The CD Collection -- Non-Soundtrack CDs Vol.2

Last time I named quite a few non-soundtrack songs that appeared in various Tokusatsu shows. I'm back again to name a few more! If you need a refresher on what this entry is going to be about, I highly recommend checking out my previous installment.

The gist of it goes something like this... Some Tokusatsu shows feature songs in them that aren't part of the series song collection. Since I am a crazy person, I hunt these songs down like the Terminator and purchase the CDs to complete the song collections. I usually go off of very little information, but sometimes I get an assist from a kind reader (thank you!). This is where I get to share my findings with you! In most cases you can snag these CDs for ¥1 on Amazon Japan...so be sure to throw a little bit of money toward CD collecting excellence.

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Morning Musume "Love Machine"
EPDE-1052
1999.09.09
Featured: Love Machine in GoGo Five 33
>>>MUSIC VIDEO<<<

Might as well get this one off to a weird start...

Remember that montage in Gaoranger vs. Super Sentai where it was showing the ability to quick change clothes? There was a small bit from GoGo Five in that... In the episode, Psyma-ju Thanatos has a catastrophic fear of women. So much so that he either imagines Matsuri quick changing through outfits, or he is assaulted through costume change. The very first costume features a small bit of Morning Musume's Love Machine playing. Naturally this bit was cut out of Gaoranger vs. Super Sentai...

I'd be lying if I said that this song wasn't a lot of fun. I like it, in fact. I generally despise Morning Musume and large singing groups in general (they're a cancer on Japanese music.....just sayin'), but this is a damn catchy piece of pop. The second track, 21 seiki, is terrible however. Track three ends it with the karaoke version of Love Machine (which doesn't have that weird yell at the beginning). Oh, and try not to watch the video. It's lousy.

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The Waves "We Are The Champ"
PCDH-00001
1993.04.07
Featured: We Are The Champ~The Name Of The Game~ in Dairanger 15
>>>SONG VIDEO<<<

Ahhh yes. Who hasn't heard at least some version of this song in their life? This song was featured pretty prominently during Ryo's match against the Three Idiots. This would've been a very new song when the episode aired...which has me wondering if the episode was built around the song. Heh.

This version of the song was made for Japan as you can probably guess from the lyrics (NIPPON!). Track two is the original(ish) 80s version by The Fans. The guy singing sounds like he's struggling hard...not so much with his awful English, but just struggling in general. I *believe* an instrumental version of The Fans version of this song was used in Kakuranger as well. I'll have to work on that one for the future...

Just the two tracks for this one. The Japan version is better...even the English is way better...

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Nanase Aikawa "BREAK OUT!"
CTDR-28006
1996.06.05
Featured: BREAK OUT! in Carranger 23
>>>SONG VIDEO<<<

There wasn't a whole lot of anything going on when this song was playing in Carranger 23. They were pretty much walking down a busy street discussing the plot threads of the episode so far before receiving an alert from Dappu.

Future Kamen Rider theme song singer Nanase Aikawa gets a song featured in Carranger for seriously no reason. I mean...the show already has 30+ songs. Nothing else fit? That said, BREAK OUT! is a cool song. It's a bit on the frantic side, but it suits the song well. The other song on this single, Ima demo... is alright I suppose. The singing is a little bit much for the music. Track three is the karaoke version of BREAK OUT!.

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Namie Amuro "You're My Sunshine"
AVDD-20127
1996.06.05
Featured: You're My Sunshine in Carranger 31
>>>LIVE VIDEO<<<

This song is playing during one of my many favorite visual moments in the series. VRV Master is playing Pachinko, which leads to him eating, which leads to his visit to his usually dour barber (something is off this time...).

I love me some Tetsuya Komuro! This, however, is Namie Amuro's song. Ah...but he produces it... Well, I guess that makes this song half-decent. Honestly, it isn't bad. It is a little bit disjointed, but once it gets going and past the lame rap it's a solid tune. During his boom years, TK seemed to give Amuro some of his more experimental tunes. It worked out quite well for both of them while it lasted. There are three versions of the song here--"Straight Run", "Eddie Delena Dance Mix", and "TV Mix". If I had to be entirely honest, I kinda like the dance mix best. It has this killer break-down about two-thirds of the way through. The "TV Mix" is basically the karaoke version, by the way.

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Kenji Ozawa "Corolla II ni notte"
TODT-3418
1995.01.01 
Featured: Corolla II ni notte in Carranger 02
>>>SONG VIDEO<<<

Fitting that Carranger would feature a jingle from a car commercial. Well, kinda. Kyosuke is singing this song early in the episode as he's jogging along. The song itself isn't featured, but it clearly moved Kyosuke enough to sing it.

The actual song itself is somewhat popular. It's a well-produced slow jam. There isn't too much substance to it...and the same can be said for the Toyota Corolla itself. That said, I do enjoy this song quite a bit. It's no wonder Kyosuke was singing it, it's pretty catchy through repetition. The second track is the Karaoke version.

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Seikima-II "Shiroi Kiseki"
10EH-3316
1989.08.02
Featured: Kairiki Kumao in Zyuranger 26
>>>LIVE VIDEO<<<

YES! I always look forward to writing about some Seikima-II! This song is playing after Dan and Mei are first shown in their thug clothes after being poisoned.

This song is kind of a deep pull. As far as I can work out, this song was only available as a B-Side on this single at the time. It's a fantastic song with a lot of variety to it (the video I linked is only a portion of the full song). I recommend trying to seek this one out if you can. I was able to snag this single for pretty much nothing, so it's not difficult. Nice to see Seikima-II representing once again. The title track, Shiroi Kiseki, is more of a ballad...but a damn good one. Just those two tracks on this disc. Early 8cm CDs were pretty bare...

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Seikima-II "Pharoah no you ni"
CSDL-3175
1990.10.21
Featured: Pharoah no you ni in Jetman 07
>>>LIVE VIDEO<<<

I may not like Jetman much...but any series to feature Seikima-II is alright with me. Maybe even Fiveman... This song was playing in the seventh episode of Jetman as the cool kid was styling his hair in the mirror before being abducted by said mirror.

Another great Seikima-II song. What else can be said about the band? I really love the "Hey! Hey! Hey!". It makes it a bit catchier than their average song. This song is also featured on their album "Yugai", which I kinda recommend getting over this single. Great album.

Something I noticed about Seikima-II B-Side songs. They tend to be a bit more ambitious than their standard stuff. Demon Kogure gives himself a vocal workout in Oda Nobubaga. I love this type of Seikima-II song, but they tend to get stuffed away... Two tracks only on this one.

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PUFFY "Nagisa ni matsuwaru et cetera"
ESDB-3749
1997.04.16
Featured: Nagisa ni matsuwaru et cetera in Kabutack 36
>>>SONG VIDEO<<<

This one is a bit over my head since I haven't seen much of Kabutack. This song appears in episode 36 as Tonborg says he is a fan of PUFFY...a sentiment I wish I shared in this occasion.

Very similar to a lot of JPOP of the late 90s. It's alright, but I wouldn't go as far to say I've listened to this one with any regularity. It has a bit of a faux-TK Boom bassline compounded with some shouty vocals. Like I said, it's alright. The second and final track on this one is the karaoke version.

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Hideki Saijo "YOUNG MAN~HIDEKI FLYING UP!:
BVCH-8011
1995.07.21
Featured: Young Man (Y.M.C.A.) in Moero!! Robocon 30
>>>SONG VIDEO<<<

Again, I'm not too familiar with either Robocon series... Apparently the definitive Japanese version of the Village People's Y.M.C.A. was featured in the 30th episode of what Toei decided was a better idea than a new Metal Hero series.

Honestly this isn't a bad album. I like a good disco album to throw on in the background. This one has a good variety of softer and upbeat songs. Hideki Saijo is also a pretty decent singer. The stand out tracks to me (besides Young Man obviously) are I'm Champion and HIDEKI DISCO SPECIAL. Good and cheap album!

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Akira Kobayashi "Best~Jidosha Show uta | Mukashi no namae de dete imasu"
CRC-1608
2011.08.20
Featured: Jidosha Show uta in Carranger 02
>>>SONG VIDEO<<<

Carranger! Again! This one was even in episode 2 which, if you remember, Kyosuke was singing the Corolla II song. This time around Tenma was singing this while driving his car as the episode opened. Just like the Corolla II song, this one was only featured as the character was singing it rather than the actual song being featured.

I love the Auto Show song quite a bit. It's one of those songs that has very much outlived a lot of the manufacturers named in said song. It's an incredibly fun song. I listen to it often and probably sing it just like Tenma did without realizing it. The rest of the album is very good as well. It another one I love to put on in the background when I write my weekly video reviews. Very good if you want to take a look at an Enka singer of year's past.

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Southern All Stars "Umi no Yeah!!"
VICL-60227-8
1998.06.25
Featured: Katte ni Sindbad, Itoshi no Ellie, Erotic Seven in Ohranger 23

This time around we have an episode that was pretty much based around a band. Three songs from Southern All Stars made an appearance throughout the beach episode of Ohranger. I would link videos, but I really couldn't find any on Youtube...sorry. To make matters easy, the song you're looking for if you saw the episode is Katte ni Sindbad. Yes, SinDbad. It's a typo that has carried over through the years. It should be Sinbad...but it's written as Sindbad. Heh.

Now...I don't really have a definitive beach band, but Southern All Stars isn't one of them. They're considered a beach band, though. I've seen quite a few shows that feature one of their songs (usually Katte ni Sindbad) when everyone is at the beach. This is a two-disc best-of set that is beach themed. Disc one is called Sea Side and disc two is called Sunny Side. There is no real reason for this seeing as the songs are presented chronologically.

I have to be in the mood for this one to be in my ears. Katte ni Sindbad...I can listen to that everyday. Great song. The rest of the album...once in awhile. If you're interested in collecting all of the songs featured in Ohranger, this set is probably the cheapest way to do it. All three of the songs are available as CD Singles, but you have to factor in shipping and what not. I just went for the collection.

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Recommended Pick: This time around I would have to make my recommended pick Love Machine by Morning Musume. Just kidding. Seikima-II's Shiroi Kiseki would be the pick. Kairiki Kumao is a great song which never really got a wide release outside of this single. It's a cheap one to pick up.

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Thanks for reading my latest non-soundtrack CD entry. I have another set of CDs ready to go with songs featured in Bycrosser, Turboranger, Jetman, Zyuranger and more. If you have any songs you think I should add to the list, please contact me on Twitter, Youtube, or just leave a comment below. Oh, and be sure to check out my critically out of date CD Collection page...

Thanks again for checking out my blog. See ya soon!

-CC

CCLemon99 Magazine Issue Two

It's time for another issue of CCLemon99 Magazine! I did a first issue back in October. This basically gives me an opportunity to go over a handful of topics that aren't quite big enough for their own posts.

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Welcome To CCLemon99.com!

...well atleast until Suntory shuts me down...

I decided to go ahead an get myself the domain. There are tons of reasons behind me finally pulling the trigger and securing the domain and putting it to use, but for now let's just enjoy the simplicity of it all. CCLemon99.com... Not CCLemon99.blogjaljkfsnkanjkfsfns Yeah...much better!

Do I have any plans for the site outside of the same old blog? Nah, not really. Not at this time at least. I will, however, have to make some alterations to certain future Youtube videos. It's a bullshit reason, and I don't really want to do it, but Youtube has recently made things extraordinarily difficult for your average to slightly-less-than-superstar user.

The site was somewhat born out of misery, but I intend to make the most out of it. You can always count on me for content.

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Maybe SHFiguarts Fire Was A Terrible Idea...

The very first thing I wrote about in Issue One has come back to bite me in the ass in a huge way. I defend the thought behind SHF Winsquad being a kickass thing that should totally happen, but I am not in support of the idea of Winspector Figuarts being a thing to begin with. I know, that probably sounds strange, but I just don't think they should have skipped ahead when we should have had SHF Spielban~Jiban first. SHF Fire is an upcoming video, so I don't want to give too much away. I will say that I'm not wowed in the same way I was with pretty much every other Metal Hero Figuart that has been released since Blue Beet.

No, no. My big gripe is with SHF Bikel...namely the price of the damn thing. ¥7020!!!!! What. The. Hell...?! For that price you get a secondary character Figuart, and very few accessories. The wheel in his chest moves? Who cares??? Honestly! It'll probably be neat once, but it is an absolutely useless fucking feature. Useless.

This is where I start to think Bandai is fucking with us. They make all of these misplaced choices for Figuarts with skyrocketing price tags. Even with things like the upcoming Dyno Buckler release...they're charging an absolute fortune for a toy that has probably already made their company it's development money back five-fold. They're blatantly gouging fans at this point. I mean, I only got into Figuarts because I normally manage to get them for reasonable prices (my first few were gifts). When it comes to web exclusives, you're stuffed. It's Bandai's price.

Still undecided if I'm going for Bikel...but I'm genuinely leaning toward "no", but who knows. We'll see how generous my bonus points are this month. I just wanted Spielban, dammit! Oh...and where's my Kamen Rider J??

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New And Upcoming CD Releases

-Ninninger Soundtracks 2, 3, and 4 were released in late January. Ninninger has had a bit of an odd release schedule. Between Hurricaneger and ToQger the first three music collections were released between May and September with the fourth and fifth bundled together shortly before the series ended. We can only speculate as to why Ninninger has had a pitiful release schedule, but here it is. The last of the Music Collection is out there.

-Ninninger Complete Song Collection will be released on the 17th of this month. Details are sparse right now, but you can count on it being full of Ninninger songs. For sure.

-Ultraman! A five-disc set containing all of the TV and Movie/OV theme songs will be released on March 2nd! A great way to celebrate 50 years of Ultraman. Honestly, if I didn't have every song on this set I would probably spring for it. I often get asked if there are similar current sets for Sentai theme songs. No...but Ultraman's got you covered. Shuwatch!

-Also on March 2nd--The Zyuohger Theme Song Single! As usual, there are two releases--Standard Edition and Limited Edition. Both versions have the same tracklist (OP, ED, OP Karaoke, ED Karaoke) but the Limited Edition comes with a toy of some kind. Also...the cover to the Limited Edition looks way cooler.

-Last but not least.....the biggest CD news of all. I am absolutely PUMPED for this one. Columbia's Sound Treasure Series is making it's way into Super Sentai with a two-disc Himitsu Sentai Goranger Original Soundtrack! Columbia is celebrating Super Sentai's 40th anniversary with more care than Toei at this point. If you are a regular reader of my blog you'll know that the last time Columbia made an effort to release the Goranger music was back in 1996. Twenty years later they're going to take a much more thorough attempt at giving the fans all of the music from the series. I genuinely hope it leads to more. Watch for it on April 27th!

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Shout!Factory's Ninja Sentai Kakuranger

This isn't a news item to anyone at this point, but I felt it was worth talking about because my favorite Super Sentai series is making it's way to DVD in the USA!

Here is where you guys can get on board. The set is up for pre-order on their website. I highly recommend purchasing it directly from them. Not only will you get it way before street date (mine arrived close to three weeks early), but you're also supporting a fantastic company who really took a chance and continues to do so.

Pay a few dollars extra, get it early, and hang tight for more! Remember, buying the entire series on Region 2 DVD costs closer to $400. $53 doesn't sound so bad now, does it?

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Name That Tune (Tokusatsu Edition)


I made the appeal to you, the readers, in my previous issue. I was rewarded with a few new entries which I have secured the discs to. I have enough non-soundtrack songs for two-three more entries. In fact, my next post this month will be another non-soundtrack CD Collection post covering many different shows. I'll just lay out exactly what I said last time... Take it away, past me.

I am still compiling a new list of songs to feature in an upcoming entry of Non-soundtrack Tokusatsu songs. I had a lot of fun making my previous entry, and I have just about as many songs as I did the first time around. I would like some more though.

If you have a song that you would like to have identified that played in an episode of a Tokusatsu series, please drop me a line. I ask that you follow some of the following criteria in your request...

-Show, episode number, and ballpark timestamp (Believe it or not, I can't ID a song that played "at some point in one of the early episodes of Carranger" at least not quickly...). This one is a MUST.

-A link to where I can watch said episode. Again, please save me some legwork. Help me help you...

-Even better--if you could just dice me up a clip and toss it on Youtube...that would be ideal.

-A thank you would be nice. Heh. Sometimes it takes quite a lot of effort to ID a song. While it's beneficial for me to be able to add it to my list, it's also kinda shitty when that person doesn't say thanks or anything after I hit them back with an answer or at least try.

I did recently help out someone with a bit of music from Megaranger. He was nice enough to pull the audio from the episode of the song in question and I was able to answer his request in less than a minute (I happened to know the music in that case...but even if I didn't, it would have saved me a ton of time.

So please hit me up here, on Youtube, or on Twitter if you have any Tokusatsu ear worms. I will do my best to identify them. I also welcome any tracks you identified on your own.

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That about does it for now. Apologies for the few-days-late entry. It was a combination of being a little burnt out from writing five posts last month and having to rebuild my dryer after it kicked the bucket.

Thanks for checking out my blog and I'll catch you in a couple of weeks.

-CC

The Two Different Versions of Blue SWAT's Theme Song

You thought it was over, huh? WRONG. Anniversary month continues with one last burst of energy! This time I will be talking about something I eluded to briefly in the past. I am going to get my gloves, grab my shovel, dig up Forte's rotting corpse and shake it violently until it becomes dust. That's right--I'm going to talk about yet another mystery from their short reign of terror...

Why are there two versions of Blue SWAT's opening theme song TRUE DREAM?

Let's start at the beginning...

The first time TRUE DREAM was released on CD was the 20th of March in 1994. The CD Single itself was as bog-standard as most Forte releases were. It featured the opening and ending theme songs and that's it--no Karaoke versions. TRUE DREAM sounded just as it did in the series. The version released later on for the Blue SWAT Music Collection was just a shortened TV size version of the same song from the CD Single.

Here's where things get a little bit murky for me as I do not own a copy of the 1994 Blue SWAT Song Collection.

On the 17th of May in 2004 the third volume of the Metal Hero Super Hero Chronicle was released. On it was a version of TRUE DREAM that was completely different from both the CD Single and TV Size version. Not only was there a heavy use of reverb throughout the entire song, but the lyrics were completely re-sung by Tatsuya Maeda. There are a couple of clear differences in inflection of certain lyrics.

Was this an outtake that somehow survived and managed to get a release years later? I'm not so sure about that. If it was a case of just the lyrics being sung a little bit differently, I would probably write this off as an outtake. The music being somewhat more polished in the Super Hero Chronicle version just throws everything for a loop.

To demonstrate the differences between the two, I created a video that dissects both versions. First, you'll hear the full versions of each song. After that, there are snippets of the differences laid back to back. Finally, there is a version I cut together that has both versions laid on top of each other. You can clearly hear the differences in singing on that. I recommend putting on the headphones for full effect. This is just another one of those mysteries that has kept Forte relevant two decades after it's demise...

Intro: There is much more build-up in the SHC version over the single version.
Lyrics: Sung differently in a few parts, use of reverb in the SHC version.
Guitar section: Stronger use of percussion.

So I guess the real way to differentiate the two is that previous versions are the Forte Version with the latter being the Columbia Version. Technically incorrect (since the Karaoke version on Toei Metal Hero Karaoke Vol.2 features the Forte version despite being a Columbia release), but I'm all for simplicity.

I hope you enjoy the video I put together. Thanks once again for supporting my blog for the past five years. This extra blog came about because I realized that I posted five blogs in January 2011 plus, well, it's five years. So why not go the extra mile and make it five? Regularly scheduled programming resumes in February. I have a doozy of a CD Collection post coming up mid-Feb.--one I actually get requests for.

See ya!

-CC

5 Year Anniversary Month

Previous:
The Complete Guide To Collecting Japanese CDs
Top 7 BEST Mecha Designs
CD Collection--Carranger 8cm CD Singles
Star Virgin (Movie + CD Soundtrack Review)

Star Virgin... [w/Bonus Soundtrack review]

Welcome to the fourth post of 2016! January of 2016 happens to be the fifth anniversary of my blog. To celebrate, I will be posting four blogs this month instead of the usual two. Be sure to check out my previous three celebratory posts. Thank you for reading my blog over the years...

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I've been teasing this one for awhile. The clues that I gave out were that it was a Tokusatsu movie with the word "Star" in the title (specifically "Star ______") and that it was two words. I also gave out little clues that the soundtrack featured a song by a legendary singer. There were a few more clues that I could have given such as the same legendary singer also had a role in the movie...or that the film had it's own video game adaptation for the MSX2. I really wanted to keep this one a secret until it posted.

So here it is.....Star Virgin. Where the hell do I begin on this one?

Star Virgin is a 1988 direct-to-video Tokusatsu film produced by Pony Canyon of all companies. It largely capitalizes on the Bikini Armor genre, which I'm really not familiar with.....nor do I intend to become familiar with. Clocking in at just under an hour it features a fairly basic plot wrapped around special effects of varying skill. It's most notable achievement is casting anisong megastar Isao Sasaki. Yes, THAT Isao Sasaki. He was in this film!

The film begins with our heroine, Eiko, having been tied to a cross (classic Tokusatsu). The monster who trapped her begins acting somewhat inappropriate with her while she is trapped. This causes her bracelet to activate which transforms her into Star Virgin. She makes short work of the monster and turns back to normal.

It is then explained that she is embarking on a vacation to Earth and that it was her father who fit her with the transformation bracelet that would activate whenever a man would act lecherous toward her directly (or in her vicinity). On Earth, she runs into a young man named Ko who is the sudden target of a tank following a dental implant surgery. In order to transform and fight the tank, she tricks a foreign tourist into being inappropriate with her. She manages to transform, destroy the tank, and escape with Ko.

You'll see that statue alright...

Ko is kidnapped by Colonel Arashiyama, who has been after Ko's mysterious tooth implant to restart the nuclear reactor on his island and dominate the world. Eiko manages to break into Arashiyama's layer and free Ko. Arashiyama deploys his robot, Tsutenkaku 1, to follow the pair.

Arashiyama

Tsutenkaku 1

As Tsutenkaku 1 is too powerful for Eiko, he is defeated several times purely by accident. Ultimately he manages to recapture the two. When Ko awakens, he is trapped inside a lightening rod. Eiko awakens in a wedding dress in Arashiyama's office. As he intends to wed her, he drinks a revitalizing potion which gives him a much more youthful appearance. He then attempts to make a move on Eiko...

Does your youth shine?

Naturally Eiko becomes Star Virgin thanks to Arashiyama's advances. Arashiyama deploys Tanegashima shi-shiki Robot, which is a giant robot formed from a large white copy of the Statue of Liberty. The robot shoots flames at Ko and then manages to get Star Virgin in it's grasp. After shocking Star Virgin for some time, Ko manages to get into Arashiyama's fighter jet and blast the robot until it frees it's grip on Star Virgin. Meanwhile, Arashiyama is successful in restarting his reactor with Ko's tooth implant.

Star Virgin uses her grappling hook to join Ko in the jet. They then fly into the entrance to the core of the island. They launch an all-out attack using the plane's machine guns as well as a handheld bazooka. Ko's tooth is freed from the reactor which then begins to explode.

They manage to escape the island as it explodes. En route back to land, the fighter jet begins to fail, which forces them to abandon the plane and jump into the water. Somehow they managed to find a canoe, which they use to make their way back to land. Tsutenkaku 1 reaches up from underwater and knocks both of them out of the boat, forcing both of them to swim to land. Tsutenkaku 1 also swims to land, but is greeted by a group of children playing on the beach. He starts to malfunction and becomes friendly with the children and their families.

Arashiyama, his henchmen, and Tanegashima shi-shiki are all shown to have survived the blast. As the credits roll, Eiko and Ko enjoy the rest of the day at the beach.

Just as the credits end and "The End" splashes on screen we hear Eiko and Ko getting attacked once again after hearing some metallic footsteps.

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Wow. OK, so if I'm going to start somewhere, it's going to be the Star Virgin powers. We have a woman (yes, you can feel less skeevy--actress Eiko Kuroki was 18 at the time) whose powers come from men being outwardly perverted toward her. I...wish I was making this up. She had to trick a white dude into making a move on her so that she could transform. Her father probably owes that dude an apology. Like, It's one of the more bizarre superhero premises ever...but at the same time it makes sense. Her father didn't intend for her to be a heroine of any kind. He just fitted her with the bracelet (which is kinda like an inverted Ultraman timer) to protect her from creeps while she was on her trip to Earth. She kinda fell backwards into this whole situation as much as Ko did.

Star Virgin's unwitting victim

Isao Sasaki being cast as the villain of the movie was a solid casting choice. He wore the heavy make-up they plastered on him well. It was a pretty rediculous get-up, but it just kinda worked BECAUSE it was Sasaki. His voice sealed the deal on the whole thing. From there, the acting kinda went downward. To their credit, everyone looked like they were having fun--and they likely knew this was going to be a video release. Sasaki is just acting his heart out, though.

The effects of the movie were, like the acting, all over the place. Some of the effects were borderline impressive, while others were pretty silly. I enjoy model work, and this film is full of it, but they could have either lowered their aspirations or tried a little bit harder to get some effect shots peppered into the shots using models. BUT.....if I had a Statue of Liberty mecha I would probably put it in my movie as much as possible as well.

If you'll excuse me, I'm late for Ghostbusters II

I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy this film. I might be a sucker for the bizarre, but I'm sure anyone will enjoy watching this one. It's entertaining and short enough that you won't feel robbed if you're not totally sold on it. I should say that even with the perverted source of Star Virgin's powers, the movie itself is very tame. Once you get past that and the fact that she spends a good portion of the movie in a bikini'd chastity belt, it's a fairly vanilla movie.

Give it a shot. It might be a little bit all over the place and not have much of a plot or character development, but it's definitely entertaining.

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Star Virgin Ongakushuu
D30G0077
1988.06.21

The Star Virgin original soundtrack is probably how I first learned about this movie. In my normal rounds I managed to find this CD for sale some time ago. Just from the photos I knew that this movie was probably worth checking out. I mean Isao Sasaki was dressed up as an old clownish looking dude! How could I go wrong? Well, I ended up buying the CD for my collection and checking out the movie not too long afterward.

This soundtrack, while short, is probably too good for this movie. As I mentioned before, there is a song by Isao Sasaki as well as two songs by Reiko Iwama and a lone song by Star Virgin herself Eiko Kuroki. The music was composed by Kenji Kawai who is an insanely prolific composer. I know him primarily for his work on Ranma 1/2 and Kyatto Ninden Teyandee (I'll probably get to this one someday). My readers will probably know his work from Ultraman Nexus and both series of Akibaranger. I recommend taking a look at the list of work he's done over the years--it's staggering.

I suppose the best way to break this CD down is by songs and then by music collection.

Of the fourteen total tracks, four are vocal songs. The theme song, Star Virgin is by Reiko Iwama as well as an image song called Namida no kokoro. I loooooooove the theme song. It's insanely catchy--easily my favorite of the four. It has a nice energy and features some really good singing. Namida no kokoro doesn't get used in the film. It's not a bad song, I just don't think there was any room for it. Isao Sasaki's song, NONSTOP DREAMER, does make it into the film toward the end. It has the sound of an 80s anime bad guy's theme song. While a little on the cartoonish side, it is a great song as you would imagine. Has Isao Sasaki ever disappointed? Ever? The last vocal song, and I saved this one for last for one reason, is the character song by Eiko Kuroki. The title? H ga watashi no Energy or H is my energy. Now THAT is a song title right there. I'm sure you can figure out what the "H" stands for. The song itself is kinda upbeat and cheesy. Not bad, but certainly not great.

The music collection is quite solid. I meant it when I said it was too good for this movie. It sounds like it could be from the mid 90s most of the time. I'm actually quite impressed that this movie had such a great music collection and managed to under-utilize it the way it did. As this disc is only 32 minutes long, it only contains about 17 minutes of music. It's all great, though. There was a full band involved when it could have easily just been a guy with a synthesizer.

As this is an early CD it comes in a very thick plastic case. It's hard to describe unless you've dealt with an old CD case, but they have quite a bit of heft to them...and don't crack nearly as easy. To save costs, the booklet wasn't printed into the jacket. Since this was getting a simultaneous LP release it just has the fold-out wedged inside the jacket. The upside is that I now have a bitchin' Star Virgin poster. The downside.....there is none! Did you hear me? I have a Star Virgin poster!

I should also mention that there were also 8cm CD and 45 singles released containing the theme song as well as Namida no kokoro. I don't own the CD single...but I'm keeping my eyes peeled! I need to complete my Tokusatsu 8cm collection!

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As this film nears it's 30th anniversary it's hard to say if it left any kind of lasting impression on Tokusatsu fans. I've been giving my hints on Twitter for some time, but nobody managed to guess it correctly. It's kind of a shame that nobody seems to know this one...but at the same time it can only be appreciated by a goofball like me. I can't imagine someone finishing an episode of Kamen Motorist Drive and being like "Hmmm Star Virgin? Let's give it a watch!". It's certainly worth a viewing if you happen to have a copy on VHS, Beta, or Laserdisc (no DVD......surprised????). It's also on Youtube, but you'll have a good time trying to cobble together the entire movie over a couple of accounts. Hahaa.

An interesting movie with a very good soundtrack. It certainly has a lot of room for improvement, but who knows! Maybe they'll get it right for the sequel...

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Thank you for reading my blog on this forgotten movie and for supporting my blog for the past five years. This is the final post for my five-year anniversary month. While it was a ton of work for me to double my output, it was all worth it. I mean it. Thank you for reading. Thank you for spreading the word. Thank you thank you!

-CC

5 Year Anniversary Month

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