(Artist) Nakagawa Shoko

[Timewizard21]

those are interesting names for the songs
the name doesn't sound like it's going to be another rock song like the other two theme songs but we won't know until we hear some previews (maybe it is ><)
the release date coincides with Magical Tour 2009 so i'll be able to pick it up physically in a store on release
it looks like there will be 3 different CDs as well

Magical Tour actually starts on 3/25 but I'm only planning to go to half of the performances (4/26 and onwards) mainly because of the current economic recession and I'm not that hardcore enough to go to all of them yet anyways
most performances are probably very similar and if i don't blow too much money on this one then i can save up for future events

2 extra performances were added in Nagoya and Tokyo respectively a few days ago so there's actually 15 performances in total now
i'm going to be able to catch the big ones in Osaka and Tokyo (which is actually sold out now ><) so those are the important ones
hopefully this concert tour is as special and magical (lol) as her previous concerts to make this all worth it in the end

the Magical Tour t-shirt looks awesome too ><
i actually have a t-shirt collection from every concert 
first concert Donyoku Matsuri in Shibuya
Concert Tour 2008 Donyoku Matsuri ( neck towel and 2008 happi too)
Gakuen Matsuri (neck towel too)
and the t-shirts from AX if that counts
i'm probably going to get a t-shirt for everyone i know
i think i'm addicted to concert merchandise

[Timewizard21]

Magical Tour Concert Goods!!



The 2009 Happi looks even better than last year's
It comes with a pink sash that says mepo

2 different t-shirts this year and a new muffler towel too
going to make sure i don't miss out on anything this year

the official website Shokotan Net got a huge makeover -> www.shokotan.jp
and Magical Tour starts today!!! ><

[Timewizard21]

previews for "Namida no Tane, Egao no Hana" (Seed of Tears, Flower of Smile) are up on the Sony Music website
it's another rock song (shouldn't have expected anything else from a GL theme song)

http://www.sonymusic.co.jp/Music/Arch/SR/ShokoNakagawa/  (click on Discography section)

Namida no Tane, Egao no Hana doesn't sound as epic as some of her other rock songs (it kind of reminds me of Tsuzuku Sekai but with a faster pace).  I didn't like Shiny GATE, Kirei A La Mode and Spiral from previews but loved them right after hearing the full songs so I don't really want to base my opinions on previews anymore ><

I kind of like "Gozen Roku-ji"  (6AM) more than the first track only due to because it sounds more like a pop song and is a lot more upbeat with a rock flair.

Milky Kiss sounds like a cutesy bubblegum pop song.  It's interesting how it's put on the same single as two rock songs (similar to Mitsubachi no Sasayaki on the single for Sorairo Days) so it definitely makes it stand out from the other two songs.  It probably won't beat Mitsubachi no Sasayaki though because that song is too cute.  I mainly like that song because of the way Shokotan performs it when she sings it live.  It's also my friends favorite song after he was lucky enough to see her perform it live while she was promoting Sorairo Days. ><

edit:  I just tried listening to the previews for namida no tane, egao no hana again and it sounds awesome.  I don't know what I was thinking yesterday.  It actually fits perfect as an ending theme for Gurren Lagann and sounds a lot better than Tsuzuku Sekai.  I've still only seen and heard previews right now though but definitely really looking forward to it now (the covers are awesome too ><)

[Timewizard21]

Magical Tour 2009 Concert Song List from the Performance in Toda 3/25

1.Spiral
2.Shiny GATE
3.1／2
4.そばかす (sokabasu)
5.ストロベリmelody (strawberry melody)
6.みつばちのささやき  (mitsubachi no sasayaki!!)
7.through the looking glass
8.シャーベット色の時間 (sherbert iro no toki)
9.CAT Life
10.pretty please chocolate on top
11.冬の遊園地 (fuyu no yuuenchi)
12.綺麗ア・ラ・モード (kirei a la mode)
13.snow tears
14.君にメロロン (kimi ni meroron)
14.続く世界 (tsuzuku sekai)
15.空色デイズ (sorairo days)
16.happily ever after
17.calling location
18.涙の種、笑顔の花 (namida no tane, egao no hana)

Encore
1.アニソンメドレー (anisong medley)
   めざせポケモンマスター  (mezase pokemon master - Pokemon OP)
　プレパレード (pure parade - ToraDora OP)
　アクエリオン (aquarion OP)
　残酷な天使のテーゼ (zankoku na tenshi no thesis - Evangelion OP)
　魂のルフラン (Soul's refrain - Evangelion movie song)
　DANZEN！ふたりはプリキュア (DANZEN futari wa purikyua - futari wa Pretty Cure)
　星間飛行 (hoshi kan hikou - Macross Frontier)
　ライオン (Lion - Macross Frontier)
　もえよギザみみピチュー (moeyo giza mimi pichu - new Pokemon movie ED)
2.Ivy

Article with pictures of the concert (and cover for the new single) here:

http://news.livedoor.com/article/detail/4078934/
http://www.barks.jp/news/?id=1000048168
http://natalie.mu/news/show/id/14755

I'm kind of sad Brilliant Dream isn't in it but CAT Life is, besides that the concert set list looks awesome

[starry01482]

Third song sounds the best to me, the second I like least.  I prefer the CD/DVD cover over the CD one.

[Timewizard21]

Wow I just listend to the full version of Namida no Tane Egao no Hana and it sounds really awesome ><
I love the light airy mood it starts off with and the pacing towards the chorus
The song itself sounds a lot more refined than her other Gurren Lagann song
The PV might be out soon but I haven't seen any dates that it will air yet

I can't wait to actually hear her perform it since she's singing it in the concert tour
I'm going to the concert starting on 4/26 and onwards until 5/17 (8 concerts in total!!)
The concert DVD this year will be recorded in the performance in NHK Hall on 5/17

Milky Kiss is really cute too, it was shown extensively on shokorita ep 22
I thought I was listening to the Creamy Mami OP at first because of the way it started lol

Also did anyone try adding Shokotan on their Xbox Live?
She posted her gamertag a few weeks ago and got a lot of friend requests (no surprise considering how much people read her blog everyday)
Xbox Live only allows 100 people on your friend list though and her list is full already
It looks like she's been playing Street Fighter 4 a lot too lol

[Timewizard21]

Namida no Tane, Egao no Hana PV O_O
i haven't seen it yet><
涙の種、笑顔の花　／　中川翔子

[Masa]

Shoko Nakagawa - Namida no Tane, Egao no Hana (PV-rip)
http://sharebee.com/ed964263

I'm not too familiar with Shokotan's music but I gotta admit that 'Namida no Tane' is pretty awesome. Totally reminds me of anime music and I wouldn't be surprised if it was an anime theme song. By the way, does she have more rock influenced songs like 'Namida no Tane'? Recommendations please!

Namida no Tane, Egao no Hana PV O_O

Whoa, that has got to be the sexiest Shokotan PV I have ever seen. Anyways mad respect for keeping our Shokotan thread alive! I'm not a hardcore-fan but I do follow this thread and your epic posts. Keep up the good work!

[SomethingWild]

^Glad you like it! Most of her songs are rock and she performs with a real live band at her concerts!

Just a couple recommendations:
- Sorairo Days (this is probably considered THE classic Shokotan song)
- Happily Ever After
- Tzusuku Sekai
- Spiral

[Timewizard21]

I'm not too familiar with Shokotan's music but I gotta admit that 'Namida no Tane' is pretty awesome. Totally reminds me of anime music and I wouldn't be surprised if it was an anime theme song. By the way, does she have more rock influenced songs like 'Namida no Tane'? Recommendations please!

This song is actually the ending theme for the second Gurren Lagann movie.  All her Gurren Lagann songs have been rock songs which are probably her most popular song and basically boosted her music career as well.  She's mentioned before that Sorairo Days is her favorite song due to it's popularity as it's her more recognized song.   There's a few non-Gurren Lagann related rock songs in her albums that are very good as well (Calling Location and Spiral)

Whoa, that has got to be the sexiest Shokotan PV I have ever seen. Anyways mad respect for keeping our Shokotan thread alive! I'm not a hardcore-fan but I do follow this thread and your epic posts. Keep up the good work!

I try to be hardcore but it's really hard because I don't live in Japan .  I get most of my info from friends who live in Japan.  Almost all the exclusive merchandise I have are from them too.  One of the main reasons I'm going to the tour is to actually repay them back.  I'm a poor college student too so even doing something like going to the concert tour requires months of saving up money (I've been saving up since August ;.  I even signed up for the official fan club "Giza Pinku" and have been getting the official newsletter sent all the way here.
This forum is probably the only place I can talk about Shokotan too since none of my friends like her and she's so obscure outside of Gurren Lagann here.  I initially found out about her thanks to reading this topic too ><

I found a better than youtube quality rip of the video
http://www.zshare.net/video/583390176593ba68/

I like the song more everytime I listen to it.  Love the PV too, it kind of fits with the song more than her other rock song's PVs.  I'm usually not a fan of these dark themed PVs but Shokotan just makes it awesome <3

Also the official music website got changed into Namida no Tane,Egao no Hana themed -> www.nakagawashoko.com

and lyrics　from uta-net

kanji

※この胸に　あの日　君が蒔いた
小さな　涙の種
いつか　大きな　笑顔の花
咲かせる　その日まで※

めまぐるしい毎日の中でも
時々　不意に巻き戻してる
あの先もずっと君といられたら
もしもの未来

どこにもいない姿を
どこにいても感じたまま
今日も同じ空の下で
明日へと向かうよ

△繰り返す言葉は
そぅ　まるで　心をとかすように
僕に今　語りかけるんだ
愛しい　その声で△

(※くり返し)

ここにいるから

多分　特別なことではなくて
やがて誰もがその意味を識る
紅く燃え尽きる雲の切れ間には
星が瞬く

その瞳は今どこで
どんな景色を見てるの?
君が好きだった季節が
また巡ってくるよ

抱きしめた　君の欠片たちは
何も　変わらないまま
何度でも　語りかけるんだ
愛しい　その声で

忘れない　あの日　君が蒔いた
小さな　涙の種
いつか　大きな　笑顔の花
咲かせる　その日まで

ここにいるから

朝も昼も夜も
見つけながら　迷いながら
僕らは約束の場所へ急ぐ

(△くり返し)

この胸に　あの日　君が蒔いた
小さな　涙の種
やっと　大きな　笑顔の花
ねぇ　咲かせたんだ
きっと　いつまでも
ここにいるから

romaji

kono mune ni ano hi kimi ga maita
chiisana namida no tane
itsuka ookina egao no hana
sakaseru sono hi made

memagurushii mainichi no naka demo
tokidoki fui ni maki modoshiteru
ano saki mo zutto kimi toiraretara
moshimo no mirai

doko ni moinai sugata wo
doko ni itemo kanjita mama
kyou mo onaji sora no shita de
ashita he to mukau yo

kurikaesu kotoba wa
sou marude kokoro wo tokasu youni
boku ni ima katarikakerunda
itoshii sono koe de

kono mune ni ano hi kimi ga maita
chiisana namida no tane
itsuka ookina egao no hana
sakaseru sono hi made

koko ni iru kara

tabun tokubetsu na koto de wa nakute
yagate dare mo ga sono imi wo shiru
akaku moetsukiru kumo no kirema ni wa
hoshi ga mabataku

sono hitomi wa ima doko de
donna keshiki wo miteru no
kimi ga suki datta kisetsu ga
mata megutte kuru yo

dakishimeta kimi no kakera tachi wa
nani mo kawara nai mama
nan do demo katarikakerun da
itoshii sono koe de

wasure nai ano hi kimi ga maita
chiisana namida no tane
itsuka ookina egao no hana
sakaseru sono hi made

koko ni iru kara

asa mo hiru mo yoru mo
mitsuke nagara mayoi nagara
bokura wa yakusoku no basho he isogu

kurikaesu kotoba wa
sou marude kokoro wo tokasu youni
boku ni ima katarikakerunda
itoshii sono koe de

kono mune ni ano hi kimi ga maita
chiisana namida no tane
yatto ookina egao no hana
nee sakase tan da
kitto itsu mademo

koko ni iru kara

maybe English later when I have time ><

[Masa]

Thanks for the recommendations, BarrieV & Timewizard21! I downloaded Shoko's Big Bang and Magic Time albums and right now my favorite songs are Spiral, Sorairo Days, Tsuzuku Sekai, Calling Location & Brand-New Day. I'm a sucker for girl rock so I like pretty much all her rock songs


DOWNLOAD

I can upload more Shokorita episodes if you guys are interested

This song is actually the ending theme for the second Gurren Lagann movie.  All her Gurren Lagann songs have been rock songs which are probably her most popular song and basically boosted her music career as well.  She's mentioned before that Sorairo Days is her favorite song due to it's popularity as it's her more recognized song.   There's a few non-Gurren Lagann related rock songs in her albums that are very good as well (Calling Location and Spiral)

Cool. Hmm.. I have never heard of Gurren Lagann so I guess I better google it. Anyways I finally heard Sorairo Days and I totally understand why fans like it so much. It's pretty damn rockin'

I try to be hardcore but it's really hard because I don't live in Japan .  I get most of my info from friends who live in Japan.  Almost all the exclusive merchandise I have are from them too.  One of the main reasons I'm going to the tour is to actually repay them back.  I'm a poor college student too so even doing something like going to the concert tour requires months of saving up money (I've been saving up since August ;.  I even signed up for the official fan club "Giza Pinku" and have been getting the official newsletter sent all the way here.

You should totally take pix of your collection! I had no idea non-Japanese were able to join her fan club. And yeah, it's true that ALL students are broke (I'm one of 'em lol) and going to Japan is expensive as hell. I was an exchange student in Japan a couple of years ago and I was really lucky that my favorite band v-u-den had a concert during my stay. I wouldn't have been able to go see them without the whole student exchange thing. Anyways I hope you enjoy Shokotan's concerts

This forum is probably the only place I can talk about Shokotan too since none of my friends like her and she's so obscure outside of Gurren Lagann here.  I initially found out about her thanks to reading this topic too ><

Yeah, I know the feeling. I don't know any jpop-fans outside the net so JPH!P is basically the only place where I get to talk about the awesomeness of Japanese pop culture. Anyways it's mad cool that you discovered Shokotan through this site. I discover new stuff every week thanks to our awesome members

I found a better than youtube quality rip of the video
http://www.zshare.net/video/583390176593ba68/

Thanks!

I like the song more everytime I listen to it.  Love the PV too, it kind of fits with the song more than her other rock song's PVs.  I'm usually not a fan of these dark themed PVs but Shokotan just makes it awesome <3

I gotta admit that after years of listening to H!P stuff I kinda prefer darker songs and PVs nowadays. Like my favorite Aya Hirano song is her goth rock song Harmonia Vita. I haven't really seen any older Shokotan PVs so which ones are worth checking out?

Shokotan read my fan mail!! ><

Congrats! That must have been awesome! And what makes it even cooler is that she actually remembered you

[Timewizard21]

I can upload more Shokorita episodes if you guys are interested

OMG I love the resolution of that video ><
If you can upload more I'll repay you back somehow
I'll buy a copy of Namida no Tane, Egao no Hana and send it to you when it comes out if you want one

Cool. Hmm.. I have never heard of Gurren Lagann so I guess I better google it. Anyways I finally heard Sorairo Days and I totally understand why fans like it so much. It's pretty damn rockin'

It's a weird anime but it's also awesome at the same time (maybe that's why so much people like it).  I didn't think I'd like it at first but really enjoyed it after watching it.  I think it was Gainax's first mecha anime since Evangelion so it had a lot of hype before it aired too.  I don't want to ruin too much but a lot of ridiculous things happen which makes it enjoyable.  A lot of the quotes in the series have become internet memes too lol

You should totally take pix of your collection! I had no idea non-Japanese were able to join her fan club. And yeah, it's true that ALL students are broke (I'm one of 'em lol) and going to Japan is expensive as hell. I was an exchange student in Japan a couple of years ago and I was really lucky that my favorite band v-u-den had a concert during my stay. I wouldn't have been able to go see them without the whole student exchange thing. Anyways I hope you enjoy Shokotan's concerts

I don't think 1 picture would be able to capture everything I have lol ><
When I have time I can try taking pictures of a few stuff.

I asked her manager myself if I could join the fan club and he said it was impossible.  A few months later, my friend who lives in Japan spoke to her manager again at a different event and they considered opening a spot and letting me join.  There's been a few fan club meetings since then but I haven't been able to go to any of them.  Tickets to Tokyo were like $1300-1400 so it's really expensive to go.  Luckily fuel surcharges have recently dropped and a ticket to Tokyo is only $700 for round trip so hopefully I'll be able to go to some in the future ><

Congrats! That must have been awesome! And what makes it even cooler is that she actually remembered you

I was really surprised that she remembered too.  I thought I only made an impression on her manager and staff but she remembered too >< 
I usually have my friend proofread my fanmail before I send it because my Japanese is funny but didn't have time and just sent it in. 

GIZA PINKU members get to meet Shokotan backstage!!

http://www.shokotan.jp/2009/03/83.php

It looks like you have to send in an application to get an invite though ><
The only concerts I'm going to that are eligible are the one in Takamatsu and Sendai so that kind of limits chances but hopefully I get an invite for one of them. 

[Blu-Cherri]

wow I'm so behind in shokotan land...
thanks for the video Masa, downloading~

[Masa]

DOWNLOAD

OMG I love the resolution of that video ><
If you can upload more I'll repay you back somehow
I'll buy a copy of Namida no Tane, Egao no Hana and send it to you when it comes out if you want one

It's all good, your contributions are enough. Just keep posting Shokotan news an' stuff

It's a weird anime but it's also awesome at the same time (maybe that's why so much people like it).  I didn't think I'd like it at first but really enjoyed it after watching it.  I think it was Gainax's first mecha anime since Evangelion so it had a lot of hype before it aired too.  I don't want to ruin too much but a lot of ridiculous things happen which makes it enjoyable.  A lot of the quotes in the series have become internet memes too lol

Thanks for the info! I'm not the biggest anime fan but I might check out the movie.

There's been a few fan club meetings since then but I haven't been able to go to any of them.

So what are those FC meetings like? Does Shokotan perform songs or what?

GIZA PINKU members get to meet Shokotan backstage!!

I hope you get invited!

[starry01482]

I like Namida no Tane, Egao no Hana alot more than Sorairo Days I think, the production is rather more elaborate.  I don't like Milky Kiss so much now after hearing the whole thing.  I like that little keyboard figure at the start of Namida.  Hopefully Namida will be a big success, it deserves to do better than Sorairo Days imo.

The video for Namida is quite good, although the sections in black and white and sepia I like least.  Shoko just looks better in colour, she looks a bit too serious or aloof in the rain or water shots and I like to see more of her personality.  She's a colourful personality and should be seen in colour.  

Thanks for the Shokorita episodes, I'll download.

[Blu-Cherri]

Hmm my shokorita #10 is really out of synch, anyone else got this problem or is it my download of it?

[Masa]

Hmm my shokorita #10 is really out of synch, anyone else got this problem or is it my download of it?

I have no idea cause my computer is too slow to play that video properly

[starry01482]

I just tested Shokorita no10 and the video and audio seem to be in synch.  I used VLC player.

[Blu-Cherri]

OK then I'll try redownloading it.  My nets been funny recently so it may have corrupted the file ^_^

[Masa]

DOWNLOAD