Weekly Vocaloid Ranking # 221 (December 19-26, 2011)

[fascinates]

Yesterday was Kagamine Rin and Len's birthday! But the Kagamine wave still hasn't reached this week's ranking (too late D:) so we'll have to wait next week for that, hopefully. However, this ranking is pretty special in a way because you get to hear awesome first songs from THREE new Vocaloids. That would be CUL, Yuzuki Yukari, and IA ~Aria on the Planetes~. I'm surprised at how wonderful they all sound, not to mention they were tuned and their songs composed by really veteran/popular producers, so I hope you enjoyed them as much as I did. Aside from that, we have a few strong songs from last week as well as new stuff from popular sings (longtimenoseedoriko!) so this is pretty much a ranking that won't bore you at all. Enjoy!

↑# - the song moved up from a previous top 30 rank
↓# - song moved down from a previous top 30 rank
↵ - song is a re-entry to the top 30 rankings

original nicovideo link

Songs are arranged from 1-30.



01. Invisible (Kagamine Rin x GUMI) - kemu
- From the "Jinsei Reset Button" composer comes another hit, this time with Rin and GUMI. The piano intro is very catchy...until it immediately becomes a hard rock melody with sharp vocals. I'd say Jinsei Reset Button is catchier, but the fast lyrics here plus the exhilirating chorus is a real magnet.

02. Merry to Nicolaus (Hatsune Miku) - buzzG
- The narration is not by Hatsune Miku, by the way XD;. buzzG produces this song in his typical style of strong guitars and echoey background drums with a not-so-fast tempo but his lyrics are more of a story rather than a description of emotions like he always does when penning lyrics. It's also generally more optimistic than his most songs XD.

03. Baby Maniacs (Hatsune Miku) - HachioujiP x WakamuraP
- This is a typical sexy electropop song, but with a really impressive PV by wakamuraP. It's quite similar to "Sweet Devil"'s PV but with even smoother movements and more elaborate visuals.

04. Countdown (GUMI) - Dios/SignalP
- It's been a while since I last heard SignalP's GUMI and she sounds pretty as always. I like how solid her high and long notes are. GUMI aside, Dios comes up with a strong song here which sounds a bit similar to his previous Rin works (Transmit, etc.).

05. Noraneko (Megurine Luka) - otetsu
- Title means "Stray Cat". Otetsu's Luka is soooo amazing. I don't know what else I should say ♥. Otetsu has another upload somewhere below, but with another Vocaloid :3.

06. Headphone Actor (IA) - Jin
- ↓01

07. I (Kagamine Rin Append) - papiyon
- ChouchoP shows off his piano-playing prowess again with this beautiful ballad but instead of using Miku, he's using Rin's high soft voice.

08. Daiichiji Jibun Sensou (Utatane Piko x Kagamine Len) - HoneyWorks
- Title means "The First War with Self". HoneyWorks abandons their sappy, cute love stories for a bit to give way to this rather impressive rockish song with Piko and Len a la mafioso in the PV. Piko and Len kind of sound alike, I became confused for a bit.

09. Senbonzakura (Hatsune Miku) - KurousaP
- KEEP

10. Brown (remodel) (Hatsune Miku) - PowapowaP
- ↑23

11. Laverite (Hatsune Miku) - leiverra/UranouraP
I like the fantasy-rock theme to it. But I have NO idea why it was brought up since it was...uploaded in 2008. I'm guessing with the title that people are trolling, but I can't be sure.

12. bouquet (Hatsune Miku) - doriko
- ;__________________________; Yes, I am very biased. It's another beautiful ballad by doriko (after a long time!) with his usual cute, soft Miku. I translated the song here

13. City Boy -cover- (Hatsune Miku) - Mitchie M.
- ↓08

14. Ressentiment to Kyokou no Hakoniwa (GUMI) - Thely/LoliP
- Title means "Resentment and a Fictional Miniature Garden". At first, this might sound like your typical Vocarock song, but there are a few special stuff in this song. First is the pretty piano melody mixed with the strong drums and echoey guitars. There is also an interesting tuning for GUMI which reminds me of Nekomushi's tuning w/ Miku. She lilts the ends of her lines and curves the high notes, which makes it an interesting listen.

15. Chotto Dake Merry Christmas (Hatsune Miku) - DeadballP
- Title means "Merry Christmas, even for just a bit". DeadballP comes up with a really cute (in a morbid kind of way for some reason) song for Christmas which lacks his usual strong guitars/keyboards and instead adapts a...Christmassy feel against his Miku's really high voice.

16. Meteor (IA) - John
- During the trial period for IA's voicebank there's been a lot of comments that IA sounds a bit flat/emotionless. However in this song it doesn't show at all, probably because of the leveled tones (no drastic pitch changes, etc) which utilized IA's smooth and low voice well. The simple piano music combined with several little background beats is endearing. John also collaborated with Lia, the voice provider for IA, for an utattemita version which you can see in the utattemita ranking.

17. PONPONPON -cover- (Kagamine Len) - OrebananaP
- ↓07

18. Kagerou Days (Hatsune Miku) - Jin
- KEEP Title means "Sizzling Hot Days".

19. One Hot Minutes (Hatsune Miku) - Syomi
- I normally do not like high-pitched, electronic Miku, but I like this song a lot! It's so cute. The melody might seem a bit tiring at first, but after a few listens it grows on you and now it's going to be stuck in your head XD.

20. Dokugaron code:altered (GUMI) - ORYO
- ↓02

21. Jinsei Reset Button (GUMI) - kemu
- ↑24 Title means "Life's Reset Button".

22. [MMD] 6th MMD Cup Finalists - StreakP
- I don't know much about MMDs, so I don't know why this is here (the comments in the video were wondering, too ^^;).

23. Shikijisu to Manhole (GUMI) - Polyphonic Branch
- Title means "Ceremony Day and Manholes". Don't let the simple art fool you, this song is just about as grand and extravagant as any Polyphonic Branch song. As expected, the instrumentation is amazing and PB still has that quirk that makes GUMI sound shaky but lovely.

24. Tetrodoxysizer (GUMI) - GigaP
- I'm not sure about the name. While I don't really dig GUMI's shrill tuning here, I like the song because of the super catchy upbeat rhythm.

25. Setsugetsuka (Yuzuki Yukari) - Bumpyurushi
- Yuzuki Yukari is a Vocaloid3 software developed by AHS and Vocalomakets. She is (said to be) produced by Vocaloid Producers for Vocaloid Producers. I guess being developed by producers themselves has an advantage because she sounds so wonderful! The song sans the voice is already pretty because of the piano intro and the slow evolution into an upbeat catchy electropop melody. But with the addition of Yukari's amazing speaking and singing voice, it's just a few more levels up in the awesome meter. Her articulation is very impressive.

26. Furan Furan Zombie (CUL x GUMI) - Nem x OtonagaiP
- CUL is a Vocaloid developed from what is originally a mascot for Vocalo Revolution. Her voice is provided by Kitamura Eri. She was designed by HirotoP and LAT and was released under Internet Co. Ltd. As she is introduced as a mascot prior to being developed into a software, she was accepted pretty easily, imo, to the Vocaloid-dom. Anway, Nem decides to use CUL (tuned by OtonagaiP) for this soft jazz but creepy song with um, scary random meanings.

27. attack on XXX (Hatsune Miku) - VocaliodP
- Typical VocaliodP rock, with dominant but not screechy guitars, upbeat rhythm. The theme seems to be a bit darker than most of OdoP's works, however, but it doesn't take away the fact that his Miku sounds adorable as always.

28. Omocha Hako (CUL) - otetsu
- Title means "Toy Box". otetsu also made use of the newly-released CUL to produce a song in his signature style--fast rock beats with strong guitars against a high pitched vocal. While I really think nothing can surpass otetsu's Luka, CUL sounded pretty good and can articulate lyrics quite well.

29. Namida wa Kanashisa dake de, Dekiterunjanai cover- (Hatsune Miku) - PinocchioP
- This is part of the album "Hatsune Miku plays Gekkouka Kishidan", a tribute album to the band Moonriders. It's arranged in a cutesy pop rhythm with stray game-like beats, very much into PinocchioP style.

30. Matryoshka (Hatsune Miku x GUMI) - hachi
- ↓21

PICKUP:
Ishidenshin Telepathy (Hatsune Miku) - studio balabushka
- Title means "Telepathic Telepathy".

ENDING:
Kore Made Mo Kore Kara Mo (Kagamine Rin x Len) - fei

HISTORY:
1. Migihidari (Hatsune Miku) - koushirou
2. Black Gold (Megurine Luka) - otetsu
3. Nakimushi Kareshi (Hatsune Miku x Kagamine Len) - HoneyWorks
4. Utaitai no Uta (Hatsune Miku) - Nanou/HoehoeP
5. Kowase Kowase (MEIKO) - Yuuki/ELVN