I've fallen in love with this icon, no idea why.

Anyway, spreading some love for this download as I know that it is relevant to the interests of some people (like so-and-so or so-and-so). There's a bit of drama behind the subs that's elaborated on in the forum post here, but I guess knowing about it is optional...even though it was certainly an incentive for me to grab this instead of alternate versions.

Mediafire links:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5

The Making Of

No comment on the content and quality as my download is running concurrently with another bandwidth hog, but the folks working on this have a certain degree of rep to them so it should be at least fairly good.

I wonder if it's a little late for new year resolutions...and if it isn't, ikka will start doing something about remembering the birthdays of people important to her, like the squad; family and etc OTZ

Rather by accident, a celebratory (?) message on a certain forum reminded me that tomorrow, 21 January, is Mizuki Nana's birthday. I only remembered the date as being the official street release date for her next single...so darned fail, no?

Umm, yeah, so happy birthday, Curator/Head/77-chan(ry :DDD?

( Shin Ai )

Exactly what the title says. No joke.

I have a lossless version if anybody's interested, but it's almost 50MB (the track itself is a little more than 4 1/2 minutes), which kills bandwidth and would be very troublesome to upload. So it won't be put up unless requested for.

This version was created using audio ripped from the anisama DVD mixed with the Seishoujo Ryouiki track on alipro's Soubikakei album. Originally intended to use the off-vocal version from the single, but found out that it had strains of Arika-san's voice in it (as backing vocals).

( other stuff unrequired for full 'enjoyment' )

I had a copy of Zankou no Gaia's lyrics on the desktop before it died (again -_-;) and couldn't bother to make a new one. Maybe some other time...Trickster is one of Nana's songs that is getting constant replay on ikka's portable, and the video is quite a few shades of awesome, too. Still wondering why I didn't get into it during the first few spins.

Today yesterday was great, found this shop with some CDs that might not be so easily available back home. FictionJunction YUUKA's circus (first press) was selling at 20RMB...! It sort of makes up for the horrible temperatures (ikka is a tropical animal).

Disclaimer: This translation is fanmade and Ikka does not claim that it is 100% accurate, but it is a product of much hard work and time. Please do not use without permission, though linking is OK.

Mizuki Nana: Trickster
Vocals/lyrics by Mizuki Nana
Composed/arranged by Agematsu Noriyasu( cut )

Mizuki Nana's father passed away on the 29th of October - last Wednesday.

It comes as rather a surprise, not only because she had shown little indication of how serious her family situation had been earlier (incidentally, her blog entry of the 29th had a "*smile*" in the title), though there was a significant lack of update since then...until her post on Sunday, 2 November, regarding the issue.

A fan whose blog ikka visits on occasion mentioned how he had just talked about her unhealthy updating times (2~3 am Japan time) with another person, and that it had been out of the norm for her to have such a gap between new posts. It was after this, he said, that the news broke. One part of that entry I agree with especially: she really had no need to apologize [about not updating], with all the hectic things and stress that would be coming up soon, updating could wait. As fans, everyone would certainly be understanding about that.

The entry can be found on her official site here. Translation available at j1m0ne-san's place.

( personal experiences - need not read if you are not interested )

I felt a responsibility to pass on the message to whomever might come across this, seeing how it resonates with personal experiences, and the knowledge that there are fellow fans on the f-list who may not yet have heard of it.

It would be rather shallow to wish that Nana-chan can feel better, for this will not come quickly. As a fan, the stance I adopt now will be the same as that of certain others, that is, to support her in what she will be facing from now on, with such a significant figure in her life gone.

Link for size and non-ownership: image. Original source here.

An adorable but too-short narrative/report in comic strip form about Live Fighter Red Side, from AniSong Vol. 6. The reference in the title is from here. According to the interview, Trickster was written by Agematsu-san after watching Live Fighter, so she thought it was fate/destiny that the song was chosen :333 There's also her opinions on DISCOTHEQUE and Trinity Cross but the words were a bit small to focus on so ikka eventually gave up |||oTz Photos were pretty too, the one with the scoresheets reminded me of the Orchestral Fantasia PV hahahah.

Oh, come to think of it, why weren't the off-vocal ("without Nana") versions of the songs included together on the single? I wanted to listen to the mad instrumentals in Trickster...

Onto something else Nana-related: another marriage proposal (!) has shown up in her Pick-up Voice Vol. 11 interview with Saitou Chiwa (Gachapen, Yuushaou etc), gillsa-san posted a transcript:
*words in [square brackets] are my rough translations

Q: What are your impressions regarding each other?
...
...(there was stuff here, but no transcript and I'm not typing)
N: *compliments Chiwa's voice acting* (very short summary here lol)
C: うれしい！本当に結婚して欲しい(笑)。 [I'm so happy! Now I really wanna marry you :D]
N: プロポーズされた(笑)。 [I've been proposed to :D]
C: 一生幸せにします(笑)。 [I promise you lifelong happiness :D]

I can so imagine the two of them laughing with extreme silliness while doing this...thus the :D rather than :) lol

小狐仙萌え小狐仙 wwwww

It seems as though the nicovideo post of this "special-edition" PV has been removed. Though ikka didn't really find it all that funny, it was kind of, um...interesting, in a somewhat odd way. And it had the lyrics, too. Pity.

Good thing for screencaps eh.

( cut for images )

Actually, this would be so much more suitable with the Trickster PV, and maybe funnier. Those who've seen that will know where I'm coming from.

Didn't really like DISCOTHEQUE at first, but was won over by the PV (that's what I'd like to think, anyway, rather than attribute it all to the song's denpa-ness). It's just...really cool. Very watchable.

Next post will be earliest next Tuesday night/Wednesday, due to end-year papers and such.

nico link here

Don't really listen to much radio, especially when it's in Japanese, because ikka's ears are fail and wouldn't be able to make it. In fact, the only time I understood one full episode (?) of Smile Gang was when the fifth anniversary was made into a video that was later subbed >_<;;;

Catching this week's Smile Gang was something of a coincidence, and could not have happened without niko-san blogging about it. This post also has a rather informative (...) writeup on the show, so those who have a grasp of some Chinese/Japanese (!) may find it useful - I know I did. Only skimmed through and listened to it in fragments, though...a straight half an hour's worth of audio-only is a tad too long for ikka.

For those who don't, here's a bit on this week's Smile Gang...unfortunately there's not a lot as my ears aren't discerning enough so this will be muchly based on niko-san's report for help+reference and whatever remaining that ikka could get.


OK, so if you passed that up, one more motivation (...?) to listen to this week's show can also be its doubling up as a healing balm for y'all who got mad at SSM 3...or something. For those who'd prefer having Nanoha and FTH giggling away at mundane (?!) things.

I do hope that Misato-san gets better soon, however.

From Live Fighter 2008...this was very unexpected as the concert coverage I'd read previously did not mention one word of it.

Sure uniforms look cool, but the groups/organizations connotations can link you to should be taken into consideration as well. If she was wearing the SJAB uniform, ikka would probably shed tears, both out of joy and pity for her having to sweat buckets in it.

Would recommend reading the comments, they're much more insightful that I can manage.

So much stuff left undone (as usual). Depending on circumstances, something crack-ish may be showing up on this journal soon.

Anyway, as ikka was whiling her witching hours away, she came across some snort-worthy stuff...

I'm sorry...but it really does look like a black imitation of the Schwertkreuz *rofl*

See?



(from StrikerS OP1 DVDrip)

Someday ikka may try translating Zankou no Gaia. It's a good song by the music itself, a great song with Mizuki Nana's vocals, and a GODLY song because of the amazing Engrish. "I swears" indeed. xDDD

And yes, this isn't exactly a new song (Starcamp EP! xD), ikka just came across the PV only now.

Finally back from the TW-HK trip! Picture spam will probably be up tomorrow.

Been trying to catch up on all that I've been missing, what with the constant lack of computers and internet...TT^TT A (whimsical?) search turned up a clip which has most likely been making its circles for some time now---Arika-san and Nana together on stage.



To be honest, ikka has been fervently looking for something like this ever since she learnt that they had performed together...and wow. Just wow. Watching the awesomeness of this made me wish I had been there. *sighs*

A source revealed a bit more about the performance, which had a conversation between the 2 singers that were left out of the Youtube clip I think?


Watching the performance, I got the feeling that Nana's voice is actually kinda close to that which can be heard on some of Arika-san's more recent performances, when her vocals were less high as compared to alipro's older days.Though this can be nothing more than a feeling, since ikka ain't musically trained or anything. I still like Arika-san's vocals, and found her deeper tones as compared to the TV-sized/CD recording equally nice. (is looking forward to Grand Finale)

If these two don't duet again next year, the producers are so going to owe the two camps of fans (and those like ikka who like both). *crosses fingers*

Because this is a song filled with awesome and ikka has high hopes of it appearing as BGM this week. Even better if it sounds during Fate's battle scene! ←biased inclinations

Poor language standard as per usual, errors have a large chance of being present despite my reference to 3 different dictionaries. Badly phrased at times.

Disclaimer: This translation is fanmade and Ikka does not claim that it is 100% accurate, but it is a product of much hard work and time. Please do not use without permission, though linking is OK.