Yuki Kajiura 2nd Solo Album - FICTION Ⅱ

[KONIcchi]

Finally finished listening to FICTION II (for couples of times). I'm kind of late to the party so let me make it short....

I like the album  

.... Maybe i should add something....

For I reach for the sun, L.A and forest I like FJ version but this one is better. But I stick with FJ for image theme and everytime you kissed me (although Kaori pronounciation is not really good but it is ok and I love her voice for this song).

March... I'm okay with this song. Almost love it.

heigen is relaxing... Love it! One of my favourite.

maybe tomorrow is beautiful. It brings back the Xenosaga memory~ 

in this winter is lovely... but it's too short...

lotus is <3 i like it but not one of my favourite in this album

my long forgotten cloistered sleep is    I've been waiting for this unreleased track for so long!! Favourite!

I swear is ok. I don't like the beginning part but after that is okay. Not a favourite but almost love it.

I really really love E.G.O! I'm thinking of making it as my ringtone starting from the violin part, hee. Oh but there's a problem with this song (my own problem)... I found that I like the sample version more... Maybe if it's shorter..... 

sweet song is sweet but not a fan with it. If Kaori sing this song...

Well, overall I like this album~ 

 

[Kagaribi no Hanabira]

@wintersviolet lol..it seems that this topic went so far in only one day..lol. I think I get your point. It's just because you don't like an abstract&nonsense-like style of Yuki's lyric, but I'm one who paid interest in her (Japanese) lyrics because it's more abstract&nonsense than ordinary pop song, coz I think that a usual pop song lyrics which is 100% makesense is prosaic and absolutely boring... . So it's just that you don't like what someone like, and it's just the difference of personal taste, right..:D.

Well...Yuki also composed many songs with make sense lyrics, but many of her songs lyrics are so poetic and quite nonsense, too, esp. Kalafina's songs. (when comparing with See-saw's, Chiba Saeko's, and so on..IMO, most of FJ songs are in the middle...) I think that the nonsense things isn't the weird idea, but it's unfamiliar for pop song. Many rock songs and poetries also have that style. If you don't like Yuki's lyrics because of that reason, a poetry course in undergrad level can make you go crazy because it's full of that rubbish-like stuffs... .

As for the aspect of love that Yuki often used in her work..well.. I don't agree with all ideas that she used in her works, but it doesn't mean that I disagree in almost all ideas...how can you agree with every thought of another person..? It's impossible... .

The song lyrics is just a song lyrics....like what you like and don't like what you don't like... but don't hope that Yuki would compose only the lyrics in the makesense way. I think that rubbish feeling in her lyrics is a kind of her own trademark as well as her Kajiurago..:).

 

[LianaIlia36]

Re:

I think Ninetales meant RIE AKAGI, not TANAKA.

Oh...

 

[wintersviolet]

Re:

@Kagaribi: Don't get me wrong, I love the sounds of Yuki's music and the melodies (especially the Japanese ones). But I get tired of the nonsense in so many of her English songs ("march" and "winter" are the only exceptions I've found so far). There is a difference between being abstract and being random, and I consider Yuki's lyrics to be the latter. It's definitely possible to write a song that's clear, complex, AND pretty- and it would be wonderful (for me, anyway) if Yuki would one day make an English song like that. But you're right, that sort of style seems to be Yuki's trademark. I'm hoping for the wrong things from the wrong person

(Off-topic: I've taken two poetry courses at university so far, with professors who said completely different things For one of them, I could say the craziest idea I wanted about a poem and I was welcome to write about it as long as I could back up my argument. But the other professor took the time to explain the poems he chose, and it was clear that he had certain expectations as to what counted towards a valid analysis. Another example of personal taste, I guess.)

I'll be going elsewhere for my fix of lyrical clarity. Anyhoo, thanks for respecting my opinion, and not trying to convince me into accepting something that I strongly don't believe is true.

 

[Nick Hunter]

You support all of Yuki's musical decisions, and I don't. Let's just agree to disagree.

It's a deal. although I wonder if I can claim to be alright with everything 100%: while I have no problem with Yuki's English lyrics, I remember that the title "Parallel Hearts" did take me quite a while to digest way back when.

Is love considered a bad or a good thing here ?

Maybe that's exactly what the "narrator", or the main character of the song, tries to find out for herself.

She just loves silver things. For instance, Kimi ga Hikari ni Kaete Iku has a silver RAINBOW. Silver rainbow...seriously, what is this I don't even...

Good point here, actually. Yuki's lyrics really seem to be all about creating the mood, following the music. Hence a lot of images that you can't quite visualize but that ring the bell on some sensational level. Or don't ring the bell at all for some. YMMV.

it directly opposes positive and negative things, and with the rest of the lyrics it all fits together nicely imho, there is a development. This is a sad song about happy times that are gone, a lost love, but the speaker isn't giving up, and keeps waiting and "dreaming". It also fits very well with Pandora Hearts.

And I can't help thinking that it's sung from Alice's perspective.

uileann pipes: Jerry O'Sullivan

bass: Sting Miyamoto (?)

bass: Sting...

oh lawd

vocal: Johan Sara Jr./??, Kaida Yuriko, KAORI, KEIKO, Kajiura Yuki

Odd... I was sure Wakana would be there as well.

"march" and "winter" are the only exceptions I've found so far

Now that you mention Winter, what about the other English songs in the album? Cynical World, Vanity, Fiction, the .hack songs - sound rather definite and logical. Not completely narrative, but not all that random. Then again, it's still about personal tastes...

It's definitely possible to write a song that's clear, complex, AND pretty- and it would be wonderful (for me, anyway) if Yuki would one day make an English song like that. But you're right, that sort of style seems to be Yuki's trademark. I'm hoping for the wrong things from the wrong person

Hoping is good. Until you hope, there's always a chance. I prefer not to hope but even believe that someday Yuki will write an English song that will touch your strings and meet your expectations.

 

[silverywhite]

Re:

She just loves silver things. For instance, Kimi ga Hikari ni Kaete Iku has a silver RAINBOW. Silver rainbow...seriously, what is this I don't even...

Let's not forget "Gin no Hashi"...

Maybe she loves silverywhite too

*Runs away*

 

[Nick Hunter]

^ who knows...

 

[KP-X]

Re:

She just loves silver things. For instance, Kimi ga Hikari ni Kaete Iku has a silver RAINBOW. Silver rainbow...seriously, what is this I don't even...

Good point here, actually. Yuki's lyrics really seem to be all about creating the mood, following the music. Hence a lot of images that you can't quite visualize but that ring the bell on some sensational level. Or don't ring the bell at all for some. YMMV.

As much as I get your point, silver RAINBOW is too much. If she said something like "matted, opaque" rainbow (which is the idea I extracted very much effort from the "silver"), I would maybe get the idea of something that is unclear, unreachable, I don't know, something along these lines. But SILVER? A rainbow made of seven colors? No matter how I see this, I can only laugh aaehuaehuaehu

 

[ninetales]

Re:

I think Ninetales meant RIE AKAGI, not TANAKA.

I'm so sorry!!

I guess the first person with that name that came into my head was the voice actress. That's what I get for not trying to translate the kanji I'll correct it right away!

Odd... I was sure Wakana would be there as well.

I thought I heard her myself... Maybe they forgot to list her or something.

in this winter is lovely... but it's too short...

I agree. I would've preferred the entire song on accordion, especially since it's such a lovely rendition

 

[Kagaribi no Hanabira]

Re: Re:

She just loves silver things. For instance, Kimi ga Hikari ni Kaete Iku has a silver RAINBOW. Silver rainbow...seriously, what is this I don't even...

Good point here, actually. Yuki's lyrics really seem to be all about creating the mood, following the music. Hence a lot of images that you can't quite visualize but that ring the bell on some sensational level. Or don't ring the bell at all for some. YMMV.

As much as I get your point, silver RAINBOW is too much. If she said something like "matted, opaque" rainbow (which is the idea I extracted very much effort from the "silver"), I would maybe get the idea of something that is unclear, unreachable, I don't know, something along these lines. But SILVER? A rainbow made of seven colors? No matter how I see this, I can only laugh aaehuaehuaehu

In fact..the first image came up to my mind when I saw the phrase "silver rainbow", is the rainbow spectrum reflecting from a silver thing in the sunlight...and it leads to my imaginary silver rainbow which has the luster of metal, twinkling in the sky like a star... . Rainbow is colourful, sweet, dreamy and giving a warm feeling, but if it also has the metallic glitter...it would be more fantastic.. .. It seems that I've gone too far..lol.

BTW, I don't think that Yuki's "silver rainbow" will be exactly the same as mine.. who knows...lol. If you ask a young kid in a kindergarten class to describe what is a silver rainbow, you may get a variety of silver rainbow from them..a rainbow in silver colour, a big arc in the sky made of silver in 7 colours of rainbow etc. I think that even Yuki can't give the exact meaning of Silver Rainbow and if she has, it may be hers, but not for ours.. . So out of topic...just start from Yuki's "Silver Rainbow"..lol.

 

[george1234]

Thanks so much for the credits write down ninetails

 

[minikui]

Yuki is not the only one using the expression "silver rainbow". Genesis did a whole song called like that. I think it's an oxymo ron like "cold sun" f.ex. But it also fits the title of the song "you turn it into light" ... rainbow turned into light = "silver rainbow".

 

[KP-X]

Okkkk okkk, let's leave them with their silver rainbows and dishes and everything else and get back to topic.

I listened some more to the album and, out of the "new" songs, my long forgotten cloistered sleep is definitely my favorite one. And then I swear (oddly enough, I really love Bindiger's back in it). And I''ve come to realize that, for some reason, I really like Sweet Song.

 

[alarictay]

KP-X same
My Long forgotten cloistered sleep is my definite no.1 of this album

But i think Heigen is really beautiful too

 

[ninetales]

@george1234 You're welcome!

 

[Nick Hunter]

oddly enough, I really love Bindiger's back in it

+1

 

[Yuki88]

Re:

Hey Yuki88, could you please gather up all the Fiction II related interviews and send the links to me via pm, because i have lost count of them ^^; XD

I'm compiling the one from anican into one complete interview since they're going to be taken off from the site after June or so iirc.

 

[Crion629]

My copy just arrived in the mail!!!

:tears open box and listens:

 

[mi_feng]

My favorites are E.G.O., Heigen and Lotus.
L.A. too, but it isn't new.

I didn't have much hope for this album, to be honest, but it has certainly proved me wrong.
And yayayay for all of the Yuriko!

 

[Nick Hunter]

Btw, does anyone know how the album is performing in the charts?