"Figures of Animation — Yoshikazu Yasuhiko" — Animage November 1978 Coverage

A little overdue... I forgot how I stumbled upon this one. Maybe it was a suggestion from someone? Anyways, the November 1978 issue of Animage features an article highlighting Yoshikazu Yasuhiko as he answers some interview questions—this caught my interest, so I decided to commission an English translation of it for those looking to learn or read more about this creator.

Scans are by "Brenten958", translation is provided by "justj22".

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Figures of Animation — Yasuhiko Yoshikazu
Nippon Sunrise, Prince Sharkin, handsome characters—only one name would naturally follow those words, and that is Yoshikazu Yasuhiko. However, that is only one facet of the man he actually is.

When asked why he'd recently bought the complete works of Kenji Miyazawa, Yasuhiko gave this answer: "Because Kenji depicts things that are beneath our consciousness, and he does it with grace and in meticulous detail. For example, his 'On the Fourth Day of the Narcissus Month' is, in essence, a story about a child lost in the snow, but he would describe the aspect of being lost almost stubbornly. In doing so, he captures—in beautiful detail—something that an ordinary adult would never feel, the anxiety that only a child could normally perceive. I find myself really drawn to that sense of anxiety."

With his son... "Daddy's in trouble!"

—His Youth—
Lake Saroma, Hokkaido, is famous for its bright red rugosa roses and the drift ice flowing from the Okhotsk Sea. About 20 kilometers inland from there lies Engaru, a town of 20,000 people. Another 10 kilometers further into the mountains and you'll find several small settlements. It was in one of these on December 9th, 1947 that Yasuhiko was born, the sixth of seven siblings. In that settlement of around 30 households, he spent his childhood.

In 1953, he enrolled at East Shanafuchi Elementary School.

The school had only 50 students, and unsurprisingly, just one teacher. The teacher for all six grades was also the principal.

"Naturally, there was only one classroom. Since the principal alone couldn't handle everything, even his wife (who didn't have a teaching license) would end up helping around at school...(laughs). It's just like 'Twenty-Four Eyes'. I mean, to get to the town (Engaru) you'd have to take a horse carriage in the summer, or a horse sled in the winter. It was that kind of settlement. So getting into town two or three times a year was as good as it gets."

When did you first start drawing?
I'm pretty sure I was drawing from a young age. Out in the mountains there weren't any bookstores, but in the countryside there was this old man that was sort of a mailman and newspaper deliveryman combined into one, and he would bring me a lot of old manga magazines, saying that "the kids love manga". He brought me magazines like "Bouken-Oh" and "Shonen"...


Who was your favorite manga artist?
That would be Mitsuteru Yokoyama and Mitsuaki Suzuki. Especially Suzuki's "Oda Nobunaga", I still remember it well. The story got up to Nobunaga's burning of Mount Hiei, and I ended up copying it myself, drawing the Battle of Kawanakajima in my brother's old notebooks. But since it used to be his notebook, I always had a limited amount of pages. I suppose that might actually be why I'm so used to drawing storyboards at the fixed 20-minute format now. (laughs)

In 1959, young Yasuhiko enrolled in Shanafuchi Junior High School, and threw himself into drawing what we'd now call "gekiga-style" manga in his school notebooks. While he did not have any clear goals in mind, he did think that it might be fun if he could become a manga artist.

However, in 1962, after enrolling at Engaru High School, he took a sudden interest in history. He says it might have been because he met "a truly wonderful history teacher" in high school.

"When I graduated, I actually told that teacher, 'I'll become a high school teacher!' Ever since then I've never seen them again. It's too awkward. (laughs)"

Having given up on becoming a manga artist and decided to become a teacher instead, he chose to get into university. In 1966, he enrolled in the Western History program in the Faculty of Humanities at Hirosaki University, Aomori. There he threw himself into his studies in pursuit of becoming a teacher. However, it was the 70s, right in the middle of university protest era. With no other way to avoid the student movement, he ended up dropping out in his fourth year, just one step away from fulfilling his dream of becoming a teacher.

"If I stayed and graduated, I would've actually become a teacher, or maybe gotten a job in the town hall or something. You never know how your life will unfold, I guess. (laughs)"

—Becoming an Animator—
Young Yasuhiko thought, "If I go to Tokyo, there's bound to be work", and the moment he dropped out of university, he hopped on a train. At first, he had this idea of becoming a printing worker, but by the time the train was nearing Ueno, he'd already changed his mind. He says he was "too scared to fully commit to blue-collar work".

With that in mind, his first job in Tokyo ended up being phototypesetting.

"This may sound weird, but I chose that job feeling that it's still something related to printing jobs. But anyway, it was a small place, a completely family-run operation with the owner's wife and kids around."

He spent about three months there as an apprentice, but it was not interesting work. One day, as he was reading the paper, he spotted a company in the job listings. For a moment, memories of his youth and his love of manga flashed through his mind.

It was a listing from Mushi Production's training school. Back then, however, he thought of it as nothing more than "a company that makes animation films, sounds like a fun job".

"To be honest, I didn't immediately apply for it. The reason is very simple: the pay. My salary at the time was 30,000 yen, and the training school only paid 18,000 yen. It was a very hard decision to make. (laughs)"

After much thought, he decided to take the entry exam anyway, and he found that there were 100 applicants for just 10 openings.

"So many people want this job. This job must be an interesting one."

He ended up convincing himself with that odd reason.

From there, he went on to his first job with "Wandering Sun", then "Brave Raideen", "Combattler V", ”Kum-Kum", "Zambot 3", and parts 1 and 2 of the "Space Battleship Yamato" movies. He has since continued to showcase his talents in both character design and animation.

How did you feel when you started working in this industry?
"Hmm, I think the ones who came in with big dreams and ideals quickly found out about the reality, of just how poor Japan's anime industry was, and quit right away. I'm not one of them, however."

In his second year working there, he saw a fully-animated Disney film for the very first time in his life. Up until then, he'd never seen a Disney film, and one of his friends basically had to drag him along. The film was "Snow White", shown at the Film Center in Kyobashi, Tokyo.

"As soon as it started playing, I found myself thinking, 'This is basically live-action!' (laughs). I thought that there was no way a human did this."

When did you start finding animation to be truly fun?
"Definitely "Kum-Kum". I had full control, they told me I can do what I want, so I did exactly that. I wrote the scenario myself, and I handled the animation too."

It seems like Sharkin from "Reideen" got a lot of fans...
"I think it's less about me and more because he's a character we gave our all to create, together."

Is there any project you'd like to realize right now?
"...If possible, I'd love to try and adapt one of Kenji Miyazawa's stories. The children in his works really feel like they are actual real children. Why, you ask? Because their dialogue is full of life. I think real children speak out of whatever thought is crossing their mind, so they don't always speak in proper, grammatically correct sentences. His writing values those small details, and that is why it resonates with the sensibilities of its reader."

Yoshikazu Yasuhiko and his obsession with Kenji Miyazawa... perhaps he sees a reflection of himself in that child lost in the snow.

 

 

Liner Notes from "Cool Cool Bye" (OST)

 

The original soundtrack release for Tomonori Kogawa's Cool Cool Bye OVA from the 80s contains an illustration insert booklet and an insert sleeve with lyrics, a tracklist, staff credits, and some written notes from Kogawa himself. I was interested in figuring out what he talks about here, and given my recently-ignited interest in album liner notes the past month or so, I took it upon myself to commission an English translation of this. Throughout these notes, you can find Kogawa talking a bit about how the production was like for this OVA, and he goes a little in-depth over the story too.

Translated by "justj22".

(Relevant, but the OST can be found on my YT channel here if you'd like to listen to it) 

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The second original video COOL COOL BYE has finally been released. Unlike the first in the series, the goal of COOL COOL BYE was to capture the fun and joy of visual media while also showcasing the passion of our young staff.
    
The methods we've adopted to define the direction of our video productions are basically a series of adventures and challenges. In GREED, the production itself was an adventure in the name of schedule management. In COOL COOL BYE, the adventure is how to create something and be considerate on top.

All of our animation staff, each with their own style, put everything they had into the project, despite the video being a one-off 30-minute episode.

The staff referred to the project by its initials 'C.C.B.'. They would ask things like 'Kogawa! Is the storyboard for C.C.B. finished yet?"

For the production, I had several young staff members flesh out my plot into storyboards and organized them into something whole. For the animation, our key animators established the overall direction for everyone to work on together. I just let the coloring staff do whatever they needed to do, but they handled it with tremendous care and as far as color design goes, I can only express my gratitude to them. For art direction, I entrusted someone I had worked with before, and despite the tight schedule and demanding conditions, they pulled it off. Filming was a desperate struggle won with a shorthanded team. The sound team, as always, made their presence heard, delivering something both powerful and gentle. It was my first time meeting the composer, but we share the same hometown, same generation, even similar sensibilities, and they were very open to my ideas. As for the editing, it was handled by a highly accomplished veteran.
    
Together, the staff somehow managed to give shape to images and ideas of myself, an inexperienced rookie, to the video medium on a modest budget. It was an inspirational show of professionalism, which gave me a glimpse of what the future might hold.

As for the story itself, the objective this time around was less about vanquishing evil, and more about defeating the giant robot Penguine which had appeared nearby at first. That's because while we all know what the word 'evil' is, it's not exactly easy to comprehend. After Penguine was defeated later in the story, that should've been the end of our objective, yet the real question was Tanguine, and how to deal with him. With only 30 minutes of runtime, the only way to explain his story would have been through exposition, so we decided to omit it altogether.
Perhaps it's because I myself resonate with Tanguine. Everyone has a hidden talent deep inside, but when it begins to awaken and we start to recognize it, we can become so obsessed with it and lose sight of everything else. But once you overcome it, your horizons will open without limitations...

There's someone else in C.C.B. we should talk about. I'm talking about Klee. Not Cooly, even though it does fit her when you think about it, but as far as her name goes, it's Klee.

Not much has been revealed about Klee, but if this story does become a series, I intend to slowly develop and integrate ideas about her character into the story.  In C.C.B, she effortlessly acted like she governed life itself, but I hope you treat that scene and C.C.B in general as a prologue to Klee's story. What if the idea of 'life' itself, the big question of humanity itself, exists on the screen?  Would it be possible to objectively value ourselves as humanity from the perspective of life itself? I'd like you to think of Klee as my attempt to give a form to the great question of life, which is why future incarnations of Klee might be a different character every time you see them—but I'm thinking of using the character as a way to express all my thoughts on what life entails.

I believe I mentioned this in my comments for GREED—video production remains an uncertain business, and it's not even clear where it is headed. However, after we made the shift to self-contained 30-minute works (or to be precise, 26 minutes of actual runtime), I believe we've begun to see a way forward. For our third and fourth entries, we still plan to continue the original concept of our productions, and starting with the fifth, we should be able to develop and create a more concrete vision for our original videos. With that in mind, I want each of our first four videos to be of the best quality possible.
    
I believe that with C.C.B., our animation staff at Bebow have come to understand what will be necessary for our future original video productions. As our workflow has begun to take shape (including long-term ones), as far as animation as a comprehensive creative endeavor is concerned, we're on the verge of a breakthrough, and we must get there, or else we'll be stuck in a dull world where there is no room to talk about artistic individuality and people would just dismiss it all as 'it's just a cartoon!'. I believe that we must always discover new things through our ventures, and I hope other staff feels the same. Even if one such venture ends in failure, there will be always countless adventures waiting for us.
    
-Tomonori Kogawa

Liner Notes from Takeo Miyate's "Za Za Za"

 

"Za Za Za" was a Japanese synth-pop LP from 1984 by Takeo Miyate which I had made my own digitally-restored vinyl rip of back in the not-so-distant past of 2022. Unfortunately, the upload I had put up for this album didn't quite make it big as much as I had hoped for (which is a shame, cause it's a really neat album), but regardless, I still hold some appreciation for this album and I have recently demonstrated that by commissioning an English translation of the liner notes included on this album, written by music critic Yasufumi Amatatsu.

I found this to be a pretty interesting read. If what the notes say are to be believed, Takeo had been good friends with Yuji Toriyama (the arranger for this album) for a while now, and their relationship appears to have been what led to Toriyama's involvement on this album. Both the subjects of these tracks and the lyrics are simple, and Miyate specifically recommended this album for junior high schoolers for those reasons alone—regretfully, I cannot comment on this any further as I don't have translations for the songs at all 😅 but reading these liner notes convinced me to go and give it a shot someday.

Anyways, the liner notes can be ready below. Thanks to "justj22" for translating this.

(Unrelated note, but if you'd like to check the album, you can do so here)

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Imagine, an afternoon in September. You're walking through the crowd on Shibuya's Koen-dori in a hurry. You're supposed to meet your friend, and yet you're already late. But as you pass a lady bearing the faint smell of autumn, you begin to wonder if maybe, just maybe, your friend would forgive you for stopping. To savor the lingering aftertaste, to take a breath, just a little deeper than usual.
    
That is what Takeo Miyate's debut album, Za Za Za, feels like. A record that evokes familiar yet strikingly vibrant encounters around the town. It slips effortlessly into the city landscape, yet never quite becomes one with it, as it brings with it a stubborn breeze blowing in from a new horizon. Whether that comes from Takeo being the man that he is, or from something that has taken shape within his songs, I'm still not sure.

This may be his first album, but if you ask the circle around Bread & Butter, his debut was always something long overdue. Before his debut, one of his songs was previously introduced in the omnibus record Summer Breeze, which eventually became the title track of this album. Born and raised in Shonan in February 1957, his journey began when he started singing and playing the guitar in junior high. His musical encounters during his high school days eventually defined his path as a professional artist. From Bob Dylan at the center, all the way to The Band, PP&M and The Ventures. On the Japanese side, he said he was drawn to Kansai folk artists, represented by Nobuyasu Okabayashi. However, as he himself recalls, "I did listen to all kind of music to broaden my horizon, but there was never any particular artist I became obsessed with". When it came to his folk songs, he also never liked expressing direct anti-war sentiments.

For his debut album, Fuyumi Iwasawa of Bread & Butter himself provided his full support as producer. The arrangements were handled by Yuji Toriyama. The two have been friends since they first began working within the Bread & Butter circle, and they had apparently been talking about working together since then. "For my first album, I wanted to introduce a new sound to my music. I wanted something not limited to a certain audience, but something with broader appeal. I'm the type of person that would be content just playing acoustic guitars and I know that might not be a good thing. That's why I wanted to work with Toriyama, because he's always interested in trying out novel ideas" Personally, I'd say the combination was a success, giving his songs a youthful feeling of contemporary life, complementing the simple yet already powerful music of his.

Of the ten songs in this album, you could argue that half are songs he wrote entirely himself, while the other half are songs he originally wrote, but later entrusted others to refine. The youthful momentum and bold arrangements of "Seaside Highway" and the dynamic funky rhtyhms of "Sayonara Lady no Tame ni". The tropical mood created by the percussion in "Ai no Adlib", or the exotic atmosphere of "Za Za Za". The creeping sorrow of "Hoshizora no TAO" and a glimpse of something massive in "Maria". And so many more.
    
There is nothing new or experimental about the arrangements themselves. The subjects he chooses to sing about are also very mundane, everyday concepts. Sketches of what he saw in his daily life in his hometown of Shonan. It might be a song he conceived while walking alone along the shoreline, or a song created from moments of drinking together with dear friends. Memories of summer taken away by the waves, yet brought back by the winds of autumn. This feeling of a refreshing breeze is what I felt as I found myself enjoying "Shiokaze", "Gogo no Kishibe", and other songs in the album.
    
For some, his songs might blend effortlessly into their lives. It is undeniable that his songs have a certain simplicity to it. Yet for others, there is also defined purpose, a firm stubbornness that refuses to be absorbed into the modern landscape. I would think that this is born from his strong relationship with music, one nurtured through his experiences ever since he immersed himself in folk music. In this album, that relationship takes form into a delicate expression, fit for a new age. To me, his musical sensibilities show that the new currents emerging in the world of pop over the past year or so definitely has their merits, and in it his tenacious voice with charming mid-range is most certainly his strength.
    
When asked if he has something to say, he answered, with an embarrassed smile, "I'd be happy if junior high schoolers listened to it. I know the lyrics are quite simple and may lack the impact they wanted. But junior high school age is when we are most receptive to new ideas, and personally, my experience from back then still form the basis for how I perceive things today."

-Yasufumi Amatatsu (July 1984)

Liner Notes from Rie Murakami's "SAHARA" (Part 3)

Part three of the translated liner notes from Rie Murakami's SAHARA. This part contains the newly-added written commentary included in the 2022 JP CD release of the album, written by Hitoshi Kurimoto.

Read Part 1 here.
Read Part 2 here.

As usual, thanks to Windii for translating this.

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Years after their initial release, these works are being reevaluated from unexpected angles. Such phenomena have been occurring frequently in the Japanese music scene over the past few years. Led by the pop music of the 1970s and 1980s—known as "City Pop"—the so-called "Japanese Groove" boom continues to gain momentum. The trend spans a wide range of genres, extending beyond pop to include jazz fusion, new wave, ambient music, and more, giving rise to new keywords such as "Cosmic" "Obscure," and "Walearic." Listening to music through these new lenses is incredibly enjoyable and leads to great discoveries.

Rie Murakami's sole album, "SAHARA," released in 1984, is one such work that has been steadily gaining recognition amid this trend. Fundamentally, could she be described as a jazz singer? She is reportedly the niece of jazz drummer Hiroshi Murakami—known for his collaborations with Sadao Watanabe and Masabumi Kikuchi—but little else is known about her. However, this sole album, "SAHARA," is a highly unique vocal album that cannot be fully captured by the label of "jazz" alone.

One major reason for this is likely the fact that it was produced by Masanori Sasaji. While today he is best known as a hit producer who has worked with bands like UNICORN, SPITZ, and KOBUKURO, back then he was an avant-garde musician with a background in jazz fusion. In particular, the band Mariah, active from 1980 to 1983, was categorized as fusion, but in reality, they delivered an intense, eclectic sound that incorporated elements of new wave and even techno. Recently, the band has garnered high acclaim overseas, and their albums have even been reissued on vinyl.

This album, "SAHARA," features guitarist Takayuki Hijikata, a longtime ally of Mariah. It showcases a genre-defying sound that draws directly from Mariah's legacy. Starting with the opening track "FALL IN LOVE," which has a techno-pop feel, followed by "SAHARA" with its ethno-funk vibe reminiscent of Mariah, and then "EVERY SONG IS SING," which evokes Steely Dan, the album features a lineup of unique tracks that cannot simply be dismissed as a jazz singer's album. It is also interesting to note that the list of original songwriters includes not only Masanori Sasaji but also Masahiro Andoh (THE SQUARE*), Etsuko Yamakawa, and Yasuo Inada. The lineup is impressive, bringing together musicians who have recently been gaining renewed recognition across various fields: Jun Aoyama (drums), Yuuichi Tokashiki (drums), Kenji Takamizu (bass), Yasuo Tomikura (bass), Takehiro Honda (piano), and Yumi Murata (backing vocals). The song selection for covers—featuring artists like Paul Williams and Leon Ware—is also outstanding. Rie Murakami, who sings all tracks in English, brings a sense of unity to this seemingly eclectic collection of songs, resulting in an album that strikes a truly unique balance.

If listening with a modern sensibility, "SAY CHEESE"—which could be appreciated from a city pop perspective—is particularly recommended. This track features a medium groove with a subtly mellow feel, and the fusion of the vocals—which sing a floating melody reminiscent of Tomoko Aran's "Midnight Pretenders" (which became a major talking point after being sampled by The Weeknd)—with a stylish, black contemporary-flavored backing track is outstanding. This track was also composed by Masahiro Andoh, but it is the only song on the album featuring a different lineup of musicians. In addition to Masanori Sasaji and Takayuki Hijikata, the entire backing band consists of members from NAZCA—the progressive pop band Sasaji had formed—namely Norio Sakai (bass) and Reuben Tsujino (drums). The result is an edgy take on city pop.

That said, Rie Murakami's talent is undeniable—she effortlessly navigates this incredibly diverse range of sounds and delivers her vocals with a cool, poised presence. It's a real shame that this is her only recorded work, but that's precisely why it's an album I want to cherish and listen to over and over again.

October 2022
Hiroshi Kurimoto (Travel & Music Writer/Music Curator)

*Band name and spelling as of 1984

Liner Notes from Rie Murakami's "SAHARA" (Part 2)

Part two of the translated liner notes from Rie Murakami's SAHARA. This part, as previously mentioned in the previous post (which you can read here) goes over the track list descriptions for each song on this album. Still written by Hiraku Aoki, and still translated by Windii.

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[Side A]

1) Fall In Love
An original song expressing the anticipation and joy of falling in love. The techno-pop-style sound, which incorporates LinnDrum, is intriguing, and Rie's vocals are fantastic.

2) Sahara
This is also an original, written by Sasaji and Linda Hennrick (English lyrics; based in Tokyo). A fine track infused with an exotic charm. The backing vocals and horn section are also wonderful. It makes me happy to think of it as a 1980s version of the Ellington number "Caravan."

3) Every Song I Sing
Written by Sasaji and Linda. A cheerful love song about how there's a song in my heart and everything is going great thanks to you… Rie's vivid, swinging vocals are also delightful.

4) I Won't Last A Day Without You
Co-written by Paul Williams (lyrics) and Roger Nichols (music) in 1972. It became a hit in 1973 with Maureen McGovern and again in 1973 with the Carpenters. Rie Murakami's sweet vocals, Masami Nakagawa's flute, and the handling of the rhythm are all very impressive.

5) T.N.T.
This is a different song from the hit "TNT" sung by drummer Grady Tate. It's a song about an amazing 17-year-old girl who's as powerful as a bomb.

[Side B]

6) Eternally ~ Smile
A number by the King of Comedy, Charlie Chaplin. "Eternally" is "Terry's Theme" from the 1952 film "Limelight," but here it's an instrumental only. "Smile" is the "Love Theme" from the 1936 film "Modern Times." Tony Bennett's recording of it was a hit in 1959.

7) Say Cheese
A witty original. Rie pleads, "Be my lover…," and Takayuki Hijikata's guitar solo is excellent.

8) I'm The One For You
An original that showcases Rie Murakami's talent as a songwriter. A beautiful love ballad. Kousuke Mine's tenor saxophone brilliantly builds the atmosphere.

9) If I Ever Lose This Heaven
Written by Leon Ware and Pam Sawyer. Originally performed by Ware and Minnie Riperton on Quincy Jones' 1974 album "Body Heat," it was released as a single and became a hit that fall. Rie delivers a powerful and compelling performance.

10) Take Me Home
An original ballad that brings to mind the style of Randy Newman. In a duet with Takehiro Honda, Rie sings beautifully and with deep emotion.

1984.3. Aoki Hiraku

*The liner notes from the time of the LP's release are included here.
The spelling of Takehiro Honda's name is as it appeared in 1984 (including the credits on the lyrics sheet).

Liner Notes from Rie Murakami's "SAHARA" (Part 1)

I recently posted onto my main YT channel a CD rip of the 1984 album SAHARA by Rie Murakami. All the existing rips on YouTube, as of me writing this out, were sourced from a rather poor vinyl rip and nobody else had seemingly ripped the JP CD release at all. Privately or publicly, at least... to my knowledge.

Anyways, this was an album that I had been listening to pretty frequently several months ago. The album contains an enormous quantity of liner notes—considering the scarce amount of info that exists for this artist online, I decided to go ahead and commission an English translation of it to rectify that a little bit (and because I was admittedly interested in checking out Murakami's background myself).

There's a lot to unpack here, but just as a quick summary: exactly what I had gotten translated into English will be split into three parts. The first part (which is what you're currently on right now) talks about Murakami's musical background and the origins of it from when she was a child, and ends with a "Where will she go from here?" type of epilogue. The second part goes over the track list descriptions, and the final part is a translation of a new piece of written commentary that was included in the album's 2022 JP CD release. Both the first & second parts are written by Hiraku Aoki (青木啓), and the third part is written by Hitoshi Kurimoto (栗本斉).

Site note: interestingly enough, she is apparently related to drummer Hiroshi Murakami... or so these liner notes say. Not that I don't believe it, I just find it surprising because no other English sites seem to make any mention of this. 

Anyways, the translation for part 1 can be found below. Thanks to Windii for translating this!

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This album marks the debut of Rie Murakami, a rising star making waves in the music scene. Packed with a diverse selection of excellent tracks—including original songs brimming with contemporary pop sensibilities, BCM numbers, and jazz standards—this album sees the young lady Rie Murakami make a dazzling debut, radiating a truly fresh charm.

Although Rie Murakami has only recently begun her career as a professional singer, she has already gained popularity by performing at famous Tokyo jazz spots and live music clubs—such as Satin Doll in Ginza, The Carnival in Shinjuku, and Swing in Shinbashi—and is garnering attention on par with her more seasoned peers. I imagine that some of you who have picked up this album have had the chance to experience her live performances. For some of you, an image of what kind of singer Rie Murakami is may already be taking shape. However, by listening to this album, you will likely find yourself nodding in agreement, realizing, "Ah, so she is this kind of singer as well."

First, I suppose I should introduce RIe Murakami's background. She was born in Tokyo on February 21, 1961 (Shouwa 36). She loved music and singing, and it all began when she joined a children's song class near her home at the age of three. She also began taking classical piano lessons at age eight, steadily developing her musical talents. At that time, her uncle, Hiroshi Murakami, was living with her family. He was a renowned drummer who later achieved great success with groups led by Masabumi Kikuch iand Sadao Watanabe, as well as with Native Son, which featured Takehiro Honda and Kousuke Mine. There is no doubt that Rie Murakami was influenced to no small extent by this wonderful uncle.

Reportedly, Rie Murakami was deeply moved after watching the film "Lady Sings the Blues" (starring Diana Ross; released in Japan in 1973) when she was in the fifth grade. This film was not a strictly factual portrayal of the life of the one-and-only genius jazz singer Billie Holiday, nor does it fully demonstrate just how unique and exceptional her singing was; however, Diana Ross's passionate performance left a strong impression, and it was an interesting film that sparked a renewed appreciation for Billie Holiday—or rather, a movement to bring her to the attention of the general public. It's fascinating to think that Rie, a fifth-grader, was so moved by this that it sparked her awareness of jazz and became the starting point for her growing interest in the genre. Come to think of it, though it's quite an old story, I recall Sadao Watanabe telling me how he was blown away by the film "Birth of the Blues" back when he was studying electrical engineering at Utsunomiya Technical High School. The film tells the story of a group of young white men in New Orleans shortly after the birth of jazz who form a jazz band, struggle to spread the appeal of jazz to the public, and eventually make their way to the big city. Jack Teagarden, a giant of the jazz trombone and a renowned singer, also appeared in the film, but Sadao Watanabe was captivated by the clarinet played by the lead actor, Bing Crosby. It is said that learning the clarinet became his motivation for entering the jazz world, which is also quite interesting.

That aside, Rie Murakami went on from junior high school to Seijo Gakuen High School, where she took vocal and classical guitar lessons alongside her academic studies. She left for the United States immediately after finishing the first semester of her senior year of high school. She spent a year studying abroad at Caledonia High School in Minnesota. During this time, she took private vocal lessons and joined a chorus group; it seems she gained a great deal in terms of her vocal training, and life in America itself must have been a valuable experience in many ways.

Although she had been singing in a band with friends since her school days, she decided to pursue a career as a professional singer after returning to Japan and began studying jazz. For the past two years or so, she has been performing on stages across the country as a guest singer with Native Son, and has further honed her skills by performing with groups led by Takehiro Honda, Kousuke Mine, Mikio Masuda, Tsuyoshi Yamamoto, Isao Suzuki, Toshio Osumi, and other top-tier jazz musicians.

Rie Murakami often sang jazz standards accompanied by a jazz combo at live music clubs. This is truly excellent training for a singer; it can be said to lay the foundation for her career. So, will Rie Murakami pursue a career as a jazz singer? Will she become a singer who expresses herself by applying the same idioms as instrumental jazz musicians—that is, through improvisational ad-libs, instrumental phrasing, and infusing her creativity and individuality into the feel of the music? I believe that possibility exists. However, the current Rie Murakami exudes a truly fresh charm in her work as a pop singer who, while influenced by jazz and utilizing its free, creative expression techniques, sings faithfully to the original compositions. If I were to cite American singers of that type here (though, of course, their styles and tones differ from Rie's), the names of women like Patti Austin, Randy Crawford, Jean Carn, Melba Moore, Angela Bofill, and Phyllis Hyman come to mind. These singers can be viewed as either fusion-style artists or Black Contemporary Music (BCM) artists; while veterans like Dee Dee Bridgewater and Marina Shaw also fall into this category, they can be described as contemporary pop singers. There are few Japanese female singers of this type. For that very reason, the presence of the young Rie Murakami is a cause for great joy and deserves our attention.

Rie Murakami has a very cute voice and a charming, endearing expression. Saying that might make her sound like some kind of "gaudy gal" or "cutie" singer, which could be misleading, but she is not one of those young singers with a squeaky, whiny voice. Her appealing charm lies in the way her carefree openness and clarity, her vital punch and sharp precision, her infectious energy, and her beautiful emotional expression all come together—creating a sense of substance in her singing that goes beyond simply flowing pleasantly by. Singing is truly a difficult art, and while Rie Murakami still has much to learn and will likely grow through life experiences to eventually deliver songs of maturity, the youthful vitality she displays today—along with the charm of her singing, which shines with a flexible and sharp sensibility—is immense and thoroughly enjoyable.

This debut album was produced by Masanori Sasaji (though track 5 on side B was produced by Takehiro Honda). Sasaji (born in 1955) is a keyboardist who is currently very active primarily in the fusion scene and is also famous for his great talent in composition and arrangement. Here, he has gathered a large number of accomplished jazz and fusion musicians, demonstrating his prowess as a sound creator while showcasing Rie Murakami's talent, charm, and vast potential as a contemporary pop singer. It is an album where Rie's vocals and Sasaji's sound come together on equal footing.

"Good-Bye My Love" ("Heavy Metal L-Gaim" Short Story Epilogue) - Part 3

Part 3 of the written L-Gaim short story epilogue that was published in Animedia sometime in 1985. This is the final part. 

Read Part 1 here:
https://translationmartyzone.blogspot.com/2026/03/good-bye-my-love-heavy-metal-l-gaim.html

Part 2:
https://translationmartyzone.blogspot.com/2026/03/good-bye-my-love-heavy-metal-l-gaim_17.html

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-Chapter 3- 

Buzz.

At the sound of the machine's nozzle, Leccee reflexively jumped out of bed. She gave a wry smile at her own habit and stretched widely.

She was on a bed in one of Daba's rooms.

I still haven't completely shaken off my soldier habits. I can't exactly laugh at Daba like this, can I?

Leccee stretched again, then looked out the window where morning sunlight streamed in, surveying the land stretching out before her.

Operating the farming machine was Daba.

Beside him, scooping soil with her hands, was what appeared to be Olibee. Daba should have returned late last night. After the long conversation with Rey and Olibee ended, Leccee had slipped into this bed. Exhausted from the long journey and the excitement of reuniting with Daba, she had fallen into a deep sleep immediately and hadn't known of Daba's return.

An hour later, Leccee stood beside Daba at work.

Without wiping the sweat streaming down his face, he mixed the soil with a milky-white chemical, ran it through the analyzer attached to the farming machine, and then, with a serious expression, entered the data into the computer.

The grime on the computer spoke volumes about the tens of thousands of times he must have repeated this simple yet mind-numbing task over the past five years.

"You see, Myroad..."
Rey's words from last night came back to her.

"You see, Myroad has become something like an advisor to the villagers now, like today... but when he first came back here, he went through a period where he was completely lost. Maybe it was because he was finally released from the tension of so many years of fighting. Even though he had that sense of mission to restore Olibee's consciousness... he was losing his confidence."

"I thought Daba had a superhuman spirit."

It was when Leccee asked Rey about her puzzlement over why Daba focused so much on soil improvement, despite the fact that fresh produce manufacturing relied on established artificial solar systems in each district, eliminating the need to plow the land.

"I wonder how many times the whole village has asked the same question you did. Yet it seems Myroad couldn't find the right words to answer it."

"He's not good with words," Leccee said, recalling how he'd always frown in frustration while trying to explain things to her and Amu.

Daba's soil improvement efforts were met with the village's cold stares and uncooperative responses.

Certainly, using Daba Myroad's name as the hero who led Pentagona to liberation could have forced cooperation, but Daba disliked that.

And amid the mockery of futile effort and the whispers that he'd lost his edge in battle, even Daba nearly lost his confidence.

"But what saved him was that single flower growing in the stone wall Olibee planted. That gave him the certainty that his instinct to bring Olibee back here from Gastogal wasn't wrong."
"..."
"Do you know how a mother holds her baby?"
"Huh? Well..."

Leccee stammered, flustered by the sudden question.

"She rests the head on her left arm. That way, the heartbeat reaches the baby... That rhythm becomes a message from the mother. The baby can fall asleep feeling safe... Tomorrow, watch Myroad at work. I think you'll understand what I mean. You didn't come all this way to meet him just for a vacation, did you...?"

As if reading Leccee's mind, Rey gently smiled at her while mimicking the act of cradling a baby.

Daba loves the soil, she thought.

And she remembered how she, too, felt a sense of nostalgia for this earthy scent. She finally felt like she understood why Daba had said he would take Olibee, who had lost her memories due to the bio-sensor, back to Koam.

This smell of soil is the scent of humans. The earth itself is the mother of all people.

By letting Olibee, corrupted by the machine, keep smelling it, Daba must be trying to restore her human heart.

He probably thought of this because he himself grew up smelling the earth's scent.

"Ah..." A sigh escaped her involuntarily.

What a wonderful person Daba was, sensing the greatness of the earth that people had forgotten. Thinking this, she felt ashamed of her own jealousy toward Olibee.

"Gablae, you see..."

Daba suddenly spoke up, perhaps apologetically for having been so absorbed in his work he'd neglected his visitor from afar.

"Gablae, you see, keeps finding excuses to stop by here. He doesn't say anything, but I suppose he's concerned about Olibee."
"That reminds me, he became an autonomous official in Koam, didn't he... Having returned to his hometown in glory, he must be feeling pretty smug."

Even during this conversation, villagers passing by invariably called out to Daba. Some even offered to help, and Daba struggled to decline.

"It's nice of them to offer... but the invitations to the feast afterward come back tenfold," he said with a delightful smile.

That smile shone with the confidence of a man who had found a new purpose in life, different from the toughness he'd shown on the battlefield. He was a man who had grown even more mentally mature than he had been five years ago.

Daba had fully integrated into the village.

Not as the hero who liberated Pentagona, but as a reliable man whom the entire village needed. It was also a sign of the great man Pentagona would soon need.

During Leccee's stay, villagers came constantly seeking Daba's advice, and she lost her chance to confide her feelings.

Yet Leccee was satisfied.

Daba's actions helped her understand that people walk their own paths. The passage of time would separate the youngsters, but that too was a sign of growth.

I can take pride in having loved this man for a time.

Her hesitation had vanished without her noticing. She, who had abandoned her clan for Daba, would now return to her clan because of Daba. That too, she thought, was life.

"Leccee..."

Daba, who had come to see her off, spoke as they waited for the return bus.

"I can't do any more for you... but don't do anything you'll regret."

Unexpected words left Leccee speechless.

Unable to bear it, Leccee threw herself into the bulky chest of the beloved one she would likely never see again.

"Good-bye... my love..."

Her whisper was drowned out by the sound of the approaching bus's nozzle.

It was the end of Leccee's love.

(The End)