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

I wasn't sure if I was going to buy this single for a couple different reasons, but it seems holding off was a good thing. The single has been put on iTunes (at least in the U.S.)! :sohappy:

Hyakka Ryouran: I still do like the verses more than the chorus, however the more I play it, the more I enjoy it! :)

Kantan Katan: I haven't really decided on this song yet... I like the—what I'm guessing is the—chorus, but it just hasn't clicked with me the same way it has for others. Maybe it's just a bit too long for me, since I'm not that into it. Not a bad song, though.

Tonbo: The melody reminds me vaguely of a non-Kajiura song I heard, which helps me remember it more than previous recent b-side ballads. Though, the best part of the song for me is Hikaru. I love how she sounds here. :love:

Overall, a pretty good single with a pv that has some nice shots (I'm not really as into that rock area though). Also kind of okay that the instrumental for Tonbo not Kantan Katan was vinyl only.
 
Why does Kajiura release a two-bside single and then gives more attention to one over the other (samidaregasugitakoroni, and if I recall correctly, "lapis" was also rarely broadcasted compared to in "every nothing").
 
Seems pretty dumb to host lives for a new release then never even use part of it, but hey. That said at least Tombo is simply piano and vocals so you aren't missing out on too much if it's just a backing track, I'd want to hear Kantankatan with a full band. They seem to be shuffling b-sides into all their lives recently so it'll probably show up.
 
I finally listened to the whole single and watched the PV. I'm torn, because I half-like it, half-dislike it.

Hyakka Ryouran in my opinion has very good verses and bridge, but when the refrain comes up, I always think "why did someone turn on Parallel Hearts all of a sudden". However, I really like REMI on the bridge, Hikaru's solo right after it, and for the verse, I still think it sounds absolutely beautiful to have Keiko as lead, Hikaru on the low harmonies and Wakana on the high ones. It's Kalafina at their best, and I would love to see it live. When later in the song Keiko sings on her own, her voice sounds however less controlled and while Wakana sounds nice in the refrain, I just keep thinking of Parallel Hearts and can't get into it. The instrumental version of Hyakka Ryouran is amazing though, and the refrain part there sounds lovely.

I would have liked the PV a little more if it didn't try to mix the Japanese style with something that looked like a police/spy setting, that just feels out of place. However, that nit-picking aside, I love their clothes (and the hairstyles!) and their slow movements in front of the camera, feels strangely fitting, somewhere in-between Märchen’s frantic pace and Into the World’s calmness. I also liked the fading effects, the smoke and the shadows a lot.

Tombo is a song that tells me absolutely nothing. The girls sing it well (although Hikaru starting off feels so… bad), and it’s sweet, but like Haru wo Matsu and Mahiru, I will not go out of my way to listen to it, as it doesn’t feel special. They are clearly trying to convey emotions, but I think they’re overdoing it (especially Keiko and Hikaru, their dynamics fluctuate too much), and it just doesn’t appeal to me. I think it’s supposed to have a calming effect, but if I want to listen to something calming, I prefer Yasashii Uta.

KantanKatan is instead the track that I really enjoyed in this single. Just after one listen I was interested in it, which lately doesn’t happen to me with Kalafina songs, and even later in the day while doing something as mundane as the laundry I kept humming it. The instrumental is perhaps a bit more repetitive, but feels much more comforting than Tombo and I think the girls sing it better too. Wakana does sound different than usual in the way she sings, but I think all three seem less “forced” than in Tombo.

I’ll probably be listening to KantanKatan between Game of Thrones episodes, because it’s so soothing :) overall, I'm still torn though... I'm really curious to find out if seeing the songs live will make me change my mind.
 
I love statistics, so I decided to look back at previous mini live events and see the last time, if at all, where they sung all 3 songs for singles that had them.

Hikari Furu (which I think was their first single release with 3 songs on it actually) was the last time they sung all the songs on the single at a mini live. Of course, despite Hikari Furu being the a-side and the other two technically b-sides (as in not advertised like Into the world/Märchen), they were all utilized in the Madoka movies.

@Atlas Star: It seems like in general in every nothing is more 'known', though interestingly enough at the mini lives for believe's release, they sung believe and lapis but not in every nothing
 
Spirica Rose said:
Hikari Furu (which I think was their first single release with 3 songs on it actually)
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(If you count Magia quattro as a b side that is)
I don't really because it uses the exact same recording as regular Magia, just with some extra strings

Though at the mini-lives for those singles, has it always been the ballad b-side, if there was one?
 
Westkana said:
(If you count Magia quattro as a b side that is)
I don't really because it uses the exact same recording as regular Magia, just with some extra strings

Though at the mini-lives for those singles, has it always been the ballad b-side, if there was one?
Click to expand...
I put technically for this reason. It's a new arrangement of a previously released song, so it's not a new b-side, but I can't really consider it an a-side since it's not advertised as such. They did perform all 3 songs from the single, but it is fair to discount it, since it's not exactly like Hyakka Ryouran's b-sides, for instance.

I'd say this mostly holds true, but the mini lives for into the world/Märchen did not have Haru wo Matsu (likely to advertise the a-sides more).

As a side note, I didn't see mini lives for KinGnN, Alleluia, Moonfesta, Hikari no Senritsu, and anything further back than progressive.

Also @george1234 when I click the Kagayaku live event page, it shows me nothing, but it should have Kagayaku, gloria, then adore.
 
Aelarion said:
@Seasonreaper What name did you choose in the end?
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This is my cat right here.

Because being able to utilise the Miqo'te race's bizarre use of apostrophes in their names to get multi-tiered music and cat puns whilst also sounding like a real name is my kind of deal.

More on topic, help I can't stop listening to Kantankatan even when I'm not listening to it. I found myself looping it in my head today whilst I was at work.
 
Seasonreaper said:
More on topic, help I can't stop listening to Kantankatan even when I'm not listening to it. I found myself looping it in my head today whilst I was at work.
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The same's been happening to me lately. I'm also liking Hikaru's part more. It has some raw force/pain that I find touching.
 
Oricon first week sales is 13,374, around 30% increase over last single.
I'm not sure of the viewership of this tie-in, so can't judge whether it's decent.
 
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