Translations
Going on Holiday and Important Note -- Sunday, December 19, 2004, 08:29 a.m.
I just wanted to let everyone know that I'm going on holiday this week to visit my family, so if you send me any mail between now and the weekend, I won't be able to get to it until I get back. And since I won't get a chance to post again before Christmas, I want to wish everyone Happy Holidays. ^.^
I also wanted to mention, because I know everyone is worried, and because there has been a lot of talk about Klaha's reasons for closing down his fan club: I've been searching for information on Japanese sites, and I'm afraid noone knows exactly what is going on, and there is no further information since what I last posted worth mentioning. I want to remind everyone that the information I've been posting is secondhand, and even his Japanese fans who read his FC site don't fully know what is going on.
Klaha has always seemed to me as being a rather private person, so this doesn't really surprise me. I realize it's causing a lot of worry not knowing what's going on. I myself would really like to be assured that he is okay. ;.; However, since we don't really know what's going on, I would like to ask everyone to please not go speculating publically about what could be wrong with him, because speculation can turn into rumor, and that only makes things seem worse and causes a lot of unnecessary worry to other fans.
I apologize if by sharing what I translated I caused all of this. It wasn't my intention at all, and I feel very bad about it. ;.;
Translation: Fool's Mate May 2003 Live Report of Akasaka Blitz -- Wednesday, December 1, 2004, 04:20 p.m.
Well, I've got a bunch of things I'm finishing up, but I'm going to put them out one at at time. ^.^;;; This live report doesn't really say as much about his new live songs as I would like it to, but it does still give a general impression of what went on.
In particular, I found the interviewer's comments about his guitar playing, and the live in general interesting. However, I can't neccessarily say that without a margin of chagrin. ^.^;;;;
Oh! And look up to your left at the menu panel, and you may notice a link to an RSS feed for the blog! I also put in a button for My Yahoo! users to add it easily to their start page. I got a request for this some time ago, and I finally sat down the other night and figured out how to implement it. Easier that I expected. 6.6 Hope someone will find it useful, as I realize I sometimes update infrequently. ^.^;;;
Updates, a Live Report, and Lyrics for Taiyou no Ori -- Sunday, November 28, 2004, 09:06 p.m.
I've spent most of this afternoon working at various parts of my secret Klaha project. ^.^ And in the process of digging up old material and putting it into place, I made some updates to my translations list. In particular, I've got a live report that an overseas fan sent me some time back, and I never got around to putting it up on my site. >.< Check it out!
I also got this in my comments section from Mae, who was very kind in doing some research for me on the question of whether the name Klaha did indeed have any relation in mythology to the south wind:
Hello Minna san!! According to Lucy Aspra (especialist in angeles) the info is correct. It is the original message and the traduction:
Hello Rosalνa:
Indeed, according to the Ozar Midrashim II, Klaha is one of the many guardian angels of the portals of the Wind of the South. Visit our page www.lacasadelosangeles.com.mx...
"Hola Rosalνa:
Efectivamente, de acuerdo al Ozar Midrashim II, Klaha es uno de los muchos αngeles guardianes de los portales del Viento del Sur. Visita nuestra pαgina www.lacasadelosangeles.com.mx... Lucy Aspra" (the page is in spanish)
Very interesting! And what good timing too! She posted that just as I was finishing my translation of Taiyou no Ori for Lejun, so I guess this entry is themed around Klaha's status as a deity. XD
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sora ni ukabeta yume no kakera ga akuma no mushi-tachi ni kuwarenai you ni tooku made wa ikenaide me wo korashite mite iru CORONA no yurikago ni yurarenagara |
So that the fragments of dreams floating in the sky Will not be eaten away by pesky bugs, I cannot go very far; I strain my eyes and keep watching, Rocking in the cradle of the sun's corona |
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eien ni korogaru tenkyuu wo nagame uchuu ni samayou hoshi-kuzu wo atsume subete no inochi(KANJI: seimei) no negai mimamoru koto ga kono na no shita ni umareta unmei da to shitte iru |
I gaze out at the celestial sphere as it rolls into eternity, And collect the stardust that floats in the heavens; I know that watching over the wishes of all life, Is the destiny of one born under this name |
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my name is Apollonius taiyou no moushi-ko ikusen no toki wo kakete kibou no hi(KANJI: honou) wo moyashi-tsutsukeru shakunetsu no sekai de umare boku wa ikiru taiyou no ori de |
my name is Apollonius The heavenly child of the sun(2) A thousand years may swiftly pass, yet I will keep alive the flame of hope; I was born into the blazing world, and I am a living solar cell... |
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eien no kodoku to hiki-kae ni shite te ni shita jikan wa kagiri naku tsutsuku subete no inochi(KANJI: seimei) no negai tayasanu you ni hi no kona wo matou uma ni matagari sora wo kakeru |
In exchange for an eternity of loneliness, The time that I have been given will continue on into infinity; So that the wishes of all life will not be extinguished, I straddle my horse clad in sparks and race across the sky |
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taiyou ga hanatsu hikari no PRISM ni madowasarete ochite ita itazura na yokubou wo mitsumete atarashii yume no kakera wo taisetsu ni sodatte 'you |
I gaze upon tantalizing desires that have fallen, Meandering through the prism of light cast by the sun; From them I shall carefully cultivate the fragments of new dreams |
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my name is Apollonius taiyou no moushi-ko ikusen no toki wo kakete kibou no hi(KANJI: honou) wo moyashi-tsutsukeru shakunetsu no sekai de umare boku wa ikiru taiyou no ori de |
my name is Apollonius The heavenly child of the sun A thousand years may swiftly pass, yet I will keep alive the flame of hope; I was born into the blazing world, and I am a living solar cell... |
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(1) I use a bit of poetic license with this title to give it a play on words. The correct word for 'solar cell' in Japanese is 'taiyou denchi', and I suppose a more exact title for this would be "Prison of Sunlight", but his references to fragments and prisms make me think of a true solar cell. Humor me here. ^.^;; |
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(2) Apollonius is :not: a name for the god Apollo, but a very common name for Greek men, who were often given names after their father or patron ("pater" which means "father") god. So as he says in this line, "I am the heavenly son of Apollo". However, later in the song, he also says "I straddle my horse clad in sparks and race across the sky", describing himself as though he were Apollo himself, racing his daily circuit across the sky in his chariot of fire. I'm not sure if he noticed this incongruity, or if he was simply taking a bit of poetic license himself. 6.6 |
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Tidbits -- Wednesday, November 17, 2004, 04:35 p.m.
It's been a fun yet busy week, but I wanted to share with you a couple of things. First a translation of the message that went with Private Eyes 2 from the old klahainfo site. I really liked this little section, but was too busy working on bigger things to fix it up until now. I'd like to think that even if Klaha does retire to private life, he will spend every day enjoying the quiet time on his balcony just like in this message:
[cobalt]
My daily routine lately has been to wake up in the morning, and after a little while, gaze up at the blue sky from my balcony. I think there are those who might imagine me as an old man by doing this, but I don't just put my hand on my hip and gulp down my milk in one swig, but I stare off into space and concentrate. This is my obsession. Clearing my head is pleasant, and whenever I get up and it is raining, I am very dissapointed. So if anyone knows how to go about clearing one's head on a rainy day, please tell me.
Also, I got this in a letter from a person who wished to remain anonymous. Publically, Klaha has stated that his name has no meaning, and he just chose it for the sound, but I thought it was very interesting.
A few months ago, at a library, I came across a book on angels. It was a few weeks after I had bought 'Nostal lab' and, on a whim, I looked up 'klaha' in the index, and I found the name! The description was very short:
Klaha is a servant of the the South Wind--an obscure,lesser angel in Levantine mythology. I don't know if anyone else has found this. I've looked for the book again, but haven't been able to find it.
If anyone can verify this information, both I and the person submitting would appreciate it.
Klaha Fan Package Project: Further Details -- Thursday, November 11, 2004, 04:30 p.m.
Aion has volunteered to head up the project to send Klaha a fan package. The details are on her site. Please read the instructions carefully, and note again that the deadline is December 1st to get your packages in.
For those interested in sending him a message in Japanese, I've created the following that you can cut and paste into the website mail form, or copy onto paper to include with your fanart/gift/etc. Your browser will need Japanese support installed to view the characters.
¨εΙ m ΅ΔΎ³’ n
"Please take care of your self" (the part inside the braces is optional, but sounds more polite)
Klaha³ρΜΘπ·©ΉΔ’½Ύ’Δ θͺΖ²ΐ’ά΅½B
"Thank you very much for giving us your music."
¨³CΙΘιlΙ
"I hope you'll feel better soon."
²υπFΑΔ’ά·
"I'm praying for your swift recovery."
Klaha³ρͺεD«Ε·
"We love you, Klaha"
I will also be willing to translate a short message if you want to say something else, provided that you don't send it to me at the absolute last minute. ^.^;;
Klaha Fan Support Project -- Thursday, November 4, 2004, 03:54 p.m.
Amasanin has started up a project to gather together fan works, such as fan art, cards, and such, or small gifts, and send them all to Klaha in one big package while we still have time. Please see the forum discussion for details.
Also, because I know that a number of people would like to send him email messages or packages on their own as well, I have instructions for doing so if you will visit the FAQ page.
Important News: Klaha Closes his Fan Club -- Tuesday, November 2, 2004, 08:55 a.m.
It appears that Klaha has updated his member website, with some very, very sad news. Amasanin mentioned it on Scape this morning, and I got the scoop from Klaha Syndrome. I'm sorry I can't get to the orginal fan club message to translate, but here's a translation of what was said on the BBS.
From Syuka Matsumoto:
It looks like Klaha's fan club is going to be shut down.
It seems his physical condition (also mentally) is not very sound.
In the previous from Klaha he wrote something about his health not being good, so for these past 4 months of silence, I've been very, very worried. I wondered if he was alright.
The closure of the fan club is dissapointing, but I don't want him to push himself. Because I will always be waiting for him.
I don't want him to think that he is causing the fans any trouble.
Because, thanks to Klaha's very existance in this world, I have happiness.
I honestly. honestly don't want him to push himself. Because I love Klaha.
I send Klaha an email a little while ago. I told him please not to force himself.
Reply from red:
The future isn't isn't totally bleak, so I will wait anxiously. I wonder, will we be able to see him in 2005....
I can honestly say I echo all of Matsumoto-san's feelings exactly. ;.; I ernestly pray that Klaha will be well and happy, even if it means that we will lose him as a performer. Because I also love him, like my own family. Thank you for everything, Klaha.
Translation - scape ~with transparent wings~ -- Thursday, October 28, 2004, 11:19 a.m.
Well, I found limited internet access, but not enough to check around all my usual places. I am, however, getting a lot done on translations while I'm gone, so expect a bunch of stuff finally posted when I return. :D
Lejun requested that I translate a couple of the songs from Nostal Lab that his site is missing, so here is my version of scape ~with transparent wings~, which is the first sung by Klaha I ever heard. Ah, nostalgia...
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mienai tsubasa ga boku no senaka ni atte tobitatsu sekai wo itsu mo sagashite ita kodoku to itami ni torawareru dare ka wo yami no fuchi kara tsuredashite mamoritai |
There are unseen wings upon my back, and I fly forth, forever searching the world; I want to snatch someone imprisoned by pain and loneliness From the depths of the darkness and protect them with my wings |
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kokoro (KANJI: shinri) ni sukuu wazuka na ori ni kimi wa itsu made mo daki-tomerareta mama donna ni sakende mo koe ga dasenai? kurami no fuchi de namida wo nagashite 'ru |
You have always been held down by The shallow dross that haunts your mind; No matter how you cry out, is your voice still silent? In the depths of the darkness, your tears are flowing |
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you're like a scape goat, be addicted to the endless sea hikari tojishita mama |
you're like a scape goat, be addicted to the endless sea Forever shut off from the light |
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kienai kusari de kimi wo tsunagu mamono wa mayoi no naka ni umare-deta maboroshii mienai tsubasa wo ima kimi ni ageru yo dakara sashi-dasu kono te ni ki-tsuite just with the wings |
The beast that holds you with unyielding chains(1) Is a phantom created in the midst of your confusion I will give you now unseen wings So, heed the hand I'm reaching out to you just with the wings |
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and you'll be changed zujou ni mau hane ni te wo kazasu toki (KANJI: shunkan) |
and you'll be changed The moment you reach out your hand to the feathers fluttering down from overhead |
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you're like an angel, that has a new dream in the light of day hikari sashi-komu asa |
you're like an angel, that has a new dream in the light of day The light breaks through in the morning |
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"ryoute ni sukui-kirenai hane ga kimi wo tsutsumi karada ni tokete yuku...mirai ga me-sameru" |
"The feathers endlessly drifting around your hands will enfold you, And fuse into your body....The future will awaken" |
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kienai kusari de kimi wo tsunagu mamono wa mayoi no naka ni umare-deta maboroshii mienai tsubasa wo ima kimi ni ageru yo dakara sashi-dasu kono te ni ki-tsuite just with the wings |
The beast that holds you with unyielding chains Is a phantom created in the midst of your confusion I will give you now unseen wings So, heed the hand I'm reaching out to you just with the wings |
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kienai kusari hodoite you'll fly up with the wind |
Throw off the unyielding chains you'll fly up with the wind |
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(1) "kienai" literally means to "not dissapear", and Klaha is playing with words here, as it is the opposite of "mienai"/to "not see". "kienai" means in this instance to "not lose/get rid of", so I chose "unyielding" to parallel "unseen". There is another double usage with the verb "sukuu", but I gave up on trying to imitate it. >.< |
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Vacation -- Friday, October 22, 2004, 09:30 p.m.
This is just to let you know i'll be gone for the next two weeks to visit family. I'll try to have more stuff ready and translated when I return. Until then, if anything happens, I'll try to check in, but probably won't be able to post about it until my return.
Setsubou up for Auction -- Tuesday, October 5, 2004, 01:09 a.m.
Hey, if anyone else is interested and hasn't managed to find a copy of Setsubou yet, there's currently a copy of it up for bid on eBay. Just thought I'd point it out, because I know there are still some out there after all this time who weren't able to purchase it.
Translation - Hekiya no Hate Lyrics -- Friday, October 1, 2004, 12:49 a.m.
I've had these sitting around almost finished for a while, then Lejun reminded me tonight that I hadn't put them up yet. Honestly sorry. :bright red: This has to be my absolute favorite song lyrics-wise, and I really wish I had gotten it up later. Combined with the music, it really is a great song.
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tsumetai kokoro no hate....itsu kara ka nuki-dasezu yubi mo ashi mo koori-tsuki totemo ja naku itai n' da dakedomo semari-kuru sugata naki yami ga kono tamashii wo motomete yuganda te wo sashi-noberu |
The cold horizon of my heart... Unable to get beyond it for as long as I can remember, My hands and feet are frozen together; the pain is unspeakable, Yet, the approaching formless darkness Reaches out a gnarled hand, grasping for my soul |
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mou kore ijou nigeba mo nai koto ki-tsuite iru kedo ugokenai mama de |
I've already figured out that there Isn't even a place beyond this that I can run to But if I remain motionless... |
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moshi mo kogoeru kono tamashii ni ichi-ru no hikari sasu naraba dou ka atari wo terashite okure honto wa mitsuketai mono ga aru n' da |
If one ray of light could Pierce into this frozen soul, Somehow illuminate this place for me Honestly, there is something I want to find |
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nugi-sutete hokorobita kutsu wo te ni totte mita sabi-tsuita daichi wa hadashi de wa arukenai miwatashite wa miru kedo michi-shirube mo naku nido to samenai yume no you ni hotsureta toki no naka |
My shoes are falling apart, and I have tried To take them off and carry them I cannot walk this rusted earth barefoot; I scan the distance, but Without a roadsign, Like being a dream from which I will never awaken, I am disconnected from all sense of time |
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kurushimi no ato ni umareta kotoba yo itsu ka dare ka wo sukuu tame ni hibike |
O, words that were born from the scars of pain, Resound for the sake of someday saving someone else |
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moshimo kogoeru kono tamashii ni ichi-ru no hikari sasu naraba dou ka atari wo terashite okure honto wa mitsuketai mono ga aru n' da |
If one ray of light could Pierce into this frozen soul, Somehow illuminate this place for me; Honestly, there is something I want to find |
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nibi-iro iwahada sou... hekiya no hate sakamaku zetsubou kodama suru sakebi ga ima...kagayaite |
The blueish-grey rocky surface, yes.. At the horizon of the wildlands A cry echoing above the roaring [waves of] despair, now...shine! |
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moshimo kogoeru kono tamashii no ichi-ru no negai kanau nara dou ka koko kara hanashite okure mada owarenai wake ga aru n' da |
If I could be granted one ray of hope In this frozen soul, Somehow free me from this place; There is a reason that this cannot be the end |
Translation of Klaha's Appearance in Fan Road Magazine (06/2003) -- Saturday, September 18, 2004, 10:59 a.m.
Wow, I finished the scanlation part of this back in August. :beet red: I had to leave town for a couple of weeks on a family emergency, and I had intended to put this up before I left, but I had trouble formatting the page (basically, it was displaying on the server as a bunch of garbage characters ^.^;;), so sorry for the delay! I'm getting bad as... :coughs: didn't say it.... XD
Anyway, this is the interview in Fan Road magazine from 06/2003 that flowersofnight found on Yahoo! Auctions. Once again, way to go, flowers! It also had a manga portion for which I have included a scanlation. This is my first time ever attempting to scanlate something, so I hope you enjoy it! ^.^
Long-Overdue Update -- Wednesday, July 14, 2004, 09:37 a.m.
Well, I finally have some news of sorts to add to the page! Flowersofnight found this really interesting anime fan magazine from last year that seems to have an interview with Klaha in it. O.o He won it in an auction, and is going to send me material to translate once he gets it.
Also, I was looking over CD Japan last night, and it appears they no longer carry Klaha merchandise. ;.; All of his releases except Setsubou are still availiable from HMV Japan. I didn't check Amazon or Yesasia yet.
Also, I bought Gardenia at a convention this past weekend. :hugs it: Not really much I can do with it here, but that means I now have all of Klaha's CDs except Garnet. I even have Pride of Mind's album now too (oh, did I forget to mention that here? ^.^;;;).
I know this site has been dormant, but if you're still watching, it's not dead yet! Expect more to come in the near-ish future....and maybe even Klaha will do something soon. ;.;
Another Utataba Live Report -- Sunday, May 9, 2004, 08:52 a.m.
This one came to me in English via email from a gaijin fan who was lucky! enough to go to his April 8th live. Thank you again so much Princess Gardenia!
I still can't realize I went to klaha's concert... it has been my constant dream for 5 years and I really couldn't imagine that someday I'd have had the chance to make this dream true... actually, I can just say thanks to destiny... in fact, I had planned some months ago my departure for tokyo on april 5th... than, some days before leaving, I saw on Cryptogram site that klaha had announced a live on april 8th in omotesandou, tokyo. And so, once arrived in tokyo (april 6th), I tried to get the ticket... I went to lawson, but I couldn't get it because lawson ticket were already finished. then, I went to ticket pia but there, you can buy ticket at least three days before the event, so I was too late... Damn!
Finally, I tried to go to omotesandou fab the day of the concert and I asked the organizers if I could buy the ticket there and they told me it was ok...
Demo, taihen ne!
It seems more and more that japanese want to keep their "realm" closed to the rest of the world... however, finally I could enter the concert hall... omotesandou fab is a veeery little place, underground... I entered after the people who already had the ticket but, nevertheless, I could see the stage very well (maybe also because japanese aren't very tall ~__^)... I think the hall (not including the stage) is about 6 metres X 10... so, very small.
There were not many people as well... actually, after having left malice mizer, klaha is not very famous: for example, if you try to ask some japanese if he/she knows klaha he'll say:"un? namae wa? moichido" or sometihing like that. And he'll understand who you're talking about only when you say:"the guy who replaced gackt when he left malice mizer...". Poor klaha! kawaisou! So, I estimate that at omotesandou live there where about 100-150 persons... that's a very insignificant number if you think of the entire number of tokyo people... but I think it's better because, this way, fans can have a most direct contact with him... indeed, the things that most struck me was the fact that klaha, during his talks between a song and another, was always asking something to the fans and he listened to what they said as well. I really liked the way in which he related with us. then, about the kind of people there were at the concert... Almost all of them wore eccentric clothes, probably coming from harajuku's shops or marui-one depaato (the one where is situated "moi-meme-moitie"shop)... and the majority of them dressed up in loligoth style. I think the 90%-95%were girls and the remaining 10% boys (mochiron!).
About the songs... before going to the live, I only had Nostal Lab and Marchen... he didn't sing many songs from those two cds... just "kamereon no seppun" and "deatta hi no mama".
Then, I bought setsubou after the live. Listening to it, I can confirm he sang all setsubou songs (he opened the live with an instrumental theme, followed by the first setsubou song).
The other songs he played were all new songs, never heard before... I think they were great, however... and they were close to "setsubou" style. He just sang, without playing any instrument. Listening to his voice resounding in the hall has been the most strucking experience of my life... he's very skillful and can make his voice yet powerful, yet sweet and delicate.
He looked a bit tired, while singing but he never made any mistake... he just drank a lot of water in the moments between a song and another... he's a bit thinner than before, but he anyway looked handsome and elegant, as he's always been... first, he wore a white sweater (the one he has got in setsubou booklet) and then he changed his clothes and wore a veery elegant suit, grey or black (I couldn't distinguish the exact colour)... cho kakkoii!!!!!!!!! (*faint*)
Then I'm sorry, but even if I speak and translate japanese quite well, I'm not so skillful in "kikitori"... and the only things I understood are not so important... I mean: he just introduced songs, or said something related to that time context, so it's quite impossible for me to reconstruct an entire speech... moreover,some time has passed from that day and I have forgotten many things.
The sole speech I remember is the one he made at the beginning of the concert, but I saw you've already posted it so I think it's of no use for you.
Yes, I also saw him close to crying.... actually, he didn't cry but his eyes were wet... maybe for happiness...? I really don't know. Meeting and speaking with many japanese boys, make me understand how they are different from us, even in expressing their own feelings. So, I wonder what Klaha's was actually thinking at that moment... ?__?
Happy Birthday, Klaha! -- Monday, May 3, 2004, 12:57 a.m.
aΆϊ¨ίΕΖ€! It's been a while since I've updated, but I had to say something. I couldn't miss posting on his birthday!
Sorry to everyone for the lack of updates. I was buisy for a while, and didn't have time for translating. Then I got sick this past week and just felt too crummy to do anything. ^.^; Whatever it is Klaha's been doing, he's not been saying too much about it publically. He updated his member page on April 16, but beyond that...
Anyway, however old you are now, Klaha, we hope you are having a wonderful birthday!!!!
Translation: A Utataba Live Report -- Tuesday, April 13, 2004, 01:45 a.m.
I had intended to get this up on Saturday, but I've had a buisy weekend. My apologies to everyone. >.< There was an addendum posted over the weekend, and another live report was put up on Malice Mizer Gensou Rakuen, so I'll try to have that up later this week. Also, An Umbrella, which usually has very detailed live reports, has put up a placeholder where hopefully there will eventually be another report. Yay! ^.^
I'll post this into my live reports file later, but here's the translated text from the L-Conscious Midi:Nette BBS. I cut out the unrelated portions.
Hello. I went to see Klaha's live on 4/8 at Harajuku FAB. It was a reunion after about one year, and my heart was beating wildly, but the moment I heard Klaha's singing voice, I was pulled into his world. Klaha awoke our hearts with his beautiful, thoughtful singing voice. We heard the songs from Setsubou, new songs, and a lot more. He sang for us with a look of great earnestness and also with adoration for the fans. From the first song, Klaha communcated his thoughts straight to us.
"Klaha, you're crying."
"I am not crying!"
"Your eyes are all wet."
"My eyes are wet...this is a charm point!" he said in coversation with the fans. I thought Klaha's eyes were very pure and warm.
During the MC, he tried his best to be funny when he spoke, and it was cute. He responded to the voices of the fans one by one, wrapping the place in a pleasant atmosphere. Klaha made me think of a starry sky, and one by one, it felt as though he was illumiating our hearts. I also felt that my heart was awash with light. It was a truely wonderful, pleasant night. Klaha, thanks so much! I pray that I will once again meet you at a live.
Addendum (in reply to another person):
...
Klaha impresses you as being high-class, but when you meet him, he makes you feel as though he's very kind and warm. He always had a smile, and let us touch him. When he is singing at a live, I think he always has such pure eyes and looks right at you. However, during the MC, he was very interesting. When the fans kept asking him to do this and that, he said, "If you keep talking so selfishly, I'm going to throw you over my shoulder!"... However, he responded to everyone's requests, and did other interesting things. He was very charming! Right now, it seems he's working on his second mini-album. I think I definitely want to keep on supporting him.
I'm hoping that the reason he was crying was because he was happy. O.O I know he's mentioned wanting to cry twice so far, but I never thought I'd read about him in tears. It makes my eyes wet at the thought. ;.;
Also notice the part about him working on a second mini-album. :gets very curious: The other live report has a little part about him playing on stage with a portable video recorder, but let's wait until I post it... ^.~
Translation: Pride of Mind Interview from Fool's Mate -- Friday, April 9, 2004, 09:07 p.m.
Okay, here's an old one, but an interesting little interview with PoM from Fool's Mate 2/1996. Once again, thanks to flowersofnight for filling in characters that were too corrupted for me to read from the scan.
Highlights:
Translation: April 2003 Fool's Mate Article on Maerchen -- Sunday, April 4, 2004, 07:16 p.m.
Ah, at last! I've had this almost finished for a while, but I spent a bit of time trying to sort out meanings, and ended up compromising and paraphrasing a few things I understood but couldn't figure out how to make sense of in literal English. -.- I'm also once again impressed by Klaha's depth of thought and extensive vocabulary. I've again added more than a few new definitions to my dictionary from this. ^.^
Anyway, Klaha talks to Fool's Mate about his maxi-single Maerchen. This is the only magazine article out there about Maerchen, although there were several about Nostal Lab. However, he says a lot of interesting things, and it's definitely worth a read.
Highlights (aka Spoilers):
Small Translation: Another Shinshou Prism Live Report -- Thursday, April 1, 2004, 05:23 p.m.
I took a break from working on a really long live report that's been half done for a while (9.9) to work on something smaller, so here's another little live report from the first Klaha live back in Dec. 2002. It's not very much; it almost reads like a commercial blurb, but it does have a setlist at the end for the live.
Oh, and if you'd like to hear Chopin's Nocturne Op9 No2, you can listen to a Midi file from this page, which also has a number of other Chopin works. The one played at Klaha's live is the second link under Nocturnes. I remember it well because I tried to learn it when I was younger. 9.9
This is Not an April Fool's Joke -- Thursday, April 1, 2004, 11:53 a.m.
Just to let you know I'm still around and working in the background. ^.^; Klaha's live is a week away, and everyone on Klaha Syndrome is buisy fretting about what to wear. They feel goth clothes are inappropriate for the live, but as one girl said, they are so used to wearing black clothes, they don't know what on earth they should wear instead. :lol:
The from Klaha section of the FC member only site was updated on the 23rd and again today, with what appears from the Klaha Syndrome banner to be an April Fool's joke from him (although I could have misunderstood, and he's just correcting a falsehood he told last update).
Also, there's a new English Klaha fan site, +Kindan no Sono+. I'll try to have a link up to it later this week.
Translation: gyakkou ~kono saka no mukou ni~ -- Monday, March 22, 2004, 02:16 p.m.
This song is so terribly cute and nostalgic! >.< However, I can really appreciate the philosophy. When you're a child and told so often that one day you'll make something great of yourself, your expectations from life get so high that looking back you get really frustrated at your lack of progress. And you wonder why you ever believed in yourself having such a spectacular future. I find the lines "I will just go on living/Even assuming I repeat my mistakes/Never realizing my hopes for tomorrow" very soothing to my own soul, because it says there is some value in living life and enjoying the trip, even if the place you want to go in life is still unseen.
Yes, I'm definitely grateful that so many times his songs have something for me personally. Thanks, Klaha.
[Back-lighting ~On the Other Side of This Hill~ (1)] |
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yubi wo hodokeba nigete yuku... mawata no you ni tonde yuku... yarikirenai genjitsu no naka de tomedonaku nani ka ga koborete itta |
When you loosen your grip, it will run away... Like silk floss, it will fly away... In a reality that overwhelms the senses There were constantly things that slipped through |
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samayou seishun no kage hagashiku chitta jounetsu nugurenai kizu-ato nokoshita mama |
A lingering shadow of my youth, His zeal abruptly scattered, Have left scars that still can't be taken away |
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boku wa tada ikite iku ashita e no kibou ga mukuwarezu ayamachi wo kuri-kaesu to shite mo ima wa saki no mienai kono saka no mukou ni itsu no hi ka yume mita bashou ga aru to shinjite |
I will just go on living, Even assuming I repeat my mistakes, Never realizing my hopes for tomorrow; Right now, on the other side that I can't see Of the hill before me, Believe that someday there will be a place That I have dreamed about |
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yukiba no nai takaburi ni mune odoru tabi nakitaku natta |
Each time my heart danced with Excitement that had nowhere to go, I wanted to cry |
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kokoro ni egaita juu wo sora ni muke uchi-hanatta jibun no ibasho dare ka ni tsutaetakute |
I've pointed the gun described in my heart To the sky and fired; I want to let someone know my location |
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tooki hi no ano machi de atsumetta shashin ni wa "jikan-iro" kasanatte maru de eiga no you ni osoreru MONO naku warai-kakeru shounen wa mirai no jibun wo shinjite ita |
In the pictures that I gathered long ago in that city, They have faded with time and just like a movie, (2) The young boy who smiles without anything to fear, Was believing in his future self |
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hate no nai sakamichi wo muchuu de kake-nukete kita imada obotsukanai ashitori da kedo... |
I raced down the endless sloping path Heedless of my surroundings; Still with uncertain steps but... |
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boku wa tada ikite iku ashita e no kibou ga mukuwarezu ayamachi wo kuri-kaesu to shite mo ima wa saki no mienai kono saka no mukou ni itsu no hi ka yume mita bashou ga aru to shinjite |
I will just go on living, Even assuming I repeat my mistakes, Never realizing my hopes for tomorrow; Right now, on the other side that I can't see Of the hill before me, Believe that someday there will be a place That I have dreamed about |
| (1) There's a lot going on in this title. First of all "gyakkou" as it's written means the back-lighting used when taking a picture to better illuminate it. However, change the second kanji, and with the same pronouciation, it means "to go back in time". Also, "saka" (hill) seems to be a pun on the first kanji, which can also be pronounced "saka" (backward), and "mukou" sounds similar to "gyakkou". And no matter how you look at it, it has a meaning relating in the song lyrics. Very clever. | |
| (2) "jikan-iro" seems to be a phrase Klaha has created here, so I'm not totally sure what he means. I'm guessing he's referring to the fading and yellowing of photos over decades of time. | |
Translation: kibou no tenchi -- Saturday, March 20, 2004, 09:09 p.m.
I know noone is going to understand when I say this, but: I swear when he created these lyrics, Klaha was channeling the spirit of my dad to write it for me. I won't explain why, but I know that even the mildly scolding tone he wrote it in was for me, even though he has no idea who I am. :lol:
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mou... hitotsu dake no kotae wo sagasu no wa mou yamete tsugi no bamen fumidasou yo sore naraba kimi wo idaku kurayami ga sasayaku KOTOBA nado ni mimi kasazu irareru darou |
Enough... Stop searching for Just one answer already Let's move on to the next scene. If you can do that, you will never again lend your ears To the words being whispered by The darkness that surrounds you. |
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shinjitsu wo motomeru ga yue ni tokaku uwabe dake ni madowasarete shimau kimi da kara |
Reaching for the truth, is after all, Ultimately making you confused by What is just on the surface, so... |
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ima futatabi utsmuita kao wo agete nishi no hate hirogaru kurenai no sora wo nagame ni ikou mune wo yusaburu setsuna ga itami nante kaki-keshite yuku |
Now, lift your face bowed in shame once more, Let's go see the crimson sky that spreads out in the west The moment you shake your heart free, all that pain will be erased. |
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kitto... kodoku-kan nante asu wo motomeru akashi motto raku ni tsuki-aeba ii no sa sore yori mo jibun de suteta MONO wa jibun de hirou shika nai to omou kara |
Certainly... you should comfort your lonely feelings with Proof that you are reaching for tomorrow Even more than that, I think The things you threw away by yourself Can only be picked up by yourself, so... |
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kimi ga nageku hodo kakubetsu na higeki nado sou tayasuku umareru mono ja nai hazu sa |
I expect that tragedies so expectional That you should mourn over them [the way you do] Aren't created quite that easily |
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saa koko kara furueru te wo tsunaide higashi no hate kagayaku konpeki no sora wo egaki ni ikou subete wasureru setsuna ga itami nante kaki-keshite yuku |
Yeah, from now on, give me your trembling hand Let's go paint the azure sky that shines in the east The moment you forget everything, all that pain will be erased. |
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oroka na kako wa toki ni nagare-saru jiyuu wa itsu mo mirai ni aru koto ki-tsuite kureta nara |
The foolishness of the past will be washed away by time As long as you'll understand for me That there is always freedom in the future |
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ima futatabi utsumuita kao wo agete tamashii no kagayaki wo tashikame ni ikou yagate kunou wa kimi kara hagurete yuku no sa sadame nante koete yukeru |
Now, lift your face bowed in shame once more, Let's go verify the sparkle of our soul Before long, your distress is going to be stripped away from you You can overcome your fate |
| mirai wa kimi no kokoro | The future is [determined by] your heart |
Translation: souten hakugetsu -- Saturday, March 20, 2004, 07:42 p.m.
I forgot to mention last entry, but as usual, if you want these lyrics or translation for your site, feel free to take them (mentioning my name might be nice ^.~). If you don't know how to get the code for the table using your browser, email me, and I'll send it to you.
Lyrics-wise, this is my second favorite from this album. Very contemplative and interesting, and if you think about it in the right way, this could be a vampire song (or werewolf), although it almost sounds like Klaha used his cats as an inspiration for this song. :lol: I'd really love to hear Klaha's explaination for where these lyrics came from. :sighs:
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genjitsu to risou no hazama de agaite mo se ni shita wadachi dake wa inande wa inai tada kuchita ki no ha no you ni na mo naki mama ni fumi-kudakaretaku nai dake |
Even if I struggle in the cracks Between reality and the ideal, I'm not denying the rut that I have my back against; It's just that, like the rotten leaves of tree, I don't want to be stepped on and crushed Never having a name |
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itsu de mo hito-gomi no naka kiba wo muite ki-tsukeba kodoku no ori de mogaku keredo mujou ni muchi-utsu yo no naka ni yasei wo ubaware kai-narasaretaku nai dake |
In the crowd of people, I always bear my fangs, and If you'll notice, I struggle in a cage of loneliness, but In a world that flogs without showing expression, I just don't want to be taken From the wild and domesticated. |
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kanashii hodo shoujiki ni ikita tsumi wa nani desu ka? aoi sora ni shiroi tsuki wo mitsuketa... watashi wa koko ni iru |
What sin is there in having lived A life of integrity to the point of sorrow? In the blue sky, I found the white moon... This is where I am (1) |
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shougai saigo ni waratte irareru nara donna ni kewashii michi de mo itorazu tatoe minikui kukai no kaze ni saresare teoi no shishi to yobarete mo |
If I can keep a smile until the end of my life, Not getting worn down by whatever difficult road, Even if I am, for example, exposed to the winds of An ugly life of suffering And am called a wounded lion |
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yuzurenai ikikata wo warau hito wa dare desu ka? mukai kaze kiri-saite jibun-rashiku ikiru... iki-nuku tame ni |
Who sneers at a uncompromising lifestyle? I cut through the cross-wind And live in my own way.... For the sake of making it through life. |
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kanashii hodo shoujiki ni ikita tsumi wa nani desu ka? aoi sora ni shiroi tsuki wo mitsuketa... watashi wa koko ni iru |
What sin is there in having lived A life of integrity to the point of sorrow? In the blue sky, I found the white moon... This is where I am |
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watashi wa koko ni iru
koko ni iru |
This is where I am
I am here |
| (1) This is a simple phrase, but hard to put forth as equally simple in English. He fully means, "This is the point I'm at in my life, although it may be different for other people." The "white moon" in the line before seems to be a metaphor for realizing his isolation. | |
Translation: hizashi lyrics -- Saturday, March 20, 2004, 06:09 p.m.
I want to apologize for being a bit tardy in updating the blog. As I was explaining to someone today, I made the mistake of thinking I was going to transliterate and translate the entire lyrics from Setsubou and upload them at once, and while I'm about 80% done with the entire thing, it's taken me some time to get this far. It took me 5 hours over a period of 2 days just to type the kanji lyrics into my word processor. There were a number of kanji, both common and uncommon, I'd never seen before, and I've had to look up and add over 10 new entries to my dictionary for words in lyrics, and I haven't found definitions for everything yet. :whew:
Anyway, I've decided to post songs individually here as I finish them. I may skip around a bit on the order from the album if I have trouble with something, so be aware of that, but I'm almost done, so I may have other songs up later today. Sorry for the wait, and I appreciate your patience.
Hizashi is a rather simple, but pleasant song, and I like the lyrics, although I think they are not his best creative work. The second verse reminds me quite a bit of Do As Infinity's Guruguru, and though the similarity makes me uncomfortable, I'm relieved that Klaha's exploring something deeper than your usual love songs with this entire album.
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orenagara kizu-tsukinagara bokura wa itsu mo yume mite iru ano hana no you ni yagate meguru kisetsu wa kitto kokoro no yami ni atatakana hi wo tomosu to shinjite ikite iru (feel the sun) |
While being broken, while being hurt, We are always dreaming Like the [proverbial] flower We live believing that Before long, in the coming season, The warm sun will light up the darkness Of our hearts (feel the sun) |
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yuku hate nado shiranai mama ni kono machi de hibi wo inasu samazama ni se-ou juujika aragaenai jiga to kodoku |
Still not knowing my final destination, I while away the days in this town. There are crosses I bear in various ways, A self I cannot deny and loneliness |
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tatoeru nara yoru no himawari aoki yami...tsuki-akari ni terasarete yoake wo matsu tada taiyou ga koi shikute |
Take for example, the sunflower at night In the murky darkness...illuminated by the moonlight, It waits for the dawn Its only love is the sunlight |
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yagate mukaeru arashi no naka... tsuyoku ari-tsuzuketai |
Inside the storm that I will soon face... I want to keep being strong |
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orenagara kizu-tsukinagara inochi no wa wo tsunaide yuku ano hana no you ni itsu ka boku mo kakegae no nai "umareta imi" wo mitsuketa nara jibun-rashiku sakitai (feel the sun) |
While being broken, while being hurt, I go on completing the circle of life. Like that flower, If I can also someday find the priceless "reason I was born", I want to bloom in my own way (feel the sun) |
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tatoeru nara byakuya no sabaku aruite mo...tada aruite mo taoyaka na kaze to urahara madowasareru suna no meikyuu |
Take for example, the desert of the white night Even if you walk...just even walking it In contrast to the gossamer breeze, It is a confusing labrynth of sand |
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utakata no yume ni wa oborazu masugu ni sora wo miagetai |
Not drowning in fleeting dreams, I want to look straight up to the sky. |
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setsunaru kibou, taenu yokubou kokoro no oku ni me fuite yuku tamashii no hana boku ga kimi ni, kimi ga dare ka ni dare ka ga boku ni nukumori atae ai wo wake-atte ikiru |
My earnest hopes, my unquenchable desires, Will go on sprouting seedlings inside my heart The flowers of the soul By giving warmth to you, and you to someone else, And someone else to me, We live sharing love |
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orenagara kizu-tsukinagara inochi no wa wo tsunaide yuku ano hana no you ni itsu ka boku mo kakegae no nai "umareta imi" wo mitsuketa nara jibun-rashiku sakitai (feel the sun) |
While being broken, while being hurt, I go on completing the circle of life. If I can also someday find the priceless "reason I was born", I want to bloom in my own way (feel the sun) |
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orenagara kizu-tsukinagara asa wo matte hizashi abite feel the sun feel the pain ano hana no you ni itsu ka saite... |
While being broken, while being hurt, Wait for the morning, And bathe in the rays of sunlight feel the sun feel the pain Just like that flower, bloom someday... |
Cryptogram News Update -- Friday, March 12, 2004, 01:18 p.m.
The Cryptogram newspage has been updated with the full info about the live on April 8th. The text is much the same as before, with general ticket sales starting on the 14th. The two things I couldn't read before on the graphic ad are the codes for ordering from Ticket Pia(?) and Lawson.
Malice Aftermath has a poll currently running to get people's opinion about Setsubou and the Klaha.net forum has a poll about which song from the album is your favorite, so if you have a chance to stop by, cast your vote.
Also, sasayaki mentioned that when she tried to order Setsubou through Jang, she was told that the album was temporarily out of stock for the next week or so. Hopefully that means sales are doing well, and they plan to sell even more. :crosses fingers: No word on overseas orders, as usual.
It Came!!!! -- Tuesday, March 9, 2004, 05:01 p.m.
I don't think I need to say what. ^.^ And now I have a nice Maerchen tour lanyard so that I can wear Klaha around my neck with my keys. :beams:
I'm going to hold off on a review of the album until I get the lyrics translated, but I wanted to make a few quick observations about the album itself (packaging and the credits and such).
More on Utataba ~Vol.1~ -- Monday, March 8, 2004, 01:15 p.m.
Malice Mizer Gensou Rakuen has updated with the announcements from Cryptogram, plus this entry telling more about the concert:
4.8.2004 ...Live [Utataba ~Vol. 1~] Meeting place: Omotesandou FAB Open: 6PM Start: 7PM Ticket price: 3500yen [excluding drink] From those purchasing advanced tickets, a lottery will be held for two names to be invited backstage on the day of the concert.
Ack! I want to buy a ticket so bad now. ;.;
Also, Cryptogram has updated the goods and discrography pages to actually list Setsubou. Yay! The update was listed as the 5th, but for some reason, I don't recall these being updated on the 5th (and I did check). And the last news item was listed as being from the 2nd, but that wasn't posted until the day I translated it. Huh? :shakes her head: Maybe it's me.
Anyway, hopefully they will also have new live goods up on the page soon after the concert. I'd really love to see that at least. ^.^
PS, a fun fact: syzygy is an actual word: Check out the definition
Cryptogram News Update -- Thursday, March 4, 2004, 10:27 a.m.
Someone must have been working overtime yesterday at the fan club. There's another notice on the page, I guess to replace the announcement with the image they took down:
Concerning the Sale of the 1st Mini Album Setsubou
After 3/2, you can now purchase it along with the delivery of other goods from the official goods page. You can purchase it from the official goods ordering instructions page.
That's about it. Nothing else has changed, and nothing really exiting. ^.^;
Addendum -- Wednesday, March 3, 2004, 01:44 p.m.
I forgot to mention that "Utataba" means roughly "Bundle of songs". I don't know about the Vol. 1 part. He may be anticipating a Vol. 2 for another live relating to this album, another live he has sometime far from now, or just sounded catchy. Amasanin mentions the live was April 8th (Thursday) (thanks! it's not on the site, which is weird). I just knew before it was sometime in April downtown on a weekday.
Oh, and in other news, Nima was kind enough to give me a rough scan of the first two songs on Setsubou so I've started to transliterate, although I don't expect to have translations up before my copy arrives.
Cryptogram News Update -- Wednesday, March 3, 2004, 01:08 p.m.
Well, Cryptogram has updated again with info about the live I was hearing rumors about! Here's the translation of the page:
Notification of the Shipment of a Direct Mailing relating to the live [Utataba ~Vol. 1]
On 3/2 (Tuesday) a direct mailing will be issued to fan club members and non-fanclub members wishing to register for direct mailings. In the direct mailing, there is information reguarding the advance ticket sales to fan club members, but the purchase of advanced tickes is for fan club members only, so please understand.
Also, if you look on the main site menu, there's now a little red circle around the little bird at the left where latest updates are usually announced, and when you click on the arrow, a little window pops up with a nice little ad screen for the live and for Setsubou with a tracklist and picture of the cover. Why the FC went to all this trouble, but hasn't updated the goods page with the CD yet, or changed the year on the news page to 2004 yet, is beyond me. >.< I did notice the notification with the large loading picture in it is gone on the news page.
The ad page reads:
The Klaha live you've been waiting for.
[Utataba ~Vol. 1~]
It's been about 1 year since the Maerchen tour.
Klaha expresses the soul that he has put into his 1st Mini-album Setsubou as a vocalist...
In the box:
General ticket sales start on 3/14 (Sunday) [I don't understand the part in the parenthesis, but something about types of tickets]
Inquires about tickets [has a phone number and a link to the website www.fab-web.net]
For information about fan club advance tickets, please view the fan club exclusive site
I find it very interesting that he's being called a "vocalist" for this album. He's always called himself an "artist" and hasn't been called a "vocalist" since Malice Mizer. After having heard the album (more on that later), it's really puzzling me. o.O
Setsubou Tracklist and Pictures -- Tuesday, February 24, 2004, 09:30 p.m.
:drumroll: Okay, here's the tracklist for Setsubou, thanks to Angelica:
1. Hizashi [Ray of Sunlight]
2. Souten Hakugetsu [Blue Sky/White Moon]
3. Gekkou [Highly Emotional] ~Instrumental~
4. Kibou no Tenchi [The World I Desire]
5. Hekiya no Hate [The Horizon of the Rural Fields(?)]
6. Gyakkou ~Kono Saka no Mukou ni~ [Back-lighting ~on the other side of this hill~]
Notes:
For #3, the word means, excited, exasperated, a general state of tension; I won't know what kind of emotion without hearing.
For #5, I can't get a dictionary entry even on Goo for the first word. Lots of uncommon kanji and I get the feeling he's making a play on words but I'll need lyrics to figure out what.
For #6, this looks like he's playing with similar sounding words; the first kanji in "gyakkou" can also be pronounced "saka" which is the word for hill with the other kanji and the last part rymes with "mukou" (other side).
I've already posted this on Malice Aftermath and in the Klaha forums, so you may have seen it, but... 9.9 Also, Angelica gave me more pictures (thank you!!!) of the inside of the CD jacket, so take a look for them on the Klaha.net forums under Klaha's Solo Work -> Setsubou. I can't keep them on my server permanently, so I'm not going to link them here.
Cryptograms Issue for Auction -- Sunday, February 22, 2004, 05:09 p.m.
Thanks to the POM guy for pointing this out to me. There's an auction on Yahoo! Japan for an issue of Cryptograms with pictures. From the looks of the photos, it appears to be either Issue 1 or 2. However, the seller will only ship within Japan. :sighs: The price is so nice too. I'm tempted to email Jang and see if she can help me get it, but I feel kind of weird asking.
Anyway, feast your eyes. :sighs: I'll be keeping a copy of these images if you don't get to the page before the auction pictures are removed (email me).
Oh, yes, kind of a P.S. now, but I forgot to mention last time that Aion has a totally new forum set up and it seems to be working pretty good, although there's not much posting going on yet. Go sign up and start up a discussion.
Setsubou Cover and Scape update -- Friday, February 20, 2004, 02:00 p.m.
There's a thread on the forums at Scape that has a picture of the cover of Setsubou. :yay: So have a look.
I like the cover. Its still simple, but has more to it than the previous Klaha on a solid background pictures (although the cover for Maerchen was very nice in its own way). I think I've been an art student too long, but the first thing I thought of when I saw that ray of light was how to duplicate the effect with Photoshop. :sigh:
However, it only deepen my interest in the symbolic meaning of the cover. Klaha doesn't seem to do anything without having a reason of some sort for it. Aion wanted to know what sort of religious reference he was making (and there is that photocard of him praying). I won't know until we see lyrics. :sigh:
Also, Lejun mentioned on Malice Aftermath that Scape has been updated with more reviews of Nostal Lab. I haven't read any of them myself yet, but I'll get to it soon enough. Now I'm going to have a late lunch and look into POM lyrics again....
Translation: Barks Global Explorer Page 1 & 2 -- Monday, February 16, 2004, 08:48 p.m.
:whew: Barks Explorer is done! Sorry for taking so long. I feel like the "imprisoned Gwendel" being released from this one. :lol: So much flowery language, and I had to turn it into something that sounded somewhat natural in English.
The most signifigant quote from the second page of the article is the note that the "imprisoned Klaha" was not a picture of him when he was a part of Malice Mizer. He's still such good friends with the other band members (Kozi and Yuki at least), I don't really believe that anymore anyway, but it's nice to have it spelled out in an interview. ^.^;
Sidenote: I finally ordered my copy of Setsubou from the wonderful person on eBay. Sorry, Klaha, I couldn't wait any longer. -.-; She specially ordered something else I'd been wanting from the Cryptogram goods page as well, so I'll have to wait for her to recieve that too before it can be shipped, but I'm one step closer to having it, and so excited!
A person on Klaha Syndrome mentioned that one of the photocards was blue and that it had a picture of Klaha facing sideways and praying. Aww. It sounds so (I hate to say it but... ^.^;;) cute. I hope we somehow get to see it one day. :crosses fingers:
Happy Valentine's Day -- Saturday, February 14, 2004, 07:16 p.m.
Cryptogram News Update -- Friday, February 13, 2004, 12:46 p.m.
Wow. Looks like Klaha decided to start shipping out Setsubou early (I guess to make sure it gets there on the 16th). Here's translation of the news page article:
1st Mini Album [Setsubou] Shipping Announcement
To everyone who bought Setsubou, today (2/13) shipping has begun through express delivery. For persons whose payment has been confirmed and have made their reservation, we will be shipping in order of orders received, but depending on your area arrival may be a bit later or earlier, so please understand. Also, in the case of those who have placed their order via email, but have not afterwards confirmed their order by sending payment, we cannot ship your item, so please be aware of this. As for the priviledge of original photocards, until the day 1000 of them were taken, we will include them for every customer who's payment is confirmed. Furthermore, we are unable to deal with inquires relating to the priviledge, so please understand.
Before anyone asks me either, I've read the sentence carefully, but from my still imperfect Japanese skills, I'm not sure from the verb tense whether the announcement is implying there are still cards left, or if they are just stating that they included them up until the day they were all taken. Looks like we can't ask them, so forgive me for not knowing. >.<;
Want to Join Cryptogram? -- Monday, February 9, 2004, 12:46 p.m.
This has been up on eBay for few days now, but I figured I'd point it out anyway. This is this same incredibly nice person who's offered to buy copies of Setsubou for anyone wanting it.
Joining Cryptogram this way is a bit pricey (she's right, though, shipping from Japan will barely be covered in that price 9.9), but if you've really wanted to join Klaha's fan club although we couldn't, this looks like a real oppertunity. I'll personally need to earn some more money somehow before I can afford it. ;.; However, I'm going to try my best to get the money together. :looks determined:
7 more days until Setsubou...
BIG Various Update -- Saturday, February 7, 2004, 12:53 p.m.
Whew! I've got a lot of info for you at once, so I'll try to break it up into sections while I'm getting it all down.
Lyrics
Aion has put up my translations/transliterations of the songs from Maerchen. I've had a question about Deatta Hi no Mama, so it's all there for you now. ^.^ The lyrics for the title song Maerchen are wonderful (I love that song!).
Jenny 01
I have found a couple of official sites for the band Jenny 01 that Kaz (Klaha's guitarist for Maerchen and his live events) is a member of.
The Official Site
Another Site with a Jenny 01 Page
The second link has clips from a few of their PVs. The vocalist is a girl, and they really seem to be pushing her as a selling point for the band (notice the photo gallery near the bottom). They sound to me sort of like Every Little Thing (Naoko even looks a bit like Kaori Mochida with her hairstyle and all).
They don't really give info for the other band members, so I can't tell from the sites which one is Kaz. However, on the first link, check out the picture to the left in the popup window once you click on the banner. The guy in middle to the right with the tousled hair, does he look sort of like someone else? :coughs politely:
Set List
I've started to work on the live report from Harajuku Astro Hall (the last live that Klaha did in his spring tour). I hope it won't take me too long, but the report starts out with a set list, so I thought maybe you'd like to go ahead and see it because it has new songs (the Japanese titles are translated beside them in brackets):
1. mitsu (hisoka) [Secret]
2. Maerchen
3. taiyou no ori [Solar Cell] (arrange. ver.)
4. Vesper
5. deatta hi no mama [Just Like the Day We Met]
6. mayonaka no Fiction [Midnight Fiction]
7. kiseki no koe [The Voice of a Miracle]
8. stay in the rain
9. Chocolate (accoustic ver.)
10. Chameleon no seppun [Chameleon's Kisses]
11. scape ~with transparent wings~
12. Sayonara
13. Red Room ~garasu no hana~ [The Glass Flower]
14. sango [Coral]
15. (new song)
Encore 1. dessert in a cell
Encore 2. tamashii ga iro-zuku shunkan [The Instant the Soul is Colored(or "A Soul-Changing Instant")]
Encore 3. Penguin
Encore 4. Green ~tsutaetai omoi~ [Thoughts I Want to Communicate]
Thats quite a set list. 6.6 And before anyone else notices like I did that there are 6 new songs and jumps to any conclusions, I should point out I have another set list (I'm still trying to determine which live it belongs to before I post anything, but I think it was the Shibuya On Air West live) which lists two other new songs: Night Door and Romancia ~snow leaves~. Assuming that the undefined #15 song in this list is one of those, that's still a total of at least 7 new songs we haven't heard yet, and I fear may never will. :sadness: At least the event reports describe them a bit so we know something about what they're like. ^.^;
Correction
I got this correction to one of my notes in the Klahainfo messages translation from flowers of night:
###[**Note: I'm assuming by "revival", he's referring to sometime in the
period after Gackt's departure as a "revival" of the band. Correct me
if
I'm wrong ^.^;]####
I think Klaha is actually talking about the original revival of Malice
Mizer, i.e. their first live with Gackt! (10/10/95 at On Air West) So I
guess a couple weeks before his big album release, he took some time
out
to see a Malice Mizer concert. I guess he was a fan even back then. I
bet
he never expected that he would join them!
Thanks! I'll try to update the file soon with that note.
Translation Schedule
I have so much stuff to work on, and I've been getting more to put in the queue, that I've decided to set up a quasi-schedule for what order I will be working on things. That way, you guys will have an idea what I'm working on without my having to waste blog space by posting constantly what I'm going to be working on. I like the system I've started using of alternating the time I have each day to work on different things. That way I won't feel like I'm ignoring some aspect of what I've set up for another. I will alternate each day working on a magazine article, an event report, or doing lyrics/FAQ/misc. blog updates.
My schedule for magazine articles:
Translation: Barks Explorer Interview About Nostal Lab -- Friday, February 6, 2004, 02:04 p.m.
This is only page 3 of the Barks Explorer Interview from this webpage, but I figured it's the most important, because it has a track by track discussion of Klaha's ideas behind each of the songs on Nostal Lab. I've completed about half of the other 2 pages, but they say much the same as the Zappy interview, so I will post them later.
The paragraphs within quotation are Klaha's quotes, and the alternating paragraphs are the narration of the writer of the article. Enjoy! ^.^
10 more days until Setsubou...
Admin: Site Layout Change -- Thursday, February 5, 2004, 07:46 p.m.
So, how did I do? ^.^; You may have noticed I actually fixed this up yesterday, but now I'm finally writing an entry about it. 9.9 What you're looking at is some of my concept/brainstorming sketches for the statue I was inspired to create from scape ~with transparent wings~ (with a bit of Taiyou no ori). I basically scanned them in, colored and did creative things with Photoshop, and made a banner and sidebar. The basic idea seemed to tie in well with the poem I suspect is tamashii iro-zuku shunkan lyrics, so I felt it went well with that whole "Destination of the Soul" theme for the new album (and before I mislead someone, I don't know what the tracklist for Setsubou is yet or if tamashii iro-zuku shunkan will be on it, but I'm hoping it will be one of the tracks. :crosses fingers:).
Now watch this new album be Klaha's "Return to Darkness" so that I will be so unappropriately themed for it. >.<;
Speaking of my statue, I finished the fiberglass resin portion of my mold today (I was going to do it this weekend, but I needed to buy latex gloves and a food injector first), so hopefully I will be making a casting tomorrow. :yay: Then I've got to let it sit for a week before I can paint. :sigh: However, I can begin working on the wing sections during that time.
And you may have noticed I've added a link to a FAQ and a list of the interview translations so you don't have to go digging through archives to find the links. Well, to be honest, those still need a bit of work to be completed, but it's coming together, honest. ^.^; This is still only supposed to be my hobby. :nervous laughter:
11 more days until Setsubou...
Admin: Mini Update -- Tuesday, February 3, 2004, 10:11 p.m.
I got a lovely email from the guy who runs the Pride Of Mind site Out of the Air, and he had another POM article he asked me to translate, so I've added it to the queue. :happiness: I also got an email from someone who would like to translate my info into Mandarin for Chinese fans. Thanks Ethel Li! ^.^
I feel as if I'm falling a bit behind here. I really need to update my links, finish the FAQ I've been working on, finish my interviews list, tackle the articles themselves.... Well, I will get it done, I promise. ^.^; I wanted to write a 3rd part to my Maerchen review, but I think I'll put it off for now.
I am determined, at least, to update the banner to go along with the new album release sometime in Febuary (wow, it's Feb. already). I still really like the current banner, but I wanted to move away from just stealing Nostal Lab pictures and put up something more original. I have the new banner about half-done right now and hope it will be completed soon.
Translation: Report from the 12.05.2002 Shibuya on air west Live ~Shinshou Prism~ -- Friday, January 30, 2004, 08:06 p.m.
:happy evil smile: I said I would finish it before the weekend! This is a live report from Klaha's first live, held the day after Nostal Lab's release. I think it's worth reading just because it's so funny. Poor Klaha! His fans want him to take his clothes off (now I bet everyone will want to read this one ^.~).
It also seems that he can't excape from his own natural cuteness. I'm surprised he doesn't have nightmares before his lives of Japanese fangirls running after him going, "K, Kawaii~". :snicker: :coughs: Um, but I'll let you read it for yourself. -.-;
Various Mini-Update -- Friday, January 30, 2004, 12:10 a.m.
Amasanin sent me a couple more magazine articles today. :woohoo: One is the Fool's Mate interview about Maerchen and another is Fool's Mate's live report from the Akasaka Blitz live in Febuary. I read through the former, and now have a new respect for Klaha and Deatta Hi no Mama. The lyrics are a bit deeper than they look. 6.6
Um, I will try to have another translation up by the end of this weekend (I'm almost finished, honest!). I've also been transliterating the Maerchen song lyrics (I can't seem to find a translation for Deatta Hi no Mama anywhere), and think I will do my own translation, just because I enjoy that sort of thing. ^.^;
Thing is, my website admin is okay with my posting translations, but he's a bit more nervous about me putting song lyrics on his site. So if anyone wants to take these once I'm done and host them, you're perfectly welcome to have my stuff (Aion, are you interested?).
Speaking of Klaha.net, I'm not sure if I've mentioned, but Aion's got the board working again (except for a small problem with uploading avatars). She pretty much decided to scrap the old stuff to get it working again, so all the messages from May-November are gone, but I got to see the stuff posted around Christmas after all. 9.9 If you had a registration there during the time period lost, you may want to go sign yourself up again.
Oh yes, and Aion's running a joint contest for Klaha and Yu~ki. I haven't been able to read the rules and such yet to fully know what's going on, but go check it out. :plug plug: :grin:
Review: Maerchen CD/DVD Part 2 -- Wednesday, January 28, 2004, 02:37 p.m.
My friend lent me his XBox until Saturday, so I've been watching the Maerchen DVD as much as I can. I made a tape copy until I can get a properly-encoded DVD player to watch it, but it's not the same. My biggest recommendation if you can play region 2 disks (or can afford a player to do so soon) is to buy the DVD over the tape. It costs about -8 dollars more, but there's so much glowing white and subtle shading in the colors of the PVs that a tape really does not do it justice. -.-;
As I said before, this DVD is beautiful! I'd read reviews before that said it was full of the usual indies video cheezy-ness, but I don't think that's really true. I've seen plenty of indies PVs that look like they were filmed by some college guys hanging around together on a weekend, but this looks very professional. There are a couple of silly parts (like when in Stay in the Rain the piano, then Klaha himself, catches on fire ^.^), but overall the cheeze is kept to a minimum.
(Mitsu)Hisoka/Maerchen Rating: 100%
Except for Klaha himself and a few random objects (shoes, flower petals, a letter), this entire video is done on bluescreen, then an animated CG background was added. As a art student who wants to focus on doing CG animation, I tip my hat to the guys who did the digital editing on this video. As near as I can tell, the backgrounds are filtered photographs, but as Klaha moves within the digital environment, the objects remain flat, yet move in relation to each other in proper perspective, kind of like a pop-up storybook. It looks really nice.
I also like the idea of the white objects being colored when the red petals touch them. The color change could have been done a bit more naturally, but this is Japan, not Hollywood. :chuckles: There's also an amusing part where Klaha is standing in the middle of a black city, then the camera pans out so that he's standing about 30 stories tall in the middle of the buildings. :hee:
I also figured out what he was referring to in one of the event reports about where he sings "chikazuku ashioto ga kikoeta". At the end of that line, he suddenly bows his head downward, which didn't look weird to me, but now that he's draw my attention to it... :lol:
Beyond that, the PV is the usual footage of Klaha moving around and singing (which is fun to watch itself ^.~). He doesn't wave his arms around as much as he used to, and there are more closeup shots of his face. They're shining a really bright light on him to make him fade into the white background. He glows. :ooooh:
Stay in the Rain Rating: 85%
It's Klaha and a piano, in the rain. He doesn't actually play the piano (I haven't read all of the live reports I've found yet, but has anyone actually seen him playing the piano yet? 6.6), but the shots are of him sitting with his head down or walking around it singing. There's not really much motion going on, which makes it less interesting to me, but I still like it.
Then there's the part I mentioned where first the piano, then Klaha catches fire. I was reading a report where a person asked him whether the fire was real or not, but though it's well-done CG flame, I'm pretty sure Klaha at least wasn't really on fire. :lol: The video ends with the camera panning out as he is enveloped by the flame.
In this video, they have the same bright light on Klaha, but this time he's wearing a white shirt, so rather than just glowing, he's radiant like an angel. :oooh: Before I saw this, I'd already mentally started calling him "Angel of Music" (a prize to anyone who can tell me where that phrase comes from :grins:).
The one thing that kind of spoiled it for me was that through part of the video his face looks really blurry, like it's out of focus. I'm not sure if it's the bright light or the falling water that causes it, but it doesn't look very good.
The best part of this PV was seeing the key he's wearing around his neck. I've had an old skeleton key that I'm very fond of (for personal reasons) for about 7 years now, and I wear it often around my neck as a necklace. I want to know now if the key is just fashion or if there's a personal meaning attached to it for him too. ^.^
The Interview
Basically, Klaha takes a camera around (for part of it, he's behind the camera) and talks to the people doing the CG editing, and the guy who created the video. It's a bit humorous, even if you can't understand the Japanese. After watching it several times, I can understand about 75% of what they're saying, but I'll get back to you later on a translation. ^.^;
They show the filming location for Stay in the Rain for a bit, and Klaha was right, the PV does look like it was filmed in a studio, but on the making clips, you can see they are filming outside at night (there are lit buildings in the background). Poor guy must have been freezing! >.<
They also show a brief shot of him pouring soup in a kitchen, and it's funny to see how he towers over most of the guys standing around with him (in reality, he's only about 5'7" tall).
After that, it's commercial clips (basically, a portion of the Maerchen PV with a blurb about it being on sale at the end). The odd thing about this DVD is that you don't get to the menu to be selective about what to play until the entire thing has played through once.
It's a bit expensive by overseas standards (it's not a bad price for it at all in Japan, actually 9.9), but I'm glad I bought it. While there was more going on in the scape PV, and I thought that one was also nice, I think I like the Maerchen video the best of what I've seen so far. The scape PV had a bit of awkward editing, but this one works very well.
Review: Maerchen CD/DVD Part 1 -- Tuesday, January 27, 2004, 09:38 p.m.
My Maerchen stuff came yesterday! I ordered them separately from two different places (along with some CDs by other artists), but they both came on the same day! Yay! I can't stop listening to the single (I've had Deatta Hi no Mama stuck in my head all day. Ack!).
They also both came with the sticker promised (woohoo!). I got the blue and the brown one, which makes me happy because those are my two favorite colors, and I was particularly hoping for the brown one (he looks so good in that shirt ^.^). There was a sticker inside the wrapping on the outside of the CD case advertizing Maerchen as being the theme for some show called Ongaku-teki Hayari(Ryuukou? Um, it means Music Trends), and I was afraid that might be the bonus sticker at first because it still had the paper backing on it. :lol:
I'll review the DVD next time (short review: the videos are beautiful!), but I wanted to write a little review this time of the single. I'll admit I cheated and listened to MP3s of it a while back. :looks embarrassed: However, that was so long ago, it's almost like I'm hearing them the first time.
Track 1: (Mitsu)Hisoka Rating: 90%
Ooh. Klaha does creative instrumentals. This somewhat ambient piece reminds me of a movie soundtrack set in a rainforest or something. The one big drawback to this song is that I want so much for it to be full-length! I'm curious, though, am I the only person who's trying hard to hear what the (almost-inaudible) whispering is saying in the background? Am I the only one who's noticed it?
Composition: Very nice, a little cluttered, but it seems deliberately cluttered. It fades out a bit abruptly at the end, so that it sounds like one of those sample booths that play only a clip of the music, and not the complete song. The Prism tracks had a bit of this problem too.
Track 2/5: Maerchen Rating: 95%
I want to dance whenever I hear this song. in fact, I have more than once. 9.9 I'll write about what impression this song makes on my imagination in my DVD review, but as for the music, the lyrics are (as usual for Klaha) absolutely beautiful, but the gypsy violin really carries this song. The violin reminds me a bit of gypsies in tha house by a favorite indies band of mine called Radium 88 (of course, they're an obscure British band, so I doubt Klaha has ever heard of them. 9.9). I think I enjoy the instrumental better than I do the original, because that's the best way to hear all of the beautiful violin.
Composition: This song is a bit too mellow and pop-ish in a few parts for even my tastes, but it's not really that much of a distraction. I think this is probably the most complex composition he's done yet, and yet it sounds very polished.
Singing: For about the first line of lyrics, Klaha's voice is really muffled, like he's trying too hard to be soft with his voice, or perhaps isn't quite sure about his cue to start. After that, he picks up confidence and seems to be doing just fine.
Track 3: Stay in the Rain Rating: 100%
Ieee! This song is so cute! I think it may end up rivalling Penguin for cutest song. He just makes you want to hug him and go "There, there, it will be okay". :lol: I can so easily see him sitting on a corner somewhere, getting drenched, while his umbrella floats on down towards the gutter.
My only real dissapointment: I wish this song had been included as an instrumental. It's not that hard to sing, which makes it perfect for karaoke, and I really like it (of course, I'm still hoping for a karaoke of Penguin :evil grin:).
Composition: Yet another attempt at an evolving composition, and I think he pulls it off pretty well here. It starts off as a piano ballad, then turns into the kind of music you would expect to hear at a 50's prom dance (picture a disco ball turning slowly in a dimmed room with couples wearing corsages). This is another argument for my assertation that Klaha should do Broadway (he's perfect for Grease! :lol:). And just when we thought that was it, there's a dramatic pause, and we get hit by a surprise grand finale.
Singing: Very nice job. He doesn't have the problem here with too much vibratto in his voice like he usually does when he sings pop songs. The last line "You're still in my heart in the rain...." is probably the best English we've heard from him yet. ^.^; The only thing I would add to it(and this is strictly my personal taste), is some Doo-Wop harmony in the background like those old 50's ballads (although the people who want him to return to goth will probably kill me for suggesting that ^.^;;).
Track 4/6: Deatta Hi no Mama [loose meaning: Just Like the Day we Met] Rating: 60%
I hope you'll excuse me on this one, but while I can listen to this song along with the rest of the CD, it just really doesn't jump out at me as being particularly strong or unique. It just feels more like filler on the CD than something he was seriously interested in making.
The lyrics aren't even up to his usual creative or poetic standards (which I admit are set pretty high by his other work, not only as a solo artist, but with Malice Mizer and POM). While listening, I get this image of a bunch of kids in streetwear out breakdancing like in the backup of a Britney Spears video. :snickers: I'm curious to know if he's tried any dancing with this at his lives.
Composition: Technically, this is a very good song composition. It has some strong guitar riffs that I like, but the rest just seems so generic, like it could easily fit a dozen and a half pop songs.
Singing: The quality varies depending on what part of the song. I don't particularly care for the voice filters that dominate the verses. They feel so tacked on to sound trendy. In places, I'm reminded of his POM singing style, and he sounds really good. Other places, I'm not quite sure if he's on-key. I still can't get over the high notes he hits on the last "suki da to". O.O
Overall Average Rating: 86.3% The score for Deatta Hi no Mama really brought the overall score down a bit, but it's still not a bad CD. Look at it this way: the average single has about 2 unique songs, and you're getting a maxi-single for the same cost as a regular one, so he's still batting better than average here.
I think what proves that I like this CD is the fact I've been listening to it over and over for most of the day. Now I need to memorize the lyrics to Maerchen so I can use the karaoke myself.
Translation: Klaha's Fan Club Trip Report -- Saturday, January 24, 2004, 10:31 p.m.
Yay! I finished another trip report. This was from the 2-day fan club trip that Klaha held for his members last year. It sounds awesome to be spending 2 days with Klaha, but I understand the price tag was somewhere around 0 when you convert it to dollars. With the plane ticket and all, the only way I could ever go would be to sell my car. ;.; I'm not that crazy yet. :lol:
However, most of the cost seems to have gone for the transportation and the hotel stay. Wow, talk about a fancy place. O.O It really did sound like a bummer about the weather. (Er, go read it first. I'm about to go into my usual spoilers. :chuckles:)
Some of the events sound a bit weird to be doing with a music star (Bingo?? O.o). And toasting with "Klaha original wine" sounds pretty special, but I don't drink, so I don't know what I'd do there either. -.- Ooh, but getting so close to him performing, and having multiple chances to talk with him (room visits!). :sighs:
By the way, I thought the part about how the people playing ping-pong reacted was pretty funny. :lol:
I have another longer, more detailed report from this trip from another person, but I'm kinda taking things in the order I got them, so next will probably be Barks or the ~Shinshou Prism~ live, depending on which I finish first.
On another note, I sent an inquiry to the person on eBay, and yes, they will be reposting the auction for Setsubou after the CD is released. The auctioneer was very pleasant and offered to order other stuff from Japan too, so this is good news for an alternative to Cryptogram. ^.^
Setsubou Resellers -- Friday, January 23, 2004, 08:02 p.m.
Okay check this out (you can also just click the entry title):
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3581135270&category=2245
It was about to end when I found it, but I wouldn't be surprised if he relists. The seller seems to have a pretty clean selling record and with the shipping, the cost isn't bad at all. If you want to try buying the album that way, by all means... I'm still going to wait and see what Klaha does with overseas orders first (and hope that I don't regret it :sigh:).
A Mini-Trip Report and Various -- Thursday, January 22, 2004, 12:32 p.m.
Well, I got a letter from HMV today saying my Maerchen stuff that I ordered with my Christmas money has arrived and they're going to be sending it with FedEx on the next shipment. :excitement: I have a friend with a modified Xbox and one with a Japanese PS2, and they've both offered to help me with the DVD so I can watch it (I'll try the Xbox first since the PS2 is a two hour drive away ^.~). I can't wait!!! It's been almost a year since he filmed them, but I'm finally going to see the PVs! :tries to maintain her dignity but can't: ^.^;
I've been working on a couple more event reports, alternating with the Barks interview. I may just upload the 3rd page by itself before the rest, since that seems to have the real meat of the interview (the rest is mostly stuff we've heard before).
In the meantime, I found a short message on the Klaha Syndrome BBS (from Ma-ri) about the Fan Club trip:
I was in the group that participated in the trip~ (raises a hand) I, personally, was in the picture where Klaha was making a shape with both hands, in the part of that wasn't photographed. (laughs) He didn't give us any information, but there quite a bit of funny conversation (^ ^;)
It was quite fun to see the spontaneous personality that Klaha has had recently ~ (smiles). Uh, but next trip, I just want the typhoon to hold off from hitting us. w
Oh yes, I tried the mitsumame. Very, very sweet stuff. :coughs: You thought American canned goods were sweet? This is really sweet, and without being the least bit syrupy. Weird O.o I think the gelatin pieces and the agur beans are just there for looks and texture, because while they do look very pretty, they don't have much flavor. 6.6 I guess Klaha must have a real sweet tooth to enjoy this stuff. -.-;
Oh, by the way, nutritional values from the the can of mitsumame:
1 serving (1/2 cup) 100 Cal./0% Fat/0% Sat. Fat/25g Carbs.
And the nutritional info from your average package of chocolate pudding (not the fat free kind):
1 serving (28g) 170 Cal./4% Fat/6% Sat. Fat/25g Carbs.
Hmm. Seems like a bit of a step backward to me. Even the fat-free kind has more calories. Maybe we need to introduce Klaha to Haagen-Daus... :lol:
Translation Corrections -- Sunday, January 18, 2004, 11:28 a.m.
I've been going through and rereading stuff since I have the free time this morning (I usually do this to my translations to see how well I'm learning the vocabulary/characters, and because I'm always trying to make sure I understood it right). I've found a few (very minor) things I need change in the interview with Yu~ki (I will get to that soon), and I really want to reformat the Zappy interview so it sounds more like natural English. 9.9 However, when I was reading back through the announcement on the Cryptogram news page, I noticed I made a big mistake (I'm not sure how I missed it >.<) in my translation of the news release for Setsubou.
The part that I wrote down as, "As usual, a large number of CDs will be manufactured", actually says quite the opposite:
Again, there are no plans to manufacture the usual large quanity that we have been up until now. Should it be sold out, we cannot guarantee its resale, so those who desire it should take this opportunity to make your reservation.
I don't mean to frighten anyone with this. The webpage still states that they are in the process of trying to accept foreign orders, and I'm sure if the CD was sold out, they would post another notice rather than just keep us waiting.
It bothers me greatly that I somehow read that first sentence wrong and missed the second (it would have made me notice the inconsistancy in what I was writing). I've never claimed to be a total expert, and I'm glad that I do go back occasionally and re-read to catch errors. ^.^; I hope you will forgive me and haven't totally lost your faith in me as a translator. :bows to the ground in apology:
While I've Been Gone... -- Saturday, January 17, 2004, 03:20 p.m.
I almost missed it because it was hidden under the announcement for Setsubou, but Cryptograms Vol. 4 was issued out on the 14th. The folks on the Klaha Syndrome BBS were discussing it, and it seems to have a detailed report by Klaha himself on the Tsuma-Koi Fan Club meet last September and pictures. :looks covetous:
Aion's got her stuff moved to a new server, and I can access Klaha.net again from home. Yay! And she's also restored the database on the forum, which means that I missed the majority of the stuff posted since it was originally lost. >.< Oh well.
Oh yes, and Klaha Syndrome was updated on the main page with a Flash animation for Lively Island (the fan-created game starring Klaha), but I still have tried seriously playing the game yet. :shrugs:
I'm Back! -- Friday, January 16, 2004, 09:44 p.m.
Well, I ended up staying a week later than I expected. Sorry, but I was really buisy while I was up there. ^.^; I was going to leave a message last weekend, but the library in my hometown has blocked out Pitas, Live Journal, etc. for whatever reason. 9.9
Anyway, I'm really tired and such, so I will get around to emailing folks back who've sent me anything tomorrow. :yawns:
Oh, my can of mitsumame got here while I was gone. I'll try it tomorrow to see what it's like. Also, I finally got the textbook on Kansai dialect I've been on a waiting list for since around Thanksgiving. :yay: Maybe now I can learn enough to figure out some of those Osaka dialect phrases he uses every now and then. :crosses fingers: If not, it will be interesting to learn more about the area he's from, I guess. ^.^;
It's only a month now until the release of Setsubou. No ordering info yet for us, but I realize it takes time to do stuff like that, so I still have faith that it will happen. If not soon, I guess we can also hope for used copies to turn up on GURUGURU or Third Stage since some folks were ordering 2 for the photocards. Although I really don't want to have to pay the service charge for changing into yen unless I have to. :sighs: We can only wait and see...
Notice of Absence -- Monday, January 5, 2004, 09:39 a.m.
I'm gone to visit my family for a week, starting today. If any news comes up (I'm not expecting it, really, but... 9.9), I'll get around to it when I come home. If Cryptogram gets foreign orders into place while I'm gone, it will probably be in English anyway. ^.^;
See you later!
Translation: A Couple of Event Reports -- Sunday, January 4, 2004, 07:49 p.m.
Okay, there's only two live reports so far, but they've got a good amount of interesting trivia in them. I'll format the file nicer when I have time. ^.^;
I've already posted one of these to the Malice Aftermath list because it was short. One of these is from the event at Shinjuku Like an Edison to promote the Maerchen single back in April, the other is the much-talked-about "Return to Darkness" event at the same place in August to promote the Maerchen DVD. I'd been told before that he looked a lot like Beast of Blood Klaha, but the mention of the velour vest makes me wonder. 6.6;
My comments (spoilers) on the latter event:
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