Everlasting Train -- Owarinaki Tabibito --

EVERLASTING TRAIN
OWARINAKI TABIBITO
Copyright © Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment
SRDL 4621
Available Now in Japan
¥ 1,020

—by Ivevei Upatkoon

1. Everlasting Train -owarinaki tabibito- 4:11

[Everlasting Train -- eternal journeymen]

2. The Rain 4:59

3. Everlasting Train -owarinaki tabibito- 4:11

Instrumental Version

4. The Rain Instrumental Version 4:59

Sometimes I wonder what goes into the selection of opening and ending themes for anime. During the giant robot era, most songs were composed specifically for the show they featured in. Then in the late eighties, producers switched over to using songs by established bands or singers. With the idol seiyuu (voice actress) boom of the nineties came a veritable flood of opening and ending themes composed for the popular seiyuu lead of the anime. Lately, it seems that as music manufacturers and anime productions consolidate, it has become the fashion to tie major bands to salable anime to maximize profit on both ends. Examples that come to mind include ShaRanQ and Tanpopo with SORCEROUS STABBER ORPHEN, Siam Shade with RUROUNI KENSHIN, or SEX MACHINEGUNS with the latest CITY HUNTER TV SPECIAL. There really isn't anything wrong with tailoring songs for anime or vice versa, but it tends to raise the image of corporate machines ruthlessly calculating and planning what are meant to be products of human creativity and imagination to the tune of the yen sign.
Looking at the new TV anime EDENs BOwY, I cannot help but sigh at the blatant marketing that has gone into its making. For the lead female role and the opening theme, a little collaboration with Sony Records came up with Shiina Hekiru, idol singer/seiyuu with fans aplenty. Since Hekiru is rumored to command an extraordinarily high salary and hardly ever does any roles anymore, one cannot help but feel that they sacrificed quality on the actual show for a leg up in the anime fan populace.
But enough of that. "Everlasting Train" is an excellent song that is not only a must-have for fans of EDENs BOwY, it is also more than strong enough to appeal on its own. The music is composed by the members of TUBE (Pipeline Project), who have released plenty of hits in Japan and are currently producing several different artists. Although their trademark songs are major tunes centered on the idea of summer, EVERLASTING TRAIN is a hard, driving piece written in the minor key. Pop-rock with a dash of classical, the piano intertwines perfectly with the almost harsh electric guitar to give an image of a massive diesel locomotive speeding along.
The lyrics, written by Hekiru, are based on her personal experiences from the early days of her career, when she would ride the train home exhausted and battling the insecurities that come with trying to make it as a professional. Getting off at her stop and seeing the various lines running off in different directions, she imagined life as riding a train to an unknown destination, the myriad possibilities like stations along the route.
"Spread that map of pure white, the Everlasting Train running forth so many nights across the oceans."
These words are also the story of EDENs BOwY's main character Yorun, a boy with a vague past and an uncertain destiny to fulfill. It sings of the strength and courage that he must find within, to face the trials before him.
Fans of the series, however, will be warned that the ending theme "Save my heart" is not the coupling song of this CD single. (That will be released separately.) Instead, it is another Pipeline Project-produced song by Hekiru. Unfortunately, although I fully recommend "Everlasting Train", I cannot do the same for "The Rain." A very slow ballad that seems two decades old, it is only interesting for the incongruity presented by mixing old-fashioned Japanese rhythm and melody with modern instrumentals and singing style. I doubt that there will be many people who will enjoy this one, especially if they are attracted to the pop-rock of "Everlasting Train" in the first place.
In conclusion, pick up this CD single if you have seen EDENs BOwY and like the opening. Although the soundtrack will most likely contain the full-length song, or at the least the TV-size version, the BGM is nothing to write home about and you would save more money this way, even if you wound up buying the "Save my heart" single as well. As a blind purchase, well, since it is doubtful that "The Rain" would appeal to most people, I cannot give it my full blessing. Still, if you are a fan of good electric guitar, the karaoke version of "Everlasting Train" does makes up for that flaw...