Monday, May 14, 2012

Piano Cover: Sora mo Toberu Hazu (Tsuritama)

When I first read about Tsuritama, I wasn't sure what to make of it. The plot seemed strange and nondescript, and I wasn't sure how much I'd like a main cast of all boys. After watching the first episode, though, I was completely taken in. The lighthearted, whimsical feel of the show is strangely captivating, but there's still an air of mystery that keeps you constantly wondering (not unlike Mawaru Penguindrum, one of my faves). It's certainly a welcome change from the fanservice-filled other shows I'm watching this airing season. (The boy-randomly-gets-super-hot-girl shows seem to be even more prevalent than usual this time around.)

Of course, I can't blog about a show without talking about its music, and Tsuritama certainly doesn't disappoint in this regard. I enjoyed the OP quite a bit ("Tsurezure Monochrome," complete with matching dance moves), but the ending them caught my attention even more. It's a cover of the song "Sora mo Toberu Hazu" by Japanese band Spitz, reimagined by girl-trio Sayonara Ponytail. For me, the song was one of those simple but infectiously catchy songs (and not in an annoying way, like sometimes happens). Plus, Sayonara Ponytail's voices are just so darn cute. XD

Heh, Sayonara Ponytail. That's just fun to say. :D

Speaking of Sayonara Ponytail, they've got quite a unique story. Not a whole is known about this group of three girls (Miina, Nacchan and Ayumin); their real identities have been carefully concealed, replaced by cute illustrations and fanciful characters. There's some debate about whether all three girls even exist, but the music is real--they rose to fame through the few songs and covers on their MySpace page. The girls are all fans of anime and were excited to cover "Sora mo Toberu Hazu," so the Tsuritama staff decided to offer them the ED spot. Sounds like a pretty inspirational story to me.

In any case, here's my cover. It's not as cute as Sayonara Ponytail's, but enjoy anyway!

Sora mo Toberu Hazu (Tsuritama): Piano Cover



Composer: Spitz, Sayonara Ponytail
Date Completed: 2012-05-14
Software: Audacity, Movie Maker
Number of Takes: ~6
Instrumentation: Piano

While my arrangement stays pretty true to the original Spitz cover (apart from ADDING ALL THE SEVENTH CHORDS!), it's heavily inspired by the Sayonara Ponytail cover version used for the Tsuritama ED. But then again, the Sayonara Ponytail version was pretty faithful to the original, so I suppose it's all circular in the end. And can I take a moment to point out how refreshing it is to have a song written in C major? No massive numbers of sharps or flats like so many anime pieces are inclined to have--just good old C major. Just goes to show that you don't have to pick a complicated key to sound good. :P

Best,

xds