Notas Liner de Tsukioi no Toshi

Y después de tanto tiempo de espera, aquí les traigo las liners de Tsukioi no Toshi traducidas al español.


Papel de Información de tieLeaf No. 02
[Sardina]
Lanzado en C69, 12.30.2005

¡Es un placer conocerlos; y hola! Esta es Hiyama Nao, escribiendo el prefacio para la segunda edición del Papel de Información de tieLeaf [Sardina]. ¡Quiero agradecerte en esta ocasión por haber comprado el proyecto de colaboración original de fantasía CD & Libro [Tsukioi no Toshi]! Como esta es una obra llena hasta el borde de los elementos de fantasía que amo tanto, me haría muy feliz si lo disfrutases.
Bueno, tomaré ventaja de esta oportunidad para presentarles la página [tieL] que hice junto con Sorano Ao. tieL (http://tiel.jp) en sí es un círculo doujin que establecimos para darle forma a nuestra propia obra original, llamada [Nejimaku Tsuki]. Y recientemente establecimos el círculo de creación colaborativa [tieLeaf] con la compositora, la Srta. Shimotsuki Haruka (MapleLeaf), así que resummiendo, dado que estoy involucrada en todas esas actividades al mismo tiempo, si alguien allá afuera está interesado en chequear las actividades de tieLeaf, eso me haría muy feliz.
※Estas páginas contienen las liners y el postscript de [Tsukioi no Toshi]. Podrían contener spoilers y posiblemente podría romper tu ¿imagen? del album. Por favor procedan con cautela.

Tsukioi no Toshi (Nejimaku Tsuki)
Personajes Principales e Historia
Puede que sea redundante decirlo, pero estos son los documentos de diseño para el album. (por tieL)

Story
El nombre de esa ciudad es [Ecliss].
Es un mundo que fue sellado eternamente
debido a los pecados que fueron cometidos hace mucho.
La Ciudad de la Muerte
que termina con las vidas de los moribundos...

Elthia
La protectora de Ecliss de hace mil años. Una chica especialmente creada que puede ver las memorias y el futuro de Ecliss. Ella se toma todo a la ligera, es gentil y siempre está sonriendo. Pero debido a que el poder de Ecliss de causar hemorragias internas era muy fuerte en ella, ella causó que la gente a su alrededor se enfermase y muriera al poco tiempo con sólo existir. Ella ama las danzas y la canciones más incluso que comer, pero ella ama a Ecliss más que a ninguna otra cosa. Ella ha esperado y continúa esperando en Ecliss por un [cierto algo] que ella jamás ha podido obtener.

Sardine
El verdadero padre de Rizel. Como un pariente de Elthia, él es el sucesor de la Casa de Ecliss. Él tercamente se considera a sí mismo como un mago genio. Él es el único humano que puede mantener su propio cuerpo y presencia de mente incluso estando cerca de Elthia. Mientras el lleva a cuestas una tremenda insatisfacción debido a que le obligaron a cuidar de Elthia, el nunca la deja sola. Él tiene como hobby recolectar objetos raros de alrededor del mundo. El personalmente detesta al Reino de Celestara. Mientras el consiente a su hijo Rizel a su manera, la ligeramente retorcida forma en la que le demuestra afecto ha causado que Rizel lo odie.

Ciel
Un príncipe de Celestara. El hermano menor de Sofia por una madre distinta. Sin embargo, se susurran muchos rumores acerca de sus orígenes, así que la verdad tras los mismos es aún incierta. Aunque el vivió afuera del reino en la casa de su madre desde que nació, el fue repentinamente llamado hace poco a una villa real ubicada cerca del Palacio Real. Desde entonces, el juego con su cuasi-hermana mayor. Le fue dado un orgel bajo circumstancias extrañas. Como se le ordenó que lo cuidara bien, el obedientemente atesora el orgel.

Cius
Uno de los Fantasmas que intercambiaron el Juramento del Protector con Rizel en la ciudad de Ecliss. Sus pensamientos y deseos están envueltos en misterio actualmente. Mientras aparentemente (de acuerdo al propio Cius) el tuvo excelentes habilidades como esgrimista debido a poseer reflejos impresionantes cuando aún estaba vivo, debido a que desafortunadamente ya no tiene un cuerpo, él ya no tiene otra diversión además de burlarse de Rizel.

Soficia
La Princesa del Celestial Reino de Celestara. También conocida como Sifa. Debido a que es inflexible y terca, ella tiende a apresurarse y hacer cosas sin pensarlo. Su tipo favorito de hombres son aquellos que sean machos y relajados. Ella seriamente sueña no con que [un príncipe en un caballo blanco] se la lleve, si no que se la lleve [un hombre macho que hubiese corrido descalzo por las islas flotantes]. Odia a los hombres afeminados e indecisos. Sin embargo, ella adora hacer que su adorable (de cara) hermano se ponga vestidos.

Rizel
El hijo de Sardine. Un muchacho que carga a cuesta muchas preocupaciones debido a que tiene la sangre de Ecliss en sus venas. Como su conciencia es halada por Ecliss, frecuentemente llega tarde a la escuela y se duerme durante las clases. Mientras sus calificaciones le han granjeado el primer puesto en la clase, su graduación está en serio peligro debido a que no tiene suficientes asistencias en su récord. Para compensarlo, se vió atrapado en el predicamento de ir a estudiar en el extranjero, al Reino de Celestara; y sin ninguna otra opción. Debido a su personalidad fastidiosa, él es muy descuidado con las relaciones que establece con otras personas. Desprecia todo lo relacionado al nombre de Ecliss, especialmente su verdadero padre, más de lo que odia la carne cruda y el pescado.

Notas Liner de Tsukioi no Toshi
Tu zet ol nam o Ecliss. Tu o i quara einal lefs li i sis vi dir. Eca hu o sequa, lei ol zet...

01. Nejjmaku Tsuki -Sinal "ar ol "ir"-

Una canción que expresaba un mundo en el cual la Diosa dandóle cuerda a la bobina espiral sirvió como todo su comienzo, la cual incorpora motifs de orgel. También tomé en consideración la ambientación secreta dada por el sonido, como si el insonoro mundo que existía hasta que el orgel emitió su primer sonido fuese barrido al mismo tiempo que su canción comienza a escucharse. Tengo la sensación de que fue decidio desde que el proyecto dió inicio que queriamos que Nejimaku Tsuki fuera el comienzo de todo; y por ello la pusimos como la primera pista del CD. Tener un orgel que toca una canción que yo misma hice es un tesoro irrepetible en la vida. Después de todo, nunca puedes tener demasiado de cosas como los delicados sonidos mecánicos y similares que solo puedes obtener al grabar un orgel de verdad. (Shimotsuki)
 
La primera Voluntad que sirvió como el comienzo del mundo y la historia, la cual se unió al acto de [darle cuerda a la bobina del orgel]. Es muy romántico que el orgel toque sonidos prefijados cuando se le da cuerda a su bobina (¿qué?) El subtítulo significa [Tú, Mi Preciada]. Por cierto, [Nejimaku Tsuki] es también el título de la obra original de [Tsukioi no Toshi]. En lo que respecta a [Nejimaku Tsuki] en sí mismo, hay muchas cosas que planeamos revelar en el futuro, así que mientras no podemos hablar sobre ellas en este momento (¡lo sentimos!), estas se han vuelto pistas que te darán mucho en que pensar. ¡Los orgeles reales son lo mejor!(Hiyama)
 
02. Tsukioi no Toshi -Leozet_Lag_Ecliss-
Letra: Hiyama Nao
Composición & Arreglos: Shimotsuki Haruka

La pista epónima de este CD. Esa canción estuvo llena de desafíos para mí, ya que no sólo tuve que arreglarla yo misma, también fue la primera vez que hice un arreglo con instrumentos reales. Mientras la melodía es como siempre, un arreglo a toda velocidad hecho por mí (*risas*), dado que se le añadieron los gustos de varias personas reales, me pregunto si eso no lo introdujo más vitalidad a la melodía o la hizo más emocionantes. Más bien se siente como si la hubiese arreglado junto a los ejecutantes. ¡Fue realmente divertido! La canción a fin de cuentas tiene el punto de vista de un narrador, así que tomé en cuenta la atmósfera del mundo y puse especial enfásis en un sensación transparente mientras la cantaba.(Shimotsuki)
 
[Tsukioi no Toshi]; y por ello la canción epónima. La armamos mientras teníamos en mente el vídeo de anuncio, el manga y como está situada la historia. Y aunque se haría demasiado largo si hablasemos sobre la letra, podemos resumirla como que si hablase sobre Leozet desde el punto de vista de Rizel, como si él estuviese desde adentro hacia dentro a sí mismo desde afuera (¿?). Y también se siente como si hubiésemos incluído una atmósfera completamente distinta sólo para la parte del coro. Esta canción también está llena de memorias de pedidos imposibles de entender que le hice a Haruka-san, como [haz que se sienta como si estuvieses despertando de un sueño aquí] ó [haz que se sienta como si todo se hubiese desvanecido de golpe aquí], a pesar de que fuí al estudio sólo a aprender por observación cuando grabamos ésta canción. Lamento mucho todo eso. (Hiyama)
 
03. Sousei to Shuuen -"Lei" ol Lag-Quara-
Letra: Hiyama Nao
Composición: Shimotsuki Haruka
Arranglos: Shimotsuki Haruka & Takumaru

Quería expresar musicalmente de algún modo la parte de la ambientación que indicaba que la combinación de magia Sacra y Maligna se convierte en Magia de Creación, así que intente combinar dos melodías y estilos de canto distintos para ello. El estilo claro y parecido a un himno representa el lado Sacro, mientras que estilo similar a voces búlgaras da la imagen para el lado Maligno. Y una parte con la personalmente me obsesioné fue que, en medio de todo ese caos, al final los altos y bajos del sonido se invierten y finalizan la canción con la misma frase. (*risas*) (Shimotsuki)
 
El juego de una sola Diosa, en otras palabras, esta es la canción para la ambientación del mundo de Lag-Quara. Aunque está cantada completamente en un lenguaje inventado, no incluye su traducción al japonés. Para la ambientación de ésta canción, pedi que diera la [sensación de como la luz y la oscuridad halan la una de la otra y al final se combinan entre sí, volviéndose un gran poder]. Por cierto, estaré publicando un extracto parcial de una versión japonesa de [Sousei] en el site en el que el progreso para el proyecto colaborativo [Nejimaku Tsuki] marcha a un paso relajado. (Hiyama)
 
04. Hikari to no Kaikou -Sef rin chi sef mie-
Letra: Hiyama Nao
Composición: Shimotsuki Haruka
Arreglos: Hosoi Soushi

Una canción a toda marcha hecha por MANYO-san. Sin importar dónde mires, nunca puedes tener demasiado de los cambios de clave con los que está cargada (*risas*). Como ésta canción es cantada desde el punto de vista de Sofia, tuve en mente sentimientos femeninos mientras la cantaba. Basicamente da la sensación de un amor dañado y de la luz de esperanza que existe incluso en un evento como ese, así que para la segunda mitad puse especial cuidado en que diese la sensación de una voluntad fuerte. Amo especialmente la letra de los coros. También amo como se combina con los significados de los cantos al fondo. (Shimotsuki)
 
Sofia y Rizel. Las partes de los coros en lenguaje inventado son las cosas que Elthia dice. Realmente amo usar métodos que combinen diferentes significados, así que estaba realmente feliz mientras la estaba escribiendo. Originalmente, todas las partes que dicen [mundo] tenían [tú] en su lugar, pero como hallé que eso volvía la letra demasiado directa cuando traté de tararearmela, a la final las cambié a [mundo]. Así que podríamos decir que ahora tienen el significado combinado de [(tu) mundo]. La forma en que la canción se desarrolla después del segundo coro es algo que también amo mucho. El modo en el que Haruka harmoniza realmente sirve para volverla una canción moe. (Hiyama)
 
05. Hitomi wo Tsugumono -Quara ol "Ecliss"- 
Letra: Hiyama Nao
Composición & Arreglos: MANYO

Esta es el tipo de canción que empieza con truenos... ¡y boom! Los hombres mojados por la lluvia son realmente cool, ¿eh? (¿Qué?) Como Hiyama me pidió cosas tales como una canción similar a una fiera batalla que diera la sensación de un destino al que no puedes oponerte, traté de hacer una canción agresiva y aterradora del tipo que es tan raro para mí de hacer. La sensación de carrera dada por el arreglo de Hosoi-san también contribuye a hacer de esta una canción que sube la tensión... Y la letra de Hiyama es erótica también. Creo que las letras que usen palabras díficiles son cool y me gustan, pero me deprimí un poco al ver cuan inservible soy por haber leído las primeras líneas tantas veces. (Shimotsuki)
 
La canción que me hicieron después de que pedí una canción de batalla. Más bien podríamos decir que esta canción es para el último jefe. La carga que Rizel lleva a cuestas es la misma que Elthia carga. Como es algo que está profundamente conectado con el mundo, ellos no pueden desafiar su destino para que el mundo continúe existiendo. Los susurros al comienzo son una conversación que ambos están sosteniendo con su propia [sangre], una especie de soliloquio. Como quise que la canción fuertemente sacase a la luz no sólo las partes cool de la gente, pero también su partes asquerosas, traté de elegir palabras que resonasen de forma vívida. Los coros fueron muy díficiles también para Haruka. Personalmente me gustan mucho los efectos de sonido que usamos aquí. El hacer que Rizel terminase mojado por la lluvia al comienzo fue todo idea de Haruka. (*risa*) (Hiyama)
 
06. Seishou -Ar karrra-
Letra: Hiyama Nao
Composición & Arreglos: myu

Una canción coral en la que participé como miembro de un maravilloso coro. Sin importar cuan restrictivas puedan ser las canciones corales, creo que myu-san es realmente asombrosa sin importar cuantas veces escuche sus canciones. Este canción tenía la imagen de la campana del juicio y un coro que alzaba sus voces hasta el Cielo. Gracias a las maravillosas cuatro cantantes que tuve de compañeras, ¡pudimos hacer realidad la imagen de un gran coro cantando dentro de una iglesia! ¡Gracias! (Shimotsuki)
 
Ésta canción tiene la siguiente ambientación: [la campana del juicio que repica al momento de la muerte/el peso de los pecados de aquellos difuntos siendo determinados por el número de veces que la campana repica en el mundo/la campana de la destrucción, la campana del juicio, la campana del perdón/la balanza de una Diosa que tiene un significado distinto dependiendo de la persona/una señal para aquellos que mueren]. De nuevo, está cantada completamente en un lenguaje inventado que no tiene traducción al japonés publicada. Ésta es la canción que suena después de llegar a las respuestas a todo en el mundo. Mientras que para esta canción también fuí al estudio a aprender por observación, fui profundamente conmovida al tener a todas esas cantantes que personalmente me gustan tanto cantando esa canción para mí. ¡De veras, muchas gracias! (Hiyama)
 
07. Tooi Shoujo e -Jue i fel... sil-
Letra: Hiyama Nao
Composición & Arreglos: Takumaru

Y para algo completamente distinto a la canción previa, esta es una canción de un sólo match. Cuando la canté, hizo click (guiada por el ritmo) por sí sola y por ella sólo me sumergí en cantarla sin prestarle nada de atención a la melodía. La melodía y la atmósfera de la producción que aún permanecen en mis oídos fueron hechas por el Sr. Ishida Takumaru. Sin embargo, como (¿como?) ésta es la canción de Rizel, terminé poniendome de un humor oscuro cuando me sumergí en cantarla y luego cuando la enlacé con los efectos de sonido. V_V Sí. Así que como queríamos que la canción diese este tipo de sensación, hagamos que emita ese tipo de sensación. Sólo hagamóslo. (Shimotsuki)

Una canción que porta sentimientos por aquella amada persona que se encuentra en un lugar lejano, el cual podrías alcanzar si extendieses tus manos hacia ellos. Personalmente amo mucho las frases que empiezan con [Una grieta repentinamente despertó~]. Para la letra, simplemente uní mi corazón con el de Rizel en una forma honesta y así sólo escribí las cosas que sentí como fueron llegando. En cierto modo, esta podría ser el tema de cierre para [Tsukioi no Toshi]. Aunque siempre termino sanada por como Haruka pone tanta emoción en la canción cuando canta, tengo la sensación de que esta canción podría volverse un peligro si la escucho demasiado. (Hiyama)

08. Hanahiraku Souten -Ci ol Lip-Aura-
Letra: Hiyama Nao
Composición: Shimotsuki Haruka
Arreglos: Takumaru

Ésta canción también se volvío el título del libro y es la única canción que Elthia canta personalmente. Como quería traer a la luz su lindura, aire de misterio y peligro, traté de hacer la melodía tan airosa como me fue posible. La letra para los coros de fondo fue genial también. Ésta canción también tiene una melodía moe que fusiona dos líneas de letra distintas. Quiero agradecer al Sr. Takumaru por haber arreglado los coros de fondo tantas veces. Por favor asegúrense de chequear como está enlazada al manga. (Shimotsuki)

La canción de Elthia que se conecta con el manga. Aunque para las otras canciones básicamente tuvimos la imagen de Elthia cantando mientras miraba al futuro, para esta letra hice lo opuesto: la escribí con la imagen de que son las memorias (canciones) vistas por Rizel. Esto también es visible desde el punto de vista de la historia, ya que las canciones de [Tooi Shoujo e] a [Shiroki Souka] no llevan a los eventos de la una a la otra de ninguna forma. Los coros de fondo (cantados con una letra en lenguaje inventado) también están especialmente llenos de Elthia (?). La voz con la que Haruka cantó las partes que dicen [Incluso a mí~] es realmente adorable también. (Hiyama)

09. Shiroki Souka -Sefin io Ir zel rin ar rin el-
Letra: Hiyama Nao
Composición & Arreglos: Hosoi Soushi

Como ésta canción tiene la imagen de una de algún modo cálida luz de luna, es la canción que da la imagen de dos personas que desean una breve eternidad mientras son bañados por la luz de la luna. Ya que la melodía del violín parece estar lamentando el doloroso y cruel destino, realmente suena como si estuviera llorando cuando escuchas la canción. Pero nunca puedes tener demasiado de como misteriosamente trae una atmósfera cálida y amplifica aún más ese dolor. Esta canción también fue hecha for Hosoi-san. Cuando la canté, hice lo mejor que pude para sentir también que me habría gustado estar en su mismo lugar, compartiendo esa misma calidez y ese mismo dolor. (Shimotsuki)

Las memorias tristes ya están en el pasado; y tu ser actual no es la misma persona que tu ser pasado fue. Ésta canción tiene la siguiente imagen: aunque no podemos parar el paso del tiempo conforme sigue su curso, jamás desapareceremos, ya que nuestros sentimientos en sí son eterno; y por ello continuarán acumulándose entre sí gradualmente e hilando juntos. Aunque traté de mantenerme indiferente para la letra, ya estaba al borde de las lágrimas entre el violín y las vocales. Por ello, la escribí para que sonase como si fueran los sentimientos de Rizel en sí mismos, como si las memorias que le están siendo mostradas (Hanahiraku Souten), ambos fueran a seguir y seguir juntos. (Hiyama)

10. Nejimaku Tokei ga Tsuki no Michikake wo Kizamu -I oular i neej rin ar lef su i Lag-Quara-
Letra: Hiyama Nao
Composición: Shimotsuki Haruka
Arreglos: MANYO

Probablemente, esta fue la primera canción que tomó su propia forma para este proyecto. Ésta es la preciada canción que sirve de tema principal al [Nejimaku Tsuki] que fue anunciado al mismo tiempo que este CD Most likely, this was the first song. Como la melodía me dio la sensación de que faltaba algo cuando traté de tararearle después de que recibí la letra, pienso que esa es la razón por la que terminé haciendo una melodía realmente sincera para esta canción dentro de mí. El arreglo no puede traer las imágenes nada mejor de lo que ya lo hace; ¡y realmente amo la sensación acelerada que da y como trae a la mente la presencia de los ejecutantes! ¡Creo que realmente se volvió una pieza similar a una canción tema que puedo cantar sin que pierda sus fuerzas! (Shimotsuki)

Escribí la letra para esta canción en el verano de 2002, antes del lanzamiento de Yuragu Sora. Como esta es una letra en la que puse un montón de esfuerzo para hacer una canción tema para [Nejimaku Tsuki], estoy realmente feliz de que logró tener esta forma. En lo que respecta a la canción en sí, amo demasiado la parte del coro; y creo que recuerdo haber dicho demasiadas veces "¡¡Ésta es una gran canción!!" (*risas*). También la incluimos como la pista 3 del CD preview. Por cierto, [Nejimaku Tokei ga Tsuki no Michikake wo Kizamu] es un título que expresa la historia de [Nejimaku Tsuki] tal como es. Y aunque yo fui quién le dió ese título, debo decir que su longitud nos causó una gran cantidad de problemas cuando estabamos haciendo la tarjeta de las letras. (Hiyama)
 
11. Tojirareta Sekai -Eclef ol ar-
 
El hecho de que el CD terminase de esta forma también fue decidido desde hace mucho. Realmente amo las pistas en las que los efectos de sonido sacan a relucir la atmósfera que se supone deben dar. El que el orgel sea cerrado de golpe y de un modo tan brusco es porque Rizel fue quien lo cerro. Como estaba obsesionada con los efectos de sonido hasta un grado tan detallado, los grabé todos. ¡Fue muy divertido! ¡Y mis disculpas al ingeniero de sonido! (Shimotsuki)

Yo también me obsesioné mucho con el sonido de cierre y las pisadas. Dicen que... como Rizel creció tanto como persona, el deja el cuarto rápidamente. No puedo disculparme lo suficiente con Haruka y el ingeniero por haberlos hecho seguir mi obsesión con los detalles. ¡Pero gracias a sus esfuerzos, la pista hace juego perfectamente con la imagen que estaba buscando! Incluso dije [¡ese sonido lo hizo el mismo Rizel!] (*risas*) De cualquier modo, fue realmente divertido. (Hiyama)

Hanahiraku Souten (Comic) -Ci ol Lip-Aura-
Idea Original & Escenario: Hiyama Nao
Manga, Ilustraciones: Sorano Ao

Originalmente planeamos hacer de este un manga de alrededor de 30 páginas. ...Pero en algún momento, la cantidad de texto para él creció hasta el doble. Es tan absurdo.
La ilustración coloreada para el empaque y los aspectos del diseño nos quitaron mucho del tiempo que teníamos reservado para su creación; y llegó hasta el punto en que ni siquiera un mes completo bastó para lograro... O mejor dicho, estuve medio llorando o llorando en serio por más de tres semanas mientras continuaba escribiendo y dibujando. Soy un escritor tan lento que aún si hubiese continuado trabajando en ello como si fuese a morir en el intento, ningún número de días bastaría para que yo completase algo. O mejor dicho, el tiempo que teníamos estimado no fue suficiente. Estaba tan en deuda con los otros miembros del equipo que no podía permitirme hacer las cosas de mala gana; y eso sólo aumento día tras día. Realmente lo siento... orz
Cuando empecé a enviar los datos para su impresión, hubieron muchas cosas a las que no pude acostumbrarme debido a que la estructura del libro en sí tenía una forma especial, así que aunque tuve múltiples dificultades, el hacer un libro de manga en spread con formato de retrato era algo que quería hacer desde hace mucho tiempo, así que me divertí bastante todo el tiempo que estuvimos realmente trabajando en él. En retrospectiva, pude continuar con esto porque trabajé mientras escuché muchas veces las canciones que hicimos para la parte del CD de la obra, así que siento que fue un período de horas extras muy feliz para mí.
En esta ocasión, continué trabajando con la meta de mostrar la lindura de una chica... o mejor dicho, de Elthia, pero tal parece que el adorable terminó siendo la sardina. ¿Por qué terminó todo así?
Por cierto, hay una sola cosa sobre esta obra sobre la que debo ser el aguafiestas sin importar qué. Sólo tenía que decir [¿podrían al menos ponerse ropa seca, por favor?] acerca de la parte donde Sardy empuja a Elthia-tan... Estará todo bien si sus ropas están secas, ¿cierto? ¿No es así? (Sorano)

Cuando fuí a enviar el script, dije [lo siento, traté de mantenerlo en 30 páginas, pero llego a más o menos 40, ehe], aunque en realidad superó las 70 páginas en longitud para el momento en que terminé de arreglarlo. Lo siento... Usualmente me enfoco en la parte interna cuando estoy creando personajes, así que principalmente le dejo la parte visual a otras personas, pero como ya me había hecho una imagen sólida sólo para Elthia desde el comienzo, realmente estaba preocupada de que ella no fuese a ser de este o de aquel modo cuando llegamos a la fase de diseño de personajes. Realmente lamento mucho eso también... Pero esa parte de su imagen que había solidificado dentro de mí misma fue lo que permitió escribir el escenario tan fácilmente. Realmente me gusta mucho la atmósfera que establecimos entre Elthia y la sardina. Como este libro sirve más como introducción a la ambientación del mundo y a los personajes que como una historia independiente, creo que tal vez logró llevar a cabo su próposito bastante bien.
Por cierto, el subtítulo [Ci ol Lip-Aura] puede traducirse directamente como [La Bendición de Lip-Aura] o [La Maldición de Lip-Aura]. (Hiyama)

Sacred Doors/Lag-Quara Booklet Translation

Nota: Una traducción al español vendrá posteriormente.


Hello everyone! I'm Shimotsuki Haruka, and this book is an introduction to my original fantasy works! It's also the first book I've released as Maple Leaf (*laughs*)
The Maple Leaf side is called the [SD-Book], and through it I'll be giving you all brieeeef summary about the [Sacred Doors] series I've been representing through multiple music releases.

[Sacred Doors], abbreviated as SD, is the name of a story I've been making up little by little from my college days (though it's possible it started fermenting because I left it sleeping for too long), so while I've been slacking off on representing it, it's still a very important work to me. Here I've tried to write down its story and introduce its characters, as well as give some supplemental information in how they are related to the works I've released thus far. While they can stand all on their own as works, because I've connected them in such a laid-back way, I think those who like the setting should enjoy it too.

So, here's to hoping that this book will become a small key to open the door of your imagination.

2009.12 Shimotsuki Haruka


Sacred Doors

It is said that the humans and their world were created a long time ago by the Goddess who resides in Sacred, the Holy Land floating high above the skies. Two twins from the [people who have wings] were sent from the Holy Land by Goddess Palaslaura, who used the Goddess' own power to create the world, and gave the Four Great Elementals and the many Elementals that were under their protection the ability to sustain the natural balance necessary for the world to keep existing. Thus, was life born and the Holy Calendar started counting its years.

Following the orders given by the twin Creators, the first humans built four Temples that were protected by each of the Four Great Elementals. The Goddess then delivered oracles through the Elementals, so no conflicts would ever spark among the humans. And the people lived following the instructions given through the oracles. Thus, the world's order was maintained for a long time.

However, the light from the Holy Land started weakening suddenly 18 years ago, and the Elementals' oracles stopped coming. This caused unrest and tension to run rampant through the Temples and the highest seats of power in the kingdom. This caused the multiple ambitions and ulterior motives the oracles had kept at bay to be brought to the surface, which started eating away the balance of power that existed between all the kingdoms. At the same time, the power of the Hell's (Farack) Elemental of Darkness grew stronger, which started having an influence even over the monsters that lived upon the surface.

Within the shaken world, the memories of the lost wings open the door to truth...
This is the story of the truth of the world and the fate of a boy who was chosen by the Warlock amongst the chaos, Rudess.


Prologue
 
Holy Calendar year 2304, February. The Temple of Water in the kingdom of Repthys has been placed under the kingdom's protection.

But contrary to what the word "protection" implies, what the kingdom carried out was "oppression". During a certain snowy night, armed soldiers came out from nowhere and started attacking the Temple in search of the Warlock, killing anybody who opposed them.

Amid this blood-soaked chaos, Rudess and Eriu were called to the deepest chamber in the Temple. The person who waited for them in there was no other than Laylia, the Warlock of Water. To protect the Water Elemental Undine that resided in her body from the kingdom's clutches, she carried out the Warlock Succession Ceremony.

...Thus, was Rudess entrusted with the Water Elemental Undine without even knowing what was happening and became a fugitive for the kingdom, while the world started being surrounded by darkness regardless of what his decision was.

Keywords
 
・Four Great Elementals
 
The Elementals that rule over the balance that keeps the world existing. They are Undine (Water), Salamander (Fire), Gnome (Earth) and Sylph (Wind). While nature lodges many kinds of Elementals within itself, it is said that it's possible to generally classify them into Elementals that are either under the protection of the Four Great Elementals, under the protection of the Elemental of Light, or under the protection of the Elemental of Darkness.

・Warlock
 
The title given to the person who lodges an Elemental within their own body, listens to said Elemental's voice and carries out the role of delivering their oracles to the people at large. Only pure maidens can be chosen as Warlocks, and it depends entirely on each Elemental's will to choose their host. Each one of the four Temples has a Warlock, and in practical terms each Temple exists to protect its residing Warlock and the Elemental they lodge.

・The Four Kingdoms and Temples
 
There are four kingdoms upon this world, each of which is nested close to each Temple. The Kingdom protected by the Water is [Repthys], the Kingdom protected by the Wind is [Nardie], the Kingdom protected by the Earth is [Clayrion] and the Kingdom protected by the Fire is [Forda]. While its exact forms changes from a kingdom to another, they are basically all monarchies ruled each by a king. However, given that the Temples possess an absolute power because they are the ones that rule over the oracles, and the words given by the Temples are the Elementals' words themselves, the Kingdoms must obey their instructions. They are the only organizations that are not bound by the Kingdoms despite being inside their territories.

◆[Repthys], Kingdom Protected by the Water

A rich kingdom that boasts possessing the widest lands amongst the four kingdoms as its territories. The Water City Eltherna that serves as its capital is a thriving place that gathers people and merchandise from around the world in its market. While they are in a delicate situation with their neighbors from Nardie due to fighting over their fertile lands, they publicly maintain good relationships due to the oracles.

◆[Nardie], Kingdom Protected by the Wind

A kingdom whose territory has severe climatological differences. While it also has regions that are covered in snow all year long, the areas around its capital are relatively warm. As it is a kingdom where the differences between social classes are very severe, the population are divided into High Class and Low Class depending on their wealth or poverty, to the point where residential areas in places such as the Nardie capital are formed by two separate districts: The High Residential Zone (First Class Residences) and the Low Residential Zone (Second Class Residences).

◆[Clayrion], Kingdom Protected by the Earth

A kingdom that had formed a unique culture due to not having any significant contact with other regions because of it being in a mountainous area. As the area it is in is quite arid, the people make their living mainly through hunting. It is also the least populated among the four kingdoms. They are famous for their annual Festival of the Spirits, which is a festival to offer gratitude to Predoll.

◆[Forda], Kingdom Protected by the Fire

It thrives on the production of items such as tools and weapons due to there being many gathering spots for minerals within its territory. However, the production of weapons is limited due to the orders (will of the Elementals) given by the Temple, so the kingdom strictly sticks to the given limits because it is said they would suffer divine punishment were they to make more weapons than they are allowed by the will of the Elementals. The Holy Beacon that can be found in its capital city Flare is the symbol of the kingdom, so it also appears on its flag.


Characters

Rudess Airlud

"...If my destiny's unavoidable, I've got no choice but to face it head on!"

The story's protagonist. Male. 18 years old.
He was picked up from a lake's shore by the Warlock of the Water Temple, Laylia after he was abandoned as a baby, and he grew up in the Temple's orphanage. And just like that, he grew as an Acolyte of the Elementals. Basically, while his head moves quite quickly, he's the type who moves forward only once he has digested what it's happening to him, and so he's irregularly weak when it comes to adapting to new situations.
Due to a certain incident, Laylia entrusted him with the Elemental of Water Undine, making him into the Warlock of Water. And now lodging an Elemental that by nature shouldn't dwell in his body, he was driven out of the Temple and went in a journey.

Celsior Lexes

"Prying into what interests someone else is an information broker's job.
If you don't want talk about it, you just shouldn't do it."

Male. 27 years old.
He lives in Lain's bar in the lower residential sector of Nardie while at the same time working as an information broker. Apparently, he is quite famous in the neighborhood due having to his name an information network that allows to gain trustworthy information quickly, despite his youth. A shrewd man that has good manners and a good head over his shoulders. While he doesn't talk about his past, there are rumors that he is related by blood to some of the most respectable families residing in the upper residential sector due to having a large influence. One of his hobbies is changing his glasses (particularly). As he has a personality that can't stand to see others being abandoned, he frequently picks up stray cats and dogs to take them back home with him, which has made Lain quite angry at him several times. While he also tames the Elemental Beasts known as Sekirei, it isn't something he likes to do.

Lain Mimosa

"There's no difference between lower and upper residential zone inhabitants among my customers.
Get out from my bar if you've got any complaints about it."

Female. 28 years old.
The only woman in her family who inherited from her father the bar she currently manages in the lower residential zone of Nardie, which led her to get acquainted with the many ruffians and impoverished inhabitants from lower residential zone, and the travelers who pass through the city. A woman with a sisterly disposition that has a frank spirited personality, who also has slipped through many difficulties. She also throws knives as a self-defense maneuver, and has quite a precise aim with them. She lets Celsior to live in her bar at no cost and gives him a hand with his information broker business.

Eriu Lugray

"Rudess... It's possible we won't ever meet again."

Male. 19 years old. ※The picture shows Eriu when he was a young child (in Yuragu Sora).
An orphan that was saved and raised in by the Temple of Water after his parents were killed by monsters. As he's childhood friends with Rudess, they both share a close friendship. Eriu also has a really strong sense of responsibility, to the point he at times overexerts himself because he doesn't mind sacrificing his own life for others. As he's diligent and a hard worker, his abilities as an Acolyte of Water are unparalleled in the Temple of Water.

Frale

"...I finally found you."

Female. 14 years old.
She is the Warlock of Fire, who has crimson eyes and hair. Because she was isolated from everyone else from birth due to being destined to be the Warlock of Fire, she is taciturn and inexpressive, and doesn't know how to convey her emotions. Her name "Flare" wasn't even something that was given to her by her real parents, so she doesn't even know what their faces looked like. She firmly believes that she must carry out a certain mission alongside the Warlock of Water to fulfill her own purpose. That is why she chases after Rudess and why they frequently end up meeting each other.

Karbell Linarie

"You know it, right? ...The pain you get from having lost something precious because of powers you never wished to have."

Female. 16 years old.
The girl that was chosen to be the Warlock of Wind. As she was raised alongside her older sister in the Temple of Wind to become Warlock Candidates, she has always admired the world she could see outside her window. She is a girl who hates conflicts and lives wishing for peace, and while she wished that her excellent older sister would be the one chosen because she earnestly wished to become the Warlock, Karbell was the one chosen against her own wishes. It is due to this she has lost several precious things.


Works Explanation

Here we will explain the works that Maple Leaf has released previously from the viewpoint of the [Sacred Doors] world setting.

Sacred Doors Vol. 1 / December 2001

Tracklist

01. Legend (Opening Event BGM)
02. Sacred Doors (Main Theme)
03. Water Capital Repthys (Water Capital Repthys BGM)
04. Through the Wilderness (Field BGM)
05. Clash (Normal Battle BGM)
06. Victory! (Battle Won BGM)
07. Covered in White (Snow City BGM)
08. Awakening Morning (Rest at an Inn BGM)
09. Snow Grain (Snowfield BGM)
10. The Great Sekirei Search (Event BGM - Meeting Celsior)
11. Sadness and A Single Teardrop (Sad BGM)
12. Lain's Bar (Lain's Bar BGM)
13. The Monsters' Nest (Dungeon BGM)
14. Confrontation (Midboss BGM)
15. Mysterious Forest (Vocal Version for the Lost Woods BGM)

For the main story, at the start I decided to somehow make it as the soundtrack for an imaginary RPG. So, I tried making RPG-like standard BGMs while imagining how [Sacred Doors] would be if it were made into a RPG. So as for how the story goes, we could break it down (?) into Rudess departing on a journey, meeting Celsior, and sub-events triggering while he temporarily stays at Lain's bar.

Yuragu Sora -Sacred Doors Vol. 0- / December 2002

Story

There once was a boy who, could listen to the voices of the Elementals and see them when normal people couldn't even see them, and even had the mysterious power of making flowers bloom, all because he received a strong influence from the powers of the Elementals at birth. Having these extraordinary powers made people to give him weird looks and soon enough, they caused him to be ostracized from everyone else. Fearing this could bring harm to his loved ones, the boy turned his back on his hometown and left on a journey. His heart eventually was set upon living as a Bard that knew the truth about the world and who would convey these truths to the people in song. During his journeys around the world, he met all sorts of people and Elementals, and he walked while making into song the legends and cultures he came in contact with.

And a certain day during his journeys, rain started falling when he was setting up camp in the forest near the Temple of Water in Repthys. As he tried to shelter himself under the trees' shades, two little boys (Rudess and Eriu, who were four and five years old at the time respectively) noticed his presence and guided him to the orphanage where they lived. Once they were before the hearth's warmth, he started singing to both boys in gratitude for allowing him to spend the night at their home. His song was the truth about this world, and about the destiny that awaited them...

Tracklist

1. Song of Beginnings
2. Trembling Sky
3. Festival of the Spirits
4. Mysterious Forest
5. Vestiges of the World
6. To You, Small Ones

This is a CD that touched upon the world setting of [Sacred Doors], as it is the songs that Rudess and Eriu heard from the Bard. The [Vol. 0] means this is a work that depicts the world itself, and that it serves as a prequel to the story proper. Tracks 1 to 4 are folk songs the Bard came to know, as well as also being truths and consciousnesses he felt during his travels, while track 5 is a song in which the Bard sang out his own feelings, and track 6 is a song that the Bard sang for Rudess and Eriu, in which he prophesied their destiny. By the way, while the Bard that made an appearance on this CD also makes an appearance in the CD jacket for [Maple Leaf Box], the girl with the chestnut-colored hair that appears on the back cover is his childhood friend, who accepted the powers he had back when he still lived in his hometown. As painful as it was to him, he couldn't let a girl who smiled as kindly as she did be hurt any more than she had already been, so he resolved himself to leave his hometown without telling anyone and never return to it. It's possible the Bard may end up meeting again with Rudess and his friends at some point in the main story of Sacred Doors.


Wyrdrad no Shirabe -Sacred Dors another tale- / August 2008

Tracklist

1. Into the Sunny Place
2. Wings of Oblivion
3. The Day Winter Ends
4. A Song Played in the Empty Sky
5. Geofu
6. Two Roads

There once was a girl called Rose Alicia, who had a mysterious power (perception) due to having received a very strong influence from the Elementals' powers at birth. As her overly strong sensitivity caused her heart to be hurt, not to mention she was also hurt by the people, she was always alone. She was a person who could touch both the memories of the lost world and the voices of the Elementals, but she just kept on living while covering her ears from the words that were always coming to her.

However, things changed for her when she met a music troupe. It was then that she realized that she could bring enjoyment to the people by making the voices of the world she had kept hidden into fantastical stories. At times, her songs brought out nostalgia, at times they brought out sympathy, and at times they inspired the imagination of her listeners, and so she gained the acceptation of many as an entertainer. Thus, was her heart saved. She had been saved by the music and by her companions, and while she never considered herself as a person who had the mission of transmitting the memories of the world to others, she still allowed these memories to ride into the music and become songs.

It was then that she heard rumors about the Bard. Having learned he was a person who could feel the same memories she did, she ended up meeting him. It was the first time she had met someone who knew the same pain and loneliness she had known. However, for some reason he chose to keep singing alone and by himself. As Rose had been saved from the loneliness by the songs, she invited the Bard to join the music troupe she was part of to save him from his own loneliness. The Bard refused, and left these words with her as he walked away smiling:

"...For your songs to imprint the truth upon this world."

Characters

Rose Alicia

"I... want to keep singing here."

Female. 14 years old. Vocalist.
A girl who has a mysterious power (perception) due to having received a very strong influence from the Elementals' powers at birth. While this caused her to lose a variety of things and made her close off her heart, thanks to having met the music troupe, she became able to accept her true self, she found the place she belongs to and she started regaining her own natural brightness little by little. Singing itself was what saved her... Her happy and gentle singing figure has filled the hearts of many with warmth.

Edilea Nopsys

"Hey you guys! You've got to join your hearts more as you play! Goodness..."

Female. 45 years old. Percussionist and chorus singer.
The original vocalist, and the person who invited Rose to join the troupe. She is the founder and the leader of the troupe. While she was a popular singer, known around the region when she was young, a certain incident caused her to be unable to sing, and only Grand kept playing the piano at her side while the other members left them.

Grand Nopsys

"...You're the new kid, right? Well, welcome aboard."

Male. 48 years old. Cembalist.
The husband of the troupe leader, and its first member. A seriously taciturn man. While he always obeys the troupe leader's orders without complaining, he never seems to be displeased about it. (Because he has an absolute trust and love for her.)

Julie Alpha

"I believe that music connects the hearts for sure"

Male. 16 years old. Accordionist.
He originally was the child from a notorious family in the High Residential Zone of Nardie. But after his parents died five years ago in a certain incident, he left his home and ever since, he has worked as a performer alongside his twin Merrie to make ends meet.

Merrie Alpha

"I don't want to be a burden for anyone. I want to keep walking with my own feet."

Female. 16 years old. Violinist.
She decided she wouldn't cry again ever since she left her home with Julie, and she has firmly kept this resolution. During their travels, they happened to bump into Edilea and her group, and after opening their hearts to them, Edilea welcomed them into the troupe.

Tule Macrode

"Me? Well you know, I play so I can bring some brightness to this daaark world!"

Male. 27 years old. Contrabassist.
Having "Smiling's gonna bring good luck to ya!" as his motto, he has a bright personality overflowing with optimism. However, he lost a precious one to a sickness, and he keeps playing the contrabass because she really loved music.

Acqua Pulse

"Musical instruments are really honest, you know? The hearts of their players are reflected in their sounds."

Female. 32 years old. Guitarist.
She applied for a position at the troupe and joined because she was captivated by the gentle sounds that Edilea and Grand played together, saying she wanted to make music alongside them. She is the third member of the troupe.

[Wyrdrad], a music troupe that lives in the world of [Sacred Doors]. A traveling music troupe that has gathered fresh members, each of their feelings entwining to make up a story. "another tale" merely means that this is a work that takes place outside the main story, and the setting for the CD is that the songs recorded in it are played by the troupe themselves. Track 1 is a song Rose herself sings about her feelings for the troupe, tracks 2 and 4 are the world's truth and future she has felt, track 3 is sung from the viewpoint of Julie and Merrie, track 5 is the combination of Edilea and Grand's feelings, and track 6 is the song that the Bard that Rose met sings while thinking of her. The Bard that appears here is the same person that previously appeared in [Yuragu Sora]. Additionally, what tracks 2 and 4 are singing about are fragments from the story of Rudess and company. As for whether Rose is predicting these events, she is singing them as fantastical stories without realizing they are the world's words, but the truth is hidden in them.



Hello everyone. I'm Hiyama Nao, and I'm the one in charge of the projects and original stories for tieLeaf.
The tieLeaf side is called the [Neji-Book], and here we will give an introduction the works and world of the [Nejimaku Tsuki] series.

First things first, [Nejimaku Tsuki] is an original story I made back when I was still a student, and it finally became an actual work when I had the chance to start working alongside Sorano-san. Based on that, we started collaborating with Shimotsuki-san and we put out stories for it in a variety of ways under the tieLeaf name. While there were times where I had to stop working on it due to personal circumstances, I still want to keep writing for this world for a long time, so I'll keep creating material for it from now on. Even if it is in this way, that's how precious a work it is to me.

Its setting is a fantasy world called [Lag-Quara]. While we have a detailed setting of how the world is made up, unfortunately we couldn't explain it in full due to the number of pages in this booklet. But as I plan to keep creating material for it from now on and wherever I might be, as long as I keep doing so, there might be a time in which I'll reveal them to the public even if tieLeaf disappears. Those interested in the setting, please go to my personal website, or to the tieLeaf site.

Also, there is a possibility the setting and story may suffer from several changes when they are combined with the media whenever we develop something new. As this booklet is in the end is an initial setting draft, if you can enjoy to the point it makes you treeeemble, that would make me happy. See you!

Nejimaku Tsuki (Main Story): Still unreleased by this point in time (2009). This is a preview to its story and characters.
Tsukioi no Toshi: Announcement version released in 2004, collaboration CD released in 2005, special edition released in 2008.
Hanahiraku Souten: Manga released in 2005. Currently being made into a game.
Tsuisou no Mado: Short novel and CD released in 2009.

■Neji-Book Side:
Original Idea - Text - Design: Hiyama Nao / Illustrations: Sorano Ao
■SD-Book Side:
Original Idea - Text - Design: Shimotsuki Haruka / Illustrations: Fujimura Ayumi - Hidari - Sorano Ao - Design: Hiyama Nao / Sorano Ao


Side [Nejimaku Tsuki]
Lag-Quara

I oular i neej rin ar lef su i Lag-Quara.
The Spiral-Coiling Moon Engraves the Moon's Waxing and Waning...

The general title to the [Fantasy World Lag-Quara]'s story.

When you close your eyes, and when you cover your ears, you will see and hear the world.

The [Symbol] that weaves countless fantasies.


Nejimaku Tsuki - Still Unreleased by 2009

Prologue

Upon the islands floating in the skies is the Kingdom of Celestara, which received the protection of the Goddess' Wings, and which connects and protects everything. Cielio, who was born from the current King and his third wife, Sacher, was estranged from the Royal Palace and sent to live in one of the villas owned by his mother's family, the House of Wisteria.
The Wisteria Region comprised a small floating island located to the west of the Royal Capital. While it was a backwater town compared to the Royal Capital, it had also become an estranged and peaceful island ever since it got involved in the kingdom's territorial disputes.
Cielio had the power to connect his heart with those of other people. He the power to absorb all their feelings without anything obstructing them, even their hatred and sadness. He was the sort of child that would be feeling all sorts of emotions deep within while showing a smile to everyone else.
Naturally, as he also spent most of his time all alone, he felt it was annoying to exchange words with others. It couldn't have been any different though, given his ability to sense others' emotions without even needing to converse with them.
A day when he was six years old, he was summoned to the Royal Palace to congratulate his sister from a different mother, Princess Soficia for becoming engaged, and it was then he saw his sister face to face for the first time. His sister was a kind and beautiful young woman. When he touched her warm cheeks for the first time, Cielio felt his heart melting away. A day when they were drinking red tea, just the two of them, his older sister started saying out of nowhere:
"Maybe I'm lying to my own feelings? Could my own arrogance be what makes me think I want to save that person? Or is it that I just want someone to save me...?"
"That person...?"

Without paying any mind to Cielio's question, Soficia placed a small box upon the table.
"This is called an orgel. It's stopped right now, but if you coil its spiral like this... Look, it plays a song. And it can do that as many times as you want it"
And as a sad smile formed upon her lips, Soficia gave the small box to Cielio.
"I'll give it to you as a birthday gift"
Cielio's curiosity gave way for him to make the orgel play its song many times. Just like his sister said, its song began many times, and many times it came to an end.
That night, Cielio had a very vivid dream.
He was in place where Lip-Aura flowers could be seen all over. And in the middle of that blue carpet, there was something that didn't fit with the rest of the place: it was a young man that had golden hair and golden eyes. For some reason, that made him feel uncomfortable. Cielio felt his intention was the complete opposite to his own.
And then, Soficia appeared out from nowhere and walked to the man, and as a happy smile showed on her lips, she extended her hand to him.
Having a bad feeling about this, Cielio tried to stop her. However, his voice didn't get through to her. He was unable to even catch an illusion.

The next day, Soficia suddenly disappeared. That was the last time he ever saw her.
Many years passed afterward, and Cielio never opened the orgel again.
No matter how many years went by, he kept regretting it. He wanted to go back to that day and see his sister once again. Even if he couldn't stop her, he wanted to make sure about what Soficia could have been feeling back then.
Why did she disappear like that without telling anyone? Why did she entrust him with this orgel? Who was "that person" she wanted to save?
He had the feeling that if he had asked his sister these questions, he could have saved her.

When he turned 16 years old, Cielio dreamt once again about the Lip-Aura flower field.
And in the middle of that sight that hadn't changed despite so much time having passed, he saw a little girl that resembled her sister, who was plucking away the flowers' petals as she sang a song.

A single truth is within countless lies.
Allow a different song to ride upon the same melody.
Allow a different story to ride upon the same world.
Coil the spiral as many times as you like.
Make the spiral play its song as many times as you like...

"What do you wish for?"
The girl asked when she noticed Cielio's presence.
"My wish is..."


Characters

Cielio W. Erceles

"Because I don't remember it, it's possible I was who killed my sister..."

Male. 16 years old. Prince of Celestara, and third in the line of succession for the throne. As his mother was originally a Song Priestess from a low-standing region, there are many that don't recognize him as a candidate to the throne, so he is constantly subjected to harsh criticism. While he normally lives in a small villa located in a faraway little island, he seeks the original owner of the orgel his older sister, Soficia gave to him prior to her disappearance ten years ago.


Atie

"Hey, what's the thing you want the most, Cielio?

Female. Unknown age. A mysterious lost girl who appears and disappears upon the island where the Lip-Aura flowers bloom. She really likes plucking the Lip-Aura flowers' petals to divine the future with them. Her face and voice resemble those of Princess Soficia, Cielio's older sister, and she is emotionally attached to him for some reason.


Fortiss Patin


"Hey Cielio! Remember I'm your pal!"

Male. 17 years old. A cousin of Cielio's mother. They are childhood friends because they grew together in the Wisteria Family's mansion, and he is the only person Cielio recognizes as a friend. As he is the third son to the current Foreign Affairs Minister, he has a natural sense for social life. He acts like an overprotective older brother to Cielio.


Elea Amaranth

"My older brother is like a natural enemy for all of humankind. You should get it as soon as you see his face and sort of personality"

Female. 17 years old. The eldest daughter to the Amaranth family. She has a weak constitution due to an intractable disease, so she is a girl that has led a sheltered life to the point she has never set a foot outside her own house. However, she doesn't exude that sort of atmosphere when she speaks, so she has the sort of personality that would lead anyone to doubt her condition.
While she holds an uncommon hostility and distrust toward her older brother, the reasons for it are unknown at the moment.


Rizel Amaranth

"If you stare at me like that, it's possible you'll end up falling for me"

Male. 26 years old. Adopted by the Amaranth family and thus, Elea's older brother. Currently employed as a magician in the Edelia Kingdom's Royal Sorcery Institute. While he is always smiling, treats everyone kindly, and generally gives a good treatment to everyone he meets, there is something that feels off about his behavior. As for Elea, she felt he changed to a shocking degree after he broke up with his lover.


Tsukioi no Toshi -Sono Te ga Katadoru Sekai- (Side-Story)

The story of Rizel, the boy who inherits the Will of [Ecliss], and Princess Soficia.

Prologue

The name of that city is [Ecliss].
It is a world that had been sealed away for eternity
due to the sins that were committed long ago.
The City of Demise
where the ones that go to die are confined...

The City of Death Ecliss was a magical capital that fell into ruin many years ago. Rizel, who lived in a small village next to a forest, was a boy that was supposed to become the Protector of the city that sank into a lake, Ecliss, and that had been born as Sardine's son.
Whenever Rizel lied on his back and closed his eyes, every night he would dream about a girl called Elthia who sang curses from within his dreams, which meant he was trying to escape his fate.

On the other hand, there was the Kingdom of Celestara that was located on the skies.
Amecius, who was the crown prince and thus the first in the succession line to the throne, was found guilty of rebellion against the crown and sentenced to be locked in prison for life.
At the end of this secret trial, Amecius' younger sister, Princess Soficia heard that her brother had committed suicide within his prison cell, and believing in Amecius' innocence, she decided to find the truth that had been kept hidden through her own power.

Both would meet again at [Ecliss] several years later.

Action and Emptiness, Prayer and Curse, Future and Death.
As if they were unable to comprehend where both of their paths will take them,
The same night wears on again.

About This Work:
 
This is a work that we tieLeaf presented as a vocal collaboration album. While making this story the way we did, in which the information concerning it is limited to pictures, lyrics, sounds, a scarce amount of setting materials and a few short stories, is quite counterintuitive, on the other hand that seems to have allowed a lot of people to expand their imaginations.
As this is a story that serves as a prequel taking place ten years prior to the [Nejimaku Tsuki] where Cielio is the protagonist, it places the spotlight upon Soficia and Rizel when he was a teenager, as well as their feelings and the complex relationship they both share. Where and how did Rizel and Soficia meet each other? Why did Soficia disappear? How did it all end?
While of course this will all be answered in [Nejimaku Tsuki], these are also stories I'd like to write down using other media. (Hiyama)

Characters

Rizel Amaranth

"It's not weird I can't just smile indiscreetly. Smiling can only be done when you have enough strength for it."

Male. 16 years old. Student. First-person pronoun used: Ore or Boku. Hair and eye color: Golden hair, golden eyes. Hobbies: Part-time working, riding.

A young man severely burdened due to having been born as Sardine's son while also having the power of Ecliss flow strongly through his blood. He goes by his adoptive father's surname. He is always running late and at times even misses his classes at the Magic Academy. While his grades are excellent, his progress and graduation are in severe risk due to not having enough attendances in his record. And under the excuse of making up for his absences, the principal ordered him to undertake an absurd task. He despises everything that has the Ecliss name, even his real father, even more than he hates raw fish. He thinks that his father doesn't love him and that instead, he loves Elthia, the girl who always appears within his dreams.

Soficia R. Erceles

I think that my uncle knows I'm in love with Rizel.

Female. 17 years old. Princess. First-person pronoun used: Watashi. Hair and eye color: Black hair, purple eyes. Hobbies: Daydreaming, crossdressing her younger brother, dressing as a man

The Princess of the Heavenly Kingdom of Celestara. While she underwent an engagement ceremony with a duke that was also her cousin before ultimately rejecting him, said duke didn't mind it in the slightest and just thought the Princess had gone through with the ceremony only because it was her duty. Due to being inflexible and stubborn, she tends to rush into things without thinking. She isn't good at dealing with indecisive and effeminate men. She loves making her cute-faced little brother Cielio wear dresses. And apparently, she disguises herself as a man whenever she sneaks out from the castle.

Elthia

"...Leozet..."

A mysterious girl who appears within Rizel's dreams (the city of Ecliss) and allows him to listen to her songs. She is always smiling. It is due to her that Rizel is always suffering from sleep deprivation.

Cielio

"..."

Soficia's younger brother and a prince. 6 years old.

Cius

"Well well, aren't you too honest, oh master?"

Male. Unknown age. Deceased. First-person pronoun used: Ore. Hair and eye color: Black hair, purple eyes.

A fragment from a Will that saved Rizel when he was a kid, and who should have disappeared long ago. In simpler terms, he is a ghost. While he seems to be a Celestaran, he has lost almost all his memories due to being incomplete. He is always roaming around the place inside Rizel's dreams (the city of Ecliss).

Sardine Eclosse

"If everything were to remain here, letters alone wouldn't be enough for it, don't you think?"

A magician and Rizel's true father. His hobby is collecting rare items from around the world and recording any events that have happened. He personally hates the Kingdom of Celestara. While he dotes on his son Rizel in his own peculiar way, the distorted way in which he demonstrates it has caused Rizel to hate him.


Hanahiraku Souten - [Comic Enclosed with Tsukioi no Toshi]

The record of a certain magician who perished alongside the Ecliss (Girl of Death) that loved the demonic flower.

Prologue

[Elthia_Lag_Ecliss] was the Protector of Ecliss back when the city still existed in the outside world, and she also served as its final Protector.

[Ecliss] is one of the Wills of the Goddess of Creation, Artia, and it holds the meaning of [Release].
It is one of the grand elements that give shape to this world: Lag-Quara. It is fate itself: the force that puts the threads of life into motion and soon enough, brings death to them.
In other words, it has the power to bring destruction upon everything through the passing of time.

Those people whose bodies lodged the strongest manifestation of the power of [Ecliss] were the Protectors of Ecliss: they would be given the name [Lag_Ecliss] and despite being born humans, they would be treated as a part of the Goddess.
These powerless humans were in deep love with the Goddess.
There was a meaning to the mere existence of those bearing the Lag_Ecliss name. The mission of the ones bearing that name was to be treated as an object of reverence in the Temple.

A settlement expanded around the Temple, as if it were clinging to it, until its population increased into the order of the thousands and became a city.
The people sought even more power and desired the truth. They even crossed the boundaries of the taboo to approach the realms of the divine.

The city protected by [Ecliss].
In other words, as the city that controlled even death...
....Ecliss was truly prosperous.

Tsuisou no Mado

A story of sealed memories told by a former Singing Priestess.

Prologue

Even now, I'm having a confusing dream.

Was that choice the best course I could have taken? Or was I mistaken?
There are things you can never undo, no matter how much you worry about them. I can never go back to that day now.
While I knew that the pain caused by the regrets was going to be no more than an obstacle to me as I kept walking to a new future, for some reason my heart kept standing still.
What could have been waiting for me at the end of the path I didn't choose?
But still, I kept imagining and pondering many times the words [that person] kept silent about, and about what he could have said next. They should have been something leading from that room that was sealed away for eternity to a new path we are supposed to follow.
It is an unknown window that could have been open, but that I have already erased myself.
I saw the place illuminated by the lost moon being reflected even more vividly than it was in reality.

That was the day when some impossible memories were engraved.

Tsukioi no Toshi Liner Notes

Nota: una traducción al español vendrá posteriormente para estos liners.


Okay, it might have been a long time ever since the album was first released, but here are the liner notes for the first album released for tieLeaf's Lag-Quara series: Tsukioi no Toshi. Consider this as as a sort of preparation work for the upcoming translation I'll be doing for the Sacred Doors/Lag-Quara booklet that was released with the CD that included acoustic arrangements for Yuragu Sora and Tsukioi no Toshi.


tieLeaf Information Paper No. 02
[Sardine]
Released on C69, 12.30.2005
 
Pleased to meet you and hello! This is Hiyama Nao, writing the preface for the second issue of the tieLeaf Information Paper [Sardine]. This time, I want to thank you for having bought the original fantasy collaboration project CD & Book [Tsukioi no Toshi]! As this is a work filled to the brim with the fantasy elements I love so much, it would make me really happy if you enjoyed it.
Well then, I'll take advantage of this chance to introduce the page to the [tieL] I made alongside Sorano Ao. tieL (http://tiel.jp) itself is a doujin circle that we established in order to give form to our own original work called [Nejimaku Tsuki]. And we recently established the collaborative creation circle [tieLeaf] with composer Ms. Shimotsuki Haruka (MapleLeaf), so in summary, given I'm involved with all of those activities at the same time, if anybody out there is interested in checking out tieLeaf's activities, that would make me really happy.
※These pages contain both the liner notes and the postcript to [Tsukioi no Toshi]. They may contain spoilers and could possibly also shatter your image? of it. Please proceed with caution.

Tsukioi no Toshi (Nejimaku Tsuki)
Main Characters & Story
It might be redundant to say it, but these are the setting documents for it. (by tieL)

Story
The name of that city is [Ecliss].
It is a world that was eternally sealed away
due to the sins that were committed long ago.
The City of Demise
that ends the lives of those who are about to die...

Elthia
The protector of Ecliss from a thousand years ago. An especially created girl who can see Ecliss' memories and future. She is laid-back, gentle and is always smiling. But because Ecliss' power to cause internal hemorrhages was too strong, she caused the people around her to fall ill and die soon after just by existing. She loves dances and songs even more than eating, but she loves Ecliss more than anything else. She has waited, and continues to wait in Ecliss for a [certain something] she has never been able to obtain.

Sardine
Rizel's true father. As a relative of Elthia's, he is the successor to the House of Ecliss. He staunchly believes himself to be a genius magician. He is the only human that can maintain his own body and presence of mind even around Elthia. While he is saddled with a heavy dissatisfaction due to Elthia's care being pushed onto him, he never leaves Elthia herself alone. He has a hobby of collecting rare items from around the world. He personally hates the Kingdom of Celestara. While he dotes on his son Rizel in his own way, the slightly twisted way in which he demonstrates it has caused Rizel to hate him.

Ciel
A prince from Celestara. Sofia's younger brother from a different mother. However, there are many rumors being whispered about his origins, so the truth behind them is still uncertain. So while he lived outside the kingdom in his mother's house ever since he was born, he was recently summoned out of nowhere to a royal villa located near the Royal Palace. Ever since, he plays with his sort-of older sister. He was given an orgel through unclear circumstances. As he was ordered to take good care of it, he obediently treasures the orgel.

Cius
One of the Phantoms that exchanged the Pledge of the Protector with Rizel at the city of Ecliss. His thoughts and wishes are mostly shrouded in mystery at the present. While it seems (according to Cius himself) that he had excellent sword skills due to having impressive reflexes when he was still alive, as he unfortunately does not have a body, he has no other enjoyment aside of mocking Rizel now.

Soficia
The Princess from the Celestial Kingdom of Celestara. Her nickname is Sofia. Due to being inflexible and stubborn, she tends to rush into things without thinking. Her favorite type of men are macho and easy-going ones. She seriously dreams not about being taken away by a [prince riding on a white horse], but by a [macho man who ran throughout the floating islands on his bare feet]. She hates indecisive and effeminate men. However, she loves making her cute(-faced) brother put on dresses.

Rizel
Sardine's son. A boy that has been saddled up with many worries due to having Ecliss' blood running through his veins. Due to his consciousness being pulled in by Ecliss, he frequently runs late for school and falls asleep during the classes. While his grades alone have earned him the top spot in the class, his graduation is in serious danger due to not having enough attendances on his record. In order to make up for it, he found himself in the predicament of being forced to study abroad in the Kingdom of Celestara with no other options available. Due to his fastidious personality, he is quite careless about the relationships he establishes with other people. He despises everything related to the Ecliss name, especially his true father, more than he hates raw meat and fish.

Tsukioi no Toshi Liner Notes
Tu zet ol nam o Ecliss. Tu o i quara einal lefs li i sis vi dir. Eca hu o sequa, lei ol zet...
 
01. Nejjmaku Tsuki -Sinal "ar ol "ir"-

A track that expressed a world in which the Goddess winding up the spiral coil served as its whole beginning, which incorporates orgel motifs. I also took into consideration the secret ambience given by the sound, as if the soundless world that existed until the orgel emitted its first sound was being washed away at the same time its song starts playing. I have the feeling that it was decided from the project's start that we wanted to start with Nejimaku Tsuki and thus we set it as the CD's first track. Having an orgel that plays a song I made myself is an once-in-a-lifetime treasure. After all, you can never have too many of the things like the delicate mechanical sounds and the like that you can only get from recording the real thing. (Shimotsuki)
 
The first Will that served as the beginning to the world and the story, which has joined with the act of [winding up the orgel's coil]. It is pretty romantic that the orgel plays predetermined sounds when its coil is wound up (what?) The subtitle means [You, My Precious]. By the way, [Nejimaku Tsuki] is also the title of [Tsukioi no Toshi]'s original work. As for [Nejimaku Tsuki] itself, there are many things we intend to unveil in the future, so while we can't talk about them for the time being (Sorry!), these have become tracks that will give you a lot to ponder about. Live orgels are the greatest! (Hiyama)
 
02. Tsukioi no Toshi -Leozet_Lag_Ecliss-
Lyrics: Hiyama Nao
Composition & Arrangement: Shimotsuki Haruka

The eponymous track to this CD. This song was filled with challenges for me, as not only did I arrange it myself, it was also the first time I made an arrangement using live instruments. While the melody is like always a full-throttle one made by me (*laughs*), given it got the tastes of several living people added to it, I wonder if that didn't introduce some liveliness into the melody or make it more exciting. Rather, it feels as if I had arranged it alongside the performers. It was really fun! The song ultimately has the viewpoint of the narrator, so I took in account the world's atmosphere and placed a special emphasis in a transparent feeling as I sang it. (Shimotsuki)
 
[Tsukioi no Toshi], and thus the eponymous song. We put it together while keeping in mind the announcement video, the manga and the story's setting. And while it would get too long if we were to talk about the lyrics, we can summarize them as them being as if they were talking about Leozet from Rizel's viewpoint, as if he were looking from inside to inside at himself from the outside (?). And it also feels as if we had included an entirely different atmosphere only for the hook part. This song is also filled with memories about impossible-to-understand requests I made to Haruka-san, like [make it feel as if we were awakening from a dream here] or [make it feel as if everything had vanished at once here], even though I had gone to the study just to learn by observation when we recorded this song. I'm sorry for all that. (Hiyama)
 
03. Sousei to Shuuen -"Lei" ol Lag-Quara-
Lyrics: Hiyama Nao
Composition: Shimotsuki Haruka
Arrangement: Shimotsuki Haruka & Takumaru

I wanted to musically express somehow the part of the setting that stated that the combination of Holy and Evil magic becomes Creation Magic, so I tried to combine two different melodies and singing styles for it. The clear hymn-like style represents the Holy side, while the Bulgarian voice-like style gives off the image for the Evil side. And a part which I personally obsessed myself with was how, from among all that chaos, at the end the highs and lows in the sound are inverted and they finish the song off with the same phrase. (*laughs*) (Shimotsuki)
 
A single Goddess' game, in other words this is the song for the world setting of Lag-Quara. While it is entirely sung in a constructed language, it doesn't include its translation to Japanese. For this song's setting, I requested it to give off a [feel of how light and darkness pull upon each other and ultimately combine with each other, becoming a great power]. By the way, I'll be posting a partial extract from a Japanese version of [Sousei] on the site in which the progress for the collaboration project [Nejimaku Tsuki] is going at a laid-back pace. (Hiyama)
 
04. Hikari to no Kaikou -Sef rin chi sef mie-
Lyrics: Hiyama Nao
Composition: Shimotsuki Haruka
Arrangement: Hosoi Soushi

A full-throttle song made by MANYO-san. No matter where you look, you can never have too many of the key changes it's loaded with (*laughs*) As this song is sung from Sofia's viewpoint, I kept girlish feelings in mind as I sang it. Basically it gives off the feeling of a blighted love and the light of hope that exists even within such an event, so for the second half I put special care into making it give off the feeling of a strong will. I especially love the lyrics for the hook. I love too how it combines with the choruses' meanings. (Shimotsuki)
 
Sofia and Rizel. The parts from the constructed language choruses are the words Elthia herself says. I really love using methods that combine different meanings, so I was really happy while I was writing it. Originally all the parts that say [world] had [you] instead, but as I found it was far too direct when I tried humming them to myself, I ultimately changed them to [world]. So we could say they have now a combined meaning of [(your) world]. The way the song develops after the second hook is something I really love too. The way Haruka harmonizes really makes for a moe song. (Hiyama)
 
05. Hitomi wo Tsugumono -Quara ol "Ecliss"- 
Lyrics: Hiyama Nao
Composition & Arrangement: MANYO

This is the sort of song that goes thundering... and boom! Men wet by the rain are really cool, huh? (What?) As Hiyama asked me things like a fierce battle-like song that gave off a feeling of a fate you can't fight against, I tried to make an eerie and aggressive song of the type that are so rare for me to make. The sprint-like sensation given by Hosoi-san's arrangement also contributes to make this a tension-rising song... And Hiyama's lyrics are erotic too. I think that lyrics that use difficult words are cool and I like them, but I got a bit downhearted from how no-good I was for reading the first lines so many times. (Shimotsuki)
 
The song I got made after I requested a battle song. Rather, we could say this is for the last boss. The burden that Rizel carries on his shoulders is the same one Elthia has. As it is something that is deeply connected with the world, they cannot defy their fate so the world may continue existing. The whispers at the beginning are a conversation they are holding with their own [blood], a soliloquy of sorts. As I wanted the song to strongly bring out not only the cool parts of the people, but also the disgusting parts they have to them, I tried choosing words that would resound in a vivid way. The choruses were pretty difficult for Haruka too. I personally like a lot the sound effects we used here. Having Rizel getting wet by the rain at the beginning was all Haruka's idea. (*laughs*) (Hiyama)
 
06. Seishou -Ar karrra-
Lyrics: Hiyama Nao
Composition & Arrangement: myu

A choral song in which I participated as a member of a wonderful choir. Regardless of how restrictive choral songs might be, I think that myu-san is really amazing, no matter how many times I listen to her songs. This song had the image of the bell of judgment and a chorus that raised their voices all the way up to Heaven. Thanks to the four wonderful singers I had as companions, we could make a reality the image of a large chorus singing inside a church! Thanks! (Shimotsuki)
 
This song has the following setting: [the bell of judgment that rings at the time of death/the weight of these ones' sins being determined by how many times it rings in the world/the bell of destruction, the bell of judgment, the bell of forgiveness/the scales of a Goddess that have different meaning depending on the person/drawing a signpost for those who die]. Again, this is completely sung in a constructed language with no translation to Japanese being published for it. This is the song that plays after reaching the answers to everything in the world. While for this song I also went to the studio to learn by observation, I was deeply moved from having all these singers I personally like so much singing that song for me. Really, thank you very much! (Hiyama)
 
07. Tooi Shoujo e -Jue i fel... sil-
Lyrics: Hiyama Nao
Composition & Arrangement: Takumaru

And for something completely different from the previous song, this is a one-game match song. When I sang it, it clicked (guided by the rhythm) on its own and thus I just submerged myself into singing it without even paying any attention to the melody. The melody and the production atmosphere that still remain in my ears were done by Mr. Ishida Takumaru. However, because (because?) this is Rizel's song, I ended up getting into a dark mood when I submerged myself into singing it and then when I linked it with the sound effects. V_V  So as we wanted to make the song give off such a feeling, let's make it emit that sort of feeling. Let's just do it. (Shimotsuki)

A song that has feelings for that beloved person who is in a faraway place, which you could reach if you extended your hands to them. I personally love a lot the phrases that begin with [A crack suddenly awakened~] For the lyrics I just joined my heart with Rizel's in an honest way and thus I just wrote down the things I felt as they were. In a certain way, this could be the ending theme to [Tsukioi no Toshi]. While I always get healed by Haruka putting so much emotion into the song when she sings, I feel this song could become dangerous if I listened to it too much. (Hiyama)
 
08. Hanahiraku Souten -Ci ol Lip-Aura-
Lyrics: Hiyama Nao
Composition: Shimotsuki Haruka
Arrangement: Takumaru

This song also became the title for the book, and it's the only song that Elthia herself sings. As I wanted to bring out her cuteness, air of mystery and danger, I tried making the melody as airy as I could. The lyrics for the choruses were terrific too. This song has a moe melody that fuses together two different lyric lines too. I also want to thank Mr. Takumaru for having arranged the choruses so many times. Please make sure to check out how it ties in with the manga. (Shimotsuki)
 
Elthia's song that links with the manga. While for the other songs we basically had the image of Elthia singing while looking at the future, for these lyrics it was the opposite: I wrote them down with the image of them being memories (songs) being seen by Rizel. This is also seen story-wise, as the songs going from [Tooi Shoujo e] to [Shiroki Souka] don't lead into each others' events in any form. The choruses (sung in constructed language lyrics) are especially Elthia-filled (?) too. The voice with which Haruka sang the parts that say [Even to me~] is really cute too. (Hiyama)
 
09. Shiroki Souka -Sefin io Ir zel rin ar rin el-
Lyrics: Hiyama Nao
Composition & Arrangement: Hosoi Soushi

As this song has an image of a somehow warm moonlight, it is the song that gives off the image of two people who wish for a brief eternity while they are bathed in the moonlight. As the violin's melody seems to be grieving about the painful and cruel fate, it really sounds like it is crying when you listen to the song. But you can never have enough of how it mysteriously brings about a warm atmosphere and amplifies further that pain. This was made by Hosoi-san too. When I sang it, I did my best too to feel that I'd have liked to be in their same place, sharing that same warmth and pain. (Shimotsuki)
 
Sorrowful memories are already in the past, and your current self isn't the same person your past self was. This song has the following image: while we can't stop the passage of time as it continues going by, we won't ever disappear, as our feelings themselves are eternal, and so they will continue gradually accumulating upon each other and weaving together. While I was trying to keep myself indifferent for the lyrics, I was already at the border of tears between the violin and the vocals. Thus I wrote them down so they would sound as if Rizel's feelings themselves, as if the memories that are being shown to him (Hanahiraku Souten) would both continue going on and on. (Hiyama)
 
10. Nejimaku Tokei ga Tsuki no Michikake wo Kizamu -I oular i neej rin ar lef su i Lag-Quara-
Lyrics: Hiyama Nao
Composition: Shimotsuki Haruka
Arrangement: MANYO

Most likely, this was the first song that took its proper shape in this project. This is the precious song that serves as the main theme to the [Nejimaku Tsuki] that was announced at the same time as this CD. As the melody gave me the feeling that something was coming up short when I tried humming it once I got the lyrics, I think that's why I ended up making a truly sincere melody for it within myself. The arrangement couldn't bring up the images any better than it does, and I really love from it the speedy sensation it gives off and the way it brings to mind the presence of the performers! I think it became a theme song-like piece I could sing without it losing its strength! (Shimotsuki)
 
I wrote the lyrics for this song in the summer of 2002, before Yuragu Sora was released. As these are lyrics into which I put a lot of effort to make a theme song for [Nejimaku Tsuki], I'm really happy they managed to gain this form. As for the song itself, I love too much the hook part, and I think I remember I said too many times "This is a great song!!" (*laughs*) We also included it as track 3 of the preview CD. By the way, [Nejimaku Tokei ga Tsuki no Michikake wo Kizamu] is a title that expresses the story of [Nejimaku Tsuki] just as it is. And while I was the person who gave it that name, I have to say its length caused us a lot of trouble when we were making the lyrics card. (Hiyama)
 
11. Tojirareta Sekai -Eclef ol ar-
 
That the CD ended this way was decided from a long time ago too. I really love tracks in which the sound effects bring out the atmosphere it is supposed to give off. That the orgel is closed out of nowhere and in such a rough way is because Rizel is the one closing it. As I was obsessed with the sound effects to such a detailed degree, I recorded all of them. It was so fun! And I apologize to the sound engineer! (Shimotsuki)
 
I obsessed a lot about the closing sound and the footsteps too. It says... because Rizel has grown this much as a person, he leaves the room quickly. I can't apologize enough to Haruka and the engineer for going along with my obsession for the details. But thanks to your efforts, the track matches the image I was looking for exactly! I even went and said [that sound was made by Rizel himself!] (*laugh*) Anyway, it was really fun. (Hiyama)
 
Hanahiraku Souten (Comic) -Ci ol Lip-Aura-
Original Idea & Scenario: Hiyama Nao
Manga, Illustrations: Sorano Ao

We originally planned this to be a manga of around 30 pages. ...But at some point, the amount of text for it grew to double the size. It's so absurd.
The package colored illustration and the design aspects took too much of the time we had reserved for its creation, so it got to the point where not even a whole month was enough for them... or better said, for over three weeks I was either half-crying or seriously crying as I kept writing and drawing. I'm such a slow writer that even if I kept working on it as if I were to die in the attempt, no number of days would be enough for me to complete something. Or better said, the amount of time we had expected was not enough. I was so deeply indebted to the other staff members that I couldn't allow myself to do it in a half-hearted way, and that only increased more and more the time. I'm really sorry... orz
When I first started sending the data for it to be print out, there were many things I couldn't get used to because of the book's structure itself having a special shape, so while I encountered multiple difficulties, making a spread landscape-format manga book was something I wanted to do for a very long time now, so I had a lot of fun whenever we were actually working on it. On hindsight, I could keep going because I worked while I listened many times to the songs we made for this work's CD part, so I feel it was like a joyful crunch time for me.
This time, I kept working with the goal of depicting a girl's... or better said, Elthia's cuteness, but looks like what ended up actually being cute was the sardine. Why did it turn out like that?
By the way, there is just one thing about this work I've got to play straight guy for, no matter what. I just had to say [at the least could you change into dry clothes, please?] at the part where Sardy pushes Elthia-tan... It would be okay if they were dry, right? Wouldn't it? (Sorano)
 
When I went to submit the script, I said [sorry, I tried to keep it to 30 pages, but it grew to about 40, ehe], when it actually exceeded 70 pages in length at the moment I finished sorting it out. Sorry... I usually focus on the internal part when I'm creating characters, so I mostly leave the visual part to other people, but as I had made a solid image just for Elthia inside myself from the beginning, I was seriously bothered that she wouldn't be this or that way when we got to the character design stage. I'm sorry about that too... But the part of her image I had solidified inside myself was what allowed me to write the scenario so easily. I actually like a lot the atmosphere we established between Elthia and the sardine. As this book serves more as an introduction to the world setting and characters than it does as a single story, I think that maybe it managed to accomplish its purpose quite well.
By the way, the subtitle [Ci ol Lip-Aura] can be directly translated either as [The Blessing of Lip-Aura] or [The Curse of Lip-Aura]. (Hiyama)

Una pregunta/A question

¿Cómo están todos? Espero que bien.

Aunque he estado ocupado últimamente rehaciendo todas las traducciones de letra en el blog después de tres meses de retrasos, por no decir que también he estado rehaciendo mis traducciones más viejas de material de Ar tonelico, quería preguntarles algo...

¿Estarían interesados en que tradujese el booklet que Haruka Shimotsuki sacó con las versiones acústicas de Tsukioi no Toshi y Yuragu Sora? Este booklet es toda la información que existe actualmente sobre el mundo de Sacred Doors y da también una mirada interesante al mundo de Lag-Quara, así que pensé que podría interesarles. Sientánse libres de decirme que piensan en comentarios o a través de mi Facebook o Twitter.

¡Estaré esperando sus respuestas!

----------------

How have you all been? I hope well.

Even though I've been busy lately remaking all the lyrics translations in the blog after a three month-long delay, not to mention I've also been remaking mi older Ar tonelico-related material translations, I've wanted to ask you all something....

Would you all be interested in translating the booklet that Haruka Shimotsuki released alongside the acoustic versions of Tsukioi no Toshi and Yuragu Sora? That booklet contains all the information currently available about the Sacred Doors world, and it also gives some interesting insights about the Lag-Quara world, so I thought you all could be interested on it. Feel free to tell me what you think through comments here, through my Twitter or my Facebook.

I'll be looking forward to your replies!

Review - Ciel nosurge: Ushinawareta Hoshi e Sasagu Uta

Y aquí vamos con las reviews para el dueto de Surge Concerto, empezando con Ciel nosurge.

Ciel nosurge: Ushinawareta Hoshi e Sasagu Uta

Cover:

Título: Ciel nosurge -Ushinawareta Hoshi e Sasagu Uta - (La Canción Ofrecida al Planeta Perdido) en Japón. No fue lanzado en otras regiones.

Fecha de Lanzamiento: 26 de Abril de 2012

Opening:

Trama:

El planeta Ra Ciela se encuentra en crisis, ya que su sol, Bezel se ha vuelto un gigante rojo que constantenmente causa destrucción debido a la emisión de sus vientos solares; y que amenaza con devorar al planeta en sí. Es por esto que el remanente de la sociedad se ha divido entre dos facciones: Tenmon y Chimon, cada una de las cuales ha preparado a una candidata a Emperatriz con la finalidad de que al ascender al trono, se implemente el plan de salvación que cada facción ha estado desarrollando. Sin embargo, la candidata de Tenmon, Ionasal.kkll.Preciel, o Ion como suele llamarse a sí misma, huye tras la ceremonia que marca el inicio de los ritos de sucesión y los tres años de pruebas, quedando sola en un callejón de la ciudad de Manjusara con sus ropas hechas jirones y sin dinero o comida, mucho menos un lugar donde quedarse.

Sin embargo, poco después aparece Ion ante nosotros, los jugadores, en un cuarto extraño, sin recordar nada sobre sí misma además de su nombre y sin saber siquiera como o por qué esta allí. Tras dialogar un rato con ella, los jugadores nos damos cuenta de que tenemos el poder de entrar a su "Mundo de Sueños"y usar criaturas llamadas Sharls para reparar sus memorias. Así nos adentramos en una travesía para recuperar los recuerdos de Ion, averiguar que pasó en su pasado que la llevó a su estado actual y buscar un modo de hacerla salir de dondequiera que esté.

Sistemas de Juego:

En lo que a gameplay respecta, Ciel nosurge es un gran cambio respecto a los Ar tonelico: ya no se trata de un RPG con segmentos de novela visual, sino que es más bien un simulador de comunicación con una novela visual incluida. Por ello, la mayor parte de nuestro día a día solo consta de hablar con Ion al hacer doble toque en la pantalla del PlayStation Vita, mantener el dedo presionado o a través de los menúes con los que cuenta el juego.

Estos menúes también nos permiten pedirle a Ion que cree objetos usando los ingredientes que podemos pedirle que recolecte. Estos objetos también usan recetas que vamos desbloqueando conforme vamos recuperando sus memorias, los cuales incluyen atuendos adicionales para ella, accesorios, nuevos tipos de comida que ella puede añadir a su dieta, Plugins que son equipamiento que puede transferirse posteriormente a Ar nosurge: Ode to an Unborn Star; y finalmente, objetos manufacturados, los cuales se usan en otras sintesis. Sin embargo, también se incluyen objetos clave que son necesarios para terminar la trama del juego, los cuales son más complicados de sintetizar que los demás.

Adicionalmente, podemos pedirle a Ion que mueva la terminal a otra parte del cuarto, nos llame a una hora concreta a modo de despertador o recordatorio; y podemos jugar con ella a piedra, papel o tijeras; charlar con ella o consultar su estado de ánimo, preferencias de comida y nivel de afecto. También podemos volver a escuchar las canciones vocales que hemos visto en sus memorias y cambiar la BGM que suena en su habitación. Sin embargo, Ion tiene su propia rutina y ciclo de tiempo, razón por la cual es posible que haya períodos de tiempo en los que no podamos pedirle nada debido a que esta en el baño, durmiendo o comiendo. Es por esto que se requiere algo de paciencia a la hora de jugar.

También de vez en cuando podremos recibir visitas de la enigmática Nelico, la cual nos dará pistas crípticas acerca del misterio que rodea a Ion; y tarjetas de mundos virtuales a los que podemos invitar a Ion en citas.

Finalmente, podemos pedirle a Ion para hacer Dive en ella y entrar a su Mundo de Sueños, o dicho de otra forma su Genometrics, el cual es el equivalente de Surge Concerto de las Cosmospheres.

Dive:

Una vez dentro de la Genometrics, nos hallaremos en la Dive Gate: un salón circular con doce puertas, cada una de las cuales representa uno de los doce capitulos de los que consta la historia del juego, los cuales deben completarse en orden secuencial: al principio solo estará disponible la primera puerta y las otras once estarán cubiertas por cortinas. Al cruzar el umbral de una de las puertas, veremos que las áreas que representan estan completamente destruidas, motivo por el cual debemos regresar a la Dive Gate y mover la pantalla hacia arriba para acceder al Sharl Nest.

En el Sharl Nest podemos usar la cámara del PlayStation Vita para escanear códigos de barra, lo cual le dará vida a una Sharl. Las Sharls tienen un elemento de cuatro posibles: Agua, Madera, Metal y Tierra, y pueden reparar únicamente el daño correspondiente a su elemento en cada una de las ruinas. Es por esto que solo podemos seleccionar una Sharl cuando decidimos reparar una ruina: las otras son "tomadas prestadas" de otros jugadores (Online) o generadas al azar por el juego usando como base las estadísticas de la Sharl que elegimos (Offline).

Las Sharls también tienen niveles y experiencia: el nivel indica cuanto LP tienen, cuanto tardan en cansarse de reparar, cuanto tardan en regenerar el LP consumido y cuanto pueden reparar de una ruina, todos estos parámetros basados en ciclos de cinco minutos. Si logramos reparar una ruina exitosamente, todas las Sharls involucradas ganarán experiencia, sean nuestras o ajenas; y podremos ver los recuerdos que dicha área involucra o acceder a más ruinas. Sin embargo, si una Sharl se queda sin LP antes de que la reparación concluya, habrá que suspenderla y continuar reparándola luego de que se haya recuperado su LP al máximo, o usar otra Sharl para concluir el trabajo.

Las Sharls también son personalizables, ya que se les pueden comprar Skills que aumentan sus párametros naturales, incluido la posibilidad de traer hasta a cuatro Sharls ajenas para una sola sesión de reparación; y accesorios, los cuales solo sirven para que modifiquemos su apariencia hasta cierto punto. Sin embargo, los colores de piel, atuendos, color de ojos y tamaño de pecho están predeterminados por el código de barras usado para crearla y no pueden alterarse. Además, hay ciertos códigos de barra que crean Sharls especiales, los cuales generalmente son los códigos de productos relacionados con Ciel nosurge, Ar nosurge o Ar tonelico.

Las Skills y los accesorios de las Sharl se compran con HymP, los cuales se obtienen cada vez que se completa la reparación de una ruina; y cumpliendo peticiones que nos hacen las Sharls en el mundo real, la cuales pueden ir desde volver a escuchar una canción o llamar a Ion mientras hace una actividad en particular hasta hacer que ella nos traiga cinco objetos de una recolección o tocarle los pechos. Adicionalmente, las Sharls solo nos pueden hacer una petición cada 24 horas, la cuales se resetean a las 0:00 hora de Japón.

También podemos hacer que las Sharls envíen energía cada 24 horas al Micro Quasar, el cual al alcanzar ciertos montos de energía desbloquea recompensas para todos los jugadores involucrados, los cuales incluyen nuevos accesorios para las Sharl, la posibilidad de transformarlas en otra especie de Sharl, nuevas tarjetas de mundos virtuales e incluso nuevas BGM para el cuarto de Ion.

Cabe mencionar que sólo podemos tener un máximo de seis Sharls al mismo tiempo en el Nest. Si queremos crear más, tendremos que hacer una de dos cosas: la primera despedirnos de una, lo cual nos reintegrará parte del HymP usado en sus Skills y accesorios además de la experiencia que haya ganado, pero también perderá su nivel y todo lo que tenga si la volvemos a crear. La otra es enviar alguna de las Sharls al Annex, en el cual podemos almacenar a todas las Sharls extras que tengamos, pero a cambio no podrán ganar experiencia, reparar ruinas, enviar energía al Quasar o hacernos peticiones.

Ahora bien, en lo que respecta a ver las memorias en la ruinas reparadas, no es nada que no se haya visto antes: se ven como si leyeramos una novela visual, pudiendo dejar que los diálogos avancen solos o cuando presionemos "Next", o abrir el Log para releer los diálogos que ya hemos pasado. Además, al final de cada memoria y de que hayamos regresado el mundo real, tendremos una charla con Ion acerca de las memorias que acabamos de ver, lo cual generalmente desbloquea nuevas recetas.

Online Vs. Offline:

Finalmente, tenemos la diferencia entre ambas versiones: Online es la versión original del juego y la más aútentica en lo que a experiencia se refiere con simular que estamos en una conexión constante con el mundo de Ion, pero esto hace que no podamos controlar el flujo del tiempo, lo cual significa que siempre que Ion este haciendo algo o una ruina este en proceso de reparación tendremos que esperar a que dicha actividad termine en tiempo real. Por otra parte, Online incluye Message Boards y un servicio interno de e-mail para comunicarnos con otros jugadores, así como la posibilidad de seguirlos y que nos sigan. También servía para enviar respuestas a ciertos eventos que Gust llevaba a cabo en la página web del juego, todos los cuales ya han terminado. Sin embargo, Online no incluye todo el juego en un solo paquete: aunque los mundos virtuales extras y rutinas adicionales para Ion son gratuitos, la mitad de los trajes y toda la historia más allá del primer capítulos son DLC pago, lo cual significa que tendremos que desembolsar una buena cantidad de dinero para llegar al final. Y además, Online requiere una conexión permanente a internet mientras estemos jugando, ya que el juego accede a los servidores de Gust cada vez que cargamos una partida salvada, accedemos a las Message Boards y al buzón de e-mail, o cada vez que realizamos cualquier cosa con las Sharls. Y sobra decir que solo hay un slot de salvado y que el juego se guarda aútomaticamente.

Por otra parte, Offline no requiere conexión a internet excepto por aquellas ocasiones en que queramos sincronizar nuestro estado del Micro Quasar con los demás jugadores o para llevar a cabo el SekaiLink (transferir datos para Ar nosurge). Offline también incluye todo el DLC de Online dentro de sí, excepto por las voces para todos los capítulos después del primero, algunos atuendos especiales que se lanzaron en conmemoración del juego; y los DLC premium de Online, que solo pueden ser descargados por aquellos que ya los tuvieran en Online. De modo que económicamente, Offline resulta ser una mejor oferta, dejando de lado el hecho de que se requiere una cuenta de PSN japonesa para poder descargar las voces. Adicionalmente, Offline incluye eventos exclusivos relacionados con las estaciones, atuendos nuevos para Ion y la posibilidad de avanzar el reloj pagando HymP por cada minuto que adelantemos, aunque esto también reduce el realismo de la experiencia.

Opinión Personal:

Aunque pienso que fue de muy mal gusto que Gust pusiera la historia completa tras un muro de pago, igual debo admitir que al precio que costaba cada capítulo no estaba tan mal, dado que cada uno tenía todas las líneas actuadas y varias canciones nuevas, además de que la actuación de los seiyuu es fenomenal. Además la experiencia del juego fue realmente única; y la conexión emocional que forjé con Ion fue más allá que lo que he establecido con cualquier otro personaje. Es por ello que realmente me resultó doloroso cuando llegue al final después de haber pasado un año con ella...
La historia es extremadamente buena, llena de giros inesperados y sorpresas; y el mundo de Ra Ciela es tan detallado como lo es Ar Ciel en Ar tonelico. Musicalmente es toda una delicia, con la mayor parte de las BGM siendo compuestas por Akiko Shikata, pero también estando vocalizado por ella, por Noriko Mitose, por Haruka Shimotsuki; y como adiciones Kuzuki Minami y Yoshino Nanjo. Es por ello que a pesar de todo, recomiendo jugarlo, aunque recomiendo más que todo que si van a hacerlo, se decanten por la versión Offline.

Nota final: 9.5/10
 

¡Y estén pendientes para cuando lo traduzca al inglés!


Y ¡whoa! ¡Este es mi post número 600!