Wakana solo career

Album is out on Hikarinoakari.

I'm just gonna focus on her cuz they're all covers.
1.- She sounds really good in the verses. She's actually emoting! But then it goes to the shitter and everything I dislike about her current voice come forth. So I like half the song hue.
2.- Well, back to boring Wakana. Didn't expect flute. I thought it was just strings and piano. It sounds nice. Didn't they sing this at a Kalafina club?
3.- She sounds good throughout the whole song. Probably because she stays in her middle register. If it wasn't for her vibrato I'd say it was perfect (in the Wakana scale at least).
4.- Damn, she made it boring in the verses and ugly in the refrain. Girl, you were bragging about working on your falsetto last year. USE IT. The arrangement is kinda snoozy too so it's not just her fault.
5.- Her vocals are really laid back and relaxy taxi here. Like #3 she sounds good, just her vibrato. Really like the arrangement.
6.- Props for trying something different, but it just doesn't work with her voice. Her voice doesn't have the tone for this type of song.
7.- As usual, mood dies once she's in her upper register. Worst part is when it's acapella. Arrangement is good tho. 0/10. Don't mess with muh Totoro.
8.- She sounds better (more fixed?) compared to the video, but still don't like the belts. Rest is typical boring Wakana.
9.- Wow, she got rid of the best thing that she did in the video: smile. It completely changed her color and added to the performance. Now it's boring as fuark. Was she crying before the last section? Wtf would they leave that there? It sounds bad. Her voice sounds very VERY forced in some parts. I know Wakastans are gonna cream themselves over that but it doesn't add anything. It doesn't even work cause she wasn't even emoting before or after that part. It sounds gimicky.
10.- Boring Wakana to end the album yasssss. At least she used falsetto instead of belting in the refrain.

The arrangements saved the album. Barring a few exceptions, her singing was mostly soulless.
 
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Is Wakana trying to tell us something.
(flower)
 

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IMO, this is her best album to date. The arrangement and strings are FAN-BLOODY-TASTIC.

Some song choices were...off, but overall, I loved it. Dunno how I feel about Toki ni wa Mukashi no Hanashi wo (I don't really like the original song anyway, but I found a jazz cover that was real good). Get Wild is interesting, but doesn't work with Wakana's voice. Love love loved Rain and Yume no Yukue.

Album overall gives me lots of Kalafina with strings vibes (since it's 1/3 Kalafina with strings, hue). Harmonies would've made the whole thing lovely since Wakana's voice doesn't have the weight to carry songs all on her own, but it's a fine job here.

Btw live versions of Kimi wo Nosete, Get Wild here:
NAME OF THE LEGEND OF ZELDA MAIN CHARACTER
 
So far what i got from the reviews is the album is better being an instrumental album... Hmmm do i want to buy this or not since i actually don't really like Kalafina Christmas album lol
 
@Lorde-Kowz's review is kinda harsh, mind it! :XD:

I'm just a hopeless Wakana fanboy who follows his precious baby everywhere, so my opinion would never be an objective one, but I consider this album pretty solid. The arrangements are lovely - come on, it's Konno Hitoshi on violin! My favourites are "Get Wild" and "Ai ni dekiru koto wa mada aru kai". IMHO her voice, especially in those two, is far from being soulless.

As for the track choices Waka-chan has mostly covered what her fans wanted her to sing, that's why no fireworks here. She seems hellbent on doing more covers in the future, so maybe less cookie-cutter ideas will emerge eventually, encouraging her to really try something completely different. (I'm silently crossing my fingers she will like my suggestion)
 
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I agree with Sania. Wakana’s voice is just lovely and I adore how she manages to do different styles in the way she does. I love all the songs on the album, and any complaints I have are very minor (AnDKwMAK is too long, Some Of the notes in Kaze no Toorimichi are kinda screechy), but even then I love them. From bangers like Get Wild, to the sad Toki in wa Mukashi no Hanashi wo and Inochi no Namae, to the slow lovely songs like YnAnB and Yume no Yukue, all of them have something great to them. And the arrangements are amazing!

And even with the screechy notes I can just tell myself Wakana’s imitating a screech owl for the forest vibe.
 
Sania said:
@Lorde-Kowz's review is kinda harsh, mind it! :XD:
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It is what it is, hue. After I learned about singing and started to listen to moar singers, and after her voice changed, Wakana just became a lot less special, or rather not special at all, which is sad because she used to be my favorite.
And about soulless, rather than that I meant emotionless. When I listen to Wakana all I hear is someone singing in the straightest way possible, exactly how it's in the sheet music, without altering or adding anything to it, and definitely not making the song her own. It sounds nice if it's a sad ballad cause her voice has a sorrowful tone, but the performance itself is just very bland. She has no musicality. All she does is belt to try to show emotion but belting is not an emotion hue.
 
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Lorde-Kowz said:
It is what it is, hue. After I learned about singing and started to listen to moar singers, and after her voice changed, Wakana just became a lot less special, or rather not special at all, which is sad because she used to be my favorite.
And about soulless, rather than that I meant emotionless. When I listen to Wakana all I hear is someone singing in the straightest way possible, exactly how it's in the sheet music, without altering or adding anything to it, and definitely not making the song her own. It sounds nice if it's a sad ballad cause her voice has a sorrowful tone, but the performance itself is just very bland. She has no musicality. All she does is belt to try to show emotion but belting is not an emotion hue.
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I don't really possess much knowledge of music, so I'm not even gonna try to spar with you on that field.
But thanks for your analysis. I find it insightful, as it clearly shows your point of view on the matter.
Still, as a woeful Wakanatard I feel obliged to defend my beloved creampuff and put my two cents' worth in here. :XD:
It's rather obvious this album will not be a hit that sells in tens of thousands of copies, because yeah, only hardcore Wakana followers + maybe a bunch of anime lovers will even care about it.
Wakana may sing in a straightforward fashion. Well, it's not that every vocalist is a virtuoso. She ain't trying to become a popstar. She made it with this handful of fans on her mind, to make them happy. She is not trying to imitate anyone nor is she pretending to be someone she's not. I just appreciate her honesty, that's why I can turn a blind eye on her vocal problems.
Amen
 
i think for me biggest letdown was that the video of the release was only DVD :( it was quite underwhelming visuals compared to the video content of H-el-ical// and KEIKO...
 
Wakana Anime Classic 2020:

My bunch of loose thoughts during the streaming:

SHE LOOKS SO GODDAMN PRETTY MY EYES ARE GONNA POP OUT!!1111//

Poor sweetheart sounds off key from time to time,

The violins are completely stealing the show during the first part of the live,

I felt the huge boost in confidence once She stepped into Kalafina territory. The choice of songs did catch me completely off guard,

Once again were I able to appreciate the arrangements, I think they really kick ass!
 
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Track list for anyone who’s curious:

01. Toki ni wa Mukashi no Hanashi wo (“Porco Rosso”)
02: Yasashisa ni Tsutsumareta Nara (“Kiki’s Delivery Service”)
03: Kaze no Tani no Naussicä (“Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind”)
04: Rain (“Garden of Words”)
05: When She Loved Me (“Toy Story 2”)
06: Mononoke Hime (“Princess Mononoke”)
07: Kimi wo Nosete (“Laputa: Castle In The Sky”)
08: Kizuato (“Kara no Kyoukai”)
09: Mirai (“Madoka Magica”)
10: Utautai no Ballad (“Lu Over The Wall”)
11: Get Wild (“City Hunter”)
12: Ai ni Dekiru Koto wa Mada Aru Kai (“Weathering With You”)
13: Yume no Yukue (“Doraemon 12: Nobita’s Dorabian Nights”)
ENCORE
Was not streamed, but possibly contained Country Road (“Whisper of the Heart”) and Magic Moment.
 
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I thought she did really well. I loved the strings/piano as well. I thought they worked well with the songs. I was hoping for the Kiki's Delivery Service one that Aika did a cover of, but the Princess Mononoke one just destroyed me. The visuals were stunning, as well as her in her dresses. I thought she looked like an angel in her white dress and a gift wrapped with a bow in the red/ivory one. She did well with the Kalafina songs also. Mirai especially.
 
Omg forget everything I said about this album being underwhelming —- it’s really grown on me after several listens over the past month while driving and also at work! My favorite so far is “get wild” — I never knew of this song and I listened to the original and wow did she really add her own style to it!!
 
Just bought my ticket for the upcoming Wakana fan club event on March 7th.
This required a few steps:

1) log in to FC site
2) click on Bitfan button from “my page”
3) sign up on Bitfan and confirm email
4) consent to linking FC membership to my Bitfan account
5) complete rest of my profile on Bitfan (which accepts overseas contact info, interestingly)
6) then pay for ticket
https://wakana-fc.jp/contents/408140Cost is ¥3500 with ¥330 handling fee = ¥3830.
 
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