Ok this question got asked 4 months ago and I accidentally ADHD procrastinated on it BUT I am answering it now and the reason for that is because recently I listened to Every hxj solo in a row whilst reading the translations for em all and hooo boy. I cried. Like. A Lot. Like definitely a double-digits number of times.

crackles knuckles anon from 4 months ago please be prepared for what is essentially an essay on HighxJoker and how perfect their solos are

Starting with my boy Hayapyon!! In what was probably perfect foreshadowing, this song made me cry when I listened to it the very first time back when the previews went up. I was so blown away by the fact that my boy Hayato got the cool guy hard rock solo that he has literally ALWAYS deserved I fucking sobbed cuz!! That's him!! The cool boy!! The cool guy!! The coolest guy in the entire world!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Heat Beat Identity is literally PERFECT for him and also holy shit like. Chibasho set the BAR for the entire album like. y'know how in the full versions for all the other hxj solos they all go particularly all-out during the last chorus? I'd like to imagine the other seiyuus all heard Chibasho recording HBI and went "ON GOD????????????????" and all started trying to match that level cuz HOLY SHIT Chibasho's vocals are so powerful in HBI...AND ALSO THE LAST CHORUS IN PARTICULAR WHERE LIKE. HE WAS ALREADY GOING FOR IT SO HARD BUT THEN SOMEHOW WENT IN EVEN HARDER!??!!?!?!? LIKE?!?!??! BRUH!?!?!?!?!?!? Also the lyrics for HBI are so perfect...like the entire song basically being Hayato figuring out his identity and the kind of person he wants to be...the whole theme of "proving my existence", cuz Hayato's lived his whole life being someone "ordinary" and decided to become an idol to stop being that ordinary person and so he could become popular, so having a solo song where he talks about wanting to find a way to "prove his existence" (aka make his existence known to everyone, to make it clear that he is someone who can make an impact with his life) is so perfect for him, the mention at the beginning of the song of him trying to do something with a "blank canvas" (most likely a metaphor for how average he felt he was beforehand) and struggling a lil just...it suits the Hayato who sometimes stumbles along the way as he tries to make himself look like the cool tough guy he wants to be...like there's the bit where he talks about how he "ran before the emotions could overflow from his mouth" like...it represents how Hayato will sometimes keep what's bothering him to himself because he wants to be a reliable leader for HxJ and someone who's seen as naturally cool who doesn't sweat the small stuff, but when he does keep things to himself it just causes those worries to pile up and gets his anxieties going...though the line afterwards is "Let these thoughts that are about to break burn strong" which feels like a) him deciding to let those emotions overflow, aka finally speaking his worries out and allowing the overflowing emotions to burn strong, and b) is just so representative of Hayapyon's passion and determination, how whenever he has an idea that he's set on, he'll see it through to the end, he lets his thoughts burn strong and that hotheaded nature of his means that he'll burn strong all the way to the end, he never half-asses anything and that line shows that whilst also just being kinda poetic and cool which is fitting cuz in canon he writes most of HxJ's lyrics with Jun + he always writes down lil memos here and there to remember phrases he came up with so he's probably got some banger poetic lines written down in his memos...anyways the whole "trying to act tough but still being worried deep down" (or the "running before the emotions could spill from [his] mouth") thing makes his sidemems come to mind where he tries to look like a cool, professional leader who's super organized and everything only for it to just come across forced and the others all start worrying about him as a result. BUT unlike his sidemems where the attempt feels clearly put on, in HBI he's speaking his honest feelings with some cool af bgm, and as a result he really gets to have his cake and eat it: he speaks as himself, and he gets to be cool, which is basically how he developed as a character in moba. Towards the end of moba he had gained a bit of a reputation as being a cool dude (eg his character in Time Prediction being a cool, stoic mercenary rebel, his UPC 15 I think line mentioning that the girls in his class now listen to his baseball player impressions!! he's becoming popular with the girls like he wanted to!!), so HBI representing Hayato managing to achieve his dream of coolness whilst not having to put it on is so good...AND ALSO MUSICALLY IT'S JUST REALLY GOOD...Also the part towards the end where he says that he will be the proof of his own existence like...it's both something that's so Hayato whilst also sounding cool af so y'know he really did become the cool guy he wanted to be...and also just Hayato speaking with that confidence he managed to gradually build up, declaring that just. he himself is the living proof of all of his achievements and everything he's created it's just. so good grjfpoijkfrpogijkfrpofkgj...also comparing it to Precious Tone which is basically Hayapyon singing about how he wants his music to be able to impact people and resound throughout the world, and then Heat Beat Identity where he confidently declares that the very thing he was talking about in PT is represented through him, through his existence, through everything he considers precious to him. It's just so perfect and captures everything Hayapyon ever aspired to be whilst still genuinely reflecting who he is as a person. Also Chibasho ate fr

Scorebook Memories...Scorebook Memories...Scorebook Memories...there's literally no other way to phrase my feelings towards Scorebook Memories other than "it's so perfect I broke down in tears listening to it and reading the lyrics". Like...holy SHIT where do I even beginning??? Ok first of all musically it's so good like. it still has the soft feeling that just feels so Jun whilst also having a bit of energy to it, whilst Genuine feelings was a soft and absolutely beautiful ballad, Scorebook Memories just...idk how to phrase it other than it feels like Jun would be up and about dancing and just walking around with a smile on his face as he sings it and that's one of the best parts of Scorebook Memories! You can practically hear the smile in Jun's voice as he sings which is something he's been doing ever since Season In The Five which I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE just!!!!!! Naganyan is an absolute genius representing that character development through voice alone, the way Jun's voice now just SOUNDS happy whenever he sings like...in Genuine feelings he sings very very very well ofc but you can also hear that slight conflict in his voice, how he's warming up to idols and the others in HxJ, but still is willing to explore his emotions and now...Scorebook Memories has him sounding like he's smiling the entire way through...it kinda and by kinda I mean perfectly suits SideM's hidden meaning of "Smile Again" just...KDFJIOGKJBJIOKMGJOKJGHO Ok ok ok but now onto the parts of the song that absolutely murdered me aka the lyrics...the fact that the song BEGINS with the words "It's surely beginning, the hands of the clock that had been paused forever are beginning to move" IS JUST SO!?!?!??! Y'ALL ARE GONNA START WITH THE MOST GUT-PUNCHING LINE OF THE ENTIRE SONG????????? Just..the way that one line alone just speaks volumes about Jun and his character development...at the beginning of SideM he was so cold and shut-off from others, he thought his life was one that would just remain colourless and dull, he didn't even intend to stay with the light music club back during 1st year...it wasn't until the other members of HighxJoker entered Jun's life and filled it with their colours that he began to see inspiration, joy, just that sense that he can regain his previously long-lost passion for music...for the longest time the hands on Jun's clock (life) were just paused in one place, refusing to move past it...and now, after everything he's been through with HxJ, with Producer, with 315Pro, with his fans, HxJ's fans, 315Pro's fans...the hands on that clock have begun to move forward, he's began to move forward, it's just that perfect analogy to describe how he's finally began to move past his mother's death, how he was able to reach the point he was at in his remeshot card, where he saw a picture of him and his mother and was able to give it a smile, thinking about how nostalgic the photo made him..."Those kinds of memories cause my world's colours to start changing"...the way Jun's life was so monotonous, so unmoving and so colourless, and then he met HxJ, fixed the problems with his relationship with Natsuki, and managed to have his world filled with colour, the colour of those memories...the memories of being with HxJ, the memories of finally feeling like he's being seen not as "Jun Fuyumi, the piano prodigy", but rather "Jun Fuyumi, the person". The lyrics of the entire song are about how Jun is finally living his life again, how his once "melting" heartbeat is now pounding again, how there's excitement...I like the fact that some of the song's lyrics reference how Jun's character development was a gradual process and not an overnight change, like that acknowledgement that it wasn't easy, that he had to work towards it...also the lyrics "From here on out, if everyone stays with me, I find myself thinking that I can go on" is just so...IT JUST...SO.!>!?!>?!! JUN LOVES HXJ AND OWES THEM ALL SO MUCH...ALSO THE BIT AT THE START OF THE SONG WHERE HE TALKS ABOUT "THE FIRST SONG WE PLAYED" AND HOW HE AND WHOEVER HE'S TALKING TO HAD A WHOLE WORLD AHEAD OF THEM THAT THEY DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT AT THE TIME...Like I'd like to imagine that line is simultaneously @ Natsuki, who has been by his side playing music with him for most of his life and also Hayato, who met the two during 1st year and invited them both to the light music club, all 3 of them unaware of the idol world that would await them in a year's time (and also the worlds of Shiki and Haruna, worlds that would be joining theirs, two amazing worlds that they didn't know of yet, and also two worlds that would add their own colours to Jun's world). I could probably dissect every single lyric of Scorebook Memories but what I will say is how both SM and Genuine feelings are both so emotional, how both of them represent Jun taking a moment to be completely honest with himself: it's just that back in Genuine feelings, it was a rare moment of Jun allowing himself to be vulnerable and to talk about how he gets scared when he takes notice of his emotions, and now there's Scorebook Memories, where being so honest no longer feels like being vulnerable, where he can be openly happy, just like how in most of Jun's moba cards from the past couple years he's been wearing genuine smiles on his face and each and every time it's the most amazing thing ever...also one other thing is who these songs are addressing: I feel like both GF and SM are meant to be Jun singing these songs to his mother, even if it's just a little. Like, GF feels more like Jun's just singing his thoughts, telling himself he's going to "try and trust his honest heart", but some of the lyrics feel like he's thinking about his mother as he talks about how "you're here playing with me"...cuz she never left him entirely. He never stopped thinking about her. Then we get SM, where Jun keeps mentioning a "you": for half of the mentions of "you" I feel like he's addressing HxJ, but for "The melody you sing, The chords you play, The rhythm you carve, And your beat is like an album to me, Memories..." he's definitely talking about his mother and the memories he has of her...precious, nostalgic memories that he can now look back at with a smile. I don't know if this makes sense but Scorebook Memories feels like Jun telling his mother that he's found his happiness again, that he has people by his side who have been filling in scorebooks with him, that his passion for music returned. I'm crying typing this all up btw

Ok next up! Diamond Mezzoforte...ooooooooooooooooooh my god this one also made me cry like a little bitch I'm ngl...ok for starters Diamond Mezzoforte is just a gorgeous song. Like the music and everything it's so pretty and like. holy shit??!?!!??!!? the softness that just feels so Natsuki, the way it just. has more of a classical vibe to it. Like I like how both of Natsuki's solos so far have represented both of his instruments so well, Natsuzora Records representing the bass and Diamond Mezzoforte the violin + Natsuki's roots as a classical musician (also this is only vaguely related but I think about Forgotten Klangfarbe event revealing that Natsuki wants to go to a music university after graduation so much it's so!!!!! yes!!!! perfect!!! that's so perfect for him and he's so talented at it he should pursue it so so so so so much like I believe in you Natsukicchi!!!). Musically-speaking Diamond Mezzoforte is literally perfect but then again so are all of the HxJ 49Ele songs so no surprises there. But the most important part is ofc the lyrics and just. I feel like Diamond Mezzoforte really just. tells the story of Natsuki's entire life in the span of 5 minutes. From him talking about how he's confused and how there's so much he doesn't understand, but then someone (Jun) confidently offered their hand to him, made him want to keep trying, and then the "Alone, the two of us, everyone" line just showing how his life went from him being alone, to him having Jun, to him having everyone in HighxJoker (and also producer and the fans, but the rest of the song's lyrics are very him talking about HxJ). Then the song talking about how he feels "ready" to head towards a stage full of colour (the stages he shares with the rest of HxJ), and how the applause and lights (both metaphorically and literally cuz penlights) of the fans makes him feel like all of his hard work and effort has been worth it...the way the first chorus ends with a "thank you" just gets me...then the next verse being "This is pride, without a doubt, You've noticed it for a long time" definitely being about how Jun has been seeing Natsuki develop and change as a person, and how Natsuki has learned how to take pride in his accomplishments...the next lyric having Natsuki say that he hasn't changed "since then", but that feeling of being able to change as a person that's present in the rest of the song making it clear that the one thing that hasn't changed is his feelings towards Jun and that feeling of wanting to be with him...like I like how the song is clearly meant to be Natsuki singing his feelings towards Jun, but also the rest of HxJ. Like I honestly think that most (though not all imo) mentions of "you" in the song could apply to anybody in HxJ cuz literally Everyone in HxJ is so important and precious to Natsuki (remember that one birthday where he literally cried cuz everyone's love and support for him overwhelmed him and he just . couldn't quite handle how loved he felt <3) so I think it's good that DM gets that in there...Natsuzora Records was literally Natsuki's love confession to Jun in song format, but there was the one verse mentioning HxJ which I've always appreciated...but Diamond Mezzoforte changing between Natsuki's feelings towards Jun and his appreciation towards the rest of HxJ for helping him change and better himself is just so...so...so...?!?!?!?!? IT'S SO GOOD...LIKE FOR INSTANCE THE PART OF THE SONG THAT KNOCKS ME OUT /POS THE MOST IS "As people who would've never crossed each other's path had we not followed the same one, A moment of resounding unison washes over us and I understand everything, I really do". LIKE!??!?!? First of all just...mentioning how HxJ never would've met had they not all gone down the same path, how their having met feels like a miracle (which gets touched upon in Kisekiteki Starry Tune!! the perfect song to introduce all of the 49ele solos with!!) and how that "one" path they all followed...the one that Hayato laid down for them all...I know this isn't The Hayato Paragraph but I will literally Always get emotional thinking about Hayato's decision to form a light music club changed 4 other lives so drastically and for the better, how a decision that, to him, was a chance to change from "ordinary" to "cool", was the chance for Jun, Natsuki, Haruna and Shiki to change their lives so they could either love themselves again or no longer feel so alone or overwhelmed in the world (in a way, Hayato really did evolve into someone cool, after all, changing four people's lives forever is nothing "ordinary"). Anyways back to Diamond Mezzoforte, the song ending with "The choice we made was the right one, We've become stronger together once again, A mezzoforte that warms me up just thinking about it, That sparkle crystalizes and begins to sparkle like a diamond". Just..."The choice we made was the right one". Idk it feels like Natsuki turning to Jun at the end of it all and being able to face him with a smile, telling him that all of this was worth it, that they did the right thing by joining Hayato during 1st year, that becoming idols was the thing that truly changed their lives and that they can be happy knowing that, yes, it was the right decision. As I said the song feels like Natsuki basically just going through his life and how he feels he's made the right decisions with it...Natsuzora Records also felt similar, with him basically talking about his life together with Jun and how they met HxJ, but Diamond Mezzoforte having Natsuki branch out and not just talk about Jun shows how far he's come, that he's not just following Jun and trailing behind him like he used to, he's come out from Jun's shadow and now stands side-by-side with him (another Forgotten Klangfarbe mention here but the part where Jun asks Natsuki what he'd do if he suddenly left, and when Natsuki says he isn't sure and that he'd need to think it through, with Jun replying that that answer makes him happy cuz he feels like the old Natsuki would just. immediately say he'd quit too just...it's good shit.) He's changed in ways that matters, but has still managed to remain his same, sappy self in all the places where he didn't need to change at all <3

Next up we have Like a Rolling Donuts!! Now I know what you may be thinking if you've managed to survive the past 3 paragraphs: "Riley there's no way the funny little donut song made you emotional" anyways the funny little donut song made me emotional. The way there's such a difference between the funky upbeat instrumental and the lyrics actually hitting really hard is honestly perfect for Haruna: On the outside, he's the big bro of HxJ and is usually found with a smile on his face, but even he has his worries and anxieties, and usually he'll try keep those to himself. He's usually a pretty honest person, it's just that he doesn't speak up about his issues unless asked to (like how in the blessing garden wedding event when he talks about his family situation with Natsuki, he points out that he wasn't trying to hide the fact that it's just him and his mother or anything. For Haruna, he only hides his feelings when he feels like it's just not something that's worth making a fuss about at the time if that makes sense), so both of his solo songs having him actually be pretty honest about his own issues makes sense!! And it makes sense how both Seishun Satisfaction and Like a Rolling Donuts are such upbeat songs despite their lyrics being so personal to Haruna, he always tries to keep positive about things even when the going gets tough. One thing I like about Haruna is how this attitude of his isn't a toxic positivity type thing, it's genuinely him just wanting to keep his chin up and not wanting to let the bad things in life weigh him down, which is pretty much what the lyrics to Like a Rolling Donuts are!! The entire song is basically just. about things constantly going wrong (him having a lot on his plate, how "no matter what he does there's rainy days", etc.) but still trying to be positive about it, which is just...so Haruna I love it. Also there's some pretty poetic lyrics in the song ("Life is like a record and we're all spinning on it together"), those combined with just the goofiness of "wanna be donuts" and all the donut metaphors is literally so Haruna it nearly hurts. I think one part of his character that's easy to miss if you don't read too many Haruna-centric stories is that despite being a dumbass and proud of that fact, Haruna does actually have quite a bit of wisdom on his side, he's super emotionally-intelligent and, although the advice he gives is usually a bit weirdly-worded, he still gives good advice (Isekai King Arthur event, Natsuki's literally having a panic attack about whether or not he'd ever be able to protect Jun if something bad happens to him and whether or not his injury was his fault, Haruna's all like "aight so. a softball comes flying towards Jun out of nowhere how do you react" "I jump in the way immediately and protect Jun" "Ok!! Jun would probably say the same thing about you!! See!! You both care a lot about each other you're important to him too!!" and that advice though . so specific WORKS and manages to calm Natsuki down a lot!!). The lyrics for Rolling Donuts being a mixture of really goofy ass wording and lines that really resound on an emotional level is literally so perfect and captures that lesser-known side of Haruna so well!! When I first looked at the translation for Rolling Donuts, the line "When it's sunny or even in the rain, you'll still be you, okay?" moved me to even more tears than I was already in, I've admittedly been having a pretty rough year so when I saw that line courtesy of Haruna Wakazato it. provoked some Emotions ok. I love him sm (/p). Also just. I love how Both of Haruna's solo songs make it clear that he is not completely 100% happy-go-lucky and that he has his own problems (he's been working multiple part-time jobs to help out his mother, not to mention being held back in school twice to the point where the teachers tell him it'd just be better to drop out) but without making it seem like he's a stepford smiler cuz that's not just him, he's a happy and positive person but he still has his own stuff going on...like early sidem had a lot of hints that there was more going on with Haruna (him mentioning that becoming an idol has made him feel like he has something to get super excited and into for the first time in ages, HxJ judo competition event having him mention that "it's nice to feel needed" like??? My boy...I think what best represents this is the line "Super overwhelmed but, wait, could this be an inspiration...?!"). And also just. the song mentioning donuts every few seconds and donuts literally being used as a metaphor for his feelings it's so. Haruna has used donuts as a metaphor for literally Everything and once asked Jun to explain pianos to him like they were donuts so he could understand them better like HIFROGHKJFOGPHIKJGOPGHKGKJOGIHKGOIK Haruna describing his feelings towards life with donuts is so good I love this neurodivergent mf so much...(I mean all of HxJ are neurodivergent in different ways but still). The lyrics being about how even if he gets "a little burnt", he's ready to live his life is so good...like he got held back in school twice but refuses to drop out or give up, he got "burnt" by those hold-backs, but he's ready to give it another shot with HxJ by his side!!

Last but not least, the icon himself: Shiki Iseya and his hit of the century, Hyper Believer!! Ok. so. when SideM just decided. fuck it. let's have Shiki's song have all of HxJ's instruments in there including NATSUKI'S VIOLIN I was already an emotional wreck. Like who the fuck decided this /pos like you can't just do that /pos that's just!!!!!! BJHFIOJKGORLKGHJGKOTH It's literally his love for HxJ put into song form...also the way the song speeds up during the second verse like. yeah Shiki couldn't hold back. he's gotta infodump. he's gotta get all hyper mega fast and get the motor mouth running!! He can't sit still and I love that for him!!!!!!!! Lyrics. Lyrics-wise just. jsut. hold on just. the amount of times I have cried over this song and its lyrics. EVERYTHING FROM IT BEING SHIKI BASICALLY BOUNCING BETWEEN HIS PAST AND PRESENT, THE SIDEANI REFERENCES?!??!!?!? AND JUST IT. FEELING LIKE. IT FEELING LIKE SHIKI GETTING THE CHANCE TO SING ABOUT HOW HAPPY HE IS WITH HOW HIS LIFE HAS TURNED OUT...GJURFUUUUUUUUUUUUUHHHHHHHHHHHWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWHEGBFGJGIBIBKHGIBKHJGIRFKGMBHJGIKOLMBH Ok ok ok just...the way the song is basically just Shiki reminiscing about his life before meeting HxJ and how he desperately wanted to be able to live out his "awkward youth" but never got that chance...and then "I heard it that one day, from so far away, that melody filled my ears". That melody being Hayato, Jun and Natsuki's song from the new student initiation rally thingy that they did to try get new club members, the one that Shiki heard and immediately just. Knew it was his calling to join the light music club and begin truly living out his youth. What makes me cry about this song is that it just. feels like Shiki smiling as he talks about all the things he's excited about in regards to his future: "Millions of failures, successes, and brilliance are waiting for me, my entire body trembles, it makes me want to scream". Like. just that message that he's excited to be able to experience everything that comes with youth: failure, success, all of it. He doesn't just want a super happy youth where nothing goes wrong, he's excited to have the opportunity to give it his all, to persevere through the bad things, to have his troubles and live a life. The song is just one giant testament to Shiki's biggest strength: his endless determination ("With tears in my eyes, I know I can't let this end, Still on the way, but that's why I'll never forget how bad I longed for this", "Unfinished attempts pile up, Forming a wobbling, unstable stack, But one day, they'll come together to take form, It'll be So High!", "They say hard work is important, so I'll try again over and over again, I just can't seem to quit, I don't need an excuse to keep going"). The song is like Shiki's way of acknowledging that things will go wrong, that he'll make mistakes, and the fact that there's a reference to SideAni ep10 ("In the city dyed in orange, I make my way home while reflecting on my mistakes, As I get closer to my ideals, the shadows grow longer), where he does indeed make a mistake and spends the episode trying to make up for it, is just SO FREAKING GOOD...LIKE...HFRGIUJBHGTIKOHMJHGIKOHMIJHGOKHM...Also the fact that some of Shiki's early lines in sidemoba basically had him apologizing in advance to Producer-chan for any mistakes he may make and that "someday, I'll be worth all the trouble" has the same theme but like...idk how to phrase it other than that whilst those lines feel like Shiki seeing himself as a bother and feeling like he's gonna fuck it up no matter what, in Hyper Believer it's more just. Shiki being like "Yeah, I'm gonna make mistakes, and that's ok! It's all part of life!". Like Shiki is a super hyper up-and-up mega max dude who gives it all and makes the mood for HxJ and is genki pretty much all the time, yet deep down throughout his story in moba, he's been worried about whether he's someone the rest of HxJ wanna keep around, he's always had that fear of them leaving him, especially after graduation, and as a result he always ended up being hard on himself when he made mistakes (e.g. his sidemems when he starts worrying a shit ton over rumours spreading of him leaving 315Pro, to the point of nearly obsessing over it cuz he wants to fix the situation, leading to him getting yelled out because come on man you don't need to prove anything!! We're your friends we know you're not leaving us!!), however he always had that determination to try fix his mistakes, Shiki's always been a person who, when seeing that he's the one in the wrong, will go out of his way to fix the mistake he's made and make it up to anybody he hurt or upset or otherwise effected with his mistake, and over time that determination has shown itself time and time again to be his best weapon (along with his amazing voice, both of these strengths get mentioned in the song), and that frantic worrying of his about his relationships with others was talked about in Saikou Count Up, where he mentions wanted to be accepted by those around him (the others in HxJ as his Senpais), SCU is also about Shiki being his usual hyper max genki self but also touches on his issues with self-esteem, so the fact that Hyper Believer instead has Shiki talk about how he no longer worries over these mistakes, cuz they're just a natural part of growing up, is so good and ties into his development as a person: he's accepted now the truth that his senpais aren't going anywhere, even once they've graduated high school, HxJ will still be around both as a unit and a group of close-knit friends. In a way, the song somewhat feels like Shiki talking to his past self, the song bounces between so many different points in Shiki's development that it feels almost like a letter he's writing to his newly-enrolled-at-Jyonani self, the "I believe in everything we've done so far" just feels like both Shiki talking about HxJ (he believes in everything they've accomplished as friends and the fact that they are his forever friends no matter what happens) and himself (that he feels like he can now finally believe in himself and the way he's changed as a person). "All our dreams will become the present, The scene I imagined back then, One day, definitely, Sing Out!" just feels so. so. so. SO!?!?!?!?!?!?!? Like the scene he imagined back then when he first joined the club, that scene he imagined of finally getting to live out his youth, to finally have friends after having been lonely for so long, it's all managed to come true, and he's sung it out!! The song also bringing a lot of attention to his voice and love of singing and how happy he is to perform on stage, surrounded by the applause of everyone as he sings, it just adds that extra Shiki-ness to the song, it's a song that contains both his honest feelings whilst also bringing a lot of attention to how singing is the one thing he loves the most in life, to him, singing is practically his life, though of course, what really completes that singing are the ones who give him the music to sing along to, which got CONFIRMED in the fucking. gekikara jigoku fes of all events in moba...when Shiki said that, had he just been by himself, he wouldn't have become an idol and would've just stuck with karaoke, and that the reason he became an idol was because he had everyone in HxJ by his side...the fact that HxJ's final full-unit event in moba was used to well and truly state what Shiki's "Reason" was was just...such a perfect way to end HxJ's story, and that same feeling really gets conveyed in Hyper Believer. It's such an emotional song and it's literally perfect for him, I legit don't know if SideM could ever top it lyrically for any future Shiki solos.

So! 5 electrifying paragraphs later, and as you can see, my honest opinion on all of HxJ's 49Ele solos is that they're all perfect. I literally cannot find a single fault in any of the 49Ele solos, and that's not being said out of bias or anything of the sort, I legitimately don't know if SideM could ever capture HxJ better via songs again...well, they probably could, it is SideM after all. Either way, all of HxJ's 49Ele solos are chock full of character development, literally all 5 of these songs talk about how they all changed their lives for the better, how they bettered themselves as people, how they all developed and grew alongside each other...in a way, the 49Ele solos feel like the final ribbons on top of HxJ's development from sidemoba, it feels like these songs were almost HxJ saying goodbye to sidemoba. Even though these songs debuted during the saisuta era and feature saisuta's outfits on the album covers, they are literally perfect summaries of their sidemoba storylines, these feel like the songs that would play over sidemoba's credits if it had any. They are perfect in every way that matters: the genres, the lyrics, the way their seiyuus all sing the songs, even the minor details in all of the songs. All of it is perfect, and all of my thank yous go out to Futa Shintani, who made their SideM lyricist debut with HxJ's 49Ele album: six perfect songs, five perfect characterizations, I legit don't understand how Futa Shintani debuted with actual perfection. How does one make their first ever contribution to the franchise absolute peak???? Futa Shintani had to have been following SideM for years before being hired to write these lyrics cuz all of these lyrics were written with the love, dedication and attention to detail of a person who has watched these five grow and develop across the past 8 years. Both as individuals and as the unit HighxJoker, Hayato, Jun, Natsuki, Haruna and Shiki have all changed, they've all grown up a little whilst still remaining as that youthful high school pop-rock band, they've all matured whilst not growing up too fast, and they've all had one hell of an impact on me as a person. I'm happy that I've been able to follow HxJ on their journey together, and I'm looking forward to the next time I'll be rambling for 2 hours as I type up an essay on their newest solos making me cry.

And also btw I cried several times whilst writing all of this <3