Bunny Girl Senpai: the ED wars
In the fall 2k18 season, the rain of ending songs in anime
has been beautiful. Run with the Wind is the best ED for the season, and
Zombieland Saga’s “Hikari E” is a treat for the eyes. I have talked about this
earlier in my anime essay, but I noticeably excluded this ED, “Fukushagi no Carte”
from that lineup. Its just for a simple reason: it is in its own plane.
The single version of the song (Available on YouTube) is sung
by six voice actresses. The voices of Asami Seto, Nao Touyama, Atsumi Tanezaki,
Maaya Uchida, Yurika Kubo and Inori Minase feels like silk running against your
eardrums. Its not on Zombieland Saga’s ED level, but that comes down to preference.
However, for the ED, I salute the Vas because having that level of talent and
making all of them stand out is a masterstroke of awesome.
But you know what I love more than this triple duet? The track
sung by individual VAs. Aside from Inori Minase’s character Shoko, every other girl
has provided her own voice for their character arc. Starting from Mai and
leading to Kaede, each of them have overlaps in visuals, but differences are
easy to spot. Its like having five videos of same song sung by different
singer. How can you hate on that fact when each one of the ladies bring their
A-game?
And as much as I love all of them, there is still one question:
which one is the best? All of these will relate to you in different manner
because I am not you and you are not me. And you know what, I wont even question
your choice because this show has so many best girls that its hard to talk
smack about any one of them. So, lets start from my least favorite to the most favorite
with my opinions as reasons.
FUKUSHAGI NO CARTE [FNC] BY KAEDE AZUSAGAWA [VA: YURIKA KUBO]
SINGING: Kaede is the best younger sister character I have
seen ever in an anime show/ movie. I can imagine having a sister like that. She
is attracted to her brother, that’s understandable. But that vulnerability pours
into her singing, and it feels more like a fluff of fakeness than anything. I know
that’s how it was supposed to be, but at the end of the day, she is a fictional
character, and I don’t have a younger sister with cellphobia.
As a result, her voice sounds muddy or blocked. It sounds
like her voice is bouncing off a cotton candy. That is the level of moe where
it starts choking. Her voice remains monotonous until the end, and thus the ending
delivery also falls short on making any impact.
VISUALS: Visually, it was a strong statement to dress her in
her school uniform. I like how she has her bag clutched, reflecting her shy personality.
Ovehead shot shows her mellow expressions. Sakuta this time is standing in
front of her, and returns a smile to her before walking with her by the seashore.
FINAL: I don’t think I’ll listen to it more than two more
times it plays in the coming episodes. I also don’t think this is going to grow
on me.
[FNC] BY NODOKA TOYOHAMA [VA: MAAYA UCHIDA]
SINGING: Sharp is the word I’ll use for how this track
starts. It tries to be dominant but comes off as obnoxious. With the soft vocals,
it doesn’t compliment much to the lyrics, whatever they are. Piano starts
playing, and her voice starts meddling with it, like she is trying to overpower
the instrument.
The major problem is that I can sense fake emotions in the
voice, which pulls me out of the experience even faster. Listening to this song
for two episodes was enough for me.
VISUALS: Visually, this is one of my favourites. I love how
the theme of sunset metaphors her whole arc. She also has her hands swinging by
her side, showing her freedom as an individual. Mai and Tomoe had her hands in their
hands in the back, while Futaba had her hands in her lab coat. This is the
power of show-don’t-tell because this gesture stands out as one of the better examples
in the body language study. She’s not just walking, she’s marching towards her
target.
I love how camera focuses on her chest, her foot and her
ponytail. All of this reflects her strong façade she puts on to survive in the
idol market. Overhead shot shows her determined face, marching towards her target,
which is revealed to Mai. She smiles at her, and this could mean couple of things.
Maybe because she accepts her now or maybe she strives to be her. Great Visual Story.
FINALLY: Her arc was more useless than anything. It added nice
flavour to the story, but I wouldn’t mind skipping it the next time I dive into
rewatching it. The biggest problem is that it sounds like a kid trying to
imitate an adult, which is ironic in a way. The keyword for this ED is ‘EXTRA’.
Its an extra song to listen to. NO THANKS!
[FNC] by TOMOE KOGA [VA: Nao Touyama]
Her arc was the one which gave me a feint. I watched episode
5 and I thought her arc was done. I didn’t like the ending, but I accepted it. For
so long I didn’t watch episode 6, just because I wanted to watch Futaba’s arc to
the completion. And when I watched it, I kicked myself in the face because it
was equally satisfying as episode 3.
SINGING: Now the song that concluded the arc was also a nice
affair. Playful is the word I want to use. Her vocals bounce around on the instrumental.
Her energy stands out as the enjoyable factor in the song. Her vocals lack any
kind of intimidation, so it has more emotions to express. Her voice is so
enjoyable that her walk by the seaside looks almost too slow to compliment the vocals.
It’s a treat for the ears and just makes you want to get the
nearest young girl and help her out with her puberty syndrome. Its like listening
to an adorable child talk about her passions. Just all-around fun track.
VISUALS: I guess the show was still finding its footing,
because I can’t pick up more than simple meanings. I would expect this kind of
simplicity from Mai’s ED (I’ll come back to it). What stands out at the most is
her overhead shot, where her expressions are mellow, but when she sees Sakuta
in front of her, she smiles like a happy-go-lucky child. If somebody has more
to say, please let me know on twitter @rishabh_SSW.
FINAL: This is a keeper. I’ll listen to it more and more. Maybe
it’ll become my go-to ED from this show, We’ll see.
[FNC] by RIO FUTABA [VA: ATSUMI TANEZAKI]
I like me some girls in glasses. Someone as snarky and
adorable (and HAWT) like Rio climbed up my waifu chart sooner than Mai. Her conversation
with Sakuta felt like a real thing, her character design was attractive, and she
was a great help to the protagonist in the first two arcs.
The major characteristic of her ED is the monotone. Her singing
doesn’t attract with the words, but with her style of singing. It’s a perfect
song to listen in the night right before you fall asleep. Her voice is smooth
and warms up your heart just the right amount. With her arc focusing of self-conflict,
the ED itself is a breath of fresh air after the bumpy ride.
The biggest strength is that it genuinely sounds like your
friend telling you about her problems in the middle of the night. Like Nodoka,
who tried to overpower the instruments, Rio’s vocals lay under them. She sounds
a little mellow, a little sad, and has potentially cried before calling you.
How the singer pulled this voice out is astounding.
VISUALS: Visually, it is as strong as the ED of Nodoka. Only
difference is that it is backed up by a better vocal track. She walks by the
seaside with her hair open and her hands in her lab coat. When she sheds it,
she wraps her hair in a pony tail and keeps on walking. The expressive side of
Rio doesn’t wear glasses, but in the ED, she adjusts them, driving the point
home that it is the one and only Rio.
The overhead shot shows Rio with a blank face. I guess this
can be her after her confession and self-rejection. Seconds later, we see her
friends waiting for her as she smiles at them. This means that her friends already
know where she is headed, and she doesn’t need to say anything out loud for
them to care about her.
[FNC] by MAI SAKURAJIMA [VA: ASAMI SETO]
Yep, you knew it was coming. Mai’s ED is the best one out of
all, and it is not just the song or the visuals. Everything all around is a
treat for the eyes and ears alike, cementing her position as best girl of the
show.
SINGING: this kind of polish in vocals is what I had
expected from a character who was a professional actress. The vocals are crisp.
They aren’t cutting through, but they make you feel the authority it has. The start
is strong, it carries over during the track, and the ending of song And the way
she says “uyamuya sayonara karui memai” is has such a pop feel, I could
have fallen head over heals in that moment alone. Not just emotion, there is a
silent charisma in Asami Seto’s voice, which really feels like a significant
other is talking to you. You pay attention to it because it demands it, and for
that, I too dream of Bunny Girl Senpai.
VISUALS: it is the simplest of the EDs in this department. There
is not much in the body language that I could break down. She is an actress. She
has her emotions in check. And that’s why the only moment I could think is her
true self is when she turns around and adjusts her hair on her side to look at
Sakuta standing behind her. Really, if anyone can breakdown more than me, youre
more than welcome, because it is more like simple but adequate.
FINAL: For both Rio and Mai’s ED, it’s the same. I can’t get
enough of these songs in both visuals and audio department. Thank you Bunny
Girl Senpai for blessing the weebs like me with such loving characters and EDs.
Let me know if you agree with my opinion on twitter:
@rishabh_SSW
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