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#both more serious concepts with darker vibes but the styling is completely different
liinos · 4 years
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Hhhh idk if this makes sense but I feel like skz always have almost the same styling? Like vibe wise😭😭😭 like it's always we're tough life hardened bad boys who wear Cool™️ fits and chains bc we're ~edgy~ and I'm not saying it's bad cuz like obviously every cb I say Minho looks good as hell and that the styling has sexy moments but like I'm saying I'm kinda bored 😭? If that makes sense? Idk like I'm just thinking about svt in comparison and svt have done like a full range of different styles and vibes even if some of their concepts have been similar and is this just a roundabout way of saying I want a skz summery vibe comeback? It might be
#but like even if its not summery... conceptually all of their styling is basically the same#like iay and levanter had slight variation but it was still very much the edgy concept and idk im just BORED#except seungmin they refuse to actually dress him edgy which is so msjdkd but like if they put him in shorts again i swear to god...#like id say its akin to 127 styling but theyve even branched out from that by now#lichrally just want like you make my day styling with skiz like 😭😭😭😭😭🤲🤲🤲🤲🤲#they dont even have to do a cute concepttttttttt just something Fun for once#get cool was so refreshing bring her BACK!#also i know people love skiz bc of their lyrics and how deep they are but i would not mind a cute happy song😭😭😭 and i *like* darker music#but not all the time christ like i just want something cheery😭 a cutesy love song i dont CARE just something that isnt heavy and intense#again i like those songs i am probably one of the few people that genuinely thinks side effects is good (-the very last part but)#but i am. bored. tired. i want to see more. live a little branch out give me a VOCAL SONG😭#you know what id even take a ballad? like literally anything else would be okay with me at this point 😭😭 and new styling please 😭#but yeah like compare svts fresh or cute eras to each other and theyre distinct stylistically or like idk ymmd2 and an ode?#both more serious concepts with darker vibes but the styling is completely different#so it can be done jyp just... wont do it
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fy-enhypen · 3 years
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“I want to put on a performance that shows what kind of team we are” - Sunghoon
On his lunch break during the photoshoot, SUNGHOON carefully considered his choice between bulgogi fried rice and kimchi fried rice, thinking back on what he had eaten for breakfast. He’s the same person who left his longtime friend, figure skating, to pursue his life as an idol. And now, SUNGHOON is serious. Can you remember the moment you were a confirmed member of ENHYPEN?
SUNGHOON: They called my name sixth, and I was so nervous. It would’ve been devastating if I couldn’t debut after everything I went through for three whole months. So when they called my name I was happy, but also really relieved at the same time.
And now you’ve debuted.
SUNGHOON: Before, it hadn’t really sunk in, but now I can really feel it. It’s fascinating to be on TV programs I used to watch at home. I’ve been busy but it’s a lot of fun, too. There are so many things I’ve never done before so I get worried or nervous at first, but when I get started I get used to it and then it gets fun.
On I-LAND you talked about your younger sister. Is she still watching you now that you’ve debuted?
SUNGHOON: My sister… Well, she isn’t particularly interested in what I do. (laughs) But once in a while she’d share what she saw on TV or what the current issues are. We don’t usually talk a lot.
You seemed like you were very close with her, though.
SUNGHOON: We are close, but we also fought a lot. (laughs) Not so much fight, but squabble. When I was little, I spent more time playing with my sister than with kids my age. Even though I’m five years older than her, I feel less like her big brother and more like her friend.
You cried a lot when you read the letter your mother wrote to you on I-LAND.
SUNGHOON: I never really spent time apart from my parents, and I was so busy and stressed out with all the tests we had to take that I really teared up. My family always supported me, right since I started figure skating. Most of what my family did, they did for me, so I feel indebted to them… and very, very thankful, too. Now that we’re living apart, I hope my parents can do all the things they never had time to while they were busy taking care of me.
SUNGHOON: That’s probably because I’m doing what I always wanted to do. The other members also had an effect on me. We don’t agree on everything and we have disagreements here and there, but we work through them and now we’ve developed a kind of camaraderie. It’s fun being with them.
You look like you’re relaxed and having a good time when you broadcast on V LIVE with 02s. What’s it like when the three of you are together in real life?
SUNGHOON: The whole group is like a family, but the three of us have the same interests so we tend to talk about that a lot. We even cooked together a little while ago. JAY took the lead and made buchimgae, which turned out a bit salty (laughs) but they still tasted all right.
You and JAY have completely different personalities, how did you become close friends?
SUNGHOON: I can’t really open up to other people immediately because I’m pretty shy, but JAY opened up to me first and we became close. I think I feel comfortable being with a friend like JAY—someone carefree, and unpretentious. (laughs)
In “Given-Taken” and “Let Me In,” you and JAY sang the same lyrics but in different parts and with different feels.
SUNGHOON: We did a unit performance together at the beginning of I-LAND, and you can really see that our minds run on the same frequencies when we dance together, too. JAY and I give off a totally different vibe, but I think that balance actually has its own unique charm.
Your acting improved a lot compared to when you were on I-LAND.
SUNGHOON: I practiced in front of the mirror a lot, and thought a lot about the feeling and nuances of the lyrics. The lyrics, “On that crown / That blood / Dripping down,” in “Given-Taken,” felt very intense to me, so I tried to make a sexy expression, and tried to make my face look more intense during the chorus.
You definitely came off as intense in the “Given-Taken” chorus.
SUNGHOON: That’s the part where the song slows down, so we really had to emphasize our facial expressions. I paid a lot of attention to the look in my eyes for the part where we all gather around and changes to slow motion. I start by looking straight in front of me, then slowly turn my head. I made that stand out, too.
What about the performance for “10 Months”? You had a hard time pulling off a cute look. (laughs).
SUNGHOON: (laughs) I got better by performing “Chamber 5.” Still, I prefer darker songs like “Given-Taken,” although I got used to songs like “10 Months” with playful concepts. I think I make better facial expressions when I think about the lyrics of that song, too.
What were you thinking of while trying to express the lyrics for “10 Months”?
SUNGHOON: I pictured someone who is going through puberty early but doesn’t know it, and they’re telling how they feel to the person they like. I didn’t know it when I was going through puberty either, I think. I never felt puberty was very hard for me, but I’m not sure how my parents or anyone else I know felt. I definitely hit that phaze I think I just went through it without ever realizing.
All your experience as a figure skater must have been a lot of help for your performances and facial expressions.
SUNGHOON: I wasn’t really good at facial expressions when I figure skated, but I remember feeling the melody and I did a lot of sentimental acting, which I think helped. That still wasn’t enough, though, so I ended up studying a lot and practiced alone taking selfies. And because I figure skated for so long, I’ve become pretty athletic, so even though I haven’t learned much, say, acrobatics, I could do it right away. People say I have a clean dancing style and that I don’t have any bad habits, and that there’s a soft, pretty tone to my dancing. (laughs) And people usually practice their dance moves in front of the mirror and get used to that, but when I was figure skating I never really did that. I think not having to rely on the mirror makes my performances on stage and on camera look just as good as when I practice.
How did you first start figure skating?
SUNGHOON: My parents first said I should try to do something active, so I started to play ice hockey. Then I saw Yuna Kim and started figure skating. At first it was for fun, and then I started competing. I really liked the sense of accomplishment from getting good scores and winning medals, so I practiced a lot. I went through a bit of a slump at one point but I never wanted to quit. I really wanted to be good at figure skating so I kept at it for a long time and didn’t give up.
How were you able to be an idol in training while continuing as a figure skater at the same time?
SUNGHOON: I was getting a lot of calls from Big Hit at the time. My parents suggested it couldn’t hurt to try out once, and that the dancing and expressions you learn while training to be an idol could also be helpful for my figure skating, so I decided to do both at the same time. The more I got into it, the more fun it was to spend time with my trainee friends, and watching other artists do amazing performances on stage made me really want to do that too and I became more and more interested in being an idol.
Wasn’t it hard to give up your figure skating career?
SUNGHOON: I did have a hard time giving it up, because I’d been doing it for so long. That’s why I kept figure skating the first two years I was training to be an idol. Then I was officially selected to go on I-LAND, and that’s when I decided to focus solely on the show.
They both require a lot of practice.
SUNGHOON: When the other trainees went off to school, I went to train for figure skating. I figure skated in the morning and trained to be an idol after that. My parents really took care of me—giving me rides to practice, picking me up after. They were so helpful in so many different ways and made it much easier for me to practice.
Practice must be particularly meaningful to you. During your debut show, when you were asked if you ever felt the other members were too slow during practice, your dog ears twitched. (laughs)
SUNGHOON: Ah. (laughs) I got a bit frustrated when the others couldn’t concentrate. I tend to lose confidence when I haven’t practiced enough. I don’t naturally ooze confidence, so I wanted to make up for that with a lot of practice.
I heard that you give yourself praise to boost your self-confidence. Does that work?
SUNGHOON: It does work, but if I overdo it, it can make me look like a show-off. (laughs) But I think saying something really makes it come true. I used to be pretty self-deprecating until people around me said I should speak more confidently to myself. That’s how I started to gear up mentally. If I tell myself, “I’m handsome; there’s nothing I can’t do; I can do anything,” it gives me a little more confidence.
How do you feel, transitioning from working alone as a figure skater, to doing everything as a team?
SUNGHOON: I like being in a team better, since we can rely on each other. To be honest, I never really used to think much about the team and just focused on myself, but at some point I started to put the team first. We haven’t been together very long, but we already feel like brothers, like family.
I imagine it wasn’t easy at first—seven people from different backgrounds all living together.
SUNGHOON: Disagreements bound to happen because different people spend every waking moment together. But we started to have more and more meetings and made it a habit to solve problems by following our leader’s initiative, to look at things objectively and talk about everything.
JUNGWON said, “I can feel SUNGHOON subtly helping me out.”
SUNGHOON: I’m in the older half of our group, and I know it’s hard for the leader to do everything by himself, so I try to help out from the sidelines. For example, if the rest of the members aren’t paying attention to what the leader’s saying, I try to make them get together and focus, or give him my thoughts on any problems or issues that come up. I think JUNGWON is doing a good job as the leader..
You were chosen as the member most likely to take a fall for the sake of the team’s success.
SUNGHOON: The past me probably never would’ve done that, but, I think I’ve changedThey might be right. I mean, I became a more active person because of figure skating, but I changed even more after I became a trainee compared to back then. There’s way more people my age here than there were in figure skating. I think that’s why I was able to become more social, spending time with friends without feeling awkward. I’m definitely braver now—more talkative, more outgoing.
How else do you hope to change, in the future?
SUNGHOON: I wanted to become an idol, watching BTS’s performances. Now I want to put on amazing performances just like them and develop a kind of aura. I ran into Jung Kook in the company lounge once, and he was so friendly when I said hello to him, and I was so happy when he cheered me on. (laughs)
You’ve had a successful debut, but it’s a shame about COVID-19.
SUNGHOON: I would really like to put on a fun show in front of the fans, but we’re only doing pre-recorded shows, unfortunately. Also, I’m worried that when things do get better and we finally put on a live show, I might get too nervous and can’t perform as well. But anyway, for now, just performing on stage is fun, and I made it my goal to continue to grow until the day we meet our fans. Even in these tough times, I want to show people all around the world what kind of team we are through our performances.
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dcarevu · 5 years
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DCAU #11: Two-Face (Part 1)
“All men have something to hide. The brighter the picture, the darker the negative.”
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We’ve made it, guys! We’ve made it past the developmental/establishment stage of Batman the Animated Series for the most part, and from here on out, the show elevates to a whole other level. Like virtually all tv shows, there will still be ups and downs, and a few bumps on the road, but it is pretty well known that not only does Two-Face mark the true start of the masterpiece that is this series, but is also one of the absolute greatest episodes.
Villain: Rupert Thorne Robin: No Writers: Randy Rogel (teleplay), Alan Burnett (story) Director: Kevin Altieri Animator: TMS Airdate: September 25, 1992 Episode Grade: A
Oh man, so what do I say about this one that hasn’t been said already? Probably not a whole lot. While not a lot of people set themselves up to look at, analyze, and write about every episode of the DCAU, doing just Batman is more common. And granted, I don’t allow myself to read any reviews of any episodes until after my posts on them are written, I am still for the most part aware of what people’s opinions are with some of these high-profile episodes. So I think the best thing to do is continue just like I intended. Not caring about necessarily writing something that people haven’t heard before, but instead just writing whatever is on my mind for reactions, and also expressing Char’s thoughts as someone who has never seen the series before. After all, most reviews of this show come from people who have seen it prior!
This is Alan Burnett’s first episode of the series, and once he and Dini were both activated, oh man. It is clear that they saw eye-to-eye with Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski, and it was a collection of the right people joining forces at just the right time. Both Dini and Burnett had worked on some pretty basic Saturday Morning Cartoons prior (along with some higher quality stuff), and writing for those types of shows must have felt like interning and doing nothing but pouring coffee for those that hold the job you truly want. They could use their creativity, sure, but knowing their visions for this show, it is apparent how stifled they must have been. Which is fine, they were still doing what they loved for a living, and getting very necessary experience. Maybe without these formative years and working on these cheesy cartoons from the 80’s, they wouldn’t have had the jobs to come up with the beautiful stories that they did. Creativity and writing is something that can get worse without practice and training, and sometimes that training truly does need to work much like it did in The Karate Kid, not being apparent until after it is completed. But while I’m not a fan of everything that Alan Burnett contributed to the DCAU, there is no denying what a valuable member to the team he was. Welcome aboard, Alan. But now let’s talk about the episode itself.
Two of the things mentioned in the series bible are as follows: the villains were to much of the time be human and have motivations, and the show was to be a noir crime drama, sometimes focusing more on everyday mobsters than colorful super villains, and not necessarily being a “monster of the week” type of show. And while Harvey Dent/Two-Face is very much a monster when it comes to appearance, this episode falls right in line with these rules. I had to think a little bit when I wrote who the villain would be for this episode, because yeah, Two-Face is a well known member of Batman’s rogues gallery, but Rupert Thorne is the real monster here. And goodness, what a cool villain he is. His voice actor, his lines, even his motivation, while not as sympathetic as Harvey’s, makes a lot of sense! He’s a mobster trying to do mobster things, and Harvey Dent is a real problem for him. But you also totally wanna see the creep get creamed by Harvey, because damn, you feel Harvey Dent’s pain tenfold. Leave the guy alone, he’s going through enough!
And throughout the episode, things just go further and further downhill for Harvey Dent, exponentially. He lashes out in public. Okay, that’s bad and gets a lot of press. But it’s nothing he can’t recover from. Then we find out it’s a recurring thing that he’s seeking professional help for, and just now getting worse. Then Rupert Thorne gets involved and severely threatens Harvey’s career as a politician. Then we have that god damn explosion, and at that point, you just know that there is no recovery, particularly as he flees the hospital, abandoning any hope for treatment. You feel the pain at the pit of your stomach as you watch, and let me tell you, even though I have seen this episode before (albeit only once), my heart was beating during certain scenes, particularly when he is talking with his psychiatrist and when he is at the “meeting” with Rupert Thorne and his goons. A couple times I heard Char gasp, and when that explosion happened, she had her mouth covered for a good while, hardly able to believe that Harvey Dent, one of Bruce Wayne’s best friends, a surprisingly clean-cut, honest politician, and someone we have seen a couple times now, is the villainous Two-Face that she has heard about before.
It’s not even just his character. It’s the fact that the episodes of this show so far have been good, but not this level. This is a serious, adult episode that I think would actually be pretty intense for children. I made a joke to Char when we were discussing the episode, and I said, “But it’s just a little kid’s cartoon!” and she responded with, “No it is not.” We deal with politics in a way that’s actually engaging. We deal with the struggle of a severe mental disorder and childhood trauma. Gosh jesus, the way this episode handles the mental disorder! Char and I both applauded it. Bruce Wayne telling Harvey how proud he is that he’s seeking mental help just warms your heart, and looking back after watching the episode (along with part 2, which has been watched, but we’ll discuss that next time), it almost brings a tear to your eye. Especially since all that could have been done was done. Harvey was getting help. His finance, who is a great character by the way, gave him all the love and support she could have. Bruce Wayne encouraged him to get better and even stepped in as Batman to try to save his friend. But sometimes with life, you can do everything right and it’s never enough. That is what makes this story a genius tragedy. Much better than what they were originally planning with the character, where they would have had him get acid thrown in his face like his traditional origin, and then develop the episodes. Him struggling with these mental problems for longer than his scars have existed feels so much more real, and adds to what makes this character so complex.
Then we have the style and animation, and it does nothing but enhance everything. Director Kevin Altieri outdid himself here. Some of the shots, including one of the most iconic images ever of his other face being revealed for a second when the lightning strikes, are simply beautiful. There were a lot of other little things like the rain on the window at night, which Char specifically noted. There was a specific close-up shot as well when Harvey was bandaged in the hospital that was extra stylized, but it standing out and being different than the other animation worked in its favor. It fit the mood so well. A different animation studio would do Part 2, which is a bit of a shame, as it didn’t end up looking nearly as good as this one, but I’m glad they blew their load on this one at the same time and made the visuals match the episode concept so well. Animation similar to some of the first episodes of the series would have killed the vibes which they were going for. It was a mini horror movie, lacking any amount of camp (something that Nothing to Fear didn’t do nearly as well). Also, TMS is very well known for being a studio of amazing quality and detail.
Something cool that Char noticed was that Grace, Dent’s fiancé, didn't touch him when it came to calming him down and forcing “Big Bad Harv” away, and it’s evident at another section of the episode that touching him in this state tends to set him off a lot more. This is a cool subtlety, and it shows that Grace is very in tune and familia with Harvey, and is definitely the closest thing to a safe-haven that he has. When he is with Grace, it gives you hope, when he is with almost anyone else, well, Char put it best, you could cut the tension with a knife. I think this is what leaves your heart beating throughout the episode, and what makes it so suspenseful. That tension. But while watching, you hope that the pressure is relieved. Instead, it ends with quite literally an explosion. We’ll see how things resolve next time.
Char’s grade: A Major firsts: Rupert Thorne, Two-Face, a two-part episode
Next time: Two-Face (Part 2)
Full episode list here!
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sunriseinorbit · 6 years
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How the Haikyuu!! Soundtrack Reflects Tsukishima Kei’s Character Development
Disclaimer! I’m only talking about the anime because that’s what has music and I’m not caught up with the manga anyway. 
Haikyuu!! is really good and you know what else is really good? Its soundtrack, composed by Asami Tachibana and anime soundtrack god Yuki Hayashi (you may know him as the man behind the iconic soundtrack to Boku no Hero Academia as well as Death Parade and Kiznaiver among others).
And you know what else is really good? Its character development, specifically this guy’s:
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(Am I biased? Hell yeah I am, do you know how big my crush on him was freshman year? But I digress.)
One thing I love about this series is how it brings characters in as antagonists and makes them super relatable and then, in many cases, sees them become protagonists in their own right, if not protagonists in the eyes of the narrative. Tsukishima is no exception. He’s the second character to do it after Kageyama, and the two of them are by and large some of the most developed characters the series has to offer, along with Hinata, Yamaguchi, and Oikawa.
But we’re talking about Tsukishima, and specifically, we’re talking about how the soundtrack highlights his character development through three specific tracks. (If you want to see me talk about his character development specifically, I wrote a meta on that last year!) And this is going to be a long one, so I’ll put the rest under a read more.
The first, Kageyama vs. Tsukishima from Season 1′s OST, is the odd one out of the bunch, but it does have his name in it, so I thought it was worth looking at.
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 At this point in the series, we view Tsukishima as an antagonist, an obstacle Hinata and Kageyama have to overcome in order to gain their spots on Karasuno. And the song reflects that, with an ominous electronic bassline serving as an ostinato (a short melodic or rhythmic phrase that repeats in the background throughout a piece of music - one of the most infamous examples in classical music is Ravel’s Bolero).
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This bassline also stays on the same 2 E’s the whole time, making for dissonance when the actual bassline ascends chromatically. This builds tension, especially when the bassline hits an F at 0:25 and an F# at 0:31 that never really resolves at the end of the song, even when the melody ends at 1:01. This ascension is also very slow, making for an even more ominous tone.
Speaking of the melody, one of the other interesting things about this track is how it weaves in a chord progression between the melody (which comes in at 0:21) and the bassline. This chord progression isn’t present at the very beginning, but as it slowly creeps in, there are a lot of seventh, ninth, and eleventh chords that never really resolve to major or minor (though the whole song does have a minor tone, it’s still kind of ambiguous). 
The combination of electronic instrumentation and the lack of resolution, along with a fairly simple melody on top of it all. give an impression to the audience that at this point, Tsukishima is cool and collected but also someone you don’t want to mess with because you don’t know who he is yet.
Onward! Now the real fun begins!
Season 2, particularly the training camp arc in its first half, is a time of growth and change. The main conflict during this arc comes from characters who want to change going up against characters who want to stay how they are (e.g. Kageyama and Hinata’s fight) or characters getting in the way of each other in the process of changing (e.g. Hinata stealing the ball from Asahi)
And notably, this arc contains the catalyst for Tsukishima’s character development that’s continued steadily throughout the anime at this point. After all, we all remember episode 8, don’t we?
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No, not that. Okay, kind of that but mostly this:
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Episode eight is when Tsukishima actually starts putting effort into volleyball and into his own personal development, and his main song on the OST this season, Moonrise, reflects that perfectly:
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There are three parts to what makes this song special, and the first one is much more easier to understand than the other two:
This song starts with an ostinato, a simple drum beat (that sounds like a heartbeat, make of that what you will), and a simple (well, mostly) four-bar chord progression, all synthesized. 
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The rest of the song consists of adding things to that, like more concrete piano chords, guitar, and a solid percussion line. Taking separate elements and putting them together, specifically elements from other teams’ playing styles, is what Karasuno focuses on during this arc and this season. Noya tries to do the libero set that Watari does, Asahi tries to do Ubugawa’s jump serves, all of Karasuno tries Shinzen’s synchronized attack, and Tsukishima (along with Hinata) learns about blocking from Kuroo (and a little bit Bokuto). The song reflecting that adds a nice touch. 
(This next point is where I get big on the music theory, so I’ll link a video about it a little bit farther down if you’re confused)
This song is, not unlike Tsukishima himself, calculated. It sounds smart, almost crafty, but it also has a bright quality to it. Why’s that? It’s time for everyone’s favorite music theory concept, modes!
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These are the seven big modes (here’s a video about them) but we’ll mostly be focusing on these two:
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Aeolian mode is your typical minor scale, but this song isn’t in C minor, it’s in C dorian, which makes all the difference: The raised 6 in dorian mode as opposed to aeolian mode.
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So here’s the beginning of the song I transcribed earlier, except this time the raised 6ths (the A naturals) are all in red:
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This use of A natural instead of A flat makes the piece brighter because we’re borrowing from a key that’s a step clockwise on the circle of fifths and thus a brighter-sounding mode. (There’s one video about this concept here and another one here about Persona 5 that also has a bit about Dorian mode! 8 Bit Music Theory is just really good y’all)
And is character development bright? Heck yeah.
The raised sixth also makes the 4-3 suspension in bars 7 and 8 go to F major instead of F minor, which makes that resolution more happy and hopeful:
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The third thing about this song that makes it really interesting and fit Tsukishima’s character during this arc is its floaty feeling. It’s echo-y and synthesized and it sounds curious. Well, there’s two reasons for that: 
The first is the tempo and meter, a slow-ish three that is clearly felt in one rather than three beats but isn’t a Strauss waltz or anything like that. The beats aren’t clearly defined, so it feels more floaty. 
The second is the prevalence of 7th, 9th, and 11th chords that have ambiguous tonality - that is to say, they have elements of major and minor. (Think something from Zelda BoTW) Practically every chord in this song isn’t just a major or minor triad, which adds to its curiosity. For example, here’s a C minor 7 chord that’s used a lot in this song:
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But hidden within this chord are both a C minor triad and an E flat major triad, the relative major (C minor is in orange, E flat major is in green)
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That contributes to the ambiguity of the song and the feeling of uncertainty.
So now that we know Moonrise stupidly well, where do we go from here? Season 3, of course!
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Most iconic anime moments of 2016 am I right?
Tsukishima’s main theme in the Season 3 soundtrack is The Halo Around the Moon (There’s also The Daytime Moon, but I’m not going to be talking about that in this meta because it doesn’t really fit in besides giving a more general heroic vibe)
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You may notice right off the bat that this song has a lot in common with Moonrise, because it does. There are also a lot of differences, but I’ll talk about those later on.
First off, there’s an ostinato similar to the one used in Moonrise, and here they are back to back:
This first one is Moonrise:
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And this second one is Halo Around the Moon:
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Notice something interesting? I did, and I’ll put it in blue:
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Yes, despite these two tracks being in different keys (C minor and G minor respectively), the beginnings of the ostinatos are exactly the same. That’s the first indication that Halo Around the Moon is a reprise of sorts of Moonrise. 
And here’s something funny: The Dorian-mode raised sixth I was talking about earlier? Guess where C minor borrowed that from? That’s right, G minor!
Another key similarity is at 0:18 in the song. Recognize that chord progression? You should, it’s the same one that’s used in most of Moonrise, complete with 4-3 suspensions into C major thanks to, you guessed it, a raised sixth.
The third important similarity is, of course, the prevalence of seventh chords, which again contribute to a sense of ambiguity.
There are more similarities between the two songs than that, but this post is long enough already, so let’s get to the differences:
There’s one rhythmic difference between the two that contributes a lot to the tone Halo has compared to Moonrise. I mentioned earlier that Moonrise is floaty, in a slow three without emphasized beats other than the downbeat. In contrast, Halo is in a solid four with clear beats even before the drums come in. One of the biggest reasons this works is the syncopation (putting emphasis on offbeats, something that happens a lot in jazz music, which this song is sort of emulating). You can see it with the ties in the ostinato, with the chords in the piano and guitar, and in the bassline.
The other reason this song sounds a lot more serious and solid is the fact that it isn’t restricted to dorian mode like Moonrise is. You’ll never see an A flat anywhere in Moonrise, but in Halo, an E flat seventh chord is the first sound you hear. Since aeolian mode (typical G minor, with E flats), is a shade darker than dorian mode (raised sixths, in this case E naturals), this makes Halo a lot more serious. Even so, Halo does switch back and forth between dorian and aeolian mode, which makes it retain a little bit of the wonder that Moonrise had. 
So what does that mean in context of the scene it appears in? It reflects that Tsukishima is more confident in himself and his abilities, which is one of the biggest points that scene tries to make. The mode switching also shows that he’s still unpredictable (one of the main points Kageyama vs Tsukishima tried to make, too!) and has somewhere to go (which he does - during this whole match, he becomes Karasuno’s chief strategist and even pulls a Hinata face when going in for a hit at one point). But most importantly, this song is triumphant, with the electric guitar chords at the beginning and the ending that builds tension and excitement the whole way through. 
Tl;dr: Tsukishima’s themes, even without their obvious titles, are clearly connected to him through their use of ostinatos, ambiguous chords, and dorian mode to make everything seem a little brighter, and the subtle and not so subtle changes between them show how he’s changed right along with the anime itself.
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tasprocess · 5 years
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Ex 3: Wordflow Process
Challenges:
While completing this exercise I wanted to challenge myself to design outside of my comfort zone. As Health Mart is a pharmacy that values their customers I wanted to convey a more friendlier and approachable tone for this project. I gave myself three challenges to incorporate into this project.
Brighter colours:
The overall tone of the audio clip is approachable and friendly. To convey this theme better I used brighter colours. Normally I gravitate towards darker colours or black and whites. Choosing a colour scheme that was both friendly and inviting was a challenge as I often found myself gravitating towards colour schemes I was familiar with. I decided to go back to my PinBoards on Pinterest to gain some inspiration. I settled upon using blue tones as these tones can be calming and inviting when used correctly. When sourcing for images to use I also tried to find images that had brighter and approachable colours to convey Health Marts theme.
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Source: Pinterest
Images:
I really wanted to treat this project as client work. Since I was treating this as client work I challenged myself to treat the visuals as if they were also provided. I used a minimum of three vector based images to see how far I could take limited image resources and how I could create a narrative with them. The images I ended up using were from Freepik (creative licensing).
I decided to use flat vectors as they are the most versatile type of illustration when visually representing a theme. I also used flat vectors because I did not want the images to over power the audio or text. The goal for the images was that they would be there to compliment the theme and audio for the project rather than narrate the entire audio. After sourcing the images I referenced my storyboard again to see where they would fit in with my narrative. After figuring out image placement I created a new storyboard that incorporated the images.
I also sourced images because I wanted to experience working with limited resources that I don’t have much control over. These vectors were already created and didn’t give me entire freedom to morph them the way I wanted. This in itself proved to be a fun challenge.  
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Source: FreePik
Branding:
Branding is one of my weakest design strengths. I wasn’t too sure how to re-brand the Health Mart logo without create logo sketches when home making the logo look weird. I decided that it would be best to change the colours of the logo. Overall, the brandings colour palette was a monochromatic and used different hues of blue. A blue-white was used for the circle logo and text while the dark blue was used for the rest of the logo. The blue-white makes the brand seem friendly, and approachable while the dark blue gives off a serious vibe. These two colours are also often used throughout medical diagrams.
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Pictured: The final two concepts I had for the logo re-colouring
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Pictured: Different logo styles I tried to sketch out.
Outcomes / Things I’ve learned:
Through this exercise I’ve learned that I really enjoy motion graphics and type in motion. Even though hearing that Health Mart ad a million times over become a new torture weapon I still enjoyed this project. I also learned that I need to get into the habit of applying the “easy ease” feature on keyframes right away or I’ll end up shooting myself in my head the next time I find out I have 20+ keyframes with no easy ease applied to them. I was also shocked myself with how quickly I’m able to learn AE.
I was also able to learn about timing and syncing. Syncing the text to the audio clip was really difficult so I am dreading Project 2 but I am just as excited. I learned that markers really help when having to pinpoint words or objects.
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