However, I do have some familiarity with sajou no hana through reviewing some other songs by the act. I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve heard by sajou no hana up to this point, so when I learned that the act had released another anime theme song, I knew I needed to check it out.

Musically, “Eternel” is a slow-to-midtempo J-pop track with an arrangement that features strings, piano, and acoustic guitar. I love the sweeping and dramatic feel of the musical break that appears about halfway through, because I think this helps to enhance an already strong arrangement. I also thought the cold and sudden ending of the track was effective and helped to emphasize the vibe that the song is going for. The sound of the track is beautiful, and it has the right sound for the ending theme of an anime series. However, the sound of the track isn’t generic or derivative. The vocal performance is strong here, and the delivery does a great job of complementing the emotions that the music conveys.

I listened to “Eternel” on Spotify, so I didn’t have easy access to an English translation of the lyrics. As of this writing, an English translation hasn’t been posted onto the internet. However, I think both the music and the vocal performance give the listener an idea of the emotional intent of the lyrics, even without understanding what exactly is being sung.

I may not be watching the simulcast for the I Want to Love You Till Your Dying Day anime, but if I was, this is a song that I would look forward to hearing each week.

Fans of sajou no hana and of the I Want to Love You Till Your Dying Day anime will likely have the greatest appreciation for “Eternel,” but I think that J-pop listeners may find something to enjoy here as well. As for western music audiences, I believe the song could potentially appeal to pop music listeners who don’t mind hearing a song that’s being performed in a foreign language.

(reviewed by Lesley Aeschliman on July 15, 2026)

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I do have some familiarity with karanoah through listening to and reviewing their song, “BAN.” While that song may not have necessarily grabbed my attention, I was still willing to give the band another chance.

Musically, “Bakemon” is a midtempo J-rock track that leans a little more toward the pop side of things. Even though it’s a midtempo arrangement, it still has a catchy feel to it. I really liked the breakdown in the latter part of the track, where the music becomes more minimal as the vocalist performs. In some respects, it kind of makes me think of some of the shonen anime theme songs from the 2000’s, so I’m thinking the sound of the era may have influenced this track. It’s obviously not an anime theme from 20 years ago, though, because the production sounds too modern. The vocalist for karanoah sounds great on this song, and the delivery captures the vibe that the music is going for.

I listened to “Bakemon” on Spotify, so I didn’t have easy access to an English translation of the lyrics. As of this writing, it appears that an English translation hasn’t been posted onto the internet. However, I found that I didn’t need to know what exactly was being sung in order to appreciate the song.

I may not be watching the simulcast for the second cour of the Yoroi-Shinden Samurai Troopers anime, but if I was, this is a song that I would look forward to hearing each week.

Fans of karanoah and of the Yoroi-Shinden Samurai Troopers anime will likely have the greatest appreciation for “Bakemon,” but I think that J-pop and J-rock listeners may find something to enjoy here as well. As for western music audiences, I believe the song could potentially appeal to pop music and pop rock listeners who don’t mind hearing a song that’s being performed in a foreign language.

(reviewed by Lesley Aeschliman on July 15, 2026)

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Musically, “Thunderbolt” is a catchy midtempo J-pop track, with an arrangement that combines electronic and rock elements. There’s an awesome breakdown during a musical break that also includes a spoken word section that leads into a more intense sound for the arrangement before returning to the track’s lighter feel to bring the song to its conclusion. This has a great sound for the opening theme of an anime, and it’s a song that should get the audience pumped up at the beginning of each episode. Yuuri has a good voice, and the delivery captures an emotional intensity that complements the vibe that the music is going for.

I listened to “Thunderbolt” on Spotify, so I didn’t have easy access to an English translation of the lyrics. However, I did locate an English translation that’s been posted onto the internet. Reading through the translation, the lyrics seem like they may have taken some inspiration from the anime that it’s being used for. However, the lyrics are written in a way where they could be given a more universal meaning outside of the anime.

I may not be watching the simulcast for the Thunder 3 anime, but if I was, this is a song that I would look forward to hearing each week.

Fans of Yuuri and of the Thunder 3 anime will likely have the greatest appreciation for “Thunderbolt,” but I think that J-pop listeners may find something to enjoy here as well. As for western music audiences, I believe the song could potentially appeal to pop music listeners who don’t mind hearing a song that’s being performed in a foreign language.

(reviewed by Lesley Aeschliman on July 15, 2026)

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I was 25 years old when “He Loves U Not” was released as a single, and I loved this dance-pop/R&B song the very first time I heard it. It’s got a catchy musical arrangement that perfectly fits the attitude behind the song’s lyrics, which are from the point of view of a girl confronting another girl who’s trying to steal her boyfriend. The group members’ vocal deliveries help to accentuate the lyrics’ attitude, and you believe that they mean the words that they’re singing. A little over 25 years later, and I still think this is a bop. Admittedly, the arrangement does sound a little derivative for its era, but I think the sass in the vocal delivery helps to offset that issue a little bit. To me, this song is among the standout pop singles that were released in 2000.

Unfortunately for Dream, “He Loves U Not” ended up being the biggest single of their career. Its follow-up, “This Is Me,” only managed to peak at number 39 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2001, a remixed version of “This Was Me” and featured an appearance by a rapper named Kain. This remixed version failed to chart at all on the Billboard Hot 100. The group released “Crazy” as the lead-off single for their second album, but it failed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100. The album, Reality, had its release repeatedly postponed by the label, and was finally only made available digitally from the French Virgin Megastore website. The group essentially disbanded in 2003.

In 2015, Dream announced they would be making a comeback, and they released two songs: a studio recording of “O Holy Night” in December 2015 and “I Believe” in August 2016. Just two months later, it was announced that Dream had disbanded again.

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However, I do have some familiarity with Masayoshi Oishi through reviewing several of his songs. Even though my experience with his material has been a mixed bag, I’m still willing to give his songs a chance.

Musically, “High Maintenance Girl” is a midtempo J-pop track with a bit of a rock lean to it. Even though it’s a midtempo track, it’s still got a playful and bouncy feel to it which helps to make it a theme song for an anime series that will get the audience pumped up for each week’s episode. Horns play a major part in the arrangement, and I love the vibe that they add to the song. In the latter part of the track, there’s a musical break with a focus on guitar and piano that adds a nice texture to the arrangement. Masayoshi’s vocal performance is a perfect fit for the vibe that the music is going for.

I listened to “High Maintenance Girl” on Spotify, so I didn’t have easy access to an English translation of the lyrics. As of this writing, it appears that an English translation hasn’t been posted onto the internet. However, I found that I didn’t need to know what exactly was being sung in order to enjoy the song.

I may not be watching the simulcast for the Hanaori-san Still Wants to Fight in the Next Life anime, but if I was, this is a song that I would look forward to hearing each week.

Fans of Masayoshi Oishi and of the Hanaori-san Still Wants to Fight in the Next Life will likely have the greatest appreciation for “High Maintenance Girl,” but I think that J-pop listeners may find something to enjoy here as well. As for western music audiences, I believe the song could potentially appeal to pop music listeners who don’t mind hearing a song that’s being performed in a foreign language.

(reviewed by Lesley Aeschliman on July 14, 2026)

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However, I have some familiarity with SPYAIR through theme songs for the Haikyu!! and Samurai Flamenco anime, as well as from reviewing “Ao” and “Kill The Noise.” I’ve enjoyed what I’ve heard, so when I saw that the band had released another anime theme song, I knew I needed to check it out.

Musically, “Awake” is an uptempo and catchy J-rock track. There are a couple of sonic shifts that take place, with one being a musical break where the arrangement becomes much more intense and the vocals are closer to growling and screaming than to the vocal delivery used in the rest of the song. However, I thought these sonic shifts sound natural and effective, and they add a great texture to the arrangement. The track has the right sound for the opening theme of an anime series without sounding generic. The vocalist for SPYAIR does a great job with the singing, growling, and screaming, and the delivery is the cherry on top of this musical confection.

I listened to “Awake” on Spotify, so I didn’t have easy access to an English translation of the lyrics. As of this writing, it appears that an English translation hasn’t been posted onto the internet. However, I found that I didn’t need to know what exactly was being sung in order to appreciate the track.

I may not be watching the simulcast for The Exiled Heavy Knight Knows How to Game the System anime, but if I was, this is a song that I would look forward to hearing each week.

Fans of SPYAIR and of The Exiled Heavy Knight Knows How to Game the System anime will likely have the greatest appreciation for “Awake,” but I think that J-rock listeners may find something to enjoy here as well. As for western music audiences, I believe the song could potentially appeal to rock music listeners who don’t mind hearing a song that’s primarily performed in a foreign language.

(reviewed by Lesley Aeschliman on July 14, 2026)

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Electronic band The Azoic released its third album, forward… in 2001. The group came to our attention through the Retrial Mix of the song “Not Justified” that appeared on the State of Synthpop 2003 compilation album. We liked what we heard, so when we were later able to track down a used copy of the forward… album, we decided to pick it up. However, it’s been a while since I’ve heard this album in its entirety, so I decided to take the opportunity to listen to it again and write this review.

The album opens with “Not Justified,” a midtempo track combining elements from synthpop and industrial music, as well as a touch of goth as well. Lead singer Kristy Venrick’s vocal performance does a great job of selling the song’s lyrics, as well as complementing the vibe that the musical arrangement is going for. I like this song is both its original version and the remix that I was familiar with before getting this album, and I think this version is a great way to start the album. It helps to set the listener’s expectations for the material that’s to follow on this release.

Next is “Lost,” a mid-to-uptempo track which leans more toward the electropop and synthpop side of things, but it also includes some vocal parts that add a bit of a gothic feel to the arrangement. Some of the vocals in the song sound like they’re coming from a distance, but I think that works with the idea of being lost. Kristy does a great job with the vocals here, and at times, her delivery almost have a hypnotic feel to them. The combination of the catchy musical arrangement and Kristy’s vocals create a fantastic track. To me, “Lost” is among the standouts on forward…

This is followed by “Evolution,” a midtempo track that combines elements from electropop with elements from industrial music, but it leans more in the industrial side than “Not Justified” does. However, unlike the previous two tracks, the vocals are provided by Steve Laskarides rather than by Kristy Venrick. Steve’s delivery reminds me a lot of vocalists of industrial bands like KMFDM and BiGod 20, and he does a great job with his performance. While “Evolution” leans more into industrial than the previous two tracks on the album, it still fits in sonically with the rest of the album.

“Progression” returns to more of a electropop and synthpop vein for its musical arrangement, although I can hear some hints of a gothic vibe in its intro. Lyrically, the song seems to be from the point of view of a speaker who’s having problems moving on from their past and addressing someone close to them who’s been trying to help the speaker. Kristy’s vocal performance captures the speaker’s emotions and sells the lyrics. Her vocals also do a great job of complementing the vibe that the musical arrangement is going for. To me, this is another standout track on forward…

Next is “Harsh Reality,” an electronic track whose intro almost sounds like it takes some inspiration for Moby’s mid-90’s material, specifically the Everything Is Wrong era. When it goes past the intro, though, the song is a hybrid of electropop/synthpop and industrial. But for this song, the electropop/synthpop elements are more prominent. Lyrically, this song appears to be from the point of view of a speaker who’s gone through a lot of hurt in a relationship, and the speaker has been emotionally damaged in the process. The “harsh reality” seems to be that the speaker believes that they won’t be able to move on from the hurt, which Kristy perfectly captures with her vocal performance. In my opinion, this is another great track on the album.

This is followed by “Redemption,” which has a more intense electropop vibe to its musical arrangement, with the intensity coming from the incorporation of some industrial elements. There’s a very harsh electronic sound that appears at times in the second half of the song, and I have to admit that I found this particular sound to be grating. Because of that, my enjoyment of the track was diminished during the second half. The vocal performance by Kristy is good on here, but it’s not enough to make up for the harsher sound of the arrangement in the song’s latter half. Because of it, this is a song that I’m personally more likely to skip when I listen to this release.

The final song for the main portion of forward… is “Carve Into You.” The intro opens samples of people that appear to be making references to genocide. These samples have a stronger meaning to me at the time I’m writing this review due to current events than they would have had when this album was released about 25 years ago. The intro for this track has a “military march” feel to its percussion before launching into the main song, and this feels appropriate with the samples. The lyrics for the song make allusions to war and genocide, and the electropop/industrial hybrid of the musical arrangement add the appropriate haunting feel for lyrics with this kind of theme. Kristy’s vocal performance does a great job of capturing the song’s message. “Carve Into You” is another standout on this release.

The remaining four tracks on forward… are three remixes of “Progression” and one remix of “Evolution.”

“Progression [Dirge]” is a remix by Assemblage 23. This intro of the mix slows the tempo of the track down, and the arrangement is stripped down to a more minimal sound. But when the actual mix kicks in, there’s a much fuller arrangement and the BPM picks back up. The intro is given an interesting vibe, and “Progression” is given a sound that takes inspiration from the original track but still gives the arrangement a different feel. This is a good remix of the song.

The Pinchita Mix of “Progression” was done by Fiction8. Musically, this is a bit closer to the original track sonically, but Fiction8 has put enough of their touch on it that you can tell that it isn’t the original. When I listened to this remix, I thought it gives “Progression” a sound that was a little more friendly for the early 2000’s dance clubs. I also thought that this was a good mix of the song.

The final remix of “Progression” was done by Oneiroid Psychosis, and the intro has been given more of an atmospheric feel, and the tempo has also been slowed down. Once the remix gets going, the slower tempo remains, but the arrangement builds into a fuller sound that has a strong focus on the percussion. Of the three remixes, I think this remixer took the most chances with their mix and created a different interpretation of the song. Of the three remixes of “Progression,” I would say that this one is the strongest.

The Dillusional Mix of “Evolution” was done by Flesh Field. It dials back some of the industrial elements of the original track in the intro and gives it more of an intense electropop vibe. I also liked how the intro and a musical break incorporated some choral-like vocals that gave those sections a bit more of a gothic feel. The main track still has a strong industrial feel to its musical arrangement. It’s a pretty good remix of “Evolution.”

Overall, I would have to say that The Azoic’s forward… is a pretty strong album from the early 2000’s underground electronic music scene. The only real complaint I have is the arrangement for the song “Redemption.” Outside of that, the album works well as both individual songs and as a cohesive album. The songs have a strong flow from one to next, and this even includes the remixes that are included at the end of the disc.

forward… is an album that I would recommend to readers who have an interest in electronic music, especially in the electropop and industrial parts of the scene.

(reviewed by Lesley Aeschliman on July 14, 2026)

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However, I do have some familiarity with Maaya Uchida through listening to and reviewing her song, “CHA∞IN.” I enjoyed what I heard, so when I saw that she released another anime theme song, I knew I needed to check it out.

Musically, “Very good encount” is an upbeat and catchy J-pop track that, at times, has a bit of a rock feel to it instead of the very pop-flavored vibe that a lot of the arrangement has. The transition between the two styles is really smooth, and the combination of the two styles works for what the track is going for. Although I’m a little surprised that this is being used as the ending theme instead of the series’ opening theme. But if the anime itself is more light-hearted and comedic in nature, then this might be a good fit to end each episode on. Maaya’s vocal performance has a slight hint of a “cutesy” feel to it, but this works with the sound of the music. She sounds good and her delivery doesn’t sound forced.

I listened to “Very good encount” on Spotify, so I didn’t have easy access to an English translation of the lyrics. As of this writing, it appears that an English translation hasn’t been posted onto the internet. However, I found that I didn’t need to understand what exactly was being sung in order to appreciate the song.

I may not be watching the simulcast for the Hanaori-san Still Wants to Fight in the Next Life anime, but if I was, this is a song that I would look forward to hearing each week.

Fans of Maaya Uchida and of the Hanaori-san Still Wants to Fight in the Next Life anime will likely have the greatest appreciation for “Very good encount,” but I think J-pop listeners may find something to enjoy here as well. As for western music audiences, I believe the song could potentially appeal to pop music listeners who don’t mind hearing a song that’s being performed in a foreign language.

(reviewed by Lesley Aeschliman on July 13, 2026)

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Musically, “Soarin’” is a mid-to-uptempo pop track that combines both electronic and rock elements in its musical arrangements. The vibe of the track gives the listener the feel of soaring through the sky. Admittedly, this isn’t a sound that I would associate with an anime theme song, but I give Ginger Root credit for trying to do something different and unexpected. There’s a bit of processing done on the vocals, but for a song like this, the processed vocals make sense. Having said all this, though, the style and feel of this track doesn’t appeal much to me personally.

I listened to “Soarin’” on Spotify, so I didn’t have easy access to the lyrics. And with all of the processing and effects that have been placed on the vocals, it’s difficult for me to understand what exactly is being sung. However, I did find a transcription of the lyrics online. I’m not saying translation here, because while some of the lyrics are in Japanese, quite a bit of it is already in English. Reading through the transcription, I appreciate what the lyrics have to say, so it’s a little frustrating that I can’t really understand any of it when I listen to the track.

“Soarin’” isn’t a bad song, but it’s done a style that doesn’t appeal to me personally. But I will give credit to Ginger Root for successfully creating a musical texture and atmosphere that makes the listener feel like they’re soaring in the sky when they hear the track.

While “Soarin’” may not have grabbed me, I think fans of Ginger Root and of the Sparks Of Tomorrow anime might appreciate it. As for western music audiences, I believe the song might potentially appeal to pop music listeners who don’t mind hearing something a little different that’s being performed in a foreign language.

(reviewed by Lesley Aeschliman on July 13, 2026)

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However, I do have some familiarity with ClariS through listening to and reviewing “Revive” and “Umitsuki.” I enjoyed both of those songs, so when I saw that the unit had released another anime theme song, I knew I needed to check it out.

Musically, “Hitokoto” is a midtempo J-pop track with a more laid-back musical arrangement. It has a style that works for an anime theme song, with an arrangement that doesn’t sound generic. In the latter half of the track, a little more instrumentation and intensity is added to the mix, which includes the appearance of strings and some acoustic guitar. I love the texture that the additions of these instruments add to the arrangement. On this song, the vocals are just as much an instrument as anything else, with tight vocal harmonies on the backup vocals. The lead vocals sound great as well, and the voices work together both individually and as a group.

I listened to “Hitokoto” on Spotify, so I didn’t have easy access to an English translation of the lyrics. However, I did locate an English translation that’s been posted onto the internet. Reading through the translation, the lyrics appear to be directly inspired by the anime that it’s being used for. However, the lyrics are written in such a way that a more universal meaning can be applied to them.

I may not be watching the simulcast for The Ogre’s Bride anime, but if I was, this is a song that I would look forward to hearing each week.

Fans of ClariS and of The Ogre’s Bride anime will likely have the greatest appreciation for “Hitokoto,” but I think that J-pop listeners may find something to enjoy here as well. As for western music audiences, I believe the song could potentially appeal to pop music listeners who don’t mind hearing a song that’s being performed in a foreign language.

(reviewed by Lesley Aeschliman on July 13, 2026)

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