Kalafina 21st single "Hyakka Ryouran" (Katsugeki Touken Ranbu ED)

Oops my bad. Completely forgot about the / on the series logo...

And fans of the series (touran) seem to like the song based on what comments i see online so good for them.
 
Believe in Heavenly Blue said:
but what does "Japanese style" mean to you guys?
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For vocal songs to me it's probably anything from enka to something like https://youtu.be/y70VxorbGHg (Yes, it's Shikata, bite me). But I'm not Japanese so maybe I'm thinking stereotypically when I hear "Japanese style".

PSA: If you're interested, Shikata has a mini album called Wokashi that is all about Japanese influences and she's doing her interpretations of it in different styles. She has more spread out on other releases, too. Sadly no enka, lol, but I have Nana Mizuki for that.

Edit: Kind of offended myself for not mentioning the likes of RIKKI and Chitose Hajime and Natsukawa
 
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tbh ever since the disappointment that is One Light i never had any expectation towards Kalafina anisong anymore and ever since that disappointment just kept gettinf bigger and bigger lol

I've said this before, Arslan Senki has a very distinctive geographical set (Persia/Middle East-ish) and Kajiura could've considered that as that kind of set imo is her forte but nope, she chose very typical shounen anime sound instead...

adding random flute to the song doesn't immediately make a song have a japanese flavor.

imo the kajiura song that actually felt very japanese to me is utsukushisa (even with that heavy electric guitar solo bridge) and that is like once in a lifetime masterpiece by kajiura
 
Usumurasaki gives me those vibes honestly.

All those mentioned are fantastic however, easily some of Kalafina's best.
 
Aelarion said:
The most Middle Eastern-sounding Kalafina songs are Serenato and Sandpiper, and they are pretty much masterpiece tier imo.
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I must agree. The sounds of what sound more like either a lowly tuned shamisen and (a bit more in Serenato) possibly some koto contribute to an image of "tradition" much more than anything I hear from Utsukushisa, which sounds to be composed of piano, drums, electric guitar and cello.

I will again reiterate that the term "uninspired" should not be used until the full song is released, and even then, it is completely possible to be inspired by one's own previous work.

Also, I think that Usumurasaki leans just a bit more toward India than Japan, especially in the verses.
Edit*: Arabia, not India.
 
The songs that come to mind when I think uninspired are Blaze (really similar to One Light but somehow infinitely less interesting or memorable) Believe (literally Heavenly Blue but worse) and Hokage (yet another Wakana-led piano ballad and probably the most dull song Kalafina has released).

Not gonna say there aren't others that might fit similarly into the category but those three stand out by doing absolutely nothing new at all and being at peak uninterest.
 
@Seasonreaper Heavenly Blue isn't exactly Kalafina's most original track, but it is wonderfully put together all the same. Personally, I don't think I'd have even bothered with Aldnoah Zero if I hadn't listened to the song first.
 
@Seasonreaper Off-topic, but I'm so thrown as to how I seem to be the only one that prefers and will willingly listen to Believe over Heavenly Blue. Thinking logically, this is probably because Believe holds the trend (in both the verse-to-chorus and bridge progressions) of starting off solemn and progressing to a more "hopeful" sound. (I like the reverse of this trend even more, hence why Kyrie is one of my favorite songs).

Blaze is middle ground for me. I prefer it over One Light (which sounds more shonen to my ears), though I will skip to the next song right before the Kajiurago kicks up.

As for Hokage, I enjoy the lamentation vibe it exudes, and based on the tone alone, it would have had a great place as another Kuroshitsuji ending, where I would appreciate it more. I like it but that's likely because I EXTREMELY rarely come across it on my phone, where my music is always on shuffle.
 
Aelarion said:
I can see what you're saying about the solemn to hopeful transition, but to me it comes off as a little clunky in the execution.
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Yeah, it's the clunky transitions throughout the song that bug me more than anything. I don't care much for Heavenly Blue either but it at least feels a bit smoother.
 
Ahh this helps me understand why people in this forum dont love believe and heavenly blue so that was interesting and helpful:touched:
 
^ Apparently there was alot of hype while it was airing.

Personally, i started it for Heaveny Blue, but the plot kept me interested, even though i ended up not liking the song, until the disappointing final episode.
 
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Eh, it was no thaaaaaaaaat bad. Just normal bad.
But I admit I only watched it because of HB.
 
Hmmm probably unpopular opinion
But I really like songs like Heavenly Blue, Hokage, and Believe (tho only live versions).
I actually really dislike Utsukushisa.

Possibly because HB, H and B have all the chord progressions and arrangements I know and love, even if they are the same as something else. It's just satisfying to my ears and when the typical Kajiura key change happens I'm always like YESSSS.

Utsukushisa for me just has too many long notes on odd notes/keys that I always find myself going why would you make that note long?

I was a big fan of One Light when it came out because it was this mainstream shonen Kalafina sound that we only really get to hear when they cover other artists. Then Blaze came out and that one was TOO shonen for me, like it was smacked together because she can XD
Then Acoustic Blaze was played at Xmas premium live and now I listen to normal Blaze just to remind me of the acoustic version.

I dunno. Just my taste.
 
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