Marina Kawano – Takaramono March 1, 2012

Track Listing

1. Takaramono
2. February March
3. a long long letter
4. Takaramono -TV Ver.-
5. Takaramono -Instrumental-

1. Takaramono

I didn’t think Marina was going to pull a ballad for her second single but I must say I’m rather impressed by her in this song.  I enjoyed her vocals a lot more than I thought I would.  They’re soft but not to the point where it felt lazy.  I guess the music could’ve been better, but for what it’s worth it did its job just right and I liked this a lot more than “Morning Arch”.

2. February March

I like the tempo for our first B-side quite a bit and I love the cuteness of it without being overbearing since we still have Marina singing at a comfortable tone.  I feel like it would’ve made a great ending theme to an anime since it has that feeling and I love that about this song.  Breezy yet refined…I’m liking this B-side a lot!

3. a long long letter

I was guessing that the other B-side would be another ballad just from the title but was surprised in a good way that we got this chilled out/bossa nova/pop track through this.  It sounds really nice and relaxing and has this charm about it that sounds great…it’s like mediterranean almost lol.  Pretty song and my favorite.

 

 

I was wondering where Marina went since she basically disappeared since May of last year.  Hearing this single though totally shocked me in a good way as it slams “Morning Arch” out for sure.  All three songs are pretty great and should be deserving of a listen!  Definitely the B-sides though since they’re a little more upbeat than Takaramono *RECOMMENDED*

Marina Kawano – Morning Arch May 25, 2011

Track Listing

1. Morning Arch
2. I meet You◎
3. FOCUS! FOCUS!
4. Morning Arch (Instrumental)

1. Morning Arch

Pretty sweet that Marina’s first ever song is under a nice pop/rock kind of song.  It’s kind of a catchy song but it doesn’t have any real hooks to it and leaves the verses to be the most interesting thing since it’s pretty robotically sung….like herky jerky.  It’s a nice and light and does feel like a song that would work better heard in the morning. 

2. I meet You◎

The first B-side does excite me more because it’s a lot faster than the A-side and sounds more like a tune I’d hear as an opening to an anime.  It’s a lot more memorable and Marina gives a much better performance as well.  Oddly enough sometimes it could be a little sloppy, but it’s still a good enough track to get by. 

3. FOCUS! FOCUS!

The other B-side is the more cutesy song of the three, but it’s not that bad because Marina’s vocals are in their normal state and the music doesn’t go overboard.  That being said, it’s a nice song and the use of brass worked for me as well giving it a light, yet fun feel to it.  I was expecting a little more from this track, but what we have is nice enough.

As Marina Kawano is the newest winner of the Animax Anison Grand Prix (previous winners include Shuhei Kita, HIMEKA, and Sayaka Sasaki), her debut single is nice and all, but nothing to really go crazy over.  I do think that her pop/rock sound does make her slightly stand out but she needs better songs to have her vocals come through.