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Full Metal Panic! Fumoffu? Sore ga Ai Deshou/Kimi ni Fuku Kaze Single review by darktruth
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Review
Mikuni Shimokawa's tenth single features a double A-side of "Sore ga Ai Deshou/Kimi ni Fuku Kaze". Released in September 2003 to coincide with airing of the hit anime Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu in Japan, this single proved to be popular among fans.
The opening theme "Sore ga Ai Deshou" is a warm, laid back track sampling many guitar riffs and strings. Listeners will be able to embrace its poppy edge while also feeling the rock side of it through the electric guitars. Some wonder whether Avril Lavigne's "Anything But Ordinary" introductory melody had been used as an inspiration for this track, as both contain similar guitar chords at the beginning of the song.
There's also a question of whether Santana's "The Game Of Love" duet with Michelle Branch had some major influences in "Kimi ni Fuku Kaze". As the ending theme for the anime, "Kimi ni Fuku Kaze" presents itself as a soft breezy track that pretty much resembles "The Game Of Love"; however it's quite a nice and fun track to listen to that perfectly suits the anime with its easy listening tune. The guitars and trumpets played throughout the song enlighten the cheerful mood of the track which makes you want to bop along to it. It's one of the tracks that stands out most from the Full Metal Panic series by far.
"Arekara" slows things down with an acoustic piano track. This track, while not as fun to listen to as the first two songs, features Mikuni's raw vocals and it becomes apparent that hitting the high notes in certain parts of the song is a struggle for her. Although it's a nice and touching track, I didn't enjoy this ballad as much as "Arekara ~Soshite Ima~" on her "Kimi no Uta" album, mainly because that version used more instruments to create the melodies and her voice wasn't as strained as it is in this version.
Like most anime CD singles, the instrumentals to the opening and closing themes are also included here. It's nice to know that these tracks are actually true instrumentals without the backing vocals left in, unlike many others.
Overall, this single shares many musical influences with other international artists to bring out its own unique style of J-pop that is easy to listen to and sticks in your head for a while (in a good way). This would make a great addition to Mikuni Shimokawa fans as well as fans of the Full Metal Panic series.
*Side Note* The first pressing of this single includes a limited 12 page booklet shown in the gallery below. The second pressing contains some slightly different pictures for single.
~ darktruth
Information
Type: Single
Catalog Number: Flight Master PCCA-01927
Release Date: 3 September 2003
Tracklist
- Sore ga Ai Deshou / Mikuni Shimokawa
That is Love / Mikuni Shimokawa
5:13 - Kimi ni Fuku Kaze / Mikuni Shimokawa
The Wind That Blows Towards You / Mikuni Shimokawa
4:43 - Arekara / Mikuni Shimokawa
From Then On / Mikuni Shimokawa
4:17 - Sore ga Ai Deshou (Instrumental)
That Is Love (Instrumental)
5:13 - Kimi ni Fuku Kaze (Instrumental)
The Wind That Blows Towards You (Instrumental)
4:40
