I couldn’t think of what to call this thing, it’s obviously not a screenshot, and I can’t call it a photo of the OP either

(I suppose we get the new OP tonight…?)

More Macross F promo photos, concert photos at our source: Famitsu.com (more…)

UPDATE: Maaya’s website has more photos of her at the event, set list updated using list by Famitsu.com

The Superdimensional Super Live Concert by Ranka Lee and Sheryl Nome has been held yesterday at the Tokyo Metropolitan Bay East District Blue Beach Pallet Town at 2pm.

Set List:

My Boyfriend is a Pilot -MISS MACROSS 2059 - Megumi Nakajima
Seikan Hikou - Megumi Nakajima
Ninjin Loves you yeah! - Megumi Nakajima
Neko Nikki - Megumi Nakajima
My Boyfriend is a Pilot (Long Version) - Megumi Nakajima
Alto and Michael MC
Alto, Ranka and Michael Nyan Nyan
Small White Dragon - Megumi Nakajima
Angel’s Colors - Megumi Nakajima
Sagitarrius 9pm Don’t be late - Megumi Nakajima with May’n
Northern Cross - May’n
Diamond Crevasse - May’n
Welcome To My FanClub’s Night! - May’n
What ’bout my star? - Megumi Nakajima with May’n
Kanno Yoko Piano: Kira Kira, Triangler (with Maaya), Aimo
Vocal Medley: Do you Remember Love (Megumi), What ’bout my Star @ Formo (May’n and Megumi)
Do you Remember Love - Megumi Nakajima
Infinity - May’n
Aimo - Megumi Nakajima
Lion - Megumi Nakajima with May’n
SMS chant - BG only

Many thanks to Takkun for the summary! This is part one of a two-part interview by Hot Express, the second part of which will be published on by the end of August.

Summary:

Kanno had been doing commercials for 4-5 years (periodically games as well) when she did Macross Plus. She was unfamiliar with anime and the series, so if she knew more her approach might have been different.

Kanno didn’t have a TV or record player growing up, and she didn’t listen to the radio either. She had no entertainment experience until she entered college. In college she joined a band to help out with a band contest because she could play the piano. They won and it became a CD. She was able to gain more experience because of it.

When she was 2 1/2 , she was already writing music, probably she could put feelings that couldn’t be expressed in words, into music. When she gets commercial requests, the sponsors tell her they want to show the product as such, and she acts as a “translator” since she feels it’s easier to express herself in music than words. She’s wanted to write a novel (still does), but because she can’t put her ideas into words, she writes music.

The interviewer asks her if she’s felt a limit on what she can express in music. She feels if there was, she would have quit the music business, but music is a universal language (unlike words) and if you can play, you can get along with anyone. She’s so glad she’s a musician.

Kanno is asked about the album “CM Yoko” and how she chose the songs. Regardings commercial music, it’s disposable and gets old. For the CD, she wanted to choose songs that didn’t have a strong impact or were noisy. But she chose those with a good bio-rhythm, and were light and cute.

CM Yoko is pop and colorful, which is bad for the body. It’s like attacking with jelly beans, a sweetness that you don’t want to eat every day, but for a change of mood would be nice.

The interviewer says that he plays it on his iPod in shuffle mood, and she thinks it’s a good idea, mixing “something small and stupid” in with something spicier.

She’s asked about “Cowboy Bebop” and how she doesn’t really care for jazz, and how wondrous it is she created the soundtrack. She thinks jazz is long and repetitive and doesn’t really get what’s good about it. She’s asked Watanabe (Bebop Director) about what’s good about jazz, but everyone gives different answers. For her, jazz is probably something amazing, but she’ll never understand it. When she created the music, she thought about music that the musicians would enjoy playing. (more…)

http://www.hotexpress.co.jp/special/kanno_special/

If anyone could make a translation, or even just a list of important points on what the interview is about, then it would be greatly appreciated

(more…)

Ooooh, rock. I thought it was going to be a ballad.

Is that May’n? This seems to have been used in the ED sequence:

I can’t wait to hear a HQ version of this song, rock doesn’t sound good on LQ

By the way, another version of Aimo (entitled Aimo O.C., most likely re-arranged by Hisaaki Hogari, not sure though since the credits are a little ambiguous) was present in the animation - and this time it’s perfectly done with a Yoko Kanno + Gabriela Robin sound to it, complete with synth background and richly synthed vocal harmony. To hear is to believe.

Here’s a sample of the song ripped from the animation:

(If you only hear a 30-second sample, you may want to get an imeem account to hear the full upload. It’s free.)

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