Here we are, served with a triple dose of blog updates from the Team in a single day yet again! Let it be known, however, that some of the newly-communicated content is less merrier than the rest...
...case in point, do you remember our JAEPO/Tokagi update post we published last Saturday? Today we finally got the confirmation piece that legitimizes the list of songs that won't make it to Yellow Version, as they'll be removed at the new firmware's launch day. And yes, among the victims this time around is shining a 10-star arcade-exclusive Oni challenge, too...
- Family Party (ファミリーパーティー) Kyary Pamyu Pamyu
Also: Wii U2 - Kenka Joutou (喧嘩上等) KishidanAlso: Wii U2 / iOS
- Amachan (あまちゃん) Opening Theme (オープニングテーマ)Also: Wii U1 / 3DS2 / iOS
- Flower Song ExileAlso: Wii U1
- Kaze ga Fuiteiru (風が吹いている) Ikimono GakariAlso: Wii5 / iOS
- Polyrhythm (ポリリズム) PerfumeAlso: AC11~14 / Wii1 / Wii4 / PSPDX (DL ended) / 3DS1 / iOS
- TRAIN‐TRAIN The Blue HeartsAlso: PS2 2 / Wii1 / PSP1 / PSPDX (DL ended) / iOS
- S Sid
Also: Wii 5 - Telecastic fake show Ling Tosite Sigure AC0 exclusive
- Ichido Dake Koi Nara (一度だけの恋なら) Macross Δ AC0 exclusive
- Feed A God EaterAlso: Vita1 (DL) / iOS
- Wake up! One PieceAlso: Wii U2 / 3DS2 / iOS
- Anpanman Taisou (アンパンマンたいそう)Also: AC10~14 (+11 Asia) / PS2 Anime 2 / Wii4 / DS2 / iOS
- DoReMiFa Sorairo (ドレミファソライロ) Tamagotchi: Yume Kira Dream (+outfits become unobtainable)Also: iOS
- Zutto Zutto Tomodachi (ずっとずっとトモダチ) Jewelpet Kira☆Deco!Also: Wii5
- Wonderland (ワンダーランド) GintamaAlso: 3DS1
- Mosaic Roll (モザイクロール) DECO*27 feat. Gumi AC0 exclusive
- Tell Your World livetune feat. Hatsune Miku
Also: 3DS1 / iOS - Funa Funa Funassyi (ふな ふな ふなっしー♪) Funassyi Official Theme SongAlso: 3DS2 / iOS
- Pokemon Black 2/White 2 (ポケットモンスターブラック２・ホワイト２) AC0 exclusive
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Now that we're done with the cold shower, today's 2nd blog entry features the 11th installment of the Notecharter Interview corner, starring (as anticipated from last time) the recurring Kawagen Collagen (カワーゲン・コラーゲン).
Profile
Joined Taiko Team: Even before Taiko no Tatsujin ever existed
Number of charts made: almost 40!
Skill level: ???
What does Kawagen mean when he states to be a Taiko Team member even before the series' existence? Sometime around the initial pitch for the first arcade's release, Kawagen was involved somehow in the advertisement field of its release, with the Music Score Leader/Chief (which is now rumored to be Namco Original composer Oogami Masako) suggesting to weight its wide song selection as one of its selling points.
Later in life, Kawagen acquired the Collagen part of his nickname and he became acquainted with the president of music-publishing website CreoFuga, which has been the starting point for the Taiko no Tatsujin song contests that have been held there in the past years.
Notechart Speciality
-Weighting the contents of a song's lyrics as much as its rhythm and melodies
-Looking for a way to express the meaning atmosphere of a song's words with his charts
Sample Notecharts Created
Unless otherwise mentioned, all of these comments will be about the songs's Oni mode.
-) Ninjin Nin (にんじんにん)
This has been Kawagen's first notecharting job, which he managed to carry through despite the 1st-day job worries due to the contest-winning song's pleasant rhythms. The charting hints of giving more power to the song's lyrics are already seen in this first task from its Muzukashii mode, as the notes just follow the 'Ninjin' final portion on every word repetition together with scrolling speed and some pattern variation, which were also carried on for the subsequently-created Oni mode.
-) Ninjyary Bang Bang (にんじゃりばんばん)
Kawagen Collagen admits himself to be a huge fan of Kyary Pamyu Pamyu's songs, so much so that he often applies for charting her songs in Taiko once that a new song porting is decided. For the case of Ninjary Bang Bang, he simply appeared to the Music Score Leader with a hand-made set of notecharts as soon as the song was planned to be ported to Taiko! Kawagen's enthusiasm was rewarded on that instance, as his 1/16 notechart sets were used for the games.
-) Jikuu Chou Jikuu 1-Ka (時空庁時空１課)
As the Burning Force Medley has been a significative Taiko song for Kawagen (as he himself was the sole music composer of the 1989 3D shooter arcade), the first Namco Original he got a charting (and composing/lyrics) commission for has been another memorable song for him. While the chorus alterations are being treated more as the song's distinctive flair, the charter grew fond of the post-1st Go-Go Time's dangerous repeating patterns mostly based on note triplets/longer clusters starting with a Kat and ending with a Don.
Kawagen was acquainted with unmo's music long before the Taiko series' existence, so to have one of his songs sung by her has been like finally receiving an answer from a love call!
-) Purupuru Simple (ぷるぷるしんぷる)
For this song's chart creation, Kawagen has been in close contact with the Her Ghost Friend unit during its creation so that the charting task could work more harmoniously, ultimately resulting in what he considers to be the musical score that better represents his style.
With his mindset of sublimating part of its lyrics' meaning inside a note-wrapped package, he managed to insert in there a set of 4 consecutive note stanzas that got repeated twice in a row but in an inverse-note variety fashion... Did you notice that?
-) Lassen Gorelai (ラッスンゴレライ)
It's an awesome song to hear, so why don't give it a Variety chart on which Taiko experts can be challenged at while having fun with the song itself? This has been Kawagen's mindset for the creation of thios Variety pick's Ura Oni, whose notecharted was carefully made so that it could include a numerical reference to the composing unit, with the 86* Max Combo value (as in 8.6 Second Bazooka).
-) Shugaku Travelers (シューガク トラベラーズ)
Though if musical preferences and hearing perceptions are highly subjective -as anticipated by Kawagen himself- he believes to have made the most beautiful-sounding notechart fit for this song, as he claims to have learned in this song how to alternate the use of Don and Kat notes for the different voice volume pitches of this Namco Original
-) Love Fantasy (恋幻想(Love Fantasy))
During a drinking party seat, Kawagen heard from voice actress Kikuko Inoue that her daughter was about to turn 17; as the mother herself started singing at the age of 17, the Taiko Team member put up the innocent inquiry of "Why don't we make your daugher's singing debut at her 17th year with a song for Taiko no Tatsujin?" and shortly enough, the White Version debut track Love Fantasy was born!
Speaking of the notecharts, while Kawagen feels that his charts don't jam well when played together with another player, he put a lot of care in order to give a sense of unity in a particular portion in the song at all difficulties (except Kantan); right before the outro that leads in the song's Go-Go Time, if no notes are missed on a Futsuu-and-above difficulty, the beginning portion is ended with a Kat note that is placed so that it audibly overlaps with the last syllable of the usual "** Note Combo" voice clip!
-) Sotsu Omeshiki (そつおめしき)
Last in line we have the one song that just screams of Kawagen Collagen talent! With the only indication from the Team to create a good base for a 10-star Oni chart, the Taiko Team member originally made the full-instrumental track that can be heard in the Tokaigi 2016 promo disc. Nearing the deadline, Masubuchi from the Taiko Team has had a preview hearing of the track and asked to its creator "Is this melody good enough for a singing song?" Upon hearing that suggestion, Kawagen rushed to make lyrics for his work, managed to ask unmo to sing once more for the Taiko no Tatsujin franchise and slapped the re-branded composition (and charts) right before the deadline's end!
Kawagen still feels this song to be very inspiring to hear, both for the emotions pored in and for its quite unique production story. "So, I want to hear the full version of this song!", as a result, seemed to be the imperative voice from the fans, at the point that made Kawagen and unmo return to this song for the creation of the 2-ban second verse, one of Red Version's newcomer 10-star Oni.
That, however, wasn't the only thing that was recorded in the Bandai Namco headquarters...
As a bonus feature to this Notecharter Interview, Kawagen wanted to record a version of Sotsu Omeshiki with both verses and made it uploaded on Bandai Namco's Youtube channel! For the creation of the so-labeled Sotsu Omeshiki Complete (そつおめしき・ふる), he made it so that the instrumental accompaniment may feel more uniform to both parts in one kind of stile.
The next feature in line of this series from the Taiko Team is going to feature newbie notecharter SueP! Look forward to it.
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The last blog entry for today is a tweet-based recap of the Taiko Team experience at JAEPO 2017, between the heated Tenkaichi Otogesai finals and the Yellow Version preview/Namco Original CD giveaway. While on the original blog entry you can find all the re-embeded tweets of the event, the same article is ended by a round of grateful messages from the Taiko Team attenders to the event, while pointing to the March 14th livestream for a more rounded look at what will be featured for Yellow Version's launch outside from the already-revealed newcomer tracks
Below are the links to today's three official blog entries:
The Yellow Ruination (=Yellow Version Launch Song Removal)
Want to Hear More? Notecharter Interview 11
Taiko no Tatsujin @ JAEPO/Tokaigi 2017
