THE END OF HATSUNE MIKU -DEAD END- (song by Hatsune Miku)
The Disappearance of Hatsune Miku (初音ミクの消失 -DEAD END-), known by its official English title as "THE END OF HATSUNE MIKU -DEAD END-", or by fans using the kanji phrase "Shoushitsu", was released on April 8, 2008. It was composed by cosMo and is one of his most notable songs. The lyrics suppose that Hatsune Miku realizes that she is not equal to humans but still wants to continue singing. It ends with her uninstallation. The song is one of Hatsune Miku's most popular songs, in part due to its tempo, which peaks at 240 beats per minute. Despite this, the song has been covered many times with varying degrees of success.
Shoushitsu was released by cosMo in his major debut 2010, which included many more from the "Disappearance" series. The song uses Hatsune Miku through the speech synthesis software Vocaloid. A light novel version of the song was released in 2012.
Song
Shoushitsu was released on the video-sharing site Nico Nico Douga on April 8, 2008. By 2010, it had gained 4 million views and is one of cosMo's most representative works.
Attempting to aim for a "direction far from humanity", the song clocks in at a high of 240 beats per minute (BPM) while also having high-speed lyrics. Because of its speed, the song has been selected as the most difficult song to sing, as announced by the karaoke company JOYSOUND. Even in the rhythm game series Hatsune Miku -Project DIVA- (series), it one of few songs to boast an extremely high level of difficulty.
The song's title was originally released as "The Rampage of Hatsune Miku". Both "The Rampage of..." and "The Disappearance of..." are titles for the popular short novel "Suzumiya Haruhi" of which cosMo is a fan. In a 2011 interview, cosMo stated, "I really should have thought of a more creative title..." Although the title was an afterthought, cosMo was very serious in the song's lyrics. cosMo created an image of Hatsune Miku, formed from a variety of creative works such as music, poetry, and illustrations made by many users. He considered the idea that these creative works helped metabolize Hatsune Miku, who was now a living entity, and that when people stop creating Hatsune Miku art, she will die. Her sorrow is expressed in the song.
Album
The album "The Disappearance of Hatsune Miku" was released from EXIT TUNES on August 4, 2010, and its distributor was Pony Canyon.
cosMo announced that from 2007 to 2010, the 14 "Hatsune Miku" series of songs he had created would be remastered. Some of the series include "Birth", "Rampage", "Destruction", and "Excitement". Fellow music producer Deadball-P told cosMo that he "had better release your own CD. Everyone wants that!" His suggestion led to the creation of the album.
Of the recordings, "Split->Destruction" and "Intense Voice" were written by GAiA, a member of cosMo's doujin music circle "CHEMICAL SYSTEM LE". The album is a conceptual one that spans from the birth to the end of Hatsune Miku. With the music recorded as envisioned by cosMo and GAiA, the booklet was drawn in a similar story-based fashion.
Limited extra gifts were available upon the album's release. Mobile phone straps, fake telephone cards, illustrated by cosMo himself, B2 sized posters, and clear files were available separately.
In its first week of release, 19,427 copies of the album were sold and it placed 6th on the Oricon charts.
On August 3, 2012, download sales commenced from the Crypton Future Media-owned record label KARENT.
Light Novel
A light novel version of the series was released in July 2012. cosMo served as the original scenario developer. Illustrations were by Yuunagi. cosMo had stated that he tried to convert the abstract themes used in his music into a concrete event that could be told through story. The light novel's story differs from what is depicted in the booklet of the album. Instead of entering the world through fan creations, the novel version of Hatsune Miku appears as a mysterious android who looks like a human being, a nondescript college student.
In August 2013, a paperback edition was released which included newly drawn covers.
Although extremely well-known among Vocaloid fans, the song only has 400,000 views on Nico Nico Douga. In contrast, videos of the song being played on Project DIVA amass millions of views.
Song Information
- cosMo (music, lyrics, illustration, video)
- Hatsune Miku (vocals)
Links
Nico Nico Douga
YouTube
初音ミクの消失 - Wikipedia
初音ミクの消失 - Hatsune Miku Wiki (atwiki)
初音ミクの消失とは - Nico Nico Pedia
初音ミクの消失 -DEAD END- - Vocaloid Wiki - Fandom