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 The Traditional Chinese name 瑪利歐 ''Mǎlìōu'' is used by Nintendo in Hong Kong and Taiwan. In mainland China, the simplified form of the same name – 玛利欧 ''Mǎlìōu'' – was used while ''Mario'' games were being distributed by Mani (万信), Nintendo's former sales agency in the region.<ref>aquariuslegend (January 23, 2017). [https://chiphell.com/thread-1698489-1-1.html 万信国行初代GB 任天堂 GAME BOY 开箱]. ''Chiphell''. Retrieved February 5, 2017.</ref> When the Nintendo subsidiary iQue took over distribution from Mani, 玛利欧 was replaced with 马力欧 ''Mǎlìōu''. This name was chosen by [[Shigeru Miyamoto]].<ref>From [http://tieba.baidu.com/p/2270337246 an interview] of iQue staff: "A：先提醒一下，宫本茂先生认为这位大胡子水管工的中文名称是马力欧，请大家尊重原创者的意见哈～" (A: First, Mr. Miyamoto thinks that the mustache'd plumber should be named "Mǎlìōu" in Chinese; please respect the original creator :) Retrieved January 28, 2017.</ref> The unofficial name 马里奥 ''Mǎlǐào'' is also common.<ref>"不过由于「马里奥」在中国大陆由来已久，目前，中国大陆方面的通用译名为「马里奥」。" (But because the name Mali'ao has existed in mainland China for a long time, it is in wide use there now.) ~ Mandarin Wikipedia contributors. "[https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%A9%AC%E9%87%8C%E5%A5%A5_(%E8%A7%92%E8%89%B2) 马里奥 (角色)]". ''Mandarin Wikipedia''. Retrieved May 1, 2016.</ref>
+<div class="shroombg shroomthumb cc shroomcursor" style="font-size:110%">
+<div class=shroomsection>
+==Hot Pot Reviews==
+<div style="column-count:2;">
+Written by: {{User|Chibiki Daisy}}
+{{mediareview
+|name=Red Moon
+|image=kalafina-redmoon.jpg
+|media=Album
+|artist=Kalafina
+|released=March 17, 2010
+|genre=J-pop
+|producer=Yuki Kajiura
+}}
+Hello everyone, and welcome to a new section from yours truly! My name’s Chibiki, and this is Hot Pot Reviews, the section where I review things that pique my interest across all media types, much like how hot pot can have all kinds of ingredients. Today, we’re kicking things off by reviewing something that’s near and dear to my heart: Kalafina. Specifically, their second album, Red Moon.
+For those that don’t know, Kalafina is - or, rather, <i>was</i> - a girl group formed by composer Yuki Kajiura around late 2007 for the purpose of singing songs for the Kara no Kyoukai movies, but expanded since to do songs for a number of other anime, such as Madoka Magica and Black Butler. Their activities came to an end in 2018 (through circumstances that I’d rather not take the time to explain here), and they released a total of five studio albums during their time as a group. You may ask why I’m reviewing their second album when I could easily just do their first, and the answer is… I don’t really know. Probably because this album has some really good songs. Regardless, if you want a brief overview of the songs on this album before continuing, I recommend [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNj2cjsnvO4 this video]. It plays snippets of each song so you can get a taste of them. But with that out of the way, let’s get started!
+First on the album, we have the titular track, [https://youtu.be/17mO9OdwfS8 red moon]. This song is hailed by many as one of Kalafina’s greatest songs, and for good reason: this song is so beautifully dark, that no other song in their entire discography can quite compare (except maybe Magia but even then that’s a stretch). Everything about this song, from the [https://canta-per-me.net/lyrics/red-moon/ lyrics] to the instrumentation, is dark. With powerful vocals all around, lyrics like ‘By falling in love and learning pain / we become human’, and copious amounts of string instruments orchestrating a dark fantasy, I’ll go as far as to say that this song is the extreme of Kalafina’s usual sound. Let’s say that to the beginning, a song off their fourth album, is the standard Kalafina sound. Typical baroque pop. It doesn’t even come halfway to the sound that red moon has. It’s very grandiose in a sense, but it’s also very church-like… if church took place at midnight on Friday the 13th. Overall, a great start to the album.
+Thankfully (or not, depending on your mood), the next song, [https://youtu.be/-wILF0YwvNM Hikari no Senritsu], gives us a nice break from that dark sound with its cheerful instrumentation and uplifting lyrics. This song was used as the opening for So Ra No Wo To (Sound of the Sky), which I have not watched but I’ve heard it’s vastly different in mood from it’s opening... Take that as you will. Anyway, this song is very flute and acoustic guitar-heavy. It’s quite the drastic 180 from red moon, and if you listened to these two songs on completely different occasions, you probably wouldn’t even realize they were both by the same group. However, as cheerful as this song sounds, it also sounds a bit melancholic. Despite that bit of melancholic feeling you pick up as you listen to this song, it also gives you hope. Maybe if you’re feeling down and you listen to this song, you might feel a bit hopeful for what the future has to bring.
+I don’t believe I’ve mentioned it already, but this album contains musical influences from all over the world - something that is certainly evident in [https://youtu.be/V4Gfgn_EXeE Te to Te to Me to Me]. Soundwise, this is definitely one of the weirder Kalafina songs, just because of its uniqueness. Every album, there’s always a song or two that are way out of left field for Kalafina, and I think it’s safe to say that this song is Red Moon’s left field song. I’m definitely not certain on this, but is that a sitar I hear in this song? Either that or a stringed instrument that I do not know the name of. Mysterious stringed instrument aside, the left field songs are always a nice treat due to their nature. Since the sound they have is usually only found in that song, it’s always a nice surprise listening to them for the first time and getting something completely different than what you’re used to.
+The next track, [https://youtu.be/9-RUE2GS6xQ fantasia], is a personal favorite of mine. And slight disclaimer, this is no Disney movie. This track is nice because all three girls get a chance to showcase their voices, which doesn’t happen too much in their songs due to all the harmonies that take place. (Case in point: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6vwADf_qzQ ring your bell] from their fifth album) And while the harmonies are part of what make Kalafina unique, it’s nice to be able to hear each girl individually. Especially Keiko and her low alto voice, which is found in harmonies most of the time. The guitar and… whatever that is I hear at the very start of the song (synth? I don’t know, I’m trying here) along with the [https://canta-per-me.net/lyrics/fantasia/ lyrics] really complete the vibe this song gives off: a twisted fantasy brought on by love. Though maybe it’s not so much twisted as it is longing. Either way, the instrumentation in this song just screams fantasy, and I think that’s rather fitting.
+The other half to Kalafina’s baroque pop songs are their ballads, and that’s exactly what [https://youtu.be/XlLtQ0EPKkk Haru wa Kogane no Yume no Naka] is. Looking at how short [https://canta-per-me.net/lyrics/haru-wa-kogane-no-yume-no-naka/ the lyrics] are, you’d think this song would only be around two minutes, but the slower tempo and beautifully lilting piano manages to stretch this song out to almost four minutes, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. This song’s title translates to ‘Spring Lies Within a Golden Dream’, and I definitely think this song is oddly fitting for spring. Despite its melancholic feeling, you can imagine flower petals slowly floating to the ground, and it’s fitting. Considering the next slower tempo track isn’t until track 10, it’s a nice break in all the fast paced or upbeat songs on this album.
+If fantasia is the best song for showing individual voices in this album, then [https://youtu.be/h8uCdbBwt_U Kyrie] is the best demonstration of how intricate the harmonies in Kalafina’s songs can be. They may be rather quiet at times, but you can definitely tell that they’re there, and they add so much more depth to this song. Harmonies in this song are frequent, and all three girls are present and heard during them, unlike some of their songs. (like Lacrimosa! Which we’ll get to later.) I think this is one of the few songs in Kalafina’s discography where the harmonies work like this, so it’s a great song to introduce someone to the group with. On a side note, Kyrie is the Greek word for Lord, and yet this song doesn’t even feel remotely religious, so that’s interesting to think about.
+Out of all the songs on this album, [https://youtu.be/fTHYww8oh_0 Yami no Uta] lives up the most to its title. In English, the title translates to Song of Darkness, and they’re not kidding when they say that. There’s parts of the song that make you feel like you’re falling down a bottomless pit, and I love that feeling so much with this song. Definitely deserving of mention here is Keiko, with her voice absolutely dominating the song (which is quite a rare treat). The other two girls aren’t just wasting away in the back, however. They both add something to this song, be it Hikaru and her powerful voice in the chorus or Wakana and her high voice singing the bridge. Even if this song suits Keiko’s voice the most, everyone still adds something in their own way.
+I like to think of [https://youtu.be/zRQ07yYJ9dY Hoshi no Utai] as the mystic sounding cousin of Yami no Uta. It’s definitely a lot more flute and percussion-heavy, but the strings and guitar are still there reminding me of parts in Yami no Uta. Despite each song reminding me of the other at points, these two songs give off completely different feelings. Yami no Uta felt dark and evil, whereas Hoshi no Utai feels like an adventure. Although, this song was used as the theme for Nobunaga no Yabou Online ～Shinsen no Shou～, so that may be part of it. I remember after listening to this song for the first time, the word that came to my mind concerning how I felt about this song was “empowered”. I suppose something that sounds adventurous as this will do that to a person.
+[https://youtu.be/zOYpZrz_eYk storia] is probably the most interesting song on here, sound-wise. It brings the international musical influences heavily back into play, and combined with the [https://canta-per-me.net/lyrics/about-kajiurago/ Kajiurago] sprinkled in the song, it does an excellent job of making this sound like a theme for a cultural event. Which is fitting, considering this is the opening theme for Rekishi Hiwa Historia, a Japanese history show. I think the only negative thing I have to say about this song is that it feels far too short, and more could have been done with it. At only 3:38 in length, this is the second shortest song on this album, beaten only by intermezzo. There’s a lot that happens in this song that could have been expanded upon, but I certainly can’t complain about what we’re given.
+There’s always one super short song on every Kalafina album, and for Red Moon, that song is [https://youtu.be/3uOTBWmu6VQ intermezzo]. At only two minutes in length, this song may be short, but it sure does pack a punch. I wouldn’t exactly call it a ballad, but it is slower in tempo. Combine that with vocal filters, the [https://canta-per-me.net/lyrics/intermezzo/ lyrics], and a somewhat haunting instrumentation, and you have a rather mysterious and bittersweet song of love. I always say a lot of things can happen in a small amount of time, and intermezzo proves that beyond a doubt. There’s not much else I can say about a song as short as this, but the saying ‘small but mighty’ is certainly true for this song.
+Taking all other Kalafina songs into consideration, [https://youtu.be/i2A1sgMShn8 progressive] sounds the closest to a typical J-pop song. However, the strings in the song prove that the group hasn’t strayed at all from their roots. I think the reason this is may be because this is Kalafina’s <b>only</b> song released as a single that has no tie-in to any other property. The arranger was probably able to experiment with different instruments without having to fit into a specific sound for this song, something that you only really hear in the album-exclusive songs for this group. Strings aside, the instrumentation sounds very futuristic, which I suppose is what they were going for, considering the song title. Very funny, Yuki Kajiura, very funny… Anyways, if you watch the [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2A1sgMShn8 music video] for this song, you’ll see the director definitely took some inspiration from the futuristic sound of this song. Things like the flashing lights and their outfits help enhance the song, but it’s also an amazing song on it’s own.
+This may be painfully obvious since they’re both different songs, but [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKgo5v4giVQ Kalafina’s Lacrimosa] is very different than [https://youtu.be/6kgJBzCXr4Y Mozart’s Lacrimosa]. However, the former does hold some similarities to the latter. Both songs sound extremely melancholic, and the lyric of ‘Lacrimosa dies illa’ in Kalafina’s Lacrimosa is a nice, subtle reference to Mozart’s Lacrimosa. This song was used as the second ending theme for Black Butler, and it definitely does fit the tone of the show. The Kajiurago especially helps create this melancholic mood. However, there is one thing about this song I can’t help but point out: Hikaru is almost nowhere to be found. She sings in the bridge and the Kajiurago between verses, but that’s it. The other two girls, especially Wakana, can be heard all over this song. I guess it’s because their voices are more suited to songs like this, as something like this also happened in a similar sounding song from their first album, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i190q5WzRHo fairytale]. Despite this, Lacrimosa is a beautifully tragic song that lives up to its name.
+Closing out the album is [https://youtu.be/TgL4kd0xV30 I have a dream], another ballad. This song is a bit more upbeat than Haru wa Kogane no Yume no Naka, which makes it sound a bit more hopeful. A lot of the [https://canta-per-me.net/lyrics/i-have-a-dream-kalafina/ lyrics] revolve around reminiscing about memories. Part of why that is may be because this song was the ending to the movie version of Eve no Jikan. This may just be due to the lyrics, but this song reminds me a lot of looking back at one’s own past, something that my parents and I have been doing with my past as I’ve been writing this. Seeing memories made years ago that you don’t even remember anymore unfold right in front of you really makes you think. This song reminded me of that. All in all, it’s a beautiful way to end the album.
+Red Moon has an excellent mix of sound with its songs, from slow ballads, to dark, to mysterious. I think the best songs off this album would have to be fantasia, Yami no Uta, and red moon. The best songs for first time listeners to listen to would have to be Kyrie, Hikari no Senritsu, and storia. While I personally would not recommend someone who’s new to the works of Kalafina to listen to this album first, it’s a really good start for anyone who does. It brings a little bit of everything to the table. An excellent album from beginning to end, overall.
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