Release Date: February 18, 2015
Track Listing
- Sayonara, Alice
- Tomorrow ~Shiawase no Housoku~
- Ano Hi Sayonara feat. Washio Reina
- Sayonara, Alice (Instrumental)
- Tommorow ~Shiawase no Housoku~ (Instrumental)
Review
Sayonara, Alice is the ninth single from FLOWER and features the song Tomorrow ~Shiawase no Housoku~, the theme song for the Japanese dub of the 2014 remake of Annie.
The a-side was the February theme song for the NTV series Sukkiri!! and is a dramatic ballad evoking feelings of longing and sadness from a male point of view. It’s probably a shock to the system if you are only used to seeing this group as part of the E-girls.
For those who follow FLOWER closely, this track can be considered business as usual for this group. Despite that, the song is can be considered to be very pretty. It also has an equally pretty video directed by Ninagawa Mika, who is known for her work on AKB48’s Heavy Rotation PV (and several other videos by other musical acts) and the live-action adaption of the manga Helter Skelter.
The b-sides follow the same direction of Sayonara, Alice and are also low to mid-tempo ballads. The theme song for Annie is fairly universal, so it should be fairly familiar in any language whether you understand what is being said. That needs no explanation, does it?
The more compelling one is Ano Hi Sayonara feat. Washio Reina. It sounds similar to one of the m-flo’s “loves” era of songs. Or you can think of more chilled-out Dohzi-T tracks as well. So if you enjoy that kind of hip-hop-influenced balladry, this should be worth checking out once you get past the a-side.
If you don’t like slower songs, this single is not for you. Otherwise, give this a listen. You may be pleasantly surprised.
