#maiyaiya

[putschki1969]

THREE more days till 「Project #マイヤイヤ」

Guidelines

⚠️ATTENTION ~ Change of rules ~ ATTENTION ⚠️

Date: December 25th at 7 a.m. (Japanese Standard Time); Please try to post as close to 7 a.m as possible.  We want all of our tweets to be posted at approximately the same time.  Everything posted before 12 a.m. (JST) should be fine though.

Platform: Twitter (a public account is required!)

Tags: => Hikaru’s tag (@Hikaru_0702_) => Takeshi Kato’s tag (@kaxtupe - he is one of the editors at SPICE) [EDIT : Tagging @kaxtupe is NO LONGER part of the rules ] ❇ => #マイヤイヤ

Message needs to consist of two main parts: => words of gratitude/appreciation for the past ten years. => words of support for the future (the individual paths they are taking)

Message must contain a photo/gif/video of yourself: => You can hide your face; => The photo needs to be related to Kalafina in a creative/unique way;

Message must contain the place you are from (country, city or both);

Message is restricted to English! However, please feel free to add a “thank you” or a “Merry Christmas” in your native language!

❇ After endless consideration I have decided that it’s best not to tag Takeshi Kato. For quite a while I thought it was a good idea but then people kept voicing their various concerns and quite frankly, I couldn't help but agree with them. I have been preaching on and on about how our project is a simple “thank you”, no hidden agenda, no ulterior motives, etc. While we never expected anything from Takeshi Kato we were of course hoping to get some exposure. I have realised that this aspect of the project is not 100% compatible with the idea of selflessness. Really, all we want is to say "thank you/I support you" to Wakana, Keiko and Hikaru, to spread positivity. So there is no need to get attention from the media. Hikaru will surely see our messages whether or not we get media exposure. And if she feels like it, she will forward our messages to Wakana and Keiko. That's it. That is the whole purpose of the project, nothing more, nothing less.

Please check out my previous posts for all the project details.

Is the project fanatical? Are we pressuring the girls?

FAQ

Original post

Project account @MODmaiyaiya

Last but not least I would like to address the topic of “personal photo” again since there are still a lot of people who do not feel comfortable posting a picture of themselves. The point of our project is to show them that there is a person out there that is super grateful for the past ten years and that will support them in the future no matter what. We want our pictures to be personal and intimate. We do believe that the best way to achieve that is to show your physical self. However, we understand that many people don’t like showing their faces so please let me remind you that it is NOT necessary to show your face, it’s okay to only show parts of your body. Just include something that’s related to Kalafina and that holds a lot of meaning to you. Remember that sample pic I posted of me wearing Wakana‘s clothes? Those clothes are special to me and they are Kalafina related so it’s all perfectly fine. While you can clearly make out a person in that pic, you can’t see my face. Maybe you can do something similar? Or maybe you own something Kalafina related so you could take a picture showing that. Or simply get a big piece of paper and write a big message on it. The possibilities are endless. The relation to Kalafina can also be a little vague, it doesn’t have to be obvious, all that’s important is that for YOU there’s a connection to Kalafina. Take my Mount Fuji climb for example. Without Kalafina I would have never had the strength to climb that mountain. Posting a pic of myself on top of Mt. Fuji is very much related to Kalafina (at least in my mind).  Of course I would have to add a short explanation or the girls might not understand the meaning/connection to them. But yeah, go crazy with those ideas.

[spwitti]

TRES días más para el 「Proyecto #マイヤイヤ」

Here’s my Spanish translation of the latest @putschki1969‘s post about 「Proyect #マイヤイヤ」. Please feel free to share!

Publicación Original: Putschki1969

Pautas

ATENCIÓN ～Cambio en las reglas～ATENCIÓN

Fecha: Diciembre 25 a las 7 a.m. (Hora de Japón) [Diciembre 24 a las 5 p.m. Hora de Colombia]; Por favor, traten de publicar tan cerca de la hora establecida como sea posible. Queremos que nuestros tweets se publiquen aproximadamente al mismo tiempo. Sin embargo, todo lo que se publique antes del mediodía (JST) [10 p.m. de Colombia] estará bien.

Plataforma: Twitter (¡una cuenta pública es requisito!)

Etiquetas: => Etiqueta de Hikaru (@Hikaru_0702_) => Etiqueta de Takeshi Kato (@kaxtupe editor de SPICE) [CORRECCIÓN: Etiquetar a @kaxtupe ya NO ES parte de las reglas] ❇ => #マイヤイヤ

El mensaje debe constar de dos partes principales: => Palabras de gratitud/aprecio por los últimos diez años. => Palabras de apoyo para el futuro (los caminos individuales que están tomando)

El mensaje debe contener una foto/gif/video de ustedes mismos: => Pueden ocultar su rostro; => La foto debe estar relacionada a Kalafina de alguna manera creativa/única;

El mensaje debe contener el lugar del que provienen (país, ciudad o los dos);

¡El mensaje está restringido al inglés! ¡Sin embargo, siéntanse libres de añadir un “gracias” o “Feliz Navidad” en su idioma nativo!

·         Cuenta del proyecto @MODmaiyaiya

❇ Después de mucho considerarlo, he decidido que es mejor no etiquetar a Takeshi, Kato. Por un tiempo pensé que era una buena idea, pero algunas personas seguían comentando sus preocupaciones y, francamente, no pude evitar estar de acuerdo con ellos. He estado diciendo reiteradamente que nuestro proyecto es un simple “gracias”, sin intenciones de fondo, sin motivos ocultos, etc. Aunque nunca esperamos nada de Takeshi Kato, sí esperábamos tener algo de exposición. Me he dado cuenta de que esta parte del proyecto no es 100% compatible con esa idea desinteresada. Realmente, todo lo que queremos decir es “gracias/las apoyamos” a Wakana, Keiko y Hikaru, para propagar positividad. Así que no hay necesidad de conseguir atención de los medios. Hikaru seguramente verá nuestros mensajes, tengamos cobertura mediática o no. Y si siente deseos de hacerlo, le transmitirá nuestros mensajes a Wakana y Keiko. Eso es todo. Ese es todo el propósito del proyecto. Nada más, nada menos.

Por favor revisen mis posts anteriores para todos los detalles del proyecto.

[Traducción del anterior post]

Por último, pero no menos importante, quisiera hablar acerca del asunto de la “foto personal” nuevamente, ya que aún hay muchas personas que no se sienten cómodas publicando una fotografía de ellas mismas.

El punto de nuestro proyecto es mostrarles que hay una persona allí afuera que está súper agradecida por los últimos diez años y que las apoyará en el futuro sin importar qué. Queremos que nuestras fotos sean algo de verdad personal. Creemos que la mejor manera de lograr eso es mostrando su yo físico. Sin embargo, entendemos que a muchas personas no les gusta mostrar sus rostros, así que por favor déjenme recordarles que NO es necesario mostrar su rostro. Está bien sólo mostrar su parte de su cuerpo. Sólo incluyan algo que esté relacionado a Kalafina y que tenga mucho significado para ustedes. ¿Recuerdan la foto de muestra que publiqué de mí llevando un atuendo de Wakana? Esa ropa es especial para mí y está relacionada a Kalafina, así que está bien. Aunque pueden ver claramente que hay una persona en la foto, no pueden ver mi rostro. Tal vez ustedes puedan hacer algo similar…? O tal vez ustedes tengan algo relacionado a Kalafina, así que podrían tomarse una fotografía mostrando eso. O simplemente tomar un gran trozo de papel y escribir un mensaje en él. Las posibilidades son infinitas. La relación con Kalafina también puede ser un poco vaga, no tiene que ser algo obvio, todo lo que importa es que para USTEDES haya una conexión con Kalafina. Tomen mi escalada al Monte Fuji por ejemplo. Sin Kalafina, nunca hubiera tenido la fortaleza para escalar esa montaña. Publicar una foto mía en la cima del Monte Fuji está completamente relacionado a Kalafina (al menos en mi mente). Por supuesto, tendría que añadir una pequeña explicación o las chicas podrían no entender el significado/conexión con ellas. Pero sí, den rienda suelta a sus ideas.

[putschki1969]

Project #マイヤイヤ

It’s almost December 11 so it’s time to make another post about our project. HERE’s the original post in case you want to check it out. We have refined our plan a bit so I would like to remind everyone of the guidelines/rules. I would also like to provide some clarifications regarding our intentions. In the past two weeks I have received many questions so this will also serve as a sort of FAQ.

Guidelines/rules:

Date: December 25th at 7 a.m. (Japanese Standard Time); Please try to post as close to 7 a.m as possible. We want all of our tweets to be posted at approximately the same time. Everything posted before 12 a.m. (JST) should be fine though.

Platform: Twitter (a public account is required!)

Tags: => Hikaru’s tag (@Hikaru_0702_) => Takeshi Kato’s tag (@kaxtupe - he is one of the editors at SPICE) [EDIT : Tagging @kaxtupe is NO LONGER part of the rules ]  => #マイヤイヤ

Message needs to consist of two main parts: => words of gratitude/appreciation for the past ten years. => words of support for the future (the individual paths they are taking)

Message must contain a photo/gif/video of yourself: => You can hide your face; => The photo needs to be related to Kalafina in a creative/unique way;

Message must contain the place you are from (country, city or both);

Message is restricted to English! However, please feel free to add a “thank you” or a “Merry Christmas” in your native language!

Important Notes:

Once more I would like to emphasise how very important it is that you stick to all the rules. We want this to be a positive experience for the girls.

Do not make the message about your own frustration, sadness and desire. I know it is tempting but this project is supposed to convey nothing but positivity, it is intended to show our appreciation and support for Wakana, Keiko and Hikaru;

We will not demand anything from the girls. We will not ask them to return to Kalafina. We will not ask them to join Yuki Kajiura, we will not pressure them into making announcements regarding their future, we will not pressure them to interact more with the fans or in Keiko’s case to return to the public eye etc;  

I have created a twitter account (@MODmaiyaiya) in order to better moderate our project. Feel free to follow that account. I will be posting a few reminders and possibly even a countdown so no one forgets to post their tweet on Dec 25 at 7 am (JST). Also, if you want to say something particular but you are not sure if you will be violating our rules, please don’t hesitate to send a DM to @MODmaiyaiya. I will try my best to help you out. On Dec 25 I will frequently check the tag to see if everyone is sticking to the rules.

Positive example 〈(•ˇ‿ˇ•)-→

Hikaru’s tag ✓ , SPICE guy tag ✓ , common tag ✓ , words of gratitude ✓ , words of support ✓ , city/country of origin ✓ , picture of yourself (hidden face is fine | related to Kalafina) ✓, no demands/no pressure/no negative content ✓

Note: As you can see, there is not much space left so you can be a little creative and use your picture to add some additional text. For example you could include your city/country and “thank you” in your native language as text field in your pic. You can add up to four pictures to a tweet.

Negative example 〈(•ˇ‿ˇ•)-→

Hikaru’s tag ✓, SPICE guy tag ✓, common tag ✓, YK’s tag ✕, words of gratitude ✕, words of support ✕, city/country of origin ✕, picture of yourself ✕, no demands/no pressure/no negative content ✕

Frequently Asked Questions

Won’t this seem like an act of pity? No! Why should we pity them? They are grown women who have chosen to take a different path in life. No reason whatsoever to feel sorry for them. If YOU feel sorry for them or pity them then okay, there’s nothing we can do about that but it’s certainly not our intention to make a pity fest out of our project. As is stated in the rules/guidelines/notes, this project is not about your emotions. All we are doing is showing our gratitude for the past ten years and making sure they know they have our full support for whatever they decide to do next.

Won’t this project stress the girls/make them feel bad? If everyone sticks to the rules then no, this project is in no way capable of stressing/pressuring them. Our project is supposed to be a selfless act of kindness. We are simply saying, "no matter what you do, no matter which roads you take, no matter how long it will take you, you've got my support". Our message is supposed to be positive but neutral. We are showing gratitude and support without expecting anything in return so how would that ever make them feel bad? Plus, I will be moderating the tag so I will try to make sure that any sort of negative content gets removed again.

Why is this project conducted on Dec 25 and not on Jan 23? As previously explained, Dec 25 is universally known as a day of love and rejoicing, it’s a time for giving so it seems very much suitable to conduct our project on that day. We decided against Jan 23 for various reasons. Most importantly, we intentionally chose a day that’s not heavily related to Kalafina beacuse we did not want to make them feel bad or pressured. We believe that posting our tweets on Jan 23 (or any other BIG Kalafina day) somehow implies that we want them to get back together. There is a sense of not wanting to let go of Kalafina. While I am sure that's true for most of us we really don't wanna burden the girls with our wishes. As for our other main reason, we assume that LOTS of Kalafina fans will be posting something on Jan 23 so it would be overkill to add our project on top of that. Others have suggested Jan 1 to be a much better fit than Dec 25 since that day has much more importance in the Japanese culture compared to Dec 25 which is merely a commercial day of celebration. That is true of course but that is the exact reason why we are NOT doing it on Jan 1. That day is too important and it’s meant for family and your loved ones. No reason to spam someone’s social media account on such a day.

Do I really have to post a picture of myself? Yes, you could even say that your picture is the main focus of this project. Our intention is to show them, "look, here is someone who has supported you in the past and who will continue to support you" so the picture is in fact supposed to show your "physical self". But since many people are not comfortable with showing themselves we included that part about hiding your face. So you can blur out your face or put a big fat smiley on top of it (whatever you prefer).

Can I post a gif/video instead of a picture? As long as you are in that gif/video and it is somehow related to Kalafina, then yes, it is fine, e.g. you can post a video of yourself covering a Kalasong or a gif of yourself showcasing your Kalacollection etc...

Why do I need to write in English? My English is very bad. Can’t we do it in our native language? This project will be conducted by foreign fans from all over the world but we want to keep things in order. This is why we thought it best to use a common/international language. Plus, we want our messages to be easily understood. I know English isn’t everyone’s native language (it isn’t mine either) but I think we can make this work. Our message space is very limited so this project is not about writing an essay, you can write a letter to them if there’s a lot you want to tell them. All you need for THIS project is some basic vocabulary because we only want to convey simple messages. You could compare our messages to a Christmas card or a New Year’s card. Nothing fancy, nothing elaborate, just letting someone know that you still care.  

Can we post our messages in Japanese? Since this is a project created by foreign fans we want it to stand out as such. Therefore we have chosen English as the common language. We don't want our project to be confused with Japanese fan projects.

Why is it necessary to tag the SPICE guy? We are tagging Takeshi Kato (@kaxtupe) in his position as SPICE editor. He frequently uses his account for work related stuff so we think he won’t mind being tagged for this particular project. We are not demanding anything from him and it’s up to him whether he ignores all the messages or actually takes a look at them. Of course we hope he checks them out and feels inspired to make a post about our project so we get some exposure but we don’t want to pressure him or anything. He was chosen because he has worked very closely together with Kalafina in the past few years and he has also shown a lot of support for Hikaru’s and Wakana’s solo activities. He is very invested and has their best interest in mind. [EDIT: Tagging @kaxtupe is NO LONGER part of the rules ] After endless consideration I have decided that it’s best not to tag Takeshi Kato. I have been preaching on and on about how our project is a simple “thank you”, no hidden agenda, no ulterior motives. While we didn’t expect Takeshi Kato to do anything we were of course hoping to get some exposure. But really, exposure in the media is not necessary to make our project successful.

Why are we not tagging Yuki Kajiura? This project is directed at the members of Kalafina ONLY, it is not about Yuki Kajiura which is why we will not be tagging her. We also don’t want to pressure the girls into rejoining Yuki Kajiura.

I would like to ask my fellow fans to share this post on as many platforms as possible. Translations are very much appreciated! Thank you in advance.

Maiyaiya~

[putschki1969]

FIVE more days till 「Project #マイヤイヤ」

Have you prepared a text for your message? Have you thought about a creative picture?

Find my previous posts HERE and HERE.

If you’ve got any questions please don't hesitate to message me here on tumblr. If you are not a member of tumblr you can send an anonymous ask. Of course you can also head to twitter and DM me on this account => @MODmaiyaiya

I am still receiving quite a lot of messages by people who fear we are somehow putting too much pressure on Wakana, Keiko and Hikaru by conducting our project. Many fans like to entertain this idea that the girls are horribly depressed right now and that a project like ours will most likely make things worse. But really, we have no idea what’s going on behind the scenes, for all we know, they could be having the best time of their lives right now. My point is, we shouldn’t always assume the worst. I know, we as fans feel quite sad/disappointed/frustrated etc but we should not be projecting our own emotions onto the girls. While I refuse to believe that they are crying themselves to sleep every night, I would say it’s safe to assume that they have a lot of things they are struggling with at the moment. And hey, that’s totally normal, big changes in life are always difficult. It most likely makes them more vulnerable when it comes to negative influences (which is why I generally understand people being a bit concerned) but let me tell you this, they are not as fragile as some fans make them out to be. They have been working in the music business for more than ten years, most of us probably can’t even imagine the stuff they have had to deal with. They are grown women, they are strong and they are very smart so they are certainly capable of dealing with a bunch of messages and comprehending what this project is all about. Plus, it’s entirely up to them whether they completely ignore our messages or actually take a look. In case they don't want to be bothered right now they can simply look away, no one is forcing them to read our messages.

Also, I have heard of people accusing our project of being fanatical, that we are somehow crossing a line. I would like to assure you that nothing about our project is fanatical and we are certainly not crossing any lines. The only way this project could turn out bad is by people wilfully sabotaging it or unintenionally violating the rules and as I have mentioned in previous posts, I am trying my very best to prevent that from happening. It is not our intention to intrude anyone’s privacy, we do not want to push anyone into doing anything, we are not judging anyone for their actions or lack thereof and we are most definitely not forcing ourselves or our needs onto the girls. We are merely saying “thank you”. No ulterior motives, no hidden agenda, no expectations. If you find fault with that then it’s YOU who has a problem. Also, Hikaru is actively inviting people to message her on twitter, she has made the concsious decision to be on a public platform, hundreds of tweets are sent to her every week (sometimes even every day) so we are definitely not overstepping the boundaries of acceptable behaviour by sending a few more tweets her way.

Either way, I would once again like to remind you of the rules to make sure this is a positive experience for everyone involved.

Forget about your own emotions for a moment and focus on positive things

Focus on the things you are grateful for, focus on the things you have achieved thanks to Kalafina, focus on a special memory, etc...

All your frustration, your sadness, your regrets, none of that should matter when you write your message 

Also, do not bring your hopes, wishes and dreams into this, we do not know what’s in store for them so we don’t want to burden the girls with countless expectations

[putschki1969]

My Limited Edition arrived

I love Amazon Japan for their fast service. Worth every penny. And I haven’t had any issues with customs so far. My Fanclub Edition is still on its way and it probably won’t be arriving until the end of next week so I thought I would give you some initial impressions of this one to get warmed up for the proper review which will follow in the near future. No way I can wait another week to watch the love and documentary, I don’t have patience like that. For reference, be sure to check out part 1 and 2 of my live report.

Package: I got the limited edition with a lovely paper cover. The package contains a pretty thick photobooklet, a credits booklet and the BD itself in a separate package. As tokuten I got a big version of the cover printed on some fancy paper. It’s very lovely. Sadly no lyrics anywhere. I had hoped for the lyrics to Ato Hitotsu and Kimi Dake no Stage.

Audio: I think I complained a lot about the acoustics in my live report. I felt everything was too loud, especially the musicians. They really did a great job at balancing the vocals and instruments. Wakana’s voice sounds crisp and clear, I love how they emphasised her singing and cut back on the sound of the instruments. In the later Kalafina releases it always seemed like the vocals were a bit dull or muted, that is definitely not the case here! There is not a single moment in this live blu-ray where one of the instruments was too loud or overbearing or where Wakana was drowned by the music. I can’t believe I am saying this but I think I might have enjoyed the blu-ray more than the actual live because of these edits. Everything sounds absoutely perfect now. Hats off to the editor, you have my respect! Aside from some audio adjusting, I don’t think they did a lot of editing. Wakana’s voice sounds exactly like it did at the live.

Cuts: Oh boy. They cut A LOT. Let’s start with the most obvious, they cut Mizu no Akashi and the instrumental improv while Wakana was changing into her second outfit. That’s not a surprise of course because the song wasn’t on the published tracklist of the blu-ray. Still, it’s a shame to see it go. I am guessing there are legal reasons they can’t use it. While Space Craft definitely have all the rights to Kalafina’s songs, they obviously don’t have the rights to other works by YK. Aside from that song they also cut most of the MCs - and by most I mean literally all of them. There is pretty much nothing left of the awkwardness and cuteness I talked about in my reports. Just a quick introduction, her explanation on why she titled her tour “VOICE” and why time is such a big theme in so many of her songs. And some random other stuff but really nothing special. Thank God I was there at two lives two witness her cuteness. I always wonder why they decide to cut those MCs. It’s not like a blu-ray doesn’t have enough capacity for some extra minutes. Maybe they don’t wanna ruin Wakana’s goddess image by adding awkward MCs...who knows...but really, it takes so much away from the intimacy, it’s very sad (｡•́︿•̀｡)

The Live: I love EVERYTHING and Wakana is FLAWLESS. It’s all so much better than I remember it! Yup, that’s my review. LOL. Seriously though, this live was SO FREAKING GOOD. I am on my second round right now, I just can’t get enough of it. if you have any love for Wakana and her solo songs, you simply HAVE to get this Blu-ray. It really showcases what a queen she is. Wakana knocks it out of the park. All the songs I didn’t enjoy that much at the live due to the loud volume (e.g. Yakusoku no Yoake, Toki wo Koeru Yoru ni) I absolutely adored on the blu-ray. I even liked Ruriiro no Sora and Musunde Hiraku. Getting to watch Ato Hitotsu on repeat killed me, why does this song make me cry so much?? Okay, I still didn’t particularly enjoy oblivious but that’s really my only complaint about the live, and it’s not even a proper complaint, just a matter of personal taste. Btw, you can can catch a gimpse of me during Kaze ni Naritai, Kimi Dake no Stage and Musunde Hiraku ^_^

Documentary: it was about 22 minutes long. it focused heavily on the first band rehearsal. We got to see how they all met each other for the first time. We see Wakana interacting a lot with the staff members, assistants and managers. Wakana is absolutely adorable and in a constant state of confusion it seems. Kalafina’s stylist (the one who also did the dresses for the 10th Anniversary Live) has a short appearance. Seems like she is also responsible for Wakana’s dresses. We get quite a bit of random backstage footage from the various performances. We see Wakana getting ready, we see her all flustered because she is late for a pre-live meeting, we see her providing a lot of input on how to improvise certain songs (it makes me very happy to see her taking charge of things like this). We see her being happy like a child receiving her brand new rainstick as present. The Tokyo live at Nakano Sunplaza is also featured quite a bit, we get a dress rehearsal and snippets from the live. It’s funny how Wakana has created her very own “maiyaiya”. They all do the same move but they say “eieioh”. Wonder what’s the origin of that. Ahhh, such a cute documentary. I can’t wait to watch the full version of the fan club package!!!!

[putschki1969]

Interview Summaries ~ 10th Anniversary Film Pamphlet

Note: Sorry, this is long overdue. I’ve just been crazy busy with work and planning my Japan trip in summer. There’s some nice stuff in those interviews but nothing too exciting so I opted for summaries instead of proper translations (although as always, my summaries end up being detailed enough to qualify as translations XD). Without further ado, let’s get to it. Enjoy!

~ Group interview ~

They are asked how their infamous group circle and the “maiyaiya” came into existence. Wakana explains that the “maiyaiya” is part of the 「Ongaku」 lyrics. Keiko continues by saying that they first performed the song back in 2009 at Morph-Tokyo in Roppongi and ever since then it became a staple piece for their lives. Back then they decided they wanted to have something distinctive for their motivational group circle but at first they couldn’t come up with anything because nothing seemed to fit the image of Kalafina. But then they realised that Yuki Kajiura’s coined words are a trademark of Kalafina so the “maiyaiya” seemed very fitting. Originally they didn’t know which coined words to use. They were considering the lyrics from a handful of songs but they definitely wanted it to be something that contained a sort of fighting spirit, so coined words like “antiya” were a no-go. 「sprinter」’s coined words were also considered for a while but then they decided against it. They all agreed that 「Ongaku」’s “maiyaiya” was the best choice for them. That was around the same time when Kalafina finally took shape for them and they started to feel like a proper group. Keiko says it’s been forever since they last talked about this topic, it feels very nostalgic.

Then they are asked if they have a similar ritual after each live. They don’t. At least nothing special. They all just talk energetically with each other, they remove their ear pieces and return to their dressing room.

Next question is when they decided to let the fans choose the setlist for their 10th Anniversary in a poll. Keiko says it was during their spring “9+ONE” tour. While they were super busy with their tour, they already started to think about how they would do their 10th Anniversary Live. They had so much to think about because they usually do their anniversary lives at a live house and obviously Budokan is on a whole other scale. They also wondered about what songs to sing and the general production of the concert. They had already sung all of their milestone pieces during their 9th Anniversary Live and their “9+ONE” tour so they had no idea what to do for their 10th Anniversary. They thought the setlists would be the exact same. While they made sure to approach their 10th Anniversary the same way they did their 9th Anniversary (with the same thoughts and ambitions in mind), they wanted to make sure to include their audience’s ideas, feelings and wishes this time around. Thus, they came up with the poll so they could tap into their audience’s minds. Of course they always have their questionnaires after each live and they really try their best to do justice to those wishes but often certain songs won’t fit the theme of their tour. During their “9+ONE” tour they tried to include lots of songs from the questionnaires because it was a year dedicated to focusing on their audience. Keiko says they worried a lot about how to surpass that kind of setlist. Eventually they took the easy way out and decided they would leave all of that to the fans. That was truly for the best. Wakana makes sure to mention that at no point they ever stopped thinking about their fans. Back in the beginning of 2017 they swore to focus on their audience in their 9th year (which is why they did so many lives and events) and for their 10th Anniversary nothing changed about that sentiment. So they asked their fans which songs they wished to hear for the 10th Anniversary. Keiko says that with their usual questionnaires the results were always all over the place. Hikaru explains that it is because everyone has different tastes and the have many age groups in their audience. But with this poll it was quite different.

The interviewer asks if they were surprised by the results. For Wakana it was beyond anything she could have imagined. She thought the results were amazing. She goes on to explain that poll entries are always very biased and the songs you choose heavily depend on the time when you became a fan. Newer fans are more likely to choose new songs while long-time fans probably tend to pick super old songs.

Next question is whether the final results felt random and all over the place. Keiko replies that no, not at all, the setlist ended up being very well balanced. The other two agree. They got something from every genre. Their anime songs, their historia songs, their album-only songs, their “maniac” songs. Keiko says it was super hard to decide on the order of the songs but in general, there was a great balance. Hikaru thought the results were amazing because you could really tell that people who took part in the poll are very passionate about Kalafina’s music. Wakana points out that they were deeply moved when they saw the top 3 of the poll. They didn’t think “Kara no Kyoukai” would be THIS heavily featured among the results. Wakana wasn’t so sure how to balance all these KnK pieces at first but she was very moved that their audience felt this way. Keiko thinks the top-3 choice was perfect and it made her very happy.

The interviewer asks what they meant when they mentioned “maniac” songs earlier in the interview. Keiko says that for her a “maniac” song is 「Magia」 for example. It was a shock for everyone when the single was released. Some fans told Keiko that her solo lines sounded like an Enka. Keiko was surprised to hear that but she agrees, if you change the singing style a little, it becomes quite the dubious Enka [LOL at Keiko XD; I wish we had gotten more Kala-Enka covers in the past. Their Fuyugeshiki was so freaking good!] Wakana says that quite recently she watched the PV for the first time in like forever. It was so unique and edgy! And Keiko with short hair was great! They are all very impressed by the camera work. Wakana says that Hikaru’s eyes look super scary in the PV. That was their first edgy song out of many, a true turning point for them. [It’s a real shame that Magia didn’t make it into the final setlist.]

Final question for each of them: Are there any moments during their lives where they want the audience to just look at one of them and give that member full attention. They all say no. They want the audience to focus on all three of them as a group. There’s no “I” when they perform together. Wakana wants the audience to see how the three of them create music together, she would rather not have everyone just look at her. She says it’s a good thing for the audience to actually see how they create their harmonies during lives because when you just listen to the CD, it’s really hard to tell who is singing which parts. Hikaru adds that while there’s no “I” within their group they are all very much aware of their solo parts within songs. So when it’s their turn to sing, that’s really the only time they think of themselves and not the group as a whole.

Scans of the pamphlet can be found here

Next up: Wakana’s Solo Interview

[putschki1969]

2017/12/15 Blog post by Keiko 『名古屋→福岡〆』

『From Nagoya to our final tour performance in Fukuoka』 Hello ♪ This is Keiko (^ ^) On December 13 we held our 『Kalafina Acoustic Tour 2017～“＋ONE”with Strings～』 Nagoya performance in Aichi Prefecture and on the 14th we successfully finished our final tour concert in Fukuoka ♪

On our flight back home from Fukuoka I was reading through all of your letters while snacking on some chocolates as usual. Regarding the content of the letters we have received during this tour ... Many of them are so honest and it feels like you poured your heart and soul into them; reading through them gets me extremely emotional especially since I am still hyped from our concert. I am very happy that this tour was all about being honest with you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the letters, gifts and flowers!! Well, well…let’s start with the 13th ... When we first arrived at Nagoya Station I was surprised by how cold it was!! We were told that it had snowed for the first time that morning *laughs* (´∇｀) “It’s really cold here～ " Standing on the stage of Aichi Prefectural Arts Theater for the very first time felt extremely calming, I stretched carefully and stood up straighter than usual. Being at a venue for the first time is always special, the reverberations you feel inside your body, the speed of your heartbeat and the depth of your every breath, all these different feelings affect my singing. It was a Nagoya performance that made me who I am today, that made me believe in coming back again and again, that made me want to continue singing ... Way back in 2010, on February 3rd we held one of our very first tour lives @Bottom Line Nagoya ♪ On that day we got asked, "what do Kalafina lives mean to you ...?" It was our Nagoya performance that made it possible for us to realise the true meaning of our live concerts. I associate this place with personal challenges, I feel so much fighting spirit here ... That’s why I wanted to convey all of my gratitude to you during this live. All of your faces in the audience are forever engraved in my heart. That day was the final tour performance for our 2nd violinist Mottsun (Yasuhiro Morimoto-san) Here’s our farewell maiyaiya ♪ We were laughing non-stop before going up on stage *laughs* Thank you to everyone in Nagoya! Thank you for all these music journeys so far!! Then on December 14th we held our final tour concert @Fukuoka Symphony Hall! Once again it was our first time performing at this venue, the colour tone of the strings resounded in a very pleasant way, ranging from our 1st violin up till the cello, you could make out every last note in the register, from our very first microphone check, from the first song we performed, we immediately knew that we would have a great relationship with this hall, we thought, “oh yes, this is nice ♪ Very nice ♪ “ Back when we did our World Heritage Lives we decided that for this tour we would not change the setlist. Depending on the venue each note will resound differently, the lyrics will hold a different meaning, the scenery appears differently, it changes colour, changes perspective… We really wanted to feel that change, we wanted our audience to feel it too. No matter where we went during our 11 performances we created “music that only existed on that very day of our concert”. It was worth going on this journey of music and I am glad we did! Our final Fukuoka performance was also the triumphal return concert for Wakana-chan ♪ To see this live end with her blinding smile…it was the best thing ever!! (／▽＼)♪ The radiance and warmth of “light”… Wakana-chan had this kind of special aura around her (´∇｀) Thank you for joining us during this special triumphal return concert, also thank you to everyone in Fukuoka who patiently waited for us to return ♪ Our hearts are dancing thanks to the beautiful roses we received *laughs* Also, look what was in our dressing room ...my staple foods… Lumonde and fruit gummies!! Such a massive amount!! I am super grateful. I love them so much!! Of course we also enjoyed some local specialties in Fukuoka ♪ Wakana-chan’s picture looks like a PR poster for Mentaiko, doesn’t it? *laughs* Very nice!! When Hikaru-san noticed the squid was still moving she was quite petrified, I thought it was very amusing *laughs* Now it’s time to switch into full-on Christmas mode ♪ I’ve already become one of those cheerful people humming Christmas songs to themselves *laughs* Merry Christmas (*´▽)ノ♪ Ahahahahahaha

[putschki1969]

2017/11/16 Blog post by Keiko 『ひかり』

『Light』 Hello, this is Keiko. After finishing our performance in Hiroshima last night we are now on our way back home on the rattling shinkansen *laughs* "An autumn music tour", that’s a really nice thing, isn’t it? The weather makes it very easy, it seems like no matter where we travel, we always get to experience a lovely atmosphere and cosy weather...I also feel like compared to our usual tours I have much more time to be alone with my thoughts. I wonder if it’s because this is an acoustic tour... (*´-`) There are a lot of moments where I am realising, “I don’t really know myself today...”

On the day of our Hiroshima performance, my heart was all over the place. I came to the venue much earlier than I usually would, I tried to get into tour mode hoping to return to my usual self. During moments like this, when my feelings are off for no apparent reason it’s almost like I am being tested. That’s why I faced each and every song during our Hiroshima performance as if it were a challenge. Truth is, I wish I would have been able to sing a bit more relaxed ... (*´-`) At this Hiroshima performance I got to see a scenery of “light” for the first time, it provided a special heat that warmed up my mind, body and heart from within.... All the faces in the audience looking at the stage were full of honesty ... 『A light of dazzling happiness』 I will never forget this Hiroshima performance because it made me see things in a different light. Thanks to all the local fans who have been patiently waiting for us to return, thanks to everyone who came to see us, thanks so much for the 『music that can only exist on that very day』!! One of the first things that comes to mind when you think of Hiroshima is okonomiyaki～ It was even more delicious than usual because we got to eat it together (*´-`) “Give me your biggest smile!!!” That’s how I took this picture *laughs* Our next stop is Hokkaido!! It’s been about half a year since we have last been to Hokkaido, it was back in spring when the cherry blossoms were blooming, I am very much looking forward to enjoying Sapporo in autumn next week! Everyone who is coming to see our live, I am looking forward to meeting you! Maiyaiya ー(*´∀`)♪

Lastly, here’s everything I got while I was in Hiroshima ♪ Thanks so much to Hiroshima Home TV for providing most of this! ♪ Carp ～Carp Carp Hiroshima Hiroshima Carp～♪ Hehehe (^^)

[putschki1969]

2017/11/14 Blog post by Keiko 『山口→広島へ』

『From Yamaguchi to Hiroshima』 Good evening ♪ This is Keiko. Today we have come to Hiroshima ♪ The weather has been really lovely since noon so Wakana and Hikaru each went off to do some sightseeing by themselves, they have already sent me lots of fun pictures that made me smile (^^). I am looking forward to all their sightseeing stories ♪

Due to my excitement I was awake till early morning last night ... Everyone who came to see our performance at Yamaguchi Prefecture Shunan City Hall, thank you so much!! Last year we performed at Yamaguchi Shunan City Cultural Hall for the first time, it’s an amazing venue with a very gentle echo, I felt captured by its all-encompassing warmth. I was happy to finally be back and I felt grateful to everyone who came to see us despite it being a weekday, with these thoughts in mind I went on stage wishing to sing from the bottom of my heart. I was deeply moved by the audience’s heartfelt applause during the MCs. It almost felt like we were having a proper conversation. That’s something unique to Yamaguchi... 『Music that exists only on that day』 It’s not so much about forcibly changing something during each and every performance, it’s more about the energy we receive from the audience at the different venues in those very moments, it’s that energy that will heavily influence our singing style. It’s this particular feeling that I never want to forget. We’ll continue to pursue a perfect harmony between us. I believe that there’s no limit when it comes to our expressions. I believe in myself and I believe in Wakana and Hikaru (^^) I hope to come back to Yamaguchi soon ... During our performance at Yamaguchi Shunan City Cultural Hall Mottsun (Yasuhiro Morimoto) was playing the 2nd violin ♪ Here’s our “maiyaiya” (/ ▽ \) ♪… for Mottsun’s first day ～♪ Well, well, tomorrow’s Hiroshima performance will be our first time returning to Hiroshima in about four years. It’s also our first time in this particular formation. Please look forward to our 8-people harmony ♪

[spwitti]

Proyecto #マイヤイヤ

Here’s my translation to Spanish of the 「Proyect #マイヤイヤ」 post by @putschki1969​ Please feel free to share!

Publicación original:  Putschki1969 - Project #マイヤイヤ

“Hemos pulido nuestro plan un poco, así que nos gustaría recordarles a todos las pautas/reglas. También me gustaría ofrecer algunas aclaraciones respecto a nuestras intenciones. En las últimas dos semanas he recibido muchas preguntas, así que esto servirá como una especie de FAQ.

Pautas/Reglas

Fecha: 25 de Diciembre a las 7 a.m. (Hora de Japón) [24 de Diciembre a las 5 p.m. hora de Colombia]; Por favor, traten de publicar tan cerca de las 7 a.m. como sea posible. Queremos que nuestros tweets se publiquen aproximadamente a la misma hora. Todo lo que se publique antes de las 12 a.m. (Hora de Japón) estará bien de cualquier manera.

Plataforma: Twitter (¡Se requiere una cuenta pública!)

Etiquetas: => Hikaru (@Hikaru_0702_) => Takeshi Kato (@kaxtupe - él les uno de los editores de SPICE) => #マイヤイヤ

El mensaje debe constar de dos partes principales: => Palabras de gratitud/aprecio por los últimos diez años. => Palabras de apoyo para el futuro (los caminos individuales que están tomando)

El mensaje debe contener una *foto/gif/video de ustedes mismos*: => Pueden ocultar su rostro; => La foto debe estar relacionada a Kalafina de alguna manera creativa/única;

El mensaje debe contener *el lugar del que provienen* (país, ciudad o los dos);

¡El mensaje está restringido al *inglés*! ¡Sin embargo, siéntanse libres de añadir un “gracias” o “Feliz Navidad” en su idioma nativo!

 Anotaciones importantes:

Una vez más, quisiera enfatizar qué tan importante es que se apeguen a todas las pautas. Queremos que esta sea una experiencia positiva para las chicas.

No hagan un mensaje sobre su propia frustración, tristeza y deseo. Sé que es tentador, pero este proyecto pretende transmitir sólo positividad, pretende mostrar nuestro aprecio y apoyo a Wakana, Keiko y Hikaru:

No pediremos nada de las chicas. No pediremos que regresen a Kalafina, no pediremos que se unan a Yuki Kajiura, no las presionaremos a hacer anuncios acerca de su futuro, no las presionaremos a interactuar más con sus fans o, en el caso de Keiko, a regresar al ojo público, etc;

He creado una cuenta de Twitter (@MODmaiyaiya) para poder moderar mejor nuestro proyecto. Siéntanse libres de seguir esa cuenta. Estaré publicando algunos recordatorios y posiblemente, hasta una cuenta regresiva para que nadie olvide publicar su tweet el 25 de Diciembre a las 7. A. m (JST). Además, si quieren decir algo en particular, pero no están seguros si estarán violando nuestras pautas, por favor, no duden en enviar un Mensaje Directo a @MODmaiyaiya. Trataré de ayudarles lo más que pueda. El 25 de diciembre revisaré el hasta frecuentemente para ver si todos se están apegando a las reglas.

Preguntas frecuentes

¿No parecerá esto un acto de lástima? ¡No! ¿Por qué deberíamos tenerles lástima? Son mujeres adultas que han elegido tomar caminos diferentes en sus vidas. No hay razón para sentir pena por ellas. Si ustedes sienten pena o lástima por ellas, entonces, bien. No hay nada que podamos hacer al respecto, pero ciertamente no es nuestra intención hacer de nuestro proyecto un festival de lástima. Como ya lo dije en las pautas/reglas, este proyecto no es acerca de sus emociones. Todo lo que estamos haciendo es mostrar nuestra gratitud por los últimos diez años y asegurándonos de que sepan que tienen todo nuestro apoyo para lo que sea que decidan hacer en adelante.

¿Este proyecto no estresará a las chicas/las hará sentir mal? Si todos se apegan a las reglas, entonces no. Este proyecto no es capaz en ninguna forma de estresarlas o presionarlas. Nuestro proyecto pretende ser un acto desinteresado de gentileza. Simplemente estamos diciendo, “no importa lo que hagan, no importa qué camino tomen, no importa cuánto tiempo les tome, tienen nuestro apoyo”. Nuestro mensaje pretende ser positivo pero neutral. Estamos mostrando gratitud y apoyo sin esperar nada a cambio, ¿entonces cómo podría eso hacerlas sentir mal? Además, estaré moderando el hashtag, así que trataré de asegurarme que de cualquier tipo de contenido negativo sea removido.

¿Por qué se hace este proyecto el 25 de diciembre y no el 23 de enero? Como se explicó anteriormente, el 25 de diciembre es universalmente conocido como un día de amor y regocijo, es tiempo para dar, así que parece bastante apropiado para llevar a cabo nuestro proyecto. Decidimos no hacerlo el 23 de enero por varias razones. Principalmente, intencionalmente decidimos elegir un día que no estuviera fuertemente relacionado a Kalafina porque no queríamos hacerlas sentir mal o presionadas. Creemos que publicar nuestros tweets el 23 de enero (o cualquier otra GRAN fecha para Kalafina) de alguna manera implica que queremos que se junten de nuevo. Hay una sensación de no querer dejar ir a Kalafina. Aunque estoy segura de que eso es así para muchos de nosotros, realmente no queremos agobiar a las chicas con nuestros deseos. En cuento a nuestra otra razón, asumimos que MUCHOS fans de Kalafina estarán publicando algo el 23 de enero, así que sería un exceso hacer nuestro proyecto encima de eso.

¿Realmente debo publicar una foto mía? Sí. Se podría incluso decir que sus fotos son el foco principal de este proyecto. Nuestra intención es mostrarles a ellas “miren, aquí hay alguien que las ha apoyado en el pasado y que continuará haciéndolo”, así que se supone que la foto de hecho los muestre a “ustedes físicamente”.  Pero ya que muchas personas no se sienten cómodas mostrándose a sí mismas, incluimos esa parte acerca de ocultar sus rostros. Así que pueden desenfocar su rostro o poner un enorme emoticón sobre ella (lo que sea que prefieran).

¿Puedo publicar un gif/video en lugar de una foto? Mientras ustedes aparezcan en ese gif/video, y esté de alguna manera relacionado a Kalafina, entonces sí, está bien. Por ejemplo, pueden publicar un video de ustedes interpretando una canción de Kalafina o un gif de ustedes enseñando su colección de Kalafina, etc…

¿Por qué debo escribir en inglés? Mi inglés es muy malo. ¿No podríamos hacerlo en nuestro idioma nativo? Este proyecto estará dirigido por fans extranjeros de todo el mundo, pero queremos mantener las cosas en orden. Es por esto que pensamos que es mejor utilizar un lenguaje internacional en común. Además, queremos que nuestros mensajes sean fácilmente entendidos. Sé que el inglés no es el idioma nativo de todos (no es el mío tampoco) pero pienso que podemos hacerlo funcionar. Nuestro espacio para el mensaje es muy limitado, así que este proyecto no se trata de escribir un ensayo, pueden escribirles una carta si hay mucho que quieran decirles. Todo lo que necesitan para ESTE proyecto es algo de vocabulario básico porque sólo queremos transmitir mensajes sencillos. Podrían comparar nuestros mensajes a una tarjeta navideña o de Año Nuevo. Nada lujoso, nada elaborado, sólo dejarle saber a alguien que aún le importan.

¿Podemos publicar nuestros mensajes en japonés? Ya que este proyecto es creado por fans extranjeros, queremos que se destaque de esa manera. Por l tanto, hemos elegido el inglés como idioma en común. No queremos que nuestro proyecto se confunda con los de fans japoneses.

¿Por qué es necesario etiquetar al sujeto de SPICE? Estamos etiquetando a Takeshi Kato (@kaxtupe) en su posición de editor de SPICE. Él frecuentemente utiliza su cuenta para cosas relacionadas al trabajo, así que pensamos que no le importará ser etiquetado en este proyecto en particular. No estamos pidiendo nada de él y depende de él si ignora todos los mensajes o les da un vistazo. Por supuesto, esperamos que los vea y se sienta inspirado a publicar algo acerca de nuestro proyecto y así tener algo de exposición, pero no queremos presionarlo ni nada por el estilo. Fue elegido porque él ha trabajado de cerca junto a Kalafina en los últimos años y también ha demostrado mucho apoyo hacia las actividades en solitario de Hikaru y Wakana. Él es muy comprometido y tiene sus intereses en mente.

¿Por qué no etiquetamos a Yuki Kajiura? Este proyecto está dirigido SOLO a los miembros de Kalafina. No se trata de Yuki Kajiura, por lo que no estaremos etiquetándola. Además no queremos presionar a las chicas a unirse de nuevo a Yuki Kajiura.

Quisiera pedirle a mis compañeros fans compartir esta publicación en tantas plataformas como sea posible. ¡Apreciaría mucho cualquier traducción! Gracias de antemano.”

[putschki1969]

Hi! I apologize for the sudden message. My name is Charmaine (I'm sorry I don't have tumblr! FB: @charmainetanmin), and I'm a Kalafina fan who's recently heard about #マイヤイヤ. I'm excited about the project, but there's a part that concerns me. As Hikaru is a direct recipient of our intended support, it'd be lovely for her, but I feel uncomfortable tagging the spice editor in all our tweets. We might end up achieving the opposite effect, unintentionally overstepping our boundaries on social media.

Hello Charmaine!

Never apologise for a sudden message, I don’t mind at all.

[EDIT : Tagging @kaxtupe is NO LONGER part of the rules ]

I fully understand your concern. You are not the first one to point this out and I myself had a few doubts when we decided on this particular aspect of our plan.

However, after some consideration and discussion I do feel like we won’t be overstepping any boundaries. We are tagging him in his position as SPICE editor. He frequently uses his account for work related stuff so we think he won’t mind being tagged for this particular project. If anything, he will have fun going through some of the amazing and creative messages/pictures we are sending to Hikaru.

We are not demanding anything from him and it’s up to him whether he ignores all the messages or actually takes a look at them. Of course we hope he checks them out and feels inspired to make a post about our project but we don’t want to pressure him or anything. It’s entirely his choice.

SPICE editor Takeshi Kato was chosen because he has worked very closely together with Kalafina in the past few years and he has also shown a lot of support for Hikaru’s and Wakana’s solo activities. He is very invested and has their best interest in mind. Judging from all the interviews and live videos they did together, it’s safe to assume that they have a very good relationship with each other. The girls have always been very relaxed and laid back around him and they seem to be able to be themselves which is always a good thing. On top of that he and Hikaru follow each other on twitter so I am guessing they are still somewhat close and will work together again in the future. For all these reasons we thought he would be the perfect choice and with some luck he might help us get some exposure for our project.

Another option would have been to tag Akihiro Tomita. He has worked together with Kalafina on countless occasions and he certainly has a lot of influence in the media but he hasn’t really been associated with any of the solo projects so far so we feel it is a bit unfitting to involve him. He is following Hikaru on twitter though (and she is following him back) so we might get something in the future…who knows…

Either way, I hope my explanation makes sense and I was able to put you at ease.