[Song Review] Sakura Mau Saka wo, Kimi to Aruku by KOTOKO / Ashiato ~a Happiness Marker~ by Mami Kawada

KOTOKO's Sakura Mau Saka wo, Kimi to Aruku was used as the opening theme for tone works' eroge Hatsukoi 1/1. The ending theme, Ashiato ~a Happiness Marker~, was then sung by Mami Kawada. The eroge, along with the songs, was released this June 29, 2012.

Another KOTOKO x Mami Kawada tandem? Great. Once again, the biggest stars produced by I've collide for this special eroge in commemoration of Visual Art's 20th anniversary. Was this reunion any good?

Sakura Mau Saka wo, Kimi to Aruku
Lyrics: Okano Touya
Composition and Arrangement: Nakamaya Masato (Elements Garden)
Vocals: KOTOKO

A long title we got there, huh. Sakura Mau Saka wo, Kimi to Aruku sounds like your average eroge theme, with a non-Ive producer, of course, now that KOTOKO is out of the league. Nakamaya Masato have done songs for notable artists as Faylan, and Yui Sakakibara.

The instrumentals alone offer nothing astonishing or worthy of much praise nor attention. At the very least, it is an upbeat pop-ish work from Masato. It may sound a bit orchestraic and unoriginal, with only a few, light guitar riffs here and there but overall, it is lively enough for an opening theme.

What gives the song its larger fraction of life and vigor is the vocals. Once again, KOTOKO unfailingly delivered the song well with her signature sound all over it. We can say, perhaps, time and again, it has been proven that if KOTOKO is providing the vocals, the song may well be worth hearing, regardless of the producer.

However, as a whole song, Sakura Mau Saka wo, Kimi to Aruku can only be considered mediocre at best. Again, KOTOKO has done way better songs than this that fans could easily forget she had this track. Nonetheless, it is still nice and listenable for the most parts.

Rating: 7.5/10

Ashiato ~a Happiness Marker~

Lyrics: kai (mana)
Composition and Arrangement: Iuchi Maiko
Vocals: Kawada Mami

And we have a midtempo song too for the ending theme, as if to compete with the opening theme. Yet again, we're faced with the notion that midtempo songs almost always end up sounding generic, however, Ashiato ~a Happiness Marker~ is easily one of Mami's better songs in the same league.

Why? Mainly because the Mami Kawada and Maiko Iuchi tandem this time around managed to come up with a lovely eroge theme as this, fun, enjoyable, uplifting, nothing disappointing. Definitely an improvement over the tandem's previous work on Thankful ~Kiseki no Ashita e~ , the ending theme of NanaToki.

This song, somehow, proves how Mami is improving and developing as an artist in her own way, in her own pace, little by little. She has been doing surprisingly well lately, keeping the disappointments to an all time low since her debut.

In general, Ashiato ~a Happiness Marker~ is a nice song almost at par with Timeless time. Yet another great addition to Mami's ever-growing discography.

Rating: 7.7/10

And there goes another Mami Kawada x KOTOKO tandem for an eroge that we may not see again happening for an anime with the way things are right now, with their individual careers. Both songs embodied similar tunes and sounds that may sound generic, but then again, these songs are used for an eroge to commemorate the 20th anniversary of a company in the eroge industry. Having said that, it probably might be their goal to do so, so as to generate more of that eroge feel they used to bring all this time. And indeed, that feat was achieved.