Saber Marionette J Best

Disc 1
15 tracks; 67:40

1. Dakishimete Lovin' You (Holding and Loving You) 4:47

Vocal: The Saber Marionettes

2. Soba ni Iru Yo ~ Yasashisa no Epirogu (By Your Side ~ An Epilogue of Gentleness) 4:30

Vocal: The Saber Marionettes

3. Anata o Zutto Mitsumeteiru (I'm Always Watching You) 4:40

Vocal: Matsubara Araki

4. Successful Mission 4:10

Vocal: Hayashibara Megumi

5. Onrai (Distant Thunder) 3:26

Vocal: Kawai Yuuko

6. Don't Waste Your Love 3:52

Vocal: Inoue Kikuko

7. Jyurokuya (Sixteen Nights) 5:04

Vocal: Hayashibara Megumi

8. Kibou no Teema (Theme of Hope) 4:17

Vocal: Hayashibara Megumi

9. I'll Be There 5:28

Vocal: Hayashibara Megumi

10. 3:41

Vocal: Imai Yuka

11. Mamotte Ageru (I'll Protect You) 4:42

Vocal: Hiramatsu Akiko

12. Heart Break Down 4:21

Vocal: Shiratori Yuri

13. Kage ni Nare (Become a Shadow) 3:51

Vocal: Orikasa Ai

14. Kaze no Shi o Kikinagara (While Listening to the Poetry of the Wind) 5:41

Vocal:

15. Hesitation (Remix) 5:08

Vocal: Hayashibara Megumi

Disc 2
11 tracks; 53:22

1. Proof of Myself (Remix) 7:05

Vocal: Hayashibara Megumi

2. Yume Mitsuketa (I Had a Dream) 5:13

Vocal: Hayashibara Megumi, Koorogi Satomi

3. Everything is Love 6:49

Vocal: Shiratori Yuri

4. Kuri Hiroi (Big Chestnuts) 2:05

Vocal: Koyasu Takehito

5. Iyokan (It's All Right) 4:09

Vocal: Koyasu Takehito

6. Senhi Te (Hands of a Thousand Days) 2:53

Vocal: Koyasu Takehito

7. Jodan Ja Nai Yo! (It's Not A Joke!) 4:53

Vocal: Hiramatsu Akiko

8. Kaze to Sora o Kikoete (I Can Hear the Wind and Sky) 5:13

Vocal: Imai Yuka

9. Senmeisen no Maria (The Existence of Maria) 5:25

Vocal: Hamano Miwako

10. Lively Motion (Remix) 4:36

Vocal: Hayashibara Megumi

11. Ishhou ni (Together) 4:59

Vocal: Saber Marionettes

—by Charles McCarter

Lime, Bloodberry, and Cherry. They've saved the land of Japoness on more than one occasion. They've learned how to feel, and taught people how to love in the process. These are the Saber Marionettes, androids equipped with special "maiden circuits" that allow them to feel emotions. And the question is, is there anything they can't do?
In conjunction with the release of their second television series, SABER MARIONETTE J TO X, the creators of SABER MARIONETTE J sought to capitalized on the popularity of the show and its voice actors. After all, the main character, Lime, is voiced by the first lady of anime voices, Hayashibara Megumi (Lina of SLAYERS, Ranma of RANMA, Faye of COWBOY BEBOP). And the other Marionettes are also veteran voice actors.
So now there is SABER MARIONETTE BEST, a two-disc collection of all the songs from all of the SABER series, ranging from the first (and somewhat out-of-sync) SABER MARIONETTE R to the most recent J TO X.
I borrowed this CD from a friend, not really expecting much. Sure, the series has a sort of dippy-but-cute quality to it, and the opening songs are good, but was that really going to be enough to sustain a two-disc set? I have been burned in the past by such "Best" collections and now approach them with great caution.
One look at the track listing reveals a large number of songs by Hayashibara. But that's because executives know she's bankable, and fans know that she's popular. And her reputation is not undeserved, because she really can sing. In fact, if you liked any of her other songs, (such as those on any of the SLAYERS vocals) these will be for you. Especially good are "Successful Mission," "Lively Motion," and "Hesitation." All are uptempo songs with cheerful lyrics skillfully rendered by Hayashibara.
And the other Saber Marionettes get their turn to sing as well, with Hiramatsu Akiko, the voice of Bloodberry, and Shiratori Yuri, the voice of Cherry. Since these two women are also both anime veterans, their songs are good as well. Hiramatsu has come a long way from her tone-deaf days as Nene from the original BUBBLEGUM CRISIS.
In fact, the songs where all of the Saber Marionettes sing together, such as "Dakishimete Lovin' You" and "Ishhou ni" are somewhat reminiscent of the Knight Sabers vocals on the BUBBLEGUM CRISIS CDS, but are a little lighter in tone. The trio does a good job of harmonizing on these tunes.
The males of the cast are given their moment to shine, with Imai Yuka, the voice of Otaru, performing a couple of songs. And while he's not great, I've certainly heard worse when seiyuu try to sing. There are also three songs by Hanagata (voiced by Koyasu Takehito). As is to be expected, these songs are rather off the wall and more for comedy relief than musical enjoyment, which leads one to wonder why they are placed one after another on the disc. Once in a while they're fine, but repeated listening makes one want to reach for the "mute" button.
The CDs are nice, with full-color illustrations on the CD faces, and a large booklet filled with a number of full-color illustrations. Clearly, this is intended to be the definitive SABER MARIONETTE CD. (Which probably explains the inclusion of the two songs from the little-known SABER MARIONETTE R, as there isn't much to recommend them on their own.)
Fans of the SABER MARIONETTE series—and there are a lot of them out there—will enjoy this CD, and so will fans who need another fix of Hayashibara vocals. In fact, this is one of the best CDs—single or collection—to come my way in a long time.

King Records
KICA 483/4
¥3,600
Available Now in Japan
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