#kalafina all live releases

[you-turn-it-into-light]

Kalafina - All Live Releases (8/9)

Kalafina "9+ONE" at Tokyo Kokusai Forum Hall A 

[putschki1969]

Kaji Fes.2023 Day 2 FULL Video

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Yes, finally we have a recording of Day 2. Even though I was there for Day 2 back in December, I was still excited to experience the whole thing again. Unfortunately, I never got to write my report so I guess I will use the opportunity to share some of my memories and current thoughts.

Here goes nothing┗(•ˇ_ˇ•)―→

street corner: Looks like they cut this. I am surprised because they had a much longer slot for Day 2 (3 hours instead of just 2) so I was sure they would be able to squeeze all of it into the broadcast but apparently not. Oh well, can't say I am said about that because being confronted with the accordion right from the get-go at the live really didn't leave a good impression on me. I had pretty high expectations for the whole thing and this intro left me more than underwhelmed. Thank God we transitioned right to "希望の光".

希望の光: Now THIS is the intro I was hoping for. What a gorgeous melody! I wasn't familiar with the track but my God, I got goosebumps all over. I literally felt this in my entire body. The gradual build-up to a more grand-scale symphonic arrangement towards the end really impressed me. I am just obsessed with the uilleann pipes and the Celtic sound. I honestly struggle to get beyond this because I keep rewinding the video.

prelude to Act 1: The look on my face when I heard those first few notes. I was shooketh to say the least. I most definitely did not expect them to do the Kalafina block this early in the live but I knew that if they were doing the Madoka instrumentals, the most logical thing would be to transition straight into a Kalafina track. While I have never watched the anime, these are melodies I hold very dear to my heart so I loved this. It was also a great pleasure to hear Eri Ito live for the first time. I will never get enough of Yuki's more classically trained vocalists. it's such a pleasure to listen to them.

Numquam vincar: After "prelude to Act 1" this was no surprise at all but damn, I am so glad they played this. I've never actually had the chance to experience this track live even though they obviously performed it numerous times during Kalafina live intermissions. What a pleasure to be there and truly feel the epicness of that intro. Once more I was covered in goosebumps.

Magia [quattro]: At this point I knew it was coming but it was still a shock to my system. Like I said earlier, I was sure that they would wait until the very end to do the Kalafina block (that's what they had done for earlier lives) so I thought I had some time to prepare myself and get into the groove so to speak. My body certainly wasn't ready so maybe that's why my brain couldn't properly compute the whole thing. I remember not being as hyped as I expected to be and that made me kinda sad. I am so grateful that we are getting this recording and a blu-ray release because I feel like I couldn't fully appreciate the performance while I was there. Getting to see it again is a real treat and I must say, I like this much more than the previous FJ "covers" we have gotten of this song. Hikaru and Keiko sound so perfectly in tune and I just love their powerful delivery. For the most part, I don't mind the higher harmonies provided by Yuriko and Joelle. Although during some parts (e.g. mayowazu ni yukeru nara), I feel like Joelle and Keiko don't harmonise very well together but whatever, it doesn't bother me too much. On a random side note, I wasted way too much time wondering about why I thought that Keiko's arms looked kinda naked until I finally realised that the puffy sleeve pieces of her outfit were missing.

storia: I did not expect this to make it onto the setlist but I am a big fan of the song so I was happy when I heard the first notes. Overall, I think I like this version well enough although I will admit that my favourite part has always been the chorus with Keiko and Wakana so it is a bit jarring to hear Joelle for these parts. Don't get me wrong, Joelle sounds great and I feel like the harmony between her and Keiko works better here than during "Magia" but still, it can't quite touch my heart. I mean, just thinking of all the Kalafina performances where Wakana and Keiko gaze lovingly into each other's eyes while they sing the "yasashii uta..." line makes me tear up. Nothing will ever be able to replace that for me. A few days later I attended Wakana's concert where she also performed "storia". This may sound ridiculous but hearing those performances more or less back to back almost felt as if the three of them had been reunited. Even though this might have been a coincidence, just the idea of this little connection had me in tears.

君の銀の庭: Oh, another cut song. Thank God we are getting the Blu-Ray. I will be honest with you though, I am quite sad that they chose two Kalafina songs that I don't particularly like. I couldn't get as excited as I wanted to be. I think I had no complaints about this performance, enjoyed everyone's vocals and didn't really notice Wakana's absence. But I guess that's because I wasn't a big fan of the song to begin with :P

to the beginning: It will forever be a mystery to me why this is such a fan favourite but oh well, let's not linger on that. In some way, it's almost a blessing in disguise for me to not have such a strong emotional connection to these songs because it helps me appreciate the new versions a lot more. No matter how skilled of a singer Joelle might be, if I am invested in a performance with a prominent Wakana part, there is no way anyone will ever live up to that. It's 100% a me problem, I realise that but I doubt I will ever be able change that way of thinking. Anyways, this was a perfectly fine rendition.

海と真珠: Don't think I've ever heard a JUNNA song. Not a huge fan of her voice, it's just too generic for me. But there's something about this song that I like, especially that those hey-hey woah parts. The chorus is decent too. It's not a track I would skip but also not something I would actively seek out.

太陽の航路: Not my cup of tea. I can tell that there is a nice melody hidden in the chorus but it's a bit too fast-paced for me.

time to sail!: Yet another cut. I loved this. Was already familiar with it from a previous recording so I really appreciated getting to hear t live. It's somewhat of a very epic and grand-scale version of "Umi to Shinju" which I am only realising now XD

The main theme of “L.O.R.D”: Can't tell you how very much I am in love with this song. The first time I got to experience this live was in Taiwan back in 2019. The song is so fucking good, I will never get tired of it. I was utterly blown away by Joelle's vocal prowess. I know it always sounds like I am low-key bullying her but that's really not my attention. I am just forever too hung-up on Wakana to ever be able to accept anyone else taking up my favourite parts of her.

I talk to the rain: Can't wait to hear this again on the Blu-ray.

a song of storm and fire: In my report for Day 1 I did talk about tis and "salva nos" being my first introduction to Yuki Kajiura's music. I feel so privileged to have finally been there for a live performance. Needless to say, it was everything that I could have asked for. Watching the recording now doesn't even do it justice. It was so much more powerful at the venue.

ring your song: This always brings tears to my eyes. The melody is just so beautiful and when they all join in, it's literal perfection.

ことのほかやわらかい: God dammit, I really want to like this song because in theory it should be right up my alley. I mean, the instrumental intro is to die for, it's so promising but then it's just all over the place and I can't get into it T_T

夜光塗料: Not a huge fan of ASCA unfortunately and I do not care for the song either.

雲雀: Surprisingly fond of this. Very nice melody. Can see myself listening to it on a regular basis.

君が見た夢の物語: Not much to say about this except that I enjoyed Keiko's lower harmonies. It's not a bad song per se so I probably would have liked it more if it didn't have ASCA on main.

everlasting song: This is always fun although I do enjoy the version without FJ ASUKA more. I know that sounds horrible considering it's literally her song but I will never be a fan of Yuki's vocalists with a more generic voices. Wakana's "kimi no me ni..." will forever be my favourite!!

世界の果て: No thoughts really.

優しい夜明け: Joelle is a much better fit for this See-Saw song than Yuuka. Very enjoyable.

君がいた物語: A favourite of mine. Do I prefer the version with Wakana? Of course! Do I have fun with this version too? Mostly yeah! Kaori's always work for me here but I can tolerate it.

Rainbow~Main Theme~: This was a nice treat. Very fond of KOKIA as a vocalist and this is just a super beautiful song. Have always liked it.

風よ、吹け: Not as smitten with this new KOKIA song but it's nice enough. I certainly wouldn't skip it

lotus: Wow, two Hanae cuts! How rude!!

inverse operation:

目覚め: I do love the Wakana versions but I also enjoy versions with other main vocalists. And of course, Hanae does an amazing job.

夕闇のうた: I know this didn't leave a good impression on me when I first heard it and I can't say I feel much different about it now.

荒野流転: This upcoming FJ Yuuka corner didn't do anything for me, it was the point where I started to get really tired and distracted. It was a struggle to still pay attention even though these were all more up-beat songs.

Silly-Go-Round: Nope.

cazador del amor: Meh.

nowhere: The only song I actually enjoyed from this corner. ASCA thankfully used a voice that I didn't find too grating (which can't be said about rito, JUNNA and Lino). Almost wish I had stood up for this performance and the next because Keiko was spending a lot of time on the left side of the stage (I had an arena seat pretty close to the stage on the left) but I probably wouldn't have had a good view of Keiko anyway so I preferred to just watch the screen. And to be honest, I am not the type of person to stand up and do some weird moves anyway so it was probably for the best. No need to embarrass myself in front of people who actually know how to move their body.

zodiacal sign: I mean, when is this ever not an absolute pleasure?

into the world: I was hoping to see Hikaru again since almost all the other guest vocalists had had a second appearance and yay, she came back on stage for the final song before the encore! "into the world" was such a perfect ending. I definitely got choked up, especially towards the climax of the song when Keiko was really putting all of herself into it.

red rose: Not my favourite but a good track for all the musicians to shine again.

Parade: It's my favourite song from the album and a fitting ending for this behemoth of a concert. At this point, everyone was close to tears after Yuki's little speech so that made it so much more moving. Love, love, love!! Right after they all take a bow and everyone is leaving the stage, I am glad they zoomed in a bit on Keiko who was wiping away some tears and leaning on Hikaru. That moment killed me at the live.

[xesc13primero1]

~Intro~

Profile

♛ ~ Seto

♛ ~ He/Him

♛ ~ ENG/ESP

~Interests~

Idols & Music

♛ ~ I enjoy franchises such as Pretty Series, Aikatsu!, Idolm@ster, Project Sekai, Love Live!, Ensemble Stars!, etc. My favorites artists are VOCALOID producers, UTAITE, Kalafina and I☆ris.

Hoyoverse

♛ ~ I adore the lore of Genshin Impact (Venti/Istaroth over all), Mondstadt being my favorite nation. Interested in Honkai Impact but I'm still not catch up.

Kuro Games

♛ ~ I love Punishing Gray Raven (Lee and Selena being my favorite constructs) and I'm looking forward for the release of Wuthering Waves.

Others

♛ ~ Pandora Hearts is the work I'm most fond of. Some of my other interests are Detective Conan, Pokémon, Digimon, Inazuma Eleven and magical girls in general. My favorite genre of stories are BL and Fantasy (Royalty, Games related or adventures).

Official Art by Jun Mochizuki.

[mistress-of-the-obvious]

Howdy! Recently I've been looking around trying to find anyone who might have a copy of Yuki Kajiura's Live vol.#12 "Orchard Special". Preferably, this would be a cd, but anything with audio works. I found a Tumblr post of yours with links to the pamphlet to download, which is why I'm asking. Frustratingly, none of the torrent networks I'm on seem to have it. If you could point me in any direction I'd appreciate it. Thanks for your help! Sincerely, -Ash

Hi @ashill11! Sadly, there is no release of Yuki Kajiura’s volume 12 live either as an official release or as a bootleg. There are only a few bootlegs I know of. Stay tuned because I have a non complete one I managed to save of Kalafina. I need help with sound clean up on that one.

I have a lot more scans coming down the pipe. I have so much stuff now! I have a few requests to do and some that I know are going to be quick and easy. I also have the rare Kaori’s Christmas mini album that was available for purchase for all of two days. 

My Youtube channel got deleted because NHK suddenly decided they didn’t want me uploading anything they aired. I started a new one from scratch here. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTg-wk_Lh3_lXX1r_JnskXw

I’m also upscaling some of the old videos since originally they were released in low resolution. That can take a long time processing.

Anyway, let me know if you want to know where you can find other recordings. I have a repuatation on being able to find rare things. Let me know what else I can help with. Also, the best place you can get a hold of me is the Canta Per Me Discord group. You can find it as the chat option on the website.

Thanks again.

[soyasojourns]

A woman I admire: Yuki Kajiura (Japanese composer)

I have wanted to write about Yuki Kajiura-san for the longest time but did not exactly know what I wanted to write about her. I cannot make any technical analysis of her music since I don't have much background in music, but for how her work has been since I started admiring her when I was just around 15 or 16 years old, and continue to do so now after my age has doubled from then, I guess it's apt and timely to write something about her.

I came across Kajiura-san's music when I watched an animated series called Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles (TRC). The anime was from a manga of the same name and created by an artist group called CLAMP. CLAMP also made Card Captor Sakura (CCS), one of the first animated series I admired as a child. There were similarities, or rather cross-overs in TRC with other CLAMP works, but most prominently with CCS, as the lead characters had the same names in both series. As I watched the first episode, I was captivated by the opening sequence (Ship of Fools) and intrigued by the variety of background music used. As the episode neared the end, an ultimate attention grabber of a song played. It was called A Song of Storm and Fire. Of course, I didn't know the titles right away. After watching the episode, I immediately searched for the OST (original soundtrack) and learned that the composer was Yuki Kajiura.

When I entered University (just a year later), I encountered her work again through her vocal projects FictionJunction and later Kalafina. I first saw a live version of her music online, an uploaded concert of a Yuki Kajiura Live (YK Live), and was really amazed by the live versions of the songs, and the variations she created for live performances.

It was also around this time that I watched a documentary about her. I can't help but be amazed by the quantity of work/music she produces. I also admired how she eventually moved to music in her late 20s after realizing that a career in engineering was not really for her. Even if music was something she playfully did as a child, I firmly believe things done out of joy and play sustain us in the long run.

Now, that I am in my 30s, what do I exactly admire about her work as an artist, that perhaps, I can take with me in my career (as a human being haha):

To keep on producing - however others judge you. Perhaps in the last 16 years that I have followed her, she has produced both outstandingly captivating work and some generic type of work (as deemed by others). I believe all kinds of work are necessary to build momentum, rest, or experiment to further one's repertoire.

To be able to build long-term relationships. Kajiura-san is having her 30th anniversary as a musician this year and the 18th rendition of the YK Live, her annual concert with musicians and vocalists she worked with in her various projects.

To have a repertoire I can look back to and enjoy together with others. Each YK Live is unique and I feel all those on stage are enjoying and in their virtuoso moment when performing on these lives. I have been lucky to watch the 25th anniversary live/ YK Live Vol. 14 in Tokyo in 2018 with one of my childhood friends.

Taking these three "principles" in my life - to keep producing/creating, to build long-term relationships, and to have a body of work I can enjoy with others - from here on, how can I build such a life? Something for me to think about.

For the fandom:

Kajiura-san has a dedicated fansite called Canta Per Me (lit. Sing For Me) for everything about her in English. I was surprised to find out that Hermann Hesse is also her favorite author. (Guess another artist that I like whose favorite author includes Hesse. Yes, it's Utada Hikaru.)

My current playlist of her works. Zodiacal Sign, released in 2002, is my current go-to song.

Yuki Kajiura's official website. She's active on Twitter, and even cheers on Yuzuru Hanyu during figure skating season, back when he still competed.

I haven't really said anything about Kajiura-san's music but for me, it's the kind of music that represents emotions and feelings well. She has the range to compose songs from the depths of sadness to the peaks of joy. She has songs that build confidence and songs that calm and soothe you. She is able to combine both Western and Eastern musical elements well.

I suddenly realized, there may be a fourth principle in Kajiura-san's work. She is able to bring a particular "identity" or "uniqueness" to the vocalists she works with. It could be similar to the thought of "bringing out the best" or adding a different layer or depth to what's already present. I aspire to be this kind of human being with all the people I currently work with and for those I'll work with in the future.

[ohmuqueen]

I was tagged by @shawoluvs ...2 weeks ago T_T  im so sorry for taking so long! (also you have my sister’s birthday! Happy early birthday!)

Name: Angela

Pronouns: she/her

Star sign: Taurus

Height: 5′1″ (155 cm)

Time: 9:47pm

Birthday: May 18 - The release date for Taemin’s “Advice”!!! This pleases me to no end as a babywol and Taemint ;_;

Nationality: American

Fave bands/groups: SHINee, 4minute, Brown Eyed Girls, f(x), Dreamcatcher, KARD, EXO, SuperM, Kalafina, NCT (mainly I love NCT 127′s music the most but I love all the subunits)...and honestly I listen to so many artists, moslty krnb/hiphop, and the only artists I listen to consistently lately (that I can recall quickly) are SHINee, Dreamcatcher, Hyuna, Utada, Jonghyun, Key, and NCT, otherwise I just mix it up a LOT bc Spotify is great for that (I only started using it January of 2020, I still love discovering new music on there almost every day)

Fave solo artist: Taemin, Utada Hikaru, Jonghyun, Key, Hyuna, Baekhyun, Son Ga-in,  Lee Hi, and krnb artists Nieah, K.vsh, twlv, Jhnovr, Epik High, Crush, Jane B, and J.cob (those are the ones I can remember quickly... I love a lot tho ^_^;)

Song stuck in your head: rn I’m listening to music (just finishing Nu’est’s Happily Ever After album as I type this) so nothing stuck in my head, but the last song I remember being stuck in my head earlier was Shinee’s “Colorful” ;_;

Last movie you watched: Captain Ron, a 90s movie from my childhood (and right before that Overboard, another childhood movie that makes me really happy)

Last show you binged: The last show I binged was He Is Psychometric - watched it in under 3 days if I recall. The last show I watched was Star Trek The Next Generation - I’m watching it for the first time and I just started season 3!

When you created your blog: 2011

Last thing you googled: shadow and bone books (no I haven’t read them)

Other blogs: My other blogs aren’t really active, but my sideblog for Utada Hikaru, @sangurasu, will always get updated whenever I get any speck of Utada news

Why I chose my url: it’s in reference to Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind by Hayao Miyazaki, the heroine is one of my favorite characters (the manga is epic and if you love fantasy and/or post apoc stories you would love it)

How many people are you following: 1073 - I have not gone on an unfollow spree for many many months...probably years lol - I don’t have time to go through my dash much either

How many followers do you have: 614

Average hours of sleep: 6, and a wonderful 8-9 hours on weekends

Lucky numbers: 14, 5

Instrument: none (I used to sing in choir as a teen, I miss it)

What I’m currently wearing: pajamas

Dream job: owner of a cat rescue (who somehow got back the ability to write and writes short stories on the side - not sure if I have novel length stuff in me)

Dream trip: Japan

Fave food: cake, ice cream, anything s’mores flavored

Fave song: Last time I I answered a similar ask meme and I just was like “I listen to so much, idk, here’s my fave Taemin and Utada song”, so I’ll try to mix it up this time. My last five liked songs in Spotify were: “Peter Pan” and “Piercing” by Ha:tfelt, “Whoo” by Jeong Eun Ji (thank you Discover Weekly), “In the Room” by twlv, and “Finding You” by Kwon Soon Il - from the soundtrack of Color Rush, a wonderful kdrama I watched a few months ago before Shinee’s comeback took over my life kekeke

Top 3 fictional universes you’d like to live in: Pacific Rim, Star Trek, aaaand… His Dark Materials (and I’m finally rereading that series right now! For the first time since I was 20 years old I believe T_T ...9 years ago....)

I will tag @jongtaeluv, @ihavesomanynotes, @actiaslunaris, @fractalwriter, @thepaththatleadsyouhome, @yoongloyal, @bluenightscloud, @aquaxalien, @kimsehni, @shin33ee, @explocionesenelcielo, @alwayshinee, @dontcallmeshinee, @jonghyuninorbit, @adorableshinee, @starlightnakamoto  only if you would like💜

[recentanimenews]

Puella Magi Madoka Magica's OST Collection Now Available Digitally

  Milan Records has announced that in celebration of the 10th anniversary of fan favorite magical girl anime Puella Magi Madoka Magica, the soundtracks for the TV series, movie sequel Rebellion and mobile game spin-off Magia Record are now available digitally across multiple outlets. Links to all three are available below along with tracklistings.

  PUELLA MAGI MADOKA MAGICA ULTIMATE BEST

PUELLA MAGI MADOKA MAGICA MUSIC COLLECTION

MAGIA RECORD: PUELLA MAGI MADOKA MAGICA SIDE STORY MUSIC COLLECTION

TRACKLISTING – 1. Connect –ClariS 2. Mata Ashita –Madoka Kaname* 3. Credens Justitiam –Yuki Kajiura 4. Sis Puella Magica! –Yuki Kajiura 5. And I'm Home (Original Master Version) –Sayaka Miki** & Kyoko Sakura*** 6. Magia –Kalafina 7. Luminous–ClariS 8. She is a Witch–Yuki Kajiura 9. Hikarifuru–Kalafina 10. Naturally–Madoka Kaname* & Sayaka Miki** 11. Akogaresaita–Madoka Kaname* 12. Mebius Ash–Homura Akemi**** 13. Yumeoto –Madoka Kaname* & Homura Akemi**** 14. Stairs–Mami Tomoe***** & Kyoko Sakura*** 15. mada dameyo–Yuki Kajiura 16. Noi!–Yuki Kajiura 17. Colorful–ClariS 18. Kimino Ginno Niwa–Kalafina CHARACTER VOICE ACTOR REFERENCE: *Madoka Kaname is voiced by Aoi Yuki **Sayaka Miki is voiced by Eri Kitamura ***Kyoko Sakura is voiced by Ai Nonaka ****Homura Akemi is voiced by Chiwa Saito *****Mami Tomoe is voiced by Kaori Mizuhashi

TRACKLISTING

1.Prelude to Act 1–Yuki Kajiura 2.Scaena Felix–Yuki Kajiura 3.Postmeridie–Yuki Kajiura 4.Conturbatio–Yuki Kajiura 5.Puella In Somnio–Yuki Kajiura 6.Salve, Terrae Magicae–Yuki Kajiura 7.Desiderium–Yuki Kajiura 8.Gradus Prohibitus–Yuki Kajiura 9.Credens Justitiam–Yuki Kajiura 10.Sis Puella Magica!–Yuki Kajiura 11.Inevitabilis–Yuki Kajiura 12.Pugna Cum Maga–Yuki Kajiura 13.Vocalise Op. 34 No. 14–Yuki Kajiura 14.Umbra Nigra–Yuki Kajiura 15.Venari Strigas–Yuki Kajiura 16.Agmen Clientum–Yuki Kajiura 17.Signum Malum–Yuki Kajiura 18.Serena Ira–Yuki Kajiura 19.Incertus–Yuki Kajiura 20.Ave Maria–Yuki Kajiura 21.Decretum–Yuki Kajiura 22.Anima Mala–Yuki Kajiura 23.Mata Ashita–Madoka Kaname* 24.And I'm Home (Original Master Version)–Sayaka Miki** & Kyoko Sakura*** 25.Connect (Game Instrumental Version)–ClariS 26.Prelude to Act 2–Yuki Kajiura 27.Amicae Carae Meae–Yuki Kajiura 28.Clementia–Yuki Kajiura 29.La Fille Aux Cheveux De Lin–Yuki Kajiura 30.Pugna Infinita–Yuki Kajiura 31.Confessio–Yuki Kajiura 32.Cor Destructum–Yuki Kajiura 33.Terror Adhaerens–Yuki Kajiura 34.Symposium Magarum–Yuki Kajiura 35.Numquam Vincar–Yuki Kajiura 36.Quamobrem?–Yuki Kajiura 37.Surgam Identidem–Yuki Kajiura 38.Nux Walpurgis–Yuki Kajiura 39.Sagitta Luminis–Yuki Kajiura 40.Cubilulum Album–Yuki Kajiura 41.Taenia Memoriae–Yuki Kajiura 42.Pergo Pugnare–Yuki Kajiura 43.Connect–ClariS 44.Magia–Kalafina 45.Numquam Vincar (Live Version)–Yuki Kajiura

CHARACTER VOICE ACTOR REFERENCE: *Madoka Kaname is voiced by Aoi Yuki **Sayaka Miki is voiced by Eri Kitamura***Kyoko Sakura is voiced by Ai Nonaka

TRACKLISTING

1.Inception –Ryo Furukawa 2.Infinite Battle –Ryo Furukawa 3.First Contact –Yasuhisa Inoue 4.Awaken –Kyohei Ozawa 5.Place to Hunt –Yasuhisa Inoue 6.Intermediate–Naoki “naotyu-” Chiba 7.Welcome to Mirrors–Naoki “naotyu-” Chiba 8.Repeat Days –Yasuhisa Inoue 9.Memories –Yasuhisa Inoue 10.Twilight –Yasuhisa Inoue 11.To Remember –Kyohei Ozawa 12.Remain –Kyohei Ozawa 13.Coordinator –Yasuhisa Inoue 14.Lost Tension –Kyohei Ozawa 15.Anxiety –Yasuhisa Inoue 16.Touch One's Heart –Kyohei Ozawa 17.Be Terrified –Ryo Furukawa 18.Creation –Yasuhisa Inoue 19.Wings of Magius –Yasuhisa Inoue 20.Full Moon –Yasuhisa Inoue 21.The Imaginator –Yasuhisa Inoue 22.Uwasa-san –Yasuhisa Inoue 23.The Lecture –Yasuhisa Inoue 24.Into the Territory –Kyohei Ozawa 25.Hotel Fenthope –Kyohei Ozawa 26.Thought of You –Kyohei Ozawa 27.Battle Fields –Ryo Furukawa 28.Initiation Battle –Yasuhisa Inoue 29.The Crow –Tatsuhiko Saiki 30.Magical Artist –Kyohei Ozawa 31.Calculated Future –Yasuhisa Inoue 32.Last Dungeon –Ryo Furukawa 33.Reunion –Ryo Furukawa 34.The Other Side –Yasuhisa Inoue 35.Battle Bell–Naoki “naotyu-” Chiba 36.Depth in the Mirror–Naoki “naotyu-” Chiba 37.One Day She Meets–Naoki “naotyu-” Chiba 38.Sunshine of the Mind –Kyohei Ozawa 39.Day of Rest –Yasuhisa Inoue 40.Plot –Ryo Furukawa 41.Farewell –Tatsuhiko Saiki 42.Complex Home –Kyohei Ozawa 43.Painful Memories–Naoki "naotyu-" Chiba 44.Inerasable –Kyohei Ozawa 45.This Morning –Tatsuhiko Saiki 46.There is –Kyohei Ozawa 47.Little Trick –Kyohei Ozawa 48.Hot Summer Day –Kyohei Ozawa 49.Kakawari –TrySail

  SOURCE: Press Release

  By: Humberto Saabedra

[chibalein]

Harmony Magazine Vol. 6 - Wakana’s Special Interview ~ Translation

The last missing part of the magazine, here you find my other translations:

Wakana Live Report 2018 Wakana Talk Column  Wakana’s journey to capture shark Recommendations for Wakana

This is Wakana’s extensive interview on her solo tour and debut single. There were several parts I had trouble with, especially putting them into nice words. That’s why some parts may sound strange, so as usual, if you have some suggestions or improvements, don’t hesitate to tell me. Take it all with a grain of salt, but credit me if you gonna use the scans or translations in any way. Have fun! Also, LOOOONG post ahead. 

Wakana Special Interview

Finally, Wakana’s first solo single “Toki wo Koeru Yoru ni” will be released on February 6th. Looking back at her domestic fall tour last year, the first step of her solo career, we will talk a lot about the single “Toki wo Koeru Yoru ni” of which she wrote the lyrics herself, and the coupling song “Tsubasa”. She reported her honest feelings with sincere words. 

By the time this issue is given out, surely lots of information will have been released regarding your solo debut single “Toki wo Koeru Yoru ni”! 

Yes. I feel like “Finally the day has come”. I had the CD jacket and artist photos taken the other day. “Is this really the city center?” I thought, because the photos were taken in a place with lots of beautiful nature. I think the main part is the riverside cut, but the insolation is pretty too, it was a lot of fun! See, like this... (Wakana shows a photo on her phone). 

Oh, this location doesn’t look like Japan at all! 

Yeah, right? The staff said the same thing *laugh*. Anders-san, the composer and arranger of this single’s title song “Toki wo Koeru Yoru ni”, is from Sweden, so while happily doing the photo shoot, everyone said “We feel the winds of Scandinavia!” *laughs*. 

Well, we will talk about the single a lot more later, but first let’s take a look back on your first solo tour, shall we? It’s been a while since it ended, are there things that you still think about right now? 

Talking about that, when I did an interview for the magazine the last time, we were just in the process of deciding which songs to perform. In the end, we settled upon three cover songs and five original songs. We struggled a lot about this balance. 

Why?

Since I will do solo activities from now and the amount of songs I would sing on my own would increase for this live, I pondered about this setlist before, about singing Kalafina songs alone, I thought about a lot of things. If I look back at that now... it was really fun! *laughs*. 

So, once it had started, it was a fun tour. 

Just before it started, I was half in doubt whether I could feel like that *bitter laugh*. Now that it has safely ended I can laugh and talk about it, but truth is, before the first day of rehearsal, I hadn’t decided on the content of the MCs yet *laughs*. During the general rehearsal where the whole staff had gathered in this big studio, I was so worried when it was time for the MCs. We had 10 MCs* this time! Isn’t that a lot!? *laughs*. For the very first time I did a solo tour and 10 MCs... “How can I pull that off?”, I thought. I ended up talking about nothing during the final rehearsal too, and the musical director Takebe Satoshi-san was unable to just watch, so he wrote something down while I was singing and just before we would enter the MC, he gave that paper to me quickly and said “Try reading this”....! It was like a letter *laughs*.  When I looked at it, it said everything I was supposed to say! Such kindness... The staff also had to clock the MC time. The adjustments for the programme had to be done as well. Therefore, artists have to say how they will do the MCs during rehearsal. That time I could read the letter that Takebe-san gave me. Everyone around me really helped me. That was three days before the first concert. 

[*Note: I was a bit confused about the 10 MCs. I guess she refers to the overall sum of all MCs, as she doesn’t talk about the exact same stuff at every venue?]

Three days!? During the BLITZ live I attended, I felt like you were talking just normally... 

In those three days, I thought in my heart: “I have two days to come up with things to talk about”. I said to myself that two days were just fine and yet I was feeling uncertain because I didn’t know what to do. There were things that I wanted to tell everyone properly. But I just couldn’t come up with the right words. With that I was like “Kyaa! I can’t do that!”, it was still ok to mess up then, but my heart was strangely silent. “Hmm, what can I talk about...”, something like that. Two days before the tour would start, in order to do some body adjustments, I went to a friend for osteopathy. There I got treatment and talked to the doctor who looked into my eyes and said “You look worried”. It seemed like in that moment some kind of thread was severed and I started to cry *laughs*. “I see, so I was worried”. The doctor said “Your eyes were shifting”. But when I was told that “you were able to realize your worries, so you are ok now”, well it was true... somehow. The next day I went to the studio for some individual practice. I do that often, repeating the parts that bother me and confirming my movements. When I thought: “Ok, I am alone, I can sing from the start, I can try to put in all 10 MCs!”, then it was all right! The things I wanted to talk about also came out steadily. Even though this was a small studio, I could see the audience sitting far to the back. I could make some proper conversation. “Aah, I am totally ok like that” and I could relax. 

It seems like you understood it from within as well.  

It’s surely like that! Because I entered MC practice on my own until I was moved by it myself *laughs*. When I said “yoroshiku onegaishimasu!” at the day of the concert, well, everyone looked so worried. Even Takebe-san was so nice to care about us, being like “Hm, are you alright?”. 

Well, everyone only knew the stiff Wakana during the general rehearsal from three days ago... *bitter laugh*

True *laughs*. Moreover, during the rehearsal on the same day, there were still things I wanted to confirm about the songs and I concentrated on that. Inside of me I knew that the MCs were going to be fine, so I guess I forgot about them. So, when the first day was over, Takebe-san slapped my back and said “You talked properly, didn’t you!” *laughs*. “You surely looked worried about that...”, well of course I was!

I see *laughs*. From the first day you had confidence. 

Although I just made it in time, I feel that having been able to gather my feelings and getting excited about it was a big step. During the actual concert I properly looked into the expressions of the audience members and was able to sing. I entered the stage seeing everyone’s faces, I understood that, more than myself, everyone seemed so nervous. 

True, until the live began I felt some strange nervousness. 

In this tour everyone was nervous apparently. But, having overcome that, only the fun things remained. Together with Ryû Masaki and the orchestra we performed one song, but it was the first time that I delivered my original solo songs, I was interested in how the fans would perceive the melodies that various composers created or the lyrics I wrote myself.

How do you think it was perceived? 

Unlike my imagination, everyone listened as usual *laughs*. I saw that they just looked at me and listened. They were listening with an expression that genuinely accepted these tunes. I was also so happy that “Toki wo Koeru Yoru ni” and “Tsubasa” were received so well in the questionnaire given out after the concert. 

The first original solo song in the setlist was “Kimi Dake no Stage”. It was refreshing to see a bright, intimate, J-Pop-like Wakana-san!

This is one of Takebe-san’s song. I could write the lyrics for this immediately. 

This is my impression from the live, but I felt like you gave us a positive message.

Gathering my thoughts on how one is the protagonist on the stage of his or her own life, it’s ok to do what he or she wants, so I wrote these lyrics. At first the title was “Stage”, but when I actually sang it during rehearsal, I wanted to add the “Kimi Dake no”. 

It was great that everyone joined by clapping their hands and had a good time during the live. 

While singing I thought “Everyone is clapping! Thank you!”. I guess because we could get excited about something together the atmosphere of the venue loosened? On the first day, I observed the audience and their surroundings like a spy... They were like “Is it ok to clap? Is it ok to shout?” *laughs*. I am sure they had doubts of whether it was ok to stand up during “Believe”, or raising their arms, but ever since that venue everyone stood up. I was so happy that we could get excited together. 

At the final venue BLITZ, we were shown a passionate excitement fitting to a live house concert. That concert’s live version of the coupling song “Tsubasa” of your debut single was recorded there, right? The strong beat was effective due to a somehow nostalgic melody line and a passionate spanish guitar arrangement. It was unexpected!

At first, Takebe-san sent me the melody for one chorus. “Try to write lyrics for that”, I thought to myself and we started to exchange information back and forth. The first demo was a piano version, so I didn’t think at all that the final version would be an arrangement like that, it was refreshing! Many people wrote in the questionnaire that “it was a new mood!”. 

The lyrics are also fantastic. When I heard it live, the second phrase 

“激しい鼓動を無視して // Ignoring my violent heartbeat 構うものなどないと // There are no things to care about なにかもを壊しながら // While destroying everything ただ涙を流すだろう // only tears are shed I suppose”

really stuck to my memory. 

Really!? I am so happy! This second part presents conflict. The first one is about looking forward and spreading your wings, the second about feelings of conflict... Well, I want to make this clear, although I wrote all the lyrics of the new song I performed during the live by myself, it’s not like writing a diary or a blog post at all. But this is certainly something I wrote, the essence of the lyrics contain my roots or rather a part of me, so depending on the song, they bear my real emotions, it’s close to a story born from the song calling myself. It’s still clumsy lyric work though... *laughs* Because I am still learning different approaches. Therefore, the lyrics of “Tsubasa” were 100% written by Wakana, but it’s not like my wings were closed until now or that I haven’t spread them yet. It’s a poetic world born of the union of my thoughts and the image of the song. I want to convey that properly. 

Yes. 

I connected the strength I got from this song, ever since it entered my body, with the image of spreading wings and fly. Based on this, I wrote the lyrics down. 

Talking about new songs, “Ato Hitotsu”, which you performed with Takebe-san on the piano during the double encore, also left quite the impression. 

This song wasn’t originally part of the setlist. During the first day’s double encore, Takebe-san suddenly said “Let’s do that song!” and we hastily decided to perform it. 

This suddenly!?

Yes *laugh*. I wrote the lyrics of this song while having “live” [as in concert] and “to sing” in my mind. There was the audience listening, the staff that created music with me, the musicians that performed with me... For example, because there seems to be an endless piling up of different moments, I want to be able to sing like that and hold concerts. I put these feelings into words. That’s why I was so happy that I could perform this song for the double encore! I wanted my feelings to reach everyone who came to the live. Moreover with Takebe-san’s piano *laughs*. 

I was surprised. He floatingly entered the stage, sat down on the keyboardist seat and just started to play the piano in a thrumming way. Furthermore, he could play the phrase of “Hikari Furu” smoothly *laughs*.

Yes, yes! *laughs*. Talking about “Hikaru Furu”, Takebe-san said to me that he absolutely wanted to include this song in the tour setlist. 

This kind of arrangement was so unexpected. 

From the pat of the synthesizer, bam! A long chord started. 

After everything accumulated, you started the song. 

I was told to wait as long as I want and then start singing, so I did it with my own timing. I think I waited for about 20 seconds. 

An ambient mood was in the air, it was new for it to be so beautiful and sublime. 

I thought a lot about how to perform this song alone and there was no right answer to it. In the end, I decided after consulting Takebe-san about how to sing the main melody. 

As for Wakana’s singing range, it was wider than ever. 

Since I am singing a song that is supposed to be done by three people, I chose a method of wanting to create a song where I purposely don’t sing my own parts. Some phrases overlap, so I worked out a draft of which parts I should maintain, as I wanted to create a new world for the song. 

I felt like this became a “Hikaru furu” you could hear nowhere but during this tour. 

I received a lot of ideas from Takebe-san, but I strictly claimed the parts I just couldn’t hand over. It was out of question to change the melody, even though I would sing a song that’s supposed to be done by three people. I didn’t want to allow that. I sang with that in mind. 

***********

Including the new songs you performed during the tour, you could write a lot of new lyrics in the past year. Have you become used to being a song writer? 

No no no! Absolutely not! It’s more like I finally made my peace with it *laughs*. 

How does your style of song writing look like?

Now, I just listen to the songs I receive countless times and write down every thought I have in my notebook. I keep listening and writing for about one hour. After that I stare at my notebook and summarize. 

Ooh... I see. 

When I was working on my debut single “Toki wo Koeru Yoru ni” at the very beginning, I really didn’t know what to do, I didn’t even know what I don’t know, I absolutely didn’t know where to start. I couldn’t write at all. But Shusui-san looked at the lyrics I somehow managed to write for “Toki wo Koeru Yoru ni” and immediately said “I think it’s good”. Those words relieved me. But since “Toki wo Koeru Yoru ni” was my first song writing experience ever, I really really struggled... I struggled so much my neck started to hurt *laughs*. Because the whole time I stared at my notebook in a weird posture like carrying a burden, so when I finally finished writing, the moment I said “I did it!”, my neck snapped back to its place *laughs*. With eyes wide open I sprained my neck**. I was a child born with a hurting neck!

[**the Japanese word actually means “to sleep in an awkward position and waking up with a sprained neck”, she means that this happened despite being awake]. 

Well, at least not your stomach *laughs*. What was the most difficult thing? 

That this song’s tempo is BPM 68. [68 beats per minute? I suppose that means slow in the music world lol]

This music scene has a pretty unusual and calm tempo, right?

Right. Placing words onto such a slow song was more difficult than I expected. In the original demo version the lyrics were in English, so it also had this kind of image. At first, even just putting Japanese words on the melody was difficult... 

In the end, the words are properly conveyed by just hearing them once, they complete a lyrical world of overflowing poetic sentiment.

Aaah, I can’t write lyrics again! I seriously thought that this was impossible. World famous song writers, producers, artists... those people who do such creative works are amazing people, aren’t they... At the same time I thought that it was utterly impossible for me. I was knocked down by my lack of talent... However, after writing “Toki wo Koeru Yoru ni”, I wrote so many new songs *laughs*. Takebe-san gave the advice to me that “the songs are appealing, because there are surely words they desire”. After that I somehow understood how to write lyrics in my own way... 

He seems to give rough hints and advices right? 

Right. Even about the songs he composed himself he said “This songs has this kind of meaning...” but there was no specific explanation. When I struggled so much I lost sight of the exit, he told me that “this song’s image is, if anything, sad rather than cheerful”, but there were no definite orders. 

How did you overcome the hurdle of “It’s definitely impossible” that was born in your own heart? 

I was able to perform various new songs by Takebe-san during the tour, at the same time I could see the tour’s schedule... well, I had no choice but doing it! At first it was like a small trauma and I was scared, but once I listened to the demo version of the melodies, I could dive into the words smoothly. Nonetheless, this was the first challenge. From now on there will be various births, struggles and other difficulties when creating literary works. Well, as for my honest feelings right now, I am so glad I could write them *laughs*. 

Hahahaha.

Taking the challenge of writing my own lyrics, listening again to new songs of other artists, I was able to confront the lyrics with my will. I had many new realizations, I was really encouraged. 

You gained more knowledge and you start over as a solo singer, but do you have any thoughts regarding what kind of singer you want to be?

I wonder...? I have only thought about that rather vaguely.

You will be asked questions at many places from now on *laughs*. 

(while thinking) I want to become a singer who can properly convey her own voice and words. I can’t do many things, because the only thing I can do is sing. I was able to challenge song writing and I experienced a world I didn’t know about, so my biggest strength is my voice after all. Therefore I want to improve while holding my own voice and expression dear. I want to become a singer who can hear Wakana’s “voice”. I think this is the simplest, the most difficult thing without an end... In this past year I faced my own voice and words right in front of them. I have been singing for 10 years, but it seems like I still don’t know about my real self. The me that existed until now was kept alive by the fact that the three of us were singing together. Starting from now, although this will surely be a long path, looking at myself I want to do my best!

[spwitti]

Kalafina’s All Times Best Looks/Outfits Challenge ～ Hikaru’s Official Live Releases Looks

 Ok... I couldn’t choose just three and I’m not sorry at all... I’m kind of in love with everything Hikaru wears, so...

Kalafina LIVE THE BEST 2015 “Red Day / Blue Day” at Nippon Budokan ~Second Outfits~

I really like these..! That sort of military uniform vibe, all the jewels and sparkly details, the colours, the cuts... All works great. The wrist accesory on the RD one is really nice, and the white cape-like thingy with the flowers on the BD vest is really cute too! These dresses are quite similar yet so unique... everytime you see something you haven’t seen before.

Kalafina LIVE TOUR 2015~2016 “far on the water” Special FINAL ~Third Outfit~

I’m reaaally, really fond of this live and all her smiling and laughing during the MC wearing this makes it even more beautiful ^^ ..!! That creamy palette is really cute, and all the handcrafted-looking details makes this looks kind of simple yet special. Is not one of those big, bright, full of layers outfit, but it’s kind of modest. For me, it’s kind of like her regular self haha The head piece is really cute too!!

Kalafina LIVE TOUR 2015~2016 “far on the water” Special FINAL ~First Outfit~ Kalafina Arena LIVE 2016 at Nippon Budokan ~Third Outfit~ (Encore) AKA: Hikaru On Pants!!

(Yes, I know I left the 9+ONE out) Haven’t heard the first person who doesn’t like Hikaru on pants. I mean, she looks really cool and it works really well for the choreographies and the Edgy-Hikaru-Mode. These outfits are quite similar too. Short boots, shiny embrodery all over the sides of the pants and some on the upper body part as well, no sleeves on the arms and some tummy here and there.. haha The vest on the FOTW one is really nice! The long part on the back side looks really fancy and I recently noticed there’s a fringe at the bottom of the front side. Really nice too! From the arena live one, I like the different textures of the leather-ish and the translucent parts. I think these pants outfits really fit Hikaru.

Well, that’s it for this time... There’s no much to add besides how much I like Hikaru’s outfits and how happy I am that she’s still around in Twitter. I had not realised how much I missed her until that Twitcast a few days ago... It made me so happy to hear her again ^^ !!

[you-turn-it-into-light]

Kalafina - All Live Releases (9/9)

Kalafina 10th Anniversary LIVE 2018 at Nippon Budokan

[putschki1969]

Hello Puts!

I don't think I have seen you share your thoughts about Keiko's latest single. I personally really enjoy this release and I am curious how you feel about it?

Ugh, yeah, you got me there🫣I've been uncharacteristically quiet about Keiko's 「夕闇のうた」. Quite frankly, I've just not had enough positive things to say to warrant a proper review😭. As most of you probably know, I do not get any pleasure from lingering on stuff I don't particularly like, I simply move on and prefer to focus on things I actually enjoy. But hey, since you asked, I might as well write up a few things that have been going through my mind.

Disclaimer: Needless to say, this is all just my personal opinion. I am by no means an expert on music or singing, I am just a fan who is very invested in my girls but due to having a very specific taste, not everything works for me but of course that doesn't mean that it won't work for anyone else.

Let's start with the single's A-Side 「夕闇のうた/Yūyami no Uta」. It's not like I hate the song or anything, objectively it's a decent track, I just can't really get into it. There are some songs and melodies that immediately resonate with me, others grow on me over time and then there are some I need to hear performed live to properly appreciate them. In this case, none of these options apply unfortunately. We got our very first snippet way back at the end of November and to be honest, that didn't do much for me which already kinda tempered my excitement. Ever since then the song has had time to marinate but I haven't been able to warm up to it. Even the live performance at last year's Kaji Fes didn't have a noteworthy effect on me. My last hope was hearing the full studio version but my reaction was once again rather lukewarm. The visuals of the PV helped a bit to get me into a good mood for the song but ultimately, I was pretty much underwhelmed. And the worst thing is, I struggle to pinpoint what exactly is bothering me about the song. One thing I am definitely not a fan of is the overly rushed and repetitive drum-beat in the verses, for some reason I feel like it clashes a bit with Keiko's singing and cheapens the overall vibe of the song but that could just be my personal impression. I prefer a good build-up to a chorus and I don't think we are getting it here. Speaking of the chorus, the structure of the chorus doesn't work for me or maybe it's the melody (lack thereof?) that doesn't appeal to me? Not sure exactly but it's not giving me what I would have liked. The first part starting with "inori" is pretty generic and then we get a sort of crescendo for "utau/fureru" which feels oddly out of place, especially when it transitions right into the scat singing. Maybe there is too much different stuff going on or it's all happening too fast but it doesn't have the impact on me which it probably should have. I am usually a big fan of Keiko's scat singing, I mean, her yay- yay-yay part in YK's "vanity" or Kalafina's "Door" regularly gives me an eargasm so why the hell does it leave me so unimpressed in "Yūyami no Uta"???!!! I guess it's more of a combination of the melodic arrangement and the accompanying scatting which makes songs like "vanity" or "Door" so much more epic for me....? As for the bridge, it's okay I suppose. In her interviews, Keiko has mentioned multiple times how her progress as a vocalist has made it possible to tackle all these high parts and that just a few years ago, Yuki Kajiura would have assigned Yuriko Kaida or one of her other chorus singers to sing those sections. Keiko's higher registers are a hit and miss for me, sometimes they work, other times not so much. Here she sounds perfectly fine and I fully understand why YK would feel confident to let Keiko handle this on her own. But again, the whole part is just meh and by now I am convinced that it is because the song doesn't have a sufficiently nice melody to provide a good base for Keiko's singing.

I want to continue with 「夕闇のうた Special Edit ver.」 because I honestly feel like we have been robbed of something really good here. Whoever decided to bypass this in favour of the normal version should really start questioning their life choices. I am not saying that this version is perfect (we don't even get all that much to form an opinion on it) but from what I hear, it is superior in many ways and would have worked better as an ending (edit: apparently, it has actually been used as ED on the 3rd ep). That gorgeous strings intro alone takes the song to a whole new level, making it so much more melodic. And the somewhat obtrusive drums feel way more toned down here since they are introduced at a later point of the song to create more of a proper build-up towards the chorus. The chorus itself is pretty much the same from what I can tell but I wonder what the bridge and the remainder of the verses would have sounded like in this style. The ending verse of the song also works a lot better for this special edit, wish they had included all of it starting from "itoshii" and then concluded it with another strings section.

Now all that's left to talk about is the single's B-Side, 「燈命/Tōmei」. This song is a big no-go for me so I'll keep it short. The composition, arrangement and lyrics were all done by Saku who has previously worked with Keiko on "Ray" (Lantana), "Sakura wo Goran" (dew) and "YOUR" (CUTLERY). He was only in charge of the arrangement for"Sakura wo Goran" but out of those three songs, "Tōmei" feels closest to this one in terms of vibe and overall blandness. I've come to enjoy "YOUR" quite a bit (even if I am not so happy with some of Keiko's higher notes) and "Ray" is decent too but my entire body outright rejects songs like "Sakura wo Goran" and "Tōmei". Sorry🙈I don't even know what else to say. I listened to it and immediately was like, nope, next one please.

Phew, this turned out longer than expected. I feel shabby for going on and on about all the stuff I didn't like but oh well, what's done is done. Moving on...

[theultimatereapermailbox]

Keiko’s Nighttime Playlist + Her Favorite Line

For you by Stream of Passion/”Every thorn, the pain in every wound; it’s all for you.” 

Serenato by Kalafina/”I want to keep on living close to you, my love.”

Streams by Johannes Bornlöf (instrumental)

Momentum by Ayumi Hamasaki/”I hold the rush of feelings so that it may not spill down.”

I Never Wanted by Fleurie/”I never wanted you to be anyone but yourself.”

Asleep by Emily Browning/ “There is a better world.”

Love Exist by Amy Lee/ “Love has no fear, love has no reason.”

The Sun is Rising by Britt Nicole/ “Lift up your eyes and see the sun is rising.”

Perfect Ruin by Kwabs/ “You keep me wondering still.”

Feel Like Falling by Digital Daggers/ “Release, let it feel like-feel like falling.”

Dream On by Kelly Sweet/ “Sing with me”

From Night to Morning by Antologie (instrumental)

[mistress-of-the-obvious]

Despite the need to have quick takes on subjects, sometimes if not often times, it’s better to let things settle wait for more information, and find out your opinions on things.  With this, I’m going to go back over the events with Spacecraft, Yuki Kajiura, and Kalafina.

On March 13th this year Spacecraft finally announced Kalafina’s dissolvent. @westkana pointed out to me that this was also the date that Spacecraft confirmed that Keiko was leaving. Here’s one of his sources: https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2018-03-13/singing-unit-kalafina-agency-confirms-1-member-will-leave/.128905

The owner of https://vk.com/club_kalafina, Webteste Doityourself (be sure to follow his site – he’s awesome) noted that Wakana’s pamphlet from last year was in the Kalafina area and not in her new one.

A few months later we started getting some songs released from Hikaru and Keiko is now back touring with FictionJunction.

All signs point to there being a non-compete clause in the contract regarding Kalafina that lasted exactly a year. During that year span from March 13, 2018 to 2019, all content was contractually Kalafina. That is why Wakana’s pamphlet last year is placed there. This was likely so that Spacecraft and Sony could better sell the 10th Anniversary movie, concert, as well as the Best Of set.

One thing I found absolutely fascinating were the tweets from Japanese Twitter. There was a lot of anger stating that Spacecraft had no right to announce such since Kalafina was Yuki Kajiura, Keiko, Wakana, and Hikaru and they did not announce such. It was one I could understand on an intellectual level, but not an emotional one.

Prominent voice actor Jouji Nakata was voiced his own displeasure by posting a photo of himself with Kalafina stating, “I hope my princesses will be back someday!” He also liked and retweeted a tweet by Kyorakuhigurasi, which went viral. As you can see, I provided both with a Google translation. It was tweet after tweet with the same sentiment. It’s rather uncommon to see so many Japanese people angry like that. This explains Yuki Kajiura, Keiko, and Hikaru’s joint statement. Which you can see here as a refresher: http://fictionjunction.com/kalafina20190314/#

Spacecraft owns the trademark so technically they’re right about Kalafina disbanding. Fans are also right about Kalafina not being a name, but the people who comprise it. Had Spacecraft been a US company it would have been phrased something like this, “We are saddened to announce Kalafina is no longer managed by us. Right now, each have their own personal projects. We support all involved in their endeavors now and in the future.” As for why Spacecraft didn’t? Seems pretty obvious that it’s because they’re bitter.

Trademark is also based on use/disuse unlike copyright. The phrasing of the announcement could be considered abandonment, which I find really interesting. Of course, I’m not a Japanese trademark lawyer and time is what typically shows abandonment. I’ll return to my thoughts on the trademark claim a bit later here.

A few months later we were greeted to The Weekly Bushun article. I’ve seen a couple of versions of the article. Interestingly, the online Weekly Bushun article left out a big detail that another versions got (which makes me think it’s an also a paper - it’s also possible I just missed it there). Here’s where I got the information: https://news.livedoor.com/article/detail/16444902/

For a recap, when the last president of Spacecraft retired and the new president took over, he brought in a female official from Takarazuka Revue. He wanted Kalafina to be managed more like a typical pop group diminishing Yuki Kajiura’s role. This happened in 2016.

Yuki Kajiura was by far the longest talent in Spacecraft going back to at least 1997. She was also their big money maker. I don’t know how far back in the company Mr. M, assumed to be Yasunori Mori, goes back. Just that he was a long time trusted manager.

I can confirm this part of the rumor. I’ve heard that the new president was a big fan of Takarazuka Revue and wanted to change the company to fit more in line with his interests much to the dismay of various talent for a few years now. I also heard about a mystery female executive taking over Yuki Kajiura’s role in the Arena Live tour.

The key critical detail I didn’t notice on some other articles, which is in the Live Door version (doesn’t mean it wasn’t there, just that I didn’t see it) was the setting where the president yelled that Yasunori was a “spy” for Yuki Kajiura. The location was at Budokan at the Arena Live concert. He yelled this in front of his friends, family, and co-workers.

One of my favorite classes that I took in college way back in the early 2000s was Introduction To International Business. I love culture books that are often marketed to business people moving to nations long term and still buy them. One of the big things in business in Japan that is drilled: Do not scold, correct, or praise someone in public.

Japan is a culture based on harmony, so if I were a manager overseeing Japanese people if I noticed someone making a simple mistake and went over stating, “Oh you did this wrong. It needs to look like this. Simple mistake, it’s okay.” I disrupted harmony and gave that person a loss of face. Face can be summed up as something that can cause someone embarrassment, unwanted attention, or otherwise. It’s a little more complex than that, but it gives you an idea.

Another aspect of Japanese culture is sometimes referred to as “The Iron Rice Bowl.” This means it’s expected to promote within the company rather than bring in someone from outside. The idea is if you get into a company you should be promoted with good work until you retire. This decayed a bit after the great recession in the early 1990s, but it’s still there. So to bring in someone new at high level management is going to bring in a lot of discomfort, and the executive was going to face increased scrutiny. Some of this goes back into the concept of harmony. It certainly doesn’t help that based on the article, some thought she wasn’t qualified and she wasn’t able to handle her new position. This may also be why the current president got into his position. He may have simply had the most seniority.

While you do see the loud boss yelling in anime, anime is like comparing Hollywood to real life in the U.S. It’s not tolerated here in the U.S. and it’s not typical or accepted in Japan. One can only imagine what the president said to Yasunori or Yuki in private especially after this incident.

I was talking to someone else (not sure if they want to be revealed) about much of this stuff and we agreed that with all the activity with Kalafina’s Harmony fanclub with trips to Taiwan and the like, that Spacecraft and Hikaru, Keiko, and Wakana thought things would be able to continue somehow.

All signs point to negotiations about how the group would continue breaking down by late autumn. This can be found in the Question and Answers section in FictionJunction Club 35 (Winter 2017 – the content is typically done a few months in advance). I’m going on memory, but Keiko’s comment was something along the line of how their year went, “The first half of the year went well. I started learning Chinese. The second half went poorly. I hope next year will be better.” Hikaru stated “Road,” while Wakana said, “Smile.” I remember Wakana’s sounding particularly sad and upset. I looked for Putschki’s translation, but couldn’t find it. I know it’s there somewhere.

We know Keiko sent out her resignation to Spacecraft requesting her contract terminated a few months early in late December. A few days after this, the trademark claim was filed. I thought because Yuki Kajiura created Kalafina, that perhaps she was somehow giving her claim to Keiko otherwise the trademark would belong to Spacecraft.

When Keiko left, it was simply two paragraphs that were approved by Spacecraft online as apposed to Kaori Oda’s long blogpost and Hikaru’s long handwritten note. All signs point to a very hostile work environment for Keiko and anger on the part of certain people in Spacecraft.

While the trademark claim was ruled and given a sentence of her claim not being valid without additional documents, it was actually rescinded a few days before. Less than a month later Hikaru left Spacecraft. Seeing how close they are, I estimate that this was not a coincidence, though that is just an assumption on my part. I now suspect Keiko thought she had to file the trademark claim for her own protection and possibly that of Hikaru.

Now focusing on Wakana, had her contract been up to be signed again before those negotiations broke down, this would mean her contract ends in the first half of 2020. We know that Spacecraft typically has three year contracts because of Ryu Murasaki.

If the name sounds familiar it’s because she was added to Wakana’s tour last year. I state this because it was made to sound like it was solely Wakana at first, then marketed as double bill. When I saw her name pop up, I looked her up. She’s formerly of Takarazuka Revue and joined Spacecraft in 2016 when the takeover happened. I found on the Spacecraft store, after Kalafina, she had by far the most merchandise. From there I also found out that she was also on the World Heritage Tour.

Going back to this I remember when Ryu Murasaki was added some of the responses were, “Oh, I guess they thought Wakana couldn’t handle the tour alone.” Again going back to the concepts of face and harmony, I wasn’t happy with the set up. It caused Wakana to look less capable and since Ryu was added later, gave her fans less time to buy tickets as well as create tension between Wakana’s fans that thought it would just be her.

Ryu left Spacecraft on May 31st, giving her resignation on April 20th this year. You can see the link here: https://hochi.news/articles/20190420-OHT1T50051.html

Exactly why, of course, we don’t know. While she came along with the female executive, she may have been uncomfortable with possible preferential treatment and the possible tense work environment.

From the time Hikaru quit, I went back from 2016 to then 2018 and found twelve talent left. During that time I could only find Ryu as joining. They do have a new boy band, TFG, so since then they have gotten more people. Still this will mean, from 2016, at least thirteen people have left at current date.

The one part of the article I have my doubts on is Keiko getting a massive ego. We know at a concert in the past she was visibly upset with the amount of attention she was getting over Wakana and Hikaru at an overseas convention. She has also stated in the 10th Anniversary movie that she grew as a person by learning to be attentive over Hikaru, and Wakana’s feelings as she was oblivious of that before. This of course, doesn’t mean she didn’t mess up at times since this was a growing skill for her.

Instead, I suspect any sort of conflict between the three had to do with the lack of direction and stress, as Yuki Kajiura and Yasunori Mori were restricted of their positions and left.  The high stress level could easily cause arguments that normally wouldn’t be there. If, for example, Wakana wanted to continue Kalafina while Keiko did not without Yuki, Wakana would be more sensitive to Keiko’s popularity. I need to note, I have no evidence or knowledge that Hikaru or Keiko have any conflict with Wakana and suspect it is an issue of contract issues, but I also have no evidence there isn’t a conflict either. I suspect that the informant meant things more like I state as the whole point of the article was to highlight the possibility of Kalafina reforming. If they hated each other, than one would think that would be the headline instead.

As to why Hikaru, Yuki, or anyone else hasn’t shown pictures or talked about Wakana much probably goes back to harmony again. If certain people within Spacecraft are angry at Yuki, Yasunori, and Keiko, I can imagine what the reaction would be if Hikaru posted a picture of her together with Wakana or if Yuriko Kaida tweeted something about her. Even if this wasn’t the case, showing such pictures and making comments alone can be seen as awkward.

Fast forward to now. There have been questions on Yasunori’s whereabouts since he left Spacecraft. I believe he may have helped with Yuri Matsuoka’s triple EP release .A, .B, and .C. Kaori provided backing vocals for some of the songs. Outside of that, I didn’t know where he was until recently.

Kugayama on the Canta Per Me Discord (which is where you can easily find me) was kind enough to buy me copies of Yuriko Kaida’s Porta and Jr.’s album along with the new pamphlet (he’s going back to Japan in a few days for the last two Tokyo dates – I’ve begged him for Yuriko’s new album and the photobook). While I was admiring Yuriko’s Porta CD, I looked at the back of the credits: Yasunori Mori (Highway Star). Kugayama had thought he retired.

I asked him about Highway Star since he mentioned it to me before and he said Yuki Kajiura’s FictionJunction Station seemed to be run on the same hardware. What I found was illuminating.

Highway Star delves into both PA Engineering and Artist Production. They manage Anisong artists as well as planning events and fanclubs. They are also invested in expanding to global markets (so anime conventions and potential concerts). You’ll see they have a lot of familiar names they’re managing: Jam Project, Masaaki Endou, GranRodeo, and Yorke from Old Codex.

Suddenly, a missing piece fit. When I was at Anime Expo last year, I noticed a lot of little things. Besides the fact that the FBM were May’n’s backing band, Ohira was the only manipulator for the entire concert, and the camera work for Yuki Kajiura was what I thought to be the best. Highway Star was likely the company providing the technical knowhow behind the scenes and some of the people likely worked with her in the past.

If you check their corporate site, you’ll see Yasunori Mori listed as an Executive Officer. The company was created back in 2009 and just recently announced a new business partner artist earlier this year: Yuki Kajiura. They also have ties to BandaiNamco.

You can see the links here: https://highwaystar.co.jp/about.html https://highwaystar.co.jp/ap.html https://highwaystar.co.jp/img/oshirase190304.jpg

I wouldn’t be surprised if either Hikaru or Keiko end up being managed by Highway Star for their solo careers.

So there’s my recap, with new information, and some idle speculation. We’ll never really know the truth, but the shadow of it still looms. I’m interested in all your thoughts.

[youturnitintolight-blog]

『Kalafina’s All Time Best 』Looks/Outfits Challenge ~ DVD/BD Releases

Group Outfits:

Blue Day w/Jackets: I absolutely adore these dresses, but particularly with the jackets. Blue looks great on the girls, and they're so shiny and the jackets really give the dresses a badass feel.

9+ONE 2nd Outfits w/sleeves: The outfits by themselves are okay (except for Hikaru's imo) but the sleeves really help with the more mysterious and epic songs they wore them during. I wish they had worn them for the rest of the 2nd half.

consolation LIVE 2nd outfits: The silver corsets + black skirts + short boots = love. The sleeves on each of the girls also look lovely and sparkly. Overall, they look super flattering.

Wakana Outfits:

10th Anniversary Live Encore w/skirt: I really love this look on Wakana, it suits her voice and she looks majestic. I prefer this one to after they take the skirts off because I don't like the cut looks nice imo. The design of the top of the dress is quite nice and collarbone.

9+ONE 1st dress: I adore this dress. Wakana looks a whole lot nicer in a shorter cut imo. The colour looks beautiful and the puffy skirt looks super cute.

consolation LIVE 1st dress: I LOVE this colour and cut on her It's super flattering. The puffy shoulders really sell the dress for me. Her figure is really accentuated because of the belt and the way the skirt pans out in that simple way.

Keiko Outfits:

After Eden LIVE Main Outfit: I think this outfit is super sexy. The corset and that flowy sleeve along with those knee-high boots really make Keiko look super alluring.

far on the water Special Live Encore Outfit w/Jacket: The way the jacket reaches the length of the dress really makes it special for me. The embroidery of the jacket with the flowing skirt looks really pretty. She just looks awesome and although the dress by itself looks cute - I prefer this version.

Red/Blue LIVE Encore: Even though I think that the cut of the top is a bit too low, this dress is super cute with the design of the black and gold. With such a short dress, the long black boots (that you can't see in the picture) really complete the outfit.

Hikaru Outfits:

9+ONE Encore: Such a simple dress that really suits Hikaru. The huge short boots (that you again can't see in the picture) really match the dress. The hair decorations and the cut of the neck and chest look really cute too.

red moon LIVE 1st outfit: This dress is stunning and looks incredibly on Hikaru. The puffy sleeves that go off the shoulders and texture is really flattering and the gloves and LOOOOOVEEEEE. I love everything about this outfit.

consolation LIVE 2nd outfit: I like the cut of Hikaru's outfit in particular along with her hairstyle. The choker as well is super cute. The sleeve really suits her.

[patricksilvrrozartistry]

Current Music Obsessions: September 1 - 15, 2018

The first half of September's obsessions are here! Let's see those honorable mentions.

New Years Day - Disgust Me Tragedy of Mine - Built to Resist Soul Desire - Ignite Ethernity - The Prototype My Reflection - Homeland Dayshifter - Serpent Eyes Distorted Harmony - For Ester Clouds - Dor Gabbie Hanna - Honestly / Honestly (Encore) Distorted Harmony - Someday Epica - Wings of Freedom Sacrificed - To Whom You Belong Sacrificed - Spiral Down Eva Under Fire - The Strong Psyclon Nine - Crown of the Worm Skyharbor - Sunshine Dust Niburta - Evolution feat. Dou Kalender A Metaphor for Betrayal - Don't Let Go Shadygrove - Scarlet Wood Eve's Apple - Stargazer (live at MFVF 2013) Ariana Grande - Breathin

And now for the main ones.

1. Artemis Rising - Awaken

Found this through Spaceuntravel and I'm shocked by how much it grew on me. I kept saying that I didn't like it that much, but I was wrong. I really dig this track. There's something about the chorus that just gets me.

2. Elsiane and Rich Shapero - On the Winds of Sleep

This track is so lovely. The strings are so haunting a beautiful. And those unique vocal lines. Yes. Such a great track to just chill to. I think I'll have to give this album a listen.

3. Kalafina - Lacrimosa

I was told to check this song out after mentioning that I got obsessed with Magia. So glad I did, because this song is gorgeous. I'm on my way to discovering other songs by them now. This song reminds me so much of the .hack//G.U. soundtrack so much for some reason, which is part of the reason why I love it so much.

4. Dol Ammad - The Nova Temple

The first single off the amazing new album they dropped. If you like progressive symphonic metal, choirs, sci-fi themed lyrics and some electronics, give this a listen. This is a great track off the album, but it's not my favorite. My favorite will be making an appearance soon, I guarantee it.

5. While Heaven Wept - Icarus and I

I wound up rekindling my love for this doom track. I discovered this song when it first dropped several years ago and completely forgot about it. I love the vibe of it and the clean singer has a great voice. I'm definitely gonna check out more from them.

6. Fefe Dobson - Save Me From LA

I thank Miles Jai for putting it out there that she dropped a new song recently. Take Me Away was my jam as a tween, so I knew I had to check this out. It's very different from Take Me Away, but it's a great jam nonetheless. Very chill and catchy.

7. Enemy of Reality - A Gift of Curse

I wound up rekindling my love for Arakhne and found myself obsessing over this song. It's the last track on this epic concept album and embodies Athena's feelings towards Arakhne perfectly. It has the perfect amount of power and beauty to truly capture every bit of emotion she had in that moment of turning Arakhne into a spider and granting her immortality so she could weave beautiful webs for all eternity.

8. Exlibris - Ascension

Inertia is a pretty good album, but this is hands down my favorite. It's full of so much power and emotion. A perfect track to close off an album. That final chorus is everything.

9. Brooke Candy - My Sex feat. Pussy Riot, Mykki Blanco and MNDR

I feel as if Brooke Candy is coming back to her old style and I'm so happy about it. That hard, don't give a fuck sound is back. This song goes in. I'm especially a big fan of Pussy Riot's verse, even though I haven't read the translations yet. Her voice is just so good and sincere, even when singing a song talking shit about police officers. So excited to hear what else Brooke has in store for us. I hope a Cupcakke collab is on its way.

10. Starkill - Until We Fall

This is their newest single and holy shit is it epic. The production on this track alone is so much better than the production on their last album, so I have super high hopes for it. So much raw energy and power and aggression. This is the best way to get people hyped for an upcoming release. And Sarah SLAYED this track with them high notes. So much yes.

11. Diablo Swing Orchestra - Lady Clandestine Chainbreaker

I was on a DSO kick one day and fell in love with this song. It's such a fun track and their new singer pulls it off perfectly. The guitars don't kick in till later in the song, but honestly it make sense. They would've taken away from the dancey vibe of the song.

12. Northward - While Love Died

Floor Jansen is back! I'm so hyped for this new project of hers. I know it's meant to be a hard rock project, but I hope she throws in some growls and maybe some classical bits into it. Pretty much anything to make up for the let down that was Endless Forms Most Beautiful. This is such a fun and bombastic track. Goodbye ;)

13. School of Seven Bells - Open Your Eyes

This is such a chill track. I think I found it on a guy's IG story one day and decided to check it out. It's such a cute and pretty electronic track. I really want to hear more from these guys. I really need to find more artists like this.

I'm shocked this one isn't too long, but then again I haven't been that successful at purging my watch later playlist soooo. Just keep an eye out for a super long one dropping in the future.

[recentanimenews]

The Faraway Paladin TV Anime 2nd PV Announces October 9 Premiere Date in Japan

    The official website for the forthcoming TV anime adaptation of Kanata Yanagino's fantasy light novel series The Faraway Paladin has started streaming a 60-second second PV to announce its premiere date in Japan, October 9, 2021. The TV anime is set to premiere on TOKYO MX (22:00), AT-X (23:30), and BS Nittele (24:00) on the day.

  The clip also introduces the anime's OP theme song "The Sacred Torch" performed by singer Hikaru//'s solo project H-el-ical//. In 2007, she was selected from among 30,000 applicants at the Sony Music audition held for the theme song for the anime film The Garden of Sinners. As Hikaru, she joined the vocal unit Kalafina from its second single "sprinter/ARIA." One year after Kalafina's disbandment was announced, she made her major debut under the name H-el-ical// from NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan in May 2020. As her fourth solo single, "The Sacred Torch" is set to be released on November 3, 2021.

    2nd PV:

    Meanwhile, Nagi Yanagi is confirmed to sing the ED theme song "Shirushibi." It will be released as her 22nd single on November 3, 2021. 

  【 OP&EDアーティスト解禁 】 本日一挙に解禁✨ OPテーマ「The Sacred Torch」 H-el-ical// EDテーマ「標火」 やなぎなぎ 本日公開されたPVでは OPテーマを聴くことができます！https://t.co/lYVBIi7Wg1#最果てのパラディン#faraway_paladin pic.twitter.com/DjXWgOURse

— TVアニメ「最果てのパラディン」 (@faraway_paladin) August 28, 2021

    It was also announced that Aoi Yuki (Madoka Kaname in Puella Magi Madoka Magica) will be playing the role of Gracefeel, the god that the protagonist Will swore an oath to, and Hiroki Takahashi (Katsuya Jonouchi in Yu-Gi-Oh!) is cast as Stagnate, the immortal god who will be Will's adversary.

    【 追加キャスト解禁 】 グレイスフィール： #悠木碧 スタグネイト：　#高橋広樹 ＼キャストコメント公開中／https://t.co/lVu2KsWtvG#最果てのパラディン#faraway_paladin pic.twitter.com/geetyZmbRq

— TVアニメ「最果てのパラディン」 (@faraway_paladin) August 28, 2021

    New character visuals:

  【 新規キャラ��タービジュアル公開 】 メインキャラクターの新規ビジュアルを公開✨ それに合わせて公式HPもリニューアルオープン！ ▼公式HPhttps://t.co/KaVFC7Sv7J#最果てのパラディン#faraway_paladin pic.twitter.com/RxK0DxFat0

— TVアニメ「最果てのパラディン」 (@faraway_paladin) August 28, 2021

    Main voice cast:

  Will: Maki Kawase (Yuna in Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear)

Blood: Katsuyuki Konishi (Tengen Uzui in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba)

Mary: Yui Horie (Wiz in KonoSuba)

Gus: Nobuo Tobita (Kamille Bidan in Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam)

Menel: Ayumu Murase (Shoyo Hinata in Haikyu!!)

        The TV anime The Faraway Paladin will be also simulcast on Crunchyroll this fall. Yuu Nobuta (Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear) serves as director at Children's Playground Entertainment.

    Synopsis:

  In the ruined city of the dead far from human civilization lives a single human child named Will. He is raised by three undead: Blood the heroic skeleton warrior, Mary the ladylike mummy priestess, and Gus the crotchety ghost wizard. The three of them teach the boy what they know and pour their love into him. One day, the boy begins to wonder, "Who am I?" Will uncovers the mysteries of the undead hidden in this faraway land. He learns of the love and mercy of good gods, as well as the paranoia and madness of evil gods. And once he learns it all, the boy embarks on the path to becoming a Paladin.

    1st PV with English subtitles:

    Key visual:

    Sources: "The Faraway Paladin" official website / Twitter

  ©Kanata Yanagino, OVERLAP/The Faraway Paladin Prodcution Committee

  By: Mikikazu Komatsu