Album Review - My Road - Songs from Guin Saga

When it was first announced that Satelight would be animating Guin Saga, the fantasy novel series by the late Kaoru Kurimoto, anime discussion forums on sites such as Animesuki and the Final Fantasy Shrine buzzed with excitement over two names involved with the project: director Atsushi Wakabayashi (Ghost in the Shell, Naruto) and composer Nobuo Uematsu (Final Fantasy, Chrono Trigger). After the first episode of Guin Saga aired, otaku were singing the praises of Kanon's This is My Road, comparing her voice to Enya and Sarah Brightman.

My Road - Songs from Guin SagaAlbum Details

• Artist: Kanon

• Supervisor: Nobuo Uematsu

• Recording Producers: Masa Sakuma & Kensuke Matsushita

• Label: Sony Music Japan International Inc.

• Released: August 26, 2009

My Road - Songs from Guin Saga Tracks

Kanon's affinity for classical music is evident in the opening chords of This is My Road. The opening sounds rather similar to George Fredrick Handel's haunting Sarabande & Variations in d minor. This is hardly surprising considering that Handel is one of her favourite composers

Kanon incorporates some Gregorian Chant ("Benedictus") to her musical quote of Handel before launching into the bridge by the piano. The drums and strings swell gently, leading up to Kanon's sweeping melodic line of the main theme.

Marius' Song is a haunting track with a Medieval/early Renaissance flavor. The juxtaposition of the lute against gentle modern percussion, choir and strings may seem strange; but it works. The weaving vocal lines near the end are stunning. Throughout, Kanon's tone remains clear and pure.

Track 3 is a music box instrumental version of This is My Road.

Where-er you go - Cavalleria Rusticana, shows off Kanon's classical training. The form is very much like a operatic aria. The song showcases Kanon's wide vocal range. The tempo is slow, testing her breath control.

Moonlight (or "Unfulfilled Wish - Moonlight) opens with a melancholic melody sung by Kanon, underscored by soft chords in the organ. Then it switches to a contemporary ballad with acoustic piano (performed by Kanon herself) and electronica accompaniment. The piano bridge and comping nod to jazz harmonies and comping style.

The sixth track is an instrumental music box version of Where-er you go - Cavalleria Rusticana.

Rounding out the CD is an English version of This is My Road.

My Road - Songs from Guin Saga

Kanon

Kanon - A Classical Contemporary Artist Making Waves in Japan's New Age Music Scene

Kanon was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1980. Her musical studies took her abroad, which greatly influence her compositional style and musical tastes. She made her debut in 2002, shortly after graduating from the College of Music in Queensland, Australia. In her 2004 album release, Hymn of Grace, Kanon's compositions were featured for the first time.

In 2004, Sony Music Japan International signed her onto the Sony Music label. In 2006, Kanon was asked to perform at the FIFA World Cup Germany-Asia event and Marché International du Disque et de l'Edition Musicale 2007 (MIDEM) as Japan's elite musical ambassador.

Kanon caught the attention of gamers with her music in the Tales of Legendia series.

With her Western influenced music, Kanon is considered a New Age artist in Japan although she staunchly defines style as "classical contemporary".

About Guin Saga

The anime adaptation ofGuin Saga focuses on Rinda and Remus, the "twin pearls" of the kingdom of Parros. Their parents, the king and queen, were slain when the Mongaul army invaded their country. The twins escape via an ancient device and are tranported into enemy territory. They meet Guin, a man with superhuman strength and amnesia. Guin wears a leopard mask that cannot be removed. Guin, Rinda and Remus meet allies and fight Monguls in their journey to Parros and their quest to recover Guin's memories.

A Beautiful Voice But Album Lacks Variety

My Road - Songs from Guin Saga contains beautiful, lilting and haunting melodies that showcase Kanon's angelic tone and technique. However, the songs all sound similar in style, melodies, form and tempo.

For more information about Kanon, visit the Channel-Ai Community Blog and Kanon's Official Website.

Originally published December 21, 2009 on Suite101.com . All rights are reserved by Rhona-Mae Arca.

The Anime Music on Melodica Project

Last fall, I picked up a melodica, AKA, the wind piano. It's an odd little instrument. It kind of sounds like an accordion. At first, I thought it would be an easy instrument to learn, seeing as I've been singing and playing the piano for years. A portable instrument that you could toss in your car and bring to a party or an anime con and have people call out "Nodame! Rappushodi- i-n buru- kudasai!" or "Can you play anything from Sword Art Online?"

とても むずかしい です！Playing the melodica takes up more air power than I realized. Not to mention, it's very different to play on a keyboard sideways, where your visibility is limited.

After seeing this video of Jonathan Ong play Chopin's Fantasie-Impromptu on melodica, my おとうと and I realized just how much work we have ahead of us to master this piece of plastic:

Then, we watched Jonathan and his brother perform Mozart's Rondo alla Turk:

This gave us an idea. Why not take some of those funky JPop and video game songs that are impossible to play as a solo piano arrangement and play them as a melodica duet? In addition to some good ol' classics?

We have started working on some classic tunes from Azumanga Daioh, Tetris, Super Mario, Star Wars and Bleach. I've been working hard on saying, "Hai! Deskimashita!" just like Chiyo-chan in "Chiyo-chan no Tsukurimashou".

Feel free to send in requests. We can't promise we'll get to them right away (or that they are melodica friendly), but we'll certainly try!

Practicing Conversational Japanese

As with learning any language, if you want to learn how to speak it, you actually have to practice speaking it, ne? Below are a few groups you could join to practice speaking Japanese:

1. University clubs: Check to see if you have a "Japanese Conversation and Culture Club" on campus.

2. Form a study group with your classmates. You can meet up in person, or try a "virtual" study group via Skype, Google Hangouts, FaceTime, etc.

3. Meetup.com: Check out "Japanese Language and Culture Meetup Groups"

4. Become involved with your local Japanese community association. The Calgary Japanese Community Association is pretty active and many of the older members are helpful when you try to speak Japanese.

5. Youths can check out the Japanese Youth Association of Calgary.

Although many of the links are Calgary-specific, you can check online to see if there is a similar group in your area.

My Kotatsu Table Project

It seems like there is a kotatsu table in every household featured in the anime shows I watch. A kotatsu is a heated Japanese table. The special kotatsu heater sits on the underside of the table. They are generally fairly low, with a futon placed on top to keep the heat in. The first time I saw it, I thought, "Man, I really need one of those!"

Japanese homes don't have central heating, so having one of these in your home is a must once winter hits. If the Internet is an indicator, it's catching on here in North America too. Great for those of us without a fireplace or those who are looking for ways to keep heating bills down.

Last winter, I decided to make a kotatsu table. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be.

I found this set of instructions on How to Build and American-style Kotatsu.Then, it was off to Ebay to order my kotatsu heater from 4kokuq. It has to be a kotatsu heater. An ordinary space heater would be a fire hazard. Kotatsu heaters have low voltage, so they can handle being in an enclosed space.

The cost for the kotatsu heating unit, including shipping and the exchange rate, was just under $100 CAD. It came within two weeks, as promised.

Next, I went to IKEA to pick up a LACK table (under $20) and a comforter from Wal-Mart for approximately $25. I picked up four fluffy accent pillows to use as seating cushions. I think they were between $7 - 12 each. Thankfully, Canada uses the same voltage as Japan, so I did not need to purchase an adapter.

It didn't take long to assemble the LACK table. The next step was to install the heater. At the time, I was only in Level 1 of Japanese language classes, so I couldn't read any of the kanji in the instructions. However, I did learn that it asked me to "Insert kotatsu heater in wooden frame underneath table. Insert screws into holes of said frame and screw into the heater."

Perhaps you see my challenge. I don't have a bona fide kotatsu table, so there is no frame. This required a quick trip to Home Depot. The solution? Corner Braces.

I marked in pencil where I should position the heating unit and screwed in the braces at each corner. Then it was time to screw the heating unit in.

Since the LACK table lacks space inside the table leg to thread the power cord through, another adjustment had to be made to keep the cord in place. This time, a picture hook came to my rescue.

Last two steps were pretty easy - put the comforter on top and then what was originally the shelving unit for the LACK table on top of the comforter.

Click here for my Kotatsu Making Photo Album.

This clip shows some other uses for this versatile Japanese table:

December 12, 2013 update: If you don't want to make your own, one of my fave otaku stores, J-List makes them. A steal of a deal for $100 USD. Click for J-List Kotatsu!

Looking for the Perfect Messenger Bag - Otaku Style

Last weekend, I had to retire my Fullmetal Alchemist messenger bag. The plastic shoulder strap adjuster thingie broke enough to poke me. いったい！ This is my messenger bag:

So I've started to look for the perfect anime messenger bag. So many choices. My criteria is as follows:

• ample pockets

• design: cool enough that otaku would say "Sugoi", safe enough for my students to see and grown up enough that other adults wouldn't say, "Aren't you a little old for this?"

• sturdy design

• from a show I like

• decent price

• decent shipping

I could simply replace my FMA bag with the FullMetal Alchemist Brotherhood: Flamel Cross Messenger Bag:

It's not as nice as my retired one though. This Soul Eater: Meisters Anime Messenger Bag is a serious contender. It has the entire gang: Maka & Soul, Death the Kid with Liz & Patty and let's not forget Black Star & Tsubaki:

Oh yay - there's also the The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya: SOS Anime Messenger Bag:

However, the Code Geass: Lelouch Geass Symbol Anime Messenger Bag is pretty cool - and it doesn't look childish:

Choices. Choices. I've only just begun. I'd like to see if there are messenger bag designs for some of the more current anime, such as Hyouka, Accel World, and Sword Art Online. One that's for the ladies. Lyfa and Asuna are cool characters, but I'd much prefer to have a bag with Kirito on it - or the main cast.

I'll have to check out my other main places for otaku gear: Right Stuf, CD Japan andJList. I've been meaning to check out AmiAmi too. See what I mean about so many choices?