The year 2020 has been very bad for most of us, but for one singer, it was the year of her career's peak. I am talking about LiSA, the Japanese singer who was well-loved in 2020 for her songs Gurenge and Homura. I'm a fan of her since 2013 and I am happy to see that she is already reaping the fruits of her hard work and persistence. And to celebrate her success in 2020, I would like to do a review of her latest album, "LEO-NiNE".
Screenshot from play the world! music video from LiSA Official YouTube.
LiSA debuted in 2011 and is known by many for singing anime opening and ending songs. She got her first mainstream popularity after singing "Crossing Field" for the anime Sword Art Online. (It was also my first favorite song of hers.) Her other popular anime songs are "Oath Sign", "Rising Hope", "Shirushi","Adamas", "Datte Atashi no Hero", "Catch The Moment", "Unlasting", "Gurenge", and "Homura". Before her debut in 2011, she had already been delighting her fans through her role as the singing voice of the character Yui from the anime Angel Beats! However, LiSA isn't only just about anime songs. She's also a pop and rock singer who can go side by side with non-anime singers. That's why I will be doing a review of her latest album.
I don't have a physical copy of her album but thanks to Spotify. LiSA's LEO-NiNE can be streamed for free.
LEO-NiNE was released in October 10 and is the 5th studio album of the Japanese singer. Fun Fact! All of LiSA's album titles begins with the letter "L". LANDSPACE, Lover"s"mile, Launcher, LiTTLE DEViL PARADE, and LEO-NiNE. Now let's begin with the review! Below are the preview songs from her album from Spotify.
M1. play the world!
This song was sung together with her guitarist, PABLO, who is a member of the rock band Pay Money To My Pain which is no longer active after their vocalist died. "play the world!" is an upbeat song and was used for a gaming tournament called Rainbow Six Japan Championship last October 2020.
My favorite line in this song is "My name is! My name is!" I don't understand most of the lyrics but based from the title and vibe of the song, it's like making herself known to the world and challenging people to try and beat her. This is a unique song of LiSA in my opinion because she sang together with her guitarist.
M2. Gurenge (紅蓮華)
If you are an anime fan, I no longer have to elaborate Gurenge to you. Haha. Gurenge was released in 2019 as the opening song for the anime Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba) and it was a super hit. Gurenge remained on charts and continued to smash records even in 2020. It's actually still on Japan Billboard's top 10 last December 2020.
Gurenge has a very catchy melody. The first few lines of the song was really a favorite by many people.
Gurenge was certified Platinum in Japan for surpassing one million downloads. The song was initially released as a single and it made history on Oricon digital single charts as the first female artist to have her single surpass million downloads and the third in history. The first and second were by Kenshi Yonezu. I was surprised the song even ranked 73rd on the Billboard Global 200 Chart. Gurenge is a very popular song that it had various covers and video reactions.
M3. Harebutai (晴レ舞台)
Third song in the album is "Harebutai". The piano in the intro sounded a bit like Gurenge. The melody was okay but understanding the meaning of this song will make you appreciate it more. I found this English translation and I hope it is correct. The song is about never giving up on your dreams no matter how many times you fail and feel stuck. I wish I can understand the language so I can understand the lyrics better.
M4. Makotoshiyaka (マコトシヤカ)
Makotoshiyaka is a song written for Japan's baseball team, Dragons. I think it's a cheerful song that will surely lift the spirits of the athletes when they hear it. LiSA actually made the pitch during the game. I'm not sure if it was for the actual game or just for entertainment. I believe this was her second time to do a pitch. The first one was a few years back together with the minions characters.
M5. cancellation
My favorite non-anime song of LiSA. It has a cool rock melody, which is the style of LiSA I loved most. This song was composed and arranged with the help of PABLO. No wonder why it the rock style of the song sound different from LiSA's usual rock songs. I believe "cancellation" was also chosen for a show or event. I saw her tweet about it once.
M6. Aijo (愛錠)
Aijo has a melancholic tune with mostly LiSA using soft voice. I don't understand much of the lyrics but it surely has a deep meaning since it was used as a theme song for a Japanese drama called "13". This was also LiSA's first time to sing for a drama.
M7. Akai Wana (Who loves it?)
Another song about love. Fans speculate it would be a song for Sword Art Online during the preview but it wasn't. What makes this song different from the other love songs in the album is that the way it was sung was strong. Well, it's a rock love song and I like it.
M8. Wagamama Cait Sith (わがままケット・シー)
This song is probably the softest among the songs in the album. Reading the translation of the lyrics, I believe it's about being in love someone with all your heart and wishing the love never ends. There were some parts where her voice and the melody remind me of Britney Spears. 😂
M9. Unlasting
Unlasting was used as an ending song for the anime "Sword Art Online: Alicization - War of The Underworld". It is a song about continuing to love someone even if that someone doesn't love you back anymore. In my opinion, this is one of her most beautiful, emotional, and painful songs. The tune and style of the song seemingly has a touch of western vibe to it. I don't know if I am explaining it right, but the song is unique and I like it.
M10. ADAMAS (LEO- NiNE version)
People who have only known LiSA recently would probably say that she is the icon of Demon Slayer songs. That's true. But before Demon Slayer, she has already become the icon for the anime Sword Art Online. While Unlasting Love was the ending song for the Sword Art Online Alicization, her song Adamas was also the opening song for the show.
The song really sounds cool and becomes even more cool whenever LiSA does a short raspy voice. The live version of this song is also nice as they made some parts longer. A few fans claim that Adamas is better than Gurenge. Well, Adamas sound stronger than Gurenge. I can't really say which is better because sometimes I prefer listening to Gurenge then on the next day I jam to Adamas. :)
M11. 1centi
1centi is a surprisingly a short song and her shortest song as well. The song is catchy with a cheerful feeling. I wish the song was longer.
M12. Howl LEO-NiNE Version
Howl is another song of LiSA about pushing to fight for your dreams. The violin on the background added a pleasant mood to the song as well. Howl isn't a song I like most but it's a nice song, regardless.
M13. BEAUTIFUL WORLD
Just like the title, Beautiful World is a beautiful song. It's about finally being an adult and feeling the pressure and seeing the beauty of the adult life. It would be a nice song for students graduating from high school, in my opinion. The song also has a similar vibe with her song "Today".
LEO-NiNE album for me is nice but there are other albums of her that I like better but that doesn't change the fact that this is an album with songs that made her 2020 the best year in her career. I wonder if she could top her achievements in 2020 this year.
LiSA was slated to do arena and dome shows last year but was postponed due to pandemic. Last December, she had an online concert instead.
If you want to listen to more of LiSA's songs, here are her top tracks from Spotify. Enjoy!
Hi, I'm Straykat! :)
 |  |  |  |
 | Hive PH badge by bearone. :) |