i had a genuine "NEED TO FIND A TABLE TO FLIP" moment, by the end of the PV all i could think is how original S/mileage would have killed this song vocally. and it enraged me knowing we will never get that. >< the PV is pretty, the outfits do not match but it's not the first time H!P's done that, and the dance is really good from what i can see.. but vocally just had so much more potential. D:
this was definitely Kanyon's song, she sounds amazing.
Dawa is strongest at the softer lines, her higher notes sound a little weaker than i remember her being. Take-chan was great technically, but there is a perfect example of how i think her voice sounds a little off-putting when in close proximity to some of the other voices (the pitchy ones, which is almost all of them in S/mileage.. Kanyon, Dawa & Meimi in particular). i think i'm having a Koha-like reaction to her.. i hated hearing Koha's voice in Morning Musume songs, but i loved her solo. makes me think Take-chan should get a solo gig for an anime.. and leave S/m. with the added bonus of actually being an amazing dancer and a really good singer.
i actually liked Rina's lines, so i kinda wish this was just a Kanyon, DAWA & Rina song. i liked Kananan's lower register (looks like they finally gave her something in her range!) but she's still shaky even in the studio version, makes me afraid of what she's going to sound like live. Meimi sounded fine technically in this song, but her overly cutesy voice (when your voice stands out as the most cutesy/high-pitched in S/MILEAGE of all groups, you know that's saying something) just doest go with this style. and i know she's not going to sound so good live.... D: *dreading*
anyway, yeah. i had the opposite reaction to AyuHikaru's.. i've been seeing them more and more as a cohesive group, but then in songs like these their disjointedness stands out all the more. it's like none of them go together, or at least not all of them go together.. it should be broken up like this: Kanyon & Dawa / Take-chan & Rina / Meimi & Kananan
Dawa would also fit with Meimi & Kananan, but i put her with Kanyon due to age. ideally Rina would just go back to being an egg and Take-chan could go solo, but i decided to ignore her utter dullness and just place her based on who she fits with vocally. Rina's voice is kind of softer and soothing, which is what i think Take-chan's voice needs. Meimi & Kananan are quite matched in terms of personality, image, and if they both become stable in their singing i think their voices would actually mesh nicely.