Macross F Episode 15 ED: Diamond Crevasse 50/50
A rearranged version of Diamond Crevasse made its way as Macross Frontier’s 15th episode ending theme. Plainly put, it’s a cutified version of the original Diamond Crevasse, done perhaps to fit Megumi’s “Ranka” voice more. May’n sings in the refrain, which we don’t hear too well because of the voices speaking over it. A few lines were also added to the refrain lyrics.
This song is really May’n’s in my opinion, and that’s what Kanno also said regarding the song writing. The song was rearranged just like What ’bout my Star, but in this case, it’s still not a perfect fit.
EDIT: Please go through the comments below, I have posted a sample of Megumi singing the song acapella and it sounds very different from the 50/50 version.
I am disappointed with the delivery in this song, perhaps I was really looking forward to hear Megumi sing an emotional song just to showcase her emotional side, but here she doesn’t do so.
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July 19th, 2008 at 10:50 pm
Come on, is it really *that* bad? Maybe my Japanese is too rudimentary and exposure to vocal music too limited, but I really don’t understand all this collective cringing over Megumi’s rendition of ‘Diamond Crevasse’. Certainly, the May’n version is easily one of my favorite tracks from MF, but I’m also open to alternative takes and covers. ‘50/50′ takes nothing away from the original, plus it adds a Ranka dimension to it.
July 20th, 2008 at 12:09 am
We all have to remember that Megumi is a relative newcomer, she’s really not a professional singer like May’n is or Maaya who’s been doing this for years.
I agree with Realist about being open to different versions of songs. Diamond Crevasse is one of the best songs in MF & May’n performs it brilliantly. Still i think Megumi did a nice job on it for a song not meant for her.
Also i think Aimo is a pretty emotional song that Megumi pulls off quite well along with the timeless classic Ai, Oboete Imasuka. Megumi is only going to get better with experience & in time she will better handle songs.
July 20th, 2008 at 3:51 am
I have to say, that I agree that Megumi doesn’t sell this song nearly well enough to sell it as much as May’n. May’n brings an emotive, almost sultry quality that puts a lot of emotional power behind the words, a power Megumi can’t can’t quite seem to match.
That said, I don’t know if I’m as hard on her overall. I agree with Izumo in that I believe that Megumi does brilliantly on Aimo. It may be that Aimo’s just more her style, but I think she can certainly find her emotion, it’s just a matter of time and experience, and maybe song matter. I know I’m a big fan What about my Star and Seikan Hiou as well as Aimo from Megumi.
July 20th, 2008 at 7:20 am
For those who are wondering, I really think that this rendition is bad - the voice is thin and has little resonance, like the Chipmunks. It’s also devoid of emotion, just listen to the line “Goodbye, goodbye over and over again…” . I acknowledge that Megumi is a newcomer, but for a girl who was auditioned among many others, I was expecting more than a cute voice. Besides, when Maaya was younger than her, Maaya was singing more emotively and had better range, and she was also new in the industry.
Maaya Sakamoto, age 15, when she was new in Escaflowne:
I agree that comparing her to Maaya’s current voice in Aimo is unfair, but I can’t listen to Aimo the same way again. However, I still listen to What ’bout my Star @ Formo and Seikan Hikou because she has a voice fit for those songs, plus I enjoy her What ’bout my Star better than May’n’s.
My criteria for good artists are those who can provoke deep emotions when needed, and that is the reason I rate Megumi lower now. But it’s just a personal preference. Megumi always sings happily, but although that seems to be her only card as of the moment, it is a VERY good card when she has to sing happy songs.
I’m looking forward to hearing Megumi sing outside the Macross universe, because at the back of my mind, she’s just singing in a high pitch without fullness because she’s acting out Ranka’s innocent voice. If she didn’t have this constraint, and was asked to sing a ballad, I personally think that she will perform better than what we hear in Diamond Crevasse 50/50. Suffice to say, I’ll be watching out for her.
July 20th, 2008 at 9:10 am
I remember in episode 2 near the end where Ranka starts singing DC acapella style, that sounded pretty emotional to me, although it was cut short by Sheryl.
Well i guess it is all about personal preference, so not everyone is gonna agree on things. Still i stand by my critique that she did an okay job on DC 50/50. Of course not as good as May’n but ok.
Anyone know if Megumi ever recieved voice/vocal training cause it really feels that she’s performing these songs without any prior coaching. Or it could all be derived from pure talent…some people have it some don’t, while others need to work on it. I believe Megumi is in the latter category. In time with more & more practice she’ll be fine.
July 20th, 2008 at 9:53 am
@Izumo - I just listened to the acapella again, and you’re right, the delivery in episode 2 is more emotional than this recording, and it’s also not shrill. The singing in episode 2 is so different from 50/50 that they’re not to be treated as the same rendition. I wonder why she didn’t sing this way in the 50/50 recording? Did the arrangement of 50/50 come first - “the rearrangement is light and bubbly, no emotions please!” - that’s why Megumi sang it that way?
I’m surprised most of the posters here think that Diamond Crevasse 50/50 is okay, in other forums I hear a resounding “eep!”. To each their own I guess. My impression of Megumi’s skill may have changed because I re-listened to the episode 2 rendition, but the 50/50 recording in episode 15 is still terrible for me. Still open to hearing a full version though.
July 20th, 2008 at 11:14 am
I like all of them. The 50/50 version is just Ranka’s musical style but to Diamond Crevasse. Ranka’s style is simple, cute and extremely pop-y. Sheryl’s is big, loud and dramatic.
July 21st, 2008 at 11:22 pm
Yakusoku Wa Iranai is all I need to express how superb young Maaya Sakamoto was lol If you ask me, the DC acapella of Megumi in episode 2 is much better than her studio version of DC. I liked it a lot I preferred it more than May’n’s acappella. Megumi’s voice can make the song sound so soothing and sad if she sings it in her own comfort range. I guess they told her to start at a higher range like May’N did. Still, I think it wasn’t THAT bad. Her own rendition is still good.
July 25th, 2008 at 4:22 am
The biggest problem for me in episode 15 is the pitch of the first words. Ranka sounds terrified in such a high pitch…no matter who ask her to sound that high, that’s so wrong. She’s doing much better in episode 2 which sang in her comfortable range.