I usually don’t attend concerts unless I am very familiar with a large body of the performer’s work, but seeing how I had decided to go to Anime Expo for all four days this time around, I decided to live a little.

Nirgilis was never big on my anime song radar – they did the odd theme here or there that I liked, but as far as I was concerned didn’t exist outside of those songs. I downloaded their discography hoping to get into them more, but not much of their work stood out for me. Despite this, I was curious to see if they could pique my interest more in a live setting.

The location was different too – the May’n and Nakajima Megumi concert last year was in the Nokia Theatre, while Nirgilis played on a smaller stage in Club Nokia.

The intro set the atmosphere right off the bat, and I knew I was in for a new experience. Inadera Yuki (the drummer) and Kurihara Minoru (the… mixer? the guy who played the samples/loops, etc.) came on stage first. It seemed more like a DJ performance as opposed to a J-Pop band (the music was primarily electronic-based too). There was even an intentionally over-the-top epic sample of Strauss’s “Also Sprach Zarathustra”.

When singer Iwata Acchu (yes, her first name is pronounced like a sneeze, she even poked fun at it herself) rushed onstage, the trio started off with Brand New Day, a catchy number that has grown on me a lot recently. Acchu wasn’t nearly as strong of a singer as she sounded on record, but her overflowing enthusiasm really got the audience going. That energy also made Kiseki, the opening for Birdy the Mighty Decode: 02, a fun song – while the actual recording dragged and was repetitive, the live version made me feel like dancing. Nirgilis then followed up with the cute and upbeat Koisuru Wakusei, one of their more obscure songs (took me ages of googling around to find out the title of the song) and I loved the bouncy “sekai wa happy day!” choruses.

Things slowed down for Snow Kiss, the first ending of D.Gray-man, which is the first song I had heard from them and is still my favorite. Strangely enough, Acchu’s vocal delivery on this one was her most solid one of the entire concert, and certain parts gave me the chills. The song itself is beautiful and the live version was even better. The next track was their most recent anime theme – Shiny Shiny, the ending for Deadman Wonderland. Like with Kiseki, Shiny Shiny was a slightly dull song that was transformed into something lively and catchy by the enthusiasm the trio put in. To top it off, Acchu directed the audience in moving their arms in a simple pattern for the opening lines in the choruses.

Picture taken from Shimaru’s review

The energy of the stage really kicked into high gear when they played Chk Chk Chk – if Acchu seemed hyper before, that was nothing. In this song, she was literally hopping around madly in circles. The song itself went on for longer than the other tracks and was a musical mess (with a million samples of god knows what looped) but a ridiculously fun mess. Highlight of this one would be Yuki moving away from her digital drumset and playing the cowbell. There was a bit of an interlude where Acchu initiated one of those “repeat after me” sessions while Minoru and Yuki continued to play – she ran through some popular anime that were pop culture icons even in America (such as Pokemon, Dragonball Z, One Piece, etc) and got the audience to chant “SEX! SEX! SEX ON THE BEACH!” afterwards, which was quite amusing :)

Nirgilis closed their set with Sakura from Eureka 7, their first anime hit. I was looking forward to this the most and it fell a bit short. Several samples played that were not present in the original – including one of C&C Music Factory’s “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)” that was just plain lol-worthy – made the song sound very disjointed. It was definitely a good DJ performance with the mixing but I prefer the untouched Sakura with the driving melody line – this version was solid, but it’s not my thing.

The crowd yelled for an encore. and Nirgilis did indeed come back on stage. They played their new song Chocolate, which sounded like it was taking a leaf out of Nakata Yasutaka’s book. Chocolate is very Perfume-esque, and I think this style suits Nirgilis very well. It was also my boyfriend’s favorite of the concert.

I remember Nirgilis had listed themselves a mash-up band but when I explored their recordings, I had thought, “what are they talking about? this is just plain ‘ol J-Pop!” However, that mash-up style with all the mixing and looping whatnot only works well live – their record label must have realized that and had them opt for a more clean-cut sound for their CDs. But I can’t deny that Nirgilis seem truly in their element jumping around performing to mixed and remixed renditions of their recordings. While I’m usually only satisfied with a concert if the vocal performance is up to par, Nirgilis changed my view on that. Acchu’s singing may have been flat more times than I can count, but the passion the trio put into their set was very contagious and mesmerizing. If I had a chance to see Nirgilis live again, I would definitely be up for it.

~ Yoruko

Nirgilis’s awesomeness will spread like a zombie infection… you can run, but you can’t hide…!

Currently swamped in a group final project for my summer class, so… sit tight, and I’ll post when I get a break or when the whole shebang is over.

~ Yoruko

(released June 16th, 2010)

1. 旅 ~My Own Road~ [Tabi ~My Own Road~]
2. I’m Yours
3. Lonely City
4. ばらの花 [Bara no Hana]
5. You Don’t Know
6. Spell Left Unspoken
7. Sea of Stars
8. Across the Universe

aozorafantasii’s debut indies mini-album. Her real name is Lisa Qin, a Chinese American who studied at UC Berkeley, and then went to Japan to pursue her dream of becoming a singer. From what I gather, she teaches English there, holds street lives, and continues to upload her original songs on YouTube. I’ve been a fan of her since 2008, so I’m excited to review an actual CD release of hers.

The album opens appropriately with Tabi ~My Own Road~, a song about starting off on a new journey. This was a song I loved from her pre-debut YouTube/MySpace days, and it’s a mellow acoustic song with a melody that doesn’t really “peak” anywhere but gives that feeling of walking or traveling through a quiet countryside. Lisa’s voice is smooth and calming, and the editing makes her sound clearer and more polished without any obnoxious auto-tuning. I have serious issues with the mixing though – the guitar sounds way too subdued and limp and lacks the character of her rough YouTube version.

I’m relieved at least the guitar part wasn’t murdered in her cover of Jason Mraz’s I’m Yours. I always feel a bit weird about artists covering songs sung by other genders since the lyrics might feel mismatched, but it’s not that bad here. Still, it’s not the most remarkable cover of a pop song. It’s pretty, but not something I’d listen to again and again. I feel like her voice is a bit too calm for this song, and drags a little.

Lonely City is a Lisa original that actually benefited greatly from the processing. The guitar sounds much livelier and more rhythmic. The harmonies in some parts are improved on as well. This song is one of my favorites from her, as I can identify with the lyrics sometimes – feeling of being lonely in a busy city. Another reason is probably because the verse melodies remind me a bit of the catchy pre-chorus from Hilary Duff’s “Wake Up”, but I digress. Lisa also sounds a lot more heartfelt in this version. Lonely City is a beautiful, simple song that doesn’t get boring no matter how many times I listen to it.

Next we have a cover of Quruli’s Bara no Hana. Having never heard of the original before, I checked it out before listening to Lisa’s version. The original sounds like those Japanese rock bands my friend Steven loves, and Lisa’s rendition caters more to my taste. While the accompaniment is a bit plain and only has acoustic guitar (I miss the repeating loop in the original), Lisa’s voice gives the song a more bittersweet touch, and I definitely prefer her voice for this melody.

You Don’t Know is probably the closest she can get to mainstream American pop (think the more acoustic-based artists, like Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat). It’s one of her originals that’s completely in English, and it’s a breezy song about crushes and not being able to confess. It’s got a pleasant rhythm that makes me feel like tapping my foot along, and would be a great summer track. Definitely better than her YouTube version, since it’s faster and more lighthearted.

I was rather surprised that Lisa decided to cover a Vocaloid song, but Spell Left Unspoken hit a bit of a sour note with me. Being rather fond of the cute Megurine Luka original, this stripped down version just doesn’t cut it for me. Lisa’s voice is pretty as usual, but that’s all there is to this song. The guitar is really weak just like in Tabi, and this cover doesn’t seem to carry any of the life that made the original so charming. At least add some piano (the piano line in the Luka original was one of the highlights of the song)?

I remember Sea of Stars being that one song that was a departure from Lisa’s usual style, as it ditches the guitar completely and goes for more of an R&B-inspired sound, and I thoroughly loved it. This revamped version is even better – a more solid beat that could make this song border on danceable, synths to mimic the sound of the ocean, and the piano line made more prominent. Lisa’s voice slips smoothly into this type of song without any trouble and she handles both lower and higher registers with ease. Definitely the high point of the album, and here’s to hoping she’ll make more songs like this someday!

The album closes with a cover of The Beatles’ Across the Universe. Nothing can touch the classic, but this is a very good interpretation. Lisa’s voice hits all the right spots for me in this one and the delivery overall is excellent. While I love the guitar riff the original opens with, the brief a capella entrance was great. Both melody and backing were performed cleanly, and I liked the relaxed summer evening feel this cover gave.

Final Thoughts: Lisa’s definitely got talent in both singing and songwriting, but I don’t think she’s ready to make her mark on the scene yet. This album reminds me very much of Gregory & the Hawk’s “In Your Dreams” album, as both contain songs that are very skeletal, but Lisa needs something that will help her stand out more. Her songs would definitely do better a bit fleshed out, and I really wish she had put more of her originals on this album instead of padding them out with covers – what happened to Rainy, Goodbye Song, Ameagari, etc…? There are several songs that I thought should have made the cut, but that’s a rant for another day.

Favorite Track(s): Lonely City and Sea of Stars by a long stretch, and maybe Bara no Hana. I’m on the fence with that one.

Overall Grade: B+

(released March 2nd, 2011)

1. Destin Histoire
2. 限りある世界で [Kagiri Aru Sekai de]
3. Destin Histoire (instrumental)
4. 限りある世界で (instrumental)

yoshiki*lisa’s debut single. The title track is the long-anticipated opening theme for the anime series GOSICK. I almost thought the singer was a rocker (along the lines of Cherryblossom) from her stage name, but it turns out that she was a former gravure model known as Yoshiki Risa.

I loved Destin Histoire the moment I heard it play while watching GOSICK, and the full version does not disappoint. The track starts off with a brief piano intro and the guitars come in. yoshiki*lisa’s voice is thin and risks sounding nasal but it’s pleasant enough. The song’s melody and composition are probably the true gem – it’s just a simple pop-rock backing with a clean nostalgic melody and there’s just the right amount of hope and sadness. The bridge section was lovely as well. Ah, I really miss anime songs like this. I also liked the random French bits thrown in the lyrics, my favorite being “La clef à verité” (key of truth)

Kagiru Aru Sekai de sounds like it would make a good ending song – it’s pretty much the more relaxed counterpart to Destin Histoire. It’s got similar accompaniment and I definitely like the singer’s voice a lot more in this one, since her vocal delivery is a lot clearer and she doesn’t sound as strained when she’s belting. Though the song isn’t as memorable and lacks the emotional impact as the first track, it’s still a solid B-side. Overall, a good debut single.

Overall Grade: A-

The song reminds me of why I got into anime music in the first place, it’s everything an anime opening should be. It’s hard to describe, but it’s got the whole lighthearted opening/”welcoming you” feel with a slightly sad undertone. The melody is catchy with a nostalgic tint to it. The singer’s voice is not particularly amazing, but it suits the song well.

This is going to become one of those anime “classics” on my iPod in the years to come, by that I mean a song that I’ll never get tired of, a perennial favorite. There was Younha’s Houkiboshi in 2005, supercell’s Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari in 2009, and I’m pretty sure Destin Histoire will snag the 2011 spot.

Download the TV size here if you stumble upon this post after YouTube deletes the video. You’ll need an account, but the site is free.

The full single for Destin Histoire is out March 2nd.

(released October 29th, 2008)

1. motto☆派手にね! [motto☆hade ni ne!]
2. シアワセサガシ [Shiawase Sagashi]
3. motto☆派手にね! (TV edit)
4. motto☆派手にね! (instrumental)

Tomatsu Haruka’s 2nd single. The title track is the opening song of the anime series Kannagi, in which Tomatsu also voices the lead character Nagi.

motto☆hade ni ne! opens with a brass band-esque intro and is a cheery pop number. Tomatsu’s voice sounds rather strained in several parts, but her energy seems to make up for it. The chorus is infectious and catchy, which doesn’t hurt. The only part that didn’t quite sit right with me was the awkward bridge section. Overall, this track tends to have a “stage song” feel and I would love to see it performed live (with real backup singers, instead of the cheesy tinny backup vocals here).  

I like the arrangement of Shiawase Sagashi much more, probably because it has a more organic sound. The same cheesy backup vocals from motto are still present, but this track is much more laid back. I feel like I’m taking a stroll through a park on a sunny day and a jazz band is lined up among the trees. Tomatsu’s singing in a cutesier voice here, but she doesn’t sound as forced, and I’m rather enjoying her “la la la” lines.

Finally, the single has the TV edit of motto☆hade ni ne!. It’s a decent cut, but I’m not sure I agree with just fading out with the vocal note at the end. It would have ended much better had the instrumentals played a bit after the chorus before fading out.

Favorite Track: Shiawase Sagashi

Overall Grade: B

And I’m pretty sure those of you who remember the song also associate it with the viral dance meme.  However, what interested me wasn’t the various dance covers (often featuring awkward lumbering otaku pretending to be Japanese schoolgirls) but the vocal covers. It’s not too hard to wave your arms and jump up and down like a bear on hot coals, but to sing the cutesy melody and chatter away adorably at the equally cutesy rap section… I was curious to see who could pull it off.

Unfortunately, sifting through YouTube for vocal covers of a popular anime song is akin to thrifting – you have to go through a bunch of garbage before finding a few gems.

Luckily for you, Yoruko has endured the countless wannabe-J-Pop idols shrieking in her Sony MDR-NC7′s so you can just sit back and enjoy these three wonderful Renai Circulation song covers of varying nature.

THIRD PLACE
HAN0N1viBritannia’s karaoke version

Props for actually doing the full version, most cover singers are usually too lazy and stop at TV-size. Her voice quality is like a softer rendition of Hanazawa’s, and while she isn’t a particularly strong singer and tends to mumble a bit, her adorable lisp has character. I just want to give that voice a tight hug :)

SECOND PLACE
Osamurai-san & acane_madder’s acoustic version

Osamurai-san plays the guitar and harmonica in this, with acane_madder on vocals and piano. acane’s pitched this down a little and given the song a gentler, wispier tone. I’m a sucker for acoustic renditions and I honestly didn’t think one of Renai would have worked, but this cover convinced me otherwise. The rap section was done beautifully, and the instrumentation is great.

FIRST PLACE
Male a capella version

This earns the gold medal due to sheer epicness. A male university a capella group covering this? So many things could have gone wrong, but they didn’t. The high voices are solid, and having the bass singers take the rap and chorus was an amusing spin on things. Also loved their vocal adaptation of the instrumentals. And you can’t forget their hilarious attempts to dance along. Viva otakus with good harmony!

Okay, so it’s mid-November already. I’m not dead, I promise! It’s just I needed to take this break so this semester would go well. It’s a crucial fifteen weeks that will decide the fate of the universe! (And I’m only partially kidding on this).

Music-wise, I’ve been getting reacquainted with Rurutia and Imogen Heap…I would love to see the latter live, but she’s touring the UK right now. Perhaps in the future she’ll grace the West Coast with her presence.

Anyhow, I came across this video a few weeks ago when I was actually looking up all the instruments Imogen Heap could play, and I must say I was very impressed. She’s not amazingly talented at every single one of them, but demonstrates adequate proficiency at most of them and is versatile and innovative about her instrumental use.

This video made me want learn how to play the array mbira, hang, and monome…

The live shown in the monome clip (her “First Train Home” performance on David Letterman) wasn’t the best quality, so check it out in its full glory here.

I’ll never forget my reaction the day kisekigurl asked me why I wasn’t going to Anime Expo since May’n & Nakajima Megumi were holding a concert there. In disbelief, I checked AX’s website, then proceeded to shriek and jump nearly high enough to hit the ceiling.

Having previously canceled my AX pass due to a lack of interest in attending, I re-booked and bought a concert ticket.

Thanks to a friend, I managed to secure spot C311, a ticket in the center section in the third row from the stage.

Concert report (and pics) after the cut.

The concert took place on July 2nd at LA Live’s Nokia Theater. It started a bit late, and lasted well over the hour and half it was originally planned for.

Disclaimer before I continue: Unless you were a press member, you were prohibited from taking photos. So all the images here are borrowed from Japanator.

When the stage finally darkened, there was an aggressive guitar intro playing from the speakers and as it built up, the lights went on to show two people standing on the stage. I thought it was May’n and Megumi at first, but it turned out to be May’n's backup dancers. There was no actual band (only a lone grand piano standing in the middle); most of the concert was done with the singers performing to karaoke tracks.

May’n was up first alone; the intro launched into a high energy-performance of Welcome to My FanClub’s Night!, which got the crowd going and me waving my glow stick like I was having spazz attacks. Northern Cross came next, and was another solid performance as well – May’n handled the rapid lyrics with precision and overall, she wasn’t her usual drama queen self. The melisma and vibrato was toned down, leaving a more clean cut and powerful delivery. Oh, her outfit was pretty awesome too. *kidnaps her vest*

She then introduced herself to the audience and told us how this was her first time in the United States, how she loved LA. May’n also made the “LA” sign with her hand! :D

Of course, this concert wasn’t complete without new song plugs. Next up was Universal Bunny from the Macross Frontier movie, my favorite May’n solo of the concert. I didn’t think much of the song when I first heard the mp3, but the live was stunning. May’n sounded all coy during the verses and let loose during the choruses. Plus, the dance moves were really cute, especially the part where May’n pretended to have a bunny tail. May’n☆Space was next, and I didn’t particularly care for this song since it’s a bit generic sounding to me. The next one was Kimi Shinitamou Koto Nakare, the catchy OP for Shangri-La. I was hoping she’d sing this, and I think she got me addicted to this track now.

Diamond Crevasse followed, and even with a tinny backing track, this live rendition was romantic and heartbreakingly gorgeous. The audience got back on their feet for Infinity, another fast-paced song, though I wish this had been done as a duet with Megumi. Iteza☆Gogo kuji don’t be late was another one of the highlights – the energy level was amazing, and fans shouted “motteke!” during the choruses.

It was about time for Megumi to enter the stage, and I heard her voice offstage open What ’bout my star?. I nearly went hoarse cheering for her when she walked on after a few lines. This was definitely the song where the audience did the most singing along to. Megumi was so adorable! Her outfit was a bit over the top, but I couldn’t believe that Nakajima Megumi was literally standing 60 feet away from me…

May’n left, and it was Megumi’s turn for her solo set. The upbeat Anata no Oto was up first. Megumi’s voice sounded a bit more cutesy than usual, and a little pinched, but I guess that was because she was just a bit nervous doing a concert outside of Japan. It’s still one of my favorites, though. I bounced up and down, singing along at the  “dokkun dokkun dokkun” parts. I screamed like a fangirl (causing the guy next to me to laugh) when Ninjin loves you yeah! followed. Megumi forgot the first line, but kept going. At the pauses, I joined a group of fans in yelling “Ranka!” like the audience in the Macross F Budokan Live did. The cutest part was when Megumi changed some of the song lyrics to English lines talking about how it was a long way from Japan, and how happy she was to be here. Fans of older Macross series cheered loudly when Watashi no Kare wa Pilot came up. Good energy on this one.

It was a bit of a letdown when she decided to sing Sunshine Girl, from her debut solo album. It’s a nice poppy number, but unmemorable. Sou da yo. from the Macross F Movie soothed my ears (the volume was turned up really loud in the Nokia Theater for the upbeat songs). Megumi sang Jellyfish no Kokuhaku from Kobato after, another treat. A beautiful duo of ballads. I was wondering at this point why she didn’t do her Macross F ballads, but I was in for a surprise later. Megumi teased us about the piano that was on the stage during her set – asking why it was there, walking up to it as if she were to play it, then stepping away and shrugging, “I don’t know…” while smiling.

Megumi then asked us the audience “will you do ‘kira~!’ with me?”, and I knew what we were in for. I cheered like a maniac for Seikan Hikou, almost doing the dance moves along with her. There was a deafening yell of “kira~!” from the audience before all the choruses…oh, I could die happy…

…and just when I thought it couldn’t get better, Megumi stalled in the middle of the song to announce the mystery guest that was mentioned a month ago. In English, she introduced none other but the amazing Kanno Yoko! What’s even better is that Kanno Yoko waved hi to the rest of the audience and then did the ‘kira~!’ pose herself!

After Seikan Hikou wrapped up, the acoustic set started. Megumi sang the beginning of Aimo a capella, then Kanno joined on piano. After Kanno’s improvising a little on the piano while bird calls played, the pair segued into Voices from Macross Plus. Breathtakingly beautiful, this was hands down the best ballad performance of the concert. Ao no Ether came next. It’s my favorite Megumi song overall, a sad song about parting, and I couldn’t stop mouthing along with the lyrics. Megumi did seem to be a bit tired and out of breath in some parts, but she finished strong with this one.

Ai, Oboete imasu ka? came after, and the audience got a pleasant surprise when May’n walked back on stage singing the chorus. I loved this version so much it gave me chills. The three then played Diamond Crevasse. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful…I’ve used that word too many times in this post, but there was no other way to describe this duet. I almost teared up during it.

Kanno left the stage and May’n and Megumi jumped into LION. The passion they put into this song, plus the presentation (they stood at mic stands like the live videos I’ve seen before instead of just using the wireless mics) was just girly badassery at its best. “Ikinokoritai, ikinokoritai…” I could not get enough of this one, and I was sad when it ended. I thought it was the concert closer, but some background music started up again…

…what better way to end than with a bang by singing the Fight on Stage version of Triangler? (Pity the mystery guest wasn’t Maaya, I would have loved to have the three of them sing together). And thus we bid the dueling songstresses adieu after a wonderful afternoon! I wished there was an encore, but I guess it was better to let Megumi rest after that day – she seemed really out of it due to jet lag.

I had no words after the concert – it had its off spots, but it was still amazing. Just the idea of seeing two singers I obsessed and fangirled over back in 2008…just having Nakajima Megumi close enough to perhaps even see my face in the audience (I was the girl in the white blouse with frilly sleeves madly waving a yellow glowstick! :D) was mind-boggling.

I was slightly disappointed that May’n didn’t do a piano acoustic of Yousei, and that Megumi left out After the Heart Rain and her solo version of nO limiT (both from Basquash!). Neko Nikki would have been nice too. But the fact that Kanno Yoko was there definitely made up for it. I felt completely starstruck, being able to see in person the musical genius behind all those Sakamoto Maaya works and Macross songs I loved…but it’s time to wrap up before my rambling gets out of hand~

And there’s no better parting shot than…

May the ‘kira~!’ become the new salute for the world! <3

Signing off,

~ Yoruko