HUMMINGBIRD '95 SOUNDTRACK
Kaze no Uta & Yume no Basho E
(Song of the Wind & To the Place of Dreams)
Toshiba EMI
TYCY-5441
95.5.31
¥3000

by Roderick Lee

Total Length: 51:36 (21 tracks)
1. My Blue Paradise (4:01)
2. Saigoshuu Shinjinshou Jushou (1:03)
3. Kutsurogi no Hito Toki (1:29)
4. Masaka no Haisen (2:33)
5. Shousoku Fumei (2:03)
6. Angel (2:18)
7. Enemy (1:08)
8. Netsui Omoi (1:33)
9. "Porigon" na Taisen (0:35)
10. Kesshin (1:21)
11. Kyuushutsu he... (1:40)
12. Shitsuren Zenya (4:59)
13. Petore (1:32)
14. Yuujou Soshite Kanduo (1:33)
15. Nakimushi no Mermaid (Acoustic version) (5:50)
16. Shin Nichi Seikigun no Gyakushuu (1:34)
17. Booei Kaigi (1:33)
18. Yuruginai Sakusen (2:05)
19. Jounetsu (5:13)
20. Ikken Rakuchaku (1:07)
21. Yume no Basho E (To the Place of Dreams) (4:38)




Let's face it. IDOL BOEITAI HUMMINGBIRD (IDOL DEFENSE FORCE HUMMINGBIRD) is not going to win any awards for innovation in plot, though its premise is unique. HUMMINGBIRD's appeal has always been its seiyuu (idol singer) component, and it makes no attempt to hide its purpose as a seiyuu presentation vehicle wrapped around an animated story. Indeed, both Shiina Hekiru and Kusachi Fumie launched their careers with the original HUMMINGBIRD. Thus, it is with no qualms that this reviewer admit to the fact that this review itself comes without having seen the 1995 OVA.
But this is not a problem because, not surprisingly, the music stands on its own. A full 21 tracks in all, the HUMMINGBIRD '95 KAZE NO UTA & YUME NO BASHO E Soundtrack features six vocals and fifteen instrumental BGMs. Current HUMMINGBIRD fans will recognize a marked increase in the BGM content, always an improvement as far as completist-oriented listeners are concerned.
Of course, as a seiyuu-oriented title, the vocals are the highlight. HUMMINGBIRD '95 opens with a new track by Fumie (as younger sister Uzuki), "My Blue Paradise," which shares the same infectious, upbeat, and danceable qualities as the original signature hit, "Love Wing". The difference here is that Fumie carries the song on her own, demonstrating her two years of growth and improvement as a voice actress and a vocalist.
The other seiyuu get their chance to shine, too, in two separate duets. The two oldest sisters, Yayoi and Kanna, come together as Ten-Tama Set to bring to the audience "Ii Ko de wa Irarenai," a layered duet between talented veterans Amano Yuri and Tamagawa Sakiko that starts out low-key and builds up in tempo and melody. Which leaves Hekiru as youngest sister Mina and Mitsuishi Kotono as middle sister Satsuki returning as Pretty Pretty to reprise an acoustic version of their '94 duet, "Nakimushi no Mermaid". With a minimum of musical accompaniment, the mood is quite different from the more lively original, though not necessarily better. Nevertheless, it is always a joy to discover a new take on a past hit when the new version is done well, which is the case here.
The other half of the vocal set consists of the three new tracks actually attributed to the group Hummingbird. "Shitsuren Zenya" is remotely reminiscent of "Koibito tachi no Crying Rain". The music is not as dynamic, but the collective energy of the vocalists makes up for it. "Jounatsu," which is supposed to be their final song from their final animated concert, is typical HUMMINGBIRD fare, a straight ensemble piece well-suited to a concert setting. The title and closing track, "Yume no Basho E" ("To the Place of Dreams"), is a gem--HUMMINGBIRD's first and only ballad.
HUMMINGBIRD fans will find no radical changes in sound here, which makes the ballad, with its slower, nuanced progression of mood and key, that much better. The BGM, on the whole, sounds a bit more subdued. Then again, this is the last of the series. Seiyuu fans have the opportunity to listen to some of the hotter names in the industry. Astute listeners will recognize Sakiko as one-half of TAIHO SHICHAUZO's Tokyo Policewoman Duo, released in North America by JVC Music. And, of course, Mitsuishi Kotono has become synonymous with SAILOR MOON, and, more recently, EVANGELION's Misato. A top cast and fun, upbeat music. This is the HUMMINGBIRD formula, and this is what HUMMINGBIRD '95 provides.