ぴゅあくる刀剣男士 PureCool Touken Danshi
Okay, so let me ramble about my current fixation, and most probably my most favourite media mix of Touken Ranbu as of now- PureCool Touken Danshi. Before that, let me introduce you a bit about it.
PureCool Touken Danshi is a 3D idol project featuring the Touken Danshi from Touken Ranbu ONLINE, and perhaps aligning with in-game character settings- the first group to debut as a tasting performance in this media are the Gou swords; Kotegiri Gou (va Hirose Yuya), Buzen Gou (va Yashiro Taku), Kuwana Gou (va Ito Kento), Matsui Gou (va Toki Shunichi), Samidare Gou (va Karino Sho), Murakumo Gou (va Eguchi Takuya), and the latest addition for the debut of their group 'Ghostella' are, Inaba Gou (va Takeuchi Shunsuke), and Tomita Gou (va Ono Kensho).
So in the game, it all started with Kotegiri going on that the Gous are tsukumogami who can sing and dance aka idols, but when the others started appearing later on, we can see most of them have their own fixation and it was definitely not being idols. (Like Matsui with bloodletting and Kuwnaa with farming) Yet, perhaps due to everyone getting on the ship after being asked by Kotegiri (and Buzen) or maybe it's the bond they share from being made by the same swordsmith, all of them are now canonically participating in 'lessons'. So that's how the Gou are now well-known as the idol group among the swords.
The reason why I got so into it was because I was (self) diagnosed with Murakumo-content malnourishment- then suddenly I saw the teaser of Kotegiri's shadow dancing. Of course, I knew it wasn't Kumo-kun, yet somehow I was hoping Kotegiri would drag the whole Gou into this new project- and yea, it happened. I fell so deep into the hole. (At the time, I wasn't so into Toumyu yet, and that's a story for another time I guess).
So, a bit of ramble about their group name Ghostella-
There hasn't been any official release yet as to why the name was chosen, but of course that's not gonna stop the hardcore saniwas from speculating their reasonings:
- 'Ghost' in the 'Ghostella' may have referred to the popular saying that "I've never seen Gou swords and ghosts." (In romaji: "Gou to obake wa mitakotonai.") This is due to most of Gou no Yoshihiro works are mostly unsigned and the swords' whereabouts like Buzen Gou cannot be found.
- The 'Stella' may have been referred to the stars- like aiming to shine like the stars, you know? I also notice that, stars are practically unreachable in the dark universe, yet we know they exist due to the bright light they emit- similar to how Kotegiri aims to establish a surer existence of the Gou swords- even if we can't see them (like ghosts), we know they exist. They're definitely there.
- Simply thinking, the beginning of the name 'Ghostella' pronunciation is similar when we say 'Gou', which are their faction themselves.
In the previous Tasting Performance in 2024, the former six Gou performed six songs:
The following are just my speculation and rambling, and mind you I'm not some music pro:
'Hyakka Ryouran' has the image of a flower blooming, and has the vibe of elegance in it. All six members from Kotegiri to Murakumo sing this one.
'GO&GO!!!' has the upbeat idol song vibes to it, and they even prepared lightsick movement sequence for it. In this one, it is sung by Kotegiri, Buzen, Kuwana and Matsui. I am guessing (JUST A GUESS) that Samidare and Murakumo weren't featured in it so they can have another four-people song with Inaba and Tomita. (PLEASE)
'Samezame', performed by Kuwana and Matsui has a really melancholic vibe to it, and the two were even shown dancing in the rain (if I'm not mistaken). Apparently, the cast seiyuu themselves didn't expect this duo. I like their voice range in this one.
'Precious' is a love song performed by Samidare and Murakumo, a duo everyone already expected because they are like 2-in-1 package with Do-Not-Separate label on them (jk). Anyone who wants to be melted by their sweet words and singing may repeat it on loop like me. Their dancing in this are so cute like they literally make a big love towards you.
'No More' is sung by Kotegiri and Buzen duo, but in the performance, all the other four also joined in the dancing. It is an upbeat, almost fire-like song that gets your adrenaline pumped (for best experience use earphones/headphones).
And lastly 'I Believe'. The very first beat we know, the very song they used in Ghostella PV. I call it the PureCool Gou anthem because it feels like it. In fact, even the instrumental one we heard during DaiHonmaru Haku event is thrilling. I love it so much. The catchy beat, the motivational lyrics, the singing turns, I love all of them. And the fact that in the Ghostella announcement PV, Inaba and Tomita sang the most heart-wrenching part? The best. Thank you so much PureCool.
Anyway personally, my favourite songs are 'Precious' because I'm biased for my oshi doggies, 'Samezame' because I like Matsui's voice, and of course the anthem, 'I Believe'.
In fact, 'I Believe' was my motivational song which helped me get through a lot last year when I was a bit down with life. Perhaps in another post I will talk about the wonderful lyrics of 'I Believe'. You guys should hear it too. 🫶🏻
So, concluding the reason why I love PureCool:
1. It starts with Gou and my oshi is a Gou
3. Crazy visuals like look at Tomita and Inaba (biased)
4. I can see my boys move, dance and give fanservice
5. More Gou content, Kumo-kun Ame-san content, or whatever is happening in PyuHonmaru
6. My fav seiyuus are there
7. I like the colour theme
Also, did I mention the upcoming songs are produced by THE Honeyworks?
Anyway, that's all for now. There's still a lot for me to ramble about PureCool, so hope to have the motivation to write about it.
