lady-miya

[lady-miya]

Ensemble Stars: SHUFFLE × Silent Black Snow

In a few hours, the “SHUFFLE × Silent Black Snow” event will release. Happy Elements has graciously released the MV for the song Noir Neige by La Mort. After watching the MV multiple times, I would like to propose an interpretation—my interpretation—for the story behind it: Kohaku is the only person alive, while the others are ghosts.

I believe that Mayoi represents Charon, and brings souls into this haunted cathedral. In Greek mythology, he is regarded as a ferryman to Hades. Mayoi is often seen in this MV holding a blue rose. The first time we see him holding the flower, the petals fall at his gentle touch. 

Blue roses are commonly known to symbolize mystery and the unattainable. The second time we see Mayoi holding a blue rose is when Kohaku walks down the hall. 

Instead of interacting, Mayoi simply watches him walk away while smiling as if he were biding his time, waiting for his turn to guide Kohaku, but in that moment, Kohaku is unattainable.

If Mayoi is the Charon, then which individuals are the souls? In my interpretation, Nagisa, Rei, and Ritsu are the souls. I would say that Nagisa is the first soul, while Rei and Ritsu are two recent souls that were finally allowed to enter the haunted place after roaming for a while. Out of everyone, Nagisa seems the most comfortable around Mayoi maybe due to him having been with Mayoi the longest. 

Rei and Ritsu do not interact with Mayoi as much as Nagisa does. Nagisa is also seen passing Ritsu a book of some sort, as if he’s passing down his knowledge as to what it means to be a soul residing in this place.

When referring to the Sakuma brothers, I say “finally allowed to enter” because we can see that there are two tombs that are thrown and unkept. 

Souls who could not pay the fee or were not buried were forced to wander. It may be a stretch, but two unkept tombstones—places of rest, might be an indicator that Rei and Ritsu could not pay. At the beginning, Rei looks rather confused about his predicament. It is only until Ritsu hands him a pomegranate does Rei start to realize the situation. In Greek mythology pomegranates were called the “fruit of the dead.”

But why are Rei and Ritsu not the first souls? Well, on the tombstone that is later revealed, we see three flowers, perhaps representing three people. 

One flower is off to one side, while two flowers are on the other side. There is no name at all. My best guess is that Mayoi carved those flowers onto the stone, whether to leave a piece on them on the earth or simply because he had nothing better to do is beyond me.

Lastly, I believe that Kohaku is the only person that is alive. He’s the only individual in this unit who has a different colour scheme from the others. While the tailcoat’s accent colour and the bottom of their pants are blue, Kohaku’s is a light pink, a colour associated with cherry blossoms, spring, and life. The accent colour on the coat’s length is a deep blue for everyone except for Kohaku whose is green, a colour associated with nature, vitality, and life. 

Kohaku is also the only one who is seen praying, all the more while the sun is still out. Any time we see the other characters, it is during the night.

What use do the dead have when it comes to praying? They are already dead. Furthermore, the saying goes that ghosts roam the shadows, but they are not out when the sun still shines.

Another interpretation I had for Kohaku praying was that he was asking for freedom. There is a moment where Kohaku’s eyes glow red in a similarly haunting way as Rei’s do. 

Perhaps that is a result of teetering on the edge of life and death, and in those moments he can see the souls residing in this cathedral. Kohaku could be dying and so he prays because he wishes to stay alive, to live. Maybe because Kohaku is on the borderline of life and death, Rei is able to grab Kohaku’s hand in his 5☆ illustration. 

However, it seems like Kohaku doesn’t notice anyone that is around him, aside from this one moment. Even in the beginning, when Mayoi, Kohaku and Nagisa are in the cathedral. Kohaku does not turn around to look at Nagisa while he sings, nor does he watch Mayoi as he plays the piano. He is still looking up, almost trying to plead with god.

Anyway, that’s it from me! Is there anything I missed? Please let me know and thank you for reading!

#The Lady Speaks #Ensemble Stars #La Mort #Noir Neige #Ritsu Sakuma #Rei Sakuma #Nagisa Ran #Mayoi Ayase #Kohaku Oukawa

[lady-miya]

Was reading your thoughts on Paradox Live and wow, for something with such little information, yous words made it big in some way!

Thank you for your kind words and thank you for taking the time to read my posts! I just believe that Paradox Live has so much potential and their songs are so fun to listen to!

#eaticia #Thank you so much for sending me this #Made my day! #The Lady Answers

[lady-miya]

Paradox Live: Pride

You know what time it is, folks! Time for me to share my thoughts on the upcoming Paradox Live album “Pride”. Once again, I am going to preface this by saying I won’t delve into the Voice Drama.

Kicking it off with the poster children, BAE, and their song “EmBlem!!!”. Similar to their previous songs, this song is upbeat. It sounds like another summer anthem, and there’s nothing wrong with that. That being said, it makes me wonder if they’re going to change their approach in upcoming Stage Battles.

Their video was really cute. My favourite visual was when they were all chilling in a car driving down the highway; it was very emblematic of their group. (See what I did there?) The song starts with Yeon’s rap and this sets the beat. It is then followed by Allen who hypes up the song and then Anne who is handling the pre-chorus. Their chorus has a good set of harmonies and it’s a solid song.

BAE, as a group, really likes to focus in on identity and being yourself. I think their approach to Pride is being proud of who you are and being comfortable with it, which is great.

Moving on to The Cat’s Whiskers and their song “4 REAL”. Their instrumental is still very jazzy, but it feels much more like a fusion with rap. It’s maybe more similar to R&B. This is very different from the previous song “Faith” but it’s still on the same level. Their voices blend better with the music and don’t seem asynchronous like their debut song “MASTER OF MUSIC”.

The song starts with Ryu setting the stage for The Cat’s Whiskers. Ryu raps in a rougher voice before passing it onto Shiki who has a much softer voice. Afterwards, it moves onto the chorus where the four of them chant different things. Ryu acts like the emcee getting the members to do a call-and-response of sorts and it keeps the pace going really well.

The Cat’s Whiskers’ approach to Pride seems to be pride in their group for being honest, real, and not fake. Real ones, you know? Their message and approach for this Stage Battle is similar to Akkan Yatsura’s from Justice. It’s interesting to see this shift and I want to see where it leads them.

This post is much shorter than my usual Stage Battle preview song analyses, but that’s because I did not want to parrot too much of my previous thoughts. I think the groups, at this point, have found their voice and place in the ParaLive universe so individually they’re sticking to the same styles that work for them.

Aside from ParaLive’s music, their strong suit is the new visuals that come with each new music video with the new Stage Battle album. It was super entertaining to watch, the crisp edits really bring the songs together and showcase the group’s identities really well.

Overall, I’m leaning toward a BAE win, but The Cat’s Whiskers is definitely going to put up a decent fight. However, I don’t think it’ll be as close as the Justice Stage Battle. As usual, good luck to both groups.

Anyway, that’s it from me! What are your thoughts?

#The Lady Speaks #Paradox Live #Paradox Live Stage Battle #パラライ #BAE #Allen Sugasano #Yeon Hajun #Anne Faulkner #The Cat's Whiskers #Naoakira Saimon #Yohei Kanbayashi #Shiki Ando #Ryu Natsume

[lady-miya]

Paradox Live: Justice

I think enough time has passed for me to share my thoughts on the upcoming Paradox Live album “Justice”. Once again, I am going to preface this by saying I won’t delve into the Voice Drama. I also want to add that their album art design is really dope.

I’ll start with my lowest ranking group, The Cat’s Whiskers, and their song “Faith”. Starting off, I already like the visuals that they’ve added to their jazzy piano. It’s very calming and relaxing, the waves crashing gently as the piano plays is a little poetic.

The song starts with Yohei Kanbayashi rapping and honestly, I was pleasantly surprised. It didn’t feel out of place and it started the piece off strong, unlike their debut song “MASTER OF MUSIC”. The rest of the visuals when he was singing were also well done, I loved when they focused solely on eye colour and the glass shattering. It created some subtle threatening vibes.

Moving onto Ryu Natsume, I loved the duality in his voice this time around because it didn’t feel like he was jumping from place to place, but rather it felt like he was showing his range and undoubtedly his character’s range. The visuals mirroring him halfway was a great choice. As the song enters the chorus, I felt like Ryu really leads the listener into it perfectly. Believe in your Justice. The clip shows a little bit of Naoakira Saimon and his rapping which fits perfectly, like a puzzle piece, to what has already been established in the song.

This time around, I do believe in their justice. This is way better than their debut song in my opinion. Their group makes sense and it doesn’t feel like a bunch of mismatched individuals who decided to band together for the sake of participating in a Stage Battle. The vocals blend in a way that doesn’t overpower anyone else’s and keeps the flow of the piece.

I think this song was what I wanted to hear from this group from the get-go, something that has jazz but also fuses with rap effortlessly. I honestly have high hopes with this song. I don’t think it’s missing any potential. It’s got a solid fighting chance and they might win.

Now moving onto Akkan Yatsura’s (悪漢奴等 | AKYR) “OUTSIDERZ -悪漢奴等is Justice-”. Starting off with the visuals once again, the tigers moving was super cool. I love the funky bass and beat. Like their debut song “BAD BOYZ -悪漢奴等 Underground-”, the song starts with Satsuki Ito rapping about brotherhood. If the formula works, then don’t alter it, I guess. However, I was shocked when he said “Rattata rattata rattata” because I wasn’t expecting to hear that in this piece, but it somehow worked. It built a bit of hype for the next verses to come and the song in general.

Next up is Reo Maruyama and I loved how his voice was rather on the cutesy side but still came off a little menacing. The visuals were really fascinating because it looks like he’s crying blood, even though his verse is something along the lines of raining blood because of violence. The visuals with the fork and knife were equally cool. As soon as that ends, Hokusai Masaki takes the stage and continues the great flow that they have going in this piece, and if I’m not mistaken, he’s rapping about the cat once again.

With that, we’re taken into the chorus. The visuals in the chorus are phenomenal but I will admit I’m biased because I really love tigers and getting them growling in the back was like candy for my eyes. I think the strength of the song is really in the chorus. It’s sort of like a callout to the audience: “Listen, we are AKYR and we won’t lose to those villains. We are the epitome of justice.” 

This is interesting because it’s different from The Cat’s Whiskers take on the theme where it was more internal. “Believe in your Justice.” vs. AKYR’s where they tell the audience to believe in them instead.

Overall, this time around I’m not entirely sure who’s going to win because both groups put out good songs. Personally, I enjoyed The Cat’s Whiskers’ song over AKYR’s because they really decided to step it up. I’m not disappointed with what AKYR produced by any means, I think they did great too. I liked the different takes on Justice. I’m wishing them both good luck.

Anyway, that’s it from me! What are your thoughts?

#The Lady Speaks #Paradox Live #パラライ #The Cat's Whiskers #Naoakira Saimon #Yohei Kanbayashi #Shiki Ando #Ryu Natsume #Akkan Yatsura #悪漢奴等 #AKYR #Iori Suiseki #Satsuki Ito #Zen Gaho #Reo Maruyama #Hokusai Masaki

[lady-miya]

Kuro’s Book II

I’ve been sitting on this review for so long because the quarantine is honestly getting the best of me. Anyway, I’ve read Kuro’s Book II and here are my thoughts. This post has spoilers so please be wary.

Kuro’s Book II was a wonderful read. It was refreshing after the experience with the other books. Kuro’s story unlike the other Twilight Book II’s plots, did not focus on the Senkitai and Kagemaru head-on but rather the aftermath of the damage the Senkitai does—the seal being broken and the release of the Raiju.

Aside from the main conflict with the Raiju possibly terrorizing the Capital and the Senkitai trying to use this to their benefit, we also have the internal conflict that Kuro deals with—coming to terms with his true form.

One of the strengths in this route is the delicacy in Kuro’s character. He’s caring, he’s considerate of others, and he’s kind, but he’s closed off and not readily going to pour his feelings out even to those he trusts.

In terms of romance, I appreciated that Futaba didn’t pull the comrade stuff for as long as she does in the other routes. It felt like Kuro and Futaba begin to catch feelings much earlier, but I still wanted to see a little more.

I was really surprised to find out that Kuro was sealed for about 100 years. I think the back and forth comparison between Kuro’s true form and the Raiju was interesting since I haven’t seen that before. I liked that Kuro understood what it felt to be like the Raiju, sealed for years without any glimpse of what was to come. Jumping off that, a major theme was “Fear vs. Hate” and it gave me a lot of food for thought. Kuro’s experience with individuals fearing his true form and immediately hating him for it. What does it look like to fear the unknown but not hate what do not know? What does acceptance of someone like Kuro look like? I think Book II did a great job of exploring that idea.

I, personally, enjoyed the ending of Kuro’s Book II because there weren’t as much unanswered questions. We also get a really cute exchange:

With Toichiro and Shizuki’s routes there were characters introduced that never served a further purpose, and/or questions that were never fully answered. For example, Hiroyuki was introduced in Twilight Book I, and then played his role in Kuro’s Book II. It wasn’t like in Toichiro’s where you get a passing mention about his evil uncle and then he shows up in the epilogue right before the Book ends.

I’m curious as to how Voltage will proceed with Book III. Though the Senkitai didn’t really play a big part in Book II, I’m sure they’re going to do something in Book III since their ploy to use the Raiju in their favour didn’t work.

I totally recommend reading Kuro’s route. He was not one of my favourites going into the game, but I think I have changed my mind and adopted him. He’s genuinely such a good kid.

Thank you for reading :)

#The Lady Speaks #Ayakashi Romance Reborn #Twilight Faction #Kuro #ARR #ARR Kuro

[lady-miya]

Paradox Live: Desire

I have listened to both songs from the upcoming Paradox Live album “Desire” and I think I’m ready to share my thoughts on the songs and videos alike. I want to preface this by saying I will not be focusing on the Voice Drama as I am not fluent in Japanese. I can only understand bits and pieces and when things get complicated in speech my brain freaks out.

Starting off with the poster children for Paradox Live: BAE and their song “AmBitious!!!” The beat and music make me think of a summer anthem. I could totally hear this playing on a hot summer day on the way to the beach just to hype everyone up. It’s upbeat and vibrant, and the chorus is easy to sing along to and catchy. All the workings of a good jam.

Starting off with Allen, he really sets the pacing for this piece and gets the general theme of the song in his verse. The moment he passes the baton over to Yeon after saying, “New World is yours” is really when the song picks up and I am entirely intrigued and interested in the direction the song is going to take.

I have so much respect for Yeon’s VA Ayumu Murase and his ability to rap in three different languages. Like I said in my previous post, it is totally versatile and unique to this group. He said, “Fuck it!” and my jaw dropped. I was pleasantly surprised at how strong his verse was in comparison to his verses in “BaNG!!!” which were a lot softer. This verse was a lot more aggressive. He’s in his element while rapping, but this can be attributed to the Stage Battle. During one of his lines, he says, “それであなたは誰？ / Sorede anata wa dare? / So, who are you?” I loved that the graphic cracks the moment he asks “誰？” The visual was wonderfully executed.

In my opinion, Anne is truly BAE’s victory card. They always manages to tie everything that Allen and Yeon put out with their verses and wrap it into a nice little bow and give it to us as a present aka their verse. This time around they give us the wonderful lyric: “The meaning of desire isn’t always greed” and then lead us into the catchy chorus.

This overall is a very strong song. It’s definitely worthy of participating in the Stage Battle and if I heard anything lesser than this (in terms of quality) I would’ve been disappointed. It is quite the ambitious song, (pun intended) and it does a great job. Blast Off BAE, I believe in you!

Now moving onto cozmez’s “Get it”. This song sort of pays homage to their previous song “Where they at” where the Yatonokami twins address that they were raised in the “hood”. Not to refer to Drake, but these twins really started from the bottom and now they’re here. I think because of the twins’ upbringing, they stick to straightforwardness. There’s nothing flowery or over the top with their vocals or lyrics, everything is blunt and to the point.

Similar to BAE’s song they have a steady beat that is carried throughout the piece. Unlike BAE, the twins have taken the opposite approach when it comes to the overall delivery of the verses. cozmez is far softer and less aggressive with their vocal impact. cozmez’s song is also simpler even though they address the same theme of desire, wants and needs. The pacing is slow and steady as neither twin rushes to get out what they want to say. The words are carefully put together to express the same thing.

There’s a staccato element to their rapping, and when they’re not rapping, they’re not afraid to leave longer pauses in their piece. The rhymes, however, were quite basic. Desire, fire, higher. As much I did enjoy the simplicity, I wanted more from them. In terms of visuals, the inverted images, and black and white looked amazing. My only qualm was the font choice at times because it looked childish and not as crisp as their lyrics.

Overall, I think “Where they at” was a much better song compared to this one. If I’m comparing this song with BAE’s, then I think that BAE has a better chance at winning the Stage Battle. I’m a little disappointed with “Get it” but I wish the Yatonokami twins good luck.

Anyway, that’s it from me! What are your thoughts? 

#The Lady Speaks #Paradox Live #パラライ #BAE #Allen Sugasano #Yeon Hajun #Anne Faulkner #cozmez #Kanata Yatonokami #Nayuta Yatonokami #Paradox Live Stage Battle #My Dumb Post

[lady-miya]

Shizuki’s Book II

I know I’m late, but I finished reading Shizuki’s Book II and here are my thoughts. This post has spoilers so please be wary.

I didn’t start the route with very high expectations because of my experience with Toichiro’s Book II, but I can say that Shizuki (as well as Futaba) really surprised me.

I think Futaba in Shizuki’s route had a lot of strengths when it came to her character. I was utterly floored when Futaba kissed Shizuki’s hand in order to convince Koga, Kuya and Toichiro that the two of them were out on a date. I was super proud of her for being so bold with her actions even if in this case it was to help keep her promise with Shizuki.

She had a lot of moments where she took Shizuki’s feelings into consideration. One example is Episode 60 when she’s wondering if letting Shizuki go back to the Senkitai was the right decision. She decides to confide in Kuya and he put it really well: “I don’t think you were wrong for considering his feelings.”

Similar to Toichiro’s route, Futaba has a very strong focus on being comrades. Often, she brushes off her desire to put the love interest first because of her comradeship. But unlike Toichiro’s route, she is shown to have clear feelings for Shizuki (though Futaba doesn’t realize this herself, the reader can.)

Shizuki wasn’t a bad character either.

When I read this I thought, “I sure hope so! This is an otome game.” I understand that he’s supposed to be a bit of a womanizer, but even so I found him to be sort of charming. His teasing is very subtle and doesn’t have any mean undertones. He is quite sly, though.

In Episode 58, he’s really trying his best to tailor his “date” to what Futaba would enjoy and was disappointed when: 

I think those were the first hints at his feelings for Futaba. His confession in Episode 63 was much earlier than Toichiro’s which was at the very end, so the romantic aspects felt a lot more natural and less rushed.

Episode 67 and the CG were sweet. I appreciated how straight-forward Shizuki was with his feelings from the beginning. And the dialogue made me chortle.

(It’s working Shizuki! Seduce your girl!)

I personally found that Shizuki’s route was written better when it came to the aspect of romance, but it left similar questions when it came to the ending. However, this time, I think it helps to leave some of those questions unanswered because it will help segue into Book III.

My biggest qualm and criticism is not knowing why past Futaba and past Shizuki formed a bond in the first place. What compelled the previous emo Snow Spirit Shizuki to form a bond in order to protect and help Futaba? What were their motivations? What did they gain when forming a contract? I’m hoping that Book III will answer all those questions.

Overall, enjoyed reading this route! :)

#The Lady Speaks #Ayakashi Romance Reborn #Twilight Faction #Shizuki #ARR #ARR Shizuki

[lady-miya]

@nekonekokatana replied to your post “Paradox Live”

You said it all. I came across them or this type of music group(s) recently. So i am learning bout hypmic and such. I think between BAE and bad boys song was my absolute fave

Firstly, I want to say thank you for replying, because you have been the first person to let me know your thoughts as well! I am totally down to talk about Hypnosis Microphone just shoot me a message if you’re interested :D

I’m also super excited because the album for Paradox Live officially drops tomorrow! (February 12) but thanks to time-zones, it’s already out :3 I’m ready to see their stage battles and how they fare.

#The Lady Speaks Again #nekonekokatana

[lady-miya]

Paradox Live

With all the “Paradox Live Opening Show” songs released on YouTube I wanted to write another post with my updated thoughts. If you would like to read my previous thoughts from before they released the full songs, I’ll add a link here. [x]

Starting off with BAE’s “BaNG!!!”, I think it’s a nice song to introduce people to what パラライ (ParaLive) is. This song introduces us to the characters and what they think of themselves. They make it clear that they see themselves as a group that’s ranked at the top. The song also reveals a little bit of their group dynamic showing with how they split the verses among themselves.

Yeon Hajun starts off strong. It’s awesome that he raps in three different languages. That’s versatile and unique to this group. I love how hyped Allen Sugasano sounds when he’s the one rapping. He builds on what Yeon laid down for the foundation of the song, and it works wonderfully. When Anne Faulkner begins, they take the sound to a different direction, almost as if they’re trying to bring us back down to where we started. The twist is that they do what Yeon and Allen did together: lay a foundation and build it up. This helps the song enter the chorus once again. It almost seems like Anne is their group’s trump card. Their solo part is nice and smooth, and it really works to balance their sound. Overall, their song was great.

Moving forward onto The Cat’s Whiskers’ “MASTER OF MUSIC”, I cannot believe they’re seriously meowing in their song. Unlike, BAE’s song I couldn’t really understand much of their lines and honestly, I did not want to try. I still don’t understand much of their group and its dynamics.

The song begins with some beautiful piano scales and it sounds lovely and jazzy. There’s not much I can say about Naoakira Saimon. He does his part and raps along to it. It doesn’t feel out of place, but at the same time it didn’t feel like it fit into the song. However, when Shiki Ando did his part, the lightness of his voice and the flow merged perfectly and sounded great. I think his part was the strongest in the entire song. He felt reminiscent of Doppo Kannonzaka from Hypnosis Microphone (yet again). Yohei Kanbayashi’s part felt like he was just throwing words in my direction and I didn’t really know what to do with what I was hearing. I was trying to take them in, but I was just sitting there confused. 

I think the same can be said about Ryu Natsume’s part. Personally, I found it hard to listen to his part because of how high his voice was in comparison to everybody else’s. When he sang in a much lower voice, I think it worked better for the song. I think their song needs some tweaks for there to be a better flow. Overall, it’s not favourite, and I’m a little disappointed especially given that I was excited to hear a hip-hop and jazz fusion. I stand by what I said previously, this is the weakest group.

Next is cozmez’s “Where They At”. This is such a good song to bop along to. Like I said in my previous post, this is a song I can hear at a club or the radio and want to dance along to. This song also does a good job at showing the bond between these brothers.

We already knew that Kanata and Nayuta Yatonokami were close to each, but their voices blend well together which implies they spend time together and know what works for each other. Their voices also bounce of each other when it’s their solo part. They work to fill the gaps that the other leaves behind and this creates a full sound. When I say gaps though, I don’t mean gaping holes where there needs to be major work done to fill it, but something more along the lines of passing the baton back and forth between each other and knowing when to work together. I don’t have much else to add because they really did deliver when it came to their music. Overall, I’d say this was a solid release, especially after the letdown from The Cat’s Whiskers. Great work cozmez, great work.

Finally, we get to Akkan Yatsura (悪漢奴等 | AKYR) and their song “BAD BOYZ -悪漢奴等 Underground-”. I think out of all the groups their song was the strongest. I may not understand their dynamic too much, but it’s clear that the five of them consider each other family, and I am here to support that.

They start of with their Caribbean-esque beat which is banging. It jumps straight into their chorus and that energy carries throughout the rest of the song. From Satsuki Ito to Iori Suiseki to Zen Gaho, their energy was super upbeat. The sound changes a little when it’s the back and forth between Reo Maruyama and Hokusai Masaki and that’s probably because of their voices being higher or deeper than the other three members, but it was a fun little shift in the sound. Unlike The Cat’s Whiskers, the shift in sound wasn’t awkward or misplaced. If anything, it added a little more character to their song. Overall, I think out of all the songs, theirs is my favourite. Also, out of all the groups, I find that AKYR has three solid rappers.;

As it stands I think my current ranking for the groups is something like:

AKYR

cozmez

BAE

The Cat’s Whiskers

Now something that I found a little annoying about the first three groups is that their videos on YouTube are all in 480p—AKYR’s is in 1080p. I want to know why that’s the case. AVEX should really fix that. It’s almost 2020, how is the highest setting for those first three groups still 480p?

Anyway, what are your thoughts? 

#The Lady Speaks #Paradox Live #パラライ #BAE #Allen Sugasano #Yeon Hajun #Anne Faulkner #The Cat's Whiskers #Naoakira Saimon #Shiki Ando #Yohei Kanbayashi #Ryu Natsume #cozmez #Kanata Yatonokami #Nayuta Yatonokami #Akkan Yatsura #悪漢奴等 #AKYR #Iori Suiseki #Satsuki Ito #Zen Gaho #Reo Maruyama #Hokusai Masaki #My Dumb Post

[lady-miya]

°˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖° twilight forest 

#Art

[lady-miya]

I was totally on the money. cozmez’s song is a bop. “Where They At” better get some solid recognition.

#The Lady Rambles #Paradox Live #cozmez #Kanata Yatonokami #Nayuta Yatonokami

[lady-miya]

@phosphophylight-of-my-life​ replied to your post “Toichiro’s Book II”

Is book III referring to the romance sonnet or a hypothetical book III?? i thought there's only 2 books per character

I have a feeling that Voltage may be leaving all these loose ends to be tied up in Shizuki's route. It kind of makes sense for both of their routes to be addressing Toichirou's problems, what with how devoted Shizuki is. It just feels like a giant waste of Toichirou's route - it would have been more satisfying if Shizuki's route came first, introduced us to the village's politics like what we have now, and then gave Toichirou a proper ending after.

I was referring to a hypothetical Book III. From my findings, if I’m not mistaken, Dawn Faction has a Book III out for Koga Kitamikado. 

Oh! I never thought of it that way（゜◇゜）If they did that though, wouldn’t Shizuki’s route suffer the same fate as Toichiro’s current route (in terms of romance)? Wouldn’t it be more effective to have some of the village politics in Book I? 

I wonder what Shizuki’s route is going to be like. From the small glimpse of the way Shizuki is around prospective lovers, it really does seem that Shizuki is as Toichiro puts it “a wretched flirt.”

#The Lady Speaks Again #phosphophylight-of-my-life

[lady-miya]

@just-rant-and-write-fic-idea​ replied to your post “@just-rant-and-write-fic-idea replied to your post “Toichiro’s Book...”

I want to romance Tatsuomi and Akiyasu, even though he's such a jerk in Dawn story, his A Favor line is so cute I want to know what happen in his route

Yeah I definitely prefer Aizen be the brother rather than the other guys in Night Faction, but the Japanese Version of this game have Aizen cards, kinda conflicted if Aizen ended up given a romance route, because I want him to be the brother instead of the Night Faction guys or completely new character, since the story will be much more interesting, but I kinda like Aizen too and want a romance route of him 😂😅

Your welcome, I like discussing about things like this!

Tatsuomi’s fashion sense is my biggest reason for me wanting to read his Book II. It’s disastrous and just so plaid! 

I heard that Akiyasu did a no-no in Dawn’s story. I didn’t complete Dawn’s Book I because from the start I wanted to read Toichiro’s and Shizuki’s stories so I was hoarding those story keys. I’ll catch up soon so that I can stay in the loop, but probably after finals. I like Akiyasu’s design, but his monocle . . . not so much. He’s such a strange character. The contrast between his fear for cats and his Onmyoji skills is striking!

That’s fair! I think from what I’ve seen for the Japanese version, Aizen has cards but they’re used to boost Milk Hall. What will Voltage deliver, I wonder. 🤔

Do you have a Dawn Faction character that you recommend I read? 

#The Lady Speaks Again #just-rant-and-write-fic-idea

[lady-miya]

@just-rant-and-write-fic-idea replied to your post “Toichiro’s Book II”

Yeah I also feel that they really rushed to end the story, and I need more romance in Toichiro's book because the romance that we got is so cute I need more! Well, this is just the first character in Book 2 after all, they don't want to reveal much to keep us more interested, I hope they will give us satisfactory answers in future characters story

If Futaba's twin brother ended up being one of the guy that you said, while it's interesting, I also kinda don't want that to happen because I want to romance them and it's kinda gross if they turned out to be the past brother, even though they are not sibling in this life 😅

I definitely agree! The small moments of romance that we get with Toichiro are just so *chef’s kiss* good. I wanted more of that and I felt a little cheated because that’s what I’m here to read and root for. I’m looking forward to reading Shizuki’s next :) 

I totally hear you on that. I do want Tatsuomi to be someone you pursue and not someone you brother-zone. And for sure that is incest-y and gross. I do not want that at all. Same with Akiyasu.

That’s why I’m hoping that if it is someone Futaba knows, then it’s Aizen, since he’s an NPC. He’s got very minimal Onmyoji abilities, but I’m guessing that there’s potential for him to unlock more. And it does seem like he’s kind of protective towards Futaba . . . .

Also thank you for reading my post <3 I really appreciate having someone to talk to about my thoughts, and thank you for sharing yours!

#The Lady Speaks Again #just-rant-and-write-fic-idea

[lady-miya]

Toichiro’s Book II

I finished reading Toichiro’s Book II and here are my thoughts. This post has spoilers so please be wary.

I did enjoy reading it overall.

The biggest issue is near Episode 63 the pacing started to fall apart. It was really fast, almost as if it was trying to resolve the conflict as fast as possible. I think there needed to be more to read. I felt like it ended abruptly, even considering that Futaba reunites with Toichiro in the epilogue.

There also needed to be more—wait for it—romance. This is quite ironic to point out as the otome game title is literally “Akayashi Romance Reborn.” As the reader, I did see Toichiro’s feelings for Futaba slowly blossom. When it came to Futaba, she seemed a little more unsure until the end where she manages to be super vocal about it suddenly. It felt a little weird to read, because I was expecting her to come to terms with her feelings first before she said, “I want to be with you.”

Futaba constantly emphasizes them being comrades so when she confesses to Toichiro it felt a little strange. I’ll admit that it seems like Toichiro knew Futaba’s feelings for him before she realized them herself, but as the reader, I don’t really want to piece that together myself.

Episode 67 essentially ends with Toichiro’s CG:

This, I guess, is where I really had a few misgivings. Due to the fast-paced ending of Book II, the the conflict that was ‘resolved’ felt like it was all rushed and too convenient.

The Senkitai all decided to back out. Hisui on the verge of death was still rescued by Kagemaru even though he clearly does not care for her. Zanzetsu felt like a character that could’ve been explored more. I know very little about him other than the fact that he gets along with Kagemaru.

The Wraiths no longer appear and as a result of this, Futaba and comrades no longer have a partnership with the Onikiri. I understand being in collaboration is no longer beneficial to either party, but it felt like they severed their connection really quickly.

We don’t find out what happens to Shuichiro after his partnership with the Senkitai. What was his punishment, what consequences will he have to face?

The psychic mentions that Futaba’s twin brother has also been reincarnated into this current era, she even goes as far as to allude that it someone she might already know or someone she will meet. There’s all this build and then there’s nothing done with it. He does not get introduced officially. I do think they try to hint at the character later on being someone we might know, and I suspect it might be Tatsuomi Oyama, I also suspect Kyonosuke Aizen a little bit, but it better not end up being Akiyasu Kurahashi. If they throw me a curveball and tell me it is someone I have not met, I will be upset.

All that aside, I still have not addressed the biggest thing that made me go, “Are you the joking me?” What’s that you may ask? Toichiro still does not get his ninth tail back permanently. We see it return in Episode 66 and then in the Epilogue Toichiro says it went MIA and is sealed again. Not to mention that Keijiro, Toichiro’s uncle, is possibly not dead and actually in the Capital ready to wreak havoc.

With all these elements that were left not fully concluded, I want to know what direction Book III would take, how it’s going to implement the romance aspect and properly close certain chapters in the storyline. Book II felt like dipping our toes into the water, but not getting the opportunity to swim. I hope that Book III will be a step up.

Wanting to read more of a book is not necessarily a bad thing, but I don’t think that Voltage did Book II the justice it deserves.

I’ve got other thoughts, but I’ll end the post here for now.

#The Lady Speaks #Ayakashi Romance Reborn #Twilight Faction #Toichiro Yuri #ARR #ARR Toichiro

[lady-miya]

Paradox Live

I was wondering if I should even post my thoughts on what has been released so far on this project called Paradox Live. I think it would be nice to get the conversation started since I haven’t seen anyone talk about it all that much yet.

That aside, I want to introduce what Paradox Live is: a hip-hop project collaboration by AVEX and G CREST that releases February 12, 2020.

Similar to Hypnosis Microphone, it is a 2.5D music project. The characters have their real names and they also have their MC names. This is set somewhere in the near future, where the all-male music groups have to fight for the top spot after being invited to a mysterious music festival called “Paradox Live”. I don’t know much else.

Introducing the poster boys of this project: BAE

From the very small snippet that I heard of this group together, I feel like their sound is equivalent to grabbing a bunch of hip-hop K-pop singers and forming a group with them. (The irony is that one member is actually Korean.)

“Everybody let it BANG!” is delivered with such force and intensity, but that just reminded me of how intense some K-pop songs are. I mean, the same can be said about the line “B-A-E gonna blow your brain.” I’m definitely looking forward to hearing the full track.

Moving forward to their character designs, I think for their sound, their character designs are really fitting. They’re cohesive when put together as a group, but also when they’re stand-alone characters.

A complete side-note: I guess what brings them together is that they’re all “foreign” in some way. 

Moving on to the next group: The Cat’s Whiskers

Where do I begin? Their group name is great. Their sound is clearly going to be a hip-hop / jazz fusion. Their name is definitely an ode to old school slang and also a sly way of saying they’re the best.

Their snippet though, if I’m hearing correctly, “Meow, meow, meow, mix the music”? I have no idea what to think of this. Do I take them seriously? Are they really going to participate in Paradox Live seriously? Did they meow at me?

When it comes to character design, I find that they’re the weakest, and strangest.

For example, Ryu’s design is just . . . too much. I don’t know what to focus on. Do I focus on his tongue piercing, his hairstyle, his strange choker, the tattoos, the paw print attached to his bulky overalls, the outfit itself, the cool bracelets he’s got, or the over-sized blazer that has puzzle pieces on the inside? There’s so much going on, the eye has too much to look at. The general rule to follow for anything that’s supposed to be eye-catching is having it either occupy a certain area or follow the ‘S-pattern’ but Ryu’s design goes against everything.

Then you’ve got Shiki’s design who’s also sporting an over-sized blazer, but he looks like a recycled, younger version of Doppo Kannonzaka. (I’m sorry, Shiki, but unless you can prove me wrong . . .)

Together, their character designs all clash. I’m guessing they’re supposed to be an unlikely group that formed for some ulterior gain. Even so, their designs are not entirely my favourite, as it seems totally far-removed from their music. That being said though, I am intrigued to hear their track.

The next group is: cozmez

Their sound is super hyped. I can picture their tracks being played at clubs, small party events or even the radio. It’s got such a solid beat that’s easy to bop along to. I would venture to say their sound is close to regular hip-hop—the kind we hear on the radio—and honestly that’s probably a strong point for them since you can’t go wrong with doing something that works.

When it comes to their character design, I think they’re the strongest. They play up on the fact they’re twins perfectly. Each character is their own person, and at the same time their design completes the other half. I also love the little snake earrings that they both have.

I am definitely ranking them as my number one at this moment.

Finally: Akkan Yatsura (悪漢奴等 | AKYR)

Similar to cozmez, I love their sound. It’s got some snazzy Caribbean undertones and I’m here for it. The lyrics “we’re just bad boys” and “number, number, number one. . .” have me rooting for them because I know they’re saying they’re bad, but I have mighty big doubts about how bad they really are.

Looking at their character designs, they’re the least threatening. Like The Cat’s Whiskers, their designs aren’t cohesive as a group, but they still somehow work to complement each other. If anything, Ryu would probably fit perfectly into this team than the one that he’s actually in.

On another side-note:

Iori’s design makes me think of Oda Nobunaga because of the stance and the vivid red . . .  whatever he’s wearing. It would’ve been funny to see the AKYR’s MC names as different warlords that were a part of / associated with the Oda clan. 

Anyways, those are my thoughts so far. Let me know what you think ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

Here’s a link to the video [x] and a link to the twitter [x] in case you also want to follow the happenings of this project!

#The Lady Speaks #Paradox Live #BAE #The Cat's Whiskers #cozmez #Akkan Yatsura #悪漢奴等 #Hypnosis Microphone #Ryu Natsume #Shiki Ando #Iori Suiseki

[lady-miya]

#Sky