This comment made me realise that almost all Anri's songs mention wanting to [rifles through forum rules]...
i would say these kinds of songs which, imo, stick to me as trendy lofi hip hop songs id see repeated on tik tok or something, do tend to lean on the side of romantic and/or suggestive... personally the types of songs theyre picking and the way anri is dipicted in art, is giving me heavy "e-girl" vibes (is that what we say these days??) along with the style of songs. im definitely past the age that tends to get/like these things. idk how to describe it because i dont really engage with it but lofi cute anime girl aesthetics and shit are things i see all around youtube (lots of music playlist videos) and tiktok. so i dont think its reeally about the words of the songs and rather the audience theyre catering too when choosing such songs and aesthetics. it mostly stands out to me since i havent ever seen a vocal synth cater to the side of music before in a way that really looks like its going for a certain target audience (which isnt me tbh). i see lofi music and cute anime paired together a lot so its no surprise i guess someone figured they might as well show her off this way lol
Lo-fi! That's the term I was looking for, thank you. In any case, I just don't see anything wrong with or concerning about it. She's an adult character with anime aesthetics singing lo-fi songs about romance. She's not being marketed as a virtual waifu or an in-home Vtuber that you can customize to your liking. She's being promoted on current trends, and honestly I both like and respect it. All in all, I'd say it's pretty low-key.
lofi mumble rap stuff not unlike this kinda dives into territory of such topics (some i have heard really border on being disturbing/unsettling in mindset tbh). i think its too much to put that on anri/ the company directly- and more so about the genre as a whole... they definitely are catering to an audience that enjoys these two things- cute lofi music and cute anime girls. on the surface thats what it is, everything else is just up to how people take it (sure maybe i wouldnt say its straight up waifu pandering but someone for damn sure looks at her like shes waifu material based off her promos i bet. intentional? no, but ppl will take this kinda advertising however they please so i wouldnt ignore that either)
Vocal synth companies do this constantly, they want to create something appealing, and attractiveness is the most basic source of appeal.
there is so much to i could say about the way anri is being promoted- mostly in regards to the trendy songs and aesthetics they have her leaning into... god i could write a whole essay about it. even if on a surface level the way shes presented doesnt outwardly tackle the typical "waifu" culture theyre still doing something that falls in line with appealing to a certain crowd through making her the cute lofi anime girl trend i often see which in its own ways, caters to waifu culture but more on a western focused way (not sure how to word that lol? anyways do note... no where am i saying she is "sexualized", im just referring to basic trends). its always hard to draw the line imo when it comes to music and lyrics, as i cant say i listen to much music at all that doesnt in some form end up being suggestive and or romantic- while it feels impossible to escape sometimes due to how common and normalized such lyrics have become, i of course wouldnt say it doesnt play a part- it most certainly can- i may not be that target person, i think many of us would not be that target person... but its important to remember those people due exist and picking up this kinda aesthetic for anri isnt just coicidence. companies dont just throw a dart randomly at a board of ideas and pick what it landed on Just Because. its not to say all intentions here are incredibly malicious, but the intentions exist nonthelessI feel like I'd be doing a disservice to the company to suggest they don't consider their songs and choose themes they think will create appeal. Companies think through their choices carefully, and plan how and who they're going to market their products to - their decisions aren't random, and having a character seduce the viewer/listener is the oldest and most commonly used tactic in the book. In every case I think it's more likely deliberate than not.
The most shocking thing about it is only that Anri is the first to lean into that concept fully as an Engloid. In hindsight I'm surprised 'sexy' demo songs took so long to reach us. It's not necessarily an insidious thing (go on dreamtonics. make male ai hunky). But I'm not gonna believe that companies are too innocent to use attraction as a marketing tactic. They know, those with the funds are making wedding figurines! (Crypton smh)
Her voice sounds like it's handling the dramatic moments quite well, but it's hard to tell under the synths and piano.
this is sadly what i was thinking too when i heard this demo... i think the mixing is drowning it a bit, which is a shame- its a nice song and im really happy to hear her in a song like this! if more producer demos come up i think we will likely hear a shift of genre for her since the others have been covers up to now (iirc?). she handles herself pretty well on the high notes, albiet still a bit soft, but it gives me a better idea of her range! i do look forward to whatever demos may come next
Ah, this is surprisingly good! I love it a lot.
