Beyond the Sea (and Stars)

HIMEKA – Asu e no Kizuna

Tracklisting
1. Asu e no Kizuna (明日へのキズナ)
2. Sayonara Solitaire (さよならソリティア)
3. Asu e no Kizuna ~Instrumental~

This is HIMEKA’s debut single and it was released on May 27, 2009. The single reached #28 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and sold 9,241 copies. The title track was used as the opening theme song for the anime Valkyria Chronicles.

I gotta say that Asu e no Kizuna is a very strong debut single. While the song itself is your standard J-pop track with upbeat electric guitars and strings, it’s HIMEKA’s voice that attracted me to it. Her vocals are crisp, neat, and quite pleasant to the ears. Overall, she sounds GREAT and honestly, who cares about the language she’s singing in? I think her Japanese pronunciation is pretty good anyway. It’s better than some other people I’ve heard…

The B-side is a cover of Saeko Chiba’s Sayonara Solitaire, which is an ambient piano ballad. So we’ve heard HIMEKA perform an upbeat song with the A-side, but how does she fare with something slower? Well, I was equally impressed with this song too. Once again showcasing those clear vocals, we hear more of what her voice is capable of and I was liking that she was showing more range.

This single just left me wanting more from HIMEKA and I honestly can’t wait for her next release. She has left a good impression on me and I think she shows a great deal of promise.

Overall Rating

 4½ stars