Although the show itself is great, it’s Bakemonogatari’s OP and ED that help put it over the top as my favorite show this season.  While the constantly changing OPs are always fun to look forward to, the ED has been the same since the beginning.  I’m not complaining though, as it is the most addicting ED this season.  Even as I have lost count of the times I’ve listened to the track, it never gets old.

Track Listing:

1. Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari (The story that you don’t know)
2. LOVE & ROLL
3. Theme of “CENCOROLL”

Background:

Supercell is composed of one person, ryo, who started his career composing songs on Nico Nico, a streaming video website in Japan.  He most recently did the composition work for vocaloid Miku Hatsune’s first album release.

Nagi, the vocalist of the song, was a Nico Nico vocalist star known as “gazelle.”  She had a lot of popular covers and works on Nico Nico, but has since retired from the scene.  Nonetheless, she still does some doujin game soundtrack work under the name Nagi Yanagi.  I have a more detailed overview of the two at my blog. (link)

Song Review:

Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari is a very upbeat, rockish song.  The combination of drums, guitar and piano is very reminiscent of Suemitsu & the Suemith (Nodame Cantibile OP).  The song will have moments where it’s just Nagi’s voice with piano, but the use of instruments will also will range from just one to a full complement for the chorus.  Nagi’s vocals are pleasant and consistent, but it doesn’t seem that she much range.  For me, there’s an uplifting feel to the song like how there’s always a rainbow after a rainstorm.

The variations of Nagi’s vocals (she will go from plain singing to even straining a bit) and instruments has this effect of creating moments of depression before a stronger, more elevating chorus comes in.  It fits Bakemonogatari well because despite the oddities and traumas that each character has to deal with, things always turn out well in the end.  Everyone finds a way to overcome and come to terms with his or her issues.  It’s this spirit of overcoming and living on that Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari embodies.

LOVE & ROLL is  fairly different from the first track in that it drops the rock feel for a pure electronic sound.  The song is less of a standout than Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari, even bordering on monotonous, but it is good as a B-track.  I don’t think the song is as melodically complex as the first track, with the same techno beat in the background throughout.  Yet it is still a fast-paced song with rhythm changes, ranging from full-bass techno to just Nagi’s voice.  Nagi’s vocals are strong, and are not drowned out by the music.  Her whispered Engrish is understandable and provides a nice change of pace.  The chorus is powerful and contrasts with the more measured, soft verses.

Theme of “CENCOROLL” is a short, instrumental piece.  It starts off slow, but picks up about 35 seconds in.  I find the song most enjoyable after this point, but it still feels a bit generic to me.  It’s basically an electronic dance beat, fitting for a fight scene or a set up for some anime action.  I will admit that it is catchy and I like the deep bass beat in the background.  The song is for the upcoming CENCOROLL anime film, which I’m looking forward to, if not just for more supercell tunes.

Anime Ending Sequence Review:

First Ending:

The first ending sequence is bland, with a single image of Senjougahara holding her signature stapler and the credits rolling beside her.  The picture is nice, with Senjougahara lying across two desks in the pose with the stapler.

Second Ending:

The second ending sequence is better, with a different animation style.  All the characters are drawn with a more rough and sketchy manner in black and white only.  Senjougahara is still the focus, and she mimics the vocals at the beginning and ending.  Other than that she stands like a welcoming goddess as the background changes from uncolored city, to colored city, to blacked out city.  There are also some cute drawings of the various characters in the series.  I also found that the closing did a decent job animating portions of the lyrics (like the falling stars) as well.

Senjougahara is displayed as larger than life, a deity that dwarfs the buildings around her.  She is a constant despite the changes in background, like she is a constant in the show despite the different oddities, The stars drop out of the sky to rotate her, and it is fitting because of her gravity.  We don’t know what she is capable of, and as such her powerful depiction is appropriate.  The whole sequence is homage to her awesome-ness.

Music Video Review:

Neither supercell nor Nagi appear in the music video for Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari, as the video opts to relate a story between classmates.  Despite a crush for a fellow student, the main heroine is unable to admit her feelings.  The guy is reluctant to talk to the girl after the class ridicules the two as a couple.  The video focuses on the struggle for the two to form a relationship.  There were a few things that might have clarified the story more for me, like understanding what the popsicle stick or text message said, but I believe I got the gist of it.  The story mirrors the song, in that the two students face difficulties, yet come to terms with one another in the end.

I found the story a bit tacky, but cute.  It was reminiscent of an abbreviated Japanese drama.  However, the characters weren’t all that appealing, and the length is too short for the story to carry any effect.  Nonetheless, the video reflected the nature of the song well, and was entertaining the first time through.

Overall Rating: 9.5 / 10 (Excellent)

The reasons this didn’t get a perfect score was the underwhelming B-track and less than stellar music video.  Despite these issues, my appreciation of the title track doesn’t change.  The blend of classical and rock instruments, along with Nagi’s sweet voice is appealing, but not tremendously unique.  However, I don’t find myself getting tired of this like I do other songs.  Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari has something I find endearing and timeless: an uplifting tone signifying there’s always a happy ending.

Related posts:

1. Umineko no Naku Koro Ni ED Review
2. Spice and Wolf II Ending Theme Review
3. Armed Librarians: The Book of Bantorra ED Review
4. Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 Ending Theme Review
5. Fall 2009 OP/ED Impressions [Part 1]