Takizawa Hideaki has released his third single this year, Hikari Hitotsu (One Light), just as his drama series Orthros no Inu (Dog of Orthros), ends its run on Sep 25. The title track was the drama’s opening theme song. The 27-year-old stars as main character Ryuzaki Shinji, who can heal any illness or injury with the touch of his hand but, unfortunately for everyone, he has an evil personality.

As with his previous singles, there are 3 “jackets” to choose from, each with different cover art and bonus gifts. Jacket A, the “Music Clip” edition, is definitely a must-get for fans of Takizawa, or Takki (Tackey) as he’s affectionately known. It features a bonus 13-minute long DVD with the promotional video (PV) for “Hikari Hitotsu” and behind-the-scenes (Off-shots) footage. Many close-ups of Takki and his amazing smile which won the hearts of fans all over the world can be seen in the Off-shots clip. There are also numerous cute moments, for example when he changed a line in his song to “Kaeritai” (translated as “I want to go home”), and when he broke into a grin while the camera was doing an extreme close-up of his serious expression, as well as his embarrassed smile when he walked into a building labeled as “Haiyuu (actor) Centre”.

The bonus for Jackets B is a DVD with 2 clips: “Hikari Hitotsu” in the drama and anime versions, and for Jacket C there’s an extra track “Ai no senshi: Taki-ranger” (translated as Love warrior: Taki-ranger). The DVD for Jacket B doesn’t seem comparable to the one in Jacket A as it only has 2 PVs, but you’ll get to hear his Orthros no Inu character’s pet phrase, “あんたは俺に何をしてくれる?” (translated as “What can you do for me?”) in the “Hikari Hitotsu (Drama edition)” clip.

If you compare Hikari Hitotsu with Takki’s previous singles, Ai Kakumei (Love Revolution) and Shalala, you’ll find that his formula has changed slightly this time. “Hikari Hitotsu” isn’t as upbeat as those 2 earlier hits, although UrbanWire had expected dance choreography after hearing it for the first time while watching Orthros no Inu.

“Warui Otoko” (Bad Guy), the second track in this single, may sound ridiculous on the first few listens, especially with the repeated “Jin jin” in the chorus. But give it a few more chances at redemption, and the song starts to grow on you and soon you’ll be going “Jin jin” with the song too. The lyrics seem sad though, as it gives the impression of a guy being labelled “Warui Otoko” no matter what he does, even if he’s “not a liar”, even if he just “wants to hold you tightly”.

Actually, the one track that catches your attention most and has you singing along in a matter of minutes is Jacket C’s bonus track “Ai no senshi: Taki-ranger”. It’s extremely catchy with adorable lyrics that go “Ai! Ai! Ai! Ai! Sentai! (translated as Love! Love! Love! Love! Troop!) TAKITAKITAKI Taki-ranger!” It may appear childish if you just read the lyrics, but after listening to the song you’ll want to hear it again and again. And Takki’s probably the only one who can strike a balance in this song so that listeners will enjoy it instead of being irritated by it, especially if one has seen the actual Taki-ranger performance in the Taki-sama (Tackey Summer) concerts in late June.

Still,  Takki’s voice seems lonely, when we remember that Takizawa Hideaki usually releases singles with his partner Imai Tsubasa as a duo, Tackey & Tsubasa. It has been at least a year since they had a release together, so despite how well Takizawa is doing in the solo department, hopefully we can hear Tsubasa’s harmony with Takki’s main vocals the next time a new song is announced.

Title: ヒカリひとつ Hikari Hitotsu (One Light)
Artiste: 滝沢秀明 Takizawa Hideaki
Language: Japanese
Record Label: Avex Trax
Release Date: Sep 23