J-POP Artists Loved by Jishoku Baroko

To be honest, I'm not interested in K-pop, and it's not really my style. However, I've been listening to J-pop steadily since college through the internet, so I have a firm grasp on my favorite artists compared to others. Today, I'd like to introduce my favorite J-pop artists by category, as a way of organizing my thoughts. Due to copyright issues, I'll omit the artists' photos and use the image above, which is relatively free from copyright restrictions, as a representative image.

Okasaki Ritsuko

She could be said to be the very first gateway to my J-pop adventure. I later learned that she was the same age as my mother, and she passed away young from septic shock. When I first encountered her, I didn't know any of this; I simply liked her representative song, the Fruit Basket opening theme, and I enjoyed her posthumous album, "For Ritz," which I had purchased digitally in its entirety on Cyworld.

However, as countless years passed, and after going through my own dark age(?), when I revisited her songs, I realized there were many hidden masterpieces. Through the lyrics of some songs, the sweet melodies, and the comfortable arrangement style, I truly came to appreciate her unique talent. Moreover, her voice sounds so youthful; when I introduce her to people who don't know her, they're always surprised.

But my J-pop exploration was only just beginning. There was someone who covered many of her songs, and that person is…...

Hayashibara Megumi

That's right. I learned later that Okasaki Ritsuko became known to the world also thanks to Kakka (that's her official nickname, so I'll stick with it). And Kakka was also the one most shocked when Ms. Okasaki suddenly passed away. According to Namuwiki, she couldn't accept the situation, saying, "No~! She absolutely didn't leave us~!"

Anyway, you can't live only with sadness over the deceased forever! In any case, during the dark age I mentioned earlier, I happened to encounter several of Kakka's famous songs. I had already known some songs from my college days, and one of them was even played at a sushi buffet restaurant I frequented.

However, during my college days when I was engrossed in popular music, I simply disliked Kakka's singing style, which I felt damaged Okasaki Ritsuko's original songs. As countless years passed, I finally realized how narrow-minded and negative that feeling was, and I began to approach Kakka's songs with more tolerance, escaping my well-frog mentality.

Then, I started to like songs of genres I hadn't liked before, and eventually I reached the point of mastering all of Kakka's major songs. More than anything, as I shared on Livedoor, I am very happy and proud to have my own collection.

https://barroco.blog.jp/archives/454121.html

Sasaki Nozomu

The story continues. He's the same age as Hayashibara Megumi and a close friend! Kakka gave him the nickname "Prince," and looking at his photos from his Ritsu era, even though he's small in stature, his face and aura are just like a prince on a white horse. I can feel the incredible cheers from the audience at his 90s performances through the remaining YouTube videos.

Like Kakka, I'm not particularly interested in the anime in which these two appeared. However, when it comes to Sasaki Nozomu, the character Clef from Magic Knight Rayearth, not even Yu Yu Hakusho, is the one that stands out most in my memory. If only his beautiful voice had been maintained, the later Eriol would have been much better; it's just a pity.

Anyway, what I remember is Mr. Sasaki as a singer, not a voice actor. Should I say he's like Lim Young-woong in Korea? He sings songs that have a trot feel (?), which isn't quite suited to his age. "Junsei" is one example, and if you search for "Nozomu Sasaki" on YouTube, you'll find many good songs, so please check them out.

Oh, and as an aside, a few years ago, he graduated from the University of Tokyo's Faculty of Law after seven years and obtained an English interpretation qualification, which also became a big topic in both Japan and Korea.

Zard (Sakai Izumi)

I tend to be behind the times more than other people, and this is true for Zard as well as Okasaki. I listened to a lot of Japanese anime songs in college, but why didn't I know about the news of their deaths...? Anyway, originally, the only Zard song I remembered was the opening theme of Chuka Ichimi, but even this led me to discover many songs that I not only enjoyed but also could easily sing at karaoke.

I also own several Zard albums and have already shared them through Livedoor.

https://barroco.blog.jp/archives/519312.html

SEKAI NO OWARI

Next, is the band whose image is the main image of this post, a popular Japanese band formed by artists who are the same age as me (excluding Saori). I found out about them because of something unpleasant (I think you'll figure it out), but thanks to that, I immediately gave up on the idea that J-pop after the 90s was dead. Of course, even when they debuted and were actively working, I was completely unaware of them and lived sadly.

(I later learned that there's a YouTube video of them doing the Ice Bucket Challenge in Nashville, which is near here.)

All the members are unique, good-natured, kind, and sometimes mysterious. The fairy tale-like world and fantasy-like stories they often portray captured my heart, and more than anything, even though we grew up differently, I could easily relate to their stories as a fellow member of their generation. Especially Fukase, the main vocalist, shares several similarities with me, so even though it might be presumptuous to a celebrity, I would really like to become close friends with him if I had the chance.

YOASOBI

This is another artist I found out about last, also due to being behind the times. The reason was a very famous idol, to the point it's tiresome to repeat. Then I saw "Gunjou" on The First Take, and the rich sound and powerful beat immediately captured my heart. Ikura's voice is refreshing and nice, but Ayase also gave me the feeling that she is really good at composing songs, which I felt through "Amado" and "Gentle Comet." AKMU was a surprise guest at their recent concert in Korea, and I have a very good feeling that a collaboration between them would be a huge hit worldwide.

Apart from these artists, I know almost all the famous Japanese songs like "Cruel Angel's Thesis." If Barocco were to be asked to name his favorite artists while walking down the street or to introduce a song he is currently listening to, the artists listed here would be the mainstream, I think. Thank you for reading my long post!