Raid asks, and I answer. In his latest entry, he makes a compelling argument for the three singers he would marry based purely on voice. After explaining his choices comes this little nugget of why I love the blogosphere: "That said, I'd love to see some other bloggers' own views on the matter. ... Who would you guys marry based purely on voice?

Keep in mind, I am aching from head to toe, I really should just go to bed, but as blogging is something that gives me an intense rush of joy, I had to crank this one out. Raid, man, I just can't resist a direct address.



I don't know if these first three are in any particular order, and narrowing it to a Top Three had me nearing heart failure. I know it's the "rules", but a little anarchy goes a long way. So, I have a Top Four. Not surprisingly, all of the maybe-not-in-any-order runners-up I discovered thanks to TeniMyu >___> But each stands on his own right. The #1 spot is the easiest thing to guess if you've ever listened to me blather on about who I believe has the most beautiful voice in all of creation...

#4 - Date Kouji



Did you have one of those weird food things, like peanut butter and potato chip sandwiches, or wasabi with french fries, that you absolutely adore but you really don't ever want to even try to foist it off on your friends because it just sort of garners you weird looks most of the time, it's so ~*fringe*~? That's how I've come to feel about Date Kouji. He's sort of this personal mission I've taken on, stateside, but it's a very quiet, very reserved mission, because I'm not going to convert the world to him and I'm probably one of the few who really, really, really loves his boyishly raspy, straining-to-hit-the-high-notes, surprisingly beautiful falsetto voice. It's just...raw, and powerful in a way that Date on his own just fails to appear. Ever. Seriously, in a recent blog photo he almost beat out a puppy AND a kitten for "most adorable thing in this picture". Though I never held an official poll about it. See, I'm listening to '18 Nen'me no Yoru' again and thinking "...I can't be the only one who wants a voice like this to sing me to sleep every night." VOICE SLAVE, HITHER! I WISH TO BE SERENANDED! VOICE SLAVE, I NEED TO DO THE DISHES, BRING YOUR GUITAR!

I also find little bits of info like hearing that he stopped the crowd during a club performance once because their off-rhythm clapping was distracting him, and had to start over, to be really endearing. <3___<3

#3 - Kato Kazuki



Okay, this guy's voice legitimately DOES things to me, and he's more than once prompted conversations which basically amount to "Can a photo get you pregnant? Because...um..." To be honest, I'm not all that interested in his solo work, as such, even though he has a far more exciting and successful career than Date at present. Probably because he does legitimate pop. I'll watch his PV mostly to feel a little dirty (in the good way), and then I just switch over and watch an old TeniMyu performance again. Ha ha ha, Kato, you will never not be Atobe to me. My main argument in the "voice made of pure sex" arena would be the this short but stunning duet with Shirota Yuu which gives me chills every single damn time I hear it.

I also happen to think he looks better with silver hair. Heh, maybe that's ~*~*~just me~*~*~

#2 - Takumi Saitou



This is probably the cheapest, basest, most blatantly hormonal decision I've ever made. I was so excited that I even braved the quite-disappointing solo mini-album he released. He can sing. OH HE CAN SING. But the album left absolutely no impression on me. Stunning, I know, that I chose actual song quality over the fact that Saitou's voice makes me spontaneously orgasm (not...not really...but...you know, it's a really great voice). It's just that deep, always-sort-of-sounds-like-he-just-woke-up, effortlessly melodic voice that found Ashkta and I sitting through his idol DVD just because. That, and he was haggling with Chinese shopgirls. I feel silly, in some way, choosing someone whose only musically vocal merits I will willingly extol come from gay tennis musicals, but, that's how the cards fall, guys. Also: Aggressively Attractive Man. What can I say? Unf, I'm listening to his lines in 'Season' as I type this, and...yeeeaaahhhhh. 400 babies. Saitou, I believe these are yours.

#1 - Nakamura Yuri



IT'S A GIRL!!! Imagine that. Nakamura-san, lead singer of Garnet Crow, is far and away the winner. In fact, those boys up there? If I were marrying a voice, JUST A VOICE, I would gladly never listen to any of them ever again if it meant I had the honor of Nakamura's nightingale-warble for the rest of my days, to love and to honor. Her range is incredible, her deeper register is majestic, and her higher register brings to mind angels and goddesses and other such other-worldly beings. Her voice is like an instrument unto itself. I cannot stress this enough. On my worst days I'll spin 'Spiral' or 'Float World', and there's my angel Nakamura to transport to another world of technically brilliant and emotionally gut-rending song. OH NAKAMURA-SAN'S VOICE, WILL YOU DO ME THE HONOR OF BECOMING MY WIFE???

...now I'm so tired it's not even funny. But, there you have it, Raid! And anyone else who might care.