CloisteredFlame
I eat sleep and breathe Yuki
Interesting points. I still maintain that the best music they've sung on the whole are still the ones Kajiura wrote for them.
I'm also not saying that the ladies don't have good songs on their own, they're just fewer.
I listened to Rie Tanaka's version after Wakana's (which was well sung, sure) but I got the vibe that Rie sang it as the character would have (she was the voice actor) while Wakana sang it as a vocalist covering the song, which I believe Kajiura intended to be sung to her best ability as a showcase, which achieved its desired effect. Not saying Rie could sing it as well as Wakana, but she (Rie) sang it appropriately in my opinion.
It wasn't like the song had a complex melody or difficult pace, and Keiko or Kaori could have easily sang excellently/expressively it as well, so we can say Kajiura picked Wakana for the specifics of her delivery.
For Kalafina, visually, and on stage, Keiko was always positioned centrally, so that carried over into the promotional material. She didn't lead nearly as many songs as Wakana, so there's no doubt that Wakana was the main vocalist all things considered. The cinematography between the three of them seemed quite balanced depending on what they were singing. They were also often rotated to the central position in the stage movements and choreography.
Outside of Kalafina, it was their agencies/labels that promoted them for their music. Keiko was also more active/effective with social media, in my opinion, and was ready to project herself in terms of her looks. A lot of fans were more drawn to Keiko for her unique voice/looks. That couldn't be helped either way.
I'm also not saying that the ladies don't have good songs on their own, they're just fewer.
I hear your comments about Kajiura's lyrics often being more atmospheric than literal, but my main focus is on the memorable melodies and harmonies - the actual music. I actually think Kajiura's poetic lyrical style is her goal/tendency for Kalafina - leaving interpretation often to the individual listener - but it doesn't mean she can't write straight lyrics.
I wouldn't say she has a slew of songs at the same level musically as Kajiura's (like I said, I'm less focused on lyrics). I'm speaking to the composition and arrangement level. Grand songs.
Interesting. I don't think the song was meant to be grand or epic, but personal and simple - an introspection.
I listened to Rie Tanaka's version after Wakana's (which was well sung, sure) but I got the vibe that Rie sang it as the character would have (she was the voice actor) while Wakana sang it as a vocalist covering the song, which I believe Kajiura intended to be sung to her best ability as a showcase, which achieved its desired effect. Not saying Rie could sing it as well as Wakana, but she (Rie) sang it appropriately in my opinion.
It wasn't like the song had a complex melody or difficult pace, and Keiko or Kaori could have easily sang excellently/expressively it as well, so we can say Kajiura picked Wakana for the specifics of her delivery.
I'm not sure who was pushing Keiko to be the "most popular member". Which agency? Kajiura?
For Kalafina, visually, and on stage, Keiko was always positioned centrally, so that carried over into the promotional material. She didn't lead nearly as many songs as Wakana, so there's no doubt that Wakana was the main vocalist all things considered. The cinematography between the three of them seemed quite balanced depending on what they were singing. They were also often rotated to the central position in the stage movements and choreography.
Outside of Kalafina, it was their agencies/labels that promoted them for their music. Keiko was also more active/effective with social media, in my opinion, and was ready to project herself in terms of her looks. A lot of fans were more drawn to Keiko for her unique voice/looks. That couldn't be helped either way.
those vines of the old one looked great. New one looks like its picked from the fonts list of MS Word 
