Overview

Rewrite is the latest visual novel from Key, the acclaimed creators of Clannad and various other titles. Some six months before the game's release, Key released a single featuring the opening and ending themes for the game. It generated considerable anticipation among Key collectors. Did it live up to expectations?

Body

Given the original was already arranged by a2c, it wasn't too hard for MintJam to cover "Philosophyz". Once again, there is a mix of rock and synth tones in the backing and there are plenty of exuberant guitar solos. The biggest change is that TERRA replaced Runa Mizutani on vocals. His voice isn't as airy as the original singer and perhaps loses the magical quality of Key. However, it definitely suits the rock-based original much more and is a very convincing performance overall.

MintJam took more liberties with their cover, "Yami no Kanata e," shifting away from the balladic original in favour of a soft rock anthem. TERRA gives a more sensitive performance here and once again shows his versatility. But the highlights are often the instrumentals, with the acoustic backing seducing listeners and a2c's guitar solos dazzling once more.

The single is rounded off by 'karaoke' versions of the songs featuring nothing but the backing tracks. A bonus or two would have been welcome, but alas, MintJam didn't provide it in this case.

Summary

In the end, both of these theme songs are excellent thanks to a combination of excellent songwriting and performance. They captured the tone of Rewrite perfectly and were a welcome preview of the game. That said, it may be better to pick up the full soundtrack — featuring these songs and more — unless you're solely interested in the theme songs.