Blasting My Headphones: Tamaki Mari (Minase Inori), Kobuchizawa Shirase (Hanazawa Kana), Miyake Hinata (Iguchi Yuka) and Shiraishi Yuzuki (Hayami Saori) — One Step

Sora yori mo Tooi Basho continues to deliver even in its audio side of the medium. All of the insert songs smacked some great emotions and some kind of influence into their respective scenes. For this post however I really only want to share the one song that had me feeling pumped to even this moment as I listen to it while finishing my write-up.

This highly energetic synth/guitar pop which is used in the eighth episode not only raised the level of epicness by complementing to the girls’ wild but decisive action, but happens to be a great listen on its own—without the anime to look at.

If you do own a decent enough sound system (headphone, speakers, etc.), you will most likely notice that One Step has a relatively audacious bass guitar going for it. It is loud but not overbearing as anyone who is familiar with the art of music would know; bass is the melody guide to music instrumental.

There is something about mixing acoustic and distorted electric guitars in the instrumentals. Most anime pop music usually do this to separate tension levels since the chorus is usually the most emotionally intensive part of a song, No?

Now I’m probably being snarky about this part but the song has no pre-chorus, meaning that it skips straight from verses to the choruses, as if the name One Step is intentional.

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It is also thanks to the superb direction which allows One Step to musically function as an insert song and not just some random piece of music shoved into a random emotional scene for extra feels. It is well implied that the girls have taken that one needed step to overcome their sea sickness. Achievements like this need celebration and it is necessary for a renowned medium like anime to make the audience feel exactly that. The song is nicely edited to literally end with the episode by skipping the second verse and chorus, giving us the most emotion inducing final chorus and more importantly the outro. The loud wave synth in the outro is important enough to have the characters and everything else in the scene come to a vocal stop as we take in the sights of Antarctic ice (incoming destination), through the binoculars.

One Step (to go!).

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Seriously, what has Yorimoi done wrong in exception of not catering to people who can’t stand a few cute girls taking their friendship to a place further than your typical logic?

Have a blast, y’all!

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