Hi everyone!!!!!
I didn't see a contestant chat thread for this year so I thought I would take the liberty of starting one. ;)
(admins please feel free to take down this thread if someone did start one already)
Is everyone excited for the contest this year? Anyone have their songs picked out already? Anybody competing for the first time?
I was sad I couldn't compete last year due to work, but I heard everyone was amazing. Can't wait to see everyone this year! :D
Hi! Thanks for starting the chat thread! : )
Hoping to compete for the third time this year, but I'm preparing some duets with a partner, and it's her first time. Super excited for signups... I'm checking the forums almost every day so I don't miss them : D
I hope work doesn't keep you from competing this year. The contest is always a blast!
im thinking of entering :3 if I do this will be my second time
i get nervous too easily in front of an audience :/
song-wise im thinking of Masayume Chasing from fairy tail and Planet Cradle from the macross 30 game :D
Quote from: Jupeboxgal on April 09, 2015, 11:35:59 PM
Hi! Thanks for starting the chat thread! : )
Hoping to compete for the third time this year, but I'm preparing some duets with a partner, and it's her first time. Super excited for signups... I'm checking the forums almost every day so I don't miss them : D
I hope work doesn't keep you from competing this year. The contest is always a blast!
Not this time. Hehe! SOOOOO HAPPY! ;D
That's so awesome! I can't wait to hear you guys. Its definitely more fun as a group IMO.
Quote from: Hiyuki Hime on April 10, 2015, 02:43:47 AM
im thinking of entering :3 if I do this will be my second time
i get nervous too easily in front of an audience :/
song-wise im thinking of Masayume Chasing from fairy tail and Planet Cradle from the macross 30 game :D
AH! I love Masayume Chasing! I was so stoked to hear it for the first time on Fairy Tail. Good choice! ^-^
This would be my first time, but I'm definitely thinking about it! I've done some karaoke for fun at other conventions, so it might be fun to give this a shot.
I have my song for the first round decided, but not for the second round yet. Aiming for higher than 3rd this year (though that's a tough one haha)
im a big fan of BoA and hearing masayume chasing got me to binge watch the ENTIRE series from episode 1 to current season :D
i think i settled on a song for the finals. im gonna go with Chou from Fatal Frame II
I don't know if I'll enter the contest this year (I might do Swap Meet), but I'll be around for a lot of open mic, as usual.
If I did the contest, I'm not sure what I would sing. Maybe use the songs I practiced for this past SacAnime and didn't get to use because I was sick -- Single Mother A Go Go!! by JiLL-Decoy association, and Adieu from Cowboy Bebop. I might choose a new first round song, though, since I believe Fanime's time cutoff is shorter than SacAnime's. I might replace it with another song by the same band (maybe Jolly Jolly, the OP of Red Garden?) or one by another band (I have a few orange pekoe and EGO-WRAPPIN' songs up my sleeve), or I might do something wild like an old '90s anime opening theme.
My goal would be to make it at least to the finals round, which I've never done at this con, but I also don't enter the contest here very often.
Quote from: Hiyuki Hime on April 11, 2015, 01:32:02 AM
i think i settled on a song for the finals. im gonna go with Chou from Fatal Frame II
Ahhh that's such a great song! Very dramatic. It should be in the database now (I requested it, lol), if you need that. I'd love to be there when you sang it. Oh, I should change my finals song to this cover (https://youtu.be/JgRH-i0WJVg) of one of her songs.
I haven't done an Amano Tsukiko song in so long. Wow.
Does anyone have any good open mic plans? I'll be there with my usual mix of jazz, shibuya-kei, Guitar Vader, Cibo Matto, and ridiculous '90s anime OPs. I've been on a Megumi Hayashibara kick the past few cons (Slayers music anyone?), so I'll probably continue that, and I've been practicing the Cutey Honey OP, so expect that.
I got interested in fatal frame II watching markiplier play :p. the ending theme was so strong and beautfiul :C
i got the game on psn a couple weeks ago. except im a huge coward to keep playing XD
I kind of want to try it but I have a hard time singing in Japanese. I entered a contest at a different con and totally bombed... I also can't find a karaoke version of one of the songs I'd want to do; there's not a lot of stuff that works well for my range, so my choices are limited. I will absolutely try for the gong show, however. And I'll definitely be at open mic.
I'm planning on entering again! I got into the finals the last time I competed 2 years ago (last year was a low key Fanime for me because of licensing exams for work) I'm keeping with my same schtick of Sera Myu (villain? maybe?) songs, because it's fun and WHY NOT. I know what I'm doing for the finals. I've narrowed down my qualifier choices a fair bit, but I'm trying to choose one that I nail well enough to get into the finals and works timing-wise.
Quote from: Hiyuki Hime on April 12, 2015, 01:28:15 AM
I got interested in fatal frame II watching markiplier play :p. the ending theme was so strong and beautfiul :C
i got the game on psn a couple weeks ago. except im a huge coward to keep playing XD
It's a really good game, and I'm not sure if LP videos really do the experience justice. I hope you get brave enough to play it. It's worth it.
Quote from: belligerent on April 12, 2015, 09:18:48 PM
I kind of want to try it but I have a hard time singing in Japanese. I entered a contest at a different con and totally bombed... I also can't find a karaoke version of one of the songs I'd want to do; there's not a lot of stuff that works well for my range, so my choices are limited. I will absolutely try for the gong show, however. And I'll definitely be at open mic.
Unless the rules have changed significantly between years, you can do songs that are in English, as long as the song is Japanese in origin/from an anime and not a cover. So you can do something like Want it All Back from Cowboy Bebop, or the English dub Sailor Moon OP, but not something like Fly Me to the Moon from Evangelion. I don't know your vocal range to suggest something, but if you can find a song like that, you're golden. :]
Of course, the Gong Show is always fun, too.
I'm trying to decide between this song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZ-OdKOWqHY) and this song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8TPhQjZe1A) right now. Hmm. Still not even sure if I'm entering and I'm already choosing songs.
if i remember the rules correctly, vocal tracks are fine because they will use vocal dampening if it has vocals in it
out of curiosity lyrics are allowed righ? does it get you extra points or something for not using lyrics? because from what i see from youtube footage from the contest i dont see anyone using lyrics
@Hiyuki - I've seen people use lyrics at the competition before, but I think it probably takes away from your stage presence points. It's much more engaging, as an audience member, when the singer is looking at you and singing to you, instead of to a piece of paper ;)
@ Enkai - Can I just add the spice and wolf ending to the pile of english-lyrics songs that are totally eligible
Also, at least in 2013, the rules were that "Songs must be from the following categories: anime, vocaloid, video game, or J-rock/J-pop," so you could do things like Mother I'm Here or Build That Wall from the Bastion ost, or something from one of the metal gear games, or Melodies of Life, etc.
@ Nina - The second one has a really great cutoff at 2 minutes and also it's great, wow??? Yes, please??
Also, does anybody know if it's still okay to add your starting note(s) and a few moments of silence to a karaoke track where the singing starts before the instrumental track does? 8)
I'm definitely ready for this year! :D
o/ BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Dancing through the skies! o/
definitely entering this year
still have no idea what im singing
cosplaying as Sailor Mercury so maybe one of the sailor moon songs hahaha
still figuring it out
im gonna be waiting for that ONE individual that's gonna do the pokemon opening theme song
cuz it happens everyyyy year
Quote from: princesskitty18 on April 14, 2015, 09:20:56 AM
definitely entering this year
still have no idea what im singing
cosplaying as Sailor Mercury so maybe one of the sailor moon songs hahaha
still figuring it out
im gonna be waiting for that ONE individual that's gonna do the pokemon opening theme song
cuz it happens everyyyy year
ooo anything from the new char. ost would be awesome!
Quote from: Jupeboxgal on April 13, 2015, 11:26:51 PM
@ Nina - The second one has a really great cutoff at 2 minutes and also it's great, wow??? Yes, please??
That's the song I was leaning toward anyway. Thanks. :] I'll use that one (if I enter). Off to practice, I guess!
I figured out my preliminary. It was obvious when I remembered I did'n't necessarily need a powerful mezzo song, but I could also sing a baritone solo an octave up. It's a fun one, and one I think will be pretty showy for my voice.
This'll be the third time for me, I think? Still lacking confidence, but I won a mini-contest at AX last year, so I must be getting better somehow. Looks like strong competition this year, though! ;D
Finally figured out my two songs a few days ago, but I'm always indecisive. Something from Madoka is likely. I'll also be around at open mic semi-continuously.
FINALLY figured out my songs - for once, one is from an anime (I'm an idol fan more than an anime fan.)
And neither are from idols.
This will be very weird for me.
So who all is getting excited? With the time limit change, I changed my prelim song choice again, to something that has a good minute segment, but is WAY more ambitious than I was initially going to undertake. It's rare to have a song that goes both into the low end AND high end of my range.
So we'll see how it goes. This song is one where the option is either be amazing or crash and burn in flames. No in between. I MIGHT be crazy.
But it's at that early stage where I am energized by the thought of a challenge. Ask me again how I am feeling about it in a couple weeks.
I don't think the time change is too bad. In the past, I usually stopped after the 1st chorus. To me, stopping in the middle of 2nd verse felt weird. Lol.
But I'm super stoked for this year! ;D I can't wait!
I might be affected by the new limit more than most, but that's because the pool of songs I usually choose from usually have neither TV versions nor a verse chorus verse chorus bridge chorus format. I always chose something either shorter than 2 minutes, or gave me 1:30-2:00 of singing with a cutoff that wasn't completely awkward. My pick before finding out about the rule change I think was 1:57 for the entire song.
But I am weird and try to chose almost exclusively from Seramyu villain songs. I know it might not be the easiest method of song selection, but it's the most fun for me.
I suppose learning songs from other musicals might be worth my time, but villains just have the coolest songs!
Just wanted to pop in and tell everyone to read the new rules googledoc very carefully. Not only is there a time limit change for the prelims, but now one of your songs MUST be from an anime. Just got confirmation of this in the other thread, so I wanted to make sure everyone else knew about it too.
Can't wait....have my songs picked out I think!
The google doc doesn't seem to mention it, but as they said in the other thread, the time limit doesn't start until you start singing (so a short instrumental intro doesn't count). And the "OR verse/chorus" thing seemingly means you can go a bit past 1:30 if you're almost done at that time, but you might want to ask them about that.
The weird middle half of an irregularly-structured song I was planning on is only 1:20, so that should be fine if I don't change my mind, which I probably will. :P
im good to go~ wheee~ this will be fun C:
I've got my songs all picked out, now I just need to practice! My buddy I always go to cons with might even do some Karaoke for fun this time, so I'm super excited!
I didn't know you could add a metronome to beginning to count yourself in. No awkward start! WOOHOO! ;D
There's a time limit change? Where can I read the new rules?
MAN we are down to the final wire here! :')
I'm thinking Unravel and Fukai Mori....but we'll see if those don't change into repeats of what I've always done haha
Quote from: Sygmus on April 30, 2015, 12:57:55 PM
There's a time limit change? Where can I read the new rules?
I was wondering if you were planning on competing again! :-D
New rules are here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LIyGMrSz0llaryhLynRjoffnmOO5RXdH4MpAh3rgE20/edit
Quick summary of the significant changes: If you're doing version with a TV edit, the rule change isn't significant; it's more a limitation if you were planning on singing a full 2 minutes. At least one anime-related song is required, and the rules as far as what we can do editing wise (cropping the song, pitch changes, etc) are a little looser than they've been in the past.
Alright, with the new time limits, this changes my possible song choice(s).
I could stick with the song I was originally going to do and just sing a different part (second verse + chorus or bridge + last chorus) (https://youtu.be/k8TPhQjZe1A)
I could change to the song I was practicing before last SacAnime Winter (but was too sick to sing -- would probably do second verse + chorus or bridge + final chorus again) (https://youtu.be/A6D5wx5NGyo)
I could change to this song that I kind of like (but it isn't as good as Joyful World, though it's the same band) but have always felt that the opening segment before the instrumental was too short, but it fits the new time limits pretty well (https://youtu.be/Svth9VTiKAU)
Thoughts? I'm leaning towards sticking with Joyful World, though I'd like to practice up a song by the same band as the second song by SacAnime Summer for the finals round, so it might be good to sing that song this time so it won't end up paired with a song by the same artist. Plus, I've been wanting to sing it since January!
I might just go with Single Mother A Go Go!! if for nothing else but the title, lol.
and signed up! ;D
put in two songs that will probably be changed later.
and now for the second half of waiting
:D
Anyone else getting an error message when they submit their song choices for karaoke? D:
Quote from: coriechan on May 01, 2015, 03:14:58 PM
Anyone else getting an error message when they submit their song choices for karaoke? D:
what does the error message say? i signed up with no problems.
Quote from: princesskitty18 on May 01, 2015, 03:15:34 PM
Quote from: coriechan on May 01, 2015, 03:14:58 PM
Anyone else getting an error message when they submit their song choices for karaoke? D:
what does the error message say? i signed up with no problems.
Entry failed. Please double-check your information and try againYou have an error in your SQL syntax; check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near 'm Alive','' ,'')' at line 2I have absolutely no idea what that means :')
Woo, signed up. Signups went up a couple minutes later than I was expecting. I managed to leave work early, but I got home RIGHT at 3PM. I was sitting in my driveway refreshing until I decided I had enough time to at least move the car to the garage and go inside.
Quote from: coriechan on May 01, 2015, 03:21:41 PM
Quote from: princesskitty18 on May 01, 2015, 03:15:34 PM
Quote from: coriechan on May 01, 2015, 03:14:58 PM
Anyone else getting an error message when they submit their song choices for karaoke? D:
what does the error message say? i signed up with no problems.
Entry failed. Please double-check your information and try againYou have an error in your SQL syntax; check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near 'm Alive','' ,'')' at line 2
I have absolutely no idea what that means :')
Maybe you typed in something wrong? Maybe try it again and see if you get the same message?
Quote from: coriechan on May 01, 2015, 03:21:41 PM
Quote from: princesskitty18 on May 01, 2015, 03:15:34 PM
Quote from: coriechan on May 01, 2015, 03:14:58 PM
Anyone else getting an error message when they submit their song choices for karaoke? D:
what does the error message say? i signed up with no problems.
Entry failed. Please double-check your information and try againYou have an error in your SQL syntax; check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near 'm Alive','' ,'')' at line 2
I have absolutely no idea what that means :')
hmm..i also have no idea what that means
the only thing that i can think of with regards to an error message is possibly inputting ur information wrong?
either refresh or close out that page and try again?
ska would be the best person to answer any questions
Quote from: coriechan on May 01, 2015, 03:14:58 PM
Anyone else getting an error message when they submit their song choices for karaoke? D:
I think this was a problem last year too... Did you use any quotation marks or apostrophes or anything odd like that? If so, try taking those out. SQL gets confused by certain characters.
I swear I didn't break it!
It looks like you're probably trying to make one of your song choices "I'm Alive" right?
Remove the ' or write it I\'m Alive
I think the form just doesn't handle ' or " gracefully. Sorry about that! When I can get a hold of whoever wrote it, I'll ask them to fix it for us.
Quote from: kotomikun on May 01, 2015, 03:25:45 PM
Quote from: coriechan on May 01, 2015, 03:14:58 PM
Anyone else getting an error message when they submit their song choices for karaoke? D:
I think this was a problem last year too... Did you use any quotation marks or apostrophes or anything odd like that? If so, try taking those out. SQL gets confused by certain characters.
Quote from: Ska on May 01, 2015, 03:28:46 PM
I swear I didn't break it!
It looks like you're probably trying to make one of your song choices "I'm Alive" right?
Remove the ' or write it I\'m Alive
I think the form just doesn't handle ' or " gracefully. Sorry about that! When I can get a hold of whoever wrote it, I'll ask them to fix it for us.
That was 100% it haha
i feel so silly now thank you guys so much!!
WAHOO! got my entry in....finals song might change, but prelims song is go go go!!
Glad I checked here, I was having the same problem. One apostrophe was barring my entry, but that's all fixed now. Gotta say, I'm a little nervous, since I'm kinda uncertain about my prelim song.
Quote from: ZeroBudgetGamer on May 01, 2015, 07:11:56 PM
Glad I checked here, I was having the same problem. One apostrophe was barring my entry, but that's all fixed now. Gotta say, I'm a little nervous, since I'm kinda uncertain about my prelim song.
The good thing is, you can change your song at whim! It's all in the rules that says you don't have to stick with what you put on the forms~
I figured as much. The problem is, the longer it takes me to decide, the less time I'll have to practice. I know my prelim song inside and out - I could sing it acapella if I so desired; the problem comes down to time. I'm kind of a stickler for singing a song from beginning to end in my personal time, so the thought of having to cut the song short just makes me nervous about my delivery of it. There's also the thought of the song's impact, if it truly has enough to wow the judges, and/or if other people's choices will overshadow mine.
One song must be from an anime? I was gonna do a couple Idolm@ster songs, which come from the games. There is an Idolm@ster anime though, so does that count?
Edit: Ah ha! One of my songs is in the anime, no problem then! https://youtu.be/eKnYzPT026E
I read this late but I really want to say this -- yeah obvs im@s songs that are directly featured in the anime are legit. These Anime/Game ones are a bit interesting as far as legitimacy go - Songs featured purely in the game would be ineligible for the anime requirement, but if you found an im@s cd that was directly labeled as "from the anime," the songs on it would be eligible under the image song subsection even if they weren't featured in the anime, but only if they weren't disqualified for other reasons. If you go this route you better have proof just in case someone decides to call you out and be like WAS THAT EVEN IN THE ANIME OR IS THAT A GAME ONLY SONG? MY FAVORITE IM@S SONG IS SNOW HALATION!
Just sayin'. n-not that any of our staff would mistake yayoi for nico or anything like that...
Wow, I was not expecting entries to still be open. Lucky me!
Just out of curiosity: why are video games excluded from the "must be anime" requirement? It seems like songs from Japanese games, especially those with anime styling or otherwise overlap into anime fandoms (whether as overt as Idolm@ster where that's a lot of slippage between the two or where there's just a lot of stylistic and fandom overlap like many JRPGS, shmups, etc.), should still be able to fulfill that requirement, since it would still be themed to the show. Is it just too difficult to police the game requirement (origin of both the game and the song)? Or do you want to limit it to specifically anime because it's specifically an anime con?
I don't know if you can really discuss the reasoning for the rules, but as I said, I'm just curious.
and not at all bitter that I don't watch a lot of anime or know a lot of anime with music that would be singable for me, but can bust out all sorts of songs made for video games...or bitter that about 85% of anime music with female vocalists tends to be /totally/ the wrong vocal range or style for me, though maybe I'm just not getting a broad enough view of anime music because I don't really listen to it
Very excited for this year! My performance is really going to be just that, a performance, this year including dance moves (nothing to intense of course).
And as always, my cosplay will match the anime I'm singing from :) Won't say exactly what but a hint is bunny suit.
Aww, I'm jealous. I'm a big guy, myself, so I can't really do much onstage. Plus, my songs are chosen more based on what works with my voice, so cosplaying is kind of difficult.
Still, though, bunny suit and dancing...my mind immediately thinks of Problem Children from a few seasons back; that ending song was awesome, I still listen to it now and then.
Quote from: Nina Star 9 on May 03, 2015, 08:54:15 AM
Just out of curiosity: why are video games excluded from the "must be anime" requirement? It seems like songs from Japanese games, especially those with anime styling or otherwise overlap into anime fandoms (whether as overt as Idolm@ster where that's a lot of slippage between the two or where there's just a lot of stylistic and fandom overlap like many JRPGS, shmups, etc.), should still be able to fulfill that requirement, since it would still be themed to the show. Is it just too difficult to police the game requirement (origin of both the game and the song)? Or do you want to limit it to specifically anime because it's specifically an anime con?
I don't know if you can really discuss the reasoning for the rules, but as I said, I'm just curious.
and not at all bitter that I don't watch a lot of anime or know a lot of anime with music that would be singable for me, but can bust out all sorts of songs made for video games...or bitter that about 85% of anime music with female vocalists tends to be /totally/ the wrong vocal range or style for me, though maybe I'm just not getting a broad enough view of anime music because I don't really listen to it
That's an interesting thought. I know that when I come to these karaoke contests, as new as I am to them, I try to focus only on Japanese music, even if I'm pulling from video games. Though, it's not like they're banning video game music outright, they just want to make sure you have at least one anime-sourced entry, kind of like how in school they'd require you to have at least one book source with reports, even if you could get all the knowledge you need off the Internet. Hell, at Sac-Anime Winter this last January, the winner of the contest did so singing the Theme song from Metal Gear Solid 5.
And yeah, I feel you on the vocal range front. My voice is terribly-matched against the higher-pitched fare you get from Japan; try as I might to match it, it just destroys my voice, so this year I'm trying to work with my voice to find songs that work for me, even if I may sing them a little differently from how the original was.
Quote from: Nina Star 9 on May 03, 2015, 08:54:15 AM
Just out of curiosity: why are video games excluded from the "must be anime" requirement?
It's a singing competition at an anime convention, we just want to make sure there's some anime to it. The popularity of video game music, vocaloids, and internet memes have increased so much lately that it's beginning to encompass everything. Keeping one song based on an anime is a way to keep people centered around one common source, just like having the other more open lets people's true likes and interests shine through.
I'm sorry you feel that way! It's not anyone's intent to make you salty. I mean, you know we enjoy your song choices at open mic. Most of them are songs and bands we love too! I'm sure you'll find something great if you haven't already.
Keep practicing, everyone!
On a related note because I had a moment of not being sure - stage musical adaptations of anime count as being along the same lines of live action adaptations, right? That's how I had interpreted that anyway.
Quote from: Ska on May 06, 2015, 08:58:03 PM
Quote from: Nina Star 9 on May 03, 2015, 08:54:15 AM
Just out of curiosity: why are video games excluded from the "must be anime" requirement?
It's a singing competition at an anime convention, we just want to make sure there's some anime to it. The popularity of video game music, vocaloids, and internet memes have increased so much lately that it's beginning to encompass everything. Keeping one song based on an anime is a way to keep people centered around one common source, just like having the other more open lets people's true likes and interests shine through.
I'm sorry you feel that way! It's not anyone's intent to make you salty. I mean, you know we enjoy your song choices at open mic. Most of them are songs and bands we love too! I'm sure you'll find something great if you haven't already.
Keep practicing, everyone!
Hey Ska! Thanks for the reply. I'm not terribly salty, don't worry. :]
The reasoning makes sense, though. I'll just have to step up my song selection and look harder for something that works. I already have a few ideas for future contests. (Though I also keep finding all these surprisingly great songs from video games...I might have to pair Aozora no Knife with something from an anime for a future contest, because I can somehow pull it off. Maybe I'll bust that out for open mic this year!) ...or I can just stick with Cowboy Bebop music, haha. (any other anime that primarily has jazz music?)
I know you all love my open mic selections! I'm glad. :] I can't really pull off a lot of that for a contest, but I do have fun singing it. I'll be bringing my usual mix of jazz, shibuya-kei Guitar Vader, Megumi Hayashibara, etc. this year, so look forward to it!
Quote from: Enkai on May 07, 2015, 12:15:06 AM
On a related note because I had a moment of not being sure - stage musical adaptations of anime count as being along the same lines of live action adaptations, right? That's how I had interpreted that anyway.
An official stage musical adaptation is live live-action, and fits within our rules.
Quote from: Nina Star 9 on May 11, 2015, 08:59:02 PM
...I'm not terribly salty, don't worry. :]... look forward to it!
Good!
Quote from: Nina Star 9 on May 11, 2015, 08:59:02 PM
I know you all love my open mic selections! I'm glad. :] I can't really pull off a lot of that for a contest, but I do have fun singing it. I'll be bringing my usual mix of jazz, shibuya-kei Guitar Vader, Megumi Hayashibara, etc. this year, so look forward to it!
Damn, sounds like I've been missing a lot hiding away in that massive Gaming Hall these last two years.