Who composed Barbed Eye in maimai?

Barbed Eye was composed, arranged, and written by Mikito-P (みきとP), with vocals by Kakichoco (柿チョコ).

What is the Kotonoha Project connection for Barbed Eye?

Barbed Eye is Chapter 3, Episode 2 of the Kotonoha Project's 1st Season, a story-driven music series that features original songs crossing over between maimai and CHUNITHM.

What difficulty levels does Barbed Eye have in maimai?

Barbed Eye has four standard charts: Basic (level 5), Advanced (level 7+ / constant 7.6), Expert (level 10+ / constant 10.6, designed by Shiroiro), and Master (level 13 / constant 13.0, designed by rioN).

Is there a Hatsune Miku version of Barbed Eye?

Yes, a VOCALOID version of Barbed Eye sung by Hatsune Miku appears on the Kotonoha Project original soundtrack album, alongside a karaoke instrumental version.

When was Barbed Eye added to maimai?

Barbed Eye was added to maimai PiNK PLUS on September 8, 2016.

Does Barbed Eye appear in CHUNITHM?

Yes, Barbed Eye is also playable in CHUNITHM. It was first added to CHUNITHM AIR PLUS as a limited-time MAP unlock in August 2017, and became a default song from CHUNITHM STAR PLUS onward.

What are the lyrics of Barbed Eye about?

The lyrics center on contrasting emotions, love (愛), hatred (憎), emotion (情), and delusion (妄), depicting a conflicted inner world with imagery of bloodstains, rain, and red eyes. The Japanese verses narrate a struggle between trust and suspicion.

Barbed Eye, maimai PiNK PLUS Original Song

All songs

Overview

"Barbed Eye" is a maimai original song created by vocalist Kakichoco (柿チョコ) and producer Mikito-P (みきとP), released for maimai PiNK PLUS on September 8, 2016. The track serves as Chapter 3, Episode 2 of the Kotonoha Project (言ノ葉Project), a multimedia story-and-music series spanning multiple rhythm games. Mikito-P, best known for Vocaloid hits such as "Sekiranun Graffiti" and the widely covered "＋♂ (Plus Danshi)," handles composition, arrangement, and lyrics, while Kakichoco delivers the vocal performance. The song's music video was produced by illustrator and animator Kotaro Yamazaki (yama_ko). The lyrics weave together kanji motifs—愛 (love), 憎 (hatred), 情 (emotion), 妄 (delusion)—into a tense, emotionally charged narrative, reflected in the track's brooding melody and steady 135 BPM drive. In maimai, the Master chart at level 13 was designed by rioN and features a dense 807-note layout with heavy slide sequences, while the Expert chart by Shiroiro offers a 10+ level challenge. The song's difficulty constants were revised multiple times across maimai versions, climbing from an original level 11 Master in PiNK PLUS to its current 13.0 in UNiVERSE PLUS onward. A VOCALOID version sung by Hatsune Miku, as well as a karaoke instrumental, appears on the Kotonoha Project original soundtrack albums. Beyond maimai, "Barbed Eye" also appears in CHUNITHM AIR PLUS, where it was initially available through a limited-time event MAP before becoming a default unlock.

Videos

Official PV

Open

Master chart

Open

Expert chart

Open

Charts

STD

BASIC

5(5)

233 notesDesigner: -|Tap 203Hold 21Slide 6Break 3

YouTube

ADVANCED

7+(7.6)

331 notesDesigner: -|Tap 281Hold 20Slide 20Break 10

YouTube

EXPERT

10+(10.6)

517 notesDesigner: しろいろ|Tap 367Hold 68Slide 68Break 14

YouTube

MASTER

13(13)

807 notesDesigner: rioN|Tap 671Hold 42Slide 70Break 24

YouTube

Trivia

Barbed Eye is the Chapter 3, Episode 2 song of the Kotonoha Project (言ノ葉Project) 1st Season, a narrative-driven music series that spans multiple SEGA rhythm games including maimai and CHUNITHM.
Mikito-P (composition, arrangement, lyrics) is a prominent Vocaloid producer whose song "Sekiranun Graffiti" was featured in the Hatsune Miku -Project DIVA- series, and whose "＋♂ (Plus Danshi)" became a viral dance cover staple.
The vocalist Kakichoco is known for her emotional, powerful singing style and has contributed vocals to numerous doujin and rhythm-game original tracks.
The music video was illustrated and animated by Kotaro Yamazaki (yama_ko), who has created visuals for other Kotonoha Project songs and maimai originals.
A VOCALOID version of Barbed Eye sung by Hatsune Miku exists on the soundtrack album 洗脳-言ノ葉黒鎖 - 言ノ葉Project ORIGINAL SOUND TRACK - 第三章, alongside a karaoke instrumental.
In maimai, Barbed Eye's Master chart originally debuted at level 11 in PiNK PLUS and has been rebalanced upward across multiple versions, reaching level 13.0 by UNiVERSE PLUS.
The Expert chart (level 10+) was designed by Shiroiro (しろいろ), while the Master chart (level 13) was designed by rioN, both veteran maimai charters.
In CHUNITHM AIR PLUS, Barbed Eye was first unlockable via a limited-time MAP event (言ノ葉Project MAP 3) in August 2017, and became a default song from STAR PLUS onward.
In Asian English releases of maimai, the artist credit was romanized as Kakichoco × MikitoP.
The song's genre classification in maimai has shifted over time: it debuted under ORIGINAL (and ORIGINAL & JOYPOLIS in later versions), and was reclassified as simply maimai starting from maimai でらっくす PLUS.

FAQ

Who composed Barbed Eye in maimai?: Barbed Eye was composed, arranged, and written by Mikito-P (みきとP), with vocals by Kakichoco (柿チョコ).
What is the Kotonoha Project connection for Barbed Eye?: Barbed Eye is Chapter 3, Episode 2 of the Kotonoha Project's 1st Season, a story-driven music series that features original songs crossing over between maimai and CHUNITHM.
What difficulty levels does Barbed Eye have in maimai?: Barbed Eye has four standard charts: Basic (level 5), Advanced (level 7+ / constant 7.6), Expert (level 10+ / constant 10.6, designed by Shiroiro), and Master (level 13 / constant 13.0, designed by rioN).
Is there a Hatsune Miku version of Barbed Eye?: Yes, a VOCALOID version of Barbed Eye sung by Hatsune Miku appears on the Kotonoha Project original soundtrack album, alongside a karaoke instrumental version.
When was Barbed Eye added to maimai?: Barbed Eye was added to maimai PiNK PLUS on September 8, 2016.
Does Barbed Eye appear in CHUNITHM?: Yes, Barbed Eye is also playable in CHUNITHM. It was first added to CHUNITHM AIR PLUS as a limited-time MAP unlock in August 2017, and became a default song from CHUNITHM STAR PLUS onward.
What are the lyrics of Barbed Eye about?: The lyrics center on contrasting emotions, love (愛), hatred (憎), emotion (情), and delusion (妄), depicting a conflicted inner world with imagery of bloodstains, rain, and red eyes. The Japanese verses narrate a struggle between trust and suspicion.