MAL has still not completely recovered, but hopefully it will stay well enough to allow me to continue posting these on time.
http://animusictourney.wordpress.com/2013/09/03/bracket-jigglypuff-round-1-polls-1-4/http://animusictourney.wordpress.com/2013/09/05/bracket-jigglypuff-round-1-polls-5-8/Bracket Jigglypuff Round 1 Poll 1"Tabi no Tochuu" [OP of "Spice & Wolf" (2008)] vs "Every Heart"* [ED 4 of "Inuyasha" (2000 - 2004)]
"Tabi no Tochuu" was on my initial shortlist of songs for nominations. I had a feeling it would make it without my help. Turns out the song not only did made it, it did better than my wildest expectations and actually made the top 10 seeds. It's probably my favourite amongst the top 10, at least out of the ones I've heard. Much like the anime, "Tabi no Tochuu" contains a variety of elements: it has some folk sounds befitting of the fantasy world the anime is set in; it starts off in a quiet manner befitting of the slice of life feel early on in the series; then it builds up dramatically to something befitting of the drama later in the series. There's an enchanting beauty about the piece, and it took me a while to figure out the root of it: the song is actually a waltz (or something similar to a waltz) song written in the minor key. The minor waltz in "School Days" that I nominated had a similar pull on me. This combination isn't that common amongst anime themes, so "Tabi no Tochuu" certainly feels fresher to me than something like "Every Heart", which starts in quite a familiar fashion, then only gets more and more so as it goes on. I swear I've heard something quite similar to the chorus in a different pop song before. It's the kind of song that I would have liked a lot more 10 years ago - and I still like large parts of it even now - but it does taste a bit stale.
Rating for "Tabi no Tochuu" :D
Rating for "Every Heart" :)
My pick"Tabi no Tochuu".
Bracket Jigglypuff Round 1 Poll 2"Hare Hare Yukai" [ED of "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya" (2006)] vs "BIOS"* [insert song from "Guilty Crown" (2011 - 2012)]
The ending credits of the first season of Haruhi is probably more well known for its dance than its song, although the song does play its part in making the scene memorable. Just listening to the song by itself though, I find it a bit irritating and a bit generic, and I doubt it could have made it so far without the help of the animation. I would love to vote off such a song that's punching above its musical weight thanks to the popularity of the anime and the accompanying animation, but the problem is that I don't particularly like its opponent either. "BIOS" starts well enough, with the initial vocalisation contrasting interestingly against the backdrop of heavy instrumentation ... but it soon gets a bit weird when a guy starts talking over the track in what was probably intended to be a seductive tone. It also throws in some chanting sections which I don't think fits well enough with the rest of the song, and then the seductive guy comes back and tries to talk his way into someone panties some more. It's all a bit bizarre.
Rating for "Hare Hare Yukai" :|
Rating for "BIOS" :(
My pick"Hare Hare Yukai".
Bracket Jigglypuff Round 1 Poll 3"Sakura Nagashi"* [OP of "Rebuild of Evangelion: 3.0" (2012)] vs "Hyadain no Kakakata kataomi-C"* [OP 1 of "My Ordinary Life" (2011)]
When I saw it's another Rebuild of Eva movie song, I thought for one dreadful moment that it was yet another remix of "Beautiful World". Luckily it's something different, though from the same artist. I'm not a big fan of the voice of Hikaru Utada, but I don't need to be for the song to work its magic. Starting from something simple, it works up the drama superbly before calming down to finish as it begins. The Evangelion franchise has always had a knack for picking out great music to use - the use of Pachebel's Canon in D in the interlude of "Death & Rebirth", the use of "Kumm, Susser Todd" during the apocalyptic scenes of "End of Evangelion" springs to mind - and this tradition seems to have continued for the new movies. Having turned up the volume on my speakers for "Sakura Nagashi", I then had to turn it down for the "My Ordinary Life" OP. There's too much happening in that song, and everything seems to roll up into a string of noise that goes in through one of my ears and out the other without registering much in my brain. Like its title, the song is a bit nonsensical to me.
Rating for "Sakura Nagashi" :)
Rating for "Hyadain no Kakata kataomi-C">:(
My pick"Hyadain no Kakakata kataomi-C".
Bracket Jigglypuff Round 1 Poll 4"Forces" [preview music of "Berserk" (1997 - 1998)] vs "Macross" [OP of "Macross" (1982)]
Back when I was watching "Berserk", the preview would often send me into giggles because "Forces" would play and the song is so ludicrously over the top I find it funny. And now I discover to my shock that everyone else seems to LOVE this track! It does starts starts with a compelling sense of urgency, but when that odd sounding instrument (that sounds a bit like bagpipes??) kicks in immediately after, I can no longer take the song seriously. On top of that, the vocals sound like it's taken from some D-grade kung fu show, and the "HAIIIIYAAA forces" bit is especially vulgar. Maybe it's because I'm asian and have seen my share of kung fu shows on TV, but I feel this kind of stuff has been done far more elegantly before, if not quite in the same way. Both songs in this match are bombastic, but while "Forces" tastes over cooked, "Macross", like that third bowl of porridge the renowned critic Goldilocks tried at the cuisine of the three bears, tastes just right. It has a lot in common with themes from robot shows in the 70s: armed with that grand sounding Japanese minor scale and a male vocalist with a deep, powerful voice, it goes all out for a sense of epicness. But it also has a polish that's missing from those earlier themes. The components of the song come together well (just listen to that violin go at one of the high points of the chorus), and despite being bombastic, it doesn't over stretch into comedic territory. In my opinion, "Macross" is an example of this kind of theme done right.
Rating for "Forces" :(
Rating for "Macross" :)
My pick"Macross".
Bracket Jigglypuff Round 1 Poll 5"Duvet" [OP of "Serial Experiments Lain" (1998)] vs "Date A Live"* [OP of "Date A Live" (2013)]
Lain's opening has a pretty big reputation, so it's not surprising to see it here. But its reputation comes from the great opening animation as well as the song, so while the song is pretty cool, I do feel like it's missing something when I'm listening to it by itself. I think the song's got a great sense of style - if it was a celebrity, it would be the kind that wins a lot of best-dressed awards - and the singer's seamless transitions in and out of falsetto is just pure ear-candy.
"Date A Live" surprised me because it sounds like it's from some epic anime in a similar vein to "Attack on Titan", and not something that's called "Date A Live" (unless there's some epic dating to be had in the show, like, a wizard dating a titan or something). The song falls apart when the vocals come in though: while the singers sound like they're making a big effort, the song is just too big for their sugary, generic idol voices. I think the song could have done a lot better if they'd picked the right kind of singers.
Rating for "Duvet" :)
Rating for "Date A Live" :)
My pick"Duvet".
Bracket Jigglypuff Round 1 Poll 6"Ai no Melody"* [ED of "Origin ~Spirits of the Past~" (2006)] vs "la divina tragedia - Makyoku"* [OP of "Umineko: When They Cry" (2009)]
As much as I like KOKIA, I wouldn't have described her voice as distinctive before, but because I managed to identify her vocals in "Ai no Melody", I'm thinking perhaps there is something distinctive about it after all. Regardless of whether or not it's distinctive, it's hard to deny that her vocals are extremely expressive, and I think her delicate, emotional performance is what breathes life into "Ai no Melody" - with a lesser singer, the song could easily have sounded boring. If the primary strength of "Ai no Melody" is subtlety, then the Umineko song is the exact opposite. Melodramatic, boisterous and over the top, it could easily have come from a musical theatre production. I need to be in a mood to listen to this kind of songs though, unless they're as awesome as songs from "Les Miserables" or "Phantom of the Opera", and even though this song isn't bad, it also isn't any where near that standard.
Rating for "Ai no Melody" :)
Rating for "la divina tragedia - Makyouku" :|
My pick"Ai no Melody".
Bracket Jigglypuff Round 1 Poll 7"ETERNAL BLAZE"* [OP of "Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A's" (2005)] vs "Torukia"* [insert song from "Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG" (2004 - 2005)]
I only noticed just now that "ETERNAL BLAZE" is another Nana Mizuki song. It might be true that I haven't come across too many of her songs before, but all the ones I've come across in this tournament have been rather generic. And if this is the kind of songs she sings, then I don't think I would have taken much notice of her even if I'd heard more of her works. While "ETERNAL BLAZE" is a nice sounding track, it doesn't have much character, and can pretty much be sung by anyone that's competent, and I think Mizuki's vocals aren't distinctive enough to really stand out in these generic anime themes. On the other hand, the vocals on "Torukia" are rather distinctive - they remind me of those on the series' 1st season OP and also a little of the traditional singing style of certain ethnic groups in China. It's quite hard to tell how much actual singing of words there are in the song but regardless of that, it's one of those songs where the vocals are used more as an instrument than anything else. In fact, it's very much the primary instrument used for this piece, as the backing track is heavily produced using various unconventional sounds and it's hard (at least for me) to pick out any traditional instruments, although the strings and the accoustic guitars do come into their own in later sections of the track. Overall, it makes for quite the compelling listening experience - it's the kind of track that you would just lean back and let wash over you.
Rating for "ETERNAL BLAZE" :)
Rating for "Torukia" :D
My pick"Torukia".
Bracket Jigglypuff Round 1 Poll 8"Blue" [ultimate ED of "Cowboy Bebop" (1998)] vs "OS-Uchuujin"* [OP of "Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko" (2011)]
For the most part, "Blue" is a melancholy rock song, except it has an angelic children's chorus fused into it. Yoko Kanno's ability to feel at home across an incredibly number of musical genres really serves her well here - who else could make this strange combination work so well? Mai Yumane's soulful, rasping vocals give the song that authentic rock edge, and as she powers through those long, sustained notes, the classy chord changes in the guitar adds a nice bit of tension and keeps things ticking over. And when the childrens chorus sneaks backs in later on, it gave the song an extra dimension that cements the its status as being awesome. It's a fitting send off for one of anime's all time greats.
"OS-Uchuujin" just hurts my ears. And I think I became more tone-deaf after listening to it.
Rating for "Blue" :D
Rating for "OS-Uchuujin">:(
My pick"Blue". How does blue only have 2/3rds of the votes currently?!
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