Bohemian Archive in Japanese Red/Music Columns

Introduction

Page 20
< Article and Interview: Marisa   Bohemian Archive in Japanese Red   Article and Interview: Sakuya >

美味しそうな料理を見ると、例えそれが写真でも味や匂いまで感じられる気がする。味覚も嗅覚も脳が見せる感覚である以上、想像から起こる感覚というのも嘘の感覚というのも嘘の感覚ではない。

それを考えると音楽は音だけで出来ている物では無くなる。音楽によって世界を彩る事もあれば、反対に音楽によって記憶を呼び戻される事もある。その感覚は音楽を語る上で必要不可欠だ。決して思い込みの類ではない幻想の感覚、そう、それが幻覚である。

今記事では、私にとって幻覚度の高い思い入れのある曲をいくつか思い出して書いてみた。私が幻覚を懐かしむだけの駄文である。

(博麗 神主)

Whenever you see a picture of delicious-looking food, you can almost smell and taste it as well. As the sense of smell and the sense of taste are imagined by the mind, they are both true and false.

Thinking about it this way, music is more than just something that comes from sound. If music is something that can shape a world, by contrast, it is something that can also recall memories. When you talk about music, it is absolutely essential to talk about these senses as well. The illusion that there are none who never get the wrong impression is just that, an illusion.

In this article, I have written whatever I can remember about the illusions I saw when I composed these songs. However, my inability to write well about my older days is also just an illusion.

(Hakurei Kannushi)

Shanghai Scarlet Teahouse ~ Chinese Tea

Page 22
< Article and Interview: Sakuya   Bohemian Archive in Japanese Red   Article and Interview: Kaguya >

上海紅茶館 ~ Chinese Tea

(『東方紅魔郷』『夢違科学世紀』収録曲)

Shanghai Scarlet Teahouse ~ Chinese Tea

(Song from Embodiment of Scarlet Devil, Changeability of Strange Dream)
この曲は、重く暗くなりがちなシューティングの曲を、どうにかして元気が出て爽やかな感じを出せないかと四苦八苦した曲です。シューティングでも格好いい曲もポップな曲もダンスミュージックも数あれど、元気の出る曲となると案外少ないと思います。

この曲を聴くと、陰のない東方の幻想の空を彷彿させ、あたかも目の前に桃源郷が現れたかの幻覚を見せる。ちなみに何で上海紅茶館という曲名かというと、紅魔郷は開発当初は東方紅茶館というタイトルだったから。この曲は印象的な曲になると思っていたので、ゲームのタイトルを曲名に使いました。ストーリーが固まったらゲームのタイトルが変わっちゃったけど。

I went through a lot of distress to make this song give off an energetic, refreshing feeling, unlike most other shooting game songs which tend to be serious and dark. Shooting games have a number of cool, pop, and dance music-styled songs in them, but there are is a surprising lack of cheery songs.

This song resembles a fantastic, wide-open eastern sky, just like a hallucination of seeing paradise right before you. By the way, this song is titled Shanghai Scarlet Teahouse because when I first starting making Embodiment of Scarlet Devil, it was titled Touhou Kouchakan (Eastern Scarlet Teahouse). This song made such an impression on me, that I used the game's title as the song's name too. However, the game's title ended up not matching the story, so I changed it.

Forest of Dolls

Page 26
< Article and Interview: Eirin   Bohemian Archive in Japanese Red   Article and Interview: Alice >

人形の森

(『蓬莱人形』収録曲)

Forest of Dolls

(Song from Dolls in Pseudo Paradise)
新しい自分発見という感じで、ちょっと違う自分を見せようとしている感じの曲。イントロだけ聴くと煙草が似合うダンディさすら感じられるけど、サビでいつも通りになるという何とも自分らしい曲。

確かにこの時は渋い曲を作ろうと思って書いた記憶がある。この曲はもう一度書き直せば、かなり格好いい曲になる予感がする。でも面倒なのでいいや。

この曲が見せる幻想は、雨が静かに降る街。そう、珍しく人間の存在を幻視出来る曲だと思う。人形の森と言うタイトルも、おそらく荒廃した人間の街をイメージした物だろう。昔の自分の事なので確実では無いですが……。

This song creates the sensation of re-discovering yourself and showing off how you've changed. The intro represents your new-found refinement that would suit the lingering scent of tobacco, but when you get to the main part you've pretty much gone back your old self.

I can remember writing that I wanted to make a cool song this time. I think if I tried redoing this song, it would come out really great, but that would be too much of a pain.

This image gives me a vision of a town where rain is quietly falling. In fact, this is a song that lets me imagine the existence of humans, which is rare. Even the title kind of makes it feel like an old, ruined human village. Well, I guess it would depend on the "self" in question...

Passing on Through the Dendera Fields in the Night

Page 40
< Article and Interview: Youmu   Bohemian Archive in Japanese Red   Article and Interview: Yukari >

夜のデンデラ野を逝く

(『蓮台野夜行』収録曲)

Passing on Through the Dendera Fields in the Night

(Song from Ghostly Field Club)
不気味な曲から徐々に勇ましい曲へと、そういったイメージで描いた曲。真夜中の墓場に肝試しに行くイメージなんですよね。ただその肝試しは只の肝試しではない。冥界との交流を本気で考える者の肝試しなんです。言うなればイタコのように……。

この曲を聴くと、勇ましい割には可愛らしいサビが印象的で、墓石が無い墓場で踊っている不思議な少女を幻覚する。そう考えると、イントロの幽霊音(勝手に命名)も可愛く聞こえてくる。

ヒュードロドロで有名な幽霊音ですが、私のイメージではこんな感じですね。幽霊の音は雨の中に直截響く感じ。

When I wrote this song, I designed it to start out eerie and slowly become more and more courageous. Something like going to a graveyard in the middle of the night on a dare, except it's no ordinary trial. It's a trial accepted by those who truly believe they are mingling with the Netherworld, like they become wandering spirits themselves...

The part of this song that leaves the most of an impression is the cute yet courageous hook. It's like imagining mysterious girls dancing among a gravesite with no tombstones. If you think of it that way, even the intro with the ghostly sounds (as I call them) also sounds cute.

The sounds that most ghosts seem to make are like "Whoooooo", and that's my image of them as well. I think that even in the rain the sounds of ghosts would resonate clearly.

Septette for a Dead Princess

Page 48
< Article and Interview: Remilia   Bohemian Archive in Japanese Red   Article and Interview: Three Fairies >

亡き王女の為のセプテット

(『東方紅魔郷』収録曲)

Septette for a Dead Princess

(Song from Embodiment of Scarlet Devil)
盛り上げよう盛り上げようと頑張った曲です。この曲はテーマであるレミリア・スカーレットだけをイメージした物です。不思議なことに、ゲームが終盤に向かえば向かうほど、曲が持つ対象物は狭く小さな物になっていく。しかしながら、どんどんと深くもなっていく。

この曲は、私にゲームの幻覚を見せる。幻覚のゲームを遊んでいる感じを曲が与えてくれる。ジャンルなど無い、何だか判らないけど何かのゲームを遊んでいる幻覚。

サビ後半のピアノは特にお気に入り。作曲中どんどんとテンションが上がってラストは勢いに任せてといった感じ。そんなんで良いのか?

A song that tries really hard to get the heart racing. This song's theme is simply my image of Remilia Scarlet. Mysteriously, as the game heads towards the final stage, the songs start having smaller and narrower themes. But with this song, it just keeps developing as it progresses.

When I listen to this song, I see the illusion of a game. It makes me feel like I'm playing an illusionary game. No genre in particular, and I don't understand why it does, but it just makes me feel like I'm playing some kind of game.

I especially like the piano in the second half of the hook. When I was writing the song, its tension just kept rising and let that energy carry me to the end. Nothing wrong with that, right?

Merry the Magician

Page 54
< Article and Interview: Flandre   Bohemian Archive in Japanese Red   Article and Interview: Keine >

魔術師メリー

(『蓮台野夜行』収録曲)

Merry the Magician

(Song from Ghostly Field Club)
秘封倶楽部の一人、メリーの曲を用意しようと考えて作曲した物。別にメリーは魔術師では無いのですが、そういう曲を用意しようと考えていた事が良く判ります。

この曲はジュブナイル的な学校でのオカルト集団といった幻覚が見えます。どこかママゴトっぽい感じがたまらないですね。曲自体はゲームにも使えそうな感じでもあり、このCDの中でも東方らしい曲だと思います。

変な音が裏で鳴っていますが、私の中で学校のオカルトといえば理科室なので、理科室っぽい音が入っているのでしょう。って理科室っぽい音?

I thought about making this song the theme for one of the members of the Secret Sealing Club, Merry. Not because Merry's a magician or anything like that, but I thought it would make a lot of sense.

This song makes me imagine an occult investigation club at a school similar to the one in the movie Juvenile. The feeling like they're playing house somewhere is irresistible. The song itself also feels like I could use it in a game, that's how Touhou-like it is.

There's a strange sound that can be heard behind the song. I put it in there because I think that an occult investigation club would meet in the science room, and that seemed like a science room-ish sound. But what's a science room-ish sound anyway?

The Fantastic Tales from Tono

Page 68
< Article and Interview: Reisen   Bohemian Archive in Japanese Red   Article and Interview: Meiling >

遠野幻想物語

(『東方妖々夢』収録曲)

The Fantastic Tales from Tono

(Song from Perfect Cherry Blossom)
幻想的で東洋風でどこか懐かしさを感じさせるメロディに案外忘れがちだが、この曲は実はもの凄く可愛い曲だと思う。ピアノのメロディは儚さを表し、笛のメロディは子供達の祭りの様子を感じさせる。

歴史を感じさせる風習というか、そういった物に子供が絡んでくるととたんに可愛く、儚くなる様な気がする。と言うか儚い物は可愛いのかも知れない(飛躍してるなぁ)。

でも暗さと重さを感じさせないこの曲は、聞いた後に嫌な物が残らない。むしろ嫌な物を持っていってくれる。そういう曲だと思っている。

An oriental-styled fantasy piece with a melody that sounds like you've heard it before, but somehow forgotten about. Actually, I think this piece sounds very cute. The piano's melody expresses ephemerality, and the wind instrument's melody feels like something you'd hear at a children's festival.

Young children and customs passed down through history come together in a very cute and ephemeral way. Although it's hard to say if ephemeral things are cute (maybe if they are jumping around).

Since it doesn't feel very dark or heavy, any unpleasant feelings you may have had are gone, as if they had been carried away by the song. Something like that.

Ancient Temple of the Netherworld

Page 72
< Article and Interview: Patchouli   Bohemian Archive in Japanese Red   Article and Interview: Suika >

古の冥界寺

(『蓮台野夜行』収録曲)

Ancient Temple of the Netherworld

(Song from Ghostly Field Club)
この曲は……良く判りません。作曲したときの事も良く覚えていません。ただ、この曲のメインはラストの余韻(3分あたりから)であることは間違いない。ラストの余韻を楽しむためだけにイントロもメロディもあるとしか思えない。

この曲の幻覚は、最後の余韻まで見えてこない。ただ、最後に寂寥感と何かを聴いてきた様な記憶だけが残る。

このコメントも、曲を書いた後すぐに書いた物ではないため、作曲当時の心境が思い出せません。それでもただ曲と曲名だけで判断すると、逆に客観的な見方が出来てこれはこれで面白い物です。

I really don't... understand this song very well. I don't remember much from when I was composing it. But I am certain that main part of the song is the swelling composition in the ending (around the 3-minute mark). I enjoyed it so much that I don't think much about the intro or the melody.

This song really doesn't make me see anything until the end. But even then, all I can recall is hearing something desolate.

Because I didn't write about this song immediately after I composed it either, I can't recall anything about my mental state at that time. However, being able to judge just by the song's title and the song itself from an objective viewpoint is rather interesting.

About the Music Column "Musical Sense of Illusion"

Page 88
< Special Feature Article Memo: The Sixty Year Cycle Great Barrier Incident   Bohemian Archive in Japanese Red 

音楽コラム「幻想の音覚」について
About the Music Column "Musical Sense of Illusion"
我々が慣れ親しんだ様々な楽曲について、
あたかも自らが作曲したかのように滔々とコラムを書き連ねる博麗神主。
その指摘は実に的確で、
あながち全てを虚言として切り捨てるには信憑性が高すぎる。
よもや彼はその名前通り”あの”博麗神社の神主だとでもいうのだろうか。

しかし彼の書いた文章を楽しむことと、
彼が何者であるかということは何の関係も無いわけであり、
――そう、純粋に楽しめばいいのだ。心の赴くままに。

These articles about familiar pieces of music
were written by the head priest of the Hakurei Shrine, who wrote these columns about music as fast as if he were composing them.
To describe it accurately,
if you cut out everything that's a lie, it's almost too trustworthy.
Surely, he must be the REAL Hakurei Shrine's head priest.

But whether or not you enjoy the articles that he wrote,
or what his his true identity is should be of no matter.
...Yes, you should enjoy these articles purely for what they are, and take them into your mind like that.

The Fabled Land of Onigashima ~ Missing Power

Page 88

御伽の国の鬼が島 ~ Missing Power

(『東方萃夢想』収録曲)

The Fabled Land of Onigashima ~ Missing Power

(Song from Immaterial and Missing Power)
もの凄いスピード感を感じる曲です。これまでの作品のラスボス曲の中では、最も可愛い曲になったので満足しています。スピード感はあるけど、メインのメロディはもの凄く単純なところも気持ちが良いのです。

この曲には世界の広がりを感じないですが、どこか寂しくもなってきます。こんなに楽しげなのにどこか壊れそうなくらい細く感じる何かが、この曲のMissing Power(失われた力)な所だと思っています。

でも、イントロだけ取ってみると、これで音を変えれば重厚で重い曲になったような気がする。ここの私の迷いも有るのかも知れない。ラスボスなのにこんな巫山戯たガキ(失礼)で大丈夫なのかな~という……。

This song feels like it has an amazing sense of speed. Among all the final boss themes for the games I've made until now, I believe it to be the cutest one so I am satisfied. While it feels fast, the fact that the main melody is also very simple makes it feel nice.

In this song, though it feels like the world is no longer becoming any wider, no matter where you go, it feels very lonely. Enjoyment that feels like it could collapse at the slightest brush. I think that's where the song's "Missing Power" comes from.

But if you just take the intro, and change the composition of the sound, it's interesting how it becomes a much heavier piece. Even now, I might not even be too sure about what to make of it. But I guess it's suitable for that rambunctious brat (how rude of me) of a last boss.

Girls' Secret Sealing Club

Page 88

少女秘封倶楽部

(『蓮台野夜行』収録曲)

Girls' Secret Sealing Club

(Song from Ghostly Field Club)
秘封倶楽部はゲームとは別角度から世界を切り出していこうと考えたサークルです。テーマ曲を与えないと、折角のキャラが生きてこないのでこの曲を書きました。テーマ曲とは格好良い曲である必要がある、と言うのが(偏った)私の考えです。だから、出来る限り格好良くノリ良くお洒落に攻めてみました。

この曲を聴くと、ピアノを格好良く弾いている幻覚を見ます。こういう曲を弾いているとお酒が飲みたくなりますよね。ピアノが格好良く聞こえる曲って、リズムはサラッと一定の方が良いのかなとも思う。ただ、そんな理屈を考えていると曲は駄目になる気がするので忘れよう。

I conceived the Secret Sealing Club as a group that would branch out in a different angle from the games. If I didn't give them a theme song, the characters I took the time to create wouldn't feel alive, so I wrote this. It is my (biased) opinion that a theme song needs to be cool. That's why I made it as cool as I possibly could, catchy and fashionable.

When I listen to this song, I see visions of cool piano playing. It's the kind of song that makes you want to drink alcohol. I think it's a good idea for songs with cool piano parts have a simple rhythm and a single, defined direction. You just have to ignore the nagging thought that following this theory will produce a bad song.

Necrofantasia

Page 89

ネクロファンタジア

(『東方妖々夢』収録曲)

Necrofantasia

(Song from Perfect Cherry Blossom)
対処不能の胡散臭い曲を作ろうと意気込むも、かなり東方らしい所で落ち着いたなーって感じです。妖々夢が全体的に落ち着いた、風景を大切にする曲が多かったので、この曲ぐらいは系統を変えて「これならシューティングにも使えるぞ」ってな感じに持っていきました。

この曲を聴くと、もの凄い勢いで体力が消耗します。この曲だけ現代的な物を感じられるかも知れない。幻覚もどちらかというと、現代から未来を感じてしまう。

ネクロとは死の事。死の幻想世界。幻想世界が死を見せるときそこにあらわれるのは現実である。だからこそこの曲は、歴史を感じるのではなく、現代を感じる曲である必要があったのです。

I was enthusiastic to make a song so incredibly suspicious-sounding, but this also feels rather calming and Touhou-like. I found Perfect Cherry Blossom to be calming overall, and it had a lot of songs that really respected their surroundings, but this song definitely had more of a pure "shoot 'em up" feel.

When I listen to this song, I feel a strong force that exhausts my physical energy. It's probably just this song that makes me feel more modern sensations. The illusions I see are both from the present and the future.

"Necro-" means "death". The fantastic world of the dead, only revealing itself at the time of death. That is why this song has no feelings of the past. This had to be a song like this where you could feel the present.

Eternal Festival of Illusions

Page 89

幻想の永遠祭

(『蓮台野夜行』収録曲)

Eternal Festival of Illusions

(Song from Ghostly Field Club)
幻想と言いつつも、この曲は明らかに現実的な曲になっている。このCDの締めの為にこういう曲を持ってきたって事でしょう。こんな感じの曲を最後に持ってこなかったら、全体的に不安なままでCDが終わってしまうことを危惧したのだと思います。やっぱりそういう事ってあって、初めから終わりまで幻想的過ぎると、どこか戻ってこれなくなる感じがしてしまう。

でも、この曲は戻ってきた、という印象を与えるためだけにあるので、曲自体のパワーは弱いと思う。自分では大した幻覚を見ることも無く、普通の曲というイメージが強い。でもCDには必要な曲でしょう。

While I always speak of illusions, I want to make it clear that this is a realistic song. I made this song to tie up the CD. If there wasn't a song like that at the end, then I fear that it would've ended on an uneasy note. Having illusions from the beginning to the end is overdoing it, so it needs to feel like it returns to reality at some point.

However, because this song was meant to return the listener to reality, I think the song itself has little power. As I don't see any major illusions either, the image of it being a just a normal song is strong. Still, a CD needs a long like this.

Youkai Bird of the Moon, Illusion of the Bakeneko

Page 89

月の妖鳥、化猫の幻

(『蓮台野夜行』収録曲)

Youkai Bird of the Moon, Illusion of the Bakeneko

(Song from Ghostly Field Club)
これは言うまでもなく、蓮子とメリーの二人の曲です。妖鳥は蓮子で、曲の前半部分のスピード感のある部分。化猫はメリーで、後半部分の奇妙なリズムの部分。まるで鳥に乗って空から夜の街を見ている様な部分と、まるで酔いどれの猫になったかのように街をふらふらと見て居るような部分。まさにそういう意図で作曲しました。

テーマを理解しないで聴くと訳の分からない曲ですよねぇ。はっきり言って私の自己満足でしかない曲なんで、こういう曲を普通にCDに混ぜてしまうのは如何な物かと考えてしまう。でも、私はお気に入りです。

This is obviously Renko and Merry's song. The Strange Bird is Renko, who is represented by the fast first half of the song. The Mysterious Cat is Merry, who is represented by the strange rhythms in the second half. It's almost like riding a bird flying through a city at night, or almost like a drunken cat staggering through the city. That was the intent I had in mind when I wrote this song.

If you don't understand the theme, it's impossible to make any sense of it. To be honest, this song is meant for nothing but my own self-satisfaction, so I wonder if it's okay to just put it on a CD. I still like it, though.

Plain Asia

Page 89

プレインエイジア

(『東方永夜抄』収録曲)

Plain Asia

(Song from Imperishable Night)
これこそが日本人が見た日本だ、という意気込みで曲を書きました。純邦楽と言われる曲がありますが、アレは完全に作られた日本なのではないのかと思う。日本人は歴史の物の成長を再開させた様に見えて、その実は歴史と現代を分け始めた。本当は、現代風の手段をもってして、自然とどこかに日本が入ってくる事を目指すべきだと思っています。

この曲は今の私が考える日本の曲。別に三味線や尺八に拘るわけでもなく、日本ならではの音階を使うのでもなく、ある物で表現する。こういう曲を聴くと、日本に生まれて良かったという幻覚を見る。えっ幻覚?いやいや、幻覚は思い込みなどではないのです。

I tried hard to write this song to express the idea of "this must have been the Japan that Japanese people saw". For some songs that are said to be pure, traditional Japanese music, I don't really think they were completely made in a Japanese manner. Japanese people see history starting to rebuild itself, but what is actually happening is that the present and the past are beginning to separate. Actually, I think that Japanese people should use modern methods and see where they end up naturally.

Right now, I think of this song as a Japanese song. It shows that you don't necessarily need to have a shamisen or a bamboo flute or use a Japanese musical scale. Whenever I hear songs like this, I feel the illusion that I'm grateful to have been born in Japan. Uh, wait. Did I say illusion? No, no, don't get the wrong impression now.

Legend of Hourai

Page 90

蓬莱伝説

(『蓬莱人形』収録曲)

Legend of Hourai

(Song from Dolls in Pseudo Paradise)
蓬莱というのは、おそらくこれからも東方の作品に出てくるキーワードだと思っていたので、初音楽CDの一曲目はこのタイトルにしようと考えて出来た曲です。そう、先に曲名から決まって、そこからイメージして曲を書く場合もあるんですよね。

恐ろしいほどにゆったりとした静かな曲です。最近こういう曲を書いていないな……。頭が完全にシューティング脳になってしまったか。これでは視野が狭くなるだけなので、たまには東方脳を取り戻さないとね。

こういった音楽CDオリジナルの曲のコメントは、ここで初めて書くので割と貴重です。曲のコメントを書くことで色々と思い返し、それが成長にも繋がるのでこういう場は有難い限りです。

I think that "Hourai" is a keyword that will show up even in later Touhou works, but this is when I first came up with and used it, for the title of the first song on my first music CD. Yes, I decided on the name first, and then wrote the song based on that image.

This is a quiet song that is scary in how calm it is. I don't think I've written anything like this lately... Probably because I've got nothing but shmups on the brain now. Well, I guess it's just my narrowing mindset, but I've got to try to get back to the mindset at the heart of Touhou from time to time.

This was the first original song on the CD that I wrote comments for, so I feel it is especially precious. I would re-write the comments in a number of ways, so I think it helped me improve a lot. I am very grateful for that.

Flight of the Bamboo Cutter ~ Lunatic Princess

Page 90

竹取飛翔 ~ Lunatic Princess

(『東方永夜抄』収録曲)

Flight of the Bamboo Cutter ~ Lunatic Princess

(Song from Imperishable Night)
未だ、実際にこの眼でかぐや姫を見たことがない私は、竹取物語を読んで想像するしかなく、私なりな解釈で竹取物語終了後を曲にしてみました。

満月の夜に現れる月の使者、それに抵抗する地上の人間。だが月の使者の前では為す術もなくやられてしまう。もう抵抗する気も失ったその時、地上の竹が光り始めて……現われたのは月の姫、かぐや姫だった。かぐやはこれ以上人間には迷惑をかけまいと、一人戦う決心をしたのである。

という妄想は無く、大昔の日本の空にあったと言われる月と、空を翔る姫達をイメージして作曲しました。勿論遊び心も忘れずに、判る人だけに判るレトロさを入れて、何十年後になったときに最後まで心に残る曲になるよう頑張りました。

While I am someone who has yet to actually see Kaguya-hime, this song was not meant to represent The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, but rather my personal interpretation of what happens after the story ends.

There are two sides, the Lunar Emissaries who reveal themselves only on nights of the full moon, and their opponents, the humans on Earth. But the humans can't even scratch the Emissaries. Just when they've lost all will to fight, that's when the bamboo on Earth begins to glow... and the moon princess appears, that is, Kaguya-hime. Kaguya, pained by the calamity she brought upon the humans, fights on alone for their sake.

My image for this song is nothing that off-the-wall. It's more of the moon that was said to exist in Japan's sky a long time ago, and the princesses that fly through that sky. Of course, I also want my songs to remain in people's minds decades from now, I will continue to do my best to keep that playful spirit and continue to spread that retro style for those that appreciate it.

Circus Reverie

Page 90

サーカスレヴァリエ

(『蓬莱人形』収録曲)

Circus Reverie

(Song from Dolls in Pseudo Paradise)
これは今のゲームの曲では考えられないほど暗くて重くて……どうにかしてください。今の東方の曲は大体情景と共に幻視出来る曲が多いですが、この曲で得られる幻覚には背景が無い。暗闇です。この作りは今の私の好みではないので、この曲を書いたときの心境を知りたいものです。

ただ、殆どピアノのこの曲は、深いイメージも持たずキーボードをふらっと弾いてしまった時にできた曲に、リズムをつけた物だったと思います。今聴くと何とか纏めた曲といった感じもするので、弾いているとどんどんと収拾がつかなくなってきてどうして良いのか判らない自分が容易に想像できる。

Please see this song as having an unthinkable amount of darkness and heaviness compared to the songs in my games now. While I can imagine some kind of background to accompany the visions when I listen to most recent Touhou songs, with this song, there's no background to speak of. It's just darkness. I don't like writing songs like this now, so I want to know what my mental state was when I wrote this song.

However, because almost all of the piano in this song doesn't conjure any particular image, I think that I intended for it to set the rhythm. Listening to it now, it feels like it's meant to tie everything together, but it increasingly loses control. It's easy to imagine why I don't understand if it was a good idea.

Boys and Girls of the Age of Science

Page 90

科学世紀の少年少女

(『夢違科学世紀』収録曲)

Boys and Girls of the Age of Science

(Song from Changeability of Strange Dream)
科学世紀って言ってもまるで未来を感じない曲。それは当然で、科学世紀という言葉自体が古いイメージしか無いからですね。実際この曲は「科学世紀を懐かしむ曲」という複雑なテーマに挑戦した物です。私は、この曲はかなり気に入っています。

レトロな服装を着た少年少女が、オカルト紛いの科学に没頭する世界。そういう幻覚を見ます。決して明るい物では無いけど、常に前向きな世界。セピア色の科学。

どうせならそういう懐古主義もありだろうといった感じ。ただ、私が懐かしさを出そうとするときに多用する音やメロディが出まくりなのは、これからの自分の曲の課題になるのかも知れない。

"A Science Era" is a song that doesn't really feel like the future. That's natural, because the phrase itself doesn't sound that old. In actuality, this song is trying to exhibit a more complex theme, a song for those who miss the Science Era. I rather like this song myself.

Boys and girls that wear retro clothes, and a world that immerses itself in an occult pseudoscience. That's the kind of things this song makes me envision. Nothing bright by any means, but it's an unusually positive world with sepia-toned science.

I might as well say that it has a nostalgic feel to it. However, whenever I reminisce, it's mostly about things like sounds or melodies. I might even do this with my own songs that I write in the future.

Wind God Girl

Page 91

風神少女

(『東方花映塚』収録曲)

Wind God Girl

(Song from Phantasmagoria of Flower View)
非常にノリの良い曲です。新しい曲という理由もありますが、自分の東方像にかなり近い曲です。自然、少女らしい可愛らしさ、洒脱した感じ、日本を思い浮かべる東洋風、ノリを損なわずシューティング向きな所、たまにこういう曲があると良いですね(他人事みたいですが)

そう、私は昔はトランペットを吹いていたこともあったのでマイトランペットも持っている。こういう曲をトランペットで吹いたら格好良いだろうなぁとしきりに思う。

ちなみにこの曲がトランペットメインなのは、風を吹き込むから。

This is an extremely catchy song. While that may be because it is a new song, it is also very close to my own image of Touhou. A naturally girly cuteness, a feeling of giddiness, a Japanese oriental style, and it doesn't ruin the flow of the game. I think a song like this every now and then is a good idea (kind of like other people's problems).

Yes, I used to play trumpet and I still own one now. I think the trumpet for this kind of song is pretty cool.

As an aside, the trumpet has the main part because it's a wind instrument.

Border Between Dreams and Reality

Page 91

夢と現の境界

(『夢違科学世紀』収録曲)

Border Between Dreams and Reality

(Song from Changeability of Strange Dream)
曲名とテーマは、明らかにストーリーから決めたもの。この曲自体が境界という役割を持ちつつ、実は境界自体は曲の中にも封じ込めてある。二重の結界です。と言うのも、イントロまでは明らかに夢である事を意識していて、メインのメロディ自体は現実を意識しているからです。

まぁ、曲自体はどうなのか? という感じもしなくもないですが、そういった意味を持った曲と言うのも、意味さえ分かれば楽しめます。逆に言えば、曲の中の幻覚のバランスが大きいのでしょう。

I want to point out that the song's title and theme have a story. The song itself plays the part of the border, because the border itself has been sealed away in the song. So it's a duplex barrier. The intro represents the realization this is a dream, while the main melody represents the sense of reality.

So, what about the song? It doesn't make me feel anything in particular, but for songs with that kind of meaning, as long as the meaning is understood, it's enjoyable. On the other hand, it means that the illusions are pulled down into balance with its message.

Kid's Festival ~ Innocent Treasures

Page 91

童祭 ~ Innocent Treasures

(『夢違科学世紀』収録曲)

Kid's Festival ~ Innocent Treasures

(Song from Changeability of Strange Dream)
この曲は、今まで作ったことのない最も難易度の高い曲でした。なんと言っても自分のテーマ曲ですから。トークショウの時の入場テーマ曲として書いた曲で、どう作っても恥ずかしいので何とも。

曲はうっかり良く出来たと思う。でも壮大すぎて、可愛らしすぎて、自分のテーマ曲じゃあ無いわな。

この曲のメインメロディが出来たときになぜか「ゆめた・が・え、ゆめた・が・え」と口ずさんでいたので、このCDのタイトルにもなってしまいました。本当はこの曲のタイトルを「夢違観音」にしようと考えていたのですが、私のテーマ曲なのにそれってのもどうかと思って止めましたとさ。

This was the most difficult song for me to write out of everything I've written so far. I guess you could say it's because it's my own theme. It's the theme song that plays when I make my entrance on a talk show, so writing this song was somewhat embarrassing.

I think I inadvertantly did a good job on this song. But it's too grand and too cute, so there's no way it could be my theme song.

For some reason, when I was writing the main melody I ended up humming "Yumeta-ga-e, Yumeta-ga-e" along with it, so I used that for the title of the CD ( yume tagae). I was actually going to title this song "The Buddhist Deity of Mercy in a Different Dream" (夢違観音 Yumetagae Kannon), but I didn't want to have that title for my theme song, so I changed it.

Cinderella Cage ~ Kagome-Kagome

Page 92

シンデレラケージ ~ Kagome-Kagome

(『東方永夜抄』収録曲)

Cinderella Cage ~ Kagome-Kagome

(Song from Imperishable Night)
プレインエイジアに近い考えの曲ですが、こっちの方がもっと露骨に日本のメロディや音を使っています。この曲は日本人なら誰でも知っている『カゴメカゴメ』を独自の解釈で東方風にアレンジした物です。

既に原曲の時点で心を揺さぶる物となっていて、私の中では『とうりゃんせ』と並んでパワーのある日本の二大幻覚童謡だと思っています。ここまで別の曲に変わったところで、そのパワーは衰えを見せない。それは私程度が幾ら弄ったところで原曲のパワーを消せる筈などない。ならばそのパワーを利用した方が良いと考えました。

ちなみに、シンデレラは海外の童話です。え? 判ってるって? ごめんなさい。

A song with a similar mindset to "Plain Asia", but this song's melody and the sounds I used are more conspicuously Japanese. This is an original, Touhou-style reinterpretation of the traditional Kagome-Kagome that every Japanese person knows.

While it wasn't composed in the same time period, I think that it's just as powerful as Touryanse, making them the two major fantasy children's songs. While the similarities end there, they both seem to have unfading power. I wanted to see how much I could fool around with the song without reducing that power. I think that's a good way to demonstrate how powerful they are.

By the way, Cinderella is a foreign fairy tale. Huh? You knew that already? Sorry.

Dream of Huaxu

Page 92

華胥の夢

(『夢違科学世紀』収録曲)

Dream of Huaxu

(Song from Changeability of Strange Dream)
1曲目の童祭とは正反対の方向へ向いた曲です。ピアノで幻想的な曲が欲しかったので作りました。ちなみに、夢違科学世紀は、気が付いている人も居るかと思いますが、アレンジの曲は夢の中、オリジナルの曲は現実世界、というストーリー設定になっています。

この曲は印象的なサビが結構重く、ちょっと童祭の後に聴くと辛いです。メリーの夢も結構悪夢なのかなぁ、と思ってしまう位重く聞こえる。

This song is completely opposite from the CD's first song, "Kid's Festival". I wanted to make a fantastical melody with the piano. I think there are people who have noticed, but on the Changeability of Strange Dream album, I was trying to tell a story through the songs. The rearranged pieces represent dreams, and the original songs represent the real world.

The part of this song that leaves the most impression on me is the hook, which is fairly serious, so listening to this after listening to "Kid's Festival" is a little tough. Whenever I do, it makes me think "Merry's dreams are kind of nightmarish, huh?"

Flower Reflecting Mound ~ Higan Retour

Page 92

花映塚 ~ Higan Retour

(『東方花映塚』収録曲)

Flower Reflecting Mound ~ Higan Retour

(Song from Phantasmagoria of Flower View)
タイトル画面の曲は、もうお馴染みとしか言いようがない程同じテーマを持った曲。もう、初めて聴いても初めてとは思えない位です。でもアレンジという訳ではなく、メロディも完全に同じかというと同じでもなく、ただただ雰囲気だけが同じなんですよね。

 結構タイトル画面の曲って気を遣って、嫌な気分にならない、頭に残りすぎない様にしたいと思っています。必ずしもそう出来るわけではないのですが、静かにゲームを押している感じ、っていうものが欲しい。

The title screen songs all have the same general theme, so saying that they all sound familiar is unnecessary. You don't even have to think about it the first time you hear them. But they aren't different arrangements, and they don't have the same melody note for note. It's simply just because the atmospheres they create are the same.

The kind of thing I want to create for a title theme is to not put the player in a bad mood and clear all negative thoughts from their head. These aren't hard-and-fast rules, but I prefer to have a gentle push into the game.

The Wonderous Everyday Life of the Flying Shrine Maiden

Page 93

空飛ぶ巫女の不思議な毎日

(『蓬莱人形』収録曲)

The Wonderous Everyday Life of the Flying Shrine Maiden

(Song from Dolls in Pseudo Paradise)
蓬莱人形の中では最も現実的な曲。幻想的な部分が少ないかも知れない(ピアノソロ部分除く)ゲームに使うとしたら確実にスタッフロールでしか使えないと言った感じの曲なので、音楽CDのラストに持ってくるのは正しい。って昔の自分を自分で評価してどうするよ。

ただ、この曲から受け取る幻覚が少ないのが今の自分的には気になる。これはこの曲が現実的すぎる所為だと思うが、本当にそれだけなのか判らない。

特定のイメージを湧かせない所がこの曲の曲名なのかも知れない。、曲名の巫女は明らかに霊夢の事だと思う。霊夢だから特定のイメージが湧かないように書いた、と考えたら過去の自分を評価しすぎですね。はい。

This is probably the most realistic song in Dolls in Pseudo Paradise. It doesn't really have any fantastical parts (excluding the piano solo), so it doesn't feel like I could use it in a game except for the credits, but I think it has the right qualities for the final song on a music CD. Or that's how I appraised it back when I made it.

However, I'm a little concerned with it now since this song doesn't make me visualize much at all. Maybe it's a fault of the song being too realistic, but I don't know if that's really the whole problem.

In particular, I have no idea what made me come up with the title of this song. I think the shrine maiden mentioned in the title is Reimu. It's Reimu, but it's not written in a way that really reflects her. I suppose that my past self valued this song a little too highly. Yes.

Eastern Ghostly Dream ~ Ancient Temple

Page 93

東方妖々夢 ~ Ancient Temple

(『東方妖々夢』『蓮台野夜行』収録曲)

Eastern Ghostly Dream ~ Ancient Temple

(Song from Perfect Cherry Blossom, Ghostly Field Club)
4面までの世界、この世と、5面以降のあの世という空気感の違いを何とかして曲で表したかった。この曲はその一つの結果ですが、結構満足しています。

この曲はストーリーと言うよりは場所をイメージした曲ですが、こういう曲を聴くと大抵はその場所に居たいと感じさせる。でも、この曲は「非常に美しい場所だが、ここには居たくない」と感じる。

この曲を聴くと、古い古い時代の日本を幻視する。あの世というのは既に亡くなったこの世でもあるので、この幻覚は偶然ではなく、これこそ幻覚だと考える。

印象的な曲にはゲームタイトルを使うことが多いので、この曲もその一つ。

I wanted a song in Perfect Cherry Blossom to show that there was a different atmosphere between the worlds up to stage 4 and from stage 5 on. This is the result of that, and I'm rather satisfied with it.

Instead of telling a story, this song helps establish the setting. When you listen to a song like this, you more or less feel like you're there. Although, for this song, I was trying to create the image of "an extremely beautiful place where you wouldn't want to be".

When I listen to this song, I see visions of ancient Japan as if it never changed and still existed today. I don't think this was by chance, but it is certainly an illusion.

There are many impressive songs that I name after the game it appears in. This is another of those songs.

U.N. Owen Was Her?

Page 93

U.N.オーエンは彼女なのか?

(『東方紅魔郷』『蓬莱人形』収録曲)

U.N. Owen Was Her?

(Song from Embodiment of Scarlet Devil, Dolls in Pseudo Paradise)
東方紅魔郷は東方作品で6作品目です。でも、殆どの方には紅魔郷がデビュー作となっています。そこでデビュー作でいきなり意表を突く事が出来ないか、考えた結果、「東方というタイトルで東洋風な物を想像するだろうから、一作目は東洋風にならないようにしよう」と言う思考に思い至りました。この曲はその結果でもあります。

この曲を聴くと結構不安になります。個人的な感情というか幻覚ですが、どこか不安定な音と繰り返される軽快なメロディ。意図しない不気味さがこの曲にある。

たまにはこういう曲を作っても良いかもしれない。なかなか今の能天気な幻想郷の連中には似合わないのが問題です。

Embodiment of Scarlet Devil is the 6th game in the Touhou series, but in many ways it was a new start. However, I wasn't sure if I could make too many unexpected changes, but then I thought "With a title like "Touhou", people will imagine there are a lot of oriental things in this game, so I'll make the first one not very oriental". This song is a result of that.

Listening to this song creates a rather suspenseful feeling. While each person will have their own feelings on it, it still sounds very unstable with its rhythmic repeating melody. I intentionally placed that eeriness in this song.

It might be a good idea for me to make more of this kind of song occasionally. The only problem is that it really doesn't fit the optimistic attitude of the lot in Gensokyo right now.

Night Falls ~ Evening Star

Page 93
 Bohemian Archive in Japanese Red   Comic: Illusion of a Perfect Day >

夜が降りてくる ~ Evening Star

(『東方萃夢想』『夢違科学世紀]]』収録曲)

Night Falls ~ Evening Star

(Song from Immaterial and Missing Power, Changeability of Strange Dream)
シューティング以外の曲と言うことで若干悩みつつも、いざ創ってみるといつも通り過ぎて何とも。この曲はあの困った妖怪の八雲紫のテーマ曲です。だから、曲にも境界を入れたくて、明らかに異なる二つのイメージで構成してみました。その境界は前半は不気味に、後半を気持ちの良い感じにしたので、急に視界が開ける感じで気持ちが良く気に入ってます。

 この曲を聴くと、急速に広がる視野と夕方の神社を幻視します。聴けば東方の曲だとすぐに判る感じもするけど、どこかが他の曲と違う感じがする。理論的な所ではなく、これは曲の幻覚成分に差があるのだと思う。つまり、シューティングではないと意識した私の心が反映されているに違いない。

Making songs for non-shooting games gives me a number of problems, but for whatever reason, this one was almost too easy. This is the theme for that troublesome youkai, Yukari Yakumo. That's why I arranged this song as if it had a boundary so there are two images. On the first half of the boundary, there's an ominous feeling, and on the second, a more pleasant feeling. I particularly like the feel of how fast the point of view changes when it enters the pleasant side.

When I listen to this song, I imagine a rapidly widening field of vision over a shrine in the evening. If you listen to it, you'll immediately know it's a Touhou song, but somehow it feels different from the others. This isn't a theory; there is a difference in the "illusionary component" of this song. It's the effect of the change in mindset when I make a song for a non-shooting game.