I really love how Misaki went a totally different route than other 48G soloists. Admittedly, I don't know a whole lot about the enka industry in Japan, but to me, it doesn't seem like idols ever do anything in that field of music. Of course I could be totally wrong, but if I'm not, I think it's really cool that Misaki wanted to tackle that genre as it seems to be a difficult one.
The title track of this release is Hatsuzake. From what I understand about Enka, it's Japanese traditional popular music. So I'm guessing that for the average J-pop fan, it's not something they pick up on a regular basis. I know I don't. I can't really point anything out about the song because I'm very unfamiliar with the genre, but her voice is so gorgeous. It works so beautifully with the music. I don't understand why Enka singers do that....voice thing though. I don't exactly know how to explain it, and I've looked it up before, but I've never gotten a clear answer. It's so unique to me. The music video is as gorgeous as the song. Such beautiful scenery shots. 5/5.
The first B-side is a cover of AKB's Hakimono to Kasa no Monogatari from the Green Flash single. From my earlier review, I mentioned that I thought the song was extremely boring even though the music video was beautiful. I don't get that same feeling of sheer boredom from her version. I guess it's because she doesn't sound like she's just reading lyrics off a page and put some emotion into it.
Hakimono to Kasa no Monogatari (Karaoke)
The next B-side is a cover of Signal's song 20 Sai no Meguri Ai. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find the full version of this song to listen to, but I have heard the full version of the original song. It's such a nice, laid back song. I almost wish that I had bought the limited for it, but I ended up being cheap.
Original Song (if anyone's interested)
The final B-side of the single is her version of Let It Go. At this point, I don't care who it's by, I don't want to hear this song again. Just stop. Please. I beg you. What I do like about Misaki's version is that it's completely different from any of the versions I've heard before. The enka style works better than I thought it would. Still don't want to hear it though.
I do wish that Misaki would have more original songs. I don't know if covers are very prevalent in Enka, but my personal preference is to listen to songs by the original artist (which is why I don't give ratings to cover songs). Maybe if 48G would start using different songwriters like H!P is to allow for more original solo songs. 4/5.
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