音時雨 ～Regentropfen～

In spite of that it's still "Hyakki Yakou -ato no matsuri arrange-" looping in my portable player, inside of my brain it's all occupied by "the do-sol-mi-sol that drives you nuts". -- I tried to repeat it (literally just speaking, not even singing in their real pitches), and miserably after 15 times my tongue went into spasm. -- I seriously admire how Akiko got this idea and made it true.
I mean, just to trace each note she sings can drive me nuts!

To change the aspect, it's also really annoying that the main album and the animate-limited bonus album are sold separately, and the special edition too. I understand why it's called special edition, but why so many different editions and all have different tracks/contents? << at the end it's hard to decide as I'm not that willing to buy all of them -- unless that's a full 72min album. << my otaku soul has forced myself to get the biohazard first aid spray bottle plus a few games and a 9-CD setso I confess here my actual situation didn't allow me to buy any of this. -__-'' At least I'm not really regretting as I still think it's not as awesome as "wokashi". << Yet I didn't get "wokashi" special edition either, for the sake of the animate-limited album!

Listening to "ヒト型式ＰＦ試奏例β", it's getting more and more like the Baroque era -- I heard pipe organ, the instrument that I wished to play the whole song solo!!
"エルーシア～Instrumental～". Sadly, still isn't that impressive. But I like the ending part, which naturally transits into the next one.
"螺旋の涙～Piano featuring arrange～". Even though it's featuring piano, all my attention is on the cello. I especially love the tremolo around 1'27''. But for the entire arrangement, I can follow the cello without being distracted by the accompanying piano. SO EROI! THAT I CAN'T STOP EXCLAIMING HOW EROI IT IS!!
"ロスタ". For the last song, for how long we haven't heard she singing in a rather "normal" language? Is that a sequel to "wokashi"?? xD

I think I'm over-excited. I need to cool myself down a little bit by listening to another "eroi" piece: "Dumky"~

はい、お待たせいたしました、カトラでございます！

Experienced the late coming "wokashi", I'm never surprised by that caTra is delayed for a month(, and even laughed out when I saw this deja vu).

http://shikata-akiko.com/product/catra/

Somehow, the actual songs are just like what I expected after seeing the cover image. I know it's almost impossible for me to take more explanation.

To be honest, the regular booklet is totally helpless, as this entire CD is not sung in regular language. Fortunately, it has a second booklet to reveal more secret inside.
→ something reminds me "the keeper's diary", but this one is more "serious", well written and without any "nostalgic" fragments.

Reading this doesn't tell me much more on the songs though (the way of expressing date and time can't stop me thinking Fatal Frame 2's stone-radio). It's a good spin-off. -- So caTra is been studied as a kind of lost technology. The story begins when a researcher is sent to study a tower of some kind of historic ruins.
All stories originate from a tower, look at Ar Tonelico, "Saihate no Tou" (album by Haruka's canoue unit), Legasista, etc...

Except the simple puzzle and a hidden arrangement of "Rasen no Namida", the actual "liner notes" are more of my interest.
But, don't only put bpm and time information, also let us know in what key each song is written!

I just can't write a real review seriously!
-- and there is indeed something more than simple quotation from the another booklet.

The true introduction. It made me laugh immediately. A capella sung in nothing but note names (someone, or when I have time, should transcribe it into a full score because I don't see any intention from Akiko to publish them as sheet music). Would be superb if being performed on a pipe organ!
So far I've mostly only listened to Noriko's crystal clear a capella. Akiko's is definitely of a different style, which brings my mind to nowhere but the Classical and Baroque eras -- especially the second half, when the tempo begins to raise (I tried to move my fingers, and a simple conclusion is, impossible.).
This song captured my heart and is my top one.

Concept: the most caTra-ish song.
The subtitle is "気が狂うまでドソミソ / The Do-sol-mi-sol that drives you nuts".. lol
Accidentals aren't sung the same as their corresponding naturals (a human being just can't do it under a high bpm).

"Elshia(?)" has a meaning of "Release", indicating that from the material to the spiritual world → Ar Tonelico 2!!! (# ﾟдﾟ)

To emphasise such between two worlds, and even errors during signal transmission, there're quite a lot of mismatched chords, that the mixing engineer even worried about it. But after learning everything is well plotted, he "happily" added more "dangerous" effects.

Once was planned to be included in "Haikyo and Rakuen", but was released in orgel version in "Petits Fours".
"Petit Fours" is almost my second Akiko album after "RAKA" 9 years ago! So I have special love to it. "Rasen no Namida" is for sure one of my favourite piece, and I always wished it could be longer (not so much desire as how I wanted vocal version of "otoshimono" though).
And here, an even more gorgeous vocal arrangement arrives!

Concept: Opera house with no or invisible audience; a lonely-playing antique gramophone behind the screen, under the spotlight.
The ending is arranged to introduce the next "kiokaito" (which means something outside of my recognition...).

In typical Akiko style that I can't have much "new" thoughts. .__.
But I like the middle part, when it gets more powerful.

Concept: the "reflection" of caTra. Memory from the past, energy of the nature. Near the end's out of memory energy -> end of playback... Reading more of the text just leads my mind to the dusk world, from Atelier series. orz

And I have no idea what the researcher is claiming during 1:18~1:38 -- 普通の言葉で喋てください！！（笑）

Nice Shiritori!
Seeing the title, I tried to continue it right away. Although I can't recall what words I used, I soon ended it up with a wording ending with "n".
This song was based on motif of the ocean, from an illustration by the same person who drew for caTra. While "Rasen no Namida" was the piece derived from the same illustration → they're paired songs.

I do prefer this version for no reason!

Accessible until May-10, 2016. A puzzle-solving is required (can't be more straightforward though).

It's obvious based on how much text I had, that "alfa" and "spiral" are my impressive favourites.

But is that only me who thinks "catra" and "rosta" are super suitable names for your cats?
-- but too late mine have already been named.. I'll use them for my future cats (right, my dream is to have 4 cats!)!

Maybe it's someday in March, I found "Hyakki Yakou" is so good for walking (the brisk Orgel version from "Ato no Matsuri", neither the original vocal nor the original orgel arrangement). The tempo exactly fits my walking speed (won't fit any more if it's a little faster), and simply makes me happy.
However, the daytime temperature is around 15 recently. Walking at this pace in such a summer-ish day is unpleasantly hot.

In the sense of that it's April, this is also a perfectly good BGM: April 1st -> Watanuki -> xxxHOLiC..
↑ isn't that otaku to understand, I assume.

I hardly take screen shots on cell phone (checking my scrcap folder, my previous phone screen shot was taken 2+ years ago. °A°;), and thus, I just learned how to take one on my Xperia Arc running Ice Cream Sandwich (yes, in last Feb. since I upgraded it I haven't taken any screen shot).

She looks smart in this shot! and sadly my smart-phone now gives a sharp quality difference between its built-in icons and the photo itself. (But I had no time at that moment to fetch my camera already).

-- Still Xperia Arc. Maybe at the time when I actually change my phone, Z10 is already available.

I didn't know that she (my highschool classmate) loves collecting cups (she definitely has cup-complex), while I have zero interest in it (if possible, I'd like to collect more exciting things, like shotguns... xD;;). So of course I barely buy cups, unless the current ones are broken.
But I just bought a new one, although none of current cups have any damage.

↓ Japanese abbr.: 救スプ

NOT an item for cosplay. It's a real bottle, which can keep warm for 6 hours. 270 ml. If lining up with a regular compressed air can, they're of similar sizes.

While I did my best to not use it in BIO2/3/Veronica, as a newbie holding one of this (or some herbs) indeed encouraged me a lot!
Even though they sometimes make the rank down, I still love them~~<3

The eroi-est laughing @ 4:31

and
The kakkoi-est singing @ 13:33

By the way, "Rose and the Old Castle of Twilight" has got a playable trailer on Mar. 31. I'm so glad it's not using the tricky but not can sometimes be extremely irritating touch screen. But since the trailer doesn't support save and I'm already stuck near the 2nd blood memory, I'll save the real fun to Apr. 26~

-- Although I don't know much about it "physically"..