#kalafina solo activities

[putschki1969]

KALAFINA REUNION 📢IT'S TRUE📢

Why did I even go to bed last night??! Damn it, I lost precious time. Anways, many of you must have seen my post last night about that ominous Nikkan Sports article speculating about a possible comeback of Kalafina. I honestly thought it was fake news since it contained a ton of unconfirmed/uncredited information. However, there was lots of interesting stuff that kept me from dismissing it entirely. I mean, who would go through all the trouble coming up with details such as specific quotes or exact concert details? Turns out they mostly got the dates mixed up but the rest was true. At noon Japanese Standard Time, we got all of our official announcements. Here's the gist of it〈(•ˇ‿ˇ•)-→

Kalafina Staff Posts 1 & 2 on Twitter

Announcement of "Kalafina Anniversary LIVE 2025" Date: Wednesday, January 15, 2025 Open at 17:30 /Start 18:30 Venue: Tokyo Garden Theater Performers: Kalafina (Wakana, Keiko, Hikaru) Music Director: Takebe Satoshi

To everyone who loves and supports Kalafina We have decided to hold a "Kalafina Anniversary LlVE 2025". We want to sing together as a trio again, knowing that you all have always cherished Kalafina, even while we are doing solo activities. We look forward to seeing you there! Kalafina (Wakana, Keiko, Hikaru)

Ticket sales are scheduled for the following dates: ■Wakana/KEIKO Fan Club Advanced Lottery October 10, 2024, 11:00 - October 20, 23:59 ■Hikaru X (formerly Twitter) Advanced Lottery October 25, 11:00 - November 4, 23:59 ■General Ticket Lottery November 9, 11:00 - November 11, 23:59

Keiko Posts 1 & 2 on Twitter & Fan Club Site & Tristone & Instagram post

To all our supporters We have decided to hold a "Kalafina Anniversary LlVE 2025". Through my solo activities and activities with FictionJunction, I have had many new encounters and taken on new challenges, and I am where I am today thanks to the support of many people. This is a personal matter, but the reason I took a break from singing and then decided to sing again was because of Yuki Kajiura's music. And it was the feelings of everyone who has supported us up until now that led to this event. I am grateful for those feelings, and I am simply happy that the three of us can deliver Kalafina's music again. I am truly looking forward to seeing you all next year. KEIKO

Hikaru's Post on Twitter and Instagram

To everyone who always supports us We are happy to announce that we'll be holding a "Kalafina Anniversary LlVE 2025". Even during my solo activities, I always got a strong sense of everyone's love for Kalafina. I'm grateful we are getting this opportunity to sing together again as a trio and to perform all those treasured songs which Yuki Kajiura has written for us. I hope we can raise a new flag together with all of you. I look forward to seeing you there that day! 2024.10.03 Hikaru

Wakana Posts on Twitter & Botanical Land & Instagram post

(We finally have an official statement from Wakana on her Insta) It has been decided that an "Kalafina Anniversary LIVE 2025" will be held on January 15th next year. From 2018 to the present, we have each pursued our own music, but we have decided to sing together again. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all of you who always think of and love Kalafina. I am very much looking forward to meeting you all.

Satoshi Takebe Tweet 1 & Tweet 2 & Tweet 3 (deleted)

Today I had a meeting with some artists I truly respect and had a beer in the middle of the day 🍺 We had a fun afternoon. I hope there will be lots of fun things to do next year too. I can't say anything yet, but I'm already working on some exciting projects!! (Tweet 1)

I believe that my mission is to support artists. It is never my intention to betray or hurt people. That is the one thing I have always stayed true to, and I will continue to do so. It may sound naive, but I believe that sincerity and passion are what motivate people. (Tweet 2)

Due to confidentiality obligations, I cannot explain the situation. However, Kajiura-san is an artist I respect, she's a wonderful musician, and I am a fan of the music she creates. I would like to support the three members with the utmost respect. (Tweet 3 - deleted)

Tweet by Yuki Kajiura & Tweet 2 & Tweet 3

Regarding Kalafina I've received some inquiries in relation to the most recent announcement of an upcoming Kalafina Live Concert so I'd like to use this opportunity to clarify that I, Yuki Kajiura, will not have no involvement whatsoever in this concert. Furthermore, I have not received any advance notice or explanation from the organisers or any of the group members. Given the situation, I am therefore unable to answer any questions. I apologise, but any future inquiries regarding Kalafina should be directed at the organisers and official agencies of the group members.

I believe the members of Kalafina have decided to step away from me as their producer to go on a new path that is not related to me. I had been searching for a way to work together again in the future to create new Kalafina music but that will no longer be happening. It is very unfortunate but this is the road that each member has chosen. We are all individuals searching for our personal musical path so things like this happen.

As you all know, the three of them are truly wonderful singers so I have no doubt that they will continue to deliver amazing vocals and music to their fans. I would like to express my sincere gratitude once again for the privilege and happiness of having been able to create music together with them for nearly ten years, and I wish Kalafina continued success in the future.

Yuki Kajiura (Tweet 1)

I hope for a great success regarding the upcoming concert, and that's all I can say about this. I hope to continue making music in a cheerful and fun way in the future (^^). (Tweet 2)

This may be an unnecessary remark, but… there's no way that Kalafina will no longer be able to sing their past songs just because one producer has left, and I personally don't wish that upon them.

I'm sure they'll create a wonderful harmony at their live show in January, so I hope you'll give thunderous cheers and applause to Kalafina's singing and to the musicians who support them on stage. Once again, I wish them all the success in the world. (Tweet 3)

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Wow. All of this is wild. I don't even know what to say. I can hardly believe it. On one hand, I am beyond happy and excited. There's no way I will not be there for this concert and everything beyond that. But on the other hand, all the announcements make this feel a little bittersweet. The personal statements by Wakana, Keiko and Hikaru don't necessarily feel disingenuous but they sound a bit flat and forced. Sadly, there's no personal statement from Wakana yet. Obviously, the elephant in the room is Yuki Kajiura's statement and her exclusion from the entire project. The way her statement is written comes off as quite bitter, passive aggressive and honestly a little petty which doesn't bode well for the future (maybe her manager Mori asked her to phrase it in such a way to make the organisers look bad. And I can understand why she would feel frustrated at being excluded like that). Mostly, I interpret her standoffish attitude as a knee-jerk reaction or as a way to strongly distance herself from the whole thing and not so much as an attempt to bash the members (the latter half of the statement would indicate that at least). Also, she already seems to regret posting such a harsh statement and posted a couple of follow-up tweets. I truly do not understand what is going on behind the scenes to cause so much hostility between Yuki Kajiura, her management and whoever is pulling the strings for this Kalafina reunion (presumably Space Craft's management). My best guess is that Space Craft is at least somehow involved in this project since both Wakana and Satoshi Takebe are able to participate (Takebe is not affiliated with Space Craft but he's been in charge of almost all of Wakana's solo work so maybe there are some ties to the agency).It looks like Space Craft are adamant about not working together with YK (same old childish attitude). Then again, Satoshi Takebe has enough influence in the industry to organise a project like this without the help of Space Craft. Maybe Sony is also involved? I have no idea. Hope we are getting more details once the ticket lotteries start. A new Kalafina website (still being developed) has popped up and it's run by Space Craft so that's probably proof enough that they are one of the main players in all of this.

I wonder if this was a spur of the moment thing once they realised how much hype there still exists for Kalafina after that "ring your bell" performance at the FSN event...Overall, the timing is so weird, Why now? I mean, this doesn't sound like it has been in the making for a very long time based on the fact that Yuki Kajiura didn't even know about it. Keiko and Hikaru literally collaborated with her a couple of weeks ago so how did this topic not come up even once???! Wonder how it will affect future collaborations between Yuki, Keiko and Hikaru? They still have the Asia tour dates coming up in November so I can imagine it would be kinda awkward to work together after this bomb has been dropped. Will they still be covering Kalafina songs? Either way, I refuse to believe tha there has been a real falling out between any of them. It comes across like a series of unfortunate events. Maybe some miscommunication and rushed action but nothing that couldn't be cleared up with a proper conversation.

One thing I'm also curious about is whether or not Satoshi Takebe will take on the role as producer for future music (if they are even planning to go down that route?? It does sound like they might have new projects/releases in store for us...I do feel a little conflicted about that since Yuki Kajiura is such an important component of Kalafina. This is basically what I thought would happen back in 2018/2019. With someone else coming in to take charge of the music production. Back then I wasn't completely against the idea since I was convinced the girls could make it work (especially with the help of someone as established and competent as Satoshi Takebe) but it certainly wasn't my preferred option. Ughhh, I will remain open-minded for the time being. My love for Wakana, Keiko and Hikaru goes beyond anything so as of right now, I feel happy and excited. The live in January will be a celebration of Kalafina so there's no way I'm not going. If they continue to hold "tribute" concerts like this, it will mostly be a nostalgic cash-grab but hey, I'm the target group for that. They can have all my money. And I can definitely see myself supporting them in future projects even with Yuki Kajiura out of the picture. Takebe has been engaging in some surprisingly frank one-on-one discussions on Twitter and so far, it looks like certain confidentiality agreements keep him from going into detail in the matter but his involvement as of right now is limited to being a director/producer for the concert on January 15.

It goes without saying that I will not tolerate any hate towards the girls on this blog! If you are bitter that Yuki Kajiura is not involved, that's your prerogative, I'm sure this will antagonise quite a few hardcore YK fans. But please, don't shit on the members for making this decision. I'm sure they put a lot of thought into it and felt like this course of action was in everyone's best interest. They are clearly thinking about the fans, their own passion/love for Kalafina's music and obviously their careers within the industry.

[autumnwalk]

My reaction about the issue about Kalafina

1. I don't believe Keiko or Hikaru intentionally lied to YK. I feel like the talk about the concert is still in the early stages and thus its not appropriate to tell Kajiura about it yet. But the article forced their hand.

2. YK's reply was a hard jab intented to make the fans conflicted. I get it, she was hurt but could she have talked to K and H first before posting.

3. Satoshi Takebe said that he only agreed to be the musical director for the concert only. So Kalafina continuing activities after the concert is still up in the air. (To the hurt fans, please stop attacking the poor Man!)

4. Why would anyone think Wakana and YK's has beef? Wakana has utmost respect for YK. But she has stated before that she wanted to try a solo career and now she has. I can see the main reason she stayed is because of her dream. She wanted to find her own music and that is impossible when she is with YK because she is typecasted in a role. Another possible reason is because she needs rest, her voice needs rest. Doing FJ and Kalafina for 10 years is exhausting. She might have wanted a different pace where she has time to recover but also sings from time to time.

5. I know the girls wanted this reunion more than anyone. And I hate the backlash this reunion has received. (Those bashers can go f themselves)

6. Wouldn't it be better if Kalafina keeps singing YK songs to keep them alive than being stuck in a vault somewhere? Those songs are being wasted not being performed!

7. I'm going to the concert. I will not miss it. I've always wanted to see how Kalafina song will be performed now that the girls grew mature as singers. I know it would be awesome.

Also the chances of this happening again in the future is slim.

8. I was hoping this concert was a step to fixing the issues between YK and SC. But I can see it runs deeper than that. I dont think this beef would end anytime soon or at all.

[lazinni]

All the Kalafina drama is making me so angry. People spent YEARS spamming Wakana, Keiko and Hikaru with how much we miss Kalafina. (I do, too! But lt rubs me the wrong way that people can't respect their will). Now they offer a concert so we can enjoy their music once more, and all they got is a massive amount of hate.

They probably posted the announcements expecting a happy reaction, but they got so many attacks and mean comments... I feel so so bad for them.

I actually understand Kajiura. It's heartbreaking that she (most likely) found out via twitter/news instead of being told by someone. She has all the right to be furious. And I 100% respect her decission and support it.

However, she shouldn't have made a post like that. Her feelings are valid, but when you have such a big following, you should be more careful with your public statements. She should have talked about it privately first. She should have listened to the girls' reasons. Because I feel no one had ill intentions, and all of this was just a massive misunderstanding.

Even if she tried to sound less harsh on her next tweets, at that point there was so much damage done already.

I'm sure Kajiura's intentions were not bad either, she just shared how she genuinely felt. But the way it was worded blew things out of proportion.

"they're trying to remove Kajiura from the project" "they're replacing Kajiura" "they think they are better than her" mmm no???? All that was announced was a anniversary live. No one mentioned resuming "full time" activities. Nor releasing new music. It was wrong no one contacted Kajiura earlier, but as far as we know, no one is "stealing" her project.

For me, it's more like a tribute live. A tribute for her 10 years of work, and a tribute for us.

I agree Kajiura is the one who created and shaped Kalafina's identity. I dont think there's another group with such an unique and varied discography.

For me the best Kalafina era music-wise was 2008-10. I agree back them the girls were more like Kajiura's "instruments", and Kalafina was Kajiura.

But I feel with time girls grew so much. They became Kalafina. Their stage presence and charisma were a big part of the success of the group.

In fact, most anime tie-ins since 2010 (besides Meguca), the one they became popular for, are pretty bland and generic songs. What made them special was the way they performed it and how they shone in stage.

Imo Kalafina became "mainstream" not (just) because of the quality of Kajiura works, but because of the girls. (don't get me wrong, she does have a lot of great works.... But the anisongs are not one of them).

In fact, I dont enjoy as much FJ lives. Despite Joelle/Yuriko/Kaori being much better/stable vocalists than Wakana and Hikaru, the vibe is completely different and (for me) not as enjoyable. Kajiura is still my fave composer and all the girls are great..... But Hikaru/Keiko/Wakana work too well.

Also, I don't think it's fair to talk as if girls "owe" everything to Kajiura. They gave her their best years, the best moments of her voices. Hikaru and Wakana lost their chance to became solo artists when they were on their best.

They're all adults, that's the decisions they made and no one is to blame about them. But my point is, both parts put a lot of work into the project. It's not like Kajiura was some charity who wanted to help them, they worked their asses and they *deserved* to be part of the group.

Please don't get me wrong. I don't want to shit on Kajiura, I think she's a genius and the one who made everything possible. But the girls don't deserve to be treated as if they were less than her.

This is not about picking a side, but about respecting everyone.

[davi-doo]

About Kalafina's reunion in 2025

I heard the news and read everyone's statement at 3 am in my time, and honestly, even 10 hours later I still don't know what to feel.

I don't want to be the kind of person who says "Kalafina is nothing without Yuki Kajiura". In fact, for all the years I follow both Kalafina and FictionJunction's activity, I realized I can't say I'm Kajiura's die hard fan, but I totally am for Wakana, Keiko and Hikaru.

That being said, Kajiura's music is such an integral part of Kalafina, that I only recognized its meaning fully in its abscene. Hard as I tried to love Wakana, Keiko and Hikaru's solo work, most of them are pale in comparison. Wakana's work appears to align the most musically to Kalafina's songs and I enjoy them significantly more, but sadly not enough as I wish I could.

Kajiura's letter has such strong wording for a Japanese. Given how easily for those who are involved to reach out to her, I think her being upset is rightful. Though, I wish she took time and considered the public before releasing such a statement. From the early announcement on the newspaper, I wonder if the info about this reunion was leaked earlier than everyone expected, and they're all forced roll out a statement prematurely...But this is just a speculation.

Anyhow, I can't help but feel worry for Wakana. I would hate to see people coming after her for the beef between Kajiura and Spacecraft. It's good that she lays low during this heated moment, and I wish this reunion happened because all three of our girls genuinely want it.

It will probably take me much longer to come on term with this news, though I'm totally looking forwards to hear Kalafina's songs performed by our utahimes again. And against all odds, I'm open and curious to hear their new music together, if they decided to go down on that route. ❤️

[ohmuqueen]

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

Name: Angela

Pronouns: she/her

Star sign: Taurus

Height: 5′1″ (155 cm)

Time: 9:47pm

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

Nationality: American

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

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

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

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

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

When you created your blog: 2011

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

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

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

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

How many followers do you have: 614

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

Lucky numbers: 14, 5

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

What I’m currently wearing: pajamas

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

Dream trip: Japan

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

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

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

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

[drkreviews]

Album Selection of 2020 | August

Kenshi Yonezu - Stray Sheep (05.08.2020) [★★★★★] *REVIEW*

In the vastity of Japanese pop scene, Kenshi Yonezu is a incredible exception, thanks to a fascinating commistion between music and arts. With his fifth album, he confirmed to deserve his growing popularity, bringing up a nice genre variety on the plate, going from upbeat themes to more melancholic and nostalgical ones, helped by his compelling singing style. Thanks to this recent work, Kenshi’s music will definitely see a bigger audience, for a which exceeds the imposed limits of pop music.

ARTIST REVIEW

REVIEWS: Diorama (16.05.2012), Yankee (23.04.2014), Peace Sign (analysis)

TRACKLIST

Campanella

Flamingo

Kanden (Electroshock)

Placebo (ft. Yojiro Noda)

Paprika

Uma to shika (Horse and deer)

Yasashii hito (Kind person)

Lemon

Machigai sagashi (Look for a mistake)

Himawari (Sunflower)

Mayoeru hitsuji (Stray sheep)

Décolleté

Teenage Riot

Umi no yuurei (Spirits of the sea)

Canary

Mary’s Blood - Re>Animator (26.08.2020) [★★★★★]

Already appeared with: Revenant (2018) ,Confessions (2019)

Like many other metal bands in Japan, even Mary’s Blood decided to take a turn from their musical path, releasing a cover album which quite reflects their own skills. The band chose to bring famous anime themes into a new life, filling them with energetic notes, strong rhythms and charismatic vocals, where the tones change according to the song’s style. These four girls could definitely make an anime opening of their own and this album is a strong confirmation of this.

TRACKLIST

Pegasus Fantasy (Make-up cover)

Kouga ninpouchou (Ninja scroll of Kouga) (Onmyo-za cover)

Magia (Kalafina cover)

Syuukyoku Battler -Kouryoutaru shinsekai- (Final song battler -Desolate new world-)

Unravel (Tk from Ling Tosite Sigure cover)

Forever Love (X Japan cover)

Zankoku na tenshi no teeze (Cruel angel’s thesis) (Yoko Takahashi cover)

Invoke (TM Revolution cover)

Driver’s High (L'Arc~en~Ciel cover)

Exterminate (Nana Mizuki cover)

We Are! (Hiroshi Kitadani cover)

Nothing’s Carved in Stone - Futures (26.08.2020) [★★★★]

Already appeared with: Maze (2015), Existence (2016)

Nothing’s Carved in Stone has built a solid image in their eleven years of career, bringing on a paced and refreshing rock sound. For their latest work the band decided to cover some of their most famous themes, in an album made of two discs, where their sound is the result of their maturity, including catchy themes and great rhythmic touches. This band has grown so much since their debut and there’s a lot of interest of what the future has in store for them.

REVIEWS: Parallel Lives (06.05.2009)

TRACKLIST

DISC 1

New Horizon

Isolation

Spirit Inspiration

November 15th

Red Light

Rendaman

Hakutyuu (Day)

Out of Control

Like a Shooting Star

Kirameki no hana (Shining flower)

DISC 2

Dream in the Dark

Youth City

In Future

Brotherhood

Midnight Train

Around the Clock

Milestone

Pride

Tsubame Crimson (Swallow crimson)

Blue Shadow

Crystal Lake - The Voyages (05.08.2020) [★★★★]

Staying on the subject of self-cover albums, the metal band Crystal Lake has repurposed some of their old songs, precisely the ones made with Kentaro Nishimura as singer, this time empowered and modernized by Ryo’s harsher tone, along with a more refined sound and an improved technique. Despite being a brand-new release, Crystal Lake managed to make it fresh and addicting, and we can’t wait to hear more of their music.

TRACKLIST

Fabricated Refuge

Twisted Fate

Open Water (ft. Daniel McWhorter and Takashi Uesugi)

The Passage (ft. Kentaro Nishimura)

The Burden

Freewill

Innocence

Daylight (ft. Go Nakaharada)

Voyages

Into the Great Beyond (ft. Kentaro Nishimura)

Arlequin - The laughing man (19.08.2020) [★★★★]

Already appeared with: Utopia (2016)

After four years made of a bunch of singles and a mini-album in the middle, the visual kei band Arlequin delivers a full album, disproving whoever thought that their sound had become boring. The album is made of distinct songs, ranging from energetic ones, which see a reinforcement of the rhythmical component which characterized them since their debut, to passionate ones, mixing cheerful and aggressive notes without any effort. If you think that visual kei has nothing to offer, maybe Arlequin’s latest work will surprise you.

REVIEWS: Near Equal (12.11.2014), Dilemma (25.02.2015), Utopia (08.06.2016), Puzzle (analysis), Exist (15.03.2018)

TRACKLIST

In the Mirror

Veludo

Ikasama (Trickery)

Sora ni ochiru (Falling into the sky)

Kasabuta (Scab)

Todome wo sashite (Stop it)

Fireworks

Himawari (Sunflower)

Kimi to no Aida ni (Between you)

The laughing man

-HONORABLE MENTIONS-

Seventeen Years Old and Berlin Wall - Abstract (05.08.2020)

The first mention of the month is for the not-so-known shoegaze band Seventeen Years Old and Berlin Wall, active since 2015 and become quite notable thanks to the indie music platform BandCamp. Their latest EP sees a really enigmatic sound, with shaded notes, electronic vibes and a cohesive rhythm, creating an unique atmosphere, driven by an awesome vocal work by the singers Yusei Tsuruta and Eriko Takano. Literally made for shoegaze lovers and not only.

TRACKLIST

Rakuen wanai (There’s no paradise)

Paraglide

Machi no tobira (Doors of the town)

Touketsu-chi (Frozen land)

Darekaga ita umi (Someone by the sea)

Tounen (Ten years)

Tatsuya Kitani - Demagog (26.08.2020)

Tatsuya Kitani might not be a familiar name for you, but maybe you know the Vocaloid band Sajou no hana, whose he is the bassist. Between a single and the other, he has found time to shape up a solo project of his own and releasing also some album. The latest one offers a catchy pop-rock sound, well driven by his good vocals, along with electronic, dance beats and funky vibes. Tatsuya Kitani may be another name which can rise within the Japanese pop scene and this album is definitely worth checking.

TRACKLIST

Hide and Seek

Panopticon

Dead Weight

Humanlike

Bad Dream

Demagog

Lotuses

Spoilman - Body (05.08.2020)

The final mention is for a pretty indie rock band, Spoilman, active since 2019 but came out only last year with an album. Their sound is quite adrenalinic, with roots into noise and punk rock, empowered by quite heavy vocals, energetic riffs and bass lashes, making each track more pumping of the previous. Spoilman can definitely shake the ground of Japanese rock and they deserve more recognition.

TRACKLIST

Amaryllis

Declaration

Ghost

Inner Haze

Sunday

Drunken Man

Cloudy Eyes

Monotonous

Comfortable

Life is REM

Body

Pail and Ladder

Rampage

Woodcutter

Utonagan

TO BE CONTINUED...

[chibalein]

Official Statement by Kajiura AND Hikaru/Keiko on Kalafina Disbandment

NOTE: In response to @putschki1969 comments (thank you again), I corrected a few parts of this translation . As Tumblr does not edit the reblogged posts as well, I re-uploaded it, so please refer to this post from now on. I would also appreciate it, if you deleted the old reblogs.

Sorry guys, I was too hasty while translating and made some stupid and avoidable mistakes v.v (damn you japanese language) That happens when you already interpret while translating, so never take fan translations for granted, kids.

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I was VERY surprised to see on Twitter that Hikaru actually “reacted” to the news of Kalafina disbanding. She as well as Kajiura posted a link to the FictionJunction homepage where an official statement by Kajiura AND BOTH Hikaru and Keiko was released regarding yesterday’s news. Here is the link and a translation of the statements. This is MY translation - please take it with a grain of salt and PLEASE correct me, if I got something wrong. I don’t want to twist the meaning just because I used the wrong English word.

http://fictionjunction.com/kalafina20190314/

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“About the report of Spacecraft’s “Regarding the disbandment of Kalafina”:

Yesterday, Spacecraft released a report about “the disbandment of Kalafina”, although it was very sudden and somewhat surprising that they haven’t used “hiatus” but the strong word “disbandment”, the three members undeniably have stopped their activities a long time ago. Above all else, as the former producer of Kalafina and as an individual person, I continued to feel very sorry for being unable to properly address the issue to everyone who supported Kalafina until now.

As for the former Kalafina members Keiko and Hikaru, when I reached out to them they felt the same way after all and since they wanted to use the opportunity to greet everyone, therefore I gathered their messages and provided a temporary* place on my website.” (Kajiura)

*Note: I’d like to point out the word used for “temporary” here which is “rinji 臨時”. My dictionary says it can mean “temporary”, “makeshift” and “extraordinary”. So for me, it means that they actually had no other way of releasing this kind of statement the “official” way (e.g. via Spacecraft or Hamony) but using the somehow unrelated FictionJunction and Kajiura. However, just my thinking, I’d love to discuss that in the comments (so japanese speaking people, step up).

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Message from Keiko and Hikaru:

To our important fans,

We are very sorry that we didn’t take the responsibility last year, when we passed our 10th year, to express our feelings that needed to be expressed in our own words and ended up addressing the issue this way.

In the 10 years of Kalafina, there was a harmony only the three of us could create, there was the musical world spun by Kajiura-san... moreover, because you were waiting for us, we could keep on going.

Furthermore, thanks to the many outstanding works we encountered, we were able to deliver our music in various places. Each and every accumulation will never disappear and we couldn’t ever forget them. Last year, our one big decision was to “stop walking [as a group] for a while in order to pursue our own individual music careers”. We feel very sorry that this information had this kind of timing, but we want you to please watch over the paths we chose.

To everyone who have supported us until now, we appreciate it from our hearts... Thank you.

March 14th 2019 Keiko. Hikaru

--------------

Message by Kajiura Yuki:

I can imagine that the message by the two members might be enough already and that my words might just be unnecessary... so again, everyone who supported Kalafina until now, thank you so much. And to everyone who waited anxiously for such a long time in this half-baked state thinking “what will happen now”, I apologize.

Actually, the information that “Kalafina will suspend their activities” was supposed to have been released a bit earlier to everyone, it should have been like that. You were supposed to understand and support the choice of the three members, who worked for my music so sincerely like no one else did for more than 10 years, to go separate ways. However, being able to apologize for the delay and expressing my gratitude from the heart, it might be very selfish... but as the former producer I feel a bit relieved to finally get the opportunity.

Even now I clearly remember the day giving this unit the name “Kalafina”. (I thought that even if I say so myself, it’s such a lovely name!). For the members, the past ten years were full of days of challenge, grappling with a new form of “songs”, weren’t they. I am so proud because of the hard struggle of the three members, they were able to deliver “unprecedented music” to everyone. And as these days of grappling could continue, we received each and everyone’s support who devoted themselves to listen to our music.

Perhaps, everyone wasn’t just listening to Kalafina’s music, but... somehow it inspired everyone’s imagination, while spinning your own story together with everyone, I think that is an exciting thing... Just like this, Kalafina’s story definitely isn’t concluded just by the three members or myself, but because you made this world with us together, Kalafina was able to progress. These are my strong feelings. I am, really, just, thankful that you played in this musical world with us.

I, who is now independent and has left Kalafina, may be thanking you too much, but I truly wanted to properly convey my feelings, so I wrote this very long article.

I loved Kalafina. Having been able to walk together with these three wonderful singers for ten years, now and forever, I am proud of that. These were times I wished they would never end. I want the members to talk about their individual “Kalafina” and these days proudly with a raised face too. I want them to treat the ten years of singing with all their power as fuel for walking on their new paths with dignity, I pray for that. ... even if I say that, I don’t intend to say farewell forever to the individual members, as long as we can continue music mutually, we surely will be blessed by fate again somewhere!

Spinning the music of Kalafina was truly fun. When I went to concerts, I would forget that I was the producer and just enjoy these times of music. If I was granted one selfish wish... I may have caused an uproar to everyone who loved Kalafina one way or another now... for the sake of these enjoyable times of music, if you could retain those memories. I pray for that.

With a gratitude I won’t get tired of telling you. Thank you very much!

------------------------------------------------------------------

Allright, that’s it. That’s a lot of subliminal info actually, at least in my opinion. I got the feeling that things did not go as intended for Kalafina... again, my translation may be misleading, but I feel like after Kajiura left Spacecraft, maybe the girls wanted to explore some individual paths but not entirely throw away the idea to reunite at some point again. However, this door was closed by Spacecraft now and I just wonder whether all of them were included in the decision as much as they should have been. I am surprised that after all this time, Kajiura and Hikaru/Keiko actually reacted to the official disbandment, but maybe now they were finally allowed to (I can imagine that some part of the contract forbade them to “tell the truth” to avoid bad publicity). Like I said above, it’s kinda strange to release this kind of statement on Fictionjunction and it makes it seem that they couldn’t do so on “official” sites like Harmony, which would make more sense and be more accessible to the actual fanclub members.

At least we know that Keiko is alive and in contact with Hikaru and Kajiura XD I feel bad for Wakana though. We don’t know how the relationship between her and the others developed since she is the one who apparently had no problems (or she just got the better offers) to stick with Spacecraft or whatever, while the others seemingly did. She is left out of this whole news, despite being a vital part of it. I guess she is “not allowed” to react to it, especially so shortly before her solo career truly kicks off...

Anyway, what do you guys think, let me hear!

[inferno-principe]

mun is a dork, pass it on.

Basics

Name: Mazz Age: 24 for one more week Gender: None, thanks.

Favorites

Food(s): Gyros, curry, salt and vinegar chips, mac’n cheese,  Drink(s): Any kind of tea, sparkling water Book(s): The Wicked Years Series, Persepolis, idk I haven’t read a book since high school Favorite Author(s):  Gregory Maguire, and I will always have a soft spot for Lemony Snicket/Daniel Handler Song(s):  Depends on the month honestly :’D Current bops right now are pretty much the entirety of the Firebringer album, Rebel Flag by GARNiDELiA. Songs that never cease to get me hyped include literally anything by Kalafina, I Will Never Shut Up Again from the London Heathers album, AmaLee’s cover of Voracity, and anything from Hitoshizuku x Yama

Movie(s): Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea, Coco, Moana, Heathers, among others

TV Show(s): MasterChef, Riverdale, Lucifer, Cutthroat Kitchen, Steven Universe Band/group(s): Green Day, Kalafina, GARNiDELiA, P!ATD, FOB, Team Starkid Solo Artist(s): I have no idea actually. I listen to so much weird music and lots of covers Place(s): Rome, New York City, comfy in my room with my birds? School Subject(s): Well, psychology XD Sport(s): To play? Volleyball. To watch? Baseball, basketball Male Actor: Can I say Joey Richter?  Female Actor: JAMEELA JAMIL

Life

Best Friend: @mus-brunneis, @thepaganking, my babe, and Deedles Significant Other: My baaaaaaabe <3 Siblings: One sister Dream Job: Family Mental Health Counselor Tattoos: Two! I have a serotonin molecule made of cherry blossom branches and a small geometric fox Piercings: Just my ears Languages: English, though I can read a teensy weensy bit of Dutch and even teensier bits of Spanish, and I can read Hiragana/Katakana? 

Tumblr

Reason Behind URL:  It’s literally hell prince in Latin :’D Reason Behind Icon: It’s just cute princey Si # of Posts: 516 Why You Joined: Way back in 2011, my friends on FFnet and I moved to tumblr to do American Idiot RP, then  I got sucked into Kuroshitsuji, and then I went out and wrote my own characters XD # of Blogs: I have 2 active blogs: This one, and my personal ( @androgynyfairy)  Inactive: Si’s old blog, Terry’s old blog, and @count-glenstrae

tagging:  @paimoncompelsyou @mus-brunneis @hostmegane @queensconquest tagged by: Idk i found this deep in my drafts

[dailyjidols]

March 2019 Round-Up

It’s round-up time! Below the read more is a compilation of some notable news stories that we haven’t previously posted about.

This month features the official disbandment of Kalafina, Watanabe Miyuki’s new girl group project, a ton of graduations, and more.

9nine

The group is going on hiatus for an undetermined amount of time, starting on April 6, 2019. The members want to challenge themselves and independently try different activities for a time. [x]

AKB48

Takahashi Juri will be graduating from the group in order to pursue a career as an idol in South Korea. She has signed on with Woolim Entertainment, and will be debuting with them in the future. Her graduation date has not been announced yet, and neither has her debut date in South Korea. [x] Hitomi Kotone and Taya Misaki have also announced their graduations from the group. [x, x] In addition, the group will not be holding a Senbatsu Election in 2019. They did not announce an official reason for this. [x]

Candy Syrup

The unit has gone from 3 members to 5 members, the two new members to debut on March 31st! [x*]

Juice=Juice

Juice=Juice's most recent triple a side "Bitansan/Potsuri to/ Goodbye Good luck!" became certified gold this month! [x]

Kalafina

The group has officially announced their disbandment. The group had been on hiatus due to the departure of two members from the agency. [x]

Kana Nishino

Nishino married her former manager and long-time boyfriend this month. [x] We wish her happiness in her new marriage!

Kaqrio Terror Architect

Member Yamakomaro has withdrawn from the group. One of the reasons sited for her departure was to seek treatment for an eating disorder. [x*] Her last live with the group with be May 5th, as her graduation concert. We wish her a healthy and successful recovery.

Keyakizaka46

Nagahama Neru will be graduating from the group. Their latest single, Kuroi Hitsuji, was her last. An official graduation date has not been set, though. Nagahama has not revealed her future plans yet. [x] We wish her success in her future endeavors!

LoVendoЯ

Okada Marina has graduated from the group. She wishes to pursue a life of fishing from now on. [x] We wish her success in her future endeavors!

Migma Shelter

Rina Arisaka formerly of the idol group THERE THERE THERE's has joined Migma Shelter. She will be joining the official line up in late April! [x*]

Necronomidol

The alt-idol unit has announced their return to Europe with a tour, and their appearance at Hyper Japan London. They'll kick off at Hyper Japan London [x]. Additionally dates after the convention are London, the UK, Scotland, Holland, France, Finland, Sweden, and Slovakia. [x]. Tickets are available for Hyper Japan Festival already, tickets for other tour dates are not currently available.

Miyu Takeuchi

The recent AKB48 graduate has signed an exclusive contract with Korean music label Mystic Entertainment. [x] We wish her success in her future endeavors!

NMB48

Iwata Momoka will be graduating from the group in order to focus on her studies. [x] Jo Eriko will also be graduating in the future, with no set date. [x] We wish them success with their future endeavors!

Nogizaka46

Ito Karin has not yet set a date, but she will be graduating from the group in the near future. Saito Yuri will also be graduating soon. [x, x] We wish them success their future endeavors!

Ran Ito

The former member of the popular 70's idol group, Candies, has announced her solo debut! Her album will be released March 29th, and it's entitled "My Bouquet". [x*]

SKE48

Okada Miku, Takagi Yumana, and Uchiyama Mikoto have all announced their graduations. [x, x, x] We wish them success their future endeavors!

STU48

Sano Haruka has announced her graduation, but has not yet set a date. [x] We wish her success in her future endeavors!

Up Up Girls (2)

Morinaga Niina, Niikaura Ami, and Shimazaki Yuria have joined the group! [x]

WACK Exhibit results

The current BiS line-up is disbanding on May 11th, with auditions for new members happening soon. All 9 members of the lineup submitted a request to disband and it was granted. Cent Chiiro no Imouto was added to the WAgg lineup, no official debut date announced. Naruhaworld has been added to GANG PARADE. Teryama Yufu will be added to EMPiRE, her debut date with the group will be April 21st. Anzupia has changed her name to A Anzupia. [x]

Wa-suta

The group has announced that they will be performing at Anime North, in Toronto Canada. The concert date is May 25th, and you need either a weekend pass or Saturday Convention ticket to attend. [x}

Watanabe Miyuki

The former NMB48 members and solo artist has announced that she will be producing a new girl group unit. She will also be participating in the group, and auditions have been announced for the other members. [x]

[mistress-of-the-obvious]

Thoughts On Hikaru Quitting Spacecraft and Idle Speculation

Hikaru quitting Spacecraft was surprising and also not. Her message months back stating there was “more behind the scenes” could have meant anything.

It could have meant that she was happy, working on a single, and to please wait. It could have meant she was unhappy and planning to leave Spacecraft when her contract was expiring…that could also have meant she was working on a single since we didn’t know when that is. I just sort of shrugged.

Since that message I have been very unhappy when I’ve seen Hikaru and Wakana. Hikaru’s message was deliberately vague and the idea the she was miserable counting down the days to the end of her contract was heartbreaking. The fact that she was clearly getting email, snail mail, and messages sent to her directly asking what was going on because Spacecraft, her own representative company, refused to explain even a tiny bit and thus refuse to do their job upset me. She was clearly upset enough to write a message about and yet Spacecraft never addressed it. I don’t doubt Wakana is getting similar mail.

In more strangeness, Yuuka Nanri is still listed on Spacecraft’s official site. There is going to be a big anniversary event for Flying Dog with FictionJunction Yuuka. This is pretty big news as she’s been inactive since 2016. Nowhere on the site. She has her own little site that while it has its own domain name has the same design as some of the other sites hosted by Spacecraft. Last news: 2016. Her blog has an update from September saying she’ll be at the Flying Dog event. I suspect her to disappear from Spacecraft’s roster either before the event or sometime after.

In the case of Yuuka, I didn’t think much of it before the event as she went inactive when she became married and had a lot of health problems going back to 2013 slowing her career. It’s pretty typical for Japanese society to expect women after they get married to have children and thus be full time mothers. That is changing though, especially as not all married Japanese women want to or do become mothers.

So when I first saw Yuuka some months back, it was “Wait a minute…oh she’s retired and they’re keeping her on there because she’s still technically under contract. If Spacecraft were to terminate her contract before it was up, they would owe her money.” Now, there’s this event…and they aren’t promoting her.

Going back to Keiko’s trademark claim, I have some new information where the results are rather curious.

I found this great youtube channel called TheJapanChannelDcom. It’s by an Australian man with a Japanese wife, children, and has been living in the Nagano region for over a decade at least. While enjoying the channel, I found a video that indirectly dealt with Keiko’s trademark claim.

There was a video dealing the then potential breakup of the huge group SMAP (you can see the video here: https://youtu.be/gPBgFZYu9iw). SMAP was a boy band. The now former members are in their 40s and in everything. Movies, tv shows, and at the time still active in their music group. Their talent agency was Johnny and Associates sometimes referred to as Johnny’s. The group broke up in December of 2016 and it was all over Japanese news.

The big rumor at the time was that four of the five members wanted to quit Johnny’s, but still continue in some fashion together. Fans were worried for three reasons: 1) the trademark was owned by Johnny’s. 2) Johnny’s could make their lives very difficult, as they are a very powerful talent agency. 3) There is a stigma of shame surrounding leaving a talent agency, mostly if you have been with one for a long time. This is the perception that the agency built the talent up and that the talent owes it to the company to stay.

What happened was one member stayed with the agency, one went on to something else, and three went to another agency called CULEN. It seems it’s theirs as right now CULEN is just listed as them. They also have a website called atarashiichizu. At this time they are promoting their individual works and have not released anything together, but it’s only been almost two years.

So what does this have to do with Keiko? Typically a talent agency will decide they want a music group or singer and hire them. They trademark the name and choose the songwriters the singer/group will work with. They also work to have a contract signed with a record company. I might be wrong on a few details, but that’s the general picture. The only thing different with Spacecraft was Yuki Kajiura and whether she owned any of that trademark. The fact that after Yuki left, the name Kalafina continued suggested it was owned by Spacecraft.

Would Keiko not know any of this? Highly doubtful. Not only was speculation regarding SMAP all over the news in late 2016, there were also negotiations with Yuki Kajiura and Spacecraft prior to her leaving that affected the group. Knowing how active Keiko was in her advocating for both herself and Wakana and Hikaru (we see this in the 10th anniversary film), she would have kept tabs on it. This on top of the fact that she was signed with Spacecraft with Ayaka Ito for Itokubo. She seems like she has a good idea how the Japanese entertainment industry works.

Even if she didn’t know, the company she hired to represent her would be able to find out if anyone registered that trademark. As someone who has dealt with civil court paper work here in the US regarding my mom and my uncle, I can tell you lawyers and law firms don’t make much money filing these paper work claims. Most of the fee goes to dealing with the bureaucracy. I doubt Japan is much different. In fact, Japan’s bureaucracy seems worse. They would tell her not to waste her time and theirs…unless there was some other point.

What that point was, I don’t know. What we do know is that after she formally told Spacecraft she was leaving, a few days later she filed that claim. Unlike Kaori’s long blog post when she left or Hikaru’s handwritten letter, Spacecraft posted Keiko’s mere one paragraph statement for her. Then there was the letter released for Harmony 4 where people thought it sounded like they were blaming Keiko. While I wouldn’t quite go that far, it was cold in the English translation.

Japan is interesting in that there’s this spectator sport regarding apologies. When a celebrity screws up, like in the case of a member of SMAP a few years back, whom was caught being drunk in public at night, said celebrity will publically apologize on television. People will watch and discuss this apology: how good it was or wasn’t, whether the person bowed deeply enough, whether they meant it or not, etc. Celebrities will be sent on apology tours on various shows.

With this in mind Spacecraft was at best completely tone death at worst they’re arrogant. Since new management took over they have lost 12 people. Most this year. It’s not just people associated with Yuki Kajiura but also long established voice actors.

Based on the little bit I know, what happened with Yuki Kajiura and Spacecraft is that the new management wanted to add restrictions to her. The previous administration let her do what she wanted for the most part.

With Keiko I suspect something similar. Again complete speculation on my part. What we know is the official line is that Keiko didn’t see a Kalafina without Yuki Kajiura as the songwriter. We know this isn’t quite the case as there was that interview where Yuki revealed she was taking a step back allowing them to use other songwriters, she would likely contribute a few songs, and be more of a manager and mentor.

One thing I found surprising was with the tabloid news articles, which were highly accurate, was the statement that if Keiko had stayed they would have headed to the recording studio early this year. Of course, the three of them were touring all last year, so where would they have the time to vet songwriters and find out how well the interaction is…unless Spacecraft wanted to manage them as a standard pop group where they were the sole deciders. If they were being controlling with Yuki Kajiura, why wouldn’t they do that with Keiko, Hikaru, and Wakana?

I suspect this in part with how Hikaru opened her letter, “I, Hikaru, left Spacecraft on good terms (paraphrasing)…” Why would she say that unless someone left not on good terms recently? Again that’s speculation, but we do have some albeit small bit of evidence Yuki and/or Keiko didn’t exactly leave on the greatest terms. She certainly wanted to squash any rumors before they started.

Interestingly, I also suspect that Wakana has more freedom with Spacecraft being solo since there is less money and expectations.

As far as more idle speculation on my part:

Yuki stated recently she has 18 new songs done for a project and is still at the studio recording more. I suspect Keiko to pop up in some of those songs. It might even be a Keiko centric project.

The reason why Hikaru has a Twitter and was interested in having an Instagram, is in part because she’s floating going solo. She maybe in some FictionJunction concerts here and there, but she’s more interested in going solo. Yuki stated she was considering going solo for some time. Also based on her massive support, about 6,000 followers within around 24 hours, not only fans but Yuki, FMB members, Atsuko from Angela, and a director from Animelo concert series, tells me she’s in good position. It also tells me that industry professionals have an idea what was going on with Spacecraft and didn’t like it.

I find it interesting that while there has been an announcement for Wakana’s new single, there has been nothing about an album. Based on her tour setlist she already has enough original songs for an EP. I’m curious what record company she’s on. Is this a new contract or is she piggybacking on Kalafina’s? That might be the reason why Spacecraft refused to fold the group. They are still listed on Spacecraft’s site as though they’re active. It will be interesting to see if the next Harmony magazine contains the name Kalafina on it or if it turns into Wakana’s fanclub. Simply put, I wouldn’t be surprised if Wakana’s contract ends sometime next year and she chooses not to renew.

If Wakana leaves, I do not see a full reformation of Kalafina. While this can be done under a different name, the three of them do not have the finances to form a special group like the three former members of SMAP (which even they have not yet released something together yet). Instead, I anticipate things like the three of them performing an old Kalafina song or two during a FictionJunction concert or a song released by Yuki Kajiura here and there that is essentially a Kalafina song (Wakana, Keiko, Hikaru and Yuriko and/or Remi as assist).

Be on the look out if Keiko tries to go after that trademark claim after Spacecraft drops using Kalafina. I’m not sure if she will or how long a trademark needs to be inactive in Japan to file a claim, but it will give us a good idea if she filed this last one for mysterious unknown purposes or not.

I suppose that’s enough silly idle speculation on my part. Much of this stuff we will never know and frankly don’t have a right to know since all of this is very personal.

[putschki1969]

Hi Puts! YK just announced that Keiko will be not participated in YK Live #21 this year 😢 I'm kinda sad about this.

Okay, I didn't expect to have to use this gif so soon...

All jokes aside, this announcement is indeed very saddening and disappointing but I would be lying if I said I was super surprised.

Just a few days ago I addressed some possibilities for the future in THIS POST here and I was trying my best to remain optimistic despite knowing very well that Yuki had pretty much cemented her stance on the whole thing by releasing that initial statement. The way she positioned herself as the victim and everyone else as perpetrator was a clear message. By explicitly name-calling the members, it was made to look like Hikaru and Keiko were “aligning themselves with the enemy”. The Asia Tour probably couldn't be cancelled or re-arranged due to existing agreements/contracts but we didn't know how the Kalafina debacle would affect anything after that. Seems like we have our answer now. The girls have all officially fallen out of favour and are being considered as “Space Craft adjacent”. They are now in the same position as Wakana, nothing more than pariahs. Which means of course that everyone is now following the usual M.O. of ignoring each other’s presence. I'm not saying this is all coming from Yuki's side, there's a very high chance of the girls themselves being restricted in their activities due to contractual obligations (Space Craft most definitely made them sign something to make that Kalafina Live possible).

As discussed previously, we got our first glimpses of the shunning process when Yuki decided to distance herself on social media by unfollowing Hikaru and Keiko.

Then just a few days ago, a photo was posted from the recording studio and a certain someone was notably absent.

I guess Keiko's exclusion from the YKL is just a natural progression although I will honestly say that I didn't think Yuki would go that far, jeopardising the quality of her performances like that. Considering that her craft has always been her main priority, letting go of the literal backbone of 90% of her live music seems like a very stupid decision but I guess pettiness knows no boundaries in this ever-lasting feud between Team Yuki and Team Space Craft.

Oh well, needless to say, I won't be attending YK events any time soon. I don't hate her and I still appreciate her work but there's no longer any incentive for me personally. The girls have always come first and nothing will ever change about that. I am not Team YK or Team Space Craft, I am Team Kalafina and always will be! This just means I will have to support their solo activities even more and hopefully they will all increase their activities to give me lots of opportunities to show my appreciation.

As I mentioned in my post from a few days ago, nothing in life happens without a price having to be paid. Sacrifices need to be made, time has to pass. I am sure the girls were aware of most of these consequences when they decided to commit themselves to the Kalafina Anniversary Live project. Just like all these years ago, Wakana was aware what would happen if she stayed with Space Craft. The Japanese entertainment industry is not for the weak, shitty things happen all the time, you win some, you lose some. Hikaru actually shared some very good advice during her live broadcast from the other day. Life has a way of balancing itself out, for every bad thing that happens, a good thing will follow. And every rough experience might one day turn into an opportunity so I guess we can try to look at the whole thing with a more positive mindset. We don't know if this is permanent or not and we also have no idea what's in store for Kalafina so I refuse to despair because of it.

Speaking of Hikaru, she also mentioned that throughout her career, the main priority have always been the fans. I think this sentiment is shared by Keiko and Wakana which is why they ultimately decided to hold the Kalafina live, knowing very well that they'd have to pay dearly for their decision.

Of course they didn't think there would be such a harsh backlash in the initial phase but that was mostly fueled by Yuk's unfortunate phrasing in the statement. If she had refrained from mentioning the members, I don't think that there would have been such an outrage and immediate condemnation of the girls. Fans would have been upset but most of them would have simply blamed Space Craft and not the girls themselves.

Nonetheless, all that bitching and moaning from "some" fans didn't stop thousands of people from getting their ticket and showing up for the live. As far as I am concerned, the concert was a huge success and everyone there was filled with happiness. The girls must have surely interpreted it like this as well so hopefully, they felt like it was worth their sacrifice.

[youturnitintolight-blog]

Why I Will Always Love Kalafina

I’ve realised that I’ve been in denial for the past few weeks. Not over the fact that Keiko left Kalafina, it’s obviously been done. But I’ve been more in denial over what will happen to Kalafina.

I’ve just been thinking about their previous releases, distracting myself by editing videos of them that just get stored onto my computer for nobody to see, and making gifsets of them.

But what I’ve realised is something that makes me sad beyond belief – we will never see Kalafina the way it was.

Even if Wakana and Hikaru perform together again (which is highly unlikely at this stage considering their separate concerts even under the Kalafina name), the group of Kalafina was always defined by three.

Three women. Three voices.

The essence of Kalafina is these three women, spreading their feelings through music to the largest amount of people they possibly can, together.  

I cannot blame them for separating. No matter how many groups have been going on for longer, a decade is a long time. If I had been following them since they debuted, I would have been 7 years old. I can’t remember anything from when I was 7! Ten years is nothing to wave a stick at, so to speak. Am I upset that they basically won’t be the same? Most definitely. Am I mad? A little bit.

Do I still love Kalafina? Yes.

Their music, in my opinion, for the last few years, has been quite mediocre and forgettable save the few exceptions. The reason I kept following them was mainly not for their music – but for their voices. This is why I still love the idea of them being solo – I just love their voices too much to leave them behind. And their personality, the heart of what they put into their work is so amazing I can’t put it into words.

The essense of Kalafina is not their music, it’s their heart. Kalafina is not just good music to me. You can find good music and even much better music and singing voices out there. To me, Kalafina is a still-beating heart made out of many things – Music, Voices, Lyrics, Smiles and Love. I can say that I love other artists like SID, Leo Ieiri and ONE OK ROCK because of specific parts of them as artists, like their aesthetic, their use of instruments to sound unique and cool, or their lyrics. But to Kalafina, I don’t just love their music, I love them for their heart.

Will Kalafina basically disbanding make me stop loving them? Of course not. What made me fall in love with Kalafina is still here – Their songs, their voices, their live concerts, the girls themselves – they are all alive. They might not be active, but they still exist, and that is what matters when it comes to expecting what Kalafina will become in the future.

An item on my bucket list was to see Kalafina live. In my gap year (next year), I was planning to raise money and fly to Japan to see them perform live. I am devastated this will never happen.

On June 9, I will become a legal adult in Australia – I will be on my own, and probably, without Kalafina. Even if they do come to disappear, I will live knowing that those girls that make me smile every day will be out there, making other people smile and singing their hearts out for other people and themselves.

Kalafina may not continue into the future, but they will always be in mine.

[chibalein]

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

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

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

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

Wakana Special Interview

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Why?

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

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

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

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

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

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

It seems like you understood it from within as well.  

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How do you think it was perceived? 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

really stuck to my memory. 

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

Yes. 

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

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

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

This suddenly!?

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

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

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

This kind of arrangement was so unexpected. 

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

After everything accumulated, you started the song. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

***********

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

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

How does your style of song writing look like?

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

Ooh... I see. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He seems to give rough hints and advices right? 

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

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

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

Hahahaha.

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

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

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

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

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

[recentanimenews]

Ex-Kalafina Member Hikaru Posts TV Anime GLEIPNIR OP Song "Altern-ate-" Music Video

    The ex-member of Kalafina, Hikaru launched her solo project H-el-ical// (pronounced he-li-ka-lu) in November 2019 and is ready to release its first single "Altern-ate-" from NBCUniversal Entertainment this month. She left Kalafina's managing company Space Craft Produce in October 2018, then the three-member vocal unit ended its activities in March 2019.  

  The official website for H-el-ical// explains its purpose as: "In order to take advantage of the unique expressiveness and vocal skills she gained through her 10-year activities as a member of Kalafina, she has started as a solo unit to pursue more creative sound and performance."

  "Altern-ate-" has been featured as the OP theme for the spring 2020 TV anime GLEIPNIR since its premiere in April. Then, the record company has started streaming the song's short version music video on its official YouTube channel. The song has been already available digitally since April 6, and its physical CD is set to be released on May 20. 

    "Altern-ate-" short MV:

    TV anime "GLEIPNIR" creditless OP movie:

    「Altern-ate-」のMV(Short ver.)を公開しました???? we open the "Altern-ate-" Music Video (Short ver.)????https://t.co/PkaIeaQIsv#ヘリカル#H_el_ical//#オルタネイト#Altern_ate_#グレイプニル#gleipnir

— Hikaru// (@Hikaru_0702_) May 3, 2020

    First press limited edition CD jacket:

    Standard edition:

    Digital single jacket:

 ��   Source: H-el-ical// official website, NBCUniversal Entertainment official anime YouTube channel

  Copyright(c) 2020 H-el-ical//All Rights Reserved.

  By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[putschki1969]

Kalafina Anniversary Live 2025 Pamphlet HQ Scans Part 3

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Interview with Hikaru

--This will be Kalafina's first live performance in about seven years. How did you feel when you found out that the concert was going to be held?

"Various emotions were going through my mind at the same time, but to sum it up in one sentence, I felt like 'we can do this'. I was beyond happy that the three of us would be able to sing Kalafina's music again, that it was actually becoming a reality. Six years had passed, so I was excited to see what would happen if the three of us sang together again."

--How did you feel when the three of you first got together to sing during a live rehearsal?

"Along with nostalgia, it brought back memories of Kalafina's chorus work. When the three of us sing together, it just feels so right. Over the past six years, I've had the opportunity to sing with many different people while working solo, but I think there is a unique sound and energy in each song that only the three of us can create."

--What did the three of you talk about during the first rehearsal?

"We had a packed schedule for our rehearsals so we weren't able to have any particularly deep discussions. We thought, 'let's just try to get in tune with each other,' so we spent our time singing with the image of regaining the feeling of being Kalafina."

--Were you able to quickly get back into the swing of things with Kalafina?

"I immediately remembered how it felt back then. However, because we had been apart for a while, even though I was able to regain that feeling, I felt that it would take a little more time to express those feelings through my singing. Those first few rehearsals really helped me see what I needed to do from now on."

--So it was necessary to re-examine what you need to do to sing as a member of Kalafina?

"That's right. We have a renewed sense of determination to do our best. Naturally, the time and experience each of us has gained working as solo artists comes into play when we get together as a trio to sing, but beyond that, there is something unchanging about Kalafina. It may be an exaggeration to say it's almost like a chemical reaction when we come together, but I want to take on the challenge once again to see how beautiful a melody we can create as a trio."

--What do you think of Wakana and Keiko's vocal appeal?

"There are many singers in the world who can produce beautiful high notes and low notes, but these two are really special to me. Wakana has always been said to be great at expressing transience and sorrow, but what's even more impressive is that her voice is not simply delicate but also has energy and strength to it. Keiko has a deep, enveloping voice, and her charm is that you can feel so much love in her cool low notes. Also, there's a new feeling to her voice that I didn't feel during the 10 years she was with Kalafina, maybe it's because she's been doing solo work that I'm able to feel this."

--The current Kalafina probably combines the unchanging things from when you were singing as a trio, and the growth that has come with your solo activities.

"Yes, I think that everyone who comes to our live show might feel this way. But of course, it's all subjective and everyone is free to feel whatever they want so even if you feel like 'Kalafina never changes no matter how much time passes' or 'this is a completely new and mature Kalafina', we will be happy. We have had 10 years as Kalafina, and 7 years by ourselves, all of this has made us who we are today."

--Now, what do you think about the appeal of Kalafina's music?

"The songs were written to suit our voices, and I think they are unique songs that make the most of each of our individual strengths. That's why it feels lonely to sing them by myself. When I first went solo, I sang Kalafina songs during my live concert and it felt so lonely that I stopped singing them after that *laughs*. Because these songs were written for the three of us to sing, I simply want to fulfill the role of Hikaru that the songs require, and I believe that by doing so, the songs will resonate more with everyone."

--What are your thoughts about all the fans who have continued to love Kalafina for such a long time?

"So many people have supported our activities over the past 10 years, and there are so many people who have continued to listen to Kalafina's music even after that, I have nothing but gratitude for them. Kalafina is really special to me, and I think that everyone has always known this. I want to convey to everyone at the live in January, 'thank you for waiting for us all this time.'"

--Finally, please tell us your thoughts about today's pamphlet photo shoot.

"It felt like it had been so long since the three of us had been together like this, we remembered the feeling of taking group photos, the distance and subsequent intimacy we felt when we were told to 'get a little closer together' *laughs*. And we even got to talk about personal things in between takes, it really felt like we were continuing right where we had left off with no gaps in between."

[putschki1969]

Kalafina Anniversary Live 2025 Pamphlet HQ Scans Part 1

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Interview with Keiko

--This will be Kalafina's first live performance in about seven years. How did you feel when you found out that the concert was going to be held?

“After each of us had pursued our solo activities, all I felt was a sense of joyful anticipation when it was decided that the three of us would be able to sing together again. I had always been following the other two's activities during the time we were apart so it felt like those seven years had passed before I knew it. Right now, I'm singing with a sense of purpose but originally I wasn't really interested in going solo, instead I was looking for a place where I could make use of my distinctive voice and feel needed. For me, Kalafina was a perfect match for what I was looking for so it's a great joy to be able to sing with the two of them again.”

--How did you feel when the three of you first got together to sing during a live rehearsal?

“Everyone was nervous for about 30 minutes on the first day of rehearsal and I think we were all looking at each other's singing, seeking some sort of confirmation, like 'how long should this note be?' Of course we have the music sheets to rely on but Kalafina's live performances are made up of a lot of improvisations created by the three of us working together. So even during rehearsals we don't just sing everything according to the music sheets. There were moments when we silently tried to gauge each other's feelings about certain sections, like, 'I'm sure we stretched this part out, didn't we?' or 'We should sing this part differently from the music sheet, right?' All of this made me think, 'Ah yes, that is Kalafina! It feels so good to be back!' I honestly had a lot of fun.”

--It's heartwarming, right? The way you can communicate without saying anything is made possible because the three of you have been working together for such a long time.

“And as soon as we remembered the way we used to feel there was no longer any need to check on each other. It really is as they say, once you get your body used to doing something, it's not easy to forget, no matter how much time passes.”

--Did you notice any changes in your singing style after doing many different things for six years?

“Of course there are aspects which are different but when all three of us come together to sing Kalafina songs, we naturally adjust our vocal power and vocalisation techniques to bring us closer to Kalafina's style, so to be honest, it felt like we were the same as before but maybe that's just my opinion. Actually, before rehearsals started, I thought that since we were getting together again after pursuing our solo activities, our singing style might change completely. But that wasn't the case at all, I felt like all three of us were cherishing the feeling of singing Kalafina songs.”

--You were able to get back on track so quickly because you had Kalafina's music as your base.

“Yes, I think so. In recent years, all three of us have been trying out a variety of songs and styles as soloists, searching for new ways of vocalisation and expression, but when it comes to Kalafina's music, we have already perfected a harmonious singing voice, so it was simply a matter of going back to our roots, this specific sound that's ingrained in us. From my perspective, I think the other two are singing in a different way than when they are doing their solo stuff.”

--What do you think of Wakana and Hikaru's vocal appeal?

“Once again, I realised that both of their voices have a solid presence. Kalafina's songs are centered around vocals and their most unique feature is a difficult melody that's hard to maintain. That's why if the voices don't have a strong presence, the impression of the vocals fades. Especially in the parts where our voices are not overlapping, or there's a transition between one voice and the other or even just a change of melody, if each voice doesn't have a strong presence, it will get drowned out. There is no such weakness in their vocals. And when I add my lower harmonies, I'm able to further highlight the greatness of the lyrics and melody. I was able to once again feel that beautiful balance between us.”

--All of Kalafina's songs have a unique worldview. Because it is so well-constructed, it's easy to get immersed in the world of those songs, isn't it?

“Every time we sing a song, I feel like a switch is turned on and I get carried away on a flood of emotions. Also, even the soft parts in the interludes can actually be important phrases that lead to a greater development, I think that's the appeal of Kalafina songs, the tension just continues uninterrupted. During these rehearsals, I realised once again that Kalafina's music is one-of-a-kind.”

--Even when you listen to it, it makes you want to hold your head up high and straighten your back. What are your feelings towards your fans right now?

“We are filled with so much gratitude that everyone can spend this moment with us, a moment that feels like a dream come true when we are finally able to sing together one more time. Everyone has their own feelings and associations when it comes to Kalafina's music, whether it's about specific songs, about an album, or how our activities have overlapped with their own lives. A live concert is when people with all kinds of feelings come together and enjoy music in the same space, and I think that in itself is a miracle. As the concert is being held in January, we want it to be a night of hope and a new start.”

--The dresses for today's photo shoot are white and the atmosphere is bright.

“There's a strong sparkling and euphoric vibe, right? *laughs* The photographer and art director took so many wonderful shots that I think they must be magicians who can manipulate light. Light is one of Kalafina's keywords, be it a ray of light in the darkness, a light of hope in our hearts or a light pouring down from the sky, all sorts of expressions of light have appeared in our songs. I think the photos turned out to be very Kalafina-esque and really fit our image.”