Firstly, sometimes you don’t realise that you’ve been somewhere that you’ve seen in a movie or anime until much later.

In my case, I was reading the Wikipedia article on The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and realised that I had indeed been to the National Museum of Tokyo:

Secondly, after hearing and meeting Minori Chihara and Chiaki Ishikawa at Animelo Summer Live 2011, it was intriguing to see that Minori Chihara’s forthcoming album, D-Formation has a track, この世界のモノでこの世界の者でない 作詞, written by Chiaki Ishikawa and Daisuke Kikuta of Elements Garden. (Thanks Keiri for the help with the translation!)

D-Formation (Dream Wonder Formation) Album details in Japanese are at http://lantis.jp/special/chihara/d-formation/

Thirdly, the DVDs and blu-rays of Animelo Summer Live 2011 are now available for pre-order from CD Japan, with a scheduled release date of 28 March 2012.

Day 1 on blu-ray
Day 2 on blu-ray

NOTE – It again appears that some of the performances will not appear on the videos. Check http://pc.animelo.jp/anisama/2011/rainbow/goods/#cd_dvd_bd closer to the release date. At this stage Isao Sasaki, Kalafina and T.M.Revolution are *NOT* listed as appearing on the videos.

To musically illustrate the concerts, I’ll include YouTube links where possible to complement my thoughts.  My appreciation goes out to those record companies that provided clips themselves.

As a note, much of my experience at Animelo was spent absorbing and enjoying everything, so it was difficult to make much comment on specific artists and songs. It also didn’t help that I couldn’t do much note-taking and that my comprehension of the Japanese language is minimal. However, I hope that this review provides some insight into my concert experience.

A station designed for large crowds

When I reached the Keyaki Plaza outside Saitama Super Arena, I found it milling with anime music fans, many of whom were wearing t-shirts for the current or previous Animelo Summer Live concerts or of the participating artists. There were even a few cosplayers. I first purchased a souvenir t-shirt, programme and bottled water from a very well-organised set of sales stalls and was met at nearby Saitama-Shintoshin station by a person from Kinki Nippon Tourist Co. Ltd. who led me to the guest entrance area where we were given tickets for the guest box near the stage one level above the main seating not far in front of the stage.  Needless to say, the vantage point was fantastic.

Due to power restrictions following the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, air-conditioning was limited but that did not dampen the audience’s enthusiasm as the audience, 26,500 strong, was well-armed with rainbow-coloured glowsticks. The energy they possessed when it came to waving the light-sticks (cyalumes – sairyumu – サイリューム) in time with the music throughout both concerts was amazing.  I was exhausted from just watching this display.

Finally, things began to get under way and all eyes turned to the stage which was set up with 3 large video screens facing directly frontwards and a promenade platform. For anyone who has been to a previous Animelo Summer Live concert or watched the videos, the same high level of excitement in 2011 continued to persist as it did in previous years.

Minori Chihara with Yukari Tamura opened with a medley of non-anime songs, namely Minori’s “Freedom Dreamer” and Yukari’s “惑星のランデブー (Planetary rendezvous)”, followed quickly by May’n with “Kindan no Elixir” from Macross Frontier, where she sang as her character, Sheryl Nome. May’n appeared to have grown up a little since her previous Animelo Summer Live appearances, looking more like a well-established singer without losing any confidence. She then spoke to the audience and followed it up with “Moshimo Kimi ga Negau no Nara” from Senjou no Valkyria 3 (accompanied by blue glow-sticks) and Scarlet Ballet from Hidan no Aria (with red and orange glow-sticks).

ULTRA PRISM followed next with “Shinryaku No Susume” from Ika Musume accompanied by mainly blue and orange glow sticks. They gave their talk and after that, it was immediately on to the next act. Nanamori Chu☆Goraku Bu sang “Yuri Yura Rarara Yuru Yuri Dai” to mainly orange glow sticks, then Idolm@ster kept things light with “GO MY WAY!!!” and “READY!!”, as did Natsuko Aso with “Eureka Baby” from Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu 2 and a medley of “Diamond Star☆” from Cardfight!! Vanguard, More-more LOVERS!!” from MM! and “Perfect-area Complete!” from Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu – “one more time, never give up!” The rapid-fire procession of artists and songs suggested that this would be a packed concert.

Hyadain and Sayaka Sasaki then performed a medley of the extremely animated openers to Nichijou, “Hyadain no Kakakata Kataomoi-C” and “Hyadain no Joujou Yuujou” followed by Sayaka Sasaki singing the lullaby-like ending theme to Nichijou, titled “Zzz” to blue glow-sticks.

Faylan was next. All the light-and-fluffiness of the previous few acts disappeared with her delivery for “Last vision for last” from Hyakka Ryōran: Samurai Girls which bore sentiments conveying the need to fight one’s way through a difficult life. She spoke to the audience afterward and then launched into “Rasen, Arui wa Seinaru Yokubou” from Seikon no Qwaser 2.  The mood did lighten somewhat with ELISA’s whispy-voiced performance of an all-too-brief set of “God Only Knows” from The World God Only Knows followed by Faylan with Masami Okui and Natsuko Aso for the Anisama Girls Night theme song Nettaiya Girls. I’d been wondering how Masami-san’s voice would be after seeing some videos of her with a strained voice but it was as strong and clear as ever. I have yet to hear Nettaiya Girls again and look forward to its release on the concert video.

The last act before the intermission was rock band BREAKERZ with the heavy but cheerful CLIMBER X CLIMBER from Cardfight!! Vanguard, an excerpt of “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis” from Neon Genesis Evangelion (which elicited a loud cheer from the audience) and finally, “Everlasting Luv” from Detective Conan.

During the interval some video interviews were shown along with promotions for the trading card game Vanguard.

The message “We came back to show ESP again” ended the 20-minute intermission and signaled the arrival of fripSide, complete with a magician escaping from a bag in the front part of the stage, the image of the slot machine temporarily stopping, and the songs “Level5 Judgelight” and “Only my Railgun” from A Certain Scientific Railgun. Their performance was quite similar to the 2010 Animelo Summer Live concert and the sound matched the promotional video clips flawlessly. After their talk, we heard “Heaven is a place on earth” from Hayate no Gotoku: Heaven is a Place on Earth.

Next was the first secret guest, the man in a white jacket, Isao Sasaki. The audience reacted with a loud roar to his appearance and he did not disappoint with a strong delivery of the theme songs to Space Battleship Yamato and Galaxy Express 999.  Sasaki’s performance was followed by JAM Project co-founder, Ichirou Mizuki, who showed up wearing one of his trademark red jackets and sang Mazinger Z and the Theme from Combattler V, again with a strength that hid how long ago he first recorded those songs.

At the other end of the age range, the girls from Momoiro Clover Z came in with their intro theme “Z Densetsu~owarinaki Kakumei”, with a late appearance by Ichirou Mizuki followed by a medley of “Miraibouru” from Dragon Crisis! and “Pinky Jones” from Yosuga no Sora. The glow sticks in the audience were multi-coloured for this set, reflecting Momoiro Clover Z’s girls who dressed in five different colors.

Hironobu Kageyama from JAM Project and May’n then performed a duet of the immortal Digimon opener “Butter-fly”, and what a great rendition it was! Minori Chihara followed with her normal enthusiastic welcome to the audience for the non-anime “Defection” and her recent single “Planet Patrol”. The strings section of Animelo Summer Live then joined her for “Terminated” from Horizon on the Middle of Nowhere, in which she also provides the voice of Horizon Ariadust. As in her concert videos, Minori enjoyed talking with the audience. I only wish that I understood more of the Japanese language to appreciate it more fully.

The pink glow-sticks came out for Yukari Tamura and “Beautiful Amulet” from Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS. After her chat we heard “Endless Story” from C3 Cube x Cursed x Curious and “Love Me Now!”.

Up until now, JAM Project’s members had contributed to other performances, but this time, this powerhouse staple of Animelo Summer Live concerts would come together in full force, accompanied by the red and orange glow-sticks for their rendition of “Maxon”, “Victory” “3,2,1 never give up!”, “Rocks” and… “GONG ~ SKILL” with the final secret guest Nana Mizuki who was given an enthusiastic welcome. As any videos of the “GONG ~ SKILL” medley from other concerts show, it seemed like the whole audience joined in for the chorus chant of “I can fly! You can fly! We can fly! MOTTO MOTTO!”

Finally we had the reappearance of all but the secret guest singers wearing t-shirts for Animelo Summer Live – Rainbow giving their thank-yous before a performance of  “Animelo Summer Live 2011 theme – Rainbow”.  As with other Animelo Summer Live concerts, not everyone remembered when their solo part started, but took any slip-ups in stride. Then with the house lights on, they all came out to the promenade section of the stage to bid the audience farewell. On the screens appeared the message “See You Tomorrow”, then section by section, the audience was allowed to leave.

After the concert we waited to be let into the backstage area where we were offered cold tea (delicious after a very warm concert) and given a chance to meet some of the concert artists.  I was able to meet Minori Chihara and one of the people from her record company, Lantis, took a picture of us. After thanking them and leaving the arena, my guide made sure that I was taking the right platform for my train back to Nippori, and we arranged to meet at the same place and time for Sunday’s concert.

The singers, musicians and dancers had all been well-prepared for their performances and delivered a memorable experience while the audience had been enthusiastic participants all the way through. There had been plenty of pleasant surprises both with secret guests and collaborations. So many of the people who had only been voices in songs or performers on videos had become real live people and the magic of previous Animelo Summer Live concert videos had shown itself to be the result of a very large collaborative effort which had again taken place in 2011.

On the way to my hotel from Nippori station I purchased a generous serving of wheat noodles with meat and vegetables for 800 Yen. It had been a really exciting concert experience, but it also left me looking forward to some rest before the next day’s concert.

Saturday and Sunday’s concert set list is at Wikipedia or you can feed http://pc.animelo.jp/anisama/2011/rainbow/special/ into http://translate.google.com if you want a rough translation.  In any event, stay tuned for the final part!

PS: there is a video on Youtube Animelo 2011 Day 1 Setlist which contains photos of the artists, most of which were taken at the concert for those who want to see what the artists looked like on the night.

Review: From the onset, “Super Driver” and “Tomare!” were in for an uphill climb. “Bouken Desho Desho” and “Hare Hare Yukai” had set a high bar for Haruhi’s OP/EDs and not surprisingly, neither of their followups are able to measure up. Part of it, I think, stems from the way the older songs were able to instill excitement because at that time, Haruhi’s arrival was a breath of fresh air upon an anime environment that was showing signs of stagnation and the impact of those two songs rippled across the anime fanbase. The arrival of Haruhi’s second season rekindled the enthusiasm, but this time, its atmosphere is muted by familiarity. While the excitement is still there, it diminished and the current OP/ED sequences parallel the show’s fortunes. A distinction does need to be made when talking about this quality drop however because “Super Driver” was a major letdown, but the ED “Tomare!” manages to treat us to an enjoyable listening experience that hearkens back to “Hare Hare Yukai.”

It is the energy delivered by the rhythm and the instrumentation that accomplishes this feat. The bustling atmosphere from the introduction gives us a taste of what is to come but instead of assaulting our senses with excitement and enthusiasm, the piece backs off, allowing the vocalists to build it back up to its zesty chorus. It does help that each of the vocalists bring a unique quality to the song; Yuuko Gotou’s entrance can best be described as a soothing tone with a touch of timidity and Minori Chihara’s continuation is sharp as it juggles a vague feeling of doubt, but Aya Hirano tops both of them by delivering that Haruhistic push of confidence with her emphatic “Tomare!” before proceeding with her buildup. By the time the chorus rolls around, it has become quite clear that the song’s message aims to reach people rendered immobile by fear and uncertainty and push them to grab at life’s opportunities and use it to create meaningful memories. Carpe diem. The backup vocals and the instruments complement the main vocalist in the chorus by instilling an infectious feeling of exhileration which encourages the listener to pursue those endless possibilities. With such an optimistic message, it’s easy to be drawn into “Tomare!’s” delightful atmosphere, making it a competent successor to “Hare Hare Yukai.”

“Senzaiteki Taiyou no Shoumei” works in complementing “Tomare!” by toning down the excitement in the preceding track through an easygoing, generic pop melody. All the elements that go into a good, forgettable pop song are present here, from the catchy melody, to the succession of singing that is perfectly competent if unremarkable (though in Aya Hirano’s case, her tones fit perfectly and her vibrato is well-executed, which I suppose is remarkable), and of course, you leave it feeling rather upbeat even if you can’t recall what the song sounds like a week from now. But that’s not a bad thing since after “Tomare!,” you want the followup piece to be calming, and “Senzaiteki Taiyou no Shoumei” allows you to relax and unwind.

“Tomare!” won’t ingrain itself in the minds of anime fans the way “Hare Hare Yukai” was able to, but even with the weight of the latter bearing over it, it succeeds in being an enjoyable album all the same. The excitement is there, the enthusiasm is there, and the call to proactively grab life by the horns is definitely there. Those three aspects grab at what Haruhi is all about and if the show is looking to keep those aspects in the viewer’s mind after each episode, “Tomare!” is a perfectly fine way of achieving that end.

Rating: Good

Tracklist

[[Visit blog to check out this spoiler]]

Review: Suzumiya Haruhi no Gensou’s release was met with some skepticism from two fronts. The first had to do with TAMUSIC’s colossal failure in The Recital of Haruhi Suzumiya, which raised the question as to whether an orchestrated Haruhi album could actually be done competently. The second related to the fact that much of Haruhi’s BGM wasn’t exactly memorable because after looking through this album’s track list, I couldn’t say I was able to recall any of the melodies beyond Shostakovich’s “Leningrad” Symphony and the songs like “God Knows,” “Bouken Desho Desho?,” and “Hare Hare Yukai.” The latter issue isn’t as much a problem since context, while helpful, isn’t a necessary component in making this album enjoyable and thankfully, the former concern doesn’t raise its ugly head when you have Shiro Hamaguchi doing the orchestral arrangements. With his solid track record in arranging Final Fantasy music to piano and orchestra, there is reason to hope that he can work his magic with Haruhi.

Right off the bat, Hamaguchi’s arrangement of “Koi no Mikuru Densetsu” is impressive. At first glance, this off-tune variant of a cheesy magical girl OP doesn’t seem to be a particularly viable candidate for serious orchestration, but the arrangement manages to prove these initial thoughts wrong. I enjoyed how it provides a different spin on the original by upping the tempo, giving the track a sense of urgency that, when combined with the orchestra, yields a piece that is absolutely epic. While it focuses more on the serious side, a lighthearted moment pops up in the “Come on let’s dance, baby” segment, which helps keeps the listener engaged all the way up to its glorious conclusion.

Koi no Mikuru Densetsu
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

By starting out so commendably, Hamaguchi sets a high bar for his arrangements and the succession of pieces manages to meet these lofty expectations. As we go further into the album, we’ll find that most of the pieces are the result of combining various themes from Haruhi’s BGM into a cohesive medley. Even though my memory of Haruhi’s music is spotty at best, I still found most of the medleys to be enjoyable since the transitions from one theme to another are handled quite well.

Take, for example, “Kouchou Kouchou ~ Mikuru no Kokoro ~ Chiisaku demo Shiawase ~ Oioi ~ Comical Hustle,” which explores many aspects of day to day life. The bustling, energetic theme meanders about before settling into the next two sections which offer a mellow, heartfelt atmosphere, leaving the listener feeling calm and at ease. Around the 4:40 mark, the orchestra builds up bombastically towards a sillier air as it depicts Haruhi while she’s executing one of her hare-brained schemes. Although it starts off softly, the mischief grows in scope and excitement before going into the final section where it draws upon its storehouse of energy to bring about a rousing finish. By capturing both the exciting and relaxing moments of day to day life so well, this medley succeeds in being enjoyable and engaging.

Kouchou Kouchou ~ Mikuru no Kokoro ~ Chiisaku demo Shiawase ~ Oioi ~ Comical Hustle
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Other tracks to note include “Sunao na Kimochi ~ Aru Ame no Hi ~ Haruhi no Omoi” which relies on the piano to touch upon a wide range of emotions, from contentment, to introspection, to hope, as the piece reassures the listener that the future has never looked brighter. And of course, the arrangement of “Hare Hare Yukai” deserves a mention for taking a different approach from the original. The sense of joy and excitement doesn’t appear until you reach the middle section, and even then, the fun is muted compared to the original as the piece aims towards an epic experience rather than a fun one. Although I do enjoy this interpretation of “Hare Hare Yukai,” my preference favors the original which captured that sense of happiness and joy far better than the arrangement.

Sunao na Kimochi ~ Aru Ame no Hi ~ Haruhi no Omoi
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

So while these arrangements are good, the same can’t be said for Aya Hirano’s songs. It’s no secret that her live performances are pretty bad and I think that the nicest thing that can be said here is that she doesn’t ruin the overall enjoyment of this album. Nevertheless, it’s kind of painful whenever she sings off tune or employs a grating vibrato which makes her performances impossible to ignore. Of all her songs, “God knows…” is her worst song on this album since, in addition to the previously mentioned problems, her performance during the chorus part sounds awkward since she seems to be trying so hard that she forgets to breathe, resulting in a windy delivery that lacks impact. The other performances aren’t this awful, but they are a step down in terms of quality, even if the orchestration is decent all around.

God knows…
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

On the plus side, Minori Chihara manages to put forth an enjoyable performance in “Yuki, Muon, Madobe nite.” where she switches between her Yuki voice and a more emotionally-charged voice, but overall, it’s a passable job. There are a few points where I think she struggles a bit, especially when she has to sing those lower-pitched notes at a fast tempo, but even with that considered, I wasn’t displeased with how the song turned out.

Yuki, Muon, Madobe nite.
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Finally, the inclusion of the first movement of Shostakovich’s “Leningrad” Symphony, while fitting in the way it employs a steady, militaristic melody to complement the scenes in the computer game episode, fails to be engaging because of its repetitive nature. Yes, I am aware that this is the point of a movement that uses the same form that Ravel uses in his Bolero, but when the option exists to choose a more compelling piece like the 4th movement of Tchaikovsky’s “Pathetique” Symphony, the “Pathetique” should take precedence over the “Leningrad.” That said, the “Leningrad” isn’t bad and it offers a nice introduction for people not familiar with Shostakovich (though his 5th Symphony is still my favorite).

Symphony No. 7 in C major, Op. 60, “Leningrad” First Movement
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

From looking at the music here, Hamaguchi’s efforts yield a solid album through and through. There are a few issues that mostly crop up as a result of Aya Hirano’s inability to sing, but it’s not so bad as to ruin one’s listening experience. I wouldn’t go as far as to rate it higher than the ARIA piano albums, but it’s still really good and worth a listen as its excellent arrangements work well in capturing our favorite moments in Haruhi back when the show wasn’t looping endlessly.

Rating: Excellent

As part of a project that I’m currently working on and will reveal at a later date, I’ll occasionally be given the chance to talk to vocalists and composers who work in the anime industry. As such, this is a wonderful opportunity for all of you to submit any burning questions that you might have for people working in the industry. With that in mind, the first person I’ll be interviewing is Minori Chihara.

Minori Chihara is well-known for both her singing and voice acting, having done varied roles from the stoic Yuki Nagato in The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya to the more cynical (and caustic) Chiaki Minami in Minami-ke. She’s also had an impressive lineup of vocal music, including her latest solo single, the attention-grabbing Paradise Lost from Ga-Rei Zero as well as her latest compilation album titled Parade which includes songs from her Melty tale storage, Ameagari no Hana yo Sake, and Paradise Lost singles. Her live concert schedule also looks to be pretty busy this year since she’ll be making an appearance at DaiCon around mid-July of this year in Malaysia as well as a performance at Animelo Summer Live 2009-RE:BRIDGE- event. (Thanks to j1m0ne’s post for alerting me to all this)

Though this blog and my project focuses on anime music, don’t feel as though you should stick to those areas. Questions regarding her voice work on the myriad of anime series that she has worked on are all fair game.

Once I get her responses to your questions, I’ll post them, so ask away!

Review: Minori Chihara is well-known for voicing Yuki Nagato in The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and given how Yuki is a character who speaks in an emotionally void manner, it’s surprising to learn that Chihara herself has a fairly good singing voice. Anyone who has listened to or been to any Haruhi Suzumiya-related concerts can testify to that and it helps that her live concert performances surpass Aya Hirano’s performances by a considerable margin. With that in mind, Chihara’s latest single, titled Paradise Lost, is an enjoyable listen because of how the catchy melodies, especially the one on the eponymous track, grabs at your attention. Although there are moments where the generic-ness of the tracks rears its ugly head, on the whole, Paradise Lost manages to deliver a decent listening experience.

Of the two tracks, “Paradise Lost” is the most enjoyable as it starts off with an aggressive-sounding introduction carried by the electric guitars and a heavy synth beat that plays in the background. Once the introduction has caught the listener’s attention, the instruments back off at 0:19 so that Chihara can enter and lay the groundwork for what’s to come. In this section, she sounds almost alone since the only notable instrument backing her up is a piano and together, the two give off a lamenting vibe. The song builds up slightly by adding more background instruments into the mix until it reaches its climax at the 0:52 mark where the song fully springs into action. At this point, Chihara just lets loose emotionally and the effect that she generates is a mix of anger and desperation as though she’s struggling against some unknown force. Finally the catchy chorus section makes way for a less emotionally charged part that nevertheless feels as though it’s urging the listener to soldier on with the collective struggle. The melody continues to capture one’s attention and as the song comes closer to the end, the feeling of isolation grows especially around 3:40 where Chihara’s solo sounds like someone making a last stand before concluding with a reprise of the introduction. In sum, this track is packed full of energy borne about through Chihara’s excellent delivery on vocals which manage to keep the listener’s ear up to the very end.

The transition over to “Yuki no Kodou” is a bit more jarring since this song is much more peaceful and mellow than “Paradise Lost.” The violins ease the listener into the piece with its wistful melody before Chihara makes her entrance, starting with a low pitch that gives the song a mysterious vibe. There’s this feeling as though Chihara is wandering around in search of something and the buildup suggests that she’s closer to her goal. At 1:12, Chihara finally breaks out and becomes far more expressive with her singing as though she was no longer shackled by what she was looking for and that she’s ready to move on and explore new horizons. The overall mood is generally more content and less combative, which makes for a good contrast with “Paradise Lost” as it serves a mellow, if just a bit too generic, way to close out the album.

It’s really hard to find any specific faults because “Paradise Lost” has this sort of energy that lends itself well to an action series like Ga-Rei -Zero- and while “Yuki no Kodou” is somewhat bland, it does enough to keep my attention. When you compare to a lot of the other B-side tracks, it’s actually pretty good. The album on the whole generally lacks the emotional impact to make it a truly great work, but if you’re looking for some music that manages to convey action and excitement without drawing you too deeply into the melody or lyrics, Paradise Lost fits the bill in that respect.

Rating: Decent

Opening – Paradise Lost