The Klassic Note Review – 2014.07 Issue 2

Hi guys, welcome back. Yes, the point I’m here at this time of the week also means I cannot stand the wait till the weekend until I talk about how wonderful Aki-neechan’s new single is. So let’s get started before I forget my opinions now, which MAY be overly biased. I’ll try not to, yeah?

音楽 The Klassic Note Review

Toyosaki Aki – Kanae Tamae [Single]

Limited Edition

Regular Edition

(Don’t ask me why it’s this style, but she really is trying to be cool. Those 80s-mafia style you know. “Big Sister” image?)

Origin: Well we’ve all known Aki-neechan for a long time, ever since this voice actress started her singing career five years ago. Ok, at least I knew. But then her songs have not failed to disappoint. So far I’ve only rejected like… less than five of her songs? Five of her total two albums full of songs? She continues to stay strong this year, and after the previous single in March (review is at the old site) she comes back with another single, this time more bolder and more adorable. It’s all about love, according to herself.

Yes, Aki-neechan. They both are love songs. I love them, and I love you too. xD (Can't help myself, must confess this sooner or later)
— Kaineng (@KlassicNote) July 10, 2014

(1) Kanae Tamae [Wish Come True]
This song proves to be promise from the start I heard it, because of its rock style in nature, back then when I heard the preview on her radio show. Until only recently then I got to hear from the PV (review is just the previous post) and noticed the song was overall pretty good. No overly decorated parts, and a solid rock tune, arranged by the infamous Theatre Brook (he’s a producer), as mentioned by her again. It’s really not bad, in my opinion.
Rating: 4 stars (Average)

(2) Tomato
What the single shows promise surprisingly (again) is the B-side, not the topic song. I was worried about it being a 5-minute song (problem is that longer songs “make more mistakes”) but this happy song, as mentioned by Aki-neechan (again) is really a great one, and the lyrics make a lot of sense in terms of love, like the English at the introduction is actually “Walking through life together”. Yeah. And the point that only the grandparents are mentioned means you just shouldn’t tell your parents about it, huh. Overall, the song makes of a happy, nice love song. And I like it. Actually I love it. And her, too.
Rating: 4 stars (Above Average)

Conclusion: If you loved Aki-neechan (she really would’ve made of a great sister), then you’ll love her even more after this single and the music video. If not, at least take the B-side. It sounds great, at least for a love song. Kudos to the composers who are, for once, trying NOT to spoil the songs! Yay!

~Kaineng, on the Klassic Note

[P.S.: Problem is the pre-order I’ve placed has come to a standstill. And it looks like it’ll take time before it will reach me, or even the forwarding service in Japan itself. The focus is that things are already stuck at the JAPANESE online store, which means I have little knowledge of what is happening. Really problematic, in my opinion. Well, worst is that I may have to cancel the pre-order to order from a familiar store like CDJapan or HMV Japan lor… *sob* Hope it doesn’t happen. *sob*]
[P.P.S.: Surprisingly for the B-side (2), the lyrics mention nothing of the title until one part, which is that ‘for you I’ll also eat the tomatoes that I hate’, which is not even 5% of all the words in the song. Also, translation on this page (this and the (1) song title) are not precisely accurate due to own translation knowledge plus Google Translate.]

The Music Video Review - Kanae Tamae

Instead of a review, this is more like fulfilling my own desires. But well that is the style of idol-based music videos. This time we're reviewing the music video of the new single from Toyosaki Aki-neechan (really officially calling her that liao) "Kanae Tamae".

In summary, this is a love song. Yes, and Aki-neechan mentioned it herself too. So this is supposedly one of the more bold song she has sung, but I like. The whole song is short and sweet too. That's why we're here. The video also focuses on showing love (at least in the letters L-O-V-E) and her, mainly. Shall we just get to the images to prove my point?

This is sooo her...

I could stare at her all day~

L-O-V-E! You should've seen the awesome animation...

Say cheese- NO I CAN'T!

IT'S YOU~~~
(Sorry but miwa is nothing, really.)

They (producers?) just want her to play around, huh...

Here's the full set: (not in order because Blogger is troublesome?)

Can you guys just excuse me while I just go wash my eyes due to prolonged staring at her INCREDIBLY ADORABLE FACE??!! Umph!

[P.S.: Status of her single is not going well. I have not seen it leave Japan, so review for it (unless I hear it first) may just come next week, along with SCANDAL. Hopefully. Just worried trying out a new online store poses a risk of all-or-nothing situation...]

[P.P.S.: Extras! (WARNING Large file size!)]

Wish I could do this to her- Hehe...

You see, that's why consideration can only be one-sided.

It gets problematic when it goes both ways...

The Revision: APoL Chapter 10 v2

As promised. To myself.

Chapter 10 v2

One down, one more to go. And... we'll see about the hiatus.

If you shop long enough, you'll know that marketing is a bitch.

Unless there is no market, in which case there will be no point in shopping, huh.

[P.S.: Doing up v2s for the latest of APoL chapters so to stop (probably) when my school semester starts. Yeah. We'll see about it.]

You know, there are so many things your parents don't want you to do.

It's different from "don't allow" though: Your parents may not want you to shower at midnight, but it's not disallowed...

[P.S.: Finally found a place to rant about such things. J-Pop at Twitter, everything else here.]

Some are willing to clamp themselves in between the platform and train doors, even If it means killing them.

Desperation? Competition? It's one of those things I'll never understand...

I want her (idol) to be my...:

Wife - She takes care of me
Girlfriend - I take care of her
Sibling - She takes care of me, I take care of her. Win-win.

I'm wearing a blue shirt and jeans for school this morning. What an outfit!

Makes me look like I'm strongly protesting against today. Monday blues.

The Entertainment News Week #27

Hey guys! Welcome back to the (weekly) Entertainment News, solely by my opinion! Well that is not important, but if you just came here once a week would be thrown off by the new site I’ve relocated earlier this week. Let’s start, shall we? It’s going to be short for this week…

アニメ
ANIME

Glasslip: The first show I watch to start this season of Anime. Being an Anime original many unknowns have to be clarified at the start of the show, but still dangling in front of me is the fact that what the couple both saw. Because it’s not shown in the show (I watched the front part like over 9000 times) I have no idea what it is, which is a problem with Anime originals. Well, for now I’ll just watch a few more episodes (some follow by the 3-episode rule) in order to see whether it is still watching. And the people are Random Curiosity is right:

“Like I’ve said before though, should this turn into a crap shoot there’s still ChouCho and nano.RIPE to listen to every week. Totally worth!” – Takaii @ Random Curiosity

And that’s half the reason why I came to watch this show. The other half is its potential as a good show. And I don’t agree that TARI TARI is bad at all. Read more at RC to find out more, yes?
Kuroshitsuji and Ao Haru Ride are coming next week, which the former I will watch and the latter I will after episode one. See if there’s a chance I’ll fall in love in Uchida Maaya-chan or not. Worried is the point it’s a Shoujo romance Anime, meaning guys are of the focus, which obviously will not appeal to me. Fingers crossed, and don’t try to throw spoilers at me.

漫画
MANGA

BLEACH: Well Urahara-sensei sure knows how to choose his time to come, but for now we should be seeing how the fight on the ground is going to proceed from here, ie. elimination of the remaining Sternritters. Sadly it’s not going to have an effect on the leader if they are all eliminated (unlike Voldermort), and we will be seeing a fight between Ichigo and Ishida. But that will take time. Hell a lot of time…

音楽
This Week on Klassic Note

Hmm not much for this week, if not for last week. So I had to do reviews for last week too, including sphere’s new album and NANO-MUGEN COMPILATION. Over the week have been fascinated by the songs I hear from the Ajikan compilation, mostly the first few, and listened to people like NICO Touches The Walls (recall three years ago “Matoryoshika”) and Good Morning America, which sounds and looks like SPYAIR in many ways (someone who loves to wear short pants is the bassist) than other. Interestingly I didn’t pick another song besides the topic song for sphere’s 4th album, as I’m generally disappointed in the new songs too.

This week is featuring miwa’s new single, and I thought I’ll be fully prepared to buy her single over the Internet… until I heard the B-side. That sucks, but the brass band version is so good I let my sis listen to it, making the topic song “Kimi ni Deaeta Kara” more impressionable than before.


That’s all, folks. Rather short for a weekly post, but it’ll get longer next week, so don’t worry. Next week also brings more new songs and shows, which deserve some looking forward to. Cya guys then, and until next time… I’ll post often. But not of Entertainment News, though.

[P.S.: To end, here’s a list of girls that clocked time on my phone as a wallpaper.

Aki-chan is the topic of the week, in my opinion. Or Aki-neechan, sooner or later…]

Don't ever try to negate whatever people say, even if they are wrong. You must understand them, even if it is not in your opinion.

Acknowledge and disagree, is what I do.

If your life sucks, then you just have to suck it up.
Because you have to suck it up in your life that sucks.

It's a cycle.

The Dream Record #1

Of course it’s not “number one”, but it shall be from here for easy counting. And also with previous dream accounts I shall do it in a similar way. Brackets mostly are comments or further information, and ambiguities in the account are assumed as unknown or forgotten. Any references will also be made in brackets so to see the link to my life, or yours.

“Everyone in the house is watching TV. I just received a package with a CD in it. (Typical isn’t it?) When I opened it it looks like a typical packaging in some retro booklet and design. I thought I was buying a single for theme song which is assumed here to be ‘My Sweet Shelter’, ending song for Anime ‘Bokura wa Minna Kawaisou’. However it ended up that the cover wrote things like ‘character song’ and ‘mini soundtrack’ (Ref: Nanana Vol.1 Special CD I listened yesterday) and ‘Komatsu’ in Japanese (Ref: Nisekoi character song which I did not listen to but did see it multiple times) written on it too. I flipped the whole CD and its contents and did not find any CD, which is weird. I also got confused with a bunch of CDs that are on the table, mostly my mother’s burnt discs.

Instead of continuing, I thought of a solution. I kept all the contents of the package and gave it a shake. I then heard distinctively the sound of the CD hitting the case, opened it and found out that it is clapped in between the booklet, which I did not touch. I told and showed my sister of the CD I got (like “Hey I got the Kawaisou ending song CD here”) but she is engrossed to the TV like the others and ignored me…”

That’s all, I guess. It’s not long, it’s rather confusing and may miss logic at some places, but that’s what a dream, or a dream account is going to be about. And seeing that I don’t immediately do up these after I wake up (ok almost), I guess it may be a little less accurate. Cya guys next time, and most likely it’s tomorrow for Entertainment News Weekly. Ciao~

[P.S.: So glad there’s something to write today, to honour my promise. Finally can heave a sigh of relief. Phew.]

[P.P.S.: I then noticed I don’t like to put pictures in my posts. Maybe I should start by putting one here. Or not.]

The Something I’m Missing

Hi guys. Well I promised to do up a post everyday, and since I cannot remember my dreams recently or maybe I can only remember it like for a few seconds after I’m awake, I shall talk more about my life.

As you may have seen the posts previously (mostly done from my phone), I’ve been out all day today.

THE ARRIVAL
My mother is back from three weeks with Europe, witnessing my cousin’s graduation in Cambridge (yes it’s THAT Cambridge) with my aunt. After just half a way seeing and talking to her again, I then noticed that I was missing something in life.

THE MOTIVATION
Did I just spoil myself with the words in the above line? No matter, I’ll just explain them anyway. And yes, it’s a motivation to do what I like, with the agreement of people around me. Apparently my mother is rather pessimistic, thinks differently of people her age, yet is very stubborn when it comes to agreeing what her children should be doing. I’m also not the only target: my sister also suffered quite a lot hearing from what she says.

THE SOMETHING
I’ll keep it short, which is that she not with me is something I’m missing in life. Over the weeks, house chores have to be shared amongst the three of us at home (plus my dad), and doing them plus the recent happenings in life (going for lectures) brings out the motivation to move in life. It’s like a momentum, I should say. Now maybe losing the momentum seeing that the mother is back, and furthermore with her teachings which do not align with most of the youth population of today, I may end up with what I am again back then when I’m still studying to pass the days.

Nevertheless, I’ll think of something. To be like my sis, perhaps. To break out of something I’m missing. Motivation and momentum to move in life. I guess it’s a good realisation before the reality happens when my parents would not be with me in the near future. Far, if I’m optimistic. Let’s see if this realisation will get me going. Like, for real.

You know when everyone is squeezing to get up one escalator when there's a flight of stairs beside it? That's like soccer.

Watch Anime, fetch mother from airport, or go for lecture?

How about all of the above? Today's going to be hell of a Friday...

The Klassic Note Review – 2014.07 Issue 1

I’m still thinking about how to do for this new site, so forgive me if things don’t look as aligned as the ones in the first few posts. And welcome to the new site to those who are still wondering where’s the real website.

音楽 The Klassic Note Review

Ikimonogakari – Rabusongu wa Tomaranai yo [Single]

Origin: We are all familiar with Ikimonogakari, for their many pop songs influence the Japanese music industry as a whole, aside from the idol groups that I rather not mention. Word of this single comes as early as the start of the year with the B-side “Niji” released as a digital single over iTunes. Six months later news finally arrived of the new single, signalling the start of their activity for the year.

(1) Rabusongu wa Tomaranai yo [Unstoppable Love Song]
(I chose to not change the Katakana to English in this case because it’s… not in English.)
Initial impressions of this song is not very high, but nevertheless it’s another great song as a whole. People have commented about the exclusion of the two other guys who are the composers for the group in the music video, but that is not really the point. It’s just another good song, and another way of remembering their efforts over the years. Romantic and straightforward, this song brings a direct message, if you ever think of what song to serenade to your partner. Hearing them with a new single is just great, and I’m so prepared, or to say I’ve already took out my wallet for their single already.
Rating: 4 stars (Average)

(2) Niji [Rainbow]
Since I’ve already heard this early this year, this also shows that I won’t have much of an opinion of this song, whether it’s through repeated listening or just because it’s a very good song. Lively and upbeat, their style flows through the entirety of this song, making it yet another addition to their song list. And mine too.
Rating: 4 stars (Average)

Conclusion: If you’re an Ikimono fan, you need to listen to this great single. If you’re not, they are good, so chance needs to be given to their pop style, especially it is what that fuels then over the years. Trust me, it’s a good single to listen to.

~Kaineng, on the Klassic Note

[P.S.: Will be doing up the CD review once I get my hands on it next week… perhaps. Aki-chan’s single of the same week will come by then, and hopefully I’ll be happy about the full songs then.]

The New Challenge

As you guys would've known, I'm starting my (possibly) final stage of my education: University. Of course there's more after that like learning to survive in the industry and learning to tame your life partner, but I'm not there yet. For now I'm hoping I can even survive the four years of learning in order to walk out with a piece of paper enough to get me a decent job.

THE NOTICE
(Did I just say I'm going to use "The" very often? Refer to the intro post)
Like a month ago, I received a phone interview. It's from the local university, and they asked me a lot of questions. Especially when it comes to knowledge, but little do they know doing such an interview and me in front of a computer with Internet is just making this rather dubious, but all in all I got in, mostly by luck.

THE FRESHMAN
The University is public, it's huge, and it's confusing. Even before starting I'm already lost in the location just by going for a medical examination. Nevertheless, I managed to got out, and getting out of house means I got updated with a hell lot more of social reality than what I knew like... 3 months ago.

THE REFRESHER COURSE
Currently running the refresher course for a week now, and I think I'm doing alright. I've decided to take things seriously this time so I hope it turns out well. I'm referring to my motivation and efforts through motivation, provided I can even get it to trigger yet. I will do my best, and it's about time I grew up with some real studying discipline.

So, I know it's going to be tough from here on, but I'll do my best. Don't worry; at least I'll do up the Entertainment News Weekly... weekly. Cya guys then, until next time... I'll try to get some Klassic Note reviews going for the month. You guys heard of the triple CD pre-ordering big thing in my Twitter?

And thus this starts the new phase of my life.

I didn't know blogging will take me THIS far in life. Whatever direction it may be.

[P.S.: To celebrate the renewal of my blog (again), I'll try to get at least a post every day until this weekend with Entertainment News for the week!! Yesh!!]

The Introduction

Hello, and welcome. If you came here because you were wanting to read something, you're at the right place. Or else... you're still welcome, and I hope this post will clarify most of the *nonsense* you see here.

THE STYLE
After much thinking and planning (which is like less than a week), I've came up with a new title and theme for the blog. Though still named "reports", they are more flexible, more like notes this time round in "Klassic Note". New labels are in, and title formats have changed. Posts that are really damn long in my opinion will also be highlighted in bold to give a summary of the post. Censorship is a must here, but vulgarities will be a minimal anyway (studies have shown such phrases occurring less than 2% of the previous blog), and I'm keeping this as general an audience rating as possible.

Do not believe that the "The" in almost every post is a typo, thank you. This time I'm keeping the title short, and the important things long. What that matters, in small doses. Or a huge dose if I'm blogging-deficient.

Also, announcements in this blog are going to be varied between posting officially in individual posts or slotted in the numerous posts I post every week. Since it's all over the place, I see no need to create a label for it too.


THE POSTSCRIPTS
I love to forget things. And I don't like to add them into it, because it doesn't feel like I'm talking to you. To make it more creative and random, P.S.-es are added, mostly at two, if I don't start forgetting at my age...

THE AUDIENCE
Less than often you may see another opinion. Of course that is also me, but it brings another perspective.

THE ACCENT
If you know where I am from, then you shouldn't mind the extra words I type in this blog. It's part of me, and where I am, yesh?

THE IMAGES
Mostly female voice actors in Anime, or sometimes Anime characters. It's all because there's this desperate man wanting someone to look at, and all the girls in the streets are shy. Or maybe it's just me.

THE VIDEOS
I don't upload videos, so I don't hold responsibility for all posted online videos here. If you can't find it, there is nothing much I can do. But for all videos I will leave a note close enough to reveal its source so you can still search it.

THE FINAL WORDS
Lastly, don't bother commenting. I am prone to criticism, and dislike it too, so if you do end up liking it, feel free to keep quiet and read. Otherwise, thank you for coming.

[P.S.: And if the mobile site looks bad it's because Blogger doesn't allow for editing mobile sites. They should consider it soon, considering my devotion to this service...]

The Klassic Note Review 2014.06 Issue 1: The (Neatest) Klassic Note Review

(This is an imported post. For the original post please refer to this link.)

“Neat, Neater, Neatest!” -Kaineng

Feels like I’m doing something like a video review of LG G3 here, but it’s Neat’s we’re talking about and… “third time’s the charm”, indeed.

音楽 The Klassic Note Review

Neat’s – MOA [Album]

(Apparently one of those album art which is same as the PV. Great!)
Origin: It’s this.

pic.twitter.com/2sKXUhwAVw
— Kaineng (@KlassicNote) May 31, 2014

The release live stream. Firstly it’s the news because I know her back then when she was in pop duo RYTHEM with YUKARI (now yucat), and that they decided to go both ways. Now on her third album, she decides to go free, focusing on creating the best impression “Neat’s world” (ニーツの世界) from the album songs down to the PV, and even the live stream, featuring a band. And if it’s not good, I won’t be here doing a review about it already. Let’s have a good talk about it shall we?
Oh in this review I also will be talking about the notable differences I hear from the studio versions (in the CD) compared to the live stream, and if it is done under a major music label. You’ll get what I mean later.

(“Above Average” is purely based on first impression, mainly from the live stream)

(1) MOA
Being the topic song for the album, this does not disappoint. Short yet lovely, this song does bring the start to her overall feel of her world and her album in general. The music video is also interestingly done, though seen with v~ery minor discrepancies (flinging her hair etc.) which can be treated as nothing. Personally liked this:

But you can also watch this:

Rating: 4 stars (Above Average)

(2) Gray no Mori [trans.: The Grey Forest]
Major differences between this and the live stream version is that it is more epic, more… boldly presented. Which is good, in my opinion, making me like this song more and more. If you also do not understand much of the lyrics like me, this song is so her style when she is active. And it’s a great song. Short, and sweet.
Rating: 4 stars (Above Average)

(3) Yuugure Record [trans.: Evening Record]
Honestly saying I’m impressed by the first few songs presented in the live stream, and don’t know why I didn’t pre-order back then already (especially when she told me to too) and had to wait until now. Strict rules, probably?

Okay, this may sound like an oldie if you only hear the introduction, but then the added chorus emphasis makes this song also more in depth in some way, though personally think it’s good without it too. The chorus is the focus point, because it’s that catchy, you may just miss this great song. Especially when it’s three minutes short.
Rating: 4 stars (Average)

(4) Tasogare ni Ame [trans.: Twilight Rain]
More emotional than simple, this song brings out the mood of the topic we know very much about: the rain. Neat’s has done quite a decent job to create the correct mood for this song too, slow-paced and simple (as like without any bridge in song format), and easy to listen to. The best song to listen now (in summer) is when you’re in a quiet air-con room at night. Really. The added effects in the studio version also bring out the better feel in the song, but makes me feel real spooky in the circumstances I tell you guys a sentence ago. Haha.
Rating: 4 stars (Average)

(5) Yoru no Iro [trans.: Colour of the Night]
Supposedly Neat’s favourite song in this list, this song has proven to be pretty great too. Problem here is I favour the live stream version because in the studio version the beat is greatly emphasised, making it sounds very electropop in this case. You’ll know why when I talk about the remix of this song in the last track of this album. Nevertheless, the melody is a great companion, and is already attached to me long before the album is out.
Rating: 4 stars (Above Average)

(6) Shinsekai [trans.: New World]
Recently the catch of my list after I reviewed the album yesterday, this song has a deep meaning into it, if for this song you focus on the lyrics… and then reference it to “Neat’s world” that she’s been talking about in the live stream. Also, if you are deterred by the introduction which somehow does not blend in with the melody, you’ll get it when you hear the whole song.

『あなたと世界を作れるなら私の全てを見せてあげる』 And thus the new world is formed. Listening to Neat's - Shinsekai — Kaineng (@KlassicNote) June 22, 2014

The tweet’s lyrics translate to (haha now then you know I typed those?):

“If I were to create the world with you
I’ll be able to show you my everything”

So simple, it makes you want to create a world with her too. Not that I’m implying anything. Oops is that an exhibition of tsundere?
Rating: 4 stars (Average)

(7) Umi [trans.: Sea]
There aren’t many times people would use a single world as a song title, but this is what it essentially; about the sea. The live stream version is more acoustic due to the other band members rotting from their toilet break (haha kudos to those who watched it), and the studio version is more dramatic, which somehow infects me to like this song more. More of the mood than the melody, but it’s a nice song, so why not?
Rating: 4 stars (Average)

(8) Sabaku no Scorpion [trans.: The Scorpion in the Desert]
Another song with a beat, this song is one with more of the beat than focused on its lyrics, which is very catchy and a great song to listen to. Though the song is long, the continuous beat of the song makes it of a active mood, and is one more nice tune created by Neat’s-san.
Rating: 4 stars (Average)

(9) Greatest Eden [trans. not needed]
Another song that caught my impression that time back in the live stream. Why? Because it’s grand, so grand it’s great. Thus the song title “Greatest Eden”, in my opinion, of course. Nevertheless, the song is a catch, and reminds me so much about Christmas, though at this time of year this is better than any Christmas carol. Sorry to any faith affected, but it’s just me speaking my mind…
Rating: 4 stars (Above Average)

(10) wonderland
One of the later considerations, maybe in order to be able to spend 3000 yen away with a reason. I know. I’m crying internally already.
Forgetting about that, this song also is in its own league, bearing the style that is Neat’s. Quiet and peaceful, it reminds one about the wonderland we live in, isn’t it? Simple in melody and in lyrics, which makes this a perfect song if you dislike everything from this list. But you don’t dislike after everything I’ve said, right~
Rating: 4 stars (Average)

(11) Climbers
Eh… this is the only song I “didn’t like”, or shall I say “haven’t grown attached to” at all. But in an opinion I guess this is also a well-done song though, not that I listen to it anyway. Sorry.
Rating: Not In List

(12) Yoru no Iro ~electro circus by Sunahara Yoshinori~
Not that I know the guy that remixed this song, but the extended remix also makes this a nice track to listen, probably even better than the studio version especially with me saying this many bad things about it.
Rating: Not In List, because Klassic Note don’t take remixes

Conclusion: This is AN ALBUM, people. I can already declare that an album making its way to my shelf is definitely the best of the year, and one to listen to. So if you like some indie pop out of major companies, grab your earphones and speakers, hit the play button and dive into the world that is Neat’s. You know, ニーツの世界-desu!

-Kaineng, on the Klassic Note

The Klassic Note Review 2014.05 Issue 1: Klassic Note Reviews x2!

(This is an imported post. For the original post please refer to this link.)

Since I made the title obvious, and most of you (if any) is waiting for this after reading Entertainment News Weekly, I shall start without delay, yeah?

音楽 The Klassic Note Review

fumika – Endless Road [Single]

(Simple cover, isn’t it?)

Origin: As you guys know, I’m not unfamiliar with fumika-san. Ever since listening to her debut single from Anime “BLEACH”, I’ve been following her on her new songs, with a breakthrough in 2012, where she sings the three-parter duo songs followed by her album, which created an impression, at least for me. Since her shift out of Sony Music Japan, she has been actively singing original and cover songs too, with this being an original production. Without cover songs. Her previous two songs are not the case.

(1) Endless Road
This song is about love, and more than that. It’s about happiness and bliss. Besides, the topic is about marriage anyway, shown in the PV. Nice song though, like I’ve not been hearing a good song from fumika in a while. Lyrics are also written in topic, with four seasons and reminiscing the past, making the songs more impressionable. Overall, this is a nice song, and it fully represents fumika’s style. And since she’s out of Sony Music Japan, a super-copyrighted label, means you can watch the PV on YouTube! My eyes tear up the first time I watched and sang to this. *sob*

If you tear up halfway through the song, so did I…

Rating: 4 stars (Solid Average)

(2) A~Yokatta
Don’t mind the looks of the song title, but the song itself is full of hype, and a feel of thankfulness is felt after receiving bliss and enjoying the happiness. I like this song too, as is concludes the single really well. Which really makes this single so complete. Makes me feel like I’ve reached another stage of my life, though not marriage, haha.
Rating: 4 stars (Average)

Verdict: Overall, it’s a good single. It’s complete, as I mentioned above in the two songs in it. And I’ve already placed an order, which… is not here yet. I’ll show fumika-san on Twitter when I got the copy. It’s the best proof that I do support artists I listen.
[P.S.: With “Endless Road” the song I also got fumika-san to follow me on Twitter. OMG.]

ALSO!

音楽 The Klassic Note Review

sphere – Kasuka na Hisoka na Tashika na Mirai [Single]

Anime Limited Edition

Limited Edition

Regular Edition

(I know about the title being in another format, but I shall stick to the consensus. Very typical covers though, and Nanana-chan seems to have twisted her arm…)

Origin: If you guys need me to introduce this voice actor idol group, then you’re insulting my unique taste in their works. Again they have tied up with another Anime “Ryuugajou Nanana no Maizoukin” which I do watch (not a bad show), impending for their upcoming FOURTH album after celebrating their 5th anniversary after debut. Again, this single is not a disappointment, and I’ve already prepared to press the order button when I finished listening to this release.

(1) Kasuka na Hisoka na Tashika na Mirai [(A) Faint, Scretive, Certain Future]
What’s almost awesome is from when I heard the Anime preview and radio previews before that, and overall the song lands in the typical Anison format, which is fine by my case. I personally favour a shorter song (as shorter song makes lesser mistakes and variations), but this is fine as it is. A very nice song to listen to, especially the chorus.
Rating: 4 stars (Anison-typical Average)

(2) synchronicity
I only knew of the title of the song and heard the preview of the song from Aki-chan’s radio show just three days ago, and I heard the full song yesterday already. With the song title’s creativity aligned with mine (refer to APoL cards for details LOL), this song is also creativity presented, in a wacky and somehow naughty way (with a slight dere theme?), typical of their songs. And I particularly liked the chorus, and again, this song turned out better than the A-side above. It’s not the first time this has happened, so I shall no dwell upon it. Personally like this song more than the Anison, and primarily the reason why I would bother to go Sony Music Shop to get the special gift AGAIN.
Rating: 4 stars (Above Average)

Verdict: If it’s not good it wouldn’t even make it here. This is another good single from sphere. And I like it. PV-wise… I haven’t seen it yet, so… But overall it’s good, and Klassic Note is about listening, so I guess the video is not important?

-Kaineng, on the Klassic Note


That’s all, folks. Until the next time… if I get the two singles within next week then I’ll talk about it again? Meanwhile I’ll moan about the dreadful reality that I don’t live in Japan…

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The Klassic Note Review 2014.04 Issue 1: The April Klassic Note Review Special

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Yahoo~ I’m here, means that… yesh.

It’s here! Both at the same time! SCANDAL and Mina-chan’s new single! Let’s start with the reviews shall we? *satisfied smile*
This segment shall be more specific than usual, as I’ll dive into two main points:

1) The Review (of course, with everything in the format you’re familiar with) (or not)
2) The Packaging (how it came to me, and what are inside!)

First…

音楽 The Klassic Note Review

SCANDAL – Departure [Single]

Limited Edition Type A

Limited Edition Type B

Regular Edition

(Honestly, all the covers are very intriguing and interesting to look at…)

Origin: We all should not be unfamiliar with SCANDAL – the girls’ rock band which took the world down from where they started, in Japan just a few years ago. Now they are standing strong, removing all the composers who have helped them on their way to write songs by themselves! All the more I should support them, and yes their first self-composed single (I did not say ‘first composition’ here) does not disappoint, bearing their style and is very nice a listen.

1) Departure
Hmm I thought it would be an emotional song, but it somehow wasn’t. First impressions from their PV does not make me go right into it, but listening to the lyrics and a few more times make me feel for the song itself, as it talks about something simple – Farewell. And MAMI-chan, who is the composer AND lyricist of this very song, has done quite a good job conveying the song. From past experiences of her compositions (that Dobon song, and their previous album “STANDARD”) I didn’t believe she could do this well. Also, backed up by great producers, I guess this song is a nice one to listen. And I love it when I say that they “took the world down”, because an advantage of being renowned worldwide means…

… You don’t have to wait any longer! Their MV is legitimately online! ONLINE!!
Rating: 4 stars (More Than Just Average)

2) Rainy
Truly the band’s production after I found out when I was listening to the CD and reading the booklet (hehe), the band came together to bring us a lively yet simple song, about rain, which I guess many have talked about too. RINA-chan’s in charge of lyrics here this time, and her honest style of writing also makes this song catchy to listen to. When I heard the preview I felt it had a very similar style to garage rock song “LOVE SURVIVE” they sang years ago, but this has its own unique style too. Good job! And definitely worth a listen!
Rating: 4 stars (Average)

Conclusion: Overall, this single is actually rather impressive. Coming a long way for them, this time is truly their works in the making, and I’m here to support them by listening to them, and also grabbing a copy. Looking forward to their own album already…

AND NOT FORGETTING….

音楽 The Klassic Note Review

Kotobuki Minako – Believe x [Single]

Limited Edition

Regular Edition

(I love the Limited Edition the first time I saw it. Why is it such a big difference between the two versions anyway??)

Origin: Months after they mentioned about the new style Mina-chan is taking to be dance rock, they reverted (or her, probably) back to the good old rock Mina-chan sounds nice with, and this is impressive, like the others. At first hesitant as I hear the previews, but foreseeing it to be a good single I still had the urge to support her by grabbing a copy of the wonderful single.

1) Believe x
(*the ‘x’ here is read as ‘cross’, according to Mina-chan herself, and that is a reference to her first single, ‘Shiny+’ with the ‘plus’)
I tell you, if she needs another song to show how lively and wonderful she is singing songs, this is it. Lively, active, yet not forgetting that she likes to look back at life and anticipate the future ahead. The lyrics say so, and from her the topic this time round is “Back to Origins”, even though mentioning that she ‘doesn’t have a glorious past’ to look back at. And yes, this song proves pretty much everything. If you liked her songs till now, this is not one to be missed. PV-wise… got confused with the shoes at first, then looking at the lyrics made me understand the intention. Well, I guess this kind of PV with Mina-chan anything goes huh…
Rating: 4 stars (Above Average)


2) Kousaten
Hesitant at Yesh this is the one that (almost) stopped me from getting her single. But I gave in in the end, apparently. It wasn’t disappointing, maybe because I’m in the mood for it? Simple, yet emotional. And yeah, the lyrics central around the fact about seeing crossroads in life, as Mina-chan would like, and I would feel for it with. Yet again, such an emotional song is created by none other than Hoshimura Mai, who you of course would remember where she contributed lyrics for Mina-chan’s album song “Tsuki no Hikari”, this time comes down to write a whole song for her. I liked it so much that so much so I spent a night to research on the current artist status of Hoshimura-san, who is still active and about singing her own songs. Back to Mina-chan, I guess this suits her best, but singing it can be quite a task, I suppose. Coupled with the light piano instrumentals in the intro and ending, this is going to be another song I’d like to see in her live someday.
Rating: 4 stars (Above Average)

Overall: In conclusion, I guess Mina-chan has yet another great single to treasure again. Thrown off by previous releases of the same company (sorry Tomacchan I had to mention you here) this (and Aki-chan’s) is a release to admire. Sh*t I’m tearing up again… If you’re a fan, do give a listen. Nothing’s more compared to a great song from Mina-chan. She and rock make a great combination. (It maybe just my opinion after all. Besides, anyone goes well with rock… right?)


THE PACKAGE
Okay, now that I’ve done the reviews, let’s talk about what is inside. I don’t buy Limited Editions for those idiots who still think that I do buy all like those other idiots out there, but I do know what they contain. SCANDAL first. With every first press of any edition of the single comes with a B3-size poster, with specific shops to specific members of the band as cover:

Unless you buy from anywhere else which only give a B2-size advertising poster (which I got last year for Awanai… that single), this time round comes with specific gifts. But then, it took me some time to get to listen to both songs before deciding on getting it, so that leaves me without TOMOMI.

“Since TOMOMI is out of stock, I went for RINA.” –Kaineng

Also included is a sticker set of all the members, which I think is rather good. Even better than the poster. Haha.

Let's see if you remember all of them again!
(From top-left, clockwise) That's MAMI, HARUNA, TOMOMI and RINA-chan~

For Mina-chan, every purchase of first press Regular Edition gets you a digipak, and for those who do not know how it looks like or what is inside, it basically ditches the usual jewel case style (please go Wiki if you still don’t understand ok?) for a simpler and cleaner way of keeping a disc. Really. I’ve seen what happens if you miss the first press release.

Of course, with all of the releases of Mina-chan, every purchase of first press of any edition comes with a bromide photo of her. Of course, who doesn’t want her anyway, isn’t it? And for me I kindly offered my cash to Sony Music Shop, by far the most direct and official way I buy something from a store online.
 
I definitely enjoyed the fun inside. Thanks Sony Music Shop. Also the reason why I got so far to get the single is because it’s the only one I’ve liked so far, amongst the others. The gift. Hehe.
(Not showing real one for copyright purposes??) (Wait, did I post this before??) (Oh I didn’t. Must be at Twitter)


I guess that’s all the fun I will get this month. Next month brings sphere’s new single, and quite a few Anime songs, so we’ll see about sphere. You should also know that I do not buy Anime songs due to many reasons (which I will not bore you with), so… we shall see. Next time guys! Until then… don’t start stealing the images here. They are taken just purely in the name of interest, ok?

The Klassic Note Review 2014.03 Issue 2: Latest From Shelf To Shelf

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Hi guys. Yep I didn’t have to wait long, not longer than today, at least. IT’S HERE!!!

I swear I got too excited from taking it, and forgot about posting it up on the official Twitter. If you came here from Twitter, you’re probably on the right track. Let’s start shall we?

THE KLASSIC NOTE REVIEW

(Audience: Huh still following this format?) (Then you think what?)

音楽 The Klassic Note Review

Toyosaki Aki – Delight [Single]

Limited Edition

Regular Edition

Origin: Aki-chan has been one of my personal (not recommended) favourites ever since she started singing in Anime “K-ON!”. But she has came a long way. This is already her 10th single ever since her debut in October ‘09, and she’s still going strong. With her regular cast of various notable composers supporting her release including Rie fu (yeah…) and vocaloid composer sasakure.UK, she sure is getting the best out of her career.

(1) Delight
Hmm… initial impressions are alright, but kinda deterred by the lyrics, like “SOS” sounds weird to me, and the unusually high pitched notes in some parts of the song. But then listening to the lyrics make you understand that this is a wonderful song about farewell, to welcome spring, which you guys should know is not far in front of us. Composed by someone who I’ve at least heard her write for Aki-chan once is Tamurapan-san (it’s her stage name, and the song is from the 2nd album “Patapa”), who does write decent melodies with relaxing style of music, which is shown in the song. And I like the song, because it’s a soft song of farewell.

You know something? I thought for once when looking at the title that Aki-chan maybe going for her wildest single yet. I’m terribly wrong…
Rating: 4 stars (Average) (Pretty damn good)

(2) Osanpo no Uta
Eh those who don’t desire to go back or even recall your childhood please stop here. Because this song is definitely only audible for kids under elementary school. Nevertheless, the simple folk-song style melody does make the song sweet yet catchy to listen to, especially with Aki-chan at the vocals. Reminds me of Yui in K-ON!, when she was a kid. This must be her theme song back then, haha. Not recommended for matured audiences, but it’s worth a listen. Surprisingly, what I heard on the radio preview is the same as the full song as it’s a little short over 2 minutes.
Rating: 4 stars (Average) (Delightfully cute)

Conclusion: If you liked Aki-chan, I bet you are one of those bastards who took the pre-order from somewhere in which the special gift I wanted to get. Or else, if you don’t mind Aki-chan’s irresistably cute voice and her average singing, please give the songs a listen. The composers at least did a good job doing up the songs. *silence* That’s as far as I can convince you guys to listen, I guess.

AS IF AKI-CHAN IS NOT ENOUGH!
(Audience: Must it be like this every time?)

THE KLASSIC NOTE REVIEW
Horie Yui – The World’s End
Haha. Link is above. I don’t wish to type twice. Lucky I checked it beforehand.

The source? This time it’s TOWER RECORDS (Oops I guess no one bothers about this then. I’ll keep it short), and it’s as troublesome as Animate Online Shop. No EMS, and the packaging is as un-protective as ever. Let’s say it’s “basic” instead of “minimal”, huh. Besides, the gifts are making me happy already (haha), so I guess that doesn’t matter…

I guess that’s all. If you wonder why I took a few hours before doing this up, it’s because I’m enjoying playing SimCity. OFFLINE. I’m not 伍佰 anyway; I don’t enjoy playing ONLINE…

[P.S.: News of Mina-chan’s new single sure spread far and well, if you guys don’t know yet. It’s “Believe x”, confirmed from the official website, and the jacket artwork if out. If it’s like her first single, I don’t mind. I see familiar names in the composition too, like Hoshimura Mai, who impressed me with a BLEACH ending and one song from Mina-chan’s first album, This, is going to be something to look forward to.]

The Klassic Note Review 2014.03 Issue 1

(This is an imported post. For the original post please refer to this link.)

Today we have two, one (supposedly) released this week and the other… well I just listened to the CD a few days ago. So shall we?

音楽 The Klassic Note Review

Satou Satomi – Mirai Night [Single]

Limited Edition

Regular Edition

(Always remember I only possess the Regular Edition because… put in short, it’s too high a price to pay and DVDs are not widely standardised from where I come from) (Which means I’m clearly not from Japan or anywhere near it)

Origin: News appeared as early as three months ago from its release, in December last year where Satomi-chan proudly released her artist debut as a singer! Congrats for her during that time, and her debut live performance is (really) times better off Kana-chan when she had hers two years ago. But anyway, it’s a lively rock band that she wants to create on her singing career, thus her effort of waiting this long (after reading many reliable sources) to start and how she intends to start guitar learning in order to show us her dream on her own live in the near future. Probably a year later, I suppose…
(I can write longer from where she was singing in K-ON! as Ricchan, but I guess that’s a little far…)

(1) Mirai Night [Future Night]
As the title suggests, this is definitely a lively and simple rock piece to listen to, and I swear I took a liking to it (and her) the first time I heard it. I guess that’s what everyone wants to listen in a song, and this has everything. Lyrics also mean something too, with the inaccurate English sung by her is definitely not as important as her expressing this song in a positive light. PV-wise… it’s for you to decide. Though it’s not the considering factor to listening to this though: It’s rather unnecessary too… It’s pretty good on its own. Simple and upbeat: just how you guys would also like it.
Rating: 4 stars (Above Average)

(2) Brave Morning!
This… apparently is more of a cheerleading song than a rock song, but also has the rock style. And listening to it makes me think this song is not as bad as the first one too. Why the title? That I don’t really know, but from what I read online sources lead to the song written the morning of her debut performance as a singer, thus the inspiration, and this upbeat style. It also carries the band rock that Satomi-chan wants in, but put in a little more cheers in between. Overall, a very lively song, and not losing to Tomacchan in this case.
Rating: 4 stars (Average)

Conclusion: If you like her, you’ll like her song. Because from singing upbeat character songs in Anime, this is another fresh approach but this time, she is serious about it. Like all-out band, and her playing the guitar –sort of thing. And this single represents everything in it. I personally think this is great, but as the best this year… If you guys know my ranking standards yanaginagi would win her by one track here… Not my point. DO give her a listen if you like upbeat songs, as this has a little of everything: pop, rock and a little cheer.

~Kaineng, on the Klassic Note

ALSO!

音楽 The Klassic Note Review

Horie Yui – The World’s End [Single]

(If you want me to put the hearts in you've got another thing coming)

Limited Edition

Regular Edition

(What is SOOOOO interesting about the Limited Edition is IN it’s music video, where clues are in to access a website with a code that lets you in to solve a mystery within the 5-minute video. Unique, but unfortunately I don’t get it, so…)

Origin: If it’s Anime songs you know well then Hocchan barely needs any introduction. Sequel to her first set of theme songs given to the Anime “Golden Time”, this is so referred to the theme songs for the ‘2-cour’ Anime length (ie. second half), as hearing from the songs. Unfortunately, this gets plenty of Anime boost, which is mostly negative in many cases. Let me tell you why below. Really, the first set of theme songs (last year) did better than this…

(1) The World’s End
How to say this… Eh… It’s very different? Yeah, I guess. No wonder they took so long just to release this. They (production) probably don’t know how to make this into a full song too, haha. Turns out they did, and come out trumps, as I guess this is the most counter-intuitive song I guess I hear from such a cute voice, but that goes to show listening to Anime songs gives a certain level of uncertainty from what you may be hearing, and from the start this has not been good. Upon close inspection things to rather surface, but nonetheless the style of this song is rather rough on the outstanding-character side, similar to what she acts on the show as Kaga Kouko, a rich lady who is possessive of her lover. (Oops spoilers for those who haven’t watched?) The PV gives another side to this song’s impression, as a mystery surrounds the house, apparently not a crime, but about a black cat and… pretty much everything else I don’t understand, but doesn’t seem to look like love already. I don’t know how to put a clear verdict to this, but if this isn’t your taste, you should very well turn away. Or else, give creative/restricted songs a chance, yes?
Rating: 4 stars (Average) (Anything higher would be ridiculous)

(2) Haneikyuuteki ni Aishite yo [Loving (You) Semi-Permanently]
I initially hoped for this song to turn the tides to the impression of this single, but… I guess the composers wrecked this completely, huh. Reading till here, if you guys don’t intend to hear this single, then you can stop reading here. Comparing to her previous single “Golden Time” it consists of two short (rather short) songs written short and simple, yet impressive. In this case, it seems that dragging the song and bringing out the mood of the song seems to be the focus here, as I catch the little familiar melodies as much as I can to make it feel like I’m hearing a nice song. You know, this could well be a short 3-minute song, but I guess the first two minutes are so deliberate I start to feel I’m being an idiot listening to it. But no, I’m not giving it 3-stars just because it has a good melody. Just… just… production problem, just like the show itself initially. Go read the comments online. I don’t even want to comment on it anymore…
Rating: 4 stars (Below Average) (Anything lower I won’t even pre-order this)

Conclusion: Eh… Can I don’t give one? If you liked Hocchan ever since she was 20 or if you watch the Anime, please give this a listen by all means. Or else, leave it alone. Unless you like to test your endurance of brainwashing (which I apparently did) while listening to songs that are in imperfection. Period.

~Kaineng, on the Klassic Note


Been rather moody these days. I know I should’ve gotten this out like… Monday. I’ll get better, hopefully. When I see my future has some direction. Not miwa. Not VELTPUNCH. Not SPECIAL OTHERS. No music would help that for now. Until next time, people.