Kokia - Tatta Hitotsu no Omoi

To commemorate Funimation’s license of Gunslinger Girl yet again (they got the first season as well), I’ll be writing up something on the 2nd OP single, which I’ve been listening to over and over and over again (and have actually been singing it in the shower lulz).

The cover artwork is drawn incredibly well and mimics the mosaic-style artwork found in the OP sequence which you can view on YouTube over here. You can also listen to the full song over here. Since the 2nd season focuses on Triela’s inner and physical struggle against Pinnochio, she is aptly shown on the CD cover reflecting on her past actions and mistakes.

Both songs on the disc are sang by KOKIA. This is my first time listening to her songs even though according to the Wikipedia article, she is supposed to be quite popular beyond the Japanese visual culture world.

I have always liked songs that use a strong piano base (including Hirano Aya’s Bouken Desho Desho, the Haruhi OP). In Tatta Hitotsu no Omoi ( たった1つの想い), KOKIA combines her powerful voice with persisting and echoing electric guitar rifts. In fact, a huge part of what makes the song incredibly enjoyable are the guitar rifts. While the guitar seems like generic support at first, a guitar solo is played just before KOKIA lets rip the decisive bridge of the song, which I actually enjoy much more than the bridge itself. In fact it is only upon re-listening to the song a second time that it dawned on me that the guitar is the true melody of the song and the piano only acts as a mere base. Something I would have never realised had I not purchased the OP single and listened to the song fully on a competent sound system.

This became even more obvious when the off-vocal version of the song started playing (track 3). In fact, the off-vocal versions are so well composed that they do well to stand alone as isolated instrumentals. Upon recognising this, I let the CD repeat itself anytime between 10-20 times as I lay on the bed with my eyes closed, savouring the musical splendour.

In stark contrast to the main single, the accompanying single (track 2) was slow and sorrowful instead of being fast-paced and decisive. It radiates its own unique beauty and reflects Triela’s other non-violent side: the role she plays as an older sister and emotional guardian to the other cyborgs.

Needless to say if you’re a Gunslinger Girl fan, you should procure this CD asap. Even if you have issues with the 2nd season, I’d say it acts as a good auxillary image album for Triela even if you just read the manga alone. Order a copy now, and I swear you won’t regret it.