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A Girl on the Shore

A Girl on the Shore:   Written and art by Inio Asano

SPOILER REVIEW

Considering this is my first manga review, I wanted to elaborate about a short series that truly impacted my entire being recently. There’s only a few manga (and anime) out there that’s ever really affected me emotionally, but I felt compelled to express the deep impact “A Girl on the Shore” had on me. I feel this is the right platform to do so since I don’t really have anyone to talk about this with. I want to remind everyone since my Introduction post that everything I do on here is opinionated. This is just my own personal review on this story, and you’re more than welcome to agree or disagree. Fair warning, this review will contain spoilers and will most likely talk about the NSFW content. If this is a story you cannot handle, I would really not recommend it. The artwork in this manga does get graphic at times, so it’s not for everyone.

With that being said, if you’re ready for an emotional roller coaster, buckle your seat belts! This IS a long post so please bear with me.

First Read:   Curiosity got to the best of me when I stumbled upon an article online about an “angsty” manga about a few months back, I noticed “A Girl on the Shore” was written about and recommended. On a whim I went out and bought it, as simple as that. It is currently published in English by Vertical Comics in an omnibus completed edition of volumes 1 and 2. I have to admit, the description on the back of the omnibus really did not follow through to exactly what the story was about. If anything, somewhat false advertising on their end. However, the emotional roller coaster ride I endured was not regrettable, and in fact completely not what I expected. So to Verticals’s credit they tweaked the description to grip you right in.

The Story:   This story is about two, very broken teenagers that are searching for something. Searching for something they cannot achieve. Searching for an escape of themselves. These two teens, Koume and Isobe, emotionally manipulate each other and never truly expressed how they were ever really feeling, to one another. The way this dramatic plot expressed teenage mentality really hits the nail on the head, especially for those who have experienced sexual experiences at a very young age; A Girl on the Shore does not shy away from these issues and in fact does get quite blunt about its experimentation on sexuality. The sad truth to this is that it IS so relatable that it’s actually pretty disgusting that society pressures early on how one “should” have to have sex to feel accepted, especially minors. Plus, truthfully, middle school and high school is a time where one appears impressionable, but once someone is not like the others, they’re practically shunned out of the group and ultimately judged to the extreme. It is especially evident with Koume’s character, who can’t even admit to her friends she ever liked Isobe later on in the manga, nevertheless hooked up with him!

Right from the get go Koume asks Isobe out of the blue to take her virginity as a result of Misaki, your local high school playboy, rejected Koume even though she performed a blowjob on him, through manipulation of course. Regardless of the fact she confessed her feelings to Misaki, she was still taken advantage of. With that being said, this is how the story begins. As the story progresses, Isobe and Koume begin to experiment with each other through casual sex, with no meaning behind it. These two characters never even kissed. Isobe agrees to be Koume’s sexual partner regardless of how he originally had a huge crush on her in the past, and currently. As the story unfolds, both of our main characters go through drastic changes within their toxic relationship.

The Characters:   Koume is a very vulnerable young girl who lost some faith after her experience with Misaki; She wanted to fill that deep void using Isobe and continously had sex with him to try to get over it. It is certain that most people who have experienced their adolescent years would recognize this scenario, not just with sex but most of us have replaced situations with others to fill that sadness in our hearts. Especially her being a female character, she was manipulated by an older teen which is basically statutory rape through oral sex. Koume originally wanted to spend time with Isobe just for sex. Keep in mind that Isobe consented to this. Given the fact they are both born the same year (Koume being 15 and Isobe’s birthday was half a year later into their “relationship”); there’s not much of an age gap to deem this as “rape”. Isobe absolutely could’ve realized what he was getting himself into from the start when he agreed to her. At one point in the manga Isobe acknowledges that for his age he shouldn’t be having sex, implying how emotionally disconnected, ashamed, and used he felt in the end. He recognized eventually that their sexual encounters were getting too toxic for his well being, so he begins to neglect her. On the other side of the coin, Koume eventually grows to really like Isobe, but she was terrible at expressing it, and eventually it became too late to do so. The sex with Isobe became more yearning for love than for her own pleasure. She couldn’t connect her head to her heart; which most teenagers don’t realize at this time. Considering how she didn’t want to deal with embarrassment and judgement from her piers, she kept her entire experience with Isobe to herself. She insisted she had to keep a certain image to the general public. However, you do see throughout the manga the emptiness Koume felt as she stares off into space, holds her phone waiting for something, thinking of how to talk to Isobe, even just laying around; you can easily see her quirks of loneliness.

Isobe is first glanced as a shy, curious character who had his hopes up when the opportunity to have sex with the girl of his dreams was provided to him. You also learn on the side when Koume isn’t present that Isobe once had an older brother who killed himself on Isobe’s birthday, which is September 15th. Ever since his death, Isobe felt emotionally devastated, unheard, lost, longing to avenge his brother, but yet he literally did not say a word about any of this to Koume throughout the entire manga. That to me was one of the most heart breaking occurrences in this story. Knowing how Isobe was suffering and refused to talk about it, concerned that he would never be accepted nor understood. It breaks my heart. All he wanted was to have a perfect romance blossom with Koume but their disconnects and misunderstandings really pushed the both of them away from each other.

Title Meaning:   A Girl on the Shore is a double meaning about Koume and another character who is nicknamed “a girl on the shore”. Isobe and Koume find an SD card for a digital camera at the shore which contained pictures of a random girl doing daily life things and hanging out at the shore. Isobe kept the SD card and admired this individual for her beauty and appearing to be nice. Koume does show her jealousy and deletes the pictures from Isobe’s computer. This is part of the reason why Isobe begins to ignore her. After Koume gets ignored for a period of time, she encounters Isobe at school, attempts to talk to him and he then threatens to kill her if she ever touches his computer again. Ever since this threat Koume goes along with her summer attending School camp, while her depression takes a toll and becomes desperate to see Isobe and longs to understand what’s going on with him. You can tell communication was needed and yearned for, but it really lacked out of fear and rejection. Koume shows up at Isobe’s house after School Camp, and they both have sex for the entire rest of the day. This was the last time they ever had intercourse. Isobe expresses to Koume that he was suicidal, wanting to end his misery. Koume is skeptical of this but she implies that she would care if he died. After their last encounter Isobe doesn’t show up to school for a while, and Koume begins to get concerned. On the day of their school festival, on Isobe’s birthday, Koume provides a present and letter to Isobe, which she hoped to express her feelings for him, to him. She begins to search for Isobe throughout the town during a tropical storm. Isobe is seen walking throughout town near the shore, which could be indicated that he was contemplating to take his own life the same way his brother did in the high tides. Koume is seen screaming Isobe’s name at the shore, and the storm begins to subside and the sun appears. Isobe is seen at at coffee shop having peace and quiet to himself. He leaves the shop and sees a girl standing next to him which turns out to be “the girl on the shore”. Koume ends up throwing away Isobe’s present and card when she assumed he may have taken his life.

A week after the school festival Koume sees Isobe at school and requested to talk to him over the weekend near a dock. Isobe appeared different with his hair cut and how he went on about himself, he acted happier. He tells Koume about “the girl on the shore” and expressed how he’s aiming to attend the same high school as her. It is clear that he’s also putting up a front to prove his point that this other female character is kept contact with him and potentially is an open window for a future relationship. Koume becomes devastated. She admits that all of this was her fault for what she physically and mentally put him through, and confessed her love for him seeking a second chance to make up for her selfishness. Isobe rejects her and leaves Koume at the dock. Almost two years go by, Koume is now appeared older and has not seen Isobe since that day. She is now seeing a guy eerily similar to Isobe and has not told anyone about him. It is absolute that till this day she is still putting up a different image of herself, and seeks to be with someone a lot like Isobe.

The last bit of this manga is Koume at the shore with a childhood friend she hasn’t seen in a while, Kashima. They catch up for a bit with how school is going for the both of them, until Koume notices a couple walking along the shore together. Personally, I really think these two figures are Isobe and “a girl on the shore”. You only see small, cropped imagery of the two but it seems to me this is what the manga artist wanted to go for. These two figures are also seen up close kissing without showing their entire faces. Meanwhile, Kashima explains that every bit of experience shapes into who you are, but you have to take the future into your own hands and not always expect everything to be handed to you. Koume starts to realize this and claims that she found something bigger than what she was searching for, she answers: “the sea.” My theory for that entire scene is that Koume purposefully left her SD card in the sand at the same spot where Isobe found “a girl on the shore” the first time. In the previous scene before, the boy Koume is “dating” gave her a camera. She tells him the only pictures she took was miscellaneous things and some selfies, but she demonstrates while turning on the camera that she “lost” the SD card so no images were seen. It is obvious that she had the same exact type of pictures “a girl on the shore” took as well. I believe Koume is trying to repeat history but yet is trying to reach Isobe, so he can find her SD card, see her pictures and hope for him to come back to her. She wants to be the next “girl on the shore”.

In Conclusion (Final Thoughts):   I first want to say thank you so much for making it this far in my review. I know I didn’t really talk about the Kashima arc but it wasn’t my main focus on the entirety of this story. I must’ve cried a million times reading A Girl onthe Shore. Between the GORGEOUS artwork, the way both characters are portrayed is so spot on to how teenagers act and feel in real life; they are both reckless and similar but yet you can see how different they really are. I truly feel sorry for Koume and Isobe. I desperately wanted their relationship to work out. I wish I can give them both a hug. I really felt that it wasn’t enough time with these two characters. I wanted MORE. I am desperate to see what the future holds for Isobe and Koume. I wish happiness for the both of them. It appears that Koume has taken responsibility for her loss. Isobe seems to now be in a stable relationship and ACTUALLY kisses someone. A part of me wishes that they would reunite somehow, but we all know it’s better off they went their own separate ways. I really think Koume noticed Isobe at the shore, which could be plausible to her mentioning her seeking the ocean at the end of the manga. When you first read this manga, you may feel turned off by how young looking Koume and Isobe are, artistically, so at first I thought this book would be a major turn off. Gradually you notice Koume and Isobe aging so it became easier to read. In regards to the sexual content, this is a type of story that should NEVER turn you on. It is so far from gearing in that direction I’d actually question anyone for thinking this is attractive. The point of this content is that the artist is covering issues which the vast majority of society may have dealt with. It is a very psychological enduring story, and perhaps nostalgic to some. The upbringings of these characters are very much like real life and it needs to be considered spoken about. Teenagers will think they know what it means to take on adult situations, but they are SO young to be dealing with this at 15 and 14. This is why parents should really talk to their children. Teenagers go through shit all the time that some parents would never consider nor assume, trust and honesty is so important these days; so please PLEASE talk to your children. Especially if they are engaging in sex early, they should be aware of the emotional (and of course physical) repercussions that they may suffer with. A sheer warning, if you will. Mental health is no joke. I must’ve reread this manga at least 10 times by now and every piece of dialogue said makes more sense to me each time, and becomes more painful to read. I wonder if other people have done this and felt this way too. I wish Inio Asano, the creator and artist of this manga, would be interviewed about “A Girl on the Shore.” I’d love to see what he’d say about it. Sure as all heck I’d request a sequel if given the opportunity to talk to him! I’ve read numerous of opinions and interview articles about A Girl on the Shore, while I whole heartedly agree on most of them, I’m appalled how some people could consider these characters as “sluts”. THEY ARE CHILDREN. They can’t be considered sluts when not only were they BOTH in this together, but they were BOTH manipulated and MANIPULATING!!!!! AND DON’T KNOW WHAT THEY’RE DOING. Again, they’re children. They can’t completely fully understand the consequences because of their YOUNG MENTALITY. None of them slept with anyone else either. So please, spare me the slut argument.

Do I recommend this manga to everyone? That depends. Depends on the maturity level on the person to read a story as intense as this. However, I would never force this story on others because some may not be comfortable with the artwork, and that’s totally fine. The artwork isn’t meant to be comfortable to begin with. But if you want a really good teen angst manga that really dives into the mind and analyzation, please read this story.

Until next time~ Tomo

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Cold Sun (Ryo Nagamo Remix) Sung by Aimer "Just what are the words that I've piled up meant to protect? If I can face my weaknesses, I'll no longer have the need for tears, But if these days consist of nothing more, Than repeating 'Farewell, farewell', it would be so sad; Nonetheless I'm still looking up to the sky, Even now I'm still looking up to the stars"    One of my favorite occurrences in life is when I'm randomly introduced to music that I didn't expect to obsess over. Aimer started out as a very low key musician, in which was only the beginning of her career, minimally; she refused to show her face. Her music was mysterious right from the get go, so it made sense that Aimer didn't show her face for the longest time until her music became more popular. Some of the first videos of her that are out there is her behind the mic but her back is faced toward the camera, singing some of her hit songs acoustically. So in this sense she was slowly but surely building confidence to show herself.    Aimer is very well known for her low, husky voice, which developed as a result of an accident she had at 15, but nonetheless recovered her ability to sing. To be honest, her vocals are very recognizable and feminine regardless of her accident. Her voice is beyond beautiful. Some of Aimer's earliest work is mostly jazz, and a part of me feels that she should still incorporate this in her music. Unfortunately due to contracts and Labels, it can guide certain musicians in another direction. Granted, I love all of her pop music, but her jazz is just incredibly unique. Perhaps blending the two genres is something I'd hope she would consider.    In recent years, Aimer has been collaborating with other musicians throughout Japan and has really built up her career phenomenally, especially featuring her songs in anime. Her latest album came out in 2016 and has been touring since then; that is the only album I have not heard by her at this time. First Listen:    In summer of 2012, I was spending the weekend at my friend L's house. She wanted to introduce me to an anime she'd thought I'd really like and has been catching up with. Once we started watching episode one, I was hooked immediately. The anime is called Natsuyuki Rendezvous. I highly recommend watching it if you are invested in slice of life, involving a ghost in the plot twist. The ending theme song is what captured me the most out of watching this anime. The song is called "Anata ni Deawanakereba~Kasetsutouka~" which translates to "If I Haven't Met You, Summer Snow, Winter Flowers". This song really captured the tone of the anime, getting you into the bittersweet mood of what was about to unfold each time you finished an episode. At the time, this was the most beautiful song I've ever heard in my life. It was also at the time the most relatable song, while I was in the middle of an on and off relationship that was unhealthy.    This song was too good to be true. As soon as I could I went on my computer to listen to more songs by Aimer. Right then and there being introduced to Aimer brought out such a different sound in the JPop realm, I knew she would make it big down the road. Not only did I have this song on repeat, but she created much more music that was just as worthy to listen to, and I've had played on repeat; for YEARS. Best Album:    I have to be honest, my favorite album by Aimer is her mini album, "Dare ka, Umi wo". For some reason, some of her songs that are remixed in this album is some of the best material that's out there, some that are better than the original version of the song. There were also "newer" songs at the time that really made you feel like you were dreaming. The song tracks are aligned perfectly for the mood you're looking for. If you want to be transported into a dream-like surreal weathered dimension, this mini album is perfect for you. Best Song:    If you recall on my Eiko Shimamiya post, I've mentioned how I've listened to a particular song for years and eventually realized another song was better material. That's the same dilemma I have with Aimer's music. For 6 years my favorite song by Aimer was "Fuyu no Diamond (Re Echoed by Genki Rockets)" which is a remix version of the original "Fuyu no Diamond". Other known as Winter Diamond in English. The sensation of daydreaming is real when listening to this song. It feels like you just took in a bittersweet love movie flick and are watching the ending credits, but literally reflecting on all of the feels you just endured from watching said movie. That's what this song feels like. I had it on repeat at least 400 times according to ITunes.    However, in 2015 I downloaded the "Dare ka, Umi wo" album, and that's when it all changed for me. "Cold Sun (Ryo Nagano Remix)" is derived from the original song "Cold Sun" from her album "Midnight Sun". As soon as this remix started playing I was instantly mesmerized. The vibrations of this song is remindful of how I spend my early summer mornings in the cold, crisp air for a short amount of time. The cold colored hues of the earth and sky collaborating; this song really knows how to display this vision realistically. If cold summer mornings had a sound, it's this song.    I can't even begin to say how many times I've cried to this song. From the get go I felt like I was time traveling to places and experiences that I was reflecting on. Even what was going in my life at those current moments, this song was describing me. In fact, this occurrence is so frequent that I'm not sure if that's a good thing. I can pin point a couple of experiences I've associated this song with and have played repeatedly throughout this time frame: •In 2015 I was seeing someone (who we will call Baymax), who I actually went to art camp with when we were younger but we lost touch for years. One day in June of that year I was at my friend MS's house with a couple of other camp friends, and out of the blue MS wanted to reach out to Baymax when she realized he was online on Skype. We all video chatted with him for a while, but it was incredible for the time how much he grew into a "man" from when I last saw him. We hit each other up as soon as I got home from MS's house and from there on we knew we were into each other. Late nights of phone calls, sometimes video chatting, and actually spending time in person romantically it was too good to be true. Throughout the summer it was such bliss, feeling like finally someone understood me and cared about me.    I barely harassed Baymax. I didn't want to feel obsessive with him and we weren't even official with each other still. I didn't mind giving him all the space in the world, but the problem was after 4 months he wasn't as engaging as he was with me originally, and I finally asked him where we stood. He backfired at me and assumed I thought he was leading me on so he wanted to end it with me. All I wanted was to talk things out with him, not with half assed responses. I felt like I couldn't get everything off my chest. If this was already spoken out in person or over the phone I wouldn't have felt the hurt I did that day, and ultimately suicidal from assuming I fucked up.    The way he handled it was not ok, but I'm grateful that I have been dating someone for a year now who I'm madly in love with and couldn't be happier. •In 2016 I moved to Florida from the north. I drove myself down with my two cats, and my entire life packed in my car. I had started a new life away from a long, ongoing toxic situation; but I knew I needed to move away for the better; to better myself mentally and physically.    My cat (actually named) Joey was finally reunited with me after being separated for a long time. He had inflammatory bowel disease since he was 4 years old and was put on medication for years until he was weened off because my grandmother felt the medicine was unhealthy for him. I had no knowledge of this until I moved when I took him back from my grandmother. Ultimately he lasted over a year without medication and was on a strict diet until his death. However, whether it was the right thing or not by my grandmother, Joey was the happiest cat I have seen in the longest time. He played with my other cat (which he never did; he was very independent and grumpy), played with toys and was physically and mentally healthy for that one year.    When I realized he was getting sick from sudden weight loss and threw up blood, not only was history repeating itself but he was very old. The last thing I wanted to do was make him suffer like he already had majority of his life. I remember the day I brought him in to be put down like it was yesterday. I watched the sun rise as early as 6:30 am with Joey next to me. I took as many pictures of him as possible and cuddled him close. Around 11:30 am was when I brought him to the vet, and was put down by 12 pm. My face was pressed against his when he was given the shot. I heard his last breath and I became hysterical. I definitely got snot on his face but I'm sure he would've forgiven me. I held his body for about an hour until I couldn't bear it anymore. Just writing this out is really difficult for me but my point is this song was all that played when I put Joey down.    This song is about facing your weaknesses. If you face it, you would be able to walk on; move forward. You don't need to know a right or wrong answer to overcome your situation. As long as you overcome it and move forward, time will eventually heal your pain, no matter what direction it goes. Your weaknesses will disperse because you know how to overcome it. Acceptance and perhaps forgiveness is all that it takes to move on. Be the bigger person. Follow your gut.

English translated lyrics can be found here

I apologize for the lengthy post! I also hope you enjoy her portrait I made which also can be found here

Until next time~

Tomo

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Alone in Our Castle Sung by Olivia Lufkin

“Alone in our castle Alone in everything we have I’ll never see your face the way it is In our castle”

   2006 was a great time for JPop, at least in the anime industry. Four great artists named Anna Tsuchiya, Yuna Ito, Mika Nakashima, and Olivia Lufkin, were at their prime in popularity thanks to a manga series called NANA by Ai Yazawa. Before the anime came out in 2006, the year before had came out with part 1 of the movie version of NANA that hyped up really fast, and featured Yuna Ito and Mika Nakashima providing the theme songs for the movie. The anime was released shortly after the fact and its popularity skyrocketed. Not only was the anime fantastic but the opening/ending theme songs are some of the BEST music to have come out in anime for its time. To this day I still have the theme songs on repeat and memorized.    Thanks to NANA I was able to look into the two artists in particular that sang the theme songs; Olivia Lufkin and Anna Tsuchiya. I took the time to listen to all of their songs and I don’t regret it one bit. But considering the two artists, Olivia hands down has some of the best vocals and sounds that could exist in music. I consider very few artists to have an angelic sound to their vocal range, Olivia Lufkin is absolutely one of them. It is never a dull moment for me whenever I listen to her songs on repeat; it gives me chills every single time. Olivia Lufkin is an artist that I don’t hesitate to recommend to my friends even if they don’t listen to music in Japanese. Whenever I drive with my friends I always make sure Olivia is on my playlist. I never skip a song each time she comes on. The best feeling is when any of my friends really enjoys a song by Olivia and rocks out to her with me.

First Listen:    I’m almost certain “Wish” from NANA was the first song I ever heard by Olivia. Before I even watched the anime I downloaded any song from NANA since I was already a fan of the manga, and man am I so glad I did. The grungy, rock sound this song provides will literally engage you in .1 seconds, there is no contest. I binge-listened to Olivia’s other music out of curiosity after realizing the music from NANA wasn’t all of the music she had. I became OBSESSED very fast.    So much of Olivia’s music is experimental, whether it’s her vocals, the music production; and the lyrics are like poetry. She especially goes back between English and Japanese flawlessly and fluently. Some older songs by Olivia also feature her brother, Jeffery Lufkin, in her music as well. It is all so beautiful to the point of tears and I am not even embarrassed to admit this. I do have to admit though, I’m genuinely surprised her sister Caroline Lufkin, who is also a musician, hasn’t featured with Olivia yet but I certainly hope they will collaborate someday. Please make this happen!!

Best Album:    “The Lost Lolli” is the first album I heard by Olivia, and personally my favorite. As much as her first album “Synchronicity” is gorgeous to listen to, it doesn’t give you the full vocal range of highs and lows that you hear in her songs in later albums. “The Lost Lolli” is in English but her experimentation for the album is addictive and electric. I had this album on repeat throughout college, especially the summer before freshman year of college in 2009, the album defined my life at the time and I didn’t feel so alone. The nostalgic sounds of love, loss, even sounds of being a member of society is incorporated in her music as realistically as it could be, despite it only being sounds rather than a physical feeling. It is just an incredible way of depicting human existence. Olivia also depicts existence of celestial beings in this album, so intertwining the perspective of a human and an alien is beautifully done. In fact, you don’t even need to see it that way, it could simply be the vibe of the songs that make you feel like you’re in outer space.    Olivia’s music literally could translate the hurt you feel and wanting to be heard, regardless what her music sound like. The end result is beautiful and relatable. She is a musical genius. Rumor has it she is coming out with an album, let’s hope it becomes a reality!

Best Song:    As I previously stated above, Olivia Lufkin’s music is beautiful and addictive; Which is why it was very hard for me to determine what my favorite song by her was. But it dawned on me that perhaps her slow-sounding music is some of her best work instead of her most well known songs from NANA. Choosing “A Little Pain” or “Wish” would be too easy and obvious for this review. The one song I had on repeat of almost a decade is her song “Alone in Our Castle” from “The Lost Lolli”. The first image I have in my mind is a sand castle by the ocean, considering the beginning of the song children is heard playing in the background, but I’m thinking at a beach setting which fits this song perfectly. This song entrances you to feel alone and distant from the sounds of the children laughing and playing, somehow feeling like everyone is fading away from you but you are stuck inside a sand castle surrounded by water; that is all you have. The moments you have had with a loved one is now diminished and all you have left is their memory. You may never get the same love in return but you get to choose to move on from it. You keep those memories locked inside your castle.    This song helped me get through so many times of heartbreak. There was an unrequited love throughout high school and college that I couldn’t get over for a long time. Someone who was once my bully from childhood and was separated from me for a few years. When we were brought back together in high school, it was a transformation between the both of us. However, I was not meant to be with him. No matter the times we had of sensuality and physical bonding; holding hands and hugs; it was not enough to be together. I had an opportunity to ask him out when I gave him chocolates on Valentine’s Day in 2007, but I was too scared to. However he was delighted that he got chocolate from me and immediately ate it as he went off to class.    I lost my chances when a beautiful young girl became his lover, and they actually lasted for a long time, but in the end they weren’t meant to be either. I watched from afar for years and yet this young woman inspired me completely. It was a really bittersweet time that I have stored in my castle, but it is a lesson learned on my part.    If you enjoyed the album version of this song, I highly suggest you also listen to this live concert version, it is just as beautiful as the recording.

https://youtu.be/a2RjdDt2lFA

Lyrics can be found here: https://www.google.com/amp/s/genius.com/amp/Olivia-alone-in-our-castle-lyrics

I hope this song can help anyone else deal with heartbreak as much as it helped me. Olivia Lufkin will always be one of my favorite musicians and I sincerely hope this underrated artist gets more attention; she deserves it. 

Here is my portrait of Olivia Lufkin, also can be found on my Instagram azenobio

Until next time~Tomo

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Ulysses Sung by Eiko Shimamiya

“Ulysses Once you see it you will be happy Ulysses If you see it happiness will escape Ulysses Eternity only for those who have seen eternity

I went away from this suffering.”

   Eiko Shimamiya is one of those JPop artists who I would LOVE to hear more music from. She is BEYOND underrated. Her sound and talent is extremely unique; Each song sounds very “Earthy”, and it is justified with the lyrics correlated to it. Elements are very predominant in her style of music, as well as electric pop that is sometimes used. Similar to Ayumi Hamasaki, Eiko was another favorite of mine that I listened to every song from every album she has produced.    Eiko started out in a production group called “I’ve Sound”, a group that produces songs with various JPop artists for visual novels and some anime. She eventually left the group throughout her success especially when she suffered from Thyroid Cancer in the beginning of her “Perfect World” album tour back in 2010. The tour was canceled and she has not had concerts since then. However, she became cancer free the following year and seems to be very well off today! I am so happy she is alive and kicking! Since 2011 Eiko came out with new music and an album called “Exchange” back in 2014. I’ve yet to listen to it but I couldn’t find it at the time when I tried to look for it.    Nonetheless she is a legacy that should be acknowledged, and here I am to do so!

First Listen:    If you recall an anime called “Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni” which translates to “When Cicadas Cry”, you should be familiar with the multiple theme songs she had for the anime. I saw a thumbnail of a green haired anime character from a YouTube video back in 2007 which I thought was what I was looking for at the time, but ended up accidentally being introduced to the twins Mion and Shion from Higurashi. What a distraction that was.    Curiosity peaked within me to start watching Higurashi. The music video for the opening theme song that’s also the same name of the anime, “Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni” is so incredibly dark and addicting, you really can’t get enough of it. Fun fact: Eiko’s outfit that was worn in the music video was also used for the cover of her album “O”.    In the end, Higurashi turned out to be one of my favorite animes, AND I gained another favorite JPop artist to binge listen to.

Best Album:    “Hikari Nadeshiko” I believe is her best album. The consistent feeling like traveling back in time never fails me; I reminisce on friendships, situations, middle school, high school- it’s never ending. It’s like I’m exploring the world of my past whenever I listen to this album, which I’m still debating if that’s a good or bad thing. How beautiful sounding these songs are can take you on a ride to a faraway land; sounds of the rainforest, jungle, deserts: foreign sounds. Eiko really hit the nail on the head for translating “earth” sounds into music, and for that I truly find that remarkable.

Best Song:    Truth be told, for the longest time my favorite song by Eiko Shimamiya was “All Alone” (which you can listen here) from her album “Hikari Nadeshiko”. Literally on my iTunes I’ve played that song over 500 times in a decade- and it literally is the most played song on my ITunes.    However, because I did listen to it SO much, I don’t play the song as much anymore. Almost as if I’m not as interested like I used to. This doesn’t mean it’s a bad song at all though! So far from it being terrible. It is literally one of THE best songs I’ve ever heard. The problem is, the song is about heartbreak;

“Please leave me alone, you’re not here anymore- you said you love my smile but yet you’ve made me cry so much”

The song is literally about a break up.

   At this point in my life I’ve been listening to more uplifting life music; it’s almost dead to me to reflect on the past regarding certain “love” that’s failed me. Like almost agonizing. I feel like everyone would relate to this song though. Now to the point I was making, my favorite Eiko Shimamiya song is “Ulysses" from her “Ulysses EP” album. And, No, not like the president.    One of the main definition of what a Ulysses is is derived from the word Odysseus, like the story that was a requirement for me to read in English class in middle school. According to Wikipedia here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulysses_pact a “Ulysses Pact” was a term influenced from the Odysseus story where a “free decision to make oneself bind to the future” but is used for psychiatric reasons AKA mental health. So meaning, it is a mere reflection of yourself but predominantly mental health for the worse that “defines” you. This also could be an influence of medication intake depending on the severity of your mental health.    It is certain in the Odysseus story that the Ulysses Pact was made to protect Odysseus’s men whereas Odysseus was to listen to the Sirens out of curiosity knowing that he could go insane from their singing voices, which initially could have driven himself to death if his plan failed. He demanded his men to have beeswax in their ears to avoid the sounds of the Sirens for their own safety. Upon encounter with the Sirens, Odysseus’s men listened to his requests and tied him up in the boat to avoid death. His men ended up deafened as the wax started to soften in their ears, but the end result was that the Sirens were escapable and that Odysseus’s growing insanity eventually withered after passing through the Sirens.    This song is ironic because it’s hypocritical to what we desire for our own peace of mind. Paradise may not always bring happiness. Finding a safe haven may not equate to a successful future. The decisions you make in life are endless, but it takes so much will power to find what you’re looking for. This song always hits me in the gut nostalgically and mentally. It gets me motivated to build my life up for the better. My mental health over the years have progressed so much for the better since my toxic upbringing.    Unfortunately there are no exact English translation anywhere online for this song, except for Google Translate to translate the Japanese text of the lyrics. However it does translate somewhat decently to understand what the song is about. From start to finish the lyrics talk about how traveling, that seems like forever, is a way to search for what you seek. Aka Life. Everything that I have described in this review ties together what the song is about.

Here is my portrait of Eiko Shimamiya, which also can be found on my Instagram

Until next time~ Tomo

[tomoreadsandlistens]

Rainbow by Ayumi Hamasaki

“I was forgiven by forgiving many things Including my childhood so long ago I was healed, though I intended to heal I’ve just noticed, in the way That I was saved by love Though I tried to keep love away”

   It is certain that the first JPop artist I’ve ever binge-listened all of her songs to is the great Queen of Pop herself, Ayumi Hamasaki. I religiously had her on repeat back in high school. Every song she produced is mind blowing. The writing, the sound, especially now that she is deaf in her left ear, plus currently losing her hearing on the right ear, it’s incredible that she keeps going at it and still makes music today. Granted, her best music was in the early 2000 era, actually, the entire 2000 decade, she produced the BEST music I’ve ever heard. Her newest material to me isn’t as powerful as her older songs and it’s been hard to get into her 2010s music, but the fact that she is still successful means so much more than what’s “her best”, regardless of what was documented to be her “best”. Everybody in Japan still listens to Ayumi Hamasaki and I don’t ever think that will change for a very long time.

First Listen:    The first song I’ve ever heard by her was “No More Words”, which was used for the first Inuyasha movie ending theme song. One of my neighbors (we will call her C) who I was friends with at the time in middle school was completely obsessed with Inuyasha. C made me watch the movie even though I wasn’t the biggest fan of Inuyasha, and I’m still not. I will give Inuyasha credit for its AMAZING theme songs, which ultimately lead me to listen to other JPop artists through that anime. That will be a post for another day though.    When I first watched the movie in 2004 I had no idea it was Ayumi singing to begin with, but I did recall enjoying the song and it was memorable.    2006 was when I learned No More Words was sung by her and that was when my world changed. I barely listened to Japanese artists in middle school so this was a first for me. A friend named M (re)introduced me her favorite JPop artist that was Ayumi Hamasaki. M owned a couple of her CDs (I vaguely remember if she had all of her CDs or not) and let me borrow them to burn them into ITunes. Before borrowing them, I stumbled upon Ayumi’s music on an old forum domain that had songs streamed which in this case my first time (re)discovering her I first listened to the song “Fairyland” from her album “(Miss)Understood.” Overall it blew my mind when I learned that more of Ayumi’s music were used for the Inuyasha anime, and how popular she was throughout all of Japan. Her popularity made it to the U.S. so it was easy to bring her up in conversation with piers at the time who knew who she was. Best Album:    Personally, she has a lot of fantastic material that really puts its on a difficult scale to judge what was her “Best” album. However, my favorite album by her is “Rainbow”, hands down.    It became more of favorite while listening to the album after my spine surgery in 2008. Each song influenced my drawings and character designs, as well as the lyrics which gives off a nostalgic feeling for me reflecting back on that year of my life, especially the song “Hanabi (Fireworks),” my favorite track on the album. Some of these songs brought one of my friendships back together too after moving away from her when we were children. “Real Me” from Rainbow was one of those songs shared together with my friend A.    A and I reunited after no contact for around 7 years or so, but I found her through MySpace and reached out to her. Ever since then we’ve been best friends; and I’m grateful that Ayumi Hamasaki’s music helped us bond back together.

Best Song:    Oddly enough, I’m surprised the song “Rainbow” never made it on the Rainbow album. You would think since Ayumi had her album titles based on actual song names she would include Rainbow on the album. But I guess not *shrug*    The song Rainbow will not hesitate to give you goosebumps, EVERY time you listen to it. It does not fail. This is THE song that defines my life, so it is absolutely my favorite Japanese song of all time. The song gives you a feeling like you’re floating in air because of how much the song builds up and it just doesn’t stop. If rainbows have an actual sound, it would be this song.    Needless to say, it is an emotional roller coaster to listen to this song. The lyrics are not only about self healing but about being provided love without asking for it, which makes you feel grateful for getting far in life with their love anyway. Pain that is shared can be healed with love. Happiness is always near, you just need to find it within yourself to take it in. Without rain, there would be no rainbow.

Here is where you can read the English translated lyrics for this song: https://ayumi.primenova.com/lyrics/rainbow.htm

Ayumi.premenova.com is an amazing website that has every single song by Ayumi Hamasaki translated in English text. So if you feel the need to listen to her music, you can read these lyrics while listening to them. 

Here is also my portrait of Ayumi Hamasaki! Which also can be found on my Instagram

Until next time~Tomo

[tomoreadsandlistens]

Yume e no Tobira (The Door of Dreams)

Yume e no Tobira (The Door of Dreams) Sung by Mayumi Iizuka and the Suginami Children’s Choir.

Behold the nostalgic trailer most of us grew up with:

First Listen:

  This was the very first Japanese song I’ve ever heard, all thanks to the movie trailers before you get to watch the Sailor Moon movies on VHS. I tried to sing this as a kid, which obviously I didn’t know how to pronounce anything then. The song is incredibly uplifting and catchy, which can be very appealing to children audiences. I’m almost certain this was a “first Japanese song” for most people that ever owned the Sailor Moon tapes. Because otherwise if you were living in America in the 90s, you didn’t really hear Japanese music much except from these tapes.   This is one of those songs that for the longest time I had no idea where to find it on the Internet, nor was it even a thought until I became an adult. All I recalled that it originated from a trailer for the anime movie Totuzen! Neko no Kuni Banipal Witt, other known as Catnapped! in America. Catnapped! is definitely not a favorite, but worth the watch for nostalgic purposes, especially if you grew up with the trailer like I did. The movie was completely not what I expected and to be honest certain behaviors from the main characters did not sit well with me to make me watch the movie ever again, I.e. animal abuse. I think just watching it once is enough for me. That being said if I were to have watched it as a kid I might’ve enjoyed it more. The trailer itself is still as magical since childhood, but the story…not so much. I didn’t even know if Blockbuster ever had a copy of Catnapped! considering how much it was advertised for its time.

Artist: Mayumi Iizuka and the Suginami Children’s Choir

   Mayumi Iizuka has a big reputation for providing the voice role for Kasumi, other known as Misty, from Pokemon, but she has also produced music that I’ve yet to listen to! Because of reviewing songs like this, it gives me the opportunity to branch out to listen to other songs by these artists, which is part of the reason why I started this blog. If anyone has a favorite song by her please provide it to me and your thoughts!

   It is hard to find much information about the Suginami Children’s Choir, but you can be able to listen to more of their music through Last.fm when you type it into google and perhaps YouTube. It seems evident that this group was active in the 80s and 90s. They’ve musically been involved with the anime Doraemon and movie My Neighbor Totoro. If anyone knows much about this group and/or if they’re still active, again, please let me know!

Here’s the full song: https://youtu.be/GMVLyTp0ZSw

   Thank you for taking the time to read my first review! Hopefully I can be able to do this twice a week. Please feel free to provide any thoughts or what you would like me to talk about in any future posts regarding my opinions.

Until next time~ Tomo

[tomoreadsandlistens]

New Blog!

Hello! 

 Welcome to a blog where I will mainly be talking about Japanese music and perhaps older manga that I've been re-reading these days. I've wanted to create this blog because I honestly feel like I'm the only person in my social friend group(s) that is interested in foreign music and Manga, which, not only impacted my life and artwork, but I want to (re) introduce classic stories and sounds that are not really spoken about anymore, especially since I can't really express this to friends who aren't interested; I'd like to shed light on these subjects to those who may not have heard of such manga, nor such Japanese music. Perhaps you need something new to read. Perhaps you need new music to listen to. Hopefully I can bring that to the table! 

    A little bit about me: Tomo is the name! A name I've been using for almost two decades now, might as well stick to it. I've been listening to Japanese music since I was 13; mainly Anime theme songs before I was able to access other music on the Internet at the time. I had a friend who made a mixed CD for me with songs from various Anime that I had it on replay forever, I couldn't get enough of it. It eventually lead me to make mixed CDs on my own once I had unlimited use on the Internet on my own laptop. In the meanwhile I started a Manga collection from age 12. At this point in time I didn't really take the initiative to listen to Japanese music because I wasn't used to foreign music just yet, despite the love I had for Anime and Manga. I was young and naive when it came to multi language occurrences, but it was all so new to me. I never took a language in school growing up because I was language exempt due to speech therapy. However, simple words in Manga and song titles taught me terminologies that ultimately taught me to understand (some) Japanese and it's music; I'm certainly no expert. Then again, you don't necessarily have to understand a language to enjoy something, which was certain while I was enjoying the sound and vocals of the music provided to me through Anime and that mixed CD. 

   All of "My Firsts" posts will be published another night perhaps, I'd like to see where this blog goes. Keep in mind anything I post are simply based on opinions and experiences. If my life and it's correlations to all of this is interesting to you, stick around for how those particular musical and physical artists have truly made an impact in my life. Until next time~ Tomo