Have you ever read a novel and wondered, “What music did the author listen to while writing this book/series?” Or have you read a story and recognized one of your favorite game/anime/movie moments and wished you could ask the author if they’d seen that same thing?
I often wonder those things while I read a novel, particularly a novel I enjoy.
In my desire to bring different things to this blog, I thought I’d pull back the curtain and show you some of the things that went into the creation of The Bleeding Worlds. They’ll be a series of posts about the music I’ve listened to while writing, the anime that provided inspiration both thematically and visually, and the myths which formed the backbone of the story.
Depending on my mood, I might even give you a glimpse of the stories that could have been. I’ve mentioned before how both Harbinger and Suture had large chunks of material deleted. I might just let you see what those things were and why I chose to change them. I only say might because a small part of me is afraid you’ll like those ideas better and wish I had kept the material 😐 (Maybe I could do an alternate reality telling like anime/manga often do!)
Songs for a Bleeding World
Today I focus on a song that has been around since early on in the process.
Song: My Dearest
Artist: Koeda, Supercell
From the anime Guilty Crown
The first thing that struck me about the anime Guilty Crown was the visuals. The second, was the music. My Dearest was the opening to the show and there was something both fun, hopeful, and epic about it. The driving beat behind the chorus, surging up and forward, combined with the visual of the main character drawing a powerful sword and soaring through the air amongst missiles, still inspires me.
To be honest, the entire soundtrack has been a constant companion through the first two, and now the third, books. There’s beautiful depth and breadth to the emotions the various songs evoke. But it all comes back to My Dearest, which was the track that hooked me on the show, and the music, from the start.
The song is by a group called Supercell, who first shot to fame using a Vocaloid as their lead singer.
As an aside, if you’re not familiar with Vocaloids, they are computer programs that are pitched with different voices. A musician can input words and then assign pitches to each syllable. The program then “sings” the words.
Here’s a video from Supercell’s earlier days using the Vocaloid Hatsune Miku
It’s not horrible, but you can tell there’s something a little…off with the singer. Then again, with all the auto tune in North American pop music nowadays, this doesn’t sound too crazy.
Anyhow, about the time Supercell did My Dearest, they had taken the band in a new direction and were using living, breathing, human, singers. The results never tire me.
Here’s the official music video for My Dearest so you can hear the song in its entirety.
So there’s post one. I hope it was at least a little entertaining. The next will be on an anime that helped inspire The Bleeding Worlds!