(POLL) Yuki Kajiura tracks with MAKEOVERS (or multiple versions) (as of 2024)

Having a really busy week right now but here’s some quick thoughts.

Secret Game/Himitsu

Love the chorus work at the end of the original, and all of the crescendos, but the English is admittedly rough.

Aya Hisakawa’s one of my favorite VAs (ALL HAIL CHLOE) and I do like her rendition a lot, but . . .

Yuriko’s is magical. I have such fond memories of the first time I listened to it; the song completely caught me off guard and it was a beautiful feeling. It was the track that fully sold me on Yuriko’s voice and I will always appreciate it for that reason.

+1 FJ

Beginning

This song bores me to tears. I like Kaori’s work on the FJ version but everything else is just kind of eh.

I liked Saeko’s version slightly more I suppose (I find it more consistent with the vocals) but the song’s still not really for me.

+1 Saeko

Symphonia

The mixing sounded better to my ears in the full version. It works very well as an album closer as well, though the TV one’s not bad.

+1 Full Size


grunty said:
Hmmm. I don't think I've rewatched the show in some 20 years (whenever it was coming out on DVD outside of Japan) but everyone I know always says it's a great portrayal of the early MMO days (lots of chatting, lots of waiting, people popping in and out). So guess it is of its time & could be nostalgic for then-MMO-players. :)
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Oh, I’m sure it’s a lot more engaging to actual MMO players lol. My issue is that I not only found the plot boring, but I had the brilliant idea to watch it all over the span of three days, making me feel like I was losing my mind by the eight-hundredth time they said “We need to find the key of the twilight” or cut to the same panning shot for a five-minute conversation.

So that’s mostly on me, though I probably would have ended up dropping it if I took it at a slower pace. It certainly gave me something to riff on for a few days, so it wasn’t all bad haha.
 
secret game: secret game +1 and FJ +1. I don't care for the voice in the Noir album. at all. The sounds Kajiura played with in secret game are just so creative and Yuri's voice is so haunting. FJ is good but if I had to pick I'd give it to Yuri and Kajiura's true original.

Beginning - Chiba +1. wonderful voice and lovely sounds from Kajiura. Kaori Nishina's chorus makes it so much more harmonious. I'd say this song is quintessential core Kajiura experience xD those ambient city sounds at the end are hmmmmm Kajiura... was never too afraid to try something new.

symphonia - tv ver+1. see comments above.
 
Decretum said:
Oh, I’m sure it’s a lot more engaging to actual MMO players lol. My issue is that I not only found the plot boring, but I had the brilliant idea to watch it all over the span of three days, making me feel like I was losing my mind by the eight-hundredth time they said “We need to find the key of the twilight” or cut to the same panning shot for a five-minute conversation.

So that’s mostly on me, though I probably would have ended up dropping it if I took it at a slower pace. It certainly gave me something to riff on for a few days, so it wasn’t all bad haha.
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Oh I for sure can understand that. XD
 
week10 lets go~

A bit of cheating on my part this week 'cause, after I couldn't find the og "Gin no Hashi" on youtube, I noticed the next alphabetical song "Daiya no Genseki" would also be hard to find (but it was supposed to be in descending alphabetical order this week). AND then I also remembered the early mix of "the main theme of Petit Cossette" that wasn't on youtube ('cause I just rewatched the show last week)...

So I made the decision to do one last batch upload this week. The archive has everything but FictionJunction's "Gin no Hashi" 'cause that is available officially on youtube.

The next two times I'll do descending alphabetical sort to make up for this...
 
I’ve got some catching up to do!


secret game / himitsu

Secret Game is, of course, the original and introduces the core melody. While I still really enjoy this version for its vocal arrangement and performance, I can’t help but be a bit put off by the synthetic string sounds and keyboard “ah” vocals. I know early budget limitations likely played a role, but still… it takes a little away from the otherwise great composition.

In the original Himitsu, I have to admit that I enjoy the vocals quite a bit less. That said, I actually really like the atmospheric keyboard arrangement in the first half here, setting a great mood! And then, of course, we’re introduced to the second part of the song. The combination of flute, violin, and chorus is just amazing!
However… what even is going on from 4:00 to 5:00? I’m honestly glad Kajiura doesn’t do this sort of thing anymore. Like, does anyone not skip the rest after 4:00?

As good as the previous versions already are, the FJ Himitsu is easily my favorite. I’d even go as far as to say it’s probably in my personal top 10 Kajiura tracks. For me, everything comes together and reaches its full potential here. I absolutely love the new background vocals in the first half. Those dissonances never fail to give me chills! I also love that the second half now features drums and has been extended to fill out the runtime. It's a complete upgrade over the already strong original Himitsu. Pure perfection. I honestly don’t know what else to say. I’ve come back to this version countless times over the last decade.

+1 FJ himitsu


Beginning

As you probably all know by now, I’m not exactly a Saeko Chiba fan. That being said, this is definitely one of her better songs. The original version has a lot of character, and I actually really like the arrangement, especially the electric guitar and bass.
However, once again, the song should’ve ended at around 4:30. While it’s not quite as egregious as Himitsu, I still think those final 30 to 40 seconds are unnecessary padding.

The FictionJunction version definitely improves on the vocal performance and is an upgrade in many ways, particularly the added vocal parts toward the end. That said, we do lose some of the elements I appreciated in the original, like the bass solo near the end. Still, this version just edges out the original for me. It’s still my second least favorite track on Parade though (just after Parade itself).

+ 1 FJ ver.


Symphonia


Another personal favorite of mine. I love this song!

To keep this one short: the album version easily wins for me. I really love all the changes and the extended runtime. That said, I do agree with @grunty who pointed out that the guitars in the chorus tend to overpower the newly added brass a bit, which is unfortunate.
Personally, I wish the guitars had been tuned a bit lower. That way, they would’ve sat in a different frequency range and maybe interfered less with the brass? Plus, it would’ve given those guitar chugs in the chorus more of a metal edge, which I definitely would’ve loved.

+ 1 album ver.
 
SurgamIdentidem said:
However… what even is going on from 4:00 to 5:00? I’m honestly glad Kajiura doesn’t do this sort of thing anymore. Like, does anyone not skip the rest after 4:00?
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I don't skip it. XD
I don't like the fadeout itself but if we're talking 4min+ then I don't mind parts like that at all. If it was cut in half and had a proper ending it would be A++ for me. Maybe even a hard cut to silence would suffice.
 
grunty said:
I don't skip it. XD
I don't like the fadeout itself but if we're talking 4min+ then I don't mind parts like that at all. If it was cut in half and had a proper ending it would be A++ for me. Maybe even a hard cut to silence would suffice.
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Good to know that there are people out there like you who appreciate it.😄 As for me, I'm always looking for things in music that keep me actively engaged. A beat that just repeats for a minute without much else going on is not cutting it for me. I guess this is also one of the reasons you will never find me at a rave.😂
 
SurgamIdentidem said:
In the original Himitsu, I have to admit that I enjoy the vocals quite a bit less. That said, I actually really like the atmospheric keyboard arrangement in the first half here, setting a great mood! And then, of course, we’re introduced to the second part of the song. The combination of flute, violin, and chorus is just amazing!
However… what even is going on from 4:00 to 5:00? I’m honestly glad Kajiura doesn’t do this sort of thing anymore. Like, does anyone not skip the rest after 4:00?
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With songs sang by Voice Actors like the original Himitsu you have to be thinking about the character the VA plays, and in this case she was a quiet girl with a deadly side, i think her voice really matches the song. The singer singer on the other hand has to show off her own abilities while performing the song and not pretend to be someone else while singing, this is why the 2 Himitsu are different from each other in terms of performance. From the original i love the piano and flute. 😊
 
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Gin no Hashi

I feel the original instrumental arrangement still holds up and with a remix it would still kick arse. I'm not a fan of the seiyuu vocals in the intro and the refrain (or its processing in the refrain) but during the verses I get into it.​
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Having said that, the FJ version is probably one of my favorite rescues of a pre-existing Kajiura production all around (next to "Himitsu" 'cause Yuriko). It stays relatively faithful to the original arrangement but sounds so much more fresh and I appreciate the new energy in vocals. While I do like the extended instrumental ending a lot, I kind of wish it also kept the ?harpsichord kb at the end - I guess they thought it would be too much like the bridge? Still, I don't particularly care for this one final chord ending. PS. Keiko sounds so young in this recording. 0_0​
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I would kind of like to hear the FJ version without lower vocal harmonies during refrains to hear how that would compare to the og.​
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+1 FJ​

Daiya no Genseki

Even with me having a thing for Kajiura's cheese and synths, this original single version might be too much for me today. It's really hammering you with that almost-all-synth full-force instrumental non-stop and gets tiresome really fast. Not to mention the song's all very saccharin. Saeko's over the top cheerful, almost infantile delivery is difficult to stomach at times too.​
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#brilliant covered addresses it a lot. The arrangement is softened a lot, Saeko's actually doing something with her voice other than yelling like there's no tomorrow (maybe thanks to the lower key). Unfotunately it still drags for me by the 2nd refrain already so I guess it's just not one of my favorites.​

+1 #brilliant covered (but I don't think this is a song I would seek out to listen to)​

the main theme of Petit Cossette

Classic. I like the early tokuten mix but I think the heavily boosted and very wet OST version is more haunting. The early mix feels tiny.​
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+1 OST ver. (but it's nice we have both)​
 
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CloisteredFlame said:
Just laughing at the idea of you finding yourself at a rave, and wondering how did I get here.
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A whole lot of things would need to have gone horribly wrong, that's for sure.:@_@:

george1234 said:
With songs sang by Voice Actors like the original Himitsu you have to be thinking about the character the VA plays, and in this case she was a quiet girl with a deadly side, i think her voice really matches the song. The singer singer on the other hand has to show off her own abilities while performing the song and not pretend to be someone else while singing, this is why the 2 Himitsu are different from each other in terms of performance. From the original i love the piano and flute. 😊
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True, I agree. I write these reviews from a perspective that looks at these songs purely as pieces of music, disconnected from their original context. Note that I was not criticising the singing of the VA. I just said that I prefer listening to Yuriko Kaida's performance over Aya Hisakawa's, which doesn't mean that Aya Hisakawa is doing a bad job. 😉
 
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