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Augmented fourth, diminished fifth are two of the names by which the famous F–B tritone internal in music is known. A more popular, far more provocative term for this sequence is diabolus en musica, its now familiar dissonance so unsettling to the medieval Catholic Church that it was largely avoided in composition. Dear readers, if you are unsettled right now, then rightly so, however, your correspondent from Planet C is here to inform you that despite the devilish delight with which she portrays her character, Lachesis, in Kamen Rider Gotchard, Sakamaki Alisa’s debut single, Just say, “I love you.” is far from Satanic. Your mileage may vary with this.
Whilst monitoring signals from your planet, we have become proficient in understanding two things: idols and villains. To characterise Sakamaki’s music as ‘idol music’ would be incorrect. However, the tone of the music is not something that fails to move our hearts, being a traditional ballad in the tradition of artists such as Chara and Cocco. There is a wistfulness to the piano, a sensation that reminds of early spring mornings in the countryside, the playful guitar solo, a bounce in Sakamachi’s cadence as she conveys the sentiment of her heart. Please appreciate that your correspondent is a step out of time with your pop culture and may have a frame of reference different to yours, but to her ears it reminds of the music of the early ‘00s, something we are informed is presently in vogue; we are reminded of the timeless E-Mail My Heart by Britney Spears and of the early work of Utada Hikaru.
Hailing from Saitama Prefecture, Sakamaki has been steadily building her career as an actor since 2020 with her first appearance in the horror short, Witch, alongside Yoshimoto Miyu, who recently appeared briefly in Pokémon themed drama, Pocket ni Boken o Tsumekonde.
When initially auditioning for Gotchard, she planned to read for both the role of Lachesis and Rinne with the intention of becoming this year’s heroine. However, according to an interview she did in November with website, NEWS Post Seven, she never got the chance to read for the part of Rinne and, whilst dissatisfied with this, soon discovered that staff had been so impressed with her brief performance as Lachesis that no one wished to jinx it. In the same interview, she speaks of her fondness for ants, often signing off her texts with a little ant emoji 🐜 and incorporating them into her signature, thus making the arrival of Ride Chemy Card, Anttrooper, in episode #4 a personal highlight for her.
Having monitored your planet for some time, we are worried that when an actor’s breakout role is in Sunday morning tokusatsu, sometimes it is hard to maintain the necessary career momentum once the series concludes; seeing Sakamaki establish her musical career in tandem to her notable roles in television and film gives me faith for the future and hope that her career will continue to flourish even after Kamen Rider Gotchard fans have moved on.
With lyrics penned by Sakamachi and music written by Nagamura Kaoru, your correspondent finds herself increasingly charmed by this track, a sense of nostalgia accompanying it that I cannot quite put my finger on. As the winter weather gives way to warmer climates, we predict it will become a firm favourite on our planet.
Please share your human thoughts in the comment section below and stay tuned to The Toku Source for more Messages from Planet C.
