#kagepro: jin tweets

[01tsubomi]

8/15/2023!!

1) i put on the shirt bc it’s red and the dress bc i thought it’d be nicer than jean shorts and the pigtails bc i’ve been finally doing pigtails again this summer. unfortunately that all unintentionally culminates to “it’s giving hiyori”

2) i went to a cat cafe to celebrate and met this cat with the saddest face in the world

3) i also went to a dog cafe bc one just opened up in my city and dogs are also kagepro and had the time of my life. unfortunately the guy working register was clearly really flustered to be starting this job and so instead of 50 minutes he charged me for 250. so. provided tomorrow comes tomorrow i will go back

4) my friends and i were gonna go out for yakitori but the yakitori place was closed!! the place we went didn’t have negima but they did have chicken and negi so i simulated the experience

i only just happened to have the day off work today so i got to do lots of silly little kagepro celebrations (on top of the usual things like cracking open a coke and crossing the street at 12:30). that’s about all i have this year but it was fun working kagepro into my daily routine! happy 815 everyone!! ;-;

[faelinetrash]

being a kagepro fan is awesome because all year it's like the same two dozen people nervously staring at the calender until 8/15 hits and then going insane for a week because Jin tweets the word blindfold or something

[childrenrecord]

part of saeru's character and theming is that he can only really feel any sort of attachment to azami, and that anyone else is really just a means to an end in filling azami's original desire. he has autonomy that azami's other snakes do not and he CHOOSES to revolve his entire self around azami and azami only even if he gains other "masters." the reason he is able to do so is because he was born from azami's most complicated desire. so he is created to be complicated enough to fulfill that desire. even if he has to hurt and trick her, he will do what he believes is best for her in order to understand herself. the fallacy of saeru is that he cant understand human relationships or love, so the way he goes about in his care for azami is inhumane. he can never understand azami or her feelings, no matter how much he believes he does. that's why he's "forgotten" about when azami meets tsukihiko and starts a family. love isnt a part of his purpose. his purpose is to portray the horror of stagnation. his "love" for azami doesnt come from a place of security, it comes from fear of change.i went a lot of different ways with this. but saeru is a hard egg to crack bc i do think jin tries to portray him as pure evil but then contradicts himself entirely with saeru in manga route 2. so this is just trying to make sense of it. but back to my og tweet yeah saeru isnt meant to harbor any love for anyone outside of azami period, and if he did then it would honestly make him 100x less interesting rather then give him MORE depth. it also would take away from his use in kagepro's narrative as the living memory of all of azami's trauma and pain and in turn all of the other character's trauma and pain. the reason he is that way is so he can represent the despair that comes with trying to prevent change, good or bad.

[yuukei-yikes]

youve probs answered this already, but what kagepro character do you believe deserves to be explored more the most?

(sorry if i phrased that weird)

HMMMMMMMMMMMMM i think.......... canon does a good job at spending a good amount of time on each character, at least the members of the dan. i love them all so i think exploring everyone even further than we get is interesting, but i have to admit haruka post str being The one to have a novel would be kinda fitting.

post str haruka is REAAALLY cool Like how we all grew up with kagerou project, and haruka's whole thing is abt how he's an adult now even though he never imagined he'd live to this point and he spent all that time thinking he'd be dead before he grew up and now he's actually grown and WONT die and is like trying to navigate thru that SNIFF SNIFF i think its rly fitting not only cuz hes one of my Faves but like when u think about it, he rly is the perfect one!!! IF.... that novel ever even sees light of day (im split between wanting it or not bc on one hand oh my god haruka protagonist but on the other hand eugh....jin...just...let it go man like just Stop for good)(lost day hour comic perfect kagepro ending send TWEET)

as for anyone outside the dan i think ayaka would be cool. we dont know much of her. otherwise idk seto or mary or momo or hibiya!!! momo n hibiya always felt kinda comic relief-y to me (especially now that im re reading the novels)(BTW disclaimer, theyre still good charas and i lov them and theyre not BAD written or JUST comic reliefs its just that sometimes they fall into that) and seto and mary................ tbh same as haruka a lil bit?? but yknow seto and mary get a lot of time to shine in the eighth novel too. OK MY ANSWER IS HARUKA THERE

[fuckyeahkagepro]

Jin’s Tweets ~ Kagerou Project mentions - 08/15/22

[fuckyeahkagepro]

If you can’t tell ....

Enlarge the images and check her expression !!!

@Jin: I wonder if anyone noticed this.

@Jin: Wow those who noticed are so sharp.

@Jin: No no, it's not about whether my signature looks like a d*ck or not.

Ah, but there are also people that realized (the difference)! Me so happy~

[summertime-children]

As much as bartender Kano is one of my personal weaknesses, as a certificated Kano stan it's so significant to me that the creator of the series is one of the very few people (approximately 3) that understand that Kano not only is a very good boy, but also has an innate need and desire to do good and become better. And that it's definitely so strong that it can affect his choice of career path.

[kokkuri3]

I was about to say "Kagepro people on Twitter are going insane did something happen" and then I checked and the answer is no. Of course not, you piece of shit. Never hope for anything ever again.

[alonectorch]

I was allowed to make a new character design for Kagerou Daze 『No.9』. I’ll do my best to be strong and help everyone’s beloved Kagerou Project. Thank you. __________ a translation of this tweet from Sayuki, Kagerou Daze『No.9』's character designer.

[favoringeyes]

what if jin tweets that its over and deletes all his kagepro related content and deactivates

[festaventurine]

the parallel between two celebrity men I do care of, Nakamura Shugo (a man from furthest south of Japan who goes to Tokyo to become a musician and becomes one throughout being something else which is a seiyuu) and Jin (a man from the furthest north of Japan who goes to Tokyo to become a musician and becomes one throughout being something else which is Vocaloid composing) will always make me think too much for my own good. 

we shall never know the backstage, but from the looks of it I'm glad Shugon is surrounded by a good environment with how close SideM seiyuus are and how much he's having fun by being loved for just.... being him. He does have his own struggles but he’s able to at least deliver well that he’s okay and having fun and being surrounded by good people and that he will keep on improving.

but Jin.... deserves better. yeah I know Jin's not that much of a good writer but he does produce another kind of good content but the environment he works in forces him to work on things he's not capable with and he had confessed it made him lost a lot of things in his life, too...

remember when he went homeless for a while he also tweeted about losing friendships over time which is worrying whenever his mvs are late he's so scared of the fans attacking him because THE JAPANESE KAGEPRO FANDOM WAS SO VICIOUS THAT IT WAS MARKED AS THE CRINGIEST FANDOM IN JAPAN BACK IN THE TIMES and people BLAMED him for his fandom even though it was out of his control and now he subtly hinted that he is struggling to get kagepro IP back to him

i think at one point he regrets making kagepro but deleted the tweet

one of the reasons why I didn't want to get back into kagepro but I want to support his non-Kagepro works is these if we were to be honest.

[ayara-resara]

Kagepro’s future

What can we expect from the series: all mentions of possible upcoming Kagerou Project content in recent official sources. 

New anime (”Mekakucity Reload”)

2016/08/15 - Seek at Mekakucity: Last Night / subbed announcement

We’re turning into anime… again.

2017/08/15 - Kagerou Project 3rd album Teaser

The new anime is on its way!! (Please wait a little longer ♡)

2018/08/15 - Jin’s Play-and-Talk Livestream

As everyone would expect, he also confirmed that the new anime is in the works. 

2018/11/03 - Animate Times Interview with Jin

――The second season of the TV anime Mekakucity Actors was announced back in 2016, so how will this album work with it from now on? 

New album & MVs

2018/11/16 - Real Sound Interview with Jin

I’ll be making an album next year too, so please look forward to it. There were nine songs this time, but at the beginning, I was planning to go for fourteen songs.

We plan on submitting video productions later on. I guess either “Imaginary Reload” or “Remind Blue”. But back when I had Sidu-san listen to “Remind Blue”, she told me, “This song is like you’ve tossed in everything you’d wanted to do” *laughs*, so I personally want to submit “Remind Blue”. It’s not yet decided, though.

2018/11/29 - Music Natalie Interview with Jin

I also have ideas for a KagePro spin-off and I wanna make a series of videos… Of course, to match up with these, I’ll create a new album too. 

2019/02/02 - Sidu’s Autograph Session 

As a song, Sidu likes RB more, but IR might be very cool with MV. She compares IR with Jin’s desired happy set (?). In the end, she said that personally wants to make Remind Blue.

New novel (”future saga/edition”?)

2017/12/29 - Afterword of Kagerou Daze VIII -summer time reload-

Jin planned to introduce the “new Mekakushi Dan” to us around NEXT SUMMER!!!!!

2018/01/18 - Jin’s tweet

I think the title’ll change but I want to write the sequel. 

2018/08/15 - Jin’s Play-and-Talk Livestream

He went on to say that he was still indeed going to write more KagePro novels, and that the future and the things he hadn’t yet written about were probably going to be part of them, in a way. […] he also thought there would be new characters making appearances in it.

2018/11/03 - Animate Times Interview with Jin

Growing into an adult means that there’s a possibility of new people coming along, and from now on, I’m thinking of continuing Kagerou Project as a story of children too. I believe that, through the appearances of new characters, the viewpoint of Kagerou Project will become one that I hadn’t been able to depict until now.

2018/11/07 - Animate Interview with Jin

There might also be people who think, “If the characters’ young days come to an end, what will happen to the plot?” but I still want to continue their stories. With them becoming adults (they’ll have different encounters with other people, therefore), I’ll be able to introduce new individuals and write stories from a grown-up viewpoint that was not present until now…

2018/11/17 - Jin Talk & Live “Yuukei Roadshow"

He had the ending of the story decided from the beginning. Due to this, he couldn’t introduce new characters even though he’d always wanted to.

He’s been writing the sequel while thinking that if it turns out impossible to publish, then so be it.

Jin-san asked the audience, “Do you want to see the children of the Mekakushi-dan?” (I do.) “I wanna write novels,” he said. He was like, “I wanna introduce new characters!” 

2018/11/23 - Jin’s Autograph Session

I want to write these stories about the future next time.

2018/11/24 - Jin’s tweet

Shintarou’s student(s) may becone the next protagonist(s)

2018/11/29 - Music Natalie Interview with Jin

――Remind Blue is a song that has one of the Mekakushi-dan members, Shintarou, as its protagonist, but will the grown-up figures of the other characters also be depicted from now on? 

I still can’t talk about it for certain, but what I’m thinking is I want to show everyone a story that will be like a “future saga”. I believe I’ll most likely be able to write a novel of it and we might make a manga as well.

2019/02/02 - Jin Talk & Live “Yuukei Roadshow in Tokyo” 

Shintaro will be in the continuation of the series and will be a school teacher. Since marriages between characters and things like that are esteemed, I’ll write the continuation story, but this will be in a parallel what-if world. 

The next protagonist and abilities have been decided too. There are also new characters, characters that remained the way they are and characters that have grown up. It might not happen just in Japan. I wanna hurry and write.

――When will Takane-chan’s birthday be revealed?

Hu~m, I have no plans for it right now… but it’s a very important day. Some big incident or something of the sort will happen. Ah, but it might be in the future edition… 

2019/05/05-06 - Jin Book Forest Music Tour『Teller』~ Library Live ~ (in Takahashi & Shunan)

There will be something related to Takane’s birthday in the next novel?

It seems like adult Kano will be there too.

Hiyori will play a greater role in the sequel.

Jin said that in the manga Momo-chan was dropped out too early, so next time she will appear more often. 

2019/06/05 - Jin’s tweets

I’m collecting material to write KagePro.

(for more info about Mekadan’s future check out “Yuukei Roadshow” links + this)

Undefined

2018/11/17 - Jin Talk & Live “Yuukei Roadshow"

A parallel universe (one of those that are trendy nowadays?) called “Kagerou Quest” might happen www

Alternatively, it might be set in outer space, and it’ll be like a Martian version of the Mekakushi-dan fighting?

2019/02/02 - Jin Talk & Live “Yuukei Roadshow in Tokyo”

Speaking of Haruka, I wanna make a spin-off with him as protagonist or something… 

“Kagerou Project will never end“

2018/11/07 - SPICE Interview with Jin

――Talking about the future, have you planned anything out for Kagerou Project from this point on?

I’ve been thinking it probably won’t end. This is a “I can do it forever” kind of talk, as the feeling that I still want to enjoy it for a little while is keenly present. There seriously was a moment when I thought that I didn’t want to do it anymore, but I’m thinking of taking it on while I still feel like doing it.

2018/11/16 - Real Sound Interview with Jin

――Will Kagerou Project continue?

I want to continue it until my head withers.

[koushirouizumi]

Digimon Adventure(s) Taishiro(u) songfic/parody: REPEAT?_ + Koushiro’s Theory of HAPPINESS

Title: KOUSHIRO’S T h e o r y of HAPPINESS Fandom: Digimon Adventure(s) Character(s): Koushiro Izumi, Yoshie Izumi, Izumi Family (mentioned); hints of the Chosen Children (end & in endnotes) Pairing(s): Taichi Yagami x Koushirou Izumi [Taishiro(u)] (implied throughout) [especially Taishiro(u) in the fic, throughout] Parodied from: K@gerou//Project (w/slashes removed) lyrics mostly (C) Jin Notes: It’s something of an extended parody for my Taishiro ficverse REPEAT?_ Warnings: PLEASE read ANY AND ALL WARNINGS/NOTES for the ficverse first before reading this! This songfic of sorts minimally spoils at least up to the 3rd chapter of the story. However, this song parody/songfic of sorts could also be seen as something like an alternative “introduction”... ... ... (I’M. SORRY) [ you can also click the ‘read more’ and jump first to the end of the page + then scroll up a bit to see additional warning for this particular installment! ]

“    What I THOUGHT BACK on was, AGAIN, MY FAMILY ;    ” [ " This is YOUR HOME, so make yourself comfortable, KOUSHIRO ! " ]

THIS is the vocal version of the cover that inspired me! THIS is the piano arrangement cover version I was listening when editing this. If you pagebottom to the end of the post, a different piano cover with the Kage//pro video is linked as well (this second piano cover mentioned keeps the main lyric’s melody line in tact, though it is also a bit faster too.) here is a version actually sung by THE COMPOSER OF THE SERIES ( he may not be the best singer but it’s the creator of the series pls respect him ok HE TRIES ) (PLEASE READ THE WARNINGS ABOVE IT IF YOU WATCH HOWEVER)

[ AND, WITHOUT FURTHER ADO ... ]

ORIGINAL VIDEO/SONG LINK: HERE + at bottom of post

                    KOUSHIRO’S T h e o r y of HAPPINESS

What I THOUGHT BACK on was, AGAIN, MY FAMILY ; [ " This is YOUR HOME, so make yourself comfortable, Koushiro ! " ] In [a LITTLE PLACE] with [red?] [brick?] walls, He mutters to himself, as if making SECRET PLANS In the [ PURE BLACK EYES ] BROUGHT HERE Lies a past he has HIDDEN FROM       A D U L T S With [ embarrassment ? ] F E A R in HIS EYES, he [ mutters ] SAYS CRIES " I'M SCARED " [" I'm JUST A MONSTER ! "] So I TELL HIM, " DON’T BE ! " [" THAT’S NOT TRUE AT ALL !!! "] " RED is THE COLOR OF A H E R O, so there's no need to be afraid ! " [ " YELLOW is THE COLOR OF THE SUN'S RAYS, so YOU'LL DEFINITELY BE OKAY !..... " ] ..Wondering what he would find fun, I am ACTING the " M O T H E R " a g a i n " Hey, LOOK ! " [ HE ? ] [ I ?? ? ] wrapped [himself?] [ m y s e l f ] in [RED?] [antics]; [RED?] [YELLOW??] [scarf?] [C A P E?] " We're like SECRET AGENTS ! " DYED in [ MADDER RED? ] , we'll B E G I N , even if we're merely P L A Y I N G  H E R O E S " As long as we can manage just a little smile... " We will  BE    FAMILY    STILL      TODAY I PRAY for HAPPINESS in THE FUTURE AHEAD , so HOWEVER SAD it may be... " Now keep this A SECRET ! " The sun sets with us LAUGHING . ... The SPRING breeze blows, and the now-ADULT world Is i r r a t i o n a l l y bent, as if conspired to be The thick and faded tears of [loved ones?]   [ H I M ] Go UNNOTICED BY ALL, turning B L A C K Things had GONE CRAZY, but by the time I NOTICED, I could NOT TELL A N Y O N E " No, NO, I DON’T WANT TO BE DESTROYED ! " ... There CAME A WORLD where HAPPINESS ENDS . " [ RED c o l o r ], PLEASE. N O M O R E; DON’T BRING RUIN TO ANYONE ELSE’S F U T U R E . " I thought as I CRIED again, keeping it HIDDEN WITH A SMILE " ... IF    I    HAD [   T H A T  ... RED ?   ]    M Y S E L F  , could I S A V E S O M E O N E ‘ S F U T U R E ? " AWKWARD and SHAMEFUL , this is my L O N E L Y  P L A N ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... Now that I ‘ M G O N E , I WONDER IF                                         [    M Y  F A M I L Y    ] Are S T I L L G E T T I N G A L O N G , and SMILING TOGETHER ? I ‘ M S U R E they must be UPSET WITH ME --- But I W O N D E R  I F  I  H A V E  B E C O M E                                       ///      "   THEIR SON   "      ///

                                                    [ F A M I L Y ] ... N O W .

[ T A I C H I - S A N & MIMI-SAN ] Please try to    REMEMBER       THAT WORD      I   L O V E D;

                                    [ C H O S E N C H I L D R E N ] "   H A P P I N E S S   "   is    a       C U R I O U S          T H I N G  ,

                                               [ K O U S H I R O ] SO I HOPE Y O U    CAN    L O V E T    O    M    O    R    R    O    W       ... ... ... ... ... ... 

  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...

REPEAT?_

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NOTES:

- I’M SORRY - I HATE KAGE//PROS FOR DOING THIS TOO I’M SORRY - NO IT’S STILL NOT A DIRECT PARODY BUT EXTREMELY INSPIRED W/THIS ONE - if you can’t quite tell, the first verse began as Mrs./Yoshie Izumi before eventually switching to Koushiro’s POV in the second verse! - in the original video, by the second verse, Kagepro’s plot kicks in MUCH MORE IN GEAR aaand yeah STILL NOT A DIRECT PARODY - SO PLS DON’T THINK IT IS - STILL HEAVILY INSPIRED but yeah you can discount most of the second verse visual plot-wise - unless you really want to torture yourself with imagery of tiny sad!Koushiro crying alone LITERALLY WHY - DON’T WORRY THOUGH MR. IZUMI IS V. NOT INVOLVED LIKE THAT HERE - WHY IS KAGE//PROS LIKE THAT I STG

- the reason why the lyrics alternate between: [RED?] [YELLOW??] [scarf?] [C A P E?] -- is because this is more Kage//pros specific imageries and yeahh I don’t want the exact same thing for Koushiro visually in most of main REPEAT?_ BUT - MENTAL IMAGERY wise IT CAN STILL BE A THING - IN THE VARIOUS FORMS MENTIONED - BUT I WAS THINKING “CAPE” MORE BECAUSE OF A CERTAIN

^ WOW HI WHO ARE YOU H U H WOW THAT’S SOME. CAPE. CAPE - MAYBE KOUSHIRO COULD ALSO HOWEVER WRAP IT AROUND HIMSELF LIKE A SCARF - BUT V-TAMER TAICHI’S CAPE WAS YELLOW YEAH - AND I STILL DON’T KNOW MUCH ABOUT V-TAMER ITSELF - EXCEPT IT GETS VERY DRAMATIC TOO - BUT MAYBE KOUSHIRO IN SOME ‘VERSES COULD ALSO WRAP “IT” AS A SCARF FOR HIMSELF YEAH - ..... MAYBE EVEN A. BLACK(ISH-GREY). SCARF. - FOR REASONS - ... MAYBE IT CHANGES COLORS (IDEK)

- I’M SORRY AGAIN - FEELINGS HATE ME - however this one is kinda really hard to parody without arts skills myself besides amv making so ;; ;; probably won’t be able to make anything amv-wise for this kind of thing for a super long while.....

- STILL THOUGH I HAD TO GET THE FEELINGS OUT WHY THIS - MRS IZUMI MY LOVE YOSHIE-MAMA I LOVE YOU - KOUSHIRO VOICE YELLING ‘ I LOVE YOU ’ - I DEFINITELY DO NOT WANT YOSHIE TO BECOME AYANO THOUGH N O

- ...... she probably already kinda involved herself though in some parts - ....... i’m sorry - WARNINGS (+ FOR REPEATVERSE): - IMPLIED/ATTEMPTED (KEY WORD: ATTEMPTED) SELF-SACRIFICE/’DEATH’ (ESPECIALLY IN KAGE//PROS) - HOWEVER. This is. Well. See REPEAT?_ infos too and YEAH. - IT DOESN’T WORK OUT EXACTLY AS THEY PLANNED..... - I PROMISE IT GETS BETTER ;; ;; ;; ;; ;; ;; ;; ;; (I ..... PROMISE)

WARNINGS FOR THE KAGE//PROS VIDEO: - IMPLICATIONS OF past child abuse (I’M SO SORRY FOR KAGE//PROS) [ this happens for a line spanning about 10 seconds ] - blonde haired boy Kano suffered from child abuse from a past family member. - black haired boy Seto suffers from being bullied as a child by various neighborhood kids - green haired/short haired girl Kido came from a very strict family / mainly her biological father. This ‘father’ was ... neglectful/emotionally abusive in ways (I’m so sorry for Kage//pros) he eventually ends up trying to kill her + her older sister + himself in a fire. She well. (Yeah. She survives. 7TH NOVEL SPOILERS) - the one visible though is actually not the father but more like a butler/maid from the same ‘house’ according to the author in old tweets. - there is nothing more said about that and hope to god it stays that way because. yeah. yeah - basically Kage//pros has MANY warnings re ‘deaths’ PLEASE TREAD VERY CAREFULLY AND ONLY IF YOU THINK YOU CAN HANDLE PLOT-RELATED DETAILS LIKE THAT - they are not actually ‘adopted’ by the way, technically it’s ‘fostered’ (confirmed via Japanese kanji in the original version). I don’t want to debate Kage//pros here though yeah, just mentioning that quickly since it’s important to not get confused with Kage//pros plot orz (many people will debate this though and I understand why but. yeah. technically it’s not official for many maaany plot reasons and yes the official English version definitely mistranslated it orz why this) (just saying: in Japan, when adopted, your surname has to legally change to your adopted family’s surname. The kids’ surnames do not change in Kage//pros canon and the implication is that thegirls’parents’bothdied beforeitcouldhappenyeah. This was pointed out by a Japanese translator so yeah...) [plus her doing what she does at the end kinda screws a lot up y e a h] - NO THIS PART DETAILED ABOVE RE: KAGE//PROS PLOT VERY MUCH DOES NOT RELATE TO THIS STORY GOD NO -  IZUMIS ARE THE GOOD ADOPTIVE PARENTS AND I’M KEEPING IT THAT WAY THANK YOU VERY MUCH - KOUSHIRO’S BIOLOGICAL PARENTS TOO - BUT YEAH THOSE WARNINGS ARE SPECIFIC TO KAGE//PROS THOUGH IF YOU WATCH THE VIDEO I’M SORRY - this is mainly in the first verse during the “brough here...” line - you can kinda cover your eyes at that part and just listen if you’d like though?? - in the second verse it’s heavily implied the girl’s own father is going mentally downhill (this is due to heavy plot spoiler reasons) - (this is a pretty initial spoiler but. his wife also dies - this is related via the second verse of the song, her photo is seen) - he basically ends up discovering plot things and - experiments ... on the girl singings’ classmates/friends ... uhhhh yeah (I’M SORRY FOR KAGE//PROS) - (IT’S NOT REALLY ‘HIM’ THOUGH.....) - this is why SHE’S TRYING TO STOP IT later on in the song - THIS ALSO VERY MUCH DOES NOT RELATE TO MY FICVERSE [BEING SERIOUS HERE]

^ an alternative piano version, albeit a bit faster!

^ this is the original video / song! (PLEASE TREAD WITH CAUTION) (BUT if you’re comfortable with such plot things) (THIS WORKS WELL FOR MAXIMUM FEELINGS) [ AND IT’S HONESTLY A GORGEOUS SONG/VIDEO ] [ AYANO’S A GORGEOUS CHARACTER TOO OK ]

[atsushishelteredinmoonlitjasmine]

Thoughts about Additional Memory and Kagepro

I’ve had some thoughts running through my mind since listening to Additional Memory and kinda reading through people’s own thoughts about it. I’m not going to make any theories about this song or try and figure out what it could all possibly mean. Instead, I’m just gonna write down the things I’ve thought about that people have kinda indirectly led me to thinking.

A friend started talking about how glad they were about Additional Memory delving into Ayano’s depression and I told them about how everyone was freaking out over Jin’s Tweet a little earlier about it being ‘a dark work’, meaning ‘fuck, everyone’s gonna die again’. It kinda made me realize that Kagepro has two meanings for what ‘dark’ is. Either it’s the edgy murder shit like Outer Science or the more realistic dark themes the series has. That line of thinking led me to this conclusion.

This is just my opinion so anyone can disagree with me here but I feel like all the songs from Jinzou Enemy to Summertime Record were kind of like the basics of storytelling. Introduce characters, have a plot, and occasionally show off lore/backstories. While they presented the heavy stuff, such as depression, suicide, etc., they never really elaborated on it. Some stuff is either implied or left to the fandom to decide on, outside of certain characters’ stuff.

I haven’t read the manga past Vol. 6 and the novels Vol. 2 but it feels like after a certain point, Jin begins to focus more on the characters and their inner demons. Granted, I don’t know when this shift occurred or even if it ever did but still…

I guess what I’m trying to say is, after Jin showed off the plot from beginning to middle to end, he began to develop the characters, elaborate on the previously mentioned themes, stuff like that. For example, Kido. Before Shissou Word came out, what did we really know about her, besides her tragic backstory and typical ‘girl doesn’t like feminine things’ schtick? Before, I was really indifferent to her. After Shissou Word’s release, she became more developed in a way that, I think anyway, was believable and relatable. It’s because of Shissou Word that Kido’s now a character I care about because I see some of myself in her and want to see come out of this okay.

While people didn’t really so much complain as they did hoping, people would sometimes bring up Ayano not really developing past her initial impression. Yeah, she’s a girl who’s so dedicated to saving her friends and family that she sacrificed herself to stop Saeru that unfortunately didn’t pan out. The manga actually did her a favor by making her more of a human being than a martyr, which is good! I made a post a while back about how I felt about Ayano being who she was back then but I was very intrigued because it made her interesting! Additional Memory, from what my friend gathered of it so I’m basing this off them, went into Ayano’s depression and made you feel really bad for her. While people have said she was depressed before, you never really saw any of that. If anything, her depression went on the backburner and only served to be a thing she just had. This, however, seemed to emphasize how truly alone and miserable she was, having to die over and over again just to fail in saving anyone.

Unfortunately, I’m having to base this on something that may not even be true until the English subs come out so I’m probably completely wrong. However, Additional Memory has also made me realize how relatable and effing sad Ayano is. She has depression, which may be as bad as Shintaro’s is, but she’s having to keep it bottled up. She has to keep up this image of being a strong, dependable older sister, daughter, and friend so as to not make anyone worry over her. Obviously, it gets worse when Saeru enters the picture because at that point, she’s in danger of losing everyone she cares about but yet she can’t talk about it with anyone. While she tries to depend on Kano for support, it ultimately wasn’t enough and now she feels as if she’s dragged her little brother into something she feels she should’ve taken care of all by herself. As I said earlier, would it really be surprising if part of or the whole reason she decided to commit suicide was because she had a genuine desire to die? It’s purely hypothetical but it’s there.

It’s funny how Shintaro and Ayano are more alike than initially seemed but there’s a major difference. Shintaro, while we joke about him being a shut-in, at least had someone to rely on (Ene and, depending on which route, the Mekakushi Dan) for even the little stuff whereas Ayano shouldered it all on herself.

I think what makes this more interesting is that, from the outside, Ayano didn’t really have anything to be depressed. She had a loving family, friends and, while she did have bad grades, they weren’t really anything to cry about (In my opinion, anyway). I can’t say when her depression would’ve developed because I’d have to be Jin himself to know that but maybe that’s why she felt as if she had to keep it all in. To her, she had nothing to be depressed about but yet she still was. Friends and family couldn’t really help since she kept it bottled up so it was just a shitty situation all around.

Anyway, that’s all I was thinking about. I’m running off of 9 hours sleep from yesterday so I may be wrong about a lot of stuff here. When the English subs are added, I might make an addendum to this…

[x0401x]

GOUACHE Members interview

Jin’s solo interview || Sidu’s interview || Original (full translation under the cut)

“Kagerou Daze -in a day’s-” is a bodily sensation-type 4D short movie, which was released in the second theater system of the national-wide TOHO Cinemas on November 4th in MX4D™. The movie’s opening theme song, “RED”, made by the creator of “Kagerou Project”, Jin-san – who is not only its lyricist and composer, but also the light novel and manga script’s writer –, together with his new-formed band (GOUACHE), received great repercussion in the entire Mora site immediately after its publishing. Other than that, Jin-san has his other band and works as support musician as well, and has been much talked about for recruiting such experienced members.

In this interview, to celebrate the movie’s presentation to the public and the huge popularity of “RED”, we have successfully gathered comments from the GOUACHE members! These news will consist of each member’s official talks about the band and its songs, from the thoughts they’ve put into the compositions to the possible future developments. It’s a must-read for the fans as it’s packed with detailed answers! Please enjoy it without skipping any words or sentences!

GOUACHE Members

MARiA (Vocals) Born on 1/31/1992 in Ibaraki Prefecture. Had her major debut in 2014 and works as GARNiDELiA’s vocalist. Is an artwork producer, in charge of songwriting, and also dances during live performaces. Is a model for several fashion brands as well, and has been earning the support of young women from her generation.

Jin (Guitar/Vocals) Born on 10/20/1990 in Hokkaidou’s Rishiri Island. Is a music composer, light novel writer and scenario writer. Specializes in creating untramelled works that do not get caught up in stereotyped concepts.

Gushimiyagi Hideyuki (Guitar/Vocals) Born on 1/31/1990 in Okinawa Prefecture. Started working as a guitarist, then created his own band, Creature Falls Umbrella, in 2014, and became its vocal-guitarist and composer as well.

Shirakami Mashirou (Bass/Vocals) Born on 5/5/1988 in Okayama Prefecture. Besides being solo artist and singer, he’s also a bassist, composer, arranger and recording engineer, working as a producer of anything related to music.

Ibuki Fumihiro (Drums/Choir) Born on 8/27/1990 in Hokkaidou’s Ohibiro town. Is a Jazz drums course graduate from Senzoku Gakuen Music College. Is the leader of the band O.P.P.A.I. and works as support artist for many other bands. Actively takes part in numberous national and international performances, no matter their genre.

GOUACHE’s official Twitter account: GOUACHE_JP (T/N: Please follow them, guys. They don’t have even 3k followers yet. The account is bilingual, so you can get information from it even if you don’t speak Japanese. Their English is a little awkward but it’s easy to understand. Also, they’re considering releasing their songs overseas, so the more non-Japanese followers they get, the greater the chances of that happening.)

Q&A

──I believe that while “RED”, the opening theme of “Kagerou Daze -in a day’s-”, is about “a sight that adults can’t understand and only reflects in the eyes of children”, it also deals with more universal themes. Were there any feelings you had wanted to deliver to people other than the current “KagePro” fans?

Jin: I was the one in charge of the lyrics of “RED”, and just as you said, it’s a piece aiming to deliver a worldview that reverberates within the “child-like heart” of the biggest amount of people possible. A “child-like heart” is what I personally consider one of my most valuable themes, so since I was using it, as expected, I ended up needing quite some time for the composition.

To express the scenery of a bygone summer’s day through words is a very specific task, and for that, I received advice mostly from the member Mashiro-san, and thus it became the way it is. That’s why these lyrics that are about a sight I saw in the past have, of course, been sprinkled with memories from a summer that Mashiro-san himself has lived. I think that lyrics like these being born is also something that reflects the band’s taste, so I’d wish everyone enjoyed this part of them too.

The majority of the GOUACHE members write songs, so I believe we will be releasing compositions from several polished viewpoints from now on. Please look forward to it.

──I was wondering if the song “RED” wouldn’t be the equivalent to a business card for the band GOUACHE. Are the things GOUACHE wants to convey contained in this song? I’d also like to ask what the theme of GOUACHE and what the message you actually want to deliver are.

Gushimiyagi: “RED” was the opening theme of the “KagePro” movie, so Jin was the one to take the lead in the making of the composition. But rather than a business card, it wound up as a work with the concept of what would happen if GOUACHE made a piece that leans towards “KagePro”. Therefore, I think the interpretation that the song “RED” is a piece that equals to a business card for GOUACHE just because it's our starting song would have only been valid if we were to make it through our upcoming activities. I’d be happy if people could feel GOUACHE’s theme and the things we want to transmit through the works that will be born from them.

──“RED” also had a simultaneous release with a high resolution sound generator version. Any concerns regarding the HighRes? Is there any piece that you want to listen to in HighRes or that you already listened to in HighRes and thought “this is amazing”?

(T/N: A sound generator is a device that generates sound waves by reproducing multiple basic waveforms. The finest ones can even detect the increase or decrease of air pressure in the room during recordings, so fluctuations in the atmosphere might interfere with the results.)

Ibuki: We still don’t have equipments that support HighRes for home recording, but we have been able to compare the three types of HighRes equipment through analyzing one piece from a CD lent to us by a musician otaku Senpai. I’ve always had doubts as to whether or not human ears could process sounds that can’t be recorded into CDs, so I was extremely shocked when, even while listening to it blindfolded, I could clearly tell the change in atmosphere. When I checked the sound mixes from our usual studio recordings in the control room, it sounded similar to the time I brought the sound generator to my home, which has a different speaker. The CD gives the impression that the sound leaps into surface, and the HighRes gives the impression that what leaps in is one particularly lengthy soundwave. I usually enjoy listening to music with an analog during home recordings since I can feel its depth more than with a CD, but I get concerned about the noise. “RED” is, more than anything, a song made by people obsessed with creating sounds, so please do try it out in HighRes. We want you to listen to an aspect of it that you absolutely can’t hear on YouTube.

──It’s said that the HighRes can reproduce even the “atmosphere” of the recording studio. Your usual tweets cause us to assume that you might have an obsession with the recording equipments and environment, but keeping in mind the viewpoint of those from the sidelines, we’d like you to tell us if any of you have ever thought something along the lines of, “I want people to listen to a sound generator from this angle”.

Shirakami: This time, I played the drums for recording with the image of an American rock band in mind. Their sound gives me the impression of a low center of gravity, gradually-increasing highs and clear vocals. It’s a sound that has long been a personal favorite of mine, and together with these members, engineers and directors, I attempted challeging it through all kinds of trial and error while making this song.

In order to increase the impact of the zone that embeds the unique notes of the guitar and, especially, the bass, taking advantage of the interval in-between the Japanese rock band-like guitar sounds, the individuality of the bass comes to light from the middle part onwards with a low gravity center kick. My position of making the drums take on a moderate, not-too-wet intensity was chosen by one of the engineers. The bass was recorded in a dead room, while the guitar was recorded in a semi-live room.

(T/N: In this context:

“Wet” is jargon that refers to a very thick, deep sound with little to no sustain.

A “dead room” is basically a room designed to be acoustically “dead” ─ as in not produce echoes and be free of ambient noise.

A “live room” is the opposite, designed to be highly reverberant, while a “semi-live room” is a toned-down version of it.)

The playback environment also influences it, but I feel it becomes easier to notice the change of high-end in the HighRes. I think the subtle breaths of the vocals, the tale’s nuance, the reverberation of the cymbals and snares, the mood of the guitar amplifier and the contrast of the opposing tight-kick bass are conveyed more clearly in it.

Regarding the recording equiment, we usually leave them in the care of an engineer that we normally count on, so I don’t know for sure, but the drums were selected from the cymbals to the head of the kick, and several guitar amplifiers and distortion effectors were tested. I’d be happy if people could feel the difference of the main guitar’s sound, the bass’s effective arrangements, and the players’ wills, which don’t depend on the studio.

(T/N: High-end is a class of consumer home audio equipment marketed on the basis of high price or quality, and distortion effectors are devices made to alter the sound of amplified electric musical instruments.)

──Lastly, I’d like to ask about your expectations for the future.

MARiA: “The five of us, overflowing with individuality, want to make interesting and fun things together first and foremost!” is what I thought when forming the band. I think it’d be great if GOUACHE could deliver various worldviews through its melodies, tunes and lyrics! I believe we’ll announce new songs like crazy in the near future and, of course, we want to do a live with all our might, so please look forward to it!!!

──Members of GOUACHE, thank you very much!

[fuckyeahkagepro]

８月１５日だ

“ August 15th. ”

- Jin, August 15th 2019