Album Review – Full Moon o Sagashite: Full Moon Final Live

Full Moon o Sagashite: Full Moon Final Live

Full Moon o Sagashite: Full Moon Final Live
Looking for the Full Moon Final Live
満月(フルムーン) をさがして ファイナル·ライヴ
Changin’ My Life
15 Tracks
Emi Music (East World)

Summary:

As Mitsuki prepares for her final concert as Fullmoon, she, Takuto, and Meroko think about how their lives are about to change. But, as always, the show must go on, and so Mitsuki takes the stage and sings.

Review:

While the CD has fifteen tracks, only nine are vocals in this 55-minute album. The others are drama tracks featuring Mitsuki, Takuto, and Meroko. Most are connected to the final episodes of the anime, but if you haven’t seen the end of the anime (or manga), no spoilers here.

The CD includes all the songs sung by Fullmoon in the Full Moon o Sagashite anime, who was played by the main vocalist of the now-defunct group Changin’ My Life. myco’s Mitsuki voice (and Fullmoon speaking voice) is very soft, airy, and a little deep compared to most anime versions of preteen (or even teenage) girls. It’s perfect for a young girl suffering from cancer of the throat. myco’s singing voice is even deeper. I remember being surprised when I first heard her singing in the anime, as I assumed Fullmoon would have the high register most female idols have. In addition, myco also wrote the lyrics to all of Fullmoon’s songs.

Full Moon o Sagashite: Full Moon Final LiveThe anime, somewhat surprisingly, had THE☆SCANTY perform the two opening songs instead of more Full Moon (Changin’ My Life) songs. Those songs are not included here. I guess this isn’t a surprise since the CD is supposed to be Fullmoon’s concert, but there are some bonus tracks included. It would have been nice to have this be the full, definitive Full Moon o Sagashite collection. Maybe they couldn’t because of rights or whatever. I never cared for “Rock’n Roll Princess”, but “I ♥ U” is strangely addicting. It’s partially because the opening animation is so cute.

But what definitely could have been included was Madoka’s version of “ETERNAL SNOW”. Considered it’s only a two minute track and was included in the second OST like the other song covers, I don’t know why it couldn’t be included as another bonus track here, even if Madoka’s seiyuu didn’t do any type of recording for the drama tracks.

“ETERNAL SNOW”

An absolutely beautiful ballad, and the most significant song in the series. The only thing is it never sounds like it could be inspired by a pop/rock group. Even the actual music gives the feeling of falling snow. This is my favorite song from the series.

“Focus”

A song just for this set I believe, and it doesn’t suit Full Moon o Sagashite. Well, maybe it fits the manga version more than the anime, but it still doesn’t fit since the song is about a suspected affair. But it does have a good beat and lots of powerful short rhymes and/or repeated phrases.

“SMILE”

The lyrics are used in the final chapter of the manga. It’s a positive pop song, the kind you could see groups singing at karaoke.

“Myself”

I never cared for the opening of this song. Minimal instrumentals and myco almost shouting out. It’s not too bad once you get past it, but it’s probably my least favorite track. I feel like this the track to Eichi, and the next one is the one for Takuto.

“Love Chronicle”

This one feels like something from a musical, at the part where the heroine comes to a realization. I believe this one followed “ETERNAL SNOW” as the ending, and I remember feeling so upset since I love “ETERNAL SNOW” so much.

“New Future”

“Eternal Snow” may be the song most associated with the series, but I think it’s this song that best captures the spirit of Full Moon o Sagashite. And not just because it name drops the title either. It’s no wonder it’s featured at the end of the main part of the CD as well the anime and manga, as it has that sense of finality. (And a couple cases of Engrish.)

“Myself ~Meroko’s Vocal Version~”

This is a shortened version of “Myself”, and  it gives off that feeling of Meroko singing by herself by a pier or something. The opening isn’t as grating with Honda’s vocals over myco’s. Both this one and the next are about two minutes long.

“ETERNAL SNOW ~Route:L Version~”

In the anime canon, this was the original version of the song, but in the real world, this sounds like the new interpretation instead of the opposite. The Diamond Dust remix also has a sped up beat, but the Route:L version feels forced to add the loud drumming and stuff. Takuto’s seiyuu does a good job actually singing it though.

“SMILE ~Arina’s Vocal Version~”

Yes, this is the author of the series singing the song. I believe she recounts this in Sakura Hime. (Or some post-Full Moon o Sagashite, I don’t remember which one.) Since there are minimal background vocals, it gives it a karaoke feeling. I think a duet with myco would have been better, but Tanemura certainly isn’t bad at singing.

Not much to say about the drama CD portions. They range from under a minute to about four, and they are not very difficult to understand if you don’t know Japanese. From what I can recall and understand, most are just summarized or additional monologues from the final episode(s), but the final track includes an epilogue for the series. I kind of expected a lot of Mitsuki just thanking all those people who have supported her and regrets to those who couldn’t come, but I like how the CD includes thoughts from Meroko and Takuto.

Lyrics are included in the insert booklet along with some shots of the anime. The CD cover’s uses of blue-green seem unique and give the cover some softness.

Final Comments:

Like most albums, people usually buy them for just a couple of tracks, and that’s the case here. Five full-length songs from the series, two short remixes, one guest track, and an unrelated song — not exactly a bulky album here, especially at Japanese CD prices. There are some Changin’ My Life albums that include these songs and/or remixes, but this is the only one that includes all five endings and the “SMILE” insert song. I was a little disappointed it didn’t feel like a complete Full Moon o Sagashite collection. If you can, you’re better off buying just the individual songs digitally, unless you’re really curious as to what Tanemura sounds like. Still, though, “ETERNAL SNOW” is amazing, and it’s hard for me to be too disappointed with the album whenever this song comes up.

If you want to listen to samples of the tracks or purchase this album, you can click the image below.

Mangetsu wo Sagashite - Full Moon Final Live / Changin' My Life

Reader Rating


2.5/5 (2)

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4 Comments

  1. The Fullmetal Narcissist

    Nice to see something different for a change. Not a lot of soundtrack CD reviews out there.

    If you do something like this again, I’d recommend checking out the Chobits character CD. There’s literally a song on it called “I beg your pudding?”

    Reply
    1. Krystallina (Post author)

      Glad you enjoyed me mixing it up a bit! I have a few more CD reviews I plan on doing at random.

      That Chobits CD was one of my first anime CDs. “Beyond” is my favorite track, although the fact CCS’ Touya and Syaoran sang a duet always made me laugh.

      Reply
  2. shaddowcat99

    I love the music from Full Moon. New Future was the song that really made me interested in listening to more Japanese music. I would love to own this album. I also like the singing voice of Takuto’s Seiyuu. He actually has a nice handful of songs that I listen to a lot.

    Reply
    1. Krystallina (Post author)

      He definitely had a nice voice. Now you make me want to look up some of his other songs.

      Reply

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