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chibalein · 7 years ago

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Kalafina Live Report @Osaka - Christmas Premium Live 2017 (Part 2 of 2)

Click here for Part 1. Click here for my Live Report of the Acoustic Live in Zama.

Amidst all the negative speculations, here is something real for you xD Again, this will be a long post, but please read it until the very end. Thank you :) Feel free to comment or ask anything you like!

The musicians entered the stage and tested their instruments shortly, when Sakurada started to play a short solo and Kalafina entered the stage as well.

Let’s talk about their dresses first. You can see them here. (I wrote the following part before those were released, so feel free to skip it). Hikaru’s dress was more of a crimson red, tight at the torso and going straight and wider downwards. All of the dresses had the image of wedding dresses, although different types. Her dress was certainly the most modest of all, so to say, but I was too far away to see any details. Also, I absolutely loved Hikaru’s hair style. It’s simple, the way she has her hair most of the time I guess, but I think it looks the best on her, without any special/big ornaments or tightly braided parts. I liked her outfit the most too. Keiko’s dress was the most impressive. Being pink/magenta/white, her dress stood out the most, mainly because it was HUGE. It was almost double the size compared to Hikaru and she looked so much bigger and taller than she actually is, but she was absolutely gorgeous, especially with the flower adornments in her hair. On her left side of the dress, there was a huge rose-shaped part. Wakana’s dress was of a bright red, with many layered parts and she was the closest to being a princess bride. Totally stunning as these kinds of dresses suit her very well, in my opinion.

Kalafina started with “dolce”, not that big of a surprise I thought. While the roof was lighted up in blue, the stage was brightly illuminated. Keiko sang extremely deep, deeper than usual when she is “just” support. She sounded a lot like a bass in the background with turned up volume. But it created a great mood and along with Wakana they all created an emotional beginning for us.

After that, the stage became dark, with big spotlights from above on the girls. The spotlights also had the be much bigger than normal, so their big dresses fit into the circles xD The neon tubes inside the diamonds in the background shone green, the stage was then illuminated partly in red – Christmas colors!

“We wish you a merry Christmas” on this festive stage, simply great. The “trees” on the stage also began to shine. Hikaru was absolutely cool here, her English is great (in contrast to the other two *cough*) and she had fun on stage as far as I could see. In the middle part, where Wakana starts to sing very high, she simply killed it and Keiko made of lot of gestures with arms and torso – they didn’t move a lot during the concert… you know, the dresses. It was a pretty performance and another great introduction for a Christmas concert.

During MC #1, they bowed before the audience, but in these dresses they couldn’t do it normally, so they had to make a curtsey like the beautiful princesses that they are. Wakana said that they have been doing the Acoustic Tour since November and wanted to convey Christmas emotions to us, although it wasn’t Christmas yet. Keiko mentioned that this was their first Christmas Live this year and Hikaru asked for the stage to be lightened up, so she could see the audience. She was impressed that so many people managed to come on a weekday, she thanked us for that and they wanted to “show us many landscapes”.

Let’s stop here for a second and talk about the setlist. Despite this concert being awesome and absolutely stunning, I was a bit disappointed by the setlist. Take out the Christmas songs and “snow falling” and it was totally the same as Zama/the Acoustic tour. Even in the same order. And if I take the Nikko Live into consideration as well, then there were many songs I would hear for the third time in a row now. I fully understand that the girls are super busy and can’t come up with a whole new setlist in such a short time. Since they also probably in the middle of preparations for the 10th Anniversary Live, of course, they go with the songs they have rehearsed already. I am not saying that this is bad or that these songs are bad – but still I had hoped for a bit more than just one different song of their normal repertoire, like “Door”, “Haru ha kogane no yume no naka”, “Kotonoha”, “Kichigo no shigemi ni”, “Hokage”, “Sorairo no isu” or, especially in that “light” block, “Kimi ga hikari ni kaeteyuku” (come on, that would have been so awesome). ALLELUIA! They have their own song called “Alleluia”, for gods sake XD These are all songs that are already in acoustic more or less, but are rarely performed… it’s just a pity, in my opinion, particularly for those who attended (more than one) Acoustic Live. However, before the hate starts that I don’t appreciate this enough bla bla, that does not mean AT ALL that I did not enjoy this. Very much the opposite. Yes, a little disappointment was there, but that gave me also the great chance to listen to those masterpieces again and to find details that I didn’t notice the first time. Also, many performances differed from before, so there was plenty new stuff to discover and luckily, since no “Storia” or “Ring your bell”, there was not a single song that I dislike! I loved every performance - only for the second or third time already xD Feel free to compare this report with my Zama report to see what could have been different, see link at the top of this post (I am way too lazy to do it myself). Here is my biggest criticism of Kalafina so far: THEY DON’T HAVE A PROPER ACOUSTIC ALBUM YET! So many acoustic concerts, so many non-acoustic songs re-arranged and no album dedicated for that! Come on, girls, throw out those Christmas songs and blow us away with an acoustic version of “Ongaku” XDD

Ok, anyway, the next song was “Sapphire”. I didn’t mind at all to listen to this beautiful song again. The stage was in a deep blue and green, with some sort of green lines as a pattern in the background. It gave a rather painful impression and contributed greatly to the song’s mood instead of a plain blue stage. Especially the red dresses were a big contrast to that. Keiko and Wakana sang very emotionally and Wakana’s tender voice (I actually wrote “butter soft” in my notes, as we can say in German XD) was perfect. The Strings as well as Sakurada did an awesome job for the whole night and I really came to appreciate the Strings boys. They are often drowned out by the other band members in non-acoustic songs, but here they could go full power and be properly heard. Hikaru had put on her sad face, but struggled with the high notes. Her “koborete yuku“ was pretty much drowned out by Keiko because she wasn’t loud enough. I felt so sorry for her, because you could really see her giving all her best but it just wouldn’t come out right :/ Still, great performance by all of them.

Next was “Sandpiper”, horray! The stage was of a warm orange and Hikaru again very emotional. The Cello again killed it. Other than that, this one did not really differ from Zama or Nikko. During the long instrumental part Kalafina looked first to the left, then to the right side, while they were also illuminated from each side. A bit boring I have to admit, but the dresses looked so cool in that light. Hikaru again, the prettiest! At the end, they changed positions with Hikaru in the middle, but she showed as her back while the other two their sides.

“Magia” started with a deep red/pink stage, so not very Christmas-y. During the chorus it became blue/green and had a rather mystical touch, but I liked it very much. I feel like “Magia” is one of those songs where Kalafina always tries to be more experimental, as they also had a lot of light changes. Hikaru’s “negai” were very dramatic and the performance was so much stronger than any “Magia” performance I’ve ever heard/seen before. As the song continued, Hikaru gained more and more speed and power. She sang the words very emphasized and clipped, she got louder during the second chorus. All of three sang so much more powerful, they all got louder and more vigorous too. The instrumental part was skipped and Keiko continued with her part in a green background, while it became red again for the last chorus. With the end of Hikaru’s final “negai”, the song also ended immediately, with a single spotlight focussing on Hikaru. This was probably my favorite performance of the night. I have heard and seen this song so many many times by now, as it comes up in pretty much every bigger concert, and I was simply surprised that they still can surpass themselves by just changing a few little things. In acoustic, the focus lies almost exclusively on their voices and people get not distracted by the band or the show itself so easily.

From one strong song to another, next was “Blaze”, another song I really enjoyed. We had dark blue/white illuminations and with Keiko being in the middle again, the whole song became again a lot more sadder. Then during chorus a pink/red/orange stage and Hikaru sang with a lot of gestures. Like in Zama, they sang certain words and syllables during the chorus extremely emphasized, like “sekasaRETE”, “SAkende” etc. For the Kajiurago bridge they came close together. Have I ever mentioned that I love love love Keiko in that part? That short moment where she sings very very high is awesome every single time. I also noticed that Hikaru had a single flick of hair in her face that wouldn’t go away, no matter how often she put in back to place XD

MC #2 was about Wakana talking about how many people came to see them for the first time and others who have come many many times. For them it is difficult to re-arrange non-acoustic songs, even after so many years. When December comes, they feel that certain feeling “Ah, it’s winter and time for the acoustic concerts” (something like this). This feeling is very special to them and the next song would be a song that they have performed countless times by now, namely their debut single.

“Oblivious”, yay! The stage was illuminated in blue and green, with stripes and other patterns. Wakana started right into the stanza, again a lot slower and more emotionaö than normal. The middle part gained more speed, while Keiko and her small kajiurago part were cool as usual (and you could hear her singing the lines properly), but she skipped the last line of it. Keiko’s and Wakana’s duet was slow and frail, almost yearning, as they sang facing each other, while Hikaru again was doing almost nothing until she was finally allowed to sing the aaaah part once in an orange stage. It was quiet but pretty and later the stage changed to purple. The final chorus became faster and more powerful again and Wakana sang the final “utatte” without any instruments.

After that, the neon tubes in the background shone white in a blue stage. Sakurada introduced “Seventh Heaven” with a short solo. Keiko was sideways and had a big spotlight on her while singing the first part, so that the huge dress would fit. It was again a beautiful, almost flawless performance. Hikaru struggled again with the high notes, but Wakana was wonderful, especially her “anata to watashi”. At the end we had a bright stage.

It continued with “Kantankatan” on a bright, white stage with the neon tubes in blue. Wakana was tremendously beautiful, but totally not feeling the christmas spirit XD The “toki wo hashiru kisha” is my favorite part in the normal version, but I came to like it even more in the acoustic version. From this part on the song gained more speed, the Strings were simply awesome, they also played with a lot of gestures. During Keiko’s part the stage became deep red und she sang so much more fragile. At the end the stage was deep blue. I felt sorry for Hikaru, because neither Wakana nor Keiko looked at her, it was always a duet-like thing between only them XD

Next was “Lacrimosa”. The neon tubes shone red on a red/white stage and later in deep green, in the middle part deep red and then blue/purple/turquoise, at the LA-CRI-MO-SA part red (at which Kalafina stretched out their hands towards the audience, just like at the 9+ONE performance) and at the end the whole hall was covered in light blue light. The Strings played extremely fast here and I enjoyed watching them a lot. Hikaru sang the Kajiurago parts after the chorus more or less alone. I felt that the stanzas were more dramatic and faster than usual. Other than that, same as Zama.

We‘re halfway through, guys. Congratulations, you’ve made it this far. Go get a drink or stretch your arms and legs a bit, you deserved it.

We entered MC #3. Keiko did a small recap of this rather dramatic block. I admit, I did not really understand what she was saying, as there was too many words I didn’t know and I couldn’t get out my cellphone to look up the words, you know xD She talked how she wanted to show us different landscapes/sceneries and whether we were able to see them or not. It was very beautiful for her too to see the colors on stage changing and she enjoyed their own harmony too, but that harmony is very difficult to control. The topic changed to the christmas-like decorated stage and how it brings them into christmas mood. Especially the fir branches contributed to a lot of green on the stage, where Keiko said that especially Wakana liked it, as she loves plants and green. Wakana mentioned that these fir branches were actually real and Keiko was like “…ah, ok”. Coming from this, it was said that the next block, since this is a Christmas concert, would be therefore Christmas songs.

They then continued with “From heaven above”, which I wouldn’t even have recognized if they hadn’t announced it. I admit, I have never listened to that song even once, only the preview on ITunes (not proud of it though… I should get the Winter Acoustic Album…). The stage became dark blue and the weirdest thing about that performance was again their English. I didn’t know the lyrics, but they certainly didn’t help me to understand them either (I’m being mean I know :p). So this was the first time for me listening to the full version of this song and I admit I liked it. Can someone help me, is this an actual original Kalafina song or a cover from some traditional christian church song? I’m not sure xD Anyway, their harmony was great and they appeared to enjoy singing this song, as they swang along and moved a lot, short but very nice performance.

Then, huge spotlights focussed on the girls and the background became green again, as the next song was one of the more famous Christmas carols, “Deck the Halls” (it’s this song). I knew the song but not the title (I just googled it lol). This one was really fun to listen to. Kalafina smiled a lot and had a lot of fun too. Great harmony and singing, the stage was bright and warm. Again, weird English.

The stage was green again for “Jingle Bells”. Haha, I knew this would come up. It started out rather slow, but later was so joyful and fun. The neon tubes shone red and again, this whole Christmas atmosphere warmed the entire hall. At the chorus, everyone started clapping along. I enjoyed it very much, along with everyone else.

MC #4 started with Hikaru saying that Christmas songs always warm her heart, but continued to ask whether she can talk freely for a bit and everyone was laughing and cheering her on, as we all love when she does some conversation with us. She told us that they arrived in Osaka the day before the concert and that she went to explore Umeda and Hep 5 (see her blog post here), a huge mall with a big red ferris wheel on its roof. She rode the ferris wheel all by herself and felt quite lonely, because there were only groups or couples around her. At some time a photo is taken which you can purchase afterwards. So, when she was asked if she wants it she answered with a resolute “No, thank you! (いいえ、結構です!)”, because it was too awkward to have this kind of photo (I really laughed hard at this, because she said in such a funny way). Keiko and Wakana also laughed in the background. After all this time, even Hikari gets excited when she sees all our smiles and eyes on her.

She then introduced “Hanataba” for us. This song is about leaving things behind and the choice which things to leave behind. You need a strong determination and heart for that, and she wants this feeling to reach our hearts. The stage was illuminated in blue/pink, with flower patterns in the background. Hikaru was very emotional, while the Chorus became somewhat speedy. Keiko was amazing and better than in Zama. At the end we had a deep yellow/red/orange light and the background diamonds were illuminated with a pattern that looked a lot like those colorful windows of churches. The final kajiurago part was strong and great, on a purple stage.

“Manten” started with a deep blue stage and bright spotlights on the girls. During the stanza they were only accompanied by the piano, but it somehow drowned Hikaru out, as she suddenly became quieter. During the instrumental part Keiko turned her back to the audience and spread her arms and when her turn came, the Strings played much faster. She was very cool and made a lot of gestures the whole performance.

Again, “Hyakka Ryouran” was introduced with an deeply red illuminated stage. Keiko’s first stanza was accompanied only by the piano and she sang very soulful, while Wakana on the other hand was very loud, she almost drowned out Keiko. From an blue/green stage we got again red for the chorus with turquoise spotlights from above. Hikaru’s “atte” was longer than usual. And here came my favorite part: after the chorus ended we got a moment of silence while the whole hall became dark blue and a single spotlight focussed on Wakana. She sang her kajiurago lines very slowly and super sad, just like in Nikko and Zama. I love it. Then there was another pause of complete silence, and then BOOM again, Hikaru delivered her lines powerfully and loud, the musicians gave their best. Keiko’s next stanza was accompanied by a red/blue stage and took out all the previous speed but she herself sang very strongly. Her “yaiba” was longer than normal. It was an amazing performance, Keiko gestured a lot with her arms and ended the song on a deep red stage.

In MC #5 they told us that all the songs they had just performed are already very dramatic in the original version, particularly “Hyakka Ryouran”. Wakana was back in the middle and Keiko told us that the songs from this concert contain the word “hikari” a lot. When they travelled to Osaka with the Shinkansen, she saw a big rainbow (see here) and while taking photos of it, the light around the rainbow and the landscape were astonishing. Having these landscapes in mind she sings and while singing she is seeing the landscapes that she wants to see.

Her words were followed by “Hikari furu”. The girls were being illuminated from all sides and Wakana started out somewhat slower, but that just might have been my imagination. First only the piano played and the Strings joined him later. Keiko sang her part very quiet and Hikaru was barely audible, she struggled extremely with her “to omotta” (poor thing :/). Wakana’s “hitomi wo tozashite” was AMAZING as always, it’s my favorite part. All in all and despite Hikaru’s mistakes, I liked this performance a lot more than Zama. Keiko’s final “mabushii asa” was longer too (they somehow discovered holding the tone longer for them). Beautiful song - the girl next to me started crying XD

With Keiko in the middle again, it continued with “Hikari no senritsu”, with the first part of the first chorus in acapella. Then the song went on as usual in a white, light green stage. Kalafina had a lot of fun singing, they were smiling and moving around a bit, but the melody was so sad, such a contradiction. The instrumental had a solo from Sakurada, then a solo from the Strings, it was a nice change of focus on the instruments in an orange stage. The part that starts with “taiko no oto kara” they sang very very strongly, not as smooth as they usually do. This made the whole thing a lot more dramatic than the song actually intends to be. Hikaru’s next lines were sad and the Strings only plucked the strings of their instruments. Good performance overall!

“Into the world” started with blue illuminations. They all sang very beautifully, I liked Keiko a lot here, but this was the fifth time in a row to hear this song, so I was kinda… you know, not really impressed by it anymore. Still great performance, but nothing special happened here.

Just a bit more guys, you can do it!

In MC #6, Kalafina made a curtsey again and people clapped a while for them. Keiko emphasized the beauty of Symphony Hall and it makes her very happy that they can make us happy with their harmony, she thanked us for that. She then continued to introduce the band members. “Are we all having fun?” she asked and we were like “hell yeah”. She said that the final song would be a Christmas song. But SHE FORGOT WHICH SONG! XD I laughed so hard at this, she had to look it up somewhere or someone told her, but she apologized to Wakana and Hikaru and then to us.

So it went on with “Winter Wonderland”. The stage was blue/pink and Wakana sang very nicely (in her strange English… I only understood half of it lol). The whole arrangement of the song was very charming, in the middle part we had a bright white stage. The girls appeared to have fun and we had fun too.

After that, they fake-ended the concert and left the stage, but veeery slowly due to the dresses. Everyone kept clapping until Kalafina returned veeery slowly. Hikaru waved at the audience while Keiko and Wakana proceeded to take a bow again, but Hikaru was so distracted that she didn’t notice in time, so she just smiled. Wakana said in MC #7 that she is always surprised how time flies so fast during a concert. She thanked us for the encore and that they have been to this beautiful hall last year the last time. As most of the songs are rather slow, she wondered whether some of us fell asleep. Out of the musicians, only Sakurada and the Cello guy returned and the next song would only be accompanied by them. Even though it’s already cold winter, Kalafina wanted to send warm feelings to us, so the next song would be gentle and warm. She used the word “yasashii”, so I was getting very nervous. I expected “Yasashii Uta” and although this is pretty song, I just didn’t want to hear it again at all.

But luckily, they performed “Snow falling” and I couldn’t have been happier about it. Not only this was a song I haven’t seen live for myself yet, I really adore it. Along with “Magia” this was my favorite song from this concert. The song started with a grey/white light. Wakana was absolutely stunning during this whole performance, emotional, frail and yet warm. Hikaru didn’t cover herself with glory here, to be honest. She struggled with her parts a bit and the “ritardando” and “falling snow” were quite off-key, but don’t worry, she’s still the bestest. I loved loved loved the middle part, where they all sing alternately. Wakana killed it and it was just perfect, despite Hikaru’s small mistakes. It was a great final song.

But NO, it wasn’t the final song yet! The other Strings came back and Hikaru took over again to talk freely in MC #8. Sales corner time! She introduced the new Christmas Live exclusive goods and began with the stola. Men might not know what a stola is, it’s a bigger, warm scarf basically, that comes in navy blue. In silver there is “Kalafina” embroidered on the bottom side and the tour logo in the upper middle in black, although it is not that visible on the first look. So how is this supposed to be worn? In order to see the logo you can do like this (she demonstrated it on herself, so I can’t really describe what she did), or you can do it like that so you can’t see the letters and logo. You can give it to someone as a present, as Christmas is almost there, so please check it out, she said, while Wakana and Keiko had their own little conversation in the background, but they were laughing and talking about Hikaru’s hilarious way of folding the stola. Hikaru then explained some stuff about the collaboration with Sony Walkman. She said something like it would come out in January, but I’m not sure whether this referred to the release of the products or to more information on it. But more information will follow soon, she said further. Wakana herself apparently uses a (Sony?) Walkman and that they actually had some sort of saying in the design of the products (not sure about this either).

This time we finally (or sadly) reached the final song and this would be of course another Christmas song, “Have yourself a merry little Christmas”. The stage was illuminated in purple and the neon tubes shone white. Hikaru sounded a lot different than her usual voice, but she sang with a lot of power. Maybe it was due to the English lyrics, but I liked it a lot, I love to see new sides of her. I also heard this song for the first time there, but I enjoyed it and the girls also had fun on stage again.

After the song ended, many people stood up and clapped. Kalafina quickly introduced the band again and joined hands to take a bow. For that they went to the edge of the stage, but suddenly burst out into laughter, because they were so close to the first row. Like really close xD I think Keiko’s dress even reached the faces of the poor/lucky dudes. The musicians left and Kalafina’s version of “Morobito kozorite” started to play, a song Wakana seems to like a lot as she said that she wanted to sing this, giving the impression that they would perform this song right now. It got everyone’s hopes high for a second, but she immediately realized the misunderstanding, causing Keiko to kneel down and laugh, because she totally did not want to sing another song anymore. Wakana said that this song always gave her special winter feelings and thanked us for coming. Then “Jingle Bells” was played and Hikaru thanked us for coming so numerously, despite the concert being on a weekday. She also talked in Osaka dialect for a bit, very funny xD Keiko thanked us too and said that she was excited about this start of their Christmas Lives and even though it was too early, she wished us all a merry christmas. So they left the stage for good, but again veeery slowly, ending the concert.

Here are my final thoughts:

It was a wonderful wonderful concert. Although almost all of the songs did not really surprise me, which I still kinda regret, I enjoyed listening to those songs very much. It was in many terms different and even better than Zama, the amazing dresses, a slightly changed way of singing, different illuminations and the prettier hall made it all a special experience. I am really not the type of person who gets into Christmas mood and it’s not really a special time to me (and since I can’t celebrate it with my family this year, it’s even less special) but damn, Kalafina’s great performances, their own outstanding versions of Christmas song classics and the fun they had on stage, these things really made me feel it a bit xD

Congratulations, you’ve made it to the end of this very long report (this became much longer than I intended to be, I’m sorry v_v). Thank you so much for reading!

Unless Kalafina throws in some special premium stuff into January or February, then is my final concert report (I sure won’t be sitting in Budokan with my notebook when half of us are coming there anyway xD). In just half a year, I wrote 6 of them! When I entered this sweet community and realized that I was one of the very few that are able to attend these wonderful concerts, I wanted to share this experience with you, talk about it with you, as you are the only persons around me that are as obsessed with Kalafina as much as I am and the only persons that would really appreciate and understand this. No one asked me to do this, so I hope that you guys enjoyed it as much as I did. I want to apologize for any grammar/vocabulary mistakes and sometimes insufficient way of describing things (I feel like I used the same 5 adjectives over and over again). These reports are quite biased and one-sided, I focussed on details you guys might not have minded and vice-versa.

Having said that, thank you very much again for keeping up reading! I wish you all a merry Christmas and a happy, healthy, safe new year with countless new Kalafina stuff (*fingers crossed for a new album*)!

Here is for you the limited bookmark of the concert: a Christmas rose :)

#kalafina #christmas premium live #acoustic tour 2017 #live report #part two

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destination-kalafina · 8 years ago

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Shanghai Part 3

Author’s Note: Hi again, everyone!! Thanks so much for waiting patiently as I attempted to deal with the thing called life and write this third part of the story at the same time. It turned out much longer than I thought I would be, but it is now complete :) Luckily, I was able to finish it sooner rather than later hehe. I hope you like it!

There is only one more part to this story, and I will get it out as soon as possible. I have had this last chapter planned out for a long time, so I am going in 100% ready to write. Get ready!

WARNING!! This fic is very WaKei prominent!!! If that’s not your cup of tea then this story is NOT for you!!

Part 3

“Yes... Yes... Yes, Auntie Keiko will bring ALL of the candy next time! Don’t you worry.”

Keiko paced around her bedroom in her white robe, holding her cell phone to her ear. She had just started a bath when her sister called, asking her if she could babysit her niece next weekend. She didn’t get a chance to hang up before her adorable little one stole the phone from her mom.

“Promise?” replied the cutest tiny voice from the other end of the line.

“I promise. I will see you next weekend, okay?” Keiko chuckled at her niece’s insistence. “I love you. Goodbye, my little one.”

Keiko clicked the end button on her phone and then set it down on her bedside table, grinning from ear to ear. If there was anyone in the whole world that never failed to entertain her and put a smile on her face, it was her sweet niece. The little girl was barely a toddler, but Keiko didn’t know anyone more stubborn than the little ball of joy.

She was looking forward to spending a fun Candy Auntie and Candy Niece weekend. Looking at how things had been going lately in her work and social life, she really needed some family time.

Keiko sighed and sat on the edge of her bed, listening to the bath water fill the tub as she waited. She desperately needed the relaxing spa time, because her stress level had been skyrocketing recently, for various different reasons.

After a few seconds, Keiko stood back up and waltzed over to her bathroom. She leaned over her bathtub and reached out her hand, testing the water temperature to make sure it wasn’t too hot or too cold. Luckily, it was just right.

The woman turned off the running water and grabbed some lavender petals to ornament the scenery. She gently tossed in a few, letting the decorative flowers spread over the surface. Next, she dimmed the bathroom lights so that there was only a faint glow that filled the room. After that, as a final touch, Keiko lit a few candles around the room, creating a sort of warmth. Keiko’s bath atmosphere was very important to her, because the mood was a vital part in helping her wind down.

After looking around and making sure everything was in place, Keiko was eager to get in the water herself. She took a scrunchie from the bathroom counter and pulled her long hair up into a messy bun. Finally, she untied the knot holding her robe together and let the material slide off her body. She let the cloth drop to the floor and stretched, relaxing her body and muscles before she got in.

At last, Keiko stepped into the bathtub, instantly soothed by the warm water touching her skin. She slowly settled herself down, allowing the water to surround up to her neck.

Keiko closed her eyes and took a deep breath, filling her lungs with the scent of lavender and spearmint that filled the air. Nearly every night she was home, Keiko would end her day by taking a bath. Normally, she would do this while listening to music or reading a book, but today she decided to just let her mind relax in the peaceful quietness. She really needed it today, especially after the long speech she had received from her mother earlier that day.

For the past several years, Keiko’s family have been relentlessly pushing her to start dating. Recently, as she was starting her third decade of life, they were becoming even more persistent.

“I guess my little one had to get it from somewhere,” the woman muttered to herself.

Keiko’s mother had called her around the late afternoon, going on and on about this wonderful young man that was the son of one of her colleagues at work. He was starting his own business and was set to be loaded, and she was desperately trying to obtain Keiko’s interest; however, she did so to no success.

Keiko listened to her mom ramble about the man, but every time something like this happened, it always ended the same.

“Mother… you know I just don’t have the time right now. I seriously can’t be committed to a relationship at the moment.”

“It’s time you should start looking for someone, Keiko. You don’t have much longer,” her mother had lectured her.

Keiko was 30 now, meaning she really was losing time to search for a partner, let alone start a family. Her sister, who had always been her role model her whole life, was already doing all of these things at this point, and she has now started a small family of her own. This, however, wasn't something Keiko could plausibly do or have much time to think about, not with the life she was currently living with Kalafina.

With all of the traveling the three of them do and how busy their schedules are, it would just be too hard to settle down with someone. It doesn’t even give her time to get to know someone to that kind of personal level really, so finding a person that could potentially be boyfriend or husband material would not be a simple task.

Plus, Kalafina and my singing career mean too much to me for me to set them aside like that, she thought to herself.

Keiko took a deep breath and then submerged her whole body under the water. She did this every so often to escape from the world around her, her trained singing lungs being able to go a significant amount of time without oxygen.

As she was thinking, Keiko realized she hadn’t been in a serious relationship since high school. Ever since she started up her profession in music, dating wasn’t really something that crossed her mind. She was focused on following her dream, and when she finally found Kalafina, it was the only thing she had her mind set on.

Even if she did want to find a partner, there was never a guy that caught her eye. With the number of fans she interacted with on a yearly basis, it wasn’t a surprise how many of them would flirt with her. Nonetheless, no matter how many men tried to seduce her, she just wasn't interested.

After a minute or so, Keiko came up from under the water and opened her eyes. She sat herself up so that the water barely rose to cover her chest and wafted her hands through the water, playfully moving around the flower petals that surrounded her.

But then… the concealed thoughts began to flow back into her head.

There was Wakana.

The woman who always made her laugh. The one who made her heart skip a beat every time she smiled. The one who is able to cheer up the mood of an entire room just by stepping into it. The one who would never stop talking about something she loved even if it was to save her life.

And… the one Keiko missed terribly.

It has been two and a half weeks since they came back from Shanghai and the two of them have barely spoken to each other. Keiko only saw her for work and wished desperately things could go back to normal. If only she could go back in time, Keiko would redo a lot of things that happened on that particular day they got into the argument.

First of all, she would go back and somehow erase that question about her dream guy from the interview in general. Not only did it kickstart her family’s nagging about dating some more, it was just a question Keiko didn’t particularly enjoy answering. Deep down, she knew what she truly wanted, who she truly wanted, and quite honestly, every time a question like this came up Keiko was worried it might push this person away.

Not that she ever would feel the same…

After the interview was over, it wasn’t long before Keiko noticed whenever Wakana had left. She immediately went looking for her, worried that something might have been wrong.

Is she not feeling well? She never leaves this quickly… she remembered thinking to herself.

When Keiko found Wakana in the dressing room, she was relieved the older girl was okay. Everything seemed fine and she was about to inform Wakana about some good news she just received, when the other woman suddenly snapped just as she was about to tell her. From that, the conversation continued to become heated, until Keiko was pushed to a cracking point and responded with a jarring statement.

Every single day that passed, Keiko scolded herself for being so dumb and saying such a hurtful comment to someone she cared so deeply about. This was the other thing she would go back and change if she could.

Keiko pinched the bridge of her nose. You know her feelings better than anyone, Keiko. How could you be so stupid?

She propped her arms up on the sides of the tub.

But why did she even get so worked up whenever I mentioned talking to that guy? she contemplated, leaning her head back against the wall.

Could it be…? It almost makes me think…

Keiko shook her head. No. You have got to stop thinking about something so ridiculous.

If Keiko was being honest with herself, she has been interested in Wakana Ootaki since they first met all those years ago. The joyful woman immediately caught her attention, talking to everyone she passed and greeting them. When they chatted for the first time, it was Wakana who kept dragging on the conversation, not wanting to let it die out. Keiko found it very endearing.

As the years passed and they sang together more, Keiko slowly fell more in love with the woman next to her. To everyone else, Wakana seems like a truly carefree soul, never affected by the problems around her. It took a person very close to her to know that in reality, she was truly a sensitive girl and tried to always be happy and cheer people up so that they wouldn’t have to feel half the pain she felt sometimes. Wakana’s heart was so big it made Keiko want to be a better person just by being around her.

Not only her personality, but also her voice was something that enraptured Keiko’s soul every time she heard it. She would never grow tired of hearing that angelic voice singing next to her. Keiko always strived to be as technical and skilled as Wakana, and it really was heartbreaking knowing that Wakana could not see the talent in herself all those years.

When Wakana talked about leaving the group, it nearly broke her heart in half. She remembered the three of them sitting and crying about the possible end of their little group, and she didn’t know in that moment what she would do. All she could do was be supportive, and she wanted desperately to be able to take those ill feelings away from someone she loved.

In the end, I would do anything if it meant she was happy.

After about 30 minutes of relaxing in the bath, Keiko decided it was time to get out because her hands were starting to turn wrinkly. She reached down and pulled up the drain to let the water flow out, and then stood up and grabbed a towel.

Keiko dried off her wet skin and slipped another one of her robes on, sliding on her bath slippers as well. She blew out the candles and then walked back into her bedroom, sitting down at her desk chair.

The newly cleansed woman grabbed an old picture of her and Wakana she kept framed on her desk, smiling at how young they were at that time. It was a picture they took from their first FictionJunction live together, and it was a silly photo they took after the show.

Suddenly, Keiko found that her eyes were beginning to well up with tears, all the sorrows of the last few weeks now starting to hit her at once. It wasn’t until now that she realized how much she just wanted to have a normal conversation with her best friend again.

Wakana, I’m sorry... for a lot of things.

The pain of loving someone secretly for years was a lot to bear, and even if there was the slight chance the feelings were returned, Keiko knew the risk it would bring to Kalafina if people ever found out about it.

She set the photo back in its place as the tears trickled down her face.

Maybe the problem with her not being able to find a partner all these years wasn’t that there wasn’t an ideal person, but that she wasn’t truly looking for anyone else.

Everything she wanted was right in front of her, yet it was so far away.

#kalafina #fanfiction #kalafics #shanghai #part three #keiko #wakana #hikaru

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putschki1969 · 5 years ago

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H-el-ical//’s First Online Interview (English Translation)

Note: Here’s my English translation of H-el-ical//’s first online interview with SPICE. I hurried to finish my translation because I wanted everyone to read this awesome interview. I think there are so many gems in this, especially for us Kalafina fans. Hikaru is talking quite a bit about Wakana and Keiko and their respective solo careers. Please be sure to check it out! As always, take everything you read with a grain of salt, my Japanese is by no means perfect. CREDIT me if you share my translations or use parts of it.

In her first online interview H-el-ical// talks about a new world ~ “I want to discover this world together with everyone”

Solo project『H-el-ical//（ヘリカル）』 by Kalafina’s Hikaru//. Although many songs have already been released on her official YouTube channel, her major debut single 「Altern-ate-」will be released under NBC Universal on May 20. In this interview she has told me about stepping forward on a new musical path with the help of this song which is currently being used as the opening theme for the TV anime "Gleipnir". What is Hikaru// 's “relationship with music” at this moment?

I already know the happiness of being able to incorporate the things I love in my work

―― We did a SPICE live broadcast together recently but it feels like it has been a while since our last interview. First of all I would like to ask how you are dealing with the current situation?

I am simply staying at home. Before all of this I was forced to leave the house for work but now I am really just at home all the time (laughs).

―― In the past you have often said that you like staying at home.

Yes. I have always been a hikikomori but I used to go out for work or to visit a collab café or maybe some bookstores. Now all of that is not possible. It has gotten bad, there are times when I don’t leave the house for an entire week or longer.

―― Under such circumstances you are celebrating your major solo debut as H-el-ical// with your single 「Altern-ate-」. How did you feel when you heard that you would have your major debut under NBC Universal who you are now affiliated with?

Well ... I was beyond happy! Of course, my work as part of Kalafina is very important to me and it’s an experience I will treasure forever but receiving the great honour to make myself known as a solo artist made me incredibly happy and I am very grateful. I felt a strong sense of wanting to do my very best.

―― I get the impression that your song 「Altern-ate-」 is tied very tightly to the anime “Gleipnir”. You have always had a strong desire to "be involved in anime" haven’t you?

That's because I really like anime. That's not the only thing I want to do of course but I already know the happiness of being able to incorporate the things I love in my work (laughs).

―― How so (laughs)?

By being in charge of an anime song I feel like I can surpass myself. I think it’s because I have so much love for the work, more so than even for myself. It’s something I have always loved so I am also able to put a lot of love into my work. I think I am able to sing anisongs because I have so much love for anime. That’s how I see myself and how I want to be.

――「Altern-ate-」is definitely an anisong. Watching the opening one cannot help but notice that the video and the song are very strongly connected. Was the song produced before you saw the anime?

Well, after hearing about the plot and receiving some reading materials, I asked Gushimiyagi-san to write the song in advance. Of course we also sought out the opinions of everyone involved in the creation of the anime. Finally I added the lyrics and then I asked all of them to review the song. When I got their OK everything fell into place, they added the OP video. If you feel like the song and the images are matching it's thanks to the anime creators.

―― Didn’t they request anything from you regarding the song?

No one told me to do anything particular for the song. However, I heard them mention that they would like an up-tempo song so I kinda knew that would happen (laughs). When I got the song, I immediately thought it had a catchy tune.

―― So your first impression was that it had a catchy tune?

Yes, since it is my first single I thought that kind of catchy melody was great for me. Personally, I am the type that likes listening closely to the lyrics but first-time listeners who don't know H-el-ical// will most likely pay more attention to the melody so I think the song I received is perfect for this occasion.

―― The lyrics which are tied to this melody were written by yourself, right? You have been writing the lyrics for all songs released under your project H-el-ical//. I had the impression that you read through the manga "Gleipnir".

I read all of it (laughs). After all, I felt the need to get as close as possible to the original work since I was creating music for it. However, there are also lots of people who don’t know anything about the manga listening to the song so in order for those people to be able to identify with the song I also included many aspects of our daily life.

―― It's not just a song for fans of the work?

I made lyrics that I associated with scenes and dialogues that impressed me in the manga. It’s about conflicts and frustrations we all experience in our everyday life. This song is meant to push you ahead, to provide strength, it’s supposed to support you in moments when you feel like you need and want to become a stronger person.

The responsibilities of working solo

―― In the lyrics you are saying twice 「この物語の主役じゃない | I am not the protagonist of this story」, I think those lines are leaving a strong impression. This leads right to a line saying 「でも逃げない | But I won’t run away」. I think that very much encapsulates the essence of “Gleipnir”.

Yes, it really screams “Gleipnir” (laughs).

―― I thought those lines reflected the feelings of the main character Shuichi very well but in a way I also felt like somewhere within those lyrics you also put a lot of yourself in there.

When I was reading the original work there were lots of things I could relate to, it’s those aspects I worked with…how do I say this? The manga might be fiction but in some way it feels very real to me.

―― So it is a fantasy but it’s also real?

Yes, there are definitely many things that resonate with me. I like manga and anime because you can escape from reality but at the same time they can offer solutions for your everyday problems.

―― So there really is a lot of yourself in those lyrics.

For example, let’s talk about the lyrics 「主役じゃない | I am not the protagonist」, I think we are all the leading characters of our own lives but when we do something out of respect for someone else we are no longer seeing ourselves as the main character. I think what motivates people in life is thinking about others. However, when we are taking action while thinking of someone else it is necessary for us to make up our minds, to be determined, after all, we are responsible for our behaviour... So yeah, these were the thoughts going through my mind while reading the manga (laughs).

―― That’s very deep ...

Yes, “I want to share this feeling with everyone”. Having that in mind I wrote these lyrics (laughs).

―― Watching your daily activities and talking to you on broadcasts I feel like there are not many artists these days who take their fans’ thoughts and opinions into consideration as much as you do. I wonder if that is because you are also a fan of anime and manga.

I think the feeling when I really like something about an anime or manga is the same feeling when people who support me say things like, “I love this and that about Hikaru, I would like to see more of it!” I appreciate it and I really want to cherish that. So yeah, that may be the reason why I am valuing those thoughts and opinions so much, it’s because they are born out of love.

―― It got more noticeable once you became a solo artist. I think it was a great chance for you to use social media to convey your thoughts and to put more of yourself out there.

Yes, you are also in charge of what you say and what you do because you are the only one around. You may upload something and regret it later, since it’s all your responsibility you have the option to correct your mistakes and to explain yourself.

―― The responsibilities of working solo

Well, as member of Kalafina I was part of a unit so I always had to worry about the possibility of my personal actions damaging the image of Kalafina. But now everything I do is my own responsibility. It can be quite daunting but it's also very rewarding.

―― All mistakes are your own.

Yes, it’s all my own doing. All the good things and all the bad things are my responsibility. Of course there are advantages and disadvantages to being responsible for yourself but it helps you to become more aware .

―― So you actually want to take on all that responsibility? Do it all your own way and take responsibility for your own actions? As you mentioned earlier, there are advantages and disadvantages. I wonder, during your Kalafina days, did you ever want to be that kind of person?

Hmmm...I don't know ... I never really thought, “I want to be that kind of person!” I think balance is very important when you are part of a unit. After all, you always have to be aware of the consequences of your actions regarding your group. It's a good thing to have some individuality but for the most part we always made sure there was some sort of balance.

Rather than standing all on my own I would like to borrow everyone’s strength

―― You also shot a MV.

Yes, all you see in the video is me (laughs). It’s quite surprising. I was wondering, "Can I handle this on my own?" Until now it has always been the three of us ... (laughs).

―― You are the only one standing in the middle of the forest and on that cliff.

That's right. There are many parts of the song where I am not singing so I wondered about how fast I should be moving. I was really confused and lost. We used a drone to shoot the video and I was asked to do multiple takes. Since it would be boring if all my movements had been the same, I changed little details during each take but gradually I ran out of variations, there is only so much a single person can do (laughs).

―― You are worrying that the impressions given by the MV will remain boring and one-sided (laughs)?

Yeah (laughs). I felt good while shooting the MV but all the time I kept wondering what kind of MV it would be. I felt very grateful and constantly had to remind myself that, “wow, this is the MV for my first single…!” Even when we did a final check I was very happy with the result, we only had to fix one little thing.

―― I would like to ask about the title of the song, did you come up with it?

Actually, I was asking members of the staff to help me with that. I eventually went with my manager’s idea.

―― Your manager’s idea!?

Yes. I first proposed a few of my own ideas but I wanted to hear other thoughts on it as well so I discussed different options with everyone. “Please share your wisdom with me!” We all put our heads together and eventually came up with the title 「Altern-ate-」.

―― Since your manager is also attending the interview why don’t we ask him? How did you come up with the title 「Altern-ate-」?

Manager: Well, the story is about the two main characters becoming one so I investigated a bit and came across the word “オルタネイト | orutaneito” which has the meaning of "alternate/mutual". After further investigation I realised that the final part of the word “ate” is actually the English past tense of ��eat”. In this anime world, the two protagonists meet early on but they don’t have a lot in common. Surviving and defeating all your enemies is the most important thing for them, I felt like the word really fit into the world that was created here. That’s how we ended up with 「Altern-ate-」.

―― I see, it really is fitting.

As one would expect from the H-el-ical// team! I've said it a few times already but H-el-ical// is not made up of just one person, this project is a group effort.

―― Yes, you have mentioned that before.

Of course it is very important for me to do things myself but I have spent 10 years of my life as part of Kalafina and if there is one thing I learned during this time, it’s to rely on others to make up for the things that I myself am lacking (laughs).

―― Very significant words.

You should never force something that’s not possible. Of course there will always be things that will be impossible for you but those things still have to be done, that’s why you have to do your best and cooperate with the people around you in a way that is satisfying for all parties involved. Rather than standing all on my own I would like to borrow everyone’s strength from time to time. That’s what I learned during the past decade growing up (laughs).

―― Inner growth?

Yes, I definitely grew up in those times. Before I became a part of Kalafina I had never really relied on other people. Of course I am still hesitant when I need to rely on others but I allow myself to ask for help more often now compared to before. So this is something I have learned as a member of Kalafina.

―― Now please tell us about the second song. The title is 「Clea-rly-」. I felt this song was also very reminiscent of “Gleipnir”, when I listened to it for the first time I had the impression it might have been sung by the heroine Clair-chan.

We thought a lot about what kind of coupling song to make for this single. Originally we had the plan to make it a ballad that would be the exact opposite of 「Altern-ate-」but since this is my major debut single we decided to go all out and use the momentum. Once we had decided that the B-Side would also be an up-tempo song I worried a lot about the lyrics.

―― I see.

My producer Akihiro Tomita-san said that 「Altern-ate-」incorporated Shuichi-kun’s feelings very well but I guess the lyrics may also be interpreted from a different character's point of view. Either way, it was quite the challenge to come up with something fitting for the B-Side, I ended up writing the lyrics with Clair-chan in mind.

―― I think it's interesting that both songs are up-tempo, the B-Side「Clea-rly-」 has a sharp 8th note groove. So I feel like people who are watching the anime might think this kind of groove is very Clair-like.

I guess so.

―― I think the personalities of the hero and the heroine are reflected very well in the rhythm of these two songs.

I haven’t asked Gushimiyagi-san whether that was his intention or not. But we were definitely thinking about creating a balance when we recorded these two songs.

―― During your Kalafina times there weren’t really too many crisp rock songs likes this. I wonder, did you have a hard time recording this song?

We recorded 「Clea-rly-」super quickly.

―― Oh really, you did it quickly?

We were finished very quickly (laughs). I think I've always liked such songs, I like it fast (laughs). So I don't think there was any difficulty.

―― Is that so?

I usually have the song separated into different blocks and I will record each block at least three times, out of these recordings we will extract the best takes and use them. I didn’t feel any hesitation this time around so the recording was over in no time. But generally speaking, every song takes about an hour or maybe two hours to record.

―― I guess that can be attributed to your growing abilities as a singer?

Maybe so. Tomita-san and Gushimiyagii-san listened outside the booth and made some decisions but basically the recording was left to me, I had full control. That may be the reason why I was able to finish so quickly.

―― Once again we are back to the "responsibility" that you mentioned earlier. I guess you are starting to take responsibility for everything.

Until the time of the recording I will think of various patterns and singing styles. I have to choose among them. I am in charge of the lyrics and vocals but of course there are things that I have to leave to others like the arrangement or mixing but I will occasionally ask, “can you maybe do it like that or change this a little?" My team has a lot of respect for the production process and they make sure to include me so we always make smooth progress.

I want to give back back as much as possible to the people who support me abroad

―― At this point of time you have released two albums independently as H-el-ical//, your first album “H-el-ical//” which was sold at your live and the mini album “elements”. Now you are releasing 「Altern-ate-」. Your major debut is a tie-up, does this feel different than your two previous releases?

Hmm. The degree of freedom is different. After all, when you are writing a song and lyrics for a specific work that adds a certain kind of responsibility, you have to respect creators of the work and the people who love it. With these added feelings your attitude changes quite a bit.

―― Are you going to continue releasing your music on Youtube while you also release physical albums?

I don’t just want to do tie-ups, I want to find out what kind of songs I can create as H-el-ical// and just sing for the sake of singing, that’s my individual pursuit. I want everyone to listen to this and feel like we share the music. I definitely don’t want to lose this platform so I plan to continue posting music on my official YouTube channel.

―― When you are looking at the YouTube comments, you get the impression that your foreign fans are very happy. You are providing lyrics in multiple languages and you always add an English translation to your tweets.

Yes. I know that there are so many people out there who support me, I can't just ignore that. Of course I know that there are also many of them who are studying Japanese and trying to understand my Japanese tweets and even doing their best to understand the lyrics.

―― I think overseas fans are very happy that you are always thinking about them.

People will listen to music for all sorts of reasons, they like the melody or the sound or the voice of the singer. I am happy if I can share my thoughts with the people who listen to my music. Depending on what you know or don’t know your impression of a song is very different after all.

―― Yes, I think that is the case.

I am that kind of person. I would like people to think, “ohh, she is singing that kind of song, how interesting!” I will do the best I can to return the favour and give back as much as possible to the people who support me, not only in Japan but all over the world. I don't know how much I can give but I would like to show my appreciation as best as I can.

―― More so than taking your fans’ thoughts into account it’s almost like you are taking a fan’s perspective.

Yes, I guess I am seeing it from a fan’s perspective (laughs).

I am very much looking forward to everyone’s solo work

―― In this long-awaited interview I would also like to ask a little about your past and the future. We've talked about it many times but I think the existence of Kalafina is still very important to you.

Yes of course.

―― First it was Wakana-san, then it was you. Keiko-san has also decided to make her solo debut. All three of you are now being active as solo singers. As ⅓ of Kalafina I would like to hear how you feel about this?

I'm incredibly happy. Of course I am more than happy and grateful for ten years worth of singing together as a trio as a part of Kalafina, there is so much significance in that experience. But I think the three of us as singers have the will and power to express music by ourselves.

―― You each have pride as a singer?

Yes. In the interviews I have done in the past I always talked about not just wanting to be part of Kalafina, I have never abandoned my wish to work as a solo artist, I had never forgotten about that dream. Back then I was the only one who had expressed that wish but I am happy that now each of us is determined to do solo work.

―― Yes, I remember, you always said that it was your wish to sing solo.

At that time I thought it would be best to do it alongside my activities as member of Kalafina. Nowadays I am filled with happiness because I know we all have the opportunity to pursue our own music, our songs and all kinds of other things. I love Wakana-san and Keiko-san’s voice and I'm looking forward to what kind of music they will be creating. Among everyone who has been involved in Kalafina they have always been the closest to me so I am just really looking forward to what they are doing. I love them as a fan just like everyone else (laughs).

―― You were always singing together and now there is this new situation where each of you is listening to the others from an outsider’s point of view, right?

I have seen Wakana-san and Keiko-san singing non-Kalafina songs during many Yuki Kajiura Lives. However, there was no such thing as them performing solo. Right now I am just cheering for them and very much looking forward to what’s coming next.

―― As singers isn’t there are some sort of rivalry between you?

I guess that’s par for the course in this line of work.

―― I see.

When I am talking about rivalry I mean it in the sense of a healthy competition, they are worthy opponents. We are able to bring the best out in each other. For me there is absolutely no negative connotation to the term “rival”, I have no wish whatsoever to beat them or kick them down. I think every singer feels that way. It’s not about being jealous or wanting to be like that person.

―― By being aware of each other you can bring out the best in each other.

At the end of the day when it comes to our relationship with music it is the most satisfying thing to express what we want to express. I am more than happy when the people who listen to my music can find something they like but if they don’t like it they should find music they can enjoy. During my Kalafina days I think there were many people who didn’t particularly like my singing but they loved Wakana-san and Keiko-san’s singing and expression. It makes me very happy that the three of us now have the chance to play an active role in our respective fields and to deliver music to as many people as possible.

I think music has always been rooted in people's lives

―― This interview is conducted online at the beginning of May during Golden Week. I feel like the world has changed a lot recently. After the lockdown period has ended, I think it will take quite a while until we will be able to hold big lives again with thousands of attendees. At the same time things are changing drastically when it comes to how we express art, our viewpoints have changed, everyone is exploring various new things.

I agree.

―― I would like to hear what you think about this.

Hmm...well, I think music is something we can’t live without. Music has always been rooted deeply in people's lives. For example, praying for rain by beating the drums or singing a song. People have been doing this for centuries.

―― Yes, dancing and singing are often considered to be offerings to the Gods.

Yes. When you wanted to celebrate something or feel healed, music has always been what people turned to. With that in mind, I think music will never disappear. There will always be people who will crave it and when that happens I want to be able to provide my own music.

―― As someone who has chosen music as their path in life, you want to provide what is required.

Yes, I have chosen this job as my profession and I am doing the best I can but it is a profession that can only exist when there are people who listen to the music. So I want to keep singing and stand before you as long as there are people who want to listen to me. Honestly though, I will probably sing for the rest of my life even if no one is listening to me (laughs).

―― Unfortunately, your acoustic live that was scheduled for April was cancelled, it would be nice if the world got back to normal soon so public lives were possible again.

I think it’s also important to find a connection through the screen, that’s what we can do right now ... But I always say that lives are like a "conversation" for me, meeting you in person and being close to each other provides a lot of warmth, we can share our thoughts with each other, so I hope that we will be able to do that soon again.

―― Finally, please leave a message for the fans.

Thank you for reading this article to the very end. I often think about my position as a singer. I decided to do the best thing I could and launched the H-el-ical// project. Now, with the help of all kinds of people, I have been able to release a major debut single as a solo artist, the day I watched the first episode of "Gleipnir" I cried like a baby. This brought so much happiness, I will never forget it. H-el-ical// is something that I want to create with all of you. Of course it's my solo project but there are many more people involved in this project, including everyone who is reading this article. I would like to discover and see new sceneries, new places and a new world together with all of you. Therefore, I would appreciate your continued support for H-el-ical//.

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putschki1969 · 5 years ago

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Wakana Recochoku Interview Translation

Wakana is releasing her second album『magic moment』which is filled with many magical moments - How does she feel about he lyrics and what are her thoughts regarding her fans?

Wakana debuted in 2008 as a member of 「Kalafina」. Wishing to start a proper career as singer, she made her solo debut in 2019. On February 26 her 2nd album 『magic moment』 will be released. Until February 13 you can order a special CD set that comes with a signed alarm clock. Be sure to order this limited item on WIZY (https://wizy.jp/project/408/)! In commemoration of this special collaboration we have done an interview with Wakana where she talks about her determination to make unique artist goods, her thoughts regarding the album production/lyrics and how she feels about her fans.

――Out of the 11 songs of your 2nd album『magic moment』you wrote 7 yourself, that’s quite a lot.

Yes, that’s true. Back in 2018 I wrote my first lyrics, ever since then I have had the chance to do many lives and work on lots of songs. During my solo activities I have had the chance and time to really get to know myself. I started to think about what kind of singer I wanted to be and what kind of singer I was able to be. I also began wondering about what I wanted to convey through my lyrics.

――What answers did you come up with?

Before coming up with concrete answers I first had to be completely at peace with myself. I had my own selfish wishes of who and what I wanted to be but there were also things I knew I had to do. Despite my personal desires it was very important to me to make everyone happy.

――You became aware of the things that were most important to you.

Yes. Also, my singing changed a lot. Truth is, after finishing my spring tour in 2019, I wanted to increase my voice variations so I changed my singing style. While doing all sorts of research I had many moments where I discovered different styles. The results of my changed singing voice are very prominent in this album, this made me think about all the things I could do next to become even better. Right now I am focusing on how to bring out the best in my voice and how to make best use of it.

――So we can assume that because of that there will be a wide variety of songs on your new album?

There is music that I really wanted to do, lots of up-tempo tracks that will get everyone excited at live performances. When I decided on what kind of songs to include in the album, I definitely wanted to have as many up-tempo songs as possible, there was also an increasing number of songs that made me want to improve my singing style. By singing these songs I felt like I finally came into my own as a solo artist. As a member of Kalafina I only ever sang the soprano parts for 10 years but now I am properly taking charge of all ranges.

――The period between the release of your first album and your 2nd one was a very special time for you, wasn’t it?

Yes, it was. In this one year since my solo debut I have wanted to challenge myself. I am very curious about what the future holds in store for me.

―― That’s great. Are there any lyrics that you couldn’t have written before, something you feel you are only able to convey right now?

The lyrics of track 10 『Happy Hello Day』. I wrote them thinking, “if there is a ‘birthday song’ celebrating the birth of a person, why not write a song celebrating the day you met a special person?” I am always sad at the end of a live performance when all I can say is “thank you”. There is so much I would like to convey to my audience, I constantly think about what to say. I finally decided it would be best and a lot of fun to put those feelings into my lyrics.

―― I am sure the fans will be happy.

I would be happy if they felt that way. Attending lives is quite troublesome for many people, sometimes you will have to ask for leave at work, you will have to find someone who can watch over your children while you are gone or you generally have to make some sacrifices to be able to go. I want you to think, “I gave my best and worked hard so I was able to have this day for myself”. This way it’s also most enjoyable for me. I want to share that feeling with everyone, this song is about “putting all these moments together with the help of music and making them one”. I feel like only now I have reached a point where I am able to write lyrics like that. Up until now I have had these feelings inside me but I never got a chance to put them into words, I just wasn’t able to do it. But now as a solo artist I can convey my personal thoughts through my lyrics so I decided to just be open and honest about my feelings.

―― The perks of being an artist!

That’s true. I am deeply moved by all kinds of songs from all kinds of artists and I definitely do have expectations and things I wish for when it comes to those songs. I am sure my fans feel the same way about my music, they want certain things from my songs. That is the reason why I want to convey all of my feelings through my lyrics.

―― Please tell us a little about the title song 『magic moment』!

When I first heard the song composed by SIRA-san I thought it sounded absolutely marvelous, truly fantastic. The rhythm changes during the chorus so I thought it would be difficult to sing. But once you are immersed in the atmosphere, it doesn’t feel difficult at all. For me listening to this song felt like floating in the air, like swimming among clouds. In that very moment when I listened to the sample I knew that I wanted to sing the song and write lyrics for it so I chose it.

―― This time you not only have different composers but also lots of different arrangers. Does this also correlate with your wish to extend your range?

Definitely! I wanted to get a feel for all kinds of genres. “I want to sing this”, “I need more songs like this for my lives” There were so many songs of that type that I ended up with a wide variety on my album *laughs* Speaking of which, one of the songs 『揺れる春 /Yureru Haru』- composed and arranged by Sakurai Miki-san - really encapsulates my feelings. It’s like the melody is already carrying my words and thoughts along. It feels very natural for me to convey and express the feelings and images of the music through my voice. I was curious so I asked Sakurai-san about it, turns out she wrote that song with my image in mind after attending one of my lives! I remember I was deeply moved when I heard that, music creators are all so great at turning emotions into music.

―― As an artist you feel blessed to be in that position.

That’s true. These people create music so naturally. I feel happy and blessed to be able to work together with them.

―― This time you are releasing three editions of your album as well as a special collaboration that comes with a signed table clock. This limited edition is only available on WIZY.

Yes. The picture used for this clock is the same design that’s used for the poster that comes with the Limited Edition B. Truth is, that picture was taken after the cover shoot for my first EP “Aki no Sakura”, we had already finished taking all the pictures but there was such a beautiful sunset that I shouted at the camera-man, “please take a picture now!!” *laughs* Just a few minutes later the beauty of the moment was gone and it turned dark so I am glad we were able to capture that special moment on camera.

―― It’s very nice to bring this special moment to life in the shape of an alarm clock.

It is! Personally, I am very bad at getting up in the morning, I don’t trust myself to wake up with just a single alarm. Before I go to sleep I always set an alarm that will ring every two minutes, almost like a snooze but not quite.

―― Why not a snooze function?

The snooze function is no good! One time I managed to delete my snooze, I really can’t trust myself in the midst of waking up *laughs*. That’s why I had this table clock made with a strict alarm function. That will wake you up for sure *laughs*

―― This is not a lottery, it’s a limited build-to-order production so I am sure fans are happy about that.

In the past I created a piano music box that was given away as a lottery bonus for purchasing my CD. I am sure everyone who applied would have loved that piano but unfortunately only a selected few received it as present. So this time we decded to use WIZY’s service for a build-to-order production. This way, everyone who wants the clock can order it. In addition, I am more than happy to sign each and every clock, it doesn’t matter whether there are 10.000 orders or just 3!...although I would be very sad if there were just 3 orders *laughs*.

―― What do you think of your artist goods?

I create them because I want to make the fans happy. I create whatever I feel like creating. Shark goods are most popular. Usually I will make something shark-related because I love sharks so much. Recently I also started making gyoza-themed goods.

―― WOW! Amazing! *laughs*

Combining the things I like I also created a character called “Gyozame-chan” *laughs* I am free to make all kinds of goods but I try to think of things my fans will like, something that can be used by both men and women. While my possibilities are endless I want to make useful items, it should be something you could put in a store and sell. That’s why I really like the alarm clock because it seems like something people would actually use. It’s a reasonable purchase *laughs* And a nice decoration.

―― I look forward to the finished product! What do you want to do with your fans in the future?

Go look at sharks with them, eat gyoza with them *laughs*. I also want to do more lives in many places. I want to increase the things I can do during my concerts. The Limited A edition of my album contains an audio recording of the song “Koi wa Itsumo” from my birthday live on December 12 last year at Mynavi BLITZ Akasaka. I sang this song together with everyone in the audience. I was so happy in that moment so I would like to keep trying to do things like that in the future.

―― What kind of input do you use for your songs?

Movies, tv-shows. Everything that makes me cry or laugh, that’s very important. Short videos, novels or mangas can also be inspiring. Everything is related to my feelings so it‘s very important to me, whether it is an unrealistic idea or a conversation with a friend. Speaking of which, the song 『オレンジ/Orange』included in this album describes some of my friends who I meet about once a month. It’s about their love and dedication to work but also the struggle they face. You can literally make the most mundane thing into lyrics if you analyse it closely enough.

―― I am really looking forward to your next work!

Me too, I am very excited *laughs*

#kalafina #wakana #my translations #my translation #interview #recochoku #precious baby

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putschki1969 · 8 years ago

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Translation of “Kalafina +1″ SPICE Interview

Original article

I really like this interview. I think it reveals a lot and it’s nice to hear Minami Sasuga’s thoughts as well. Big shout out to @kuroiyuki88 who helped me A LOT with this!! Thank you so much!

Disclaimer: As always, be aware that I am by NO MEANS fluent in Japanese, English is also not my first language (beware of random punctuation). I put a lot of effort into this but still, there will most likely be mistakes in my translations so please, take them with a grain of salt! I sometimes take certain liberties because I am just not a big fan of super literal translations. I think it can really interrupt my flow of reading. So yeah, I’ve tried to make it sound as natural as possible. But don’t worry, I am trying VERY hard to stay true to the original meaning.

Find my other translations HERE!!

Don’t repost this translation on other sites without my permisson!!

Please credit me (as well as @kuroiyuki88) when you use parts of these translations! => http://putschki1969.tumblr.com/

Now, please enjoy! (/^▽^)/

“Kalafina + 1” Interview - Minami Sasuga tells us of 「Kalafina’s potential to head towards a much wider world」

Kalafina and Minami Sasuga Photography=Kikuchi Takahiro

Kalafina’s 9th Anniversary Concert Tour 『Kalafina “9+ONE”』 will be held starting from April 15. SPICE got inspired by the title “9+ONE” and invited Kalafina as well as one more person who is closely related to them for a cross-talk interview. For the first time we have choreographer and director Minami Sasuga with us. I have invited Miss Minami who is managing Kalafina’s live productions so she could tell me about how she is planning to produce those 9th Anniversary lives, about her relationship with Kalafina and many more things. Please also enjoy Kalafina’s girl talk.

――This time, for 「Kalafina + 1」 I invited director Minami Sasuga-san for our cross-talk. The tour is gradually approaching, a while back you officially completed your 9th Anniversary Live, now you have taken the next step of starting your tour preparations, right?

Keiko: That’s right. The other day we had a fitting session for our outfits and we were going over our setlist and such, it feels like we have crossed the start line for each and every aspect.

――I’d like to ask Minami-san, how was your first encounter with Kalafina?

Minami: I joined at the time of 『Kalafina LIVE THE BEST 2015 “Red Day”』.

――What was your first impression of Kalafina?

Minami: When I first got told, I watched everything they had done so far and my first impression was 「they are doing freaking amazing!」. It was obvious that they had a lot of intention, with that in mind, I thought deeply about the reasons of why I was called upon to help. It’s not my job to judge and improve the things they are already capable of, no, my role is to urge the girls to add a little Plus One to the things they can already do. I joined with the understanding that I would take up the role of opening previously unopened doors to a variety of knowledge and experience for this group that is capable of doing so many more amazing things.

――From Kalafina’s point of view, what was your first impression of Minami-san?

Hikaru: I was very nervous. She had a great aura, for our first meeting we got together in a sort of conference room and when Minami-sensei walked in, I felt like the tension increased immediately. But once we started talking, my impression of the overall mood and her appearance changed completely since Minami-sensei was such a friendly lady.

Minami: Ah, I see. Being friendly is my selling point after all! *laughs*

Hikaru: So I wasn’t wrong about that “friendly” impression! *laughs*

Wakana: I was really surprised, to think there was a person in the room that looked like an enormous flower. First of all, her glasses were very impressive, she can really wear all kinds of glasses, can’t she? At that time I was like WOW!!! Such a cool person, I immediately wanted to talk to her. I also agree with Hikaru, she was incredibly friendly while talking to us, I was happy that she listened to our stories and also talked about herself. I was excited from the first day we met.

Keiko: I remember everyone being rigid and frozen into place *laughs*. Amazing, it was like people of the business world had come together. It felt like everyone had turned into stone.

Minami: It really was like that! No one was looking me in the eye *laughs*.

Wakana: No one was able to talk *laughs*.

Hikaru: Everyone was a little perplexed since we were wondering how to break the ice without being rude or anything, we wondered what way would be best to start the conversation.

――It’s a relationship that started out with tension and embarrassment?

Minami: Oh yes, I was pretty much the only one who was being all friendly. It’s because my first thought was how I could convey my spirit to them.

――As a director in charge of their lives, what was your first approach like?

Minami: It was at the time of their first Budokan live, I came in when most of the content had already been roughly decided, it was my priority to focus on their wishes, Budokan was solely devoted to bringing out the best of all the things they wanted to do. As a result, I think it was a starting point for many things but we couldn’t accomplish everything. Therefore I had hoped that over the course of a longer time, I’d be able to build up something great together with the girls.

――It shouldn’t just be a one-time thing, you wished for a continuous relationship?

Minami: That’s right. It felt like we had started to have a mutual understanding of each other, for me, that’s the most important thing ever. That’s why they became my top priority artists.

――To be honest, I think there must have been quite a bit of surprise regarding this match-up when Minami-san first joined. 「Can we do this together?」 I’ve got this hunch that it must have somewhat felt like that at first.

Minami: I was actually expecting that, I was waiting for it!

――I see.

Minami: If you build up a new world, it often happens that your well-meaning manner will betray your intentions and concerns. For that reason I think it’s fine if there’s some opposition in the beginning as well.

――So you kicked it off starting at a Minus?

Minami: I love starting from Minus!

Keiko: We started out from a point where Sasuga-san asked us, 「I think your style is totally fine as it is, but how about other stuff, you wanna do that?」 It’s because she felt like there were so many different presentation techniques which we could use for our live performances and tours. 「The base is already there!」, that’s what she told us.

Minami: That’s right. Something like that.

Keiko: We’ve never before met such a director, so there was this moment where it felt like fate that we had met Sasuga-san.

Photography=Kikuchi Takahiro

――When watching Kalafina’s recent lives, there are some songs that have been produced in a very dramatic and theatrical fashion, is there a meaning behind all of this?

Minami: I do have some strong feelings about this deep in my heart but it’s something that all the fans have to find out for themselves, within themselves and with the utmost care. I am sure all of them feel something like this as well. I didn’t imagine Kalafina like that but it’s amazing! It should be something like that. I am constantly racking my brains, trying to find ways of how to make people feel like there’s a Plus added to everything. Kalafina’s songs have amazing world views, therefore I work with the consciousness that even though you should be getting a glimpse of them, you shouldn’t be getting too close.

――Do you mean that [your interpretation] shouldn’t be too attached to the song and its lyrics?

Minami: Yeah, I guess I also mean it like this. Getting close but not too close. It should be something you prefer but it shouldn’t be given top priority. I want to open a new door for everyone. After all, the girls have been doing fine up until now so if it ain’t broke, why fix it? Kalafina have been great up until now. But it’s just that I want to present Kalafina in ways you have never seen them before.

――Ah, I definitely felt that way while watching.

Minami: It’s because they were flawless. Kalafina, I mean. Truth is, I had been going to their events even before I was working with them, only a handful of staff members knew about it, I told the official people that I wanted to work together with Kalafina.

Keiko: Oh really? I didn’t know that!

Minami: I had been aware of you for many years before we officially met. However, I didn’t have a way to get in contact with you, it didn’t happen for a long time so I honestly thought that ship had sailed.

Wakana: Hahaha *laughs*

Minami: I am too late! It kinda felt like that *laughs*. Then I saw you about two years before our first proper meetup. At Budokan.

Keiko: If that’s the case...that should have been our 2013 『Lisani! LIVE-3』...?

Minami: Yes, at that time I was in charge of a different artist and when I saw your performance I was like 「What’s this? Who are those people?!」 *laughs*. One day, I wanna try working with them! That’s what I told the official staff members who immediately remembered me. Oh, it’s Minami Sasuga again, the one who really wants to work with Kalafina. They must have thought something like this...

――How is it to receive such a heartfelt request?

Wakana: It makes me very happy. Right from the beginning, she has told us so many interesting and intriguing things, I am grateful for that as well. We are not just doing band-style concerts anymore, acoustic lives have also become an established practice, it makes us capable of performing at various venues, all of that is thanks to Sensei who has kicked open all these doors for us, she has let me see new sceneries as well. I was so glad that right from the get-go we received positive feedback for everything we had achieved already.

Minami: They can sing and dance, their producer Kajiura Yuki-san is awesome too. Even though I have already been in charge of hundreds of artists, I feel a much bigger sense of excitement when it comes to Kalafina, they can head towards a much wider world!!

Photography=Kikuchi Takahiro

――Well now I’d like to hear your impression of each of the girls if that’s all right?

Minami: That’s a bit difficult to talk about, isn’t it?

――From the view of a director that is *laughs*

Minami: I don’t know how the girls themselves feel about this but I think there is a very becoming and nice balance between them. It’s because they are very aware of each other’s strengths and shortcomings. The three of them are creating this balance by skillfully supporting each other. Among them, it is Keiko who is always saying that she feels like we are closely related.

――Like a daughter?

Minami: More or less, maybe my child, maybe my little brother?

Keiko: Little brother? *laughs*

Minami: Not little sister, definitely little brother. Somehow there are many occasions when our intuition is very similar, it is a little scary actually.

Keiko: Yes *laughs*

Minami: The other day we had a briefing session together. Everyone brought a little supply of snacks with them, Keiko and I bought the exact same thing.

Keiko: Ehhhhhhhh!! No way!!!

Minami: That’s why I never handed them out. The wafers.

Wakana: That’s crazy! *laughs*

Keiko: It’s because we are so very much alike.

Minami: At least once every other day there will be something that I want to convey to them but she will beat me to it and say the exact same thing 「I think of it like that...」. Even during rehearsals Keiko and I will convey our shared ideas and feelings to the other two, we often work in that sort of manner. Including all of that, the beauty of Keiko is that she takes on risks. She will deliberately throw herself at challenges. I love that.

――I get the impression that you certainly share this sort of sporting spirit, this spirit of competition?

Minami: We’re alike because I’m also the sporty type. I think she is a clever girl, she has a clear goal in sight so she can guide everyone, for the sake of the group, her own self and the future of Kalafina, for all these things she will take every step that's necessary.

――What do you think, Keiko-san?

Keiko: How should I say it, Sasuga-san exposes everything related to Kalafina. I feel nervous when she analyzes me because it is beyond embarrassing to reveal certain things to others *laughs*. As Sasuga-san has mentioned, I’ve often felt like we shared the same sentiment. Amongst the things I have to do there are so many aspects where I am still lacking, I still got a long way to go.

――Then, what about Hikaru-san?

Minami: Hikaru is the calmest. You’re supervising a bit, aren’t you? Keiko and I are the type who apply our passion, feelings and imagination as well as our dreams and ideals in real life, but Hikaru knocked us straight out of the ring by relying solely on her strength, it feels so much like she guides those who stray away to go straight ahead. Even as we are drifting, Hikaru’s presence tames us with her calmness a little bit. Also, if she thinks there’s not enough material, she will properly write it down, and share it with everyone. What’s with that kindness! *laughs*

Hikaru: Kindness *laughs*

Minami: It’s not something an artist should do, you know. It’s the staff’s job. It’s amazing that she can do so.

Keiko: It’s like she’s a secretary, isn’t it? She will sit quietly beside us and put anything I, or Sasuga-san, say enthusiastically in order.

Minami: She does. Moreover, she has neat handwriting!

Keiko: Her memory is impressive too.

Wakana: She memorizes a lot!

Keiko: For example, she has vivid memories of what I did in a concert from two years ago. It’s amazing.

Minami: But you know, I believe Hikaru is the artist with the most undiscovered talents slumbering within her. That’s why she’s such a delicious subject for me. She still has so many great potentials I have yet to draw out. She is made up of many versatile elements.

――How does the person herself think of this?

Hikaru: Thank you. I’m the type who’s poor at proposing new ideas, so I memorize everyone’s ideas. I want to be the person who submits general opinions. I want to at least save the information even if I don’t voice my opinion vigorously. Like what’s the best thing to do in order to properly implement everyone’s proposals. Since I rarely initiate ideas, I wanna try to consider ways of how to develop them.

Minami: You are able to analyze yourself as well.

――And lastly, Wakana-san.

Minami: Wakana has wonderful imagination, like, she is very in touch with her creative side. However, there are many things that only she can understand. She’s poor at explaining *laughs*. I have many moments of going “Oh!” when I talk with Wakana. She also has other skills, such as drawing pictures. I consider Wakana’s talents, which she doesn’t reveal to the public and keeps to herself, very important to Kalafina hereafter. Still, Wakana has been speaking out recently. She can be interesting just by saying a single word.

――You can tell how interesting she is.

Minami: The “interesting” factor is important to Kalafina. If I had to tell you why, I’d be hard-pressed, they are not considered a group that needs to be interesting, are they?

――I guess so.

Minami: However, still, when you come to like an artist, you really follow their every step, at that point you are shown everything. It’s not only their looks, or their work you are also shown their weaknesses. Wakana is the one who really stands out in that regard. She will be fine wherever she goes. She stays true to herself even if her company is an auntie or an elderly man she just met for the first time. It’s a wonderful talent, I want its merits to return. Moreover, there are lots of glittering and bright ideas within her. In Kalafina, Keiko’s talents come out fully. And she keeps improving day after day. As for Hikaru, there are still parts she keeps to herself. I want to bring out Wakana’s hidden talents. I guess my current challenge is to find out how I can stimulate these two.

――Indeed, I guess there are certain moments when you get that sense while watching a live. Hikaru-san’s potential, and Wakana-san’s awakening.

Minami: The three of them have always been amazing since the first time we met, you know. Yet, they believe they’re still lacking in achieving the perfection they strive for. I have to lend them a hand a little longer, such is the challenge.

Wakana: Giving input is my forte, but I have difficulties with the output. Then again, I talk for like 7 hours straight during a long phone call. Things that can only be told to a particular person. Like how I call my family, and talk to my mother for about 2 hours, and 3 hours with my father. I’m that kind of person. That’s why, I don’t really understand it either, the things I can do, so I want to sort that out.

Minami: I think you can do many things.

Wakana: Somehow, I’ll do it when I am told to do so. When I try to do those things, I’ll appreciate and understand them. It made me think of how there are so many things that I am not yet aware of, I want to seek out and explore many more of them.

Photography=Kikuchi Takahiro

――Now, we should talk about the tour 『Kalafina “9+ONE”』. I wonder, is there a certain image in Sensei’s head, do you want to do it in a certain manner?

Minami: I do, but let’s hear from the girls first, because it will make me look uncool if my answer differs from theirs *laughs*.

Keiko: We already talked about 『Kalafina “9+ONE”』 during our previous interview which we did for our 9th Anniversary concert, at that time we said 「We wanna make a tour by listening to the audience’s voices as much as we possibly can」, it’s been about a month since then. However, I think that alone is not enough. I feel like we are not going to achieve the kind of performance we are aiming for in regards to the surprise and entertainment factor by simply listening to the audience’s voices, by simply showing the ideals and imaginations of the fans. Of course it is our main wish to have a performance for the fans. But since it is for the fans, we really wanna do something that they couldn’t have imagined…..recently we have all been thinking about that a lot.

Minami: Yes, there’s this thing that one must not forget, that we must not lose track of, let’s try not to forget that this is just for the sake of the audience. However, we wanna do something that goes beyond the audience’s wildest imagination, it would make me happy if that were something they miraculously wished for. Therefore, we have to think deeply about it in order to create that. Besides, there is also the awesome 10th Anniversary milestone coming up.

――Indeed.

Minami: I wanna make their 10th Anniversary the most spectacular thing ever so because of that I wanna lay great emphasis on their 9th Anniversary as well. I feel like by doing that we’ll be able to make the 10th Anniversary have an even heavier impact, so for this 9th year I wanna pull out all the stops. I wish for this tour to end on a lovely note, you should feel satisfied, like you have a full belly. However, we have to finish by leaving the satisfied fans with an appetite for more, they should get the faint scent of something they still want to eat. We need to create an earth-shattering ardor so people won’t be thinking, oh, I’ve had enough, bye bye Kalafina!

――For the 10th Anniversary I was expecting it of course. I think it’s fascinating how you are putting so much effort into your 9th as well.

Minami: We gotta do something fun and intriguing, otherwise there is no point of me being here. I guess there are some people out there who doubt the compatibility between Kalafina and Minami Sasuga. But the girls have great ambition, confidence as well as an amazing imagination. That is why we have reached an agreement and we are now going to head towards that direction. This time I got the chance to talk to SPICE so I thought it would be a great opportunity to let you know of all the things we are creating with the utmost care. I want all of the fans to know that we are all working and talking together in order to create this performance. With all our confidence we want to make you feel like 「Oh wow!! I never thought of this kind of expression!! That’s amazing!!」, that is our challenge. Right here for one time only, I want to organise this compilation of nine years worth of Kalafina, even though I have only been working together with them for two years. Perhaps that way we are awaiting an unimaginable evolution on the 10th Anniversary? I want you to get excited. Now I ended up saying way too much, that’s not wise *laughs*

Keiko: That’s all right!

――Do you have anything you wanna add to that?

Keiko: There’s a distinct difference to before, that is a lot of fun. Ever since we’ve met Sasuga-san it really feels like our motivation towards live performances is getting stronger and stronger. Kalafina is made up of three people so we each have this feeling that we have to put our heads together with all our different characteristics and features.

――Put your heads together you say?

Keiko: Yes. Since Kalafina has always had a certain image, it seemed like we had to do things in a particular manner, the pressure always weighed on us to convey a good image. Meeting Sasuga-san has made us believe that we ourselves are also capable of constructing that Kalafina image. For example, we are considered to be a group that has a classical component because Wakana’s voice is part of Kalafina, we really wanna work on expressing more things like that, we want to expand on that charm. Hikaru and I would also like to approach the things that Wakana is expressing with her singing, instead of approaching it within the framework of Kalafina, we wanna get closer to Wakana’s expression. And then there’s Hikaru who has been acting in plays ever since she was teeny tiny girl, she is great at creating entire worlds for songs in her mind. Therefore her vocals are ever-changing. In the old days when it came to singing Kalafina’s songs she ended up entering those worlds all by herself. I think that at that time Hikaru must surely have been quite troubled. That is why today if Hikaru wants to express something in a certain way, Wakana and I also wanna familiarise ourselves with those things, we want to incorporate all the things she wants to show.

――I see…...

Keiko: The world you see changes in accordance with the song, therefore we wanna try many different expressions. There is difficulty in that and there are also aspects that have been completely ignored so far. It took us a while but ever since we’ve met Sasuga-san we have been able to create our very own Kalafina image by means of cultivation and pioneering.

――You were really impressive right before your Arena Tour. Even though I got the chance to see your rehearsals, it felt like, oh wow, this is the result!

Minami: 「Magia」 felt like it was all about using Hikaru’s very distinctive features to their fullest potential. As for 「red moon」 right before that, the focus should lie solely on Wakana’s voice, I kinda thought it would be nice if Wakana moved around as little as possible. Then there’s Keiko who is opening with her a-cappella singing. For the Arena Tour we picked out their respective charms.

――For this tour, you will add something that is beyond the audience’s imagination?

Minami: That’s right. There are times where it seems like the more briefing sessions we have, the more we realised that oh, we missed something there...like we could have done better, you know? Thinking back and forth about things and then presenting what we are gonna do next, it is a lot of fun. The creating period is the best time ever. It is a great delight and true blessing to be able to do the choreography and such for an entire production, to create all these little things together with a group that you really wanna work with. Practise is also not a hardship at all, it’s because our hearts and minds are miraculously very much in tune, they are nestled close to each other. As far as Kalafina and I are concerned, we have made this promise that we would challenge ourselves by sharing good as well as bad feedback with each other in order to improve. It takes effort to try new things but it’s so much more fun. I would like to unite everyone’s feelings. I would love for the fans, the staff as well as the girls, for everyone really, to get this sense of 「We are as one」. I want everyone to feel like they are important. I wanna make it a good team. For each of you there is a door that has yet to be opened!!! I feel like for Kalafina’s sake I want you to show this! I think if we can do this it’s just a small step till we can challenge the entire world. Seriously!

Interview・Text: Kato Takeshi Photography=Kikuchi Takahiro

#kalafina #SPICE interview #my translations #this took longer than expected #as always XD #sorry to all mobile users in case the read more thingy doesn't work >_<#ahhh #I really love the relationship between Kalafina and Minami Sasuga #I am so happy that she was able to encourage the girls this much #and I love that they finally get the chance to create their very own Kalafina image #YAY for more classical Kalafina #YAY for more theatrical Kalafina #I hope this will silence some of the haters who have been complaining non stop about Kalafina's more dramatic stage productions #it is not something that's being forced upon them by Minami Sasuga #it's just the girls being true to themselves and doing what they want to do #if you can't be bothered with who the girls really are then you've got no business calling yourself their fan #their old image as nice as it was is no longer restraining them #Minami really had an impact on them #it's also obvious in the little details like their outfit choices #to see them wear outfits that they love and are comfortable in makes me happy #like Hikaru's pants or Wakana's wide and long dresses #also #that final part by Minami Sasuga #is that a hint?#world tour maybe?#sorry for all these tags :P #can you tell I am passionate about this?

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putschki1969 · 6 years ago

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Natalie | Wakana Interview ~ Translation

Note: Finally I found some time to do this translation. Sorry it took so long. This is a lovely and insightful interview so be sure to check it out. I especially like her explanations regarding some of her lyrics. Enjoy!

Source: https://natalie.mu/music/pp/wakana

Wakana just released her first solo album titled 「Wakana��

After holding a tour last autumn, Wakana started to properly focus on her solo activities when she released her single “Toki wo Koeru Yoru ni” in February this year. Her long awaited 1st solo album contains 11 songs in total including 6 pieces that were written by Wakana herself. Each track has a unique charm.

What kind of thoughts went through Wakana’s head when she produced this album - a piece of work that offers new possibilities by trying out different things without being bound by her 10-year career as part of Kalafina? She is currently in the midst of preparing for 「Wakana LIVE TOUR 2019 ～VOICE～」, a nationwide tour spanning 7 locations. While she is anxiously awaiting her upcoming tour we took the chance to interview her.

── Now that you have completed your long-awaited 1st album, are you once again becoming aware of the full extent of getting a fresh start as a solo artist ?

Wakana: Yes, for sure. After I got to perform with a full orchestra last August and subsequently got the chance to do my first solo tour, it felt like I was gradually becoming a solo artist. However, I think this feeling intensified once I had released my single “Toki wo Koeru Yoru ni” and now that my album is out, that feeling is even stronger. It was a big deal for me that I got to write lyrics for the very first time for my single. At first I felt a huge amount of excitement *laughs* “YAY, I got to write my own lyrics!” Gradually I was able to calm down a little. While coming to terms with the fact that I was now a solo artist, I focused on the things I wanted to do and that I could do. This way I was able to work on the production of my album with a presence of mind.

── Did you feel any pressure or anxiety regarding your solo activities?

Wakana: At the beginning all I felt was anxiety. During interviews I would always say, "I don’t really know how it’s gonna be from now on! So please don’t ask me too many questions about it!" When I started my autumn tour, my tension was at its peak, I made so many mistakes during my rehearsals. However, the tension gradually dissolved. Once I was on stage, I was able to have a good time, with every new performance my joy became stronger. Of course there was nervousness each and every time but once again I realised that I really loved this bit of excitement, that stimulating pounding in my chest.

── So what did you have in mind when you created your first album?

Wakana: The tour I did last autumn was titled “Toki wo Koete/Transcending Time”, I wanted that as theme for my album as well. I wanted to create something that would cross the boundaries of time, linking my past, present and future together. However, this was my first time ever working on something like a solo album so I couldn’t really afford to look at the whole picture from a distance *laughs* I worked at one song at a time and only at the very end when I got to listen to the final result, I fully realised what kind of album I had created.

── In this piece of work we get to hear some astonishing vocals by you that were made possible through your past career as a singer, we get to experience how you are conveying your current thoughts in a realistic manner through the lyrics written by yourself. New types of music enable new possibilities for the future. In that sense, I think this album is definitely “transcending time”.

Wakana: Thank you very much! When I was selecting the songs for my album there were many times when I thought, “oh, there are so many different aspects of my personality!” However, when I was listening to and singing all the songs the various artists and composers created for me I realised that there were so many other versions of myself I had yet to discover. When I put my thoughts and my singing into this, all facets and aspects of myself, all shades within my very own colour spectrum will come to light. What I am experiencing now will surely tie into my future activities. .

── All songs were dyed in your specific colours. Was that why you thought you could use your own name 「Wakana」as album title?

Wakana: That’s right. First and foremost I decided to use my name as album title because I wanted everyone to become aware of who I am at this point in life. But if you look at the whole album you will notice quickly that each song is a reflection of myself ...I feel like I put all of myself into this album. “I will sing those songs for the rest of my life!” That’s the kind of powerful affection I feel towards each and every song, it’s almost like “everything in this album is me!” That’s why I think it’s a good thing we titled the album “Wakana”.

── As was mentioned earlier, it was a big deal for you to write some of the lyrics yourself. Was it you who suggested to try it?

Wakana: In fact, it was Shusui-san who first suggested it to me, he was the one who composed “Toki wo Koeru Yoru ni”. Actually, Shusui-san and I have been acquainted since I was a teenager so after all this time went by we finally got to work together. At one point he suggested, "why don’t you try and write the lyrics, Wakana-chan?” I was very surprised by that. I had never thought I would get to write my own lyrics so I said to myself, “well, I should give it a shot!” *laughs* However, once I started writing I had a very difficult time with it. I ended up thinking, "writing lyrics is something only a selected few people can do and I am not one of them." After that first song I was like, "I'm sorry, I can’t do this, I give up!" *laughs*

── But in fact you did not give up, you wrote the lyrics for six songs in the album including “Toki wo Koeru Yoru ni”.

Wakana: I am really grateful that I was offered to write the lyrics for so many other songs by different artists. At first, I was a little overwhelmed of course but I thought I would try it even if it was difficult. Also, I felt like I gradually got a better understanding for writing lyrics, the more you try it the more you understand what it is all about. I would often have ideas but then I would think, “if I write it like this, will it sound weird?” “Using such a clumsy phrase would make everything sound bad”. But that’s not how it should be when you are writing lyrics. People around me, including the artists, told me I should stop thinking like that. that’s how I learned that I shouldn’t restrict myself, I shouldn’t put limits to my words and instead try to express myself as best as possible. Once I had come to realise that, writing lyrics was a lot of fun.

── That's because a new door was opened for you.

Wakana: Yes, I agree. If I continue writing lyrics in the future there will be moments when it is difficult or when I am worried and I will most certainly have to deal with writer’s block. But right now I am just getting started so it’s a lot of fun.

── The lyrics you wrote are very poetic and bring to life very vivid sceneries for the listener. In a sense I also feel like there is a lot of charm and appeal to your singing voice when you are bringing these lyrics to life. Currently, is there anything you feel particular about when it comes to these lyrics you treasure?

Wakana: There are certain details in each song that I am very particular about but it’s completely different from song to song. But there is something that can be said about each and every track on this album, I got all of my inspiration from the melodies. I put that very inspiration into my own words. It’s kinda like taking notes of all the sceneries that appear before your eyes, of all the experiences you have made, of all the desires and wishes that are within you. In a sense I was able to write with a lot of freedom, all the writers and composers I worked with respected that. They didn’t interfere at all, they didn’t say anything, what you hear on the CD is 100% me. I am very grateful for that.

── I got the impression that many of your lyrics focus on the theme of “time”.

Wakana: Ah yes, that’s definitely true. Humans cannot go against the flow of time. That is why I think it’s very important to reflect on your past and treasure all the things you have done. I think we should use time to its full potential so we don’t regret anything, I guess you can find this kind of belief in some of my lyrics. Especially in “Boku no Kokoro no Tokei”. I think it would be really nice if listeners interpreted it that way as well.

── I think among all the songs in your album, the lyrics of the first track “Yakusoku no Yoake” are the most reflective of your current state, they seem to paint a very clear picture of where you are right now, taking this huge step in a new direction as solo artist.

Wakana: Yes, I am using phrases like “the path that leads to tomorrow” or “fulfilling a promise”.

── “An unknown future”, “taking one step at a time”, I think the messages in these phrases fit your current situation quite well.

Wakana: Yes, yes! I guess those lyrics came naturally out of me. By the way, there is a section in the lyrics where I am talking about a “dark place”, by that I meant the safety of our mother’s womb before we are born. A newborn child is full of innocence, it knows neither lies nor deception. Once we become adults, I wonder if we can live a beautiful life if we have all these lies and fabrications locked up in our hearts. That’s what I wanted to convey with these lines. As the song unfolded all these images came to my mind, I tried putting those images into words. For example, I felt like the chorus was very bright and filled with light so having that image in mind I wrote about a light that shone in the distance. The moment of my birth.

── This seems to connect to your current situation as well.

Wakana: It does. This feeling of almost being like a newborn baby again, I think it can be found all over my album. *laughs*

── Lots of creators were involved in the making of this album, right?

Wakana: Yes, thanks to so many different composers a huge variety of songs came to life. Take Sakurai (Miki)-san for example, she wrote “Yakusoku no Yoakae” for me and she is very young and cute woman. More so than ever before I was very much involved in all aspects of the recording and editing, including the recording of the instruments. There is a tin whistle being playing during “Yakusoku no Yoake”, I watched as Sakurai-san directed that recording. At one point we shared a moment when she said, “oh, that sounded great right there!” and I immediately replied, “yes, I agree, it did sound lovely!” This moment made me feel like I got a closer to the world envisioned by a composer, that made me really happy.

── “Tsubasa” and “Boku no Kokoro no Tokei” were composed and arranged by Takebe Satoshi-san.

Wakana: Takebe-san was the music director of my autumn tour last year, he is also taking up the role again for my upcoming spring tour. But that was actually the first time I ever recorded something with him so it was a lot of fun. Takebe-san as well as all the band members took part in the recording so we were able to recreate the groove from our live performances, the recording really felt like a live performance, we had a blast. Seeing Takebe-san playing the piano up-close was very nice. I think I was able to learn a lot by watching someone with such a burning passion for music.

── In the song “Nagareboshi” composed by Shusui-san, you were not only responsible for the lyrics, you also got to play an instrument.

Wakana: That’s true. I played a rainstick and a tingsha, that’s two little cymbals. Once again it was Shusui-san who suggested this idea, “wouldn’t it be nice if you played an instrument, Wakana-chan?” So I thought I would give it a try. It made me very happy to feel like I was an essential part of the sound production of my song. *laughs*

── I think this attitude is great, the way you are trying new things that are suggested to you without feeling any reservation.

Wakana: Yes, basically I am that kind of type. I really wanna go forward and try to experience things I have never done before, things I don’t know anything about. If you don’t give things a try it’s like a full-on resignation. The only thing I will never ever try though is bungee-jumping *laughs*. But aside from that, I think it’s incredibly important to try everything once with an open mind and without having any prejudice. That’s why I would love to get another opportunity to play an instrument.

── The fifth track “Kioku no Hito” was composed and written by singer/songwriter Andō Yūko-san.

Wakana: I met Andō-san for the first time when I asked her to write a song for me. She is really amazing, there is that incredibly pure and translucent air around her. The song she created for me is also amazing, the moment I heard it, I couldn’t help but smile. But since it’s Andō-san there is also a very strong worldview presented in the song that’s very unique to her. I had a very hard time trying to figure out how to sing this sort of song.

── Your range here is quite wide, there are some pretty low parts in the melody.

Wakana: That’s right. When I was singing the low-ley parts during the recording, I felt like my voice didn’t come out properly like it was barely there. I felt very insecure and wondered, “is it all right like that?” Then I was told, “it’s totally fine if you sing those lines in a kind of breathy whisper, that sounds really lovely.” I was super relieved to hear that. I think this song really helped me broaden my range of expression while singing. It’s one of my favourite songs, it has a warm and gentle atmosphere, paired with the band-sound it’s quite flashy but also very cute.

── Personally I really like the vibe in both “Ruriiro no Sora” and “Hard Rain”. It’s so different from anything you have ever done before, I got a very fresh impression.

Wakana: Yes, these two songs feel very fresh to me as well. “Ruriiro no Sora” has a very nostalgic vibe, it was quite difficult to sing actually. But with the help and advice of the composer Matsumoto Ryoki-san I was able to do my very own interpretation of the song. “Hard Rain” is also quite nostalgic. When I listened to the demo tapes of both songs I felt like the ideas were pretty similar but the atmosphere of “Hard Rain” was totally different. Within a few moments the arrangement manages to broaden your worldview.

── You are also doing some scat-singing in this track.

Wakana: Ah yes, the “papapayapa” part. I think that was new for many people, especially those who have known me ever since the old days. “Eh, Wa-chan is singing like that?” “Yup, that’s me”. *laughs* I wanted a song with a strong beat in my album so I think it was great to include this track.

── “Hard Rain” and the 10th track “Toki no Ne” have a completely different sound so it’s interesting to learn that they were actually composed by the same people. Yabuki Kana-san wrote the songs and Maeguchi Wataru-san arranged them.

Wakana: The melodies are indeed completely different. I really fell in love with “Toki no Ne” when I listened to as short demo tape last year. I immediately knew that I wanted to sing this song one day. Later on I received a full demo version, it made me super happy to see the entire worldview of this song unfold before me. I am beyond excited that this song ended up on the album. There is a sort of feminine/motherly strength in Yabuki-san’s writing. “I can do this because I am a woman”, having this in mind I sang these two songs.

── I think the biggest charm of this album is that each song presents a different world sung in a unique kind of voice. How do you feel about this?

Wakana: Thanks to the various songs that were written for me by all kinds of people I think I learned to express myself in many new ways. I have been opening so many new doors that I never thought I would walk through. “Wow, I can produce that kind of voice?” I had a lot of realisations like that. In the past I have tried many things but I usually had to step on the brakes a little because when I thought about singing live I feared that kind of style maybe wouldn’t work so well. But this time I felt like it would be fine, I knew that I could do it, it’s all thanks to everyone around me showing support. “Since you believe in me so much I wanna give it a try!” That’s pretty much how I felt. I think the outcome of me trying new styles will sound very fresh to long-time fans who are used to hearing a very particular kind of voice.

── In your past career spanning more than ten years you have been able to establish a solid vocal style. This time it feels like you are stepping into a completely new territory without being afraid to break away from what you have built up so far.

Wakana: Yes indeed. More than anything I think what can be felt all over this album is my personal singing style. Ever since last year I have started to take some voice training lessons so I am becoming more and more aware of my own habits. That’s why I felt like I wanted to get rid of some of these old habits. It’s a really bad idea to narrow the width and possibilities of your own singing. Music is not a straight path. So even if I end up going in strange directions once in a while it doesn’t matter, it’s still a good thing because that experience will become an asset, a source of encouragement.

── In other words, the solid vocal style you have built throughout the past years is like a thick tree trunk and because of that very foundation many different branches and leaves can now steadily grow from it.

Wakana: Yes, exactly. My voice is what it is right now, nothing more, nothing less. As long as my voice will be recognisable to people I think it would be nice to grow some new leaves, to find new ways of expression. So if there is a new path in sight, it will feel like “VIVA MYSELF” *laughs*

── As a solo singer you have to do the chorus and back-up vocals yourself so it seems like you will naturally express yourself in many new ways.

Wakana: Yes, this time I was singing three-part harmonies all by myself, that was a completely new experience for me. When I heard the final result I was like “wow!” That was quite the surprise. To sing all the vocals and chorus parts all by myself felt like quite an accomplishment since I had never done that before. It made me look forward to all the other things I could do next.

── You will get many more opportunities to express yourself during the live performances. Expectations are rising for your spring tour that’s starting in April.

Wakana: After the release of my single and album I feel like I will once again start my solo career. I named the tour “VOICE” because I wanted the lives to be all about myself and what I can do, about my voice in its current state. Thanks to the release of my album I have a lot more songs to sing so I hope I can create a live where the audience can truly enjoy all the different songs.

── You should feel quite confident after releasing such an amazing album, will you be able to go into this tour being relaxed from day one?

Wakana: What, no, not at all *laughs*. I am super nervous. But I love singing from the bottom of my heart and it brings me so much joy so it is my greatest wish to share that time together with everyone. My biggest goal is to continue singing for the rest of my life while keeping that in mind.

#kalafina #wakana #interview #natalie #my translations #my translation

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putschki1969 · 6 years ago

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LINE LIVE ~ Summary

Here’s my summary of yesterday’s LINE LIVE. I am incapable of keeping things short so be prepared for a wall of text. I tried to lighten things up by inserting a few screenshots here and there ⊂((・▽・))⊃ Title: Wakana Solo Debut、「Toki wo Koeru Yoru ni」Release Special Broadcast Date/Time：2019/2/6 21:00～21:50 Victor Channel Download link

We start off with an introduction to the program. In order to celebrate the release of Wakana’s solo debut single, Victor Channel is hosting a special LINE LIVE. The program is hosted by Natsuko Aso. She says she will ask Wakana about all kinds of things, her profile, her music, her hobbies. Towards the end of the program they will play the full PV of “Toki wo Koeru Yoru ni”, etc

Natsuko then advises viewers to remove the comment section on the side if they want to see a full-sized Wakana.

It seems like Natsuko and Wakana have met before but it’s been a while since they have last seen each other. [All I could find on that is an old Kalafina blog post from 2011. Apparently they all performed together at KITAKYUSHU 2011 but they probably met on various other occasions.] Anyways, after the usual formalities of telling each other how happy they are to see each other again Natsuko asks Wakana whether she is feeling nervous to do this live together with her and Wakana confirms that yes, she is super nervous. She then asks Natsuko if it’s okay to call her Nat-chan like she used to back in the day. Natsuko immediately says yes, of course it’s okay. Wakana continues by saying that it’s totally fine if Natsuko calls her “Wa-chan” or “Waka-chan” or simply “Wakana”, no formalities please [Natsuko is quite a few years younger than Wakana so that offer seemed to make her a bit uncomfortable].

Nat then congratulates Wakana on the release of her single and asks her how she feels now that the CD is finally out. Wakana is super happy and excited of course. The song really transcended time because there was quite a long period between its first performance in August last year and its release. It’s about time it got released!

We continue with a short profile of Wakana’s life/career. The usual stuff, born on Dec 10, from Fukuoka, started singing early, first acitivities as FictionJunctuion Wakana, breakthrough as member of Kalafina and now after celebrating the 10 year anniversary of Kalafina she is debuting as solo artist under Victor Entertainment. Nat is surprised to find out Wakana is from Fukuoka. Wakana then explains that she was born in Tokyo but raised in Fukuoka so she feels like that is her home. Nats wonders if there is any good stuff to eat there and Wakana is more than happy to answer, she is like, “YES, there is!!!!” People in Fukuoka like to eat udon instead of ramen and Wakana’s favourite is udon with fried burdock (gobouten) (something that’s very hard to find in Tokyo). Wakana is like, “now I have become an udon ambassador”. Next they talk about how Wakana got into music. It’s the usual stuff again. Her dad likes to play the guitar, her mum used to be a music teacher, she has always been surrounded by music so naturally she became very fond of it too. She started taking lessons very early, then she was part of a gospel choir and took vocal lessons. But as we know, she originally wanted to become a mangaka or opera singer but that didn’t really happen. She then decided she would focus on singing (although not on an operatic level).

Next up is some talk about Wakana’s private hobby, namely her camera. Wakana reads through some of the comments and sees how many people are watching so she gets a bit nervous. There are lots of people waving so Wakana being the energetic person she is goes a little overboard with her waving.

Now we get to the camera. Wakana grabs it from a table nearby and says that she really loves taking pictures. She shows off all the cool features of the camera and takes a picture of the two of them. Wakana has always loved taking pictures of the sky with her phone so she wanted to try using a real camera for a change. Wakana is proud of the pic she took of them, it turned out nicely, a girly get together. She feels like this has turned into a teleshopping channel, she apologises. With this camera she likes to take pictures of the sky (like before), of nature and she also likes to capture special off shot moments.

Then we see some recent shots Wakana took.

This is one of her plants at home, she has forgotten its name though. She talks about spending a lot of time watering her plants and talking to them. It has become a ritual. She also has a little “angel” corner here which she likes a lot, she is a big fan of wings.

Next up is another one of her plants, it’s a christmas rose which she received as present recently. She is so happy that it already bloomed but she worries what will happen to it this summer since the flowers only bloom when it is cold

They just reached 10,000 viewers. CONGRATS! Wakana gets even more nervous.

We continue with some shark pics because hey, this is Wakana so of course this program has to include sharks. There are pics of her favourite tiger sharks which can be found at Fukuoka Marine World. She explains that she goes to aquariums all the time and that she really loves sharks, how they are so cute, how their form is beautiful, etc...Nat says that she has watched a couple of shark films and Wakana immediately wants to know which ones (=> Deep Blue Sea and Lost Vacation - some of Wakana’s faves actually). Wakana is so happy to talk about those films and of course she has to mention that Blake Lively’s body looks amazing, no matter how many times she watches the movie, she is always blown away by how gorgeous she looks. She recommends those films to everyone who wants some simple entertainment. And now the teleshopping program has fully turned into a shark program. Time to introduce her shark goods. Her infamous tea cup of course and her keyholder. Nat points out that Wakana’s tour goods look like they could be aquarium merch, they don’t have anything to do with Wakana. When Wakana gives her goods to friends they also usually believe that it’s a souvenir from the aquarium.

It’s time to end this shark corner and continue with some talk about the single. Wakana explains how this was her first time writing lyrics. When she first heard the melody of Toki wo Koeru Yoru ni she worried a lot because she didn’t know what kind of lyrics to write. She had to write tons of notes because she had no idea where to start, she would just write down random thoughts while listening to the song. Eventually she would pick out the lines she liked and create some proper lyrics. At this point she realised how much hard work it is to write lyrics, she had never really been aware of that. Nat asks if Wakana has a favourite line or phrase. She really likes the final chorus. Because this song is s collab between Shusui and a Swedish composer the song has a very Western/European vibe. The first version she heard of the song had English lyrics and she was super impressed by the song and she felt quite intimidated. Wakana was super embarrassed when she sang the song for the first time last August because she didn’t know if her lyrics would be well-received but since then she also performed it during her tour so she has become quite confident. That made it easy for her to do the recording (which followed much later). At that point the song had already changed quite a bit due to the different performances and interpretations, it really became her own and she felt very comfortable singing it in the studio. Then we have the live version of Tsubasa. Wakana says that she started her performance being quite nervous but with every line she sang she gained confidence since the song is quite empowering. That’s why she is happy that this live version was chosen even though you can probably hear her nervousness during some parts. Nat is super impressed by those two completely different songs, Wakana’s expressions are pretty much the exact opposite so it’s quite astonishing. Wakana goes on to explain that the song was written by Satoshi Takebe who also produced her tour. He left a huge impression on her because she learned a lot from him.

~ Toki wo Koeru Yoru ni PV ~ Wakana loves the contrast between the nature and urban setting and she likes how there is such a vast world introduced in the PV. All the wide shots are amazing. Nat says the PV has a very fantastical vibe to it, it almost feels like an illusion with all the lovely sparkles. Nat wonders if the PV was actually shot in Sweden because the atmosphere seems so European. Wakana has to disappoint her though, she did not go to Sweden unfortunately. However, they tried to find a location that would have a sort of nostalgic European vibe. Wakana is super happy they were able to find such a gorgeous location. The water was particularly beautiful because it reflected the forest in the background. She is also excited because she got to go on a boat and all the boat scenes where shot with a drone which turned out super well. Wakana says that she had a phone with her on the boat and staff members would tell her what to do ,“okay, now pretend to sleep. Ah yes, the sun looks beautiful now. Perfect. Stay as you are...” Wakana really wanted to look at the beautiful sun but since she needed to pretend to be asleep she couldn’t. Afterwards she got a chance to look though and she also took some pictures with the phone she had with her, she got some great shots. She will probably upload those pics on the blog someday soon. Nat then points out that it must have been very cold during the shooting since you can see Wakana’s breath during some scenes. Wakana admits that this was the coldest she has ever been in her entire life. In the past she had often shot PVs where it had been freezing but it was never as bad as during her shooting for “Toki wo Koeru Yoru ni”. She had never seen her breath like that. When she watched a few scenes they had shot she thought she had become “Godzilla Wakana”

Nat reassures her that she didn’t look Godzilla-like at all. It really fitted the entire winter atmosphere of the PV and it helped to make it more emotional. We then get some off-shots from the shoot. Nat is impressed how much work it takes to get a PV like that done. Wakana agrees, it’s a group effort and everyone did an amazing job.

Wakana really loved the location for the urban night scenery. She wishes that was her apartment but alas it isn’t. For a moment though she had Nat convinced that it was in fact her apartment XD

Nat catches Wakana a little off-guard when she says they should continue with some information. Wakana looks at her schedule sheet and is a bit confused but then she realises it’s time to talk about her album and tour. Nat introduces all the album details we already know. Wakana is like, “OMG, there is so much content on Version B”. Everyone should get it because it includes a HUUUUGE poster of her XD

Wakana says that the album is very Wakana-like (hence the title) but it also introduces a NEW Wakana so she is looking forward to everyone discovering those new facets of her. Wakana loves the dress she wears on the cover design because it’s super flowy. The wind was strong when they took those pictures so it almost looks like she has wings. She thinks that’s very fitting because she is leaping into a new direction, discovering new parts of herself. On a side note, the pose on her promotional picture was extremely uncomfortable but she likes the end result. She generally loves how the pictures turned out. The weather was lovely during the shoot as well. Wakana says that the cameraman is lucky because he always brings good weather with him (unlike Wakana who always brings rain with her - she notes that it has been raining all day in Tokyo). Nat points out that it didn’t seem to rain during the PV shooting so Wakana isn’t THAT unlucky. However, Wakana reveals that it did in fact rain that day (just a little though and the sky eventually cleared up to allow those grogeous final scenes).

Some more news about the release events, the clearfile tokutens, the tour dates, the LINE ticket lottery etc...

Wakana says she wants to show parts of her new self in the upcoming tour (of course this will involve her single and album). She thinks there will be a lot of people coming that don’t really know her from before so she really wants to leave a good impression. She has been thinking a lot about what to do for this tour. At any rate, she wants to create a warm and comfortable atmosphere. Lastly, some info about the new twitter account. It is going to be run by staff members because Wakana is absolutely clueless when it comes to Twitter. However, she thinks she might try to post once in a while. Nat then reads out a few comments by fans saying they will attend so and so many tour lives. Wakana is like, “I am gonna attend ALL of them!! So everyone, please come to all of them as well!”

It’s about time to end the program so Nat asks if Wakana has anything left to say. Wakana says they shouldn’t end the video so soon since it’s only been about 30 minutes. Nat then realises that she has failed to call Wakana by her nicknames. Wakana says it’s fine. She then goes on to thank everyone for this precious time. She had lots of fun talking with Nat and sharing some info. She feels grateful to all the fans who watched the LINE live. Wakana asks if Nat would mind if they talked a bit longer, she doesn’t want to force her but she is enjoying herself so much, she doesn’t want it to end yet. Nat doesn’t mind of course and she suggests they talk a little more about Wakana’s favourite topic...sharks. Obviously Wakana is more than excited and even interrupts Nat while she is about to ask a question. Wakana calms down and aplogises, asking Nat what she wants to know. Nat is curious what made Wakana fall in love with sharks. As we all know, she started out by liking dinosaurs. When Nat hears this she can’t believe it because she loves dinosaurs too. Wakana is beyond excited to have found a fellow dino-fan.

Nats asks if Wakana went to the dinosaur expo and Wakana is like, “dude, OF COURSE!” It was so cool. They are already making plans to go together to this year’s expo. Wakans says that she has loved dinosaurs ever since she watched Jurassic Park at the cinema with her father and brother. She was quite scared initially and her dad worried about her but she was fine at the end. The dinosaurs really impressed her. From that point on she was really into dinos and then she found out about the ancient shark megalodon. After that there was no turning back, she fell in love with sharks due to their awesomeness. She is happy the film MEG was released recently because now everyone knows how cool that shark is. Some more fangirling about sharks and dinosaurs. Nat states that this is the first time she has met a woman who is as passionate about dinosaurs as her. Wakana agrees, there aren’t many women with this kind of hobby.

Final info about the tour and some final words of gratitude to the viewers. She hopes everyone will join her on this journey in a new direction.Wakana has already decided on her tour goods and Nat is looking forward to seeing them. Right when they were waving goodbye they reached 20,000 viewers. BANZAI.

#kalafina #my translations #summary #line live #wakana #toki wo koeru yoru ni

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putschki1969 · 6 years ago

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Livedoor News Interview ~ Translation

Original article: http://news.livedoor.com/article/detail/15354813/

Note: Here’s my English translation of Wakana’s long interview with Livedoor News. Enjoy! Once again she is being super honest and carefree. This interview addresses a lot of the same topics that were already mentioned in the SPICE talk but still, there is a lot of fun and interesting stuff to be found here. As always keep in mind that my Japanese is by no means perfect, take everything with a grain of salt. If you share my translation (or parts of it) LINK TO THIS POST and CREDIT me!

For each and every one of us there are new places to discover, new steps to take... In advance of her upcoming solo tour, Wakana reveals her thoughts

Wakana who has been well-loved for many years as member of Kalafina will hold her first solo tour 『Wakana Live Tour 2018～Toki wo Koete～』 starting on September 24. For our shoot she wore her private clothes, a very feminine outfit, she faced the camera smiling, “truth is, it’s been 10 years since I have had a proper simile on my face for a photoshoot!” On stage she is known for her beautifully resounding and overwhelming singing voice but her character is actually very cheerful and friendly. Throughout the interview she made all the staff members laugh with her funny facial expressions while she was talking energetically.

I was worried about doing a solo tour…but I felt relieved by hearing the fans’ opinions

―― You are taking up the challenge of your first live tour which will span four cities all across the country (Tokyo, Fukuoka, Nagoya, Osaka). How did you feel when the tour was first decided?

I was very happy to be able to continue singing and I was looking forward to meeting lots of people again.

―― Please tell us about the background of this tour! Was it your wish to do this tour or was it your way of complying to the wishes and demands of the fans?

This wasn’t as much about what the fans wanted, it was first and foremost about myself, about my desire to sing. By chance I got offered the opportunity to do a live tour and I thought, “as long as I get to sing I am definitely up for it!” On the other hand I was also feeling anxious because I didn’t know how the fans would react. But there were so many nice and gentle people who were very happy to find out about it. I felt truly relieved hearing those voices.

―― Fukuoka is your hometown. This will be your very first triumphal return live all by yourself and not as part of Kalafina, right? Will your family and friends come to see you?

My close family lives in the Kanto area but lots of my other relatives and friends are planning to come, I hope they are looking forward to the concert.

―― Does it feel special to perform in your hometown as part of your tour?

I can’t help but being biased *laughs*. Once I started to live in Tokyo, I realised how much my hometown meant to me, I really started to appreciate it more. This feeling is strengthened even more because I get to do work like that and come back every once in a while to sing my music. I hope to convey my gratitude with my singing.

―― You mean you want to repay all the favours to the place that made you the person that you are?

Yes. It is the place where I decided I wanted to become a singer. Fukuoka with all its beautiful mountains and the sea awakened this wish of singing within my heart. I am very happy about that.

―― Is there a particular place you always visit when you return to Fukuoka?

“Daichi no Udon”! *laughs* I always eat their burdock tempura udon. With wakame. And an egg.

―― That’s very specific *laughs*

I always stay somewhere near a restaurant so there’s no need to ask for the way *laughs* Anyways, whenever I go back home I am more into udon than ramen.

One day I suddenly noticed that I hadn’t sung for quite some time

―― On August 11 when you held your 『Kalafina “Wakana”・Ryu Masaki Symphony Concert with the Roma Italia Orchestra』 you mentioned that you hadn’t taken such a long break from singing in the past ten years.

It took a while to get my engine starting again, it wasn’t until the setlist had been decided that I finally started to sing again, until then I had taken a complete break from singing in my daily life. There was Kalafina’s 10th Anniversary Live in January and then I got to take part in two events in March but after that I didn’t have any chance to sing so I just ended up not singing for five months. In my ten years as part of Kalafina we were doing lives almost every month but these days such opportunities don’t arise very often. Once I had detached myself from singing, I started to focus on other things. I just did what I felt like doing and I listened to all the music that I didn’t get the chance to listen to before.

―― What was it that you felt like doing?

I bought a camera. Until then I had been taking pictures with my phone but owning your own camera is much more exciting. This way I am now able to properly immortalise all the moments in my life that are special to me. I feel like if you improve on certain things in life people will use their time in a better and much more efficient way. Up until recently it was always like, “there is so much I would like to do but I don’t have time so I will just do it some time in the future” and now that I have time it’s like, “I am doing this. Oh, let’s also do that. Or I will just do it tomorrow since I have time to spare”. I have also been really obsessed with my house.

―― Have you become a fan of interior design?

Yes! I really love plants! My green family continues to grow. My plan to make my house into a forest is steadily progressing *laughs* I had been into this kind of thing before but now I really got the chance to become deeply absorbed in it.

―― You just mentioned that you started using your own camera. Recently you have been uploading lots of sky pictures to your blog, were these taken with your new camera?

That’s right. Ever since I bought it back in July. I am also carrying it with me today. I just really love the sky so I can’t help but take lots of pictures of it.

―― What exactly made you decide to buy this particular camera?

Eh? I guess you could call it a spur of the moment thing? *laughs* The actress in the camera commercial was so cute, I immediately fell in love, “ahh, so cute! I want it! I am gonna buy it now!” So that’s the reason behind my purchase *laughs*

―― And the timing was perfect, right?

I have always had this dream of taking my own pictures and creating a special photo album for fan club members. For this tour I actually used my pictures for some of the merchandise so my dream is steadily coming true.

―― What did you make?

I created a t-shirt with one of my sky pictures printed on the front. While I was doing all these things I always wanted to do many of my dreams started unfolding. I thought it would be nice to realise some of them while I was taking a break from singing. You see, ít wasn’t really my intention to take a break from singing. But then I thought, “it’s been such a long time, I want to meet up with as many people as possible.” So I contacted everyone, all these people that I had made promises to but I was never able to meet and all my close friends that I try to see on a regular basis…and that’s how I ended up having loads of fun each and every day *laughs* It was so much fun that I actually wondered ,”can I spend the rest of my life just meeting up with people every day?” *laughs* And then at some point I suddenly realised, “eh? Now that you mention it, I really haven’t been singing at all for the longest time…”

For myself and my own life I should seek out all the things I love

―― When your solo live tour was announced you commented, “I have searched for various ways to sing my music. I have now found my way.” I wonder, what is “your way”?

Ah! *wry smile* That article was written after my short press conference. Prior to that I was informed that we would announce the tour that day so I was told to say this and that about the tour. Then when one of the reporters asked me, “have you found your way?” I thought this would be the perfect timing to say this and that *laughs* So I replied jokingly, “yes, I have found my way. Can you guess what it is?” Somehow a big deal was made out of this particular remark.

―― So that’s how it was…*laughs*

I think I will just continue to search for the things that I want to do., I feel like there are no limits to what I can do among this wide range of music. I thought I should continue searching for music I would be able to sing. But not just music, I should also seek out all the things that I love just for myself and my own life.

―― If you were to decide on a particular genre, you would just limit yourself, right?

Exactly. It would be a shame. But of course I also really love the music that I have done up till now as part of Kalafina with the other two members; because my love for that music is so strong I wanna continue conveying the happiness I feel when singing those songs. On top of that I have realised one thing in these past ten years, I should be exploring more personal aspects when it comes to music.

――So first and foremost it’s all about wanting to convey your songs in all kinds of ways?

Yes. I want to sing as much as possible.

Each person interprets lyrics differently. It’s what I felt when I wrote my first lyrics

―― What’s behind your tour title “Toki wo Koete /Transcending Time”?

It’s about me taking a new step, a step that’s “transcending time” and going beyond the past 10 years. During my concert in August the final song I performed was called “Toki wo Koeru Yoru ni”, I wrote the lyrics to this song, it was my first time ever writing lyrics so that’s also part of my reasoning for naming my tour like that. Time continues to pass by, all the things I have acquired in the past, all the things I will gain in the future, I want to feel and experience them one by one and I want the audience to feel them too, that’s why I thought the title was fitting.

―― How was it to write the lyrics for “Toki wo Koeru Yoru ni”?

I am still learning. It was my first time so I didn’t really know what I was doing. To think that in junior high school everyone was calling me a “poet” *laughs*. My friends and I would always exchange letters during class, we could never wait until the next break. Despite what it may have looked like, I was actually writing poems, it’s quite embarrassing to be honest *laughs*. My friends from that time still call me that.

―― So among your friends you are just known as “Wakana The Poet”? *laughs*

That’s right. Even back in elementary school it was like that, for example, one day there was heavy snowfall and my friends and I thought it was absolutely fascinating so I suggested. “hey, let’s all come up with a haiku while looking at the snow!!” It would be fun after all *laughs* It was so enthralling, I wanted everyone to think hard about it.

―― Did you make people laugh with your poem?

I came up with a super serious poem and everyone seemed to like it *laughs* So yeah, ever since then that image has stuck with me.

―― Did you write your lyrics while thinking back on that time?

It was completely different back then *laughs* The song had already been written so it was really hard to find lyrics that would fit.

―― Writing lyrics in accordance with musical notes is very hard it seems.

It is. I had no idea how to do it so I ended up having to teach myself. There is no such thing as a perfect result, I am still far from being happy with the final result. I have a lot to learn and there are so many parts within myself that I would like to change.

―― Were you influenced by Kajiura Yuki’s lyrics?

I didn’t even get the chance to be influenced by her lyrics. I simply didn’t have enough space to work with, “I can only fit two words into this part!” Some words of my favourite novelists were spinning around in my head so I let myself be inspired by that, I tried my very best and thought hard on it but then…I realised I just didn’t have the necessary vocabulary…

―― Speaking of which, whose works are you reading frequently?

I REALLY love Miyuki Miyabe and Keigo Higashino too much. I really like historical fantasies and psycho thrillers. And when I feel like reading some hardboiled fiction, I will read something by Go Osaka, his “Mozu” works in particular. I am really into the antihero-type police officers *laughs*

―― You could try incorporating the world views of these novels into your lyrics?

I have tried reading about three books for reference this time around but it didn’t help at all. The novels were really intriguing though! *laughs*

―― *laughs* So I am guessing these lyrics are your honest feelings. What kind of feelings did you put into this song?

I had a pretty clear vision of what I wanted to say but everyone has their own interpretation. People tend to see things their own way and I have realised that the songs I have listened to in the past might not have the meaning that I thought they would have had. Kajiura-san has shared some of her thoughts regarding the songs we have been singing for ten years but she has never been very precise. She always told us that everyone was free to think whatever they wanted.

―― So is it okay to sing the songs from a singer’s perspective with your own interpretation?

Of course as singers we have different perspectives too, we are listeners after all. Sometimes Kajiura-san would tell me, “truth is, I actually wrote it with this and that in mind” and then I was all like, “eh, THIS is supposed to be a love song!? I wouldn’t have guessed!” The next time I would always try to sing the song keeping Kajiura-san’s thoughts in mind. That’s why I think it’s best not to provide a proper answer for the meaning behind “Toki wo Koeru Yoru ni”. Whatever you feel while listening to it, it’s totally fine.

Kajiura-san’s music has its own life so I want to convey that

―― I think for this tour you were quite worried to sing Kalafina songs all by yourself?

Of course. I worried a lot about how everyone would feel about it. Back in August when I walked up on stage I felt like I was hearing all these voices from the audience, I was imagining all the questions from fans like, “why are you up there alone? Why is she singing these songs by herself?” It was my first time standing on stage all by myself in front of so many people. That’s probably why I felt this way. Thankfully though, I received a warm applause and I gladly accepted it.

――If you are singing songs that were made for three people all by yourself, I am sure some of the arrangements must have been changed?

Yes. As Kalafina the three of us would often sing at the same time in order to create harmony. That’s what Kajiura-san had in mind when Kalafina was first formed. We would each sing the main melody so I need to cover all three main parts, it feels like I am singing non-stop. It is difficult but I think I have figured out a way to do it so the songs sound fluid for the listener.

―― So you are also singing Keiko’s and Hikaru’s parts?

Yes, that’s what I did for my concert in August. I wanted to do the songs proper justice so I also had a supporting chorus consisting of four people. It has made me realise that Yuki Kajiura’s music brings great joy to the singer no matter which melody you are singing. And I have never sung all melodies before so it was a lot of fun. However, we have been saying this again and again, “Kalafina’s unique chorus work only exists because the three of us are singing together” and I believe that to be true. It’s something that’s ingrained within myself due to working together for the past ten years. And because it is such an integral part of me I would like to continue singing this music even if I am doing it all by myself.

―― Perhaps by singing Kalafina’s songs alone you will discover new things?

I have not yet reached that stage but yes, I might discover something in the future. For each and every one of us there are new places to discover, new steps to take, that’s just part of life. Right now I guess I am taking this route. We are each walking on separate routes and we are walking with determination. All I am thinking about is to face forward. I have received lots of messages from fans saying, “I don’t think I can follow a one-person-Kalafina”. I would like to write a letter to all of those people, telling them it’s fine *laughs*. It takes courage to say that, I respect that. But Kajiura-san’s music has its own life. It is such wonderful music so I just want to continue singing it.

I would like to take on a new challenge by just being myself, completely natural

―― The visuals for your tour seem very natural?

Kalafina’s lives were always connected to our albums or we would wear the outfits of our newest song or the production would be influenced by one of our anime tie ins. But this time around it was all about “myself”. I made sure to incorporate things that I like and while I was consulting with all kinds of people asking them what kind of stuff would be nice for my tour I slowly came up with a concept.

―― Your outfit today is lovely.

Thank you so much! I tried my very best choosing a nice outfit *laughs* I am wearing a white lace dress on the promotional flyer. So I thought for today I would wear something similar. As part of Kalafina I didn’t really do many photoshoots where I was able to wear this kind of floral pattern so I thought it was a good idea. Flashy colours are also welcome! *laughs*

―― I guess this is also a new challenge?

Yes but I am embracing this challenge! The visuals for this tour are very soft. For the first time ever in a photoshoot I was told it’s okay to laugh, “don’t you wanna try smiling a bit?”

――So smiling during your photoshoot was a new and fresh experience?

Yes, it was. It felt very natural and I thought it would be okay to smile. The fans may be surprised though. If you look at the pictures long enough some people might be able to recognise it. Gradually it will make sense. “eh, what’s that? It’s so different, I can’t tell…oh! *shock* Is that? Is that…a SMILE???!!!” It might be like that for some people. *laughs* But being “natural”, being “true to myself” is very important to me. Of course there have been all kinds of pictures in the past, they were conveying a cool image for sure but in none of them I was able to be myself.

―― Even during our Kalafina interviews I always got the impression that you smiled a lot *laughs*

Indeed! I have been laughing a lot ever since my days in elementary school when I was suggesting haikus and other stuff. And I really want to make people smile as well *laughs* When I meet my friends after having not been able to see them for a long time we always end up talking about these childhood stories, we will laugh so much that we start crying. That’s a lot of fun, right? Even though 20 years have passed it is still a lot of fun. That makes me very happy.

―― Would you like to include lots of fun stuff in your MCs as well?

If it’s possible then I would definitely like to try it *laughs* But I don’t think I can. If I am talking to someone it’s fine. For example, I am confident that I can have a very funny conversation with my taxi driver *laughs* But MCs aren’t conversations, it’s pretty much a one-way street and there is always this time lag where you wait for a reaction. This time around I will try to do normal and proper MCs, after all I don’t want to scare off people who are coming to see me for the first time. There might be some people who don’t know about Kalafina so I want to do a live that makes sense for them as well. That’s what I want to do. I don’t want any member of my audience to feel left out or lonely.

―― So you want every time to feel like it is the first time?

Yes, I would like that. Not just while performing, in my daily life as well, when I am meeting people, when I am talking to people. I think that’s very important. You are destined to meet the people in your life. I want to meet them with a smile on my face and I want to say goodbye with a smile, I think that makes life so much better.

#kalafina #wakana #my translations #translations #wakana solo tour #wakana in concert #wakana is too precious for this world

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putschki1969 · 7 years ago

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10th Anniversary LIVE 2018 Pamphlet Interview ~ Keiko

Note: Ever since @kuroiyuki88 mentioned this interview on twitter, lots of people have requested a translation so here it is guys. Personally I don’t think it really contains any hints regarding the current rumours but maybe some of you will think differently (perhaps I am just not the type to search for hints like that). While her loyalty towards Yuki Kajiura definitely shines through, I feel like her love for Kalafina is even more apparent but maybe that’s just my interpretation. On a side note, I would like to apologise for not participating much in fandom discussions at the moment. I’ve got a ton of asks in my inbox, everyone wants me to share my thoughts and speculations on the matter but I just can’t do that right now and quite frankly, I don’t want to. ｡ﾟ(ﾟ´Д｀ﾟ)ﾟ｡ I hope you understand. Anyways, enough about that, let’s get started. As always, all mistakes are mine, my Japanese is far from perfect.

~Keiko Interview~

一一 Celebrating your 10th Anniversary, reaching such a critical juncture in your career, it’s a big deal, isn’t it?

“It’s definitely special. I feel like the mere concept of a 10th Anniversary is amazing. It is due to two big names that we originally came into existence, it’s thanks to our great producer Yuki Kajiura-san and thanks to Kinoko Nasu-san who created 「Kara no Kyōkai」…When we started our activities it wouldn’t even have crossed our mind to think about celebrating a10th Anniversary. At our first Budōkan Live we were truly able to feel the immense response we got for our live activities, at that moment we had finally reached a point where we as Kalafina dared to talk about such a thing. Back then, that was a very important experience for us, it was the first time the three of us felt like we had something solid in our hands. Even if it was essentially Kalafina’s music, until that point in time I had felt conflicted to simply talk about it with my own words, there was always a sort of uneasiness somewhere within my heart.”

一一 I was definitely able to feel that conflict when we first started our interviews.

“Kajiura-san is the one who creates our music, we as Kalafina are expressing said music, since we have this kind of relationship I have always wanted my words and thoughts to honour Kajiura-san’s vision. I think there is no better opportunity to experience that vision than our lives where we get the chance to properly express it in our own way. By making live concerts the focal point of our activities we were able to express that vision even better. In other words, I think our lives are the manifestation of our wish to make Kajiura-san music into something of our own.”

一一 As the ones who express the music it is pretty much a given that whatever is on your mind will come to life on stage. After Kajiura-san creates her vision the three of you get to see it by expressing it, would you say that it is through you that her music first comes to life?

“In order to express Kajiura-san’s music, we reflect a lot upon her vision but later at our lives when the audience comes to see us, a special dialogue is born, during these dialogues we as singers get to discover various important aspects, aspects that we have to cherish. It’s really weird, even though we have always been expressing music as Kalafina we were taught so many things by our audience when we first started doing lives, for the first time I felt a sense of accomplishment while I was singing, I discovered new purposes and important meanings.”

一一 Your origin is different than that of regular artists and bands, the way you have continued with your activities also differs to a certain extent, considering all of that I would assume that your 10th Anniversary will also be quite different?

“That’s right! *laughs*”

一一Doing justice to the music which Kajiura-san envisions, reaching the audience on an emotional level by conveying your harmony. I am sure all these things entail a lot of complications, troubles and worries, things that could only ever be shared among the three of you?

“Yes, I think that’s true, the past ten years were definitely not easy.”

一一 I wonder, what kept you motivated throughout these ten years?

“That’s an easy answer, it’s Kajiura-san’s music for sure. Truth is, that sentiment hasn’t changed at all ever since I started as part of FictionJunction. Even back then all I thought about was, ‘I wanna devote myself to expressing these melodies, these lyrics, these tunes!’ ‘One day I wanna try singing this music which is so very intense and touching!’ That is my greatest wish, my biggest desire. Every time we release something new we are doing it with the knowledge that we have done our very best but deep down in my heart I feel like ‘I should be able to do more…’ I want to go so much further. I will constantly think ‘no, this is not the best I can do.’ Fans who are reading this will probably feel sorry for me…but hey, by now I have accepted the fact that the day when my heart will be content will not come any time soon, it will probably never come. *laughs* Whenever we release a new work I end up thinking to myself, ‘there must be songs that are capable of making Kajiura-san’s music even more vibrant, even more touching.’ This is honestly how I feel right now.“

一一 When you are your own worst critic…

“I am always trying to get better, always trying to get closer to what I feel is the ‘right’ interpretation, during our recent lives we have talked about how we want to create music that ‘only exists on that very day’, by doing that we are constantly challenging ourselves regarding the expression of the ‘Kajiura Sound’. ‘What makes up a song that’s worthy of her music?’ It’s a question I have been asking myself ever since my days in FictionJunction and nothing has really changed about that in the past ten years. Also, there are indefinite interpretations for Kajiura-san’s music. Your understanding of her work will always change depending on the way you listen to her music, the way you feel her music, you could spend forever chasing after a thorough understanding. That’s why during our lives we can show our audience the many different worlds that are hidden within each song and maybe one day we can find a more profound way to express all those songs. Every year my will to continue searching is getting stronger.”

一一 Kajiura-san’s work is unwaveringly consistent and complex, there will be no end to your quest.

“Yes, you are right. She keeps surpassing herself with her new work. I think it is a miracle that we are still existing in this harsh and ever-changing entertainment industry. We owe that to Kajiura-san’s music. I keep falling in love with that music *laughs*. A journey of pursuing Kajiura-san’s music, a journey of searching for special music which is created together with our audience during our concerts, that is the essence of my past ten years.”

一一 10 years of Kalafina, was it a long time or a short time?

“Short!! I keep thinking, ‘what? This is what 10 years feel like?’ There are so many things to look back on but still, it feels like so little time has passed. I think it’s because I am still on my quest. I have been searching and searching, never taken a break but I have still not reached my goal. I think my personality is to blame for that, even in my private life I just keep going and never lose focus. I have never asked for a break.

一一 As long as there is something to do you are not able to rest?

“That’s true. It’s weird, 10 years are a really long time but for me it felt like time had passed by in the blink of an eye. I think it’s because I wanted to be 100% ready each and every moment of our rehearsals and lives. In order to achieve that I always wanted to be fully prepared. Every day I prepared myself thoroughly, living each moment of my life in such an intense manner made these 10 years pass by quickly.”

一一 By the way, do you see yourself as a perfectionist?

“Not at all! I don’t think I am.”

一一 Do you think of yourself as stoic then?

“I think the adjective ‘stoic’ is more appropriate for other people like Olympic athletes for example.”

一一 But beyond that there are lots of other stoic people out there *wry smile*

“But I really don’t think I am one of them. However, I do believe in not just living my life away. I want to live my life to the fullest.

一一 I see. What may look like stoic behaviour to others is actually just your natural way of living your life?

“Exactly, that’s how I am. That’s why I want to change and make progress every day, that’s why I can never lose focus and I don’t have time to relax. During my childhood and during my student days I spent every day absorbing as much as I could in order to mature. Even now that I am an adult I want to continue doing that. I always want to take in new things, I never get tired of it and that’s why I have no time to rest *laughs*.”

一一 Listening to new music, being moved by a new novel or movie, experiencing things you have never experienced before, it enrichens the heart and enables a special sort of growth.

“Yes, I always want to feel this kind of stimulus. Listening to absolutely amazing music for the very first time, listening to songs you have never come across before…I want to experience that impact over and over again. No matter how many times I am baffled by a great singing voice, no matter how often I fall in love with a certain song, I wanna keep being this excited *laughs*.

一一 I feel like as we grow up our experiences increase but we are losing our excitement, that doesn’t seem to be the case for you, every day you are looking for a new inspiration, for a new sort of excitement.

“Take ginko trees for example, we are used to seeing them all the time. If you look closely you will notice that every year they change slightly. Every time I am able to change something about myself, every time I can make some progress I feel truly alive, for me that is what ‘living’ is all about. All these changes, all the progress I have made, I’d like to think that these things come across in our recordings, in our lives, in our interviews. After all I am putting lots of effort into it and I am getting the chance to put all these changes to good use in the best kind of environment”

一一 In a sense you seem very natural and spontaneous *laughs*.

“Hahahaha! Thank you! It doesn’t happen often that someone describes me like that *laughs*.”

一一 You seem to carry a natural burning passion within yourself, there is no hesitation when it comes to the way of life you have chosen. But you do not care about others, you are not forcing that way of living onto anyone else. You are simply natural, it’s like you were born to live like this, a ‘natural-born instinctiveness’ so to speak.

“That’s really interesting! You are the first person who has ever said that to me *laughs*. But now that you mention it, it’s certainly true that I have never really had much interest in others. However, that changed completely when I met Wakana and Hikaru. I think in these past 10 years that’s probably the biggest change that has happened. Many things have changed, the way I face our music, the way I approach our live performances, the things I eat, the things I like…but among all these things nothing has changed as much as my interest in others. Also, since I was born and raised in Tokyo, I never thought much about my place of origin, I didn’t have any interest in that kind of thing. Back then I always thought that the people you meet in Tokyo are all from Tokyo *laughs*. When I met the other two, I got to learn so many great things about Fukuoka and Toyama, I became aware how a different region and environment can create unique and fascinating personalities, I was taught how to properly communicate with other people. That left an enormous impression on me. With me changing, the relationship between the three of us also rapidly changed. I feel like along with that our music and live performances have changed as well.”

一一 How do you think about your fellow members now?

“When it comes to Wakana, I feel like I was destined to meet her. A woman with this kind of singing voice! That amazing feeling when our voices come together, it is something I can’t feel with anyone else. I have no words to describe her voice but truth is, words are not necessary…we simply share a bond. If I tried explaining it in Wakana’s words, it would probably turn into a story of epic proportions *laughs* Also, on a personal level, too much has happened in these past ten years *laughs* She is so pure, her heart is so big, she is an absolutely wonderful woman. As for Hi-chan (Hikaru), after living my life not caring about other people, she was the very first person that caught my interest. ‘I wonder, what did she do yesterday?’, ‘’Is she feeling good today?’, ‘How did this singing voice develop?’ All these questions were going through my mind, I was really curious. I also started thinking a lot about the influence I have on others, ‘I wonder, am I a good role model for her?’ She really changed me as a person. Also, people often tell Hi-chan that she is ‘surprisingly stubborn’ but I don’t really see it like that. She has changed so much, she just deals with things in her own way. She truly has a natural charm that attracts other people. And of course it’s needless to say that I absolutely love her singing!”

一一 Seems like you have fallen so deeply in love with those two that no one would ever assume you used to have no interest in other people.

“I think it’s a result of not caring for people for such a long time, from now on I want to continue observing everything about the other two, I want to continue being a good role model.”

一一 Getting back to the topic of your 10th Anniversary at Nippon Budōkan, what kind of performance do you want it to be?

“This might be a generic answer but I want to create a live together with everyone else. Together at Budōkan I want to make it a special day where we all come together for this performance. That’s something I felt while we were doing our Acoustic Tour, the joy of creating something special together with everyone. During our Acoustic Tour I experienced this delicate sensation, when we and our musicians come together, when our breathing becomes one, that moment when our songs become alive. I want to recreate that very feeling for our Budōkan Live with the songs that were chosen by our audience, in other words, ‘I want to do a live with everyone!’

一一 You said this was a generic answer but while one would expect such a reply for a live house performance it is certainly not ‘very typcial’ for a Budōkan live.

“I guess you are right *laughs*. Sorry, but still, it’s what I want to do. It is my goal for everyone to experience the sensation of creating that one live together.”

#kalafina #yuki kajiura #my translations #10th anniversary pamphlet #keiko #interview

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