tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79339672655294321772024-03-13T18:04:46.726-07:00Eternal Sonatedevelopment, endlesslyfireteamtorchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02082118754074760109noreply@blogger.comBlogger70125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7933967265529432177.post-76649580116420559302014-08-18T23:17:00.000-07:002014-09-03T23:17:23.047-07:00Band Cover: Startear (Sword Art Online II ED)My newest cover with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/CollaboDaisakusen">CollaboDaisakusen</a>, the ending song to <i>Sword Art Online II</i>. Make no mistake that I do not have positive feelings about the <i>Sword Art Online</i> franchise -- I won't go into detail here, but read my friend's <a href="http://angstandpocky.blogspot.com/2013/01/sword-art-online-please-go-die-in-hole.html">blog post</a> for a general idea. However, I don't dislike the music, which was quite solid, and was nonetheless happy to jump aboard another CollaboDaisakusen project. So here's my second band cover:<br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Startear (Sword Art Online II ED): Band Cover</u></span><br />
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/2GBspwJaevU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
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Lyrics: saku<br />
Composer: saku<br />
Performer: Haruna Luna<br />
Starring: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/YorozuyaNeesan2010">YorozuyaNeesan</a>, <a href="http://youtube.com/yourmum1993">Conway</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/fireteamtorch">Fireteamtorch</a>, <a href="http://youtube.com/robaranowskyguitar">Rob A. Ranowsky</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/raz1289">Raz</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/Scarlette58Records">Makino Jou</a>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/Snosavan24">Sno</a><br />
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Embarrassing admission: For the longest time, I legitimately thought the title of the song was "start ear" rather than the more sensible "star tear." I'm still not completely convinced the former interpretation isn't the right one, though.<br />
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See ya,<br />
<br />
xdsfireteamtorchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02082118754074760109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7933967265529432177.post-37514283451501434672014-08-02T00:45:00.000-07:002014-09-03T23:24:56.208-07:00Piano Cover: Future Fish (Free! Eternal Summer ED)Last summer's <i>Free!</i> was a show that I enjoyed a lot more than I like to admit. Even aside from the (what I found to be hilarious) fanservice and adorable Matsuoka Gou, I actually found the plot to be pretty interesting. (Maybe I should watch more sports shows.) In any case, <i>Free!</i> is back for another season in <i>Eternal Summer</i>, and I'm quite happy about it. ^_^<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY7WdGcnRMj8JiR6DdNFfTj7KyNKZRV-eaPM8CAYGJP7UT1v3pildPnKrwc7yNXAFhchMyJJFd9YillfXoIjFD0O0o5ntUaZVtTwd7_wCI4a3T4OToXTDx_KQ2GpZ0SrF65wemk6KhGs9I/s1600/tumblr_inline_n84gtcZLjG1r8r7g1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY7WdGcnRMj8JiR6DdNFfTj7KyNKZRV-eaPM8CAYGJP7UT1v3pildPnKrwc7yNXAFhchMyJJFd9YillfXoIjFD0O0o5ntUaZVtTwd7_wCI4a3T4OToXTDx_KQ2GpZ0SrF65wemk6KhGs9I/s1600/tumblr_inline_n84gtcZLjG1r8r7g1.gif" /></a><br />
<i>HELP CAN'T STOP STARING</i></div><br />
The opening song for <i>Free! Eternal Summer</i> was a solid piece, but didn't quite stick out to me. The ending, on the other hand, has a lot of style, and is catchy as all hell. (I'm still not quite sure whether I prefer this ED or the first season's infamous Splash Free, though. :P) This piece was a bit challenging for me to cover, since it's quite a different style than I'm used to, but I ended up having a lot of fun with it anyway. Hope you enjoy!<br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Future Fish (Free! Eternal Summer ED): Piano Cover</u></span><br />
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/wiHJevZP01w" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
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Artist: Style Five (a.k.a. Free! cast)<br />
Date Completed: 2014-07-31<br />
Software: Audacity, FL Studio, Sony Movie Studio<br />
Instrumentation: Piano<br />
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More cool stuff coming soon! ^_^<br />
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'Til next time,<br />
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xdsfireteamtorchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02082118754074760109noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7933967265529432177.post-69256953617344539362014-07-28T23:32:00.000-07:002014-09-03T23:38:21.542-07:00Piano Cover: A/Z (Aldnoah.Zero ED)All hail the new anime season! There have been a number of enjoyable shows this summer, including one <i>Aldnoah.Zero</i>, a mecha show about robots from Mars. I'm not typically a big fan of mecha shows, but <i>Aldnoah.Zero</i>'s definitely come out pretty strong. I wouldn't say it's my favorite so far -- I'm somewhat more intrigued by <i>Tokyo Ghoul</i> and (especially) <i>Zankyou no Terror</i>, but it's definitely one I'll be watching and looking forward to.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH74sbihg_lNI4_A3nPW32QLdhy4VwQH6iUseRXYMqVji3TAZV2uacB2UIv_5vNDjs6rx5qwv5Q_LZG85GEe2y7y_2C5vZXJcqj7I4D4kyH6UKoU-shIVP4MWoR4uP4iWDVGPpxs_lQZBj/s1600/Aldnoah+-+01+-38%5B2%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH74sbihg_lNI4_A3nPW32QLdhy4VwQH6iUseRXYMqVji3TAZV2uacB2UIv_5vNDjs6rx5qwv5Q_LZG85GEe2y7y_2C5vZXJcqj7I4D4kyH6UKoU-shIVP4MWoR4uP4iWDVGPpxs_lQZBj/s400/Aldnoah+-+01+-38%5B2%5D.jpg" /></a><br />
<i>Honestly, New Orleans wouldn't have been my top choice to invade...</i></div><br />
Scoring <i>Aldnoah.Zero</i> is one Hiroyuki Sawano (perhaps you've heard of him), also known for the soundtracks of <i>Guilty Crown</i>, <i>Kill la Kill</i>, and <i>Shingeki no Kyojin</i>, among many others. His is a distinctive style, so I was a bit surprised upon hearing the ending theme, which was a calm and peaceful number. And since "calm and peaceful" is my preferred style for piano covers, I jumped right on that. My piano cover of "A/Z" (what the heck does that mean?) is below!<br />
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I also (finally) discovered a nice piano VST (TruePianos), so you can hear it in action!<br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">A/Z (Aldnoah.Zero ED): Piano Cover</u></span><br />
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/EeR2PPfJKgo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
Artist: Hiroyuki Sawano & mizuki<br />
Date Completed: 2014-07-19<br />
Software: Audacity, FL Studio, Sony Movie Studio<br />
Instrumentation: Piano<br />
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Stay tuned for more projects as the season progresses! Thanks for dropping by~<br />
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xdsfireteamtorchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02082118754074760109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7933967265529432177.post-69573668271084646622014-06-28T00:43:00.000-07:002014-09-03T23:07:16.888-07:00Band Cover: Ambiguous (Kill la Kill OP2)Before I happened upon <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/CollaboDaisakusen">CollaboDaisakusen</a> earlier this year, my dreams of being in an anime band were just that: dreams. Well, sometimes dreams do come true, because working with CD has been one of the most fun and rewarding experiences I've had so far. And at long last, my first project with CD has finally been released! Hope you enjoy, and please support us!<br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">ambiguous (Kill la Kill OP2): Band Cover</u></span><br />
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/-7yTMqlXR6k" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
Lyrics: meg rock<br />
Composer: toku<br />
Performer: GARNiDELiA<br />
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That's all for this time! Look forward to CollaboDaisakusen covers (in addition to my typical piano covers) in the future! ^_^<br />
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'Til next time,<br />
<br />
xdsfireteamtorchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02082118754074760109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7933967265529432177.post-91732582599092011582014-05-21T23:58:00.001-07:002014-05-22T21:45:37.084-07:00Concert Review: Angela @ Anime Central 2014Another year, another Anime Central. Aside from being another phenomenally fun weekend, ACen was also home to this year's visiting musical guest: Angela. Angela had previously performed in the United States at Otakon 2004, so this year marks their first performance in the U.S. in almost a decade. But let's face it -- Angela is a hell of a lot more popular now after their recent songs appeared in a few hit shows.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitAZXnUJelrmIY4-M2yF0w6QC74ntNc75SLy3KtzSIhwdjL0AsRwDp0O02GG-Vgon2J5t7CwOnwm5JwSpNIlaXQudQ8M7wBRblnNhyEoyjEiriL_HLY-884tN79qRzn4HUNfzpIQB-31vD/s1600/angela_2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitAZXnUJelrmIY4-M2yF0w6QC74ntNc75SLy3KtzSIhwdjL0AsRwDp0O02GG-Vgon2J5t7CwOnwm5JwSpNIlaXQudQ8M7wBRblnNhyEoyjEiriL_HLY-884tN79qRzn4HUNfzpIQB-31vD/s400/angela_2014.jpg" /></a><br />
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Compared to the Kalafina <a href="http://fireteam-torch.blogspot.com/2013/05/concert-review-kalafina-anime-central.html">concert </a>last year, Angela's performance was significantly less crowded, taking place in one of the convention center's larger ballrooms rather than taking up an entire performance hall. Sadly, the crowd was both a bit small and rather subdued, which was a shame because Angela's performance was full of energy.<br />
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I hadn't explicitly investigated Angela before and didn't know many of their songs offhand, so I was surprised at the number of songs I actually recognized at the concert. Angela performed three songs from the 2012 show <i>K</i>, all of which I recognized. I was particularly thrilled when they performed "Tsumetai Heya, Hitori," one of my favorite anime songs ever and one that I was totally unaware Angela had written. In addition to the <i>K</i> music, Angela also performed "Angel" from <i>Coppelion</i>, which I knew from working with my collab group, as well as the OP to the new show <i>Sidonia no Kishi</i>. Unfortunately, it didn't seem that many in the audience knew even fewer songs than I did, which may have contributed to the low energy.<br />
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Angela was a fun band to watch. While atsuko (the vocalist) wasn't as animated as, say, KOTOKO, she was nonetheless fun to watch and sang beautifully. KATSU (the guitarist), on the other hand, was simply overflowing with energy, and the bassist and drummer who were helping out were equally enthusiastic. During one particular song, "Asu eno brilliant road" from <i>Stellvia</i>, atsuko taught us a cute little dance, which was quite fun.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz2bUdGA0EWD5gh88-HADA0-eEVD_X7xBpsGMbcR5RXjoPN8yD_0VtdB-bPXd2dn3cO5wpzZfMazzlW3I5cztmZbdfQ8y8LZ3014x9413SM1AWokJHND4__n7oVoIYHc3UCIak9NNEVJR6/s1600/angela2.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz2bUdGA0EWD5gh88-HADA0-eEVD_X7xBpsGMbcR5RXjoPN8yD_0VtdB-bPXd2dn3cO5wpzZfMazzlW3I5cztmZbdfQ8y8LZ3014x9413SM1AWokJHND4__n7oVoIYHc3UCIak9NNEVJR6/s1600/angela2.jpg" /></a><br />
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Below is the setlist for Angela's Anime Central performance in no particular order, or at least all that I can remember. (There are probably a few missing, but oh well.) Click the little "x" to the left of each song to check it out on Last.FM.<br />
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<a href="http://www.last.fm/music/+noredirect/angela/_/To+be+with+U">[x]</a> To Be With U (<i>K Project</i>)<br />
<a href="http://www.last.fm/music/%E5%B0%8F%E6%9D%BE%E6%9C%AA%E5%8F%AF%E5%AD%90/_/Tsumetai+Heya,+Hitori">[x]</a> Tsumetai, Heya, Hitori (<i>K Project</i>)<br />
<a href="http://www.last.fm/music/angela/_/KINGS">[x]</a> KINGS (<i>K Project</i>)<br />
<a href="http://www.last.fm/music/angela/_/ANGEL">[x]</a> Angel (<i>Coppelion</i>)<br />
<a href="http://www.last.fm/music/angela/_/%E9%81%A0%E3%81%8F%E3%81%BE%E3%81%A7">[x]</a> Tooku Made (<i>Coppelion</i>)<br />
<a href="http://www.last.fm/music/angela/_/%E3%82%B7%E3%83%89%E3%83%8B%E3%82%A2">[x]</a> Sidonia (<i>Sidonia no Kishi</i>)<br />
<a href="http://www.last.fm/music/angela/_/%E6%98%8E%E6%97%A5%E3%81%B8%E3%81%AEbrilliant+road">[x]</a> Asu eno brilliant road (<i>Stellvia</i>)<br />
<a href="http://www.last.fm/music/angela/_/Separation">[x]</a> Separation (<i>Stellvia</i>)<br />
<a href="http://www.last.fm/music/angela/_/Shangri-La">[x]</a> Shangri-La (<i>FAFNER in the Azure</i>)<br />
<a href="http://www.last.fm/music/angela/_/Beautiful+Fighter">[x]</a> Beautiful fighter (<i>Corpse Princess</i>)<br />
<a href="http://www.last.fm/music/angela/Gravitation/gravitation">[x]</a> Gravitation (<i>Corpse Princess</i>)<br />
<a href="http://www.last.fm/music/angela/_/%E5%83%95%E3%81%98%E3%82%83%E3%81%AA%E3%81%84">[x]</a> Boku janai (<i>Valvrave the Liberator</i>)<br />
<a href="#" onclick="return false;">[x]</a> A new song whose name I can't recall<br />
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After closing their setlist, Angela came back to the stage after the audience demanded an encore. They'd performed all of their most recognizable songs by that point so I was a bit curious what they would perform, but nothing prepared me (or the audience, judging from the density of the cheers) for their encore:<br />
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<a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Evangelion/_/Cruel+Angel%27s+Thesis">[x]</a> Cruel Angel's Thesis (<i>Neon Genesis Evangelion</i>)<br />
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(Apparently it's one of KATSU's favorites.) It was a bit ironic that their most popular song ended up being one that they didn't actually write, but it was still a very pleasant surprise.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig3i0TYHdXhRIFa_mbmNmwaA_9hLCUjUbJ1pRJ0SF9VkjW44ejv-5z5gqfzpjFgjfSfB0-mQOHxHeb56N2zYVUnZhIqmAx8ArD4hsy5ssd5CoNxwjl56BlD1pkGKyRN7M0FwUv6-DLxNNc/s1600/C59Z7547.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig3i0TYHdXhRIFa_mbmNmwaA_9hLCUjUbJ1pRJ0SF9VkjW44ejv-5z5gqfzpjFgjfSfB0-mQOHxHeb56N2zYVUnZhIqmAx8ArD4hsy5ssd5CoNxwjl56BlD1pkGKyRN7M0FwUv6-DLxNNc/s400/C59Z7547.jpg" /></a><br />
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Because I couldn't quite get enough of Angela even after the concert, I attended both Angela's poster signing, where I was able to briefly meet and interact with atsuko and KATSU. (My friend had the pleasure of sharing an elevator with atsuko, that lucky bastard.) I also attended Angela's final panel, where I learned (via their translators) a couple fun tidbits about the group:<br />
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-atsuko and KATSU were once in "rival" bands, but joined forces after moving to Tokyo. According to atsuko, they joined up was because they knew each other from high school.<br />
-Angela was a struggling street band when the director of Stellvia approached them after hearing a performance. According to KATSU, anime "saved their careers."<br />
-atsuko's favorite song they've produced is "Asu eno brilliant road."<br />
-KATSU's favorite anime that they've produced for is <i>Sidonia no Kishi</i>.<br />
-atsuko's favorite recent anime is <i>Kill la Kill</i>. (I wish I hadn't ditched my cosplay by then...)<br />
-KATSU grew up on mecha anime, and a favorite of his is <i>Neon Genesis Evangelion</i>.<br />
-KATSU's catchphrase is "she's a babe," which he learned because "it would be useful."<br />
-Before composing each song, KATSU will thoroughly read the source material for inspiration.<br />
-Angela writes over 8 different drafts for each anime song before sending it to their producers.<br />
-atsuko has no formal training in music (despite being such a wonderful singer!).<br />
-The music video for "Angel" stars Chiaki Kuriyama of <i>Kill Bill</i> fame.<br />
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Though I may not have been an Angela fan going into ACen, I definitely emerged as one. Angela's friendliness, passion, dedication and talent won me over, and I can't wait to hear the music they produce for anime in years to come.<br />
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'Til next time,<br />
<br />
xdsfireteamtorchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02082118754074760109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7933967265529432177.post-59899930345287774582014-04-27T23:43:00.000-07:002014-08-01T23:59:33.840-07:00Piano Cover: Niji no Kakera (Ishuukan Friends OP)This anime season is one of the most exciting for me in quite a while. There are plenty of shows I've been absorbed in, from the eccentric <i><a href="http://myanimelist.net/anime/22135/Ping_Pong_The_Animation">Ping Pong</a></i> to the ridiculously over-the-top <i><a href="http://myanimelist.net/anime/21431/Gokukoku_no_Brynhildr">Brynhildr</a></i> as well as a large serving of sweet in <i><a href="http://myanimelist.net/anime/22101/Soredemo_Sekai_wa_Utsukushii">Soredemo</a></i>, among others. But my favorite show, at least so far, might be an unassuming little slice-of-life/pseudo-romance piece called <i><a href="http://myanimelist.net/anime/21327/Isshuukan_Friends.">One Week Friends</a></i>. I won't spoil the first episode for anyone, but it is one really cute show.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimVU35GtYDDCXhIUg0pndYcst_ZeloBruBLWnHNKEo4nMwACpoT1pqADN9EpPpvhj0LqUxNtZBdjAL1bel-pqthPb2YfsHLPelkncAHBDkluoZTXxxUqen8c5ka5uN7l1DwWjFRD1C_Pcg/s1600/oneweekfriendsgif01.gif" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimVU35GtYDDCXhIUg0pndYcst_ZeloBruBLWnHNKEo4nMwACpoT1pqADN9EpPpvhj0LqUxNtZBdjAL1bel-pqthPb2YfsHLPelkncAHBDkluoZTXxxUqen8c5ka5uN7l1DwWjFRD1C_Pcg/s1600/oneweekfriendsgif01.gif" /></a><br />
<i>Seriously, look how cute she is.</i></div><br />
I fell in love with the <a href="http://youtu.be/9UOoT7zi3xA">opening song</a>, "Niji no Kakera" ("Fragments of Rainbow") pretty quickly; it's a really nice ballad-like piece that fits the style of the show well. I decided to do a piano cover blah blah blah 20 takes blah let's skip straight to the cover~<br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Niji no Kakera (Isshuukan Friends OP): Piano Cover</u></span><br />
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/fJJxHiBSMy8?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
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Artist: Natsumi Kon (昆夏美)<br />
Date Completed: 2014-04-17<br />
Software: Audacity, Sony Movie Studio<br />
Instrumentation: Piano<br />
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Look forward to more covers as the season progresses! ^_^<br />
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Have a great week,<br />
<br />
xdsfireteamtorchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02082118754074760109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7933967265529432177.post-1709146889944239952014-03-23T23:41:00.000-07:002014-03-23T23:48:43.517-07:00Piano Cover: Main Theme (Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha Insert)<i>Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha</i> finished up a few days ago, marking the beginning of the Spring 2014 season finales. I'll be honest: the show kind of let me down toward the end, but I more or less enjoyed it, for what it was worth. I wish they'd focused more on the interesting and awesome Uka-sama rather than Inari and her middle-school antics, but whatever. :P<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixic74grrgzhnomAH-PTBrY7jLRnh8Jy7nmdURzIv7UEsiPtR6CwhN1N7xVT-CfxcLUaHSvccYdqJSbKqRUwmzjj1jHJAgcXTLvPUSr1L7-k0vpsAxqmK5AWL387J6FvgGHPdiskIu6JCw/s1600/uka-samafox.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixic74grrgzhnomAH-PTBrY7jLRnh8Jy7nmdURzIv7UEsiPtR6CwhN1N7xVT-CfxcLUaHSvccYdqJSbKqRUwmzjj1jHJAgcXTLvPUSr1L7-k0vpsAxqmK5AWL387J6FvgGHPdiskIu6JCw/s1600/uka-samafox.png" width="500" /></a><br />
<i>Meet Uka-sama, the cutest crazy <strike>cat</strike> fox lady ever.</i></div><br />
Although the show itself may have been disappointing, the music was not. Written by composer <a href="http://myanimelist.net/people/6378/Takeshi_Senoo">Takeshi Senoo</a>, the music in <i>Inari</i> was amazingly beautiful, perhaps reminiscent of Joe Hisaishi with a distinct Eastern flavor. In particular, the main theme of the show (or what I consider to be, at least -- it plays each time between the first and second halves of the show) really struck a chord with me, and easily takes a spot in my list of most nostalgic <a href="http://youtu.be/iRkTT54L83o">anime</a> <a href="http://youtu.be/VF7NpKfiZuI">songs</a> <a href="http://youtu.be/PoZd_ucfpCo">ever</a>. In episode 7, there's a beautiful piano rendition that plays in the background during a particular scene, and I decided to transcribe and cover it! Enjoy~<br />
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For those interested, you can find the piano score <a href="https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/16653301/blog/sheet/xds_maintheme_inari.pdf">here</a>.<br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Main Theme (Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha): Piano Cover</u></span><br />
<br />
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/OEIM-tbRElM?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
Composer: Takeshi Senoo<br />
Date Completed: 2014-03-18<br />
Software: Audacity, Sony Vegas<br />
Instrumentation: Piano<br />
<br />
Thanks for stopping by, as always. The next season is coming up soon, so hopefully you'll hear more from me soon! :)<br />
<br />
Best,<br />
<br />
xdsfireteamtorchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02082118754074760109noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7933967265529432177.post-38524017226448988092014-02-10T19:21:00.000-08:002014-05-01T23:43:41.137-07:00Piano Cover: Kyou ni Koiiro (Inari OP)Although this anime season started off a little slow, an unassuming little show called <i>Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha</i> showed up on week 2 and captured my heart. It's a strange cross between slice-of-life and supernatural, revolving a girl who gains mystical powers from a ridiculously cute fujoshi goddess. It's a shame this show is only 10 episodes; it's been consistently solid so far.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzy-weszJpo23smeLxkxOS3XMYl66J_gKjiSFPdtLkuYYrWhuoctnwQR4s4wNw1AzA5NeQfpFkWzZXYTdzDuls54DuDnJkQSOoB6UBNLnnFL3qrbMla9uzTo9CeZpUZtj8wESSdbshI4KP/s1600/Inari+Konkon+-+03-14%5B2%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzy-weszJpo23smeLxkxOS3XMYl66J_gKjiSFPdtLkuYYrWhuoctnwQR4s4wNw1AzA5NeQfpFkWzZXYTdzDuls54DuDnJkQSOoB6UBNLnnFL3qrbMla9uzTo9CeZpUZtj8wESSdbshI4KP/s1600/Inari+Konkon+-+03-14%5B2%5D.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<i>Gamer goddesses = the best goddesses.</i></div><br />
The OP for <i>Inari</i> is a collaboration between composer kz of livetune (perhaps most famous for the Hatsune Miku song "Tell Your World") and singer May'n. The result is as beautiful as you might imagine; livetune's music is great, and I'm definitely a fan of May'n's lovely voice.<br />
<br />
While the tempo on the original song is actually fairly high, I thought the song lent itself well to a slower interpretation. (Either that, or it's an excuse because I can't play fast.) After some faffing around on the piano, this cover was the result. I actually tried to do something a little more complicated (for me, at least) with the left hand this time, to mixed results. In any case, cover:<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Kyou ni Koiiro (Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha ED): Piano Cover</u></span><br />
<br />
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/0XpDjclZWGE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
Artist: May'n & livetune<br />
Date Completed: 2014-02-02<br />
Software: Audacity, Sony Vegas<br />
Instrumentation: Piano<br />
<br />
I also put together some sheet music! Click <a href="https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/16653301/blog/sheet/xds_kyounikoiiro_inari.pdf">here</a> for the link. That's all for now! :)<br />
<br />
Take care,<br />
<br />
xdsfireteamtorchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02082118754074760109noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7933967265529432177.post-45494006162904554182014-01-31T00:13:00.000-08:002014-02-03T00:40:50.294-08:00Global Game Jam 2014: Race the RainbowLast weekend, I had the pleasure of taking part in the <a href="http://globalgamejam.org/">2014 Global Game Jam</a>, a game-making marathon held at multiple locations worldwide over the course of 48 hours. The theme was "We don't see things as we are, we see things as they are." After some brainstorming of ideas and quite a bit of arguing, we decided on our game:<br />
<br />
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/i0L-aT_03R4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
"Race the Rainbow" is, as its title suggests, a racing game. Each racer is one of four colors, and various colored tiles are scattered across the racetrack. When a racer is driving on a tile that matches its color, it gains a speed boost; if the tile is of a different color, it takes a severe speed penalty. Thus, although the racetrack is the same for all players, each player sees the racetrack differently depending on the color. (Yay loose interpretation of theme!) 48 hours is never as much time as you think, and I'm glad we ended up settling on this straightforward idea.<br />
<br />
I was on composing/sound design duty for the entire weekend, which was a ton of fun: it's been a long time since I've been able to focus just on writing music. I had the pleasure of working with two other talented audiophiles/composers, and learned more about producing music and recording over a single weekend than I have in my whole life. Working with the other members of <a href="http://globalgamejam.org/sites/default/files/styles/game_sidebar__wide/public/games/team_pictures/ggj2014teamphoto.jpg?itok=mapTAzoj">my team</a> (programmers, designers, and artists) was a lot of fun as well.<br />
<br />
I ended up being responsible for the main level theme, which we decided would be of a "modern chiptune" style. I tackled the composition in FL Studio (accompanied by <a href="http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs49/f/2009/233/5/f/FL_Chan_Spinning__Animated__by_Frutly_Loops_Chan.gif">FL-chan</a> :P), which I had finally purchased over the past holiday season. After scrapping my first few drafts, the final melody idea came to me in my early-morning drive back home, and I subsequently put the rest of the piece together over the next 30 hours or so. A bit slow in retrospect, but given that I was simultaneously learning how to use FL Studio, I'd say not bad. Here's the full version of my song, "Chromatic Circuit":<br />
<br />
<iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/131724169&color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_artwork=true"></iframe><br />
<br />
Title: Chromatic Circuit<br />
Date Completed: 2014-01-26<br />
Software: Audacity, FL Studio<br />
Composition time: ~15 hours<br />
<br />
All in all, the weekend was a huge blast, and I'd recommend that anyone who has an interest in games check out the next Global Game Jam (January 2015). Check out our official Game Jam page <a href="http://globalgamejam.org/2014/games/race-rainbow">here</a>, and if you're interested in playing our game, you can either download the executable from the page or play in a browser <a href="https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/53852379/racetherainbow.html">here</a>. Enjoy, and let me know what you think!<br />
<br />
Best,<br />
<br />
xdsfireteamtorchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02082118754074760109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7933967265529432177.post-47706362797590116312014-01-16T23:31:00.001-08:002014-02-10T17:51:55.232-08:00Piano Cover: Oto no Naru Hou e (Gin no Saji)First cover of 2014, and of the new season! :D To be honest, this season's been disappointing so far, so I was very glad to see <i>Gin no Saji</i>, one of my favorite shows from two seasons ago, return for its second run. The show's more-or-less the same (minus one particular farm animal), but that's a good thing: can't argue with seeing more of the super-adorable <a href="http://static3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130910171402/silverspoon/images/0/0d/Mikage2.jpg">Mikage</a> :D<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimFvfe2reXmhDxhCjB6eDo4ribcoCQCfzxmAUApkFYz6e2OFkzfeX3y24fnnz7H-54o1D9Vvr8HUqPyBQXJ_WZ2NZaIoKlJUVgo-quUwwvsuYvU-YRyKDmwmoGq7oQJ3sMfo3Pa3uF3vkC/s1600/Gin+no+Saji+Second+Season+-+ED+-+Large+01%5B2%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimFvfe2reXmhDxhCjB6eDo4ribcoCQCfzxmAUApkFYz6e2OFkzfeX3y24fnnz7H-54o1D9Vvr8HUqPyBQXJ_WZ2NZaIoKlJUVgo-quUwwvsuYvU-YRyKDmwmoGq7oQJ3sMfo3Pa3uF3vkC/s1600/Gin+no+Saji+Second+Season+-+ED+-+Large+01%5B2%5D.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<i>There does indeed appear to be a silver spoon.</i></div><br />
The song I decided to cover from <i>Gin no Saji</i> season 2 was the "Oto no Naru Hou e" (no idea what that means, honestly), the super-catchy ending by Goosehouse. Actually, likely the best part of me attempting this cover was discovering Goosehouse, who is a flat-out amazing musical group. While their work doesn't quite have the same immediate impact as some other artists, they clearly really enjoy what they're doing, and that comes across in both their music and their videos. Check out their YouTube channel <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/playyouhousejp">here</a>.<br />
<br />
Anyway, here's my cover. I had fun with it, but after way more takes than I'd intended, I just gave up and went to bed. X_x The end result isn't as polished as I would have liked for it to be, but I hope you enjoy it anyway!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Oto no Naru Hou e (Gin no Saji Second Season ED): Piano Cover</u></span><br />
<br />
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/iz_uMVPaW44" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
Artist: Goosehouse<br />
Date Completed: 2014-01-17<br />
Software: Audacity, Sony Vegas<br />
Instrumentation: Piano<br />
<br />
Also, I finally managed to pull off widescreen, so no more random crops!<br />
<br />
'Til next time,<br />
<br />
xdsfireteamtorchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02082118754074760109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7933967265529432177.post-16230818000548387922014-01-13T22:19:00.000-08:002014-01-16T23:16:27.012-08:00Piano Cover: Just One Life (Samurai Flamenco)Happy 2014! Except I'm still blogging about things from 2013. Typical T__T<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU7V6Km1PupWPWCtZdOYoljSD5_t6cGM1m59yu_zuHxDW-epeQRpL4OFsYWgcafQEzm_kLEhYkKVDNaPi-TKWSHIMeWb1ebVzFujuWfN9l2VI3qfDAI0aJ40Hw5ZLJLay3Uh6OKQUWDX6K/s1600/Samurai-Flamenco-02-1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU7V6Km1PupWPWCtZdOYoljSD5_t6cGM1m59yu_zuHxDW-epeQRpL4OFsYWgcafQEzm_kLEhYkKVDNaPi-TKWSHIMeWb1ebVzFujuWfN9l2VI3qfDAI0aJ40Hw5ZLJLay3Uh6OKQUWDX6K/s1600/Samurai-Flamenco-02-1.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<i>Samurai Flamenco! Now in cherry, grape, peach, and lemon.</i></div><br />
I honestly don't know what to say about <i><a href="http://myanimelist.net/anime.php?id=19365">Samurai Flamenco</a></i>. At one point I would have recommended it without any reservations, but recent developments in the show have tempered my enthusiasm a bit. I'm still finding it fairly enjoyable for the time being, but suffice it to say, it's a very different show now than I'd have expected a few weeks ago. Nonetheless, I think it's still worth a watch, at the very least for the brilliant first few episodes.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTsDA4IBKvcEhNfTvrDPuJ-TJ1afvSsjDSwSV98laN6P13v0B3f8osNbaclXE304nLunXktFg1_YLYHZVoRVIzEP8jyJy1KH0AQ3izYyCSdcWk9df56HflyOTTPzFzUxb068BoKXHeSWNE/s1600/mari2.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTsDA4IBKvcEhNfTvrDPuJ-TJ1afvSsjDSwSV98laN6P13v0B3f8osNbaclXE304nLunXktFg1_YLYHZVoRVIzEP8jyJy1KH0AQ3izYyCSdcWk9df56HflyOTTPzFzUxb068BoKXHeSWNE/s1600/mari2.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<i>I know this is a second image but I LOVE MAYA MARI OKAY</i></div><br />
The opening to <i>Samurai Flamenco</i>, "Just One Life" by SPYAIR, is more rock-like than songs I typically cover, but as always, I dialed down the tempo a bit and offered a more liberal interpretation of the song. I think there's plenty of emotion in the song, particularly when matched with the opening footage. Here's my cover!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Just One Life (Samurai Flamenco OP): Piano Cover</u></span><br />
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<iframe width="480" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/9taMHiDkaQI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
Artist: SPYAIR<br />
Date Completed: 2013-11-27<br />
Software: Audacity, Sony Vegas<br />
Number of Takes: Also don't remember<br />
Instrumentation: Piano<br />
<br />
New season's in tow, so look for more covers (hopefully in a timely fashion) soon!<br />
<br />
From beyond to heaven,<br />
<br />
xdsfireteamtorchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02082118754074760109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7933967265529432177.post-3539844657921719162013-12-19T00:10:00.000-08:002014-01-08T00:33:26.930-08:00Tutorial: Gogo no Junjou (Kuragehime)I've been on a josei roll of late. <i>Sakamichi no Apollon</i> is one of my favorite shows ever so I already had a soft spot for the genre, but I recently watched <i>Kuragehime</i>, <i>Honey & Clover</i> and <i>Nodame Cantabile</i> all in a row, and they were all pretty great. <i>Kuragehime</i> in particular had a cool little piano insert song with a metronome, so I decided to put together some sheet music.<br />
<br />
...Of course, I finished this tutorial before I ever watched <i>Kuragehime</i>, so most of that previous paragraph is irrelevant.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp6XK3HQS1aXfSp-4qH-hbfpcrwSWnLYa983U1kiaeEj-9mkvQooH-nZcGWJ04rbvJ5PQHJyG2N8kdZkyWwDIzCZq5k3-48gLfM1dDXNieb8tCqUxd8tM3ROY-Sjne47L39nKSGW7RnUnz/s1600/Kuragehime+Episode+5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="270" width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp6XK3HQS1aXfSp-4qH-hbfpcrwSWnLYa983U1kiaeEj-9mkvQooH-nZcGWJ04rbvJ5PQHJyG2N8kdZkyWwDIzCZq5k3-48gLfM1dDXNieb8tCqUxd8tM3ROY-Sjne47L39nKSGW7RnUnz/s1600/Kuragehime+Episode+5.png" /></a><br />
<i>I ALSO CAN'T BWEATHE BECAUSE CLARA IS TOO MOE</i></div><br />
I was struck by this piece in particular because of its neat classical sound and ternary form, and because it sounded like so much fun to transcribe. It was, indeed, a lot of fun to transcribe; lots of arpeggiated passages and fairly predictable structure, and none of those annoying tricky chords that I always have trouble with. Then, like all music that I transcribe but am too lazy to actually learn, I put together a Synthesia tutorial! Check it:<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">午後の純情 (Kuragehime Insert Song)</u></span><br />
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<iframe width="480" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/zColgG_k4RQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
Composer: Makoto Yoshimori<br />
Date Completed: 2012-10-23<br />
Software: Finale 2008, Fraps, Synthesia, Movie Maker<br />
Instrumentation: Piano<br />
<br />
<a href="https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/16653301/blog/sheet/xds_gogonojunjou_kuragehime.pdf">Here </a>is a link to the sheet music. It's a pretty fun technical piece; enjoy! And if you're looking for a funny, feel-good show, give Kuragehime a chance; I think it's definitely worth the watch.<br />
<br />
Laters,<br />
<br />
xdsfireteamtorchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02082118754074760109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7933967265529432177.post-80978625949662972222013-12-11T21:34:00.000-08:002014-01-08T00:40:12.082-08:00Piano Cover: Innocent (Galilei Donna)I'm several months behind, so I'm going to keep this one really short.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifvXawa39dxvW81pnyhWAG43Kdwip9RvLTiaLPm73dhuhY2DXSjXlG3fIIPYocs_O2GVmsN5c_VBVUeFZqaCUCYqoAXNO7oNZZHYJgKaFhsVA-ANzYp0FZPyOrhoZTmG_6UOcappQ49YVk/s1600/galilei-donna-3.jpgg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifvXawa39dxvW81pnyhWAG43Kdwip9RvLTiaLPm73dhuhY2DXSjXlG3fIIPYocs_O2GVmsN5c_VBVUeFZqaCUCYqoAXNO7oNZZHYJgKaFhsVA-ANzYp0FZPyOrhoZTmG_6UOcappQ49YVk/s1600/galilei-donna-3.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<i>Because everything is better with more moe girls.</i></div><br />
<i>Galilei Donna</i> was a show this season. I watched it. It was mediocre and I didn't finish it. (I am disappoint, NoitaminA.) I did, however, make a cover of the ending song, which is actually pretty catchy. And features even more moe girls! Enjoy :)<br />
<br />
GOD EVEN MY VIDEO PREVIEW HAS A MOE GIRL ON IT<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Innocent (Galilei Donna ED): Piano Cover</u></span><br />
<br />
<iframe width="480" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/imX50h9z-sE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
Artist: Earthmind<br />
Date Completed: 2013-10-13<br />
Software: Audacity, Sony Vegas<br />
Number of Takes: Honestly don't remember<br />
Instrumentation: Piano<br />
<br />
I'm going to keep these posts short from now on to facilitate me actually getting them done in time.<br />
<br />
Happy winter,<br />
<br />
xdsfireteamtorchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02082118754074760109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7933967265529432177.post-33501677636494854902013-08-15T21:43:00.000-07:002013-12-24T12:34:39.456-08:00Piano Cover: Rage On (Free!)Once upon a time, there was an innocent little <a href="http://youtu.be/7NqRG88E-s8" target="_blank">YouTube video</a>, put together by Kyoto Animation to demonstrate its awesome new water-animating skillz. Unfortunately for video-kun, who just wanted some peace and quiet, the Internet was taken by storm. Legions of fangirls and fanboys celebrated KyoAni's foray into the world of delicious manservice, and dubbed the content "Swimming Anime." When it was finally discovered that Swimming Anime wasn't, in fact, a real show but only a demo, the resulting cries of grief and frustration were deafening. Overwhelmed by the pure volume of fan reaction, KyoAni finally relented, and announced that their new show <a href="http://myanimelist.net/anime/18507/Free!" target="_blank"><i>Free!</i></a> would begin airing in July. Cue the Internets going wild.<br />
<br />
Or something like that.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJsJptjBKlBpR1X5bwvUMCjAnFwKqJHzl-fkhvZfRpoDiz4IgrCIGqQmVi7kwb2tV6gVgC-qYy0NVTTS0jELx7OdPH5yZAOWKhmZG7sXgSHE9Oa3DxVeRSag2F_pRsNQaH-m3nsqDdkY1M/s1600/tumblr_static_swimming_anime.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJsJptjBKlBpR1X5bwvUMCjAnFwKqJHzl-fkhvZfRpoDiz4IgrCIGqQmVi7kwb2tV6gVgC-qYy0NVTTS0jELx7OdPH5yZAOWKhmZG7sXgSHE9Oa3DxVeRSag2F_pRsNQaH-m3nsqDdkY1M/s1600/tumblr_static_swimming_anime.gif" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>The butt-slap that started it all.</i></div><br />
Along with seemingly everyone and their great-aunts, I began watching <i>Free!</i> when it began airing in July (which was marginally awkward since I was visiting family in China). I don't know what I expected from the show, but one thing's for certain: KyoAni certainly didn't shy away from the fanservice, and <i>Free!</i> has been chock-full of shirtless dudes and near-yaoi moments. I really admire shows that are unapologetic about the content they're showing, and Free! is about as unapologetic as they get. With all the ridiculous female fanservice in the anime market, <i>Free!</i> comes off as almost tongue-in-cheek in the way it reciprocates it on the men.<br />
<br />
I guess I should mention the backlash-from-dumb-people that the show got, but I'll direct you to <a href="http://angstandpocky.blogspot.com/2013/06/swimming-anime-treatise-on-double.html" target="_blank">my friend's blog post</a> for all matters concerning <i>that</i> bit of controversy.<br />
<br />
Oh, what's that? I'm supposed to talk about the music at some point?<br />
<br />
To be honest, I can't say the music in <i>Free!</i> is the best I've ever heard -- though the <a href="http://youtu.be/TlvJ3SzBnwg" target="_blank">ending sequence</a> might be the most absurd (-ly awesome) I've ever seen -- but I still wanted to give the <a href="http://youtu.be/17y_LadHeXU" target="_blank">OP</a> a try. The rock style of the song isn't the type of music I'm used to arranging for piano, but whatevs. :P Here is my attempt at covering the opening for the Swimming Anime:<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Rage On (Free! Iwatobi Swim Club OP): Piano Cover</u></span><br />
<br />
<iframe width="480" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/N3_rxFtr0N8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
Artist: OLDCODEX<br />
Date Completed: 2013-07-27<br />
Software: Audacity, Sony Vegas<br />
Number of Takes: 18<br />
Instrumentation: Piano<br />
<br />
Although I doubt <i>Free!</i> will find its way onto my best-anime-of-all-time list, it's definitely been an enjoyable ride so far. If you're curious, give it a try; I'd be interested to hear what you think! Here, have some <a href="http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/kou-matsuoka" target="_blank">Matsuoka Gou</a> for good measure. :P<br />
<br />
See you next water time (wut),<br />
<br />
xdsfireteamtorchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02082118754074760109noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7933967265529432177.post-20852352221117441132013-08-13T00:38:00.000-07:002013-08-15T20:48:01.794-07:00Cosplay Interlude: Anime Central 2013About three months ago (yayyy for being on time), I had the pleasure of attending Anime Central 2013 in Chicago, Illinois. With nearly <i>two years</i> (lol) of anime experience under my belt, I found this con experience even more exhilarating than <a href="http://fireteam-torch.blogspot.com/2012/06/animazement-2012.html">Animazement 2012</a>. The more shows I've watched, the more I enjoy and can identify with everyone at these conventions. Or at least, that's a pretty convenient excuse for me to watch even more anime. :P<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCV5jRgp1ZCdWH2nwzjJPr3flit-f7LpylM4tTMofr4YfxR5H7MR4EniIBginW5k7iYuhlhYfF8tZ825hxzTBaXO3PXaHGFckYUzj9g4J_e5A3O8dNcV9Ce-5Gne-nXY4RUskQORz5CoH5/s1600/ACen_2013.jpg" style="font-weight: normal; "><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCV5jRgp1ZCdWH2nwzjJPr3flit-f7LpylM4tTMofr4YfxR5H7MR4EniIBginW5k7iYuhlhYfF8tZ825hxzTBaXO3PXaHGFckYUzj9g4J_e5A3O8dNcV9Ce-5Gne-nXY4RUskQORz5CoH5/s1600/ACen_2013.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5753989783673354562" /></a><br />
As always, I went to this anime convention with a group of wonderful friends, and we decided again to attempt some group cosplays. After juggling numerous options for the full-group cosplay for the five of us, we finally settled on the fantastic 2010 show <i><a href="http://myanimelist.net/anime/6594/Katanagatari">Katanagatari</a></i>. In particular, we decided to cosplay characters from the Maniwa Ninja Corps, a group of hapless villains (of questionable degrees of actual malice) who inevitably get slaughtered over the course of the show's twelve episodes. For my character, I chose Maniwa Kamakiri, the mantis-themed ninja of the Insect Squad who meets his fate during episode 4.<br />
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Kamakiri's costume was definitely the most intricate I've ever attempted; completing it involved the help of several friends and multiple late nights, and it was definitely often a struggle. Nonetheless, I was able to pull off something passable in the end, and I've definitely learned a lot about cosplay (and particularly sewing) in the process.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKj-MKUQykOqOtEhoDEeNz5YM7sHIlWqjdabDTiy71eKRIyCPC90xKMU0BEAItusffrCUw5-W7i2VefR6N3zvKKpegYCWrak03FkXo1yt8eWOaC3tgzgn69UB3JO3zrc7F1UTmsnKriiAT/s1600/insect-squad-04.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKj-MKUQykOqOtEhoDEeNz5YM7sHIlWqjdabDTiy71eKRIyCPC90xKMU0BEAItusffrCUw5-W7i2VefR6N3zvKKpegYCWrak03FkXo1yt8eWOaC3tgzgn69UB3JO3zrc7F1UTmsnKriiAT/s400/insect-squad-04.png" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;font-weight: normal; "><span style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold; ">(1)</span><span style="font-size: 100%; "> </span><span style="font-size: 100%; font-style: italic; ">Maniwa Kamakiri of the Insect Squad: the green guy on the left.</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig6yjBTXSWgy5tZkkMNEOSucZc-oJI0OQmpZ-sJsHGQKvQKChEHxmfdaStGUhg3TSQMkAGp5PspDBJPDGkpUBGL90WX7-qICr6lRbj0Oez3RrH8zPUd-SP6UbTaRK1iHuARXg6LuiHrhXq/s1600/Maniwa.Kamakiri.full.817197.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig6yjBTXSWgy5tZkkMNEOSucZc-oJI0OQmpZ-sJsHGQKvQKChEHxmfdaStGUhg3TSQMkAGp5PspDBJPDGkpUBGL90WX7-qICr6lRbj0Oez3RrH8zPUd-SP6UbTaRK1iHuARXg6LuiHrhXq/s400/Maniwa.Kamakiri.full.817197.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;font-weight: normal; "><span style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold; ">(2)</span><span style="font-size: 100%; "> </span><span style="font-size: 100%; font-style: italic; ">Some concept art of Maniwa Kamakiri. The final design was a little different.</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ56unqiDkKBwEq4EvQEZN3Gz5ldDlwTo6QOeE1KOygYbidOhAOY0zDdZdpKKtFKxLFLIWTNrH25GhL4AA4_Y3gLTxJjGTBtIScjPAZyXbALlrId-iRXMn7eEoEZrm5sVinGHKkCFxX_NH/s1600/9265382792_debd462945_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ56unqiDkKBwEq4EvQEZN3Gz5ldDlwTo6QOeE1KOygYbidOhAOY0zDdZdpKKtFKxLFLIWTNrH25GhL4AA4_Y3gLTxJjGTBtIScjPAZyXbALlrId-iRXMn7eEoEZrm5sVinGHKkCFxX_NH/s400/9265382792_debd462945_o.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;font-weight: normal; "><span style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold; ">(3)</span><span style="font-size: 100%; "> </span><span style="font-size: 100%; font-style: italic; ">My Maniwa Kamakiri costume. Photo credit to <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/diamondcrevasse">Chou-Wa</a>.</span></div><br />
Unfortunately, <i>Katanagatari</i> wasn't quite as popular as I thought it might have been, what with the re-air and all, and there weren't a ton of people who recognized us. Nonetheless, we scheduled one photoshoot for the group with Chou-Wa Photography, whose photos can be seen <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/diamondcrevasse/sets/72157634593947037/">here</a>. However, the best part of the <i>Katanagatari</i>-cosplaying experience was undoubtedly the meetup. Although we'd arranged on the forums to meet up with another group of two <i>Katanagatari</i> cosplayers, it still didn't prepare me for the excitement of actually meeting other cosplayer-fans. (I think there was an even greater sense of camaraderie since our source material was relatively obscure.) We took a ton of fun photos, and were even lucky enough to receive a free impromptu photoshoot from the amazing <a href="https://www.facebook.com/monephoto">M1photo</a>, who was himself a <i>Katanagatari</i> fan. You can see the photos from our shoot with M1photo below.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizC5jDIp_xC_KOQ5qv7QVFe7XP9jRie0mJD1p4Rt3bQ5BWHv4KvhVft1QQZfke9Mha6AHhYqRW51zC2VM5Gi7iEKLsAz3Pviwl11w4Zn4OIjGbcFYhKBz6lXogjaskjUobibsnWzxeHN2K/s1600/983721_624703024224692_1524975339_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizC5jDIp_xC_KOQ5qv7QVFe7XP9jRie0mJD1p4Rt3bQ5BWHv4KvhVft1QQZfke9Mha6AHhYqRW51zC2VM5Gi7iEKLsAz3Pviwl11w4Zn4OIjGbcFYhKBz6lXogjaskjUobibsnWzxeHN2K/s400/983721_624703024224692_1524975339_n.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;font-weight: normal; "><span style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold; ">(4)</span><span style="font-size: 100%; "> </span><span style="font-size: 100%; font-style: italic; ">The whole Katanagatari group! Photo credit to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/monephoto">M1photo</a>.</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-fjRLBa3K6nzyJRe_FrUIY1HEsUZrDHue3gy_0m_5f7yCoK_AWHnDZzdMCYnf3a7sIv_lhruwRp-vnUxk9wopWrlyggScq0TC-0JVc-DkzlT3xFM8qZiIHLnEnkVD-wlvu28mxAAn_kBT/s1600/1002990_658997897461871_1312208854_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-fjRLBa3K6nzyJRe_FrUIY1HEsUZrDHue3gy_0m_5f7yCoK_AWHnDZzdMCYnf3a7sIv_lhruwRp-vnUxk9wopWrlyggScq0TC-0JVc-DkzlT3xFM8qZiIHLnEnkVD-wlvu28mxAAn_kBT/s400/1002990_658997897461871_1312208854_n.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;font-weight: normal; "><span style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold; ">(5)</span><span style="font-size: 100%; "> </span><span style="font-size: 100%; font-style: italic; ">Compilation of individual character shots. Photo credit to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/monephoto">M1photo</a>.</span></div><br />
Apart from the <i>Katanagatari</i> cosplay, I also put together a costume from the horror anime <i>Shiki</i> in a two-person group. (Photos for that costume are still pending, but I'll put them up as soon as they're sent to us.) Cosplay aside, however, the highlight of the convention was certainly the Kalafina concert (see my <a href="http://fireteam-torch.blogspot.com/2013/05/concert-review-kalafina-anime-central.html">review</a>). I've been fond of Kalafina ever since I heard the <i>Madoka</i> ending song Magia, and seeing them perform in person was nothing less than magical.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb__Vwn_VeDhS6CvQOFJO5xqi1jugYNKVCdTLm9FOH-o7Ux3AfDE-6wn0ZQ-QrR_FydWZDxj7bksU-MUuhU570sOezSRhqxGtSbseXq2MaVo9c4OEyUibBMDnXmOqERM9ur-Abn96JV0Sn/s1600/DSCN1372.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb__Vwn_VeDhS6CvQOFJO5xqi1jugYNKVCdTLm9FOH-o7Ux3AfDE-6wn0ZQ-QrR_FydWZDxj7bksU-MUuhU570sOezSRhqxGtSbseXq2MaVo9c4OEyUibBMDnXmOqERM9ur-Abn96JV0Sn/s400/DSCN1372.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;font-weight: normal; "><span style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold; ">(6)</span><span style="font-size: 100%; "> </span><span style="font-size: 100%; font-style: italic; ">I'M NOT SURE IF I'M SUPPOSED TO HAVE THIS PHOTO O_o</span></div><br />
As always, I'll end this post with a bit of photo-vomit. I didn't actually take too many pictures this time around so there aren't many, but feel free to check out my Facebook album <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152898373590157.1073741827.775865156&type=1&l=dad717514f">here</a> if you're interested in seeing the complete set.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLf6vV7hDbEYNGgEPuXbJljVRc62lLswqCXFTlBLTdko1A1h2vxoXTfk_SvB6kDf-K_MmlKH7MhBGXv2PmlhzQ_SbRmSmxBjz8T9byggu_RvnVVS_Hn3lwC4AxYlNskFXGoSVw6UkcH16O/s1600/DSCN1345.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLf6vV7hDbEYNGgEPuXbJljVRc62lLswqCXFTlBLTdko1A1h2vxoXTfk_SvB6kDf-K_MmlKH7MhBGXv2PmlhzQ_SbRmSmxBjz8T9byggu_RvnVVS_Hn3lwC4AxYlNskFXGoSVw6UkcH16O/s400/DSCN1345.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;font-weight: normal; "><span style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold; ">(7)</span><span style="font-size: 100%; "> </span><span style="font-size: 100%; font-style: italic; ">Our cute lil' Maniwa Corps headpieces. :)</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ0lGyywaDmC99SNo5up1PYo2eSeaVDffIqEDr6liaOzQ-z4f752PlBXH4u_ONaScQG9vCHh1DI17EJG5uvdvq2r9B-eA6-FjrflsiLpVBcae8nVyIb-9QApMTlH7uVSXPHmGhwVsb9A9o/s1600/DSCN1357.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ0lGyywaDmC99SNo5up1PYo2eSeaVDffIqEDr6liaOzQ-z4f752PlBXH4u_ONaScQG9vCHh1DI17EJG5uvdvq2r9B-eA6-FjrflsiLpVBcae8nVyIb-9QApMTlH7uVSXPHmGhwVsb9A9o/s400/DSCN1357.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;font-weight: normal; "><span style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold; ">(8)</span><span style="font-size: 100%; "> </span><span style="font-size: 100%; font-style: italic; ">Super Sentai Gokaiger!</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc6IrWeMGqyWT09vTBAmPSc8XxvhSpmr7b8b_MM7WRQloQfCMrluxv3hnAwzhE9hPFSX3abYj55JEzuQtkCiEsyp8xSOosENWlTuBLBLRnffK4qdM_xcLX-ofh8WlU6RrI6YdlzuVG7bFn/s1600/DSCN1362.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc6IrWeMGqyWT09vTBAmPSc8XxvhSpmr7b8b_MM7WRQloQfCMrluxv3hnAwzhE9hPFSX3abYj55JEzuQtkCiEsyp8xSOosENWlTuBLBLRnffK4qdM_xcLX-ofh8WlU6RrI6YdlzuVG7bFn/s400/DSCN1362.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;font-weight: normal; "><span style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold; ">(9)</span><span style="font-size: 100%; "> </span><span style="font-size: 100%; font-style: italic; ">Our whole group! Cosplays represented: Shiki, Adventure Time, Shingeki.</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgffAUMV-gIJ3auLWBhyUfMksmB-hqk8bGTbspBuCUOdT2ozsJV6IzRWSVZQ0Xyzm9ceFZwNZTKYnpoKFwYlVuJhVJ_mnT7DymXSbxOKqAbIVg7GcikcyeGvk7cGgnKgNpT072rMOfVPr1F/s1600/DSCN1363.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgffAUMV-gIJ3auLWBhyUfMksmB-hqk8bGTbspBuCUOdT2ozsJV6IzRWSVZQ0Xyzm9ceFZwNZTKYnpoKFwYlVuJhVJ_mnT7DymXSbxOKqAbIVg7GcikcyeGvk7cGgnKgNpT072rMOfVPr1F/s400/DSCN1363.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;font-weight: normal; "><span style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold; ">(10)</span><span style="font-size: 100%; "> </span><span style="font-size: 100%; font-style: italic; ">Ergo Proxy!</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC-2-n8gYtsWqSlQllx3K6KhQIYo5tddPWEa2vdCU5B4ahcChf_Sdl0L8S2nMm1-Nvd-_hWx4VHC7dwR74Z1ARXI_hDTwJNJc8YseekJquGV7BO9cObgkPhrl3ZhV-spAEONrvoTWZuIO1/s1600/DSCN1369.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC-2-n8gYtsWqSlQllx3K6KhQIYo5tddPWEa2vdCU5B4ahcChf_Sdl0L8S2nMm1-Nvd-_hWx4VHC7dwR74Z1ARXI_hDTwJNJc8YseekJquGV7BO9cObgkPhrl3ZhV-spAEONrvoTWZuIO1/s400/DSCN1369.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;font-weight: normal; "><span style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold; ">(11)</span><span style="font-size: 100%; "> </span><span style="font-size: 100%; font-style: italic; ">The cuteness of HomuHomu knows no gender boundaries.</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkqs1rGeDH1Jkodi5TrEXv6WrEgy6K6yqen7gKrPhYEmnizTJ5IYfiVhmEcNq9nG9TlTxKbTFzlEmpC2MwsWcRZKXj5kFqsNdi9jpUTycf0HQh9S7oPqQHvjqVpdmJz4fQO2-f9MQK9nMe/s1600/DSCN1397.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkqs1rGeDH1Jkodi5TrEXv6WrEgy6K6yqen7gKrPhYEmnizTJ5IYfiVhmEcNq9nG9TlTxKbTFzlEmpC2MwsWcRZKXj5kFqsNdi9jpUTycf0HQh9S7oPqQHvjqVpdmJz4fQO2-f9MQK9nMe/s400/DSCN1397.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;font-weight: normal; "><span style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold; ">(12)</span><span style="font-size: 100%; "> </span><span style="font-size: 100%; font-style: italic; ">Artist working live on chalk art. T'was ridiculously impressive.</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNiyeUBo1eNLkN23oCPn33KLCH1FBxtJ2_0lEQYypdzSJJzEZEjn-iLaCKhCD05EKvQhJ-P9GT5cdVtto7oo3JXd2L_lf1VZFJd49jhvI755CC6xBtsqtvk6l-g9PL4oxPZCh3VybmqeKS/s1600/DSCN1398.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNiyeUBo1eNLkN23oCPn33KLCH1FBxtJ2_0lEQYypdzSJJzEZEjn-iLaCKhCD05EKvQhJ-P9GT5cdVtto7oo3JXd2L_lf1VZFJd49jhvI755CC6xBtsqtvk6l-g9PL4oxPZCh3VybmqeKS/s400/DSCN1398.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;font-weight: normal; "><span style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold; ">(13)</span><span style="font-size: 100%; "> </span><span style="font-size: 100%; font-style: italic; ">GOGOPOWERRANGERS</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm3ZrlShWsz5GxSxbcVYe8VpFYNRY_s_5XZl_3UNuIme5uTtXUasQxxCtl3mVbKTWCTKvPs5lPTLJcvcofO8PSJoZNtDFv1kxZSWpEnuM0HjbFuojHDK1Ia2yNFHihJ-XY3mvt4nLH8CH3/s1600/DSCN1406.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm3ZrlShWsz5GxSxbcVYe8VpFYNRY_s_5XZl_3UNuIme5uTtXUasQxxCtl3mVbKTWCTKvPs5lPTLJcvcofO8PSJoZNtDFv1kxZSWpEnuM0HjbFuojHDK1Ia2yNFHihJ-XY3mvt4nLH8CH3/s400/DSCN1406.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;font-weight: normal; "><span style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold; ">(14)</span><span style="font-size: 100%; "> </span><span style="font-size: 100%; font-style: italic; ">BUZZ BUZZ, MOTHAFUCKER</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsyEDpELEfHpDyjTi9NO1KmoQnT4aN5IwEd0_8F7KXN22fwbVg7dRWClxZYR8G1tPw24T171wSVrX9mnCz4gng04R-Gtq0DQUP1dvw8-21wZx52ouW9e8tSMp6GF7B0sEPhw6oHgmDaF-s/s1600/DSCN1408.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsyEDpELEfHpDyjTi9NO1KmoQnT4aN5IwEd0_8F7KXN22fwbVg7dRWClxZYR8G1tPw24T171wSVrX9mnCz4gng04R-Gtq0DQUP1dvw8-21wZx52ouW9e8tSMp6GF7B0sEPhw6oHgmDaF-s/s400/DSCN1408.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;font-weight: normal; "><span style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold; ">(15)</span><span style="font-size: 100%; "> </span><span style="font-size: 100%; font-style: italic; ">Some R&R with the Maniwa gang.</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCmoJBoCEAHpVjQ4jLTzMDw6E7W5zGvdMdA7WAMdmtJY1YlTXFTNgkXJlvtOX_N7V2MwEz8ONwD-2-9XO2_ixHk6_tFXLA6wjBC0teUozhz7_l3qhqPBWRjRzrWG-pCtlpoIKU7rOR35CF/s1600/DSCN1416.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCmoJBoCEAHpVjQ4jLTzMDw6E7W5zGvdMdA7WAMdmtJY1YlTXFTNgkXJlvtOX_N7V2MwEz8ONwD-2-9XO2_ixHk6_tFXLA6wjBC0teUozhz7_l3qhqPBWRjRzrWG-pCtlpoIKU7rOR35CF/s400/DSCN1416.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;font-weight: normal; "><span style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold; ">(16)</span><span style="font-size: 100%; "> </span><span style="font-size: 100%; font-style: italic; ">A Mirai Nikki group! #represent</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDJxealk3oot_Spk265qursSM-NPiM-0WY0Wo6ABqRJxl9bgdOmFLLAF3a6pjLz7L4QnDodpvBNkSj_ptdZz3KT6sc8OXxZIxmbAyD0jsx6YsZW2kM46IkzWjyIrlJhA9b0eePw5X0BnbC/s1600/DSCN1436.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDJxealk3oot_Spk265qursSM-NPiM-0WY0Wo6ABqRJxl9bgdOmFLLAF3a6pjLz7L4QnDodpvBNkSj_ptdZz3KT6sc8OXxZIxmbAyD0jsx6YsZW2kM46IkzWjyIrlJhA9b0eePw5X0BnbC/s400/DSCN1436.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;font-weight: normal; "><span style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold; ">(17)</span><span style="font-size: 100%; "> </span><span style="font-size: 100%; font-style: italic; ">Katanagatari photoshoot, in which Nanami MURDERS US ALL ._.</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXmFdNWlWYeEU__BLL5b_hNjTKsoAC3e7SQypH2FpamEW4oTfTeb_Tqpw_Vm5E23nUbUwDFiWzXEZpm7fFn9wwkxbdDD_YEnyRWy5pc0F95SP8XwHoYt2cxIHqOmxySqBffxFkwT2JapWj/s1600/DSCN1439.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXmFdNWlWYeEU__BLL5b_hNjTKsoAC3e7SQypH2FpamEW4oTfTeb_Tqpw_Vm5E23nUbUwDFiWzXEZpm7fFn9wwkxbdDD_YEnyRWy5pc0F95SP8XwHoYt2cxIHqOmxySqBffxFkwT2JapWj/s400/DSCN1439.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;font-weight: normal; "><span style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold; ">(18)</span><span style="font-size: 100%; "> </span><span style="font-size: 100%; font-style: italic; ">Mufufufufu</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKC5doi2kbkdfjFe9Nclzhb9Dh9EGkGxDSx5-Cckjyn5S7_PtNy1qcdeC2WBQ8aXWFsIsRscaiiwEwviu55Hc_VFDH4YNDZ3sPaVqU4qDDnAiipl3CMAqts8LNBBI8evlWDNkkV2MGfofS/s1600/DSCN1443.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKC5doi2kbkdfjFe9Nclzhb9Dh9EGkGxDSx5-Cckjyn5S7_PtNy1qcdeC2WBQ8aXWFsIsRscaiiwEwviu55Hc_VFDH4YNDZ3sPaVqU4qDDnAiipl3CMAqts8LNBBI8evlWDNkkV2MGfofS/s400/DSCN1443.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;font-weight: normal; "><span style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold; ">(19)</span><span style="font-size: 100%; "> </span><span style="font-size: 100%; font-style: italic; ">The completed product of the aforementioned chalk art. Beautiful.</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOVHDOIewuh8I3RnCFp9kpZyTOT0nOwNvJr7s2fVl7lKTt-ZncsZbKtaoyrd1sPfY3BtImIFbjVWXfOoIA1ol1CnvsA8uQSSSZ2VlGgC4d1N3Hi1s4OQMS5xpX5ZMKcDbi1U3B4sFP2zqd/s1600/DSCN1444.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOVHDOIewuh8I3RnCFp9kpZyTOT0nOwNvJr7s2fVl7lKTt-ZncsZbKtaoyrd1sPfY3BtImIFbjVWXfOoIA1ol1CnvsA8uQSSSZ2VlGgC4d1N3Hi1s4OQMS5xpX5ZMKcDbi1U3B4sFP2zqd/s400/DSCN1444.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;font-weight: normal; "><span style="font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold; ">(20)</span><span style="font-size: 100%; "> </span><span style="font-size: 100%; font-style: italic; ">Mahou Meganekko Madoka Magica XD</span></div><br />
That's all, folks! Don't forget to say hi if you're a fellow Anime Central 2013 attendee!<br />
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Until we meet again,<br />
<br />
xdsfireteamtorchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02082118754074760109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7933967265529432177.post-70952825468703457002013-07-27T13:40:00.000-07:002014-01-08T00:10:38.362-08:00Piano Cover: Aku no Hana (Saeki's Theme)Man, I'm getting really bad at posting these updates when I should.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfY_bbK74lX_rU31jUz_v0bH5TcgxjnlK4ee8jSIyE2mypwGqs5fPw5Tcd60XElPN98L1RlXQdtVlPmi1U6zeQQ5LRX3syzmCXu9I1rFYcvygViXl-kw4FGR4KYwQCMi9-pdlAywWpEcf6/s1600/weirdest-date-1024x575.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfY_bbK74lX_rU31jUz_v0bH5TcgxjnlK4ee8jSIyE2mypwGqs5fPw5Tcd60XElPN98L1RlXQdtVlPmi1U6zeQQ5LRX3syzmCXu9I1rFYcvygViXl-kw4FGR4KYwQCMi9-pdlAywWpEcf6/s1600/weirdest-date-1024x575.png" width="500" /></a><br />
<i>SO MUCH MOE CAN'T HANDLE</i></div><br />
If the spring 2013 anime season had a drama queen, it would undoubtedly be <i>Aku no Hana</i>. There was a ton of controversy surrounding the show, not the least of which concerned the radical shift in art style between the manga source material and the anime. Plenty of people were turned off by the more realistic, <a href="http://youtu.be/-WzRG41kosM">rotoscoped</a> style, and to be honest, it certainly took a bit of getting used to. Still, I found <i>Aku no Hana</i> a legitimately compelling show (if a bit over-artistic at times), and it was one of my favorites of the season.<br />
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The music in <i>Aku no Hana</i> is some of the best I've heard. The most memorable song in the series is certainly the exceptionally haunting <a href="http://youtu.be/Cgjr3-yd2oI">ending theme</a>, but the <a href="http://youtu.be/ShbWaW3c-AQ">opening themes</a> (also named "Aku no Hana") are quite creative as well. There are four openings in total, and each is a variation upon the same basic theme and sung from the perspective of one of the main characters. This sort of self-referential music really appeals to me, and I decided I'd cover one of the opening themes. My favorite was Saeki's <a href="http://youtu.be/ShbWaW3c-AQ?t=3m9s">version</a>, so I chose that for my cover. Enjoy!<br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Aku no Hana (OP #3, Saeki's Theme): Piano Cover</u></span><br />
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<iframe width="480" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/pEzE0NCUcOI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
Artist: Uchujin<br />
Date Completed: 2013-06-05<br />
Software: Audacity, Sony Vegas<br />
Number of Takes: 10ish<br />
Instrumentation: Piano<br />
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Anyway, if you're an anime fan willing to try something unique, or you're just tired of all that moemoe stuff floating around, you owe it to yourself to try out <i>Aku no Hana</i>. At the very least it's very unique, and who knows: maybe you'll end up really enjoying it too. :)<br />
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More piano covers soon! Hopefully on-schedule this time!<br />
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See ya,<br />
<br />
xdsfireteamtorchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02082118754074760109noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7933967265529432177.post-54532428781342802892013-06-18T18:13:00.000-07:002013-06-20T18:28:52.266-07:00Piano Cover: Sora to Kimi no Message (Suisei no Gargantia)Wayyyy overdue post. I'll keep this one short then.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXQ4cK9p8jGLMTn35AVutrWYBdJcCCZFmvFAJ82puwgcnGTYQPd7mQovhmrHrV4Is1g1RyHiRNtdeyebrLZvrPCq5VDFrOTi1Dq68hZ4Emk1nXDXdIem715u57tpPUDis8RJJTtJxGix0U/s320/suisei-no-gargantia-1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXQ4cK9p8jGLMTn35AVutrWYBdJcCCZFmvFAJ82puwgcnGTYQPd7mQovhmrHrV4Is1g1RyHiRNtdeyebrLZvrPCq5VDFrOTi1Dq68hZ4Emk1nXDXdIem715u57tpPUDis8RJJTtJxGix0U/s320/suisei-no-gargantia-1.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<i>Seems like a fair fight.</i></div><br />
The spring 2013 anime season has been quite an exciting one, complete with heavyweights (<i>Shingeki no Kyojin</i>), controversial shows (<i>Aku no Hana</i>), beloved sequels (<i>Nyaruko</i>) and more. One of the shows that fascinated me from the beginning was <i><a href="http://myanimelist.net/anime/16524/Suisei_no_Gargantia">Suisei no Gargantia</a></i>, the newest project by Gen Urobuchi. I've always had an interest in his work, and <i>Gargantia </i>looked to be surprisingly lighthearted compared to his other work. Unfortunately I've lost a bit of interest since then and fallen behind, but I still really enjoyed the music. So here's my piano version of the ending song, "Sora to Kimi no Message" by Choucho:<br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Sora to Kimi no Message (Suisei no Gargantia): Piano Cover</u></span><br />
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<iframe width="480" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/WBJFWWAxWi4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
Artist: ChouCho<br />
Date Completed: 2013-04-11<br />
Software: Audacity, Sony Vegas<br />
Number of Takes: I don't even remember<br />
Instrumentation: Piano<br />
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That's all for this post. Expect another post or two as this season comes to a close.<br />
<br />
Bye now,<br />
<br />
xdsfireteamtorchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02082118754074760109noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7933967265529432177.post-44756588310507748842013-05-22T22:23:00.000-07:002014-05-21T22:54:17.549-07:00Concert Review: Kalafina @ Anime Central 2013This past weekend was Anime Central in Chicago, the third-largest anime convention in the United States. This year, Anime Central hosted a very special guest: Kalafina! While members of Kalafina have performed once before in the United States (Anime Expo in 2011), Anime Central 2013 marked the first time that the entire Kalafina band has performed in the U.S. I was fortunate enough to attend this wonderful performance.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5MwxG26sD4DiNd1IdNZEgyVUsmebDo2uzVgcEELI-TTfvnI5a8gmUuudRQYWwK3-9pSAoKGI526CTkSG8pi8UMuUDMS5NaFSsU_2j02QlTrUyZuzhX33_lTBkHCSlP4V0RWsjcdYixmIU/s1600/acen-2013-540x230.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5MwxG26sD4DiNd1IdNZEgyVUsmebDo2uzVgcEELI-TTfvnI5a8gmUuudRQYWwK3-9pSAoKGI526CTkSG8pi8UMuUDMS5NaFSsU_2j02QlTrUyZuzhX33_lTBkHCSlP4V0RWsjcdYixmIU/s1600/acen-2013-540x230.jpg" /></a><br />
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Like perhaps many others, I was initially drawn to Kalafina via their lovely ED "Magia" from <i>Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica</i>. Shortly thereafter, I watched <i>Kara no Kyoukai</i> and was further drawn in by their ending songs for the seven films. Before the concert, I decided to familiarize myself with some more of Kalafina's work, including songs from <i>Kuroshitsuji</i>, <i>Fate/Zero</i>, and the new <i>Madoka </i>movie. I'm really glad I did, as my familiarity with Kalafina's works really enhanced my enjoyment of the concert (compared to, say, the <a href="http://fireteam-torch.blogspot.com/2012/06/concert-review-kotoko-animazement-2012.html">KOTOKO concert</a> last year).<br />
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There are some groups who sound amazing in recordings, but rather lackluster in live performances. Kalafina is <i>not</i> one of these groups. I was constantly blown away by how terrific Kalafina's singing was, especially with the ridiculously long (16 songs!) setlist they went through. Kalafina's pitches were flawless, and the live performances sounded nearly identical to the recorded material; rarely was even a single note out of place. Major props to the singers and to the five talented band members (seriously though, that keyboardist was sick).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEl0a80AU9zwjp2_r3CV-rmept5VAzIH0AWYVk1zEAvP7YDgYQBbNPZtt0zNGg2gQtanPW_PWpKCt_wej6fc5id_POHzz6-ZcbrtENeQqbhFCnWj8gTpTB_GFx-VXlFaZh466iDyc1gXeX/s1600/Kalafina_by_Barbiche_Assault.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEl0a80AU9zwjp2_r3CV-rmept5VAzIH0AWYVk1zEAvP7YDgYQBbNPZtt0zNGg2gQtanPW_PWpKCt_wej6fc5id_POHzz6-ZcbrtENeQqbhFCnWj8gTpTB_GFx-VXlFaZh466iDyc1gXeX/s640/Kalafina_by_Barbiche_Assault.png" width="540" /></a><br />
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Compared to KOTOKO's performance, Kalafina's exuded a different type of energy. While the KOTOKO performance was full of vibrancy and lots of jumping up-and-down, Kalafina's performance demonstrated a much more deliberate, orchestrated style of energy. In fact, "orchestrated" is an appropriate adjective for Kalafina's performance as a whole; the entire performance was a carefully crafted piece of artwork full of poses, gestures, and sound. That brings me to my only gripe (if it can even be considered as such): that the performance was a little <i>too</i> perfect. For me, one of the appeals for seeing artists perform live is to see how they deviate from the source material. Kalafina's performance was faithful nearly note-for-note to the original source material, and while that's certainly a good thing, I would have enjoyed seeing Kalafina interpret the music a little more loosely.<br />
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Below is the setlist for Kalafina's Anime Central performance. (I actually took notes this time, so it's accurate!) Click the little "x" to the left of each song to check it out on Last.FM.<br />
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<a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Kalafina/_/oblivious">[x]</a> Oblivious<br />
<a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Kalafina/Consolation/Consolation">[x]</a> Consolation<br />
<a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Kalafina/_/Kagayaku+Sora+no+Shijima+ni+wa">[x]</a> Kagayaku Sora no Shijima ni wa<br />
<a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Kalafina/Red+Moon">[x]</a> Red Moon<br />
<a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Kalafina/Magia">[x]</a> Magia (the crowd went wild here)<br />
<a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Kalafina/_/Hikari+no+Senritsu">[x]</a> Hikari no Senritsu<br />
<a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Kalafina/_/Door">[x]</a> Door<br />
<a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Kalafina/_/Mirai">[x]</a> Mirai (Mami's theme from Madoka)<br />
<a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Kalafina/_/ARIA">[x]</a> Aria<br />
<a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Kalafina/_/signal">[x]</a> Signal<br />
<a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Kalafina/_/obbligato">[x]</a> Obbligato<br />
<a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Kalafina/_/Ongaku">[x]</a> Ongaku<br />
<a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Kalafina/_/Manten">[x]</a> The Whole Sky<br />
<a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Kalafina/_/to+the+beginning">[x]</a> To the Beginning<br />
<a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Kalafina/_/%E3%81%B2%E3%81%8B%E3%82%8A%E3%81%B5%E3%82%8B">[x]</a> Hikarifuru<br />
<a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Kalafina/_/%E5%A4%A2%E3%81%AE%E5%A4%A7%E5%9C%B0">[x]</a> Yume no Daichi<br />
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Every three songs or so, the three singers took a break to chat with the audience. I was pleasantly surprised by how interactive they were; while they did read from an English script (not always successfully, in Keiko's case), they interacted quite a bit with the audience, gauging our familiarity with the songs, pointing out cosplayers, and asking for restaurant suggestions. Also, Keiko's English was so cute gahhhh X_x<br />
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Oh, and random tidbits from the between-performance sessions:<br />
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-Keiko's speaking voice is surprisingly high, given her low singing voice.<br />
-Hikaru is afraid of heights.<br />
-Wakana likes dinosaurs.<br />
-Keiko's favorite character is Rider (<i>Fate/Zero</i>).<br />
-Hikaru's favorite character is Saber (<i>Fate/Zero</i>).<br />
-Wakana's favorite character is Mami! (<i>Madoka Magica</i>)<br />
-The audience suggested "hot dogs" as a food of interest for Chicago. Really?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoytwvVJUydw8qpcy8rM13Z2auRVFjfrWZ9wz-Wk5ydwp8hyphenhyphenoRBZ8_ZlQBCgFBMd3ByY5dk5EnM32g1JKzeq_BXFwuAtiPzbLmJMoHMp3ZyQhnZXKKMLIzaBxZKLn-7Q-CO5Clcrkmfkfu/s1600/310159_573750565978958_1845303343_n.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoytwvVJUydw8qpcy8rM13Z2auRVFjfrWZ9wz-Wk5ydwp8hyphenhyphenoRBZ8_ZlQBCgFBMd3ByY5dk5EnM32g1JKzeq_BXFwuAtiPzbLmJMoHMp3ZyQhnZXKKMLIzaBxZKLn-7Q-CO5Clcrkmfkfu/s1600/310159_573750565978958_1845303343_n.jpg" /></a><br />
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For more Kalafina and pictures from Anime Central, check out their blog <a href="http://blog.oricon.co.jp/kalafina/">here</a>. (I'm somewhere in that picture above! :D)<br />
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I had an absolutely wonderful time at Kalafina's performance at Anime Central, and I'd recommend any fan of their music to see them perform live if they get a chance. Sadly, I wasn't able to meet them at Anime Central this time, but perhaps I'll have the opportunity to hear them perform again in the future. I'd attend again without any hesitation. :)<br />
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'Til next time,<br />
<br />
xdsfireteamtorchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02082118754074760109noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7933967265529432177.post-353568111158656192013-04-14T17:18:00.000-07:002013-05-13T12:11:21.439-07:00Piano Cover: Osmotic Pressure Symphony (Sasami-san@Ganbaranai)In all honesty, the Winter 2013 anime season was a pretty disappointing one for me; I didn't truly love any of the shows I watched (apart from the carryovers from the previous season), and ended up dropping a number of the new shows. One show I did stick with, however, was <a href="http://myanimelist.net/anime/14515/Sasami-san@Ganbaranai"><i>Sasami-san@Ganbaranai</i></a>, a SHAFT show with very SHAFT characteristics. I won't try to describe the show here, because it rather defies description, but suffice it to say I found it fairly entertaining, and definitely better than the other Winter '13 shows I watched. And admittedly, I did appreciate their choice of voice actresses for the Yagami sisters. :P<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIJyGIw3-yTggJEiFWqsDcBimCrZLe7VGBUErqMHg4TeogjP9oJEkgejq-tDAZCpOD7hXsB03sSX96oGlkgH7Z1CvinygSxE01oIpIpzc5iG7toGpCBcObIIymZ9N9UK4BbBOAFVKa9QI0/s1600/Sasami-san@Ganbaranai-12-10.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIJyGIw3-yTggJEiFWqsDcBimCrZLe7VGBUErqMHg4TeogjP9oJEkgejq-tDAZCpOD7hXsB03sSX96oGlkgH7Z1CvinygSxE01oIpIpzc5iG7toGpCBcObIIymZ9N9UK4BbBOAFVKa9QI0/s1600/Sasami-san@Ganbaranai-12-10.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<i>Translation: Welcome to your doom. (not really)</i></div><br />
<i>Sasami-san</i> had a pretty unique running gag with its closing credits: different characters took turns attempting to sing the <a href="http://youtu.be/QVvbhvkAFAw">ED</a> (badly), but we didn't get to hear the full song in all its glory (and correctness) until the last episode of the show. It was worth the wait, though; I really enjoyed the catchy, upbeat piece full of neat modulations and applied chords. I decided to start this new season off with a cover of this song, "Osmotic Pressure Symphony." Enjoy!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Osmotic Pressure Symphony (Sasami-san): Piano Cover</u></span><br />
<br />
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/67tfAxzot_Y?list=UU54OmPWuZi1NjBY1I4FEW5g" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
Artist: Kana Asumi<br />
Date Completed: 2013-04-07<br />
Software: Audacity, Sony Vegas<br />
Number of Takes: 20ish<br />
Instrumentation: Piano<br />
<br />
New anime season is underway, so look forward to some more covers coming soon!<br />
<br />
'Til then,<br />
<br />
xdsfireteamtorchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02082118754074760109noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7933967265529432177.post-86873814398379094612013-04-02T23:38:00.000-07:002013-04-14T16:51:01.527-07:00Piano Cover: Zutto Be With You (Nyaruko-san)Okay, this post is nearly two months late, but better late than never, right? Right...?<br />
<br />
<a href="http://myanimelist.net/anime/11785/Haiyore!_Nyaruko-san"><i>Haiyore! Nyaruko-san</i></a>, a comedy/parody show which aired roughly this time last year, is one of my favorite guilty-pleasure animes. Actually, I don't feel all that guilty about it; despite the silly premise (it stars a number of Lovecraftian monsters who happen to take the form of cute girls) and occasional fanservice, it still made me laugh harder than many other comedies I've watched. And that's with me not even understanding nearly all of the references. The <a href="http://myanimelist.net/anime/15699/Haiyore!_Nyaruko-san_W">sequel's</a> slated to air very soon, so I'm definitely looking forward to that.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin15JIABedZtCZ_3gxKEv0HoKa22tCCHAyDBk3qMZGA2ir4thZ-Rgl7Ris92qrEowI7icY8ocJxYwpdaCr11GlJzPzcOC8NVPCZ8PWC3iVCeaFIVuWTYNFH4TydCw5wN8ZY_ST6WQ3GggF/s1600/HaiyoreNya00297-650x365.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin15JIABedZtCZ_3gxKEv0HoKa22tCCHAyDBk3qMZGA2ir4thZ-Rgl7Ris92qrEowI7icY8ocJxYwpdaCr11GlJzPzcOC8NVPCZ8PWC3iVCeaFIVuWTYNFH4TydCw5wN8ZY_ST6WQ3GggF/s1600/HaiyoreNya00297-650x365.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<i>Warning: Lovecraftian monsters are not actually this cute in real life.</i></div><br />
My "Zutto Be With You" cover came into being because I was looking for something "romantic" to cover for Valentine's Day, much like my <a href="http://fireteam-torch.blogspot.com/2012/02/piano-cover-vidro-moyou-ano-natsu-de.html">"Vidro Moyou"</a> cover. While <i>Nyaruko-san</i>'s <a href="http://youtu.be/pNxkdG81W5w">OP</a> might have more personality, I really liked the sweet, catchy melody of the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U53Um2hOj7c">ED</a>. Plus, the singer might have one of the cutest voices I've heard in anime music, for serious.<br />
<br />
Anyway, here's the cover!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Zutto Be With You (Haiyore! Nyaruko-san): Piano Cover</u></span><br />
<br />
<iframe width="480" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/nvSyfYusitM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
Artist: RAMM<br />
Date Completed: 2013-02-11<br />
Software: Audacity, Sony Vegas<br />
Number of Takes: Yeeeaaahhh...<br />
Instrumentation: Piano<br />
<br />
Not much more to say here, but hope you enjoy this cover, despite it not being particularly current. The new season of anime's coming out very soon, so expect to hear more from me very soon! And yes, one of the songs from Nyaruko v2 is bound to be high on my list. :)<br />
<br />
Now to save up for a Nyaruko figure...<br />
<br />
Best,<br />
<br />
xdsfireteamtorchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02082118754074760109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7933967265529432177.post-53330763522294602002013-02-09T01:04:00.000-08:002013-02-09T01:04:05.877-08:00Piano Cover: We Are One (Vividred Operation)First post of 2013! :) I like to put together a new piano cover for each season of airing anime, but honestly, I had trouble finding a show that really speaks to me this fine Winter 2013. A few carryovers from last season (namely, <i>Psycho-Pass</i> and <i>Shinsekai Yori</i>) are still going strong, but I've been somewhat unimpressed with the shows I've seen this season. Nevertheless, there's still plenty of great music in the shows this time around, and I decided to pick a song from the new sci-fi/action show, <i><a href="http://myanimelist.net/anime/14283/Vividred_Operation">Vividred Operation</a></i>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_MMr_4P2_2kyiPnArw_MANwKwKLSD-rcm4-naLsn4rje4XOIb2lloPJ1ldAE55nsR0OmjBZJ0wt_N9lk4vv7gEMe7ql3It3ceZczXCYwCdQ7wkBS1_6xJ2hAvCQMXq8r8o2L4gApOzyi0/s1600/Commie-Vividred-Operation-01-EEB956D7.mkv_snapshot_21.16_2013.01.11_23.38.35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="281" width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_MMr_4P2_2kyiPnArw_MANwKwKLSD-rcm4-naLsn4rje4XOIb2lloPJ1ldAE55nsR0OmjBZJ0wt_N9lk4vv7gEMe7ql3It3ceZczXCYwCdQ7wkBS1_6xJ2hAvCQMXq8r8o2L4gApOzyi0/s400/Commie-Vividred-Operation-01-EEB956D7.mkv_snapshot_21.16_2013.01.11_23.38.35.jpg" /></a><br />
<i>You wouldn't believe how long it took me to find a VO image that did not involve butts.</i></div><br />
I actually haven't watched to much of <i>Vividred Operation</i>; I did check out the first episode or two, but the fanservice (mostly in the form of constant butt-shots) was a little off-putting for me. Still, I really liked the ED that played at the end of episode 2, "We Are One." The song has a somewhat typical feel to it, but spices things up with some neat harmonies and uses of applied chords here and there. And you know how I feel about applied chords. XD Here's my cover!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size:130%;"><u style="font-weight: bold;"><span>We Are One! (Vividred Operation): Piano Cover</span></u></span><br />
<br />
<iframe width="480" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/9EaAsz1VR1A" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
Artist: Ayane Sakura & Rie Murakawa<br />
Date Completed: 2013-02-03<br />
Software: Audacity, Movie Maker, Sony Vegas<br />
Number of Takes: ~20<br />
Instrumentation: Piano<br />
<br />
I don't really have much more to say here, so thanks for stopping by! And happy Year of the Snake! :)<br />
<br />
Cheers,<br />
<br />
xdsfireteamtorchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02082118754074760109noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7933967265529432177.post-11117613564375619932012-12-23T00:21:00.001-08:002013-02-09T00:53:09.137-08:00Piano & Voice Cover: Kuusou Mesorogiwi (Mirai Nikki)Roughly this time last year, I started watching a show called <i><a href="http://myanimelist.net/anime/10620/Mirai_Nikki_(TV)">Mirai Nikki</a></i> (Future Diary), which is probably the best show about a motley collection of serial killers, psychopaths, terrorists, vigilantes and cult members I've ever watched. Apart from revolutionizing the world of yanderes through its character Gasai Yuno, it also had several opening/closing themes that I really enjoyed. Which is, of course, what this blog post is about.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBvaOpINaWCGZwnTdms-TFxBjlS9G4ZJuthdlMnkjLSJdHJhbsszQVFIOMyfzRDTRw02XZfie5irkWhJu0DqUVYWbg_TTNUQUTK07mwyd487cteNAGQOf17J51jtqPa2G7Sd9VyQGiNhBi/s1600/mirai-nikki-yuno.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="281" width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBvaOpINaWCGZwnTdms-TFxBjlS9G4ZJuthdlMnkjLSJdHJhbsszQVFIOMyfzRDTRw02XZfie5irkWhJu0DqUVYWbg_TTNUQUTK07mwyd487cteNAGQOf17J51jtqPa2G7Sd9VyQGiNhBi/s400/mirai-nikki-yuno.jpg" /></a><br />
<i>This image is a fairly accurate representation of most of Mirai Nikki.</i></div><br />
I've been thinking of putting together another collaborative piece for a while now, and my friend mdoppelganger and I decided to try a cover of "Kuusou Mesorogiwi," <i>Mirai Nikki</i>'s first opening theme. Since we'd both attended <a href="http://fireteam-torch.blogspot.com/2012/06/animazement-2012.html">Animazement 2012</a> not too long ago and still had our <i>Mirai Nikki</i> costumes, we figured why not try doing a cosplay cover? Many takes later, here's our result, starring mdoppelganger as Minene "Ninth" Uryuu and me as Takao "Third" Hiyama.<br />
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<span style="font-size:130%;"><u style="font-weight: bold;"><span>Kuusou Mesorogiwi (Mirai Nikki): Piano & Voice Cover</span></u></span><br />
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/L85bePJ86jA?list=UU54OmPWuZi1NjBY1I4FEW5g" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
Artist: Yousei Teikoku<br />
Date Completed: 2012-11-20<br />
Software: Audacity, Movie Maker, Sony Vegas<br />
Number of Takes: I don't remember<br />
Instrumentation: Piano, voice<br />
<br />
Hope you enjoyed watching us make a fool of ourselves. :P As far as technical stuff goes, I feel the need to confess that we didn't record the audio and video simultaneously. Rather, we first recorded the audio, and then filmed ourselves pretending to play and lip-syncing to our own music (which made us feel even sillier than just dressing up in costume and playing music). Pretending (convincingly) to play piano: easier said than done. Also, I don't particularly recommend trying to learn piano in leather gloves and a paintball mask.<br />
<br />
Many thanks to the wonderful mdoppelganger for her help in this project; she's an incredibly talented vocalist, and I had a lot of fun working on this collaboration. Please show her some support by dropping by her <a href="http://angstandpocky.blogspot.com">blog</a> or <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/mdoppelganger">YouTube channel</a>!<br />
<br />
Anyway, this will probably be my last post before I sign out for the rest of 2012, so happy winter holidays! May your new year be filled with peace, love, and music. :)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDySDS_lQX1bhG4t7UYNTyNmo5MhqG3JgzNuT7S9DTWiy5ighUB6tOpwh5xCeWspdBi0Kwq_5EcjonPU-AcDItP1i2DChV-GYyxUb-SZBiMcPFFeOTYYFkXmFYcME4v8n25tUmYfeLd0FY/s1600/mirai-nikki-ninth-christmas.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="391" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDySDS_lQX1bhG4t7UYNTyNmo5MhqG3JgzNuT7S9DTWiy5ighUB6tOpwh5xCeWspdBi0Kwq_5EcjonPU-AcDItP1i2DChV-GYyxUb-SZBiMcPFFeOTYYFkXmFYcME4v8n25tUmYfeLd0FY/s400/mirai-nikki-ninth-christmas.png" /></a><br />
<i>Minene disapproves.</i></div><br />
'Til next year,<br />
<br />
xdsfireteamtorchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02082118754074760109noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7933967265529432177.post-52785350089187691222012-11-08T01:28:00.000-08:002012-11-08T01:32:08.525-08:00100k YouTube Views!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe_Rw8zs5be9dAi66s0W0Kzprw1F8L8iFfXnXroBWmO0QBWlXK6XRy9Lh0em53RVAO-uxvhQIrHD4NXJxxe3h4xgeE4PpO8xkXxQLD2sR9PN_AFOEpfsaY__wRQuqvmxJuVdBiepXAeOs_/s1600/99999.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDr6duzGq8prGRZLJbGff1D1vcwysqScYY2C_tWqQSgLFT8g4wfIbo1MUk4V2P5u_Y9O6Vp7YkLOBscGSO605R7leOdP_O6DKyP1_ip8CrUf4Axxij3xldNe0i_D6Lw-3D4N7DSJ6WJMuL/s1600/99999.png" alt="YouTube Views!" width="550" height="388"></a><br />
<br />
Okay, <i>almost</i> 100,000. I love you guys. :D<br />
<br />
xds<br />
fireteamtorchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02082118754074760109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7933967265529432177.post-86606511309656747692012-10-29T00:05:00.000-07:002013-02-09T00:54:26.388-08:00Piano Cover: Tsumetai Heya, Hitori (K-Project)First of all, let me just mention how unbelievably frustrating it is to look up anything about an anime that's just named "K." I needed to get that off of my chest.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipXrfVAdq7HS_fFuIPl55xXeGmRpFzwX1JXP70svS1qld7NwEwvigc5bN5POBUTys9uL58c3F9CgdFdIYMVPRTe-LAxJoJ7SHe9UzyfNMMY9SQWOAE_MeMJInnPbYVaLHHY8BIWogG1Sef/s1600/K_Project_full_1263353.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipXrfVAdq7HS_fFuIPl55xXeGmRpFzwX1JXP70svS1qld7NwEwvigc5bN5POBUTys9uL58c3F9CgdFdIYMVPRTe-LAxJoJ7SHe9UzyfNMMY9SQWOAE_MeMJInnPbYVaLHHY8BIWogG1Sef/s400/K_Project_full_1263353.jpg" /></a></div>Anyhoo, the Fall 2012 anime season started not too long ago, and I've been quite happy with the selection of shows I've chosen to follow this time around. One of these, of course, is the frustratingly-named <i><a href="http://myanimelist.net/anime/14467/K">K</a></i>, whose content is just as confusing and nondescript as the title. Even four episodes in, I still can't really figure out what the hell is going on, apart from a bunch of bishonen dudes all trying to kill the main character and a catgirl who is naked as often as they can get away with it.<br />
<br />
In any case, that may all sound like pretty harsh criticism, but I'm actually enjoying the show a lot. The art is pretty, the characters are likable enough, the show doesn't take itself too seriously, and perversely enough, the fact that I can't figure out the show is actually drawing me back. (Also, awww cute kitty. :D)<br />
<br />
Of course, I'm not going to talk about a show without talking about its music, so I'd like to note that the <a href="http://youtu.be/WvRvhjDE6iY"><i>K</i> ED</a> is one of the prettiest anime themes I've heard, ever. It might not be as gets-stuck-in-your-head-catchy as the <i>Tari Tari</i> or <i>Tsuritama</i> EDs, but in terms of sheer beauty it's definitely got 'em beat, right up there with the <a href="http://youtu.be/F2FGCFKFz3A"><i>Dantalian no Shoka</i> OP</a>. If you've read this far, you probably know that I'm about to show off my piano cover of this song, so here it is!<br />
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<span style="font-size:130%;"><u style="font-weight: bold;"><span>Tsumetai, Heya Hitori (K-Project): Piano Cover</span></u></span><br />
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<iframe width="480" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Anu6bD8Ac3E" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
Artist: Mikako Komatsu<br />
Date Completed: 2012-10-25<br />
Software: Audacity, Movie Maker, Sony Vegas<br />
Number of Takes: Urgh<br />
Instrumentation: Piano<br />
<br />
Oops, should have said sorry (or you're welcome?) in advance for the fanservicey anime clip; I looked for alternatives (really, I did), but this ED clip worked so well for the music that I couldn't turn it down. As for the actual arrangement, I always thought this ED would make a really pretty solo piano piece, and I think I was right. Was pretty conservative with this arrangement, and tried to keep all the low and high points as they were in the original song. I'd also like to note that the first chord progression in the song is probably my favorite chord progression ever. SO PRETTY. I, for one, can't wait to hear the full version of this ED when it's finally released.<br />
<br />
<b>EDIT:</b> Due to popular demand, I've uploaded the sheet music <a href="https://dl.dropbox.com/u/16653301/blog/sheet/xds_tsumetai_k.pdf">here</a>, and an mp3 <a href="https://dl.dropbox.com/u/16653301/blog/mp3/Piano%20Covers/fireteamtorch_tsumetai_k.mp3">here</a>. Enjoy! :)<br />
<br />
How'd I do? Let me know in the comments! And happy almost-Halloween!<br />
<br />
Take care,<br />
<br />
xdsfireteamtorchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02082118754074760109noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7933967265529432177.post-73678651856774048572012-10-20T20:47:00.000-07:002014-01-08T00:17:29.376-08:00Tutorial: Kokoro no Senritsu (Choir Version)Hi again! You might notice that this is my second post about the same song: Kokoro no Senritsu from <i>Tari Tari</i>. It's not like me to post twice about the same song, but since the show finished up recently and the full <a href="http://youtu.be/mIhh_MeETiM">choir version</a> was released, I couldn't help revisiting the song. It's just so damn catchy, and the performance by the Makuhari Sogo High School Chorus Club was fantastic. Check out some more of their stuff <a href="http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2012/10/08/video-tari-tari-school-chorus-wins-gold-medal">here</a>, by the way.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU-NElEZjyp4TZjHzJSW4Xu4EmYJ977CSfo4b0C3JERw04yvrp9WWrb1Fe2MaAvFH8Lgv_kKlCEUTt1EFPSEjSIEvsKUB0vCM_WWLz9WrsKFJMqNgjyzpFgrkzDUmUOLdRj1Qyf-xAZhel/s1600/tari_tari-05-wakana_sakai-mahiru_sakai-mother-daughter-hug-love-memories.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="270" width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU-NElEZjyp4TZjHzJSW4Xu4EmYJ977CSfo4b0C3JERw04yvrp9WWrb1Fe2MaAvFH8Lgv_kKlCEUTt1EFPSEjSIEvsKUB0vCM_WWLz9WrsKFJMqNgjyzpFgrkzDUmUOLdRj1Qyf-xAZhel/s400/tari_tari-05-wakana_sakai-mahiru_sakai-mother-daughter-hug-love-memories.jpg" /></a><br />
<i>Here, have a picture of Mahiru and mini-Wakana! They're awesome.</i></div><br />
This transcription, with full three-part voice and piano lines, was a lot of fun to work on. The harmonies were all fairly straightforward, with perhaps a few bars of exception. The voice parts were enjoyable to figure out as well, and it was cool to see myself unconsciously calling upon a lot of the rules I learned in my music theory classes. Putting together the Synthesia tutorial after the transcription, however, was less fun because uncooperative software was uncooperative. Still, what's done is done, and here's the video for your viewing/learning pleasure!<br />
<br />
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Ne0VxO-zrfA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
Composer: Shiro Hamaguchi<br />
Date Completed: 2012-10-20 <br />
Software: Finale 2008, Fraps, Synthesia, SynthFont, Movie Maker<br />
Instrumentation: Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Piano<br />
<br />
Those interested in the sheet music can find it <a href="http://tinyurl.com/tari3tari">here</a>, and for those interested in giving the piano part a shot in Synthesia (it was pretty hard for me =X), the MIDI's <a href="http://tinyurl.com/tari4tari">here</a>. Thanks for dropping by, and enjoy!<br />
<br />
Also, watch <i>Tari Tari</i>. It's a really cute little feel-good show. :)<br />
<br />
Byebye,<br />
<br />
xdsfireteamtorchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02082118754074760109noreply@blogger.com3