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Post by hot0rikun967 on Apr 20, 2014 22:15:47 GMT -4
Like we did for RN, felt we should have a reactions thread for SL to separate the reviews from the official news.
Given that I just listened to the album today, I'm not going to post my review just yet. I need to process all of the songs first, but I will say: I, of course, am not disappointed.
Oh yeah, and, "VIRGIN CODE" = "Avalon no Oukan" + "NEXT ARCADIA"
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Post by stranger on Apr 22, 2014 14:36:06 GMT -4
Mine is coming...it really is! It's just really long and I'm trying to digest some of the tracks (GUILTY) so I can give a more informed opinion. I want to translate all the lyrics so I can rate the lyrics too, but it comes at bad timing since I have exams up until next Monday.
Looking forward to yours, hot0rikun967!
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Post by Sai on Apr 22, 2014 14:52:02 GMT -4
Mine's also on the way, though I was cheap and paid for standard shipping But I'll definitely have plenty of reactions to report once I have it!
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teddy
«5» Secret Ambition
Chouzetsu Kawaii!
Posts: 163
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Post by teddy on Apr 22, 2014 16:33:42 GMT -4
Just got my copy and listening now!! It's really amazing so far! Virgin Code + Guilty back to back was soooooooo awesome! hot0rikun967 your description of Virgin Code is spot on! Fun Fun people is still really great and catchy. Fate sounds beautiful and I love the new intro to Vitalization. Setsuna Capacity sounds like something from Great Activity. It has a classic feel good Nana sound. Her voice sounds awesome in Ladyspiker! Million Ways=One Destination is really epic! Bokura no Mirai is so old style Nana!!!! I LOVE it! Overall I really enjoy it on first listen!! Pic of the beautiful poster from HMV
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Post by Vívace on Apr 22, 2014 17:22:29 GMT -4
I will express my reactions with infamous emoticons.
1. VIRGIN CODE: (((o(*゚▽゚*)o))) 2. GUILTY: (●˙▿˙●) 3. アパッショナート: (*´・v・) 4. 笑顔の行方: (゜-゜) 5. アンティークナハトムジーク: (●♡∀♡) 6. Fun Fun★People: ・ω・ 7. FATE: ( ≧Д≦) 8. Vitalization -Awfwachen form- : (⊙_☉) 9. 哀愁トワイライト: (´∀`)♡ 10. セツナキャパシティ: ((( ̄へ ̄井) 11. Ladyspiker: (^~^) 12. Rock you baby!: ( ̄~ ̄;) 13. Million Ways=One Destination: ミ●﹏☉ミ 14. 僕らの未来: (⊙…⊙ ) 15. 愛の星: (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ
...Yup.
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Post by hot0rikun967 on Apr 22, 2014 17:57:12 GMT -4
^LOVE IT XD
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Post by Sai on Apr 23, 2014 14:17:53 GMT -4
Hahahaha! I think you're ready for the world of music journalism, Vivace!
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Post by Vívace on Apr 23, 2014 18:42:06 GMT -4
ಠᴗಠ
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Post by relmy on Apr 25, 2014 10:51:29 GMT -4
Here is my proper review of the album! I've had time to let it settle now (and get over the excitement) and generally it's not too different from my first impressions. VIRGIN CODE - Ok, ok. I still think this is great. It's amazing, actually. I just don't think it lives up to Avalon no Oukan. It's such a magical girl anthem though. Don't you think the first few twinkly sound like Moonlight Densetsu? From the first second it's screaming 'magical girl opening song'!! I think it needs something extra to push it into true greatness though. 9/10 GUILTY - This is the Nana song I never knew I wanted. Obviously, somewhere deep inside me, I was longing for Nana to do a Koda Kumi song. I can't wait to see her perform this one live. I am still just as excited about this song as the first time I heard it. It's so good. It's not a typical Nana song at all but it still is completely Nana. It's an even better sign when a song this good isn't the best one on the album! 10/10 Apassionato - The first 20 second are beautiful. Can I have that song instead? I go back and forth on this one. Overall, it isn't bad, but the arrangement is really jarring at times. It's a case of trying to do too much. The rock or the folk, not both. Either song would have been better. I'm hoping live, or another Live Grace (please) in the future, could fix this song. Even it out a bit. There are a couple of moments here and there where only one element shines through, or they combine well, it just make me ask why. I think it's the chorus that's the problem, the rest of the song is pretty amazing. 7.5/10 Egao no Yukue - I actually really love this. I was rather underwhelmed by it at first but it's a definite grower. I guess there isn't much to say about it, really. The song just carries you along rather nicely. Sometimes these 'nice' songs don't work, but here it's perfect. 8/10 Antique Nachtmusik - Ahh delicious. It's Nana doing what she does best, but with a darker undertone. It's always good when she's a bit darker. The tick tocking, the French, the mystery! If MARIA&JOKER was the action opening scene, this is the sad, but mysterious scene. I hope her theme for LIVE FLIGHT is air hostesses and James Bond-y. You all know it would work. 9/10 Fun Fun People - Definitely a grower. I still don't love it but I don't dislike it as much as I did on first listen. I prefer the LOVELY FRUIT type cute songs (I like a bit more kawaii, it's true) but I feel like this fits with the overall atmosphere of the album. I'm not musical enough to know what it's called, but this feels very cinematic too? 6/10 FATE - I'm actually quite disappointed in this one. Nana's ballads are usually great, especially as she doesn't do them frequently. This is so Jpop ballad. To a tee. It sounds like it should be a Kana Nishino song, it's that Jpop ballad. I love the odd Jpop ballad, but I can't help but feel she should have added in some Jpop chimes and made it Christmas ballad or added in some orchestra so it wasn't so flat? I like her ballads because she has the voice and usually makes them her own, especially live. Of course she sounds great, but it's not distinctively Nana. 5/10 Vitalization - This doesn't really fit on the album, does it? I like it a lot more than when it was a single, but it is still the good-but-not-as-good sibling of Synchrogazer. Not much to say really. 7/10 Aishuu Twilight - Goddness Nana, we are not worthy. ;___; Why is this so good? HOW is this so good? This is far and away the best song on the album. I just read stranger's translation too and even the lyrics are wonderful! They're pretty much what I imagine. The way it all flows together, and her voice! She sounds amazing here. Can I give a song 11? I want to give this song 11. I've not loved a Nana song this much since Mugen. 10/10 Setsuna Capacity - I know this is rather typical for Nana, but I really like it. I can't really say why, I just think it's really catchy. I love the slower parts and I always get the chorus stuck in my head. This simply comes down to it being really catchy. It probably won't stand the test of time though, I'm surprised I'm still enjoying it this much, honestly. That's not really a bad thing, just the way it goes with 'just' catchy songs. 8/10 Ladyspiker - I always forget about this for some reason? It's a lovely surprise every time I listen though. The highlight here is her voice, she sounds amazing. Whenever I play it, I enjoy it but I think that I always forget about it is telling. It just doesn't have enough ooomph to raise it from good to great. 7/10 Rock you baby! - this is my least favourite song on the album. It's too happy. You know how I said I wanted more kawaii in Fun Fun People? I want less in this. This is the opposite end of the cute spectrum. I enjoy songs like this live but listening to them on albums is totally different. 4/10 Million ways=One destination - Another one I shouldn't love as much as I do. There's something very beautiful about this one. The start of the verses are what make this song so good, and then it goes into that lovely building pre-chorus. It's Nana magic. 9/10 Bokura no Mirai - I feel like this album has two distinct halves. A lot of it sounds very new, like GUILTY, Aishuu Twilight, and even Apassionato. Then you have all the typical Nana tracks like Million ways and Setsuna Capacity. I like this because it's the best of both, it's nostalgic Nana for sure, but that's why it's so good after the past few tracks. It shows her growth, but also what makes her good. I think this had to be the end track (I know Ai no Hoshi is coming, but that's so minimalistic) because it ties everything nicely together. This album, much like Rockbound Neighbours did, shows of what Nana can do. Only having one single makes this far more cohesive, however. It's hard to compare them really, I think they're equally as good, which is pretty great really. Ai no Hoshi - 10/10 of course. I've made it obvious since the day the album was announced that this song needed to be here. Sorry FATE, you're by far outclassed by Ai no Hoshi. The single version was better and it's STILL 10/10? How is that possible? It does feel like a bonus track, but I don't really care. <3
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Post by crownofavalon on Apr 25, 2014 12:21:55 GMT -4
I was longing for Nana to do a Koda Kumi songSo I'm not the only one who thinks of Kuu when I listen to GUILTY?
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Post by stranger on Apr 25, 2014 20:35:51 GMT -4
Great review, relmy! I think what you said about Ladyspiker is very insightful. Also, just curious, what is your rating for Bokura no Mirai? I guess I could look back in the SL thread but I'm too lazy to go through all those pages haha forgive me!
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Post by relmy on Apr 26, 2014 16:51:17 GMT -4
Haha it's okay, I forgot to put one in. I can't remember what I gave it initially... and I'm too lazy to look too. I think Bokura no Mirai deserves an 8.5/10. I enjoy it more than the 8s on the album, but not as much as the 9s. It's an interesting song. crownofavalon I'm glad GUILTY reminded you of Koda Kumi too. It really does sound like she listened to some Kuu before recording it.
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Post by hot0rikun967 on Apr 28, 2014 3:37:21 GMT -4
So I finally got to my long, long review. Enjoy it! Or don't! Whatever! e.o This album is a list-maker's worst nightmare. . . Incoming wall of text! <3 1. VIRGIN CODE -- So after a spectacular minute-long intro, the song--and the album--really kicks off. Honestly, everything leading up to the first chorus in this song is pure magic hype: an unexpected, yet extremely appreciated angel-child of "NEXT ARCADIA" and "Avalon no Oukan". Everything about this song flows so fantastically well (an area where I felt it's father "Avalon no Oukan" lacked in some parts, but where I thought it's mother "NEXT ARCADIA" excelled). Due to the build-up of every verse and the bridge, I much prefer them to the chorus, but the chorus is nonetheless incredibly catchy and incredibly Nana. In fact, this whole song is a testimony to Nana's style over the last five years, with a perfected combination of strings, piano, electric guitar, and vocal acrobatics. The song feels rather ethereal in that listening to it makes me feel elevated in some way: the song actually embodies "supernal" really well in its uplifting and exciting sound. What a way to open an album! I'm not going to say I'm surprised though. Nana albums have been opening with a bang since "HYBRID UNIVERSE".
2. GUILTY -- Hello strange English voices. You're really odd. Do I like that? Yes. It works--more hype for probably the coolest song on the album: seriously. If the album opened with pure Nana deliciousness, this song served experimental flavor that just had to be present somewhere amongst this slew of new songs. I feel like the majority of this album is the packaging of a bunch of hybrid Nana songs, and for this track I feel like the comparisons to "Get my drift?" were apt, but, strangely, another song came to mind: "Risouron", with that synth-and-strings-based production and vocal style. "Get my drift?" was catchy and rather fun whilst still being sexy in it's own unique way, but "GUILTY" brought the fast-paced, catchy choral atmosphere of "Get my drift?" and darkened it into an even sexier track by channeling the heaviness of "Risouron". And can we talk about those high notes? Absolutely stellar. This song is 100% CrazySexyCool (TLC reference very intended).
3. アパッショナート (Appassionato) -- My goodness was this song polarizing upon release. I was frankly quite surprised at that because, honestly, this song has Nana graffiti sprayed all over it in the most chaotic and artistic way possible. I'm going to just come out and say that this song is absolutely my favorite on the entire album. More hybridity, I feel as though the metal of "Mysterion" was sprinkled with the acoustic guitars and anison style of "Justice to Believe". I never would consider this song messy. When Nana dabbles into this kind of intense rock style, she usually pulls it off extraordinarily well: "Etsuraku Camellia", "Kakumei Dualism", "Mysterion, "Trickster", just to name a few. The song does, however, feel rather out of place with the rest of the album if one plays the songs on shuffle, but ultimately that doesn't matter to me. All of my Nana songs are collected into one playlist anyway, and I can't see myself wanting to skip this song anytime soon. Well done, Nana on the composition, and the accordion was a nice touch.
4. 笑顔の行方 (Egao no Yukue) -- Although I absolutely loved her high notes in the duet version of the song, I also love the instrumentation of this version. It's rather tropical, fun, like it could be the next theme song for One Piece. I thought the first fifty seconds of the song really opened it up with a bang, setting up the rest of the song for an upbeat, faster-paced version of the duet and original. I do wish Nana would've sung those high notes, though. Regardless, I love that this song got a release within her major discography. That makes it free game for my list-making. Yay <3 Another flawless song. So, Nana, when are you going to slip up on this album? It's gotta be the next song. Yup. For sure.
5. アンティークナハトムジーク (Antique Nachtmusik) -- Nope. This song is flawless, too. Talk about original. I can't really pinpoint the origins of this song, as hard as I tried. It's probably the most unique song on the album. I felt some "Mugen", but I think that's only because "Mugen" is just as original amongst her discography. Which brings me to my next comment: this song, in all it's experimental anison glory, could honestly be a single. I get serious anime-opening vibes from this whole experience of a song. i absolutely love the octave jump on the last two lines of the chorus (I think she jumped an octave at least--I'm no music major, but she went higher; you know what I'm trying to say so shhh! XD). Perfect. 10/10. Sold. Ship it. Be there in a week. Let's move onto something I can actually say something bad about. That's definitely the next song.
6. Fun Fun★People -- Damnit! What the heck, Nana?! Stop giving me great song after great song! It's not supposed to work that way! My gosh, this song is so freakin' catchy and fun I can't stand it--in the best possible way. "Lovely Fruit" met "PARTY! PARTY!" backstage and the two hooked up (but it's this cute little secret that they'll keep between each other and neither of them regret it). Now for the obligatory comparison: do I like this more than "Lovely Fruit"? Short answer: Yes. I adore "Lovely Fruit", but this song brought the Fun Fun★Person out of me. Much 3AM dancing to come with this song. Gonna' loop this for days.
7. FATE -- Oh Nana, you sly, sly wittle duck-thing (or whatever-the-heck Nanette-san is). Of course "FATE" had to be track number seven. But now to the actual song. I thought the placement of this song was perfection despite that little Easter egg. It was a nice cool-down from the last song and, really, the rest of the first half of the album; however, in-between such strong contenders, this song is just a tad forgettable. Did we hit a dud? Hahaha no: this is a Nana album. I feel like with more listens, I'll be singing this song quite often. It will definitely have longevity once the hype of the rest of the songs fades away: kind of like how "Karen Moyou" or "ray of change" were for me. Compared to the other songs on their respective albums, they felt underwhelming, but amongst the shuffle of every song in her discography, they, and "FATE", shine through as under-appreciated semi-ballad gems worth singing daily while I shower.
8. Vitalization -Aufwachen Form- -- Okay, see now this is a much better way to re-introduce a techno-anison super-song. I loved this song from back in the summer--has it really been that long? Wow--and my feelings have not changed on it, really. It's fantastic, but it's not "Synchrogazer". At least this "Aufwachen Form" opening transitioned into the song in a cleaner fashion. But one thing is on my mind: did she re-sing the song? I think I hear very subtle differences between this version and the original, vocally. It's possible. She did re-sing "Sacred Force" on "ROCKBOUND NEIGHBORS". Does anyone else hear a difference? Hmm.
9. 哀愁トワイライト (Aishuu Twilight) -- Now this song I can see Nana performing. It's quite pretty, theatrical. I'll break out my blu-ray remote/fake microphone and lip-sync this song to death. Again, another incredibly unique song amongst Nana's discography. I don't really know what else to say here because at this point you're all probably drowning in positivity. I love it. Haha. Okay, moving onto the generic pop song.
10. セツナキャパシティー (Setsuna Capacity) -- Just kidding! "7COLORS" and "FEARLESS HERO" got married and danced to this song at their wedding. The only thing I can really say bugs me about this song is the word "capacity". I don't know; it just rubs me the wrong way. Maybe it's that I'm not used to hearing Nana utter the name of her songs in her songs, let alone during every chorus. Still, another spectacular and fun track.
11. Ladyspiker -- And suddenly it's 2008 again. Honestly, I never knew why Nana didn't sing in this register on any song besides "DESIRE -Jounetsu-", and that was a character song (a great one, at that). I can just hear unleashed-vampire Moka-chan singing this. Another really, really unique song, but I taste a teaspoon of "ROMANCER'S NEO", a hint of "MARIA & JOKER", and a dash of "undercover". We're making curry, clearly. It's a Nana album. *Sigh* Again, another top-notch track. Stop it, Nana. Just stop it. Please give me something to dislike. Please. You make list-making so difficult when you do this.
12. Rock you baby! -- Given that "Love Brick" has interestingly enough become the fan-favorite when it comes to Nana's pop-rock genre, I will say that this song is not "Love Brick"; however, it's actually kinda catchy. Better than "Happy☆Go-Round!"? This song is screaming to be the encore opener for some upcoming concert of hers. I actually like her pop-rock songs, but she has so many that they're all pretty much going to be the same at this point. That's not a bad thing, though. I did say I like her pop-rock, so, I like this song. Yay. I just can't win, can I?
13. Million Ways = One Destination -- Oh my gosh. So, "Tears' Night" and "METRO BAROQUE" formed a band together, and released this song as their first single. Unfortunately, they broke up due to irreconcilable differences. Joking aside, there's something heavy, emotional, and dramatic about this song. It's amazing. This way to LIVE GRACE -OPUS III-. This may very well make my revised top 50, along with folk-metal masterpiece "Appassionato" up there ^
14. 僕らの未来 (Bokura no Mirai) -- And so we near the end of "MAGIC ATTRAC--Wait a minute. Huh? Huh?! Can she just do that?! "I'm Mizuki Nana, and I'm just gonna' randomly place a song inspired by my 2002 style on my 10th album and call it "Our Future" because that's funny, right?" Stop it, Nana! Just, for the love of all that is music, stop! You can't throw me off like that! I'm a fragile fan taking too much stability-achieving medication for this kind of abrupt curve ball! ._. Okay, Nana. You win. I give up. My gosh this song is the perfect combination of early-2000s Nana and shiny, brand new Mizuki Nana -type 2014-. Come on. Come on! I mean, holy towel songs, we finally get another towel song on an album! Win. Just win.
15. 愛の星 -two hearts- (Ai no Hoshi -two hearts-) -- If this song didn't close the album I was going to be upset. But it does, so I'm not. What can I say? Invite Agematsu-san to rework one of Nana's finest ballads: that'll work won't it? Yeah, it will. I prefer the production of the original, but this arrangement is just absolutely beautiful, on the caliber of "7gatsu 7ka" and "SUPER GENERATION -MUSEUM STYLE-". Just Gorgeous.
Final Thoughts: So this whole album was basically Nana flaunting her talent, her fame, her money, her awesomesauce--basically saying to all of us listeners, "I'm freakin' Mizuki Nana, and I can do whatever the heck I want, peasants." Not that Nana would ever say that. Ever. But for some reason, the idea of a Nana bent on world-domination has always been appealing to me in its ridiculousness. Now for the obligatory final question: is this album better than "ROCKBOUND NEIGHBORS"? Hmm. . .I don't care! This is a freakin' Nana album! They're all good! All of them! Every last one of them! Pick one! It's good! I swear! Take my word for it! I'm not crazy! Shh! Shhhh!
. . .Review over. My favorites in no particular order: "VIRGIN CODE", "GUILTY", "Appassionato", "Antique Nachtmusik", "Fun Fun★People", "Million Ways = One Destination"
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Post by Sai on Apr 28, 2014 4:31:36 GMT -4
Hahahaha, that was such a fun a review. I never knew songs lead such scandalous lives... marriages, make-outs, band break-ups, unexpected offspring! I love it. And the review itself has certainly succeeded in further hyping the album for me (I think I'm the last one to hear it, now! And about ready to rip off my arm for just a taste of Nana goodness).
Maybe 'Bokura no Mirai' is supposed to be super meta and Nana intended to sing it as a "2002 Nana" persona, singing about the bright future she'll have in 2014!
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Post by stranger on Apr 28, 2014 22:26:32 GMT -4
hot0rikun967, you should be a professional reviewer! Your review is so much more interesting than the reviews I read on other blogs. I basically agree with everything again...and now I am eagerly anticipating LIVE GRACE III as well!
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