Okay, now time for Sayaka's post! Sayaka initially had only three songs, but now she has 18 songs. Her stuff is more theatrical, compared to Shunsuke's variety of musicals, JPop, JRock, and indie stuff, and Ryou's folk sound. With that being said, she has the three songs, At The Ballet, A Song About Nothing, and Smile Away. With that in mind, let's continue.
Sayaka to me is someone who acts silly for attention, but in reality, has a lot going on underneath her. I think she is someone who views attention of any kind as proof of her existence, and thus, as long as people interact with her, she matters. She's a girl who tries to be silly and unserious, but is, deep down, a scared girl who notices way more than she lets on. You don't really see much of this, though, until she joins you to search for Aya, but this is notable when she talks with Shunsuke outside the phone booth towards the beginning of the game, where she notices that Shunsuke's last name and his Dad's last name are different after he brings it up. So, I tried to strike a balance between the version of herself she shows everyone, versus who she really is. I hope my picks make sense.
Of course, I had to go with something from Funny Girl, a musical about a Vaudeville star, Fanny Bryce. Well. Kinda. It's a very fictitious retelling of her life, but this is an oldie. It's not here for a deep plot. It's here for good songs, funny laughs, and nothing else. But I'm The Greatest Star is basically Sayaka trying to make others laugh. By deliberately being random.
Hey, remember the voice claim I gave for Sayaka initially! Yeah, I decided to add that song to her playlist. I just think this song really fits Sayaka's attitude really well. And I just had to include it. But this song, while still showing her silliness, shows that there is something deeper going on.
Now, her adult voice claims! This musical is honestly the whole reason I picked Megan as one of her adult voice claims. A lot of the songs in this musical really suit Sayaka. Now, if you know the story of Daddy Long Legs, the character she calls Daddy is not her Father. For the sake of her character, though, we're divorcing it from the context of the story, which is still good. And the musical is the best adaptation of it. But I digress... This song is basically Sayaka noting that she's not like other girls, but honestly wants to be like other girls so she doesn't have to hide who she is as much, but she knows deep down her real self wouldn't be seen as approachable. Or, that's at least what she thinks at first...
This is what she really wants... She wants to be herself without feeling judged by others. She wants to be herself, and she decides to be herself apologetically, not caring what others think. So, yeah... This song pretty much speaks for itself, and one listen gives you all the reason for why it's Sayaka.
This song is basically her showing who she is with no qualms about what others think of her. She doesn't care if others think of her as a nuisance... Or she tries not to. She's going to live how she wants to, regardless.
I don't remember right now if I used this song for Yuuichi or not because I did think of giving it to him, but I am passing it along to Sayaka. This song represents how free she feels once she starts being herself, despite what those outside of her friend group think. However, despite this, Sayaka says a lot of things she doesn't know the meaning of, which leads to the next song.
This song represents Sayaka feeling like her silliness prevents others from seeing how easy it is for her to learn new things. Sayaka is someone I see as pretty smart despite her silliness. But her silliness makes others see her as a fool, and nothing else... And while that part of her is her, it still hurts to be underestimated.
I know I said we have to divorce the context of Daddy Long Legs from Sayaka, but in this one instance, this song is basically Sayaka lashing out at her Father for drinking and saying he wants to kill himself, and she might say, "Then die already." But she regrets it immediately and says sorry... She likely has to deal with a lot with her Dad being so depressed he wants to die... and while it's pitiable, it does also get frustrating when you're from the outside looking in.
Okay. So, there are two versions of this song. One from the London Cast Recording (Which is this version), and the one on the Broadway Cast Recording. I picked the London version because I felt it fit Sayaka better. Specifically, a Sayaka who acts differently at home than when around her friends and family. A Sayaka who is told that others envy her for her energy. A Sayaka who is still waiting... For what, she doesn't know...
This is Sayaka recognizing how little she knows her Dad. And how much that hurts her because he doesn't try to tell her anything about himself. And yet, he knows a lot about her... And that hurts. She's his daughter, and he may as well be a stranger to her... This is her wanting to escape her home life, but also wanting to know her Dad before it's too late... And she never gets that opportunity because Yuuichi kills him...
This is a song I wanted to add after I posted my initial character analysis post on her. But I didn't even think of it until afterwards, and it's honestly because of this verse.
Be happy
That's the answer
Be the center of attention
Be the person people mention to their friends
Be a winner
Be a dancer
Be the life of every party
Then go home and don't be lonely
When it ends
I think this song, and its relation to trying to be happy and only being that happy, so others will want to be around you. It's a song about someone doing everything they feel like they need to do to be happy. But they still can't find it.
And now, we're on to People. A song about being needed. This is Sayaka making note of everything she's observed on TV, at school, and in her surroundings, and this is her conclusion. That people who need people are the luckiest people of all. It's a simple conclusion. One a child would make. But still true all the same.
This song... This song is one of the best musical theatre songs in history. It's a song sung by an actress in the context of the show. Which is why the word clown is used. It's using the classical meaning of the word, which means fool, or comic relief. The song is basically saying, bring out the comic relief because the leading lady is bombing. But in this case, Sayaka is both the leading lady and the clown. This is a Sayaka who is told to stop acting how she's always acting, and she can only think, "I thought this was how you wanted me to act..." Now. Typically, I would not equate this song with an 8 or 9-year-old girl. Especially since the character singing this is supposed to be in her 40s or 50s, but honestly, I can see Sayaka thinking she relates to this song as a kid, only to be hit with an "Oh! That's what that song meant!" when she gets older.
A Sayaka after the Incident... A Sayaka who tries to move on. Now, this song isn't a perfect fit. Especially regarding her Dad's other family, but everything else is so good that I had to include it here. I think the show itself is a bit "babies' first musical," but we need more approachable musicals for a younger audience, and it's very effective at what it sets out to do. I just think this is Sayaka realizing, especially after everything, that it doesn't matter who or what others want her to be. It's her story. She can choose who is involved in it and who isn't... The past is holding her back... So, she moves forward...
Her thoughts once she's in a better mental state. This is a Sayaka who revisits her friend and tells them what she learned with a bright smile on her face. Everyone is surprised by her mature outlook... But she just says, "I think I've always thought this way. It's just no one heard me before." Sidenote: I love this song... It really makes me feel good. It's just a good song about taking things slow and enjoying the ride... Do what makes you feel happy if it is safe.
Don't let this song fool you. While the lyrics are very generalized. This song is not about romantic love. But rather, the love of those you've tried to obtain in life, whether through your career, or just being who you are... This is a Sayaka who sees how much the trauma has affected everyone, and she sees that making them laugh isn't going to help this time... So, she says, "We did what we had to do. We're here. We're still alive... We can't regret what we did back there... I don't... I don't regret any of my decisions... I don't regret what I did for love..."
And that's the end of Sayaka's playlist. I will admit, a lot of this was more speculative than concrete. But my initial idea of trying to find songs about someone using humor to cope was surprisingly hard. If you hadn't noticed, I try to structure my playlists so that it feels like a story is being told. I will likely be working on the others in due time. Probably either Aya's or Shunsuke's Mom. But for the latter, her playlist will be more connected to my story than Re:Kinder, and I already know if I made that and released it, I'd be spoiling my story. But... if you're interested in figuring out her story, I can make it and give you guys a puzzle to see where I am taking her. But only if you want to try and figure it out. If you want to remain unspoiled, then I'll wait until after the December arc to make it. Mami is in the same boat, but hers would be a longer wait. If you know, you know. But I digress. I'll likely make Aya's sometime soon. She will probably get a few more songs, too, if I can find any that fit. I'd love to use Silent Hill, but the soundtracks for Origins, Homecoming, and Shattered Memories aren't on Spotify anymore, which really sucks because a couple of those games have songs I would use for her. Maybe I'll include them as bonuses. Anyway, I digress. Thanks for indulging me here.
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