Yuki Kajiura: Adventures in Anime Music Presentation

T

Thorn-Mage

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I've mentioned this thing a few times, so thought I'd outline it a`little, in part to give another example of the kind of 'silly' things I do because of my fandom, but maybe because it might inspire someone else to do something similar at a local convention near you. I first ran this audio-visual presentation at Matsuricon in Columbus, Ohio August 2016, and used the occasion to start a scroll signed by as many Kajiura fans as I could find, as I wanted to present something to Kajiura-sensei that would let her know I wasn't the only one in my neck of the woods that appreciated her work. I presented this again in October at Kabochacon in Dayton,Ohio, where I got dozens of signatures--impressive considering it was a very small(approx 200 people) convention.
Back then, I was to be an SAO Hollywood Concert attendee; now, I'm an SAO Hollywood Concert Survivor. Thus, my presentation at Shumatsucon in Columbus, Ohio Easter Sunday included the bittersweet story of that whole affair. When we come back, I'll tell you what my presentation was like.
TO BE CONTINUED
 
Atlas,
In the case of the SAO Hollywood concert, the difference between a 'casualty' and a 'survivor' IMO is that a survivor takes the lemons and makes lemonade out of them. BTW, a big Thanks Again! to this site's Moderators for helping me get the scroll I mentioned earlier(with approx. 90 signatures) where it needed to go(reaching Japan February 1st). I'm a 'survivor' because my enthusiasm hasn't been squelched; in fact, I feel like a soldier who accomplished a mission, i.e., infiltrate a foreign country(describes Hollywood accurately), gather intel(obtain pictures of the Dolby Theater and its surroundings) and report back to HQ(send pictures and important documents--the scroll--to a secure location for Kajiura-sensei's eventual perusal)...couldn't have done it without help,though. Had I merely threw my hands up, cried a river(not that there weren't a couple of tears) and cursed AniplexUSA for dropping the ball by treating the concert as nothing but foreplay for the release of 'Ordinal Scale', refusing to ever have anything to do with them ever again, then I would've been a fandom 'casualty'. That's how I look at it,anyways--Good question, BTW...!
Now, where was I...?
 
Ah, yes--What was my presentation like? Think of it as an Audio-Visual listening party, designed to celebrate the unbelievable COOL! that is Kajiura-sensei. I worked with the following parameters:
A)Confined myself to her Anime soundtrack contributions, B)Must be no more than 50 minutes in length(ideally 45 minutes)
C)Due to time constraints, any Opening and/or Closing songs for series(Baccano!, Gunslinger Girl, etc.) could not be considered(sadly) D)must own a portion of each OST I use and/or the video(so no 'borrowing' someone else's AMV from Youtube)
E)present as wide a variety of styles/moods as possible, and most importantly F) Let The Music Do The Talking--using subtitles to single out musicians on certain tracks/the name of a song/where it's from,etc. Yes, I could talk all day about Kajiura-sensei's music, but it's better to just let people discover with their own ears.
So, armed with Windows Movie Maker(prehistoric,perhaps--but it worked fine) and a good DVD ripping program,this is what I came up with: () are ones I added after January 14th, 2017
(Track 0)---'Bridge 6' from .hack/Sign...a great way to open up the presentation
Track 1---'Awake', from 'Aquarian Age: Sign For Evolution'...perhaps the best use of Kajiurago ever!
Track 2--'In The Garden of Sinners', from 'Kara no Kyoukai: Thanatos--Overlooking View'...because its immaculate!
Track 3--'Pandora Hearts', from 'Pandora Hearts'...I used/re-edited the scene where Alice contracts with Oz;you'd think the series was an 'ecchi', as the combination of music and images may make you want a cold shower:waii:
Track 4--'Pride of the Sky', from 'Elemental Gelade'.
(Track 4.5) 'Swordland,Continued', from 'SwordArtOnline...my cyber-battle to snag a VIP ticket for the concert
Track 5--'Just A Small Fry', from 'El Cazador de la Bruja'...focusing on Lirio and Ellis;not a comedy series, but it has several funny and adorable moments!
Track 6--'Lounge 1', from 'New Kimagure Orange Road: Summer's Beginning'movie...the pool scene
Tracks 7 (+ 7.5) , 'Holly Quintet' (and 'One For All') are both from 'Puella Magi: Madoka Magica: Rebellion'--the group transformation scene, without the sound effects getting in the way of the music. ( 7.5 was used to show the signatures of everyone who signed the scroll).
Track 8: 'Duran's Summons', from 'My H.I.M.E.'--great visuals, and what a juicy bass guitar part on that song!
Track 9: 'The Battle Goes To The Strong', from 'Fate/Zero', because it's one of her best tracks EVER!!! Kiritsugu vs Cannith, Saber vs Lancer, Archer vs Berserker, and a brief cameo from Rider---where's the bad here?
Track 10: 'Breakdown', from 'Le Portrait de Petite Cosette'...dark and brooding, with beautiful disturbing imagery.
(Track 10.5) 'The Dream Fades Before Dawn', from 'Fate/Zero'...our reaction to the concert's cancellation.
Track 11: 'Rain and Storm', from '.hack/Sign'...one of my favorite Kajiura piano pieces,from easily the dullest series Kajiura- sensei ever composed, but I made it look cool by using the only scene in the series that was given a decent budget(the scene outside the hospital in the final episode)!
(Track 11.5) 'She Was Here, Alone 2', from 'Erased'...since I can't rip BluRay discs, I used pictures from my tour of the Dolby in Hollywood to accompany this haunting song....
Track 12: 'Margaret', from 'Madlax'--if you couldn't follow Margaret's storyline when you watched the series, my AMV just might help--this song almost always makes me cry...
(Track 12.5) 'I Will Be Close To You', from 'Sword Art Online:Ordinal Scale'...Sempai noticed me! Nuff said.
Track 13: 'Voices Silently Sing', from 'Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle'...the opening scene from the 'Birdcage Kingdom' fits this song's opening minute flawlessly, and makes for a great promo trailer for the series. This song was not my first pick, but now it's one of my favorites!
Track 14: 'Quickly And Without Fail', from 'Sword Art Online II: Phantom Bullet'...a gender-ambiguous Kirito showing how cool light sabers can be, while Kajiura-sensei gets her techno-dance groove going!
Track 15: 'Salva Nos', from 'Noir'--how else do you end a Kajiura presentation!?! Sheer perfection!

Apologies to the 'Eat-Man' franchise--maybe next time,if I've chased down the soundtrack. Of course, with 'Zaregoto' and 'Princess Principal' coming up this year, I'll probably have to have 90 minutes--which wouldn't be bad,then I could properly give nods to FJ, Kalfina and if I'm able, See-Saw.
So there it was--any questions?
 
I only skimmed the giant wall of text and one thing caught my attention (too lazy to quote btw). Was she involved at all in any Gunslinger Girl op/ed? I know about Baccano (Kaori's calling).
 
I believe she provided a closing credits song for the first Season; I've not had the time to re-affirm that--it's been just long enough since I watched it my memory's fuzzy. I remember hearing Something that sounded like her,though...
 
The joy you experienced from the delivery of your scroll to Kajiura certainly was a major contributing factor to your feeling like a "survivor" of the apocalyptic cancellation of the concert.

But how about those who didn't get that opportunity? Are they now cast as the casualties? For some, this concert was going to be an opportunity of a lifetime to see Kajiura perform live, especially at the Dolby Theatre. There's nothing wrong with "throwing their hands up in the air and crying a river and cursing AniplexUSA" because some people really don't have the power to "make lemonade out of lemons" when handed to them. It is an unfortunate event that has stricken every one of her fans that actually put out money for this event, including airplane tickets and hotel bookings, so to call them a "fandom casualty" is rudely inappropriate.

Your unsquelched enthusiasm doesn't make you any less of a "casualty" than the fan that threw their hands up in the air, and your words imply that those who chose to resort to anger and despair are fallen soldiers, without taking into consideration how much hardship they might have faced to gather the amount of money for this trip. I made lemonade out of lemons by turning the trip into a random LA weekend adventure, but that doesn't mean I survived shit.

But kudos on the delivery of the scroll. I had wished I could give Kajiura a copy of my original music album, which was hugely inspired by her works and styles. I wish to hand it to her personally one day.
 
Atlas, if I may make something perhaps? a little clearer: you had initially asked, if there were survivors, who perished? Hopefully, no one did, as that implies something very final, hence my use of the word 'casualty', as it can imply other, less terminal things. If you prefer, replace the term 'victim' with 'casualty' and consider this: when something--we'll use your well-choiced 'apocalyptic'-- happens, practically everyone is going to be affected by it. The way one deals personally with such a thing, if one refuses to be a 'victim' and finds whatever it is inside oneself to move on, it is this that makes you a 'survivor'. I'd like to think we all survived the cancellation with our fan enthusiasm intact, but I can't speak for everybody dogmatically
.

On Saturday the 14th, I met two people that had traveled from Denver to attend the concert; they were unaware of the cancellation until they got into town. Nevertheless, they showed up in hopes of at least sharing their misfortune with others--we had a good visit, and eased each other's pain. But we weren't the only ones--there are plenty of 'survivors' of this event, and each one has their own story to tell. Thing is, I don't know their stories--doesn't mean they're not equally valid, but I can personally vouch for my own experiences, thoughts and feelings. I will leave the telling of their stories to them. I've related mine in hopes that others will share theirs,too, in the same way I'm sharing on this thread the panel presentation I pieced together in my attempt to heighten Kajiura's name recognition with more casual anime fans who probably love the music from shows they like, but never really thought about who makes that stuff..and that was a sentence worthy of Mojo-Jojo...oops.
All this because I was trying to make a winking analogy between the 'SAO survivors' in the series and the concert, an event that actually didn't happen.
BTW, hope you do get the chance to meet Kajiura-sensei someday; it's certainly a hope shared by lots of us!
 
ritardando said:
I only skimmed the giant wall of text and one thing caught my attention (too lazy to quote btw). Was she involved at all in any Gunslinger Girl op/ed? I know about Baccano (Kaori's calling).
Click to expand...

Nope. The ending of the first season is an arrangement with Italian lyrics of a piece by Faure. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oq4iEhRpAcY. The opening was taken from The Delgados, not written for the show.
 
Kowz said:
Nope. The ending of the first season is an arrangement with Italian lyrics of a piece by Faure. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oq4iEhRpAcY. The opening was taken from The Delgados, not written for the show.
Click to expand...


Thank you. I would be surprised if she's
actually involved in that anime because I love Gunslinger Girl and I listened to the ops/eds of both seasons quite often.

@Atlas Star how bored were you.
@Kugayama since we've all established I'm an asshole please just stop giving advice on how to give something to Kajiura/how to attend Kajiura concert/everything along that line. People don't really care, and I'm pretty sure he wanted to give his present to Kajiura himself, not via some agent or Kajiura management. Even if she recognized it (the present handed by her agent, that is), the satisfaction of handing it yourself is what he wanted.
 
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