R
ritardando
Guest
^
That's why I only hear Sanhora and never watch them, actually LOL
That's why I only hear Sanhora and never watch them, actually LOL
C
Cerise
Guest
Warning: prepare yourselves for the wall of text that follows, I tend to rant, gush and generally babble on a lot, so just bear with me! And try to decipher my unintelligible gibberish at some points...and also you should probably note that I'm ridiculously biased towards Kalafina even though I tried to be impartial. But probably failed. Because I typed this up soon after watching After Eden and I was still high on Kala-love~ (still am, actually) 
(see, I'm ranting again 
)
OKAY. So, I finally managed to sit down and watch the After Eden Bluray (with my friend at her house) and overall, it was a lot better than I expected (what with the doom-and-gloom reviews of Wakana)...
Eden: PAAFEKKUTOOOO
love love love love loved it~ They were great, everyone was on spot~ I would say more but it'd just be meaningless gushing 
in your eyes: love how they just casually whipped off their skirt bottoms at this point lol Hiichan looks so cute when she strains high notes compared to how Wakana tends look utterly anguished when she strains....the choreo made me (and my friend) crack up. Overall, pretty good - Hikaru was better in the first verse + chorus for me (started straining in the second verse, but she was so CUTE~!) and I didn't mind Keiko's cute voice ,were entertaining, though
storia: more love love love they were all pretty much spot-on (come to think of it, I don't think I have seen a bad live version of this song 
)
neverending: Oh mai gawd Hikaru's voice is sooo amazing in this song
I think she sounds her best in this one~ The other two were also okay, but Hiichan really stood out vocally for me in this one...oh, and the lalalalalalala part was super nice 
Kotonoha: I definitely like the live version over the recorded, but I think in both Hikaru sounds better than Wakana does on this sort of ballad. Wakana doesn't really round off the shorter notes as well as Hikaru does but even so, I actually think her voice sounded nicer live than in the album
Kagayaku Sora no Shijima ni wa: first of all, lolwut Hikaru she looked like she was performing a medieval church ritual or something with the candles and the table ahahahaha (it was creepy how the table and robe magically disappeared by the end of the song, though 
Anyway, I LOVED the performance of this song, Wakana and Keiko were so BEAUTIFULLLLLL 
and Wakana also did better on the kajiurago than the last Kagayaku live I saw...Keiko's solo was amazing...and of course Hikaru sounds ten times better in this live than in the recording. Not only in this song but in general I think, her voice has gotten much smoother and less harsh. 
She's improved so much!
red moon: Ahhh...definitely the beginning of Wakana's slow and painful deterioration... I actually prefer this version of red moon to the 2010 one, though, because even though Wakana at times was starting to look very stressed, I reckon she sounded more powerful in this one than the 2010 live. So yeah, no complaints about the singing, just...it was for me to see her face sometimes Keiko's solo at the end was so WOWWWW (And lol Hikaru is SO melodramatic with the face-touching )
adore: Oh Wacchan Okay, so it wasn't as awful and painful as I envisioned...I still loved this live performance and I think Wakana did pretty well except for a few notes here and there in the middle and towards the end of the song...I was curious to see how they'd split the singing up since in the recorded version, Wakana's voice is layered quite a lot over herself...looks like they gave the last line of her verses to Hikaru so that she could sing the kajiurago, though, and Hikaru did a decent job covering Wacchan's lines. And even though she was struggling I still think Wakana managed to sing the kajiurago with mroe power than in the recording.
Kugatsu: Similary with Kotonoha, I think these sorts of ballads with shorter notes suit Hikaru's voice more than Wakana. So yes, I think Hikaru sounded best again in this song. And Wakana's falsetto was okay, I guess. It wasn't 'ugly' for me, though, it was just seemed sharper than her usual falsetto, so it stood out.
sandpiper: Ohmigod I love this song! My friend loved it too! (she's a hardcore kpop fan lol...so it was nice to see) Unfortunately Wakana wasn't as powerful as I would have liked her to be in that amazing second chorus that I am in love with (but Hitoshiiiiiii 
ahhhh~~~~ love you, man~~) Hikaru's for some reason didn't sound as deep live as in the recorded version for this song, though 
which I found strange...the dramatic walking in the bridge amused me, though. But the girls looked so beautiful and cool~
Magia: I think the harmony was good this time round! Hikaru and Keiko were epic and awesome Wakana managed decently, though she sounded quite forced in some parts...Keiko's solo was good 
magnolia: I like the live version of this slightly more, I think, because in the recorded version for some reason I find Wakana's voice at times overwhelmed by the background chorus (same with symphonia, actually). That is, except for the split-second falsetto she has when she sings magnolia - her voice goes weaker there and I can actually hear Hikaru more than I can hear her. Keiko was so...so....GAAAHHHH (can't even express it in words) Wakana was good, but obviously dying. Hikaru was also awesome. Actually, Hikaru and Keiko were really badass at the end
destination unknown: OHmygod I LOVED what Hikaru did with that DEEEEE-shooouuuuu where she went up instead of down with that note (she sang it different to the recording, right???) SO EPIC ROCKSTAR
In fact, Keiko and Hikaru were both being majorly badass throughout this whole song. The big shock came for me in that last chorus when Wakana actually joined in singing Keiko's part...I only heard her for a few split seconds but I was like WAIT WHAT?? She's singing too??? (couldn't hear her that much, though...) But I was surprised she could have reach those low notes at all They're rocking out amused me, especially Hikaru and Wakana rocked out too, surprisingly (I think? Or was that in Ongaku...? can't remember now, lol...have to go back and re-watch)
love come down:...neeehhhh in some parts I prefer this version, other parts I preferred the Red Moon 2010 version...Hikaru went really sharp in some parts and Wakana's voice was weaker in this live than in the 2010 one. Nevertheless, I loved their audience interaction in this one~ It was heartwarming~~ And lol Hikaru really got carried away singing the 'DAN-DAN' part
fantasia: I was expecting Wakana to really crack at any point in this song...but she did okay and managed to hold up, which pleased me...slightly...Hikaru and Keiko were fantastic~ pretty much similar to Red Moon, Wakana was okay on the opening and ending kajiurago and was decent in her solo (she looked in massive pain though) but it was during her chorus parts that I really noticed her voice is much less subtle than it used to be on this song - it was very overbearing and almost bordering on shrieky in one part, whereas in the Red Moon live, her voice integrated with Hikaru and Keiko's and didn't overwhelm their lines (which it shouldn't, cos they're singing the main line, aren't they...) Wakanaaaa
Kyrie: So since she didn't collapse in fantasia I though, Right. OHmygod. She's really going to die in this one, where she's even a main singer. And....she managed to keep truckin' on....somehow... Actually, I reckon she did fairly well in thsi Kyrie. In the Red Moon one, I noticed, she was dead tired (of course 'dead tired' in the Red Moon concert is nothing compared to how utterly dead she looks in this one ) but I reckon she did an equal, if not slightly better job on this Kyrie than the Red Moon one. The kajiurago part was good (I thought for a moment that Keiko looked like she was trying to seduce Wakana or something, when she walked across the stage from Hikaru to Wakana and was doing the finger movement near Wakana's chin, like the 'come here ... 
' finger movement /is shot) In Red Moon, Wakana almost lost it at the "koi suru you ni utau kara..." part and similarly in this live she seemed to struggle the most with this line. Whilst she did the "koi suru" part better, she pretty much cracked on the word "utau". Overall, though, I was relatively happy with the performance of this song, in terms of the singing. In terms of watching Wakana sweat and screw her face in excruciating agony I was curled up on the floor squeaking and going Wakanaaaaa...but I'm pretty proud of her that she still did a pretty good job even though it looked like it was so tough for her Hikaru and Keiko were fine as usual - Hikaru did much better with her "ichiban shiawase na basho made..." this time round. The very last 'eleeeeiiisonnnnn...." was PERFECT I TELL YOU. I think both Wakana and Keiko nailed it.
Ongaku: ahahaha this song had both happy and sad moments for me~ Keiko was amazing. Hikaru was amazing. Wakana was...not as amazing. But still better than my imagination had made it out to be. During that bridge, LOOOL Koichi my friend and I were cracking up and rolling around the couch watching him head-bang and swish his luscious locks around - I understand why ninetales loves him so much now...he's so AWESOME and Hitoshi~ What a charming man~ Then came Wakana's kajiurago. I'll say it started off alright, since previous reports had been making me imagine horrible crow-like shrieking or something. In fact, it was all fine except for that one super high note which I've only once ever heard Wakana actually nail. And whilst it was...quite 
and made me cringe, at least it was only a split-second note (if it had been a long held note...oh god....and she did okay on the consecutive notes following) and it wasn't the worst sound I've heard come from her (Lacrimosa @Kitakyushu...now that...) I think it would've been better if she'd slipped into falsetto on that note than tried to hit it with her normal voice (then again...in her current condition I'm beginning to think it's difficult for her now to transition smoothly between her falsetto and normal voice like she used to, because for a lot of these songs she used her normal voice where she actually used falsetto in the recordings...or maybe she just personally prefers using normal voice? I dunno...) What she did was kinda weird, it was like a half-falsetto, half-normal voice squeak...still, her 'eeeeeehhhhhhhhhh' note after the kajiurago was okay, except I swear she didn't hold it for as long as she used to... But at least it was better than that squeak/shriek. Anyway, Wakana aside, Keiko and Hikaru were awesome and the thing I really love about Ongaku is how the girls look like they're having so much fun whilst rocking around to it They look so much more relaxed and natural in this song (And Hikaru is really hilarious when she rocks out also in destination unknown, for that matter) The synchronised jumping at the end I have never seen Wakana actually jump on stage before until now, she's so conservative with her movements unlike the other two...
Mune no Yukue: Awww what a lovely song...the atmosphere was especially nice after such an energetic song like Ongaku~ Keiko was simply...GORGEOUS. BRILLIANT. BEAUTIFUL. Hikaru and Wakana too, beautiful~ Also the harmony where they sang "sky is high on the river of li-iiife" at the end when the melody goes up~ Such a great song~ I loved the peaceful happy mood that seemed to settle on the stage and in the audience with this song I was smiling and waving my hands around to the music
oblivious: The best live of this I've ever seen is the Seventh Heaven live version, and it hasn't been topped still. This time's oblivious was better than the studio live we got and also better than Lisani but still not as good as Seventh Heaven live. Wakana's falsetto sounds slightly different to her usual voice - it seems breathy (but I've noticed this too in the other recent oblivious performances as well
Passable but I know this song can be done better...I hope they can sing it like they did in Seventh Heaven live again, someday 
snow falling: lol this song was made weeeird...I really think they need to have Yuriko guest vocal or something at one of their lives one day...they can manage okay without her usually but I really felt the absence of her voice in this song, especially in the layered vocals part. That part's my favourite in the recording and it's still very pretty live, but it sounds lacking and much sparser, emptier without Yuriko there...as people have said before, the timing was weird in this song but I still loved the three girls' singing. Even Hikaru's super loud 'faaaaaaalling....[pause]...snoooooooow...' which I at first didn't like so much, appealed to me much more after listening to it properly in good sound quality. It wasn't that bad. Keiko was good. Wakana sounded fine (except one slip up on 'sora e tsuzuku...' somewhere near the beginning in the second line, I think). She still looked dead exhausted but I still loved her voice in this one. Just as long as I didn't look at her face straining and ignored the weird timing. I ABSOLUTELY LOVED the part when the 'snow' confetti came falling down though ahhhh it was so...so...I can't describe the feeling! I just felt really really really happy and warm and fuzzy inside~ And I literally swelled with love of Kalafina + Yuki Kajiura + the world and universe in general~ It's powerful music that can do that you~~~~
symphonia: The end of snow falling made me really really happy, symphonia just topped it all off and made me feel like literally bursting with and feelings. Everyone was perfect, perfect perfect for the final song~ It was epic and grand and majestic and everything I'm sure Yuki intended it to be~ The parts when Wakana came in and the music swelled up had me practically almost levitating off the couch in happiness Keiko's opening was just incredible~ The expressions on the girls faces were...gah... Wakana was perfect~ She still showed some signs of strain on her face in some parts but her voice made up for it - it was waaaayy better than their Lisani performance. I love symphonia live much more than recorded because, 1) Wakana sounds more strained in recorded (almost hoarse on a certain note or two) than live, and 2) her voice for some reasons sound nearly overwhelmed by the background chorus - in this live, the harmony seems much cleaner and I can hear her main line much better (and it's so amazing). My favourite part of this whole song would have to be the last verse that starts, "Hito no omoi ga...", especially the part that goes "Bokura no sekai wo, ai de mitashite yuku..." when the music and Wakana's voice soars up on the 'bokura no sekai wo..." and gahhh when you think of the meaning of those words "The thoughts of people falling and piling up like flower blossoms, Fill our world with love as they go" just makes it all the more special There really aren't words or onions enough to describe the way this song made me feel, I think it was really perfect as an ending song, its mood and its lyrics are really perfect~ Hearing and watching this song live just reminded me more than ever why I love Kajiura's music - it actually does have the power to move you deeply, and coupled with Wakana, Keiko and Hikaru who were putting so much emotion into their singing - I could feel their happiness in sharing their love of both the music and singing with the fans. And (this is gonna sound cliche but what the hell) not only that, I felt their love towards the fans through this song as well, as if they were singing their thankfulness for listening to them sing. It was just...amazing...gah...made me fall in love with Kalafina and Kajiura all over again, even more...I hope I can see this song live one day Symphonia was possibly one of my favourites from the whole concert~
So...overall, the concert was better for me than the bleak things I'd been hearing, but then I probably have very low standards compared to other people and because I love Kalafina so much I probably view them through extremely rose-coloured spectacles...and try to find excuses for their shortcomings...even though I try (and fail) at being objective and impartial...
That said, Wakana is definitely not performing as well compared to the Red Moon 2010 Live. For that matter, I think I'll say that since 2011 she just hasn't been singing as well as pre-2010 (2010 was still good). I don't know what's wrong with her, whether it's just a combo of recent sickness+fatigue+stress+overworking her voice or if there's a darker problem at hand here concerning her health (vocal nodules and whatnot) but I just hope she rests well and returns back on form. Until then, as her loyal fan, I'll be waiting. And worrying. And rewatching old lives to make myself feel better And probably inevitably imagining her in tragic soap-opera-esque hospital life-death scenarios that are just gonna make me cry
As for the other two, Hikaru has improved in leaps and bounds. She was even better in After Eden than Red Moon, and I think she'll keep getting better. Keiko is just...always awesome She's probably the most consistent and steady of all three of them, so just keep doing a fantastic job, Keiko~~~!
Finally, this concert was probably better than Red Moon in terms of the props and stage layout and stuff. And the girls moved around the stage heaps compared to in Red Moon - they actually changed the usual Hikaru(L)-Keiko(C)-Wakana(R) formation a few times so Hikaru and Wakana got to stand in the middle too The choreography was amusing (I actually enjoy watching their 'dancing' however cringeworthy it is, it's so goddamn funny Especially Hikaru) but each of the girls did have their cool moments whether it be an unexpectedly epic movement or facial expression where I squealed and rewinded and paused, fangirled, replayed, fangirled (repeat process for about five times) before moving on Yep, I'm hopelessly in love.
Phew.
OH GOD I LOVE THEM SO MUCH WHY IS THERE NOT A MORE EXPRESSIVE ONION THAT CAN SHOW THE EXTENT OF MY FANGIRL LOVE FOR THEM
/heart seizes up
/is dying
(see, I'm ranting again )OKAY. So, I finally managed to sit down and watch the After Eden Bluray (with my friend at her house) and overall, it was a lot better than I expected (what with the doom-and-gloom reviews of Wakana)...
Eden: PAAFEKKUTOOOO
love love love love loved it~ They were great, everyone was on spot~ I would say more but it'd just be meaningless gushing in your eyes: love how they just casually whipped off their skirt bottoms at this point
lol Hiichan looks so cute when she strains high notes compared to how Wakana tends look utterly anguished when she strains....the choreo made me (and my friend) crack up. Overall, pretty good - Hikaru was better in the first verse + chorus for me (started straining in the second verse, but she was so CUTE~!) and I didn't mind Keiko's cute voice ,were entertaining, thoughstoria: more love love love
they were all pretty much spot-on (come to think of it, I don't think I have seen a bad live version of this song )neverending: Oh mai gawd Hikaru's voice is sooo amazing in this song
I think she sounds her best in this one~ The other two were also okay, but Hiichan really stood out vocally for me in this one...oh, and the lalalalalalala part was super nice Kotonoha: I definitely like the live version over the recorded, but I think in both Hikaru sounds better than Wakana does on this sort of ballad. Wakana doesn't really round off the shorter notes as well as Hikaru does but even so, I actually think her voice sounded nicer live than in the album
Kagayaku Sora no Shijima ni wa: first of all, lolwut Hikaru
she looked like she was performing a medieval church ritual or something with the candles and the table ahahahaha (it was creepy how the table and robe magically disappeared by the end of the song, though Anyway, I LOVED the performance of this song, Wakana and Keiko were so BEAUTIFULLLLLL and Wakana also did better on the kajiurago than the last Kagayaku live I saw...Keiko's solo was amazing...and of course Hikaru sounds ten times better in this live than in the recording. Not only in this song but in general I think, her voice has gotten much smoother and less harsh. She's improved so much! red moon: Ahhh...definitely the beginning of Wakana's slow and painful deterioration...
I actually prefer this version of red moon to the 2010 one, though, because even though Wakana at times was starting to look very stressed, I reckon she sounded more powerful in this one than the 2010 live. So yeah, no complaints about the singing, just...it was for me to see her face sometimes Keiko's solo at the end was so WOWWWW (And lol Hikaru is SO melodramatic with the face-touching )adore: Oh Wacchan
Okay, so it wasn't as awful and painful as I envisioned...I still loved this live performance and I think Wakana did pretty well except for a few notes here and there in the middle and towards the end of the song...I was curious to see how they'd split the singing up since in the recorded version, Wakana's voice is layered quite a lot over herself...looks like they gave the last line of her verses to Hikaru so that she could sing the kajiurago, though, and Hikaru did a decent job covering Wacchan's lines. And even though she was struggling I still think Wakana managed to sing the kajiurago with mroe power than in the recording.Kugatsu: Similary with Kotonoha, I think these sorts of ballads with shorter notes suit Hikaru's voice more than Wakana. So yes, I think Hikaru sounded best again in this song. And Wakana's falsetto was okay, I guess. It wasn't 'ugly' for me, though, it was just seemed sharper than her usual falsetto, so it stood out.
sandpiper: Ohmigod I love this song! My friend loved it too! (she's a hardcore kpop fan lol...so it was nice to see
) Unfortunately Wakana wasn't as powerful as I would have liked her to be in that amazing second chorus that I am in love with (but Hitoshiiiiiii ahhhh~~~~ love you, man~~) Hikaru's for some reason didn't sound as deep live as in the recorded version for this song, though which I found strange...the dramatic walking in the bridge amused me, though. But the girls looked so beautiful and cool~ Magia: I think the harmony was good this time round! Hikaru and Keiko were epic and awesome
Wakana managed decently, though she sounded quite forced in some parts...Keiko's solo was good magnolia: I like the live version of this slightly more, I think, because in the recorded version for some reason I find Wakana's voice at times overwhelmed by the background chorus (same with symphonia, actually). That is, except for the split-second falsetto she has when she sings magnolia - her voice goes weaker there and I can actually hear Hikaru more than I can hear her. Keiko was so...so....GAAAHHHH
(can't even express it in words) Wakana was good, but obviously dying. Hikaru was also awesome. Actually, Hikaru and Keiko were really badass at the end destination unknown: OHmygod I LOVED what Hikaru did with that DEEEEE-shooouuuuu where she went up instead of down with that note (she sang it different to the recording, right???) SO EPIC ROCKSTAR
In fact, Keiko and Hikaru were both being majorly badass throughout this whole song. The big shock came for me in that last chorus when Wakana actually joined in singing Keiko's part...I only heard her for a few split seconds but I was like WAIT WHAT?? She's singing too??? (couldn't hear her that much, though...) But I was surprised she could have reach those low notes at all They're rocking out amused me, especially Hikaru and Wakana rocked out too, surprisingly (I think? Or was that in Ongaku...? can't remember now, lol...have to go back and re-watch)love come down:...neeehhhh in some parts I prefer this version, other parts I preferred the Red Moon 2010 version...Hikaru went really sharp in some parts and Wakana's voice was weaker in this live than in the 2010 one. Nevertheless, I loved their audience interaction in this one~
It was heartwarming~~ And lol Hikaru really got carried away singing the 'DAN-DAN' part fantasia: I was expecting Wakana to really crack at any point in this song...but she did okay and managed to hold up, which pleased me...slightly...Hikaru and Keiko were fantastic~ pretty much similar to Red Moon, Wakana was okay on the opening and ending kajiurago and was decent in her solo (she looked in massive pain though
) but it was during her chorus parts that I really noticed her voice is much less subtle than it used to be on this song - it was very overbearing and almost bordering on shrieky in one part, whereas in the Red Moon live, her voice integrated with Hikaru and Keiko's and didn't overwhelm their lines (which it shouldn't, cos they're singing the main line, aren't they...) Wakanaaaa Kyrie: So since she didn't collapse in fantasia I though, Right. OHmygod. She's really going to die in this one, where she's even a main singer. And....she managed to keep truckin' on....somehow...
Actually, I reckon she did fairly well in thsi Kyrie. In the Red Moon one, I noticed, she was dead tired (of course 'dead tired' in the Red Moon concert is nothing compared to how utterly dead she looks in this one ) but I reckon she did an equal, if not slightly better job on this Kyrie than the Red Moon one. The kajiurago part was good (I thought for a moment that Keiko looked like she was trying to seduce Wakana or something, when she walked across the stage from Hikaru to Wakana and was doing the finger movement near Wakana's chin, like the 'come here ... ' finger movement /is shot) In Red Moon, Wakana almost lost it at the "koi suru you ni utau kara..." part and similarly in this live she seemed to struggle the most with this line. Whilst she did the "koi suru" part better, she pretty much cracked on the word "utau". Overall, though, I was relatively happy with the performance of this song, in terms of the singing. In terms of watching Wakana sweat and screw her face in excruciating agony I was curled up on the floor squeaking and going Wakanaaaaa...but I'm pretty proud of her that she still did a pretty good job even though it looked like it was so tough for her Hikaru and Keiko were fine as usual - Hikaru did much better with her "ichiban shiawase na basho made..." this time round. The very last 'eleeeeiiisonnnnn...." was PERFECT I TELL YOU. I think both Wakana and Keiko nailed it. Ongaku: ahahaha this song had both happy and sad moments for me~ Keiko was amazing. Hikaru was amazing. Wakana was...not as amazing. But still better than my imagination had made it out to be. During that bridge, LOOOL Koichi my friend and I were cracking up and rolling around the couch watching him head-bang and swish his luscious locks around - I understand why ninetales loves him so much now...he's so AWESOME
and Hitoshi~ What a charming man~ Then came Wakana's kajiurago. I'll say it started off alright, since previous reports had been making me imagine horrible crow-like shrieking or something. In fact, it was all fine except for that one super high note which I've only once ever heard Wakana actually nail. And whilst it was...quite and made me cringe, at least it was only a split-second note (if it had been a long held note...oh god....and she did okay on the consecutive notes following) and it wasn't the worst sound I've heard come from her (Lacrimosa @Kitakyushu...now that...) I think it would've been better if she'd slipped into falsetto on that note than tried to hit it with her normal voice (then again...in her current condition I'm beginning to think it's difficult for her now to transition smoothly between her falsetto and normal voice like she used to, because for a lot of these songs she used her normal voice where she actually used falsetto in the recordings...or maybe she just personally prefers using normal voice? I dunno...) What she did was kinda weird, it was like a half-falsetto, half-normal voice squeak...still, her 'eeeeeehhhhhhhhhh' note after the kajiurago was okay, except I swear she didn't hold it for as long as she used to... But at least it was better than that squeak/shriek. Anyway, Wakana aside, Keiko and Hikaru were awesome and the thing I really love about Ongaku is how the girls look like they're having so much fun whilst rocking around to it They look so much more relaxed and natural in this song (And Hikaru is really hilarious when she rocks out also in destination unknown, for that matter) The synchronised jumping at the end I have never seen Wakana actually jump on stage before until now, she's so conservative with her movements unlike the other two...Mune no Yukue: Awww what a lovely song...the atmosphere was especially nice after such an energetic song like Ongaku~
Keiko was simply...GORGEOUS. BRILLIANT. BEAUTIFUL. Hikaru and Wakana too, beautiful~ Also the harmony where they sang "sky is high on the river of li-iiife" at the end when the melody goes up~ Such a great song~ I loved the peaceful happy mood that seemed to settle on the stage and in the audience with this song I was smiling and waving my hands around to the music oblivious: The best live of this I've ever seen is the Seventh Heaven live version, and it hasn't been topped still. This time's oblivious was better than the studio live we got and also better than Lisani but still not as good as Seventh Heaven live. Wakana's falsetto sounds slightly different to her usual voice - it seems breathy (but I've noticed this too in the other recent oblivious performances as well
Passable but I know this song can be done better...I hope they can sing it like they did in Seventh Heaven live again, someday snow falling: lol this song was made weeeird...I really think they need to have Yuriko guest vocal or something at one of their lives one day...they can manage okay without her usually but I really felt the absence of her voice in this song, especially in the layered vocals part. That part's my favourite in the recording and it's still very pretty live, but it sounds lacking and much sparser, emptier without Yuriko there...as people have said before, the timing was weird in this song but I still loved the three girls' singing. Even Hikaru's super loud 'faaaaaaalling....[pause]...snoooooooow...' which I at first didn't like so much, appealed to me much more after listening to it properly in good sound quality. It wasn't that bad. Keiko was good. Wakana sounded fine (except one slip up on 'sora e tsuzuku...' somewhere near the beginning in the second line, I think). She still looked dead exhausted but I still loved her voice in this one. Just as long as I didn't look at her face straining and ignored the weird timing. I ABSOLUTELY LOVED the part when the 'snow' confetti came falling down though
ahhhh it was so...so...I can't describe the feeling! I just felt really really really happy and warm and fuzzy inside~ And I literally swelled with love of Kalafina + Yuki Kajiura + the world and universe in general~ It's powerful music that can do that you~~~~ symphonia: The end of snow falling made me really really happy, symphonia just topped it all off and made me feel like literally bursting with
and feelings. Everyone was perfect, perfect perfect for the final song~ It was epic and grand and majestic and everything I'm sure Yuki intended it to be~ The parts when Wakana came in and the music swelled up had me practically almost levitating off the couch in happiness Keiko's opening was just incredible~ The expressions on the girls faces were...gah... Wakana was perfect~ She still showed some signs of strain on her face in some parts but her voice made up for it - it was waaaayy better than their Lisani performance. I love symphonia live much more than recorded because, 1) Wakana sounds more strained in recorded (almost hoarse on a certain note or two) than live, and 2) her voice for some reasons sound nearly overwhelmed by the background chorus - in this live, the harmony seems much cleaner and I can hear her main line much better (and it's so amazing). My favourite part of this whole song would have to be the last verse that starts, "Hito no omoi ga...", especially the part that goes "Bokura no sekai wo, ai de mitashite yuku..." when the music and Wakana's voice soars up on the 'bokura no sekai wo..." and gahhh when you think of the meaning of those words "The thoughts of people falling and piling up like flower blossoms, Fill our world with love as they go" just makes it all the more special There really aren't words or onions enough to describe the way this song made me feel, I think it was really perfect as an ending song, its mood and its lyrics are really perfect~ Hearing and watching this song live just reminded me more than ever why I love Kajiura's music - it actually does have the power to move you deeply, and coupled with Wakana, Keiko and Hikaru who were putting so much emotion into their singing - I could feel their happiness in sharing their love of both the music and singing with the fans. And (this is gonna sound cliche but what the hell) not only that, I felt their love towards the fans through this song as well, as if they were singing their thankfulness for listening to them sing. It was just...amazing...gah...made me fall in love with Kalafina and Kajiura all over again, even more...I hope I can see this song live one day Symphonia was possibly one of my favourites from the whole concert~So...overall, the concert was better for me than the bleak things I'd been hearing, but then I probably have very low standards compared to other people and because I love Kalafina so much I probably view them through extremely rose-coloured spectacles...and try to find excuses for their shortcomings...even though I try (and fail
) at being objective and impartial...That said, Wakana is definitely not performing as well compared to the Red Moon 2010 Live. For that matter, I think I'll say that since 2011 she just hasn't been singing as well as pre-2010 (2010 was still good). I don't know what's wrong with her, whether it's just a combo of recent sickness+fatigue+stress+overworking her voice or if there's a darker problem at hand here concerning her health (vocal nodules and whatnot) but I just hope she rests well and returns back on form. Until then, as her loyal fan, I'll be waiting. And worrying. And rewatching old lives to make myself feel better
And probably inevitably imagining her in tragic soap-opera-esque hospital life-death scenarios that are just gonna make me cry As for the other two, Hikaru has improved in leaps and bounds. She was even better in After Eden than Red Moon, and I think she'll keep getting better. Keiko is just...always awesome
She's probably the most consistent and steady of all three of them, so just keep doing a fantastic job, Keiko~~~! Finally, this concert was probably better than Red Moon in terms of the props and stage layout and stuff. And the girls moved around the stage heaps compared to in Red Moon - they actually changed the usual Hikaru(L)-Keiko(C)-Wakana(R) formation a few times so Hikaru and Wakana got to stand in the middle too
The choreography was amusing (I actually enjoy watching their 'dancing' however cringeworthy it is, it's so goddamn funny Especially Hikaru) but each of the girls did have their cool moments whether it be an unexpectedly epic movement or facial expression where I squealed and rewinded and paused, fangirled, replayed, fangirled (repeat process for about five times) before moving on Yep, I'm hopelessly in love.Phew.
OH GOD I LOVE THEM SO MUCH WHY IS THERE NOT A MORE EXPRESSIVE ONION THAT CAN SHOW THE EXTENT OF MY FANGIRL LOVE FOR THEM
/heart seizes up
/is dying
Z
ZoaKaizer
Guest
wow Cerise, great review
finally u watch the After Eden Live urself :googjob:
and yes, im agree with ur and of the After Eden Live
they were great and awesome
finally u watch the After Eden Live urself :googjob:
and yes, im agree with ur
and of the After Eden Livethey were great and awesome
Hime_Wakana
I have reached Yuki nirvana
+1!! I really like A.E DVD!!! They're so awesome
C
Cerise
Guest
oh, and this is random and irrelevant probably but I lol'd when I noticed a piece of snow-confetti was stuck to Wakana's shoulder after snow falling had finished and my eyes kept on being drawn inevitably to it through symphonia
It was just so quirky and oddly endearing~ (weird I know...but the strangest things please me )
Oh, and the documentary was so nice too~~ The girls are as pretty in casual clothes as in costume~ Wakana looked so strikingly beautiful in her purple blouse Even my friend commented on it and was -ing with me although she thinks Keiko's the prettiest~ They were all beautiful but Wakana just struck me for some reason in that blouse~
And I think I would actually explode with happiness if the things in the doco happened to me - like if I was just walking down the street and Kalafina walked past me, or if I went into a store and Kalafina were in the store, or if I saw them singing on top of a building, or if I was sitting in a cafe and Kalafina walked in...and...and started interviewing me...like...ACTUALLY TALKING TO ME...IN - IN PERSON - hiiiiiiiiiiiii *wheezes*
(OMGSH those people are SO LUCKY to be able to actually SPEAK to Kalafina IN PERSON )
/is hyperventilating just thinking about it
P.S. We need to get a dying fangirl onion for cpm!
It was just so quirky and oddly endearing~
(weird I know...but the strangest things please me )Oh, and the documentary was so nice too~~ The girls are as pretty in casual clothes as in costume~
Wakana looked so strikingly beautiful in her purple blouse Even my friend commented on it and was -ing with me although she thinks Keiko's the prettiest~ They were all beautiful but Wakana just struck me for some reason in that blouse~And I think I would actually explode with happiness if the things in the doco happened to me - like if I was just walking down the street and Kalafina walked past me, or if I went into a store and Kalafina were in the store, or if I saw them singing on top of a building, or if I was sitting in a cafe and Kalafina walked in...and...and started interviewing me...like...ACTUALLY TALKING TO ME...IN - IN PERSON - hiiiiiiiiiiiii *wheezes*
(OMGSH those people are SO LUCKY to be able to actually SPEAK to Kalafina IN PERSON
)/is hyperventilating just thinking about it
P.S. We need to get a dying fangirl onion for cpm!
Hime_Wakana
I have reached Yuki nirvana
aye in the documentary are very sweet, very tender and very available to the fans!
I also want to be interviewed by their
I also want to be interviewed by their
C
Cerise
Guest
^yes I know! I love them even more every time I see these sorts of documentaries and behind-the-scenes footage because it shows how genuine they are, and they're so loving towards their fans~ They seem to be just really nice, really caring girls~~ Gosh, it's hard to explain...just whenever I see them going around and meeting fans and even just talking to the shop-keepers in the stores, I get the impression they're really gracious and lovely...like they seem like they're sincerely thankful and genuinely appreciate and love the fans for supporting them and the store-keepers who stock their merchandise, the girls bow so much and thank you over and over again...they just seem like very sweet, modest, sincere people~ And the way they talk to the audience in the documentary feels so personal even though I barely understand what they're saying~ I mean, even though we may not know much about their private lives etc. like some idols who get scandals and gossip magazines and paparazzi and whatnot, I still feel very close to Kalafina and close to the three girls personally~ (and this is despite Sony and the language barrier ) It's like the girls themselves love Kalafina as much as their fans do~ And they love the music they make with Kajiura as much as the fans do~ And they love the fans too, as much as the fans love them~
And I'm gonna stop gushing now......sorry!
Ahhhhhh my heart is really going to burst soon
:dyingfangirl:
They seem to be just really nice, really caring girls~~ Gosh, it's hard to explain...just whenever I see them going around and meeting fans and even just talking to the shop-keepers in the stores, I get the impression they're really gracious and lovely...like they seem like they're sincerely thankful and genuinely appreciate and love the fans for supporting them and the store-keepers who stock their merchandise, the girls bow so much and thank you over and over again...they just seem like very sweet, modest, sincere people~ And the way they talk to the audience in the documentary feels so personal even though I barely understand what they're saying~ I mean, even though we may not know much about their private lives etc. like some idols who get scandals and gossip magazines and paparazzi and whatnot, I still feel very close to Kalafina and close to the three girls personally~ (and this is despite Sony and the language barrier ) It's like the girls themselves love Kalafina as much as their fans do~ And they love the music they make with Kajiura as much as the fans do~ And they love the fans too, as much as the fans love them~And I'm gonna stop gushing now...
...sorry! Ahhhhhh my heart is really going to burst soon
:dyingfangirl:
Hime_Wakana
I have reached Yuki nirvana
Me too me too!! I love them more every day
C
Cerise
Guest
^ Oh, really? Thanks AYYZ and Zoa~! When I read over it I thought 'oh my god I'm unintelligibly ranting and fangirling again through this whole thing'... I get overexcited too easily
Glad you liked it, though, I had fun composing it in my delirious, high, hyperventilating, fangirling state especially just after symphonia and that documentary~
/is drifting off into fangirl trance again
When I read over it I thought 'oh my god I'm unintelligibly ranting and fangirling again through this whole thing'... I get overexcited too easily Glad you liked it, though, I had fun composing it in my delirious, high, hyperventilating, fangirling state
especially just after symphonia and that documentary~ /is drifting off into fangirl trance again
A
afterstory
Guest
KUUUUUURRRRU Review 
, thx for your honest review cerise , btw i agree with your review (in major ways) and for me, yes it's the greatest live which make me fall in love with Kalafina moar and moarrr even in fact, i never "this" addicted to artists, even i spent my time to make my own wallpaper about them (i never do such a thing like this except for kalafina and some KEY's anime)
, thx for your honest review cerise , btw i agree with your review (in major ways) and for me, yes it's the greatest live which make me fall in love with Kalafina moar and moarrr even in fact, i never "this" addicted to artists, even i spent my time to make my own wallpaper about them (i never do such a thing like this except for kalafina and some KEY's anime)
LianaIlia36
I have reached Yuki nirvana
Nice review cerise, I tend to go on for awhile too with reviews especially when it comes to Yuki's music. (Reason why they are so long too lol) I was thinking too that Wakana was sweating the most out of them too, I wanted to give her a towel through the screen. lol but I don't know if they even had a break during the live since they may have cut some things, in order to dry off or take a rest. I know I would want to.
And I know what you mean, I pretty much died too when I went to AB and met them in the autograph session, and that was only for a few seconds. And Hikaru actually talked to me. (Yuki and the others just said thank you but that was still enough. ) But it would be so great to see them on the street of my city (which would never happen) or even in Japan, wandering around. That secret live on the roof was cool too, even though the sound was bad. heh I would still want to watch it.
And I know what you mean, I pretty much died too when I went to AB and met them in the autograph session, and that was only for a few seconds. And Hikaru actually talked to me. (Yuki and the others just said thank you but that was still enough.
) But it would be so great to see them on the street of my city (which would never happen) or even in Japan, wandering around. That secret live on the roof was cool too, even though the sound was bad. heh I would still want to watch it.
M
Martin
Guest
Wow, thaks for posting that review...I promised myself I'd do one of my own (for that or the album itself) but never got around to it.
I'm not sure which version of Ongaku I like more...this or the Red Moon live version (which had the Keiko/Koichi dance thing...
) I don't have the Seventh Heaven DVD though (I didn't even know such a thing existed...unless it was bundled with the special ed. of the CD version?), so this was the first time I'd seen and heard a live performance of Love Come Down. A real treat, that.
I went back and watched Destination Unknown again, and discovered how much I dig Keiko's performance...it's so powerful. It was quite cool how Koichi did a solo that was slightly different from the album version too.
I hope to watch the full disc again with friends in a week or two, so it'll be nice to see what they make of it, and see whether my impression of it changes with a repeat viewing.
I'm not sure which version of Ongaku I like more...this or the Red Moon live version (which had the Keiko/Koichi dance thing...
) I don't have the Seventh Heaven DVD though (I didn't even know such a thing existed...unless it was bundled with the special ed. of the CD version?), so this was the first time I'd seen and heard a live performance of Love Come Down. A real treat, that.I went back and watched Destination Unknown again, and discovered how much I dig Keiko's performance...it's so powerful. It was quite cool how Koichi did a solo that was slightly different from the album version too.
I hope to watch the full disc again with friends in a week or two, so it'll be nice to see what they make of it, and see whether my impression of it changes with a repeat viewing.
A
aero.senpai
Guest
^Seventh Heaven DVD was bundled with the limited edition of the album. It's contents are sprinter, fairytale and seventh heaven PVs, and oblivious, Kimi ga Hikari ni Kaete Yuku, Kizuato and Aria live (these last two are the only recordings of Maya live with them). But Love Come Down, Mata Kaze ga Tsuyoku Natta and Ongaku live were in the DVD of progressive's limited edition.
M
Martin
Guest
Re:
*the full story on that:
Thanks for clearing that up. I was actually in a position to buy the limited ed of SE (as in, standing in a shop in Tokyo) at the time, but bought the standard ed instead. [facepalm] I kinda regret that now...in the same way that I regret what happened on the AE album release day*.aero.senpai said:
*the full story on that:
The AE album release day coincided with my second holiday to Tokyo, which meant I was able to literally walk into the shop in Shibuya on the day and buy the CD. Sadly a typhoon rolled in and I had to get the train back to the hotel so missed out on a chance to meet them and get their autographs. Looking back on it, I shouldn't have let some pesky bit of bad weather put me off. Argh.
A
aero.senpai
Guest
Oh, man. I want to buy SH limited edition someday, if possible - and not much expensive. The album is good by itself, but the lives on the DVD are great (at least I have them in ISO, but still I'd like to have the original thing).
N
ninetales
Guest
Nice review, Cerise!
I especially like the Korechan-in-Ongaku part
I especially like the Korechan-in-Ongaku part
C
Cerise
Guest
Thanks to the After Eden live of symphonia, it's skyrocketing up to my top list of favourite Kalafina songs...I used to feel mildly for it but now I love this song so much, especially the very last chorus;
The meaning of the lyrics combined with the swelling music - gyaaa it really makes me breathless~~~ And the way the girls sing it is so uplifting, it feels as though they're actually getting filled with love thinking of "...people, falling and piling up like flower blossoms"...and for some reason I feel an intense surge of happiness and love for the world and people and the universe and everything~~ They really nailed the uplifting emotion in the live, goshhh~~
I think the reason why I can forgive Kalafina's faults so easily is just because of things like this - the emotion in their singing just shines through, and their performances it's clear to me how much they love singing and love the music they're making. Not only that, you can tell that they genuinely want to share these feelings with their fans and audience. So I find that Kalafina really do reach out to their listeners and they do get those feelings across and touch people with their music.
I know not everyone thinks this way but I personally never thought I could be so moved watching a live singing performance. But...I’m not a particularly artistic, creative or sensitive person (unlike those people who look at artworks, listen to music, watch a dance performance etc., get moved to tears, write pages of emotional critique saying things about ‘feeling raging inferno of existential angst from this magnificent masterpiece’ and ‘oh I feel like my heart moves to the drumbeat of this symphony blah blah etc.’) and I never used to really get ‘emotional’ about music; to me, it was just things like ‘oh this song is pretty’, ‘this song sounds nice and catchy’, ‘this song has a nice melody’, ‘this song is too loud and crashy’ etc. Even my old piano teacher mentioned I was kinda music ‘insensitive’ (could never put ‘emotion’ into my playing…or listening haha) But after discovering Yuki Kajiura, FictionJunction and Kalafina, I finally experienced what it meant to be ‘moved’ by music, what those artsy people meant when they said ‘aahhhh I feel the music’. And I believe it’s because of the way Yuki puts everything into composing her songs, and how she tries to make her vocalists understand and personally appreciate the songs, e.g. how Wakana said when Yuki told her the meaning of vanity’s lyrics, she felt like crying every time she sang the song. And because the girls themselves have such personal connections with their songs, they can pour that emotion through to the audience, and it’s as if they really want to share how they feel with the audience.
I know Kalafina aren’t the best, have lots of flaws, and make mistakes; there are probably many other singers and artists out there who are much more polished and perfect performing live. But I really can’t help but feel moved by their sincerity, and I think that’s important in a performance too, even if singing everything perfect without mistakes during live is undeniably amazing and awesome and what all singers should probably try to do. Because, as cliché as this sounds, part of the whole point of music is the expressing emotions to people, isn’t it? So even if Kalafina slips up on a few harmonies or wanders off-tune now and then, at least their performances and their singing are heartfelt. I think that’s really why I can still love them, including their live performances, regardless of their faults.
I don’t think they ‘fail’ that much anyway, usually they’re pretty decent, considering how it’s much more difficult to get all three singers in harmony with one another, especially compared to some singers who struggle singing in tune just by themselves, never mind in harmony with someone else.
Oops…sorry, before I even noticed it, I was ranting again… but I guess this is just a sort of justification of my viewpoint on them since Kalafina’s vocal quality has been under such scrutiny recently, what with the Wakana affair and the divided opinions on After Eden (which, btw, was far better than what my expectations had been).
Compared to Red Moon, it’d be hard actually for me to choose which one I like better because both have their better and worse points. Red Moon had better Wakana, who didn’t look like she was about to collapse and die on stage, but then Hikaru was so amazing in After Eden, I think having improved by truckloads since Red Moon. Likewise, Red Moon had probably slightly less ridiculous choreography (still pretty hilarious in some parts though) but in After Eden it was nice seeing the girls switch stage positions for a change, and despite the choreo (which had me roflmao-ing and going ‘OHMIGOD REALLLLYY????’ all over the place most of the time) each of the girls actually did have some really KYAA moments where they just happened to catch the perfect cool/epic pose/expression/movement.
Oh my god I did it again... Okay. I. Will. Stop. Ranting. Now.
Sorry. Everyone.
/will try to stop taking up so much posting space
The meaning of the lyrics combined with the swelling music - gyaaa it really makes me breathless~~~ And the way the girls sing it is so uplifting, it feels as though they're actually getting filled with love thinking of "...people, falling and piling up like flower blossoms"...and for some reason I feel an intense surge of happiness and love for the world and people and the universe and everything~~ They really nailed the uplifting emotion in the live, goshhh~~
I think the reason why I can forgive Kalafina's faults so easily is just because of things like this - the emotion in their singing just shines through, and their performances it's clear to me how much they love singing and love the music they're making. Not only that, you can tell that they genuinely want to share these feelings with their fans and audience. So I find that Kalafina really do reach out to their listeners and they do get those feelings across and touch people with their music.
I know not everyone thinks this way but I personally never thought I could be so moved watching a live singing performance. But...I’m not a particularly artistic, creative or sensitive person (unlike those people who look at artworks, listen to music, watch a dance performance etc., get moved to tears, write pages of emotional critique saying things about ‘feeling raging inferno of existential angst from this magnificent masterpiece’ and ‘oh I feel like my heart moves to the drumbeat of this symphony blah blah etc.’) and I never used to really get ‘emotional’ about music; to me, it was just things like ‘oh this song is pretty’, ‘this song sounds nice and catchy’, ‘this song has a nice melody’, ‘this song is too loud and crashy’ etc. Even my old piano teacher mentioned I was kinda music ‘insensitive’ (could never put ‘emotion’ into my playing…or listening haha) But after discovering Yuki Kajiura, FictionJunction and Kalafina, I finally experienced what it meant to be ‘moved’ by music, what those artsy people meant when they said ‘aahhhh I feel the music’. And I believe it’s because of the way Yuki puts everything into composing her songs, and how she tries to make her vocalists understand and personally appreciate the songs, e.g. how Wakana said when Yuki told her the meaning of vanity’s lyrics, she felt like crying every time she sang the song. And because the girls themselves have such personal connections with their songs, they can pour that emotion through to the audience, and it’s as if they really want to share how they feel with the audience.
I know Kalafina aren’t the best, have lots of flaws, and make mistakes; there are probably many other singers and artists out there who are much more polished and perfect performing live. But I really can’t help but feel moved by their sincerity, and I think that’s important in a performance too, even if singing everything perfect without mistakes during live is undeniably amazing and awesome and what all singers should probably try to do. Because, as cliché as this sounds, part of the whole point of music is the expressing emotions to people, isn’t it? So even if Kalafina slips up on a few harmonies or wanders off-tune now and then, at least their performances and their singing are heartfelt. I think that’s really why I can still love them, including their live performances, regardless of their faults.
I don’t think they ‘fail’ that much anyway, usually they’re pretty decent, considering how it’s much more difficult to get all three singers in harmony with one another, especially compared to some singers who struggle singing in tune just by themselves, never mind in harmony with someone else.
Oops…sorry, before I even noticed it, I was ranting again…
but I guess this is just a sort of justification of my viewpoint on them since Kalafina’s vocal quality has been under such scrutiny recently, what with the Wakana affair and the divided opinions on After Eden (which, btw, was far better than what my expectations had been). Compared to Red Moon, it’d be hard actually for me to choose which one I like better because both have their better and worse points. Red Moon had better Wakana, who didn’t look like she was about to collapse and die on stage, but then Hikaru was so amazing in After Eden, I think having improved by truckloads since Red Moon. Likewise, Red Moon had probably slightly less ridiculous choreography (still pretty hilarious in some parts though) but in After Eden it was nice seeing the girls switch stage positions for a change, and despite the choreo (which had me roflmao-ing and going ‘OHMIGOD REALLLLYY????’ all over the place most of the time) each of the girls actually did have some really KYAA moments where they just happened to catch the perfect cool/epic pose/expression/movement.
Oh my god I did it again... Okay. I. Will. Stop. Ranting. Now.
Sorry. Everyone.
/will try to stop taking up so much posting space
T
TsukiHoshi
Guest
Haha!No worries,Cerise~i'm just like you,i like telling everything in details&i got hyper easily~
So...I've already watch the whole After Eden live DVD&my top 3 fav lives would be:
1)Eden - honestly,i'm not very fond of this song~But that live was just perfect! Grand,elegant intro~
2)Destination Unknown - ahhh~i like Hikaru+Keiko deep voices~&i think this is one of the powerful performance~
3)Kagayaku Sora no Shijima ni wa - just like most of you,I also like the intro with Hikaru&the candles~ oh yeah,i like Hikaru's voice more in this live than the recorded vers...ah-ha-ha...
I want to ramble more but...maybe later~ :p &my opinion on in your eyes choreography:I think it's cute~
So...I've already watch the whole After Eden live DVD&my top 3 fav lives would be:
1)Eden - honestly,i'm not very fond of this song~But that live was just perfect!
Grand,elegant intro~2)Destination Unknown - ahhh~i like Hikaru+Keiko deep voices~&i think this is one of the powerful performance~
3)Kagayaku Sora no Shijima ni wa - just like most of you,I also like the intro with Hikaru&the candles~
oh yeah,i like Hikaru's voice more in this live than the recorded vers...ah-ha-ha...I want to ramble more but...maybe later~ :p &my opinion on in your eyes choreography:I think it's cute~