Melocure

Melocure (メロキュア, Merokyua) was a Japanese pop duo consisting of Megumi Hinata and Ritsuko Okazaki. The duo's name is a pun on the term melodic hardcore. Signed to Columbia Music Entertainment, the duo was formed in 2002 and lasted until 2004 due to Okazaki's untimely death.

Melocure formed in April 2002 and debuted with the song "Itoshii Kakera (My Better Half)", which was used as the anime series UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie's opening theme song. More of Melocure's work was used as insert songs and themes for subsequent seasons of the show, as well as in the soundtracks of Stratos 4 and Okusama ha Mahō Shōjo. Melocure also had a weekly internet radio talk show.

They released their album Melodic Hard Cure in March 2004. Less than two months later, Okazaki died suddenly at the age of 44 from septic shock as a result of sepsis. Melocure's final song, Home & Away, was finished by Hinata after Okazaki's death and released more than a year later.

Although Okazaki has died, Hinata has said on her radio show that she will continue Melocure for the rest of her life, singing Melocure songs at her live shows in Okazaki's memory.^[1]

• MELOCURE's homepage (in Japanese)