Brave Heart (Megumi Hayashibara song)
| "Brave Heart" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Megumi Hayashibara | ||||
| from the album Feel Well | ||||
| Language | Japanese | |||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | December 29, 2001 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:14 | |||
| Label | Starchild | |||
| Composer | Michihiko Ohta | |||
| Lyricist | Megumi | |||
| Producer | Tomoji Sogawa | |||
| Megumi Hayashibara singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Audio | ||||
| "Brave Heart" on YouTube | ||||
"Brave Heart" is a song by Japanese voice actress and recording artist Megumi Hayashibara. Written by Michihiko Ohta with lyrics penned by Hayashibara,[a] the song was used as an insert song in the 2001 anime adaptation of Shaman King,[1][2] and was released as a single on December 29, 2001, via Starchild.[3][4]
Background and release
"Brave Heart" was the third single released by Hayashibara in 2001, and her second single associated with the Shaman King franchise following "Over Soul." It is also the first and only song by Hayashibara composed by Michihiko Ohta.[b] The song was primarily used during battle scenes on the Shaman King anime series, and it is characterized by its initial moderate and slow tempo, which then gradually builds up momentum toward the chorus and climax.[6]
The physical single was released on December 29, 2001, which included the original and an alternative version of "Brave Heart", credited as the "moonlit version," in addition to the B-side "Kirameku Kakera" written by Sora Izumikawa.[3] The original version of the song was included on the Hayashibara's tenth studio album Feel Well released on June 26, 2002,[7] while a rearranged take of the "moonlit version"—entitled the "moon shake version"—was included on the 2004 album Center Color.[8]
The original single was made available for streaming on March 30, 2021, along with the entire Megumi Hayashibara discography.[9]
Commercial performance
The single debuted and peaked at number 11 on the Oricon charts,[10] selling 40,390 copies on its first week.[11] It charted for seven weeks, with cumulative reported sales totaling 63,800 copies.[11]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Arrangement | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Brave Heart" | Megumi | Michihiko Ohta | Tomoji Sogawa | 4:14 |
| 2. | "Kirameku Kakera" (きらめくかけら, lit. 'Shining Fragment') | Sora Izumikawa | Izumikawa | Sogawa | 4:43 |
| 3. | "Brave Heart" (moonlit version) | Megumi | Ohta | Sogawa | 4:26 |
| 4. | "Brave Heart" (instrumental) | 4:14 | |||
| 5. | "Kirameku Kakera" (instrumental) | 4:43 | |||
| 6. | "Brave Heart" (moonlit version) (instrumental) | 4:24 |
Personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of the CD single.[13]
- Megumi Hayashibara - vocals, lyrics, chorus
- Tomoji Sogawa - arrangements, recording producer
- Go Takahashi - chorus
- Hiroyuki Tsuji - vocals recording engineer
- Koji Morimoto - recording, mixing engineer
- Akira Ando - mastering
- Toshimichi Otsuki - executive producer
Charts
| Chart (2002) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Japan (Oricon)[10] | 11 |
Notes
- ^ Under the alias "Megumi" stylized in all caps.
- ^ Ohta also wrote the Digimon Adventure song of the same name performed by Ayumi Miyazaki;[5] however, both tracks are completely unrelated.
References
- ^ "Staff & Cast". Shaman King Official Website (in Japanese). King Records. Archived from the original on 9 June 2008. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
- ^ "Shaman King (TV 2001)". Anime News Network. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
- ^ a b "林原めぐみ / Northern lights". CD Journal (in Japanese). 2001. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
- ^ "brave heart/林原めぐみ". Tower Records (in Japanese). 2001. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
- ^ "brave heart ～「デジモンアドベンチャー」挿入歌/宮崎歩". Tower Records (in Japanese). Retrieved 15 March 2026.
- ^ "平成の人気漫画・シャーマンキングの魅力とは？". UtaTen (in Japanese). 15 July 2019. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
- ^ "林原めぐみ / feel well [CD+DVD] [限定][廃盤]". CD Journal (in Japanese). 2002. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
- ^ "林原めぐみ / center color [CD+DVD] [廃盤]". CD Journal (in Japanese). 2004. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
- ^ "【林原めぐみ】全シングル41枚＆全オリジナルアルバム14枚がサブスクにて一挙配信開始！". EnterJam (in Japanese). 30 March 2021. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
- ^ a b "brave heart | 林原めぐみ". Oricon News (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
- ^ a b "オリコンランキング情報サービス「you大樹」" [Oricon Ranking Information Service 'You Taiju']. Oricon. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
- ^ "brave heart - EP by Megumi Hayashibara". Apple Music (in Japanese). 2002. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
- ^ Hayashibara, Megumi (2001). Brave Heart (CD single). Starchild. King Records Co., Ltd. KICM-3021.