Durarara!!’s Outro Theme By Yuya Matsushita: Trust Me (Review)

The diversity of musical genres found in more recent anime intros and outros is more or less nonexistent with each new show seemingly embracing the latest J-pop or J-rock artist without bringing much musical variety. Though it’s not the ideal state of affairs, there are a few that are worth trying out, like the first outro theme to Durarara!!, an anime that premiered last January, which features Yuya Matsushita’s “Trust Me” and feels almost like a breath of fresh air. I say “almost” because the J-pop isn’t entirely removed from the song. Rather, it morphs into a slightly different form from the usual intro/outro fare.

How different you ask? Check it out after the jump!

With its introduction, complete with a rapping refrain and synth, “Trust Me” puts out an R&B-flavored hook that serves to draw the listener into the J-pop lyrics that follow shortly after. Matsushita’s delivery works well within the song’s idiom; as it proceeds, Matsushita adopts an imploring tone that rides atop the backing R&B rhythm without either clashing. It also helps that this song’s repetitive phrasing – handled in a manner that never becomes grating – combined with its steady rhythm, draws the listener into the swirl of the loving, desiring emotions being conveyed through Matsushita’s intonation. “Trust Me” might be a bit too vanilla in its arrangement since the song could have used more of the R&B deliveries featured in the beginning and during the bridge, but it works well enough to stand out as one of the more engaging outro themes from 2010’s slate of anime.

Sadly, those hoping to hear more of Matsushita doing an R&B/J-pop hybrid should prepare to be disappointed. The B-side, “Futari,” lacks the stylistic R&B elements that “Trust Me” had. And if you weren’t fond of “Trust Me’s” vanilla execution, “Futari’s” arrangement is even more vanilla, except this time, it’s wholly J-pop. The song opens with a soft piano introduction which segues into a balladic air, brimming with sentimentality, and that’s about all you really need to know. Its wistful tones are soothing, but they’re unlikely to be anything J-pop aficionados haven’t encountered before. In short, it’s about as plain as you can possibly get.

Given the prospect of hearing a good dose of R&B, in all honesty, this single doesn’t deliver nearly as strongly as it could have. Matsushita, for his part, channels the sympathetic tones that accentuate his looks (to reel in the ladies, you understand), but he doesn’t really make any departures from the norm that would make him stand out as an artist with stronger merits. So no, I cannot fault its execution, which is more or less solid; I just wish it was more than just another decent J-pop album with a side dish of R&B tacked on as a point of differentiation.