So, this post was sitting in my drafts since at least August 2019, and I finally decided to resume it now. Just to have something done while I’m still writing the Juushin review!
Reimu Hakurei and Marisa Kirisame are two of the most recurring characters in BUTAOTOME’s works, almost on par with the Hifuu Club people. It’s not hard to understand why: they are the main characters of Touhou Project. They are well-rounded characters that can give a lot of ideas to fan creators. And, most importantly, they have a good selection of music themes you can choose from. And let’s not forget that canonically, Reimu has a BUTAOTOME song!
Similar to the Hifuu list, here is a list of all the BUTAOTOME songs dedicated to the red and white shrine maiden and the black and white witch. This post is not a simple “hey this song is an arrangement of Dream Battle, so it goes here!”. Well, that was my thought process for the instrumentals and most of the songs that use one theme. But in particular, for songs that mix multiple themes, I decided to include only those where the speaker is clearly Reimu and Marisa, or they are referring to them through most of the song. There are also plenty of songs that are essentially pairing track in their lyrics (such as Itsuka no Yume being about Suika and Reimu or Gomakashi being MariAli) but I didn’t include those for the sake of my sanity (maybe I’ll eventually include them in a future update, along with a few “neutral” songs).
While we don’t have a “full ReiMari album” other than Nekokenban 11, here are a few albums that are pretty much the closest thing to it:
- Jitsu wa Sensai na Anata to tama ni…: often referred to as “the ReiMari CD”, it starts with Marisa, ends with Reimu (not including the bonus track) and has the ReiMari anthem in the middle.
- Itanshinmon (Marisa only): 3 songs out of 8 are Marisa/ReiMari tracks, while Anemone and Gomakashi have been described as MariPatchy and MariAli respectively.
- Suzu no Sorane: focuses on Forbidden Scrollery, manga where Reimu and Marisa are pretty important characters. It has a few songs I was unsure if I should have included or not, but in the end I decided to put only the two obvious ones. I also think some of its peculiar mixes of themes are partially justified by the fact Kosuzu didn’t have her own theme at the time.
- Giji Kazoku Nyuumon + Ese Souretsu Shinan: their artworks are meant to face each other, and the two rearranged tracks in ESS represent “Reimu and Marisa as they are no longer here”.
- Majotachi no Ongakushitsu (Marisa only): 6 tracks out of 10 are Marisa songs/use obvious Marisa themes
+ apparently you can’t write a Mima song without talking about the witch.
Songs from main vocal albums
Touhou Kaiten Mokuba
Track 5: Birthday [Koiiro Master Spark]
En
Track 3: 夢じゃない何か | Yume janai Nanika [Hoshi no Utsuwa ~ Casket of Star]
Track 8: 響縁 | Kyouen [Shoujo Kisoukyoku ~ Dream Battle]
Jitsu wa Sensai na Anata to tama ni Yuukan na Watashi no nandaka Sawaideru tte Hanashi.
Track 1: リボリーダー・アライン | Revoleader Align [Magus Night]
Track 2: 丁か半か色即是空 | Choukahanka Shikisokuzekuu [Koiiro Master Spark]
Track 5: いつもの二人 | Itsumo no Futari [Eiya no Mukui ~ Imperishable Night]
Track 8: 水際の草 | Suisai no Kusa [Haruiro Komichi ~ Colorful Path]
Shoujo Rengoku
Track 4: 行方不明の。 | Yukuefumei no. [Eien no Miko]
Track 7: 決答 | Kettou [Niiru Renkachou ~ Red and White]
Itanshinmon
Track 2: 死 ~shi~ [Majotachi no Butoukai ~ Magus]
Track 5: 創造 | Souzou [Alice Maestra]
Track 6: 生 ~sei~ [Dim.Dream]
Suzu no Sorane
Track 1: 著者不明は容易く盗まれる | Chosha Fumei wa Tayasuku Nusumareru [Eien no Miko; Japanese Saga; Niiru Renkachou ~ Red and White]
Track 2: お稲荷さんの頭巾 | Oinarisan no Zukin [Magus Night; Haruiro Komichi ~ Colorful Path]
Kyou ga Saigo no Ichinichi
Track 1: 或る春の日 | Aru Haru no Hi [Haruiro Komichi ~ Colorful Path]
Track 2: グッドマイスター | Good Meister [Oriental Dark Flight]
Paradise Lost
Track 2: 七回目の冬 | Nanakaime no Fuyu [Dim.Dream; Hoshi no Utsuwa ~ Casket of Star]
Giji Kazoku Nyuumon
Track 1: ニコイチ | Nikoichi [Magus Night; Eien no Miko]
Track 2: 中道歩行 | Chuudou Hokou [Niiru Renkachou ~ Red and White]
Track 8: 春愁 | Shunshuu [Fushigi na Oharai Bou]
Majotachi no Ongakushitsu
Track 3: 死 ~shi~(inst) [Majotachi no Butoukai ~ Magus]
Track 4: 夜桜花見 | Yozakura Hanami [Magus Night]
Track 5: 月光 | Gekkou [Selene’s light]
Track 6: 丁か半か色即是空(inst) | Choukahanka Shikisokuzekuu (inst) [Koiiro Master Spark]
Track 7: 少し昔のお話 | Sukoshi Mukashi no Ohanashi [Majotachi no Butoukai ~ Magus]
Track 9: 夢じゃない何か(inst) | Yume janai Nanika (inst) [Hoshi no Utsuwa ~ Casket of Star]
Daihinmin
Track 2: 過密世帯メサイヤ | Kamitsu Setai Messiah [Chi no Iro wa Kiiro ~ Primrose; Niiru Renkachou ~ Red and White]
Abyss
Track 7: 陳腐ストーリー | Chinpu Story [Chireitachi no Kishou; Kurayami no Fuuketsu]
Present
Track 1: しあわせ | Shiawase [Shoujo Kisoukyoku ~ Dream Battle]
Track 6: 二人だけの世界 | Futari dake no Sekai [Hoshi no Utsuwa ~ Casket of Star; Koiiro Master Spark]
Ese Souretsu Shinan
Track 2: カリソメキズナ | Karisome Kizuna [Ittsui no Shinjuu; Touhou Yourendan]
Track 3: 行方不明の。 (葬列指南ver) | Yukuefumei no. (Souretsu Shinan ver) [Eien no Miko]
Track 5: グッドマイスター (葬列指南ver) | Good Meister (Souretsu Shinan ver) [Oriental Dark Flight]
Track 6: ゆりかごのなかで | Yurikago no Naka de [Hana wa Gensou no Mama ni; Konjaku Gensoukyou ~ Flower Land; Haruiro Komichi ~ Colorful Path]
Kochuuten
Track 3: HARI HARUHARI [Soratobu Miko no Fushigi na Mainichi]
Nekokenban (+ Finger 21) tracks
Touhou Nekokenban 2
Track 6: 灰色 | Haiiro [Shoujo Kisoukyoku ~ Dream Battle]
Touhou Nekokenban 3
Track 5: 夢じゃない何か | Yume janai Nanika [Hoshi no Utsuwa ~ Casket of Star]
Track 11: 響縁 | Kyouen [Shoujo Kisoukyoku ~ Dream Battle]
Touhou Nekokenban 4
Track 10: Shall we dance? [Koiiro Master Spark]
Touhou Nekokenban 5
Track 4: リボリーダー・アライン | Revoleader Align [Magus Night]
Track 8: いつもの二人 | Itsumo no Futari [Eiya no Mukui ~ Imperishable Night]
Touhou Nekokenban 6
Track 2: 水際の草×東の国のワルツ | Suisai no Kusa x Higashi no Kuni no Waltz [Haruiro Komichi ~ Colorful Path | Necro-Fantasia]
Track 7: ベルベットの夜が降りる | Velvet no Yoru ga Oriru [Konjaku Gensoukyou ~ Flower Land | Oriental Dark Flight]
Touhou Nekokenban 7
Track 7: 丁か半か色即是空 | Choukahanka Shikisokuzekuu [Koiiro Master Spark]
Touhou Nekokenban 9
Track 1: 黒猫探偵のテーマ | Kuroneko Tantei no Theme [Magus Night]
Touhou Nekokenban 10
Track 12: 星を見上げるパイ(お持ち帰り) | Hoshi wo Miageru Pie (Omochikaeri) [Oriental Dark Flight]
Touhou Nekokenban 11
Full ReiMari CD
Touhou Nekokenban 13
Track 10: [ボリビア] ウユニ塩湖で見る満天の星 | [Bolivia] Uyuni Enko de Miru Manten no Hoshi [Hoshi no Utsuwa ~ Casket of Star]
Touhou Nekokenban 14
Track 5: 魔法の森 | Mahou no Mori [Ningyou Saiban ~ Hito no Katachi Moteasobishi Shoujo | Magus Night]
Track 6: マジックショップ | Magic Shop [Dim. Dream | Oriental Dark Flight]
Touhou Nekokenban 15
Track 9: 恋風「スターライトタイフーン」 | Koikaze “Starlight Typhoon” [Koiiro Master Spark]
Touhou Nekokenban 19
Track 1: 1月 迎春 | January – Geishun [Haruiro Komichi ~ Colorful Path]
Track 12: 12月 魔法使いはベルを鳴らす | December – Mahoutsukai wa Bell wo Narasu [Magus Night]
Finger 21
Track 4: とある深夜の奇想曲 | Toaru Shin’ya no Kisoukyoku [Shoujo Kisoukyoku ~ Dream Battle]
Re-arrangements
Acoustic Gakkyokushuu
Track 1: Kyouen acoustic version
Track 2: Yume janai Nanika acoustic version
Acoustic Gakkyokushuu 2
Track 4: Choukahanka Shikisokuzekuu paprilicious version
Neko no Anmin DISC
Track 4: Kyouen piano version
Piano to Uta “En” version
Track 3: Yume janai Nanika piano to uta version
Track 8: Kyouen piano to uta version
Guerrilla
Track 2: Shi groovy version
Songs from compilations/games/not-regular-albums/event-limited releases
Itsumo no Futari acoustic version (from Touhou Meikasai 7 release)
Shiawase piano version (from GEN)
Futari dake no Sekai (from SOU)
Stellar pride [Hoshi no Utsuwa ~ Casket of Star] (from Toranoana’s Touhou Gensoukyou UROBOROS 3)
Chosha Fumei wa Tayasuku Nusumareru remixed version (from Furubokkoru Tour in Tokyo CD)
春に吹かれて | Haru ni Fukarete [Haruiro Komichi ~ Colorful Path] (from Touhou Cannonball, forever in our hearts)
ランブリングマジック | Rambling Magic [Koiiro Master Spark] (from Touhou Dungeon Dive – I did not include this one in the playlist because the official OST release has no loops and fadeout and I find it plain insulting)
Here is a playlist with nearly every song in the article.
Stories
BUTAOTOME is not just music! Here are a few fanfictions written by Ranko. Most of them are based on her lyrics.
- Yume janai Nanika (from collage) – Marisa has a very important person.
- The Distance Between Language and Thought – one day, Reimu and Marisa find a weird object from the outside world.
- Yukuefumei no. (from Yume no Hanashi) – Reimu dreamed something that perhaps she should not have.
- Souzou (from Yume no Hanashi) – Marisa thinks about past things and events with Reimu.