Coming up later this month, May 22nd through the 24th to be exact, Anime Boston will be throwing down. Not only will they be host to the hulking, drooling, squealing and roaring anime and manga hordes, but they will also be bringing two fantastic music acts to the stage. The quirky electro-dance duo Bespa Kumamero is one, the other is Kalafina.
Consisting of four singers and producer Yuki Kajiura, Kalafina is a mix of euro-entho-electro-opera with a dash of gothy darkness. They've provided music for the Kara no Kyoukai series of movies, and Anime Boston will be screening the latest installment in the series at the con. Not to mention the performance by Kalafina itself.
Japanator is going to be chatting up the group during their time at the con, and we want to get all of our loyal readers in on the fun. Not only that, but we want to give you something in return. How about some signed Kalafina swag?
Here's what you have to do: Put on your thinking cat-ear caps and come up with a good question to ask Kalafina, then post it here in the comments. It can be directed at the group or any of its individual members. Please limit your entry to one question (so make it good!) The contest will run until Wednesday the 20th. At that time, a single random entry will be chosen to win the prize of a signed poster and other Kalafina goodies. The prize will be mailed out soon after the con. A few of the best questions will also be chosen by a completely impartial jury (that's me) and will be added to the master list of questions asked in the interview. See? You don't even need to "win" to win! Just be smart and think of something good to ask.
You can get to know Kalafina better here and here and here. Also, hit the jump for a few videos that should go a long way toward getting you in the mood for some saucy (but respectful) questions.
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"Yuki Kajiura is known for her very distinctive style of composure, a very surreal and almost ethereal style of music that evokes alot of emotion with each note, combining old world approaches and new world instruments (electric guitars and distortion for instance)
It's not new to have vocal backing added into the music to give it an old-world Eastern European appeal (similar to Cathedral music seen in the Middle Ages in Eastern and Southern Europe.)
How was it adding in a main vocal track under the direction of such a...mystifying musical style? What approach did you as singers take in order to bring to the music as much as you could without deviating from it's initial structure and setting?"
@Kageryu: I find it amusing that right below where you wrote "Will you go out with me?" it says "Suzumiya Haruhi is mai waifu". So, cheating on your waifu eh Kageryu? tsk, tsk, tsk.
My Question: I noticed your song Sprinter fits perfectly with describing the story of the fifth Kara no Kyoukai movie. Was this something you were aiming for when writing the song or did it happen as an afterthought?
I’ll start off by saying that I absolutely love Kalafina. There is a strange, enjoyable feeling that I get from listening to every song, and it is unlike any other band (other than stuff like FictionJunction, of course). That being said, many of the “lyrics” and other accompanying voice parts, especially those that are secondary, seem to serve not as lyrics but as their own part of the melding that makes up every Kalafina song (my favorite being Sprinter).
Therefore, I suppose this would be a question for Yuki Kajiura, but how do you get inspiration for (or come up with) the exact lyrics and background voice parts, especially the ones that do not contain actual words but rather their own melody?
First of all, I am SO jealous of every person at Anime Boston. Boston is too far for me to travel, unfortunately, even though I've been a fan of Yuki Kajiura for years, and FictionJunction and Kalafina since I first found some of their music.
What was the process for creating the band Kalafina like? I heard there were try-outs and such, so what was it like to find out that you would be a part of this amazing group under Yuki Kajiura?
My question is: To Yuki Kajiura, she creates a wide range of music, always beautiful. Are there any artists/composers that in particular have inspired her?
(er, do we even submit the question here? The post doesn't really say...)
"Now that the Kara no Kyokai series is over, does that mean the end of Kalafina?"
Although they did release a single for the Kuroshitsuji anime, I've always wondered what Kalafina's outcome would be when KnK was done. To me, it seemed as though Kalafina was just a project group that Yuki Kajiura created for the Kara no Kyokai series. Which brings me to another question (not technically for the group or Yuki Kajiura herself, but more of a discussion for us?): If the end of Kara no Kyokai marks the end for Kalafina, then what will happen to Hikaru, who is probably my favorite member of the group?
I'd like to ask Kajiura..."You've worked almost exclusively with solo vocalists, so why did you decide to form Kalafina? What motivated the choice of Keiko and Wakana as the first two members, rather than all the other vocalists you've worked with?"
In an interview during Anime Expo 2003, Ms. Kajiura said that she gets inspiration from reading books, since soundless media is good for her[1].
Question is, did Ms. Kajiura read or find inspiration in a written work by Kinoko Nasu/Type-Moon, such as the Kara no Kyokai novels and the Tsukihime and Fate stay/night games? Is any member of Kalafina a fan of Type-Moon's works?
Your voices, rhythm, and overall sound seem very much made for anime and anime-inspired games. If given the opportunity, would any of you consider doing any voice acting for an anime series?
The contest is now closed. The winner will be announced when the interview is posted sometime after Anime Boston is over. Thanks for all the questions!
live comments!
It's not new to have vocal backing added into the music to give it an old-world Eastern European appeal (similar to Cathedral music seen in the Middle Ages in Eastern and Southern Europe.)
How was it adding in a main vocal track under the direction of such a...mystifying musical style? What approach did you as singers take in order to bring to the music as much as you could without deviating from it's initial structure and setting?"
Also
"Will you go out with me?"