Nana Mizuki Giveaway Winners

It would figure I’d announce the winners of my little Nana Mizuki LIVE FIGHTER giveaway contest a month after it ended but at least I finally got off my arse to do so right? That’s something at least, I think ^^;;

Honestly I was a little disappointed there weren’t more english speaking/reading Nana-chan fans entering the contest for free stuff but given how little time I gave plus losing “creds” on the aniblogging street (are there any?) in the past couple of years will do that. Just better chances for those that entered, at least.

The winners have already been contacted but once again, I would like to say thanks to all that did put in the time to enter. I wish I could have given some Nana related goods to everyone that entered but alas, I could not. I did however have a few surprises up my sleeves as I able to pick two winners and two runner-ups, coming to a total of four winners!

Winners’ entries and what they got plus some quick thoughts after the jump.

The first winner in my non-annual Nana Mizuki giveaway contest was Michael, whom won LIVE FIGHTER Red Side edition! His entry is as followed:

Eternal Blaze
I really love this song because of this somewhat magic atmosphere with the violins and the piano. With the guitar and the techno beat it gives a nice contrast and with the powerful voice of Nana Mizuki it only makes the song more beautiful.

Super Generation
I chose this song because it makes me in good mood. I really love the piano and it’s really cool to see her playing it in the PV. I think this song has something really unique because of this kinda feeling of evasion.

Pray
I like this song more because of nostalgia reasons. It was one the first songs I heard of her and because I’m a big eater of techno-string instruments mix, I can only love this song.

Interesting choices and I must say, two thumbs up on Eternal Blaze as its definitely one of my top ten Nana Mizuki songs. Then again 90% of her songs related to the Nanoha series were all A++ in my opinion, so that may not be saying much. Anyway congrats and hopefully you can expect your DVD within the next month!

The second winner, and one of my frequent commenters plus a fellow aniblogger, Totali won himself LIVE FIGHTER Blue Side edition!

Through the Night
My favorite Mizuki album is the highly underrated Magic Attraction. It gives off that high energy feel right off the bat, without feeling almost otherworldly like Great Activity and some of the newer albums seem to at times. Hearing “Through the Night” right after the intro is the highlight of the album each time I listen to it.

Innocent Starter
There’s always that first song that quickly gets you hooked to an artist. I remember anticipating each episode of Nanoha just so I could watch the OP. From then on, it would only take a little more digging to make me a huge Nana fan. (Okay, my first Nana song was actually Wild Eyes, but I wasn’t exactly a huge seiyu nut when I watched Basilisk…)

Trickster
So yea, Rosario Vampire sucked…. but at least they lead to some awesome Nana singles! All of the tracks on the OP/ED singles were good, but to me, Trickster is the song that represents Mizuki’s current direction the best. Besides that, the PV is really awesome!

Well unlike Totali, Innocent Starter actually happened to be my first “major” Nana-chan song that got me instantly hooked on the artist. Was one of her CD singles I had to get once I started buying her stuff even though it’s been out for years; thankfully I was able to secure a copy without too much hassle ^^;; And complete agreement on Trickster, easily in my top five all time favorite Nana Mizuki songs even though it just came out last year!

With the winners out of the way, the runner ups are next! While I never announced I would do this on my blog, always had in mind to try to back as much as I could to the (english speaking) Nana Mizuki fan community as possible! And thanks to this, Benson whom I incidentally met back at NYAF 2008 won the LIVE FIGHTER Red Side promo poster!

Heart-shaped chant.
This is by far Nana’s most beautiful song, in my opinion. With Agematsu Mika’s beautiful harp to augment Nana’s elegant yet powerful voice, this combination of musical talent creates an epic unison which is further augmented by Nana’s almost a capella stanzas during the song.

Dancing in the velvet moon
This is an extremely action packed, energetic song that utilizes the full extent of Nana’s vocal abilities. From the rapid, intense fluctuations in pitch, to the multitude of vibrato opportunities present, this song is a true showcase of Nana’s 25 year+ singing talent. While not as emotionally inspiring as Heart-shaped chant, this song is a true testament of the fact that Nana Mizuki is one of the most powerful (if not the most powerful) seiyuu singers in Japan.

Hime Murasaki
As I am a big fan of slow and emotional songs, this easily rounds out the list as my third favorite Nana song of all time. Hime Murasaki is probably Nana’s slowest song (I estimate 80-100 beats per minute), and this gives Nana the opportunity to hold out many of the notes in this song – displaying her truly powerful vibrato abilities. Watch this performance in Live Fighter Red Side if you get the chance – the emotional impact felt by the melancholy of this song, combined with Nana’s vocal talent, make this easily one of Nana’s best works.

Just wow on his description on his favorite Nana-chan songs! Heart-shaped chant is just crazy live and if I didn’t like it before (which I didn’t), after watching Nana Mizuki and Mika Agematsu’s “duet” of the song just had me re-watching it over and over again!

Last but definitely not least, John walked away with LIVE FIGHTER Blue Side promo poster!

RUSH & DASH!
One of the first songs I’ve heard by her that wasn’t featured prominently in some anime or another (as far as I know, at least). I really liked the energetic feeling that pervades throughout the entire song. It’s a bit of a departure from her more powerful-feeling song, in a good way. Plus, it’s pretty catchy.

PRIDE OF GLORY
A pretty new favorite song of mine now; I can listen to it over and over and it doesn’t lose its charm. It’s got that power and impact behind the voicing, typical of Mizuki’s stuff. The instrumentation also gives it some body, I believe. It feels less pop/rock and more eurobeat-y, which somehow feels just right in the execution.

ETERNAL BLAZE
One of those classic songs I can go back to any time. The song is perhaps the best example of the kind of songs that I listen to her for. Strong vocals with a great instrumental accompaniment. Plus, it’s just a little shallow, but it also brings back memories of Nanoha A’s, and we all know how awesomeness-filled A’s was.

Interesting to see how everyone has at least one “old” and “new” Nana-chan song in their favorite lists with John being no exception. I guess it just goes to show her staying power as like the #1 seiyuu idol singer of recent times!

Thanks again to all that entered and congrats to those that won! It was fun doing this little contest and seeing what other Nana-chan fans liked as well. To all the winners, you should expect an email from me in the next week letting you know when I’ve sent out your goods; I apologize in advance if I’m being slow on this but laziness and work has been taking up all my time!

And thanks to all that stopped by to check out the contest. I don’t know if I’ll be doing anymore in the future but I know a few folks have been bugging me to do a Minori Chihara one… only time and my financial situation will tell XD