Aldnoah Zero PV2 previews more of Kalafina's Heavenly Blue :)

The Aldnoah Zero website uploaded PV2 today.  And unfortunately, like the previous PV, it's region locked to Japan.


TVアニメ「アルドノア・ゼロ」 (Aldnoah.Zero) PV... by pKjd

Happily, someone uploaded it to a streaming website so that those of us who do not live in Japan will get to listen to more of Kalafina's Heavenly Blue.  Thank you!!! :)  Play the video till the 55second mark and you'll be able to hear Kalafina's song playing in the background.  It starts off at the same point in the song as the first PV but because this PV is longer, you'll hear more of Heavenly Blue. :)

The song sounds nice to me. :)

My usual line...if you can afford it, please do buy the CD.  I usually get it from here.  CLICK ME. :)

Okay, am off to bed.  I was working through some homework and tutorials for most of the day and only have time to write something up just before bed... really sleepy now. :)  Oyasumi. :)

Kalafina ~ live at the Budokan 2015 - announced (updated)

Am at dinner now...will amend later. But wow...cool!!!!! :)

Amended 1am 27th Jun:

I'm home now. :)  Yeah, it was a late night and a late dinner, so I only just got home. :)

First, a proper write up of the announce. :)  Kalafina will be holding a two day one-man live at the Budokan  on the 28th Feb and 1st Mar 2015.  This live will be called ～Kalafina LIVE THE BEST 2015 “Red day” & “Blue Day”～.  Red Day will be on the 28th Feb and Blue Day will be on the 1st Mar.  Although they didn't actually say it yet, I think it's quite clear that the two days will have different set-lists with songs from the THE BEST "Red" album sung on "Red Day" and songs from THE BEST "Blue" album sung on "Blue Day".

This is incredibly good news for Kalafina and I think all Kalafina fans will be feeling very happy for them and Kajiura Yuki after reading this news.  I don't think I will be exaggerating to say that virtually all Japanese musicians, vocalists, singers etc. dream of performing at the Budokan.  While Kalafina have already performed at the Budokan, it was part of a much larger event and not their own one-man live.  To hold a one-man live in the Budokan, just one night alone is considered a pretty big deal already.  And Kalafina's announced two nights.  That's really something!!  According to wikipedia, the maximum capacity for the Budokan is 20,000 people which is HUGE.  Even if they don't intend to max that capacity, certainly for them to think that Kalafina can pull in maybe 15,000 people into the Budokan really means that Kalafina can well and truly say that they've made it.  I think any thing else after this, whether it's the Tokyo Dome or one of the arenas will be considered a bonus. :)

I'm really happy for Kalafina and Kajiura Yuki.  I hope that this live will be a huge success for them.  I would LOVE to be able to go but I'm not sure if I can get the finances together and get any leave yet.  But I think I will really have to try and put some serious money aside for now because I'm also committed to another trip in June next year.  If I can put enough money aside, I will really attempt to go for this live, not just to support my favourite composer and one of my favourite vocal units but also because I think it would be so cool to be part of this moment with them. :P

Anyway, the ticket price is 7,800 yen and pre-sales will begin on the 13th Dec 2014.

Okay... got to go... need to get some important stuff out of the way and then sleep.  Big day for me tomorrow. :)  Oyasumi. :)

Kalafina on Utage!

I knew that Kalafina made an appearance on a TBS program called Utage on the 24th of June.  I didn't pay a lot of attention to it because since it was on Japanese tv and unless some kind soul uploaded it and I managed to find it, I would not be able to watch it anyway.

Luckily for me, Melvin left me a message in one of the comments and pointed me to the clip of Kalafina on Utage!  I really don't know how long it'll remain on YouTube, I hope they don't take it down but you never know.  So go check it out as soon as you can.

Utage is a program hosted by Masahiro Nakai of SMAP and Mayu Watanabe of AKB48.  Guest artists will perform cover versions of songs from other artists on the show.  Click Me for more info.

Kalafina covered Dreams Come True's "Love Love Love".  Looks like they were very excited about being on the program.  They couldn't seem to hide their excitement.  If I'm not wrong Keiko said that they seldom appear on television and I personally think that that's the reason why they appear to be quite excited to be on tv.

I have to say, they really did sound really good together on this program.  And I like the new arrangement.  It's not a straightforward cover of Dreams Come True's original version which I think is a good thing.  It's nice that when a cover is done that the artist brings their own interpretation in as well.  I think the new interpretation probably has mostly Kajiura Yuki's input. If I'm not wrong, the 3 vocalists also give their own input from time to time which Kajiura Yuki does take into consideration, so I'm not sure how much input each of them had in this new interpretation of this song but I dare say it'll most likely be mostly Kajiura Yuki's arrangement/interpreation.  I won't say which version is better because they are both different and good and which one you prefer will depend on your bias.

But first, here are two video links.  One is of Kalafina on Utage!  Like I said earlier, check it out ASAP because who knows how long it'll be online.  The one after that will be the single's version of DCT's original version of the song.





I do know who Dreams Come True are and have heard their songs.  My favourite DCT song is the end theme for one of the Emergency Hours 24 dramas and it's called Nandodemo.  I really love that song and looped it a lot at one point in time.  But I'm not a die hard DCT fan, so I've actually not heard "Love Love Love" before even though it's a pretty famous song so I searched it up on YouTube to have a listen.

The original version is very nice too but different.  By default, Kalafina could not do a straightforward cover of the song.  It has to be different because Kalafina is a group that sings in parts and Keiko also said that they wanted to sing "Love Love Love" in parts and since DCT has only one main vocal, then by default, the two interpretations of the song will have to be different. There are sections of the song which each of the girls will lead and these sections very cleverly plays to their strengths... nicely done Kajiura Yuki. :)

I must say, Kalafina did a beautiful job re-interpreting this song.  If they were nervous before they took the stage, they certainly didn't show it when they started singing.  The harmony was really very beautiful and each of the girls sang their solo portions very well.

My favourite part is near the end when the three of them sang together and then Keiko takes over.  The trio looked so happy singing that song, it was kind of heart-warming. They really seem to be so happy to be able to appear on the program that it kind of made me happy for them. :)  Also, if there is one thing that I like more than the original version is the way Kalafina ended their interpretation of the song.  They came together in perfect harmony and then Hikaru and Wakana provided support for Keiko to take it to a really powerful finish.... classic Kalafina stuff... masterfully done.  I really liked their performance. Awesome!!!! :)

I really can't wait for their new song to be released... I can't wait for the Kajiura Yuki live Blu-rays too... getting soooo excited. :P  But it's time to sleep.  I wanted to do some Nuke practice but writing this post took up so much time cuz I kept looping Kalafina's version of "Love Love Love". :P  I should get some sleep...very, very busy days at the office these days....need to make sure I get enough rest.... that's it for now... oyasumi. :)

Perfume will be back in Singapore, Nov 2014 :)

Post by Amuse Inc. Asia.

Oh wow!!! Perfume will be back in Singapore this year. :)  I'm sooooo looking forward to that. :)

Okay... back to work. :P

New Aldnoah Zero cm previews Kalafina's Heavenly Blue

I am on the move a lot today so blogging is going to be a little hard.

Saw this on my twitter feed. I haven't even heard it yet. But do check this out.



Don't forget...if you can afford it...please do buy their single. This time, there is only one version...so not that hard on the pocket...unless you ordered the other Kajiura Yuki and Kalafina stuff too. :p CLICK ME to buy from the place I usually buy from. :)

Got to go!! Bye!! :)

In case the youtube embedding doesnt work...here is the direct link. When i get to my pc tonight, i will check if it works...if it doesnt i'll fix it. :) cheers :)

http://youtu.be/5fhpPDo9dvk 
(FIXED the YouTube video embedding. Should work okay now for most people :) )

Additional comments (23rd June):
I have finally had time to watch the video. Sounds like lots of Wakana in the clip. Although I can't say it's a something innovative and different from Kajiura Yuki, I can say though that I like it. Somehow, it just sounds comfortable to my ears.  Really looking forward to listening to a longer version or a TV version of this song and of course, getting my hands on the CD when it's released. :)

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu Nanda Collection World Tour 2014 ~ Singapore

Oh wow!!! What a fun live!! I feel like I had a two hour work out last night. :p

Last night six other friends and I attended KPP's live in Singapore. This is her second live here and her third time in Singapore. I also went to last year's live and wore my KPP 2013 T-shirt to last night's live.



Haha...selfie... So it is a mirror image and the words are flipped. :p

I wasn't sure if I was going to buy the t-shirts last night but I did in the end. Here are photos of the 2014 world tour shirt. I got black in the end because I like black t-shirts. :)





This time Singapore is also printed on the shirt. It wasn't on last year's shirt.

Too bad there wasn't more merchandise. One of my friends wanted to buy the towel but they only had t-shirts yesterday.

I lent my new 2014 shirt to one of my friends who didn't have a KPP shirt and was feeling too broke to buy one. So with her in a KPP shirt too, we were now, all seven of us, in a KPP shirt. Yay!! All ready for an awesome time!!

I was hesitant to buy the KPP CDs yesterday before the live even though the first 300 sold comes with a handshake session with KPP. I just finished making orders for all the Kajiura Yuki, Kalafina and Ieiri Leo CDs and BDs so was feeling like I should be more careful with how I spent my money since I had already purchased the KPP concert T-shirt. So I resisted.



Instead, while one of my friends went to buy the CD, the rest of us spent time taking photos with KPP.



Hahaha...sadly, not KPP herself, instead we snapped shots with her standee. :)

Finally, it was time for the live and we slowly started to stream into the hall. This year the live was held at The Star at Star Vista instead of Scape and there were numbered seats. The Star is a nice and big auditorium and the acoustics are so much nicer than Scape. However, Scape has a live house feel and can be quite fun because of that. So I was a little worried we may not have as much fun in a proper sit-down auditorium. We got very, very, very good seats to this KPP live though. Second row, dead centre...it was sooooo awesome!! I definitely enjoyed this year's live more than last year. While live house is fun, it can get really cram when people push forward and even if you got a good spot some guy could cut in and all you can see is his back. :( No danger of that at all at The Star. I like The Star, it is nice and comfortable, the air ventilation is better and the acoustics are much nicer. Also, the hall is slopped so people at the back can get a better look at the stage.

KPP's stage was really bright and colourful.



We didn't know we were not even allowed to take photos of an empty stage before the live. I did take one photo of the stage before we were told we couldn't take ANY photos at all, so I put away my phone for good. See how close we were to the stage though. :)

After that at a little bit past 7pm...the live began. KPP looked so pretty and cute in all her outfits. I like her neon lights dress best. She sang her new yet to be released song last night too. I think it is called "Kira Kira". She also sang her really famous songs like Pon Pon Pon, Fashion Monster, Invader etc. She is so energetic and her backup dancers and her danced non-stop and we tried to keep up. I sucked at following the dance moves so I ended up just punching the air and jumping a lot.

I think one of the crowd favourites was Tsukema Tsukeru (I think that is the title of that son). Everyone around me was doing the dance moves and jumping. If the concert started energetically, it really ended on a crazy high that had the crowd yelling " encore encore" non-stop for quite sometime before she came out again. By the time she sang and we sang and danced along to Chan Chaka Chan Chan I had become a KPP fan!! Yes Kyary!!! See you again!!! :)

After the live my friend Cookie and I were so high that we went and bought KPP's CDs so that we could attend her handshake session.



I wanted to tell her that I enjoyed the live and thank her for it. I managed to spit out "楽しかった、ありがとう！" in the short amount of time we had as she shook our hands. :)

So fun!!! KPP!! Thank you for coming to Singapore, thank you for such a fun live!! And hopefully we will "see you again" in Singapore!! :)

posted from Bloggeroid

Kalafina History 5th - discount at CDJapan

Just a heads up here. :)

CDJapan is currently holding a clearance sale on their site and the Kalafina History 5th book that was published to commemorate their 5th anniversary since their debut is now selling at 30% off.  If there is any of you who want a copy of this book, now might be a good time to pick it up.  Here is the direct page link. CLICK ME.

I did an un-boxing of this book before. So if you want to preview it before picking it up.  CLICK ME.

Okay... gotta run, busy day. :)

Kalafina ~ THE BEST "RED"/"Blue" - pocket message 3

The pocket message was updated on the 13th July but I didn't have time to watch it till tonight.  This time it's just Keiko by herself. =D

Make sure that you point at the photo it's looking for.  Because I was careless and I pointed it at the wrong photo and all I could access for a while was message 2.  Which was cool as well, I suppose, since I couldn't get it to play properly the first time I tried to watch it. :)  In that second video, they talked a little bit about their song Manten.  It wasn't much, I think it was mostly them saying that the perfect song for that day was Manten.

Back to message 3.  The photo you'll need to point at to get message 3 is this:

You can find this photo at Kalafina's official website or use the one here.  They'll both work.

http://www.kalafina.jp/

My Japanese while better than it was last year is still pretty rubbish since I only attend classes once a week and have no one to practice the language with and am awfully behind on homework :(  ....so sadly, I still can't fully understand everything that I watch in these videos. :(

What I can gather from message 3 is that Keiko is giving us a tip on how to get a good night's sleep.  If my listening comprehension didn't fail me, I think she was talking about "いい睡眠".  I'll see if I can get a friend to confirm it tomorrow and maybe tell me what she said.

If you want to watch message 2,  it's still available, point at this photo:

If you don't know how Clip works, please CLICK ME. I wrote a little how-to post on it earlier on.

Finally, my usual line.  If you can afford it, please do buy these albums.  Here are the links to the online site I usually use to make my purchases.  You are welcome to use these links if you like.

THE BEST "Red" Limited Edition

THE BEST "Blue" Limited Edition

THE BEST "Red" Regular Edition

THE BEST "Blue" Regular Edition

Okay, that's it for now.... due to some issues at work, I've been a little disheartened for the last two to three months... maybe even more... :(  Anyway, those are boring things to talk about, so I won't go into it... but I think I've recovered emotionally enough to try and get back into trying to better my skills... so... I'm off to try out some stuff on Nuke. :)

cheers

p.s. the pocket message will change on 1st July.  I'm thinking it'll be Wakana or Hikaru's individual message next. :)

Kyary Kyary Pamyu Singapore Live - public press conference

Also, there is a Public Press conference at Funan Digital mall on Friday at 130pm.  I'll be at work so I won't be able to go. :(  But some of you guys on school hols (it's still school hols, right?)  can go. :)

Post by JMF - Japan Music Festival.

Okay... I am out of here. BYE!! :)

Kyary Kyary Pamyu Singapore Live tix giveaway

Okay... I have to do this really quick because I have to go to work soon.

This contest ends TONIGHT so if you want to try and win some CAT3 tickets to this Saturday's live.... enter the contest before the day ends.  It's a very simple contest.  I already have tickets so I won't be entering this contest.

Post by JMF - Japan Music Festival.

Ieiri Leo ~ Junjo (Dragon Ball Kai ending theme) - announce video, cover art released

Yesterday Ieiri Leo announced via various channels the release of her 7th single "Junjo" 「純情」.  A short preview version of the MV of "Junjo" was also released as part of the announce.



Sounds like it will be another winner for me.  I already like what little bit of the song is previewed in that YouTube clip and I look forward to listening to the full song. :)

The song will serve as the ending theme for the Dragon Ball Kai 「ドラゴンボール改」anime from July onwards..  I'm not a big Dragon Ball fan.  I watched some of it when I was a kid and have some of the toys.  I kinda liked the character designs but never really got into the anime, so I actually don't know much about Dragon Ball Kai.  :P  But I really like Ieiri Leo's music so I'm going to order most likely 2 versions of this release. :)

The cover art was also released yesterday.  Here are some nice and large versions from Amazon Japan.

This is the anime version of the single.

Limited Edition B CLICK ME
01. 纯情
02. 纯情 (Instrumental)
03. a boy (Acoustic Version)
04. 太阳の女神 (Acoustic Version)

This is the Limited Edition with DVD.

Limited Edition A (CD+DVD)  CLICK ME
CD :
01. 纯情 
02. For you
03. a boy (Acoustic Version)
04. 纯情 (Instrumental)
05. For you (Instrumental)

【DVD】
「纯情」Music Video
「纯情」MV Making
「a boy ～3rd Live Tour～」ダイジェストムービー

And this is the Regular Edition.

Regular Edition (CD) CLICK ME
01. 纯情
02. For you
03. 太阳の女神 (Acoustic Version)
04. 纯情 (Instrumental)
05. For you (Instrumental)

Okay... I gotta go... maybe I'll try and squeeze in something on KPP later.  Bye!! :)

Perfume ~ wants your hand to complete "Hold Your Hand" lyric video

source

Remember sometime ago I posted up a short video of the Perfume song "Hold Your Hand"?   CLICK ME.  I was talking about liking that song etc.

Well, they have been running a campaign to get people to write words of the lyrics on their hand to complete their video.  I forgot about it till a friend mentioned it to me again today.  I got all excited about it again and we decided to do it. :)

See.... even Ultimate Madoka approves. :P

I'm not sure if my hand will make it in because in the end I think the final photo I sent in could have been better shot.  My friend and I only realised it after another friend pointed out the "mistake" we made.  I'm hoping that since it's not really a mistake and more like "we should have shot the hand to fill up more of the screen" that and it'll still make it in but if it doesn't... then... ah well.... it was still fun to do it. :P

If you guys want to join in the fun, you'll have to do it BY TODAY.  They will be accepting entries till just before midnight today, JAPAN time which means before 11pm tonight Singapore time.  To join in... CLICK ME to read the instructions. :)

I've to tell you that right now, I'm seriously tempted to get their maxi-CD which includes this song.... Cling Cling [w/ DVD, Limited Edition]  :P

ARASHI no Wakuwaku Gakkou 2014 will screen in Singapore

source

Also, this just popped up as well.  "ARASHI no Wakuwaku Gakko 2014"  will be live streamed in Singapore at Shaw Lido.  NOTE, this isn't a concert.  This is a live broadcast of the boy band doing community work.  They have been holding the Wakuwaku Gakko since the 2011 Great Eastern Japan Earthquake.

Check out Shaw's page for more information. CLICK ME. I'll confess that I don't know much about Wakuwaku Gakko because while I enjoy Arashi's songs in general, I'm not an Arashi fan so I actually don't really know much about anything Arashi does.  But this is something I know Arashi fans will be happy about.  This isn't just a taped screening, this is a live simulcast.  There will be subtitles for parts of the video.  I think the subtitled portions will be the pre-prepared video clips.  Anything that is ad-lip will not be subtitled.

Even though I'm not an Arashi fan, I think this is good news for all fans of Japanese entertainment and pop culture in Singapore.  I'm hoping this event succeeds and sells really well so that we may see more Japanese stuff come our way in the future. :)

Lupin III live action will screen in Singapore :)

Post by Encore Films.

This announce by Encore Films was made last week but I was too busy to write it up.  But rejoice fans of Japanese films and anime.  The live action version of Lupin III will screen in Singapore. :)

I'm looking forward to watching this movie too.  I actually enjoyed the Kuroshituji live action movie.  So am hoping this one is just as fun. :)

Yuki Kajiura LIVE vol.#11 FictionJunction YUUKA 2days Special BD ~ cover art released

source

Amazon Japan has updated their page to include the cover art for this release. :)

To my knowledge, there won't be any first press tokuten except for the A4 clear file that they are giving out to those who get their copy from Animate.

Also, I realized that I never put up the track list for this 2 disc release. :)

Here you go...

DISC 1

1. overture ~ I’m here
2. destination
3. 焔の扉
4. 記憶の森
5. cazador del amor
6. 暁の車
7. Piano Solo ~ Elenore / M
8. MADLAX vol.#6 LIVE ver.
9. 瞳の欠片
10. 六月は君の永遠
11. circus
12. よろこび
13. nostalgia
14. ひとみのちから
15. inside your heart
16. 約束
17. Silly-Go-Round
18. nowhere
19. angel gate
20. 荒野流転
21. 優しい夜明け

DISC 2

1. overture ~ circus
2. aikoi
3. Silly-Go-Round
4. cradle / MADLAX
5. 誰もいない場所
6. しずかなことば
7. 約束
8. angel gate -Short ver.-
9. ピアノ
10. 焔の扉
11. 光る砂漠
12. inside your heart
13. blessing
14. romanesque
15. 荒野流転
16. 記憶の森
17. cazador del amor
18. nowhere
19. 聖夜
20. ふたり
21. 暁の車

If you can afford it, please buy the release to support those who worked on the music, the live, the BD and the Japanese music industry.  I get mine from here CLICK ME.  You are welcome to get it from the same online shop if you like. :)

I have ordered mine but it may take a while to come because I bundled it with some other releases.  But it does get to me, I'll do the un-boxing as usual. :)

cheers

Yuki Kajiura LIVE vol.#11 FictionJunction YUUKA 2days Special BD ~ cover art(?)

Well, I only finally just had enough time to really listen to the digest video and I only just noticed that the last image on that video has a graphic on the right of what is most likely the cover art for this release.  I can't say for sure it is the cover art since, to my knowledge, it hasn't been released.  None of the main online shopping websites carry the image.  So I'm thinking, that this is likely to be the cover art.

Also, this was uploaded by Flying Dog on the 8th Jun but I somehow missed it.  This was actually what I was looking for but I found the digest instead.  This is the Flying Dog spot for the month of June and the last release they are promoting is the Yuki Kajiura Live vol.11 FictionJunction YUUKA BD release.

You can take a look at it if you like but the digest will obviously be cooler. :)



If you want to see the digest instead... CLICK ME.

And my usual line...
Please buy this release if you are a fan and can afford it. :)  For the CDJapan link... CLICK ME. :)

Rurouni Kenshin sequels will screen in Singapore :)

Post by Warner Bros. Singapore.

Yay... it's confirmed.  The Rurouni Kenshin's sequels will be screened in Singapore. :)

Yuki Kajiura LIVE vol.#11 elemental Tour 2014 2014.04.20 @NHK Hall + Making of LIVE vol.#11 Blu-ray

OH MY GOD!!! Best news I've heard in a while.  This just popped up on CDJapan.  I didn't know about it prior to this because I've not been following twitter or checking the FJ news that carefully so I'm not sure if there was an announce before the listing came up..  Been so busy, not just at work but also lots of stuff happening outside of work.

Looks like we're going to get the Yuki Kajiura Vol.11 live that was performed on the 20th April at the NHK Hall. :)  This blu-ray will be released on the the 24th Sept.

I'm definitely pre-ordering this. As usual, I get mine from CDJapan.  If you want yours from there too, CLICK ME

I'm super excited about this because this will have my favourite vocalist Keiko. :P

I'll go look for info... will amend this post if I find any... for now... I leave you with this happy excited post. :P

AMEND 10:15pm:

source

Okay, I just read the announce.  I think it was announced recently because I remember checking the site the other day and not seeing this announce. :)

According to the announce, they shot this in HD which means that the BDs should have very high quality video.  Also, they will edit together footage of the highlights of the 8 lives on the tour and this will make up about 100 hours of bonus video footage. (11th June) Hahahaha... I just noticed what I wrote... that's crazy.... I don't even think a BD can hold 100 hours of footage, unless it's ultra compress. It should be that the bonus footage is cut from more than 100 hours worth of footage. Sorry. :P That should be the "Making of LIVE" that's in the title of this release.

Also, they will be running a special campaign where those who buy both the Kajiura Yuki vol.11 FictionJunction YUUKA BD that will be released on 25 June AND this just announced release will be able to apply for a special item. And this item will be given to ALL who apply for it.  Included in each of these releases will be a flyer.  The applicant will have to send in BOTH flyers PLUS a 700 yen money order to receive a special dvd called 「Yuki Kajiura LIVE vol.#11 elemental Tour 2014　ツアーオリジナルメイキングDVD」.  This is the "Yuki Kajiura LIVE vol.#11 elemental Tour 2014 Tour Original Making DVD".  This should be different from the bonus footage on the BD.

Unfortunately, I think it'll be hard for overseas fans who purchase both these BDs to apply for the this bonus DVD. :'(

Still.... I am just happy we have a Live DVD of another Yuki Kajiura Live. :) :)

Okay... got to go.... I have other things I must get done.  cheers :)

K: Missing Kings movie - Singapore premiere tickets selling fast

Got to do this quick but thought I should alert people who don't know this yet that tickets for this movie have gone on sale.  I didn't know till I happen to just go take a look at the page just now.

There are two screenings at 1pm and 310pm on the 5th July.  It's SGD15 (excluding booking fee) and it comes with a goodie bag.

Tickets are selling fast.  So if you want to go to these premiere screenings, you've got to decide real soon.

Link to the booking page on Cathay's website.  CLICK ME!

K... I have to go back to work... my lunch hour is going to be up in a minute or two.

cheers!! :)

Yuki Kajiura vol.11 Live FictionJunction Yuuka 2 Day Special Live Blu-ray ~ Digest (preview)

Wow!! This is 12 min preview of this upcoming release that Flying Dog has uploaded to their official youtube channel. I have been checking everyday since the start of June because I was expecting a CM or something but this is way cooler.

I hope the youtube link works because this is the first time i am sharing a youtube video via mobile blogging.

I pre ordered this release. :) if u want to pick it up too... this is the place i ordered mine from. Click Me   oh my stop now... later. :)

posted from Bloggeroid

K: Missing Kings ~ World Wide Premiere in Singapore, Malaysia & Taiwan

source

Yay!!  Looks like it'll continue to be a good year for Anime fans in Singapore.  I just saw this pop up on Cathay's website.  Looks like the K anime's movie will screen in Singapore and it's a world wide premiere too.  :)  According to the poster, it's scheduled to open on the 5th July in Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan. :)

But I'm wondering if this date is the correct date because this movie is schedule to open in Japan on the 12th July.... it's kind of unbelievable to me that it'll screen in these 3 countires outside of Japan before it opens in Japan.  If the opening date is correct, then it would be really WOW for me since it took Captain Harlock a year to come to Singapore and not even a scent of Evangelion 3.

Let me go do some quick googling.....

I'm still in shock to tell you the truth.  But it looks like it's true.  It was earlier announced that the film would screen first at the Japan Expo in France and the Anime Expo in LA. (source)  Both expositions take place at almost the same time in the first week of July.  So it looks like Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan will also be part of the World Wide Premiere.  :)

Okay anime fans in Singapore.... I think we should all go watch this film to try and show a strong sign of support for more screenings of anime films, more premières and more anime and Japanese pop culture events in Singapore. :P  Seriously, it's a really big deal that we'll be watching this film before the Japanese who live in Japan get to watch it.  I'm going to go finish the K anime which I started watching last week.  I started to watch it because Katsu from the band angela said in an interview on Animax Asia that he liked the anime K and I like angela and they sing K's theme songs so I thought I should try this anime out. :P

angela is also singing the theme song for the film, it's called Different Colors.  Oh no!!!!  This makes me want to buy the single again... I have been deliberately trying to forget about this and the Knights of Sidonia release.  *sweat !!

Here is the link to Cathay Cinema's page. CLICK ME.  And here is the link to the K: Missing Kings website. CLICK ME.

Here is a 3:40 min PV of the anime.  It has visuals from the anime cut to instrumental music.


Okay... time for me to go to bed.  Almost 1:30am !! :P  Oyasumi!!

Kajiura Yuki ~ Rekishi Hiwa Historia OST 3 - un-boxing

As promised, here is the un-boxing post for this CD.  :)   I hope you enjoy it even though, as I mentioned in an earlier post, this is a bare-bones release since this isn't considered one of Kajiura Yuki's major releases.  I have the first two Rekishi Hiwa Historia OSTs but I don't think I've ever done an un-boxing for them so this would be a first. :)

You can see that the packaging says Neowing.... yup, I got one of my friends to carry this back for me from Japan so that I could save on the shipping cost. :D  Unfortunately though, as you will see in later photos, the jewel case got a little cracked in her luggage even though she was nice enough to leave it in it's original packaging to try and protect it somewhat.  But since this was a favour, I couldn't ask her to hand carry this and since the CD itself is fine, then it's okay with me.  I'm not that anal. :)

This is the OST for the NHK historical documentary series on various episodes in Japan's history.  I've watched a few episodes but it doesn't come with English subtitles and my Japanese isn't good enough to comprehend quite a bit of what is being said.  The music for the series is mostly Western Classical, Eastern Classical, Rock, Pop, New Age and World Music thrown in the mix.  It's really good stuff if you like good genre mixing.  I, and at least two of my friends in Japan, really like the music for Rekishi Hiwa Historia and this was a CD I was always going to buy.  The only reason why I didn't pre-order this was because I was feeling a little broke when it was released and also because it's a minor release, hence, no first press bonuses that I just had to have. :P

 

The music isn't HUGELY different from any of the previous Rekishi Hiwa Historia OSTs which isn't surprising since this is OST3 of a series so the music isn't going to be jarringly different from it's predecessors.  That said, there are enough differences in the tracks and several stand out tracks that I already liked on first listen.  If you like soundtracks, instrumentals, dramatic music and this kind of genre mixing music then it's more of the same good stuff and definitely worth picking up if you're a fan.

The vocalists featured on this release include Kajiura Yuki herself, Kalafina, Yuriko Kaida and Remi who's also associated with Sound Horizon.  Kalafina's been involved in Rekishi Hiwa Historia's soundtrack in some form or another since the first release.  On this CD, they provide the vocals for the opening theme song "Storia" and the ending theme song "Yume no Daichi".  "Storia" is one of the vocal unit's earliest song but the version included in this release is the TV version which has not been official released on CD till now.  Yuriko Kaida is a Kajiura Yuki regular and has featured in a ton of her releases since the days of Noir.... maybe even before, I'm not sure.  Remi is a new addition to Kajiura Yuki's list of vocalists.  She was also involved in the Sword Art Online ost and is the vocalist that Kajiura Yuki used the most in this soundtrack.

        

The above are all the rest of the un-boxing photos.  Like I said, it's pretty bare-bones.  There isn't a single photo of Kajiura Yuki or any of the vocalists on the front and back covers, and also none in the insert booklet.  There is a short message written by Kajiura Yuki and a 1 1/2 page message written by the Chief Producer of the series.  The design is also not a huge departure from the previous OST releases.

But if you like this kind of music, then this is a CD you will buy for the music and not for the packaging.  This won't be moving hundreds of thousands of copies since instrumental OST albums rarely do but for the Kajura Yuki fan and those of us who like this part of her music as well, this is quite a treat. :)

Oh... as I am writing this, I am listening to the OST and Kalafina's Yume no Daichi just came up.  Lovely harmony!!!  This song was not instant love for me.  It did take a little time to grow on me but listening to it now... I can't help but just love the amount of layering and how their three voices just complement each other so well.  Lovely!!

Also, my usual line... if you can afford this release and if you like the music, then please do buy this album to support both Kajiura Yuki and Japanese music industry. :)

Click this link to go to the place I usually get my CDs from. :)
Rekishi Hiwa Historia OST 3
Also.... in case you didn't know, you can preview samples of every track on this CD on that page as well. Although, in my opinion, the samples don't do the tracks justice.

I also bit the bullet and ordered the Hanako to Anne OST CD, the FictionJunction Nanri Yuuka BD and Ieiri Leo's "a boy" live BD.  Those plus the Kalafina THE BEST "Red"/"Blue"  albums and the Kalafina "Heavenly Blue" single are going to make me sooooo broke... hence, no Radwimps live for me. :'(  I'm still considering flumpool's live though because that's in August and I think I may be able to afford it by then.

Okay.... time to sleep, I definitely need to sleep soon.  I didn't sleep well last night at all and I had a horrid time at work as a result... so I need to try and do some catch up now.  I hope you enjoyed this post. You can probably tell that I had a bit more time on my hands this time since it's not just a wall of photos you see. :P  Okay... time to go... :P  oyasumi. :)

Kalafina ~ THE BEST "Red" / "Blue" - 1st Press Bonus images Hi-Res

I must say, I really like quite a lot of these postcards that they are giving out to several of the brick and mortar stores in Japan.  I think a few of these may set some people's hearts aflutter too. :P

Anyway, here are the hi-res images and I'll label them according to the shops that will be giving them out too.

First, the postcards:

Animate

Gamers

Softmap

Toranoana

Tower Records

HMV

Tsutaya

Various supporting stores

The tokuten below can only be obtained from Rakuten Books.  This is the alternate jacket.

Rakuten Books

And this is the mousepad which can be obtained if you buy from online sites like Neowing (CDJapan), Sony Music Shop, Kyaraani and Guru Guru King.

mousepad

I know I'll get the mousepad from CDJapan because I've already ordered it from them.  I wish they gave out two versions of these tokutens.  One version for the Red album and another version for the Blue album.

Sooooo... which one is your favourite?  I think my favourite image is the one that comes from Animate.  If I was visiting Japan or lived in Japan during the time of the release of this album, I think I would get one album from Animate and another album from somewhere else, maybe Neowing since it's a mousepad.  Although, I generally don't like the mousepads as much because I think the textured surface often means the printing isn't as smart as I prefer.

Hmmmm... okay... I think my favourite is the Animate one and my second favourite is the Softmap postcard because they are closeups and they feel different from the other images because they don't feel as separated from each other as the others. :)

What I really want is for them to make a B2 size poster of the Animate postcard, I'll definitely buy that. :)

Okay... my usual line... please buy this if you can afford it. :)

THE BEST "Red" Limited Edition

THE BEST "Blue" Limited Edition

THE BEST "Red" Regular Edition

THE BEST "Blue" Regular Edition

Also, I've received my copy of Kajiura Yuki's Rekishi Hiwa Historia OST3 CD and I'll do that unboxing tomorrow.  It's pretty barebones but you are welcome to comeback and check out that post if you like. :)

Time for bed... good night. :)