This ending theme song is found on the Atelier Lilie OST in its original form. In this version, however, Mami Horie jazzes things up with the help of her husband Dennis Bradford. This "jazzy" version of the ending theme song, which in English is translated (by Gust) as "The Way of Eternity," and in Japanese is simply "Ashiato," comes to us three times on the single. First is the English version, then a Japanese version, and finally the instrumental version. Accompanying these versions in the packaging are English lyrics, Japanese lyrics, and a chord/piano chart. For a single, that is some fairly nice packaging.

The song itself receives a vast improvement from its already wonderful form. The only place I found any problem was in Horie's English performance: she butchers words like "horizon" and "the" to the point where only the lyric sheet can help you decipher the bitter Engrish.

That said, the Japanese version is pretty decent. And the instrumental version is standard fare; go ahead and sing along if you must, but the rest of us will just skip this track 90% of the time.

Musically, this is some pretty standard smooth jazz ballad work. The piano is bouncy, light, and syncopated, and Horie's voice is whispy and breathy. Personally, I do prefer her jazz version of the Atelier Elie ending to this song, but to each his own.

This single is still available (as of the time I wrote this review) on Gust's site for the retail price of 1200 yen...but they don't ship outside of Japan. Good luck getting ahold of this single if you're interested; among the various Atelier soundtracks, it seems Lilie's is the hardest to find music for these days. I recommend the single to you, but if you can't find it, don't strain yourself in trying to get a copy.

Reviewed by: Patrick Gann