#so i just finished watching a retrospective on sonic ending theme songs
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latin-dr-robotnik · 2 years ago
Audio
One Way Dream (Ending Theme) - Sonic Frontiers (2022)
I’m a spark that won’t go out ✨
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zippityzap · 6 years ago
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My Top 5 Favourite Sonic Underground Songs
Making a show with a musical number or song in every episode is an ambitious task. While some shows such as Phineas and Ferb handled this quite well, many other shows, namely Sonic Underground, struggled. But amidst the random mish-mash of genres and the odd visual effects slapped over the musical segments, Underground did have a number of songs that weren’t bad. Today I list my personal top 5.
5) I Wish I Could Go Faster [Episode 18]
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The reason why I’ve put this on the list is will be a common theme, namely I really like Manic’s singing in it. Despite not singing as much as the other two, I personally think Manic is the best singer out of the triplets. It’s really no surprise that his singing VA, Tyley Ross, is a Grammy nominee and has won awards for musical theatre. I’m happy he has a successful career outside of the show.
4) The Sound of Freedom [Episode 38]
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During the last stint of episodes, I noticed there were a lot of songs that weren’t very specific to the plot of the episode, but rather were about the resistance in general, with an overarching theme of “fuck you Robotnik.” The quality of the songs definitely increased during this period and if this list were any longer they’d make up the majority of it. For this top 5, I only wanted to limit it to one of these, for variety’s sake.
I choose Sound of Freedom specially because there’s a line I really like, “we have lost so many friends” It injected some emotion into the song, which was much appreciated.
3) I Can Do That for You [Episode 27]
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Once again, Manic’s verse in this song sounds AMAZING. I love it. Sonic and Sonia’s singing was good in this song as well. Not to mention it’s a catchy song. That one gif of Robotnik dancing came from this episode for a reason.
2)We Need to Be Free [Episode 11]
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You may remember my very enthusiastic reaction to this song during the retrospective. You must realise that at that point, we’d gotten song after song that were boring, mediocre or just plain weird. So to have a song that was good felt incredible. But even without that context this song is great. Like, really, really great. Sonic and Manic are just belting it out and it is wonderful.
My only nit-pick is that the song is way too short, I wanted more. Come to think of it, a lot of the good songs felt short while the bad ones dragged on forever. Maybe that’s just the way I perceived it.
(Honourable Mention) The Opening Theme
[Link to the video because Tumblr is stupid and I can’t embed more than 5 videos]
I didn’t put this one on the list since it wasn’t technically wasn’t part of any episode, but it would be a sin if I didn’t mention it.
Let’s face it. Underground had a weird premise. A very interesting premise but nonetheless if you describe the show to someone who’s never heard of it and their knowledge of Sonic only comes from the games, the concept of ‘Sonic is a prince and a triplet, and he and his siblings own magical necklaces that turn into instruments that double as weapons’ is odd and confusing to say the least.
This is where the absolute brilliance of the intro comes in. When paired with the animation, this song manages; in the space of a minute, to relay all of the necessary backstory in way that gets you fuckin’ PUMPED to watch an episode. …or at least catches your interest.
Plus, the song itself is bitchin’. I never skipped the intro and sang along to it every single time I watched an episode for the retrospectives. I cannot possibly heap enough praise onto it.
1) Someday [Episode 1]
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The only negative I can give to this song is that it was too good for the first episode. Say you’re watching the series for the first time. You’ve seen the awesome intro and you’ve just finished watching the first episode. It was a good episode and a good song, you have your hopes up for the rest of the series…only for them to be dashed as you watch more episodes and find that no other song lives up to ‘Someday’.
But why exactly is ‘Someday’ so good? Well, for starters, it has that rock feel I associate with SU. From the opening chords to Sonic’s singing voice, it has the ambience you want from a show that not just centres on a rock band, but also has the grandness of its overarching rebellion plot.
It also fits so well with the episode and its story. While I enjoyed the generalness of the songs towards the end of the series, admittedly it was a cop out for them to not really integrate with the episode’s plot. Meanwhile, the earlier episodes have songs that match the theme/plot of the episode, trying out new genres but unfortunately sacrificing the quality of the songs while they’re at it. ‘Someday, however, reaches the perfect compromise. The lyrics are incredibly focused on the plot of the episode: of the triplets eventually reuniting and meeting for the first time, yet at the same time the song sounds good and is fun to listen to. It’s the sort of song I don’t mind having stuck in my head. It was unfortunate they were never really able to reach this balance again.
So, that was my list. Keep in mind this is my personal opinion and that music taste is highly subjective, so please don’t be disappointed if your favourite wasn’t on the list. I’d love to hear from you guys what your favourite songs from this series were
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hellopromusic · 6 years ago
Video
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Itoshima Distance 
Lyrics: Mari-Joe Composition: Hoshibe Sho  Arrangement, Keyboard, Programming: Okubo Kaoru  Violin, Viola: Muroya Kouichiro  Alto and Tenor Saxophone: Takegami Yoshinari  Chorus: ANGERME, M!ho  
I'm using the another version because I feel it evokes the feel of the song better. Its very date like and has imagery from Kyushuuu, including a lot of things mentioned in the lyrics. Read the lyrics, then watch the video... this really is great stuff.
History
This song was in the the debut single of 4th generation member Kamikokuryo Moe and the last single to feature 2nd generation member Tamura Meimi.
As Itoshima is a city in Fukuoka Prefecture, the lyrics "suitou to" (好いとうと) and "yaken" (やけん) in "Itoshima Distance" are of the local Hakata dialect.
Some Landmarks in the Song
Kego Park 
Cosmos are Autumn flowers that bloom at Nokoshima Island 
Tenjin is a busy downtown section of Fukuoka City 
This is a song that came out when I had gone back to school and was not hardcore into H!P. I first heard it like a year ago. The outfits for the video and the music really cemented this song as one I would love forever. It was also one of the songs that helped relieve my "Tsunku stepping down" tension as I discovered Sho could make great songs as well. He can not replicate that "Tsunku" flavor, but Sho's songs were really good. Sho has blessed Angerme with some great songs, between him and Takui Angerme's post "Exclusively - Tsunku" discography is very nice.
Anyways this song makes me nostalgic for a place I've never been. Making me long to do activities I've never done, and drive in my car with a lover I've yet to meet. This could have been a super sexy kayokyoku song if it were slowed down a bit and they switched up the instrumentation. Mari-Joe's lyrics are great, but to get that kayo feel, there needs to be less words, but that’s neither here nor there... my pipe dreams, lol.
Song structure
The song is in f minor. The BPM is 120, and the time signature is 4/4. 
Intro Pre-verse 1 - Song's melodic theme Verse A1 - Doushita no Verse B1 - Chotto Matte Pre-Chorus 1 - Itsumo Chorus A1 - Suitou to Chorus B1 - Suitou to Pre-Verse 2 - Slutty Sax solo Verse A2 Verse B2 Pre-chorus 2 Chorus A2 Chorus B2 Bridge - Teasing Sax solo Chorus A3 Chorus B3 Pre-verse 3 - Song's melodic theme Outro
Lyrics
This song embodies too little too late. The protagonist in this song is a girl getting broken up with... Its that kind of sad song. So on a car ride home, the boyfriend breaks up with the protagonist and as they ride home. Her mind is filled with regret and denial. She remembers only the good times and likely has no recollection of the things that made the boyfriend want to break up. She believes in her heart of hearts that if the boyfriend remembers the goodtimes, he will choose her again.
I'm not sure if they live in Fukuoka City and are traveling to Itoshima, or the other way around. But  I, personally, love the image of a country girl being impressed by going to the big city and have a date, a little udon, some karaoke, like its a big deal. Then going home feeling like she was a city slicker and wanting to shake the country life. So I'm voting for them living in Itoshima. However all the Japanse fans seem to say they are on a trip to Itoshima, but in the end, it doesn't matter.
One of my favorite lines is when she talks about how she has looked through the car window so many times, seeing beautiful things, showing the window was a conduit for joy. But now in the reflection of the same window she now sees a person she loves, but doesn't recognize... oh its poetic. Its like, she associates so many good memories with the window, I guess they take trips often. But now, currently, at the moment, the window is a conduit for pain.
Composition and Arrangement
Instruments in the track are the piano, bongos, saxophone, strings, guitar, bass guitar. To paraphrase the great Maa-chan, You should give the instrumentals a listen from time to time. This one is great.
In this song I have less "oh that part was great" and its just overall a top tier song in my mind. I like all the parts and every section has at least 2 or 3 things I like. I would be here all day listing them. But if I had to pick a crowning moment of awesome, its the melody in the verses. It ebbs and flows like the waves crashing on an Itoshiman beach... That 7th and 8th bar in each of the two verses... just yes... Then they lead to that perfect rhythm on  "Itsumo." These guys are playing for keeps. I'm a huge fan of singing naturals in melodies, they give this sort tension that I love prolonging. Well in this melody they sprinkle a couple in for the music wotas like me. Probably my favorite use of it is in the chorus when they are singing the natural 3rd on Omoidashite (the "i") and Ano Machi parts (the "ma"). This is an example of "if the song was slower and had less lyrics" I would have loved it more. That natural 3rd could have been so much more satisfying, but instead its just (a very welcome) part of a vocal movement in the melody.
The song is sonically spacious. It feels as if there are only like 3 instruments playing at a time, so its not over crowded with musical ideas. The most prominent feature is the bassline that is just throbbing with sass. Sometimes there is more, but it just feel open like a trio and I appreciate that openess.
I don't think I've ever really talked about my musical foundation, but I come to music from (largely) Jazz and Video Game Music. My Jazz roots give me an affinity for live musicians in both performance and recording. I love lots of programmed stuff (ie. VGM), but a composition really shines when its played by live musicians. Which is why contemporary VGM is at a kind of apex for me (but that’s a conversation for another time). Anyways, whenever a Hello!Project song uses live musicians to record a part, it really makes me stand up and listen. In this song, Takegami Yoshinari came and laid down some sax solos for the song and it really shines because of it. It might be the most distinguishing sonic factor of the song. I heard other fans complain when Tsunku uses the same "sax riff" in multiple songs, well this one is all original and bespoke for the song. I'm sure H!P usually shys away from live musicians because its more expensive to tour with musicians and playing tracks for the girls lets them get used to the same musical experience. Anyways, even if its just in recording, I appreciate the live musicians in my pop music. Another reason to love H!P.
The strings are live as well by Muroya Kouichiro. A lot of the string's "emotion" that’s in this song are much better live, as opposed to synthesized. The way the notes are blended and stretched... these are the benefits of live musicians (not decrying programmed music, just highlighting the benefits of live musicians). The harmonies the violin and the viola play could be replicated with a synth (keyboard), but the uniform technique for both parts they play could not be replicated on the keyboard. For example, all throughout the songs the strings have these quick Glissandos to end the phrases where they start on one note and finish like a 3rd or a 5th lower in the span of one beat. In the first verse listen to the strings while Kanonon sings "Oshiyoseru," it does what I'm talking about. That sort of flourish is all throughout the song in the strings and it a bit difficult to synthesize, you only get those flairs from live musicians. The drums are programmed, but having a live percussionist would have pushed this to the max for me. But this is pop music and they are trying to appeal to the masses, not aural slutz like me, lol.
Also a word on M!ho, she has been featured on many a Sho song (not that she works exclusively with him or anything), and she makes an appearance in the background of many parts of this song including the Pre-verse (usually singing the "Ah"s and "Ooh"s). I think tonally, no one could match her in Angerme. In addition, M!ho is a professional, and it was probably MUCH quicker and easier to have her do those other harmonies. M!ho's vocal control is much stronger than any of the girls in the group (save probably Meimei).
Anyways, this review is just more of my fanboy ramblings...  My guilty pleasure...
Omake!
Found this thread on a Matome. DISCLAIMER: I'm no professional translate, if you see I made a mistake instead of ridiculing me, help me get better! I've left the Japanese for those who can read it, and those that can't have to suffer through my translations guwahaha~ Also this was translated after I wrote my review, so any similarities are coincidental.
48: 名無し募集中。。。@\(^o^)/
A song about a woman from Kyushuu's countryside (around Kumamoto?) who left Fukuoka city with a guy to go on a date in Itoshima, huh?
I suppose that in old school Enka there was often a situation where a woman from Northern Japan was leaving Tokyo and I wonder if we are in a period where women are leaving Fukuoka City.
九州の田舎(熊本あたり?)から福岡に出てきたな女が彼と糸島にデートしてたという歌だな 昔の演歌は北国から東京に出て来た女と相場が決まってたが 福岡に出て来た女というのが時代かなと思う
87: 名無し募集中。。。@\(^o^)/
>>48 At the moment there likely are a lot of Kyushuu women leaving Fukuoka city 今福岡に出てくる九州の女って多いらしいな
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96: 名無し募集中。。。@\(^o^)/
Even though its a song about Itoshima, somehow they didn't say the names of any of Itoshima's places... Kego Park and Nokoshima Island are right by Fukuoka City
糸島の歌なのに同地の地名が出てこないってどういうことだ? 警固公園や能古島は隣りの福岡市だぞ
115: 名無し募集中。。。@\(^o^)/
>>96
This couple lives in Fukuoka and often was driving to Itoshima The protagonist remembered this retrospection of when they were enroute to Kego Park, Nokoshima Island, etc...
このカップルは福岡在住で糸島までよくドライブしていた その回想の途中に警固公園や能古島も行っていたことを思い出した
148: 名無し募集中。。。@\(^o^)/
>>115
If thats the case, even though they traveled to Kego park and Nokoshima Island, it would have been good if they would of incorporated Keya no Ooto (in itoshima), Marutaike Park (in itoshima, they also have an illumination event as well), or Meoto Iwa into the song.
だったら芥屋の大門、丸田池公園、夫婦岩を盛り込めばいいのに
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97: 名無し募集中。。。@\(^o^)/
Doesn't this song give more the impression of pop from the late 80's early 90's more than what they call Kayokyoku.
歌謡曲というよりは80年代末期から90年代初頭のポップスって印象
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267: 名無し募集中。。。@\(^o^)/
As opposed to Akina, isn't this closer to that area before Shouno Mayo, Kubota Saki, etc...? 明菜より前の庄野真代とか久保田早紀とかあの辺じゃないかね?
(Not gonna lie, I'm so excited I found some new Artists to research! Kubota Saki looks like BAE ver. 1.2.0)
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reblogsnshit · 8 years ago
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tagged by @mistersunshinesprinkles alright lets go
10 Random Facts About Me:
1. even though all my life everybody said i was “extremely intelligent and mature” i dropped out of high school a few years back, not even the final year, after having redone the first year. suddenly people saw me as the dumb class clown and i still have issues about that
hitting with the heavy stuff head first yo
2. you probably didn’t know that but i like video games a lot
3. you probably didn’t know that but i like buff women a lot
also i’m bi
4. once in elementary school i was going to school then i stopped walking all of a sudden, i don’t know why, and then a huge-ass brick came crashing down right in front of me. if i had kept walking it would’ve crushed my brain for sure because 1) i was 8 or 9 2) i tried to lift that brick but i couldn’t, too heavy
5. once in middle school me and my two friends were playing in an industrial site and I ran an iron bar through my left hand (not completely but hey) by accident, I was so afraid I’d get grounded or something that I kept the wound secret to everybody but my friends. the wound turned purple and orange in a matter of days and then it just quietly healed. that was extremely stupid of me because that shit could’ve easily gotten infected
6. in my stupid kid years i had three crushes a day, one time when i was harassing the shit out of one girl she stood up in front of the whole class and said that, well, i was a stupid kid that couldn’t stop harassing her. the embarrassment and shame i felt from that prevented me from actually looking to start a relationship with anybody else and made me believe that nobody would fall in love with me (i still have trouble with this tbh), even though she was 100% in the right and i frankly needed this
7. also every single one of my friends up until 2012 or so figuratively fucked me behind my back, as a result i have tremendous trust issues, can only have a couple friends at a time, and i have troubles speaking of what i like, what i do with my life or my feelings. also it’s absolutely not my desire to do so but i believe that every human being is evil at their core, although i know that’s stupid because hey @palmer-eldritch-on-holiday exists
8. once about a decade ago i spent 130€ or so on mobile games in a week. my mom caught me and gave me a rough time, told me never to do it again. being the little shit that i was, a year later i did it again
9. with a few exceptions, i still feel that any of the social links in Persona 3 & 4 were more “real” than any actual relationships Ive had up until the point I finished them
10. don’t worry buddy, i also happen to know the best hentai artists out there
5 OTPs
i really don’t think about that stuff much, sorry lmao
11 questions that will wow your partner in bed, by Lethey
1. Which piece of fiction do you wish you’d have written and why? - absolutely no idea. i don’t read much :(
2. Coffee Or Tea? - tea, i abhor the taste of coffee with a fiery passion
3.What’s your favourite game of all time and why?- okay when someone asks me that question my mind always goes SONIC R SONIC R SONIC R because who the hell doesn’t love that soundtrack. however if im being a little more honest to myself it’s either gotta be metal gear solid 3 or splinter cell chaos theory, i just love stealth games so much
i don’t really think i have only one favourite GOAT though. i love mgs 3 and splinter cell 3 as much as i love lands of lore 2 for example, or any modern tekken games, guilty gear XX, persona 3, etc.
4. If you could have any kind of hairdo, what would it be? - haha i’m fine with my current one
5. Your de-stress method of choice? - taking a shit. seriously. aside from that, playing games obviously
6. Favourite guilty pleasure - i don’t really have guilty pleasures, i don’t play bad games or watch bad shows or films ? however i guess sonic r could be considered a guilty pleasure so idk, i can feel the sunshine from time to time
7. Biggest anime crush? - that’s gotta be either urumi kanzaki from gto or the major from ghost in the shell
8. Dish you could prepare flawlessly if you could – chirashi
9. Chinese or western horoscope? - uuuuh i think i’m a dog and pisces
10. Is there a song that inspired you in life? If so which one? - don’t really have any songs that inspired me per se, however the sonic r soundtrack cheers me the fuck up
11. Is there a historic figure you’d like to have coffee with? Who? - nope
11 questions that will BLOW perception of the ending to the Last of Us, from me:
1. Keyboard and mouse or controller, which do you generally prefer for games?
controller. i grew to hate first person shooters so I really have no need to play with a M&KB in most of my games, if a game has controller support i’ll just hook my pad up
2. What is the most you have eaten in one go?
two huge pizzas and a half in front of my family. they didn’t think i could do it. they didn’t think i would continue to eat after the first pizza. they didn’t think they’d see my mouth completely red one day, the blood of my enemies dripping down from the corners of my mouth
3. If you could take regular tranquil strolls or jogs through a fictional place of choice, where would it be and why?
no idea so i’m gonna answer with the battlestar galactica
4. Who are the characters you would die to see happy and content?
girls
5. What is the sequel/follow-up that kills you every time you remind yourself it will never happen?
silent hill 5
a new metroid game
a new castlevania game
the real mgs 5
REmake 2
the real ninja gaiden 3
a sequel to persona 2
a new splinter cell game, shut the fuck up blacklist was easily top 3
6. Do you minmax for the optimal gains when the choice presents itself, or do you absorb the world, efficiency can go eat a dick?
i used to blob like you but then I took a demon’s souls in the knee jesus that was cringy to type
7. Words you frequently misspell out of habit?
misspell.
seriously. also most words that have two consonants in a row like successfully
8. Theme song of your life?
what i’d like it to be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qaDTOkPQ6A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAeBXh25NiQ
vs what it is
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kcF7E69C6Q
9. The historical figure you would chain to a table, and spank with a paddle?
Rouss-
i’m not aware of any historically buff girls so none
10. What’s a piece of media you were eh on, but improved in retrospect? If that’s unavailable, the thing you liked but seemed to get worse the more you thought about it?
metal gear solid 4
at first i thought it was a decent game but with a bit too many cutscenes, and then i wised up and saw that the real game was in first half of act 1 and first half of act 2, then you can practically never play metal gear solid again. second half of second half of act 2 has you desperately trying to sneak through a warzone overrun with constant respawning enemies and then puts you through a fucking turret section IN THE SECOND ACT, act 3 is just peekaboo and cutscenes, act 4 is mgs 1 nostalgia with nothing to do and cutscenes, act 5 is impossible to sneak through, weird fight scene, button mashing and cutscenes.
“but dust, mgs 3 also had many long cutscenes !” 1) they were easily understandable, 2) they were fun to watch
good lord they devised the best gameplay in the entire series and they did NOTHING with it i’m still pissed ten years later
11. Black jeans or blue jeans?
bleached blue jeans are cool but black jeans are my jam
not tagging anybody because i’m an ass and everybody i wanted to tag as done it already
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