Heart of Sword

access: Before Dawn
approved in Nov. 2006
anime ending, male solo
in bad need of a facelift

Listening to one song for 128 consecutive times is probably not a healthy habit, though I'm more than tickled by such useless accomplishment when Heart of Sword is involved.

Heart of Sword is the third ending theme song of Japanese anime/manga series Rurouni Kenshin, sometimes dubbed as Samurai X in North America. It is my favorite song of all time and possibly the only song fanlisting I will ever run. Like the title suggests, this composition is all about Kenshin's life story - which should be more than enough reason for it to be called a masterpiece. It could be difficult to enjoy Rurouni Kenshin without solid knowledge of Japanese history, but you will like this song even if you don't know the series. No word can describe how delighted I am to be owning this fanlisting after two years of patient waiting.

Critic's choice

All tracks are placed in random orders

Apart from the original edition, I also included the only official remix of Heart of Sword in our little jukebox. The latter was composed as a special feature in T.M.R.'s second studio album, restoration LEVEL→3, based on fan demands. The clicking sound in the background might get a little monotonous after a couple plays, but charming to hear once combined with the chorus. Enjoy.