Wednesday, 30 May 2012
'In the Silence' enters Oricon DVD charts at no.9
Not a bad ranking for the overall DVD chart (not just music DVD's) as you can see.
In the Silence 2011 DVD Edition
To wet your appetite! Enjoy the DVD everyone!
EDIT: I managed to watch the first disc of the concert yesterday but by good fortune my 2PM Members Selection arrived so I was torn between watching the rest of the concert and enjoying the musical talents of Junho et. al. And then I had yoga...all in all, Wednesday was way too eventful and I couldn't concentrate on Maaya as much as I would have liked due to all the photos of 2PM which arrived at my doorstep, trying to cook, then posing in impossible positions.
However! Despite dividing my attention between beautiful KPop boybands, yoga, cooking dinner, getting changed and the concert, the following jumped out on first viewing (I may do a full review later):
- The camera angles are wonderful. I have noticed on all Maaya's DVDs the cameraman catch some beautiful shots of Maaya, but this time the band and backing singers also struck me as having lovely pieces of screen time.
- The full band really brings easy listening and 30 Minutes Night Flight to life, especially the strings on tracks like 'kioku' and 'afternoon repose'.
- Maaya's wearing a wedding ring (a very pretty one!)
- You cannot see where I am sitting at all! Phew. Although I saw Jerome and Roxfan from maayas.net quite often in the audience.
- Hearing the mini-albums in full, straight through, back to back, is a real pleasure. I am so, so, so happy this concert exists. The sound is full on and rich, the costumes are beautiful and the whole set up is really unique. I am very happy to have been part of it and to have it in my hands on DVD.
EDIT: I managed to watch the first disc of the concert yesterday but by good fortune my 2PM Members Selection arrived so I was torn between watching the rest of the concert and enjoying the musical talents of Junho et. al. And then I had yoga...all in all, Wednesday was way too eventful and I couldn't concentrate on Maaya as much as I would have liked due to all the photos of 2PM which arrived at my doorstep, trying to cook, then posing in impossible positions.
However! Despite dividing my attention between beautiful KPop boybands, yoga, cooking dinner, getting changed and the concert, the following jumped out on first viewing (I may do a full review later):
- The camera angles are wonderful. I have noticed on all Maaya's DVDs the cameraman catch some beautiful shots of Maaya, but this time the band and backing singers also struck me as having lovely pieces of screen time.
- The full band really brings easy listening and 30 Minutes Night Flight to life, especially the strings on tracks like 'kioku' and 'afternoon repose'.
- Maaya's wearing a wedding ring (a very pretty one!)
- You cannot see where I am sitting at all! Phew. Although I saw Jerome and Roxfan from maayas.net quite often in the audience.
- Hearing the mini-albums in full, straight through, back to back, is a real pleasure. I am so, so, so happy this concert exists. The sound is full on and rich, the costumes are beautiful and the whole set up is really unique. I am very happy to have been part of it and to have it in my hands on DVD.
More costume exhibitions and 'In the Silence' on sale
Maaya's official homepage updated with a proper announcement about the costume exhibitions in Tokyo here. They have also helpfully put up photos with a note to say which outfit is displayed where. In addition to the two I noted in my post before, the 'Driving in the silence' outfit is located in Tower Records Shibuya and the encore outfit is located in Animate Shibuya.
If you're in the area, maybe you could try and collect a photo of all of them! I always wonder whether Maaya has a big wardrobe for all these costumes. Would you ever get a chance to wear them again after the concert?...The encore dress you could wear as a party outfit, I suppose!
Also, the DVD and Blu-Ray of 'In the Silence' is officially on sale!! I hope mine is waiting for me when I get back from work!!
If you're in the area, maybe you could try and collect a photo of all of them! I always wonder whether Maaya has a big wardrobe for all these costumes. Would you ever get a chance to wear them again after the concert?...The encore dress you could wear as a party outfit, I suppose!
Also, the DVD and Blu-Ray of 'In the Silence' is officially on sale!! I hope mine is waiting for me when I get back from work!!
Monday, 28 May 2012
Shinjuku Tower Records displays 'In the Silence' concert costume
This is pretty neat, Tower Records in Shinjuku is displaying the 30 Minutes Night Flight costume from Maaya's tour to celebrate the release day. Awesome! Picture here on Twitter.
EDIT: Another user on Twitter has posted up the Easy Listening costume from the concert which is on display in Animate to celebrate the release of the DVD and Blu-Ray today. Lovely costume. All the costumes were in the style of the original album artwork ^^V
EDIT: Another user on Twitter has posted up the Easy Listening costume from the concert which is on display in Animate to celebrate the release of the DVD and Blu-Ray today. Lovely costume. All the costumes were in the style of the original album artwork ^^V
One more day until the Blu-Ray and DVD of 'In the Silence' is released!
@miyaishiho one of Maaya's staff posted up a photo of the Blu-Ray and DVD 'In the Silence' concert on her twitter account here. Red is the Blu-Ray, white is the DVD edition. I am actually jealous of the Blu-Ray one, red looks so nice...
Really brings it home that the concert will be out tomorrow! Looking at the packaging, it looks so wintery! The weather here in Japan has really started to heat up in the past week so it will be nice to cool down with 'Driving in the silence' again!!
Can't wait till tomorrow!
Really brings it home that the concert will be out tomorrow! Looking at the packaging, it looks so wintery! The weather here in Japan has really started to heat up in the past week so it will be nice to cool down with 'Driving in the silence' again!!
Can't wait till tomorrow!
Friday, 25 May 2012
'More Than Words' to be aired on Vitamin-M next week!
Last night's Vitamin-M broadcast was another great show and it ended with the news that Maaya would broadcast her new song 'More Than Words', theme of the new Code Geass anime, next week on Friday 1st June!
Firstly, is it already June next week? Secondly, hurray! The new song is almost upon us.
Firstly, is it already June next week? Secondly, hurray! The new song is almost upon us.
Wednesday, 23 May 2012
Shibuya De-chu! Post-Recording Interview - Pre-2001
This is the translation of an interview Kyoy on Maayas.net discovered through...to be honest I am not sure how he stumbled upon it as the interview and webpage are at least eleven years old. Maaya is studying for her university entrance exams which puts her at around 18 years old. She was 32 this year!
View the original interview and photos here.
To put the interview in some sort of context, it looks like this was the post-recording interview from one of Maaya's rare TV broadcasts - they do exist, mostly from her early career. It has only been more recently that she seems to have been on TV more often. So Maaya was on a TV show with a comedy duo (Manzai!) and someone called Ikezawa-san but I can't seem to find any more information about the broadcast on the original website apart from the TV show being called Shibuya De-chu.
However, I DID stumble across the Maaya Sakamoto section of the Seiyuu Collection (Voice Actor Collection) event from 1997! If you do your maths you'll realise Maaya was very, VERY young. I was still in primary school when this was happening, which is weird.
OK! So, with that, here is the translation of the interview Kyoy requested an English summary of. Enjoy!
Note: In the original interview, the interviewer's name is a short-hand version reading Dai but I don't know who this refers to so I have just turned it into 'interviewer' below.
EDIT: Thanks to roxfan, this interview can now be dated to October 17th 1997.
* * *
Interviewer: How did it compare with Voice Actor Collection (Seiyuu Collection)?
Interviewer: What did you think of Jarhythm? (the comedy duo)
Sakamoto: No, not really…oh wait, I have an announcement! I’ve been invited to my first university campus festival. On Sunday, November 22nd I will be performing for the Kyushuu Institute of Technology’s Information Technology Department. If you’re nearby please come along!
View the original interview and photos here.
To put the interview in some sort of context, it looks like this was the post-recording interview from one of Maaya's rare TV broadcasts - they do exist, mostly from her early career. It has only been more recently that she seems to have been on TV more often. So Maaya was on a TV show with a comedy duo (Manzai!) and someone called Ikezawa-san but I can't seem to find any more information about the broadcast on the original website apart from the TV show being called Shibuya De-chu.
However, I DID stumble across the Maaya Sakamoto section of the Seiyuu Collection (Voice Actor Collection) event from 1997! If you do your maths you'll realise Maaya was very, VERY young. I was still in primary school when this was happening, which is weird.
OK! So, with that, here is the translation of the interview Kyoy requested an English summary of. Enjoy!
Note: In the original interview, the interviewer's name is a short-hand version reading Dai but I don't know who this refers to so I have just turned it into 'interviewer' below.
EDIT: Thanks to roxfan, this interview can now be dated to October 17th 1997.
* * *
Interviewer: First of all, can you tell me what you thought of the program?
Sakamoto: I was nervous as this is the first time I’ve recorded a show with an audience like this.
Interviewer: How did it compare with Voice Actor Collection (Seiyuu Collection)?
Sakamoto: Well, Voice Actor Collection didn’t involve TV so I was able to just be normal but…I’m glad that there were others with me!
Interviewer: How are your university entrance exams going?
Sakamoto: I’m studying! But I have to go to bed early tonight as tomorrow’s our sports festival (laugh)
Interviewer: What did you think of Jarhythm? (the comedy duo)
Sakamoto: They were really nice people… Watanabe-san (Atsumu Watanabe) looks like Ken Morita, doesn’t he! (laugh)
Interviewer: Is there anything left you’d like to say?
Sakamoto: No, not really…oh wait, I have an announcement! I’ve been invited to my first university campus festival. On Sunday, November 22nd I will be performing for the Kyushuu Institute of Technology’s Information Technology Department. If you’re nearby please come along!
Interviewer: This is the first time you’re going to a campus festival?
Sakamoto: Yes. I’ve always daydreamed about what campus life would be like. I’m really looking forward to it, I want to have lessons in a big lecture theatre with someone talking into a microphone!
Sakamoto: Yes. I’ve always daydreamed about what campus life would be like. I’m really looking forward to it, I want to have lessons in a big lecture theatre with someone talking into a microphone!
Interviewer: What is the school festival like at your school?
Sakamoto: Each homeroom does things like open coffee shops, or their drama club puts on performances, or we create a haunted house…My class made a pancake stand which was really popular (laugh).
Sakamoto: Each homeroom does things like open coffee shops, or their drama club puts on performances, or we create a haunted house…My class made a pancake stand which was really popular (laugh).
Interviewer: Today you look very grown up with all that makeup.
Sakamoto: Usually I don’t wear make up so when it’s heavy it really stands out! The make-up artist did it for me but to be honest even I’m surprised at how I look! (Laugh)
Interviewer: OK, finally, please give us a message for your fans.
Interviewer: OK, finally, please give us a message for your fans.
Sakamoto: When I’m talking by myself I can just go at my usual pace but when I am in front of people I get really nervous and can’t really be Maaya Sakamoto. I think I relied on Jyarhythm and Ike-zawa-san too much…
Interviewer: You don’t need to worry about it too much, your good points definitely came across!
Sakamoto: Really?
Interviewer: Definitely! We hope to see you again in future. Thank you very much!
Monday, 7 May 2012
More Than Words to be released 25th July 2012
Well, after all the waiting since this collaboration was announced, Maaya's single for Code Geass, 'More Than Words', has finally been given a release date and tracklist. Maaya's official homepage released the info today and revealed that not only is the title track in collaboration with Yoko Kanno, but also the coupling song. The third track on the album will be a 'secret track'.
Except they just told us it was on the CD. Not so secret?...I sense a flaw in the plan!
The first press edition of the single will also contain a DVD with the music video for 'More Than Words' on it.
Except they just told us it was on the CD. Not so secret?...I sense a flaw in the plan!
The first press edition of the single will also contain a DVD with the music video for 'More Than Words' on it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)