Monday, April 27, 2009

Card Captor Sakura: The New Trials Anime Ending Theme



ストロボの空 - Sutorobo no Sora - A Sky of Strobes
Singer: Maaya Sakamoto
Album: Lucy
Composer:
菅野よう子 - Yoko Kanno
Lyrics: 坂本真綾 - Maaya Sakamoto

It’s like the brightness that hits you right after coming through a long and narrow tunnel
For a while it’s nothing but a world of pure white
No one’ll wait for you to prepare yourself emotionally
When I noticed it had already begun, a tale with no end

I know
I know, the weakness I crushed in my hands
What was that sound that I heard at such a time?

Where is it coming from?
Who is calling me to stop?
That’s the sound of life that spilled out from the body, pulsating with certainty

Those who make dreams come true
Those who are loved
are fighting while accepting with all their being
Joys and equal pains

It’s like the brightness that hits you right after coming through a long and narrow tunnel
From between the clouds, the path of a new wind

What was that sound that unexpectedly knocked at my heart?

It’s okay to rely on someone
It’s okay to have more faith
The sound of life that continuously rings out as if to so whisper in my ear

The fact that rainbows disappear
The fact that there is moist ground
The miracles that I had always overlooked
were shining more beautifully than anything else

I felt like I had been forgiven for being born

Those who make dreams come true
Those who are loved
Are fighting while accepting with all their being
Joys and equal pains

It’s like the brightness that hits you right after coming through a long and narrow tunnel
For a while it’s nothing but a world of pure white

Lyrics from http://www.animelyrics.com/jpop/sakamoto/strobonosora.htm translation by Miyuki Mouse and Korean translation.


Over the years, I have received so many emails stating "I wish New Trials really is an anime or the Fourth Season of Card Captor Sakura," which made me very happy. I've always mentioned that if New Trials was an anime, I would use Utada Hikaru's "Sakura Drops" as the opening and Maaya Sakamoto's "Strobe no Sora" as the ending theme.

The first time I ever heard "Sutorobo no Sora" I immediately knew it was perfect for Card Captor Sakura because the song gives such an uplifting, refreshing feeling. First off, we already have the Maaya Sakamoto and Yoko Kanno tie-in, since the pair also did the CCS third season ending "Platinum." The song is from their collaboration album, "Lucy," which is one of my favorite albums. I mentioned before that "Koucha" from that album would be perfect as the New Trials Fourth Arc ending (if it were an anime). The album is beautiful because if you listen to the lyrics (or read the translations in my case), the songs unfold like a story of a girl's process of falling in love and heartbreak. Secondly, the lyrics of this song are truly beautiful, and I think everything about it simply embodies "Kinomoto Sakura," as you can read below.

I made this video because I got distracted while I was making the ending for Arc Four ending "Koucha," which is a bit bittersweet. I drew a ton of artwork for that video, but I had more fun making this video because it's sort a flashback to all of my favorite S+S moments. I am rather pleased with how the flashback sequence turned out. The video itself is inspired from Second Season ending "Honey" by Chihiro with Sakura watching the rain out the window. And the last frame from "Fruits Candy." Lol... This actually took longer to make than I anticipated because my computer is so slow. But it's my first time using Sony Vegas 9.0, a big improvement from the always crashing Windows Media Player. The scene itself probably happens in Arc 2 when you-know-who lives with you-know-who. Yes, it's Syaoran's house if you can't tell by the green curtains. keke... I also recreated a typical CCS preview using voice clips from Irino Miyu and Makino Yui which were very annoying to extract. I love Irino Miyu as a teenage Syaoran in Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles. ^_^ hanyaan... Next will be Arc Four ending theme "Koucha." Anyhow, making this video was a trip down the memory lane for me and just proves the durability and longevity of our beloved Card Captor Sakura even after a decade (with a comeback in BluRay).

Full version of song:



6 comments:

  1. You made an adorable video!
    teehee, made me want to watch CCS all over again.

    Keep up the great work.

    from a long time reader~

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  2. Oh my goodness! The quickest response ever-- I barely uploaded everything! Thank you for supporting New Trials ^_^

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  3. The part of the lyrics "A tale with no end" suits NT perfectly ^_^ Joking joking. I want you-know-who to live with you-know-who again. Well, I can dream right? Anyhow, looking forward to Koucha, even though that song's lyrics make me too sad.
    I've realized lately how outrageously long I've been following NT for.. this isn't normal, lol.

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  4. Haha... "A tale with no end" makes me think of how ridiculously long I've been writing New Trials, but it's because there are wonderful readers who've been following this fic for a long time that it's even got this far. ^^;

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  5. I love this video. The scenes are so cute~ I had been hoping you'd make a video for New Trials. You've been talking about music for the chapters on and off since I started reading your fic years ago. This step just makes sense. But the song and are great and the lyrics match the melancholy tone this last arc has taken. Great job! ^o^

    I'm up for another ten years, how about you? LOL

    ~Animefreak242

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  6. @Animefreak242
    Teehee... another 10 years~ How old would I be then? @.@ Lol. I guess I can write about CCS: Generation 2 if I run out of material to write for New Trials. Oh and finish writing up the Legacy Arc, the Kaitou Magician Origins, the Nadeshiko Arc and side stories for every single minor character in NT. Hoe...

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