The Chisato Moritaka single that started it all for me! Yes, my first exposure to the loveliness that is Chisato was the 1995 Kohaku Uta Gassen where she came out and sang an awesome performance of Futari Wa Koibito!
Up until that point, all I really knew about her was that the buyers of J-pop at Tower records all regarded her pretty highly,(one guy even made a t-shirt with her profile on it!) enough for me to ask, "Say, what's the deal with this Chisato Moritaka girl? Is she any good? Well, we found out that fateful New Years, and we found out BIG TIME!
After her introduction, the phased Drumroll intro to Futari Wa Koibito kicked in, and young boys and girls danced around the stage as the floor platform rose and then there she was, in all her glory, CHISATO MORITAKA! Man right off the bat we knew we were looking at a true "j-pop princess" and as we watched her sing, all dressed in sparkling silver, complete with silver boots and a cloak, we rated her performance “To Die For”, and the rest is history!
From this point I would backtrack and get immersed in Chisato’s extensive back catalog, including CDs, Singles and Laserdiscs! I would discover all the different “phases” that Chisato had gone through, from Pocari Sweat Idol, to Superheroine Popstar and short-haired Contemporary Artist , but no matter which look I was into, there would always be a special place for that first initial Red and White performance, and It’s still one of her best!
As a side- note, regarding the PV of "Futari Wa Koibito", I prefer the "Video Clips 5" collection rather than the "Taiyo On and Off" collection (even though the Taiyo cover is infinitely better), because Vid Clips 5 features a version of Futari Wa Koibito in COLOR, and this is WAY more pleasing that the retro B&W version, IMHO. (although I realize that the B&W is the "real" one, for you purists out there!)
