Saturday, September 3, 2016

Happy Birthday, Song Diva! [Hatsune Miku's 9th birthday]

Written by Eliazar

So, as some of you may or may not know, Hatsune Miku, Queen of Vocaloids, had turned 9 years old a few days ago!

by オムチーノ
Her official release was in August 2007, making her the 7th vocaloid in general, and the second voicebank in the VOCALOID2 engine.



I remember the first song I heard of Miku. My best friend, a hardcore fan of hers, had forced me into listening to Triple Baka.

Triple Baka by Kasane Teto(left), Hatsune Miku(Middle), Akita Neru(right)
At first, I was reluctant to even start the song, but after I heard it, I became an instant Vocaloid Addict. Vocaloid became my life. I had posters, I drew them at home, at school, basically anytime I had the chance. My phone consisted of nothing but Vocaloid songs. Even my wallpaper changed from one Kaito(another VOCALOID2 voice bank) picture to another.

And, to pay tribute to the person that made up my awkward-teen days, I am going to present my personal Top 10 Hastune Miku songs, ranging from sad songs to overly happy ones!


10. Karakuri Pierrot

"I'm just a funny clown to you."
Woah, so we're starting on a sad note, huh?

Karkuri Pierrot is a song made by 40mp, illustrations by Yamako. The video talks about this guy Miku really likes, and he gives her a chance to go and meet him one day. But, as it turn out, the guy didn't show up at their designated time and place, and Miku feels like a stupid clown for the guy's entertainment.

"Your warmth really touched me."

With that kind of rejection, Miku expresses her pain by remembering how warm and kind he was, but eventually gave up waiting for him, because it will just keep on hurting her.

"It will surely break my heart."

The conclusion is real for any of us who loves or has loved someone deeply. Even though Miku knew she was nothing more than a clown he had expected, she loves the guy, and is willing to be what he wants her to be. She can't be free from him because she can't be free from her feelings towards him.

Ah, the bittersweetness of it is just-- 

"Manipulate me as you wish."


9. Kagerou days

"You know, I kind of hate summer."
Kagerou days is made by Shizen no Teki-P(Jin), Illustrations by Shidu, and sung by Hastune Miku. It's part of a series of songs, but Kagerou days is the most popular.

Unlike the previous song, Kagerou days doesn't feature Miku's avatar, but instead sings the main character's perspective about the story.

It starts off with a typical foreshadowing about someone's death, and then presenting two characters, a boy and a girl. According to the Kagerou Days wikia, they are known as Hibiya and Hiyori respectively.

"Kagerou Days"

Hibiya went to the park one hot day of August, and there, met Hiyori who was holding a black cat while sitting on a swing. They talked a bit until little kitty decided to venture off to cross the street just ahead of the park. Hiyori, not even looking both ways before crossing the street (And you SHOULD) ran for the cat and was hit by an oncoming truck, leading to her first death.

"Suddenly, out of nowhere, a truck struck you as you screamed."
Yes, first death. After this incident, the day looped on and on. Hiyori had various deaths because Hibiya tried to prevent it multiple times, but failed.

Hiyori's many, many deaths

There is also this "heat haze" that looks like Hibiya, only this apparition was red all over. It seemed to appear the first time Hiyori died and had mocked and stalked Hibiya ever since.

"The haze of heat laughed, "This is real.""
At the very last, when Hibiya had but one chance left to save Hiyori, he made a decision that even shocked the heat haze. After thinking about an alternate world where instead of summer, he met Hiyori in a winter's day, he threw himself out into the street and pushed Hiyori back, resulting in him dying instead of her.

The ultimate sacrifice
Hibiya thought he had won, but the heat haze was one step ahead of him. Before blacking out, he looked at the girl he saved, and caught a glance of another heat haze, colored blue, and the exactly the same as Hiyori.

"This would have been what you'd call a normal summer day, 
but all of that ended today."

Thus, the cycle continued, but with Hiyori as the player this time. She attempted to save him just like he did, but failed each time. I wonder how long it would take her to think about sacrificing herself too? *evil laugh*

The plot in a nutshell
by: 椿


8. Triple Baka


Ah, the hope this song brings.
Made by LamazeP.

Okay, I'll be honest. The lyrics DO NOT make sense to me here. Nor does the animation. Nor the frenchbread rockets or the dancing Teto in the bridge.

This song is one of those kinds that are heavenly to the ears, but nevermind the video and lyrics. xD

Not that it's completely stupid (Ehe~)! Quite the contrary, actually. The video is fun, and the lyrics is a real representation of what laziness is. Though the creator said it's how someone is portrayed as 'lazy' for neglecting their responsibilities and being creative instead.

Way to boost your self-confidence, Miku
I listen to this song every time I feel down, or just plain angry at something, and I instantly calm down. I even sing along with it in the "baka, baka, baka" part to scold myself of being such a grump. *laughs and cries*
Same here


7. Love Trial
"Hey, you're guilty too!"
This is another song by 40mp, Tama for the Illustrations.

You know that moment when you make a mistake in a relationship and it feels like you're standing in your own trial? Well, Miku here is quite the judge. The guy, who has the point of view of this song, said that thanks to his humanly flaws and that one time mistake, Miku would unlikely go back and forgive him.
"I just can't pull a wool over your eyes, can I?"

And the worse part is he had an alibi ready and even flowers to sweeten her up. Well, Miku won't take your excuses, and you just dug your own grave with those. She has evidence!!

"I can't live on without you!"
But, as usual relationships go, they make up because Miku just can't stay mad at him, not after the guy pledged his whole life to her. xD

She even admitted she's guilty too, but of what is very vague.

Magical Hammer of loooooove~
by: 欧 泡
7. Crybaby Boyfriend


"When we finally part, I pretend to be strong."
You can wear your heelies to escape your feelies, but this? You need something faster.

Created by Honeyworks (Adorable but FEELSY music makers), and illustrated by Yamako again~

This piece of work shoots you with an big dose of sadness in the intro. I haven't even heard the whole thing and I'm already feeling the tears, man.

Why'd you have to leave, Miku? TT^TT
But in a more serious note, the song tells about Miku and Len Kagamine (another VOCALOID2 voice bank) in the midst of a crumbling relationship. For some reason or the other, I don't think it's Len and his waterworks though, Miku decides to leave Len.

You're really gonna regret it later, Miku! >:(
Len, knowing how it much it would distress Miku, tried to be strong as they parted. He really tried, but according to him, "the tears won't stop."

Imagine everything around you falling apart, and just seeing the one you love slowly slip away, their smile, their warmth, their 'I love you's.

Deeep.
And that hurts like you don't even know. :'D

Buuuut they managed to end it on a nice note, with Len thanking her whole-heartedly, and Miku saying a sincere 'I'm sorry.' But not before flashing all of their beautiful memories together. It was like saying goodbye to a life they'll leave behind.

And it was really heart-wrenching when Len sang alone in the end and said he won't cry, but did.
:(

Kudos to Otomochi for this
beautiful fanart of the song! <3


6. The Beginning's Goodbye


"Everyday, I push myself a little harder."
I told you, Miku! I told you, you'd regret it!!! >:(

This song is a sequel for Crybaby Boyfriend, still by Honeyworks and illustrated by Yamako.

It's about Miku finding out about Len possibly having a new love interest, which sparks jealousy inside of her... and some unwanted memories of the past. She starts to overthink about it, searching for their "future together", but won't say it because of her habit of acting tough.

"Forgetting it is hard."
In the end, she says that even though they took different paths, she'll always be thinking of him. she also said that Len has changed. He isn't a crybaby anymore, and it seems Miku's the one crying this time.

"I'll always think about you."
Even though she regretted her decision because Len found someone else, she still settled it in herself that the future won't be with him, and that's okay, because he was able to change for the better.

Acceptance. It's hard to do, it takes time, but once it happens, you'll feel no remorse nor regret, just peace.


6.   Gift From The Princess Who Brought Sleep


The mindset of a battered housewife.

Okay, Miku, we get it. You loved Kaito even WAY before, and even though he's treating you like dirt, had 12 affairs and is only after your money, you're still concerned about him.

...or are you? >:3

Created by Mothy, and illustrations by Ichika.

I really adore the 7 deadly sins series, with Tailor Shop of Enbizaka as my favorite, but this comes second. It's about Miku marrying Kaito, who's apparently a jerk. He mistreats Miku for a long time until she eventually breaks. Instead of owning up to it, she still pretends she is "concerned" about him and decides to make a "medicine" to make him feel better (he looked stressed lately. Psh, yeah right, Miku, you just wanted to kick his rear.)

AKA you'll be poisoned! :D
Then, Psyche-broken Miku decided that it wasn't enough. Kaito was able to sleep with her magical medicine! Why not share it with, hmmm, I don't know, her parents? They looked stressed out too! BAM dead, there you go! But wait, the townspeople looked out of it too. Free anti-stress medicine (AKA poison) for everyone!

She was just so mad for being broken that she wanted to destroy everything.

*hides in a corner*

"I, the only one not sleeping in their stead, have acquired Freedom and Wealth."
And so, the whole town "slept" peacefully, except for Miku.

"Well," she thought, "everyone's sleeping now. I should too. Time for Sandman to retire into sleeping beauty!~"

And she killed herself with her own poison. THE END!

If that wasn't disturbing, I don't know what is.


*whispers* That ain't got nothing on conchita-
by: Murasaki (Ekyu)

5. From Y to Y


The only worthy screenshot I saw of the song
This is a one-man song. Everything was  done by Jimmy Thumb-P (though the art isn't a problem, only a white background and a ring was shown throughout the whole song.) So because of the lack of illustration, this one will just be text only. Bear with me! :'3

Okay, so by far, this is the saddest song. See that ring? Yeah, so in my opinion, Miku and the guy she's singing about here are married, but life got int the way and they divorced.

This song speaks about the separation, and how she handled it. There were no words as they parted, and that's to be expected. I'm sure they've settled that in multiple fights.

And,  back at her room, as loneliness started to creep in, she starts to think, Am I in a  world that can't even grant a single wish? And that single wish is to be happy despite that, yes, she lied to him. Yes, she has committed many sins, but she sincerely regrets it. The song speaks about that. One is her trying to touch his hand (in my interpretation, trying to connect with him) and the other is trying to live gently next to him (which is their marriage.)

It's a powerful and very sorrowful song about a love lost. How we sometimes want to come back to the way it was, but it can never be, so instead, we just hope everything gets better in time. That Miku and the guy can meet again, in better terms, and as friends.

*sad sushi roll weeps in a corner*

4. Our Let it be

"I wanted us to be crybabies together."
Created by HarryP and illustrated by Rumina (Kudos to her/him, I really like the colored pencil style.)

Well, another sad one. If you've watched the anime Ano Hana, this story is based on it (or Ano hana is based on this? I'm not exactly sure.) They have a similar story line. 

You fastened his thread, but you're the
one who let go go yours, Miku! >:(
I can't say anything more about this except stay safe when you venture out into nature! And always have a first aid kit, enough fluids and emergency rations in your bag.

And absolutely NO GOING NEAR A RIVER ON YOUR OWN.

*A chorus of 'Yes mama Eli!'*


3. Rolling girl

"I failed again... I failed again!!"
Rolling girl is made and illustrated by Wowaka.

This song touches one of the most sensitive topics today: suicide.

Now, I won't dwell so much on this song, but this is a very good presentation of what the message is, and how real suicide is.

So Miku is a school girl who is frequently bullied. She treats those as a 'dead end' and keeps on 'rolling' on to find hope. But her head is full of noises and voices, one that she doesn't know how to handle, herself.



One scene in the video shows a dialogue between a guy and Miku, and when he asks her 'Are you done?', she responds with 'Not yet. Maybe there's still something to find in the future.'

"Are you done?" "No, not yet."
It is said that the guy in the video is the personification of her depression. Which would make sense, because he appeared many times in the video as a taunting figure, and even had a scene where Miku strangled him, clearly showing she's fighting back.

"I'll just hold my breath, for now."

But a human, much less a teen-age girl, can only take so much. Many times, she's asked Mr. Depression to let her keep rolling, and find hope. One more time, she asks. One more time, like asking him to back off, she can still do this, she doesn't need to go yet.

"Please let me roll again."
But at last, she comes to her limit. Depression stopped her from attempting to roll again, and was there when no one else was. The video presented the guy hugging Miku, asking her 'Are you done?' and telling her 'That's enough. I know you're tired of this, so stop breathing.' And she just gives in.

"Stop breathing now."
The video ends with the motionless Miku in the guy's arm, symbolizing she finally let Depression embrace her entire being and finally leading up to following what Depression usually tells its victims: To just stop breathing.

And here we can see Eliazarious Contemplatingcus in its natural habitat.

Here. have this to lighten up those feelies.

 Go Mikuuuu
Go mikuuuu
Thank you, VocaloidMemes, for this wonderful...er... fanart(meme).


2. Outwards and Inwards

"I laugh, I laugh, I laugh.
But in my heart, I'm really crying."
This simple yet sincere song is made by Scop and illustrated by Mina (水奈).

So let me share something that happened to me last week.

I'm the kind person that can't hide their feelings. I'm literally an open book. So when a really low time came for me, and I saw how it affected the people around me (especially my boyfriend), I decided to hide it with a smile and hyperactiveness. I literally did the opposite of what I felt. I laughed when I felt tears were already about to spill, and I smiled whenever I felt like screaming my sadness out.

It literally hurt me physically and psychologically. I had a fever the next day, and was sick for the whole week. So my point here is, don't hide your true feelings. Don't hide who you are. Because that's like self-destructing.

"I'm scared of being destroyed, and scared of showing my weakness."

This song is all about hiding behind lies and smiles. Miku, protrayed as the short-haired girl, has this fear of being destroyed, or being found out of who she really is, which is not kind. She smiles, laughs awkwardly and just plain lives a farce.

It's ridiculous how much I can relate to this song.

That's why she admires the sincerity of her friend's innocence. And through that girl, she was able to realize how to cherish sincere feelings. That someone can accept her and understand her.

We all need that one friend

And she's really happy, for the first time.

So my advice? Go to your bestfriend right now (or tomorrow, idc) and hug the life out of them. Love those guys because they're the ones that accept you. 


And for the moment you've all been waiting for. . .
(or not xD)

1. Pierrot

"Your lie is sad."
The kid knows what's up.

So here it is, my number one Hatsune Miku song of all time. The reason, you say?

*pulls out multiple gifs to prove point* Well, I thought you would never ask. 

Oh, this song is made by KEI an illustrated by Diabolo. :3

So let's start with this. Miku is a clown playing for a circus. For her, it was okay to fall down and be laughed at, because that's her job. But then, she saw little Miku crying amidst the fun.

"But I saw you crying in the audience."
As a clown that brings laughs, Miku found herself responsible for the girl, so she put on a great show and tried her best to make her smile again.

After the show, Little Miku went to her and told her her lies were so sad. Miku, a bit taken aback, told her 'I told no such lie' (denial eh?) and thus, made Little Miku cry some more.

Miku, you can't cheer her up like that, you have to-
Miku, you should REALLY just tell her the truth-
Miku, that will only make things worse!
Ah. what did I tell you?! >:(
So after that disastrous attempt of a clown to make a little girl smile, Little Miku took it upon herself to pull that clown head away and reveal Miku's face, which was crying.

Little Miku told her she shouldn't be ashamed to cry despite being a clown. She doesn't need to be happy all the time, because if she cries, Little Miku will cry alone with her.

So it's alright, it's alright.

"I'll cry along with you."
The Little girl's words, it's alright, it's alright, worked like a charm for Miku. She thanked Little Miku, because she helped her find the face she had forgotten.

And that was the day The Lying Clown was no more.

Sometimes it's hard to go through tough times. And sometimes, it's easier to make other people smile instead of yourself. But you need to think of yourself too. You can't lie to your self, to your heart and mind. If you're sad, be sad, because a lot of people will be there for you. If not a lot, then a precious few, who will cry alongside you.

To summarize this wonderful tribute: Forgive easily, be yourself, be honest with your feelings, accept what things are and what will be, and dark days don't go on forever.

But above all else, DON'T GIVE UP!!

So this has been little old me, Eliazar. Stay cool, everyone!


Eliazar

An ice-cream addict with a soft spot for romantic comedy animes
and a hard spot for classics like Undertale! My contact
address will just be my gmail: arcaescobarangelica@gmail com

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