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hikaru9 · 4 months

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KEIKO Planetarium Live〜Starry Night〜 & Chocolate meating#3〜Starry Night edition〜 Live Report

I experienced so many amazing things during my recent Japan trip but for some reason, this special planetarium event left the most lasting impression so that's why I wanted it to be the topic of my first live report. Below you'll find an abundance of fangirling and mindless blabbering so please brace yourselves! The post will be divided into the following sections to make it easier for you to get through.

General Info

Preface

Merchandise

Venue

Performance

Fan Club Exclusive Part

General Info

Instagram post by Keiko | Tweet by Keiko | Tweet by Yuriko

『KEIKO Planetarium Live ~Starry Night~』 [Date] Sunday, December 17, 2023 [Time] Open 14:30 / Start 15:00 [Ticket fee] 8,000 yen (tax included) [Venue] Konica Minolta Planetaria TOKYO DOME1

FC Exclusive 『Chocolate meating #3 ～Starry Night edition～』 [Date] Sunday, December 17, 2023 [Time] Open 17:00 / Start 17:30 [Ticket fee] 8,500 yen (tax included) ※FC exclusive benefit included [Venue] Konica Minolta Planetaria TOKYO DOME1

Preface

When this was first announced I was devastated because at that time, my trip to Japan was scheduled to end on Dec 14th. But with both Wakana and Keiko announcing solo performances after that day, I was determined to find a way to extend my stay. Initially, I was hesitant because I knew there was no way to change my return flight. I would ultimately lose a significant amount of money and on top of that, I would have to book a new one-way return ticket for a later date which would cost me a fortune as well. After considering all my pros and cons, I ultimately decided to go through with the whole thing because I knew I would probably hate myself forever if I didn't use that opportunity. Of course it also hinged upon whether or not I would manage to get a ticket for the fan club performance in the evening. I knew my chances were super slim due to the tiny venue (~100 people) but luckily, I won a ticket. At that point I knew that I had no excuses not to go XD This is by far one of he craziest and most irrational things I've ever done so for some time I was afraid that I would end up with horrible regrets but I am happy to report that it was worth every penny for me. Not only was Wakana's concert amazing, these two Keiko performances absolutely blew me away with their intimate nature and unique atmosphere. Can you believe that this was actually the first time for me to attend a Keiko solo event? I had purchased streaming tickets for all of her online lives of course but I had never been to an on-site event. And for a while now, I have been asking myself if I would even enjoy a one-man live like that since - as we all know - I am not particularly fond of a lot of her solo releases but, lo and behold, my love for Keiko and her music was 100% reaffirmed. I am so glad that I took the plunge, I couldn't be more grateful to have been able to be there for this amazing experience. On this note, I wanna give a big shout-out to my friend Pae who encouraged me from the get-go to come to the event and who got our tickets for the day performance. It was a general sale on a first come-first serve basis and she really knocked it out of the park with her professional ticket purchasing skills. I definitely could never have done it that quickly so kudos to her. Here's a picture of little old me, Pae and her friend from Thailand.

Merchandise

I wanna take a few moments to talk about the live goods because I am utterly smitten with everything. The acrylic stands and the block are particularly pretty but I am also obsessed with the polaroids. I almost couldn't contain myself and since they didn't have any limits as to how many pieces one person could buy, I naturally went all out. Don't worry, I didn't buy that much since I was still reeling from how expensive it was to extend my trip. Also, I was one of the first few people in line so it would have been rude to buy an excessive amount, there were a ton of other fans around after all, they obviously also wanted to buy a lot of merch. While they prepared plenty of the random polaroid magnets, they unfortunately didn't really bring enough of the acrylic stuff. By the end of the day performance, the acrylic stands were already completely sold out and after the evening performance, the acrylic block was gone too. I guess that means that even if we get an online sale at one point, they will only sell the tote bag and the magnets...or maybe they'll produce another batch of all the acrylic items...We'll have to wait and see...I could see myself buying some more polaroids if they become available online. I only got two pieces with a handwritten message by Keiko so it would be nice to have more. But they are not exactly cheap so I'll have to think about it.

Venue

The venue was...not what I had expected XD. The pictures online of Konica Minolta Planetaria are a bit misleading but I guess that's because they only ever feature Dome 2 and not Dome 1 which is significantly smaller and doesn't have any of the fancy seats. Our seats were little more than reclining beach chairs with a little table but oh well, I didn't come there to be seated comfortably so it didn't bother me too much. At the end of the day, it was a good thing that the dome was so tiny because it made everything feel so much more intimate. And let me tell you, when I say intimate, I mean intimate. I've never ever been this close to Keiko (and I've had my fair share of close encounters with her). There were no assigned seats for the performances, everyone just had a number on their ticket and we were allowed to enter the dome in order of that number. As mentioned earlier, Pae was super fast getting our tickets so we ended up with the numbers 5 to 7, meaning that for the day performance I got a seat right at the front with a clear view of Keiko. There was no stage or anything, just a bit of basic equipment, some microphones and two stools. This meant that there was barely any space between the front row and the artist area (1 metre maybe). Needless to say, I spent the entire time looking at Keiko XD. I almost felt a bit bad because I was missing out on the lovely projections but to be fair, it was actually quite hard to get a good view of them this close to the front so the best option for me was to just stare at Keiko. During the break I bought myself a yummy galaxy donut which was almost too pretty to eat but at that point I was starving so I literally devoured it. For the FC exclusive evening performance I wasn't nearly as lucky when it came to my number. I got #71 so I ended up in one of the last rows unfortunately. From the first performance I knew that Keiko would be entering from the back door on the left side and walk through the audience so I at least made sure to take a seat close to the door so she would walk right past me (which she did so YAY but more on that later). On another positive note, the seat in the back made it possible for me to get fully immersed in the projections without being too distracted by Keiko. It was truly breathtaking to see all these space-themed vivid images across the ceiling.

Performance

It feels like I have already talked so much about the whole thing but I haven't mentioned a single thing about the actual performances so let me rectify that. I've already alluded to it in the beginning of this post, Keiko was absolutely stunning and I am obviously not just talking about her looks. Her vocals were out of this world, every single song of the setlist flattered her so much, there was not a single misplaced note as far as I could tell. Due to the nature of the event, it was of course a very understated performance, there was no wild movement or crazy choreography, it was just Keiko standing/sitting there being illuminated by the tiniest of lights, just enough to still see her but never enough to distract from the visuals. After all, the main focus were supposed to be the projected images and for the most part, that was the case. Only occasionally they would shine some more light on Keiko (mostly during MCs). As you can see below, the setlist was full of ballads and OMG, I couldn't have been happier about that. She sang almost all my faves so I was pretty much in heaven for the first half of the live. Almost started crying during 通り雨 because it was painstakingly beautiful. キミガネムルカラ and 夕顔 were also true gems to experience live, so haunting and mystic. She brought out her brand new guitar for songs #4 to #6 and while I have never been the biggest fan of acoustic guitars, Keiko really managed to make me fall in love with the sound. Both her and her guitarist did a fantastic job arranging and performing these tracks. Also, I was quite surprised to hear Yas Nakajima provide backup vocals for Keiko during Burn In The Wind, their voices match perfectly.

The cover section was admittedly a bit of a let-down for me since the chosen songs are not exactly among my favourites. That's not to say that I didn't enjoy myself or that Keiko didn't deliver the songs flawlessly, it's just that I don't really care all that much for the songs themselves. There were some really gorgeous high notes though so I really can't complain. Speaking of covers, I was super hyped when Keiko announced that she would be singing 風の街へ, a self-cover of her first FictionJunction KEIKO work. I had a feeling she would maybe sing it (since it's obviously a perfect fit for this sort of atmosphere) but Pae kept telling me that it probably wouldn't be happening. Glad I was right about that. During the MC, Keiko was talking about her upcoming single 夕闇のうた so for a while I was sure she would just sing that but she ultimately did not perform it. We got to hear the full version a few days earlier at Kaji Fes. so I wasn't too disappointed that it didn't make it onto the setlist of the planetarium live (also, if I am being honest, the song hasn't really grown on me yet so it's not like I'm dying to hear it again and again). Instead, she chose the song that marked the very beginning of Keiko's journey together with Yuki Kajiura and really, I can never get enough of it. It's one of my very favourite YK x Keiko collaborations and it's always such a pleasure to hear it live. It was only my second time so I couldn't have been more grateful. The final three songs were a nice change of pace with more involvement from the audience and more focus on Keiko rather than the projections. I certainly didn't expect ラテ to make an appearance but with the pretty lights, it worked surprisingly well. The whole thing had a very futuristic feel to it if you know what I mean. ユア has slowly been growing on me and it's just such a feel-good song that I cannot stop vibing with it (similar to Wakana's Happy Hello Day actually). The ending was beyond epic, エンドロール is such a cool song. I just wish I had known the lyrics so I would have been able to sing along properly (I have zero skills when it comes to memorising lyrics) . Keiko tried to prepare us with a few test-runs but I kept mixing up some lines T_T Oh well, I had a blast so that's all that counts! The one thing I felt kinda sad about was the fact that we didn't get an encore but I guess they had to keep the performance short...?

M-1キミガネムルカラ M-2夕顔 M-3通り雨 M-4夜の嘘と M-5Lost M-6Burn In The Wind M-7駅 by 竹内まりや (Cover) M-8ルビーの指環 by 寺尾聰 (Cover) M-9秋桜 by 山口百恵 (Cover) M-10 風の街へ (Self-Cover) M-11 ラテ M-12 ユア M-13エンドロール

Fan Club Exclusive Part

When I entered the dome for the fan club exclusive evening performance, I was given a large envelope by a staff member containing a message card by Keiko. The scan above features the picture which makes up one half of the card. So pretty! (Please keep in mind that this is fan club exclusive!) As mentioned earlier, I had a seat pretty far in the back during this performance, I was still close enough to have a good view of Keiko but I decided to focus on the projections this time around since Keiko jokingly mentioned a couple of times that she felt so many eyes on her and that we should try to enjoy the gorgeous view above as well. With the way she said it, I could tell that she wasn't annoyed or angry about it but she genuinely just wanted us the get the most out of the experience. And yeah, I have to admit, it was amazing to just lean back and watch the gorgeous space visuals while being gently wrapped by Keiko's vocals. Also, for some weird reason, the seats in the back were much more comfortable than the ones in the front row so that made it a lot easier to just relax. The setlist was the exact same and Keiko's performance was just as good. There were some technical issues with the projections at one point so the staff asked Keiko to take a little break and entertain the audience for a while so they could fix the problem. Keiko was really cute during this section because she struggled to come up with something to talk about. All her other MCs had been rather short and straight-to-the-point so there wasn't really anything to talk about. She even admitted that it was quite hard for her to just talk to an audience without having anyone on stage with her to create a sort of a back and forth. Unfortunately, her guitarist was pretty useless in that regard since he didn't feel comfortable at all talking XD Keiko ended up blabbering on and on about the most random stuff and eventually talked a bit about the guitar arrangement for 秋桜 which she found quite impressive. After they had fixed the issue, we went back to the regular program for a couple of songs until Keiko announced that it was time for some special games since this was a fan club event after all. First, we played a few rounds of a Maru-Batsu-Quiz (True-or-False-Quiz). They had prepared some Keiko-trivia questions. Everyone was asked to stand up and with every question people either answered with "true" (fist) or "false" (open hand). Those who answered incorrectly had to sit down so fewer and fewer people remained standing as time went by. Some of the questions were a bit tricky so all you could do was guess. Unfortunately, I wasn't one of the lucky winners at the end. Although I will say that these games are mostly based on trust since you can always pretend to have made the correct gesture or change your gesture in the right moment (it's hard to verify stuff like that). There were a handful of guys who won the first two rounds, they got to walk towards the front and Keiko gave them a little present (some snack souvenirs from the most recent Asia tour-leg, nothing too exciting). Then we were all surprised because for one round the last person standing happened to be none other than Yuriko Kaida. Turns out she had been sitting right behind me all this time (her seat was the closest one to the back door in the very last row). I did not expect her to actually collect her prize (especially since Keiko mentioned that Yuriko had gotten the exact same souvenir in Taiwan) but she did. It was a treat seeing them interact like that. They are so funny together and it was during those moments that you could immediately tell that Keiko became so much more relaxed and talkative once she had someone on-stage with her who she felt comfortable with. As a final game, we did one round of rock-paper-scissors which once again, I wasn't lucky enough to win but I guess it just wasn't meant to be T_T

When the show was over, Keiko walked through the audience towards the door in the back and that's when my seat choice really paid off. She got super close to the people who had an aisle seat, she made eye contact, waved at us and even did little high fives with the one or the other female fan who dared to initiate a gesture like that (of course I didn't because I am too chicken-shit for that). Once Keiko was gone, Yuriko was also ushered outside. Some of us were still hopeful that we would get an encore, especially since they had closed the exit again but alas we didn't get one. However, we were all in for a special treat when it was time to finally get up and leave. When they started playing the usual after-live announcement it was obvious that there wouldn't be an encore so I took my stuff and headed towards the back door which a staff member was just about to open. That's when I realised that Keiko was standing right outside the door, waiting for the audience members to give each one of us a private send-off. This is a common occurrence with fan club events in Japan but I've never had it happen with Keiko before so this was super special. Also, during and even long after the pandemic, situations with close encounters like that were strictly avoided so I didn't really expect them to do a send-off. Seems like we have finally moved past those restrictions! BANZAI! Anyway, I literally froze in place when I saw Keiko standing there because I was scared to be the first one to be greeted by her. I waited a few seconds so a handful of people could walk out before me. This way I was able to observe what other fans were saying to her and how much time the staff allowed each person with Keiko. I know, it probably sounds ridiculous to you but this sort of stuff stresses me out immensely, I prefer to be at least a tiny bit prepared. I was probably the fifth person to walk outside and most people inside the dome were still putting on their clothes or picking up their stuff so there was not really a line behind me or any type of rush. When I got in front of Keiko, we both did the crazy waving thing again while I thanked her for everything. Then I told her that I am always supporting her from Vienna and she was like, "wow, Vienna, so cool!" At that point it would have probably been my turn to step away since I could tell that the staff member next to Keiko was getting antsy and already preparing to ask me to continue walking. But I wanted to use the opportunity to briefly mention my undying love for the beret I had won during a previous fan club event. As you probably all know, this is my most-prized possession. It's a hat previously owned and frequently worn by Keiko herself, she signed it and even wrote my name on it before shipping it out to me. Being as obsessed with Kalafina fashion as I am, I really couldn't have asked for a better gift. Squeezing all those emotions into a single sentence or two was very hard but I tried my best. I had forgotten how to breathe at that point and my voice was getting super weird. I pointed at my hat and hoped that she would even remember that she had given it away. Then I all but squeaked out how grateful I was to win it and that I would treasure it all my life. She also pointed at it with clear recognition on her face (thank God or it would have been embarrassing XD) and told me with the brightest of smiles, "ah yes, yes, I know, that's amazing, I am so happy for you!" Needless to say, that almost killed me 💀I definitely ascended to another plane of existence that day. I didn't wanna push my luck any further so with a final wave I kept walking towards the reception area and thus ended my Keiko Planetarium experience. Even hours after the event, I was still reeling from everything that had happened.

My plane was supposed to leave bright and early the following morning so I did not stick around longer than necessary. I said my goodbyes to a couple of fellow fans and then took off. Some of them wanted to invite me to a small after-dinner-party but I just wouldn't have been able to deal with the stress on the eve of my departure.

All right, that's it, hopefully I didn't forget anything and I didn't bore you to death. Kudos to anyone who managed to make it to the end.

PS: I just wanna say that Keiko is the prettiest human being ever. Every time I see her up-close I'm reminded of her other-worldly beauty. Standing right next to her, it doesn't even feel like she is a real person because everything about her looks so smooth and polished, like someone put a filter on top of her XD

#KEIKO #Kalafina #KEIKO Planetarium Live #report #reblog

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hikaru9 · 5 months

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While we wait for @putschki1969 to have some time (please, enjoy your holiday!) for our community "official" post, here's the tracklist and TV size as well.

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CD ONLY 01 夕闇のうた 02 燈命 03 夕闇のうた (Instrumental) 04 燈命 (Instrumental) 05 夕闇のうた (TVサイズver.) 06 夕闇のうた（Special Edit ver.）

CD+DVD and CD+Blu-ray CD 01 夕闇のうた 02 燈命 03 夕闇のうた (Instrumental) 04 燈命 (Instrumental) DVD and Blu-ray 01 「夕闇のうた」Music Video 02 「夕闇のうた」Making Video

｡⁠*ﾟ⁠+

#KEIKO #Kalafina #reblog #gonna delete later when putschki is back

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hikaru9 · 5 months

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First Anime Tie-In Announced!

KEIKO’s first physical single Yūyami no uta will be released on January 24, 2024, it has been chosen as the ending theme for the upcoming three-cour Sengoku Youko anime adaptation which will begin airing in Japan on January 10.

Comment: Oh wow, I‘m hyped for this. An anime tie-in for Keiko composed by Yuki Kajiura, I‘d say that‘s pretty much a guaranteed hit. Wonder what that will do for Keiko’s solo career. The snippet sounds ultra promising.

Watch a trailer for the first part of the anime HERE! It features short snippets of the OP and ED.

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【Release Information】

KEIKO NEW single “夕闇のうた / Yūyami no Uta”(Song of Dusk)

Release: January 24, 2024

Lyrics, composition, arrangement: Yuki Kajiura

■CD+DVD AVCD-61395/B ¥2,000+tax

M1. Yūyami no Uta

M2. TBA

M3. Yūyami no Uta (Instrumental)

M4. TBA (Instrumental)

<DVD>

・“Yūyami no Uta” Music Video

・“Yūyami no Uta” Making Video

■CD+Blu-ray AVCD-61396/B ¥2,200+tax

<CD>

M1. Yūyami no Uta

M2. TBA

M3. Yūyami no Uta (Instrumental)

M4. TBA (Instrumental)

<Blu-ray>

・“Yūyami no Uta” Music Video

・“Yūyami no Uta” Making Video

■CD ONLY AVCD-61397 ¥1,400+tax

<CD>

M1. Yūyami no Uta

M2. TBA

M3. Yūyami no Uta (Instrumental)

M5. Yūyami no Uta (TV size ver.)

M6. Yūyami no Uta (Special Edit ver.)

【Live Information】

KEIKO Billboard Live 2024 "Yūyami no Uta K015-018"

■March 11, 2024 Billboard Live Tokyo

1st stage 17:00 / 18:00

2nd stage 20:00 / 21:00

■March 19, 2024 Billboard Live Osaka

1st stage 17:00 / 18:00

2nd stage 20:00 / 21:00

■Price: Service area ¥9,000/Casual area ¥8,500

■Tickets:

December 11, 2023 KEIKO Official FC advanced ticket lottery (→ https://tristone.co.jp/niku-chocolate/)

January 10, 2024 Club BBL members advance

January 17, 2024 General Sale

#KEIKO #Yuki Kajiura #I'm so excited #that “Yami no uta” thing #the whole “Hyakka Ryouran” aesthetic #reblog

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hikaru9 · 5 months

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“NHK WORLD – JAPAN MUSIC FESTIVAL” ~ Magia

Today is the broadcast day of "Japan Music Festival". The first broadcast was a couple of hours ago so fans of already uploaded some footage online. Find the performance of "Magia" HERE on Bilibili. YK's entire appearance can be watched HERE.

Yuki Kajiura performs a special medley, including the main theme of Kimetsu no Yaiba, and (!!!)Magia(!!!) [featuring Hikaru!], the theme song to Puella Magi Madoka Magica, along with SOUKYUU NO FANFARE, the 10th anniversary theme song for Sword Art Online featuring special guests ASCA and ReoNA.

The next live broadcast on the official website is about to start in 20 minutes so be sure to tune in. The video will also be available on demand (free) for a couple of months so it will be possible to watch it as many times as you like.

Thoughts: Waaaaahhhh, Magia sounded amazing. I am so HYPED!!! Wish it had been longer T_T The main theme of Kimtesu no Yaiba was also a nice treat, I love Keiko SO MUCH in that song.

#Kalafina #Magia #Keiko #Hikaru #Love Joelle in this #how nostalgic #reblog

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hikaru9 · 6 months

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FJ Family presents ～ “JUMP OUT” LIVE vol.#1

Setlist (INCOMPLETE) !Subject to change, no one has shared the full setlist yet!

-Opening act- rito --- Awe (Hikaru) イエスノウ (Hikaru) Flow (Hikaru) カナシイケダモノ(Hikaru) Survivor (Hikaru) disclose (Hikaru) Escape (Hikaru) Altern-ate- (Hikaru&Keiko) --- エンドロール (Keiko feat. guitar) キライ。(Keiko) 私アップデート (Keiko) ユア (Keiko) --- Encore EN1: 音楽 (Kalafina cover by Keiko&Hikaru) EN2: destination unknown (Kalafina cover by Keiko&Hikaru) EN3: blaze (Kalafina cover by Keiko&Hikaru)

#Kalafina #Keiko #Hikaru #rito #honestly surprised by the fact that the three of them didn't sing together #I was sure they would cover the Kalafina part together #but I'm happy #it's like they respected Wakana #I miss them

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hikaru9 · 1 year

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Yuki Kajiura/FictionJunction will perform at AnimagiC 2023

It has just been announced that Yuki Kajiura (along with her regular members of FictionJunction) will have a guest appearance at the German anime convention “AnimagiC”. The last time Yuki Kajiura attended the convention was back in 2004. Kalafina were invited as musical guest back in 2012.

Place: Mannheim, Germany Date: 2023, Aug 4th to 6th Link: http://animagic.de

#Yuki Kajiura #FictionJunction #KEIKO #reblog #I'm tempted omg

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hikaru9 · 1 year

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THE21 ONLINE Interview with Yuki Kajiura

Source: https://shuchi.php.co.jp/the21/detail/10259

To celebrate the release of the new FictionJunction album “PARADE”, this web interview with Yuki Kajiura was published.Thanks to a kind follower I was made aware that it contained a lovely bit of info about Kalafina so I thought I would translate the section in question. Here you go!

「映像ができてから」の作曲経験が転機に

これまでの仕事で一番の転機と言えば『空の境界』シリーズです。全10作にもなる映画の音楽を一人で作るなんて、そうある機会ではありません。

しかも、作曲の際に受け取る情報の量が、普段のそれとは段違いでした。TVアニメの多くは、事前に「怒り」「コミカル」などテーマ別に曲を複数作っておき、後からそれらを実際のシーンに合わせて配置します。

それが『空の境界』では、映像が出来上がった後に、シーン一つひとつに合わせて曲を作っていったんです。

シーンに合う音楽を、しっかりそのシーンを見ながら作っていく、という経験を初めてすることができました。そうすると、やはり自分の作曲はまだ甘かったな、という部分も見えてくる。この作品には相当育ててもらったと感じています。

また、この作品では以前からずっとやってみたかった「歌モノ」にも本格的に挑戦することができました。エンディングテーマを歌うユニットとして結成した「Kalafina」の話です。

そこでは、3人の卓越した歌手が全員主役になる「重唱」の形式に、クラシックやニューエイジ、オペラにポップスと様々なジャンルの要素をミックスして……と、自分が長年憧れていた音楽の形を実現することができました。その後10年にわたって続いたKalafinaとの活動期間は、私にとって本当に「宝物」と言える時間です。

The experience of composing music “after being able to see the completed work” was a turning point

The biggest turning point in my career so far has been working for the “Kara no Kyoukai” series. It’s an incredibly rare occurrence for a single composer to get the opportunity to create music for 10 consecutive movies.

Additionally, I had so much more material and information to work with when composing for this series, it was different from anything I had previously done. With most TV anime productions, a majority of the music is created in advance according to certain overarching themes such as “anger” or “comical”, and then later those pieces will be arranged to match the actual scenes.

For “Kara no Kyoukai”, I got the chance to do the score for the individual scenes after the animation for the films had already been completed.

For the first time in my life, I was able to have the experience of making original music that perfectly reflected the story, the atmosphere and the character’s emotions after carefully watching each and every scene. Doing that actually made me aware that so far my compositions had been quite naive. I feel that I have learned a lot from working on “Kara no Kyokai”.

Also, this project provided an opportunity to seriously challenge a type of accompanied singing that heavily emphasised the singing over the instrumental part. It’s something I had wanted to try for a very long time. Of course, this is the story of "Kalafina”, the unit which was formed to sing the ending themes.

I mixed elements of various genres such as classical, new age, opera and pop music to shape everything into a form of “polyphonic singing” in which all three outstanding vocalists would play the leading role. I was finally able to bring to life the type of music I had always longed for. The subsequent 10 years of being able to work together with Kalafina are truly treasured times for me.

#Kalafina #Yuki Kajiura #reblog #interview

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hikaru9 · 1 year

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Yuki Kajiura New Album 「PARADE」Details Revealed

Finally we have a tracklist for this upcoming release!

FictionJunction ALBUM「PARADE」

【Release date】 2023/04/19

【Product specifications】

First Press Limited Edition (CD＋Blu-ray) ￥ 6,600 VVCL 2147~2148

Regular Edition (CD) ￥ 3,300 VVCL 2149

Pre-order link:　https://fictionjunction.lnk.to/0419AL_parade

【Tracklist】 ■DISC1: CD 01. Prologue 02. ことのほかやわらかい (Koto no Hoka Yawarakai) 03. 夜光塗料 feat. ASCA (Yakō toryō) 04. Beginning 05. もう君のことを見たくない feat. rito (Mō Kimi no Koto wo Mitakunai) 06. 櫂　feat. Aimer (Kai) 07. 蒼穹のファンファーレ feat. 藍井エイル&ASCA&ReoNa (Sōkyū no fanfāre) （”SAO” 10th Anniversary Theme Song） 08. 八月のオルガン feat. LINO LEIA (Hachigatsu no Organ) 09. それは小さな光のような feat. KEIKO (Sore ha Chīsana Hikari no you na) 10. from the edge feat. LiSA （”Demon Slayer” Ending Theme） 11. moonlight melody 12. 世界の果て feat. 結城アイラ(Sekai no hate) 13. Parade

M 01,02,04,11,13 feat. KAORI/KEIKO/YURIKO KAIDA/Joelle

■DISC2: Blu-ray ・「Parade」Music Video ・「Yuki Kajiura LIVE vol.#16～Sing a Song Tour～」 01. overture 02. Beginning 03. 記憶の森 04. Distance 05. Fields of hope 06. 宝石 07. 凱歌 08. moonlight melody 09. ひとりごと 10. 約束 11. 花の唄 12. I beg you 13. wonderland 14. 春はゆく 15. eternal blue 16. stone cold 17. ユメノツバサ 18. 目覚め 19. zodiacal sign 20. maybe tomorrow

Ohhh, very excited about this release (despite the abundance of artists I do not care for XD). We are actually getting a music video for “Parade” which is a brand new track! I LOVE FictionJunction’s version of “Beginning” so I am happy to see it included here. Not expecting much from “Prologue” but I am definitely looking forward to “ことのほかやわらかい“ (which is another new song as far as I know? According to YK, Keiko likes to call this song “cinnamon roll-chan so I am guessing it is ultra sweet?). “それは小さな光のような” still hasn’t grown on me but it’s great that Keiko is getting her very own solo track alongside high-profile artists such as LiSA and Aimer. More power to her, YAY!

The Blu-ray content isn’t too exciting considering that all of this was broadcast on Streaming+ already but hey, I don’t mind having an official release for it.

『30th Anniversary FictionJunction Station Fan Club Talk＆Live vol.#2』Additional Tokyo Performances

On top of the already announced fan club exclusive events, there will be four additional performances taking place in the Tokyo area.

[Tokyo additional performance] May 28 (Sun) TIAT SKY HALL, Tokyo 1st Stage: Open 12:15 / Start 13:00 Talk & Live & autograph session (★ FC members only) 2nd Stage: Open 16:15 / Start 17:00 Talk & Live & autograph session (★ FC members only) June 17 (Sat) TIAT SKY HALL, Tokyo 1st Stage: Open 12:15 / Start 13:00 Talk & Live & autograph session (★ FC members only) 2nd Stage: Open 16:15 / Start 17:00 Talk & Live & autograph session (★ FC members only) https://www.tiatskyhall.jp

Source: https://fictionjunction.com/information/9699/

#FictionJunction #Keiko #Yuki Kajiura #sad there's no Hikaru #but there's a Keiko song omg #can't wait #reblog #release

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hikaru9 · 1 year

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KEIKO VANITYMIX & SPICE INTERVIEW “CUTLERY”

Source: https://www.vanitymix.jp/music/keiko/ Source: https://spice.eplus.jp/articles/314373 Instagram post 1: https://www.instagram.com/p/CoWJIteBw9F/ Instagram post 2: https://www.instagram.com/p/CoW5S7UBgPk/ Sneak peek of Meat&Chocolate Magazine Vol.11

Some more interesting tidbits:

Keiko has been active in the entertainment business for 18 years. Time really flies.

The tracklist matches different sceneries of daily life in a more or less chronological order

Yutaka Ozaki and Koji Tamaki inspired her to become an artist. Yuki Kajiura was the one who cultivated her voice and musical life.

Keiko says it feels very natural to her to be a part of someone else’s work rather than create her own work. That is why she has always felt at home with Yuki Kajiura and Kalafina. She was allowed to immerse herself in someone else’s world and bring that to life. The moment she left the safe confines of Kalafina, she became very anxious and didn’t really know what to do or what to offer as a singer. Making the 3rd album felt quite rewarding and was a lot of fun because she didn’t have to focus on lyrics or composing - which she did for her 1st and 2nd album. She just entered the world of various composers, playing different characters and expressing a variety of world views.

“Watashi Update” has a complicated rhythm with many words and way too much information so it’s important to absorb the lyrics to keep up with the fast pace.

For “Alcohol” she chose a very sloppy singing style because otherwise her voice would have gotten in the way of the song.

Fly, Black Swan is very “out there” and invites quite a lot of different interpretations. Keiko says it’s like a painting and maybe you shouldn’t try to look too closely and judge any of the details. Just experience it and allow it to take effect on your senses. According to Keiko the song is very similar to Yuki Kajiura’s music with its many imaginative margins. That’s why the vocal range and singing style somewhat resembles her work during the Kalafina era.

The stories in “KIRAI.” and “Yura Yura” resonate most with Keiko’s true self. Occasionally she might also feel like the protagonist of “Hitori Janai Kara”.

As someone who has worked in the entertainment business her entire life, it was actually quite interesting and refreshing for her to sing about everyday life of people with “ordinary” jobs.

“KIRAI.” is about a girl who is determined to find a perfect match and thus becomes very calculating. She is someone who looks for the best possible partner and is very honest about her demands. Keiko is very impressed by this sort of woman who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to tell others about it. She also likes the woman depicted in “Alcohol” because she is incredibly strong but when she decides to get drunk, she will show a little weakness

Keiko compared “Yura Yura” to a Makoto Shinkai movie. There’s a strong sense of nostalgia. There’s a pure and fizzy atmosphere to the song, Keiko wanted it to be like a safe bubble.

“Your” was very difficult to record, it took a lot of takes.

Keiko made it a point to not “oversing” in this album. She refrained from getting too involved in the singing itself and instead focused on things like rhythm. That was important with the type of fast-paced tracks she chose to sing.

#Kalafina #Keiko #Keiko solo career #interviews #CUTLERY #thank you so much for providing all these summaries putschki #it means a lot #so interesting #reblog

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hikaru9 · 1 year

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[KEIKO] “CUTLERY” Feels Like a Collection of Short Stories with Various Main Characters

Source: https://avexnet.jp/column/detail.php?id=1000604

Interesting tidbits:

All songs were written by a different composer and feature a different type of protagonist. It was fun for Keiko to slip into various roles

She explains her fast-paced releases with wanting to escape boredom. Everyone is getting bored easily these days and constantly looking for change (including herself) so having all these new singles and a new album every year feels exciting to her [I obviously understand the thought process behind this but I’d personally prefer higher quality and less frequency]

The title “CUTLERY” was inspired by her regular Uber Eats orders. Every order seems to have an option to add “cutlery”. Keiko feels like most people are probably familiar with the term by now. They are fashionable everyday items so the word seemed fitting for an album title

Keiko decided on the tracklist order by trying to find the most suitable placement within a person’s daily life (commuting, working, taking a walk, spending time at home, relaxing in bed, etc)

For the beginning she wanted some exciting up-tempo songs so no one would get bored. “Watashi Update” basically had to be even more crazy and unexpected than “Alcohol”. She compares “Watashi Update” to modern J-POP which apparently has a lot of words and less music. [Maybe one of the reasons why II can’t really get into this type of song]

The lyrics for “Watashi Update” are described as eccentric and rather self-centred. They reflect the thoughts of a young protagonist who is rambling to herself. That’s something that resonated with Keiko.

“Alcohol” with its sound and lyrics is quite sexy. Even though Keiko doesn’t drink alcohol she thinks the song has “Keiko-vibes”. It conveys a sort of tsukkomi image.

“Yoru no Uso to” features a very reserved and polite woman putting up a strong front in the face of a separation. The song awakens thoughts of someone you hold dear. Thoughts you wouldn’t usually allow yourself to indulge. Keiko feels like everyone has those kinds of feelings about someone which you would rather avoid or keep secret (whether it be a person of the opposite sex or the same sex) [Ohhh! Keiko once again sneaking in some possible hints. Makes the song even better!]

“KIRAI.” is apparently a song fitting for the TikTok generation but it probably also appeals to millennials. Keiko really likes it when girls are defiant and just won’t put up with any shit basically. The many rhymes and wordplays make the song sound light and fun but the topic is actually not that light since Keiko is singing about various worries of girls.

“Close to you” is soft and mature. A time to catch your breath between “KIRAI.” and “Amanojaku”. The structure is not very dynamic so quite unorthodox but it’s a gentle build-up. This was originally supposed to be in “dew” but she didn’t think it would fit.

Keiko highlights the peculiar guitar arrangement in “Amanojaku”. The song was written by a guitarist so there’s a lot of attention on the guitar. She thinks the girl in this song is incredibly cute.

“Fly, Black Swan” has a nice bass. Originally it was more jazz-y and digital sounding. The protagonist of this song is once again a woman but this time from the point of view of a man.

“Yura Yura” also has a sort of jazz-y feel but very different to the previous track. Strong vocals and impressive strings are what stands out here. There is a nostalgic and sentimental atmosphere.

“Your” was difficult. They lowered the key significantly compared to the original demo. She was advised to sing this a little aggressively and sharply with a strong male image.

“Hitori Janai Kara” was born out of her feelings during and after the pandemic. But she didn’t want a song that was too pushy and in your face. She feels like everyone has released songs like that during the pandemic because depression was strong. This is just a quiet statement to take time and face yourself.

#Kalafina #Keiko #Keiko solo career #interviews #I know people don't like it but I love this album <3 #reblog #CUTLERY

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