Spoiler Playthrough: Byakuren & Nue (Scene 12)
32"I'm sowies :x"
High Definition (For unknown quality)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXPpSWp7T8Y&fmt=22
High Quality (For karmic quality)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXPpSWp7T8Y&fmt=18
A video of me photographing the unknown beings, Byakuren Hiziri and Nue Houjuu.
Byakuren and Nue (probably pronounce nu-eh) are the Scene 12 bosses of the game Double Spoiler, the 12.5th installment of the Touhou Project and sequel to Shoot the Bullet. The Touhou Project is a danmaku shooter series of improbable popularity acquired via unknown methods. The craftsman of this witchcraft is a shady guy named ZUN.
This is it, the last numbered scene in the game. Here Aya Shameimaru (or facey, if you swing that way) face off against a saint and a demon. I did told you that the first time I saw Nue, not knowing what she was, I thought she was a demon, right? Is hard to tell what these youkais are.
Anyways, these two individuals don't really have much in common to talk about. Apparently Nue knew Byakuren before her capture. Don't know how; don't know when (other than before the capture). All we know is that she resides in Byakuren's temple and enjoys playing pranks. But I'll stop talking, since I'll have a lot of time, particularly for Nue, to talk about them.
I used two songs here: the last one is a rendition of Nue's stage theme and main theme. It was made by the circle Innocent Key. At least for me, they are mostly known for their PVs rather than their actual music. I think they are the ones who make the PVs. Maybe I'm wrong.
The other song is probably one of the most famous arranges of "Emotional Skyscraper". "White Lotus..." by Liz Triangle, featuring, of course, lovely lily-an. This was the song that pulled me into Liz-Triangle. I find it one of the most beautiful arranges ever made, making "Skyscraper" one of the most beautiful songs in Touhou and competing with "Border of Life" for first place. In my opinion, of course.
Originally the main song for the video was going to be "White Lotus...-piano-", but due to the passive and melancholic nature of the song, it didn't fit well. I considered using the happier version of "White Lotus", but it was too upbeat. Since I needed another arrange to fill the spaces, I searched for "Heian Alien" arranges. Most of "Heian Aliens" arrange are too quirky or somber or both. There was no middle ground. "Concealed" was the closest I got to a middle ground and I'm satisfied, since "Romance in the Night Sky" deserves more recognition.
I have to give a special mention apart to Liz Triangle, since this is the fourth time they will be featured in the playthrough and recently discovered not the last, since the circle itself will be used one more time and lily herself two times. They are definitely one of the giants when it comes to Touhou vocals, knowing how to make the voice the main instrument in their music. Particularly kaztora and lily-an, which are the main arranger and vocalist respectively. I applaud them. Seriously, they do a terrific job and lily is without doubt my favorite female vocalist in the Touhou circles, makings songs with emotions. Any Touhou music fan should give them a listen, IMO. Also, lily-an is the one responsible for the illustration of the cover. So talented =o
I want to close with a mention to the artist: The process of finding an opening picture for the video wasn't looking to be easy. Throughout the vids, I had mainly tried to use pictures where all the characters appear in one pic, since this allows for the harmony between the pics to be maintained. And even when not using the same picture, I try to use the same artist. The only scenes that have two different artists are Scene 2 and 4.
There are many pics with Nue and Byakuren together, but I wanted to avoid that. I still wanted the harmony to be kept though, so I limited myself to finding good pictures of both by the same artist. This is not that easy. While there is one artist that made this easy (朱シオ, as seen in ending image in Patchouli's Scarlet Playthrough vid), I also wanted to avoid using him. Ultimately, I remembered an awesome group of pics putting the UFO crew in war-like scenarios. This included a particularly chilling picture of Byakuren as a dictator giving a speech and Nue looking like leading an alien invasion. These were the images used here, made by "fat". The images don't really fit with the opening... or do they? Imagine you're watching a melancholic movie about a war. There you go, fits like a sandal.
Title: White Lotus...~Piano
Artist: kaztora-Vocal: lily-an -Lyrics: azuki and/or lily-an
Circle: Liz Triangle
Album: White Lotus...
Original: Emotional Skyscraper ~ Cosmic Mind
Title: Concealed.
Artist: Yuma Mizonokuchi-Vocal: JUNCA-Lyrics: Yuma Mizonokuchi, Ai Ohsera
Circle: Innocent Key
Album: 東方セレブ
Original: UFO Romance in the Night Sky; Heian Alien
Artwork: http://www.pixiv.net/member.php?id=337093
http://touhou.wikia.com/