Successful Mission

"Successful Mission"
8-cm CD single cover
Single by Megumi Hayashibara
from the album Irāvatī
LanguageJapanese
B-side"I'll Be There"
ReleasedOctober 23, 1996 (1996-10-23)
Genre
Length4:10
LabelStarchild
ComposerHidetoshi Sato
LyricistMegumi
Megumi Hayashibara singles chronology
"Just Be Conscious"
(1996) 		"Successful Mission"
(1996) 		"Don't Be Discouraged"
(1997)
Audio
"Successful Mission" on YouTube

"Successful Mission" is a song by Japanese voice actress and recording artist Megumi Hayashibara. Written by Hidetoshi Sato with lyrics penned by Hayashibara,[a] the song was released as a single on October 23, 1996, via Starchild.[1]

Background and release

"Successful Mission" was written as the opening theme song for the television anime series Saber Marionette J, in which Hayashibara voiced the main character, Lime.[2] The anime was broadcast in Japan via TV Tokyo from October 1995 through January 1996.[2] The song is characterized for its Eurobeat influence combined with heavy guitar use, a common feature of anime songs from that era.[3]

For the single release, the song was coupled with "I'll Be There", which served as ending theme song for the same anime.[2] The full-length versions of both tracks were first included on the Saber Marionette J soundtrack album Japanese Poem Anthology Collection Volume 2 released on April 9, 1997,[4] and later on Hayashibara's studio album Irāvatī released on August 6, 1997.[5][b] "Successful Mission" was also used as opening theme of the PlayStation fighting game Saber Marionette J: Battle Sabers released by Bandai on March 28, 1997.[6]

The original single was made available for streaming on March 30, 2021, along with the entire Megumi Hayashibara discography.[7]

Commercial performance

"Successful Mission" debuted and peaked at number 7 on the Oricon Singles chart, marking Hayashibara's second Top 10 entry on the Japanese charts since "Give a Reason."[8][9] The single sold 66,450 copies on its first week and charted for seven weeks, with cumulative reported sales totalling 139,120 copies.[9]

The single was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) in April 1997.[10]

Impact

Since its release, "Successful Mission" has become one of Hayashibara's signature songs, being described as a "classic, quintessential anime theme song" as well as a "legendary track in anime song history."[3][11]

This track further boosted Megumi Hayashibara's mainstream popularity, leading to her being invited to perform the song live on the Nippon Television show Sokuhō! Uta no Daijiten in 1996,[12] which marked her first appearance as a pop star on a TV music program.[3]

Cover versions

"Successful Mission" has been covered by various artists. Yoko Ishida first covered the song on her 2001 album Ultra Anime Eurobeat Series Para Para Max 5: The Power of New Animation Songs.[13] Masami Okui recorded her own version of it on her 2003 cover album Masami Kobushi.[14] Eizo Sakamoto and his heavy metal band Eizo Japan covered the song on their 2010 album Super Anime Song: Legend of the 1990s.[15] Voice actress Kanae Itō recorded her own version of the song for the compilation album Shin Hyakka Seiran: Josei Seiyū Hen released that same year.[16] Anime song group Trefle also recorded their own version of the song for their 2014 album Anison Shinkyoku Plus.[17]

Track listing and versions

All lyrics are written by Megumi; all music is composed by Hidetoshi Sato.

CD single/digital release track listing[18]
No.TitleArrangementLength
1."Successful Mission"Toshiro Yabuki5:34
2."I'll Be There"Keiji Soeda4:15
3."Successful Mission" (off vocal version) 5:34
4."I'll Be There" (off vocal version) 4:13

Official versions

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of the CD single.[21]

  • Megumi Hayashibara - vocals, lyrics, chorus
  • Toshiro Yabuki - synthesizer programming, keyboards, guitars, mixing
  • Gota Wakabayashi - guitar solo
  • Masami Okui - chorus
  • Hiroyuki Tsuji - recording
  • Yuichi Nagayama - mixing

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Japan (RIAJ)[22] Gold 200,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Notes

  1. ^ Credited under her alias "Megumi" in all caps.
  2. ^ "I'll Be There" included as the re-arranged "ballade version."

References

  1. ^ "「セイバーマリオネットJ」～サクセスフル・ミッション [廃盤]". CD Journal (in Japanese). Retrieved 16 March 2026.
  2. ^ a b c "セイバーマリオネットJ". Animate Times (in Japanese). 19 February 2025. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
  3. ^ a b c "声優「林原めぐみ」のシングル曲人気ランキングTOP31！　第1位は「Give a reason」【2022年最新投票結果】". NetLab (in Japanese). ITmedia Inc. 10 May 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
  4. ^ "セイバーマリオネットJ オリジナルサウンドトラックジャポネス吟詠詩集 其ノ二 | TVサントラ". Oricon News (in Japanese). Oricon. 1997. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
  5. ^ a b "林原めぐみ / イラーヴァティ [廃盤]". CD Journal (in Japanese). 1997. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
  6. ^ "Saber Marionette J: Battle Sabers Credit Information". GameFAQs. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
  7. ^ "【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.
  8. ^ a b "Successful Mission | 林原めぐみ". Oricon News (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
  9. ^ a b c "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 12 March 2026.
  10. ^ "一般社団法人 日本レコード協会" (To access, enter the search parameter "Successful Mission" in the field "作品名"). www.riaj.or.jp. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  11. ^ "Successful Mission / 林原めぐみ". J-Pop Time Traveler (in Japanese). Retrieved 17 March 2026. 90年代の声優アーティストブームを牽引した林原めぐみの代表曲の一つ。パワフルな歌声とキャッチーなメロディで、アニメの大ヒットと共にアニソン史に残る名曲となった。
  12. ^ "速報！歌の大辞テン　林原めぐみ「Successful Mission」(1996/11/13)". YouTube. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
  13. ^ "ウルトラアニメユーロビートシリーズ パラパラMAX5～THE POWER OF NEW ANIMATION SONGS～". CD Journal (in Japanese). 2001. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
  14. ^ "奥井雅美 / マサミコブシ～アニメソング カバーアルバム [限定][廃盤]". CD Journal (in Japanese). 2003. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  15. ^ "ANTHEMボーカルEIZO Japanがアニソン30曲一挙メタル化". Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha Inc. 18 October 2010. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
  16. ^ "新・百歌声爛(しん・ひゃっかせいらん)～女性声優編～". CD Journal (in Japanese). 2010. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
  17. ^ "声優ユニットTrefleの2ndアニソンカバーアルバムの収録曲が決定". Uta-suke (in Japanese). 13 September 2014. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
  18. ^ "Successful Mission - EP by Megumi Hayashibara". Apple Music (in Japanese). 1996. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
  19. ^ a b "「セイバーマリオネットJ」サウンドトラック～ジャポネス吟詠詩集 其ノ一". CD Journal (in Japanese). 1996. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
  20. ^ "「セイバーマリオネットJ」サウンドトラック～ジャポネス吟詠詩集 其ノ二". CD Journal (in Japanese). 1997. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
  21. ^ Hayashibara, Megumi (1996). Successful Mission (8-cm CD single). Starchild. King Records Co., Ltd. KIDA-138.
  22. ^ "Japanese single certifications – Megumi Hayashibara – Successful Mission" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved 2026-03-19. Select 1997年4月 on the drop-down menu
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