Kantan Krusaders (Hyakka and Tombo posting is welcome too)

Argonir

Argonir

TETOTETOMETOME
Obviously the Hyakka Ryouran thread has been locked, so think of this thread as more of an 'unofficial' thread to discuss Kantan Katan and everything relating to the song.

Personally, I think it's one of those rare tracks that evolves the more it is listened to, as opposed to Hyakka Ryouran which (while it's still a fantastic track) lacks the same longevity imo.

So I get the feeling opinions of this song might change over the coming weeks and months, which is why I thought this thread might be useful to verbalise any thoughts and feelings relating to Kantan Katan, especially if you love the song as much as I do.
 
I've grown to like the song despite my reservations about how Wakana/Hikaru sound in the studio version. I suspect (and hope!) that a live version would give the song justice, cause its composition and lyrical content are quite stellar and Wakana tends to sound less ear-piercing during lives.
 
I'd love to hear Kantan live, especially with how emotionally invested I have become with the song.

Hopefully the 10th Anniversary will include this song in the line-up, provided Hikaru and Wakana are rested up and ready. I'm not worried about Keiko, since I've never once seen her perform badly.
 
Keiko does occasionally have minor slip ups, plus she sounded tired in the Consolation live. So did everybody there however. She's a lot more consistent overall.

I'm really hoping they do sing it at the 10th but I have my doubts. I'd suspect we'll get a live release for that event even if I can't get to it, so I'd love if they do sing it there either way.

I don't really have any real issues with the singing in the studio version myself, nothing really stands out to me as being unpleasant to listen to. There are a few instances where I have noticed (that one note a minute or so into Hikari Furu comes to mind, as does the Kajiurago in Winter Alleluia) but nothing on this single bugs me enough to make me not enjoy the songs.
 
Thank you for making this thread Cus I was gonna keep talking about KANTANKATAN!

Listened to it on my way to work today and realized just how much I LOVE the violin bridge omg it's so....so magical, so many ups and downs and the two violins countering each other yet complementing so well........ wow. Mesmerizing shit. Wouldn't mind if I looped more at the end of the song! Why didn't she do that ugh that would've been a great way to end the song.
 
I'm kinda obsessed. I might write something about it; I mean, the images I "see" while listening suggest me stories. That might happen.

And that makes me really excited ♡
 
@Sofia Obsessed is the word I'd use too. :) It's the gently cantering beats, the way the violins guide the listener through the song like some sort of narrative, the way the guitar riffs enunciate the sound and bring it together in a meaningful way so that the Kalagirls can paint a subtle blend of hope and melancholy - this song is telling me a story of some kind.

So writing, drawing, all of these impulses are flooding into my mind as I'm listening to it. There's a story being woven, but how it unfolds is entirely what is manifested from inspiration.
 
I love how the beat stops for a second or two with a different, suggestive kind of guitar riff just after the violin bridge and just before Keiko's solo.

It's like Kajiura is subliminally saying 'So I heard you wanted more Keiko. Well here she is, enjoy'.
 
It'll take time, I guess.

I can only assume Kajiura is handing the baton over from Wakana to Keiko at a gradual pace because a rapid transition might be dangerous for their progression and growth.

And correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Keiko Kajiura's first and only contralto vocalist to date? Because after working with sopranos and mezzos for so long, maybe Kajiura is simply perfecting a style that fits Keiko and still has the variety to stay compelling.

I don't believe she ever intended Keiko to be the lead vocalist, nor did she expect Kalafina to last ten years, so changing the project from her original vision might be a little more difficult for her than it seems.

But from what I've seen, the transition is happening, since the final KnK anisong was a Keiko track, and songs like Lapis are a step in the right direction. Hyakka Ryouran was dominated by Keiko, Kantan Katan, a track that would normally be tailored as a Wakana solo had heavy support from Hikaru and a Keiko solo verse, and Tombo was split evenly between them, so this was probably the most Keiko-heavy Kala release so far (barring Alleluia ofc).
 
Aelarion said:
I love how the beat stops for a second or two with a different, suggestive kind of guitar riff just after the violin bridge and just before Keiko's solo.

It's like Kajiura is subliminally saying 'So I heard you wanted more Keiko. Well here she is, enjoy'.
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The Keiko's solo was great & emotional and it matches the song perfectly. I'm glad she is finally getting the chance to sing more solos lately. It's a dream come true :tea:
 
CDJapan's overseas export charts are up for 3rd-16th August, Hyakka Ryouran is 2nd for both singles and j-pop releases behind Nogizaka46 (whom cannot be stopped) so pretty good status there. As far as I know this is the only charting system for overseas sales of Japanese releases around, so it's probably a good way of telling how the outside world buys stuff.
 
lmao i came back from the hospital just to find 7 pages of drama in hyakka ryouran thread...

i actually begin to appreciate kantankatan BUT only after the instrumental bridge, aka when Keiko started singing her lines until the end. No matter how many times I tried to listen to her voice, Hikaru's delivery is simply horrible. girl you don't choose to sing in legato, you have to sing in legato. go take a break and have a vocal lesson or 10.

also, i really like the final lines, "kumo ga kietara sora wa tada aokute, totemo kirei na ichinichi datta ne" no matter how honky Wakana sounded. if i listen to the song from the beginning to the end, it just sounded really repetitive for my liking.
 
ritardando said:
No matter how many times I tried to listen to her voice, Hikaru's delivery is simply horrible. girl you don't choose to sing in legato, you have to sing in legato. go take a break and have a vocal lesson or 10.
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I was talking with my mom (who was a singer) about Hikaru's delivery in some of their recent songs (including on the HR single), and she said that a lot of Hikaru's vocal problems sounded like a vocal cord problem. I agree that Hikaru should take a break and then see a vocal coach so she get back to singing well and not hurting her voice :uh..:

and maybe Kajiura should release a FJ single/release during that break :ayashii:
 
Aelarion said:
It'll take time, I guess.

I can only assume Kajiura is handing the baton over from Wakana to Keiko at a gradual pace because a rapid transition might be dangerous for their progression and growth.

And correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Keiko Kajiura's first and only contralto vocalist to date? Because after working with sopranos and mezzos for so long, maybe Kajiura is simply perfecting a style that fits Keiko and still has the variety to stay compelling.

I don't believe she ever intended Keiko to be the lead vocalist, nor did she expect Kalafina to last ten years, so changing the project from her original vision might be a little more difficult for her than it seems.

But from what I've seen, the transition is happening, since the final KnK anisong was a Keiko track, and songs like Lapis are a step in the right direction. Hyakka Ryouran was dominated by Keiko, Kantan Katan, a track that would normally be tailored as a Wakana solo had heavy support from Hikaru and a Keiko solo verse, and Tombo was split evenly between them, so this was probably the most Keiko-heavy Kala release so far (barring Alleluia ofc).
Click to expand...

:ayashii:

As far as I'd love it to considering I'm on Keiko's staircase, I don't think so. The feeling I got is that Kalafina is going in a more...ah, equal line distribution. Haru wo Matsu, Kantan Katan, all have a stanza (or 2) which every girl gets to her own. I'm thinking it will be the norm from now on. No more of those "X girl gets 85% of the song" thing.

I think it was Atlas Star or Yui Makino who said it, but I'd also imagined sepia toned colours for the song, albeit with the main characters cycling through leisurely, as opposed to walking. Autumn colours and environment, brick, quaint houses, similar to those in the HnS PV, they're cycling through streets like that.

Also, not sure if its because it writes about the commute and trains and whatnot, but KTKT is a GREAT commute song, especially when the bus or train is not going too fast or stuck in a traffic jam.
 
Aelarion said:
And correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Keiko Kajiura's first and only contralto vocalist to date? Because after working with sopranos and mezzos for so long, maybe Kajiura is simply perfecting a style that fits Keiko and still has the variety to stay compelling.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't call Chiaki Ishikawa a contralto, but she can sing quite well in Keiko's range (and much higher, to boot). Songs from the .hack series featured her lower range (kioku, edge, tasogare no umi), which Keiko did end up covering in some fashion in YK live vol. 12. Seijaku wa headphone no naka is also sung completely in a range Keiko could easily sing in.

Aelarion said:
But from what I've seen, the transition is happening, since the final KnK anisong was a Keiko track, and songs like Lapis are a step in the right direction. Hyakka Ryouran was dominated by Keiko, Kantan Katan, a track that would normally be tailored as a Wakana solo had heavy support from Hikaru and a Keiko solo verse, and Tombo was split evenly between them, so this was probably the most Keiko-heavy Kala release so far (barring Alleluia ofc).
Click to expand...

Kajiura could simply be leaning more on Keiko due to Hikaru's vocal issues, similar to how Hikaru seemed to be covering for Wakana when she was going through her vocal crisis in the After Eden era.

You know, a PV of kantankatan where the girls are on a moving train just singing and posing (i.e. what they do on every PV ever) could have actually worked heh.
 
ritardando said:
lmao i came back from the hospital
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Welcome back dude, hope you're okay. :)

Westkana said:
she said that a lot of Hikaru's vocal problems sounded like a vocal cord problem. I agree that Hikaru should take a break and then see a vocal coach so she get back to singing well and not hurting her voice
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She's worked so hard to keep up with Wakana and Keiko all these years, so it's bound to have taken it's toll on the poor girl, especially without Maya. :( She and Wakana could both do with around 6 - 12 months off, perhaps giving Kajiura a chance to work on some Keiko solo work.

casarina26 said:
The feeling I got is that Kalafina is going in a more...ah, equal line distribution. Haru wo Matsu, Kantan Katan, all have a stanza (or 2) which every girl gets to her own. I'm thinking it will be the norm from now on. No more of those "X girl gets 85% of the song" thing.
Click to expand...

MedChemist said:
Kajiura could simply be leaning more on Keiko due to Hikaru's vocal issues, similar to how Hikaru seemed to be covering for Wakana when she was going through her vocal crisis in the After Eden era.
Click to expand...

None of that wouldn't fall outside the realm of possibility either. The Kalafina that Yuki originally conceived was very much a Wakana-centric creation, and to move on from that might be a little disheartening for her. I get the feeling that Yuki has always been particularly taken with Wakana's voice, and it wouldn't be unfair to assume she's probably more frustrated than anyone at her vocal degradation. I noticed in some of Keiko and Hikaru's old blog posts from ages ago they actually refer to Wakana as Wakana-sensei, so it's obvious they have a great deal of respect for her, and presumably want to spare her feelings. I wouldn't think Wakana herself is having a good time with this either, so there might be more to this transition than logistics.

MedChemist said:
I wouldn't call Chiaki Ishikawa a contralto, but she can sing quite well in Keiko's range (and much higher, to boot). Songs from the .hack series featured her lower range (kioku, edge, tasogare no umi), which Keiko did end up covering in some fashion in YK live vol. 12. Seijaku wa headphone no naka is also sung completely in a range Keiko could easily sing in.
Click to expand...

But would it be enough to continue the tonal variety, which is one of, if not the greatest strength of Kalafina?
 
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