Vivid Re-Written Reviews! October 25, 2008
Posted by Die in FLOW, Kanon Wakeshima, alan.Tags: alan, Code Geass, Code Geass R2, FLOW, Kanon, Kanon Wakeshima, Sora Uta, Vampire Knight, Wakeshima, Wakeshima Kanon, World End
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As you most of you know, this site’s been around since January, but the really good reviews didn’t start until July 4, well the more refined ones. And I’ve been slowly re-writing some of them, either that or including more pictures to make them more visually appealing. And that’s why I’ve made this post, to tell everyone a few of the re-written some reviews, or added some new pictures, or both. So here are some of the newly re-written Reviews:
Ashita e no Sanka (Re-Written & New Images)
Hitotsu (New Images)
Natsukashii Mirai ~longing future~ (Re-Written & New Images)
Sora Uta (New Images)
World End (New Images)
still doll (Re-Written & New Images)
And I’ll be posting an album review soon, well before my surgery anyway.
COLORS September 20, 2008
Posted by Die in FLOW.Tags: Code Geass, FLOW
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COLORS was FLOW’s 11th single. It was released on November 8, 2006 and reached number 2 on the charts. In all this single has sold over 61,108+ copies. The title track was used as the first opening theme song for the popular anime Code Geass. This was the third single in the ISLE Era.
Tracks:
1. Colors
2. Astro Slider
3. Love Dub
4. Colors (Vocalless Mix)
5. Colors (Code Geass Opening Mix)
Review:
Initially I never noticed COLORS until my cousin mentioned it to me, but after she did, I fell in love with it. I guess the best part of the song, besides the chorus, is the opening instrumental. It’s very upbeat with the drum roll followed by some brass I believe, and the trumpets later. Point is, it’s amazing! And it’s so catchy! And if that wasn’t good enough, it’s followed by the catchiest chorus, and some even better instrumentals. The vocals rock and are actually good, no boy band here, more like rock stars. It also featured an infectious melody, great for a pop song too. The song is a mix between a pop and rock, but mostly pop with a lot of rock influences. No wonder it was used as a theme song, and for Code Geass no less! It’ll open a lot of doors for them.
Getting back to the rock genre is Astro Slider. Besides being more rock oriented, it’s also more aggressive, yet still nice. I did have some doubts about this song, but after a listen I liked it. There are some rather nice vocals at a few points, and the guitars playing didn’t hurt. And after I listened to it again I lost faith in it, but after yet another listen I began to like it. There was some English in the song, made for some interesting lyrics. Although the chorus wasn’t all that catchy, it still made for a great song, very fun!
Keeping somewhat with the title is Love Dub. Now it’s somewhat of a laid-back ballad, but it still features those rock elements, but there they aren’t as loud or as aggressive. The strings in the beginning were beautiful, but once the rock elements came into play, it threw me off. That being said, it’s not all that memorable either. Well I think the vocals are memorable, they were actually very good in this song. The drums and guitars were nice instrumentals, but they didn’t fit all that well in this song. And for some reason it felt like an island song, somewhat reggae, very laid-back. I think this song could have been better.
And finally we have the (Code Geass Opening Mix). It’s just a more compact version of the original, and it’s been shortened to 1:33. That and it’s THE opening theme song, just as the credits appear. It’s actually very good too! You get all the good parts of the song without hearing all the boring parts, not that there were that many.
Overall Review: COLORS was pure entertaining madness! I love listening to this song! It’s up-beat, fast paced, catchy, and the instrumentals are amazing! The B-Sides could have been better overall, first was great the latter was a little dull for my tastes. I think the single did have a nice overall theme though, very rock affiliated. Not a bad single overall though. A great single for ISLE.
Final Grade: 94A-
World End September 15, 2008
Posted by Die in FLOW.Tags: Code Geass, Code Geass R2, FLOW, World End
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World End was FLOW’s 21st single. It was released on August 13, 2008 and reached number 4 on the charts with 32,190 copies. In all this single has sold over 54,597+ copies. Anyway, the title track for this song was used as the second opening theme song for the anime series Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2. This is the second single in the new era.
Tracks:
1. World End
2. Leather Face
3. I Will
4. World End (Instrumental)
5. World End -Code Geass Opening Mix-
Review:
Well one of the reasons why I got into FLOW was because I love the anime Code Geass. And the first theme song they did was so catchy, and World End was no exception. With the piano and violin opening, I wasn’t sure what to expect until I heard the guitar begin to play. And on top of that the fact that they sang within the first few seconds shocked me, I was expecting a COLORS-like opening. Despite that the song just so catchy, from the melody to even the verses. And the verses weren’t all that dull, they were surprisingly memorable and good. Well the chorus naturally was more infectious with all of the rock elements. I just really loved the melody of this song, that and the fact that the song was so catchy, one of the best openings.
With the title Leather Face, I had no idea what to expect. But after the rock music intro and vocal distortions, I kind of thought of rock/synth. And actually it was a great combination, but it was nice after the distortions ended. The vocals were somewhat impressive, but it was just nice to hear no distortions. And the instrumentals, mostly guitar, bass, and drums were excellent. The song was really impressive, and rather infectious for the most part.
To be completely honest with you, I Will is probably my least favorite track on the single, probably because it’s so different from their previous works. The opening sounded very bland, and the clapping wasn’t all that great either, sounded like they were in a church to be honest with you, or a choir that wasn’t all that great. The acoustic guitar wasn’t all that bad but it still wasn’t all that good. I think it just needs some more rock
music, that’s all.
Oddly enough, the final track is the -Code Geass Opening Mix- of World End. I guess the title explains it all, but in case you didn’t know, it’s basically the opening version of the song that appears at the beginning credits, and it’s shorter. You actually get the best parts of the song, namely the chorus without all of the boring parts. That being said, it’s actually a little better than the original, except for the fact that it’s so short.
Overall Review: World End was pure opening madness! This is one of the best opening theme songs I’ve heard in a while, and the lyrics actually matched. Well I do love a lot of other theme songs, but for some of the new animes, it’s one of the best. And the instrumentals were downright addictive. The vocals weren’t bad either, not typical boyband either, more like rock stars. I can’t wait for the next single!
Final Grade: 97A
