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The single for Asura Cryin' 2's opening theme "Alternative" was released two days ago. Along with the limited edition version came the PV for the song you see above. While Asura Cryin' isn't a series being covered here, I have been following it since the first season's debut back in spring. It's never a series I get terribly excited, but the story has taken an interesting turn with all the first world / second world stuff going on now. Originally, I was a bit overwhelmed with the number of characters and student councils introduced early on, and a bit underwhelmed with no clear indication of where the story was going, but the insanely diverse cast that stars the likes of Irino Miyu (Saji Crossroad in Gundam 00, Zwei in Phantom), Tomatsu Haruka, Tanaka Rie, and Nonaka Ai kept me watching. I'll refrain from potentially spoiling anything from here on, but thought I'd share one of the many songs the Japanese pop band angela performs for the series.
Comprised primarily of atsuko and KATSU (angela is the group name and not the vocalist's), the group was formed in 1993 and started as street performers before debuting in 1999. However, it wasn't until 2002 that they had a breakthrough via anime, which allowed their musical careers to really get going. In my case, I didn't know of the group's existence until last year when I heard their songs in Shikabane Hime, but was quickly hooked on their upbeat OP/ED songs "Beautiful fighter" and "My story" there. As such, when I learned that they were performing the songs for Asura Cryin', checking out the series was a given. That said, I still don't like "Alternative" as much as the aforementioned songs, nor season one's opening "Spiral", but it does sound pretty good when the pace picks up.
As for the PV itself, KATSU's visual-kei-like style and flamboyant behaviour are still kind of creepy to me, but they actually make him look younger than atsuko. I'm not a big fan of the blond wig atsuko's wearing, but there are parts where she doesn't have it on. In any case, I'm pretty indifferent to their appearance and more into their music, which is kind of special since they write, compose, and perform it themselves, being former music school students and all. Included below is the opening sequence for the series, which those of you who aren't watching it may want to check out.
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