sooo the upcoming Madoka Magica movie will have FictionJunction singing the theme song and from the snippet we hear so far, the main vocalist is Lino Leia. my ear could be deceiving me but the harmony kinda sounds like it was sung by Keiko (?) because Keiko did record one or two songs before she parted ways with Kajiura. I was kinda hoping for at least FictionJunction Yuuka to sing the main theme because we definitely ain't getting Kalafina but the song is boring anyway so... also it does sound like it was recorded waaay before because Leia was still singing with that nose singing style of her that annoyed the heck out of me lmaoo
Today's TV broadcast of âGhibli wo Utauâ Concert Vol.#2 has been uploaded to Bilibili so we can finally watch Kalafina's performance!!
Oh wow!! I did not expect to love this so much. Was not a huge fan of the original version to be honest but I immediately fell in love with Kalafina's rendition. Feels so nostalgic. Kinda reminiscent of some old YK songs... Love how the solo parts really puts a spotlight on what they have achieved as solo artists. The section reflects their individual singing styles so well without relying too heavily on their traditional "Kalafina-voices" (not sure if this makes sense XD). Makes me even more desperate to hear them sing self-covers of their solo work during their Kalafina concerts. Hopefully they will start introducing those one day!!
But of course I also adore the sections where their voices come together. When they are singing "wasurenaide", I cannot help but tear up, they sound so beautiful together, gorgeous harmony!! Everything that follows after that is just *chef's kiss* Let me just listen to this forever and ever. So happy to have my girls back.
M8.Itsumo Nando Demo (âSpirited Awayâ) / Win MorisakiĂKalafina M9.Toki no Uta (âTales from Earthseaâ) / Kalafina
M10.Arriettyâs Song (âThe Secret World of Arriettyâ) / Kalafina
Encore. Yasashisa ni Tsutsumareta Nara ("Kiki's Delivery Service")
ngl i am obsessed with the second part where their harmony started to build up and i completely adore the last part. double higher harmony is something that's incredibly rare in Kalafina songs so I'm savoring and loving this very moment đ also ngl I think Takebe Satoshi is (in a way) better than Kajiura in highlighting Kalafina's vocals. he always puts mini acapella parts in his arrangements for them and it's always a highlight in the lives he produced for Kalafina
âGhibli wo Utauâ Concert Vol.#2 ~Itsumo Nando Demo~
Today's TV broadcast of âGhibli wo Utauâ Concert Vol.#2 has been uploaded to Bilibili so we can finally watch Kalafina's performance!!
Initially, I didn't know what to think about this collab but I like what they did with it. I'd probably have preferred to have Kalafina sing this by themselves so everyone would get more singing time but this turned out super lovely anyway. No shade to Win Morisaki, he did a good job but I just wanted more Kalafina T_T *is greedy*
Already loved Wakana's collaboration from two years ago so I knew I would instantly be into this new version but this sounded even better than I could have imagined. I am a super big fan of the song to begin with, especially the "lalala/huhuhu" sections, so to get a Kalafina cover of it feels like such a special treat. Almost started crying when Keiko started singing in the second verseđ„čAll of their solo parts were seriously so precious. But of course the scatting parts were my favourite! The ending was absolutely beautiful!!! đI am officially obsessed! Gonna listen to this on repeat.
M8.Itsumo Nando Demo (âSpirited Awayâ) / Win MorisakiĂKalafina
M9.Toki no Uta (âTales from Earthseaâ) / Kalafina
M10.Arriettyâs Song (âThe Secret World of Arriettyâ) / Kalafina
Encore. Yasashisa ni Tsutsumareta Nara ("Kiki's Delivery Service")
okay so despite the fans literally begging her to not do alleluia anymore, Kajiura went forward and still performed alleluia in tiny desk concert so i think atp it's safe to say that the bridge between Kalafina and Kajiura is completely burned. glad to see that despite everything, the relationship between Keiko (and Hikaru at least) is still going well with Yuriko, Korenaga, and Konno.
I'd love to be proven wrong but all the signs are showing there lol
Kalafina Anniversary Live 2016 is such a delight to watch omg. I'm only 1/3 into the performance but it's so pleasant to watch and listen to. The lighting, the staging, the camerawork, and the editing, so far are good. The audio mixing is also far better than their 2025 Anniversary Live (edit: okay not really as it actually somehow got worse on the later part lol) makes me wish they to go on their separate way from Kajiura even more because if they're back with Kajiura they're gonna be managed by Fictionjunction Music/Highway Star who always skimp on staging and costuming budget lol
also Keiko singing with a softer voice and less staccato in interlude 01 is an excellent choice ugh I LOVE KALAFINA SO MUCH
personal notes:
- the opening songs were kinda meeeeh but at least the last song of the opening section was progressive, which was far better than ryb and believe. sadly progressive has become another song that's out of hikaru's comfortable range.
- the second section (moonfesta - neverending - Hikari no Senritsu) was great! the lighting was phenomenal on this part, really enhanced the performance and was fitting to the lyrics of the songs
- the KnK section was really good. already said my piece about interlude 01 above. kghnki was great and Keiko starting the song with her softer (not cutesy) voice was an excellent touch. the ARIA performance was the best out of the 3 ARIA live performances with lower key we got. also wakana completely missed the notes in "kimi ga" before the penultimate chorus but somehow that part wasn't edited lol sprinter was solid but not too special
- Magia was great, red moon was meeeh. i never liked the song and the song somehow felt even more draggy than usual in this live. the amount of post studio process done to hikaru's voice on the chorus was almost too much. i can't believe they had giant moon on the background in moonfesta but somehow didn't put on red moon on red moon, especially with the towers on the background fitting completely with the song's vibe. on the other hand, obbligato was PHENOMENAL. wakana sounded really good here (not so much on the kajiurago bridge but she was great on all the other parts of the song), and both keiko + hikaru did great job as well
- Kagayaku Sora no Shijima ni wa was good, they always nailed this song. the mixing was awful in in every nothing đ somehow the chorus had the three of them in equal level of volume. to the beginning was good but ngl i've had enough of them performing this song but it's a fan favorite and one of their most mainstream/well known song
- adore was much better than anniversary live 2018. signal was really cool and wakana sounded the most powerful she had ever sounded singing this song. blaze was also great and i found myself singing along to this song despite me never really liking this song lol. the mixing was weird again in ongaku because hikaru was really drowned. it's kinda refreshing because she's usually mixed too loud over keiko in the choruses
- far on the water and into the world were solid. the drumming in far on the water felt really weird because the bass drum was really loud. they really needed to invite masuke nozaki back as drummer for kalafina lives if they're gonna hold other concerts/performances
maybe it's partially studio magic but wakana really surprised me with how solid she sounded. keiko also showed such growth as a vocalist because she displayed some level of restraint in her vocal and made some excellent vocal choices, whereas in the past she sometimes sounded too excited and/or too emotional. hikaru also sounded better than expected, though I'd still say that progressive is still out of her range. she's really into using her rock-ish/gritty voice though. the audio mixing is very inconsistent and just like their 2025 anniversary live, the strings were really drowned except when the strings were in the opening section of the songs where they were somehow louder.
favorites:
interlude 01
obbligato
the whole 2nd section (moonfesta - neverending - HnS)
i love how the Kalafina bond and the way they act on stage is somehow stronger even after years of inactivity. i love seeing their stage presence and stage mastery actually becomes better, even wakana who used to be the shiest/stiffest on stage becomes more comfortable on stage and even making eye contact with the cameraman in animax musix. wakana and hikaru still need to work on their pitch problems though. wakana and her inconsistent placement still resulted in her voice cracking here and there but her tone is actually more pleasant to hear now and her voice projects better. some noticeable pitchy moments by wakana in heavenly blue and her voice cracking in ongaku bridge but i kinda don't really care because they were so fun to look at on stage. they truly owned that stage. hikaru was actually okay in magia and was decent in ongaku except for the bridge. she has the tendency to go completely flat when she's way too into the song though. keiko as always being the most consistent singer and performer. the costumes are okay (i liked their 2025 gold white dress better). will write a more detailed costume review after i watch the anniversary live 2026 lol
also the industry loves Kalafina and it shows. the animax musix staff requesting ongaku because they're kalafina fans, the other artists like angela/granrodeo/masayoshi oishi/konomi suzuki being thrilled with kalafina as the secret guest on animax musix, as well as the casual anime fans online expressing their suprise and happiness being able to see kalafina after their disbandment. the bitter kajiura fans are still there but i've seen more and more people anticipating and expecting a full kalafina comeback, with or without kajiura.
Israel is bombing Iranian civilians and gleefully put out press release calling it a 'pre-emptive' attack while Iran has been negotiating for weeks. 'Pre-emptive' strikes don't exist in International law. International law doesn't exist either it seems. What exists is Israel, a made up terrorist limb of the cancerous American state and it feeds the capitalist appetite for blood and oil.
i'm scrolling through @putschki1969's Kalafina fashion twitter and as if we need more proof about Keiko's rich background, all her outfits cost more than 10k yen (only one tshirt costs 8k yen) đ this is not a shade btw but like damn it feels like 1/3 of Keiko's wardrobe is more expensive than Wakana's and Hikaru's combined đ Keiko's style is near impeccable though, she knows her fashion and to mix and match. plus I love when rich people know how to dress lol
maybe it's because i'm way too starved for any new Kalafina materials but i'm obsessed with Kalafina's cover for Arrietty's Song đ the instrumental arrangement is sooooo delightful. some people may not be into Keiko's "cutesy" voice but i dig it so much in this song. Keiko got to showcase a little bit of her vocal agility in the verses, something that she never got to do with Kajiura because Kajiura always has her singing slow songs with long legatos, though it's somewhat understandable as Keiko sings with her lower/deeper voice with full chest and/or lowered larynx and it's hard to be agile when the larynx is lowered. Wakana's verses in the before the first chorus are so lovely too! the weakest link is Hikaru but as a whole I don't really mind her as her part is kinda minimal. can't wait for the full song!
also Kalafina this is a sign for you to pleaseeeee move forward without Kajiura. let's start a new chapter in your career I beggg
Not to be messy but i have to be honest, people (especially JP fans) are thinking Keiko's tweet and ig story about YKL#21 BD and release and Kajiura reposting that tweet as something really big and as a hint of a possible Kajiura and Keiko reunion. Maybe I'm just too negative but I don't think of it that way. Keiko didn't even tag/directly @-ing Kajiura on her tweet, Kajiura still doesn't follow Keiko after she unfollowed her and KeikoStaff on twitter still doesn't follow anyone. If anything the whole thing kinda feels transactional and only for PR-sake, only to make it seems that the things between them aren't as bad as it might be or might've been. In her posts about Kalafina, Keiko only mentions Kalafina's music and I think it's her own way to distance and/or separate herself from Kajiura's music. The music might be written and composed by Kajiura, but the Kalafina ladies and their voices tie them together and make them Kalafina's music.
Keiko and the Kalafina ladies definitely treasure Kalafina a lot more than Kajiura because while it's true Kajiura was their sole producer and writer, Kalafina was the one who brought them to life and they painted their own colors with their voices. And I will never stop reminding people that Kajiura quit being Kalafina's producer before Keiko left and Kalafina disbanded. It's her only project group where she consciously chose to end her involvement with. See-Saw and FJ Yuuka were inactive but they never really disbanded. Kalafina was a project group that was meant to be disbanded after the Kara no Kyoukai project ended, but they became so popular that SpaceCraft and SME reached out to Kajiura to make them a permanent group. Maybe in her heart and mind, Kajiura was able to let go of Kalafina because they were never meant to be permanent in the first place anyway. It's very different from the Kalafina ladies who actively toured and performed, they formed such a bond that's so strong that even after their disbandment and brief involvement with Kajiura again, both Keiko and Hikaru couldn't help but thinking wanting to sing Kalafina songs as Kalafina again and there's something magical to them that can only be brought by their 3 voices together.
I'd like to think of the music as a painting that's yet to be colored and the voices as the paint that'll color them, and the 3 Kalafina ladies colored the painting so beautifully that anything other than them singing doesn't feel and sound right. The Kalafina ladies felt this and the fans felt this too, even more so now than ever, especially after the backlash they received in 2024. I'm glad a lot of JP fans who attended Kalafina's Anniversary Live 2026 are now realizing that Kalafina's music needs to be sung by the 3 Kalafina ladies and I think a lot of people are more accepting of Kalafina moving forward.
Yuuka is back to Fictionjunction and I am very happy with her return. Without Wakana and Keiko + whatever happened to Kaori's voice, Yuuka is actually my next favorite FictionJunction vocalist and FJ Yuuka songs are excellent and all the covers never did them justice except for rito's Kouya Ruten (but she's no longer around either lol).
That being said, the return of Yuuka is not without the drama and I LOVE DRAMA. Jp fans are questioning why bring Yuuka back now when she wasn't even invited to Kaji Fes 2024 and her last appearance with Kajiura was in like 2014 and Yuuka had been active back doing seiyuu work in 2023. I feel like there was a more recent Yuuka's appearance but I forgot. Some people are saying that Kajiura and Mori are preparing for a potential full Kalafina comeback so they can hold their own because let's be real, the group FictionJunction is and was never on the same popularity level as Kalafina, but FictionJunction Yuuka was popular enough. Kajiura held that super expensive dinner show and all people were talking about is the Alleluia cover, even more so than the surprise Yuuka appearance. That shows how well known and well loved Kalafina is.
Even for myself, I couldn't care less about the current FictionJunction lineup but I am excited for FictionJunction Yuuka. FJ Yuuka songs are too good and personally for me, other than rito's cover of Kouya Ruten, the covers done by practically everyone almost never did them justice.
The venue for Hikaru's upcoming play âæć è±/Gekkouka/Moonlight Flowerâ is in this area so she wants everyone to use the opportunity to check out the places she is recommending here.
Play title: âæć è±/Gekkouka/Moonlight Flowerâ
Venue: Otsuka Yorozu Theater
Scheduleđïž: 2025.11.06 (Thu) - 2025.11.09 (Sun)
Hikaru New SingleAlive / AcknowledgeRelease Event -Close-
As Hikaru mentioned on Wednesday, she will indeed be holding a special event on two consecutive days to celebrate the release of her new single CD [ALIVE/ Acknowledge]. This will be her 24th release as freelancer and I am guessing that at least one of these tracks (assuming it is actually two songs) will be used in her upcoming stage play âæć è±/Gekkouka/Moonlight Flowerâ but we'll know more once the show starts. Tweet by Hikaru
âŒVenue: freespace75% Roppongi(capacity ~60)
âŒNovember 22, 2025 (Sat)
Day 14:00/14:30ă»Night 18:00/18:30
https://tiget.net/events/438928
âŒNovember 23, 2025 (Sun)
Day 14:00/14:30ă»Night 18:00/18:30
https://tiget.net/events/438929
âŒTicket Sales Period Oct 26, 2025 12:00 - Nov 21 23:59
âŒAdvanced Ticket: 4,500; Same Day Ticket: 5,000
âæć è±/Gekkoukaâ Ending Theme
Hikaru's upcoming stage play will have its own dedicated ending theme which is composed by HaKA and sung by Hikaru (lyrics are also provided by Hikaru). The song title is âæć è±/Gekkouka/Moonlight Flowerâ, matching the name of the play. While the song won't be performed live at the show, a CD will be on sale at the venue. (Source)
No wonder Hikaru is so busy these days. A lot needs to be prepared. Her November schedule is crazy!! And I am sure there are a few more things to come. I'd be surprised if Kalafina didn't do at least a little bit of promo work for the "Ghibli wo Utau Vol.#2" release. I'd love a few radio and/or TV appearances.
had this really weird dream where Kalafina releases a new single with a lead song that sounds really unlike them before (since obviously no Kajiura) and people are really divided about it because it's gonna be used as an anime tie-in but the sound is very modern pop song so it also doesn't sound like anison at all. the new Kalafina logo is very art-pop and the CD booklet is very minimalist with only some little pictures of them scattered on the lyrics page. then there's a drama because Kajiura releases a statement that's like 40 pages long and I ain't reading all that but yeah that's my dream. in the dream i was surprised by the song but I don't actually hate it and i thought, "well of course they have to stray as far as possible from the Kajiura sound, i have no problem with that." but really the song i heard in my dream was like the least thing you'd expect to listen from Kalafina lmao
I rewatched skyfall the other night and this au wouldnt leave me alone,, so. James bond au lestapstri
"Q, 001 wants to see you. Um, again.â
Oscar runs the program once more, frowning. The error message is still popping up. Heâs triple-checked his spelling, retyped the entirety of the source code, sent it to R so a fresh pair of eyes can look it over, all to no avail.
Not to mention the five deadlines Oscar has to meet today. At the moment, none of them are anywhere close to completion.
âQ?â
âAh, Q is a little busy, I think,â a new voice intercepts smoothly. âI will tell him, okay? You may fetch⊠001.â
âOh! Umâalright. 016, sir.â
âNo, no,â Leclerc waves off, âThere is no need for sir, mademoiselleâŠ?â
â016,â Oscar says crispy. âPlease stop flirting with my interns. Youâre dismissed.â
The intern makes a wobbly, mortified noise, and flees the scene.
âQ,â Leclerc drags out. Oscar doesnât need to look over to know heâs pouting. âAlways, you are spoiling my fun. I cannot flirt with you, I cannot flirt with the internsâwho is left to flirt with then?â
This codeâitâs stuff Oscar was doing before he could walk. But itâs actively fighting him every step of the way, things shuffling around when heâs not looking, more red exclamation marks popping upâbreeding like fucking rabbits. Oscar has no idea what heâs looking at anymore.
âJensonâs been looking sad lately,â he says, distracted. Jenson is Oscarâs weirdly emotional Roomba who developed some bizarre hatred for Oscar and an undying love for Oscarâs second in command, R. He has indeed been moping around Q-branch lately. âIâm sure heâd appreciate your⊠affections, 016. Iâm trying to work here.â
âAll the time I am here, youâre working,â Leclerc sighs. Out of the corner of Oscarâs eye, he catches Leclerc stretching, the pale column of his throat ever so delicate beneath Oscar's fluorescent lights. âAnd I know what you will say, Q. That I will have to wait until youâre finished, and I am finished, and we are both finished withââ Leclerc wrinkles his nose, ââwork, but that is so long! And never you are finished with work. I try to take you to dinner and youâre doing work even then.â
Oscarâs fingers falter over the keyboard.
Recently, he helped Leclerc out of aâsituation. R usually handles coms for agents 10-19, Oscar taking 1-9, but the situation had spiralled beyond what R was trained to handle. So Oscar stepped in.
016 has always been fond of pestering Oscar. For new upgrades, mission reportsâthough Oscar isnât his handlerâtech ideas. Sometimes, Oscar will freely admit, his insight has been invaluable. The other 95% of the time, the only thing Leclerc has accomplished in Q-branch is tanking work effectiveness rates by 231%.
That mission, howeverâhe was lucky to have survived it. Lucky that Oscar didnât decide to work from home that day. In the heat of it, bleeding out from a close-range shot to the ribs, Leclerc coughed out a dinner invitation, and Oscar was stupid (optimistic) enough to presume 016 wouldnât make it, and therefore agreed, for the sake of comforting a dying man.
Then, nine oâclock on the dot on Monday morning, Leclerc came whistling through the doors of Q-branch, looking like the cat who got the cream, telling anyone who would listen that he had snagged the elusive Quartermaster. By the time Oscar heard of it, it was too late. The rumour had spread.
Since then, heâs clung to Oscar like fungus. Unkillable, stubborn, vaguely charming fungus.
âWell,â Oscar says, âIf you want your head blown off by your own earpiece when youâre cleared for active duty, we can go for dinner if you want.â
Leclerc slumps over Oscarâs workbench. âYou are no fun,â he mutters, throwing his arm dramatically over his face.
Which is when the door opens again.
âQ, the latest handgun is shit. The AI was asking me for my fuckingâvoice activation in the middle of aâYou.â
Leclerc also makes a disgusted noise in the back of his throat. âUgh. You.â
âWhat is he doing here?â Verstappen asks, indignant. âQ, how am I supposed to give you the debrief if he is snooping? Surely this is a breach of protocol?â
Oscar digs his fingers into his temple, where a headache is raining down on him, vicious. He accepted this job because of the unlimited freedom no other opportunity came close to providing. He may have declined if he knew a good chunk of the job would be babysitting.
â001,â he says, admirably even. âIf youâre going to tell me you chucked your gun in the Atlantic again, save it for another day.â
Verstappen grumbles, ducking his head. He fishes a small armoury out of his pockets and dumps it on Oscarâs desk. Broken and waterlogged, butâwell. Itâs sort of better than nothing.
âI of course brought them back for you,â 001 mutters. His ears are pink. âI am not Charles.â
âWhat is that supposed to mean?â Leclerc pipes up. âI bring my equipment back! Do I not, Q?â
Oscar isnât solving this mess today. He gives the wall of code a scathing once over, then minimizes the tab. He has a minimum of seven hours before R hauls him out the building. Thatâs enough to smash a few deadlines.
âYou are like a child running to his mother, Charles,â Verstappen is saying, pitching his voice high and mocking, âQ, do you like my hair? Oh, Iâm so stupid, Q. Please tell me to pick a lock! Teach me how to defuse a bomb, Q, Iâm so clumsy and delicate! Help me wipe my arse, Qââ
Oscar digs a knuckle into his eye, sighing. âOut.â
Leclerc pushes himself upright in one fluid motion, eyes narrowed. âYou are the one calling me a harlot after what you did in Shanghai?â
âThat was three years ago,â Verstappen hisses. âSpielberg, howeverââ
âOh, yes, Spielberg,â Leclerc speaks over him, âWhere you got shot and cried like a baby in my armsââ
âI did notâ!â
ââand Carlos had to come get us because you exploded the car from trying to act like we were in one of your little video gamesââ
âThe tyres were shot out, you fucking idiotââ
âAnd Vienna!â Leclerc near shouts, âLetâs talk about Vienna, shall we?â
âI have told you this so many times! Vienna was notâ!â
âYou are so fucking stupid,â Leclerc is gritting out, fisting Verstappenâs tie. âYou are a fuckingââ
Dead-eyed, Oscar glances up just in time to see Verstappen lunge forward and crush their mouths together.
âAgain?â Oscar says, exhausted. âReally?â
The way Leclerc is clawing at him, the iron grip Verstappen has on his waist, youâd think they were trying to maul each other. Oscar has no idea why theyâve both decided his office is the perfect place for hate-groping. LandoâsâRâsâis literally right next door. God, what Oscar would pay to see Râs face when 001 and 016 start going at it in front of him.
Luckily, this time Verstappen comes to his senses. He shoves Leclerc back, wiping at his mouth. His gaze flits to Oscar, who stares flatly back at him.
âEr,â he starts, hesitantly.
âOut,â Oscar says, with a sigh that probably drains half his lifeforce. âDonât come back until next Monday. For the love of god.â
