#obviously I love Keiko and Hikaru and their releases

[putschki1969]

『Hikaru LIVE TOUR -ROUND-』 KYOTO

Tweet by Hikaru | Instagram story by Hikaru | Instagram post by Hikaru

▼2024 11/30 (Sat) Soul Power, Toyama 17:30 / 18:00 12/07 (Sat) Music Bar Perch, Aichi 17:30 / 18:00 12/14 (Sat) LIVE HOUSE enn 2nd, Miyagi 17:30 / 18:00 12/21 (Sat) MUSE, Kyoto 17:00 / 17:30

▼2025 02/11 (Tue) Club eX, Tokyo 17:00 / 18:00

Setlist Notes: The new song is called “With”. I originally thought it was “Wish”. My bad! Not sure about the order of some of those songs (maybe there’s something missing too??). I had to wait till I was on the train to write everything down but at that point, all the songs had gotten mixed up in my mind. It was made worse by the fact that I didn’t immediately recognise some of them and Hikaru didn’t always introduce them either☠️

That ticket holder clearfile looks so good!! Glad we got this as tokuten. A bit bummed though that there was no special design for the drink ticket😿For those who bought more than one copy of the “Mask” EP, there was a special present too, an alternative cover image. Super pretty 🤩 I mostly spent the rest of my day in Kyoto eating touristy stuff 😅And I headed to the Pokemon Center to get a few exclusive items for my nieces/nephews.

On a side note, those pink gummies were posted by Keiko earlier this week on her Yodel app. Of course I had to get them too (tho the packaging is a bit different, there’s a variety of designs. I got the same design as her today🤗)

1.With 2.Treasure??? 3.Koganeiro no Yakusoku 4.Flow 5.Survivor 6.Under the rain (acoustic ver.) 7.Lack 8.YES/NO 9.Disclose 10.Escape 11.End of line 12.Kiseki En 1.Breathe En 2.紡-TSUMUGU-

Some highlights: I was SUPER close to the stage, it was AMAZING!!🤩 You can even see me quite clearly on the photo that Hikaru posted 🤗So glad she allowed us to take off our masks for the photo. Wouldn’t have wanted to miss that opportunity.

As always, Hikaru had an incredible stage presence, she was confident and cool, oozing charisma during each and every performance. I feel like we made eye contact several times but maybe that’s just wishful thinking 🙃Her singing was powerful and even though I didn’t always recognise the song (shame on me), I had a good time. “Under the rain” was hands down my favourite 💕So beautiful. I almost cried. She sounded better than she ever did before. The acoustic arrangement is very flattering. The upbeat songs were a ton of fun (despite sitting right in front of the speakers☠️). Hikaru literally rocked the stage🔥I almost feel bad for not being more active but I guess I’m just not the type to move a lot. (Clapping is the most I’ll usually do😅)

Sorry for adding lots of stuff on the go. I forgot to mention that Hikaru teased some upcoming solo activities for 2025. She says there are already more or less concrete plans but she will wait to make an announcement until everything is finalised. Of course she also briefly discussed the Kalafina Anniversary concert and asked who of us was planning to go. Obviously, almost everyone said that they would come, Hikaru seemed very happy about that and ensured us that they would put all of their love and strength into delivering the best possible music to us so we should all look forward to it.

EP Mask Tracklist Notes: For some reason I thought there would be more new songs🫣But it’s just “With”. The other tracks have been released digitally already.

1.with 2.End of line 3.Lack 4.Koganeiro no Yakusoku 5.Breathe 6.Kiseki

13th Single 「End of line」 MV (Short ver.) ④

And here’s another music video clip of the MV for Hikaru’s latest single release. You can watch it on Instagram! Also be sure to check out her YouTube Short. The song is featured on her EP “Mask” which is set to be on sale at her solo tour venues.

[anti-social--princess]

2021.01.02 - a reflection of the best selling Japanese album nearly 22 years later

So this is my latest iteration of attempting to blog about music. Thanks for looking. Let’s get down to business. I kept languishing over what the hell to post about for my first entry in this blog, and it came to me this morning as I was info-dumping to a friend about Hikaru Utada and her debut album First Love (because we were watching Gravitation -- a first for her -- and I had flippantly remarked that Ryuichi Sakuma’s successful USA career was unrealistic and my explanation used Hikki’s disastrous attempt at a USA career for a prime example). Why not reflect on this album, even though clearly so many others have waxed endless about it?

I was 15 years old when I discovered this album -- the same age as Hikki when she released it in 1999. I was 15 in 2005, and to put it simply, exploring the world of Japanese music back then was really something. Newbies have it too damn easy these days. But I digress. And I think it’s important to highlight that bit about being 15. I simply saw her as a musical genius -- more so because I learned that is the all-time bestselling Japanese album and she was my age when she made it. And that simply threw young me for a whirl. Ayumi Hamasaki was my favorite person back then (and she still is, 15 years later), but I couldn’t deny Hikki’s “inherent” artistry.

Now, as I tumbled through my 20s, I had a problematic tendency to regress into a more immature state of mind and follow what some of my friends in the jpop fandom were saying about this album. Which is to say, they derided this album and considered it beyond overrated. At age 30, I have seen the error of my ways, and while I don’t venerate it as I did when I was a bright-eyed teen, I still regard it as a pretty damn great album. And it’s one of few jpop albums that my mom can listen to all the way through without complaints, which is great for me since it’s often a struggle to reach a middle ground with my mom about my niche interests, haha.

To someone growing up and forming their musical taste during the Y2K era (late 90s/early 2000s), the sound of First Love is really nothing special at the end of the day. Hikki was simply chasing a rising R&B trend in Japan and copying the current American R&B trends to put her own twist on the Japanese trend. She ended up setting the standard for that era’s Japanese R&B scene. Mai Kuraki a year later would try and capitalize on it with her own debut album delicious way, and it kind of worked--that album is in the Top 10 bestselling Japanese albums. MISIA was better equipped to become successful and to this day remains one of Japan’s R&B icons. I could go on with the impact, but anyway!

Being from the perspective of a 15 year old girl, I feel, is what makes this debut album so remarkable, all things considered. The debut single, and respectively the opening track of the album, Automatic is an extremely catchy, timeless bop about, well, catching feelings for someone. It’s also one of the rare occasions where I actually enjoy the first single of an album cycle being the first song on an album (a pop music practice that aggravates me and in my opinion, it has hurt the long-term success of many pop albums because of the general public’s short-term memory and tendency to buy a CD for “that one song”). In My Room is a comfy little mid-tempo further exploring the experience of catching feelings. It’s more or less a universal experience for a teenager. However, this becomes more apparent when you take in everything about the title track, First Love. It’s a beautiful, relatively simple yet impeccably produced ballad about her first major heartbreak. A lot of comments over the years have mentioned her shaky voice is a turn-off for them but I think it works and it’s why I kind of sit there stoic when I hear a more competent singer cover it (and I have heard MANY covers of this song, it’s ridiculous how often it gets covered to this day) -- the competence just doesn’t fit for a song like this. Heartbreak when you’re 15 is like the freaking end of the world and you don’t know how to unpack it, and you have to figure out how to keep it together. Keep it cool, ya know. The inexperience is what makes it. Which is why it’s frustrating to hear songs like Amai Wana ~Paint it, Black and B&C at my age because she just sounds so obviously trying to act like a grown-up when she’s very much still a child.

Sometimes the attempts at sophistication worked in the album, though. Never Let Go is another simple mid-tempo that samples Sting’s work, and as someone who grew up with a mother whose favorite band is The Police and also loved Sting’s solo work (I’m more partial to his solo work, myself), I can’t help but enjoy it. Her voice here is just so cute. And it’s an earnest cute, not cutesy for the sake of it. Another Chance is an example of how you can take a song about heartbreak and polish it with a dance-style backing track and it just works. For a more contemporary example, I’d recommend Kesha’s Dancing with Tears in My Eyes and Rina Sawayama’s Tokyo Love Hotel (the bonus to listening to this one is that Rina is a huge fan of Hikki so you can easily hear her influence on it).

However, there’s moments in the album that test my patience. Movin’ on without you is a little too polished and slick, and Hikki honestly just sounds like she’s dissociating throughout the song, which is a pity considering it’s sandwiched between two strong tracks and the lyrics give the impression of confidence. Ayumi Hamasaki’s cover of it in 2014 is vastly superior, personally. She had the aid of the renowned producer RedOne (you would know him best for working with Lady Gaga) and a more natural tendency to sound genuinely confident. Give Me A Reason is just simply too long even though the production and vocals are fine. There was no need for it to be nearly 6 minutes long.

The kicker about First Love and Hikki’s career overall is that she was more or less pressured into it. Her father Teruzane Utada was a big-shot producer and her mother Junko was a legend in her own right in the enka scene as Keiko Fuji. This also explains why the album sounds really good. She admitted in later interviews in her 20s that she was doing music because she felt there wasn’t any other choice for her in life. No wonder she took a 6-year hiatus to recoup. She just wanted to feel like a regular person.

And I think, again, Hikki being 15 is why people were so infatuated with the album. The general public saw her as a young musical prodigy. It also calls to attention the misguided impression most people have about the concept of talent and prodigies: the impression that talent is natural and practice/access aren’t necessary to make it in the industry. Hikki has skills as a musician, no doubt, but it’s not because she was born with it. She grew up surrounded by musicians. She had access to practice and the tools needed for success. This is not to dismiss her artistry in any way; I am merely pointing out her privilege. And what did this privilege gain her? She’s a legend.

Certainly, in 2021, no other album will ever top the smash success and sales of First Love. But they can damn well try. And really, who can blame anyone for chasing the halcyon days of an era long-gone from the music industry?

[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.

[plumeriarubra]

The upsettingly long kala(f)ixx imagine post nobody asks for

DISCLAIMER :i have no musical knowledge beside rudimentary knowledge of vocal range thing and being extremely creepy by listening the same songs a thousand times over

Shout out to @symph0nia-pendragon (tumblr doesn’t tag why)who basically said everything’s better with Kalafina and I agree wholeheartedly.

Since since most people only knew one or neither and not both here's the member’s list and linked vocal performance. 

Kalafina :

Keiko l Wakana l Hikaru (i couldn’t find her solo, but she’s the driving vocal here)

Vixx :

Ravi    (singing,sort of)  l  Hongbin(cover)  l Hyuk(with ravi)  l  N(cover) 

Ken (duet, he's the blonde dude)(cover)  l  Leo(cover)

Other disclaimer in some of these imagines i break up VIXX and keep kalafina intact. This is mostly because VIXX has uh, different feelings to their voice?thing? But are mostly tenors?(sort of) idk , idk i just feel certain combination fits certain feel. I’m pulling this out of my ass though. If any of them singing with the other i sob anyway (TBH if one day one of them just simply acknowledging in a twitter update I’ll cry anyway). I’M RAMBLING OKAY LET ME LIVE.

Anyway! Starlights, enjoy Kalafina!, and likewise dear Kalafina fans, enjoy VIXX!

or idk, try it out, both are very niche anyway so i don’t expect an awful lot of people to suddenly like both ^^; 

Links are the original song. And beside it is what my wishful thinking amateur ass imagine who sings the collab. Title in italics are Kalafina songs, the rest Vixx’s.  This is all for fun and I obviously didn’t think this through. (one being the not knowing each other existence and probably not dig the other’s music part, lmao I’m streeeetching my imagination here). Here ya go !

Error  (acoustic ver.) (or)   Eternity (Ravi,Hongbin,Hyuk,Leo, Kalafina) ( Just want more focus on Hongbin’s badass baritone peppered through the song and Keiko’s strong alto boosting it)

Magia (Ravi,Hongbin,Hyuk,Leo,Kalafina) (Ravi won’t be rapping but i believe his also badass baritone will add to the gritty song, also rock Leo)

Heavenly Blue  (or)  Sprinter  (string ver.) (Hongbin, Hyuk, Kalafina) (Hyuk is this odd baritone that can hit some tenor notes, combine with hongbin for he intense part, boom, bam, idk lmao)

Beautiful Liar (Leo,Ravi, Keiko) (Look the prospect of a Tenor-Alto duet with rapper Ravi is just too good okay)

Whisper (Leo,Ravi,Keiko) (imagine Keiko doing someting R&B-ish i mean just..)

Seventh Heaven (Ken, N, Kalafina) (IDK I feel Ken and N fits the more swaying(?) songs) 

Interlude #1 (or) Storia (Ken, N, Hongbin/Hyuk, Kalafina) (same as above, also hyuk/hongbin adding more lower notes)

The rest below is ones I feel will be REALLY COOL sung by all nine of them, with acoustics or just piano+badass violin accompaniment. Doing Every Single Harmony, IMAGINE THAT

Fantasy  (This one acapella version/MR Removed is what spur my imagination in the first place tbh, also imagine the Girls wearing Suits performing this)

On and On (Remember the picnic live with May Tree,YUP)( Also check May Tree out while your at it) (also I’m having way too much fun imagining the girls doing the “i need Therapy” dance part)

Hyde or Voodoo Doll( This Kalafina’s aesthethic with the weird sliding harmonies idk the name of it but i mean c’mon)(I mean the sheer awesome vocal bomb potential is very there)

Alleuia (I might cry ugly tears but I would love love them to do acapella like what Kalafina did in Budokan)

Moonfesta (It’s a cute but slightly creepy song. They must be cute together, giant Vixx being cute while singing spectacularly might shock me but I’ll love it to bits)

Serenato  (idk i just, it could be good)

Oblivious (of course I have to put oblivious in)

More Notes because of course I make it even longer :

-I also imagine Navi dancing to Kalafina singing to The Leitmotif. Or even better This one OST from Tsubasa Chronicle)

-I didn’t put in Vixx’s Japanese songs because oddly enough, it’s their main korean release that just scratches my inner 90′s goth like Kalafina did.

-I am actually confident at them singing each others language (vixx has japanese releases, Kalafina sings in nonsense/kajiurago oftentimes anyway) 

-Yes I’m aware of the difference in vocal prowess I’m half delusional actually.

-Honorary Fiction/Junction(kalafina with hikaru switched out) Songs also would be nice to hear a collab 

  --Hoshikuzu (I’ll cry ugly tears)

  --Open Your Heart ( I’ll sob ugly tears)

[erza-shidae]

Do you want everything? You want everything! ^_^ 1-55! Ready, steady, GO!!! XD

What’s the point of these numbers again? lol I’ll answer @machiwabiteitayoake​ numbers on these post as well so here goes! I’ll try not to Cakey everything for my answers *sobs*

1) First Kalafina song?To the beginning, was starting on Fate series since people have been saying that I’ll like Saber (which ended up being true only on the zero storyline)

2) First Kalafina album?I actually had to look up my files for this lol, I mostly dl-ed singles that I like and ignore the whole album for bands that I started to like, anyhow, my first full album was The best blue (both IRL and digital I guess, I had to buy the album from AFATH for the signs) 3) Favorite Kalafina song?Alleluia, without this song I wouldn’t care for the band as much (as in I won’t bother listen to the rest of the B-sides trying to find songs like this one lol)4) Favorite Kalafina album?Winter Acoustic :P I’m just trash for pianos5) Favorite Kalafina single?To the beginning I supposed…6) Favorite Kalafina B-side?屋根の向こうに wish they’ll perform more of this7) Tough question: Favorite member?Not so tough considering it’s me but yup Keiko. I didn’t know her name (and not bothered to look it up haha, I’m just that bad) and calls her the manly-onee san from Kalafina before, although she is the one who caught my attention with just her vocals back then too, then my friend was like, watch Aldnoah.Zero she’s singing for it too! Then I started watching the MVs, follow you people on tumblr, read her interviews because I’m so free and bamph, look who’s a Cakey trash now :/ All this doesn’t mean that I don’t like the other two though, I love Hikaru, especially her talk session and Wakana’s heavenly voice, it’s just that I’ll get more hyped (and annoyed for many reasons) when it comes to Cakey8) Favorite Kalafina look/attire?The recent black-gold x’mas live looks so good (especially on Keiko…) but overall with all three members it would be their Blue day outfit?Do you…9) Own any piece of merch?T-shirts, parka, pamphlets, yeah those kind of stuffs10) Own any physical albums/singles?All the full albums, will buy the singles soon but I’m not in a hurry since I’ll have to buy 3000 yen at every concert I attend for their special posters or whatever they’re givingHave you ever…11) Attended a Kalafina live? (If so, how many?)ahaha here goes01.23 8th anni01.30 FOTW special final day 101.31FOTW special final day 209.15 Arena live day 109.16 Arena live day 211.19 Acoustic Album release event11.30 X’mas special for FJC12.03 X’mas live12.23 X’mas live12.24 X’mas liveBought tix already list :01.23 9th anni01.27 LisaniSent my name for the ballot listKalafina 9+104.16-17, 05.13, 06.03-04

12) Watched any of the shows/movies they have performed for?Fate/Zero, Aldnoah.Zero, Kara no Kyoukai 1-5, Eve no Jikan and of course Starlight with Keiko, she’s such a brat :P13) Met them (in a greet-and-meet)?NOPE T___T14) Gotten their autograph?Not personally, but yes, I asked my friend to go for the AFATH signing session for me, and now she’s loving Wakana :P and oh that TGU sign t-shirt15) Traveled out of your country for a Kalafina concert?Yup, for the 8th anni and FOTW lives, regretted it half way through since SNSD ended up coming to Thailand on the exact day of the FOTW live….but hey, second row from the front :316) Talked about Kalafina with someone else (other than the fans)?Teachers, by now my sensei would be like, Kalafina concert AGAIN? haha and some of my friends since I have no one to talk to *sob*Random Kalafina questions:17) What’s your favorite fact about Kalafina?They’re dorks :/ especially Hikaru during her sales corner, I wish they wouldn’t edit it out cause people will definitely love her more if they see it18) Do you have any ships? (Which one if so)Not really19) Is there any random, non-Kalafina related thing that for some reason reminds you of Kalafina?More or less everything in life is now related to Kalafina, I mean I see shark and that’s wakana, cats then Hikaru, snakes and its Keiko even their colour scheme reminds me of them so yeah20) Is there any food that remind you of Kalafina?Obviously Karaage = Hikaru, Gyoza = Wakana, Meat+ Chocolate = KeikoName a Kalafina song that… 21) You love - Red Moon22) You never get tired of - RYB (in the silence)23) Makes you cry - Alleluia24) Makes your day a whole lot better - Yasashii Uta25) You used to dislike but now love to death - Ongaku (concert reasons)26) You listened to over and over until you got fed up :p - I removed musundehiraku from my on-the-go playlist, but I can listen to it if it randomly pops up back at home, so it’s not that ‘fed-up’ lol27) Can transport you to another different world with its beauty - Red Moon (I have such a dark world :P) or Kimi no gin no niwa28) Inspires you to be creativeTTBWhat Kalafina member would you choose to: I’d do everything with Keiko29) Go shopping? Not a fan of shopping, but I’ll gladly hold any of the three shopping bags for them :330) Make pizza? Keiko 31) Show her around your hometown? All three, although I don’t know about home that well haha32) Go to the movie theater? Considering Wakana loves love story, not her… Hikaru or Keiko movie tastes would go along with me more I think33) Play videogames? Probably Keiko, I just love winning at video game and it’s more fun playing with someone who’s competitive and not like, ‘I’ll give up’34) Go karaoke? All three 35) Go bungee jumping? I’m scared of heights so the only person who could drag me out for this would be Keiko…all the things I’ll do for her if she ask :/36) Go fishing? Wakana or Hikaru, the two seems more like a relaxed person and could sit down for days, not so sure about Keiko on this lol, she’s just so energetic at times.37) Go to a museum? Probably Wakana or Hikaru, depends on the museum38) Rob a bank? Why are we doing this anyway lol, well if it’s something that I’ll never do then it’s gotta be ‘with Keiko’39) Do a prank call? on friends? anyone to be honest :P40) Make a garage band? All three 41) Go to a picnic? All three again, the more the merrier42) Bake a cake? Kubota Keikooo 43) Go to Disneyland/world? Keiko 44) Backpacking another country? again Keiko 45) Re-design your home? Assuming Keiko has a very flowery taste and my house wouldn’t look so different with the current one with her help, Hikaru please lol, she seems like a person who likes minimalism.46) Go to a library? Hikaru, don’t think Keiko’ll make it through an hour without getting up and moving about47) Help you with homework/tests? mmm, Hikaru I guess, she seems like the most reliable one when it comes to stuff like this48) Vandalize a building? Again with the I won’t do it if you wouldn’t ask, so Keiko49) Go to a concert? Keiko 50) Go jogging? obviously Keiko, but maybe Hikaru since we’ll both be like jogging? let’s go back to sleep51) Kill that hideous spider in your room? (Before you blow up your house :p)? ANY HUMAN CAN HELP ME WITH THIS52) Go to a zoo? Keiko53) Hide a corpse? Hikaru? she’s the calculative one I mean54) Use a ouija board? (Lol wtf is wrong with me?) considering I’m someone with 6th sense, I wouldn’t play it, even if Keiko’s asking me to, just no, I can watch though55) Go to a party? Hate parties so the one who can get me there is Keiko…

[putschki1969]

Kaji Fes.2023 Day 2 FULL Video

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Yes, finally we have a recording of Day 2. Even though I was there for Day 2 back in December, I was still excited to experience the whole thing again. Unfortunately, I never got to write my report so I guess I will use the opportunity to share some of my memories and current thoughts.

Here goes nothing��(•ˇ_ˇ•)―→

street corner: Looks like they cut this. I am surprised because they had a much longer slot for Day 2 (3 hours instead of just 2) so I was sure they would be able to squeeze all of it into the broadcast but apparently not. Oh well, can't say I am said about that because being confronted with the accordion right from the get-go at the live really didn't leave a good impression on me. I had pretty high expectations for the whole thing and this intro left me more than underwhelmed. Thank God we transitioned right to "希望の光".

希望の光: Now THIS is the intro I was hoping for. What a gorgeous melody! I wasn't familiar with the track but my God, I got goosebumps all over. I literally felt this in my entire body. The gradual build-up to a more grand-scale symphonic arrangement towards the end really impressed me. I am just obsessed with the uilleann pipes and the Celtic sound. I honestly struggle to get beyond this because I keep rewinding the video.

prelude to Act 1: The look on my face when I heard those first few notes. I was shooketh to say the least. I most definitely did not expect them to do the Kalafina block this early in the live but I knew that if they were doing the Madoka instrumentals, the most logical thing would be to transition straight into a Kalafina track. While I have never watched the anime, these are melodies I hold very dear to my heart so I loved this. It was also a great pleasure to hear Eri Ito live for the first time. I will never get enough of Yuki's more classically trained vocalists. it's such a pleasure to listen to them.

Numquam vincar: After "prelude to Act 1" this was no surprise at all but damn, I am so glad they played this. I've never actually had the chance to experience this track live even though they obviously performed it numerous times during Kalafina live intermissions. What a pleasure to be there and truly feel the epicness of that intro. Once more I was covered in goosebumps.

Magia [quattro]: At this point I knew it was coming but it was still a shock to my system. Like I said earlier, I was sure that they would wait until the very end to do the Kalafina block (that's what they had done for earlier lives) so I thought I had some time to prepare myself and get into the groove so to speak. My body certainly wasn't ready so maybe that's why my brain couldn't properly compute the whole thing. I remember not being as hyped as I expected to be and that made me kinda sad. I am so grateful that we are getting this recording and a blu-ray release because I feel like I couldn't fully appreciate the performance while I was there. Getting to see it again is a real treat and I must say, I like this much more than the previous FJ "covers" we have gotten of this song. Hikaru and Keiko sound so perfectly in tune and I just love their powerful delivery. For the most part, I don't mind the higher harmonies provided by Yuriko and Joelle. Although during some parts (e.g. mayowazu ni yukeru nara), I feel like Joelle and Keiko don't harmonise very well together but whatever, it doesn't bother me too much. On a random side note, I wasted way too much time wondering about why I thought that Keiko's arms looked kinda naked until I finally realised that the puffy sleeve pieces of her outfit were missing.

storia: I did not expect this to make it onto the setlist but I am a big fan of the song so I was happy when I heard the first notes. Overall, I think I like this version well enough although I will admit that my favourite part has always been the chorus with Keiko and Wakana so it is a bit jarring to hear Joelle for these parts. Don't get me wrong, Joelle sounds great and I feel like the harmony between her and Keiko works better here than during "Magia" but still, it can't quite touch my heart. I mean, just thinking of all the Kalafina performances where Wakana and Keiko gaze lovingly into each other's eyes while they sing the "yasashii uta..." line makes me tear up. Nothing will ever be able to replace that for me. A few days later I attended Wakana's concert where she also performed "storia". This may sound ridiculous but hearing those performances more or less back to back almost felt as if the three of them had been reunited. Even though this might have been a coincidence, just the idea of this little connection had me in tears.

君の銀の庭: Oh, another cut song. Thank God we are getting the Blu-Ray. I will be honest with you though, I am quite sad that they chose two Kalafina songs that I don't particularly like. I couldn't get as excited as I wanted to be. I think I had no complaints about this performance, enjoyed everyone's vocals and didn't really notice Wakana's absence. But I guess that's because I wasn't a big fan of the song to begin with :P

to the beginning: It will forever be a mystery to me why this is such a fan favourite but oh well, let's not linger on that. In some way, it's almost a blessing in disguise for me to not have such a strong emotional connection to these songs because it helps me appreciate the new versions a lot more. No matter how skilled of a singer Joelle might be, if I am invested in a performance with a prominent Wakana part, there is no way anyone will ever live up to that. It's 100% a me problem, I realise that but I doubt I will ever be able change that way of thinking. Anyways, this was a perfectly fine rendition.

海と真珠: Don't think I've ever heard a JUNNA song. Not a huge fan of her voice, it's just too generic for me. But there's something about this song that I like, especially that those hey-hey woah parts. The chorus is decent too. It's not a track I would skip but also not something I would actively seek out.

太陽の航路: Not my cup of tea. I can tell that there is a nice melody hidden in the chorus but it's a bit too fast-paced for me.

time to sail!: Yet another cut. I loved this. Was already familiar with it from a previous recording so I really appreciated getting to hear t live. It's somewhat of a very epic and grand-scale version of "Umi to Shinju" which I am only realising now XD

The main theme of “L.O.R.D”: Can't tell you how very much I am in love with this song. The first time I got to experience this live was in Taiwan back in 2019. The song is so fucking good, I will never get tired of it. I was utterly blown away by Joelle's vocal prowess. I know it always sounds like I am low-key bullying her but that's really not my attention. I am just forever too hung-up on Wakana to ever be able to accept anyone else taking up my favourite parts of her.

I talk to the rain: Can't wait to hear this again on the Blu-ray.

a song of storm and fire: In my report for Day 1 I did talk about tis and "salva nos" being my first introduction to Yuki Kajiura's music. I feel so privileged to have finally been there for a live performance. Needless to say, it was everything that I could have asked for. Watching the recording now doesn't even do it justice. It was so much more powerful at the venue.

ring your song: This always brings tears to my eyes. The melody is just so beautiful and when they all join in, it's literal perfection.

ことのほかやわらかい: God dammit, I really want to like this song because in theory it should be right up my alley. I mean, the instrumental intro is to die for, it's so promising but then it's just all over the place and I can't get into it T_T

夜光塗料: Not a huge fan of ASCA unfortunately and I do not care for the song either.

雲雀: Surprisingly fond of this. Very nice melody. Can see myself listening to it on a regular basis.

君が見た夢の物語: Not much to say about this except that I enjoyed Keiko's lower harmonies. It's not a bad song per se so I probably would have liked it more if it didn't have ASCA on main.

everlasting song: This is always fun although I do enjoy the version without FJ ASUKA more. I know that sounds horrible considering it's literally her song but I will never be a fan of Yuki's vocalists with a more generic voices. Wakana's "kimi no me ni..." will forever be my favourite!!

世界の果て: No thoughts really.

優しい夜明け: Joelle is a much better fit for this See-Saw song than Yuuka. Very enjoyable.

君がいた物語: A favourite of mine. Do I prefer the version with Wakana? Of course! Do I have fun with this version too? Mostly yeah! Kaori's always work for me here but I can tolerate it.

Rainbow~Main Theme~: This was a nice treat. Very fond of KOKIA as a vocalist and this is just a super beautiful song. Have always liked it.

風よ、吹け: Not as smitten with this new KOKIA song but it's nice enough. I certainly wouldn't skip it

lotus: Wow, two Hanae cuts! How rude!!

inverse operation:

目覚め: I do love the Wakana versions but I also enjoy versions with other main vocalists. And of course, Hanae does an amazing job.

夕闇のうた: I know this didn't leave a good impression on me when I first heard it and I can't say I feel much different about it now.

荒野流転: This upcoming FJ Yuuka corner didn't do anything for me, it was the point where I started to get really tired and distracted. It was a struggle to still pay attention even though these were all more up-beat songs.

Silly-Go-Round: Nope.

cazador del amor: Meh.

nowhere: The only song I actually enjoyed from this corner. ASCA thankfully used a voice that I didn't find too grating (which can't be said about rito, JUNNA and Lino). Almost wish I had stood up for this performance and the next because Keiko was spending a lot of time on the left side of the stage (I had an arena seat pretty close to the stage on the left) but I probably wouldn't have had a good view of Keiko anyway so I preferred to just watch the screen. And to be honest, I am not the type of person to stand up and do some weird moves anyway so it was probably for the best. No need to embarrass myself in front of people who actually know how to move their body.

zodiacal sign: I mean, when is this ever not an absolute pleasure?

into the world: I was hoping to see Hikaru again since almost all the other guest vocalists had had a second appearance and yay, she came back on stage for the final song before the encore! "into the world" was such a perfect ending. I definitely got choked up, especially towards the climax of the song when Keiko was really putting all of herself into it.

red rose: Not my favourite but a good track for all the musicians to shine again.

Parade: It's my favourite song from the album and a fitting ending for this behemoth of a concert. At this point, everyone was close to tears after Yuki's little speech so that made it so much more moving. Love, love, love!! Right after they all take a bow and everyone is leaving the stage, I am glad they zoomed in a bit on Keiko who was wiping away some tears and leaning on Hikaru. That moment killed me at the live.

[putschki1969]

Hikaru Solo Live Details (Live Broadcast)

【LIVE Announcement】 For the first time in a long while, Hikaru will be holding a solo live! 🎵 Details about the upcoming live have been revealed on May 20 during a special live stream on the mobile app Music Champ☺️ Wasn’t able to watch the beginning since Keiko decided to do an Instagram Live and obviously, I couldn’t miss out on that XD

Details Date: Date: 2023/0723 Doors open: 17:00 | Start: 17:30 Title: B-day LIVE 2023 -Be the Best day- Venue: CLUB SEATA Tickets: https://eplus.jp/hikarulive/ Lottery period: 2023/5/20 22:00～2023/5/27 23:59 General sale: 2023/6/3 12:00～2023/7/20 18:00 Back-up band: HaKA, Yuki, Yuhei Hisama, Hiroaki Tanabe, Yusuke Suga Notes: The hall has a capacity of 500 people (standing), however, there will be seats for this event so I’m not sure how many people will fit into the venue. According to Hikaru, there will be no guests, no home video release and as of right now, no live stream option.

⁡In other news, Hikaru will hold a special live broadcast on Music Champ on July 2 (19:00~; Sunday) to celebrate her birthday together with us fans. There’s also some sort of “fever” campaign planned, ”fever” is the red firey thingy at the top of each broadcast I think, there’s another orange thingy which also needs to be increased. Not sure about the specifics. Sounds like viewers need to increase Hikaru’s “fever” amount leading up to/during the stream in order to be eligible for a handful of special presents/benefits (e.g. digital photobook for 100 million fever points). A high “fever” number seems to be achieved by buying in-app-items or maybe it’s just necessary to interact a lot and send free emojis? No idea. I don’t understand apps like this at all. Ughh, I really don’t like how this app is forced down our throats...

Live Corner (during today’s broadcast) Hikaru is joined by HaKA (Kenichiro Hakariya), a member of SPICE and C.C.C and the composer of Ambient Border as well as Hikaru’s more recent freelance songs. I love that Hikaru has been singing a lot during her broadcasts lately (inlcuding Kalafina songs) but I hate that I still haven’t figured out how to record those streams T_T 1. Survivor

■App「Music Champ」Download ・App Store https://apps.apple.com/us/app/musicchamp/id1511895708 ・Google Play https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.music.champ

[putschki1969]

Wakana Covers ~ Anime Classics ~ Release

It’s officially the 9th of December in Japan which means it’s the release day of 『Wakana Covers ～Anime Classics～』! BANZAI! The album is now available for purchase in digital format in Japanese stores. 

❗Please SUPPORT Wakana and BUY her album❗ ❗BUY a PHYSICAL COPY on CDJapan❗ ❗BUY it digitally on MORA JAPAN ~ TUTORIAL (no OTOTOY this time)❗ ❗Check your local iTunes store and Spotify after midnight❗

Here’s a quick REVIEW

THIS IS A GREAT ALBUM. I LOVE IT!! The tracklist is not what I would have hoped for but then again, I only know a handful of old anime songs so it’s really no surprise that none of them made it onto the album. I wasn’t really familiar with any of Wakana’s chosen songs but to her credit, she made me fall in love with almost all of them. The only tracks I do not like are “Yatsura No Ashioto No Ballade” and “Rain” but that’s not Wakana’s fault, it’s just that I do not care for those types of songs. Wakana’s vocals are really solid throughout the album, her voice was made for classical arrangements like this and I am forever grateful we are getting a full album and a concert on top of that. There are just a few sections here and there where I am not too happy with her choice of singing style but it doesn’t take away from my enjoyment. Question: Is it just me or are the instruments (strings in particular) overly loud sometimes? Occasionally they seem to almost drown out Wakana.

Detailed review below the cut〈(•ˇ‿ˇ•)-→

1. 時には昔の話を (Toki ni wa Mukashi no Hanashi wo) Arranger: Sin; I understand why they chose this as the leading track to promote the album. Everything about it is absolutely beautiful, Wakana’s vocals, the arrangement, the lyrics, the PV (from what we have seen so far). I have mentioned it before but her “hashitta” in the second chorus(?) kills me every time. And the way the strings build up in the first and last chorus. Ahhh, be still my heart I cannot take it. Btw, I am still not sure if you consider those two last lines in each of the three verses a proper chorus or if the song just consists of three elaborate verses..? But for the sake of this review, I will call them choruses XD 2. やさしさに包まれたなら (Yasashisa ni Tsutsumareta Nara) Arranger: Miki Sakurai; Gorgeous arrangement (especially with the added tin whistle). Kinda reminds me of the Concerning Hobbits theme from LotR. I am a big fan of Celtic and folk-ish elements. Miki Sakurai apparently is a big fan too. After all, her “Yakusoku no Yoake” which she wrote for Wakana’s first album also had strong Celtic vibes. My favourite part of the song is when Wakana sings that final “meseeji” in the last chorus, the arrangement here is beautiful. Still think Wakana’s vocals are a bit too cutesy but hell, it’s a cute song so I guess it seems fitting.  3. Rain Arranger: Shu Kanematsu; Wakana sounds great but the song doesn’t do anything for me. T_T 4. いのちの名前 (Inochi no Namae) Arranger: Shu Kanematsu; OMG, this brought tears to my eyes. SO SO BEAUTIFUL. The way her voice just blends with the strings. Her vocals are a tad quiet though compared to the instruments. Or is it just me?  5. やつらの足音のバラード (Yatsura No Ashioto No Ballade) Arranger: Sin; I can’t put my finger on what exactly I don’t like about this but I can’t seem to get into it. I guess it sounds a little too jazz-y for me...or is it blues? Either way, not my cup of tea but I can see why Wakana would like it this way. And hey, she does pull it off perfectly so who am I to complain? On a side note, those lyrics are just so perfect for Wakana, she doesn’t often get the chance to sing about dinosaurs :P EDIT: Future!Sarah is coming back to revise her opinion. After listening to the album on repeat for hours on end, I now LOVE this song. It’s charming. 6. Get Wild Arranger: Sin; One of the coolest arrangements on this album!! The strings are just PERFECTION. And Wakana SLAYS!! Who would have thought she can pull off a song like that. I mean, we already knew from gettign that teaser video but this is on a whole other level. Too much awesomeness.  7. 風のとおり道 (Kaze no Toorimichi) Arranger: Miki Sakurai; Ahhhhh, so precious and mystical, such a gorgeous arrangement!! I love how we start with just Wakana’s vocals. And then Miki Sakurai adds her magical touch again by inserting all those Celtic elements. The tin whistle fits perfectly. A couple of Wakana’s high notes no longer sound good to my ears here but overall I enjoy her singing. 8. 君をのせて (Kimi wo Nosete) Arranger: Sin; The arrangement is utterly charming, both the piano as well as the strings are perfect here, Wakana’s vocals in the verses are literally flawless. I kinda find myself wishing she had sung the chorus with a different voice though. Mind you, I don’t hate the one she is using here but it’s bordering on being a teeny-tiny bit too shrill and thin for my taste. It’s still solid (and nothing at all like her strained “ring your bell” voice let’s say) but it’s not what I personally enjoy most from her. Either way, I think she is hitting her notes just fine (as far as I can tell at least) and the style fits the overall sound of the song. Pus, they made up for the slightly thin vocals by adding a little harmony layer which I appreciate.  9. 愛にできることはまだあるかい (Ai ni dekiru koto wa mada aru kai) Arranger: Sin; Most of you may know this already but I am a HUGE fan of the cello so I am happy we have such a strong cello presence here. Those cello parts are so cool. Anyways, this turned out to be one of my favourite tracks even though I didn’t think I would ever like this song based on the YouTube teaser we got a while back. There is just so much raw emotion and fierceness in Wakana’s voice, towards the end she is hitting me right in the feels. I just can’t help but be drawn to the song. I am surprised by how well she handles songs that are originally sung by males. Her covers of this and “Get Wild” are just exceptional imo. They bring out a new side of Wakana which I really love. 10. 夢のゆくえ (Yume no Yukue) Arranger: Shu Kanematsu; While I didn’t know this song before listening to Wakana’s cover version, the melody reminded me a LOT of the old anime songs I used to like back in the day. The feeling of nostalgia is super strong in this one so naturally I enjoy it quite a bit. It’s not an outstandingly beautiful song or anything but the arrangement is lovely and Wakana’s vocals are on point. 

»»—— CLICK ME 🎁 CLICK ME ——«« 

FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, if you have the means, support Wakana in any way you can. Order a physical copy of her album, purchase it in digital format. Stream it legally on various streaming services. au

[putschki1969]

Recent announcements made me a little bit confused, so I’m trying to organize my chaotic thoughts. As I have been recently listening to Kalafina a lot again, plenty of stuff came to my mind, and what can be better than asking you and fellow fans about their view on the matter?

After the disbandment, the Girls made it clear that they wanted to distance themselves from Kalafina. Out of the three, Hikaru is the best example. She has been particularly adamant about not looking back. While Wakana and Keiko perform a Kalafina song or two from time to time, Hikaru has not done so in a long time.

While I understand and respect the “I want to follow my own path and create my own music” point, this argument ceased to convince me, because Hikaru’s actions seem a little contradictory. After all, what was the purpose of covering popular artists such as YASOBI or ado? Reaching new audience, no doubt about it. Then, the launch of Hikaru’s official TikTok starts off with a cover of Aimer, which again looks like a deliberate (and really smart) move to attract some of the huge Kimetsu no Yaiba fan base.

But why do this, and at same time ignore the fact that there is a huge repertoire of almost one hundred songs, some still popular and recognizable, waiting to given new life. Written exactly for her, with her vocal abilities in mind. Hikaru-centric ones, powerhouses such as good old Mata Kaze, DU, Love come down, identify, would perfectly compliment her solo work. Not to mention there is plenty of others that barely seen any live performance (I’m looking at you, In every nothing!).

Requests made for Helixes Christmas Event, or numerous tweets during the last unofficial anniversary have showed that people would love to hear Kalafina songs again. No surprise here - Wakana has proved they can still be immensely enjoyable (Nakano Sun Plaza’s Musunde Hiraku), even with just a single vocalist. It’s just a matter of right choice, proper arrangement and a good band backup.

Looking at W&K&H solo careers with those 3 years of insight, I’m starting to believe that the decision to discard almost everything Kalafina related was made too hastily. Popularity and commercial success’ wise, it has backfired, as the fan base has scattered, and eventually diminished, with many people losing interest as you have pointed out.

I think they could have fully embraced their Kalafina legacy while pursuing their individual carriers, then incorporate their solo work and smoothly blend both into one musical output. This way they would both fulfill their respective ambitions while still have a good foundation for old supporters to cling to.

Hikaru’s recent activities, and little things like Keiko doing this modelling stuff, or Wakana suddenly becoming more interested in Twitter makes me believe someone finally realized they need to proactively find new means of promotion, or they will lose the battle against unforgiving Moloch of Japanese music industry. That leaves me surprised why they consistently refuse to use this possible advantage.

What do you think?

Oh wow! I had no idea Tumblr allowed such long asks, must be a new feature or maybe I just never noticed XD

Here are my thoughts on the matter 〈(•ˇ‿ˇ•)-→

Re: Distancing themselves from Kalafina Something we have to keep in mind is that out of the three of them, only Wakana can perform Kalafina songs without running into too much trouble (most likely due to Space Craft having at least partial rights to Kalafina's body of work). It's obviously no big issue for her to perform these songs regularly and include said performances in official releases. Keiko and Hikaru do not seem to have the same option. For all we know, they might have no choice but to distance themselves. While both have performed a song or two, it was always a more exclusive one-time thing that was clearly never meant to appear in any sort of official release. For the record: strictly speaking, Keiko hasn't really performed more Kalafina than Hikaru - she literally only sang "TTB" - but her performance is certainly more recent.

Re: Following their own path I believe they are all determined to develop their own personal style. I can understand why it would seem redundant to go back to the stuff you have done for 10+ years when you are in the midst of reinventing yourself. Not to mention that all three of them have expressed how difficult it is for them to perform these songs on their own, not only on a technical level but also on an emotional one. I cannot for the life of me remember when it happened but Hikaru has definitely mentioned that after initially trying to do a few Kalafina solo self-covers (for that very first solo live of hers) she quickly realised that she simply couldn't do it on her own because she felt too lonely. As for Hikaru covering all those super popular songs. Yeah, it is definitely a promo strategy (one that has continuously failed unfortunately T_T) but I wouldn't say it contradicts the whole "following her own path" agenda. I don't believe it compromises her newly developed identity as solo artist to cover those random hits because it is first and foremost meant to attract a new audience. However I do in fact think that relying too much on Kalafina can be quite dangerous because 1) it can quickly turn into pandering, 2) it draws the focus away from the actual solo work and 3) it only encourages people to make even more endless comparisons.

Re: Wakana's cover of Musunde Hiraku at Nakano Sunplaza I was there that day and I mentioned it in my live report but I found it shocking and borderline disrespectful that despite a few attempts on Wakana's part, the audience remained super unresponsive until this song. It's nice to see everyone being passionate about Kalafina but the utter lack of engagement for everything else is just baffling to me. I think these situations are quite difficult for Wakana, she obviously loves those songs and wants to continue singing them, she also wants to make her audience happy. But at what cost? To have your own solo work so obviously written off as "less than" must be a hard pill to swallow. I think it's no coincidence that we are seeing fewer and fewer Kalafina songs in her setlists.

Re: Backfire and refusal to use the advantage Oh yes, absolutely! Not cashing in on their vast Kalafina history has harmed them immensely and caused many fans to jump ship but I honestly do not think that they have had much of a choice in that regard. With the rather messy disbandment and the music rights situation being less than ideal, it is probably the most sensible and viable course of action for the girls to distance themselves (especially for Keiko and Hikaru). It really makes me sad to think about the fact that if a bunch of old manager dudes on both sides hadn't been so fu**ing butt-hurt about whatever the hell it was, we could have had it all. After a well-deserved short hiatus the girls could have pursued solo careers while still occasionally doing work as a group (in one of her interviews Keiko alluded to this actually having been a plan for their future at some point). Alas, it wasn't meant to be...*cries*

Re: Recent SNS activities I am glad their respective managements are finding new ways to promote them. It's obvious that with the new year and the fading pandemic, everyone is determined to push ahead. Let's hope their attempts bear fruit. Also, it seems that Hikaru got a new manager so they are probably responsible for some of the more recent changes. It's thanks to them that we are getting all these cute pics on the H-el-ical// account.

Everyone, feel free to join in on the discussion :-)

[putschki1969]

H-el-ical// 4th Single “JUST DO IT” Available NOW

4th Single “JUST DO IT” OP theme for “World’s End Harem” Release date: 2022/01/26

M1 JUST DO IT

M2 IMPOSSIBLE LOVE

M3 JUST DO IT ＜instrumental＞

M4 IMPOSSIBLE LOVE ＜instrumental＞

It’s officially midnight in Japan so you can now purchase and stream Hikaru’s 4th single in digital format on various Japanese sites (mora, OTOTOY, etc) and streaming platforms (Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, etc).

Thoughts on “JUST DO IT”: Unlike her other anime tie-ins, they didn’t release this song in advance so this is actually my first time listening to the whole track. I stand by what I said months ago. Such a solid anisong! Nothing crazy or new, pretty generic to be honest but it’s really cool. I just LOVE the chorus, such an incredibly catchy tune. Particularly like the final part starting with the bridge. Overall, a much better song than “The Sacred Torch” which felt a bit lackluster in my opinion. On a side note: I have no idea if there is an issue with my mora download or if that was added on purpose but occasionally I am hearing this weird static sound which is a bit off-putting. Almost as if my file had really bad quality. I usually don’t have issues like that with my mora songs. Will have to compare it to the iTunes version tomorrow (and obviously the CD track as soon as I receive my copy).

Thoughts on “IMPOSSIBLE LOVE”: Very interesting. The instrumental didn’t do it justice. Surprisingly I found myself enjoying this quite a bit, though I doubt it will ever be among my faves. Not sure if this can also be labeled as “future-funk” just like KEIKO’s “Latté” but I am definitely getting a similar vibe from it. Hikaru does a lot of fun stuff with her voice here, at first it sounded like she had a stuffy nose but I think she is going for something that’s close to her singing style in the “GIRA-GIRA” cover. Definitely fits the sound of the song. Also dig the somewhat seductive “whisper-singing” thrown in between the verses and chorus. As for the chorus, it’s just meh unfortunately, not memorable at all, at least in my opinion T_T Might change my opinion after listening to the song a few more times, we’ll see. So yeah, fun and super refreshing, a perfectly matching B-Side for “JUST DO IT” (even sexier than the title track tbh) but nothing to write home about imo. "Determination” was more up my alley for sure.

Please be sure to ❗SUPPORT HIKARU❗ in any way you can (especially if you have not ordered a physical copy of the single)!

• ————— ¤ ♫ ¤ ————— •

BUY it on mora (TUTORIAL here)

• ————— ¤ ♫ ¤ ————— •

BUY it on Ototoy (proxy required)

• ————— ¤ ♫ ¤ ————— •

BUY it tomorrow in your local iTunes store!

[putschki1969]

Thoughts on "LiSA - Akeboshi" ? Since the guitar riff at the end of the song suddenly rings me back to Kalafina. Progressive, to be exact.

Oh, I KNEW this was coming XD I have honestly not listened to the song yet but I have seen the pretty big debate it caused on Japanese Twitter when it first got released. On the day the full digital track came out, "Kalafina" actually started trending and you know why? Because quite a few people were tweeting stuff like: "Kalafina should have sung this!" "This was obviously written for Kalafina because it literally sounds like a Kalafina song." "Kalafina would do a much better job at singing this." "I want Kalafina back!" etc...

Now this is certainly nothing new and it happens pretty much every time a new YK comes out BUT for some reason, there was a considerable backlash this time around. I saw a lot of tweets telling people to finally shut up about Kalafina because it's disrespectful to both YK as well as LiSA to keep saying inconsiderable stuff like that. Many people agreed with that sentiment, even among the Kalafina fandom. Personally I am a little torn and on the fence about it. In theory I agree that it is kinda rude to LiSA and YK to make complaints about this but as a hardcore Kala-stan I cannot help but understand where people are coming from when they keep bringing up Kalafina in situations like that.

Anyways, you wanted to hear my thoughts about “Akeboshi” so here we go 〈(•ˇ‿ˇ•)-→

Let me preface this mini-review by saying that I do not watch the anime so I have zero emotional attachment to any of those songs. Also, I am not a big fan of LiSA’s voice so the song must be REALLY good for me to even consider liking it. So far, “Homura” has been the only new YK release to outright impress me with its gorgeous composition, LiSA’s generic singing style notwithstanding.

I have now listened twice to “Akeboshi” and this is what I can say:

From an objective point of view: I love the sound of the verses and bridge, this is YK at her best creating a haunting, almost nightmarish atmosphere with a well-balanced mixture of hard rock/gothic metal and symphonic elements. LiSA doesn’t even sound like herself with the filter (?) they used during some parts of the verses, for a second there I thought it wasn’t even her. Or maybe it’s just me being not very familiar with her voice :P The chorus is much brighter, uplifting and generally more pop-ish, although I am not sure I like the overly stark contrast here. While YK’s choruses are almost always filled with more hopeful elements, most choruses of her particularly dark songs will usually retain some of the overall darkness and edginess to keep the flow of the song at least somewhat consistent. This isn’t really the case here...It’s like YK just randomly stitched together two different types of her songs and I am not sure I am into it. The chorus definitely has potential to grow on me but as of right now, I am not a huge fan, it’s just meh. It’s certainly not like “Homura”‘s chorus which immediately hit me right in the feels without even knowing a single thing about the anime. All in all, I would still say it is a solid song and it already seems to be a big success so yay, good for them.

From the point of view of a dedicated Kalafina fan: Feel free to skip this part as a loyal LiSA fan. Do I think YK has written this with Kalafina in mind? No, not necessarily. I think we are past that. However, the song is very reminiscent of certain Kalafina pieces. There is no denying that YK has a very distinct style so her work will always have a “familiar” sound. Personally, I was immediately reminded of Yami no Uta (or even Mata Kaze ga Tsuyoku Natta) but I am sure it’s different for everyone. Do I think the song would have sounded better with Kalafina singing it? 100% YES, absolutely! I am sorry LiSA but your voice does NOTHING for me, I do not see the appeal at all. Keiko and Hikaru would have KILLED those verses, just imagining how epic their version would have sounded makes me wanna cry. Then throw in some higher harmonies by Wakana in the verses to highlight those symphonic elements and have her lead the chorus with her trademark bright-yet-tragic voice and we have the perfect formula for a Kala-song (preferably with a slightly less pop-ish chorus). While I know it is pointless to think this way, I cannot help but feel sad that the Kala-girls are being denied these opportunities.

[putschki1969]

Hey Puts! Love coming to your blog to get updates on Keiko, Hikaru, and Wakana!! :) I was wondering, especially now with Keiko's second album announcement, is there a reason Hikaru hasn't put out a full length widely available album release? Has she ever mentioned it? Like I do enjoy her three album/mini albums H-el-ical, elements, and blooming, but their original releases where only through her site. Maybe after her next singles she'll have enough songs.

Hello there lovely anon!

Hmm, good question! We know that all of Hikaru's anime tie-in singles are being released under the label NBC Universal. However, her albums have so far been produced, copyrighted and sold by her talent agency Hifumi. Without a powerful label in charge of promotion, sales are naturally gonna be pretty low-key. Thankfully they have recently made all her albums available on digital platforms so you can now stream them or purchase the songs in digital format. They should have done that much sooner but better late than never. If anyone hasn't used this opportunity yet, please be sure to support Hikaru by buying her albums!!

Hikaru has never talked about this so here are my theories regarding her independent album releases 〈(•ˇ‿ˇ•)-→

Hikaru's/Hifumi's choice: This could very well have been a conscious decision on their part. So called "self-releases" have a lot of benefits so I can understand why Hikaru and her agency would choose to release the albums without the attachment to a big label. Not only is it the quickest and most flexible way to get your music out there, you can also have complete creative control of the process. On top of that, you'll get to keep a greater share of any profits made which is obviously very important at the beginning stage of a career. (You have to keep in mind that labels will usually take a HUGE share of the revenue.)

However, there is no denying that using a label has its advantages. Releases need a lot of funding and promotion which is something big labels can easily provide. You are paying a high price for it but it might pay off in the long run if you are getting more exposure and higher sales numbers thanks to your label's efforts. Truth is, it is very difficult to make real progress in the music industry without help from a label. The prestige of being tied to a big label makes it more likely for a release to get noticed in today's oversaturated music industry. Additionally, record labels usually have a wide network of industry contacts that can boost your career.

NBC Universal's choice: Maybe the label refuses to have these albums released. Hikaru’s rather indie solo project H-el-ical// probably isn’t very high on their priority list, I feel like Universal would much rather direct all of their attention and resources towards “bigger artists” who are in “higher demand” and thus have higher chances of being successful. First and foremost labels want hits so artists need to make a strong case for themselves. It is quite possible that Hikaru and her agency aren’t pushy enough to convince the label that they are worth an investment. Having four tie-ins will definitely increase the chances of an album being released under NBC Universal. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.

※ Take everything you read here with a grain of salt, I am no expert in this field.

[putschki1969]

Happy New Year, Sarah! Here's hoping this year will be fulfilling for you! My question is only tangentially related to our three utahimes, but I'm interested in hearing your opinion on people who prefer one member over others in a group. Not really solo stans in the sense that they don't hate on the other members, but that they just vastly prefer to follow the work of one member alone and favour that one member. Do you think that there's a problem with that?

Hello there! And Happy New Year to you as well!! 🎊

Mhhhmmmm...this question is quite tricky...difficult to find the right answer.

In THEORY, I think it’s totally fine to have your favourites, everyone has different taste after all. I would be a hypocrite if I said anything else because I openly admit to being a huge Keiko-stan and I typically always focus on a single character/actor in TV shows or movies (while neglecting the others).

However, it is only fine AS LONG as your hardcore preference for one person does not lead to hate or disrespect with regard to everyone else.

Unfortunately I have noticed that for a MAJORITY of people these are two mutually exclusive things. Most fans who favour one member/character inevitably end up disliking the others because for some fucked up reason they feel the need to turn it all into a big fat competition. There is a strong component of jealousy. They will think their bias is more deserving of xyz and thus they will begrudge the others literally everything. It’s very toxic and it happens in every fandom where there is more than one person to stan. I find this sort of behaviour particularly repulsing when you are trying to pit members from an obviously tight-knit group against each other. Despite being able to tell that those people love and respect each other you as a fan decide to shit on that and make everything about your obsession with your fave. You choose to ignore that your bias would never actually tolerate such a mistreatment of the other members.

So yeah, in PRACTICE, I guess there is a problem with that because in 80% of all cases fans will not stop at “vastly preferring and following one member alone”, it’s never really this innocent. It’s like people cannot help but turn into crazy solo stans that hate on other members.

When it comes to Kalafina I obviously have my bias, Keiko, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t love Wakana and Hikaru too. In fact, I have always tried my very best to give them all equal amounts of love and attention and I hope it comes across like that on my blog. I love Kalafina as a group of three extraordinarily gifted singers but I also admire them individually as the amazing women they are. I am 100% loyal to all three of them. Having said that, I cannot deny that their solo activities make it a lot harder to follow and support each member equally since most fans (myself included) naturally gravitate towards what they like most. I am not afraid to admit that I don’t particularly love a lot of the solo stuff they have done so far, it’s just not my cup of tea. However, I am still at a point where I am open to everything and just appreciate what they release because I know it’s coming from their heart, I am honestly just so curious to see what they come up with in the future, they are all insanely talented and creative so their stuff is bound to be good. And some of their releases have in fact been great and I absolutely loved them. I am aware it takes time to come into your own and develop a unique style so for the time being I will just wait and see. Music-wise I am currently drawn strongest to Wakana so you will notice me fangirling about her the most.

Last but not least, let it be known that I despise “fans” who gave up on Wakana for the mere fact that she stayed with Space Craft but that’s a whole other story...

[putschki1969]

Hello Puts! Hope you're doing well! I wanted tk ask you something, after the manager of spacecraft had conflicts with Yuki San, why did Wakana still decide to stay back? I'm by no means saying that Wakana made a wrong choice, it's her decision that matters and I'm very proud of her uwu But just curious and want to know ^^'

Hi there lovely anon! I am good (^ _ ^)/

First of all I wanna say, THANK YOU SO MUCH for respecting Wakana’s choice, it’s refreshing to come across people who are aware that Wakana is a grown-ass woman entitled to make informed decisions about her own life (whether it’s something we as fans like or not).

I am afraid I won’t be able to provide a satisfying answer to your question though. Wakana has never shared her motives for staying with Space Craft. By now my followers know that I am not a big fan of speculation so there is not too much I can offer you in that regard either. However, I think I can safely deduce the following reasons based on the tidbits of information Wakana has disclosed in various interviews:

Great opportunities

Smooth transition into solo career

Familiar surrounding

Sufficient financial means

Wakana has mentioned in interviews that she considers herself to be very lucky because she got offered a few great opportunities soon after Kalafina went on hiatus back in March 2018 (opportunities that might not have been offered to Hikaru or they were not appealing enough for her which is why she decided to leave). Just think about it, she did her symphony concert that summer which was amazing and pretty much right after that she held a mini tour which was very well attended so they even added a bonus performance. By that point she had already been collaborating with prolific producer Satoshi Takebe to come up with her first few solo songs including the tracks for her debut single and debut album which turned out to be solid releases (at least in my opinion).

These opportunities allowed a smooth transition so she literally only took a small break before diving head first into her solo activities. I think that may have been one of the main reasons why she decided not to leave the agency. We never got an official confirmation since everyone has been super vague about the whole thing but I do think it is very likely that both Keiko and Hikaru signed some sort of contract/agreement that more or less banned them from working “properly” in the business for a year. I have a hard time believing it is a coincidence that Keiko pretty much reappeared out of nowhere in April 2019 (exactly one year after her resignment) with the announcement that she would take part in the upcoming YK lives and why Hikaru finally came clean about being H-el-ical// in early November (also one year after her resignment). So yeah, this one year of uncertainty and finding a new agency might have been something Wakana was trying to avoid, who knows...

From what we know, the higher ups at Space Craft have never mistreated any of the girls (aside from the fact that they obviously pushed them very hard to keep the money flowing into their business - something I wouldn’t fault them for since that’s what agencies do) and they are giving Wakana a surprising amount of freedom to express herself. If you ask me it would only make sense for Wakana to prefer to stay in a familiar surrounding with an already existing support system. Yes, many of the staff members left together with Yuki Kajiura but some of them remained at Space Craft and Wakana is obviously very close to them. Whenever we get glimpses of her “behind the scenes” activities it’s always a very laid-back and intimate environment.

Say what you will about Space Craft but they have done right by Wakana. They have invested and are still investing a ton of money into her solo career. Thanks to the money they have earned through Kalafina they had sufficient financial means to pave the way for a fully-fledged solo debut. They brought in Victor Entertainment and big names from the industry to work with Wakana, they churned out high quality releases in a short amount of time, they launched a great fan club with awesome content, they provided solid PR and they organised multiple one-man-lives, events and tours with high production value. These things shouldn’t be taken for granted. If so many fans hadn’t jumped ship and outright abandoned Wakana for petty reasons, her solo career would be much more successful right now.

[Note: Space Craft is not entirely blameless of course, in my opinion one of their biggest mistakes up till this day is the withholding of a huge amount of content by making it exclusive to the fan club. I think this is seriously hurting Wakana and restricting her opportunities. The ostracising policy among everyone who remained in Space Craft and everyone who left is also a huge issue but I feel like all involved parties and the Japanese entertainment industry as a whole are to blame for that].

[putschki1969]

hi!! I have one question! who has the rights of the kalafina songs? did yuki steel has it or sony or who? really love you page!!! ❤️

Hi there!

I wanna preface my response with a little clarification. I am by no means an expert on Japanese copyright law or music licensing nor do I have the time or motivation to thoroughly educate myself in that regard. Please take everything you read here with a grain of salt.

Having said that, there are a few undisputed facts that I feel confident enough to talk about.

Generally speaking I would say it’s no secret that SME Records (2008-2017) / SACRA MUSIC (2017-2019) own the rights to Kalafina’s music as their entire physical and digital discography was released under those two labels (both of which are record label subsidiaries of Sony Music Entertainment Japan). When you look up Kalafina’s music on digital platforms or check out the credit pages in their physical releases you will always find some variation of “©Sony/SACRA MUSIC”.

Additionally we also know that in Japan jimusho (offices/agencies) are responsible for performer creation, management, and overall production. They have strong control over their performers and all associated copyrights. Within the company the artists/talents/etc are simply employees. They’ve rarely any rights to their music and therefore receive no royalties. So it’s only logical to assume that Space Craft has all the rights alongside Sony while Yuki Kajiura doesn’t own jack shit (at least when it comes to everything related to Kalafina). Maybe some of you remember YK Live Tour Vol.#15 where all the vocalists and musicians got to choose one of their favourite CD releases which was then sold at the venues. Well, guess whose choice was notably absent from the sales corner? Yup, you guessed right. It was Keiko’s choice (she picked Kalafina Winter Acoustic). Neither Yuki nor Keiko seem to have any rights to sell this CD at their concert even though they were both heavily involved in the creation of it. I feel like this is something that would have been possible if Keiko had acquired the registered trademark rights to Kalafina but alas that did not happen.

As we are all aware, Wakana (who is still signed up with Space Craft and currently releasing her solo work under the label Victor Entertainment) can publicly perform Kalafina songs and even release said performances without much trouble. Wakana performed a total of FOUR songs by Yuki Kajiura during her “VOICE Live Tour”. Looking at the credits of the Blu-ray, there is one thing that stands out to me. We do see Yuki Kajiura credited for the composition and lyrics of all songs of course but surprisingly it is SPACE CRAFT MUSIC PUBLISHERS who is credited as the copyright owner of “Musunde Hiraku” (the only non-anime-tie-in which was performed; “oblivious” and “Hikari Furu” are credited to Sony). I think that confirms that Space Craft is holding the reins as far as Kalafina’s music is confirmed. I think it is no coincidence that the only YK song which didn’t make it into the video release was “Mizu no Akashi”. Yuki’s non-Kalafina work was always separated (it was even published under a different label) so I am assuming her hold on that is much stronger. Either there were some legal restrictions keeping them from adding the performance to the release or they simply didn’t wanna pay too much money to Yuki or whoever else owning the rights to “Mizu no Akashi” (should be Flying Dog which is actually a subsidiary of Victor Entertainment). 

I am curious to find out how YK will handle the Kalafina covers in her future events/lives. Judging from Hikaru’s live concert, it obviously isn’t a big issue to simply cover Kalafina songs at a concert or else she wouldn’t have sung ARIA, sprinter and blaze. When it comes to live performances I think both the organiser as well as the venue are responsibe for managing the distribution of royalties and such. No idea how strict they are about this in Japan but whatever the rules are, they don’t seem to constitute a major obstacle (which is also why Wakana can sing songs like “Mizu no Akashi” or “Hikari no Yukue” pretty much hassle-free). I think it’s not gonna start getting tricky until YK wants to release her concerts in any shape or form (video/audio). Will she be forced to edit out all the Kalafina covers? Most likely. Thanks to Sony’s super strict policies, Kalafina’s music has always been quite elusive even back in the day. On more than one occassion Kalafina’s performances at events had to be cut out of official video releases for whatever reasons...

I think that’s all I can say about this.

[putschki1969]

Personal ~ Haruma Miura has passed away

Excuse me for the randomness of this post. All of you probably know that I do not really consume any Japanese media unless it’s somehow related to Kalafina. Haruma Miura’s work was one of the few exceptions and even in his case, it was a Kalafina interview that initially got me interested in one of his movies. In their special “Consolation” Talk&Live event from 2013 they rave about the manga “Kimi ni Todoke” and then they mention how much they all loved the live-action movie which according to them was SUPER cute.

This inspired me to watch the movie and thus began my infatuation with Haruma Miura. He was so freaking cute in the film and his acting wasn’t shabby either. He has one of the most adorable smiles I have EVER seen. I am a sucker for “squishy eye” smiles and I am telling you, his squishy eye smile can rival Keiko’s. I ended up not only watchting “Kimi ni Todoke” but also some of his other work such as the dramas “Bloody Monday” (super suspenseful) and “Last Cinderella” (hilarious). Soon after his drama “Boku no Ita Jikan” was released and that one really cemented my love for him. I still go back to watch it once in a while if I am in the mood for a bit of crying. I never followed him obsessessively [because I literally only have the capacity for one obsession at a time and as we all know, that has been Kalafina for the past ten years] and I by no means watched everything he was in but I did keep up with his career and watched many of his other releases (e.g. Watashi wo Hanasanaide and Two Weeks).

From what I could tell, he was SUPER busy all the time. Not only did he star in lots of high-profile dramas and movies, he also did quite a few musicals (I WISH I could have seen his performance in Kinky Boots!) and even kicked off his solo music career a while back.

You may wonder why I am writing all of this. I am not even sure where I am going with my post. I guess it’s because this marks the first time someone from the Japanese entertainment industry that I personally know of has passed away. Also, he is believed to have committed suicide. So yeah, it hits differently. I do not presume to know any details about his personal/professional life or anything about the circumstances of his death so I have no idea if this was due to personal or work-related issues, a combination of both or something entirely else...? Either way, it comes as quite a shock. I am not the type to be overly emotional about things like that [although I am certainly not trying to deny or downplay the tragedy of this situation] but reading the news this morning did make me pause in my daily life and think about how fucked up the entertainment industry is [not claiming that the entertainment industry was at fault here but there is always reason to believe that it was at least somehow responsible]. It’s something I am obviously very much aware of but I typically do not spend too much time thinking about that. 

I just wanted to use this opportunity to say that I am very sorry about this loss and my condolences go out to Haruma’s loved ones. Moreover, I am incredibly grateful that Wakana, Keiko and Hikaru are alive and seemingly doing well. Days like this make me see some of their interviews in a different light...