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

I don't really think it's premature. We heard the whole refrain, which is a really important part of the song, and it's probably repeated 3-4 times in the song so we've heard 1:30 minutes of it. The rest of the song mite b cool, but the refrain is already confirmed poop, imo hue.
 
ritardando said:
so when kalacritic say bad things about kajiurakalafinawork over 25secs snippet is "pushing it" but when kalastans got way too excited over 6secs sample (that was the case during kalachristmasalbum, which imo is a disaster) is alright?
Click to expand...
of Course its alright. You shouldnt even be here since you dont like kalafina.
 
ritardando said:
so when kalacritic say bad things about kajiurakalafinawork over 25secs snippet is "pushing it" but when kalastans got way too excited over 6secs sample (that was the case during kalachristmasalbum, which imo is a disaster) is alright?

uurgh sorry being the bastard i am i just cannot hold myself. everyone feel free to put me on your ignore list.
Click to expand...

Alright, I feel targeted by this -- not "offended" per se, but I'll respond. I can easily be critical of them, and their producer. From forgettable or questionably arranged/lyricized songs to live performance choices, etc.. However, I witness members such as ritardando and grunty (strictly for example) being bluntly critical -- some of it justified, some of it questionable -- and so on these forums I highly prefer to take on and express either a positive or third-party mindset. As I expressed earlier, and even though I realize critique helps improvement, I am indescribably grateful to Miss Kajiura and her near (if not) twenty years of work. I have little to no problem defending her, but I am not blind, or as the children say, a "stan". Just a fan.

(I would respond to that Christmas album stab but I adore Christmas music and so in defending that, I would admit to being blind.)

Sofia said:
This happened in the 9+one post:




Hopes high again.
Click to expand...

If this is true, it is therefore great. I especially look forward to the alleged hints/influences of Gaika, which is my absolute favorite FJ song, especially live. I know that might seem like a weird choice but sue me.
 
Last edited:
To me every song is good when its on its own. When other songs 'sound like' other song in a big part of the music duration, the quality of the 2nd type of song is getting lower, since you cant listen to each of them without thinking of the other. There are many examples of Kalafina songs that sound like older songs or previous songs of Kalafina themselves. However before Kalafina, Y Kajiura was making such sound alike songs very rarely, and everything was unique. All of See-Saw, all of Chiba Saeko, all of FJY, all of FJ when they were solo (exxcept the covers which are naturally sound-alikes) , and even the whole first album of Kalafina.
I dont really know what changed after that, but i find myself enjoying the "sound-alike" songs much less to not at all and get easily bored after 10 listens or so.

dream scape doesnt have any song it sounds alike
same goes for anna ni isshou datta no ni
or Hikari or Sayonara Solitia
or even Shinkai no Kodoku
Why cant there be more songs that are totally unique ?
 
@Hayden Kurosaki I fully agree with you. Though I'm definitely not going to say people can't criticize Kalafina/Kajiura (hell, I can be a pretty harsh critic at times), targeting someone just because they like something you don't (ex: kala"stans") is wrong. This is something I hate about all fanbases, not just the Kajiura fanbase. One can still be a fan of something, even if they only like the "popular" songs. And if someone disagrees with them, that is also perfectly fine. Discussion is not only fine, but encouraged- it allows people to see why other people like what they like, and don't like what they don't. But targeting is a completely different level. I admit, there can be a fine line between the two, but it should be kept in mind.

Just my two cents :V:

Anyway, continuing the discussion, I do think making snap judgements on a 30 second teaser cluttered with dialogue is a bit vain (though I'm guilty of doing that), as it's not the full song. There are plenty of songs where I like the verse/bridge, even if the chorus isn't my cup of tea (ex for me: blaze, identify, Märchen, etc.)
 
Come on guys, let ritardando bitch in peace. He's been doing it for the past 5 years or more and keeps coming back despite how much he hates everything this site is about and that's goddamn impressive dedication. Or insanity and crippling boredom. One of the two anyway.
 
george1234 said:
When other songs 'sound like' other song in a big part of the music duration, the quality of the 2nd type of song is getting lower, since you cant listen to each of them without thinking of the other. There are many examples of Kalafina songs that sound like older songs or previous songs of Kalafina themselves. However before Kalafina, Y Kajiura was making such sound alike songs very rarely, and everything was unique. All of See-Saw, all of Chiba Saeko, all of FJY, all of FJ when they were solo, and even the whole first album of Kalafina.
I dont really know what changed after that, but i find myself enjoying the "sound-alike" songs much less to not at all and get easily bored after 10 listens or so.

dream scape doesnt have any song it sounds alike
same goes for anna ni isshou datta no ni
or Hikari or Sayonara Solitia
or even Shinkai no Kodoku
Why cant there be more songs that are totally unique ?
Click to expand...

I was about to irritably rebuke this but I'm glad that I have enough sense to sit myself down.

I had thought for a few minutes that nothing sounded like Parallel Hearts either, BUT I then tried to run through songs I'd recently mentioned or listened to and I realized that many hints of PH are clockable within other songs. For instance, the progression of the bridge of Kotonoha is a dragging version of PH's verse, and PH's vamp chords are comparable to blaze's. Of any of the songs george mentioned, I'd have to sit down with my phone and truly take time searching for a comparison.

Though george1234 is right, I just don't find as much of a problem with Miss Kajiura repurposing her music, because it does come from her own -- we remember it from her, instead of stealing (cough "sampling") other artists. I still find interest in hearing her updated takes on old melodies or progressions a decade or so later, though I understand why most of you don't. I also find that much of her original stuff we have to wait for an album to release -- like Mune no Yukue (which sounds EXACTLY like it's based on good old church choir songs, and someone from my church had to tell me this) or monochrome (sounding like an electro-country hit), etc..
 
@george1234 ah george we are getting old... :)

frankly @ritardando and @grunty 's posts give me a sense of relief. I am personally disturbed by lack of character in recent Kalafina songs (certain ones excluded e.g. Alleluia). Each to their own of course. I do offer praise when it's due.

I'm glad we can expect some parts of the song having Japanese elements even though I still find the snippet inexcusable. I always thought Kenji and Yuki should work together on an album :)
 
Seasonreaper said:
Come on guys, let ritardando bitch in peace. He's been doing it for the past 5 years or more and keeps coming back despite how much he hates everything this site is about and that's goddamn impressive dedication. Or insanity and crippling boredom. One of the two anyway.
Click to expand...
Real talk tho in many other forums if people talked like that they would be banned
 
Believe in Heavenly Blue said:
Real talk tho in many other forums if people talked like that they would be banned
Click to expand...
We've been over this a million times and I won't speak for ritardando but...

Just like I often heard that I should leave this forum just because I don't enjoy most of Kajiura's current output - why don't YOU go to those forums instead? Every once in a while new people come to the board who can't handle posters who have been around not enjoying current stuff.

Live with it. I'm not telling you to hate Kalafina so leave me be, too. I've been on CPM pretty much from the start - left only for a short while when I've had it with some holier-than-thou posters (who are no longer here anyways, or at least not active under those nicks); and I FLIPPIN LIKE IT HERE. I still find a lot of Kajiura's music A++ tier. (Granted most of it predates KNK...)

edit:
To prove I'm not just a grumpy grunty always reminiscing the good old times here's a few "current-ish" post-THE BEST Kalafina songs that I actually like: lapis(love), Koibito(love), Samidare, Yasashii Uta. I LIKE NEW KALAFINA TRACKS! IT HAPPENS! Just not quite as often as I'd like...

Sadly, Hyakka Ryoukan is not one of them based on this chorus. It is pretty much a recycled Parallel Hearts.

edit2:
And I'm pretty sure either wat or ritardando didn't care for Koibito when it came out so it's not like we "OLD" haters have a hive mentality/taste either.

edit3:
Heck, I'd even include blaze in that short list above. That is if it didn't have one of the most unnecessary and boring Yuriko bridges ever. And that track appears to be the most hated Kalafina A-side ever around here.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
grunty said:
We've been over this a million times and I won't speak for ritardando but...

Just like I often heard that I should leave this forum just because I don't enjoy most of Kajiura's current output - why don't YOU go to those forums instead? Every once in a while new people come to the board who can't handle posters who have been around not enjoying current stuff.

Live with it. I'm not telling you to hate Kalafina so leave me be, too. I've been on CPM pretty much from the start - left only for a short while when I've had it with some holier-than-thou posters (who are no longer here anyways, or at least not active under those nicks); and I FLIPPIN LIKE IT HERE. I still find a lot of Kajiura's music A++ tier. (Granted most of it predates KNK...)

edit:
To prove I'm not just a grumpy grunty always reminiscing the good old times here's a few "current-ish" post-THE BEST Kalafina songs that I actually like: lapis(love), Koibito(love), Samidare, Yasashii Uta. I LIKE NEW KALAFINA TRACKS! IT HAPPENS! Just not quite as often as I'd like...

Sadly, Hyakka Ryoukan is not one of them based on this chorus. It is pretty much a recycled Parallel Hearts.

edit2:
And I'm pretty sure either wat or ritardando didn't care for Koibito when it came out so it's not like we "OLD" haters have a hive mentality/taste either.

edit3:
Heck, I'd even include blaze in that short list above. That is if it didn't have one of the most unnecessary and boring Yuriko bridges ever. And that track appears to be the most hated Kalafina A-side ever around here.
Click to expand...

You are certainly allowed to say what songs you like and dislike, I was refering to the fact that sometimes people on this forum explicitly try to insult each other, which honestly seems very mean. I am new, so I have not seen this for a million times, so I apologize for not knowing that this topic has been discussed to death. You do not need to prove anything.

We should value each others opinion, but from what I have seen it does gets antagonistic.
 
Feel free to report it when that's taking place. Just be kind to write a short essay with your reasons since george tends to randomly either read into things too much or be completely oblivious to certain things happening. :P (e.g. passive aggressive users who like to use big words with supposed-trolls and simpletons like me. ;) )

There's not THAT many active users here so stick around and learn for yourself which users you relate to, which you can't stand and have to ignore; which are harmless and which can be douches. :p
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Oooh, this is an interesting input from some starting forum members. I found CPM in '08 BUT didn't know that a "full-on membership chat forum" was affiliated until just several years ago.

@wat11 I have the UTMOST respect for that statement and absolutely no choice but to agree with it: "lack of character". I established that I try to put off speaking against the works BUT that doesn't mean I never agreed. But character is the word. I feel this dates back to Progressive but I understand it's debatable.

@grunty Personally I appreciate this from you as I have seen you around at all the wrong times and just thought you were here to criticize. However noticing from your posts that our tastes so far are extremely similar, you've probably just been saying all the things I wish to say and yet stray away from.

Since the other primary division between fans on this single's topic is repurposing, I'm gonna touch a bit on what was noted earlier, about us not knowing what Miss Kajiura was asked to do. Let's remember that, with Miss Kajiura being in the game for approx. 20 years, the producers of shows have just as much potential to be fans of hers for certain projects or specific styles as we "normal people" do. Even the creator(s) of the show might have enough influence to sway the company that took on the project, and make their preferred aesthetic or sound known. I'm just speaking from personal thoughts and so please don't view me as an egotistical bastard, but FOR EXAMPLE, I have written a full story spanning 6 years and if I had ANY opportunity to talk to Miss Kajiura about production, I would certainly love a Kajiurago-heavy soundtrack a la Tsubasa Chronicle especially with a track similar to Moebius, and to I Talk To The Rain. Had I only been allowed an opening or ending, I would ask for one with a dark, impending base close to Gaika or Koibito, but not as angst-filled as Märchen. And yet I can appreciate and daily listen to all of her style-flexed work from Miss Saeko to FJ to the Kalafina work of today.

I'm not trying to make this observation an excuse, even after we have an opportunity to hear all of HR. I'm just thinking, who's to say that even as such a musical force, she's not commissioned by projects to favor certain past work?
 
grunty said:
Why should that affect our opinion of the product?
Click to expand...

Not of this product alone, but of Miss Kajiura as an artist, as faith in her present and possibly future work is seemingly dimming. I'd only said that because of the opinions in this thread being relatable to people's negative predictions and responses to into the world (primarily as "another symphonia piece") and moreso to Märchen being viewed as I.E.N.2, which I heavily stood against.
It was not aimed directly to the potential of H.R., but is included in the context of being commissioned to use parts of past work.
 
Of what I can hear, I think I like it..... but I can't hear much of it cause of the speaking over top of it. I do hear some parallel hearts into a bit of it, but it seems almost calmer. I'll have to wait for the full song or show to come out to voice my true opinion though
 
Hayden Kurosaki said:
Not of this product alone, but of Miss Kajiura as an artist, as faith in her present and possibly future work is seemingly dimming. I'd only said that because of the opinions in this thread being relatable to people's negative predictions and responses to into the world (primarily as "another symphonia piece") and moreso to Märchen being viewed as I.E.N.2, which I heavily stood against.
It was not aimed directly to the potential of H.R., but is included in the context of being commissioned to use parts of past work.
Click to expand...
I'm not seeing your point. I don't understand why anyone should feel different about a product (or its author) just because it is exactly what has been commissioned. If you think the product is bad, that's how it is for you. I, as a potential target/audience, don't have to feel bad about not thinking highly of a product (and to an extent the author) regardless of the circumstances. As far as "reusing" your previously released work goes, I feel it's as simple as a choice (if intentional) or lack of ideas (if not). Losing "faith" in the author's abilities and quality of upcoming work is certainly warranted when you have lukewarm feelings about their work more often than not.
 
What grunty said. And yes I never really liked Koibito and would've loved Yasashii Uta if not for Hikaru's intentionally wobbly-sounding vocal (at least, to my ears). blaze disappointed me since it's so "generic" sounding, but at the same time it's not really Kajiuraish so at least somehow it's refreshing (if not for the lmao typical kajiurago bridge)? The melody isnt to my liking though so I still don't like it. After awhile Samidare did become somehow enjoyable (the lalalalala part) even though I still find it too repetitive.

To prove it further, I enjoy into the world while grunty doesn't.

I actually havent said anything about Hyakka Ryouran other than that comment about wakana lead anisong is to be expected.

Am too lazy to read others wall of text other than grunty's and george's.

Tldr:
What seasonreaper said.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top