The Late 1980's Sony All-Stars' J-POP Soundtracks - "CITY HUNTER Original Animation Soundtrack" CD Series [Ryozo Fuwa's "Anime no otto" Vol.04].

City Hunter Shinjuku Private Eyes the Movie" was released on February 8, 2019 on approximately 250 screens, and the number of theaters has continued to increase since then. The long run of "City Hunter," which was created in the 1980s, shows how strongly it has remained in the hearts of fans, and how long they have been waiting for its revival. The longevity of the film's run is well illustrated by its longevity. In this fourth installment of "Anime No Oto," we focus on the "CITY HUNTER Original Animation Soundtrack" CD series, released simultaneously by Sony Music Direct on February 27, 2019, to coincide with the release of this new theatrical production.

City Hunter" is based on a manga series by Tsukasa Hojo that began serialization in Weekly Shonen Jump (Shueisha) in 1985 and was adapted into an animated television series in 1987 (broadcast from April 6, 1987 to March 28, 1988), followed by "City Hunter 2" (broadcast from April 2, 1988 to July 1, 1989), "City Hunter 3" (broadcast from July 1, 1989), and "City Hunter 4" (broadcast from July 1, 1989). (broadcast from April 2, 1988 to July 1, 1989) and "City Hunter 3" (broadcast from October 15, 1989 to January 21, 1990). In addition, three film versions and TV specials continued to be produced until the end of the 1990s, making it one of the most popular works in the history of TV animation. This CD reissues the following five original soundtrack recordings that were released at the time of the first three seasons of the TV series, which served as the basis for the series.

CITY HUNTER Original Animation Soundtrack

(Original release date: June 3, 1987)

CITY HUNTER Original Animation Soundtrack Vol. 2

(Original release date: November 11, 1987)

CITY HUNTER 2 Original Animation Soundtrack Vol. 1

 (Original release date: June 22, 1988)

CITY HUNTER 2 Original Animation Soundtrack Vol. 2

 (Original release date: November 21, 1988)

CITY HUNTER 3 Original Animation Soundtrack Vol. 2 (original release date: November 21, 1988)

 (Original release date: December 01, 1989)

Many of the songs on these CDs are also used in the latest "City Hunter the Movie: Shinjuku Private Eyes," so these CDs are not only a reissue of the early TV series soundtrack, but also serve as a complement to the soundtrack of the latest film.

The relationship between the TV anime "City Hunter" and music reminds everyone of the strong presence of the theme songs and insert songs, which were created in collaboration with the most advanced J-POP artists of the time. As a symbol of this, these CDs are not pure BGM music collections, but rather soundtrack recordings in the form of "song and BGM collections" that also include plenty of theme songs and insert songs. The artists participating in this CD are from Sony labels, mainly EPIC Sony. In the music world of City Hunter, many of the leading artists that Sony was proud of in the late 80's participated.

The opening song for the first season of the TV series "City Hunter" (CH1) was "City Hunter: Ai yo naze nai nai" by Kaoru Kobirimaki, her fifth single since her debut in 1985, and the theme song for the NTV drama "Marriage Story" (1987), "Hold On Me. Hold On Me" (1987), the theme song for the Nippon Television drama "Kekkon Monogatari" (1987). The song became an indispensable representative song in her career, as it solidified her popularity and recognition as a talented singer, and was also her first appearance in the NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen later the same year. The ending theme was "Get Wild" by TM NETWORK, a song synonymous with City Hunter music, and the 10th single for TM NETWORK, which was followed by the 6th single "Come on Let's Dance" and the 9th single "Self Control (Ark ni Hik Hik Hik Hik Hik Hik Hik Hik Hikikaku)". It became the group's first single to reach the Oricon chart's top ten (No. 9), a feat not achieved by the 6th single "Come on Let's Dance" and the 9th single "Self Control (Ark ni Hikarete)". In addition, the song was aired on TV for about a year during the broadcast period of "CH1," and ranked in the top 100 for 26 weeks, leading to its long-lasting success, ranking 22nd in single sales in 1987 and totaling 231,000 copies sold. In 2017, the 30th anniversary of the song's release, the CD "GET WILD SONG MAFIA" (avex trax) was released, which contains 36 songs on 4 discs, including each version, cover, and remix of the song. It has become a special song that shines brightly in the history of Japanese popular music. Other artists who participated in "CH1" include: Honoshiyuki Osawa, Seimi Suzuki, Yoshiaki Ouchi, Yuko Otaki, Momoko Kitadai, and many others. BGM music is also provided by Ryoichi Kuniyoshi and Tatsumi Yano.

The opening music for the first season of the second "City Hunter 2" (hereinafter referred to as "CH2") was composed by "PSY-S," a unit consisting of Masaya Matsuura, a sound creator who makes full use of the "Fairlight CMI" music workstation equipment that cost over 10 million yen at the time, and CHAKA, a vocalist who boasts overwhelming singing ability. PSY-S (PSY-S) is a unit consisting of Masaya Matsuura, a sound creator who makes full use of the "Fairlight CMI" music workstation equipment, and CHAKA, a vocalist with overwhelming vocal ability. Their activities, which could not be categorized in any existing music genre, were symbolic of the futuristic, progressive, and transcendent sound that Sony was oriented toward at the time. This direction would lead to the PlayStation game "Parappa Rappa" (1996/Sony Computer Entertainment), for which Masaya Matsuura was in charge of music, becoming a worldwide smash hit as the "pioneer of music games. The ending theme song for the first season was "Super Girl" by Yasuyuki Okamura, who had provided songs for Koji Kikkawa, Misato Watanabe, Masayuki Suzuki, and others as a composer before his debut in 1986. He is also a gifted dancer. Other artists participating in "CH2" include FENCE OF DEFENSE, TM NETWORK, Ryo Ogura, and Jennifer Cihi. In addition, vocal songs by Akira Kamiya, who plays Akira Saeba, and Kazue Ikura, who plays Kaori Makimura, are used as insert songs. BGM music was also provided by Tatsumi Yano and Sachi Otani.

The opening song for the third season of "City Hunter 3" ("CH3") was "RUNNING TO HORIZON," the debut single by Tetsuya Komuro under his solo name. Unlike TM NETWORK as a band, where the three members' personalities blend together, the sound created by Tetsuya Komuro alone is reminiscent of TM NETWORK in 1994 (then called "TM NETWORK"). (TMN) in 1994, Komuro produced music for trf, globe, Namie Amuro, Tomomi Hanahara, and others, and his sound is reminiscent of the Komuro sound during the "TK Family" boom that painted the J-POP world in a single color. It is no exaggeration to say that "RUNNING TO HORIZON" contains the signs of J-POP of the 1990s. The CD "CITY HUNTER 3 Original Animation Soundtrack" contains only one BGM song, "REQUIEM (INSTRUMENTAL)" by Sachi Otani (but it is a magnificent song of over 10 minutes), and instead a mini-drama featuring Akira Kamiya, Kazue Ikura, Tetsuaki Genda as Umiboshi The soundtrack is also more conceptual in nature, with mini-dramas featuring Akira Kamiya, Kazue Ikura, and Tetsusho Genda as Kaibo, among others. And, of course, the album closes with the closing theme song, "If It's Hot, It's Hot," by Masayuki Suzuki's own sister, Masami Suzuki, who gained attention in 1987 with the smash hit "Lonely Chaplin" (Seimi Suzuki with Rats & Star). Other artists featured on "CH3" include Kirsten Steinhauer, Red Monster, Mari Nishizono, ANIMA, and Riko Kuhodome (not used in the film).

The use of artists already well-known in the pop and song world for anime theme songs is often referred to as "tie-up anime songs," although this perception came to be established in the 1980s when the use of artists who were not traditional "anime song singers" became more prominent, However, if we look back at the history of anime songs, there were already precedents in the early days of TV animation, such as Katsumi Shigeru in "Eightman" (1963) and Mizuhara Hiroshi in "Ninja Wind Kamui Gaiden" (1969). This "star-appointed" style of anime songs reached its peak with the participation of Kenji Sawada in the movie "Farewell Space Battleship Yamato: Warriors of Love" (1978), Godaigo in the movie "The Galaxy Express 999" (1979), and Anri in the TV animation "Cat's Eye" (1983).

However, the situation gradually changed in the 80s. Victor Music Industry (at that time) and Canyon Records (at that time), which entered the anime song market, began to try to hybridize idol songs and anime songs, and the number of artists who participated in this hybridization increased, including Nozomi Inoue for "Ohayou Spank" (1981), Sayaka Ito for "Sasuga no Sarutobi" (1982), Yoshimi Iwasaki for "Touch" (1985), and Yoshimi Iwasaki for "High School" (1985). Yoshimi Iwasaki in "High School! Kiwen-gumi" (1985), and Ushiroyubisaregumi and Ushiro-kami Hikare-tai in "High School! It can be said that the "idol tie-up type" of anime songs, which aimed for a synergistic effect, was established.

 The attempt to create an anime song in 1987 with "City Hunter" was a collaboration with a famous artist, but it was different from any of the above and showed the evolution of the anime song to the next level. The goal of "City Hunter" was the coexistence and co-prosperity of the musician's style and the visual work's style. For this purpose, singer-songwriters who could create urban, fast-moving music based on the "City Hunter" style, and sound creators like TM NETWORK and PSY-S, whose composition and arrangement were inseparable, were called upon, and whose tone itself was also a work of art. The realization of such "style-coexisting" animated songs requires careful coordination, understanding of the work, and consensus building on both the music and visual side. In fact, "City Hunter" music was able to achieve this level of affinity because of the time and effort that went into it.

Tetsuya Komuro explains how the song "Get Wild" was commissioned, noting that the song was not originally written for use in the "City Hunter" ending theme, but was created on the premise that it would be used as the theme.

We had a very careful meeting with the production company of the anime. The main story is still going on for a few seconds during the intro of the song, and then the song fades in and leads to the ending image. And at the timing of the transition, we had a specific order: "Make some kind of sound like an explosion.

At the time, communication between animators and musicians was finally beginning to take off, and I was pleased to hear such a specific suggestion. My intention was not to make a hit song for TM, but rather to make the main character, Akira Saeba, look cool, as if it were a soundtrack.

<Quotes from "Sound & Recording Magazine" (April 2006 issue, Ritto Music)

Michihiko Suwa, a Yomiuri TV (now Yomiuri TV) producer in charge of "City Hunter" production, recalls the following.

When I heard the demo, the intro was the finished version of "Get Wild" that everyone knows. I don't think the lyrics were in there yet. The request for "urban" and "fast and furious" was answered beautifully. However, I asked him to keep the intro quiet because it overlapped with the drama part of the song, but I thought it might be too quiet. I discussed this with Mr. Ueda (*Masuro Ueda, producer of Sunrise, the animation production company), and we decided to keep it this way since the dialogue and background music would overlap with the drama. I asked Mr. Yamaguchi (Sanpei Yamaguchi, director of EPIC Sony TM NETWORK) to complete the work.

At the time, we wanted to create a theme song that was not a "new anime song," but rather a "front cover and back cover" that would strengthen the world view of ......, one of the elements that make people love the program. I wanted to create a theme song that was not a "new anime song" at the time. However, the music is still the artist's, and the program receives the artist's energy. Therefore, it was important for us to create a wedge between the program and the artists. In that sense, the sound of "Get Wild" was all presented to us by TM NETWORK, and we were happy that they provided such a wonderful song.

<Quotes from "Sound & Recording Magazine" (June 2017 issue / Ritto Music)

I think you can see that the production of the theme song for "City Hunter" was clearly oriented from the beginning toward the "coexistence of styles" type, which is the third stage of tie-up anime songs following the "star-appointment type" and "idol tie-up type. The results of this approach showed the world the tremendous power of this type of anime song, and it has continued to be the ideal form of tie-up anime songs to this day.

The theme songs and insert songs of "City Hunter" from the 1980s, which are still echoing in the latest "City Hunter the Movie: Shinjuku Private Eyes," are the result of the combined efforts of the anime producers, who were searching for a new form of TV animation and anime songs for a new era, and the Sony artists, who tried their best to respond to the producers' wishes. The "City Hunter" theme songs and insert songs of the 1980s were the result of a concerted effort between the anime creators, who were searching for a new form of TV animation and anime songs for a new era, and Sony artists, who were trying their best to respond to their wishes. Although the theatrical screening of the film has ended, we hope that you will continue to see the sparkling brilliance that flew from the fierce competition between the two creators' spirits in video software and other media.

(Text by Ryozo Fuwa)

Product Information

CD "CITY HUNTER Original Animation Soundtrack

Release date: February 27, 2019

Original release date: June 3, 1987

Price: 2,500 yen (excluding tax)

Label: Sony Music Direct/GT music

Included contents

1. city hunter ~ai yo datte nai nai

2. COOL CITY

3. mr. private eye

MIDNIGHT LIGHTING (Instrumental) 5.

5. blue air message

6. get wild

THE BALLAD OF SILVER BULLET (Instrumental) 8.

8. WHAT'S GOIN' ON

9. BLOOD ON THE MOON (Instrumental)

10. give me your love tonight

CD "CITY HUNTER Original Animation Soundtrack Vol.2

Release date: February 27, 2019

Original release date: November 11, 1987

・Price: 2,500 yen (excluding tax)

Label: Sony Music Direct/GT music

Included contents

1. want your love

2. JUST A HUNTER (Instrumental)

3. go go heaven

4. fire with fire (Instrumental)

5. NEVER GO AWAY

6. never ending inclination

7. the shining of cat's eye (Instrumental)

8. foot steps

PARADISE ALLEY (Instrumental) 10.

10. casa nova from CASTLE in the sand

CD "CITY HUNTER 2 Original Animation Soundtrack Vol.1

Release date: February 27, 2019

Original release date: June 22, 1988

・Price: 2,500 yen (excluding tax)

Label: Sony Music Direct/GT music

Included contents

1. CHANCE

2. angel night ~tenshi no iru basho (single version)

DOMINO TARGET (Instrumental)

4. your secrets

5. city heat

FANTASTIC SPLASH (Instrumental)

7. earth - ark on the tree

8. NO NO NO NO

9. lady in the dark (Instrumental)

10. SUPER GIRL

11. lonelylullaby

CD "CITY HUNTER 2 Original Animation Soundtrack Vol.2

Release date: February 27, 2019

Original release date: November 21, 1988

・Price: 2,500 yen (excluding tax)

Label: Sony Music Direct/GT music

Included contents

1. name of the game

2. sara

3. gimme shock

4. crime and passion (instrumental)

5. WITHOUT YOU

6. party down

SNOW LIGHT SHOWER

HOLY NIGHT RHAPSODY (Instrumental)

9. ESCAPE

10. city sophisticate

11. SWEET TWILIGHT (Instrumental)

CD "CITY HUNTER 3 Original Animation Soundtrack

Release date: February 27, 2019

Original release date: December 01, 1989

Price: 2,500 yen (excluding tax)

Label: Sony Music Direct/GT music

Included contents

1. running to horizon

2. a love no one can change

3. FOREVER IN MY HEART

4. just like magic

5. shyly sexy

6. the pressure

7. CANDY

8. REQUIEM (Instrumental)

9. MIDNIGHT RAIN

10. if you become hot

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