Sorry that I took too much time on this report…TwT. At least I can finish it before this year ends..lol.
Kaji Fes Day 2
The Work for Soundtrack II were sold out while I was waiting in the queue…;w;. Well…. how early should I come then….Orz. My seat was better on this day. I got the ticket from oversea sale. It’s on the 3rd row of the 1st floor right behind the cameraman. The angle was nice as well, as it’s where they set the camera.
(1) Street corner: We started with accordion again. I felt so bad that this bad fan couldn’t recognize the song name TT.
(2) Kibou no hikari: This time, I’m quite sure that it’s one of Hanako to Anne OST, but still don’t know the song title. This song began with Uileen pipe solo. Kajiura, Obawo and Konno’s quartet joined later. Sato came in after that. Korenaga and Jr were also there, but I don’t think they had any parts in the song.
(3) Prelude to act 1: Eri appeared at the center of the top stage. She wore creamy gold long dress with golden foliage pattern like the fairy queen of autumn. I really love the string in this song. Though I feel that there were some parts that the main melody was overpowered by the supporting ones. Sato’s drum beats also gave the energetic feeling to the song.
(4) Numquan vincar: The master piece from our front band members. It sounds so strong with the quartet. I like Sato’s drum here. They also have accordion solo from the top stage. Korenaga’s guitar solo towards the end was also nice. The live of this song is always so epiccc!
(5) Magia [quattro]: Hikaru was at the center of the top stage, wearing the dress from Live 16. Joelle, Yuriko and Keiko came to the stage. They wore the dress from Live 18. Joelle took Wakana’s part. Hikaru, my girl~. She’s as fierce as usual. She’s powerful, but sounded quite flat in some parts of the song. Magia [quattro] with the real quartet was really a blast! Yuriko joining in the vocal line made the song sound much more complete than the original Kalafina lives. (It’s always like this… any Kalafina songs in Live 10 with Hanae or Yuriko as the original Kajiurago singers were far better than Kalafina live performances where backing tracks were used or Wakana/Hikaru just covered those parts.) Hikaru kept walking on the top stage during the second chorus. Before the bridge, she came down to the main stage. From left to right, it’s Joelle, Hikaru, Keiko and Yuriko. Then they sang together on the main stage until the end. The audience cheered during the song and they were louder than usual once the song ended. I guess that many Kalafina fans came on the 2nd day.
(6) Storia: No Kaori again. Joelle handled Wakana’s part perfectly, and we have Yuriko dealt with all high note parts as well. It sounds like heaven on earth. Rie delivered amazing flute solo. The Kalafina girls sang their parts well too. The last chorus from Joelle was very impressive. With Joelle’s voice, Storia sounds so different from the original. It’s more like a part of RHH Kajiurago’s OPs from various operatic singers than Japanese lyrics song trio from Kalafina. (Or we have >3…? Not sure though..lol.)
(7) Kimi no gin niwa: Hikaru sounded so cute <3. Joelle and Yuriko covered Wakana’s part, and I’m surprised that Yuriko can be this cute as I didn’t feel that she matches this energy when she sings Moonlight melody. Joelle’s and Keiko’s voices blended so well. Yuriko always made the live sounds more complete than the original live. The accordion joined near the end of the song before the last chorus.
(8) To the beginning: For the song in this style, I feel that some songs really match Wakana’s voice, but in some songs, I felt that Wakana struggled a lot, or her always-melancholic voice made the songs not as energetic as their fast beat suggest. TTB is one of the latter, so I don’t mind Joelle covering this song. Yuriko and Joelle together brilliantly handled the Kajiurago intro and bridge. Joelle sang Wakana’s part in the chorus. I really love Yuriko’s Kajiurago through out the song. She’s so amazing! The fans seemed so excited with this song. They also shouted during the chorus.
My opinion on Kalafina song covers: It’s true that for some songs, Wakana’s voice really defines the song, and it becomes weird without her. On the other hand, I don’t feel that Wakana fits all Kalafina songs. TTB is one of them. Wakana’s present in Magia is close to none, while her existences in Storia and Kimi no gin niwa are outstanding. However, it’s just like other covers in YK lives, the singers who do the cover interpret the songs in their own ways, and none are the same as the originals. It’s just the matter of preference - that you like it or not. I like Joelle’s version of Storia, but I still like the original version. On the other hand, for Kimi no gin niwa, I prefer the original version, where calmer and more emotionless voice of Wakana gives a specific mysterious atmosphere to the song.
(9) Umi to shinjuu: By Junna, with Yuriko and Keiko. She’s the same as Wakana in the sense that her voice sounds much more thick and powerful when you watch their live performance recordings, but they don’t sound as good as that when you attend their live in person. (While Keiko, Aimer, Emily, Kasahara are the opposite, just to name a few…) Even her high notes sound on point, it wasn’t powerful, unlike, for example, Joelle or Eri. What I’m impressed the most from this song were the string parts and Korenaga’s guitar solo.
(10) Taiyou no kouro: I love the duet-like part of Joelle and Yuriko in the bridge. I think Junna sounded better in this song. The combo of Yuriko, Joelle and Keiko at the end were so awesome.
(11) Time to sail!: Kaori came to join the other three. The live version of this song sounds much better than the recording. Their voices, with the flute and the quartet were so nice together. I think the quartet played a lot today, compared to Day 1. The FJ members harmonization at the end were really impressive.
(12) The main theme of L.O.R.D.: Joelle sounded super charming at the start. I was head over heels with her in this song. Her singing was so powerful and emotional at the same time. I also love the part when the other three harmonizing and Joelle went to the top of the stage. When it came to the slower part, she sang from the top stage with Kaori singing the chorus. Her legato with high note was so impressive. The best live version of this song so far.
(13) I talk to the rain: Konno’s violin was so sweet, but Eri was sweeter. My beloved Eri, the one who can make me take my eyes and ears off Konno San…lol. My two favourite took the main role in the same song… how happy I was…TwT. Eri was alone, no FJ singers around. Korenaga’s solo was also nice. Konno also stood up during some parts of his solo.
(14) The song of storm and fire: Eri was at the center of the main stage. She did a mistake in the high note in the intro again, like in the first Kaji Fes 10 years ago…. (Probably… don’t pick this song for her again in the next Kaji Fes…^ ^||.) But she did quite fine after that, though the performance wasn’t the best that we always get from her. The FJ members stood on the top stage behind her, singing the chorus. Keiko voice was quite dominating. Konno’s solo in the bridge was so marvelous.
(15) Ring your song: Eri is always so sweet in this song. Rie accompanied her with flute. We finally have Eri-Rie moment at live…lol. I noticed that Eri skipped the high note part in the improvisation at the bridge. She probably didn’t really in a good condition after that mistake in the previous song..:(.
(16) Koto no hoka yawarakai: Love Konno’s violin and Yuriko in the bridge, as well as those parts that end-with-Hikaru thing. Yuriko was so charming when she sang those parts.
(17) Yakou Toryou: Asca came in place of Yuriko. She sounded really good at live. A powerful singer indeed. Rito’s cover was fine, but Asca is a much more proper singer for this song.
(18) Hibari: The cello melody made the song sounded so nostalgic. Asca moved to the top stage during the bridge and continued singing from there until the song ended. While Asca sounded so nice in the previous song, she did a mistake in the 1st chorus. She just kept swinging between good and bad like what we’ve seen from SAO live. I think her main problem is the breath controlling. She’s barely able to hold a long note, which appear a lot in a ballad song like Hibari, but not in a faster song like Yakou Toryou. If Kajiura keeps giving her a not-to-slow beat song, she’d be fine in live performance. (I haven’t heard slow song from her besides Hibari though.) Rie’s flute was nice, but what I love the most was the hymn from Joelle and Yuriko.
(19) Kimi ga Mita Yume no Monogatari: Asca sounded better in this song as I expected. Faster song, less legato, and more chances to take a breath. I really love the string melody of this song. Konno made me forgot about the singer once in a while…lol. The flute was also terrific. Asca’s low note at the bridge sounded so similar to Keiko. Konno&Rie duet of violin and flute at the end was the greatest thing in this live!
(20) Everlasting song: Asuka sounded so cute. Konno’s violin before the bridge was breathtaking. Joelle and Kaori sounded so nice. I was in love with Yuriko duet with Kaori and then with Joelle in the last verse before the last chorus. Joelle&yuriko blending in the last chorus and the harmonization from the 4 girls at the end were gorgeous as well.
(21) Sekai no hate: I love this song since I listened the recording version, and Asuka didn’t disappoint me for the live version. It’s even better at live! Asuka was so powerful despite of her cute voice. She sang alone without the FJ girls.
(22) Yasashii yoake: Joelle was the lead singer, standing on the top stage. Rie’s flute sounded so enchanting. Yuriko was the only chorus. Joelle is as great as usual. Love the violin and flute combo at the end! Konno stood up during his part again. I think he prefers standing, but he needed to sit for the most part in Kaji Fes because the quartet members were with him…lol.
(23) Kimi ga ita monogatari: A strong opening from Joelle! Kaori was on the top stage as the lead singer. She did well today. Korenaga’s guitar in the middle was crazily good! Kaori went down to sing with the other at the main stage in the last chorus.
(24) Rainbow ~main theme~: My first time hearing Kokia at live. Her voice was so great. Her pronunciation was definitely not as good as Remi, but that didn’t make me unable to enjoy her performance. She sounded so Kokia..lol. Her singing is very unique, very emotional. She may not sound as powerful as Remi, but her singing is amazing in its own way.
(25) Kaze yo fuke: I hadn’t listened to the recording when I watched this performance. The flute at the opening really sounded like a theme from SAO Alicization. Kaori and Yuriko were there as supporting vocals. The chorus of the song reminded me of Swordland. While the melody isn’t that catchy, Kokia emotional and dramatic singing saves the song. Kokia and Rie were the stars of this live.
(26) Lotus: Hanae was at the center of the top stage. I really love Obawo percussion sounds. Hanae sounded really nice today. No Joelle in the line-up. Korenaga’s solo was great too. I love Yuriko’s harmonization before the instrumental part. Konno’s violin sounds very outstanding there.
(27) Inverse operation: Its live version is so awesome! All 4 FJ girls were on the stage. Hanae sang alone in the intro and she sounded real good! I was totally in love with Konno’s violin and Rie’s flute in this song.
(28) Mezame: It’s a must when Hanae is a guest! She got stuck a little bit at the beginning. (Bad day for operatic singers…huh?) Unlike Eri, she handled it well for the rest of the song. Korenaga’s guitar was so amazing. Also love combination of Joelle and Keiko, and Konno’s solo! She ended it with the high note legato that not in the recording (but always in the live by Hanae herself. Neither Wakana nor Joelle did that when they covered Mezame.) This time, she sounded lack of power after that part. A good thing was that it’s her last song today.
(29) Yuuyami no uta: As a new song, I prefer this to Kokia’s Kaze yo fuke. It really suits Keiko’s deep, powerful and energetic voice. However, I don’t like the improvisation-like part (sth. enka-like, similar to those Kimetsu’s theme.) She surprisingly sounded very piercing in that part, which didn’t sound good. Only Yuriko and Kaori were there as chorus. I like the melody of the song. It’s quite catchy. The atmosphere sounds fun and a bit dark, a proper choice for a shounen historical animation. Almost similar to Kimetsu no Yaiba, but still a lot brighter.
(30) Kouya ruten: A cover by Rito, with Yuriko and Keiko as chorus singers. She changed the way that she sang the song and it’s much better than the previous lives. Rie’s flute in the song and Yuriko’s part before the bridge were brilliant. Rito really has her own trick to deal with the legato in ‘Are wa tsuki no yume ga” part, and she did it well this time, a nice powerful legato. But Konno’s violin solo after that stole the scene, not to mention Rie’s flute….lol. I love it much more than the versions I watched in August. Good job Rito Chan!
(31) Silly-go-round: An unexpected choice for the song and the singer - Junna. At that time, I thought that we’d have Akatsuki no Kuruma from Lino for sure, and if they’d have the other young pop-singer guests cover Yuuka’s song, I think Asca’d be the best choice for Nowhere. What I was so surprised was…how can she sounded better than in Umi to Shinjuu which is her own song…=w=. Her legato was on point and powerful. Kaori and Yuriko joined her for the chorus. Yuriko was so gorgeous in the bridge.
(32) Cazador del amore: By Lino, so no Akatsuki no kuruma? Both songs are nice cover choices from Lino so I don’t mind. Yuriko was the only chorus. We had quartet and accordion accompanying in this song, but I think Lino did better in August. I always love the way she moves her body with the song though. Konno’s violin was so great in this performance <3.
(33) Nowhere: Never thought that my wild guess during Silly-go-round would come true…lol. Asca came at the top stage and all 4 FJ girls were on the main stage. Love Konno so much~ His violin was crazily amazing. Asca is a really good match for the song as I expected. (Though her voice and singing was definitely different from Yuuka. It’s more energetic with Asca, while Yuuka’s nasal voice gives more hint of a cute&feminine atmosphere.) Fast pace, powerful voice, all are her strong points :D. How much I love that ‘Yanla ni yanla ni yanla ni ya ni ya’ things <3. Asca interacted with the fans a lot. Korenaga’s solo was brilliant as well.
My opinion on Yuuka’s song covers: To be honest, I don’t really understand the strong disapproval towards the new girls - Rito and Lino. I think that Joelle and Yuriko are kind of the veteran singers and the newcomers shouldn’t be compared to them, while Keiko is a very strong vocalist from a very young age, I’d say that she’s exceptional. But for Kaori, I think that overall, they’re roughly in the same level as well, and also on the same as or higher level than most of other pop-singer guests. It’d be fine if they just did their own solo or covers in the live. But I think that people may not like the idea that they may replace one of the main line-up. While Yuriko and Keiko look very indispensable for FJ, Joelle and Kaori may be the ones in question.
Joelle is a very versatile singer even her style is very different from Wakana and Emily (she cover the songs sung by these two quite often.) I can’t see Lino being able to take the role from her so soon, except Joelle herself is retired or is too busy with her own works. Lino may have some potential for this role in FJ, but she needs to develop her singing much more, and I don’t think it can take just a few years to do it.
Kaori’s strong point is her versatility, but she doesn’t possess powerful vocal. So the two girls are better than her in this aspect, even they’re nothing near her in terms of versatility. That’s why I don’t think Kajiura plan to use them to replace Kaori in a near future. BTW, versatility is something improvable (look at Hikaru huge jump between Red Moon and After Eden era.) With the present condition of Kaori (who should, IMO, have the busiest schedule out of the 4), she may be the first one to leave the line-up. Rito looks more promising than Lino when it comes to versatility.
In terms of stabilities, Kaori did a bulk of mistakes during live so often in the recent years. (It became a surprise that she didn’t make any obvious mistakes in the recent Kaji Fes.) While Hikaru and Wakana did a lot in their early Kalafina days. So I don’t feel that the mistakes that the two have done are that big deal, and it tends to improve over time when they gain more live experience. IMO, they’d be like Asca who’re good at some specific type of songs. Just give them a proper song to sing/cover, and it’d be fine. And if Kajiura does want to change the FJ line-up, I think it’s still too early for the two.
(34) Zodiacal sign: I wouldn’t feel that it’s YK lives without this iconic song…lol. Keiko and Kaori asked Rie to dance with them during the violin solo (again..lol.) They asked Yuriko after that and it took a while for Yuriko to join. (Not sure when did Joelle came, but she’s already in the dance line at that time…lol.) After the violin solo, it’s Obawo’s percussion part, and then it’s Rie’s turn. She’s so great! We had the singing part after that and drum solo, and bass also had its own solo part. Love it so much! When you’re really in the live, the song has never bored me because both the fans, the singers and the musicians look so fun with this song. But I can’t deny that I might think that “oh…this… again?” if I’m not in the live myself…lol.
(35) Into the world: With Hikaru. Like in Storia, Joelle handled Wakana’s part brilliantly, but the song gave out the different mood though. Kaori also sang Wakana’s part. Hikaru stood in the middle of the line-up. This time, she appeared in the blue modern dress. Not the gothic-like style as in her first appearance. Kaori did really well in this song. Their harmonization at the end sounded so amazing.
— Encore —
(35) Red rose: Only the musicians came on the stage at the beginning. I haven’t listened to Kasahara live version for this song, but it’s already the second time (at least) that Eri covered this song in YK live….lol. She came out from the top stage with the big yellow feather fan. I think its width is about 1 meter or more because it’s more than half of Eri’s height when she held it vertically. Konno’s violin was so great… so gorgeous! We had uilleann pipe solo, followed by cello. They sounded so contrast, but still so nice. Then we had Konno’s violin. Rie kept dancing during the other musicians parts. Accordion is next, and from this point, Eri came to the musician who did the solo and wave her big fan behind them as if to cheer them up… lol. Rie got the next solo and Eri also came… my Eri-Rie moment…lol. The uilleann pipe came again and it’s back to Eri. Really love Konno’s violin in the main part. Eri waving her fan for Kajiura at the keyboard as well. Konno got his violin solo at the end and Eri joined him. (Remind me of the moment when she stole his scene in Live 15…lol.)
(36) Parade: The last song. Joelle perfectly captured the audience hearts with her brilliant singing. Though it’s a nice ending, it’s quite a low key ending compared to Sokyuu no fanfare with 6 singers on the previous day, and definitely to 12-singer Open your heart 10 years ago.
At the ending, when Yuki thanked everyone who participated in the live, after she has thanked all musician on the stage, she planned to thank Rie next, but Rie wasn’t on the stage yet. So Kajiura was like “furutooooo” when will the flutist comeeeee…lol. It took sometimes for Rie, but after that, the others seemed to be more prepared and came faster…lol. The crowd seemed overjoy when Hikaru came up to the stage and hugged Keiko. There’re so many guest singers that Kajiura almost forgot to thank some of them, and that’s Lino Chan…lol.
The live was almost 4 hours - started at 4 pm and ended at almost 8 pm. A very long one. I’d be mad if I joined only the first day which is much shorter, but the tickets are of the same price…lol.
Korenaga made me so surprised… how can he be that great with hand injury during a rehearsal…;A;. Please get well soon.
We went to the party arranged by Smiley after that.. that’s a big one…lol. I think that it’d be fun if we can have our meeting at a karaoke and keep singing her songs…lol.
while I'm away, so I take new one.
Sorry, I actually can't figure out what you think is shady...
