Overview
Greenlights Serenade (グリーンライツ・セレナーデ) was composed by Omoi (Kimura) as the official theme song for マジカルミライ2018 (Magical Mirai 2018), Hatsune Miku's annual live concert event. The track is an upbeat, driving Vocaloid pop song at a brisk 200 BPM, with lyrics written as a message of encouragement. The title's "green lights" carry a double meaning, evoking both a traffic signal telling the listener to "go ahead" and the green color synonymous with Hatsune Miku herself, while "serenade" frames the piece as a musical tribute to a beloved figure.
The song first appeared in Sega's rhythm game ecosystem on ONGEKI in August 2018, then arrived on maimai DX exactly one year later on August 22, 2019. In maimai it sits in the niconico & VOCALOID category with charts across all four DX difficulties. The MASTER chart, designed by はっぴー (Happy) at level 12+ (constant 12.7), is notable for its heavy concentration of Slide (137) and Touch (128) notes out of 861 total, an unusually tactile and visually dense arrangement compared to many Vocaloid songs at that level band. The EXPERT chart was designed by 華火職人 (Kanon Oguni). A quirk of the in-game presentation: while Sega's rhythm games use the updated closing lyric from the Magical Mirai 2018 live performances ("虹色に輝く マジカルミライへと"), the music video shown in maimai was not re-edited, so the on-screen subtitle text does not match the sung lyrics.
Videos
Charts
DX
BASIC
3(3)
145 notesDesigner: -|Tap 129Hold 6Slide 2Touch 4Break 4
ADVANCED
7(7)
369 notesDesigner: -|Tap 324Hold 16Slide 6Touch 13Break 10
EXPERT
10(10)
613 notesDesigner: 華火職人|Tap 458Hold 49Slide 23Touch 42Break 41
MASTER
12+(12.7)
861 notesDesigner: はっぴー|Tap 568Hold 17Slide 137Touch 128Break 11
Trivia
- Greenlights Serenade was the official theme song for マジカルミライ2018 (Magical Mirai 2018), Hatsune Miku's annual concert event.
- The song title "グリーンライツ" (green lights) can mean a traffic green light, symbolizing permission to "go ahead", while also referencing the green color associated with Hatsune Miku. "セレナーデ" (serenade) traditionally refers to music performed in honor of a loved one.
- At the Magical Mirai 2018 live shows, the final lyric was changed as a surprise. A rumor spread that the Osaka and Tokyo (Makuhari) performances sang different endings, but composer Omoi confirmed both venues sang "マジカルミライへと！" (toward Magical Mirai) and joked that perhaps Miku improvised at a show they did not witness.
- Sega's rhythm games (maimai, CHUNTHIM, ONGEKI) adopted the live performance version of the closing lyric rather than the original studio recording's line.
- In maimai, the music video was not re-edited to match the live lyrics, so the on-screen text shown during gameplay does not match what is sung.
- The song was composed by Kimura (of Omoi), with synthesizer programming by Sakurai and an animated music video produced by the illustration duo YamaKawa / Yamashita RIRI.
- Greenlights Serenade appears across all three major Sega rhythm game franchises: it debuted on ONGEKI in August 2018, followed by maimai DX in August 2019, and later CHUNITHM CRYSTAL PLUS in August 2020.
- The MASTER chart was designed by はっぴー (Happy) at level 12+ (constant 12.7) and features 137 Slide notes and 128 Touch notes out of 861 total, an unusually high ratio for a Vocaloid song.
- The EXPERT chart was designed by 華火職人 (Kanon Oguni) at level 10 (constant 10.3).
- In ONGEKI, Greenlights Serenade was one of only six songs at launch that did not require any unlocking, and its opponent level (6) is thought to reference Magical Mirai 2018 being the sixth Magical Mirai event.
- An official album release, 初音ミク「マジカルミライ 2018」OFFICIAL ALBUM, includes the song.
FAQ
- Who composed Greenlights Serenade?
- Greenlights Serenade was composed by Kimura under the artist name Omoi, featuring vocals by Hatsune Miku. Synthesizer programming was handled by Sakurai, and the music video was produced by the illustration duo YamaKawa / Yamashita RIRI.
- When was Greenlights Serenade added to maimai?
- Greenlights Serenade was added to maimai DX on August 22, 2019, exactly one year after its debut in ONGEKI.
- What is Greenlights Serenade about lyrically?
- The lyrics are written as a message of encouragement and gratitude toward Hatsune Miku, framed around the metaphor of "green lights" as a signal to move forward. The song was created as the theme for Magical Mirai 2018.
- Why do the lyrics differ between the official video and the game version?
- The original studio recording ends with "虹色の輝き 間近で見たいから" (I want to see the rainbow glow up close), but at the Magical Mirai 2018 live shows, the line was changed to "虹色に輝く マジカルミライへと" (toward the Magical Mirai that shines in rainbow colors). Sega's rhythm games use the live version's lyrics, though maimai's in-game video was not re-edited to match.
- What is the level and difficulty of Greenlights Serenade's MASTER chart?
- The MASTER chart is rated level 12+ with a difficulty constant of 12.7. It was designed by はっぴー (Happy) and contains 861 notes, with an unusually high count of 137 Slide notes and 128 Touch notes.
- Who designed the maimai charts for Greenlights Serenade?
- The EXPERT chart was designed by 華火職人 (Kanon Oguni) and the MASTER chart was designed by はっぴー (Happy). The Basic and Advanced charts have no credited designer.
- Is Greenlights Serenade available in other rhythm games besides maimai?
- Yes. It appears in ONGEKI (added August 2018, later receiving a LUNATIC chart) and CHUNITHM (added in CRYSTAL PLUS, then available by default from PARADISE onward). It is one of only a handful of songs present in all three major Sega rhythm game franchises.
