Plenty of Grit

"Plenty of Grit"
Single by Megumi Hayashibara
from the album Choice
LanguageJapanese
A-side"Revolution" (double A-side)
ReleasedJuly 23, 2008 (2008-07-23)
Genre
Length4:49
LabelStarchild
ComposerHidetoshi Sato
LyricistMegumi
Megumi Hayashibara singles chronology
"A Happy Life"
(2007) 		"Plenty of Grit" / "Revolution"
(2008) 		"Front Breaking"
(2009)
Audio
"Plenty of Grit" on YouTube

"Plenty of Grit" is a song by Japanese voice actress and recording artist Megumi Hayashibara. Written by Hidetoshi Sato with lyrics penned by Hayashibara,[a] the song released as a double A-side single alongside "Revolution" on July 23, 2008, by Starchild.[1][2] Both songs were used as the opening and ending themes for the anime television series Slayers Revolution, respectively.[3][4]

Background

Slayers Revolution marked the return of the Slayers franchise to television anime after an 11-year hiatus since the conclusion of Try in 1997.[5] Hayashibara, the voice actress for the protagonist Lina Inverse since the original series, reprised her role and was also deeply involved in the production and direction of the theme songs for the new series, drawing on her extensive knowledge of the franchise.[6] For the opening theme "Plenty of grit", Hayashibara aimed to recreate the atmosphere of the earlier television series entries, and there aimed to regroup the original contributors of theme songs from the original 1990s series, which she aimed would serve as a nostalgic "tease" for longtime fans familiar with the old staff.[6] She selected a composition by Hidetoshi Sato from nearly ten demo tapes, specifically choosing one where the intro prominently featured the word "Slayers" in a recognizable manner. The arrangement was handled by Tsutomu Ohira, who had previously worked on Slayers Next, while Masami Okui contributed with backing vocals.[6] The anime began airing July 2, 2008, on TV Tokyo.[7]

Concepts and themes

The lyrics of "Plenty of Grit" reflect themes of perseverance, the inherent value of life despite setbacks, and inner strength.[6] Hayashibara explained that both "Plenty of Grit" and "Revolution" address universal human experiences—doubt, discouragement, the desire to give up or curse one's circumstances—while affirming that life begins as a "win" simply by being born against incredible odds.[6] Additionally, she expressed a desire to return the resilience and "grit" she had learned from the early years of Slayers, channeling it back into the franchise through the songs.[6]

Release

The CD single was released on July 23, 2008, following the June 2008 release of Slayers Megumix, a 29-track compilation album of Slayers-related songs curated by Hayashibara herself.[7] Both "Plenty of Grit" and "Revolution" were later included on Hayashibara's fifteenth studio album Choice, released on July 21, 2010.[8] "Plenty of grit" was also featured on Hayashibara's best-of album Vintage White, released on June 11, 2011.[9]

Although it is treated as a double A-side ("Plenty of Grit/Revolution") in Oricon listings, on the Hayashibara's official site, as well as in promotional materials, advertisements, and other related sources, the single is actually listed a single A-side featuring "Plenty of grit" alone.[10]

Commercial performance

"Plenty of Grit" debuted and peaked at number 6 on the Oricon charts,[11] selling 14,940 copies on its first week.[12] The single charted for nine weeks in total, with reported sales amounting to 25,931 copies.[12]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Megumi.

CD single/digital release track listing[13]
No.TitleMusicArrangementLength
1."Plenty of Grit"Hidetoshi SatoTsutomu Ohira4:49
2."Revolution"Go TakahashiTakahashi4:18
3."Plenty of Grit" (Off Vocal Version)  4:49
4."Revolution" (Off Vocal Version)  4:16

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of the CD single.[14]

  • Megumi Hayashibara – lead vocals, lyrics
  • Tsutomu Ohira – programming, keyboard
  • Toshiro Yabuki – guitar, mixing
  • Masami Okui – chorus
  • Satomi "Dark" Takahashi – chorus
  • Hiroyuki Tsuji – recording engineer
  • Toshimichi Otsuki – executive producer

Charts

Weekly chart performance for "Plenty of Grit"
Chart (2008) Peak
position
Japan (Oricon)[11] 6
Japan Top Singles Sales (Billboard Japan)[15] 12
Japan Hot 100 (Billboard Japan)[16] 71

Notes

  1. ^ Under the alias "Megumi" stylized in all caps.

References

  1. ^ "Plenty of grit / Revolution/林原めぐみ". Tower Records Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  2. ^ "林原めぐみ「Plenty of grit」 | KICM-1245". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). 2008. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  3. ^ "2008夏アニメまとめ一覧【2008年7月放送】". Animate Times (in Japanese). 22 November 2023. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  4. ^ "The Slayers Revolution (TV)". Anime News Network. 2008. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  5. ^ "脱・萌えアニメ！11年の時を経て復活した『スレイヤーズ』が"正統派ファンタジー"復権の引き金へ". Nikkei Trendy (in Japanese). 1 January 2009. Archived from the original on 9 August 2011. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  6. ^ a b c d e f "インタビュー：人気アニメ 『スレイヤーズ』 が11年ぶりに復活　林原めぐみによる待望のシングル 「Plenty of grit／Revolution」 が登場". CD Journal (in Japanese). 27 June 2008. Archived from the original on 9 March 2026. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  7. ^ a b "林原めぐみ、「スレイヤーズ」ベストCDを発表！新TVシリーズの主題歌もリリース". CD Journal (in Japanese). 30 May 2008. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  8. ^ "シングル&アルバムを同時リリース記念! 林原めぐみのメッセージを紹介". Mynavi News (in Japanese). 21 July 2010.
  9. ^ "林原めぐみ、"伝説"から約10年ぶりのベスト盤決定". Barks (in Japanese). 6 May 2011. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  10. ^ "「スレイヤーズEVOLUTION」主題歌 Ｐｌｅｎｔｙ　ｏｆ　ｇｒｉｔ 発売日：2008年7月23日". Megumi Hayashibara Official Website (in Japanese). Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  11. ^ a b "Plenty of grit/Revolution | 林原めぐみ". Oricon News (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  12. ^ 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 9 March 2026.
  13. ^ "Plenty of grit - EP by Megumi Hayashibara". Apple Music. Retrieved 10 March 2026.
  14. ^ Hayashibara, Megumi (2008). Plenty of Grit (CD single). Starchild. King Records Co., Ltd. KICM-1245.
  15. ^ "Billboard Japan Top Singles Sales – Week of July 30, 2008". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 11 March 2026.
  16. ^ "Billboard Japan Hot 100 – Week of July 30, 2008". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 11 March 2026.
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