feeling as Seven sins. This is admittedly one of my least favourite songs on the album, it’s slow and sluggish and doesn’t get anywhere anytime fast and washed over me completly.

The next track on the other hand is one of my favourites. Ephemera starts with dark synth: threatening and contrasting to the gentle guitar parts that overlays it quietly. Yuki vocals are slightly deeper; sounding almost angry, then float effortlessly to her usual high register now sounding sorrowful. It gives the song an intense feeling of regret and longing. As soon as Yuki lifts her voice to the higher pitches the song changes, the dark synth becomes quiet in the background and the song becoming less harsh and more gentle. It moves between this dark looming atmosphere, and this light surreal one. I just love the ending especially, the emotion is so powerful: tying those feelings together and creating a complete sense of loss. It’s really beautiful and evokes so many feelings.

Rule is a wake up call after being lulled by Ephemera- it is loud and furious. Then forgiven is another quiet track that builds up slowly. Forgiven has a rather sweet feeling to it, the guitar part is really cute in a way. The drum fills the track with anticipation though- and sure enough it begins to build up, slowly becoming more and more bittersweet. Yuki’s vocals also manage to make things sound just that little bit sadder, and the song certainly becomes sorrowful around the time she comes in. It is 10 minutes long so there is room for it to shift and change which is does. From that sweetness in the beginning, to that sadness and then to bitter anger. It’s a powerful track- another epic number like Sink Low.

Lastly is Tightrope. This is the song that made me fall in love with this group. Starting with gentle guitar and a flute it builds up to that soft rock instrumentation. Then Yuki’s vocals come in and that sense of sadness just…overwhelms you. The song is soft and gentle, yet filled with a raw emotion. The gorgeous high vocals contrasting to the rougher rock instrumentation is really what makes this so unique and so beautiful, too. The flute only adds to the haunting, forlorn atmosphere. I just love the dynamics of the song, how it builds up then fades away again. It’s just a REALLY GOOD SONG. Its indescribable all the emotions it makes me feel.

Overall rating: 838938982/10 (Incredibly. Awesomeness)
Favourite tracks: Sink Low, Ephemera, Tightrope

This is an incredible album. It is the sort of intensely beautiful, comforting sort of music that relaxes and calms you. It is haunting and easy to lose yourself in it, making you anxious at times whilst you wait for that one moment within it when you know it will all break down and get loud and powerful and heavy. It is so unique, so soft yet so powerful. Really this has quickly become a favourite album of mine. I love listening to this when I want to relax, or when I’m not feeling well. It just makes me feel so calm and sleepy and just…better. It’s incredibly comforting. I guess you could say it is a flaw that it demands your attention, and doesn’t make the best background music because you want to listen to it, but I like it. I like how if I just don’t want to think for a moment I can put this on and just am lost in it for a while.

[They also get extra love for having their album on amazon XD]

In order to celebrate his 10th year anniversary of being a solo artist Gackt released 4 consecutive singles in a four week span in a campaign known as the “10th anniversary countdown”. 小悪魔ヘヴン was the first of the singles released on 2009-06-10.

小悪魔ヘヴン sounds a lot like someone who just got hold of a REALLY SUPER COOL music program and decided to play with it- creating a track and shoving as many different ~fancy~ sounds in it just because they can. I don’t actually hate the track- its upbeat atmosphere is strangely addictive, and it’s certainly a new and refreshing surprise from Gackt. Really it’s messy and all over the place yet the brass, strings, synth and subtle rock effects come together for something rather interesting and fun- and still despite the lively atmosphere there is still a darker edge to this song which is always awesome (and makes me wonder what the lyrics are trying to say). The bridge is probably the most ridiculous point of the song, the OTT choir especially, but that and the beginning sounds are the only truly irritating parts. It’s weird but not horrendous/embarrassing to listen to. I don’t see why Gackt would want to alter his voice though, he certainly doesn’t need to, but it contributes to the overall dance atmosphere and does lend something strangely sexy about the song. Really I don’t find myself loving this song, but I like a lot of stranger stuff so…this isn’t bad at all. XD

The B-side is “My Father’s Day” and is another fun track, but stripped bare of all the bizarre sounds. It’s a fast and bittersweet rock track reminiscent of some of Gackt’s older works. The voice alteration is very unnecessary here, although it doesn’t sound bad I want to hear Gackt’s voice purely without the sort of shininess it has here and some of the more obvious effects. I do like the instrumentation; the guitar solo especially was awesome. Overall the track is rather nice, and totally inoffensive to listen to although it doesn’t stand out at all. The track fades into the background easily- just something to listen to, really.

Overall rating: 4/5 (Good)
Favourite tracks: N/A

Overall I was more than a little surprised the first time I heard the single. Where is Gackt going with this? (I honestly haven’t heard faraway yet). Gackt seems to be experimenting a lot lately, most notably with GHOST and now this. 小悪魔ヘヴン is not a bad single but it is strange and I find myself stumped as to whether I actually like it, or I just like it for being Gackt. 小悪魔ヘヴン is a very fun track with a dark sort of feeling somewhere underneath the messy -lets stick everything possible in here- instrumentation. The Bside is an inoffensive rock track that has a nice sound but is rather bland and forgettable. So I’d say that this is good to listen to, but nothing more. Gackt certainly could do better, but he still hasn’t failed.

Oh, and the cover to this single is fantastic. Gackt is beautiful. ♥_♥ To quote this news source: “I wanted to do something funny,” he said. “So.. I’m a woman.” LOL

Originally August Band was created for the purpose of the movie, Love of Siam, but they were so successful that they went on to release an album. In a way, the title of the album is to thank the movie as well as their fans for their support. This special Minialbum by August Band contains reworks (as well as original versions) of tracks from the Love of Siam OST.

The mini album opens with ยังอยู่ในใจ(Yung yoo nai jai). Starting with piano and childish vocals it builds up to a soft and simple rock track with two different vocalists and continues to build up with more and more different sounds until the grand ending- epic strings included. It’s a sweet song and very easy to listen to: pretty in its own way even if doesn’t stand out.

I adore the next track though. It is another version of the theme of Love of Siam, Gan lae Gun. ขอบคุณกันและกัน(Kob khun kun lae kun) is yet another version but the lyrics and feeling are completely different. I feel this version is so much more upbeat than the original, so much more hopeful. To quote mr.xiaogou “This tells the other love story in The Love of Siam: the love of friendship. It follows the rise of the August band in the movie, and how the band members come to terms with Mew’s love troubles and give him their support to move on with life.” Just like all the other versions though the song has such a beautiful feeling: expressive vocals and beautiful soft instrumentation coming together for something almost perfect. It’s a gorgeous song, which is relaxing to listen to but never boring, it’s just filled with so much emotion.

The third track คนธรรมดา(Khon tummada) is a more acoustic track. It’s got a very laid-back feeling. However the singers’ falsetto took me ages to get used to. Now I think it’s rather interesting. A bit hard to listen to for some reason though, so I don’t usually listen to this track.

Another favourite of mine next with a remix of Ticket- Ticket Night trip rmx. There is still that familiar rhythm and feeling to it; in many ways it is very similar, yet something definitely feels different about it. I think the arrangement is a bit different. And, much like the remix of Gan lae Gun although it like the original it still has that dark, melancholic feel there is a more prominent upbeat, hopeful feeling to it. Either way it’s still the same beautiful song that Ticket is.

The demo version of ขอบคุณกันและกัน(Kob khun kun lae kun) follows. I guess this is the track that August Band first recorded. There is definitely something raw about this track, it’s gan lae gun stripped of all it’s intricacies but what remains is still those sincere feelings and emotions that the song has. In the end it is just another beautiful arrangement of an almost perfect song (if you cannot yet tell I really really love gan lae gun XD).

Lastly there is Silent Night randomly stuck at the end (which is lovely from a foreigners point of view to hear a traditional song in another language, as well as hear it sung so beautifully with some equally beautiful calming piano backing…) before the instrumental for ยังอยู่ในใจ(Yung yoo nai jai)

Overall rating: 7.5/8 (Excellent)
Favourite tracks: ขอบคุณกันและกัน, Ticket Night trip rmx, ขอบคุณกันและกัน(demo)

This is a lovely mini album and a good follow up to the Love of Siam OST. Yes, mainly it is just reworks of the Love of Siam OST and it does worry me that the other two new tracks don’t inspire me (because then when I listen to their album that followed this will it be any good?) but whatever. This is good to listen to; even those tracks that aren’t as good are still nice and easy to listen to…apart from maybe คนธรรมดา where the falsetto can be a bit much.

Gackt’s 30th single released on 2009-03-25, Journey through the decade was used as the Kamen Rider DECADE theme song. For this single Gackt would only contribute the vocals, as music and lyrics were done by others.

Journey through the Decade is a cool fast paced rock track. The song is heavy, tense and dramatic- very typical of a show opening. Although I feel it is rather dull at times- it is easy and enjoyable to listen to. Gackt does of course sound incredible and saves this song from becoming completely boring. There is also the feeling within the song, underlying that obvious heavy in your face instrumentation the light synth and other things give off a feeling of melancholy: a longing for someone or thing. These feelings also save the song from being generic. Overall it’s really not bad, even if Gackt did not write the song; it is still at the same standard of his other work.

Once again the single has no other tracks (really, a B-side wouldn’t hurt). What is left of this single are the usual instrumental and two instrumental remixes. The first “distort” remix is even faster and rougher than the original, sounding perfectly like something from an action OST. The “symphony” instrumental, true to its name, is a grand orchestral piece. It’s very beautiful, and brings out a sadder feel in the song- after the battle, so to speak. The track comes across as completely over the top though- in fact, it’s really not that great to listen to. These two remixes are dull and forgettable.

Overall rating:  5/5 (Excellent)
Favourite tracks: Journey through the Decade

Overall this is not a bad single from Gackt. Journey though the Decade is a powerful track that was saved from the mass of generic openings by beautiful vocals, and the underlying emotion in the song: although the remixes unfortunately are rubbish. In many ways I preferred GHOST and Yami no Shuen singles but this is a strong release, probably on the same level as JESUS. It doesn’t stick out as anything special, but it’s good.

Trying out new music is always a risk; sometimes you end up wondering why the hell you bothered. Sometimes you end up stumbling upon something amazing though. This is the case with Xiao Yu, whose music is quite incredible.

Xiao Yu had worked behind the scenes and composed songs for popular singers like Elva Hsiao, Danson Tang, and Vivian Hsu, before he debuted as a singer with the release of his self-titled album in 2008. The album won much critical acclaim, and was among the Top Ten Albums of 2008 selected by the Association of Music Workers in Taiwan. Now the singer-songwriter is about to release his latest album “Just Standing Here”, speaking directly from his heart through music rather than words. The Preorder Version comes with a 2G Flash Drive preloaded with an exclusive audio diary from Xiao Yu (which I must say sounds incredible XD) [source: Yesasia] So yes, here is Xiao Yu’s second (?) album released on 2009-06-09.

The album opens with a spoken intro before moving to the title track 就站在這裡(Standing Here)- a gorgeous ballad. Starting with gentle, bittersweet piano Xiao Yu comes in with incredible, soulful vocals. The track introduces strings at one point, and then some not-annoying backing vocals. It doesn’t use complex instrumental build up or dynamics to be dramatic- it just somehow manages to be that way! The song is a simple sounding composition but is not lacking- the track has so much feeling and it’s pretty moving. Although Standing Here could have been an average piano and strings ballad, Xiao Yu’s excellent vocals make it stand out as something beautiful and moving (and make it pretty memorable).

The next track 練愛(Practice Love) is a little more upbeat pop number. It still has that relaxed, romantic feeling that Standing Here has and again Xiao Yu’s vocals really drive the song/stand out (not that I’m complaining). That isn’t to say the instrumentation isn’t really nice too. It’s almost soft rock with some subtle and interesting synth. The lovely instrumentation and Xiao Yu’s equally beautiful vocals come together for another beautiful track. The spoken part at the end really catches me out- I always forget it’s there and end up surprised XD Can I say a rather random end? Although it lends something fun to the song.

愛上(Fall In Love With) is the commercial theme song for the brand that Xiao Yu serves as an endorser. It’s another soft, romantic track- an incredibly soulful ballad with an RnB feeling. This is the second track of Xiao Yu’s I listened to properly, and his vocals blew me away. He gives an incredible vocal performance in this song- although his vocals never sound bad, there is something about his vocals here that make the song sound unique and give a wonderful feeling. But overall the entire song has such an interesting feeling; it sounds perfect. (And it’s not the sort of pop-rnb I usually listen to which is pretty fascinating because it is definitely RnB but with something else, not pop or a ’street’ feel)

Another one of my favourite tracks is next. 你很好(You’re Very Good) is a lovely romantic RnB track. The song is so sweet sounding. I love the feeling, the emotions, the rhythms, the sound…. it’s gorgeous! OK well the opening is really off-putting- it’s a little over the top and bordering on cheesy. However give the song a try though and it’s pretty perfect from then on. Know what I was saying about Xiao Yu giving a special feeling to his songs? Well, again his vocals are just outstanding in that way. I also love the subtle effects, like the layering of different vocals parts. His vocals are what make this. The ending is really interesting too- again it’s not that sort of ’street’ or pop RnB…It’s something different, unique, and special.

The album stays incredible with 說分手之後(After Saying Break Up). The soft rock influences come back for this beautiful, bittersweet ballad. I just love the blend of rock with piano and again, Xiao Yu’s dominant vocals. There is something hopeful about it in a way. I wouldn’t say an uplifting feeling, but it isn’t wallowing in sadness- the song is relaxing, chilled out, but with an upbeat feel. It’s a very light, and easy to listen to.

一顆蘋果(An Apple) has the most bizarre opening. The futuristic sound and talking isn’t completely out of place, but it does take you by surprise after such relaxing tracks before it. Almost a minute in and the tracks thankfully gets rid of all the weirdness, and becomes a soft rock number with an urgent, noticeably darker, feeling. There is something surreal about the track- the rock instrumentation blended with dreamy vocals and synth is interesting. It’s definitely worth skipping the intro to get to the rest of the song ^^

漂亮女孩(Beautiful Girl) I removed from my play list almost straight away- the opening really put me off. Track 9 Every Time is a lot better. It’s got the heavier RnB feeling to it, but still very soft and laid-back. It’s lovely and Xiao Yu again fives a stunning vocal performance. His “woa oh woa oh” adlibbing reminds me of something I cannot place…but I like it.

Second to last is a rather upbeat track- 換換換(Change, Change, Change). This is the sort of RnB I’m used to. It’s more danceable, got more attitude and is more in your face. Xiao Yu effortlessly uses the lower register of his voice in the one vocal part, overlaid with his interesting falsetto in the chorus. The ending where all three vocal parts are overlaid along with the backing is pretty cool too. The track has a good feeling to it- though there is something notably more mainstream about it. (Whether that is a good or bad thing is up to you)

The album ends with Why- a soulful ballad. It’s pretty gorgeous. Xiao Yu sounds incredible (duh) and the instrumentation is pretty too. Once more the track has random speaking in it, but it actually doesn’t sound too out of place here.

Rating: 4487478/10 (Awesomeness)
Favourite Track: 就站在這裡, 愛上, 你很好, 說分手之後, Why

This is an incredible album. The songs are relaxing, gentle and easy to listen to. But it is far from boring or bland. Each song has a very special feeling to it and it’s easy to listen to it again and again without ever getting bored- and in fact learning to appreciate new elements, or discover that the one song that didn’t stand out is actually pretty good. ^^ It also really helps that Xiao Yu has such an incredible voice- powerful and versatile and definitely used in a unique, or not as common, way. This is well worth listening to, and I know I personally will be on the lookout for his debut now.

Welcome to Paradise Lost, version three. Isn’t it pretty? I will happily say that I’m more than relieved to finally launch it. Looking at the old version was killing me a little. You know, you want to present yourself in a certain way and the old version was too messy/unorganized and had alot of rubbish. I grew tired of it and wanted to change things. So I did. The new version everything has been reformatted, often rewritten or rephrased and mostly spellchecked. woot. And there are images. Lots of them. I used a magazine theme too to make it look all proffesional and awesome (and again, for the images.) This theme is alot of fun, and I’m slowly getting used to the custom fields and custom excerpt (though I cannot write excerpts/summaries of my posts very well- yet).

So alot of stuff is deleted too, and there are still a few music reviews set to private as they haven’t been edited yet. They’ll pop up again when I get round to editing them. Some things, well a great chunk of things aren’t coming back though. I don’t miss them and I hope nobody else minds. I feel alot of the earlier posts especially had no hope- there wasn’t enough substance in them for me to even try and rewrite them XD

So yes. I was planning a long entry but I don’t there is much else to say. The site is back and I will work on spamming it with new content soon. Enjoy~

Takashi Nagayama, or “Nagayan”, is a Japanese actor & singer. He is probably best known for his roles as Eiji Kikumaru in the Prince of Tennis musicals and Tōshirō Hitsugaya in “Rock Musical Bleach”.  He made his television debut in 1998 with the drama Change, and his debut single [Kokoro Ga.../ My Heart...] was released in 2005 (exact date unknown- not even available to purchase)

The single opens with the endearing 「心が…」(My Heart…) a slow, calm soft rock number with jazz and subtle gospel influences. Nagayan’s vocals shocked me the first time I heard them, they sound very young and have a unique tone to them but they aren’t bad at all. He sings with a lot of emotion and his vocals are pretty powerful- not too nasal either. This song sounds like a bittersweet love song of sorts, but mainly due to the vocals it sounds sweeter than bitter. I also appreciate that just as the song is becoming repetitive, it subtly begins to change for the “kokoro ga, sayonara” part and afterwards. I really like that part of the song- the last half. But I guess I really like the entire song. It’s quite simple, borders on being a bit too repetitive, but it’s calming  to listen to and has a sweet feeling to it. I do wonder though at “kokoro ga, sayonara” – my heart, goodbye?

Following that is 「おくるうた」(A Song for You) – which more upbeat, quicker and livelier,  than 「心が…」 but is still the same kind of soft rock. Nagayan’s vocals are still childish, but it makes this sound youthful and fun. I don’t like the backing vocals/layering of his vocals in the chorus much, but it’s not obnoxious/difficult to listen to. This song is also a bit repetitive, more noticeably than 「心が…」, because despite the liveliness of the song I feel bored.  Finally there is an instrumental solo, and then how the song changes for the bridge.  Nagayan’s scream/woah thing is bizarre though…really I have no idea what he is trying to do there because it fails at anything other than an animal like noise. So yeah, a pretty average song which would be nice to listen to in the background- apart from weird backing vocals, and an even weirder attempt at a exhilarated shout.

The third track is 「雨音」(The Sound of the Rain) which is pretty funky with some lovely bass. Like both of the previous tracks, the instrumentation is pretty simple but effective- just allowing Nagayan to take over and drive the song forward. His vocals actually manage to sound mature and smooth here. Throughout, I really like the rhythm of this song, it’s cool and laidback but not slow, or dragging. And the chorus- Nagayan’s vocals are just great and I love the electronic distortion. This song is really cool. It’s simple, and repetitive but I love the electronic effects, and the “cool” feeling. The gospel influences come out again, quite strongly here, with what sounds like an organ during the end.

Lastly is a different version of the title track, 「心が…」(Toscana version). It’s noticeably shorter than the original, and there is definitely something different about the instrumentation… yes, it’s more string based? I think this version brings out the ballad of this song. It’s nice, but the strings are obviously fake and well… was there any point to this really?

Overall rating: 4/5 (Good)
Favourite tracks: 心が…, 雨音

I really liked this. It’s simple, but effective. Each song is different from the last, but they are definitely soft, bordering on pop, rock with some jazz and gospel influences. It’s quite a unique style, something I don’t hear a lot of personally. Nagayan’s vocals are childish sounding however there is something captivating about them, and it does make his music very unique; give it a unique feeling. There really isn’t much else to say about this… it’s good, it’s nice, it’s relaxing and lovely to listen to- unfortunately it just doesn’t go beyond that to be 5/5 or awesomeness (above 5).

“My wish isn’t a shooting star, please let it reach you. If everyone is alone, we wouldn’t have met”

Aquarian age was released in 2008 starring Dori Sakurada, Rakuto Tochihara, Takuya Uehara, Keita Kimura, Akio Fukuhara and also a special appearance by alice nine. and Takeru from SuG. I watched the trailer for Aquarian Age a long time ago, and it intrigued me. Now finally I got to watch the movie. At the end of the day you remember the good things about a movie the most, and this movie though not without flaws also had some pretty awesome parts to it that overall come together for a decent film worth watching.

The movie focuses on several high school boys who discover that they inherited latent genetic traits — among other things, wings that sprout out of their backs. They soon find themselves caught in a millennia-old war between secret organizations who have been fighting each other since the beginning of human society.

(Warning: very long, rambly story recap under here.)

On the whole what I liked about the film was made to be rather realistic, or at least believable. It is a beautiful film: gorgeously shot, and I love how dark and gloomy the lighting is. It suits mood of the film and makes it very beautiful to watch. But not only is it aesthetically beautiful, but what I really loved about this film was the relations between the main characters and the characters themselves. Nothing is as it seems, mystery makes the film because you have got to keep watching to find out the truth and see what happens. But the family relations, friendships, and a lot of the characters themselves were so interesting, too. From the beginning I liked them (the characters) and watching them deal with their circumstance, was often moving. Scenes like with Kaname, alone in his room getting up and nervously turning to see the scars on his back where his wings are. Scenes like the ending between Noaya and Kaname where they decide not to harm each other, but to join forces to do the ultimate good. These scenes and others were not only beautiful to watch, but also gave the film a bit of depth and emotion. I guess this human element to it also contributed to how believable it was.

Of course this film had the potential to look cheap, but there is clearly high budget here again making it look wonderfully realistic. The wing scars are so believable that they are almost grotesque, and other effects are also done very well. Right at the end the actual wings were freaking awesome too o_o There are also brilliant and varied settings to again make it feel very real: and hinting at a large budget. Of course there are a couple of things that did ruin this overall believability of the film. For instance, where is everyone else? Apart from the concert crowd at beginning, the streets always strangely deserted which is weird. Did they spend everything on effects and setting instead of wasting it on some extras or something? XD Other instances also made it obvious what it was based on e.g. evil priests. I did not get those evil priests, and they were laughable. I loved Nakuara, and I think the setting of the church was gorgeous but the evil priests…no just no. The priests also got the typical OTT ‘evil guy’ music which didn’t help. The music sometimes, not just with the priests, was too obvious but other times, modern and awesome and totally fitting. Again, I loved the opening with the alice nine. song. This is possibly the best song I’ve heard from alice nine. (minus rainbows) and I am now listening to it on repeat.

The actors themselves were decent. It didn’t help the three main characters looked so alike because gloomy footage and heavy shadows made it hard to distinguish who was who, and I admit because of something this stupid I was confused at the beginning. But apart from that weird observation, the acting was generally good, only sometimes feeling forced (with the doctors, organization members, and of course…the damn priests). Maybe linking back to how empty this film was (no people on the streets at all) I think sometimes things were just too convenient. Everything linked together too well. And it was never explained why Tsukasa knew Nakuara, and was also a bit strange how Kaname seemed friends with the one guy, and didn’t really know Naoya then suddenly he was best friends with Naoya (BL vibes included) and other guy just disappeared until he was needed again. That guy was one obvious plot device, I didn’t even catch his name, although thankfully they gave him a bit of family background which saved him from being too generic.

Lastly, I’m glad that by the end the film surprised me. I totally did not expect the ending. I was suspicious of the culprit, but not in the way it ended up. Throughout the film, the perpetrator was made out to be anyone and so of course it is good that it wasn’t too obvious.

So despite its flaws Aquarian age is going to be a movie I recommend. It started well, dragged a little, and then ended perfectly. Although not a unique storyline in the world of fantasy, it was done pretty well. I had low expectations for this film, but I ended up enjoying it.