宴View utage (宴会場) chartsMore in niconico＆ボーカロイド
Overview
トラボルタ's ココロ (Kokoro) is a landmark VOCALOID song that captured the niconico community's imagination upon its 2008 upload. Featuring 鏡音リン (Kagamine Rin) as vocalist, the track tells the melancholic story of a robot built by a lonely scientist, a machine capable of miracles yet unable to grasp the one thing its creator withheld: a "heart" (心 / kokoro). The lyrics, written from the robot's perspective after centuries of solitude, build to a tearful realization as it experiences emotions for the first time. The title itself is a double-meaning pun: kokoro (the heart/mind) and koko ro (here, the robot's internal declaration).
ココロ was added to maimai MURASAKi on April 18, 2017, as part of the niconico & VOCALOID genre lineup. Its MASTER chart, designed by rioN, stands at level 12 with a dense 142-slide count that demands precise slider control, while the EXPERT chart by はっぴー (Happy) offers a 9+ gate into the song's rhythm. The song was later removed from maimai DX on July 11, 2019, and is no longer available in Asian and Chinese versions of the game, a status that makes it a sought-after entry for players who experienced the MURASAKi era.
Beyond maimai, the song's legacy includes a piano arrangement on the single さよならありがとう and an adaptation into a book trilogy, cementing its status as one of the most enduring VOCALOID narratives of the late 2000s. The original niconico upload has accumulated millions of views, and the track has been covered and referenced extensively across the doujin music scene.
Videos
Charts
Trivia
- ココロ was originally uploaded to niconico (sm2500648) in 2008 and quickly became one of the platform's most iconic VOCALOID songs, accumulating millions of views over the years.
- The song was composed, arranged, written, and visually produced entirely by トラボルタ (Toraboruta), who released it on the 2008 album トラボティック・ワールド.
- A piano version of ココロ was released on the single さよならありがとう, offering an instrumental reinterpretation of the melody.
- The song was adapted into a trilogy of books, expanding the narrative of the robot and its scientist creator well beyond the original lyrics.
- In Asian English versions of maimai, the song title and artist are romanized as KOKORO and TORABORUTA, respectively.
- The MASTER chart (level 12, constant 12.5) contains 142 Slide notes out of 566 total, a notably high slide density for the MURASAKi era that tests the player's slider stamina and accuracy.
- An UTAGE (宴) chart at difficulty 狂 was added on August 21, 2018, in maimai MiLK PLUS. It reuses the EASY chart's 66-note layout but enforces frame-perfect timing (gori判定), with the SSS threshold set to the maximum achievable score. The chart was designed under the alias トテモ脆イ、取扱イニ注意。 (Tote mo Moroi, Toriatsukai ni Chuui, "Very Fragile, Handle with Care").
- ココロ was removed from maimai DX on July 11, 2019, and is no longer available in Asian and Chinese versions of the game, making it exclusive to pre-DX MURASAKi-era cabinets in those regions.
- The song's EXPERT S-rank collection title reads "アリガトウ… アリガトウ… アリガトウ…" (Thank you… thank you… thank you…), and the MASTER MAX FEVER title reads "However, her face was filled with smile, she looked like an angel.", both drawn directly from the song's narrative.
- ココロ's chart levels have been adjusted multiple times across maimai versions: the Master chart started at level 11 in MURASAKi, dropped to 10+ in MiLK and DX, then rose through 11, 11+, and finally settled at level 12 from UNiVERSE PLUS onward.
- The song is copyrighted by Crypton Future Media, INC. (www.piapro.net), the company behind the Piapro character lineup including Kagamine Rin.
FAQ
- Who composed ココロ (Kokoro)?
- ココロ was composed, arranged, and written by トラボルタ (Toraboruta). The vocals are performed by 鏡音リン (Kagamine Rin), a VOCALOID voicebank by Crypton Future Media. The song originally appeared on the 2008 album トラボティック・ワールド.
- What is ココロ about?
- The song tells the story of a robot created by a lonely scientist who can perform miracles yet lacks a 'heart' (心 / kokoro). After centuries of solitude following its creator's death, the robot begins to experience emotions, tears, trembling, a racing pulse, and questions whether these sensations are the heart it was denied. The lyrics are written entirely from the robot's first-person perspective.
- Which version of maimai added ココロ?
- ココロ was added to maimai MURASAKi on April 18, 2017. It was later removed from maimai DX on July 11, 2019, and is no longer available in Asian and Chinese versions of the game.
- Is ココロ still playable in maimai?
- No, ココロ was removed from maimai DX on July 11, 2019, and is not available in Asian or Chinese cabinets running DX software. It remains playable only on pre-DX MURASAKi-era arcade hardware in Japan.
- What are the difficulty levels for ココロ in maimai?
- As of the current version, ココロ's standard charts are: Basic at level 3, Advanced at level 7, Expert at 9+ (constant 9.6), and Master at level 12 (constant 12.5). The Expert chart was designed by はっぴー, and the Master chart by rioN.
- What is unusual about ココロ's UTAGE chart?
- The UTAGE (宴) chart at difficulty 狂, added on August 21, 2018, is a trap: it uses the EASY chart's simple 66-note layout but enforces frame-perfect timing (gori判定), meaning each note must be hit on the exact frame for a perfect score. The SSS threshold is set to the maximum achievable score. It was designed under the alias トテモ脆イ、取扱イニ注意。 ("Very Fragile, Handle with Care").
- Has ココロ been adapted into other media?
- Yes, the song's narrative has been expanded into a book trilogy. Additionally, a piano version of the song appears on the single さよならありがとう.
- Why does the title ココロ have a double meaning?
- The Japanese title ココロ (kokoro) can be read as a pun: kokoro meaning 'heart' or 'mind,' and koko ro (ここ ろ) loosely meaning 'here, [the robot's] heart', emphasizing that the heart was inside the robot all along. The English wiki also notes the line 'koko ro' appears in fan interpretations as a deliberate wordplay by the composer.
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