「Kalafina Anniversary LIVE 2025」15th January Tokyo Garden Theater (NO KAJIURA INVOLVEMENT)

[grunty]

From what I sampled, the vocals are exactly what you would expect from each of the three in a bootleg recording. Make of that what you will. (Keiko was superb in parts that I sampled.) =p

Anyhow, the arrangements indeed seem to use old instrumental backing. Which to me, don't know if anyone else, is kind of sucky when the new guy was listed front and center with no mention of YK.

At the end of the day, it is what it is. Happy for people who wanted to see them together one more time.

Agreed with @Saber that it's a shame they didn't have more of a variety of non-tiein tracks. (Tho Kyrie wasn't a tie-in either, I think?)

 

[grunty]

I haven't watched any Kalafina live before nor listened to a complete setlist, aside from the first experience with Sprinter vol 17. However, I will watch this live, thank Azokad for the news.

Watch the Premium Live songs included on progressive DVD. They never matched that energy again, IMHO.

Some shite quality:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDmz4laOvOo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5a45tgmORw (regardless of studio hacks, Hikaru and Wakana never sounded better IMHO)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuqTtRU5YoU

How I would love to see this whole live released just to see if other tracks also matched these...

 

[george1234]

Tho Kyrie wasn't a tie-in either, I think?)

The no tie-in songs were Kyria ongaku and hanataba

 

[Azokad]

Thank you @Atlas Star, I previewed some songs and... wow... I have some feelings. I can't stop smiling while I listen to those arrangements, I mean, they're the same songs but they're not at the same time lol

 

[NoxLila]

@Atlas Star Thank you!
Congratulations to everyone who was able to attend the concert!!!
Enjoy Japan!

 

[CloisteredFlame]

It seems like I was right in hinting that the acoustic/classical songs are where the music director/coordinator/overseer's input would shine the most. That's where he probably had the opportunity to rearrange the instrumentation at least, especially the strings.

I will have some thoughts after listening and share before the broadcast gives us the full picture.

 

[grunty]

It seems like I was right in hinting that the acoustic/classical songs are where the music director/coordinator/overseer's input would shine the most. That's where he probably had the opportunity to rearrange the instrumentation at least, especially the strings.

Hope you're not talking about Kiminoginnoniwa and sprinter, because as far as I can tell from sampling they are the Winter Acoustic arrangements by Kajiura regular, Hiromitsu Ishikawa as well as Hirotaka Sakurada (AFAIK).

 

[grunty]

I guess what I'm trying to say is:

If anyone expected this anniversary live to be an example of what Kalafina would sound like without the Kajiura production, this concert is not that. For all intent and purposes it SEEMS to be the same old arrangements of songs, including the old backing tracks.

If you did not expect anything new from this (beyond spanking new performances), then you're in luck.

At least based on this bootleg.

 

[george1234]

Honestly im not sure. I was expecting they d do mostly Kajiura but with a new song at the end which they d announce for release later. But its a good thing they kept it the old way for now. Maybe they dont plan anything new and all the fuss was about one more anniversary live

 

[CloisteredFlame]

And this is probably why I liked the new keys- bc they were keeping me on the edge of my seat

That's true. Some unexpected and seemingly unrelated stuff. Imagine if those were intros for future songs in the works, and they were just playing them now to spark the imagination. Of course, I'm just joking, but still...

acapella at the end of Kimi no gin no niwa

That was sweet.

Hikarifuru

No, just no.

consolation (hah)

I see what you did there.

But otherwise, everything sounds very very similar production wise. You guys let me know if you agree lmao idk all the terms and technicalities

I agree it was 90% the familiar stuff with additions that changed some songs and only gave sprinkles in others

idk what happened to Wakanas voice but her vibrato just sounded so off, almost like a modulator effect

You mean for Hikarifuru?

I am sorry but that was a totally manufactured "vibrato". Basically a tremolo (caused by tension in the vocal cords and support issues). It was like she was just forcing the oscillation rather than it coming naturally. So she can't sing stably enough up there for it to come naturally. I think she was better in the 10th anniversary. Though we didn't hear the raw version of that, so...

The F#5 in ring your bell is still so incredibly strained and shrill though

Yeah...

She was quite unpleasant throughout most of the concert and even her falsetto degraded too

I must admit you're right. It was hard to listen to her a lot of the time.

So, basically a Kalafina concert.

Well...yes.

when the new guy was listed front and center with no mention of YK

There was nothing the new guy could do too drastically. Anything too alien and the audience would be blinking and not connect. They had to be subtle. Besides what are you going to do for Yuriko's and Hanae's parts that are too high for Wakana to do well, or by herself (and she never did even at her best, vocally).

 

[CloisteredFlame]

Hope you're not talking about Kiminoginnoniwa and sprinter, because as far as I can tell from sampling they are the Winter Acoustic arrangements by Kajiura regular, Hiromitsu Ishikawa as well as Hirotaka Sakurada (AFAIK).

I stand corrected then. I was not too familiar with the Winter Acoustic session, so you are probably right.

 

[CloisteredFlame]

If anyone expected this anniversary live to be an example of what Kalafina would sound like without the Kajiura production, this concert is not that.

And you said it right there! Exactly so!

All the hoopla on the internet about "Kalafina doing it without Kajiura, and she's holding them back or whatever" was just smoke, in my opinion. It was more like doing it without the FBM being their backing band. That was all this was, basically. It was also more of a "don't mention Kajiura" exercise.

Kajiura never performed with them on stage. If I'm not wrong, they worked only with the FBM during prep for concerts.

 

[CloisteredFlame]

I don't know what SC is thinking in the long run by kicking Kajiura out, but the group Kalafina will never escape the orbit of Kajiura's music, in my opinion. Note: I didn't say the ladies. They already did this to some degree in their solo work.

Sony and co will be looking to re-issue some Kalafina albums and singles or something since there's a pent-up desire for Kalafina. It has already begun. There's money to be made. Hopefully they [edit: the ladies themselves] can get some more of it this time.

The issue is I hope they [edit: Sony, etc.] invest in helping the ladies (especially Hikaru) resolve their vocal issues with professional help so the next time they have a live things are improved and they can move forward.

 

[CloisteredFlame]

Watch the Premium Live songs included on progressive DVD. They never matched that energy again, IMHO.

Some shite quality:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDmz4laOvOo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5a45tgmORw (regardless of studio hacks, Hikaru and Wakana never sounded better IMHO)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuqTtRU5YoU

How I would love to see this whole live released just to see if other tracks also matched these...

This had the same vibe as the YKL2 concert, in terms of hall size and closeness to the audience. It would be cool indeed to see some of the top songs we expect they would have done in this concert to hear the vocals.

 

[CloisteredFlame]

This had the same vibe as the YKL2 concert, in terms of hall size and closeness to the audience. It would be cool indeed to see some of the top songs we expect they would have done in this concert to hear the vocals.

Ongaku in particular https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuqTtRU5YoU really was quite good. Yuki's guitar solo was tasteful. The second part of his shredding really followed the contour of the melody and was sweet.

 

[toshiroukajiura]

I have only one question. Did they mention Kajiura at all in the live performance??
I am speaking also as a composer, it would hurt me if I will not be acknowledged as the creator of the songs. But I am so happy for the reunion of the girls. Enjoyed the bootleg but preferred the FBM version more

 

[grunty]

All the hoopla on the internet about "Kalafina doing it without Kajiura, and she's holding them back or whatever" was just smoke, in my opinion. It was more like doing it without the FBM being their backing band. That was all this was, basically. It was also more of a "don't mention Kajiura" exercise.

Kajiura never performed with them on stage. If I'm not wrong, they worked only with the FBM during prep for concerts.

I'm kind of afraid that you're trying to say that "Kalafina lives" never had the "Kajiura sound" in the first place ('cause she never actually played with them on stage) so this anniversary concert makes no difference... which is kind of the opposite of what I was trying to say. XD

 

[MushiMushi]

I have only one question. Did they mention Kajiura at all in the live performance??
I am speaking also as a composer, it would hurt me if I will not be acknowledged as the creator of the songs. But I am so happy for the reunion of the girls. Enjoyed the bootleg but preferred the FBM version more

Yuki wasn't mentioned anywhere. I think the girls are not allowed to talk about her still.

This whole ridiculous series of events, from the moment the anniversary live's news came out, to this moment, is still breaking my heart so much. Both YK and Kalafina have been my love for over half of my life, and I just struggle to find peace with the fact that Kajiura's music/lyrics/'soul' - things in her works that she creates from her own very truthful being with passion - are being used this way without her acknowledgement and agreement, in a way that saddened so many people including the three girls themselves.

The day Kajiura talked about her emotions regarding this matter on FJS radio, I couldn't help but felt deeply how 寂しい everything made her. I didn't know and still don't know how to face my feelings towards the anniversary live, or the choices WKH made or might have been forced to make because of all those Spacecraft shits.

Kalafina with YK were simply memories of light and hope for me. :( I genuinely appreciated the girls so much as I literally grew up with them, and had the fortune to have met and talked to them multiple times. I never imagined such a day would come that I had to refuse going to celebrate their songs with them when they were doing their best and working so hard to make their fans happy.

I'm just absolutely torn... I know very well that I'm in the end a (pretty obsessed) pure 'Kajiuran' by heart so I just cannot bear the thought of listening to a souless Kalafina without proper YK & FBM elements, even though god knows how much I miss hearing the girls singing and smiling together in front of me. I ran away from 1.15, and I don't know if I want to watch the recorded live.
(Edit: it's not about 'YK sounds', it's more about my own feelings interpreting the performance, if you get what I mean)

Sorry for the super long rant/negativity
I just hope miracle happens and one day Yuki and the girls will reconcile properly...

 

[wat11]

^ the evil me tends to think that all of this loneliness, disappointment and abandonment will make her music even stronger and more dramatic.

Not that I wish any of these things, nor do I really believe it's the cause of good music in the long run. Anyway, the emotions we ascribe to Kajiura are probably not as intense as we portray them.

I skimmed the bootleg thanks @Atlas Star , super good work! Wakana is... eugh. The whole reunion does cause the smiles though.

 

[toshiroukajiura]

I listened to the Kalafina bootleg ( thanks to the one who recorded it ) and I actually prefer the Fictionjunction’s vocal control when they sing the Kalafina songs. The band is integral to the Kalafina music or the Kajiura sound. One thing I hugely notice is Wakana’s vibrato. It was so out of control. I don’t mean to be rude but she sounded like a goat in some parts. I promise I don’t mean to be rude. I love Wakana so much. But her control of her vibrato was so bad in some songs. Keiko still has that fire in her since she sings Kajiura’s songs religiously. I love how I was able to confirm that Hikaru can still slay with Kalafina music. I still prefer Wakana’s voice in Ring your Bell but Lino Leia has a better control in her version of Ring Your Bell when I listened to her live in Thailand. Fictionjunction can do Kalafina songs so well and partnered with the FBM, they sounded so good.
I am still hopeful that one day Wakana can still work under Kajiura’s guidance and direction one day. In a live performance however, Fictionjunction stands out to me more now. I still love and support Kalafina. It’s just my preference musically that I fancy Fictionjunction more.

Excited for the HD version of this Kalafina live in March. It just made me realize that no matter what Keiko, Hikaru and Wakana does, even as soloists, Kajiura’s music will always be a part of them.

This is me as a fan of Kalafina and Kajiura since 2008 as a young kid until today. 6000 music and even unreleased ones in my phone by Yuki haha