#cupre's random stuff

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I saw some fans (including on the JP side) already worried about the Symphogear movie because of the news about the YOI movie cancelation, but...well, for starters it's too early to panic yet. The movie was just confirmed to be a thing less than half a year ago as opposed to 7 years ago. Not having more info at this point is pretty normal

I can't speak for what may happen in the future, but the situations are a bit different. For starters we don't have uh...complete and total silence about the franchise.

Even with XD Unlimited having ended service earlier this year, Gear thankfully still has a couple other things keeping it afloat for now

The manga spinoff, Shirabe Meshi, started in 2021 and is still ongoing with new chapters released monthly (with a few exceptions, it recently had a small hiatus due to the artist catching the flu) and has four volumes so far.

The next update, which should be the first half of chapter 30, is scheduled for next week

Then there's the pachislot machines, which are strangely popular among people who have never seen the anime to the point some people don't even know they're based on one. A new machine (they're still on AXZ material) is coming out soon

(Warning: The promotional video below has a lot of flashing lights)

And then there's the fact we know that one of the co-creators, Akifumi Kaneko (who is also the writer of the series), has been trying to both design and write a new RPG (the other co-creator, Noriyasu Agematsu, is one of the composers for the game) so at least we have an idea of why news might take a while.

#even i'll give up if enough time passes with no word but that's on a scale of years #cupre's random stuff

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So the collab does in fact involve a completely new Kanade, Hibiki, and Tsubasa from a parallel world where the technology behind Symphogears and Rider Gear both exist. Their stories are similar to their main counterparts, but slightly different for obvious reasons. The first half is up for now, but the second half should be up on a later date.

Two years ago, Kanade and Tsubasa were waiting for the Rider Gear but Orphe-Noise showed up. Tsubasa wanted to wait a bit longer, but Kanade used her Symphogear anyway, despite knowing she's at her limit using it.

After a fight, Kanade's Gear backfired and powered down, but Hibiki showed up delivering the Faiz Gear. Kanade failed to use it so she had to use her Symphogear again instead but then Hibiki ended up getting hit by an attack trying to get out of the way.

Tsubasa: Tachibana! Hang in there, Tachibana!

Kanade: So this is it, huh?

Tsubasa: ?! Kanade! What are you doing?! You can't be...

Kanade: ......Tsubasa, I've seen it. There's a flame inside you. It used to be so small, but now it burns intensely. So...don't give up on living!

Kanade used her Superb Song and died. Meanwhile Hibiki ended up with a shard of Gungnir embedded in her chest

In the present, Tsubasa is the leader of the Human Liberation Army. Other members are Ryoko, Yumi, Kuriyo, Shiori, Tomosato, Fujitaka, Ogawa and of course Hibiki fighting alongside them as Kaixa. Genjuro has been presumed dead after going missing while fighting Orphe-Noise and Tsubasa can't even use her Gear anymore due to all the times she's gotten hurt in fights as well as the trauma of seeing Kanade die right in front of her.

Everyone wonders why Hibiki can use the Kaixa Gear when Kanade failed to use the Faiz Gear, but not even Ryoko can figure it out, hypothesizing that maybe the powers of the relic in her chest and the Kaixa Gear are combining in some way.

Yumi starts talking about how on top of Faiz and Kaixa, Delta is also supposed to be a thing (and wishes she could be a Rider, so she can be like an anime protagonist. Kuriyo: "Isn't that less anime and more tokusatsu?" 😂)

Hibiki thinks it would be nice if there were three Riders, but for now she'll have to do the best she can, on Kanade's behalf. Tsubasa gets upset for a moment thinking she means she wants to replace Kanade, but Hibiki assures her she didn't mean it that way. Afterward they get an alert that there are Orphe-Noise so Hibiki leaves to fight.

Tsubasa (thinking): Tachibana...why was it you? Why were you the one who was left Kanade's power? .......Why wasn't it me instead?

After Hibiki takes out the Noise, everyone from the Liberation Army shows up to see her but then...

Genjuro shows up. Everyone is surprised because they thought he was dead. They're happy to see him but he says "You're the same as always...so stupid it's astonishing" and puts on the Delta Gear and...

He calls them stupid a bit more, telling them that "Kamen Riders aren't some saviors. Users of Rider Gears carry the power of the Orphnoch. An evolution of humanity which has transcended death..."

He starts fighting Hibiki, but she refuses to fight, and the others keep shouting at him "This isn't you! Come to your senses! Wake up!" Genjuro decides he doesn't need the Delta Gear to take her and hits her until she falls. Tsubasa decides she's seen enough.

Tsubasa: "Some evolution! You've completely lost your human heart, you've DEvolved!"

Genjuro: "Heh, should you really be the one saying that, considering you can't use a Symphogear anymore? Tsubasa Kazanari, wouldn't that make you the one who's devolved?"

Before leaving, Genjuro informs them that the Orphnoch King is none other than...Fudou Kazanari.

Later, Hibiki is asleep while the others discuss what just happened.

Ryoko tells them that while Orphe-Noise normally turn anything they touch to ash, there are some humans who have adapted to this power, die, and come back to life, now with the power of Orphe-Noise--"Orphnoch"

Ogawa and Fujitaka come back in with intel that the Orphnochs have an organization called Smart Brain, which was formed with the intention of wiping out humanity, and that their leader is, in fact, Fudou Kazanari as Genjuro claimed before.

Everyone has a hard time accepting this, since the Kazanaris are sentinels who protect mankind and yet here are a couple of them trying to destroy everyone.

Yumi tries to stay cheerful, saying that Kamen Rider will save them, but that's Kuriyo's breaking point. "Stop saying such careless nonsense! To hell with Kamen Rider! The Commander almost killed Bikki after he transformed!"

Then Shiori pipes in: "He said it himself, that Kamen Riders aren't saviors--that power of evolution is only allowed to Orphnochs. And if that's true, then Tachibana-san is also..."

...So Hibiki was awake and heard everything. She thinks they all think less of her now and runs off. Tsubasa gets mad at the others, "How much blood has Tachibana shed for us up until now?!" And they apologize. They never meant to point fingers at her, they're just anxious after what happened with Genjuro.

Afterward Tsubasa goes to the place where Kanade died, asking what she should do, the Liberation Army is falling apart and the burden of leadership is becoming too heavy for her. Hibiki comes up and says that she also comes to this place to talk to Kanade sometimes when things get tough.

Tsubasa tries to apologize to Hibiki for before, but she says it's not something she really has to apologize for. But she still apologizes and admits to Hibiki that she's been envious of her this whole time since she hasn't been able to fight, and on top of that her grandfather is the leader of their enemy. She feels completely worthless because of this.

To which Hibiki replies that she's also been troubled, that she's been suppressing her weakness this whole time, fighting desperately, but against the Commander, she couldn't even give it her all. She wondered if it would've been easier if she had just died together with Kanade that day, but then she remembered the words Kanade said back then.

Tsubasa: "Don't give up on living"

Hibiki: "Right, those words. And so I'll keep fighting without giving up. Even if I really am an Orphnoch, I'll still keep fighting for humanity, not giving up until the very end."

Before trying to leave Tsubasa says, "Tachibana, you're human. You're Kanade's successor...and you're our hero" and thanked her because talking helped her get over things a bit. Hibiki insists on going with her but Tsubasa refuses at first, telling her to go back to the others, but Hibiki goes "We're friends right?" "...Friends? Yes, that's right." "Then we should walk side by side, shouldn't we?"

So they leave together.

And then

#cupre's random stuff

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The last song XDU added was a Hibiki/Miku duet, their first in 8 years

The last new playable character was Elfnein, originally as an April Fool's joke but given a serious unit in the last story arc

The last collaboration was with Kamen Rider, something a lot of fans asked for

This is the last image in the event illustration menu:

#cupre's random stuff

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One of my favorite comments ever made about Symphogear was by one of the producers back in 2013

"Symphogear's selling point isn't moe as in cute (萌え), but moe as in blazing (燃え)" 🤣

#cupre's random stuff

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Okaaaay, so the G, GX, and AXZ official sites are all currently down (the GX one has been down for daaaays), while the season 1 and XV sites are currently fine

...I am gonna go into some archived versions of those pages and copy/paste the keywords into some documents just in case

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Ah yes, me just browsing minding my own business

King Records: Yeah we're announcing some performances for this year's King Super Live

*almost scrolls past it*...Okay, it's not like I'm gonna go there to see it or anything but...

wait a minute...

Nana's gonna be doing a duet of Glorious Break with Inori Minase???

#cupre's random stuff #getting carol's va for a duet of glorious break i--

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XDU will not rest until it collabs with every tokusatsu thing under the sun (a couple of these are technically with the anime versions but shhh)

#cupre's random stuff

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Tsutanoha (artist of Shirabe Meshi) drew KiriShira art for both Shirabe's birthday and Valentine's

Blessed once again

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Wow, it's gonna be so hard to choose a team for the next Splatfest 🤣

...I mean...

#cupre's random stuff #i didn't even edit the colors they were already like that

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Going back through the keywords to copy them all down since the sites aren't working and hoo boy, it's fun being reminded that the US government wanted Maria, Kirika, and Shirabe executed but the JP government brought up them covering up the threat of the moon falling after the Lunar Attack and the whole...thing with the FIS kidnapping orphans (including those three) like "This you?" and shut them up real fast 🤣

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Why is there a poll asking which character I would hit with a car if they showed up at my house demanding my (nonexistent) social security money and why is Hibiki a choice

That's just asking for your car to get messed up 🤣🤣🤣

#cupre's random stuff #i mean obviously it's a joke

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Giggling because I'm just sitting here like, man, I love the whole Symphogear cast...Chris attempted kidnapping, Maria, Kirika, and Shirabe were thrown in prison for terrorism, Hibiki got put on house arrest for breaking an order from the government (it was just house arrest because it was an emergency), Tsubasa was arrested for helping kidnap someone (she wasn't entirely in control though)

...yeah, they may have committed some crimes 🤣

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WonFes is this weekend, trying to manifest a figure of Miku in Shenshoujing (either one)

#cupre's random stuff #my hibiki act mode is lonely #she misses her wife tails...she misses her a lot

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In the same interview I mentioned earlier, Kaneko said this line originally had Hibiki saying "my" in the script and Aoi Yuuki was the one who said it should be "our" and he agreed to it

Man, I love the stories about the cast having input like that

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I've mentioned the seiei melody in Symphogear before but one of my favorite uses is Gungnir's at the end of FINAL COMMANDER because it plays so fast a lot of fans had trouble finding it after Agematsu mentioned it was there back in 2019

Like good job hiding it in plain sight, sir

Here's the part in question, a break, and then the same part played slower. Yeah, there's some extra notes afterward, but hopefully you'll hear it

#cupre's random stuff #i was thinking about the seiei and how it gets used in the ost in general and yeah #video

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I admit I'm voting for vanilla extract every time I see it on a poll now, I am part of the problem

#cupre's random stuff