Eternal Sunshine of the Naked Mind

It’s official. The Otakon AAA posts have been undeniably the most read posts I have typed up… ever. Between this blog and the old version of it (with all its downloads) combined. People are still searching them up, never mind incoming from other sites for those three posts alone. And clearly anything else I may have to say won’t attract nearly as much attention. But let’s try it anyways.

If you haven’t realized it by now, I’m also an anime fan. Not closet, just casual. I used to be focused on it much like I’m focused on J-Pop (Culture) now, but one of my favorite things about that particular industry has always been the voice actors.

Oh yes, the seiyuu. Seki Tomokazu was my favorite of them all. So when he was announced as a guest for Otakon, I was immensely pleased too. Unfortunately, in my AAA frenzy, the only Seki-related event I did make while at Otakon was half of his panel in the Main Hall on Saturday, but he is still undeniably a funny and talented man. Not the handsomest, not the smoothest, and that he smokes is a turn-off, but he’s still funny and talented with a voice that makes me melt.

Okay, enough singing praises. Seki, like most seiyuu, makes a living off his voice, and got around to releasing 3 actual albums where he was singing as himself, unaffiliated with anything anime or tokusatsu, with a general titular theme of “Mind”. (I’m conveniently ignoring the Kamen Rider cover album.) Surprisingly, the first of these, Naked Mind, was with avex back in 2000, and even more surprisingly, it was (executive) produced by the same “Max” Matsuura Masato that brought Hamasaki Ayumi to fame.

Otakon 2007.

Okay, so I’m going to have to kindly ask that you forgive the next three or so posts I will be making on this blog.

All will be related to Otakon 2007.

But I cannot promise any coherence.

Because for me to call it anything but the best weekend of my life would be a lie.

She’ll take you for a night flight.

While I’ll usually be found saying Shimatani Hitomi has one of the most beautiful voices Japanese pop can offer, I also think Sakamoto Maaya can claim that distinction as well.

Her voice isn’t powerful and passionate, leaving you with a feeling of being lifted; nor is it delicate and light, touching lightly on your ears before dancing away. Rather, it strikes a balance between the two extremes, and the fact that her breath intakes are often left in the final track add a touch of reality to her sound, contrasting against the ethereal or ethnic music she often works with thanks to composer Kanno Yoko.

While night flights can be associated with romance or tiredness, Maaya’s latest mini-album, 30minutes night flight, lacks both elements, instead offering an easy listening sort of sound. As advertised, the album clocks in at half an hour (.02 seconds under, if you’re seriously counting) with six tracks and one reprise, all featuring the same easygoing feel that makes it hard to not enjoy this mini-album. Unless, of course, you have an adversity to slow music. (Don’t worry, I don’t blame you.)