Friday, June 12, 2009
orange range
The band has roots in Okinawa. The area is famous for being the home of many well-known acts. Before they were signed by a major label, Orange Range played mostly in small art houses and clubs until they were found by a record agent. The band is mix of pop- and rock-style music as can be heard by the vocals and the instrumentals. Their style is also made up of many different cultures and musical styles from around the world. This is attributed to their hometown being Okinawa, a well-known station for American military bases and, thus, cultures and different styles often blend. Due to high sales of their works, Orange Range's singles are often attached to various movies, shows or Japanese products. This is usually seen as a sign of a band or singer having hit "the big time" in the Japanese media.
Originally, Orange Range was a cover band, doing mostly covers of songs by other artists. The band was started by childhood friends Kitao "Kat-chan" Kazuhito and Hiroyama Naoto, but Naoto has professed that Kazuhito was the one to come up with the idea of forming a band. Soon a longtime friend of Naoto, Miyamori Yoh, would join the band as a bassist. Unlike the current band members, the next band member to join, Hokama Hiroki, was relatively an "outsider" in the group of friends that made up the original band. Hiroki was also the first vocalist of the band. Next Miyamori Yoh invited his younger brother, Miyamori Ryo, to join the band as a low vocalist and the second overall vocalist. The band stayed like this for a few months before scouting high range vocalist, Yamato Geneko to the band.
YUI
During her third year in middle school, following the influence of her mother, Yui began keeping a journal of everyday feelings and poetry. Because of this, by the time she was in high school, she began writing songs. While in high school she worked a part-time job to help pay for tuition. Always busy, with her time steadily disappearing, she thought there was no longer a road to music. Eventually her body would breakdown and she found her self under hospitalization. While in the hospital, with the time to consider her life, she was overwhelmed with the desire to make music. She decided that school and music could not coexist. Upon leaving the hospital she encountered a live street performance and expressed her desire to pursue a musical career to the band, Bianco Nero, at the end of the concert. Bianco Nero recommended to Yui that she should join a private music school and soon, she dropped out of high school and seriously began studying songwriting and guitar at a juku in her hometown of Fukuoka. Aspiring to become a professional, she carried her guitar around and sang at local places at the entrance of Tenjin station in Fukuoka. Doing these street performances helped Yui to eventually overcome her shyness.
hirano aya
After graduating from high school, she began seriously pursuing her seiyū and solo singing career. Her big break came in 2006, when she was cast as the voice of Haruhi Suzumiya, thetitle character of the anime series The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. The show's public success has greatly enhanced her popularity and career in Japan. Her CD single Bōken Desho Desho? containing the opening song of the show sold out in Japan the very day it was released. This success was followed by her voicing two lead characters in anime based on popular manga (Reira in Nana and Misa in Death Note). Her popularity was confirmed at the first Seiyū Awards, where she won "Best Newcomer (female)", for her role as Haruhi Suzumiya; the same role also won her a nomination as "Best Main Character (female)". At the same awards, she was also nominated for "Best Supporting Character (female)", and earned twonominations for "Best Single" (One of which is a solo, Bōken Desho Desho?; the other was a group nomination for the single Hare Hare Yukai). In 2008, she won the "Best Main Character (female)" award at the second Seiyu Awards.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Ali Project (typeset as ALI PROJECT) is a Japanese band with a strong Japanese Aristocrat-style image, consisting of Arika Takarano (宝野アリカ Takarano Arika) (vocals & lyrics) and Mikiya Katakura (片倉三起也 Katakura Mikiya) (music & arrangement).
In the band's earlier days, their musical style tended towards light, cheerful and/or refreshing songs. However, the sound has changed in recent times to take on a darker and more mysterious tone. Takarano Arika, lead singer/lyricist, has termed this change as a transition fromWhite Alice (白アリ Shiro Ari) to Black Alice (黒アリ Kuro Ari). Though there has been a general shift towards performing songs in the "Black Alice" phase, Ali Project has occasionally sung in the White Alice style as well.
They made their indie debut in the charts in 1988 as Ari (Ant) Project (蟻プロジェクト Ari Purojekuto) with their album Fantastic Garden(幻想庭園 Gensō Teien). The album was later included in Tatsumi Takayuki's book Philosophy of Progressive Rock (プログレッシヴ・ロックの哲学), which led to the band being classified under the progressive rock genre.
Four years later in 1992 they changed their name and made their major debut with their single Fall in love, maiden (恋せよ乙女 Koi-seyo otome).
Most of their records are released by Toshiba-EMI, Victor Entertainment and Tokuma Japan. The band is notable in the anime community for having their songs featured in several anime opening and ending sequences, most notably in the series Noir, Rozen Maiden, Linebarrels of Iron, and Code Geass. Additionally, Katakura Mikiya has also provided the soundtrack to several anime series, such as Kaibutsu Oujo and Avenger.
ウーバーワールド
The five-member band known as Uverworld first formed in 2003, and were known as Sound Goku Road or, more popularly, "Sangoku Road." The band originally consisted of seven members, and released a demo CD which ended up selling 3,000 copies. Unfortunately, one of the band members, the saxophonist Seika, left the group (the other was Hiko, who left after he married). After his departure, Ace Trigger renamed himself Takuya and the band renamed itself to Uverworld.
According to an interview with the band there was another vocalist who left, however this vocalist hasn't yet been identified. Though it appears that that person may have left some time before Seika did, as Seika is the only one of the two credited on the demo CD and pictured with very early live photos of the band pre-Uverworld.
Yousei Teikoku 妖精帝國 "Fairy Empire"
Yōsei Teikoku (妖精帝國 Fairy Empire) is a two-member Japanese musical unit, formed in 1997 and part of TEAM FAIRITHM. They produce music of the Electro and Classical genres. Their works include the theme songs of the anime shows Magical Pokan, Innocent Venus, and the Mai-HiME videogame soundtrack. They have released several independent albums and two major release albums with their current publisher Lantis: GOTHIC LOLITA PROPAGANDA and metanoia.
hirano aya wins the top seiyuu award
Last year, Aya wore an extravagantly brief creation from Shibuya 109. This year, she wore a kimono of her mother's, to look "mature." She and Mamo-chan (Miyano) seem quite concerned with appearing mature, lol. In her blog, she posted several shots of the kimono, which she described as "gorgeous" and "sunny." She pointed out that the patterns on each side of the back were different, and said how nice the obi was, too. She thanked her mother with a "sankyu" (Japanese version of "thank you").
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
holiday rocks
Monday, June 1, 2009
6e's chinese teacher sucks
hayate no gotoku
code geass rocks
in code geass, she is knight of six n she own Modred(a knightmare frame)
