The game plan stays the same: We feature two different recordings of the same song. Listen to both, and then vote for the song version you like the best. Feel free to leave me a comment, along with your vote. Our battles take place twice a month ~ on the 1st and 15th. The results come six days later ~ on the 7th and 21st. That's when I return, add all of the votes, including mine, and announce the winner. Feel free to return and see if your choice won!
If you would like to listen, and vote in other battles, please see the participant list in the right hand margin. If you would like to join this bi-monthly blog-event, visit the blog host, Stephen T. McCarthy. Leave him a message, and your blog address. We would love to have you participate.
On with the show! Some of you may be 'freaked out' by today's battle, but wait! I couldn't resist bringing the insanity.
Today I'm introducing 'Anime with Vocaloid music technology' translated into 'Live vocals with real instruments'.
'Anime' typically refers to cartoon type productions from Japan. The 'Vocaloid' process uses synthesizing technology with specially created vocals of voice actors or singers. To create a song, the user must input the melody and lyrics. A piano roll type interface is used to input the melody, and the lyrics can be entered on each note. The software can change the stress of the pronunciations, add effects such as vibrato, or change the dynamics and tone of the voice. Each Vocaloid is sold as "a singer in a box" designed to act as a replacement for an actual singer. This 'vocaloid' method is very popular in creating "anime' or Eastern cartoons,whereas, most cartoons in the West use a live person to create the voices of characters. (Think: Mel Blanc.)
Today's song choice: 'Senbonzakura' is Japanese Romanji for "Thousands of Cherry Blossoms." It is a 'anime vocaloid' produced by the group, Crypton Future Media. This production has generated over 6 million views, on various videos. It's quite popular. The actual song is a tribute to the WW2 and the 'NOW' modern, antiwar country, Japan. The lyric references to "ICBM" and "Raygun," supposedly bring it into the more modern era.The song talks about 'the 'guillotine,' referring to a type of spy execution group in WW2 that watched their own Japanese people. One of the versions offers an English translation. Lastly, this is not an anti-American song.
The main character of this song's anime is Hatsune Miku, (Japanese: 初音ミク?), sometimes referred to as Miku Hatsune, is a humanoid persona voiced by a singing synthesizer application developed by Crypton Future Media. Hatsune Miku is a 16-year-old girl with long, turquoise pigtails. She uses Yamaha Corporation's Vocaloid 2 and Vocaloid 3 singing synthesizing technologies. She also uses Crypton Future Media's Piapro Studio, a singing synthesizer VSTi Plugin. She was the second Vocaloid sold using the Vocaloid 2 engine, and the first Japanese Vocaloid to use the Japanese version of the Vocaloid 2 engine. Her voice is sampled from Japanese voice actress Saki Fujita. Hatsune Miku has performed at her concerts onstage as an animated projection.[1] The name of the character comes from merging the Japanese words for first (初 hatsu), sound (音 ne) and future (ミク miku[n 1]), thus meaning "the first sound from the future",[2] referring to her position as the first of Crypton's "Character Vocal Series."
Here's a link to the original Anime Vocaloid by Crypton Future Media's Piapro Studio. It is not a contender in this battle. Senbonzakura "One Thousand Cherry Trees"- Hatsune Miku It has an English translation - somewhat different than the version by the Wagakki Band.
Today's challenger's:
1 - Marasy (まらしぃ) is a producer and pianist who is well known in both Nico Nico Douga and YouTube for his piano covers of songs (his most popular reaching over 7,000,000 views), but he also has posted a few original VOCALOID works. This is a piano solo of the song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuXp0rzcZ6g
2 - Wagakki Band (和楽器バンド wagakki bando?) is a musical group from Japan. The shigin singer Yuko Suzuhana (elected Miss Nico Nama ニコ生 in 2011) and seven musicians fuse Vocaloid songs with wagakki (traditional Japanese musical instruments) and Western rock. They are currentlt touring the United States. Their debut concert in New York received rave reviews. This month they are in Texas. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_xTet06SUo&feature=youtu.be
Best wishes to FAE; she will be missed. This 'Anime with Vocaloid music technology' is fascinating stuff! The second version was a bit too frenetic for me. Please give my vote to the piano version.
ReplyDeleteMarasy throws a little jazz in with that tune on the piano. Great but simple version. Thank you, Deddie.
DeleteVote for Marasy.
Interesting concept. I've run across some of these anime videos but never stopped to listen. I do like the music.
ReplyDeleteThe choices you offer are difficult to choose between. The piano solo is excellent, but I prefer the bigger effect of the band, especially with the use of the traditional instruments. Wow! Exciting music.
My vote is for the second video--Wagakki Band
Arlee Bird
A to Z Challenge Co-host
Tossing It Out
I found it interesting about a year ago but wondered if it would make a decent battle topic.
DeleteBack in March the Anime version toured New York (Manhattan, actually), about a week before the live band - Wagakki arrived for their tour. Both have been well received.
Those instruments are something else. I'm glad you enjoyed both versions, Lee.
Vote for Wagakki Baand
I'm not big on piano pieces but I really dug the energy of the second one. It gets my vote.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Alex. There is a metal cover by the band called Scarlette, with four guitars. It's a trip. I'll link it below.
DeleteVote for Wagakki band.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qq_lF9kv-Nk
ReplyDelete第二のビデオは私の選択今日です。
(The second video is my choice today!)
Lady Cherdo...you're in the spirit of it huh?
Deleteどうもありがとうございました" - (Thank you very much!)
Vote for Wagakki Band
Dixie, Interesting BoTB! Simple pick for me. I really enjoyed the piano solo to the quick pace, confusing sound of the second. So, kindly give my vote to contender #1. I'm really sorry to learn Fae is leaving the meme she started. :( She'll always find arm opened wide to step back in where she left off. Have a bandtastic evening!
ReplyDeleteDrops of Jupiter #BoTB showdown
Cathy, I get what you're saying. I've been toying with this battle song for a long time. I'm pleased it has had good reception.
DeleteMarasy's piano is great. I'll log your vote for him!
I feel the same way about Fae :( but hope she'll be happy :).
Wow, what a crazy interesting battle Dixie! Thanks for introducing me to this new-to-me style. As for your contenders, I really enjoy piano and I especially like watching someone play piano so I very much appreciated the video. Please give my vote to the piano solo.
ReplyDeleteI liked the other version too but the piano just stole my heart...
Michele at Angels Bark
>>..." just stole my heart..."
DeleteMichele, that's the winning phrase! Your battle made me feel the same way... I couldn't resist Aaron Neville!
Vote for Marasy!
Very interesting and unique battle! I really enjoyed the energy of the second band, Wagakki Band. Please give my vote to them.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Mary
Jingle Jangle Jungle
Mary , you got it right... 'unique' is the word. To think it all started with me watching cartoons, which for Japanese viewers is 'Anime.' And the soundtracks flipped me out!
DeleteVote for Wagakki Band!
I wasn't sure I was going to like the second one when it started. It was a bit "hard" for my taste. So much going on. But, as it continued to play I grew to appreciate the talent of the musicians. Also, they played some instruments I'm not used to hearing, which was rather nice. By the end, I felt differently about it. Not saying it's my new favorite musical style of all-time;) But, well done Dixie. It's something these Americanized ears aren't used to hearing, so it takes some time to adjust to the new sound.
ReplyDeleteGive my vote to the second one. Probably not something I'll listen to on repeat any time soon, but I appreciate their musicianship.
Robin, I know. Last year after listening to a heavy metal battle at Lee's site, I walked away liking what I'd heard.
DeleteSome of your regular posts introduced me to Train, which is definitely a favorite group now!
Thank you for hearing it out!
Vote for Wagakki Band!
DIXIE POLKA ~
ReplyDeleteWow! This one was really "out there", even for an out-there-kinda-guy like me. I'm still not sure I understand the text. I thought I did, until I watched the videos. And then I figured that what the text said must not be how I perceived it.
At any rate, I LOVED the piano playing in the first recording (MARASY), and the Battle was over in the first 17 seconds of video #2. Or, to put it another way, it was over as soon as the singer started singing.
It looks like a competitive Battle with votes falling both ways. But mine was any easy vote for MARASY.
~ D-FensDogG
'Loyal American Underground'
~ D-FensDogG, you're absolutely right. Somehow I left out the "non-live" or the "memorex" links for the Vocaloid and the Anime. Big oops on my part!
DeleteToday's battle was all about the live performances of Marasy and the Wagakki Band. That means I'll throw them out there in the result post. Too bad I don't have my comment section able to accept and play links.
Marasy does a fine job with this song... almost sounds like a few jazz notes kicked in.
Vote for Marasy!
I must be getting old because I still have no clue what this vocalid is all about, even after you explained. And ironically enough my own son and niece have tried to explain it to me as well.
ReplyDeleteAh well, that's neither here nor there. As for the battle, I liked the piano version. It was easy to understand and entertaining. That's not to say I wasn't impressed by the second version, because I really was. Lot's going on, but performed very well. It also kind of had a Celtic feel to it. Or am I just crazy?
I think when it comes down to it, I have to side with who I was most impressed with and that distinction goes to the Wagakki Band.
素晴らしい音楽バトル
Jefffrey, I would have helped if I hadn't forgotten two sample links. I'll put them in the result post. That'll clear up the mud. Aynhow, you'll be a pro by the time I done. Ha!
DeleteThe Band appears to leave no stone untouched. I wish I knew all of the instrument names. Their energy is maddening, huh? Celtic - I'll go with that too... maybe it's the similarities of instruments from the two cultures.
Vote for Wagakki Band.
どうもありがとうございました" - (Thank you very much!)
How knowledgeable you are, Dixie Dear. I vote for Wagakki Band because I felt the excitement in the performance.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
Thank you, Janie. Some of their facial expressions crack me up.
DeleteThank you for your vote: Wagakki Band!
私のボートはホットドッグです
ReplyDeleteYeah, we don't know Japanese.
Another great, innovative battle. Every time we think you've done it all, you show us all something completely new. This was so fun. In the end, #2 is not a style that either of us care for, but #1 sounded fantastic. We both vote for that one.
あなたにハッピーセール！
DeleteYou did good!
Hmm, maybe i should call you 'The Piano Guys'? Ha! I'm glad you found this entertaining. Yes, that # 2 could probably blind ya. Thanks for playing.
Two for Marasy!
I vote for Wagakki. I like the energy and the traditional instruments with the newer...it was neat to listen to
ReplyDeleteI agree, Birgit! Crazy as the Wagakki Band seems, they do rock this song. I might like to see them in concert. Thank you, and I'm happy you enjoyed this battle.
DeleteVote for Wagakki Band!
I liked the first one best
ReplyDeleteThank you, Mike. Got you for Marasy.
DeleteWhoa, Dixie—this wasn't just fun, or innovative, but also educational! I know next to nothing of Anime, though I've heard of it, but all this bit about Vocaloid and how it's done was fascinating. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteAs to the music, it's no contest for me: Wagakki wins, hands down. Yes, the pianist did an awesome job, and he's obviously an accomplished musician, but this song just shines when you add the vocals—and the percussion, and the wind instruments. The merge between rock and traditional Japanese sounds really worked for me.
Exceptional battle. Exceptional.
Guilie @ Quiet Laughter
Thank you Guilie! Your battle have inspired me to step out on a limb. So have Lee's.
DeleteThe Result post will include a couple of links I needed to add to this battle, but it's just as well left out this time. It will be more intrigue. Hope you'll like that too.
Vote for Wagakki Band.