Kalafina ~ Kimi no Gin no Niwa - unboxing

This is another quality work from Kajiura Yuki and Kalafina.  Really good songs that make good use of Kalafina's greatest strengths.  Kimi no Gin no Niwa has the lightheartedness of Moonfesta but without the feeling of being at a festival.  The opening with Hikaru in the lead and Keiko and Wakana sounding like tiny bells in the background is simply lovely.  And of course I love Keiko's solo near the 3min mark. :P  It's a really lovely song and I was fortunate enough to be one of those who heard it play loud and clearly on quality speakers in a cinema in Japan and it sounded so good then and still does now even on my not very large desk top speakers.

But the song that I really, really like in this single is Tsuioku.  This is really Kalafina at their best and very close to their Kara no Kyoukai roots.  They harmonize beautifully in this song to sound mysterious and ethereal, yet at the same time strong and forceful.  It's like they are right there... singing but when you reach out to catch the notes, they become elusive and pull away.  Tsuioku is a particularly good song and currently this is my favourite song in the single and I have had this and Kimi no Gin no Niwa on loop since last night.

My favourite part in Tsuikou is of course the part when Keiko's vocals is the most prominent just after the 3 min mark.  :)  I really have always liked her parts the most in a Kalafina song.  Even before I knew who Kalafina was and back when I was only a casually interested in Kajiura Yuki's music, I accidently discovered Kalafina's songs just after they released the Red Moon album, every single time I listened to their songs, I would catch myself waiting for the moment the contralto sings.  Weeks later when I had been well and truly infected by the Kajiura Yuki virus, I went and read up more about Kajiura Yuki, FictionJunction and Kalafina and then it was then that I knew that the contralto is Keiko.  Till today, while I love all the vocalists in Kalafina, I still find myself waiting for Keiko's moments, whether it's when her voice rings out loud and clear or whether it's simply her singing a counter melody or even when she's merely shadowing behind Hikaru or Wakana.  I really like Keiko's voice and the way she sings.... I can't get enough. :)

Misterioso is the 3rd song on this single and it's okay.  But sounds more like something that was written to be an instrumental in an anime and then had lyrics written to it to make it a song.  Kajiura Yuki has done that several times before.  These songs aren't bad and I like them enough.  So while I think Misterioso and these kinds of song aren't bad, they usually don't end up being my favourite ones.

For some reason, I always end up doing these unboxing posts so late at night... arrrgggh... need to dash through them again.  So without too much ado... here are the photos.

First up... the postcards that come with the First Press release.  This time we get TWO postcards.  NICE!! :)



Regular Edition:

 

And yes, this time I decided to also get the Regular Edition because I knew that Keiko's solo photo will be in the RE.  So there it is... a nice close of Keiko's picture to round of the photo set for the RE. =D

And since I was going to get the RE, I decided to just get the whole set and the LE+DVD as well. Previously, I would only get the LE+BD and the LE Anime version if they had that too.  It wouldn't be fair to Wakana if I didn't get the LE+DVD for her solo photo too. =D  Kidding... I really want to support Kajiura Yuki, FictionJunction and Kalafina which is why I am doing this.  =)

Limted Edition + DVD

 

I forgot to shoot photos of the front and back of the LE+DVD with the shrink wrap still on. :(

Limited Edition + Blu-ray



The lyrics page is the same on all three singles so I didn't shoot a photo of it when I shot photos for the Limited Eiditons.

Next up, the Anime Limited Edition...

    

We get two Precious Memories cards with the Anime LE. :)  That's cool... at first I wasn't sure if it was one of two in each Anime LE single and whichever one you get is random.  So it's two cards... nice. :)  I really like the illustration of Akemi Homura on the digipack too. :)

Okay... I need to head of to bed soon... but before I do that... two things.

First, the links again... if you can afford it, please do buy the singles. Here are the links for your convenience.

Kimi no Gin no Niwa Limited Edition w/Blu-ray (BD will contain the PV of the theme song)
Kimi no Gin no Niwa Limited Edition w/DVD (DVD will contain the PV of the theme song)
Kimi no Gin no Niwa Anime Limited Edition (limited time release, till Feb 2014)
Kimi no Gin no Niwa Regular Edition

And secondly... I will leave you with these photos of Kalafina. :)  I hope Kajiura Yuki and Kalafina will keep bringing us many, many, many more years of awesome music. :)

 

Good night and I hope you enjoyed my rambling unboxing post. :)

Kalafina ~ Kimi no Gin no Niwa - unboxing tease :)

My Kimi no Gin no Niwa cds have arrived!!! :)  The packaging looks nice and each single comes with two postcards... one of Kalafina and the other is an illustration of Akemi Homura from the 3rd Mahou Shoujo Madoka movie. :)

I will probably be able to return home at a reasonable time tonight and I'll be doing the unboxing photos for all 4 versions of this release.

So far my favourite track from this single is the coupling song Tsuioku (追憶) followed by Kimi no Gin no Niwa and then misterioso.

Okay... I need to eat lunch now and watch some tutorials. :)

Oh.... and once again... if you can afford them... please also pick up these cds. :)

Links for your convenience again, if you need them.

Kimi no Gin no Niwa Limited Edition w/Blu-ray (BD will contain the PV of the theme song)
Kimi no Gin no Niwa Limited Edition w/DVD (DVD will contain the PV of the theme song)
Kimi no Gin no Niwa Anime Limited Edition (limited time release, till Feb 2014)
Kimi no Gin no Niwa Regular Edition

Also... first press freebies are currently still available for the Regular Edition if you still want them... but only 9 left at CDJapan.  So if you want them... you'll have to make a decision soon.

cheers

Kalafina ~ Alleluia - unboxing

Originally, I was going to do a small Kajiura Yuki item that I picked up while I was in Japan but decided to do this instead.  If all goes well, Fedex tracking says that I will receive the Kimi no Gin no Niwa singles tomorrow.  I would like to do that unboxing tomorrow night if I don't have any OT and if I am not too tired.  But before I do that, I should do the Alleluia single first.  The reason why this unboxing comes more than a month after its release is because I only just picked it up from Manami.  In order to save on shipping, I had it shipped to her and she held it safely for me till I was able to pick it up from her. :)  Thanks!! :)

I will keep this as simple as possible because it's midnight and I would like to try and head to bed as soon as possible.  For some reason, I've been quite tired at work... maybe I'm just not used to being back to my usual routine. :(

Anyway... here goes.... this is the unboxing of  the Alleluia single, which contains the ending theme song for the Kara no Kyoukai: Mirai Fukuin anime movie.



First up, photos of the free postcard one gets with the First Press release of this single.  It's pretty nice, isn't it?  I really like Kara no Kyoukai and Shiki is very cool!! :)

Here are photos of the Regular Edition.



This is a pretty simple release actually.  No photos of Kalafina at all.  This kind of minimalism is really kind of "Kara no Kyoukai" in my opinion.  The packaging for Kalafina's early singles for the this series of anime movies were all relatively simple, if I remember correctly.

Next up photos of the Limited Anime Edition.  This one comes with a KnK booklet which is pretty cool.  And has an outer cardboard case to hold everything together.  It also comes with an illustrated sticker... also quite KnK in my opinion since several of the early KnK related Kalafina releases came with illustrated KnK stickers too.



As I was writing this post I was listening to Alleluia on loop. :)  I really, really like this song.  Of course, I think it is undeniable that the fact that there is A LOT of Keiko in this song is probably one of the reasons why I like this song so much.  Seriously, while Keiko gets stanzas and lines and sometimes half a song... it's not often that she gets practically an entire song when she sings for Kalafina.  It's more common for her to be in the background doing harmony for either a Hikaru and/or Wakana centric song than for her to have a song centered around her.  So when songs like these come along, those of us who love Keiko's vocals best can't help but really like the song. :)  So yes, I am bias to some extent. :)

I can see this song splitting the Kalafina and KnK fans.  Just like there are fans like me who love Keiko best, there will be fans who will love Hikaru or Wakana best and their bias will go the other way.  It's not a criticism of anyone... it's just human.

The other thing about this song is that it really does have an "After Eden" album feel about it and not a very Kara no Kyoukai feel.  In my opinion, Keiko seems to relish these kinds of songs and maybe the rare opportunity to take centre-stage and take it for so long too.  She really does seem to sing these song with the kind of arms-stretched-wide-open sense of freedom and joy.  I really like the way Keiko sings these kinds of songs.  Like Symphonia and Mune no Yukue, Keiko sings this song with so much heart and passion that it always moves me.

I think it's appropriate too for Keiko to sing Alleluia as though it's a celebration.  The word "alleluia" or "hallelujah" actually means something like "praise Yahweh" and for those who may not know this, Yahweh is the name of the Christian God.  Although, the sub title of this anime movie is "Mirai Fukuin" which translates into "future gospel" and the word "gospel" is another word closely related to Christianity, I doubt if this song is being sung in praise of the Christian God. KnK isn't that kind of anime but it does have spiritual elements which maybe why this word was chosen.    Kajiura Yuki also spent a great deal of her childhood in Germany and it shows in her music and hence, her choice of using the word "Alleluia" to express joy, thanksgiving and triumph is not entirely inconceivable.  Given that Keiko sang Symphonia and Mune no Yukue with that kind of arms-stretched-open, faces-lifted-to-the-bright-sky kind of joy so well and so passionately, it was no wonder that Kajiura Yuki made Keiko the lead in this song.

That said, this song doesn't have the ethereal and mysterious feel that a lot of the Kalafina KnK songs have.  Funnily enough, it is Dolce, the coupling song on this single that sounds like a more typical KnK song.  The decision to depart so much from the harmonious and other worldly feel of previous KnK songs is bound to split fans.  I can't say for sure why they did this and if it works in the context of Kara no Kyoukai: Mirai Fukuin.  I haven't seen the film and until it comes out on home video, I won't be able to offer my understanding of why they chose Alleluia or offer an opinion of whether it was effectively used.

BTW, the KnK booklet that comes with the Anime Edition of this release has a two page piece written by Nasu Kinoko.  I only noticed it after I finished taking the photos.  In it he talks about the song "Alleluia" and also about Kalafina and perhaps Kajiura Yuki. I haven't read it yet. What he wrote may shed more light onto why the song Alleluia was chose as Mirai Fukuin's end theme.   My Japanese is still not fantastic and I don't think I'll attempt a proper translation of it.  Also, it's almost 1:30 am and I wrote way more than I intended to write... so I'm off to bed now... tomorrow I will try and do the unboxing of the Kimi no Gin no Niwa singles which I am suppose to receive by tomorrow afternoon.  This time I ordered all the versions. :P  I am becoming a crazy fan. :D

Also... the two singles contain different addition tracks.  In total there are 4 tracks from the Christmas Premium live from last year which makes getting both the RE and the Anime LE worth considering.

This is the track list:

Regular Edition (SECL-1390)
1. Alleluia
2. dolce
3. seventh heaven 〜2012 Christmas LIVE ver.
4. snow falling 〜2012 Christmas LIVE ver.

Limited Edition (SECL-1391)
1. Alleluia
2. dolce
3. fairytale 〜2012 Christmas LIVE ver.
4. 君が光に変えて行く 〜2012 Christmas LIVE ver.

As usual, the same line from me... if you can afford these singles, please purchase them in support of the industry and the artists and musicians who make the music that you enjoy.  Here are the links to CDJapan's product page if you need them.

Regular Edition (SECL-1390)

Limited Edition (SECL-1391)

Okay... time for bed... good night. :)
ps. will proof read tomorrow.. please excuse any terrible grammar mistakes, spelling mistakes and maybe even large gaps in logic. :)

Kalafina ~ Hikaru Produced "Wall Pocket" - unboxing

I've finished the unboxing post for this item. :)

However, I will need to ask you to please proceed to the link below.  This is my friend shangyou's blog and he asked me to occasionally write on his blog.  I agreed to and this unboxing is my first post on his blog. :) This item is his anyway.  He bought it, so I think it's most appropriate that the unboxing appears on his blog. :)

http://onelegion.blogspot.sg/2013/11/kalafina-memorabilia-hikaru-produced.html

Please check out the unboxing and check out his blog too.  He's also a Kalafina fan. :)  Although he likes Hikaru best.... WHAT!!!!????!!!  Yeah... that was my reaction too.. the automatic choice should always be Keiko.... heh heh... =D

Enjoy!!

Kalafina ~ Hikaru Produced "Wall Pocket" ~ unboxing tease :)

Okay... I have decided that the next post I will be doing will be an "unboxing" post and I will take photos of this item which I picked up from the Spacecraft Online store.  Well... technically, I didn't buy it, I just helped someone buy it and I carried it back for him from Japan. :)

I was originally going to try and do this and another Kajiura Yuki item tonight but my current cell phone problems kind of got in the way.  My main camera is my cell phone and usually I will use the Samsung Galaxy S2 but it's currently preferring to re-start constantly making photo taking a pain.  But my old Motorola Droid is frustratingly slow and I don't know which is more frustrating... an S2 that won't stay on or a Droid that takes forever to do one thing. :(

I may have to pull out my DSLR for photo taking but it's a more troublesome and a lot harder to do one-handed photography with.

Meanwhile... after thinking a lot about how to deal with the situation and figuring what I would do about it... I got tired... :P  So I will go to bed and do this tomorrow.  And probably also that Kajiura Yuki item and if time permits, Day 3 of our trip to Japan.  Fingers crossed... NO OT!!

For now... good night. :)

Japan trip 2013 ~ day 1 & 2 (18th / 19th Oct) - p4

Usually, when I go to Japan, I like to keep a relatively detailed mobile blog of the trip.  I failed to blog about the last two days on the previous trip and this trip was an even greater disaster if we are just talking about mobile blogging.  My Samsung S2 phone got really wet in the rain when we visited Ibaraki and was so unstable during the entire trip that all I could really manage was take photos and uploading everything to Facebook for safe keeping.

Hence, now, I really have a lot of stuff to try and catch up on on the blog. :(  So I am going to try and mix blogging about the trip with some of the unboxing posts.  I picked up some Kajiura Yuki and Kalafina related stuff, as well as some Mahou Shoujo Madoka stuff and I really would like to get to some of them... so we'll see.

First things first, I would really like to finish up the account of our first 2 days on the trip.  It was a very eventful start to the trip... hmmmm... actually, it was a very eventful trip all round and it would be a pity not to write about it so that someday when I look back on this trip, I will be able to recall it better because I kept an account of it somewhere. :)

So here goes.... :)

After watching the tuna auction at Tsukiji Market, we walked quickly over to where the sushi restaurants were located to see if we could get into Sushi Dai but the queue was already very long even at 6am in the morning.  We were really kind of tired since we had been more or less on the move since the previous day and haven't really been able to get a proper rest since we got out of bed on the morning of the 18th.  We were also scheduled to meet Manami for brunch and also scheduled to make a trip to Katase-Enoshima for the fireworks festival.  Hence, we decided to go to Sushi Daiwa next door instead.  To tell you the truth, the sushi was quite good but I wasn't blown away.  Maybe I was very tired, or still full from our morning McDonald's breakfast a few hours ago or just simply spoilt by the quality of the sushi at my favourite sushi restaurant at Meguro.  I made this same trip to Sushi Daiwa two years ago and enjoyed it more than.  Maybe it was because the sushi chef that made our sushi then was really friendly or that the Japanese customers were really nice to us then and that enhanced that experience.  But on this occasion, it just didn't feel the same.  In the end, I think one of my big regrets from this trip was that I didn't go to the sushi restaurant in Meguro.  The next time I go back to Japan, I'll have to go back to my favourite place in Meguro. :)

Anyway, here are some photos of the sushi that we ate on that day.  We ordered the set.  While not blow-me-away sushi, it was still good sushi so I did enjoy my meal that morning. :)

 

We had to split our dining party up because Pam's friend Kat hadn't arrived yet and so Pam got out of the queue to get her while Evelyn and I went in to eat first.  So Evelyn and I hung out around the Tsukiji area till everyone was ready and then made our way to our hotel in Shinjuku to ditch our luggage and meet Manami for lunch.

Yes, there was  A LOT of eating during our first day in Japan. :P

After meeting Manami, we randomly picked a restaurant in Lumine and ate there.  The restaurant's name is Brasserie Barbara and wasn't bad at all.  Even though I was quite full, I has happy to eat more. :P



This meeting with Manami was shorter than I preferred but Manami had helped us get Ghibli Museum tickets and express bus tickets to Ibaraki and we had to meet on Saturday to pick these tickets up before our Sunday trip to Ibaraki.  Good thing I was able to arrange another dinner meeting with her on another day while we were still in Tokyo.  She's a very good friend and I think I would have some regrets if I was unable to meet her again on this trip.

We managed to get checked-in to our hotel rooms at 3pm but we only had time for a short rest before it was time to head out again.  This time we were headed to Enoshima to take part in the Fireworks Festival.  Yes, Kalafina was also performing that night at a school festival at Takachiho University in Tokyo and I really could have tried to go for it because I knew about it when they announced it.  However, there were several reasons why I didn't even try.  Firstly, the trip to Enoshima to attend the Fujisawa Enoshima Hanabi Taikai had been planned ages before Kalafina even announced that they were going to perform at Takachiho University.  Secondly, I just couldn't ditch my travel companions on our first real day in Japan, that just wouldn't be fair.  Also, I have never been to that part of Enoshima and have never attended a Hanabi Taikai in Japan before.  So in the end, I decided that I will just have to end this year without attending a single Kalafina or Kajiura Yuki live, the first time I have not seen them live at least once in a year since 2010.  Sniff...

That said :P , even though I would love to have seen Kalafina live, I do not regret making the decision to go to Enoshima that day.  The fireworks festival was really very, very cool and they fired these fireworks so low that it seemed so close, so in-your-face, so just-above-your-head, so very very dramatic.  It's the most exciting fireworks display that I've ever seen.  Not that I've seen that many but most of them were quite high in the sky, this was really very dramatic and photos and videos just doesn't do it any justice.  Also, the food at the festival was really unexpectedly delicious.  We wanted to eat everything and we really bought a lot of food which I, unfortunately, didn't take many photos of.  This is only my second festival in Japan.  The first matsuri that I went to last year had a ton of people and really bad food.  The worse takoyaki that I've ever eaten in my life is ironically from Japan and at that matsuri last year.

First up... photos of the crowds and the very cool looking Katase-Enoshima station, street food stalls and some of the things we ate at the festival. :)



Next up, photos of the fireworks and a short video clip.  It was all shot on my Samsung S2, so the quality isn't the best, but it'll have to suffice. :P  Also, I didn't shoot that many photos or videos and most of what I shot was in the first 15 - 20 minutes of the display.  I spent the rest of the time just enjoying the event.  Here you go, just a couple of snaps. :)

After the festival, it was one huge crush trying to get to the trains.  There was a huge crush I think in part because it started raining and people decided not to hang around longer even though the food stalls were still opened.  I think we would probably have waited a bit and finished our food or got another beer if the weather had been better but we also decided to leave the area as quickly as possible.  We managed to get into a really packed train on the Odakyu line and managed to get seats a couple of stops later and I crashed out and slept quite soundly for some time.  We only realized much later than we were on the local train and although I was feeling lazy and not too keen to change to the rapid line at one of the stations later on, I am glad that Evelyn and Pam decided that my laziness was a poor excuse and we switched trains and made it back to Shinjuku in much less time than it would have taken on the local line. :)  Then it was a shower, some wind-down time and off to bed and that was the end of our very busy and quite ambitious first 2 days of our Japan 2013 trip. :)

I'm not sure what I'll blog about next... maybe a Kalafina or Kajiura Yuki related post first, then do the post on Day 3 of the trip and an interesting visit to the Hitachi Seaside Park in Ibaraki. :)  For now... time for bed, tomorrow (Tuesday), I return to my normal life and it's back to work, OT and saving money for my obsessions and my next adventure. :)  Good night!! :)