Strawberry Flower – Pikmin Dance August 7, 2010

Track Listing

1. Pikmin de Techno
2. Pikmin no March
3. Pikmin Ondo

1. Pikmin de Techno

So let me straighten this now, this single are remixes of “Ai no Uta” which was the song used for the first Pikmin.  Also you will not have vocals present in the entire single which is a bit disappointing but whatever.  The first song which is more of an electropop mix of the song is so energetic and has a very DDR-like feel to it which is great, but lyrics would’ve helped quite a bit.

2. Pikmin no March

Yup, if you guessed right, the next mix is a march version of the song and it’s very strange since it’s not really entirely a pure march since you don’t have strange synths, or more or less, accordion present in marches.  I mean it’s pretty regal in a way, but I want a pure march not this other synthetic and strange stuff.

3. Pikmin Ondo

I’m guessing Pikmin Ondo would be the tune that would sound the most like Japanese culture, but it’s kind of funny to listen to because of whatever is playing the melody of Ai no Uta.  I mean I can imagine Yazima Biyoushitsu singing along to this version of the song which is so uncomfortable to say.  Still it’s lulzy.

 

 

I know for all purposes this is a remix single and all that, it’s still worth reviewing since it’s so rare and out of print for that matter.  Pikmin Dance is a useless buy if you have “Ai no Uta” in the first place, but I guess it’s good for people who like different instrumentations.

Strawberry Flower – Ai no Uta December 4, 2009

Track Listing

1. Ai no Uta
2. Namida ga Afureta
3. Ai no Uta (Instrumental)

1. Ai no Uta

I think everyone knows this song that represented the first Pikmin game.  I think Ai no Uta is one of the more cutest and yet sad songs I’ve kind of ran into.  It’s strange that the song feels more like a lullaby than anything else.  It features a some accordion, acoustic guitar and a part that includes strings and orgel.  It’s a nice combination if you ask me.  The singer of this “group”, Be is quite an airy vocalist too, but she can sound innocent enough to get by in the song.  Towards the end, there’s this muffled part, but it sounds out of place here…

2. Namida ga Afureta

The B-side of the single is a bit like “Ai no Uta” in the sense they are both slow songs that are fronted by the acoustic guitar.  However, Namida ga Afureta sounds more like a normal J-pop song and feels a little western at parts as well.  It isn’t as memorable as the A-side, but at least it sounds nice.

 

 

WHT!, Nintendo actually has a vocal song more or less a single?  Yeah, you really don’t see Nintendo doing this often, but the idea of Strawberry flower was a short yet, nice idea and it turns out this single sold more than the game itself which is hilarious on its own terms.  Ai no Uta even has a French version which is wacky eh?  Still, Ai no Uta is a nice song to get relaxed from.