Overview
ホシシズク (Hoshi Shizuku) is the theme song for maimai でらっくす FESTiVAL, the September 2022 update of the maimai DX series. The track was created by 森羅万象 (Shinrabanshou), a long-running doujin circle best known for Touhou arrangements and original vocal works. Composition was handled by kaztora, with lyrics by Myui and dual lead vocals by あやぽんず＊ (Ayaponzu*) and あよ (ayo). The arrangement and guitar were performed by Yuto "Carlos" Shimizu, backed by bassist Kei Nakamura and drummer Leon Yuuki.
Lyrically and narratively, the song paints a picture of a decennial "Star Birth Festival", a celebration where wish-bearing stars are launched into the sky, a scene brought to life in the official music video featuring the maimai-original characters Ras, Chiffon, and Salt. The A-melody section of ホシシズク notably recontextualizes a musical phrase from WiPE OUT MEMORIES, another 森羅万象 track from maimai DX UNiVERSE PLUS, whose video partially previewed ホシシズク's visuals before the song's official debut, a subtle cross-track narrative thread.
In gameplay, the Master chart (designed by 隅田川星人 / Sumidagawa Seijin) originally launched at difficulty 12+ in FESTiVAL and was elevated to Lv13 during the BUDDiES PLUS revision, reflecting the chart's genuine challenge once players engaged with its full pattern density. The chart is a showcase for FESTiVAL's new input mechanics: it makes extensive use of the outermost Touch note rings introduced in that version, alongside ex-Break Hold notes. Notably, while the chart lists 64 Break notes on paper, the vast majority are ex-Break variants, leaving only about two conventional Break notes, a distinction that inflates the visible count but shifts the practical difficulty toward precision slide and Touch execution.
Videos
Charts
DX
BASIC
4(4)
197 notesDesigner: -|Tap 165Hold 16Slide 4Touch 8Break 4
ADVANCED
7+(7.6)
412 notesDesigner: -|Tap 349Hold 18Slide 15Touch 18Break 12
EXPERT
10(10)
667 notesDesigner: Jack|Tap 500Hold 41Slide 24Touch 81Break 21
MASTER
13(13.1)
867 notesDesigner: 隅田川星人|Tap 578Hold 35Slide 125Touch 65Break 64
Trivia
- ホシシズク is the official theme song for maimai でらっくす FESTiVAL, the version released on September 15, 2022.
- The song was created by the doujin circle 森羅万象 (Shinrabanshou), widely known for Touhou arrangement projects and original vocal tracks in the rhythm game scene.
- Dual vocalists あやぽんず＊ (Ayaponzu*) and あよ (ayo) share lead duties, a pairing that appears on several other 森羅万象 works.
- The A-melody section of ホシシズク is a direct callback to 森羅万象's earlier maimai track WiPE OUT MEMORIES, creating a musical and narrative link between the two songs.
- Parts of ホシシズク's music video were first shown in the video for WiPE OUT MEMORIES during maimai DX UNiVERSE PLUS, months before ホシシズク itself was revealed.
- The Master chart was originally rated 12+ at launch in FESTiVAL and was promoted to Lv13 in the BUDDiES PLUS update, acknowledging its true difficulty.
- The Master chart makes heavy use of FESTiVAL's newly added outermost Touch note rings and ex-Break Hold notes, signature gimmicks of that version.
- Although the Master chart shows 64 Break notes, the overwhelming majority are ex-Break notes; effectively only about two standard Break notes exist in the chart.
- An in-game title named なんでホシシズクやったの！？ ("Why did you play Hoshi Shizuku!?") can be earned by playing 壱雫光 (Ichishizuku Hikari) and ホシシズク in the same credit.
- An extended version of ホシシズク appears on the maimai DX Goods Campaign DiSC -FESTiVAL- mini-soundtrack, 森羅万象's album 君と世界の終わりに (Kimi to Sekai no Owari ni), and the maimai DX Best Album Area 2 soundtrack.
- The song was initially unlockable in FESTiVAL by reaching 30 km total distance in the ハピフェスちほー (Happy Fes Area). From BUDDiES onward it became available by default.
- The flavor text in-game describes a decennial "Star Birth Festival" where wish stars are launched into the sky, the thematic backdrop for both the song's lyrics and its music video.
FAQ
- Who composed ホシシズク?
- ホシシズク was composed by kaztora, a member of the doujin music circle 森羅万象 (Shinrabanshou). The arrangement and guitar were handled by Yuto 'Carlos' Shimizu.
- Who are the vocalists for ホシシズク?
- The song features dual lead vocals by あやぽんず＊ (Ayaponzu*) and あよ (ayo).
- What version of maimai did ホシシズク debut in?
- ホシシズク debuted in maimai でらっくす FESTiVAL, released on September 15, 2022. It is the theme song for that version.
- What is the Master difficulty level of ホシシズク?
- The Master chart is rated Lv13 with a difficulty constant of 13.1. It originally launched at Lv12+ and was upgraded to Lv13 in the BUDDiES PLUS update.
- Who designed the Master chart for ホシシズク?
- The Master chart was designed by 隅田川星人 (Sumidagawa Seijin). The Expert chart was designed by Jack.
- Is ホシシズク connected to WiPE OUT MEMORIES?
- Yes. The A-melody section of ホシシズク is a musical callback to 森羅万象's earlier maimai track WiPE OUT MEMORIES. Additionally, parts of ホシシズク's music video were previewed in the WiPE OUT MEMORIES video during maimai DX UNiVERSE PLUS.
- What makes the Master chart of ホシシズク unique?
- The Master chart extensively uses FESTiVAL's newly introduced outermost Touch note rings and ex-Break Hold notes. It also contains 64 Break notes on paper, but most are ex-Break variants, leaving roughly only two standard Break notes.
- How was ホシシズク originally unlocked?
- In maimai DX FESTiVAL, the song was unlocked by reaching a total distance of 30 km in the ハピフェスちほー (Happy Fes Area). Starting with maimai DX BUDDiES, it became available by default.
