BlueMario1016, who loves all things Japanese, introduced me one day to this crazy tokusatsu (a Japanese live-action TV show that relies heavily on practical special effects) show entitled Kaiketsu Lion-Maru, a story focusing on three war orphans living in feudal Japan during its Sengoku period. The main character, Shishimaru, has the ability to transform himself from a human being into a superpowered anthro white lion, usually wielding a special katana. So it's not just a Japanese samurai drama illustrating how those were popular with them just as Westerns were with us Americans; the main character is actually a superhero (although the idea of a superhero as we tend to think of it today didn't really come about until Superman made his debut).

This song is from one of the soundtrack releases accompanying the show. Its title when you translate from Japanese is "Lion-Maru Rock Ballad," but it didn't sound like a rock ballad to me. But it's a ballad nonetheless, and I enjoyed what I heard, so I decided to give it a try.

My version of the song is for:

---

Sax section (alto, tenor, baritone)
Horn in F (French horn)
B-flat trumpet
Glockenspiel
Vibraphone
Triangle
Concert percussion (bass drum, snare drum, ride cymbal)
Piano
Strings (violin, viola, cello or violincello, contrabass)
Acoustic guitar
Classical guitar
Electric bass guitar

---

This arrangement © me and me alone
Original music composed by Asei Kobayashi
Kaiketsu Lion-Maru © P Productions and everybody else who owns the rights, and aired originally on the Fuji Television Network.

---

Lion-Maru Ballad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YULZJXGDGH0
Kaiketsu Lion-Maru: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02W7_ujUrzw (full first episode)