Kalafina Post-Kajiura thread (Upd: Kalafina appeared at Animax Musix 2026)

[CloisteredFlame]

i wish the still use konno, sakurada, etc but it seems immpossible now. well you couldn't just replace those musicians who worked together with you for such a long time and expect the same result.

Yeah, that's something that's often baffled me when Kalafina-only fans insinuate that the FBM (who were involved in recording, and performing, for almost the entire decade, original and variation instrumentals of all the iconic songs often from their initial composition or early lives) are "not all that" and easily replaceable, without admitting (or understanding) that the "sound" could never be exactly the same, because you've changed virtually all the musicians, who have played these songs maybe hundreds of times, together!

The people they are working with now are definitely all experienced pros and can play the songs, but their choices are different (in solos and so on) and the feel will be different. I am personally picky about the instrumental solos since they're often iconic and changes have to land: Korenaga annoys at times, but when he locks in he complements beautifully; Junior may not have the usual J-bassist, high-speed, improvisation capacity, but he's solid; Akagi is irreplaceable; and so on.

Band selection is down to the producer/bandmaster. FBM are Kajiura's team, and definitely Takebe (or any other music director) would have their go-to musicians. Konno is there with his strings team not as part of FBM.

One interesting thing is that Kalafina have had to use Akagi's solos on playback, and I believe she's the only musician who has that honor because her instrument, and solos, are so unique and musical, that they form part of the story of the songs so aren't just replaceable (like with that Cello "thing" they did in the 2025 concert)..

 

[zone trooper]

It was a terrible lighting issue and also weird cinematography in many parts.

totally agree on that, the lighting made them look older than they actually are.

Yeah, that's something that's often baffled me when Kalafina-only fans insinuate that the FBM (who were involved in recording, and performing, for almost the entire decade, original and variation instrumentals of all the iconic songs often from their initial composition or early lives) are "not all that" and easily replaceable, without admitting (or understanding) that the "sound" could never be exactly the same, because you've changed virtually all the musicians, who have played these songs maybe hundreds of times, together!

The people they are working with now are definitely all experienced pros and can play the songs, but their choices are different (in solos and so on) and the feel will be different. I am personally picky about the instrumental solos since they're often iconic and changes have to land: Korenaga annoys at times, but when he locks in he complements beautifully; Junior may not have the usual J-bassist, high-speed, improvisation capacity, but he's solid; Akagi is irreplaceable; and so on.

Band selection is down to the producer/bandmaster. FBM are Kajiura's team, and definitely Takebe (or any other music director) would have their go-to musicians. Konno is there with his strings team not as part of FBM.

One interesting thing is that Kalafina have had to use Akagi's solos on playback, and I believe she's the only musician who has that honor because her instrument, and solos, are so unique and musical, that they form part of the story of the songs so aren't just replaceable (like with that Cello "thing" they did in the 2025 concert)..

yes, sometimes many people forget that the musicians and Kajiura herself is an irreplaceable part of kalafina's harmony. you need many years of training or performing together to reach that kind of understanding.
Akagi is a very rare musician, if i'm not mistaken, i remembered on one occasion (when kalafina still work with YK), they also had to use Akagi's recorded solo because she couldn't perform that day.
well, unfortunately we couldn't get that level of harmony again these days, but i still hope they could improve over time.

 

[ak47]

نعم، هذا شيء حيرني في كثير من الأحيان عندما يلمح معجبو فرقة كالافينا فقط إلى أن فرقة FBM (التي شاركت في تسجيل وأداء جميع الأغاني الشهيرة، سواء الأصلية أو المعدلة، طوال العقد تقريبًا، وغالبًا ما كانت من تأليفها الأولي أو بداياتها) "ليست بتلك الروعة" ويمكن استبدالها بسهولة، دون الاعتراف (أو فهم) أن "الصوت" لا يمكن أن يكون هو نفسه تمامًا، لأنك قمت بتغيير جميع الموسيقيين تقريبًا، الذين عزفوا هذه الأغاني ربما مئات المرات معًا!

جميع من يعملون معهم الآن محترفون ذوو خبرة واسعة، ويستطيعون عزف الأغاني، لكن اختياراتهم مختلفة (في العزف المنفرد وغيره)، وسيكون الأداء مختلفًا. أنا شخصيًا دقيق جدًا في اختيار العزف المنفرد، فهو غالبًا ما يكون مميزًا، ويجب أن تكون التغييرات فيه متقنة: كوريناغا مزعج أحيانًا، لكن عندما ينسجم مع الإيقاع، يُكمل الأداء بشكل رائع؛ قد لا يمتلك جونيور سرعة عازف الباس الياباني المعهودة، أو قدرته على الارتجال السريع، لكنه متقن؛ أكاغي لا يُعوَّض؛ وهكذا.

يعود اختيار الفرقة الموسيقية إلى المنتج/قائد الفرقة. فريق FBM هو فريق كاجيورا، وبالتأكيد سيكون لدى تاكيبي (أو أي مدير موسيقي آخر) موسيقيوه المفضلون. كونّو موجود مع فرقته الوترية، وليس كجزء من FBM.

ومن الأمور المثيرة للاهتمام أن فرقة كالافينا اضطرت إلى استخدام عزف أكاجي المنفرد في التشغيل، وأعتقد أنها الموسيقية الوحيدة التي حظيت بهذا الشرف لأن آلتها وعزفها المنفرد فريدان وموسيقيان للغاية، لدرجة أنهما يشكلان جزءًا من قصة الأغاني، لذا لا يمكن استبدالهما بسهولة (كما هو الحال مع عزف التشيلو الذي قاموا به في حفل عام 2025).

That's exactly what I wanted to say.

 

[maha_gnosis]

i was really struggling whether to mention this or not. I even have deleted my comment in the other topic. But I guess I will post it here as this topic already full of drama, and It kinda annoys me:

so i have read a comment that basically says, it is a mistake for YK to have Emiko a young -but inexperienced- singer to cover Alleluia. As she is considered only a convenient tool after Keiko's left.

I mean... each vocalist - like evryone professionally is kinda like a replaceable tool. At least western bands have some vocalist change. it would be stupid professionally not to replace someone.

and then, Emiko? inexperienced? She isnt really exposed to anime/game world true, except maybe final fantasy? but ... lol

 

[grunty]

3rd time's the charm:

Anyone who is calling Emiko inexperienced should crawl back under the rock they came from.

That's all.

 

[Decretum]

Yeah, that’s certainly an odd criticism. Emiko is extremely talented and has been working professionally since she was a child. There’s no need to demean her like that.

And like, if you’d rather not see someone else singing Alleluia, you could always just . . . Skip the performance? That’s what I do at least. Insulting her is completely unnecessary.

 

[maha_gnosis]

Or the commenter is tone deaf. I mean s/he/they seem(s) to be a Kalafina hard core fan

 

[MushiMushi]

I really have had enough of all this farce and insulting can those people just stop

 

[CloisteredFlame]

i was really struggling whether to mention this or not. I even have deleted my comment in the other topic. But I guess I will post it here as this topic already full of drama, and It kinda annoys me:

so i have read a comment that basically says, it is a mistake for YK to have Emiko a young -but inexperienced- singer to cover Alleluia. As she is considered only a convenient tool after Keiko's left.

I mean... each vocalist - like evryone professionally is kinda like a replaceable tool. At least western bands have some vocalist change. it would be stupid professionally not to replace someone.

and then, Emiko? inexperienced? She isnt really exposed to anime/game world true, except maybe final fantasy? but ... lol

I always want to challenge these over-emotional fans whenever they make these kinds of comments.

On what planet is Emiko "inexperienced"? A girl that comes from a family of performers and has been winning competitions since being a teen. I see Emiko as a second version of Kaori, in terms of starting really young (early teens) and being able to perform at a high level before her 20s. Just that Emiko was mostly singing with her family group and solo all this while, before joining FJ.

Was Kaori "too inexperienced" to cover a bunch of aramary's songs (with REMI and co.) when she joined Sound Horizon? Maybe but she made the songs her own.

rito covered "Gloria" and was generally praised for that. I wonder if they had any thoughts about that. Did any of those same people complain as much about rito and LINO LEIA covering Yuuka's songs in FJ? Were they not the ones somewhat pleased with LINO LEIA's tone and pushing for her as a "replacement" in FJ for Wakana, instead of Joelle? I suspect some of them were.

Emiko is a national-level, young, soul and musical theatre talent and vocalist, and her talent is undeniable. I do believe she still has room to further refine her technique with continued training (which all singers need by the way) but that's besides the point here.

I just wonder about the gall to look down on Kajiura's choices, when she was the one that picked each of the girls (Yuuka, Hikaru, Keiko, Wakana, Maya, Kaori, and so on,) when they were young and had far less accolades and vocal reputation/visibility than Emiko at their ages, because she (Kajiura) saw each of them's talents and believed in the qualities of their voices for her arrangements.

In the same way they were looking down at Joelle in place of Wakana, they're trying to second-guess Emiko every chance they get because of Keiko. They probably won't change, so let them keep their arguments coming, and we'll keep knocking them (the faulty arguments) down.

Even if we have opinions, we have to be reasonably objective about them.

 

[maha_gnosis]

what even amusing for me is, that the fans will say YK shouldnt cover Kalafina or songs where Wakana was in it.
If they are consistent, YK shouldn't perform any songs at all. Emily isnt there, Kaori Nishina isnt there, Saeko Chiba isnt there. What should she perform? church choir? kumbaya?

 

[george1234]

^ Yea with that logic she should only perform Noir and Mai Otome and Elemental Gerad because of Yuriko in the OSTs and those KnY bgms because she has Lino Leia in. Will have to invite Eri Itou to perform Tsubasa and Great Nature , and Hanae for Mai-Hime, KnK, El Melloi. Kasahara for the various bgms she has done over the years. This is just pointless to discuss.

 

[CloisteredFlame]

I mean... each vocalist - like evryone professionally is kinda like a replaceable tool. At least western bands have some vocalist change. it would be stupid professionally not to replace someone.

Floor Jansen should never have taken up the role in Nightwish. No classical singer should ever sing a song first sung by anyone else. No youth or amateur singers should cover popular songs by any of the popular singers, in any genre, because they're inexperienced (or at least not publicly).

If they are consistent, YK shouldn't perform any songs at all.

Emily isnt there

Yeah. I'm not picking on her, but then Wakana shouldn't have sang "My Long Forgotten Cloistered Sleep".