Only a band with a core sound as weirdly unique as Kinniku Shojo Tai’s would be able to drop two prominent elements from it and still sound like nobody but themselves. Fumihiko Kitsutaka’s classy melodic speed metal guitar work, which was front on center on most post-reunion Kinniku Shojo Tai albums, is used remarkably sparingly on ‘Kimi Dake Ga Oboeteiru Eiga’ and Toshiaki Honjo’s choppy funk riffs are completely absent. And yet, ‘Kimi Dake Ga Oboeteiru Eiga’ is a typical latter day Kinniku Shojo Tai album. Slightly less powerful than other recent releases due to the prominence of rock and pop leanings, but entertaining nonetheless.
Kinniku Shojo Tai has had an extended period during which rock and pop were the main focus of their sound in the mid to late nineties. But even though the trailer which surfaced online prior to its release suggested that ‘Kimi Dake Ga Oboeteiru Eiga’ was moving in that direction again, that is not entirely true. A song like the melodic hardrocker ‘Muishiki Shita De Aimasho’ continues the tradition of latter-day tracks like ‘Torifido No Hi Ga Ki Te Mo Futari Wa Iki Nuku’ and ‘Owakari Ikadaketa Daro Ka’, while bassist Yuichiro Uchida’s compositions in particular focus on the band’s trademark quirkiness.
To start with Uchida’s songs, ‘Sekai Chan’ almost sounds like the band’s earliest days, before Kitsutaka and Honjo joined. Uchida’s bass line is slinky and semi-jazzy, carrying the dark, brooding vibe of the song perfectly. I also like how the song appears to build towards a chorus it does not have. ‘Boya No Shichi Nin’, on the other hand, is a jumpy, dynamic track which moves back and forth between stomping start-stop riffs, ska-inspired verses and somewhat surf rock-ish segments. Another delightfully quirky track is the brief instrumental ‘Russia No Circus Dan Ika Sama Magician’, which almost sounds like it originated from a jam session.
My only gripe with ‘Kimi Dake Ga Oboeteiru Eiga’ would be that there are no less than four ballads, out of which ‘Covid-19’ and ‘Outsiders’ are the best. The former has an interesting structure, starting out as a fairly typical acoustic track, then brought to a higher level by a number of surprisingly dark, sparse sections. The latter has a simple, but cool recurring guitar theme. The flow is not helped by three consecutive ballads at the very end at the album. But when paired with songs like the swinging hardrocker ‘Soko Ijiraretara Haa!?’ and Kitustaka’s relatively heavy ‘Ooedo Teppo 100 Nintai Onmitsu Senki’, it’s not as big a problem as it could have been.
‘Kimi Dake Ga Oboeteiru Eiga’ definitely does not reach the heights that post-reunion Kinniku Shojo Tai albums like ‘Love’ and ‘Omake No Ichinichi (Tatakai No Hibi)’ did reach, but while it might be the band’s weakest release in about a decade, it does what it does very well. Personally, I would have preferred just a bit more of the funk rock and speed metal riffs that were on the previous albums, but it is remarkable how dynamic an album the band managed to create without them. ‘Kimi Dake Ga Oboeteiru Eiga’ sounds like a mixture of the band’s nineties work and their post-reunion albums. Anyone who enjoyed those will likely enjoy this album as well.
Recommended tracks: ‘Ooedo Teppo 100 Nintai Onmitsu Senki’, ‘Sekai Chan’, ‘Muishiki Shita De Aimasho’
Order ‘Kimi Dake Ga Oboeteiru Eiga’ from nearly anywhere in the world at CD Japan below
Kevy Metal 
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