Oh, hello!
I have been super super depressed and demotivated lately, but now I feel better. I may come back to write articles after Reitaisai, but right now I have some other priorities. Last week I published a review for Acoustic Gakkyokushuu 1 and 2, so give it a read if you are interested!
Utau Namahousou 10th anniversary
On this day, 10 years ago, BUTAOTOME launched their old weekly live stream. The Utau Namahousou series was broadcasted on Nicovideo and lasted until September 2017. It had 170 numbered episodes and several special editions.
I was planning to dedicate a full post about it, with also talks about nostalgia and how some things that were super popular years ago get forgotten. However, due to my state of mind in the last couple of weeks, it has been scrapped. So, here is an abridged version!
These livestreams were broadcasted on Nicovideo, and Nicovideo live streams had a huge issue: they don’t last forever, and they would be gone forever after a week. I thought the Utau Namahousou series, since it included live performances, should have been saved in some way. And so, I decided to record them. I think I only recorded the audio because either I didn’t know how to save Nicovideo livestreams or I didn’t have much memory on my PC and couldn’t buy an external hard drive… But still.
They were such a great time. It was especially great to see some hidden cuts getting new life, famous songs in a stripped down style… and the extra stuff such as the Kimi no (where Comp sang about whatever over Paprika’s piano improvisations) was very fun! In a time when every day felt pretty much the same, Wednesday for me was defined as the day of the weekly Buta streaming (and Mickey Mouse comic release). 10 years later, these livestreams are one of my favorite memories as a Buta fan, and my folder containing audio recordings of every single one of them is my most prized BUTAOTOME-related digital possession.
Pretty sure the Utau Namahousou is now remembered only by super hardcore fans who have followed Buta for a long time like me. But the proof of their existence is still here, and I want it to remain. You can check the full audio archive here, while on YouTube I have a playlist of video recordings (thank you, my dear boyfriend)!
As a last thing… I don’t want these livestreams to be back, because I don’t think they would have the same magic. But I still would love to hear acoustic versions of more recent songs (the Houkiboshi version of Momoiro Fivestar is amazing)!
Autumnal Reitaisai 10 release
Autumnal Reitaisai 10 is this weekend, and as previously announced, we are getting a new book+song!
Ranko said that Obake no Sakurazome is gonna be a super cute story, contrasting the scary Oshira Asobi. From the physical book preview, it seems it’s gonna be a story about Yuyuko making a mess with spirits and Reimu solving everything. I admit I don’t think it’s gonna be as interesting as Oshira Asobi. But I still love Ranko’s prose, so I’m looking forward to translating everything! Meanwhile, you can read the translated sample here.
Live news
As previously announced, we already have live news for next year! We are getting a 15th anniversary tour with 7 dates in February-April. Tickets are currently on sale on eplus.
Ranko has been tweeting a lot about upcoming lives, she really wants people to come, and coming to a live is the biggest form of support you can give her. But I can’t do it, and this hurts me. So, if you have the chance to go to any BUTAOTOME live, please… enjoy it for me.
In the meantime, you can buy streaming tickets for the Shiotan Goninmae live, where Ranko will sing Buta/Kishida/etc. songs.
Touhou Lost Word did something good?!
Well… it’s time to talk about our frenemy gacha. For the 3.5th anniversary, Touhou Lost Word added two interesting BUTAOTOME songs that don’t involve super-expensive VIPs. The first one is Miracle Object (ミラクルオブジェクト), an Izanagi Object instrumental that serves as the final battle theme for the newest Hifuu Lost Word story. The other one is Makai no Yume (魔界の夢), a vocal arrangement of Infinite Being. This 3.5th anniversary update has introduced a new type of unit called “genic”. They are a sort of duo unit, with one girl on the homescreen and the other one doing the battles. Makai no Yume is the theme for the Renko and Shinki duo, while Diao ye zong’s unseen yet is the theme of the Merry and Mima duo.
Touhou Lost Word is… certainly not the best game for Buta content (although with this update I now rank it above Danmaku Kagura and on the same level as Dungeon Dive. But Cannonball and Arcadia Record are still miles above them). However, I love the choices that have been made with them and the respective units. If Comp is behind this, then hats off to him!
I think BUTAOTOME and Diao ye zong are on a similar wavelength when it comes to Touhou fanworks, so I’m very glad that we got them together for psuedo-related songs. And the characters have been chosen super super well. Both groups are super into the Hifuu Club (and not just for renmerry chucchu sheet, they also care about Sumireko). GenSate is Buta’s signature song and Ranko is often subjected to Renko mistypes (and the other way around), while Merry(/Yukari) songs in Diao ye Zong are always sung by Merami. (also woooo the most prolific Touhou vocalists!) They both also don’t particularly care about PC-98 except for the stuff that is already on Windows. Mima has some Buta representation due to being Marisa’s (Ranko’s favorite character) mentor, while Shinki has some Dyz representation due to being Alice’s (RD’s favorite character) fanon mother. And for these songs, they swapped the characters! (although I believe the duos are Renko+Shinki and Merry+Mima mainly for popularity balance – Renko is more popular than Merry, but Mima is the most popular PC-98 character)
However… my heart is still in a bit of a “lost word bad” territory, so I can’t fully appreciate the songs themselves. Maybe ask my opinion again when the game announces EoSD. Both songs also feel super abruptly cut, and there doesn’t seem to be a full version in-game. I refuse to believe RD submitted a 1:40-long song, there must be a longer version. NextNinja and co. are probably keeping them hostage along with Lost Word Chronicle Ranko version. Oh, and since I am a Hifuu collector, now I have to buy a possible Lost Word OST release for the Izanagi Object arrangement, oh noes!
pop’n music Kaimei Riddles Original Soundtrack
As last thing for this post, we have another rhythm game OST release to look forward! The Kaimei Riddles OST will be released on January 17, and the third track of the first disc is the original song Hopitasukopira! I’m particularly excited to translate it… (Comp, if you are reading this: what is a hopitasukopira?)
Aaaaaand that’s all for today!
