Sayonara Memories (さよならメモリーズ – Sayonara Memorizu) is supercell’s follow up to Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari, acting as their second single to be released. The A-Side was apparently rumoured to feature as the theme song for the manga to live-action movie adaption of ソラニン (Solanin). However these rumors proved to be more than a false blip on the radar as it was mere confusion among certain people due to the coincidence that Takahiro Miki (Director of Sayonara Memories PV) also directed the live-action Solanin. In fact the second single, Sayonara Memories has no association with any external media of any sort. Sayonara Memories is supercell’s first true professional single written in the essence of their style for fans. The A-Side again provides that upbeat track filled with a band ensemble, while the B-Side provides fans a new twist in their music, dipping their toes into the style of jazz, but only ever so slightly. Finally, the third track provides supercell fans with a sweet acoustic ballad. The single was released in February 10th, 2010.

Cherry blossoms by SoraBelle

Sayonara Memories again features nagi as supercell’s main vocals for the entire single, while at the present time is still not officially a member of supercell. Having already worked for ryo once already in the anime ED centric single, Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari, ryo had no second thought of employing nagi once again to express his lyrics accompanied by his compositions.

This single features all songs written and composed by ryo. Sayonara Memories topped the Oricon Top 10 Charts, peaking at place number 7 where it also debuted and peaked the Billboard Japan Hot 100 at number 31 for 14 weeks. The single album was released in two different formats where one featured an extra DVD showcasing a PV for the Side-A, Sayonara Memories.

The artwork this time is illustrated by redjuice. Rather featuring his usual digitally rendered illustrations based on the style of manga, redjuice approached the cover art to be illustrated in a more traditional look with the help of digital media and methods like Photoshop and Paint Tool SAI. redjuice himself mentions that his digital drawings are done on computer and edited to give a watercolor effect, simulating a nostalgic sort of emotion. Like Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari, ryo provided a demo mix of Sayonara Memories to prompt Usa and redjuice to design the artwork near October 2009.

The artwork features warm colors and cherry-blossom (Sakura) petals fluttering around a high school girl. Thematically based on school, redjuice got a strong school connotation or impression from the song after just hearing the introduction to the song. Using a shoujo manga style and watercolor like aesthetics, Usa felt it emitted a nostalgic and retro vibe. The supposedly jacket image was used to promote the single, listing the image as an artists artwork instead of commercial.

Sayonara Memories is strongly based on the month February. February usually represents the month of new beginnings and romance featuring St. Valentine’s Day. However in Japan, February doesn’t just signify new beginnings, it also marks the end of school terms in Japan also known as graduation season.

In Japan, school starts in April, which is the peak month for cherry-blossoms to bloom. However the single is centric on the element of meeting people and saying good-bye having February as a month to rekindle those memories made under last year’s cherry-blossoms, but also focuses on the factor of hope for future plans, as we begin to move on looking forward to make new connections. ryo wanted to communicate this sort of sentiment through this theme by using February as a time to end relationships but also to expect the new friendships people may encounter.

Review:

Track 1 – (さよならメモリーズ (Sayonara Memorizu)

A Love Confession

After a long period of time had passed, I wasn’t expecting to hear from supercell again so soon. It was very sudden as well. After browsing through websites in the middle of February, I stumbled upon the words “Sayonara Memories by supercell”. I thought to myself, that I thought I had missed out on something but I was very excited to go check out the song itself online. After quickly playing through it just once on YouTube. I knew this song was instantly something so much more than Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari.

It was never in my expectations for this song to actually succeed all of supercell’s previous songs. It was pure bliss. Sayonara Memories starts off nice and slow, similar to Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari with just the piano and nagi’s voice. Only this time the introduction sounded like a school song or anthem that students would sing during assembly or at a school gathering. From there, the tempo instantly transitions to a high pace beat streamlining an ensemble of stringed-instruments into the band. The strings smoothly lead into a mini solo-like guitar riff which is very striking to the mind. Every time you hear that riff, you instantly recall the song. Not only that, nagi’s vocals are much softer this time around, not intensity-wise but emotionally. The smooth vocals and her unique tone complements the string ensemble extremely well. The entire song flows extravagantly, lyrically and composition wise.

The featured song again features the topic of unrequited love just like Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari, but the result is bitter sweet this time rather than full of regret which makes the song more appealing. In the lyrics we are able to experience a tale of a young high school girl who talks about her unrequited love and how she is unable to convey her feelings to this person who she has loved for so long. At the end of her journey of the school year she has to part ways and say good-bye to this person but she holds one regret being unable to tell this person that she loves him. There are cute moments in the song such as the anecdote of taking a detour to spend more time with her loved one. Still reliant on the theme of memories and reminiscing, the girl looks into the present and witnesses the cherry-blossoms bloomed earlier than she thought. The cherry-blossoms blooming early in February symbolizes change with relationship like ryo had mentioned, so we hear a very meaningful confession at the end of the song.

Even though they go separate ways, the bitter moment of being unable to tell her loved one that she always liked him, is met with a sweet motion completing the song. The theme of the song and choice of instruments fit the song very well as strings are used amplify the nostalgic feel and reminiscent moments in the singer’s life. The song doesn’t feature the electric guitar as prominently as Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari but is used more of a subtle support and uses solid riff to bridge together a powerful composition. Again this song features no real solo involved but this time it’s actually rather fitting not to include one. It’s just a bridge that show cases the powerful change in the characters heart. After the bridge there is break situated, where only nagi performs a solo. It acts sort of like a monologue asking to why things are as the way they are.

I absolutely love the part when she utters the words “分かんないよ (I don’t get it at all)”, you can literally hear the emotion of anguish. While the outro also proves to be an important segment featuring the love confession, “ああ　やっと言えた (Ah I’ve finally said it)” and ending the song. The song is written beautifully featuring the characteristics of adolescence, the song provides a strong build up in telling the story through it’s lyrics. Instruments and vocals never clash or undermine each other. This synthetic pop truly expresses a powerful song filled with emotion that deserves to win the hearts of many.

Lyrics:

Track 2 – 教えてあげる (Oshiete Ageru)

Tsundere

I’ll Teach You was a total twist for me. This B-Side features a more distinctive vibe as it dives into a very remote jazz-pop like genre. It starts the song off on a high note with nagi belting over the top of her lungs like Miku does ‘World is Mine’. Actually if you take a look at the lyrics for both songs, they are in fact extremely similar in terms of characteristics of the persona singing. Both song features a dominant female who takes control of the relationship over the male. The only difference here is that World is Mine features a more narcissistic approach where Miku sings about her being a princess while this one spares the male here in taking forward the relationship when in fact there irony that Oshiete Ageru is about telling the male how to behave.

In terms of lyrics it’s extremely playful just like World is Mine. You can even call Oshiete Ageru in essence ‘World is Mine Sequel’. What surprised me most in terms of instrumentation is the lack of a guitar in the song. The electric distorted instrument that subtly plays a supporting jazz rhythm is none other than the bass. While that may be the case for this song, it isn’t surprising that this song omitted the guitar as the main feature is the piano, the highlight for this song’s jazz chords and riffs. The guitar after all, isn’t technically a jazz instrument but a solo instrument, one may say rhythm suffices, but the bass has taken the job. This song also features a really nice piano solo, centric on the theme of jazz and the upbeat mood it emulates. Lyric-wise, this song is also very fun to follow.

This girl literally tells the guy in the relationship how to act in front of her, “どんなときでも電話したら3コール以内に出る事ねえ　これって基本 (No matter when I phone you, you’d better pick up within three calls. Hey this is basic stuff)”. Of course her demands don’t really end there, where she continues to lead her bashful ways teasing the guy by telling him to open his mouth to feed him and go ‘yeah right, like I’d feed you.’ It’s extremely evident the character is tsundere, where one acts in a cold manner to attract attention to oneself. The crashing of the drums, complicated drum rolls also add a sense urgency or beat to the entirety of the composition giving it a feel of groove or funk. I like how nagi whispers “my good boy,” like she’s directing it at the male telling him to be obedient and “just accept things.” Overall this song was a extremely pleasant surprise. You can definitely hear nagi’s demands being over-the-top and overruling. The way she expresses her tone here also interprets well into teasing or playful voice as well adding to the song’s lyrics and overall feel.

This song actually makes me want to meet this specific girl because Oshiete Ageru has a real character or persona involved and the song is extremely engaging. All in all, this song teasingly playful and I’d very like to meet this tsundere.

Lyrics:

Track 3 – 約束をしよう (Yakusoku wo Shiyou)

100 Masters of Bishojo

Let’s Promise is a short and sweet acoustic ballad that features nagi’s voice in a pure manner. Yakusoku wo Shiyou takes a break from all the high paced beats and chords by laying down a soothing vocal arrangement and tranquil acoustics in the background. nagi’s voice and tone here is quiet and reluctant, you can tell by the restrained voice but during the short chorus’ you can hear bursting with emotion telling about her memories.

This song mainly focuses on a break up, where the female is comforting the male in their courtship telling him that they had good times together but it’s time to move on and to forget her. I like how the lyrics are about something sad, yet it brings a positive outlook instead of the sorrow one usually feels in a break up. The soothing vocals accompanied with the supportive lyrics showcase the ballad as one of the stronger songs in the single here. Sometimes less is more. And Yakusoku wo Shiyou defines this perfectly, about a promise to move and to help guide a girl if she is ever lost in the vast world. There’s not much to say here about the song but a beautiful comforting note.

I would like to point out the allusion the lyrics direct my attention towards, which is that the girl seems to be attached to the boy even though she is tell him to move on. This automatically indicates some sort of forced separation like this girl is moving away. Yet she tells him to forget about her, instead of keeping contact. The connection present before us is strong. Even though I dislike the theme of death, this may be a possibility if you keep close to the lyrics underlying message. This all comes through interpretation, but again this is a song about moving forward, likewise with all the other songs within this single. Beautifully written, this is a strong ballad many will love to hear.

Lyrics:

Music Video

Sayonara Memories PV

The music video this time around is done much more professionally than Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari, which I refuse to review, due to the lack of professionalism. ryo this time seems to be  involved with the creation process of the actual music video.

Now one very important thing should be noted before I move on. ryo, supercell nor nagi ever show up in the music video. supercell continues to elude fans with their true identity even now, which I guess adds a mysterious appeal towards their group. The girl that plays as the main vocalist in the PV is actually an actress, 佐倉絵麻 (Ema Sakura).

She was selected in the audition to play as the high school girl who chases her true emotions to reveal her confession to her loved one. One complaint that I do hold for the PV is that some parts of the lip syncing don’t seem very sincere. What I mean is that the emotion feels fake, it’s actually usually better if the actual vocalist lip syncs in the PV due to their connection with song or actual understanding with it. Other than that, seeing Ema dressed up like the girl on the single album cover draws extreme similarities between the two.

The PV again depicts another story for us. It starts us off where with Ema sighing at the fact she is still holding on to her love letter at home instead of presenting to the guy she holds affection for. As she drifts off into her dreams, her ‘other self’ which represents her true feelings takes the letter as a projection. A chase ensues leading Ema back to her high school where the cherry blossoms sweep down and remind her about her in high school. And in turn she plays out a chance to hand her love letter this time to her loved one. Finally accepting the fact she was able to admit them, she smiles  as the cherry blossoms flutter in the serene view. Now the PV isn’t actually all that different like Kimi no Shiranai Mongatari was, instead of a worded confession, visually a love letter works better for the PV.

Analyzing the projections or animations we were given were on a satisfactory scale due to some cheesy effects. The projections worked well emitting a memory or nostalgic effect like the cover art did to a moving visual aspect. The music video here works surprisingly well due to it’s actual relevance to the lyrics, however some points are taken off for some weak overall finishing touches like with a minor part of the animations and uninvolved lip syncing.

PV earns a 7 out of 10.

Overview:

Sayonara Memories is absolutely the most amazing single I have ever heard. I’m not saying this because I like supercell as a band or a group. supercell truly have outdone themselves with this single album. It incorporates a very cultural theme in three different songs that take on different genres between each song. All tell a beautiful tale through the talented new coming singer, nagi and she does an extremely wonderful job in doing so. Story wise, the lyrics don’t feel repetitive like Western ballads nor do they become vague to listeners. The songs literally become a explosive image in the form of music with the wonderful composition done by ryo.

I definitely would’ve like Sayonara Memories be connected with some anime OP or ED due it’s great reference to romance. Their experimental value also ranks high with the use of discordant jazz within Oshiete Ageru placing this single in my top ten list. I don’t expect many artists to pump out amazing single albums from time to time again. However the times are changing and I’ll have to look out for supercell with much more of my attention now. With that said…

Sayonara Memories rightfully deserves a 10 out of 10.

Cover Element by nagi & redjuice

Trivia: nagi is credited for helping the illustration of the butterfly on the album cover.

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