Just cruisin' through the CDs. Verdict? Let's see...
Makoto's CD
tear
Now, I thought I just hit a cover song here, maybe a Gundam OP song or something? Turns out this is an original song, and I like it, a lot. A bit rare for me (subjectively here) to like Makoto's voice, but this one is a solid rock
Jitensha
Now this could be my copy, but this Jitensha here is overall the same with the one from Master Special 05. Well, just a bit of difference, over all the same thing. To think this is a "remix" (they say it's a remix, don't they?)
What can I say? Not great. Just so-so. Not bad, sure, but not a top song is what I'm saying
Third song, whatever it is, the cover song
Forgive my idiocy here, I can only read the first kanji "Hoshi" and can't make out the rest.
I read somewhere it's "Seikan Hikou", is that right?
Actually pretty good, and for some reason I'm starting to hear Makoto as a boy, not a tomboy girl. Only, the beat feels repeated over and over.
Hoshi no kakera wo osana shini ikou again
Is that romaji there right? Anyway:
What can I say... not bad at all. But uh... well.. subjectively speaking I like Makoto in high speed songs, except Swallowtail Butterfly, in which she was great
MEGARE!!
I couldn't believe my ears, but the first 30 seconds are not bad. The first 30 seconds that is, after that MEGARE!! is not for Makoto. I have to say it's not ear-bleeding (Hibiki's DREAM springs to mind) and overall 60/100, but if you want MEGARE!! stick with Haruka, or expect great things from Mami/Yayoi, this kind of song is for them
Takane's CD
Kazebana
Is that romaji there right? Anyway:
The BGM is AWESOME. The BGM, that is. The song itself is pretty bland. takane rarely goes out of the "pre-defined" octaves. Really, it's almost as if she does all of it in one breath. The variable intonations I expected is not present.
Overall won't warrant a buy.
Also, it's so damn long for a bland song, 5 minutes and a half
Moon Waltz
Takane sounds so old here. And by old I mean like a lady around her 40s. Really, the music is quite bland, and so are the tones. Eh, I'm not made for this kind of song I guess.
This is a subjective statement, but this one fails me, and makes me worry, what with the first 2 song pretty bland and all. Let's check out the next one
THE Ai
First 30 seconds: great. Next 30 seconds: great. Okay, now THIS is a great choice. IDK, maybe because it doesn't sound so freakingly childish like in Best of 765 + 876 = !! Vol.01. Also, Takane sounds awesome, and the bgm fits well.
However, I have to admit, just like the first two, the tones are pretty much that and that again (courtesy of ARIGATO! every 2 seconds). Not much variation, but still a good one.
MEGARE!!
This is a bit awkward to say, but for some reason Takane sounds much better than Haruka. I guess Takane's elegant voice elevates pretty much everything. However, Takane is still behind Haruka in terms of... erm... what do you call that? Ah damn, not enough vocabulary at times like this. It's just that Takane sounds a bit straight (not much/enough emphasis at some part)
Eh, I guess I'll still stick with Haruka *shrugs*
Hoshi no kakera wo osana shini ikou again
Takane's specialty: slow and melodic songs. HA! Awesome in pretty much every aspect. The BGM fits very well, and so is her voice.
Also, the blasphemy that is group sing in individual version is back again (just noticed it while listening to THIS one.) This time, it's Makoto's voice overriding everyone's voice. In fact, it could be that Makoto sings alone for that overridden part.
The most problematic part? That overridden part is at the very end of the song, so you basically listen to Makoto for the last 30 seconds, no matter what version you're in (in Makoto's version, you can faintly hear Chihaya's voice, but that's pretty much about it. Makoto rules everyone in this unit)
This is the version to recommend, and I don't think even Chihaya can top this.
Still need to actually hear her version though. But, eh, it's not too far fetched to root for this one.
Also, now that I think about it, I can't help but think of Takane the way she is on the cover while listening to this. I take back my statement: Takane's cover is not unimaginative
Now, to wait for Chihaya's CD
