rem

anyway albemuth’s live is in 3 days. (haru’s is in 4 days and i’m looking forward to hers too). i still, STILL have mixed feelings about albemuth’s live but ofc my desire to send aru off overpowers it all. i’m pretty sure a bunch of albemuth fanarts are gonna come out in the next few days and i’m a little sad? i really wanted to make one but my ideas are too big for my novice art skills and now i have a 25% finished wip that is probably not gonna be finished in time. i also still can’t watch or listen to anything albemuth without getting a little sad so there’s the thought that i might be down the whole time during the live. i’m already pretty sure the live is gonna make me cry by the end of it, or that i might explode. somehow.

predictions or expectations for the live? it would be cool if they did a shirobemuth section and then a kurobemuth section but i feel like that’s too predictable. i’m sort of hoping to be surprised with new songs but well, 😔. (as for haru’s live she said it would be the last in the shamanism series so i’m kind of curious about what she’ll do?? i don’t know what new things she would do other than perform the songs from her newest album)

also aru and asu held their last livestream together yesterday and man, i felt so comforted when i heard asu’s voice talking a mile a minute right when the livestream started. aru really has developed her typing speed within these 2 years too. near the end, asu, of course, went on a tangent about her feelings surrounding the live but both of them seem happy and at peace. albemuth and sunao have been seriously advertising this live for the past few months and asu really stressed wanting people to come to the live. asu talked about how partings are always sad no matter the age or gender between the people who are parting, but it makes the memories so much brighter. asu wants the live to be a good memory even if they’re going on different paths and wants to make it a beautiful ending for them. she also said both of them are confident they’ll be able to show off albemuth at this live. (i’m always surprised at how deeply and transparently asu talks about her feelings!)

also, when they were thanking those who sent super chats, the super chats didn’t stop. they just kept coming. the fans were pouring all their emotions out. i get it though, if i had the chance to directly communicate how grateful and thankful i was to them i would never stop talking.

SPEAKING OF COMMUNICATING HOW GRATEFUL I AM…

sunao (albemuth’s producer) replied to me the other day when i wrote a thread about albemuth’s lore. i never expected them to actually reply to me!! i was in shock when i woke up to the notification.

i had a school interview on the day sunao replied to me but to be honest i was more shaken up by this than the interview. i’m really glad i was able to communicate my love for them in some form…i can’t physically go to the live and give a gift/letter to them…i don’t understand japanese either so i couldn’t have participated in the jp observers’ fan projects. if i was able to show sunao that albemuth has passionate international fans in some way then i’m happy. sunao please don’t apologize for your english!! (and of course i’ll support them until the end!! i’ll support them forever!! lol)

!!!!! another albemuth fan!! you have no idea how happy it made me to receive this ask! (i also saw that you followed me on twitter! thanks!)

Asu:

Vaundy - Koikaze ni nosete (probably my most favorite asu cover! idk why just the way she emphasizes certain syllables is so addicting and i love when asu lets herself go off in her covers, i looped this one for hourssss)

Giga - CH4NGE (i usually tend not to like covers of ch4nge but asu's cover of it changed how i felt about the song completely, i love the way she says "sit down sit down" in this cover)

apu3ra - Chocolate Milk (i think i like it half because the verse of this song is so addicting but also i love asu's vibrato in this cover)

MikitoP - Shoujo rei (when i was first getting into albemuth i looped this cover so much i got sick of it and had to tell youtube to stop recommending it, i've never seen someone sing shoujo rei's prechorus so beautifully, her voice is soooo satisfying to listen to in this cover)

KAF - Tomadoi Telepathy (i like this cover half because it reminds me of when albemuth sung it with kaf during a concert but god does asu go off in this cover i loveeeeee the way she sings the high note in the prechorus and how frustrated she sounds all throughout the song)

Aru:

Aimer - Zankyosanka (one of my favorite underrated aru covers no one talks about it enough! she sounds exactly like aimer i'm not even kidding)

YURiKA - Kyoumen no nami (absolutely beautiful cover, the ethereal atmosphere of the song just fits her voice so much, her high notes and her breathier notes are just so pretty! probably my 2nd favorite out of all the aru covers)

Surii - Junky night town orchestra (every aru fan remembers hearing this cover for the first time, this one or her proto disco cover changed everyone's view of aru completely. after hearing how cute and high her voice is in other covers you hear how powerful and husky her voice is in this cover and you have your world changed completely, the amount of people she made her biggest fans after she released this...)

Harumaki Gohan - Reunion (this cover is a fan favorite amongst aru fans, it's my favorite as well! she could have chosen to sing this song in her higher-pitched voice but she chose to sing it as husky and as deep as possible, also she brings out the emotions in this song so well! i've listened to this cover so much i have an emotional attachment to it at this point)

HarryP - Blooming in the mud (this cover is powerful enough to make a grown man cry, i think everyone agrees this cover was aru's turning point in regards to the development of her singing style, that last chorus is crazy i can't listen to it without being emotionally overwhelmed)

The conclusion of VWP's Sinka live series finally happened! I was so excited for this I was literally counting down the days. Piedpiper and VWP themselves had been hyping up excitement for it all during the last few months of 2023 and what made me look forward to it even more was all the versus battles they had teased.

They started by performing songs from their 1st album and Resonance was first. They ended off with Resonance at the mini live they held a week before Yoyogi Wars, so I had a feeling they'd perform it first! Also, Resonance is just a good song to introduce VWP in general. The girls called out to the audience yelling "Yoyogiii!!!" and i think it was cute how their confidence in interacting with the audience grew the longer the live went on.

Kaf and Rim having fun during Toy. Cute!!

Fire started blowing during Secret and the effect it created was great! While VWP can't be physically on the stage themselves, the fire created a physical way of interacting with the audience.

"We are....VWP!!!!" While introducing themselves they got a little surprised at how the audience cheered back at them and it was cute. The only other time they had an audience of this size was when Kaf held her 3rd one man live at Budokan, but covid restrictions were still being held then, so the audience couldn't cheer. It was cute seeing their reactions to the audience's calls and cheers (they deserve it!). They were giggly all throughout the first MC, I'm guessing they were both excited and nervous (even though Rim denied she was nervous). Right after this they performed Reunion and VWP's harmonies together were so gorgeous, Joucho's high note was godly as well. Then before performing Destiny the audience chanted the VWP! VWP! without being prompted to and you could hear someone in the audience going "sugoi!"

VWP then transformed into red versions of their outfits and sung duets! (and for some reason, all of the duets included Rim) I have to say that out of all their outfits, I liked the red change in Koko's outfit the most. I really hope they release 素的 (Idyllic), the Rim and Koko duet, somewhere on streaming services soon, its so good! This section also included a new duet featuring Rim and Haru and it had a great guitar solo, I hope they release it soon as well.

Around an hour into the live, the versus battles started! First was Koko and Ciel, with a new song!! I was originally expecting them to sing songs they already had but I guess Kamitsubaki wanted to liven the battles up. I've always felt like Koko and Ciel's voices would match up nicely. Unexpectedly, their new song felt very dark and powerful, and it even included a little rap section for Koko. After this was Rim and Guiano's battle, and they performed one of the songs from their collab album. It's always nice to see them sing together.

Joucho's idol persona brought back with Valis! Joucho turned into a fully-fledged idol this time and danced along with them (Joucho didn't dance all the choreo with them, there were some moments of her just swaying and waving her arms but it was still cute lmao). Their new song they sang together was sassy and upbeat, perfectly matching their energies. It also looks like Valis got new colors in their hair? Myu having half-green half-red hair looked great.

The sauna lovers! (Haru and Azusagawa!) They performed their new collab song Friction. I feel like these two are the "cool" members in their respective labels, their voices are both so handsome and they both know how to grate their voices and make them rough at the right moment, Azusagawa's voice was cracking so much yelling out "Yoyogi!!" but it was great! But then they both have moments where their voices whispery and soft too! And even if they both have cool images, they both have cute sides to them (a few weeks ago, Azusagawa was being called Azu-nyan by Haru during a collab livestream??????) They've been such a cool pairing to see since they sang together at Kamitsubaki Fes '23 and I hope they continue to collaborate with each other! And as for Azusagawa, he's definitely someone who deserves to perform in front of a big audience, he's so good at hyping up performances and is so full of confidence!

And then...the performance I was the most excited for! Albemuth and Kaf! The crowd yelled out Asu and Aru's names right before they sang and it warmed up my Albemuth fan heart. The new song they performed sounded very heroic, almost like an anime OP. Albemuth and Kaf sang so theatrically, like heroines! I love how they traded off lines to each other, I'm so glad Albemuth and Kaf were able to sing with each other again. And god, Aru's deep voice throughout this performance was great (really bringing out the Aimer in her), the Zan live chat kept complimenting it too. This was our first glimpse of Albemuth's kuro outfits in a performance and they look great. So does Kaf's new outfit! Kaf had a red flower in her hair, maybe to match Albemuth? (I'm being delusional) I missed these two...even though they already held a cover live last month.... I can't wait to see them perform at their own live in April 🥺.

After Discotheque, they surprised us with VIP and VWP singing together and Valis dancing! They used smoke this time!

And then VWP and VIP performed the most jaw-dropping song of the live, a new song called The Voice of A.I. The title of it already sounds like its full of emotion, but the song itself was just so powerful. Each VWP girl and their respective Cevio AI counterpart traded lines off of each other and it really pulled at everyone's heartstrings. It's been well, a month after the live, but I still think about this song's verse every day. The chorus was great as well! and Kaf's high note! and how all 10 of them harmonized! and also everything about it. Valis were also dancing in the back, and I don't think I've ever seen them dance so dramatically, they showed off a cool side of themselves! And the song was long, probably like 7 minutes long! To me, it was the climax of the live. After the live happened, Kashii Moimi tweeted that she was the one who produced it, and knowing her, the lyrics are probably so devastating and complex, I can't wait to read them! (This song seems like sort of a collaboration project between several Kamitsubaki groups, you have VWP and VIP singing, Valis dancing, Kashii Moimi producing, and several of Kamitsubaki's graphic designers and illustrators working on the MV playing in the background). In a world where AI is growing rapidly and is becoming a looming concern we can't avoid, it's interesting how VWP are incorporating AI voices made from themselves into their careers despite the fact that it's possible the creation of their AI voices could replace them one day. The thought of AI having a voice, of how the root of what AI produces comes from humans themselves is something I didn't think of VWP exploring (at the moment it seems like a controversial subject). As the musical isotope IP expands and as their voicebanks develop and become more lifelike, VWP's relationship with them is rapidly changing. And in our lives as well, we're just going to have to wait until time passes to see how AI grows and becomes more incorporated in humanity's daily lives. (And also, if it overtakes us). Really, what other vtuber or virtual singer group is exploring subjects like this?

Leading up to the transformation of VWP into a new era of their career, each girl sung one of the new songs performed at their own respective Sinka live. Behind them, each girl had a montage of their Sinka live playing in the background and it was nice to have a recap of how VWP have been leading up to this moment throughout 2023. And not only that, it's also a recap of how each girl has evolved and grown. Joucho's transition into an elegant multi-colored and multi-faceted form, Rim's reaffirmation with her ideals and identity after studying abroad, Koko's determination to be her compassionate self despite her vulnerabilities, Haru's rebirth into a more powerful and aggressive form, Kaf's growth into an independent and mature adult. Not only have they grown as people, their music and worldviews have changed with them. And so has the quality of their MVs and lives...Kamitsubaki and the artists themselves evolve more and more every day. Being a fan of anything has never been this fun. And it's emotional too! No matter how virtual they are or how much of themselves they can't share with us, it doesn't change that their art and music is fueled with so much soul and real feelings.

And then...! VWP's new outfits were revealed! The name for it is Yatagarasu. It's the name for a three-legged bird in Chinese mythology apparently? I think they look great. It's nice to see the changes made to their hair and changes in aesthetics while keeping somewhat similar silhouettes. I wasn't expecting the new outfits to look so dark and edgy, but I do like that they look more mature (Koko's new outfit is mature in another aspect though lmao).

Check out them incorporating more choreographed movements into their performances. It's been something each girl has started doing! (It's funny to think they were all really stiff performers in the beginning).

VWP introducing their new outfits and talking about their new hair changes. They asked "kawaii?" and the audience screamed "kawaii!!!" back at them.

Fog!! Them performing a medley of the songs Kanzaki wrote for them was so emotional. We're really saying goodbye to the Kanzaki era, aren't we?

Koko's new center song, Alliance! To open this song, they chanted "Virtual Witch...Phenomenon!! Virtual Witch...Phenomenon Time!!" and you can already tell this song is great at hyping up concerts. They also did some hand movements during the chorus and the audience picked it up pretty quick and copied their hand movements. Every time I watch this song I get excited. I think it's funny they chose Koko to center this song when she was having such a hard time pronouncing the word "phenomenon" some time ago.

Rim's new center song, Confidence! The verse starts off just as eerie and edgy as her own songs, but then the heroic VWP-like chorus hits and it turns into a compelling and song that combines Rim's and VWP's worldviews. For me, Joucho was the 2nd center of this song, her gentle whisper-like lines were great. Koko's bridge was great at well, her vibrato is always so heart-wrenching.... The song ended off with a big burst of fire too!

Haru's new center song, Emotion! The audience cheered immediately when they recognized it. It was great seeing the girls jam out while rapping, but then immediately switching to their emotional singing afterwards. Joucho's high note rap was great, definitely one of my favorite parts of the song.

Joucho's new center song, Trump Card! This song was used as the OP for the anime Cardfight Vanguard Divinez which premiered a few hours before the concert. It's a song that truly feels like suits a heroic battle. VWP introduced the band members during this song, and it's always nice to see them rock out on their instruments and show off how talented they are in their own solos. (They're an integral part of Kamitsubaki's lives!) VWP also posed dramatically to end off the song.

Joucho gave the audience a heart!

During the MC afterwards, they posed to introduce their new songs. Cute! Koko kept stumbling on her words during the MC and of course she did. (She tried playing it off and everyone laughed at her, oh Koko.) They then spoke in long speeches about their feelings surrounding this live, and everyone grew quiet and listened immediately. Talking about their feelings provoked them to get teary eyed, and the audience started screaming "ganbatte!"

After Joucho started crying they gathered around each other and it was so heartwarming.... They weren't only thanking the audience they were also expressing their gratitude for each other and it was cute how Rim and Koko bowed to Joucho when she said she loved the members.

They were all crying a lot, well, except for Kaf, who apparently cries the least out of the VWP members. Koko stumbling on her words while crying was cute. Rim also coughed quite a lot, I remember worrying about how she would sing afterwards.

The last song they performed was The Witches (true), and this was the song they allowed the audience to film on their phones. They also had the Zan-live chat projected onto the screens, and I remember the chat was full of people spamming "V.W.P! V.W.P!" throughout the whole song. I was even compelled to spam the chat as well. During the last chorus, they shot confetti into the air! After the live, apparently the audience were collecting the confetti and I even saw a few people selling them on Mecari.

They ended the live by saying their parting words, thank yous and goodbyes. Some fans yelled out "daisuki!!!" and rim yelled it back. Koko even cried again 😭. I'm really surprised with how much they said "thank you" and "i love you" during this live.

The keys have all been gathered! They came together to create a tree/portal that VWP walked into? Who knows what it means.

After the credits rolled, they unveiled that VWP's Sinka live series was just the beginning. Sinka lives 7 through 9 are planned for 2024. And included in this is...VWP's anime!!!!! And the crowd goes wild. I remember thinking an anime was so out of Kamitsubaki's scope and that VWP shouldn't be forced to do voice-acting work if they didn't want to anyway. But I'm so glad! I hope it goes well, there's a chance it could extend VWP's IP far, even internationally, with how anime has become so popular across the globe. I can't help but wonder which studio is behind it.... (Flat studio? maybe?) Also announced...VWP's 2nd album..collaboration music with Project Cold..our first look at Kamitsubaki City Ensemble (the musical isotope rhythm game)..Shamanism 3 (Haru's 3rd one-man live)..Piedpiper's mysterious new Kamitsubaki Verse project..and auditions for Sinsekai.

So um, early this morning Aru announced she's ending her activities as Aru after Albemuth's one-man live on April 9th and that Albemuth are going to disband as well. The Kamitsubaki twitter account, Sunao's twitter account (Albemuth's producer), and Aru's twitter account all posted a page full of text regarding the announcement and I'm still in shock. It seems like Asu, Aru, and their management team have been discussing this for a while and came to this conclusion, and that the reason why they decided this is private. They also said that instead of releasing a pamphlet for Albemuth's live it will be a digital pamphlet that will be a memorial book dedicated to Albemuth. Although Asu will still be continuing her activities, it's going to feel like another half of her is gone. So much of Asu's concept was created to contrast against Aru's concept and it really won't feel the same without both of them. Like how their colors, orange and purple, contrast, or how Asu is meant to represent the sun and how Aru is meant to represent the moon, or how their designs were meant to contrast against the other. Everything they planned for their careers as well as their own personalities created a dual nature that came together to create the beautiful harmony that was Albemuth.

There was quite a reaction on twitter from the observers and even from Kamitsubaki's staff themselves. The biggest Albemuth fans I follow were in distress and I saw that many were retweeting past tweets from Aru's twitter account or fanarts containing Albemuth. Around 60 observers also hopped into a space right after the announcement to voicechat their feelings while the Kamitsubaki Verse board members were holding a space as well. (Their space was held to discuss Yoyogi Wars and Kamitsubaki Verse's future plans, but I did see a few observers endlessly spam purple hearts emojis in there. The board members sent purple hearts back but I don't think they understood what they were for lmao). I feel really sad for those who were able to financially support them more than I could, especially those who had shelves full of their goods or those who were able to watch all their membership livestreams. I also saw an observer starting a flower stand project for the live right away. From those who worked with Albemuth, I saw Strobo (graphic designer who tends to do their typography), Yashiruzhi (graphic designer who did many of their MVs), Ritao (illustrator), Yoneyama Mai (their character designer), Shoji (illustrator for AruAsu Theatre) and Gawako (illustrator) all tweeting their experiences working with Albemuth and their wishes to watch over them until their live. I didn't know that a lot of their first experiences with Kamitsubaki was through working on Albemuth's covers and MVs! I also saw clips of Mizuno Atsu and Wiz_nicc singing the songs they wrote for Aru, Sayonara and Inori respectively, on guitar. Piedpiper also made a tweet about his mixed feelings and his gratitude. Asu tweeted as well, saying that her days of trying to survive and singing as Albemuth will be her trasure forever, and that she would be happy if we could watch Albemuth's final moments. She really put the nail in the coffin.

Even though I only knew of them for a little more than a year I can't lie that they changed my life. Throughout 2023, I really did not go a day without listening to their music or covers. They were what introduced me to Kamitsubaki and the world of virtual singers in the first place, and many of the artists I listen to nowadays is tied back to how I discovered Albemuth in November of 2022. Before I knew it, Albemuth and Kamitsubaki unexpectedly became a constant in my life, and I'd wake up to all the new covers, tweets, and announcements every day, I've also stayed up until 3 am countless times to watch their lives and music videos drop in real time. Honestly, a few weeks ago I was telling myself that I wouldn't fall in love with another media again after Kamitsubaki, and that Kamitsubaki would be my last big obsession. I usually spend 2 or 3 years obsessing on a piece of media and then lose interest, but Kamitsubaki were different. I've been interested in so many things, idols, video games, books, animes but I have a feeling that even years from now I will remember Kamitsubaki the most. However, it's settling in that Albemuth are going to come and go throughout my life just like that. I can't reiterate enough that Albemuth and Kamitsubaki are special and that they really have affected lives and created genuine human connection through their music. Again, I feel that Kamitsubaki's virtual singers aren't just Vtubers...they really do sing with the desire to connect with their listeners and touch people's hearts with their own life experiences and connections to music. I have to admit that looking forward to their new releases and projects has helped make my life feel fuller and more meaningful.

Aru retiring means a lot more than her not singing anymore...we're losing potential creative/narrative projects, future art/music, her talent/uniqueness, and we're losing Aru and Asu as a duo. It makes me sad to think there's no more covers or music where Aru will amaze me or comfort me with her voice. Of course, we're never really going to know the person behind Aru, but we're also going to lose the emotional connection that we had with her through her singing and music. I've fallen asleep listening to Tsukikage so many times, and I've probably streamed Aru's cover of Reunion more than anyone else. I'll always remember how emotional her cover of Blooming in the Mud made me, and how shocking her covers of Protodisco and Junky Nighttown Orchestra were, where she used her deep voice for the first few times. I'll always feel like her cover of Zankyousanka where she perfectly matched Aimer's voice should have gotten more attention, and I'll always feel amazed when I listen to Albemuth's growls in their Tokyo wa Yoru cover. Despite their contrasting voices, the way Albemuth's voices harmonized and how they traded off lines in their music is something you really can't find anywhere else. And their singing wasn't just amazing. I empathized with how they used singing as a way to interact with and make sense of the world. In an interview after their two-man live back in February of 2023, they were asked to describe what singing meant to them. Asu described singing as "breathing" and Aru described singing as "talking," something they both couldn't live without. To be honest, I'm somewhat like Aru and I'm not good with my words or communicating with others myself, so I really empathized with her using a creative outlet as a way to interact with others. I'll also never forget how during the MCs of their Christmas cover live, they both talked extensively about how singing certain songs made them feel emotionally, and the lengths they went to understand the lyrics. Asu also described how the conflicts in the lyrics she sung related to the frustrations she has against herself, and to see Aru so accepting to listen to her rambles was so heartwarming. I didn't know anyone could feel about music so deeply. Really if you get a chance, Asu's blogs on her sub channel are worth reading, Asu writes about her personal struggles to live and how they're always connected back to music so openly. My views on singing and the emotions in music will forever be changed because of them.

There really isn't anyone like Albemuth anywhere. When I think about those who were just introduced to them because of Yoyogi, or those who haven't really taken the time to listen to their music or covers yet, I get sad thinking about what could have been. Above all else, Albemuth's art direction and story was what made me fall in love with them. A popular and well-known artist like Yoneyama Mai doing the character designs for these 2 virtual singers was kind of a big deal to me. Their character designs were so unique, and I loved how dignified, elegant and white their outfits were. And the illustrations Yoneyama Mai did for their first live is something I'll always remember seeing for the first time. No one else, not in the virtual music industry or the anime industry has anything that resembles their aesthetics or their worldview. Their concept was simple, but unique. Two singers, symbolizing Adam and Eve, falling in love and discovering sin, eventually leading them to leave Eden for a new world. But it wasn't just that. (I did become sort of an insane fan, trying to understand as much of their lore as possible despite the language barrier). It's important to me that Aru and Asu portrayed Adam and Eve and the love between them as explicitly being between two women. Adam and Eve's story being revamped in a theatrical sapphic style was very much compelling to me. I really recommend looking at their lyrics, there's so much depth and storytelling in them (thank you Kashii Moimi). Their lyrics represented love and human connection in a way that was so intimate and sincere, while recognizing how love makes us weak and exposes our greed and flaws. Love humbles us and reminds us that we're human! In Shin Sekai E's lyrics they sing that they have no need for a prince and can take control of their own destinies, there's also Yu no Rakuen's lyrics where they're able to brave tomorrow because they can take comfort in making up for each other's weaknesses. Red Baptism and Tuberose are about exploring sexuality, but other lyrics portray them spending a night together, them having a conversation between each other or what would happen if one were to leave the other. The relationship between the characters Albemuth portrayed had conflict and complexity between them as well. They depended on each other, but they also had disagreements with each other as well, that's what happens when one wants to leave the safety of Eden and one doesn't. Another idea that I loved was how they chose blue roses to represent them, symbolizing a desire for the impossible, as blue roses don't appear in nature naturally. (I suppose its ironic that Albemuth continuing their activities as a unit is an impossible idea now). Albemuth having a kuro side that contrasted against their shiro side was another compelling thing about them. Just another example of how Albemuth had so much duality in their worldview. I'm a big fan of concepts that explore light vs. darkness or order vs. chaos myself. I loved how their shiro selves and their kuro selves explored different types of lyrics and music genres as well. I'm going to endlessly wonder how their lore could have been expanded on, especially the kuro side of Albemuth and the sinsekai city lore. I was so sure that Piedpiper was going to expand on sinsekai city lore involving projects that included both Albemuth and Valis, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen now...

To be honest, I was speculating that Aru's career wouldn't last long. The way she spoke through text, her speaking voice and how they marketed her didn't make sense for a long-lasting career. It also felt like there was a lack of effort being put into the future planning of Albemuth's career as a unit. (I somewhat felt like there was more to be desired from their music videos and how they were advertised) I also know more about Asu and Aru's real selves than I would like to admit, and I did predict that Asu would go solo without Aru one day. I didn't think about the ending of Albemuth as a unit so soon though. I do understand that most of the artists in Sinsekai are part-time, and it's possible that something might have happened in Aru's personal life preventing her from continuing as Aru. As much as I would like to call Aru's retirement a graduation, unlike with idols it's going to be impossible to follow her outside of being a virtual singer and the fact that her career feels like it's being cut short (I don't see her debuting under another name to be honest). There's also the fact that Kamitsubaki is still opening up auditions for Sinsekai, and I was wondering how they were going to sustain new artists on top of the Sinsekai artists that they already had.

Rim’s 2nd album, New Romancer 2 was released on December 5th 2023! This album really shows how greatly Rim and Mao Sasagawa combine, and what they can do when they experiment together. Rim’s new wolfcut looks great and perfectly matches her edgy vibe. I’ve also noticed the general shape of it looks quite similar to Kaf’s hairstyle. I can’t wait to see her new 3D model at her upcoming Sinka live! (edit: this was written before her sinka live) Here's some of my favorite songs from the album in no particular order:

おしえてかみさま

This song grabbed me right away as the intro track. The voice sample captured my attention immediately, and the chords that followed afterwards reeled me in. One of my favorite things about this song is the piano that sounds a lot like the signal when the train crossing gates close due to an incoming train. I love how eerie and psychedelic it feels, but it also makes you want to dance.

生きているより楽しそう

I love how gritty this song is! The guitars and bass are all up in your face, and Rim’s voice complements them in an edgy, angsty fashion. The layering of Rim’s voice in different sections makes this song interesting to listen to! To be honest, I love this kind of sound from Rim the most.

Inner Child

I listened to this song all throughout 2023. The beginning piano and melody are so catchy, I love how there’s a hint of Mao Sasagawa’s voice layered under Rim’s as well. One of my favorite parts is the drum breaks appear only for a few seconds in-between Rim’s voice and the piano. I like how the first half of the song has the piano as the main instrument but then in the second half, the guitar takes over. Then near the end of the song, the piano comes in again to create the last chorus. This song is definitely one of my favorites out of the entire album!

フロム天国

A playful, upbeat song for Rim that’s still full of Mao Sasagawa's guitars. Ema also features in this song! I’ve heard that Rim is a Dustcell fan so I’m sure she’s happy to have Ema featuring in her own album. For a moment, I couldn’t tell which voice was Ema and which was Rim’s. I’d love to hear them sing together more!

Pilgrim

Pilgrim! This song was released over a year ago and currently it’s Rim’s 2nd most viewed music video at 4 million views. I immediately felt nostalgic upon hearing this in the middle of her new songs. Mao Sasagawa creates such a floaty hypnotic feeling with both his instrumentals and Rim's voice. The most memorable part of this song was Mao Sasagawa’s use of choppy voice samples that contrasted greatly against the rest of the song.

Fanfare

For some reason, this song reminds me a little of R Sound Design. It has somewhat of a groovy Jpop vibe! The outro is my favorite part, the piano is so addicting. I think out of all of Rim's new songs on this album this one will be the one I have listened to the most.

Refrain

Unlike in Inner Child where Mao Sasagawa’s voice layered under Rim’s for only a few seconds, his voice is all throughout the song. The melody feels a little lazy and laid-back but as the song goes on the melody becomes increasingly redefined by the constantly changing instrumental. I'm amazed at how quickly Mao Sasagawa can change the atmosphere of a song just by adding a few instruments. As Refrain's lyrics becomes increasingly more pessimistic and frustrated the song does as well. The MV also illustrates the changes in the song really well!

デイネイ

It's edgy but I really feel like rim had fun singing it, it has a snarky, playful vibe. I really like the piano runs in this song, it really differentiates it from the rest of the songs in this album.

Eloim

Definitely Rim’s scariest song so far, I can’t get myself to watch the MV because its too scary. It also marks an experimental change for both Rim and Mao Sasagawa. Unlike Rim’s usual songs, this song’s instrumental is full of dubstep. Rim’s whisper in the back is also very haunting. My favorite parts has to be when the guitars come in and the song builds for the chorus. I also love how Mao Sasagawa eerily trickles the piano notes, its similar to what you would hear in a horror movie. This song is currently Rim’s 4th most viewed MV at 2.4 million views, 3 months after its release. It’s right above Tall Story that she made with Guiano, which has 2.1 million views and was released 2 years ago.

不的

I love Rim's and Joucho's voices together, really putting the haunting feel of their voices together. Out of all the vwp duets, this one really stands out! It's so beautiful and edgy and eerie at the same time. I always feel like both rim and joucho are capable of capturing this mysterious, otherworldly feeling that's outside of reality. They performed this on Music Verse months ago and during the performance they panned Rim's voice to the left ear and Joucho's voice to the right ear and wow did it give me goosebumps.

Rim and Mao Sasagawa also did an interview on the production of this album here, and its a good read of rim's worldview, why they chose to use certain words in Rim's songs and also rim's career. They also touched upon Rim's identity as a virtual singer and how she often doesn't use her 3d model in her music videos. It's nice to get confirmation that this was a deliberate choice by Rim's team and that they've considered how her identity as a vsinger affects how people interact with her music. It's also sad to hear Mao Sasagawa say he's frustrated that people might dismiss Rim's music just because she's a vtuber, wherein he emphasizes because in the past people used to dismiss him because he was a vocaloid producer. However things are different today and he's grateful that vocaloid has broken into the modern Jpop scene. It makes me remember how Kamitsubaki are a rarity in the vtuber scene in terms of how seriously they promote and perform their music. Like Mao Sasagawa, I also hope the attitude towards vtuber music can change.

listening to VWP's new song "emotion" and reading a machine translation of the lyrics...its a very emotional song 😭

i know the machine translation should be taken with a grain of salt but it really highlights how VWP, as human as anyone else, have inner frustrations but yet they're standing here as witches singing their inner feelings with all they have

i really love how the lyrics constantly callback to how them being a witch is a choice, how them singing their feelings out is a choice, its a retrospective on their careers

it really makes me think back to how they became vsingers in the first place, they're all rather awkward and quiet girls (or at least they started out that way) and i'm sure many of them have gone through a lot of unspoken conflicts in their personal lives, some of which they have spoken to their fans about (haru's feelings of giving up, koko's struggles with interpersonal relationships)

they've festered a lot of hurt and pain in their lives and yet they've come this far in their careers, singing their deepest feelings

if i remember correctly VWP talked in an interview about how the Sinka live series required them to come to terms with the inner feelings in their music and face their music head on, and it's showing with how each girl has feel like they have evolved as a person alongside their music/worldviews evolving as well

VWP are so brave and strong as people, and they make me want to create art/music with my own feelings and worldview too, i never have enough praises for them 😭😭

another thing i really liked about the lyrics, theres a lyric about putting hands together and praying, also the ending english phrase being "praise song"

i love how VWP constantly relate music to religious practices (well, they are witches, but haru's lives are named shamanism and i'm sure they make a lot of religious allegories in their own original songs) music is so much more to VWP than just music, they see music in a bigger picture, they realize the power of music as people who's lives were changed by music themselves

as for the song itself, all of VWP rapping is so refreshing! the bridge where koko and joucho rap. soooo good. i love how each of their raps contain characteristics unique to their voices, i soooo loved how joucho hit those high pitch notes, she never fails to amaze me with her voice

i always see neffy in the comments of other kamitsubaki artists tweets and this picture really sums up how valis constantly support the other kamitsubaki artists on twitter

it’s part of why i like kamitsubaki so much 😭 in kamitsubaki’s virtual singer groups, these ideas show up in several songs but also kamitsubaki themselves are a group of people striving towards their own ideology. (mostly piedpiper’s ideology but i’m guessing the others have some understanding of it at least)

like, theres albemuth, who are exploring the new world they’ve created with the combination of the two of them, who both have such strikingly different personalities. or how vwp sing together to save people one song at a time, both in the irl sense and in the lore sense. there’s also valis, who have shaken off their frustrated past to be reborn anew and to innovate the virtual singer scene by performing in both virtual and origin forms. all 3 of these groups have such genuine relationships formed within them, and despite conflicts that might happen in their personal lives they’re striving to further their careers and achieve goals.

but also, i think it’s worth pointing out how the kamitsubaki illustrators and artists and producers all have different backgrounds and different genres to their art but they’ve come together to create the passion project that is kamitsubaki. i can’t talk enough about how special kamitsubaki are and everything they strive to create. and what they create is not just full of passion but it’s also innovative and never seen before!

胎児の夢

This cover was released a month ago but while listening to it again I wanted to write a little bit about it. I discovered the original song sung by Hatsune Miku a while back, and thought it was quite a unique instrumental for a vocaloid song. I really love how the piano and atmospheric samples combine to create a chill but melancholic song. The choppy percussion adds a nice groove that's not too overbearing to disrupt the laidback atmosphere. To me it seems like an underrated song, it was posted on Youtube 3 years ago and is currently sitting at 183k views, so I was surprised when Loluet covered this! I think of Loluet's voice as assertive, devious and somewhat seductive, so it's nice to hear her sing a song that brings out her gentler side. Her voice sounds kind of breathy in the verse, I think its great. Shirone did the illustration for this cover, and it depicts a more solemn and mystical side of Loluet, who's usually drawn with piercing red eyes and fishnet tights. Shirone also wrote a little bit about Loluet on Twitter!

Shrione seems really supportive of Loluet 😊. It always makes me happy to see the illustrators/producers who work for Kamitsubaki gushing about or doting on the Kamitsubaki artists.