Wednesday, February 13, 2013

I'm a bad, bad Hikaru Utada fan

I know this isn't completely game-related, but most westerners know of Japanese singer-songwriter Hikaru Utada because of the tunes she contributed to Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II--"Simple and Clean" (aka "Hikari") and "Sanctuary" (aka "Passion"), respectively--so I also wouldn't say it's not at all game-related.

Anyway, the reason I'm a bad, bad Utada (as she's heretofore been known outside of Japan) fan is that I didn't realize until a few days ago that she released a new single, "Sakura Nagashi," which serves as the theme song for Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo, in late November.



Unfortunately, only a snippet of the Naomi Kawase-directed video for "Sakura Nagashi" can be found on Utada's official YouTube channel (and above) at the moment, although the entire song can be downloaded from iTunes. (Also, its officially translated lyrics can be found here.)

(Via kotaku.com)

8 comments:

miruki said...

Whenever I hear the name Hikaru Utada I start grinning, remember that one week of the summer holidays when I was 14, my dad was working overseas and I was looking after his flat. Meaning I'd shut myself in there, living on pasta with mayo and tons of coffee while downloading tons of anime like crazy (he had the faster internet back then..) while singing along tho Hikki's "Can you keep a secret"... http://www.viduse.com/Play/19251951/0/Hikaru-Utada/Can-You-Keep-A-secret?.html

Haaah. Good old times. Love the new song! Also: NIPPLES! (I had to mention it. Just because.)

thegaygamer.com said...

Oh, that sounds like a lovely memory, miruki :) I've only been a fan of hers for a few years--and, surprisingly, I wasn't turned on to her by her Kingdom Hearts songs. Rather, I kind of randomly discovered her around the time of her first English album release, and I've loved her ever since.


As for the nipples in this video: Yeah, I was going to mention them, or label the post NSFW or something like that, but it's all so artful and even subtle that I felt kind of weird doing that.

miruki said...

I don't think there's anything about a baby sucking on his mother's nipple that isn't safe for work. My inner pre-teen just had to mention that there's nipples, he's annoying like that. ;>


I don't really get the fuss over nipples being shown anyway... guy nipples are fine with everyone, but girl nipples are a scandal and get censored on US TV? It's just wrong on so many levels. I'm kinda glad that over here sex & nudity isn't that much of a big issue. :)

thegaygamer.com said...

I agree, miruki! I'm guessing it's due to the societal sexism that refuses to die :|

apricotsushi said...

Heh, I guess you can count me in the same boat, as I used to be quite the Utada fan but had no idea she released a new single until this post. I thought she said she wasn't going to be singing anymore due to some kind of throat condition? Well, it makes sense that she'd release a single for the Evangelion movie, considered she did one for the first (and I assume the second as well?).

thegaygamer.com said...

You used to be an Utada fan, Anne? Also, does that mean you're not such a fan anymore?


Also, as far as I'm aware, she actually just decided to step away from singing/performing for an undetermined period of time in order to live life. I don't remember her ever saying anything about a throat issue, but I might be wrong.


Anyway, even though she's technically "on hiatus," I read that she was convinced to produce a song for this movie because she loves the series so much.


Oh, and, yes, I believe she's done the theme song for each of the previous movies in this series, too, although this is the first one that was (supposedly) written just for the movie. (The others were remixes of tracks that appeared on previous albums.)


And with that I'll stop geeking out over Utada :)

apricotsushi said...

Whoops, I forgot about a comment again! Sorry about that!

I've been a fan of Utada for quite a while! I even listen to her English CD from time to time, though I certainly wouldn't say that's the highlight of her career. I'd definitely say I'm still a fan, but I've never been one to keep up on even my favorite musician's activities... Not sure why that is, but when I get sick of whatever's in my library I'll go seek them out and usually someone has released a new CD or single ;)

I didn't realize this was the first song she wrote specifically for an Evangelion movie, but I guess you're right!

So I guess it's time we swap favorite songs, eh? ;) I really like "Stay Gold," "Passon," and "Take 5." "Beautiful World," the song that was featured in the first Eva movie, is pretty nice too! Well, I like plenty more than those, but they're probably my top 5 :)

thegaygamer.com said...

Oh, that's great to hear! That you've liked Utada for a while and still like her, I mean.

I like her first English CD quite a bit more than her second one, to be honest. The first one had a few clunkers on it, in my opinion, but overall it was far more interesting than the second.

As for my favorite Utada songs: Hoo boy, that's tough! In terms of her Japanese stuff, I'd have to go with "Goodbye Happiness," "Keep Trying," "Stay Gold" and "Take 5"--although, really, I like a lot of the songs that appear on Ultra Blue and Heart Station.

And as for English songs: I really like "Animato," "Exodus 04," "Kremlin Dusk," "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence" and "This One."