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chibalein · 6 years ago

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Kalafina Harmony Magazine Vol. 4 - Hikaru Solo Interview ~ Translation

Continuing with my translations of Harmony magazine Vol. 4, here you have Hikaru’s solo interview. However, I don’t know why, but I really struggled with this and many parts will sound super strange and maybe even misleading. Whenever I couldn’t fully grasp the meaning of the sentence, I just did a literal translation. So, pleeeease, if you see parts I really screwed up, tell me! But still credit me, if you wanna use this for anything XD

Anyway, this interview is about Hikaru’s then upcoming birthday event, so again an outdated interview. Have fun!

Next up will be Hikaru at Animate Cafe!

Hikaru Solo Interview

Feelings about her first attempt at the solo event „Hikaru Birthday Event 2018” and gratitude towards her fans. About her being able to step forward since she welcomed her 10th anniversary.

Your first “Hikaru Birthday Event 2018” has finally been decided. This means we can celebrate both Hikaru-chan’s birthday (July 2nd) and the birthday of Kalafina’s Hikaru (July 30th).

Yes. I wrote about my feelings on the blog, but I am grateful that I can set forth like this, as the first step in this 10th year. I am thinking about a lot right now and I hope I can spend a wonderful time with everyone as closely as possible.

You asked things on the fanclub site like “Songs you want me to sing”, “What you would like me to do”, “Questions”… Right now, a staff member carried a huge bunch of papers…

Whoa, it’s such a huge amount!? Ugh... this is “Things I would like Hikaru to do at the event” (for a while, Hikaru reads the sheets of paper enthusiastically).

There are a lot of maniac, specific and deep requests, right!? *laughs*

Well, it’s amazing! I think everyone’s imagination is abundant, as might be expected from people listening to Kalafina songs. So these are the fans that gave their opinions... There are many opinions I wouldn’t think of *laughs*

What appears to be a lot at first glance… is related to Anime and Manga. You can’t say something concrete here, can you? *laughs*

Well, everyone knows that I love Anime and Manga *laughs*. I am thankful.

Also, a recitation like in the last fanclub event or a rock-paper-scissor competition have been requested a lot.

That day’s Hikaru had too much luck in terms of rock-paper-scissors *laughs*. This is surely a revenge match to everyone.

There were also many requests for a “goods introduction”. Because the concert at Budokan was the 10th Anniversary version, you didn’t do a goods talk.

Right… I am so happy that everyone is thinking about so many things!

Nevertheless… They request this because it is you after all! These kind of feelings are overflowing.

There were many original ideas where I thought: “Where does this idea come from!?”. But… everyone! You all overestimate me! *laughs* I am not that dexterous!

Hahaha. It looks like there are many things you have to practice.

If I followed those requests, then this event would become totally maniac and deep. By taking a look at these entries, I understand how everyone feels about me *laughs*. … While everyone was supporting Kalafina for the past 10 years, slowly showing my true nature, I only let them know recently that I am an otaku. I am sure that there are also fans that “are following something thoroughly”, and those people think that “Hikaru smells the same” [this is literal translation, I guess it means that Hikaru as an otaku is “one of them”], and this is being handed down pressingly. They are my comrades…and there are many of them here *laughs*. Of course, there were people you wrote versatile opinions in a simple matter, but there were also many who wrote long and detailed letters… Intense!

“If there were only maniac requests, Hikaru might retreat!” You didn’t have this kind of fear, did you? “I am sure she would accept them!” I only feel this kind of relationship of mutual trust.

I came to think that these 10 years have been “an activity to go forward with everyone, while talking with everyone”, I could personally experience that those feelings have been received properly. However, everyone’s requests were so maniac, it’s funny *laughs*. I will think about which ideas to adopt until they are actually conducted.

No matter which ones you will take on, I feel like they are many high hurdles to overcome.

That’s because there are many things that Kalafina hasn’t done or tried yet *laughs*. I wonder how far I can go alone!?

Are there things you might want to do, right now?

I have been thinking “Maybe I can do this? It seems interesting” about different entries, but people only requested stuff that I haven’t done in front of others at all *laughs*

Well, hm, right *laughs*

There are certainly things that I would enjoy doing alone in my room, however doing them in front of everyone?

You will perform in front of hundreds of people.

In addition to the challenge of doing a concrete program on stage, there is also a mental challenge required.

Preparation of your mind became also important, right?

I have to make up my feelings and face them! I have to make physical and mental adjustments!

I haven’t seen a fanclub event where such a fighting spirit was necessary…

Since everyone made it until here with huge effort, I want to follow with all my power as well! … That might not be normal for a singer’s funclub event, but since I received every possible interesting wish, I want to meet those feelings as best as I can.

The people whose wishes you’ll adopt will surely be happy. Even if you don’t adopt them, people might want you to introduce what kind of requests came in.

I see! During or after the event, I will introduce the things that everyone wanted me to do, and I will look back on how far I was able to implement them, and also a prospect for next time…

Why does everyone want some kind of reflection meeting? *laughs* Requests for “Songs I want you to sing” are also arriving like a mountain. The process is still ongoing, but you are already tallying the votes, right?

Correct! Well… I will sing the songs placed number 1 and 2!

Oh, you declared it.

Looking at this, these are the very best of the votes obtained. I want to meet everyone’s feelings towards this.

Looking forward to that, will the setlist be songs that you as Hikaru “want to sing”?

This time it will be only me and Sakurada-san on the piano, so I want to make a musical selection that will fit into this arrangement. Also, there are many opinions that want me to cover anime songs, and I want to take this challenge too. I got many requests for singing songs by international artists or musical numbers, as well… I can’t follow each and every request, but I want to show everyone a new singing voice, that sings songs that are yet to be performed. Of course, the usual Hikaru will be present. For now, I will face the creation of the setlist!

It looks like there are many questions for the “Question Corner” coming in.

I just scanned the things that have been printed out so far, but this is a huge amount of paper *laughs*

There are so many papers printed in A3 size with small letters…

That’s so amazing… (looking at the question sheets) It looks like there are again many questions about Anime and Manga… but also so many other things… Questions I won’t be able to answer properly or some strange consultations…! I guess I have to come up with a way to answer this many questions…

It might be better if you answered the questions that you couldn’t respond to at the event, on the fanclub site or in the magazine piece by piece. The amount is crazy! However, after all there are many “deep” questions, right?

I am happy that questions about myself are coming in!

Anyway… How long will the event take? With this amount of questions and requests, I feel like this will become a very long event *laughs*

About 1 ½ hours would be normal, right? It’s an event like this. “This can’t be…” I thought, though. There is a chance I can’t collect everything *laughs* However, those printouts have been the sum of only 4-5 days since opening the questionnaire, so I suppose it will increase a lot more from now on…

That’s a pleasant shriek! *laughs* I get the feeling that the bond between you and the fans is getting deeper, and the feeling of solidarity among fans is becoming stronger. It seems like a strange sense of unity is being born…

It will be an event of the elite force where heroes gather *laughs*

You are looking forward to this turning point after 10 years and this new challenge.

Yes. I am nervous since I am about to challenge things I have never done before, so I will tackle them with all my power. Please look forward to it, everyone.

[Upper row, from left to right]

The first outfit is a yukata for the publication of the serial segment. Lovely!

How much of the door in the background shall be shown? This and other confirmations.

This fan as little prop and full of summer feelings. It makes me want to do fireworks [typically done in Japan in summer].

An elegant finish to the little retro atmosphere. Her neck is so beautiful!

[Bottom row, from left to right]

One pose for the interview section. A refreshing coordination!

“Which cut do you like?”, during a friendly chat with the two photographers.

The second outfit is a chic black one-piece. The make-up is also very adult-like.

Hikaru taking a photo with her cellphone of the shot recommended by the staff and photographers.

The end of the photo shoot! Fascinated by her elegant movements <3

#kalafina #harmony magazine #volume 4 #hikaru solo interview #translation #this really took some time #why are wakana's things always easier #I am dying to know what kind of requests Hikaru's crazy fans had

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be-ready-when-i-say-go · 3 years ago

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Love Where You Are

Bucky x Black Female OC.

Bucky's got to learn that sometimes people don't want more out of you than you already have. Not perfection, but what's there right now.

Fluff. Just lots of Fluff. Does take place right after The Falcon and the Winter Solider.

Masterlist (multifandom)

_____________________

“And if you are alone, that is the quietest most personal hell. And James, that is very hard to escape.”

It rings his ears, long after he leaves the office, long after he returns the notebook, long after the sun has set but sitting here, at the pier feels right. The boats rock gently with the waves and the metal anchors tap against the metal husks. It reminds him of New Orleans, of hearing the giggles and fake punches being thrown. The community that always banded together no matter what.

Bucky did really think he was alone. Just a guy, with a friend of a friend. Well, maybe he wasn’t really a guy anymore. Not in the sense that guys were young, making mistakes--that was a guy. Or at least the way he saw it back before. Back when Steve was still the kid stuffing his shoes with newspaper, and lying on enlistment forms. Back when Bucky was playing the courts for the both of them and nights out were spent drinking just as much as they were spent getting into tussles to save Steve’s ass.

A more fair assessment would be that Bucky was maybe a guy. He had made his mistakes while trying to fix them. But he sure as hell wasn’t getting younger. But he was a guy that’s definitely trying to move on. Trying to figure out what it means to be a guy now at this moment--even though the nightmares still linger.

Sam would probably tell Bucky that the nightmares are common. He’d maybe even say it’s a good thing. They show Bucky he’s still human. And maybe that’s what Bucky’s still struggling with--how to be human more than anything else. What does it mean to have friends again? What does it mean to get a chance of life that he gets some control in? No more fighting other people’s wars. Well, for right now at least.

“A fish out of water, I see.”

Bucky turns to the voice. “Who sent you this time?”

Patricia smiles before sitting next to Bucky. “You’re forgetting I’m the one who showed you this place. So the real question is why are you jocking my happy place?”

Bucky laughs. “I am not stealing your happy place, I swear.”

“Yeah, sure could’ve fooled me.”

“It is a pretty nice place to come to, just let go of everything,” Bucky whispers, staring back out at the horizon. The sun’s just starting to duck behind the horizon casting just enough of an orange glow onto the water. Patricia hums, turning her attention back to the water in front of them as well. And for a moment, it’s silent between them. Minus the slight buzz of the water beneath them of course and the traffic on the pier.

Bucky glances over his shoulder to Patricia. The moles are all still there, scattered across her face. She still looks the same, like she did when they met in Wakanda. Patricia’s not Wakandian at all. However, when Shuri started to oversee the Science center back in Oakland, she reached out to see if she could find some people locally to help her run it. Patricia happened to be one the very few people to make the list. And occasionally, she came to Wakanda to have meetings with Shuri when Shuri couldn’t leave, or didn’t want to. Though her visits were brief, Patricia never seemed to be shocked by Bucky’s presence, and a couple of times when he happened to be in the area of the castle, went out of her way to talk to him. And in those moments, though Bucky never had much to say then, Patricia would tell him about what was happening in the world, or share personal stories.

He’s not sure what made her trust him and he’s not sure why he trusted her either. Maybe it’s because at the time, she didn’t seem bothered by him. It’s like she just saw a man, some body, and not a machine. Bucky hadn’t told her, not initially who he was, or what he had done not initially. But then Patricia asked why he was in Wakana too. That question made him freeze, unsure of how to answer. And rather than answering it directly, he dodged around it and gave what he thought was a vague response. And in the sunset there, Patricia didn’t seem bothered by the answer. Instead she pushed forward, steering the conversation to something else.

“Shouldn’t you be on the other side of the country?” Bucky asks, suddenly realizing that he’s not even close to the West Coast.

“Vacation. Boss mandated vacation, but vacation nonetheless.”

“Visiting home then?”

“Yeah. Checking in on my mom and dad. They’re going on a cruise in a couple of days for their anniversary. And I try to see them before their yearly vacation too. The last I heard you were rag tagging it with Sam though. And I definitely didn’t think you’d say in New York, not after what happened.”

“You--how long have you been in town?”

“Long enough to hear and see that the life of being a superhero is never easy.”

Bucky never considered himself a superhero. Not after what he’s done. “Oh, no, I’m not. Just--” What was he doing? Trying to recklessly hold onto a person, to an idea of who he was in someone else’s perspective?

“Just Bucky?” Patricia suggests. Gently, she reaches out to take his left hand.

Bucky tenses for a second and then has to make sure to relax so he doesn’t hurt her. He goes to speak and the air leaves him for just a moment when she threads his fingers through his. With a deep breath he finds the sentence again, “You make that sound so complete. Because I-I don’t even know who Bucky is even more.”

“I think you have more of a clue than you let on.”

“Perhaps subconsciously, there is more than I know consciously.” Bucky almost wants to flex his fingers, try to figure out the right way to carry her hand and how much pressure to give. He glances down, the black metal of his arm accented with gold pairs nicely with the deep red brown of her skin. But it still feels foreign, like the first time he wore a shirt again with his new arm and he was worried the threads would get snagged in the divots.

“How long are you in town for?” Patricia asks.

“Oh, I live here in Brooklyn.”

“You never told me you were from Brooklyn.”

“Born and raised. I just recently moved back here. In Wakanda, when you told me about the pier, how you liked coming just to clear your head, I liked to hear how you saw it. Besides, it had been quite a few years since I had been back to see it. So, it was nice.”

“I mean it hadn’t changed all that much in a few years,” Patricia comments off handedly.

“Well, maybe it was, uh, a little bit more than just a few years.”

“Like several decades more.”

“Who told you?”

“I may just be the assistant director at the center, but I am let in on a lot of secrets that have a very real chance to impact us. Someone might think we have access to certain materials,” she taps his metal arm with the phrase, “or if we have information that may help them and we have to be prepared for that.”

“So that means you know about everything.”

“Only need to know. And your unique relation was classified as a need to know for me.”

With a sigh, Bucky shakes his head. “That makes this incredibly easier and ten time more awkward.”

“If it helps at all, James, clearly I haven’t run for the hills.”

“Please, call me Bucky. The only time I’m used to hearing James is when I’m in trouble or from my therapist when she was fed up with me. And as much as my mother would absolutely like to have a talk with me from the great beyond, I think I’m going to hold out on having to hear that lecture for as long as I can.”

“I don’t think she has that long of a lecture.”

It’s with a slight lump in his throat that Bucky realizes he hadn’t thought about his mother is so long. What would she think of him? What would she think of what he had done? He blinks back the tears and clears his throat. But the tears come back, the lump reforms. “Oh, God, I-my mom,” he whispers. She’d been gone for a while; that fact wasn’t new. But what was fact was that he didn’t want to disappoint her. Even though she was gone, it didn’t mean that Bucky was trying to make it hard for her to watch over him.

Patricia takes the hand holding his hand and gingerly rubs across his shoulder. “Hey, it’s alright.”

It takes a moment and a pinch at the bridge of his nose between his eyes to keep the water works at a minimum. “Thanks. I’m okay.”

“I think this calls for ice cream. My treat. What do you think?”

“Oh-I don’t know.”

“C’mon. It’s a couple scopes. It’ll make you feel better.” Patricia stands, holding out her hand, fingers motioning for him to stand.

It’s here, in the in between, between standing and sitting, between giving into the ice cream and standing firm on his denial that he wonders, why would someone like Patricia be nice to him. As far as he knew, she didn’t know about war, or constantly fighting or always looking over your shoulder. And maybe that wasn’t fair. Maybe she knew more about it than Bucky was giving her credit for as a Black woman in America. Much like he hadn’t known the similar things about Sam and the shield. But why would she want to give someone like him a chance? Shouldn’t she be more afraid?

“What’s this all about?” Bucky asks, standing but not taking her hand.

“Ice cream to help soothe mental wounds.”

They stand face to face. He towers over her by a few inches. But it’s enough where she looks up at him ever so slightly. “No, if you know about me, why do any of this? Even back at Wakanda.”

There’s a pause from Patricia. She turns on her heel and he follows. Though he’s not sure he should be. They get a couple steps from the bench before Patricia exhales heavily. Perhaps, it was not the smartest move to admit this clearly after an emotional moment. But her nerve would leave her as it always did if she didn’t strike now. “On the one hand, Bucky, it’s this little thing called flirting.”

“Flirt-flirting?”

The wide eyes and dropped jaw make her laugh. “Yeah, flirting.”

“I am a little over a century old. But that-that is not flirting.”

“I am not great at it, but I was attempting,” Patricia returns, with a bit of annoyance creasing her brow.

“Oh, doll.”

“Aht, no, you do not get to ‘Doll’ me. I am not a doll. No, do I look like a doll?”

Bucky smirks. It’s all too easy; it would be all too easy. He won’t do it. Not now at least. “I apologize. But I’m just saying being nice to someone isn’t necessarily flirting.”

“Wakanda was different. I was trying to get to know you and I knew things were complicated for you. So I kept it to being nice. And then I knew I’d be Stateside most of the time. However, when I got the call from the Dora and Shuri that you were moving to the U.S, I thought maybe I could get a chance. But then the expo was coming up and I was essentially working as director and counselor to keep the center open late to let kids work and things just never worked. But then I saw you, here, at the pier and I thought it might be my chance. Sue me.”

Bucky nods as she speaks, keeping stride as they weave through the crowd. “So inviting me out for ice cream was the move?”

“It was like move two. Get you to go with me for ice cream so then I could ask you for dinner.”

“I don’t think you need to worry or waste time with me.” If Bucky could stop it, he would. If the little voice in the back of his head didn’t get so loud sometimes, he wouldn’t even have to deal with Patricia’s full halt and tugging him off to the side. If Bucky could keep the doubt down, his comment wouldn’t fall from his lips. But unfortunately, what he wants and what he does isn’t always on the same page.

“Repeat that for me,” Patricia demands.

It’s the way she says it, like he can try to repeat it but he’s sure it wasn’t lack of hearing that she’s asking. “I just mean--I’m still not like a hundred percent...together. And it’s not a process I can hope to do in seconds or one that I can promise won’t be ugly. So I don’t know--”

“Sometimes, Bucky, people want to love you where you are. No one’s perfect. Not even us non-superbeings. I’m not asking for the perfect you. I’m asking to go on some dates with whatever version of you is here, right now. I want to disasterly cook a meal and then order pizza. I’m asking you to give me whatever you have now. ”

And if you’re alone, that is the quietest most personal hell. But Bucky still doesn’t want to drag her into this world, this mess he was in. But here Patricia is, asking for whatever he has, whether it’s perfect or put together or not. And there have only been a few times in his life that people wanted whatever he had. It’s that soldier, the barking commands from his training officers that can make it hard. They always wanted more, they wanted perfection in some ways. They wanted obedience more than anything, but Patricia’s not asking for any of that.

“No-no one’s just wanted the mess I am. I thought I lost the last person that wanted that from me.”

“Well, if you let me in and say yes to ice cream and a dinner date, where I do not cook initially, then you’ll have gained another person that wants you for whatever mess you are.”

“By mess, I mean mess. Like I sleep on the floor of my own apartment. I just want you to be aware of where the bar is.”

Patricia smiles, a small tuft of laughter escaping her. “Consider my expectations set.”

“Then I would be honored to get ice cream and eventually go to dinner with you.”

Her grin widens, heats heating at the bit of a twinkle settling into his gaze. She’s thankful her blush is not visible at all. “You’re going to have to stop looking at me like that. Because a look like that is dangerous.”

“Looking at you like what?”

She circles his face with her pointer finger, “Like that, like you’re plotting something devious.”

Bucky laughs, holding his hands up in defense of himself. “You’re the one planning. Not me.”

“It’s a Mr. Suave look. I know it when I see it.” She starts back down the pier and Bucky’s quick to catch up, right hand slipping into hers. “See, now you’re plotting something for sure! But I’m not that mad at it.”

Gingerly, he gives her hand a squeeze. “Good. And thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

#bucky barnes #bucky barnes fluff #h writes #marvel #marvel fic #bucky barnes fic #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x oc #bucky barnes x black oc #bucky barnes fanfic #marvel fanfic

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sailor-cresselia · 6 years ago

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HEISEI GENERATIONS FOREVER

I’M GOING TO CRY

OKAY?

I’M GOING TO FUCKING CRY.

Spoilers for Kamen Rider Heisei Generations Forever below the cut.

also this got really long. Like. 3.8k words long. I am SO SORRY, Mobile Users, I know read mores don’t always work. Just. SCROLL.

20 MINUTES IN AND MY HEART HAS ALREADY BEEN BROKEN MULTIPLE TIMES.

Memories coming and going for everyone - just - just!

Sougo as a smart, smug, asshole.

Tsukuyomi as a ditz.

Then! Then!

Sento and Ryuuga saving a kid from Another Double – who’s design I LOVE, btw.

But Grease and Rogue leap out over the crowd. They remember, when they shouldn’t. When no one should remember them.

When Kazumi Sawatari and Gentoku Himuro shouldn’t remember each other. Shouldn’t be able to become Riders at all, because here they never were exposed to the Nebula Gas that the Rider System requires.

Gentoku forgetting, returning to the stiff, formal, son-of and assistant-to the Prime Minister.

Misora remembering – the cafe’s a bar, and then she forgets. Again.

YA SURE KNOW HOW TO KILL MY HEART, TOEI.

The kid – Shingo – being found by Sento… who doesn’t get the chance to transform. Who looks… he looks like he’s been brainwashed.

A boy who ‘draws Riders to him’. Him and Sougo go to Fuumen – FUUMEN!

TOEI YOU ARE ACTIVELY HURTING ME. Because Another Double shows up… and it turns out. It turns out Shotaro gave the owner of the Fuumen ramen cart the Double Ridewatch to hold onto for him.

And now we’ve lost Geiz, too.

Nobody remembers Sougo – and smartphones don’t exist. Not enough that a small child would know about them.

The first episode of Kuuga airs tomorrow.

Just- hng. Some part of the brainwashed Sento holds out enough to send the Machien Builder to find Ryuuga. To find his partner.

But when he and Sougo get to where he and Tid are.

Tank and Tank.

Just one word.

“Transform.”

And he attacks.

AHAHAHA YESSSS! Ataru points out the “Same Actor Issue” with regards to Kouhei Takeda having played both Otoya and Kazumin THANK YOU I was hoping that would happen. I didn’t think it would but THANK YOU.

IMAJIN NO. No ominous comments about how ‘it might not end well’!

...Shingo. Shingo… Tid brought you here from the past, didn’t he? From the day before Kuuga aired. That’s why you don’t know what a smartphone is. He brought you forward from your little brothers birthday. And you met him here – where he’s 18, and contracted with an Imajin, in order to meet Riders.

I don’t even know these two and my heart’s breaking for them.

...was. Was that Ataru in Another Den-O?!

Okay, yeah, Sento was faking being brainwashed. No surprise there.

BIG surprise that Ataru contracted in order to meet Riders… because he wanted to escape from reality. He’s not worried, because it’s all just a delusion.

Because his older brother disappeared the day he was born. His brother Shingo.

Whoops.

Ataru latched onto Den-O SO HARD that he summoned an Imajin into his world – his world, where Riders are fiction. And that Imajin is trying, but he’s reached his limit. And Tid cares not for what world he’s in, as long as it’s correct.

...it makes sense that sento isn’t torn up about being fictional like sougo is. he’s already been there – twice, even. sento kiryuu was made up in his own world, and no one from the new one remembers he exists. this is nothing new to him.

…

OKAY FOR THE RECORD. I wrote that BEFORE the scene in the rain.

But…

It doesn’t matter if it’s reality or fantasy. They’re Kamen Riders. They do what must be done.

Don’t worry, Sougo. You’ll understand.

Riders always do, in the end.

Also, the bugster virus grunts stand out so badly against all the other mooks. Waste Yummies, Dustards, Ghouls, Inves, numberless Roidmudes, Ganma, Bugsters… It’s. Actually really nice seeing all of these old suits in action. I can’t even say why, but. I really enjoy that.

… Kazumin’s out.

… … Ataru’s had enough of a world with Riders. He’s done. There’s no such thing, after all.

The contract is complete.

The Riders are gone now. But the mooks might not be.

Be careful what you wish for.

Hey there, Woz! Been a while!

Hey there, Sento. Glad you found your kouhai… and that you didn’t blank out when you two left Ataru’s house.

Because I was right. Shingo’s been pulled out of time.

That’s what Imajin are all about, aren’t they? Changing time. (I have not watched past the first two episodes of den-o but that’s the impression I’ve gotten from hearing about it. Shush.)

And Ataru can’t have a brother that went missing if the brother never went missing in the first place. Which is where Tid, the Imajin, and Another Den-O come into play.

Sure, The World of Ataru is ‘reality’ from one perspective, but The World of Riders is reality from it’s own perspective, just like The World of Build. Sento, you’ve done this, don’t dismiss the world you live in now as fiction quite so easily.

(Tsukasa will be disappointed in you. … if everyone else doesn’t beat him up first, for some of the stunts he’s pulled.)

So… since the Double watch came from Ataru’s world, it can act as a link to there from the Rider’s world.

Actually, I really like how much of W they’re working into here. I know it means we most likely don’t get a W arc, but still. Fuumen, and the watch being handed over by proxy – namedropping ‘Sho’. Another W has three faces – Cyclone, Joker, and CycloneJoker. Cyclone’s eyes light up when he uses the tornado attacks, which is a great nod to both how he’s using one side, and to how Philip’s half lights up when he speaks. I mean, the green tornados alone are neat!

(I didn’t think I’d missed the lens-eyes, because they’re creepy, but come to find out, I had! Huh!)

THING IS. I’m a LITTLE pissed about THIS. I get you haven’t been given much to do today, Woz. And I ADORE all of the W references. But the Library is PHILIPS domain. It’s his to explore – his, and Wakana’s, and those who he allows in. Sokichi Narumi, when he was just a tool for Museum, when he got a chance at freedom. When he got to be Philip. And Shotaro. His Partner. Who saved him from himself in there – When the library was BURNING because he was losing himself to Fang, when he was terrified and lost and this is where he is supposed to be.

… Sorry, I have a LOT of W feels, and this movie is hitting a LOT of them right now.

… Basically, Woz, I tolerate you now, but this is December 2018 you, who I tolerate a lot less. Get out of there.

OH, THIS IS INTERESTING THOUGH.

The book is labeled Masked Rider Den-O. Not Kamen Rider. The series has been writing it as ‘Kamen’ when using the roman alphabet since W.

Before that, it was translated into English whenever it was written like that. So it would be accurate to have Masked Rider Den-O, but not, say, Masked Rider Fourze.

Huh. Nice touch.

~Archival footage from Den-o!~

... Woz how did you get that rail pass out from the library?

(Philip would LOVE to know, that seems like it would be a REALLY handy trick, if he could bring even just. Like. Segments of a book, or pictures, or some such. It’d be SO MUCH EASIER to show Shotaro stuff that way, instead of having to copy it out onto a whiteboard.)

… A lot of the time, Another Double sounds like two people speaking in unison.

… can two people be one Another Rider? Could Tid have. Like. Fused some dudes? This is. A valid question right now.

I mean, we never did find out Who Another Double is.

! !! !!!

LUNA!

THIS IS FINE.

(It’s not fine, but only because I hate the Luna memory)

!!! !! !

AH. So. That’s. ONE way to have things happen out of order. Have a watch shoved into your chest after seeing yourself as that Another Rider.

Ataru latched onto Den-O SO DAMNED HARD that he summoned an Imajin, warped time, and became Another Den-O.

Kid… That’s brutal.

Purple Imajin’s lost hope… but Sougo says that they’re not alone.

Tid shows up at the site where the Arcle was found. At the tomb of the first Kuuga. That… if this is the world of Ataru, that shouldn’t exist here.

But he uses the Arcle – still worn by the first Kuuga – to make the Another Kuuga watch.

That’s terrifying, but makes sense. The watches only need the power of the rider, after all. Doesn’t matter which version of the Rider, as we’ll see in Hibiki months down the road and two weeks ago.

TID OW WOAH DUDE

I MEAN

You’re a bad guy but! I’m sorry for you right now! That looks OBSCENELY PAINFUL.

And VERY Time Mazine sized.

Enough to knock Sougo’s Time Mazine into the Another Denliner… which crashes upon arrival in December 2018, scaring ‘Everyday Schoolboy Sougo’ spitless, while carrying Tid as we have known him to this point. Also of note: Another Den-O is posing like Momotaros. That’s a nice touch.

Oh! Hey! I just realized! I like the Purple Imajin’s speech and all, and the exposition’s great, VERY in line with Den-O, but I just realized.

Sougo’s at a point in time where he hasn’t been born yet.

I doubt this’ll do jack all to history, but still. It’s kind of funny.

(Also, hey, Toei, you couldn’t have remembered that Rider used to start in January back during the Fourze and Faiz arc? You had Faiz disappear during an episode that took place in February, thanks to an event in, like, November. I’m still salty about that.)

Cut to 2018.

Sento and Ryuuga step into Tid’s vault.

(brb, snorting with laughter at the bugster stuck in an idle animation on the floor)

Sento’s already altered the world once, and nobody should have remembered him. But one idiot was stubborn enough to remember him. So… who’s to say that can’t happen again? The world has never made sense. Science and physics, chronology and sequence, reality and fiction… all of that went out the window ages ago, as far as he’s concerned. So why not mess around a little more?

Rabbit and Rabbit!

Cross-Z Magma!

““TRANSFORM!””

(cue Build fight music)

I love my boys.

I also love the two busted time mazines basically piggybacking off of each other.

A train whistle sounds.

Oh, Tid. Of course they keep coming back.

You’ve got someone who knows them pretty well right by your side.

AHAHA YESSSSS

YOU’RE FACING THE WRONG WAY BUT YESSSS

‘Sup, Momotaros?

Oh, hold on-

‘Sup, Team Den-O?

Like beats Like. It takes a Rider’s power to defeat an Another Rider.

And the base of ‘imajin’ is imagine. To think up, to dream.

Or, in some cases.

To remember.

Urataros, if you and Ryotaro are going to use the line “Ai to Seigi to” I expect SOMEONE to do a Sailor Moon pose! SOMEONE NEEDS TO!

She is the senpai for EVERYONE HERE. She’s from 1992, after all, Mr. 2007.

Okay, sorry, Moon Fan comments aside.

Sougo gets it now. It doesn’t matter anymore if they’re real or not.

Because here? In this moment? They’re real enough.

I’m willing to bet that under that mask, Sento’s grinning, because he can tell that his junior’s caught on.

Misora – kind, sweet, Misora – guiding civilians to safety, even though she’s a civilian herself… wondering where Sento and Ryuuga are.

They’re a bit busy elsewhere… but Kazumin and Gentoku? They’re available.

Welcome back, Kamen Rider Grease and Kamen Rider Rogue.

Cries for help from two young boys – the right age bracket for right now.

Level Up!

Kaigan!

Welcome back, Kamen Rider Ex-aid and Kamen Rider Ghost.

Two men in their late teens, early twenties.

Cyclone! Joker!

Welcome back, Kamen Rider Double.

A man in his mid-to-late twenties… possibly with his sons, who are wearing the two latest belts. His inner child calls out.

The startup sound of the Arcle

Welcome back, Kamen Rider Kuuga.

A crowd.

Hanamichi! On STAGE!

Welcome back, Kamen Rider Gaim and Kamen Rider Kiva.

A crowd – larger, with more varied ages.

Hii, hii, hihihiii~

Welcome back, Kamen Rider Agito, Kamen Rider Ryuki, and Kamen Rider Wizard.

Three adults.

Turn Up.

Welcome back, Kamen Rider Blade, Kamen Rider Faiz, and Kamen Rider Hibiki.

Change Beetle

Welcome back, Kamen Rider Kabuto, Kamen Rider Decade, and Kamen Rider Fourze.

UCHUU KITA indeed.

Ta To Ba! Ta-to-ba TaToBa!

Welcome back, Kamen Rider OOO and Kamen Rider Drive.

“Ankh…”

Toei don’t break my heart like this. He caresses the hawk medal. Don’t do this to us.

“Let’s go, Mr. Belt.”

“Okay! Start your engine!”

Hi, Krim. Nice to see you again, too. Ah, man, Shinnosuke’s voice is so subdued.

They didn’t have the same type of partnership, but both Eiji and Shinnosuke lost their partners. This is. Right. This is right, for now. It’s something.

Now. Time to fight.

Momotaros doing his own theme song.

Emu bouncing into the air.

Takeru floating – they’re letting him have powers, letting him have the forcefields that he’s going to prove he has when he shows up in the episode that aired the day before this takes place. To the point of TAKERU CAN MAKE TELEKINETIC TORNADOES THAT IS SO FUCKING COOL! (Further vindication! Takeru gets to be spooky!)

One on one my rear end, Gentaro. Rocket on.

Drumsticks and kicks laced with fire from Hibiki and Haruto, before they and Shinji all set a crowd of mooks alight in a wave of fire.

Shinnosuke getting to use the tires on Type Speed’s boots for once… before… Start up. Clock up! The three speed demons – him, Takumi, and Souji – knock the crowd of mooks aside.

Swords and claws slice through one group, thanks to Kouta, Eiji, and Kenzaki – wait, hang on, his given name is Kazuma? I thought that was his surname?! UGH it’s the Banjou and Ryuuga thing all over again, but before it happened, you know what WHATEVER.

Shouichi and Wataru blasting apart mooks with inherited powers.

Tsukasa on his own… because of course he is.

Likewise for Yusuke.

Sento and Ryuuga struggling against Another Double… but Sougo got that watch earlier today. >:)

Like beats Like.

Er, Woz, this is not the time to IWAE. We’re. We’re in a movie. This. Isn’t in the show, save it for- oh, wait, you weren’t there the first time he used Double in show, were you? Haaaa… fine. I’ll allow it.

...I’d really missed Sougo flubbing the catchphrases. “Tell me about your crimes.” It’s. Close. You’re. You’re almost there. You got the pose better than you did the phrase, anyway.

Another Double is a bit closer, though, since he thinks you’re half-boiled. And did Shotaro’s stressed out forehead pinch – even though Sho’s usually in civilian form for that, and wearing his hat, it still scans. (HNG MY W FANGIRL HEART.)

Maximum Time Break!

Hahaha! Another Double explodes three times. Once to separate in two, once each for a cloud of green and black smoke for each respective half, and then two massive fireballs. That’s glorious.

Tid, I get that you’re a movie villain, but why are you this dead set on getting rid of the Heisei Riders?

“Where’s Tsukuyomi?!”

“Still fixing the Time Mazines!”

And she’s so FRUSTRATED about it!

Good thing Sento built all of his equipment. Oh man, he’s going to have a field day with this thing. Be careful, you might not get both of them back.

CASE IN POINT. SENTO’S JACKED A TIME MAZINE TO FIGHT ANOTHER KUUGA.

And looks like Geiz didn’t just go to fight Tid when he was in 2000. He made the Kuuga watch from the first Kuuga’s body, same as Tid.

Clever. Like I said. Doesn’t matter which version of the Rider. As long as it’s the same power.

Armor Time!

Kuuga!

It didn’t take long to take Another Kuuga down with that much brute power behind the attacks.

Sorry, Ryuuga, but Geiz just isn’t that excitable. No high fives for you. (I’ll give you one!)

Sento must be absolutely beaming under there.

And Sougo does the thumbs up.

HEY REMEMBER HOW I WONDERED IF TID FUSED TWO DUDES TO MAKE ANOTHER DOUBLE?!

THIS IS WORSE.

THIS IS MUCH WORSE.

Step. Away. From. The. Child.

Let him go.

TID HAS ISSUES.

But! Getting everyone out in to one of The Quarries means.

BIIIIIKE FIIIIIGHT!!!!!

Kudos for the Bakusou Bike jingle, and Faiz’s bike pretty much being a drill. Press F to pay respects for Kabuto’s tires. Wonder how many of those he goes through in a month.

Shotaro, Philip, not breaking out the Revolgarry this time? You did back in Taisen Grand Prix!

...Where are Drive and Hibiki?

Oh, wait, nope, there they are, along with Ryuki.

YESSSSS Ryuuga and Geiz in Geiz’s Time Mazine!

AND LIGHTING IT UP WITH BLUE FLAMES TO KNOCK “ANOTHER KUUGA TWO; CREEPER BOOGALOO” DOWN TO EARTH. Literally.

Twenty Rider Kicks. Straight to the face.

(Okay, technically it’s 22 kicks, since Double is, by necessity, both Shotaro and Philip, and Den-O is presumably Momotaros and Ryotaro.)

And the final three to hit? Zi-O, Build, and Kuuga.

Yesssss.

(Also Gentaro looked so awkward standing with the Drill Module still active. Because DRILL. On the LEG.)

We get a montage of two brothers, growing up together, as fans of Kamen Rider. Mirroring a montage of one boy growing up alone at the opening.

And the speech between Senior and Junior – Sento and Sougo.

Yeah. They were Riders. They always were Riders. The laws of time travel aren’t nearly as rigid as you think, Sougo.

As long as someone remembers. They’re still there.

Why should anything have to change that?

Final notes. Whoever made this movie must love W SO MUCH. Because in the end credits, there’s a montage of shots from every season since Kuuga. It shows the riders themselves, as civilians, their base forms, and their final forms.

The slide for W has two variants. The first has CycloneJokerExtreme at the top, CycloneJoker at the bottom, and Shotaro and Philip preparing to transform in the center. The second – the center photo moves to a different expression from the same exact scene – the same SHOT – Shotaro and Philip looking at each other and smiling. It’s from episode 49. When they were reunited.

There’s some nice care for all of the slides, actually, but most noticeable to me…

The Fourze slide has four pictures – Fourze base mode, Gentaro in front of an explosion, Fourze Cosmic States, and Gentaro and Ryusei. The last three? Are all from the same episode. The one where Gentaro GETS Cosmic States.

Drive has two ‘variants’ as well – in a similar manner to W, actually. The first time, there’s Chase, Shinnosuke, and Gou together, Shinnosuke and Kiriko – from the last episode, no less, as they’re saying goodbye to Krim, and Drive (Type Speed) leaning against the Tridoron. Really puts that “Let’s go, Mr. Belt” line RIGHT BACK IN THE FEELS ZONE, there doesn’t it? Well, the shot of the three riders morphs to the same scene, but all three of them in their armor. THAT is where they show Type Tridoron. I believe that was the first time we heard Spinning Wheel, actually.

Ghost manages to have all three of it’s Riders on a cliff – in civilian form, but still.

Ex-Aid has Emu’s first transformation – both before he activates it, and in his Level One form right after. There’s the first transformation into Hyper Muteki. But his Base Mode shot, for Level Two? Chronos about to get a Gashacon Breaker to the face.

Gaim features both Kouta AND Kaito in all but one shot, which is the one with Gaim on a horse. The others are Kouta and Kaito in Beat Rider attire, Gaim and Baron while the Woman of the Beginning looks on in the background and… Gaim Kiwami Arms versus Overlord Baron… in the final moment of their last fight.

As for OOO? Well, we’re clearly not getting an answer from Toei as to what his official final form is any time soon. Not with Shirtless Episode One Eiji, and TaToBa OOO on a RideVendor as two of the shots. The other two? One is PuToTyra. And the other is TaJaDor… with Ankh right beside him, Greeed arm on display. (Eiji’s final form is Ankh’s Boyfriend and you can’t stop me from believing that.)

I don’t know enough about the other seasons to know how heartbreaking a lot of them are, but. Well.

Over in Kuuga, that’s a transformation in the snow.

Ryuki has a wide shot with thirteen suits.

Blade as a shot with four riders, and one with Blade and Chalice in the water.

I’m not really happy with their choices for Build. Build RabbitTank deciding that he’s going to take Ryuuga with him, Sento and Ryuuga on the bike – at the end of episode one, so they both look awful, Sento in the opening, of all things, and what is quite frankly a terrible shot of Build Genius. They had a lot more to go off of here.

Especially since at least Zi-O has an excuse for poor selection. A close up of Zi-O’s face, a shot of him on his bike on a bridge from the opening, a slightly battered Sougo transforming – not even his FIRST one, mind you, it’s from the wrong angle for that… and OMA ZI-O. I know we weren’t even fifteen episodes in, he didn’t have Decade yet in the timeframe it takes place, but still. STILL.

But I might do a compilation post of all the ending cards, because there was clearly care put into… well, all but the last two, really.

So! In Conclusion!

Not as bad a movie as I was worried about!

There were a lot of nice touches, and I’m pretty sure that at this point, they were working towards un-doing the whole ‘riders were never riders’ situation. Especially given the time placement of this film.

The present day sections take place on December 3, 2018 – literally one day after the first episode of the Ghost arc aired. It was released on December 22, so… about when Sougo was shot into the future by Decade, and the day before he Did The Thing with his belt.

Ghost was allowed to transform. “Oh, right… I’m a Kamen Rider…” And, of course, Decade was there. As Decade.

The next Legend Rider to appear wasn’t until February – with Ryuki, who would never have been a Rider in the first place, regardless of Time Travel interference. He’d already had his adventures undone at the end of his season. After then, every Legend Rider is still a Rider.

As long as someone remembers.

#kamen rider zi o #heisei generations forever #zi o spoilers #heisei generations forever spoilers #i apologize for the length but. you know. movie.

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musicprincess655 · 6 years ago

Link

Shunpei wasn’t sure what to expect when he went back to the manor. Anything seemed fair game, honestly. He was still reeling from the idea that his mother might want him back at all.

Sitting across from her in the kitchen, pink hair soft around her face and a sweatshirt thrown over the thin shirt she wore under her suit, wasn’t helping his feeling of dissociation. Maybe this really was all some dream.

Shunpei didn’t see Alfred anywhere, but that didn’t mean much. He was probably somewhere, waiting for an opportune time to step in. The three years Shunpei had lived in the manor had convinced him that Alfred had evolved beyond the need for sleep.

“Why are you just staring?” he asked. Maybe it was an interrogation technique.

“Sorry.” She smiled to herself, just a little, looking almost sheepish. “You just...you grew up.”

Shunpei blinked. Apparently his brain finally got the message. He hadn’t been able to drop the image of her as Batman, not until now. Before, she’d been fighting her, and even when he’d seen her face, he couldn’t escape the way she’d always seemed larger than life, despite not even clearing his shoulder.

But she’d never just been Batman. For three years, she’d also been his mother.

“I was gone for...what, almost two years?” he asked. Somewhere in the back of his mind, it registered that his seventeenth birthday had been recent. “That happens.”

“I never thought I’d get the chance to see it,” she said. “So. What’s your side of the story?”

“I’m sure you know most of it,” he said. “Talia al Ghul brought me back after I died. I wanted to come home immediately, she convinced me to stay, I left a few months ago anyway, and here we are.”

“How did she convince you to stay?” his mother asked.

“She told me you’d never let me avenge myself,” Shunpei said. “She offered to teach me how to do it myself. I didn’t even realize the Joker was dead until I left.”

His voice twisted bitter at the end. There had been more than one reason he hadn’t gone straight home as soon as he left Talia.

“You’re angry I let Ryou do it,” she guessed. Somehow, it only made him angry that she was so close.

“I’m angry that you didn’t,” he snapped. “Ryou never liked me, but you told me I was your son. I was your partner, at least. Why wouldn’t you avenge me yourself? Was I ever worth anything to you?”

“Of course you were,” she snapped right back. “Shun-chan, I loved you just as much as I love your brothers. I mourned you, we all did.”

“Then why wouldn’t you do anything about it?” Shunpei demanded. “Why is it okay for Ryou to kill the Joker?”

“Because I can’t!”

“Why? Because of that moral compass of yours?” Shunpei laughed without any humor. “Is it really that hard to kill someone who deserved it as much as him?”

“Of course not!” Shunpei finally stopped, really looking at her. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes surprisingly pleading. “It would be so easy.”

“It...what?”

“You think I didn’t want the Joker’s head on a spike after you died?” she asked. “You think I didn’t want to reduce him to a bloody puddle? Of course I wanted him dead. But there’s no going back for me if I cross the line.”

“I’m not asking to kill everyone,” Shunpei said softly. “I’m not asking for you to kill Penguin, or Scarecrow, or Black Mask. Just Joker. Just the person who hurts so many people, who’ll keep hurting people until he’s dead. Just the one who killed your son.”

“I know,” she said. “But that’s not the point. Ryou could kill the Joker, and then stop. You could’ve killed the Joker, and you could stop after.”

Shunpei’s eyes widened.

“But you couldn’t?”

“If I crossed the line, I would never come back,” she said. “I’d never want to. And Gotham...this world wouldn’t bear it, if I was a killer.”

Shunpei didn’t think he’d ever seen his mother like this. He’d put her on a pedestal, thought of her as some untouchable titan. But in the end, she was human, too.

“You know, I’ve made a lot of mistakes as a mother,” she went on. “You died, Ryou left, and I’m sure I’m messing something else up with Haruichi and the girls. I’ve made more mistakes than I could possibly count. But there’s one thing I can be proud of.” She smiled sadly as she tucked her hair behind her ear. “None of you ended up as broken as me.”

Shunpei was a little too busy processing that for a second to respond, and when he did, it probably wasn’t what she was expecting.

“The girls?”

That made her laugh for real.

“Their names are Yui and Sachiko,” she said. “Turns out I have a habit of bringing home strays. I found them a lot like I found you.”

“Trying to steal the wheels of the Batmobile?” Shunpei asked, grinning in spite of himself. The memory was funny now, the way he’d seen Batman coming back to see him stealing her wheels, and he’d been so sure he was going to die. Instead, he’d found himself at a fancy mansion, given as much food as he could eat, and the training he needed to become Robin.

“Nothing so dramatic,” she said. “They’re both daughters of villains, and both of them rejected their parents. Eventually, they found their way here. If I believed in magic, I’d call it fate.”

Shunpei delicately didn’t point out that he’d come back from the dead, which seemed pretty magical.

“You’ll meet them soon enough,” she continued. “We left your room alone.”

“About that,” Shunpei said, lifting his hand to his hair self-consciously. “I’m grateful. I really am. I didn’t think you’d take me back like this at all. But…”

“You want your own space,” she finished for him.

“It’s easier to work the way I do if I’m closer to the ground,” he said. “And I’ve been on my own for so long, I don’t think I could just go back to living with people.”

“You’re more similar to your brother than I think you realize,” she said. “Speaking of, do you really think Ryou hates you?”

“He told me he did,” Shunpei said. “Maybe he backed off a little after I was here for a while, but he never liked me.”

“I think he’d surprise you,” she said. “But even if you don’t move back in, will you still come for dinner sometimes?”

“I...of course.” Shunpei was still reeling from the fact that he got to have his family back.

“And stick around for long enough to tell everyone you’re alive,” she said. “Ryou already knows, and I think Haruichi and the girls suspect something’s up. They’ll all want to see you.”

“I want to tell my old team as well,” he said. He wasn’t actually sure what had become of them, but he knew Young Justice didn’t exist anymore.

His mother made a face. There was no way to do that without revealing his identity, but Shunpei was okay with that. There were some secrets he didn’t want to keep from the people close to him anymore.

“Haruichi is out with the girls tonight, and I’m sure Ryou is with his team,” she said. “I’ll let them all know to call it a night.”

Alfred chose that moment to walk into the kitchen.

“Good evening, Miss Aya,” he said. “Master Shunpei, I was just thinking about baking a batch of those cookies you used to like so much.”

Shunpei might have made a small orgasmic noise. Alfred’s cookies. He was definitely coming back for dinner. Maybe once a week. At least.

“Everyone’s coming back,” his mother cut in. “At least, Haruichi, Ryou, Yui, and Sachiko are all coming. I’m not sure how many former Young Justice members got the memo.”

Shunpei hung around in the kitchen with Alfred, trying to pretend he wasn’t panicking a little at seeing everyone again. He’d been on his own for so long, and now he was about to be surrounded by people. He had no idea what he wanted to say to them, but he couldn’t wait to see them anyway.

Haruichi got back first, bounding up into the kitchen ahead of two girls that must have been Yui and Sachiko. His hood was already down, and his hair was cut back to reveal his eyes. He froze when he saw Shunpei.

“Hey,” Shunpei said. He was almost nervous that it would become awkward, but then Haruichi was throwing himself into Shunpei’s arms with a cry of “Shun-chan!”

Shunpei hugged him back. His relationship with Haruichi had always been so simple, and he’d missed his little brother.

When Haruichi jumped down, Shunpei looked up to take in the girls, and saw Ryou had come in behind them. He was just unpinning the black hood he used to cover his pink hair, which wasn’t going to give Shunpei nearly enough time to prepare for this.

As easy as Shunpei’s relationship with Haruichi had been was as complicated as his relationship with Ryou was. He expected a joke, or a dig, or something sideways and squinty that would be just the wrong side of mean, or…

Ryou hooked an arm around his shoulders, pulling him down into an awkward hug.

“Uh.”

“I’m glad you’re not dead.” Shunpei stared. Coming from Ryou, that was an expression of the highest affection.

“Thanks for avenging me,” Shunpei said. Ryou waved his hand.

“No trouble,” he said. “Don’t need avenging again.”

Shunpei wasn’t done feeling like his life had entered an alternate dimension when the old members of Young Justice walked in. All of them.

This would be interesting, considering he’d been instructed to keep his identity a secret from them. They’d never really known what he looked like.

A girl removing her tiger mask caught his attention first, and her eyes widened in shock. Shunpei gave her a half smile. All of Young Justice hadn’t known his identity, but Katsuko had met him before he ever became Robin.

She made a tiny sobbing sound, throwing herself forward into a hug. Shunpei cradled her close. The last time they’d seen each other, she’d still been taller than him.

“Hey guys,” he said, addressing the rest of his old team. “Sorry for dying on you.”

He saw the light of recognition in Wakana’s eyes first, saw it in the way that she breathed “Robin”, and then everyone was launching themselves at him, sending them all into a heap on the floor.

And Shunpei started laughing, because there was none of the awkward transition he’d feared. This was his old team, these were his friends, and in some ways, it was like he’d never left.

It might get harder soon, as he explained what had happened and heard their stories, but for now, he could take comfort in having people he belonged with again.

#kuraryou #miyusawa #daiya no a #dna #my writing #dc!au #utbh

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hadeanic · 5 years ago

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go go | SH1BA | trial 2.4 | re: wakana, arisa / attn: noel

And there goes the cheerleader doing a flip.

Fumiko just takes in a deep breath and drags their hand down their face. No, it wasn't important to focus on the petty things. What's important was trying to figure out what was happening.

But then something clicks and they don't like it. They hold back for awhile and when Mimi comes around, they willingly show that there's nothing on them. No scratches or cuts on their arm and their shoes are clean.

Noel's outburst and insistence that she was innocent. It really hurt to see. It hurt so much that Fumiko really was pushed against a wall here. She wanted to immediately stop what she was doing but... But she couldn't. And she was always the type to press forward even when it hurt so why stop now?

"CHOTTO FUCKING MATTE!"

They were just gonna keep their eyes closed until it was all over. Maybe they weren't the type that could stand to see others cry.

"W- What you said Noel is too detailed for you to just be throwing out theories, i- is what I think! I don't even wanna be right, b- but the evidence d- d- doesn't allow for other options...!!"

They were trembling and god the crying was hard to hear so they covered their ears.

"S- So what I'm saying is-- is that e- even using the camera footage you b- brought up y- y- y- you--" they take in a deep breath "yourself--!! Even co- considering that the person before R- Ryuu was Ayumu-- but h- he didn't have shit on him w- when we met up--!! N- Not cuts, no blood. And-- And he's proven weak AF!!"

It was getting harder and harder to say words, they knew that they were going to either have to calm down or just stop all together.

"Ryuu was weak so--!!" It would make it easier to get the jump on him. "A- A not sick... n- normal person could--" Take him in a fight.

It was hard for Fumiko to say everything she wanted to say and with how tightly she clenched her eyes and pressed her hands against her ears, maybe it was just all the harder to accept.

"E- Even if you.... e- even if you did I... I d- don't think I got it in me to be mad at you... It's not like y- you'd be a bad person f- for it. This is a-- a bad place, w- we're under a lotta shitty circumstances so... S- So..."

"..."

They just shut their own mouth and tried to focus on their breathing, bringing their hands down so they could hear the aftermath. Even if it was hard, even if it was difficult, they had to do it the correct way.

#rwc #chtwo #trial #shiba #submission

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putschki1969 · 4 years ago

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My Experience with Japanese Online Shops, International Shipping and Proxy Services

In the last few months I have ordered from many different Japanese online stores and I have made use of a bunch of new international shipping and proxy services so I thought it would be a good idea to sum up my experiences and write a little review so everyone knows what to expect. Without further ado, let’s get to it.

Content

tenso

Buyee

WorldShopping

HMV International Shipping

CDJapan

Amazon.co.jp

1. tenso.com

A staple for everyone who wants to register for various Japanese services (e.g. fan clubs, streaming platforms, etc) or enjoys shopping in Japanese online shops. It cannot be said often or loud enough how indispensable tenso is for fans of anything Japanese, their service is a true lifesaver! The H-el-ical// Online store even recommends using them! These days many Japanese sites accept foreign payment methods but one thing that’s still almost always required is a Japanese address. And that’s where tenso comes in. They will provide you for free with a Japanese address and phone number which you can use to register on almost any site. You can have your fan club stuff and purchased items sent to that address (the tenso warehouse) and they will then ship it to you. There are not a whole lot of shipping options available but that’s fine. Air Mail is definitely their best offer but if your package is too big you will end up having to choose EMS (which is quite pricey but typically very fast - not during the pandemic tho, at least not for Austria). A big advantage is the possibility to edit the package description. You can lower the value of your items to avoid import taxes and custom fees in your country. Please note that tenso does require an identity verification which might act as a deterrent but I can assure you, they are totally trust-worthy and reliable. I get a LOT of use out of them. Of course I have all my FC related stuff sent to their warehouse but tenso also came in handy for my orders on Tower Records Online, Animate Online and the Universal Shop/H-el-ical Shop/mu-mo Shop.

※ With the exception of the Universal Shop, I was able to pay at all the above mentioned stores with my foreign VISA.

2. Buyee

Another staple and the very first proxy service I ever used. You will need them in all those places that do not accept foreign payment methods (there are still too many out there unfortunately). Their customer service is impeccable and I have never had issues with them. They have gone as far as to contact Japanese stores on my behalf even though it is not part of their usual service. They offer a very wide range of features and shipping options, their service fees are also not too high (although I will admit that they have slightly increased throughout the years). They operate on so many different Japanese online shops, it’s rare to find a big store that does not collaborate with them. Also, if you want to thrift Kalafina related items, THIS is your go-to service. Be it Yahoo Auctions, Mercari or Suruga-ya, you can use Buyee on all those sites. They even have their own English user-interface for some of the major Japanese online stores and you can take advantage of their browser add-on which makes shopping a lot easier. The only downside is that they will not allow edits to the package value so if you live in a bureaucratic country like myself with very strict tax and custom regulations, you will have to make sure to send your packages wisely or just expect to pay quite a lot of fees. This time I used them to order my Wakana cover album copies from Rakuten Books (I REALLY wanted their tokuten). Since Buyee offers the biggest variety of shipping options, I got these copies before anything else, they were here super fast.

※ It’s funny how I am able to register my credit card for Rakuten Pay in order to purchase music on mora.jp but I cannot use that very same credit card to actually buy stuff on Rakuten.

3. WorldShopping

A fairly new service as far as I know but it seems like they are quickly expanding and trying to give Buyee a run for their money. Their banner has been popping up on almost all Japanese sites I have visited in the past few months but up until recently I wasn’t really feeling like trying a new service (I am always hesitant when it comes to new stuff). At least until I found myself in dire need of the Sofmap store specific tokuten for Wakana’s cover album XD. Unfortunately Sofmap does not accept foreign payment methods and Buyee also does not operate on their site so I took a leap of faith and made my purchase through WorldShopping since their banner looked so inviting. It was surprisingly straighforward since they are providing their own interface on the Japanese sites. I didn’t even have to go to the WorldShopping main page to register or anything before using the service. Their fees are acceptable but not exactly low. I was a little wary because I didn’t have a proper account but they did provide a link in the initial email where I could more or less keep track of everything. It took VERY long for my purchased item to be registered at their warehouse (for tenso and Buyee it takes around 1 day) and I didn’t get a notification email that it had arrived so those are not the best aspects of their service. The only shipping method they seem to offer is EMS (which again, is very pricey). Anyways, at the end of the day, my package arrived unscathed in Austria (including the tokuten) so I am a happy camper. While I will probably not be using their service regularly in the future I can still recommend WorldShopping to you with a clear conscience. But please keep in mind to check your status link regularly!

※ Please note that the WorldShipping interface in Japanese online shops overrides the site’s very own purchasing option so if you want to make an order using your own account with your tenso address and a domestic shipping method (let’s say in the mu-mo shop for example) you will have to deactive all WorldShopping services on the page.

4. HMV & BOOKS Online International Shipping

Another first for me. I had no idea they offered international shipping so when I saw the little button on KEIKO’s Lantana page, I couldn’t resist. Since Amazon.co.jp is no longer an option for me, I was desperate to find other stores that offered international shipping and tokutens. Unfortunately, their international shipping service is not a very good replacement for Amazon.co.jp since it takes VERY long. I registered as a guest and made my order without any trouble. I expected them to ship the item on the release day (or the day prior) but that was not the case. I am almost entirely sure that they use a “hidden” proxy service but still promote it as direct shipping. Which is why the process is taking so long. I think it wasn’t until the fifth day after the release date that I finally received the shipping confirmation. Also, don’t get thrown off by weird phrasing in their e-mails. They kept saying that they had shipped “the first part of my order” when in fact there was only one part. Since they only offered EMS as shipping option it once again took quite a while for the package to get to me even though the shipping fee was very high (please note that EMS is typically very fast but as I mentioned earlier, COVID-19 has changed everything). Overall, I can’t really complain about their service, if you are willing to wait a while, HMV International Shipping is definitely worth a try. HMV always have some of the best tokutens so be sure to check it out.

※ I originally tried to register properly but that turned out to be quite complicated so I recommend registering as a guest just like I did.

5. CDJapan

The first site I ever used to order Kalafina-items. I have never had issues with them. They are very reliable and of course the best thing is that they ship directly to your country. However, these days I hardly ever shop at CDJapan anymore because they rarely have tokutens. Also, items you purchase on their site will not be calculated into the daily and weekly sales data for Oricon music charts so that sucks. As you know, I want to support my girls as best as possible (and that means contributing to their chart numbers). Sometimes CDJapan do offer tokutens so they are definitely a viable option for foreign fans. They have lots of payment and shipping methods to choose from and typically their packages arrive very quickly. I bought Hikaru’s RE of “disclose” (only the LE came with tokutens) and one of my “Lantana” copies (CDJapan did in fact have a tokuten for that. YAY).

※ If for some reason, CDJapan isn’t your cup of tea or doesn’t work for you I think YESASIA is a good alternative. However, I haven’t used their service yet so I am not sure how reliable they are. They offer free shipping if your order total exceeds a certain amount so that’s definitely pretty neat!

6. Amazon.co.jp

Amazon.co.jp has been very reliable for the past few years but this year they have really let me down. Just like HMV they do offer an international shipping service but theirs is actually a DIRECT shipping service and it’s SUPER fast. Also they estimate the import/customs fees of your respective country and they charge a deposit which they can use to pay the customs office to speed up the shipping procedure. If this doesn’t happen, packages will usually end up being stuck at customs for a very long time until they have been processed. Last but not least, they often have some of the coolest and most unique tokutens. These are all reasons why I loved to use them but it seems like the pandemic screwed things up for many foreign fans. When I was logged in and checking the product pages of the Kala-solo-releases, they would either show me that everything was out of stock from the get-go or no longer shippable to my country. However, when I wasn’t logged in and checked the Japanese version of the product page I saw that there were in fact still copies available. Now that the pre-order period is over they seem to have restocked a little bit and some versions have finally become available again for foreigners. For example, I could now technically order the LE of “Lantana” with a tokuten. I really wonder why that stuff wasn’t there when I needed it *grumbles*

※ I am not 100% sure if the pandemic caused all these issues but I kinda hope that was the reason because that would mean that next year things will hopefully work fine again. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.

#kalafina #review #tenso #buyee #worldshopping #cdjapan #amazon.co.jp.#shopping in japan #proxy service #international shipping #wakana #keiko #hikaru

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putschki1969 · 4 years ago

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Where to get KEIKO’s album as a foreigner?

I thought I would round up a few facts to make it easier for everyone to decide. But first, let’s post the full tracklist because I realised I had forgotten to add that in my previous news post when I shared all the gorgeous images.

Tracklist: ※ New tracks

01.Be Yourself 02.七色のフィナーレ (Nanairo no Finale) 03.始まりは (Hajimari wa) 04.茜 (Akane) 05.溜め息の消える街 (Tameiki no Kieru Machi) 06.Ray 07.夕顔 (Yūgao) ※ 08.エンドロール (End Roll) 09.Change The World's Color 10.命の花 (Inochi no Hana) 11.茜 (Akane) -acoustic ver.- (Bonus Track) ※

Now let’s get to your options 〈(•ˇ‿ˇ•)-→

Tenso | Buyee | WorldShopping

You have three album types to choose from: All versions have the same CD content (see above tracklist); The DVD and Blu-ray also have the same content (Nanairo no Finale MV + Footage from K001); The limited edition with the vinyl comes in an LP sizes luxury package and has two tracks on vinyl: Nanairo no Finale + Inochi no Hana. As always, they put the prettiest cover on the most basic edition so everyone wants to get it even though it doesn’t come with any extras.

CD+Blu-ray+Vinyl First Press Limited Edition 9,020円

CD+DVD Regular Edition 4,950円

CD Regular Edition 3,300円

Obviously I am getting all of them but if I had to choose I would go for the CD+DVD version.

As a foreigner, your best option is to order on CDJapan. They ship internationally and accept pretty much all foreign payment methods. And the best part is, you DO get a tokuten postcard. BANZAI!! Please note though, they seem to be almost out of stock of the DVD edition.

In the past I would have recommended Amazon.co.jp to you because their service used to be amazing but these days, nothing makes sense on that site anymore (at least when it comes to new releases). Either things don’t ship to my country anymore or the items are “currently unavailable/out of stock”. But how can it all be out of stock already? I have never had issues with availability before, I ordered all of Wakana’s previous releases and Hikaru’s first single and they are STILL available AND ship to Austria. So why not the new releases? Ughhh, so frustrating! Amazon was literally the best site for me because they shipped internationally and they already included an “Import Fees Deposit” in the shipping fees which sped up the process of getting the package to me (in Austria it takes forever until a package gets cleared at customs unless all the fees are already handled in advance *grumbles*).

Another good option for us foreigners is HMV because they offer international shipping! The site is translated into English and all you need is a credit card. You can make the purchase as a guest (I did!) so you don’t even need to go through a complicated registration process. I have never used their service before but I was dying to get the HMV postcard (it’s my 2nd favourite design) and since everything seems to have worked out fine for me, I feel more or less confident recommending it to you.

Then I bought a set at the mu-mo Shop. If you buy ALL THREE editions you will receive a「KEIKO Original DVD」as present which contains some nice bonus footage. I couldn’t resist. You can pay with PayPal and foreign credit cards on that site so all you need is a Japanese address (TENSO). Proxy services like Buyee and WorldShopping are also available but when it comes to big purchases I am usually trying to avoid those. The good thing about TENSO is that they let you determine the price on the package (this way I can avoid import taxes, custom fees etc). But I can only use TENSO if a site allows me to pay with my cards or with PayPal (for example, Rakuten Books does not allow you to pay with a foreign credit card; Amazon.co.jp weirdly enough doesn’t either unless it’s an item that ships internationally).

Your next best option is probably Animate. I imagine many of you registered an account in order to get that customised autograph by Hikaru. The site also offers a nice English tutorial on how to register and navigate the shop. Once again you will need a Japanese address though, and a credit card. I have also had good experiences with Tower Records so I can recommend them to you as well. Be careful though, maybe Keiko plans to do a liitle release event like Hikaru and Wakana so I would definitely wait with my order on Tower Records.

#kalafina #keiko #personal #tutorial #lantana #buyee #tenso #worldshopping #keiko 1st album

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putschki1969 · 5 years ago

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Aki no Sakura EP ~ My Review

Today is the release day of Wakana’s very first EP 『アキノサクラ/Aki no Sakura EP』. Since I am impatient and can’t wait for my copies to arrive I purchased the mini album on iTunes.

Everyone, please be sure to support Wakana by buying this release! Physical copies of this EP are available at a very affordable price on CDJapan and Amazon Japan. Those online stores ship overseas and they accept foreign payment methods so you shouldn’t have any issues. Wakana’s music is also available digitally. If you use iTunes just like me, please don’t hesitate to purchase the digital version of 『アキノサクラ/Aki no Sakura EP』. They are literally giving it away for nothing. I paid less than €3 for the whole mini album. There is no excuse not to get it! You can also stream it on Spotify!

Now let’s get to the review〈(•ˇ‿ˇ•)-→

1. eve

Why is this so short? I am aware it is meant to be an overture but still, I want this to be 10 minutes long. Such a gorgeous orchestral composition. This sounds like it belongs in some sort of epic fantasy/fairytale movie or maybe an old-school Disney film. I am glad Wakana doesn’t have any lyrics, lyrics may have been a bit overbearing with a track like this. The way she is just blending her vocals with the melody is very lovely. It’s so magical and beautiful, I am utterly smitten. Part of me wishes that Wakana would have sung this with her more operatic voice because then this would have been the most excellent piece of music EVER. I understand of course why she sang it with her more delicate and flimsy voice, she wants it to be in tune with the rest of the EP - and it definitely is - but it’s still a bit of a shame. Anyways, a grand start for sure.

2. Aki no Sakura (アキノサクラ; Cherry Blossoms of Autumn)

After watching the PV last night and seeing Wakana’s expressions while she sings the lyrics (which I adore btw), I immediately became more attracted to the song. It took a while to appreciate the melody but I think I finally can. I am not sure whether I like the verses or the chorus more. Towards the end of the song I kinda prefer the chorus. It’s not my favourite track of the EP but I think it still has potential to grow on me. As for the PV, I simply love, love, LOVE all the scenes with Wakana strolling in the park with her gorgeous cardigan and her blinding smile. Can you remember the times when we felt utterly blessed to get a glimpse of Wakana’s smile in one of Kalafina’s PVs?? [smiles were so freaking rare in those PVs! T_T] And now her radiant smile is everywhere, we are being spoiled!! Not a huge fan of the city section of the PV, mainly because the location doesn’t look very aesthetic (I am guessing it’s meant to look kinda unpolished and real/gritty but I can’t bring myself to like it - I prefer to look at pretty things in my PVs). Plus, the heavy use of the blurry effect makes me feel a little dizzy XD Anyways, Wakana looks beautiful and that is everything that counts for me. The dress is not something I would personally wear but it just SCREAMS Wakana to me so I can’t help but like it. I am so ecstatic that Wakana can FINALLY wear the things she wants and feels most comfortable in.

3. Koi wa Itsumo (恋はいつも; Love Is Always)

I was SHOOK when I first heard this song. Instant throwback to the 80s or 90s or whenever that sort of music was rocking the charts. I can’t believe I am saying this but it might actually be my favourite track of the EP. Up-beat and funky songs like this are usually not what I am into but when you listen to “Koi wa Itsumo” you immediately succumb to its beat. It’s such a catchy tune. You cannot help but go with the flow and fall in love. It’s a feel-good song and it motivates you to start dancing. Ahhhhhh, will have this on repeat for a long time I think. In my opinion, Wakana’s light/delicate and kinda Pop-ish singing style fits this sort of song best. I imagine this must be super hard to perform live. Curious how Wakana will handle it.

4.Orange (オレンジ)

When it comes to my favourite songs of the EP, I think it’s a tie between “Orange” and “Koi wa Itsumo”. I am so sursprised that I gravitate more towards the “up-beat/mid-tempo” songs in this mini album. Typically I am always a sucker for ballads. Maybe it’s due to her changed singing style which is more suitable for songs like this that I find myself liking them a bit more. I am just so used to hearing Wakana’s tragic voice when it comes to ballads so to have her use a less rich and rather frail voice is kinda off-putting. Anyways, “Orange” is great. I have loved it from the moment I heard the short radio version and nothing has changed about my opinion. Not entirely sure I am a fan of the harmonica. I was definitely taken aback when I initially heard it in the full version. For nostalgia’s sake I am willing to embrace it though. Surprisingly this is the ONLY song where Wakana wrote the lyrics. I thought she would have provided more lyrics but alas, she didn’t. I guess they were in such a rush to release this EP before her Winter Lives that Wakana didn’t really have any time to come up with a ton of lyrics. The best option was to choose songs that already had lyrics. Anyways, I can’t wait to get a good look at these lyrics, the fact that Wakana has written them, makes them so much more special to me.

5. Yuuyake (夕焼け; Sunset)

Since I am generally not a fan of the acoustic guitar I didn’t expect to like this but I actually do. I am glad they also added some strings. The melody is lovely, it reminds me of another song I like but I can’t put my finger on it. It’s an old pop-ballad I think...Anyways, I think I will fall completely in love with this once I hear it performed live at her concert. Just like “Ato Hitotsu” this is a song that really shines in live performances where Wakana can be expressive and convey emotions.

Overall thoughts

It’s a good release for sure. Wakana can be proud. It isn’t like anything you have ever heard from her or Kalafina for that matter. You will have to go into this with an open mind, I know we all have certain ideas and expectations when it comes to Wakana but when we leave those behind it’s much easier to appreciate her new music.

There is nothing I utterly dislike about this EP and there are three out of five tracks that I really adore. All the Wakana interviews have headlines saying that this is the REAL Wakana, this is herself shining through. I am so happy to see her being able to express herself in such a manner. Who would have known she was so much into old-school pop?? Haha XD

I am having a hard time comparing her album to this EP because they are inherently different. It feels unfair to say that one is better than the other. Her album had a lot more - what I would call - “traditional” ballads so I think I might be a little more biased to that but her EP is such a breath of fresh air, I can’t help but love it too.

I wonder if Wakana will continue using this particular delicate singing style? I like it just fine for this EP because it fits the genre of most tracks and I am glad she gets to experiment but I don’t think it would fit her other songs or any of the old Kalafina pieces. Really curious how she will sound at her Winter Lives.

#kalafina #wakana #review #aki no sakura #aki no sakura ep #アキノサクラ

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putschki1969 · 5 years ago

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Hello, do you think one of the reasons Keiko left Kalafina was because the leadership was stressing her out, so being a part of FictionJunction allows her to be more of a supporting role and still allow her to sing Kajiura's music that she loves so much? That's my theory at least.

Hi there!

Hmmm, that’s an interesting question and finding a proper reply will be quite difficult. Despite having read and listened to so many of Keiko’s interviews, I don’t wanna pretend to know Keiko‘s wants, needs and motivations.

All I can do is make assumptions based on her past actions.

I 100% agree with “parts” of your theory. Being a member of FictionJunction is most definitely more liberating for Keiko than being a member of Kalafina has ever been. She gets to do what she loves but without the added burden of responsibility. I think it’s no coincidence that in recent performances it seemed like a huge weight had been lifted off of Keiko’s shoulders, she just came across as more care-free and happy if that makes sense…

However, I don’t think the stress and burden of silent leadership MADE her leave Kalafina or was one of the reasons she “decided to quit”. It might have made her decision easier but I doubt it served as a catalyst. As I have previously mentoned in a post, I believe that Keiko’s main motivation for resigning is most likely the fact that Kalafina just didn’t make any sense to her without Yuki Kajiura around. With Space Craft having the rights to Kalafina and Yuki gone, Kalafina just wasn’t a possibility anymore (at least not in the way that Keiko envisioned it).

Let me explain why I don’t think the stress caused her to leave: Keiko is a fighter, she always perseveres, if there had been any way to keep Kalafina going in its original state (i.e. the three of them together with Yuki as their composer/producer) she would have made it happen no matter what (her application for the registered trademark is proof of her wish to preserve Kalafina). No amount of stress or pressure would have stopped her in this endeavour. She seems to be very selfless in that regard, she puts the needs of others above her own. So yeah, if the whole thing with Yuki leaving had never happened or if they had found another way to make it work despite her leaving then I think Keiko would have been the least likely to quit Kalafina. As long as she would have been able to find fulfillment in singing Yuki’s music as a member of Kalafina I do not believe she would have ever considered stopping.

This is why in many ways I am grateful Kalafina disbanded (despite how much it hurt and is still hurting). Not just because Wakana and Hikaru can finally follow their dreams but also because Keiko can finally catch her breath and relax a bit. It might not have been what she wanted initially but I think it was probably for the best. Sometimes it takes an external force to slow you down because you are not capable of stopping by yourself. Keiko would have just kept going, she would have pushed and pushed herself, constantly testing her own limits. Keiko is too proud and stoic to admit weakness or to ask for a break / for help so one day she might have crumbled beneath all the pressure and we all know what horrible things can happen to people who succumb to the dark side of the Asian entertainment industry…

#kalafina #reply #wakana #hikaru #keiko #space craft #yuki kajiura

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putschki1969 · 5 years ago

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Please support Wakana!

The release of Wakana’s first solo live is right around the corner so I thought I would use the opportunity to remind my fellow fans to please support Wakana by purchasing the Blu-Ray.

Regular Edition on CDJapan ~ ￥ 5800 (no tokuten) Regular Edition on Amazon Japan ~ ￥ 4,703 (great deal | no tokuten)

You will need NO proxy service to order on the above mentioned sites. Both CDJapan as well as Amazon Japan ship their stuff internationally (with a few exceptions). CDJapan offers a wide range of shipping methods whereas Amazon Japan has a default setting for overseas shipping (which is quite pricey but SUPER fast!). Please note that purchases on these sites will not be calculated into the daily and weekly sales data for the Oricon music charts. However, that doesn’t mean that you won’t still be supporting Wakana. If you are intent on gettig Wakana on a high spot in the charts you can always opt to purchase via proxy service. Just use Buyee or any other proxy service to buy your copy on a site like Gamers (where you will even receive a lovely tokuten).

This release is definitely worth getting if you love Wakana. The live was solid and a lot of fun (here you can find Part 1 and Part 2 of my live report). Judging from the trailer it looks like they didn’t over-edit Wakana’s performance, it sounds just like I remember it (I think they might have lowered the volume of the musicians though - which is good!).

youtube

I know there are many of you out there who say that “they love Wakana and they wanna support her” but they are “not willing to give any money to Space Craft”. People, please, THINK! Of course a majority of the profits will go to Space Craft but that money will in turn be used to push Wakana’s career ahead. If you refuse to give money to Space Craft you literally condemn Wakana to failure. Lots of fans are still waiting for Wakana’s contract to end, hoping that eventually Wakana will leave Space Craft and once she is “free of them”, they will start supporting her again. Do you not understand that no one is forcing Wakana to stay with Space Craft? Why would Wakana’s terms of contract be so much different than Keiko’s or Hikaru’s or Kaori’s? If she had wanted to leave she certainly could have by now. Wakana obviously CHOOSES to stay with them. She is still very insecure as a solo artist so she probably feels like she needs that anchor of familiarity. And let’s not forget that staying with Space Craft made it so much easier for Wakana to seamlessly transition to a more or less established solo artist with proper PR (the “proper” being disputable but you know what I mean), regular releases and live performances. Something that’s not as easily attainable if you are on your own (as seen with Hikaru). The fact that she can still sing Kalafina songs is also a nice bonus. (I highly doubt Hikaru will be able to sing any Kalafina songs during her live in December.) Anyways, while we don’t know all the details I completely understand Wakana’s choice. I am sure it wasn’t an easy choice and a lot of thought went into it. After all it led to some fucked up sort of public ostracising. For me it’s difficult to see all these pictures of Keiko and Hikaru having fun together and everyone acting like Wakana doesn’t exist. But that’s just how it is, that’s the price you pay. I am not sure if there are contractual obligations that keep them from interacting with each other publicly or if it’s just some sort of unspoken rule that everyone abides by to keep the “harmony” intact but those things are not unheard of in the Japanese entertainment industry. In fact, it’s a very common thing.

Keep in mind though that this is all for the public eye. That doesn’t mean that they actually had a “falling out” as so many tabloid articles and drama-hungry fans like to suggest. I simply see no reason why something like that would destroy the bond they share. All of them have been in the industry long enough to know what they were getting into. They are not naive, they know what it takes and I am sure they respect each other’s choices. And that’s not me being delusional or in denial, that’s just me being realistic.

Okay, this kinda turned into a rant which really wasn’t my intention. Back to the main topic. If you have some money to spare please buy Wakana’s blu-ray and don’t just wait for a download link. Wakana is working hard and deserves our support.

On a side note, I recommend all of you to join Wakana’s Official Fan Club Botanical Land! The annual fee is more than affordable and it's possible to pay with a foreign credit card. All you need is a Japanese address which can be easily attained via proxy services like TENSO.

#kalafina #wakana #random #voice tour #rant #space craft

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putschki1969 · 5 years ago

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Saw the ask about the keiko popularity thing and was just wondering where/ how you've seen that manifest before? I've been a fan of kalafina for a while but I've never really noticed this significant gap in popularity btwn keiko and the other 2 that you're referencing but maybe I'm just out of the loop lol (Also random question but do you have a bias in kalafina? Idr u ever mentioning it before so I was curious if you had to rank them how would you? For me I love them all but itd be h>k>w)

Hi there!

Before I get to your question I would like to address something. Please have a little patience with me. This is not directed at you personally, it’s something I would like everyone to read. Here goes nothing…〈(•ˇ‿ˇ•)-→

I have been getting a LOT of asks lately. It seems like every reply I post spurs on a new wave of asks. XD While I love answering Kalafina-related questions the sheer amount of asks is slowly starting to get a bit intimidating. There are times when I am feeling overwhelmed and don’t know where to start. I literally spent the entire weekend writing replies even though I had planned to work on something entirely different. You might wonder why I am telling you all of that. It’s not meant to make you feel bad, I am happy people are curious about Kalafina! I am definitely not asking you to stop sending me questions! I really enjoy sharing my Kala-knowledge. I am also not planning to close my inbox or anything, that really wouldn’t feel right. But there IS something I would like to ask of you! Many of the questions I receive are direct responses to posts I make. Instead of sending an ask would it be possible for you to comment on said post? I know, it requires you to have an account and it takes away the anonymity but it would make life so much easier for me. And in most cases such as this one I don’t see why you would feel the need to hide your identity. Plus, it would keep things better contained. Right now I am often replying to multiple asks about the exact same topic. That can get pretty tiring, not just for myself but also for all the people who follow my blog. Okay, that’s it. This is just a suggestion, I am not forcing anyone to do anything but please know that I would very much appreciate it!

Now let’s get to your actual question:Anon is talking about THIS post I made on Saturday.

Well, I have never noticed a “significant” gap in popularity either which is why I wrote that many people underestimate Wakana’s and Hikaru’s popularity but to say that there was NO gap would be an outright lie. Let’s be frank here, from a superficial point of view Keiko IS without a doubt the most “attractive” Kala-member (especially according to Japanese beauty standards). And as we have already established, Keiko was the one to typically draw the attention to herself. She would be the one taking the lead in interviews, her position was always front and center so naturally people would notice her first.

Kalafina have always had a huge “casual” fanbase, you know, that person that’s usually into idols and randomly discovers Kalafina or your typical otaku who comes across one of Kalafina’s anime tie-ins and then starts to kinda stan them but never really gets too involved. It’s those fans in particular that would often gravitate more towards Keiko because she represents literally everything they like and dream of. This actually applies to a majority of foreign fans as well. Only a fraction of foreign fans delves deeper into the world of Kalafina, for most of them Kalafina is defined by two things only: “epic anisongs and a cute girl with a hime-cut”. It’s sad but true…

That is why I can say with some certainty that Keiko has definitely always been “the most popular” in the grand scheme of things.

Kalafina’s super loyal fans are a completely different story though. I would say the members are equally popular among the core fanbase.I might even go as far as to say that Keiko is the least popular but I have no numbers to prove it.

As for my fave, I actually mentioned it in the post you are referring to. I am a big fat Keiko-stan, always have been, always will be. But for me having a favourite is not really changing anything. I honestly love and respect them all and I try my very best to never neglect any of them. But yeah, sometimes I tend to focus too heavily on Keiko XD

#kalafina #reply #Anonymous #keiko #wakana #hikaru

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putschki1969 · 5 years ago

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Kala rant anon here: what you say about fandom on that site is everything wrong in online fandom. I don't believe criticism is 100% wrong. The important parts are how, when, where, why. Tearing things down, phrasing opinions cruelly, pushing negativity into everything, constantly bringing up the same issues, all that makes it toxic. And that's everywhere. "I don't like [song]"? Ok. "[Song] is [bad, period; Wakana's voice; Kajiura's flaws; Keiko never gets to sing]"? No. We've heard that enough.

Hi there and welcome back!

Yeah, those are not issues exclusive to the Kalafandom. I am seeing thatkind of stuff in all of my fandoms. It’s just that I am not as invested in anyof my other fandoms so it doesn’t bother me as much there. The internet is botha blessing and a curse. Thanks to the internet fandoms are thriving, everythingis readily available and it’s never been easier to interact with fellow fans.However, the internet has also enabled people to be assholes without ever havingto suffer any consequences. The degree of fandom involvement is also muchhigher than it used to be. This has led people to believe that they areentitled to interfere with the object of their admiration. Back in the dayinvolvement was limited to fan art, fanfiction, fan theories etc…In the presentday people think that being a fan gives you the right to dictate the things youlove. In their eyes they OWN their favourite work or favourite star and ifthings don’t go according to plan, all hell breaks loose. The truth is, thecreators own their works and the stars/idols own themselves. They can dowhatever they want, whether or not the fandom likes that is irrelevant. If yourvision doesn’t align with your favourite writer’s/singer’s vision then you areobviously in the wrong fandom. Or maybe you have just outgrown your fandom, it’stime to move on. Unfortunately, these days fans are like spoiled little kids. Theyare stubborn and want to change things so they are happy with the result, they tryto force their vision on the creators and everyone else who listens. *sighs* It’sa real shame…

What you say about criticism is absolutely right. While I will be the firstone to admit that I am not a fan of criticism and I personally have a hard timebeing criticised, I KNOW that it’s not actually a bad thing when it’s done RIGHT.As you say, it’s all about how it is done. Here’s a hint, if you are beingdisrespectful then it is NOT done right. If you are using a ton of unnecessarynasty words, it’s NOT done right. And don’t get me wrong, I am not saying thatbecause I am a prude or anything. I don’t mind cursing, I actually curse a lot.But there’s a time and place to use your bad mouth and it’s not when you aretalking about something/someone you claim to love. Maybe I am old-fashionedbecause I seem to be the only one who thinks that way. I don’t know…there areso many things that don’t make sense to me….

Anonymous said: Often, the criticism is not about technical things or things which can be improved on - but rather silly things like the choice of clothes. Some people were actually very funny to me becuase they sounded like judgemental teenage girls gossiping... saying something like "Wakana need to work on stopping her notes being flat" is totally fine, but adding tones of nasty words and then criticising her style/look that she has went for. If you dislike the whole style of wakana's work just leave!

Helloagain!

Adding this comment to this post since I guess it is adirect response to it. Yup, most criticism doesn’t have anything to do with positive/constructivefeedback, most of the stuff I am reading are attacks below the belt. If you arecriticising their style, sense of fashion or singing preference then that is apersonal attack. To each their own, it’s something Ihave been taught as a little child and I still live by this idiom. I wishothers would too.

And as I have mentioned in a previous post, I believe theyalways do their best. Their best might not always be what we consider to be „good“from a critical point of view but there is not much we can do about it....Complaining about it again and again won’t change anything about it...

And yes, many fans do indeed sound like gossiping teenagegirls

#kalafina #reply #fandom #rant #I feel like I keep repeating myself #I am sorry #entitlement

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putschki1969 · 6 years ago

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Please buy Wakana’s album!

The release of Wakana’s first solo album is right around the corner, just a couple more weeks to go.

I am imploring each and every one of you to please support Wakana by purchasing her album. She deserves to have a successful solo career, she is an amazing singer and she finally gets the chance to flourish and realise her full potential.

Foreign fans actually make up a considerable amount of the fandom so we can be pretty influential if we want to. I know, buying Japanese items can be quite the hassle. Not only is it difficult, it’s also quite expensive. But rest assured, it’s actually not that hard and it can be affordable if you choose your spipping method wisely.

You may wonder why I am making this post now. The answer is easy, I want Wakana’s solo debut to be a great success but that won’t be happening if people don’t buy her releases. Most foreign fans rely on illegal downloads because it’s easier for them that way. I can understand that mentality to some extent but honestly, it’s not as hard as it used to be to buy things from Japan. You can make it work if you want. As for the money issue, yes, Japanese music releases are not cheap but they are far from unattainable. You don’t need to have a lot of money to be able to afford it, you just need to make a conscious choice, it’s all a matter of prioritising, if you truly like something, you should be willing to throw some money at it.

Also, I have read MANY comments by fans stating they really love Wakana and they want to support her but they won’t be buying any of Wakana’s CDs because they refuse to give money to Space Craft... Like really? Are you serious? I am sorry to say that but that’s complete and utter bullsh*t. Stop thinking like that RIGHT NOW! What exactly are you trying to achieve by that? All you are doing by being this petty and childish is to negatively affect Wakana. Antagonising Space Craft until the end of time won’t get you anywhere, you need to realise that.

Below I have listed some options for all of you. First of all I would like you to know that each and every purchase counts no matter how or where you get your copy. You will be supporting Wakana in one way or another and that’s the most important thing. However, we have to differentiate between “normal” purchases and the ones that actually contribute to the sales aggregated by Oricon - Japan's largest music statistics-tracking company. While charts are not the be-all and end-all, it is a great thing for an artist to reach a high rank. So if you want Wakana to reach a high position in the charts your purchasing options are slightly limited because Oricon does not count any data of products that are sent overseas. Not to worry though, I’ve got you covered.

Without further ado, let’s get started 〈(•ˇ‿ˇ•)-→

Options that WON’T affect the Oricon charts

CDJapan ➕ Ships overseas [Pretty much worldwide] ➕ Wide range of shipping options ➕ No tax ➕ Everything is in English ➕ The site is very easy to navigate ➖ Purchase won’t affect the Oricon sales ➖ No store specific postcard tokuten [Please note that the external bonus mentioned on the CDJapan item page is the application form for the double-purchase tokuten]

Amazon Japan ➕ Ships overseas to many countries ➕ You can switch between Japanese, Chinese and English [The most important information will be displayed in English] ➕ The site is pretty easy to navigate ➕ Comes with a store specific tokuten (postcard E) [Be sure to choose a copy that comes with the tokuten, look for the “Amazon.co.jp限定”] ➖ Purchase won’t affect the Oricon sales ➖ You need to register a new account [Your local amazon account won’t work] ➖ Only one shipping option [At least that was the case for me, it’s an affordable option though so I don’t mind] ➖ Import Fees Deposit [Ordering the Limited Edition Type B I was charged with a so called “import fees deposit”. Not sure what to think of this yet. I guess my package is very likely to get stuck at customs so that money will be used to pay a potential fee. But if I am lucky and my package doesn’t get charged then I will have paid that deposit for nothing. It does state on the page that I will get a refund...maybe...but meh...it’s my first time ordering on amazon.co.jp so I have no idea what to expect] ❈ IMPORTANT: You can use a proxy service to order from Amazon Japan

Digital Media Stores/Streaming Sites (iTunes, Google Play Store, Spotify, etc) As of right now, there hasn’t been any announcement that Wakana’s album will get released in digital form but based on her single I think it’s safe to assume that the tracks will eventually become available for download and streaming on various sites. ➕ Available internationally ➕ Very affordable ➖ No store specific tokuten ➖ No physical copy ➖ Digital sales also do not count towards the Oricon charts

Options that WILL affect the Oricon charts

Buy it yourself if you're in Japan around the release-time If you get the chance to buy a copy in one of the supporting stores (Animate, Tower Records, Gamers, Tora no Ana, Tsutaya Records, HMV, Softmap) that’s obviously the easiest option. ➕ Quick and easy ➕ No extra costs ➕ Will count towards the Oricon charts ➕ You will receive a store specific tokuten [Please note that the stores run out of stock quickly when it comes to tokutens so you better get your copy fast. You can buy your copy one day before the release ~furage~ to make sure you get your postcard]

Have a Japanese friend pre-order or buy it for you That’s obviously the next best option. ➕ Quick and easy ➕ You can discuss the costs of shipping with your friend ➕ Will count towards the Oricon charts ➕ You will receive a store specific tokuten [Your friend can pre-order from all the supporting online stores so you are definitely gonna get that tokuten]

Use a proxy service (Buyee) Of course there are many other proxy services out there but Buyee is the one I am most familiar with. I have been using their service for quite a few years now and I have not once been disappointed with them. They are especially great if you want to order from big online stores in Japan. Basically what happens is that they buy the item for you, it is shipped to their warehouse and from there it is shipped to you. ➕ Will count towards the Oricon charts ➕ You will receive a store specific tokuten ➕ The Buyee page itself is in English and very easy to navigate. Some of the biggest online stores (ZOZOTOWN, Rakuten, Yahoo Shopping) can be accessed through a Buyee interface. ➕ For most other online stores Buyee has its own “add-on” which is called “Add to Buyee”. Be sure to install it. If you are browsing a Japanese online store and go to a particular item page you can simply click the “Add-to-Buyee” button and the item will end up in your cart. The rest is done through Buyee so you don’t have to deal with any of the Japanese in the online store. ➕ They ship pretty much worldwide and offer a wide range of international shipping options [Be careful though, their shipping prices get crazy once your package exceeds a certain size/weight] ➕ Buyee has great customer service ➕ You can choose between different safety/security plans [I always go with the LITE Plan since it’s free] ➖ You have to create a Buyee account and you need to install the add-on ➖ You have to pay a service fee [However, it is very affordable! Usually around 150~400 yen depending on the price of the item] ➖ You might have to pay for domestic shipping as well as international shipping [Depending on where you order from, they might charge for domestic shipping, usually ranges between 200 and 1,000 yen. But don’t worry, most bigger stores don’t charge any domestic shipping if your order exceeds 2,000 yen] ➖ It takes pretty long because it’s not a single process. You first put in your order with Buyee and pay the item price (+ service fee + security plan). Then the item has to get to Buyee, once it’s at their warehouse you get notified and you can choose between various international shipping methods. Once you have paid for the shipping (this is where you would also have to pay for any sort of domestic shipping fee) Buyee will ship out the item.

Here are a couple of screenshots: Using Buyee as a proxy service I ordered my Limited Edition Type A from Tower Records. They have the best postcard imo so I had to get a copy from there. All you need to do is go to the Tower Records Japan page and enter Wakana’s name in the search bar. Then you can choose between the different versions, you really don’t need to know any Japanese to do that. It’s pretty simple. Once you click on it you will be led to the item page which will look like this =>

Be sure to check if it says “特典あり” on the product page because only then you will receive a postcard. Then you can click on the Buyee button and add the item to your cart.

Then you can either click on the cart button or simply go to the Buyee page. From there onwards everything else is pretty much self-explanatory. You will be asked to choose a plan and confirm the purchasing process.

Use CDJapan as proxy service If you are already registered at CDJapan you may wanna try out their proxy service, especially when it comes to items that are not easily attainable. The Buyee add on works on most major online shopping sites but there are lots of stores that don’t cooperate with Buyee. For example, if you wanted to something from the Space Craft Online Store for example you wouldn’t have any luck with Buyee. This is where the CDJapan proxy shopping service comes in quite handy. Please check out a detailed tutorial right here. Please note that Wakana’s album is only available for fan club members!

Okay, I think that’s it. I hope this was helpful to some of you.

#kalafina #wakana #personal #tutorial #guideline #first solo album #album wakana #long text post #buyee

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putschki1969 · 6 years ago

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Time for another FAQ

In recent days/weeks I have been asked a lot of questions and many of them boil down to the same thing so I thought it would be a good idea to combine them to make a sort of FAQ. Some of my replies will most likely contain a bit of speculation (which I usually tend to avoid), I will try to keep it to a minimum.

What are your future plans for this blog? Don’t worry, I will pretty much do the same as always. I will continue to spread the Kalafina love. Kalafina is a gift that keeps on giving. We have ten years worth of awesome music, gorgeous pictures and fascinating interviews. There is still a lot to discover for many people who only recently became fans. There’s also so much to re-discover for fans who have been part of the fandom from the get-go. Aside from the usual stuff, I will of course post about Wakana’s and Hikaru’s solo acitivities. I am eager to see what’s in store for them and I will 100% support them along their chosen paths. The same goes for Keiko (obviously!). Finally, if there is certain content you are dying to see on my blog (any particular scans, translations, pictures, etc), I will do my very best to provide it.

Will I change my blog name? No, this is and will always be a blog dedicated to “Everything Kalafina”.

Why do I continue to tag everything as Kalafina? I guess this question mostly refers to Wakana’s and Hikaru’s solo stuff. While their solo activities might be unrelated to Kalafina I will most likely continue to tag those posts as Kalafina. First of all, in my eyes there will always be a connection to Kalafina when it comes to Wakana, Keiko and Hikaru. No matter what they do next, Kalafina took up more than ten years of their life so there is no way I cannot associate Kalafina with them. Also, so far it seems like they are not trying to cut ties with their past. Both Wakana and Hikaru are fully aware of their past and treasure their time as part of Kalafina, they have openly talked about this and neither Wakana nor Hikaru have shied away from performing Kalasongs. So yeah, using the Kalafina tag seems fitting to me. Plus, I think it’s easier for casual fans to find my posts because they are more likely to check out the Kalafina tag.

Thoughts on Wakana’s debut single being released under Victor Entertainment? It’s no surprise actually, Back in 2017 Kalafina were moved from SME Records to SACRA MUSIC - a label specialising in anison music. Of course that wouldn’t be suitable for Wakana’s solo career especially since she is not doing anything anime-related as of right now. I am definitely glad she is not going back to SME Records since they have always been quite restrictive. I think Victor Entertainment was the next best choice. After all, Victor Entertainment (JVC Entertainment/Flying Dog = the anime division of Victor Entertainment) has been releasing Yuki Kajiura’s music for almost 20 years now. There are also lots of other noteworthy artists releasing under them directly (or one of their many record labels) so I think it’s a pretty good label for Wakana. I am kinda hoping she will go on a similar route as KOKIA who has been releasing her music under Victor Entertainment since 2001.

What activities can we expect from Wakana in the future? I doubt she will do much for her solo debut single (but maybe there will be some fan club exclusive events). I think we can expect a tour following the release of her solo album this spring (and I will definitely do my best to attend one of those lives). I also hope she will do something for Christmas this year (a few acoustic lives for example - maybe she will be joined by an orchestra again?). And like I said before, I would really love her to take a similar route as KOKIA. Maybe she can travel to Europe and have a few concerts here? Maybe she can release a cover album? The possibilties are endless.

Thoughts on Wakana’s new blog being restricted to Harmony members? I don't mind actually, I am a member after all and I will continue to be one as long as Wakana remains under Space Craft. Plus, from a business point of view, it’s a smart move so I understand why they are doing it. It’s their way of trying to bribe/draw in/win back members. Most Harmony members probably didn’t intend to renew their membership coming April but taking this and possible other exclusive content into account, they might rethink their decision. Whether this actually works remains to be seen. At any rate, I doubt her blog will permanently be member exclusive but we can probably expect it to stay like that until April at the very least. Some fans fear that this will make it harder to promote Wakana as solo artist but quite frankly I don’t think it will make much of a difference. Wakana’s die-hard supporters among Kalafina fans will buy her releases either way and aside from that Wakana doesn’t really have much of a fanbase yet.

Thoughts on Kalafina’s fan club “Harmony” being turned into Wakana’s fan club? It makes sense. Why waste effort and money to create something new if you already have an existing fan club? It has taken them some time but they have changed quite a bit already (the header doesn’t feature Kalafina anymore, all past videos related to Kalafina or Hikaru are gone, Wakana has her own blog and is no longer posting on Kalafina’s LINE blog etc). There is still a lot to be done though, they should change the name (Harmony just doesn’t fit) and remove the remaining Kalafina parts. Right now the look of the fan club suggests that Wakana is the “only remaining member” of Kalafina and that’s just not how it is. A change of name would maybe help get rid of that misconception.

When is Wakana going to leave Space Craft? Who knows. Judging from what we have seen in the past year it’s obviously not that hard to leave Space Craft. Yes, she might just be waiting for her contract to expire but I really doubt her contract would expire that much later than Keiko’s or Hikaru’s. To sum it up, I believe she chooses to remain under the agency for the time-being, I very much doubt anyone or anything is forcing her to stay...She probably feels safest in a familiar environment and once she has tested out the waters she might move on.

What will happen to Kalafina’s Official LINE blog? Hikaru has chosen the best route possible by starting her own twitter and I think it’s a good idea that Wakana now has her own “blog” as well, that line just had to be drawn and it would have felt weird for her to continue using the Kalafina blog all by herself. Plus, it might have forced them to delete all the Keiko and Hikaru content. As of right now the blog has pretty much lost its purpose and there is no reason to continue it. While I really hope they will not just delete it, I am not ruling out that possibility. At some point they might have no choice but to shut it down...In the past few months I have been preparing for the worst case. Aside from saving all the pictures to my hard-drive I have been working on a printable version of the blog that contains each and every single blog post by Wakana, Keiko and Hikaru (as soon as that’s done I will provide download links of course - still need to work on the formatting but everything is already copy/pasted). A fan on weibo has also compiled static html pages of each blog post so even if anyone decided to delete the LINE blog, we are safe. It would be a real shame to see almost 9 years worth of Kalafina blogging suddenly disappear.

Do you think “Kalafina” should be used to promote Wakana’s single in the media? I can’t believe there are still people out there who think Wakana shouldn’t be allowed to use her “Kalafina fame” to promote her solo career. They are accusing her of riding the wave of success and not being able to stand on her own two feet. I am sorry for my language but that’s utter bullshit. No matter what happens in the future, Kalafina will always be a significant part of her life and that is not something she should hide or be ashamed of, quite the opposite actually, it is something she can be proud of.

Do you think we will hear anything from Keiko soon? We don’t know why she went AWOL but I believe it was her choice and not some sort of work ban or whatever. We also know that she is doing well and for me that’s the only thing that counts. IF Keiko chooses to return to the public eye (which I really hope she does) then I think this spring or early summer would be a good time for her. It will be exactly one year since she disappeared and we all know that April is always the perfect time for a big change or a new start (at least in Japan). Let’s wait and see.

When can we expect any announcements from Hikaru? Hmmm, I don’t know, I have a feeling it might be soon. Aside from posting cute selfies and food pictures Hikaru is often tweeting wordly wisdoms related to making decisions in life so I feel like like there is a lot going on behind the scenes right now. Her new profile pic and header might also be a sign for a big change. The picture looks like it was taken professionally, possibly for some sort of promotion? Maybe it’s just me but Hikaru’s photo reminds me a lot of Sayaka Yamamoto’s pictures promoting her upcoming solo career. I randomly came across her pictures the other day and I can’t help but feel like there is a similar vibe. Hikaru also recently followed Koji Saito on twitter, he is the producer of Animelo Summer Live. While I wouldn’t say it’s out of the ordinary for Hikaru to follow him - after all Kalafina have worked together with him a couple of times in the past - I think it could be a sign of future collaborations. I could definitely see Hikaru taking part in an event like that to push her solo career. Oh well, we will see...

Will Wakana, Keiko and Hikaru ever work with Yuki Kajiura again? It’s certainly possible but I don’t think it will happen any time soon (especially when it comes to Wakana and Hikaru). For the time-being it really seems like they want to focus on fulfilling their individual dreams and Yuki Kajiura obviously wishes for them to do their own thing. Many fans mainly see Kalafina as Yuki Kajiura’s project, a “tool” to bring her music to life and to a certain extent, that’s what they have always been. Yuki Kajiura is aware of that and Wakana, Keiko and Hikaru know it as well. It’s nothing bad per se, YK and the members of Kalafina have profited a lot from this arrangement, they have mutual respect for each other. But it’s about time Wakana, Keiko and Hikaru get a chance to freely express themselves in order to realise their full potential This part of YK’s interview summarises the situation perfectly and it showcases how iimportant it is for everyone to go their separate ways for a while.

――After becoming independent from your agency, you have distanced yourself in your role as Kalafina’s producer. What do you think of your ten years working together? [Kajiura]I feel nothing but gratitude towards them for continuing to sing so well for me up until now. Being stuck as part of the same unit, not being able to express a single wish (regarding songs), not able to do anything except sing the songs they are given with all their strength. Under conditions that are extremely inconvenient for a singer, they have been singing for ten years, not once getting the chance to sing the songs they wanted to sing. “They are so easy to work with…” “They are really amazing...” For ten years straight, they have always taken their work seriously and their singing has become progressively better. I am sure it was difficult for them to sing genres they had never listened to before. On top of that, I have treated the three of them mercilessly with all my demands; I think my demanding nature caused quite the internal struggle for them.

I hope I was able to answer most questions. If you feel like your question didn’t receive a reply, please don’t hesitate to send an ask/a message.

#kalafina #reply #wakana #keiko #hikaru #my blog #long text post #yuki kajiura

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putschki1969 · 6 years ago

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Japan ~ Summer 2018 #3 🎌✈️

Quick introduction: Hello my lovlies!! As most of you might already know, I went to Japan this summer. It was a rather spontaneous decision based on the fact that both Hikaru and Wakana had announced their solo lives. At that point I was suffering from a serious case of Kalafina withdrawal so I felt like I had no choice but to go. I just needed to see them. Also, it was my 30th birthday so I thought I would treat myself. You only turn 30 once, right? On a side note, the timing finally gave me the opportunity to do something I had wanted to do for a few years now. Climb Mount Fuji. o(〃＾▽＾〃)o So yeah, that’s the backstory of my trip. I stayed in Japan from July 30 till August 14 and pretty much my entire trip was dedicated to Kalafina Pilgrimage. Let me tell you this, it was by far the best summer vacation of my life, worth each and every penny! And believe me, there were a LOT of pennies involved XD

Notes: This report will be a bit different since I thought it would be nice to include some travel tips here and there. I guess you could see this as some sort of travel/Kala-guide. Many of my followers have never been to Japan so some general info would be useful to make things easier for you if you ever decide to travel to Japan.

Please note that this is Part 3 of my report. It is dedicated to my time in Fukuoka and Okayama. Part 1 can be found HERE! Part 2 is HERE!

Without further ado, let’s get to it 〈(•ˇ‿ˇ•)-→

Aug 6 (Mon) ~ Flying off to Fukuoka

My flight was scheduled for around 9 am so I checked out of my hotel pretty early. I had packed all of my stuff the previous evening so I wouldn’t have to worry about that in the morning. I had never been to Kyushu before so I was really looking forward to that trip. While I don’t hate Tokyo, everything is just a little too hectic for me. Don’t get me wrong, I like big cities and I much prefer them to the countryside but Tokyo is just a tad TOO big for me. It’s cities like Osaka where I feel most at home and I expected Fukuoka to have a similar vibe (and it did!). Out of convenience I once again took the Narita Express to the airport and then I waited till I was able to check in. This time I travelled with Peach which is a pretty cheap airline but even though tickets are cheap, their service is totally fine (it’s a lot of self-service though so be prepared for that). Didn’t have any issues with them. Plus, the plane is pink so of course I was immediately smitten XD Previously I have travelled with Jetstar and their service was also a-okay. I think the flight took less than two hours but I can’t remember right now. I had a window seat so I got a lovely view of Mount Fuji. I couldn’t believe that just a few days ago I had actually climbed that thing. It looked so tiny XD Btw, I was super lucky because on that day I found out that yet another typhoon was heading to Tokyo.

Once I had arrived at Fukuoka airport I waited for my luggage and then I took the subway to Hakata Station. It’s only two stations away so that’s VERY convenient. Generally speaking, there is really no other airport that’s more conveniently located than Fukuoka airport. You get to the city center in less than five minutes, in comparison it will take you around an hour to get to Tokyo from Narita or to Osaka from Kansai airport. Haneda or New Chitose are quite close to their respective city centers but it still takes around half an hour to get there. Either way, within a couple of minutes I was at Hakata Station which actually reminded me a lot of Shin-Osaka Station. I immediately went to the Midori no Madoguchi Ticket Office to reserve a ticket for the Hello Kitty Shinkansen which I was planning to take the next day. I was scared that it would be booked out since the shinkansen is always packed during commuter hours but luckily I got myself a seat, BANZAI. Then it was time to drop off my luggage at my hotel. I booked a nice hotel right outside of Hakata Station (still managed to get lost on my way there though :P). It’s called JR Kyushu Hotel Blossom, I really recommend it. Convenient location, fancy looking but not too extraordinary. The prices are okay, not exactly cheap but also not super expensive.

Then it was finally time to get to Tenjin to do some Wakana 10th Anniversary Film sightseeing. I had no trouble getting there since Tenjin is pretty close to Hakata Station (you can take the subway or a bus, I guess you could even walk if you wanted but meh, it was way too hot for that). My first stop was 656 Muttsugoro Manjyu Tenjin ( 中央区天神2丁目5-35 Fukuoka, ��岡県〒810-0001). It’s a little hidden but with the address and google maps you should be able to find it.

And you should definitely make the effort to find it because that ham&egg thingy is freaking delicious. THANK YOU SO MUCH for that awesome recommendation, Wakana! I feel so bad for Hikaru because I didn’t really like her Nanakosi but THIS HERE, it was absolutely heavenly. I regret that I only bought one. Could have eaten ten of them I think. There are some onions in there too and a light sauce so it’s actually a very refreshing little snack. Soon after I headed to Kego Park (it’s where Wakana walked around in the movie - nothing special really but it was still nice to check out the area). I wish I had seen it with all the Christmas decorations but oh well, maybe next time I travel to Fukuoka. Then it was time to go to the Karaoke place that Wakana had worked at in the past. All of these places are within five-minute walking distance so it’s super convenient. You can do it all in one go. I had never really done a solo karaoke session so I thought that was the perfect opportunity for it. And honestly, it was SO MUCH fun. I am not a big singer and I am not a group person so being by myself felt really nice. I sang pretty much all of my favourite Kalafina ballads XD I stayed there for quite some time actually. Karaoke is really cheap if you don’t go in the evening.

In the evening I did some window shopping in the Tenjin area and then I went to WEST Udon to have some dinner. Wakana always recommends their udon so I just had to check it out, there are restaurants all over the place so it’s not hard to find one. I went to one in Tenjin since I was already there. Sadly, I forgot to take a picture. At this point I think I was already super tired so my brain had stopped working. Ughh, that’s why I really hated the heat, I didn’t really do much that day but still, the heat took a huge toll on me, I constantly felt exhausted and couldn’t do as much as I would have wanted to do. Anyways, I got myself some curry udon because that’s my absolute favourite. I am not a fan of clear soups so I didn’t get any of the dishes that Wakana usually orders. Afterwards I headed back to my hotel to get some much needed rest before my upcoming shinkansen trip.

❗ Some tips ❗

As a holder of the JR Pass decide whether you want to fly or take the shinkansen. Domestic flights can sometimes be cheaper than a shinkansen ride but if you already purchased a JR Pass, you will save money by taking the train. Of course you have to take into account that the shinkansen will take a bit longer than the plane so I only recommend this if you have some time to spare.

I feel like you can make most of your JR Pass if you travel via Tokaido Shinkansen from Tokyo to Odawara (Mount Fuji area - stay there a couple of days), then to Nagoya and finally you will reach the Kansai area where you can take a long break to check out Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, Kobe, Himeji, etc (I recommend staying somewhere near Shin-Osaka because it’s super easy to reach all of the popular Kansai destinations from there). Once you are done you can take the Sanyo Shinkansen to Okayama, Hiroshima etc and last but not least you will reach Hakata in Fukuoka from where you can explore the Kyushu area. If you are more interested in the northern parts of Japan, you can take the Tohoku/Hokkaido Shinkansen from Tokyo to Hakodate and from there you can go pretty much anywhere in Hokkaido. So yeah, as you can see, you can have lots of fun with your JR Pass (and believe me, you will save a TON of money).

Midori no Madoguchi Ticket Offices are your best friend if you are planning to do a lot of long-distance travelling. Many trains and buses require you to book a seat in advance and it’s much easier to just let a staff member do the work for you instead of trying to deal with one of the ticket vending machines. Plus, many reserved seats for long-distance trips can ONLY be purchased at the office. In case you have a JR Pass you just have to show it to the person working at the booking office, you won’t have to pay anything as long as the train/bus is operated by JR.

I mentioned it in my last post, always reserve your shinkansen seat in advance. This is particularly important if you are traveling during commuter hours (and if you are taking one of the faster trains).

Aug 7 (Tue) ~ Hello Kitty Shinkansen/Okayama

Time for my Hello Kitty Shinkansen ride!! This special shinkansen started operating at the end of June and it was meant to have a limited runtime. It turned out to be really popular so it’s still running but back then I thought I wouldn’t get another chance so I was hell-bent to get on that train. Luckily, I was in the right place at the right time. This new adorable train provides a Kodama service on the Sanyo Shinkansen line, which connects the western cities of Osaka and Fukuoka. It’s all included in the JR Pass. The train runs twice a day (back and forth between Hakata and Shin-Osaka Station) but keep in mind, the Hello Kitty shinkansen isn’t in service every day. Anyways, I boarded my train at 6:40 in the morning. Kodama is the slowest among the different trains so it took quite some time to get to Okayama but hey, I had lots of fun in the train and I got a lovely view of many beautiful places in Japan.

During the whole ride I was checking out all the cool Hello Kitty stuff. There’s an entire car dedicated to cute displays, you can also buy lots of merch there (which of course I did because I can never resist XD). Another car has special interior but otherwise it’s just meant for sitting. It’s non-reserved seating so you can sit wherever you want as long as there is room. When I boarded the train this car was only half-way full but by the time I had reached Okayama, the entire train was packed. As you can probably tell from the amount of pictures I took, I had a blast! I love everything pink and cute, I was literally in Hello Kitty heaven. (((o(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)o))) So glad I made that trip even though it was quite time consuming. But oh well, I had wanted to go to Okayama anyways so that was a perfect opportunity.

Now you might wonder what’s so special about Okayama. Okayama's most famous attraction is Korakuen Garden, which is ranked as one of the three best landscape gardens in Japan. Okayama Castle is located just across from the garden so that’s very convenient. And of course I don’t go anywhere without a hidden Kalafina agenda XD Okayama is the birthplace of Keiko’s mother and she has mentioned on a couple of occasions that it means a lot to her. Back in 2016 she went there for the first time (for their “Kalafina with Strings” Christmas Premium LIVE TOUR 2016). She was deeply moved to finally be able to visit. One of the places she visited was Korakuen Garden so obviously I had to go there as well. I took a cute little cat-bus to the garden. I really love Japanese buses! They often have a special design. This bus goes all the way to Yumeji Art Museum. A black cat, named Kuronosuke, serves as mascot of the museum so the bus was designed to honour that cat. An actual cat actually shows up in the bus and the museum once in a while, it even has its own office at the museum! Either way, I was literally the only person on that bus so I had lots of fun XD Once I had arrived at the garden it was my main goal to find the very same bridge from that LINE blog picture. And BANZAI! I found it! Look at me standing on the same bridge as Keiko!! *weeeee* It was so hard to find someone to take a picture for me because there were hardly any people. Plus, I hate approaching people. Oh well, the things I do for Kalafina (and for Keiko in particular :P)

The garden was truly gorgeous but boy, I think that was one of the hottest days ever so I was literally dying. Thankfully the garden was MUCH smaller than I expected so I was finished rather quickly. There isn’t much else to do in Okayama so after buying some souvenirs and strolling around for a while I decided it was time to head back to Hakata. I took the faster train back home. Thank God for shinkansen air conditioning! It was so nice to finally cool down a bit. Although tbh, the air conditioning is pretty strong on those trains so I was actually freezing my ass off. It’s a miracle I didn’t get sick from all those dramatic temperature changes. Once I had gotten back to Hakata it was almost time for dinner. This time I decided to go to Yoshida because Kalafina have ALWAYS eaten there, it’s pretty famous actually. They are known for two dishes. Their live-squid and their sea bream ochazuke. Needless to say, I went with the second option. This special dish features rice topped with sea bream sashimi marinated in a secret heirloom sauce. Hot tea is poured over the top of the fish and rice to complete the dish

I’ll be honest, I don’t like raw fish so this wasn’t my favourite dish in the whole wide world. But it was okay. I definitely recommend it to everyone who likes sashimi. Or you could always try the live-squid :P

❗ Some tips ❗

Here you can find all the info you need if you wanna take the Hello Kitty Shinkansen. It’s a great experience so you should definitely do it if you are travelling somewhere between Hakata and Shin-Osaka.

It’s best to reserve a table at Yoshida because they are always packed.

Next up we have my final two days in Fukuoka, please look forward to it.

#kalafina #personal #travel report #travel diary #fukuoka #Japanese food #japan #okayama #hello kitty #hello kitty shinkansen #korakuen #Wakana #keiko

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