Yuuki Hiro: "The melody is ephemeral and pretty... It's distinctly self-centred, but this was my favourite tune. However, when I tried to sing it, it's complex like Teiou Sekai... (bitter laugh) However, I was able to describe his true feelings that he can't express in the drama.... I think."

My comments: Farfarello, is that you? This song is great because you can definitely hear when Yuuki's voice sounds like Omi's, but also when he sound more... well... evil. Disregarding the lyrics, this sounds like an end-of-concert crowdpleaser towards the end.

Download (iTunes format)
If expired: Download (iTunes format)



Perfect Fear
歌：優希比呂　（帝王世界）

( Japanese text )

Perfect Fear
Song: Yuuki Hiro (Teiou Sekai)

( Romaji )

"If you're the sort of person who cringes in pangs of sympathy when someone on a game show fails an obvious question, this is not the event report for you. Even now, when I think back to moments from it, I physically recoil in horror to the confusion of those around me. Although I enjoyed the event overall, reliving some details will not be a pleasant experience for either of us.

...

I wrote a few thoughts about "VUW" on the questionnaire as we were herded into the tiny room and they collected them from people who had already filled them out. Couldn’t express myself very well, since I was struck by a sudden rush of nerves and the fear knowledge that I was writing down something really, really stupid. Finally, in a decision that is completely inexplicable in retrospect, I circled ‘yes’ for the final two answers about whether I wanted to participate in the show or not. At the last minute, I added an apology for my bad Japanese.

...What could possibly go wrong?

If nothing else, I am a bleakly honest. :)

I haven't updated for a while now, sorry about that. You can read about some of the cooler things I've been doing up on my blog. Kawagoe Matsuri (Festival) was amazing and I have lots of pictures of dancing foxes. I also saw the movies Kaiji: Jinsei Gyakuten Game and Kamui Gaiden, both of which are based on manga. Not great films, but you might get a few laughs out of the reviews!

But the big news (for many people) is that I'm going to a Velvet Under World event in Akihabara today to celebrate the next batch of CDs. My ticket says only KENN and Toyonaga Toshiyuki will be there, but Koyasu Takehito pretty much HAS to show up too, right? Ticket also says there will be a talkshow and... a handing over of goods? Sounds intimidating.

Breakfast now. :)

The Velvet Under World site was updated! They have a summary of the next CD drama, but I don't have time to translate. But they do mention ( mild spoilers ).

Going to bed now.

Back from Tokyo Game Show! Read about it here: Tokyo Game Show 2009.

And I did send my Amusement Machine Show article to Blog Critics. Here's my blog link to it: Amusement Machine Show.

Went to Yoyogi for the Indian Festival today. Was fun, but tired now.

Finally! The epic Mt Fuji post is done with! You can read it here: http://spamfromjapan.com/2009/09/20/mount-fuji/

I didn't enjoy it at the time, but now I've decided it was amazing. :)

Now writing up my trip to the Amusement Machine Show and thinking about putting it on BlogCritics first to see if that increases traffic to my blog. But they want a headshot... Am I confident enough to put something like that out there on a public site...? Will keep writing it and will put it up on my own site regardless.

I just saw a poster in Animate for the latest Velvet Under World CDs. The drama title is "The Lovers" (so yeah, tarot cards, as we suspected). The image songs this time are by V, Noi, Teiou Sekai (yes!) and Nanatsume. Release date is Oct 31st.

Rather brief post, but I have to type every letter on my phone.

Post from mobile portal m.livejournal.com

The original Japanese uses hanzi with katakana, the romanisation uses the katakana reading to reflect how the singer pronounces it so you can sing along (with the exception of the title), while the English translation uses Pinyin. Hope that makes sense.
The title is a Chinese proverb.
Some of kanji have creative readings (onna/hito) and this isn't a mistake on my part. Except when it is. I'm now able to check this song against the CD, but that doesn't mean it's any more accurate.

"Yes My Lord" (Sebastian's Song) is here.

Lau's Song
"Shì Shàng Méi Yǒu Néng Zhì Hòu Huǐ De Yào"

( Kuromyu / Lau's Song / Shì Shàng Méi Yǒu Néng Zhì Hòu Huǐ De Yào / Romaji  )

   

Lau's Song
"Shì Shàng Méi Yǒu Néng Zhì Hòu Huǐ De Yào" (There's No Medicine For Regret In All The World)

( Kuromyu / Lau's Song / Shì Shàng Méi Yǒu Néng Zhì Hòu Huǐ De Yào / English translation )

   


劉　歌唱曲
「世上没有能治后悔的药」

( Kuromyu / Lau's Song / Shì Shàng Méi Yǒu Néng Zhì Hòu Huǐ De Yào / Japanese )

Poll #1453906 Reviews
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 35

When/why do you read movie reviews?

I'm wondering if I'm the only one that reads reviews AFTER seeing a movie. Might help me think more about what I'm doing for my own reviews too.

Started editing Fuji pictures after cutting around two hundred down to 37. Here's one I really liked. If you click on it, it'll take you to the largest size, which is computer wallpaper size.

( One view FROM Mt Fuji )

Sometimes it's okay to post stuff that's not an epic, well-written slice-of-my-life. I should learn that. So here's what's been going on in brief:

* I climbed Mt Fuji. It was harder than I expected. Blog post and photos to follow.

* I saw "The Good, The Bad and The Weird" in the cinema today. Fantastic action movie, possibly one of the best I've seen -- although there are so many other movies out I want to see, I would definitely be up for seeing it again. Highly recommended and it's obviously made for the American market as the credits are all in English, so it's probably already out on DVD. RENT IT NOW.

And more stuff from my blog:

The Path Through Nagasaki Cemetery.

Photos from the graveyard in Nagasaki. Someone liked it enough to Stumble it, so I'm happy about that.

The Saga Of The Man-Dress

What's a guy with an accidentally-acquired man-dress supposed to do?

Chocolate Gyouza

Recipe for chocolate gyouza.

Vegetable Kit-Kat

What does the newest Kit-Kat taste like?

Does anyone.... *clears throat* ANYONE REMEMBER HOW AWESOME YAMI NO MATSUEI WAS?

I rewatched the first episode just now (That would be the Nagasaki arc, where I just spent the weekend) and I'm going crazy about it. I said that it made Nagasaki seem magical and amazing, but what I didn't realise was that *every* *single* *location* really exists in Nagasaki. Also, Konoe asks Tsuzuki to buy castella, which was almost completely edited out of the fansubs I watched all those years ago. In fact, a lot of things were.

But wait, there's more...! I maded you a map!

Locations in Yami no Matsuei ep1

That's probably the sound of WAY TOO MUCH fannish effort being expended, but I had fun trying to remember where everything was.

Here's another view of Nagasaki (with some great photographs, even if I do say so myself!):

Spam From Japan: The Ruins of Gunkanjima

And a random post about Japanese words being used in English conversation:

Random Japanese words

Just back from Kyuushuu, where I saw the Obon Festival and YASHIMA. I've wanted to see Yashima for ages and although I wasn't able to set foot on the island, it was fabulous just seeing it from a boat. I'll be doing lots of posts on my blog with lots of pictures, I'm sure.

(Can anyone tell me how to put a music track over video footage without using Winmedia?)

Speaking of my blog, a new post: 20th Century Boys Part 1 Review

Now, onto all the anime news.

Durarara. I've been looking forward to this anime for a while. Not only is it an action-suspense set in Ikebukuro, one of the supporting cast is a foreign guy who isn't a blond American. Of course, I will take back that comment if it turns out he's one of the villains. Anyway, the cast has now been announced. Toyonaga Toshiyuki, Miyano Mamoru, Hanazawa Kana, Kamiya Hiroshi, Ono Daisuke and Fukuyama Jun are the seiyuu so far.

Arakawa Under The Bridge to be animated. I posted about this manga before. I really liked the first book, although the second one wasn't as good. While the first one set up the situation, the second one continued it and didn't go anywhere. None of the characters really evolved and it was merely a string of wacky incidents, whereas the first book went way beyond that. It had a good heart and was kinda anti-corporate Japan. I haven't bought any of the other manga in the series.

King of Thorn (Ibara no Ou). This looks really cool and the trailer & website are all in English, so it's no surprise they're going for an international release.

Finally, Dengeki Character Festival 2009 information.

I wrote a quick post on velvet_crack this afternoon having found unlinked character portraits on the official Velvet Under World site.

And more from my blog:

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

Probably the only G.I. Joe review that includes bacon. Also spoilers.

Paris Coffee

I was taken to a nice coffee place in Shibuya the other day. Photographs of scones included.

Hidden Eights

Most countries have organisations that declare this and that day to be "National X Day" and Japan is no exception. However, there's a lot of wordplay and numberplay in choosing the dates and this post tries to make sense of it using August 8th as an example.

Title: The Early Bird Gets The Worm (drabble)
Fandom: Velvet Under World
Characters belong to Velvet Kingdom, not me.

"What... are these? Who am I?" A.Y.A traced the tattoos with his forefinger. His alarm clock read 5:30am.

Fake stood in the doorway. No make-up today. Not even a hat. "Good morning, A.Y.A. Please have a quick look over those photos. Ignore the naked one of Velvet." Fake reached over and shoved it into his pocket.

A.Y.A stared. The photos showed murder, blood and deadly neckties.

"You, A.Y.A, are a murderer. A murderer with a giraffe fetish. And a Rubik's Cube addiction."

Pawn dashed into the room, hiding his laughter behind his hands. "And... And you're also a CROCODILE! KABOOM!"

***

Full summary of the CD drama here from athena8. Delighted to see it discussed on my flist!

---

Newest posts on my blog:

Six Legs Good, Eight Legs Bad (Warning: bug pictures)

Dance For The Dead

War Anime For Children

Monster Hunter 3 Snack

Tokyo Figure Show

You can subscribe at spamfromjapan.

The final part of my Velvet Under World uploads for now. The music videos! These looks so much like a real (albeit cheap) anime! I have plenty of theories about where VUW is going, so feel free to speculate with me.

Download here (.avi format)

Spoilers below.

( Thoughts )

Cast:

A.Y.A: Koyasu Takehito
VELVET: Shintani Ryouko
KURO: Suzumura Ken'ichi
DRY: KENN
PAWN: Toyonaga Toshiyuki
NOI: Maruyama Maki
GARAGARA: Saiga Mitsuki
MIWA: Tsuji Shinpachi
TEIOU SEKAI: Yuuki Hiro
Cabaret Girl A: Takada Hatsumi
Cabaret Girl B/Victim: Wada Michiru
Black Suit Guy: Kageura Daisuke

Ending Theme:

愛が生まれた日
歌／子安武人　作詞／秋本康　作曲／羽場仁志　編曲／西岡和哉

( VELVET UNDER WORLD: 愛が生まれた日 (ENDING THEME) // Japanese text )

Ai ga Umareta Hi (The Day Love Was Born)
Vocals: Koyasu Takehito // Lyrics: Akimoto Yasushi // Composition: Haba Hitoshi // Arrangement: Nishioka Kazuya

( VELVET UNDER WORLD: Ai ga Umareta Hi (ENDING THEME) // Romaji )

Download zip in iTunes (.m4a) format <-- Note format, please!

Thoughts:

( Spoilers )

So, which CD single did you like best so far?

Poll #1435238 Velvet Under World
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 20

Which single was your favourite?

Listening to the CD drama now and I can't wait to discuss it! There is some amazing stuff in here (I think). Feeling a bit sad though, because we'll never get a good translation of it and I can't be 100% sure I've heard what I think I've heard.

Koyasu said in his journal that for hints as to what's going on, you should listen to it more than two times. That's for native speakers. Wonder how many times for someone who doesn't understand every single sentence? Ten? More?

I liked this song... it sounds SO OLD SCHOOL WEISS, with perhaps a little input from Zazel. I thought it not very singable at first, but likable because of Koyasu's voice. The more I listen to it, the more singable it sounds.

Generally, I think Aya is singing about lost memories, while the other three characters are talking about deception and being fake. Coincidence?

ONE DAY
作詞・歌／子安武人　作・編曲／西岡和哉

( VELVET UNDER WORLD: ONE DAY (A.Y.A) // Japanese text )

ONE DAY
Lyrics/Vocals: Koyasu Takehito // Arrangement: Nishioka Kazuya

( VELVET UNDER WORLD: ONE DAY (A.Y.A) // Romaji )

Download zip in iTunes (.m4a) format <-- Note format, please!

I don't like this song nearly as much. It's not as singable and has some bizarre tempo changes. It's also the only one of the set not composed by Nishioka. Coincidence? It sounds like an image song from a 90's not-quite-BL CD drama or a weaker track from Tenimyu. Funny they seem to occupy the same musical space in my brain.

Going out to the local Awa Odori (a dance from Shikoku) now. Let me know in the comments whether you want AYA's track next or the CD drama. :)

Live and Let's Die
歌／豊永利行　作詞／相田毅　作・編曲／近藤圭一

( VELVET UNDER WORLD: Live and Let's Die (PAWN) // Japanese text )

Live and Let's Die
Vocals: Toyonaga Toshiyuki // Lyrics: Aida Takeshi // Arrangement: Kondou Keiichi

( VELVET UNDER WORLD: Live and Let's Die (PAWN) // Romaji )

Download zip in iTunes (.m4a) format <-- Note format, please!

The DVD music clip contains hints about DRY's back-story (I keep wanting to call him Kyou for some reason). One thing I realised upon viewing was that even if there is an announcement from Koyasu himself saying that AYA is not Fujimiya Aya, I will never believe it. This guy? Definitely the one from Weiss Kreuz, except older and with a dye job. There's no way it isn't. Hell, he's more like Aya than Aya in Gluhen. Hopefully you'll see what I mean once I rip the DVDs. I'm sure this isn't OFFICIALLY the case, but it's still true. :P

By the way, it was my DVD drive that was the problem. I'm watching the music clips on kuroe's computer and it's a matter of when he has the time to let me rip them.

This song sounds like me in karaoke attempting to sing a JRock song I can only half-remember. Or when it gets to 4am in an all-night session and we've run out of songs we know and so we put in a random Scandinavian death metal track and make up our own tune, while keeping up with the rhythm. Fun. If you're trying to sing along at home, pronounce 'labyrinth' as 'la-bi-rin-SU'.

Labyrinth
歌／KENN　作詞／近藤圭一＆林由姫　作・編曲／西岡和哉

( VELVET UNDER WORLD: Labyrinth (DRY) // Japanese text )

Labyrinth
Vocals: KENN // Lyrics: Kondou Keiichi & Hayashi Yuki // Arrangement: Nishioka Kazuya

( VELVET UNDER WORLD: Labyrinth (DRY) // Romaji )

Download zip in iTunes (.m4a) format <-- Note format, please!