#I just love to see Wakana in denim

[putschki1969]

2023/07/03 Instagram post by Wakana

Today we had our final rehearsal for the upcoming Billboard Live 🥳🎉I had a lot of fun singing and I once again realised how much I love music 🥺✨I can't wait to meet you all. Just three more nights until I can see you...😍 Today is full moon but it's cloudy so here's a picture from last night🌝 The first shot is of us doing the usual Sushizanmai pose 🍣 By the way…! We were all dressed in white today! *laughs*😂😂 Just like the other day it's almost as if we purposefully chose matching outfits😂 It's nice to know that we are all on the same wavelenght 🤗 I'm not sure what happened on the second picture (Source)

[morethanaprincess-a]

@trinitytalents​ said:  "Ah, of course...you must be Nevermind-san." Wakana bowed slightly before turning her attention back to the tea she was preparing all the while keeping her hands clasped in front of her body "I've heard a few of my classmates talk very positively about you, you must be a kind soul..." She mused mostly to herself though she had reasons to say it out loud. After a brief moment she shook her head lightly "I'm sorry, where are my manners? Would you like me to prepare some tea for you as well?"

Unprompted asks: Always accepting!

The year prior, Hope's Peak had forbidden Sonia Nevermind to keep an electric kettle in her room. She'd apologized of course, but how did she know that if she plugged a dozen electric devices into one row (what was it called? a 'power strip?'), that it would inevitably both melt and catch on fire, burning down one of the wooden tables in her bedroom and part of a wardrobe before campus security was able to help the Ultimate Princess put the fire out and assess the damage. While she'd explained her situation and apologized profusely to the headmaster (she really hadn't known she couldn't plug everything in at once!), the verdict remained: for all cookery devices, Sonia was to use the student kitchens.

That was how she found herself seeking out the microwave, determined that evening to get just the right setting to reheat her convenience store leftovers (formal lunches where food was few and far between always prompted her to indulge in the high-calorie delights of the nearest konbini. Novoselic's shops couldn't hold a candle to the Japanese version, if just for takeaway food alone). This time, nothing would be burnt or explode! Still, Sonia chose a time when she thought she wouldn't run into anyone: middle of the evening, far enough after dinner that for most, they'd still be quite satiated. So it wasn't a surprise that she stopped suddenly in her tracks, dressed down in a Hope's Peak t-shirt tucked into a denim skirt topped off with modest pearl jewelry, with the plastic container in one hand and a folded paper bag filled with unpopped popcorn kernels in the other. She'd been in a mood to rewatch some of Ju-On, and her leftovers were the perfect accompaniment to perfectly executed jump scares.

She hadn't expected to see another girl, who looked fatigued but friendly, busying herself with the kettle that Sonia almost exclusively used. Other students, who were more accustomed to cooking their own meals, were permitted to keep them in their rooms. "Ah, please call me Sonia," She both corrected and smiled on reflex, setting her items on the counter beside the microwave. With a button specifically for 'popcorn,' there was no way she could ruin this. "Thank you for your kind sentiments. I don't think we've had the pleasure to meet until now, though. Which class do you belong to?" Was she part of 78? Perhaps Sayaka had said something kind (which was expected) or Celestia had given the odd compliment (which was unexpected but still entirely welcomed).

She began to mumble to herself, something Sonia noticed but chose not to remark upon. Perhaps she was shy, and asking her directly about the source of her murmurs might only perturb her further. Sonia smiled at her again, this time in encouragement before cracking open the transparent top to the microwave leftovers, setting them inside the device before shutting the door. That was the easy part, as her pale blonde brows furrowed in concentration as she examined the button display. How long would she need to heat up karaage, curry, and rice? Good thing the pickled vegetables she'd removed and set aside needed no heating. But just as she thought to press the button for a nine minute heat cycle on high heat, the other girl interrupted her thoughts.

"Tea? Oh yes, I'd love some if it isn't too inconvenient for you. I'm happy to have whatever you're making. Thank you very much."

[putschki1969]

Hi Puts! How would you describe each girl’s fashion style and whose style is the closest to yours?

Hi there!!

Phew, okay, that’s actually a pretty hard question, I will try to do my best and find a few adjectives to describe their style. Throughout the years, their style has undergone some changes of course so I will mostly refer to their current fashion style. Also, I would like to clarify that I am a firm believer in wearing whatever the hell you want. I might not like everything (and occasionally make fun of a certain style - no harm intended) but I definitely do not judge. All right, here we go 〈(•ˇ‿ˇ•)-→

Wakana: Very feminine with strong (sometimes overbearing) patterns/designs (lace, embroidery, frill, florals, prints, crazy and bright colours, volume, etc). Usually quite modest. Her wardrobe consists of lots of long and loose- fitting skirts/dresses/pants that don’t reveal too much of the contours of her body. The only thing she is always happy to show off are her gorgeous arms and shoulders so naturally, there are a lot of sleeveless clothing items in her collection. Occasionally she will go for a look that accentuates her lovely figure by wearing loose high-waisted bottoms and a tight-fitting top. Typically she pairs her clothes with sneakers or converse because comfort is key.

Keiko: A mixture between edgy-rockish, glitzy-glamorous and cute-girly. Her style is definitely the hardest to pin-point since it’s all over the place. We have seen her in variations of denim with oversized printed sweaters/t-shirts/mesh tops looking like a full-blown rocker girl. But then she will also wear questionable animal prints with big fur cardigans and coats which occasionally make her look like a high-class hooker XD. And lastly, there’s a side of her that just wants to look kawaii and girly with lots of lace, embroidery, embellishment and floral patterns. I like her most when she finds a good balance between her rockish and girlish style. Since she is a sucker for high-end brands she can also go for a more sophisticated and elegant look if she wants to but in most cases there will always be an edgy or cute element to her outfit to keep things toned down. Keiko has lovely legs and she likes to show them off so short pants, skirts, dresses and tunic-length-tops are a staple in her wardrobe. Shoe-wise she will either go for crazy high-heels or combat boots.

Hikaru: Edgy, sexy, casual. Like Wakana she likes loose and comfy clothing (especially on top) but whereas Wakana regularly opts for skirts and dresses Hikaru is more likely to choose a (very tight) pair of denim jeans. Her style is a lot more casual and down-to-earth compared to Wakana’s. Monochromes, muted-earthy colours, no crazy patterns. She is also not at all afraid to show a lot of skin which definitely distinguishes her from Wakana. She is a little more consistent with her edgy-rocker look than Keiko because she rarely incorporates frilly or glamorous elements. From time to time she will go for something cute and girly/feminine but more often than not that outfit will be one of Keiko’s hand-me-downs. These days she is never seen without one of her many pairs of Doc Martens.

As for my personal style, it actually does not 100% align with any of theirs. But I guess it has elements of Wakana and Keiko’s style. I am very much into old-fashioned table-cloth-inspired lace and embroidery like Wakana and I am a sucker for floral patterns just like Wakana and Keiko. There is also A LOT of pink in my wardrobe but I am sure that doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone :P

For the most part I can’t relate at all to Hikaru’s style and I am having a hard time pairing her fashion items (the few that I own) with my other outfits. Wakana’s fashion style is an acquired taste. At first I didn’t particularly like the wide and voluminous cuts but I am slowly getting used to them and by now I very much enjoy wearing all those big tops and dresses. I feel cute and feminine in them but never struggle to breathe or feel self-conscious about my body. Overall I probably like Keiko’s style most but sometimes it’s a hit or miss for me. Oh boy, when she misses, she REALLY misses. Some of her fashion choices are just beyond my grasp XD For example, I will never understand her undying love for outrageous puff-sleeves. She has always been into them but these days it’s even worse since she is so inspired by Korean/Chinese idol fashion. But yeah, generally speaking, my favourite Kala-fashion pieces are without a doubt Keiko’s and those can be most easily incorporated in my day-to-day style. Also, whenever I see her in a new outfit, I usually find myself thinking, “yup, I would definitly wear that too, let me find it and pay an unreasonable amount of money for it!” That almost never happens with Hikaru and only sometimes with Wakana.

[putschki1969]

Hikaru Tsumugu ~ Live Report

Notes: Got a 2-hour train ride ahead of me so I thought I’d use the opportunity to write up a little report. Please note that I was very exhausted during the live so I wasn’t able to pay as much attention as I usually would. Also, I didn’t know 7 out of the 17 performed songs so I had a hard time appreciating them properly. I didn’t cry which kinda surprised me. Maybe I was too tired. Hikaru did get a little teary eyed during the Kalafina section but aside from that, she was mostly happy and excited. Overall I think this live was much more powerful and cheerful in comparison to Hikaru’s birthday event from last year. Maybe that’s why it wasn’t as tearful. Then again, I know quite a lot of people who were sobbing like crazy. Anyways, let’s get this thing started:

Goods: I didn’t buy much tbh. The pamphlet, the tapioca set, the pen and the badges. The other stuff looked a little cheap if I am being honest. A little disappointed with the quality of the pamphlet. Quite expensive but very thin and it’s made up of some sort of rough paper material. Some pages have ugly printing marks (;_;)

Stage production: Pretty simple I’d say. The musicians were lined up on either side of a small staircase. There were some walls in the back and curtains/fabrics on top. They played the PVs of Hikaru’s songs during each H-el-ical// performance, it was nice to have the lyrics on screen to sing along. and for the other songs they mostly used elaborate lighting.

Hikaru’s look: As you can see from the pictures, she had her hair down for most of the live. It was styled very nicely with big curls. She wore a bold red lipstick. The live started with her wearing the white gown/coat. Pretending to take a drink, she went to her little table and all of a sudden she started stripping XD (it was like the Blue Day “signal” performance). She quickly dropped the coat during her MC before “Fili” and revealed a sexy red dress which was very reminiscent of the old Kalafina days (laces, corset style). After the instrumental she returned with a long blue dress that kinda reminded me of Kalafina’s 9+ONE denim style outfits due to the colour scheme. For her anisong section she surprised us once again by dropping the dress and revealing the sexiest outfit ever!!! Black high waisted leather pants and a black leather bralette. *nosebleed* During the encore she wore a black denim skirt and a long sleeved H-el-ical// shirt. Her hair was up. I wish they would have sold that shirt too since it looked much nicer than the normal t-shirts she was selling. As for shoes, she wore shiny black pumps with white laces. Speaking of laces, laces were definitely the main theme of her outfits that night. The coat, the dresses, her leather outfit and even her pumps had laces everywhere. Guess it all boils down to Tsumugu = Spinning. In her pamphlet you can see all the threads spinning around so I guess she was trying to go for the same vibe regarding her fashion. So glad Hikaru was kind enough to provide pictures of everything!!

Musicians: Everyone was in such a good mood!!! Gussy (Hikaru’s composer and one of the guitarists) was particularly hyped, he seemed to be really into it. Was a lot of fun to watch them perform.

Overall sound: I think for the most part, the live sounded great. Hikaru was in good shape and sang her songs well. If you don’t like the studio version though you won’t like the live version either. Hikaru pretty much used the same singing style which she used for the recording. The backing vocals were playing in the background to create a little more harmony. I think Hikaru was far more concerned about having fun rather than delivering a technically perfect performance! Hence, she ended up sounding a little off key or frail at times. Nothing that took away from the performance though. With someone as engaging as Hikaru I really don’t mind if the singing is less than flawless. Just seeing her having a blast was making up for any missed notes XD Wasn’t a particularly big fan of her anisong section because I didn’t know the songs and she got quite shouty there but I guess that was on purpose. Apart from some slightly screechy shouts she also did some very powerful shouts!

Random observations: The live was completely sold out! BANZAI!! The goods were also sold out (including the H-el-ical// CD). So happy for Hikaru’s “major debut“. I hope many people will watch the anime so she can have a lot of success as H-el-ical//. As has already been established, Keiko and LiSA were there to support Hikaru. They sat in the first row of the second floor (at the very left). Akihiro Tomita was also there. I think he might have taken up the role of producer. Masayuki Ohashi was also there. He was the one taking the picture of Keiko and LiSA. Then we have Takeshi Kato of course. I am expecting a SPICE live report very soon. When Hikaru did her infamous goods corner she also introduced her CD. Once again she mixed up Kalafina and H-el-ical// when she said that there were eight tracks by Kalafina included (during the SPICE broadcast she also mixed up the two if you can remember). It was super cute. Old habits die hard.

Amanhecer: Great start for the live, I LOVE this song. She sat on top of the stairs and sang it beautifully. It almost seemed like she was sparkling in her white coat. Like an angel.

Splendore: The pace really picked up here. Hikaru was running around on stage, jumping up and down. It was amazing to see her so happy. You can tell she was born to be a solo performer (something that cannot be said about Wakana XD).

粉雪 (Cover: Remioromen): Didn’t know the song but it was quite beautiful. Hikaru did a great job. Definitely one of the more memorable performances of the night.

WINTER SONG (Cover: Dreams Come True): Another song I didn’t know, unfortunately I didn’t particularly like it. Can’t really remember any details.

Fili:The first unreleased song from the CD. I loved it. Hikaru said it made her think of the earth. Too bad I can’t listen to my CD while I am in Japan.

Avaricia: Probably my second favourite H-el-ical// song. Awesome performance. Her dress was perfect for the more mature and jazz-y vibe of the verses. But of course my favourite part of the song is the chorus!

yolcu: Hands down the best H-el-ical// performance of the night (and my favourite song so far). This is such a good song!! Can’t believe how much I loved it! The way she was pushing her arm in the air, I literally felt power surging through me. Also, damn, Hikaru was so sexy moving to the exotic rhythm in her red dress.

Instrumental: That was kinda all over the place, didn’t really like it. It started with some sort of extension of “yolcu” and then it became very slow with just Hirotaka Sakurada and the violinist. Then the pace suddenly picked up again and everyone was playing. No idea if it was a special song or them just playing random stuff. I didn’t recognise it.

ARIA & blaze & sprinter: The Kalafina section was super special as expected. Hikaru said that she consulted Yuki Kajiura on the matter, about whether or not it would be a good idea to sing Kalafina songs. Everyone agreed that she should sing them if she wanted to, after all, they made these songs together (as long as the songs aren’t released on DVD/BD I am guessing Hikaru is free to sinf as many Kalafina songs as she wants). Only fitting that she should sing them. Also, her live is called “Tsumugu” which means spinning. It’s about the future of H-el-ical// which she is spinning right now but also about everything that has been spun so far and of course that includes Kalafina. It was just Hikaru, Saku-chan and the violinist. They used the acoustic arrangements from past performances. “ARIA” sounded different from her Birthday Event performance though. It was even slower and more dramatic. I LOVED it. Every time I hear a new version of “ARIA” I fall a little more in love with the song and Hikaru. If you have seen that short snippet of “blaze” in the 10th Anniversary Film then you get an idea of what it sounded like. “sprinter” was super emotional. Not as tear-inducing as during the Arena Live or during Hi’s B-Day Event but still, incredibly powerful. I definitely teared up and so did Hikaru!! “ARIA and sprinter” were shortened considerably since Hikaru didn’t sing any Kajiura-go parts. For the most part she also didn’t sing the Wa/Kei lines. I think she sang“blaze” in its entirety though (except for the bridge).

History Maker & Paradise Lost & 青空のナミダ: I have a hard time saying anything about these songs. I knew “History Maker” from the Birthday Event but the other two songs were completely new to me. No idea how the originals sound like but Hikaru certainly knew how to make the songs her own. I just wish she would have chosen songs better suited for her voice. Occasionally her singing sounded quite off. Or maybe I am wrong and the original songs simply sound like that. Most popular anisongs sound quite noisy to my ears. Whenever I am in Akihabara I have to cringe due to the loud not very pleasant sounding music playing in the background (I feel like it’s always something by Ao Eir or LiSA...no idea)...Hikaru was sexy as hell with her leather outfit so I mostly focused on that. Thank God I brought my binoculars. She was really bad-ass during the anime secret so it was a joy to watch.

Existence: I don’t remember anything about this song tbh, except that it had a very rock-ish vibe. I actually thought it was another anisong at first but then I kinda recognised Gussy’s trademark style and concluded that it must be the other unreleased H-el-ical// song. I probably won‘t be relistening to this a lot.

pulsation: Nice powerful ending! Nothing else to say about it.

EN

This is me: I had heard that song before but I couldn’t really place it. Either way, it was a very engaging performance! There are a lot of ooohhh parts in the song, Hikaru would sing one part and the audience would sing the other part. Everyone had a blast!! This was probably the most active song of the night in terms of audience interaction. Otherwise the audience was pretty tame I would say. Everyone remained seated during the entire live.

TSUMUGU: Not as emotional as I had expected, however, the lalala at the end killed me. We didn’t really sing along properly (neither were we asked to) but it was nice to have everyone waving. More teary eyes but no proper tears.