Here is Greenwood Vocal Collection

HERE IS GREENWOOD VOCAL COLLECTION
Copyright © 1989 Nasu Yukie / Hakusensha
Licensed from Victor Entertainment, Inc.
JNA Animation
JNA-1513-2
$(US)17.98

— by Charles McCarter

1. Extreme Morning 4:20

Sakamoto Hiroshi

2. Greenwood Carnival "Love Your Daily Life" 4:40

Greenwood Gang

3. Ukelele Love of Older Brother 4:16

Inoue Kazuhiko

4. Rightful Sibling Love 3:24

Sasaki Nozomu

5. Tomorrow's Weather 4:57

Iwata Mitsuo and Seiki Toshihiko

6. Paradise of Cherry Forest 4:34

Sasaki Nozomu, Iwata Mitsuo, Seiki Toshihiko, Sakamoto Chika, Aoshima Yukio

7. Greenwood Carnival 2 "The Room Number Song" 7:58

The Greenwood Gang

8. I want to Protect You 5:10

Sasaki Nozomu

9. Forever with You 4:35

Iwata Mitsuo and Seiki Toshihiko

10. No-Brand Heroes 3:53

Sakamota Chika

11. To My Friends 4:21

Sasaki Nozomu, Iwata Mitsuo, Seiki Toshihiko, Sakamoto Chika

12. Shelter from the Rain "Under the Big Tree" 4:54

Iwata Mitsuo and Seiki Toshihiko

13. Greenwood Carinval 3 "Song of These Days" 3:54

The Greenwood Gang

14. Miracle That We Exist 4:18

Sakamoto Hiroshi

This CD really feels like HERE IS GREENWOOD; it manages to capture the zany spirit of the manga, OVA, and CD drama series. Then again, this is not really surprising as many of the songs are sung by the characters. Most of these songs come from the various GREENWOOD CD dramas and will be new to anyone who has only seen the OVA series, but the character's voice actors are the same, so identifying the residents of Greenwood will be easy.

The Greenwood Carnivals are long songs performed by the entire cast; my favorite is the second one, "The Room Number Song," all the characters introduce themselves and say something (usually humorous.)

There are also some rather interesting songs on this CD as well. Shinobu and Mitsuru (voiced by Seiki Toshihiko and Iwata Mitsuo) sing two songs "Tomorrow's Weather," "Forever With You," and "Shelter from the Rain (Under the Big Tree)". One never knows what Shinobu and Mitsuru have up their sleeve. The first is a bizarre rap-style song that is entertaining in its own way, especially when one imagines the two of them singing this song. "Forever With You" is a slow romantic song about a past summer. But it is hard to tell if they are singing this to each other or as a duet to a third party. Just like the OVA, we are never sure what these two are really up to, neither is Hasukawa, who comes in at the end of their song to tell them to cut it out.

"Shelter from the Rain" is the last song that the ambiguous pair sing, another slow ballad with a simple guitar and violin accompaniment. A very pretty and gentle song, it raises more questions than it answers. After listening to all three of Mitsuru and Shinobu's songs, the only thing of which I am certain is that Shinobu is the better singer.

Even Suka-chan's big brother Kazuhiro gets into the act with "Ukulele Love of Older Brother," a very tongue-in-cheek advice on love.

Of course, "No-Brand Heroes" is here on this CD, and it is also probably the best song on the CD because while the others are fun, this one can stand alone without having to rely on the novelty of Greenwood's quirky characters. In other words, it is the most "normal" sounding song on the CD.

The cover for the CD is the same as the import release; the rest of the booklet is rather plain. That in itself is not a big deal, but not all of the songs have lyrics or translations. In fact, only translations for "No-Brand Heroes," "I Want to Protect You," and "Forever with You" appear in the booklet.

This CD is a "slice-of-life" view of Greenwood, and if you view it that way, you will enjoy this CD. But none of the songs on this CD are particularly spectacular. If you are a Greenwood fan -- or even if you are not -- it deserves a listen.

CD INFORMATION
HERE IS GREENWOOD VOCAL COLLECTION
Copyright © 1989 Nasu Yukie / Hakusensha
Licensed from Victor Entertainment, Inc.
JNA Animation JNA-1513-2
Running Time: 65:30
$(US)17.98