Porno Graffitti – Matataku Hoshi no Shita de (a J!-ENT World Groove CD Single Review)

1. 瞬く星の下で
2. 極上ランディング
3. むかいあわせ
4. 瞬く星の下で <アニメVer.>

Rock band Porno Graffitti (which consists of vocalist/guitarist Akihito Okano and guitarist/background vocalist Haruichi Shindo) are no strangers when it comes to having theme songs used for anime series.

The band which debuted back in 1999 and have had countless number of hit singles and albums have had songs such as “Melissa” used in the anime series “Fullmetal Alchemist”, “Hitori no Yoru” for “GTO”, “Winding Road” for “Ayakashi Ayashi”, “Koyoi, Tsuki ga, Miezu Tomo” for the third “Bleach” film and “Anima Rossa” for the “Bleach” anime TV series.

And with their first live performance coming to Anime Expo in Los Angeles in July 2013, it’s good timing for the band as they have released their 37th single “Matataku Hoshi no Shita de” (which translates to “Twinkling Under the Stars”), used for the anime TV series “Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic”.

It’s important to note that there are two versions of “Matataku Hoshi no Shita de” being released. One featuring the duo on the front cover and a limited edition “Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic” single version with the characters on the front cover.

The limited edition is the version of “Matataku Hoshi no Shita de” that I will be reviewing.

The CD insert is a digipack featuring stills from the animated series on the inside cover, while the CD features the characters from “Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic”. Inside a pocket is a tri-fold featuring line art of the characters on one side and lyrics on and production credits on the other side.

The single features a total of four tracks and each song does have some connection to “Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic” in terms of the situation happening in the anime/manga series and the main track “Matataku Hoshi no Shita de” has the main connection as the opening theme song for the anime series.

The single kicks off with “Matataku Hoshi no Shita de” is an upbeat rock track with lyrics that do match up with the anime series which takes place in desert. The song about standing in a place nothing but desert and seeing a young girl in his dreams, with the person being a prince riding up on a white horse. And if you look up in the sky there are stars twinkling and under those stars, you are thinking about someone. And within that cold heart, a fire is ignited.

The second track is titled “Gokujou Landing” (which translates to “Best Landing”) and is an upbeat rock track with a mid-eastern Arabic touch to its introduction. An upbeat fun rock track about flying away with the countdown now finished, where would you land? You hold the hand of a person that is so cold but you want to melt the coldness within that person.

The third track is titled “Mukaiawase” (which translates to “Face-to-face”) and is a slow ballad with a beautiful arrangement. The song is about finishing one long journey and asking oneself, where do I go next? What have I found? Is there someone that I will fall in love? But there are many more places to see and it will be time again to leave and go back on another trip and without turning back. But it’s the wanting to go out to meet and see the happiness and love on people’s faces.

The fourth track is the anime version of “Matataku Hoshi no Shita de” which is not the full song but a shortened version, primarily the theme song with a duration of 1:34.

Overall, Porno Graffitti’s “Matataku Hoshi no Shita de” is a solid single from the band. And after all these years, the band shows no signs of stopping nor signs of waning in popularity. They are still a popular band releasing catchy rock music.

If you are a fan of Porno Graffitti or “Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic”, the single is definitely recommended!

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