AKB48′s Team Dragon Single Soars as a Success



Fresh off of their appearance at Anime Expo and their last release of Ponytail with Chouchou, AKB48′s newest single Wings of the Heart represents a new direction for the group as it’s their first time singing a theme song for an anime. While I’m far from the largest Dragon Ball fan, when I heard that AKB48 would be performing the ending theme I just had to go out and purchase the CD, Goku and all. My verdict? It’s great!

Distributed by Columbia Music, the release is divided up into seven different variations, each one featuring a different girl from AKB48′s Team Dragon. For those lucky enough to order the Special Edition, not only does it come packaged with a nicely wrapped AKB48 poster, but it also has a DVD, a card and an alternative slip cover for the back.

Although the DVD is region-2 encoded, it’s extremely entertaining and features three different parts. Number one, is the PV for Wings of the Heart (心の羽根). Inspired by the Capsule Corporation in the Dragon Ball Universe, the video takes place in a cyberpunk world where the girls are living normal lives as factory workers until they begin to meet up and essentially fly into the sky. Inter-spliced are a series of minuets where the girls are performing their choreographed dance to the song. The second part features a live performance at Japan’s JCB Hall, but it is the third part that was the most interesting and entertaining piece, in my opinion. The girls visit Toei Studios and try their hand at basic voice acting! Each of the DVDs are unique as each girl presents her own variation of the scene.

Musically, I personally find this single to be slightly more enjoyable than Ponytail with Chouchou. Both of the offerings here are enjoyable and Rain Throughout the World (世界中の雨) provides a nice contrast to the otherwise perky theme of Wings of the Heart. Kamehameha!

Pros:

  • The amount of offerings and bonus items in the limited edition is outstanding!
  • Two solid tracks, with a nice contrast of styles.
  • The DVD is loaded heavily with a plethora of content.

Cons:

  • No PV for Sekaijuu no Ame (世界中の雨).


------

Tags: , ,