Fena: Pirate Princess: OST & OP & Taiyou no Kouro ENG ver in Junna's "Dear"

Real Sound Interview with JUNNA x Yuki Kajiura
https://realsound.jp/2021/10/post-874368.html
Kajiura discovering JUNNA in Macross and JUNNA eventually discovering Kajiura through anime
JUNNA super happy realizing that Kajiura would write her OP song for the series
Kajiura briefly talking about the first "darker" song and how she decided with the producer to make something brighter
How it was easy for JUNNA to sing the song because it was "well-made"
According to JUNNA the song has already been performed live?
The importance of the word "El Dorado" in the (english) song
Kajiura talking about the difficulty of translating a japanese song into an english song
Kajiura giving some composing tips to JUNNA for the future

Nothing about a prospective release of the darker song, a next season or a future collaboration.
And the rest focuses on the womance between them.
 
Haha lol i think "El Dorado" was menthioned inside the anime as well.

thanks to much for the summary!! I really hope they ll work together again :)
 
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Wow that was a really good performance 😍 almost as good as the cd. Not sure if they processed the vid at all 🤔 i noticed there is a girl a bit further who does backing vocals.
 
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Speaking of the dub again (if you thought the Jap seiyuus sounded rough - OH BOY @ dub singing), here's the dub Vice Versa lyrics:

More than golden, the land of the gods.
Atop the lattice stage, dance, oh, shrine maiden.

Far across the waves, the maid slumbers.
What came before southern snows, the hour of the cold flames.
(^ this is where Yukimaru starts singing and the lyrics only start differing from the sub here, so guess there won't be a full English version of the song after all...)

Waters of the darkest blue. White storm clouds, they call your name.
Here it is, the journey's end, the stone that shows the way.

What lies ahead is the sun setting in the east.
Now is the time to run, where the ark will lead us.
 
027 // op // 019, 040, 031, 027, 030, 022, 010, 027 // new?046 (or is it 027), 010, 002, 044 // ed

This is a pretty weird episode so far... I hated the beginning with the whole island emerging. It just felt dum and I hated the choir lol.
Then the pacing felt just 2chill and kinda lacked any marvel. Maybe some wonderous or mysterious music would help... Episode 5 was much better - even though this one uses the same music. Including 030, which kinda surprised me. Contrary to 040 choirs, the new choirs in the harp/strings track (027) kinda improved the track for me.

Onto the B-part.

Kajiurago choir was pretty nice actually. Somehow the choir is not forceful like Kajiura usually uses it.
The full Joelle 002 was much better than I expected thanks to the harmonies - I was afraid it wouldn't have an impact after they already used the instrumental last episode but it worked. I smiled with my eyes during the whole dance sequence. This was the only magical moment of the episode. Wish the leadup was better (whatever that could mean or be) - it really lacked magic for whatever reason. Helena's track from last episode felt misplaced, too (but had new pretty parts) - maybe they could've just used the instrumental if they didn't have anything else to use here.

And then it just ended. This episode was the first where I'm not actually satisfied after it ended.
 
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Yeah something about this episode just felt...off. I think it felt like episode 21 in a 24 episode series and that's why it just didn't sit right. Not enough development for the crew, not enough time searching for the island, not enough time exploring Fena's hidden memories, not enough time getting to know Fena it all just happened too quickly. I really don't want a trainwreck ending but I really don't know how the writers are going to tie this all together in just two more episodes.

On a plus side, this episode was GORGEOUS. The colors of the trees, the weird underground city, the treasure room, the room with the faces, dat dance sequence, all just breathtaking. This really is the most beautiful show Kajiura has ever done.

And of course, the music was lovely too. The new choir track was very innovative for Kajiura, I don't think we've heard anything like that from her before. The full Joelle ver of Vice Versa was charming too, albeit a tad repetitive. I can't believe we still haven't heard the gamalan track or the Joelle fight theme.
 
I think the art design for everything was great but direction-wise I think they could've done more with it. Iunno - more angles, odd closeups. Marvel. Instead everything was just there, very matter of fact, very cold. Even the cavern with those stone faces and stage.

And will they do anything with Kei... lol... They introduced him as this threat for going rogue and nothing happened since then. Will it just be "all good" now that Shitan found whatever the Goblins were looking for? E-z writing. (I forgot if what they were looking for was stated in some episode or if I read it elsewhere... Some stolen blade. But why and how would I read it elsewhere, lol. Maybe I'm making it up in my head. I'll have to rewatch the series sometime...)
 
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grunty said:
(I forgot if what they were looking for was stated in some episode or if I read it elsewhere... Some stolen blade. But why and how would I read it elsewhere, lol. Maybe I'm making it up in my head. I'll have to rewatch the series sometime...)
Click to expand...
The definitely talked about the sword. I think it was in epsidoe 7 or 8 but I’m not sure. It’s actually a real sword too.
 
Kajiura's Tokyo Konsei singing like this has not happened since... "her wings / rebirth" from Madoka in 2013??? This is short tho, like the previous Tokyo Konsei track... waiting for the full tracks (longer?). And woo..! I was waiting for a "preparation" level track last episode. This kajiurago track delivered! Perfect with the scene. So happy to see great Kajiura again. Amazing enough is that there is almost no interference with the track, we probably listen to the full thing (>2min50) and with good audio-level!

Beautiful island. Would have enjoyed more time spent on the surface.
So the dance was the key!! Should have understood it before.
Is the Eden place basically the Fountain from POTC4? And british about to invade just like the spanish.
Maybe it will turn into a blood-path in the last episodes? popcorn time~
 
That Tokyo konsei is definitely reminiscent of madoka tracks. I wish there was more to it, I sort of wasn't moved by it. eden is supposed to be something super magical and I thought it was lacking. There was eden after all lol. I was expecting a grandiose eden only track but it's just eden only:(

joelle is lovely in both tracks. I loved the way they switched to the English navy during the dance scene, like saying shit is also happening. See here a more orchestral sound would have fit more imo. Two more!!
 
I wasn't really moved by it either... but I'll take it, considering how I feel about Kajiura's use of choirs.
Obviously this is just picking things apart and wondering what could've been, but I feel like maybe they could've used the choir track for the ruined city reveal rather than the treasure? That first part on the island needed something more... don't know what but it needed something...
I thought showing the military arriving during Vice Versa was very good, for reasons you stated. I don't think it needed anything different.

I still dislike how the episode started. Both the emerging island (which was just dumb, I would've been okay with just heavy mist clearing lol but maybe that would be too much like the Goblin island in ep2; heck just do an optical illusion joke like The Mummy 1999 - better than an island full of vibrant foliage popping out of the sea) and the general pacing of the intro with Tsubaki and Karin declaring how their journey is maybe coming to an end and that it feels weird (a little too on the nose?). Maybe it all should've been tacked onto the last episode to end it with the island reveal and open this one with the squad stepping onto the shore - it's not like we got to see them traveling there anyways (it probably should've been a full additional episode with some random obstacle to justiffy an episode but $$$).

And how did Abel reach the island? The exact coordinates were part of a puzzle - did he know all of it? Is he getting info via Shitan (guess I'mma die on this hill lol)?

Did we get a scene of them leaving Brule in the last city? Is he alone on the submarine now?!??
 
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I didnt really like the new choir tracks, at least as they were played in the episode. I remember "her wings" was pretty boring back in Madoka so this felt like it too. The emerging from sea island reminded me of that Aladin & Ali Baba animated movie where there was a similar treasure island on top of a huge turtle lol https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/The_Vanishing_Isle

Im not sure if a load of treasure would need choir as well, or that would also play on Skroutz's treasury lol But the one with the Fena dance was so good <3 i loved the visuals too ^_^ LOL at them having to jump a huge cliff minutes ago but they get to have a stairway at the end. I liked the music at that point as well !

The whole part of them traveling in sea/walking in caves is super rushed in most of the show but especially in this one.

Library of Alexandria ? LOL pretty sure that was burned so how would the books survive ? It would be more logical to talk about Atlantis or something. Not to mention that back then "books" were written in papyrus scrolls if im not mistaken.

Also did anyone notice those names ?

pucelle names.jpg


Btw i really hate how we hear "wow, amazing, look at that, huge" before we see it ourselves. Its like those news titles that start with "Shocking!: and have the title after. as if they tell you how you should feel before even reading the news >_>
 
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I just noticed that the bgm from ep 10's stairway is the same as in ep 9 Helena dance, and its much longer there.

Plot wise, how the hell did land plants on the emerging island survived underwater for thousands of years ? lol
 
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^Magic? lol

I really loved the flashback Abel music, and the Joelle song as well, of course. I agree though on the pacing. Maybe they had to do it faster because of the number of episodes? But still, it is an enjoyable series. I just hope that the end doesn't suck.
 
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