Tales of Symphonia -Dawn of the New World-: Three-Legged Race – Misono

	Album Title: Tales of Symphonia -Dawn of the New World-: Three-Legged Race – Misono
	Record Label: Avex Trax
	Catalog No.: AVCD-31434
	Release Date: June 25, 2008
	Purchase: Buy at CDJapan

Overview

This is misono’s 10th single and it was released on June 25, 2008. This single reached #10 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and it has sold 27,595 copies. The title track was used as the theme song for the video game Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World. Here are my thoughts about the release.

Body

I thought misono’s Rock Project was over with her previous single “Mugen Kigen”, but then a 4th single was slated for release as the theme song for the new Tales of Symphonia sequel. Much to my relief, “Three-Legged Race” is actually the best song she has made for this entire project. It’s a consistent and steady song but it still maintains a nice, edgy rock sound thanks to the aggressive riffs. misono’s vocals are neat as well and I liked how she stayed controlled during the energetic chorus.

The B-side is a 9 minute medley of all the A-sides featured in the Rock Project in the order they were released in. It’s not bad and makes for a good recap, but it’s very unoriginal compared to the amazing Finger 5 Medley she did on her debut album. The songs are basically cut in half and smoothly transition into one another. The medley starts off with “Zasetsu Chiten,” a pretty solid song. It has grown on me since then and it’s pretty energetic.

The subsequent medley item “Juunin Toiro” is just plain weird. The way the song flows is weird and the same goes for the vocals, melody, and consistency of the music too. It’s still my least favorite of the Rock Project singles. Up next is “Mugen Kigen”, the slowest of the four songs. I really liked the elongated notes performed by the electric guitars and they give the song a somewhat epic feeling. The medley concludes with the ending sequence of “Three-Legged Race”. It’s as simple as that.

Summary

Overall, this release is a solid single for those who enjoy J-Rock. It’s nice how the release comes full circle through the medleys back to the A-side and “Three-Legged Race” works quite well in the game.

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