For this week's feature, we've been tasked to talk about a certain couple of Namco Original tunes that are related to each other, as a birthday gift to one of our longtime-following users...
...who are we to turn down such a request?
Jikuuchou Jikuu 1-ka (時空庁時空1課) feat. unmo| Version |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All | x4 (186) | x6 (300) | x8 (602) | x9 (836) |
Taiko 0 S, Taiko 3DS 2, Taiko Wii U 2, Taiko +
180
none
ji9choBy demand of chatbox user kathy, we're here to day to talk about the 'Jikuuchou' Namco Original song duet, a couple of tracks that share two distinctive traits: they're both songs talking about the everyday life at a fictional Space-Time Agency from the future and they're both composed and charted by Kawagen Collagen. In fact, Jikuuchou Jikuu 1-ka has been his very first case for the artist of an original song for Taiko gaming he both composed and charted! This is also the 2nd Taiko song to star the nicknamed unmo as the singer.
Sorairo Version's last Don Challenge unlockable tune, Jikuuchou Jikuu 1-ka sings of the activities that are handled in the 1st time division of the aforementioned Space-Time Agency, as the song's title itself is a descriptor of said division listing, 'Space-Time Agency 1st Time Division'. Years after its arcade debut, it managed to land on both mobile and Nintendo console front, although its release on the 2nd Taiko 3DS videogame has to be considered as a feat of the past, as the DLC song pack bearing the track is not available to download anymore.
Bearing a note-dense notechart without special markers that would make it look like a distant cousin of Metal Police's Ura Oni, this song's Oni chart is out on its way to throw as many curve balls as possible with the song's instrumental accompaniment, while sticking to the 1/16 charting format for the most part. Consecutive, post-Go Go Time note clusters are set to become a nightmare for those who can't keep up with same-rhythms repetition, and even the 2nd iteration of the song's chorus isn't exactly played like the 1st chorus, as normally expected in a lyricized song!
Jikuuchou Sousa 2-ka (時空庁捜査2課) feat. Sachi (Harineko)| Version | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All | x4 (232) | x6 (313) | x7 (579) | x8 (773) |
Taiko 0 K, Taiko 3DS 2, Taiko PS Vita 200 none ji9souThe second song of this couple handles a different sector of the fictional Space-Time agency, as this time around there's a title mention to a '2nd Investigative Division'. Much like Jikuu 1-ka, this second track also happened to be released as the final Don Challenge unlock of Kimidori Version, the 3rd-generation Taiko arcade firmware that hosted its debut. This tidbit is also noticeable by taking a closer look at the song's lyrics, as an extra layer of care was put so that the first Japanese letter of each group of 4 lyric verses could spell out 'Kimidori'! (or simply 'Midori' in the only 3-verse lyrics stanza)
Sousa 2-ka features a different singer from the previous track, while also marking her first overall Taiko contribution: the nick-named Sachi (沙知) (Twitter). Nothing much is known about the artist's history and experience portfolio prior to the 2010s, but we can state that her first major musical experiences are dated to the year 2013, with the founding of the Harineko (ハリネコ) act. Said unit was born as a solo-performing effort, with Sachi both composing and singing to her creations, but it eventually grew up to host a number of transitional members for the creation of several songs. In more recent times, the act has changed its wording with its lower-caps English equal ('harineko'), as Sachi herself started to be credited in different projects with her English-lettered alias of 'SaChi'. Other rhythm gaming contributions from SaChi thus far include the Synchronica song Minna no Uta (みんなのうた) and, of course, the newly-announced Namco Original FooFoo Cassette, which is coming out next week as part of Yellow Version's seasonal Rewards Shop renewal.
Back to Sousa 2-ka, the lower Oni mode rating is justified by a more regular barrage of note clusters that, while flowing at an higher pace than in Jikuu 1-ka, are mostly grouped in backbeat-based, repeating formations. As a testament to the charter's care, Kawagen Collagen revealed that his charts have to be made in a way that makes himself happy with the end result before anything else, often quoting Jikuuchou Sousa 2-ka as an example of that sentiment for the fact of avoiding the creation of a triple digit notecount Oni song "just for the sake of it" as opposed to how does the chart resound with the base track overall.
