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Saturday, August 1, 2015

Song of the Week! 1 August 2015


Been a while since we last featured a user request on this space eh? This week's is suggested by Yusri, from the chatbox!

Sachi Sachi ni Shite Ageru ♪(さちさちにしてあげる♪) Sachiko Kobayashi (小林幸子)
Version
Allx3 (94)x6 (190)x7 (296)x7 (366)
Taiko 0 Mu, Taiko Wii U 2, Taiko PS Vita, Taiko +
160
J-Pop -> Variety
 3ti3ti


Taiko no Tatsujin has had its fair share of oddball collaborations, but this just ups it to another level! Although on hindsight the collab was probably part of Sachiko's agenda to ignite her popularity among the younger, Internet-savvy crowd (being very active on Nicovideo the past few years and even getting a Vocaloid of her own this year!), never has a Japanese pop star been involved with this rhythm game series in such a big way; with her contributed song, Sachi Sachi ni Shite Ageru, featuring a cartoon version of her on the bottom screen and even a costume named after her to be unlocked!

Sachiko Kobayashi is a Japanese enka singer hailing from Niigata. If you're wondering what enka is, or probably have heard enka songs before but can't really place a description on it, it's basically pop songs, but sung in such a way that it resembles traditional Japanese songs; usually very slow-paced. This woman has had a long history in the genre, releasing singles from as early as 1964 (yes, she's that old), and contributing to many television shows and commercials throughout. Talking about all her various songs and show appearances would take up too much space for this feature, but if you're interested in her portfolio (and can read Japanese), the Wikipedia article should more than suffice.

Her entry into current pop culture is a little odd for a woman her age, but she is holding up fairly well! Thus far, Taiko no Tatsujin has received not one, but two Vocaloid song covers by her (this being a cover of Miku Miku ni Shite Ageru, and the other cover being of Senbonzakura). If you listen closely to the lyrics, they are actually completely altered from the original song; and portrays her as a 'final boss' sort of character; watch the song's music video here! Yup, she's definitely trying her best to get with the times, and it seems to be working.

The 'last boss' part in the lyrics is not just a random line either; she's been called by her fans on Nicovideo as 'Last Boss' ever since she wore an elaborate crane-themed outfit to the 2010 Kohaku (an annual New Year's Eve music festival by NHK) which people compared to a 'last boss' of a videogame. The crane from the 2010 performance can be seen after you pass the Norma on this song in Taiko; Sachi will be standing on it!

For the Taiko collaboration, Sachi Sachi ni Shite Ageru was made available for free on several platforms and also included in the arcade. The reason it's marked as Variety here is due to the song's latest appearance on Taiko V Version, barely a few months after it was put into J-Pop on the three platforms before it. The Oni chart...well, compare it with the original Miku Miku ni Shite Ageru and you'll find that they are almost identical, with Sachi's cover adding in a few clusters here and there.

Sachi Sachi ni Shite Ageru ♪(さちさちにしてあげる♪) Sachiko Kobayashi (小林幸子)
Version
All
x10 (743)
Taiko 0 Mu, Taiko Wii U 2, Taiko PS Vita, Taiko +
160
J-Pop -> Variety
 ???


What's a last boss without a difficult challenge? Sachi Sachi ni Shite Ageru has a 10* Ura Oni chart; the first ever Ura on the J-Pop genre (though it was short-lived as the song marches to the Variety genre) and, although by 10* standards is not considered a very hard song, but still has its difficult bits, with many medium-length clusters, backbeat notes and a fun long stream at the end. Beware the 1/24 Kat streams; those can be major combo breakers.

Speaking of bosses, Sachi and her song is also used in Taiko V Version as a boss battle in its story mode! Guess her reputation is the real deal here.