Hiroko Moriguchi – Shisen (a J!-ENT World Groove CD Single Review)

1. 視線
2. ありふれた痛み
3. 視線 (オリジナル・カラオケ)

Hiroko Moriguchi is one of the more well-known Japanese music artists outside of Japan because of her theme songs used on anime TV series and films for “Gundam” (“Gundam F91″ and “Gundam Z”) and “Ronin Warriors” to name a few. But for many J-Pop fans, she is known for hosting NHK’s “Pop Jam”, one of the hosts of “Yume ga MORI MORI” along with SMAP and also appearing in various dramas.

Her 21st single is “Shisen” (eye) which is used for Slim Beauty House. An upbeat pop song which is a pretty good pop song from Moriguchi but I have to admit that the reason why I bought this single was not for “Shisen”, it was for the coupling song “Afurureta Tameni” (Common Pain).

I first heard “Arifureta Tameni” when it played on KZOO (an AM station in Hawaii that plays Japanese pop music on certain days). I taped several hours of KZOO’s J-Pop hour that I recorded and one night as I was driving, after a ending a relationship, this song played. It was a song that struck me to the core because of it’s sad lyrics but also the pain you can hear in Moriguchi’s voice. Beautifully sung but for me at that moment in time, Moriguchi’s break-up song became my breakup song.

As for the third track, it’s the original karaoke for “Shisen”.

Overall, “Shisen” is a good single but if you have recently broken up with someone and are looking for a breakup song, look no further, the coupling track “Arifureta Tameni” is one of the best breakup Japanese ballads out there.

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