Sailormoon SailorStars Best Song Collection
released 9-21-96
2800 yen
Nippon Columbia Co. Ltd. COCC-13720
Son May (additional tracks added) GA-089

 
TRACK LIST (italicized tracks are exclusive to the Son May version)

Sailormoon Sailor Stars
1.) Sailor Stars Song- Hanazawa Kae
2.) Nagareboshi He (To the Shooting Stars)- Three Lights (Niiyama Shiho, Tsunoda Narumi, Sakamoto Chika)
3.) Todokanu Omoi- My Friends Love (Unreachable Feelings)- Three Lights
4.) Kaze mo, Sora mo, Kitto (The Wind, The Sky, Surely)- Mizuki Arisa

Sailormoon Supers
5.) Moonlight Densetsu (Moonlight Legend)- Moon Lips
6.) "Rashiku" Ikimashou (Let's Go as Ourselves)- Meu
Watashi Tachi ni Naritakute (Wanting to be With You)- Elena (Pretty Cast)
Sanji no Yosei (Three O'Clock Fairy)- Pretty Cast
Morning Moon de Aimashou (See You At Morning Moon)- Pretty Cast
Sunshine Moonlight- Pretty Cast

Sailormoon S
7.) Tuxedo Mirage- Peach Hips
Moonlight Destiny- Elena (Pretty Cast)

Sailormoon R
8.) Otome no Policy (Maiden's Policy)- Ishida Youko
Moon Revenge- Pretty Cast

Sailormoon
9.) Heart Moving- Takamatsu Misae
10.) Princess Moon- Hashimoto Ushio

This is one of the few Sailormoon CDs I actually still listen to occasionally.  I don't think that really says a lot seeing as I only have the few of the multitudes of CDs avaliable.  Anyway, I'm a bad girl because I got the Son May of this one, but for the sake of those who aren't planning on shopping Son May (good for you!), I'll add comments on their additional tracks at the end.
The album starts off with the Sailorstars song.  This is the song that got me into Japanese music.  Someone sent it out on a mailing list I was on a while ago, and I figured, what the heck.  Soon I was addicted.  This song is fast-paced and fun.  I don't see how I could have helped falling in love with Japanese music after hearing this song.  The second track is a trio consisting of Doris, Shun, and Tsunoda Narumi... I mean Seiya, Yaten, and Taiki Kou.  It's kinda funky, the seiyuu really sound pretty good together.  The back-up singers sound really disturbing, because I think they're guys singing in a falsetto.  But what I love most is Seiya's solo.  Niiyama Shiho is awesome... I heard she died this and she was only 29.  Anyway, the next Three Lights song "Todokanu Omoi" totally blows me away.  It rules!  It's really cool because it's fast and has interesting instruments.  Track 4, "Kaze mo, Sora mo, Kitto" is one of my favorite ending songs in all anime if you overlook the animation.  Oddly enough I prefer this version to the original slower one.  I like the instrumentation, since it's more acoustic sounding and less synthesized.  The guitars (lead and bass) are pretty cool.  The singer is good, not anything special, but she's good.  And I can (miraculously) actually understand most of the lyrics, even though there's not a word of English.  And now, the improved version of Moonlight Densetsu, featuring the Sailormoon Musical Actresses!  I've decided I like this much better than the DALI version.  The instruments are awesome (electric piano, electric guitar, etc.)  Moon Lips is AWESOME- I love them!  It would have been cooler if it was Peach Hips (they sing it on one of the LDs and it's good). "Rashiku Ikimashou"- this song I have mixed feelings on.  I think it's pretty childish, and I think that was the effect it was trying to have.  I like the singer, she's good.  I hate the harmonies though.  "Tuxedo Mirage" was one of my favorite songs back when I was going through my Tuxedo Kamen fangirl stage.  I love Peach Hips- they're an awesome bunch of seiyuu, and they just sound FANTASTIC together.  Just because of that this song scores some points, even though I wish it was more the entire group singing and less Usagi.  Her voice doesn't really work with a serious song like this.  I'm not in the mood for the next track "Otome no Policy", so I'm just going to paste my comments from another review I did: "The album suddenly takes a turn for the worse, as I scream in horror at "Otome no Policy".  Well, no, not really, I just don't enjoy this song as much as I could.  I think the lyrics are pretty awesome, and I really like Ishida Youko who sings this.  The instruments I could do without however."  You know, this really suits my purposes, why repeat myself?
Heart Moving: "I used to really like this song, but now I don't.  It's very fast, I don't like the tambre of the singer's voice, and the harmonies get on my nerves.  The instruments aren't all that cool either. "
I haven't reviewed this version of Princess Moon yet, so here goes.  The instruments are the same as Apple Pie's version (see Ai wa Doku ni Aru no), but the singer is a lot more pleasant.  Hashimoto Ushio has this really light voice that's kind of like Hamada Rie's only not annoying. 

Son May Tracks: Son May messed with this CD, and unlike some of their meddling, the results are not pleasing.  Why?  Two words: Pretty Cast.  They're two little girls, and they scare me.  It's not as bad at first.  Elena's version of "Watashi-tachi ni Naritakute" doesn't sound that bad, a lot better than my infamous cover of "Koibito ni wa narenai kedo...".  Elena's voice doesn't have the same tambre as the original singer's voice, and I think she might actually be an alto (gotta check with Becky), and I know the original singer was soprano.  Or maybe the difference is that one sings flats and one sings sharps.  I dunno.  "Sanji no Yosei", a song actually written for them, has got to be one of the most obnoxious songs in all anime.  I can't listen to it because it superglues itself to my ear canal and it won't go away!  So all day I have these scary little girls along with scary children singing "aa, yume ga ippai!  Minto pie to apple pie!" etc, and it scares me.  I guarantee you will feel the same way about this song if you are over the age of 8.  "Morning Moon de Aimashou" is much more tolerable, and I actually kind of ::gasp:: like it.  It's cute, but not horribly so.  The girls sound good here.  "Sunshine Moonlight" is a bit more disturbing.  It goes back to little girl mode, frightening me greatly.  But nothing can compare to the shock of their version of "Moonlight Destiny".  Really, since when did this song have a French motif complete with French back-up singers (actually, they aren't that bad).  I think it's the calypso tempo paired with Elena's voice that makes this song so frightening in comparison with the original, which was great.  And as if you couldn't get any more cover songs, here comes "Moon Revenge", which I might need to to take.  Their voices have no where near the power that Peach Hips does.  But, the other girl's voice (Leona, right) is a lot better than Elena's, and I don't understand why they don't use her near as often.

Conclusion: Get the CD if you like anime music, and trust me, the Son May version is not worth the money you save buying it. 
 

Back to Miki-Robin's Anime CD Reviews