Connect - ClariS - Puella Magi Madoka Magica OP (Piano Cover)

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The first time I heard this song was actually Animenz’s cover on his channel. I was reeled in by the bright melody, light touch, and overall balance where it was needed in the arrangement.

Following that, I then listened to the original song by ClariS and I found many of the same characteristics there. I’m always amazed by how Animenz arrangements are incredible representations of the source material, but are still somehow uniquely Animenz. They really do feel like his own interpretation of each work.

The original song by ClariS is also very interesting in its own right. It feels very bright, even for a pop song. Like there aren’t many bass elements, and even the piano is mixed in very bright. However, the song itself doesn’t feel unbalanced because of the clean bass that somehow just fits perfectly in. I love the decision to make even the kick less bass-y, because if you listen closely you’ll actually notice that most of the punch from the kick is coming in higher up in frequency from the beater.

Even the doubled vocals in the chorus are very pretty. They’re not overwhelmingly bright, but they add a distinct emphasis that would be slightly different if they were panned even a bit left-right. Of course, there are backing vocals that provide some of the stereo width, but the main ones are carried straight down the middle. The way the voices trade off in the verses conversationally is really cool as well.

All that was enough to convince me to watch the anime as well (well, that and because I also watch “That Japanese Man Yuta” and he has a Kyubei plushie in all his videos so I was like “who’s Kyubei?”). And let me tell you, Madoka Magica was not what I was expecting.

To be fair, I’ve never watched a magical girl anime before. But I wasn’t ready for the emotional rollercoaster that it was, the themes it would explore, and even the weight of the story and plot as a whole. Like sure, the lyrics to Connect seem to have weightier connotations, but the melody and everything is just so bright and upbeat with a tinge of melancholy. Basically, classic anime op.

But instead, it raised questions like “what does it really mean to be human?” and “what are you willing to sacrifice for the things that you love?”. The characters are all very unique and memorable, and also very believable for that matter as well. Like Madoka’s a normal, nice girl. Sayaka’s a bit obsessive. And anyone who’s been through what Homura’s seen would turn out the way she did if they had her resolve.

The art was also very well done. The witches and labyrinths have a distinctly psychedelic feel to them, detached from reality because, well, they are. It sharply contrasts with the bright colors of the magical girls and normal life, and is a great stylistic choice.

Needless to say, I binged the whole series in like a day. And it was so worth. I highly recommend it if you’ve never seen it before.

However, I will say that there is one thing that I didn’t like about the show, and that’s the guy who plays violin. He’s supposedly some violin prodigy who got injured who Sayaka cares a lot about, but every time he picked up a violin and played on all the wrong strings and in all the wrong positions, I cringed so hard that it just ruined the moment for me. Oh, did I mention that I used to play the violin?

But asides from that (which most people won’t notice anyways), Madoka Magica is really, really good.

Anyways, both the original song and arrangement have the sheen of vibrant energy that is so much like Madoka’s when she is first contemplating becoming a magical girl, but the more weighty elements of that choice are woven in through the surprising seriousness that underlays many of the melodies.

Personally, I feel like that’s how many of my own endeavors appear to me, like this YouTube channel. There’s a sense in which I start many things because they’re really fun and cool and I want to try my hand at them, but then when I get invested, there’s a real cost to becoming great or even to getting to an appreciable level of achievement. And unlike the anime which turns really dark, this song never does, and with many of the things that I do, I never experience total mental breakdown when dealing with things, and instead, everything is just part of one, big, fun, and difficult adventure, so long as I remember who or what I’m doing everything for. (So please subscribe to help me feel better about myself haha).

And because of that, and so many other things, I really do love this song, and I’m really glad Animenz introduced me to it, and that I watched the anime as well.

Until next time!

- WattKeys

Title: Connect
Original Artist: ClariS
Anime: Madoka Magica
Arranger: Animenz, transcribed by zzz - Anime on Piano

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#MadokaMagica #ClariS #Connect #PianoCover