It’s kind of crazy, in a way, that we haven’t done this theme yet.
Hello, you fine and wonderful people! 😉 Welcome to the start of yet another year of album reviews here on the one and only J-Music Exchange/Rate! If we’re already well acquainted, you probably know how things work around here. But if this happens to be your first time stumbling across the blog—or if you’re just now discovering this series—feel free to give the following a quick read to catch up on what it’s all about:
The Exchange/Rate is a tandem album review series conducted every month by yours truly alongside my good friend and fellow Japanese music fan Al (from Omunibasu). Each month we decide on a specific theme with which our reviews would revolve around. We then pick out albums from our respective libraries which we think best coincides with that theme. We will then give the album we chose to the other person and vice versa (exchange), after which we then listen to and subsequently review the album we were given (rate). This project has not only allowed us to explore music beyond our libraries, but it provides an opportunity for us to see our favorite albums from a different point of view. It is our hope that this series is able to do the same for you and that you either find a new artist to try out and/or we offer you a fresh take on one of *your* favorite albums
Al and I take turns deciding the theme for each month, and for this month, Al had the honors. To kick off the year, he thought it’d be fun for us to dive into some of our favorite albums by seiyuu (voice actors)! As an anime fan myself, I have the utmost respect for seiyuu and their ever-evolving craft. Over the years, it’s become clear that the role demands more and more from them—not just their voice acting chops but also other talents, with singing being one of the first. Nowadays, it almost feels like being able to sing is a given for seiyuu, which makes their work all the more impressive.
I went ahead and picked ROCKBOUND NEIGHBORS by the one and only Mizuki Nana for Al to review (you can check out his thoughts on it over at the Omunibasu Substack!). In turn, Al handed me Furihata Ai’s Super moon to dive into and share with all of you.
For the first time this year—let’s give it a spin!
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Furihata Ai (降幡 愛) began her seiyuu career in 2015, debuting as the character Kurosawa Ruby, a member of Aqours, the school idol group from the second generation series of the Love Live! franchise, Love Live! Sunshine!!. Furihata debuted as a solo artist under the Purple One Star label by Bandai Namco Music Live Inc. Known for her diverse interests and creativity, she chose “’80s city pop” as the theme for her music. Her debut mini-album, Moonrise, was released on September 23, 2020
＜Ｓｕｐｅｒ ｍｏｏｎ＞
(＊Spotify link to the full album)
CDJapan Affiliate Link(s):
Super Moon [Regular Edition] / Ai Furihata
Super Moon [w/ Blu-ray, Limited Edition] / Ai Furihata
＜T ｒａｃｋｌｉｓｔ＞
０１・CITY
０２・パープルアイシャドウ/purple eye shadow
０３・AXIOM
０４・ハネムーン/honeymoon
０５・東から西へ/higashi kara nishi e
０６・-PROPORTION- Ⅲ
０７・PLAY BOY
０８・Fashion
０９・シャンプー/shampoo
１０・夜のグラデーション/yoru no gradation
１１・Super moon
Ａｌ：Throughout my time as an avid follower of the Aqours seiyuu unit, I’ve always considered Furihata Ai to be a sort of ‘renaissance woman’. That really does feel like one of the best ways to describe Furirin, as we’ve seen many instances of her delving into different art forms in a more-than-impressive manner; whether it’s looking at her detailed illustrations every time Kurosawa Ruby’s birthday comes along, or how her deep appreciation for photography eventually led her to taking professional-looking photos of fellow member/frequent model Komiya Arisa for a magazine feature.
And of course, her artistic talents can also be seen within music. Obviously we’ve all gotten a taste of that through her performances in the Love Live series (and Project Sekai, to an extent), but it’s interesting to see the almost unexpected direction she went towards when it came to her own solo career. While most of the Aqours ladies took a more conventional anison/pop route, Furirin decided to go full-on 80s-inspired city pop and… I sure as heck am not that familiar with the genre, but it genuinely sounds like she has a fantastic grasp & understanding of that particular era of pop music, especially through her 2023 release Super moon. The way a lot of these compositions sound authentic through its usage of familiar synths and electronic beats, implementing a ton of retro elements (such as the digital voices in “AXIOM”), and even how Furirin sings in a much deeper-yet-fitting voice compared to what many of her existing fans are used to… this feels like a case where she had a clear vision of what she wanted to do when going solo, and Super moon is proof that Furirin was able to execute it pretty darn well.
＜Ｓｏｎｇｓ ｏｆ Ｉｎｔｅｒｅｓｔ＞
０１・CITY
As we so often do here on the Exchange/Rate, let’s kick things off with the opening track. For Super moon, that honor goes to Furihata Ai’s CITY. Interestingly enough, this track also doubles as Furihata’s debut single as a performing artist. Now, if this happens to be your first time hearing a song from Furihata Ai, and neither the title of the song nor the thumbnail has clued you in yet, you might find yourself a little surprised to hear a city pop song coming from a voice actress. Let me save you guys the guesswork here—especially for all you Exchange/Rate veterans who might already be piecing together whether this album is one of those “grab bag” assortments of genres and styles that Al and I love to point out every now and again—with one notable exception, Super moon is almost entirely made up of city pop-styled tracks.
I’ve always found city pop, especially its resurgence in the 2010s, to be such a fascinating genre to think about. It’s one of those styles that’s deeply tied to a specific time period, with themes that feel almost inseparable from its late ‘70s and ‘80s roots. What makes it even more interesting is how city pop tracks made today go out of their way to evoke that retro feel, visually and sonically, even when they’re produced decades later. It’s like designing something to look and feel aged on purpose, much like how an architect might build a house with a deliberately rustic charm. You can really see (and hear) that approach at work in CITY here. From the western-influenced blend of jazz and disco to the fuzzy synths and the generous reverb in Furihata’s vocals which itself sounds very much of this era, it nails that throwback vibe. Add to that the ’80s-inspired fashion, the cuts to retro-style animation, and even the 4:3 resolution of the visuals—it’s a song that doesn’t just sound like it belongs to that time; it looks and feels like it too.
０３・AXIOM
Is it “genuine”, though? Is perhaps the question—or is it simply an imitation at the end of the day? And does it even matter? Is the distinction (assuming there is one) irrelevant if the end product feels the same regardless of the intent? I find myself of two minds about it. On one hand, I get that the commercial aspect will always play a role in creating music—especially with a genre like city pop, which is, by design, tied to materialism and consumer-oriented practices (more on that later). But at the same time, I can recognize that there’s often an overlap between the demand for a particular sound or style (in this case, city pop) and an artist’s genuine desire to explore that style—whether it’s driven by personal artistic expression or simply their interest in performing within the genre, independent of catering to an existing fanbase for it.
At just thirty years old at the time of writing, Furihata herself didn’t grow up in the ’80s, when city pop first came to prominence as a genre. However, in an interview with Fumu Fumu News, she shared that her fascination with the genre began after a chance encounter with a song by singer-songwriter Okamura Yasuyuki. That spark led her to immerse herself deeply in city pop, showing herself to be keenly aware of artists of the genre (old and new, as well both local to Japan and foreign), and purportedly learning its finer intricacies along the way. In the interview she highlights a few key characteristics of city pop, such as its reliance on repetitive sounds or phrases to emphasize catchiness over complex melody structures. Furihata also notes how the genre often incorporates English words and phrases, giving it a more worldly, cosmopolitan feel. We see all these elements come to life in tracks like AXIOM, showing her put to practice her deep understanding. It’s also worth mentioning that Furihata collaborated on most of the tracks on Super moon with producer Akimitsu Homma, a seasoned figure in the music industry who was active during city pop’s original rise.
０６・-PROPORTION- Ⅲ
Suffice it to say, whatever drives them, Furihata and her team are undeniably well-versed and well-equipped for what they’re aiming to achieve here. Their best showcase of this, in my opinion, is -PROPORTION- Ⅲ, which feels like the closest they’ve come to crafting a true and authentic period piece. If I had to single out one track from Super moon that truly captured the essence of city pop and transported me back to its heyday, it would be this one. Now, I’ll admit—I’m no expert on the genre (certainly not to the extent that Furihata seems to be), but I do think I listen to music often enough to distinguish between tracks recorded in the ‘80s and those created to sound like they were, if that makes sense. That being said, -PROPORTION- Ⅲ could’ve fooled me with how it nails that retro authenticity of its sound so convincingly that it genuinely feels like it belongs to the era it’s emulating.
This not only speaks to Furihata and her team’s dedication to achieving that authentic city pop sound but also highlights the significant strides they’ve made since her debut single. What I found particularly interesting with regard to that when looking at the tracklist for Super moon is that the songs are arranged chronologically, from the oldest released (and presumably created) to the most recent. According to Furihata, this was an intentional choice, with the album being meant to be an introspective symbolization of her personal journey as an artist. As we progress through the album, we’re able to witness the ways Furihata grows and evolves in her craft, track by track. This thematic progression also ties fittingly into the album’s overarching narrative—that of a rising moon waxing and waning, with each phase (in the form of her songs) representing Furihata’s gradual transformation and artistic development through her music.
１１・Super moon
Earlier, I pointed out that, with the exception of one song, all the tracks on Super moon fall squarely under the city pop umbrella. In a way, it’s rather ironic that the title track of an album largely defined by its city pop sound would end up being the one song that deviates from that style. However, looking at it from another perspective—especially with what we now know about the deliberate chronological ordering of the tracks and the reasoning behind it—it’s also kind of poetic. If we view it instead as being the next marker of Furihata’s progression as an artist, Super moon as a song feels like a logical step forward, especially when you think about the specific ways this track diverges from the rest of the tracks on the album.
One notable difference is that, compared to the ’80s-inspired City Pop tracks that make up the rest of the album, Super moon draws from a slightly later—though not much later—era, evoking a more ’90s-style pop sound. The production is cleaner, moving away from the fuzzy synths of its predecessors and leaning into punchier hooks and melodies. Furihata also notes that she approached writing the lyrics for Super moon differently. Unlike the earlier tracks, which leaned on imagined themes and scenarios while emphasizing keywords and phrases that fit the ’80s aesthetic, the lyrics here are more personal to Furihata, as they’re instead meant to reflect her artistic journey leading up to this point. There’s also a noticeable shift in her vocal delivery as while the earlier tracks often feature a kayokyoku-like cadence in her singing, Super moon adopts a more modern vocal approach. In keeping with the album’s overarching narrative, this track feels like Furihata stepping into a new cycle, after having now gone through and completed the earlier phases. It’s a fitting conclusion to the album in that sense that possibly even hints at what’s to come.
＜Ｗｈａｔ Ｉ ｔｈｉｎｋ ｏｆ Ｓｕｐｅｒ ｍｏｏｎ＞
In a previous Exchange/Rate album review I wrote for Hayami Saori’s JUNCTION (another album by a female seiyuu, funnily enough—check it out here if you haven’t yet!), I reflected on how that album was best defined by the sheer variety of sounds and styles it explored. What stood out most regarding that though was Hayami’s prodigious ability to not only take on such a broad range of genres but also deliver them with an impressive level of authenticity and skill—a true showcase of her versatility as a performer. I also mused about how it would’ve been fascinating to see her champion one of the more niche genres she experimented with on the album. Considering how well she handled those styles, I imagined the possibility of her diving deeper into one of those spaces and, in doing so, becoming a recognizable and welcome name within a genre that perhaps caters to a more cult-like following than a general one.
Lo and behold, five years removed from the release of JUNCTION, we now have an album that essentially brings to life the concept I was mulling over back then, in the form of Furihata Ai’s Super moon. What’s amusing is that if you revisit my review of JUNCTION, you’ll notice I specifically highlighted city pop as one of those niche genres I thought could benefit from a talented artist championing it—an artist like Furihata, for instance—especially given how few seiyuu performers choose to hitch their wagon to it. For fans of Japanese music outside of Japan, like myself and most of you reading this on Exchange/Rate, it might be surprising to learn that city pop only experienced moderate popularity during its heyday. While it’s romanticized now as a quintessential genre of Japan’s “bubble era,” its actual prominence was relatively short-lived, with its decline coinciding with the burst of the country’s economic bubble. And before its recent resurgence in the last decade, many modern Japanese music fans viewed city pop as “cheesy, mainstream, disposable” music—somewhat of a far cry from the sort of retro-cool reverence it enjoys today.
That’s precisely what I find so intriguing about the existence of Super moon—it prompts the question: who is this album really for? What audience is it trying to appeal to, if not for the modern day Japanese listener? To answer that, particularly in the context of city pop, we first need to examine the genre’s resurgence. Although the exact catalyst remains murky, one thing is clear: the revival of city pop has largely been a western-driven phenomenon. Western fans’ chance exposure to and subsequent fascination with the genre played a pivotal role in bringing it back into mainstream consciousness. What drew—and continues to draw—western fans to city pop is a subject of much theorizing. Some point to the concept of pseudo-nostalgia, wherein listeners feel a longing for an idealized past they never experienced, amplified by city pop’s lush production and romanticized imagery of Japan in the 1908s. Others suggest a form of orientalism might be at play, as the genre occupies an interesting space: it’s undeniably steeped in western musical influences (jazz, disco) while remaining distinctly Japanese in its identity.
Whatever the motivation behind their interest—be it the allure of an idealized past or an appreciation for the uniquely Japanese aesthetic of city pop—there’s one common thread uniting fans of the genre, and its their affinity for material culture. Specifically, the resurgence of physical media such as vinyl records and cassette tapes has become a hallmark of how fans engage with the genre. These mediums aren’t just nostalgic artifacts; they’re tangible representations of the retro spirit that city pop embodies, allowing fans to hold a piece of the era they romanticize. Relating this now to Furihata Ai’s foray into city pop, it’s worth noting that her team may have strategically leaned into this aspect of fandom. Alongside digital and CD formats, Furihata’s city pop-inspired releases have also been made available as retro-style vinyl and cassette editions. This, to me, demonstrates Furihata and her team’s keen understanding of the consumer practices associated with the genre and could perhaps be another reason they might have thought to pursue this style of music for her artistry—its commercial aspect and its profitability as a marketable product.
＜Ｍｙ Ｒａｔｉｎｇ＞
４.５ ｏｕｔ ｏｆ ５
＆
９ ｏｕｔ ｏｆ １０
Regardless of where the heart of Furihata’s artistry truly lies, it does not (and should not) affect or detract from how this album is perceived when experienced purely as a fan of Japanese music. Super moon is an expertly crafted release in my opinion, and Furihata and her team showed a great deal of understanding of city pop beyond that of surface-level appeal. The end result is a unique period piece that I don’t think a whole lot of seiyuu will be able to replicate. I’d be interested to see whether or not Super moon (the track) is any indication of her trajectory as an artist moving forward. Will we see her go through the eras of Japanese music like a present day “Millennium Actress”, or will she continue to champion city pop as the retro genre’s stalwart in the modern era? Whichever route Furihata chooses to take from here on out, one thing is for certain—just like how it was with this album and her clear dedication to fully immersing herself into the genre, she will take no half-measures. Be it an homage to city pop or a love letter to the genre, Furihata Ai’s dedication clearly shines through every track making Super moon definitely worth checking out whether you’re a city pop aficionado or just dipping your toes into the genre.
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What are your guys’ thoughts on Furihata Ai’s Super moon? Lemme know in the comments section down below! 😁
Likewise, let us know too, what are some of your favorite albums by Japanese seiyuu? We’d love to hear ’em! 😊
Before I let you guys go, if you haven’t yet already—don’t forget to check out Al’s review of Mizuki Nana’s ROCKBOUND NEIGHBORS over at the Omunibasu Substack!