Nana's 25th Single Junketsu Paradox!

Well this entry is a bit overdue, my apologies - I disappeared to Germany for a while. I was quite anxious about whether or not I would hold my copy of Junketsu Paradox in my hands before I was leaving to Germany on the 4th as the FedEx delivery estimate was for that day, but this time CDJapan and FedEx had a pleasant surprise for me - I got a call from FedEx on the 3rd (which was even the actual release date!) asking if they could come drop off my package within the next 20 minutes to which I nearly screamed a lustful " HELL YES", but managed to contain myself and reply appropriately. Fievel rewarded the hardworking young FedEx delivery man by screaming his lungs out. Dear delivery man, if you ever happen to read this - I am very sorry for my dog's misbehavior. NOW, BEHOLD MY BELOVED COPY OF JUNKETSU PARADOX!

JunParaaaaaa! <3

Now to the songs!

1. 純潔パラドックス (Junketsu Paradox)

I've grown to love this song. I wasn't very convinced when I heard the low-quality radio rip of it (it really didn't do JunPara justice), but after hearing it like it should be heard, seeing the PV and seeing videos of Nana performing it live - I love it. I think it is quite a complex song, with Nana switching effortlessly between different tones of voice and ways of expressing herself not to mention that the lyrics are quite complicated as well (hell, even the host of Coming soon!! had trouble with the Kanji, which makes me laugh xD). The way she says the line Yusaburare kokoro wa mou makes me melt (that part of the PV also makes me melt) and I also love how she changes her tone for mienai ai wo kazashite. Aahhhhhhh. <3 Also like I've said before the violin melody is very lovely.

2. 7COLORS

This song fits perfectly with a nice sunny carefree summer day and I really want to some day just go lie on the beach and listen to it. The happy feel of the song definitely makes you feel less burdened by life and gives you the sensation of being as light as a feather. I also find this song fun considering the name of the Animelo Summer Live this year being Rainbow and ha well, THE 7 COLORS OF THE RAINBOW! I wonder if Nana will sing this song in Animelo, because of that fun connection. xD I do want to see this song live eventually, I bet Nana is very happy while singing it.


3. Stay Gold

Ahhhhh, Stay Gold! I was really excited about hearing this song due to it having the same name as one of Hikki's songs and I have to say Nana did not disappoint me! I actually like the atmosphere in Nana's song a lot more - I mean, Hikki's is sung to someone who is yours and you are affectionately telling them to stay gold, while Nana's is directed more to someone whom it might mean very much to know that someone thinks they're golden. Then again, there's no need for me to compare these two songs - they're both great in their own right. Anyways, this song really surprised me with it's structure. It is very unusual in my opinion, with slow parts coming where you'd be expecting the song to get faster and vice versa and in the end you don't even know if you'd classify it as a slow song or as a fast song. One of my first thoughts after hearing this for the first time was that this would make a really good opening song for a Gundam series. Let me demonstrate (excuse my horrible guess translations lol anyone who knows Japanese better feel free to correct me):

- The first two lines of the song start off as semi-slow, during which would be a good opportunity to present the current state of the world. The lyrics actually seem to support that feeling of mine:

Kakae kirenakute tebanashita ikiba wo ushinatta kibou
Souzou suru tabi kagayaita mirai e no kitai no mukou

Think it means something like:

Having been overwhelmed by having no place to go, gave up on hope
Imagined the shining future beyond expectations

- The next two lines change the song into an even slower pace, which feels to me like a good place to introduce the relationships/significant couplings of the series (usually tragic in someway, either they began that way or end up that way or so forth). The lyrics AGAIN seem to just prove my point:

Fall out tooku me ni utsuru gensou
Sora wo aoide hontou ni kawaru to kimeta

Think that means something along the lines of:

Fall out of the distant illusions in your eyes
We decided to change the skies into a real blue

- Then the chorus begins, and changes the song into a much faster pace. This provides the perfect opportunity to bring out the Gundam action part of the opening. Desperate fighting all around! Wohoo! And again the lyrics seem to fit:

Dareka no tame koe wo karashi ashi wo tomete sakebu Ever last
Anata no tame mukaiatta subete no namida wo nugui koko ni iru By your side
Ano hi mita yume negai kanau made
Todomete yuku Stay gold
Iroasenai Stay gold

Which means something like this (sorry, the 'ever last' is quite out of place there - couldn't think of what to do with it):

For someone, stopped to shout myself hoarse ever last
For you, I'll wipe away all your tears, I am here by your side
That day I wished my dreams would come true
Bear everything, Stay gold
Never fade, Stay gold

SEE?? I AM A GENIUS! I want a Gundam series with this song okgo. Again apologies in case my guesslations were totally off the mark. I did my best with my knowledge and the help of google translate. >.< And now going back to the song in general - AH THE VIOLINS! I love them! Which is a given if a Nana song has violins in them... She really knows how to pull my strings. Heh heh heh~~! I think this will rocket up on my songs I want to learn to play list. xD I also love how she pronounces last in a very British way. Maybe she picked that up during her photo shoot trip to Dorney Court. Same goes for stay, but that doesn't surprise me - I mean hell, that Dorney Court fellow is totally shouting "STAY THERE" to the dog constantly in Nana's London documentary, that word was bound to stick with Nana (as that phrase has stuck with me). xD Well enough about that British talk - I still wanted to say that hearing Nana say stay gold really makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. On another side note, Nana's relive amuses me. Firstly, because she pronounces it like a concert live (can't blame her, I mean that's a really familiar word for her) and not like the living live. Secondly, because when she pronounces it like that, it sounds a lot like real life instead. xD

And that's all folks for my thoughts on the new single!
Jya, mata! ヽ(⌒‐⌒)ゝ