負けないで (Makenaide), ZARD's 1993 single #6, L*S ED #12. This is the 2004 live convert version; I don't think a MV was ever made.
This is the highest selling single by the enigmatic band
ZARD. It was supposed to be a group, but the only member people care about or really know anything about was Sakai Isumi, the lead singer. Very little is known about her during her singing career, and ZARD rarely appears on TV. Their first real concert tour is in 2004, 13 years after their first single. "Makenaide" is their best selling single and the song made ZARD super stars.
This song is most likely a tribute by KyoAni/Yoshimizu to the late singer Sakai Isumi. She
died on 5/27/2007 after falling from a hospital balcony while undergoing chemotherapy for her cervical cancer. She is sadly missed by all her fans and everyone related to JPOP. She was one of the first mainstream artists to contribute songs to anime OP/ED and she'd done songs for Slam Dunk, Detective Conan, and Dragonball GT. The Slam Dunk ED "My Friend" is one of the best selling anime-related single ever, selling more than a million copies.:
As a child of 80's and 90's, ZARD was also part of my life. I loved her music even though she was related to the JPOP slut queen, Matsuda Seiko (they're supposedly cousins) and a former swimsuit model (she was HOT!!!) I loved the fact she wrote almost all ZARD's lyrics and her songs are always up beat and positive. I almost cried when I heard the news.
I'm sure the guys and gals at KyoAni, most likely ZARD fans like myself, feels the same when they heard the news. Maybe that's why the script calls for another cheezy sentai show OP for the ED, they just added ZARD's best selling single in. It's a nice, sweet tribute.
Oh as for the real ED, the OP to the 1972 tokusatsu cheese fest, "
行け!ゴッドマン" or "Go! God Man!". Yes, this white hair superhero is called GOD MAN. I can't find any youtsube video for it (probably all deleted), but plenty of nicovideo goodness. I don't know how to show nicovideo files without an account, so these links are for folks who has registered:
Episode 1 with OP
http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm30154
Original OP with Kona-chan singing:
http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm510435
This is so beyond bad it's beyond awesome. Real props to KyoAni to dig up this gem. Watch as God Man with his bulging crotch battling monster without ANY storyline or style, just two actors in costumes pretending to kick each other. If not for the sad ZARD tribute I would have been laughing much harder now.
EDIT: hell, I'm going all out on ZARD.
My Friend - 2004 Live
Kokoro o Hiraite - 2004 Live
Goodby my loneliness - ORIGINAL VIDEO, 1st Single
Yureru Omoi - 2004 Live
Eternity - Original video
Don't You See - 2004 Live Dragon Ball GT ED