Cross Over

cross over

This is a really funny PV for the Star Driver 1st ending theme. Didn’t expect the artist to be a girl group haha. But their dance is so silly, I gotta laugh at them. I do like the violins at the chorus and the melody is super catchy…

2011 winter anime by song

Anime 2011 Winter Season is just beginning and contrary to what I was expecting, there is quite a bit of anime I’m interested in and a lot of new theme songs that I actually enjoy for once!

Soufuu
Kimi ni Todoke Second Season

I really like this song just as much as the first season’s opening. It is very cute and light hearted reflecting the nature of the anime. Since I love the manga, and watched the first season, I am most definitely going to watch the second season as well. Can I just say Miyano Mamoru really shines as the character Kento. It’s like the character is him!

STRAIGHT JET
Infinite Stratos

The anime is another harem genre series with two tsunderes and two childhood friends (wtf?) Althought I’m not watching this series, I definitely like the opening! It’s Kuribayashi Menami afterall! The song reminds me a lot of the Mai-Hime opening theme Shining Days, which I thought was a really good upbeat pop song for an anime because it gave you a sense of adventure. Adventure that’s probably going to be misplaced in the anime.

Daydream Syndrome
Yumekui Merry

The opening has a Touhou feeling to it and I really like how it’s high paced and rather rhythmic. Really gets my blood running! Unfortunately, the opening sequence that goes along with it is average. The anime is kind of average too. /yawns

Destine Histoire
GOSICK

This is a pretty good song by itself. Although it’s kind of a generic pop song, it’s the kind I like. I especially like the chorus when the harmonization starts kicking in. Comments on the anime itself, it’s decent. The genre is mystery, which already makes it quite different then most of the other animes this season. Also, Victorique is the best anime character so far this season. SHE IS HILARIOUS AND ADORABLE! She’s the main reason I’m waiting for the third episode.

Connect
Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica

This song has good contrast between the lyrical sections and the upbeat chorus. The animation sequence that goes along with it is also pretty good as well on an animation level, and storyboard level. The anime is really trippy and quite dark despite it being a Mahou Shoujo and in comparison to Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanaho. I’m definitely going to keep up with this anime!

magica
Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica

Completely different from the opening theme, magica displays the rather trippy and dark overshadowing of this show. I am not joking about this anime being trippy. Just watch this fight scene for yourself. Of course, I would love this song immediately since it’s sung by Kalafina. It is a mix of the sound from Kara no Kyoukai and some of .Hack//SIGN’s vocal tracks.

Genjitsu to Iu Na no Kaibutsu to Tatakau Mono Tachi
Bakuman

This is the new ending to Bakuman. It just screams shounen from the animation to the actual song itself! It is the main reason why I like Bakuman. It’s essentially an anime adaptation of a manga about manga! Of course, since it’s running in shounen jump, it has to be a shounen manga, which just makes it that much more awesome! It’s fresh, it’s interesting, and fun to read/watch! I actually prefer the anime more because the manga is quite wordy for me. Easier for me to listen to the dialogue rather then read it.

Down by the Sally
Fractale

Really nice folk like tune for the ending of Fractale. I really like this anime because it is very much like the anime series back in 2000, where the stories and settings were unique and fresh. I have very high hopes for this series and, like Madoka, will definitely be following this series as well.

Memories Last
To Aru Majutsu no Index II

This ending theme is rather upbeat and pretty generic, but catchy enough for me to take note of it. I also thought the animation was quite nice in the ending sequence. I don’t watch this anime, so I kind of mistakened it for an opening!

Gundam 00 -Awakening of the Trailblazer-

I think what was lacking in the movie was the characterization of the ELS. By character, I mean, give them more substance or purpose than to be used as a way for Setsuna to save the world. This lack of character is easily seen by the non-existant one on one confrontations which would have given them more purpose. Even Descartes ended up not doing much before dying. All the writers did was just stick the theme on like a post-it. If the ELS were communicating via metal transformation, then what good does Setsuna being able to tell the difference do to the world and the ELS? Nothing! The fact that he understood seemed to be a good enough reason for the ELS to stop communicating with the humans and transfigure into a space flower. This also had no correlation with his desire to visit the ELS’ home. Some people are going to disagree with me, but I think that was the most disappointing aspects of the movie and what would have significantly made the movie better. They could have easily done a traditional Gundam movie and still have same character development and the same theme. If they wanted to pull of an alien threat movie, the writers would have needed to introduce the element more thoroughly. It’s a waste of a plot device if not otherwise.

The animation were merely an upgrade from Gundam SEED with multiple laser shots in various colours making the screen look like a double rainbow party. It was gorgeous but I would have prefered the high paced, interestingly cheographed action scenes from the first series. One of the more obvious comparison is when Lock-on activates trans-am on his Zabanya and begin’s targeting the ELS and then unleashing multiple lasers in the same fashion as the Freedom’s HiMat system. Even when the ELS transfigured into cruiser ships, none of the fancy cruiser driving skills or strategy involved in the television series were evident. Hard to believe when the Celestial Beings were only able to efficiently take action because of the creative executionsunorthadox strategies. In general, a significant amount of action was displaced in the movie, which was what made Gundam 00 originally the better Gundam series. Some of the action was even confusing! Especially from when Setsuna comes out in his Gundam 00 Qan[T] to when he makes it into the epicenter of the ELS. That entire section was purely laser spams everywhere.

The inapproriate insert song about forests and rivers while in the middle of a battle for survival was not appreciated at all. Sure it led into Setsuna’s dream sequence, but they could have at least had something with a more turbulent start since the song started with Andrei’s death. There are no songstress in Gundam 00, so there shouldn’t be vocal lyrics playing during the battle. It uneccessarily made it more Macross/Gundam SEED like, just to lighten up an atmosphere that shouldn’t be because the situation at hand was very grim.

This movie tries very hard to distinguish itself as something that is new, and traditional Gundam. Yet, instead of being a new progressive Gundam movie, it ends up straying away from the franchise. To sum this movie up, it is a terrible version of Eureka Seven; it would have been a Macross movie if there was a pink haired idol singer. I commend it for trying to be a thematic film, but if it’s going to create more plot holes and diffuse its strength, then they might as well have done a Gundam SEED movie instead. Especially since they announced that one first and has not announced anything new since.

Final Fantasy XIII Title Screen Theme

Final Fantasy XIII Title Screen Theme

Haro, Panda Army General back again. So this is the Final Fantasy 13 Title Screen music. Personally not too please with this, but I wanted to get it over with anyway. Its composed by Masashi Hamauzu, arrangement was done by someone I don’t know (so if this is your arrangement, spam me and I’ll credit you.) I think this piece would have been much better if the actual orchestra part, was orchestral. The piece just doesn’t seem to translate well on piano (or I just can’t figure out how to make it work. Failz.) So I hope you (whoever stalks my channel) enjoy it to some extent.

I don’t think I mentioned this yet but…FF13, good game. You should play it.

Tifa’s Theme

Tifa’s Theme

Finally recorded this excellent piece by Nobuo Uematsu, arranged by Shirou Hamaguchi.

I just want to say that I took many creative liberties with this piece. For example, for those of you who have listened to the version recorded on the Final Fantasy VII piano collection CD, you will notice that I’ve play it much faster. I felt that for someone like Tifa, a more skip like pace was necessary.

I do apologize if you can hear my pedalling through the recording. There isn’t much I could do about it because the mic was ON my piano this time. I was trying t see if I got better sound, which I did but with sacrifice.

Tsuki no Akari

Tsuki no Akari

This song is absolutely beautiful. I love the melancholic and almost exhausted feeling this song has. The vocals, done by Ida Emi, really capture that. It’s not powerful, yet not weak either. The simple piano melody definitely draws a picture of the night sky. It kind of reminds me of Chopin’s Nocturnes actaully. A sad lullaby maybe. Apparently this song made it into textbooks even, so I’m obviously not the only one who thinks it is pure art.

This song was originally called the Theme of Love but was then redone for the release of Final Fantasy IV on the DS, which by the way is a great game. Of course when listening to the recordings of songs with this title, it becomes more turbulent and surging. Much less mellow and stagnant.

Oh and while writting up this post, I found the longer version. Yata!

.Hack//G.U Desktop Theme [piano cover]

.Hack//G.U Desktop Theme

I recently finished twiddling with the microphone on my laptop, and this is the result. I apologize for the loud humming noise, that would be my laptop. I believe I have that figured out too, so next recording should be much cleaner.

This was played on a Yamaha P-85/85S keyboard. I would have liked to played this on a grand piano but what can you do when you’re a student?

Since this was a test to see if my microphone and audacity would work, the song was one of the easiest and fastest piece I could put together quickly enough that I didn’t have to waste too much time practicing it.

The next series of pieces I am currently revisiting and learning are Toki wa Kizamu Uta, Final Fantasy XIII Title Screen, Debussy Arabesque No. 1, and Chopin Waltz in E- Minor Op. posth.

The above was supposed to be my little description of the video, but I can’t tell if they actually put it in or not cause its only showing me the first sentence…failz.

Final Fantasy XIII update

Recently, the North American and European release date was announced…03.09.10 Only 5 more months!

My Hands by Leona Lewis

君がいるから by Sayuri Sugawara

They also announced the English theme song being “My Hands” by Leona Lewis. Someone I don’t know cause I don’t listen to Western pop music. The sad thing about this song is, its better than the Japanese theme song. Note that I did not say I liked either of them because I don’t. My problem with the Japanese theme is that the song itself is a bad song. Poor orchestration, poor vocals, poor lyrics, the music itself is just bad. The English song at least is better sung, and fits more with Final Fantasy in terms of fantasy like. My problem with the two songs is that its just too mainstream to fit in with Final Fantasy.

Based on the trailers, Final Fantasy 13 is set to be a dramatic, emotional roller coaster and judging by the two chosen theme songs, the ending is predicted to be a happy ending. Therefore, the Final Fantasy 13 theme should be one that is fanfare like instead of main stream love ballad.

One alternative choices I’ve come up with, both come from Tales of Legendia
My tales

I approve of this as the Final Fantasy 13. I mean the entire game is outrageously over the top, might as well put a cherry on top.

Rule

Rule

Rule, the Dragon Ball Evolution movie theme, by Ayumi Hamaski. The movie is set to be released on April 8, 2009. Interesting how they picked a Japanese singer, even though the movie is done by Hollywood. Oh well, pretty decent. I’m not hating it, but I’m not loving it either.