Tracks:

1. “Arigatou no Egao” (「ありがとうの笑顔」)

2. rainbow forecast

3. Ame ni Kiss no Hanataba wo (雨にキッスの花束を)

4. “Arigatou no Egao” -Instrumental-

“Arigatou no Egao” is Shoko Nakagawa’s 10th single and it was released on October 14th, 2009. This single reached #6 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and it has sold 14,746 copies. rainbow forecast was used as the theme song for the Japanese version of the movie Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.

Shoko Nakagawa is on a roll with these slower songs. “Arigatou no Egao” is the more reserved A-side of Nakagawa’s third era and she really shows some emotion in this sad, yet lighthearted ballad. While I will admit, I’m a bit bored with this song, it’s nice to see that she’s spicing things up, since she has a great voice for ballads. I liked the quiet beat during the verse (which are also quiet), and when the chorus comes along it makes everything brighter with it’s uplifting strings and percussion line. Alright Shokotan, we’ve what a rock song, an upbeat ballad, and a sad ballad… what’s next?

rainbow forecast was originally the title for this single, but it was put as a B-side for some reason. This song is almost like a continuation of the A-side, since it has a similar melody. This song is pure pop and it sounds like something straight off her 2nd album Magic Time. I like this song a little more, since to the trumpets throughout the song.

Track 3 is a cover of Miki Imai’s Ame ni Kiss no Hanataba wo which was used as the opening theme for the anime YAWARA! years back. Both Nakagawa’s and Imai’s songs sound similar, so I guess Shokotan wanted to stay true to the original. I definitely like this version better since it’s faster and the vocals sound a lot better. This song uses a lot of 90s synth, so if you’ve heard the original, you can get a general idea of the sound.

Overall Grade: