Compared to street singers in other areas like Shinjuku and Shibuya, most people who come to Akihabara are ACG (Anime, Comics, Games) enthusiasts due to the district's strong subculture atmosphere.
Therefore, street singers in Akihabara prefer to perform anime songs to attract a larger crowd.
Just like the song he was hearing now:
"
Do you still remember?
The moment our eyes met
Do you still remember?
The moment our hands touched
That was the beginning of our first love
I love you so..."
"Ai Oboete Imasu ka?" is the theme song for the 1984 movie Macross: Ai Oboete Imasu ka? It played a vital role in the plot and exploded in popularity alongside the animation, becoming one of the most classic anime anthems in the hearts of countless fans.
Even now, more than a decade after its release, and even into the distant future, "Ai Oboete Imasu ka?" remains one of the most iconic masterpieces in the entire Macross series for fans.
Not only that, but this song has, in a way, transcended the animation itself. Many people may have heard the song without ever having watched or even heard of the Macross series.
Akira stood silently at the back of the crowd. While listening to the performance, he looked toward the center and discovered that the street singer performing this song was actually the girl he had encountered earlier that evening.
The girl currently singing was completely different from the cold impression she had given during their previous conversation.
It was as if she had truly transformed into the anime's heroine, Lynn Minmay. Her voice was gentle, mature, and firm. In a deep and restrained manner, she brilliantly interpreted the song's themes of timeless affection and sorrow, faith in civilization and emotion, and the strength of those who refuse to give up hope amidst loneliness and war.
To put it simply, she sang damn well.
Everyone else was just like him, immersed in the beautiful singing. When the song ended, the crowd gradually snapped out of it, followed by applause that started with a few people and grew louder, expressing their recognition and appreciation for the performer.
This is definitely at a level where she could debut as a professional singer, right?
Akira thought to himself after coming to his senses.
Moreover, with her striking looks, if she were to debut as an idol singer, she would probably...
No, no, no, it's better not to get involved with the idol business.
At that moment, he noticed people in the crowd beginning to step forward one after another, dropping coins or bills of various denominations into the guitar case placed on the ground in front of the girl. They would then nod slightly to her and silently return to the crowd.
Having finished her performance, the girl returned to the state Akira was familiar with. She also nodded slightly in response, but there was no further interaction beyond that. The whole process was very simple and restrained.
After a while, when the number of people coming forward to tip finally thinned out, the girl took a deep breath and spoke:
"Next is the final song for tonight. I will be singing an original song, 'Unfinished Dream'..."
Hearing the words "original song," some people in the audience began to leave even before the girl finished speaking.
For these people, they only wanted to hear the anime songs they were familiar with and liked; they had no interest in an original song by an unknown singer.
On the other hand, Akira, who was originally about to turn and leave, stopped in his tracks. He was actually quite interested in the original song she mentioned.
"Well then..."
After taking a moment to gather her thoughts, the girl took a deep breath. While strumming her guitar, she began to sing:
"
At this intersection I pass every day
I suddenly heard
A long-forgotten melody
A dream others always laughed at for being too distant
Like chasing the stars in the sky..."
"Unfinished Dream" was a song centered around the theme of dreams. The lyrics roughly told the story of a person's changing attitude toward their dreams, depicting the mental journey of hesitating between giving up and persevering, before finally deciding to continue.
The girl did an excellent job of using her voice to showcase the corresponding emotions in the lyrics, from inner hesitation, confusion, and struggle to the final firm determination. It allowed the audience to easily immerse themselves and understand the emotions the creator wanted to express.
But...
Judging the song alone, it could be called pleasant, but compared to the previous song, "Ai Oboete Imasu ka?" it paled in comparison.
The biggest problem was that the quality of "Unfinished Dream" itself wasn't as strong.
While not bad, it could only be described as a relatively ordinary work.
When the girl sang "Ai Oboete Imasu ka?" earlier, the beauty came from the powerful combination of an excellent work and excellent vocal skills. With this song, the appeal relied more on the girl's superb performance.
That being said, the song was overall pleasant to listen to, especially for a street performance. Thus, when the song ended, applause and tips followed. Meanwhile, the crowd began to slowly disperse.
After all, the girl had said that it was the last song of the night.
Hmm...
Watching the crowd go up to tip, Akira hesitated as he pulled out his wallet and flipped through it. A relieved smile soon appeared on his face as he took out a 5-yen coin. He joined the others at the guitar case and dropped the coin inside.
Having done this, he looked up, and his gaze happened to meet the girl's.
Seeing him, a look of surprise seemed to flash in the girl's eyes.
"It's you...?"
Akira nodded with a smile, praising her just as she had praised him in the afternoon:
"You sang very well."
"Ah, thank you."
Having expressed his appreciation, he prepared to turn and leave. After all, they were just strangers who had met twice; there wasn't much else to say.
But just then, the girl suddenly asked:
"Um, what did you think of the song I just sang?"
"The one called 'Unfinished Dream'?"
Akira was a bit surprised to hear this; he hadn't expected her to ask him such a question.
"Yes."
"I think, well..."
He instinctively wanted to give a polite, perfunctory compliment to brush it off. But then, seeing the girl's serious expression, he swallowed the words he had intended to say and fell into thought.
Offering polite words would certainly be the easiest way and the least likely to offend anyone, but he and the girl before him were only acquaintances. There didn't seem to be a need to care too much about that.
So, he reorganized his thoughts and said:
"You sang it beautifully, but the quality of this song, especially compared to the previous one, 'Ai Oboete Imasu ka?', feels a bit ordinary."
"I think one problem is that the song doesn't seem to have a particularly memorable part. Although it's fine while listening, it doesn't leave a lasting impression or make people want to replay it in their minds afterward."
"A memorable part?"
The girl looked thoughtful upon hearing this.
However, seeing that the girl seemed to be taking his suggestion seriously, Akira began to worry instead.
After all, he didn't have any professional knowledge of music; the so-called problems he pointed out were entirely based on subjective feelings. If she really took him seriously and he ended up leading her astray, that would be a disaster.
As expected, being polite and perfunctory would have been much simpler.
But at this point, he could only continue by asking:
"By the way, may I ask why you wanted to know what others think?"
"Eh? That..."
The girl was a bit surprised; this was the first time anyone had asked her such a question.
After pondering for a moment, she said with a hint of distress in her tone:
"Actually, I also feel that this song isn't good enough yet, but I can't figure out where the problem lies. So I wanted to hear other people's thoughts. Maybe I can find the problems I can't see through this method."
"I see."
Akira understood.
This was indeed a type of problem that creators often encounter. The reasons were complex, for example, cognitive numbness caused by being too familiar with the work, or having high standards but lacking the ability to meet them, or encountering a situation like "Gestalt collapse," and so on.
In his previous life, he was a struggling web novel author. Although he was a failure, he could still be considered a creator of sorts, so he had encountered similar problems before.
Back to the topic.
"If that's the case, I think you can try looking at it from a different perspective."
"A different perspective?"
Seeing the girl's confused gaze, he gave an example:
"Like painting. Sometimes, because you've been staring at the painting in front of you for too long, your eyes become numb. You can't clearly perceive if there's a problem with what you've painted. After looking at it for a long time, you might even develop a sense of unfamiliarity with the entire painting."
"In such times, you can turn the whole painting upside down. This makes the image look unfamiliar again, which helps avoid visual numbness and allows you to find problems you couldn't detect before."
"Or you can temporarily put down the brush and do other things to relax your mind and body. Coming back to look at it the next day or even a few days later can also prevent the aforementioned issues."
This was a method taught by the art club's advisor in the Original Owner's memory. However, the Original Owner seemed to have rarely encountered such problems because he rarely made mistakes when he painted.
Damn, is this the world of geniuses?
"I see...!"
The girl was enlightened. Seeing this, he thought for a moment and added:
"And even if you're seeking advice, I think it would be better to ask professionals who understand the music field, right?"
"For instance, personally, I don't actually know much about professional music knowledge, nor do I have much experience. So my views might be completely wrong."
Perhaps among other passersby, there were people who could give useful advice, but the probability was simply too low.
In contrast, although the advice given by professionals in the field might not always be reliable, the probability was certainly much higher than that of the general public.
"I understand."
After a while, once she had fully digested Akira's words, the girl seemed to have figured something out. Her previously tense mood relaxed slightly, and a smile unconsciously appeared on her lips.
"Thank you for saying all this. I think I have some ideas about what to do next."
"Uh, you're welcome."
The smiling girl gave off a different feeling than her usual cold demeanor; she seemed like an elegant young lady.
Then, the girl before him said somewhat shyly:
"Um, my name is Shimizu Rin. May I know your name?"
Akira was slightly taken aback, then nodded.
"I'm Mochizuki Akira. Nice to meet you."