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Overview

Pixel Voyage is a chiptune-infused techno pop track by YMCK, the Japanese music unit celebrated for creating songs built from Famicom (NES) sound sources. Commissioned for the maimai GreeN edition, the song was composed and written by Takeshi Yokemura (Yokemura) and sung by Midori Kurihara (midori), with a pixel-art music video directed and animated by Tomoyuki Nakamura. The title sets the scene: a whimsical journey across the sky. The accompanying dot-pixel animation follows a tiny airplane and its chibi crew as they fly over landmarks in India, Russia, and the United Kingdom. In one of the song's cleverest touches, the instrumental arrangement shifts to evoke each country's musical character, incorporating regional motifs, as the scenery changes on screen. The PV also hides a cameo of maimai-chan, the series' cheerful mascot character, tucked into the retro visuals. YMCK's own artist comment reveals that the "travel" theme guided the composition, with the middle section acting as a musical world tour. The unit expressed interest in someday creating a longer version that could visit even more destinations, a sentiment that hints at the care put into the song's compact 2:14 runtime. In maimai, Pixel Voyage has accumulated a notably long revision history. Its Master chart began as a Level 10 in GreeN and has been re-evaluated upward across multiple version updates to its current Level 12+ (12.8), reflecting both the chart's enduring challenge and the series' tightening difficulty benchmarks over the years. The Expert chart was designed by はっぴー (Happy) and the Master chart by 某S氏 (Bou S shi), each bringing their own pattern-writing style to the song's bright, driving 170 BPM rhythm.

Videos

Master chart

Open

Expert chart

Open

Charts

STD

BASIC
3(3)
118 notesDesigner: -|Tap 86Hold 23Slide 4Break 5
ADVANCED
6(6)
217 notesDesigner: -|Tap 189Hold 7Slide 19Break 2
EXPERT
9+(9.6)
294 notesDesigner: はっぴー|Tap 204Hold 66Slide 17Break 7
MASTER
12+(12.8)
485 notesDesigner: 某S氏|Tap 321Hold 88Slide 57Break 19

Trivia

  • Pixel Voyage debuted in maimai GreeN at the game's launch on July 11, 2013. It originally required 4,000 maimile (in-game currency) to unlock; from the ORANGE version onward it became available by default.
  • The song's difficulty ratings have been adjusted across nearly every major maimai version. The Master chart alone has risen through seven distinct level revisions: from Level 10 in GreeN, up through 10+, 11, 11+, 12, and finally 12+ (12.8) from UNiVERSE PLUS onward.
  • The in-game genre category for Pixel Voyage has shifted multiple times: ORIGINAL (GreeN–ORANGE PLUS), ORIGINAL & JOYPOLIS (PiNK–FiNALE), back to ORIGINAL (early DX), and finally maimai (DX PLUS–present).
  • The music video was produced entirely by YMCK using hand-drawn dot-pixel animation. It depicts a small airplane and its chibi crew flying across the world, with scenery and musical arrangement changing per country, India, Russia, and the United Kingdom all appear with distinct stylistic flourishes.
  • The PV includes a cameo appearance of maimai-chan, the official maimai series mascot.
  • Composer Takeshi Yokemura (Yokemura) stated in the soundtrack booklet that the middle section of the song was designed to 'trip' to different countries, and that he would like to create a longer version visiting even more destinations.
  • The song's lyrics, written by Yokemura, describe crossing the sky and chasing clouds beyond the window, seeking unknown stories waiting in the world beyond.
  • YMCK is widely recognized in the chiptune and doujin music scenes for their signature use of 8-bit Famicom sound chips, which gives Pixel Voyage its characteristic retro-electronic texture despite its modern pop structure.

FAQ

Who composed Pixel Voyage for maimai?
Pixel Voyage was composed, arranged, and written by Takeshi Yokemura (credited as Yokemura), a member of the chiptune unit YMCK.
Who sang Pixel Voyage?
The vocals were performed by Midori Kurihara (credited as midori), YMCK's longtime vocalist.
What version of maimai did Pixel Voyage debut in?
Pixel Voyage was added in maimai GreeN, which launched on July 11, 2013.
What is the BPM of Pixel Voyage?
The song has a constant BPM of 170 throughout.
Who designed the Master chart for Pixel Voyage?
The Master chart was designed by 某S氏 (Bou S shi), while the Expert chart was designed by はっぴー (Happy).
Does the Pixel Voyage music video have any hidden references?
Yes, the dot-pixel PV includes a cameo appearance of maimai-chan, the maimai series mascot, hidden among the animated scenes.
What is the song Pixel Voyage about?
The song describes a journey across the sky in a small airplane, chasing clouds and seeking unknown stories beyond the horizon. The music video depicts the crew traveling to India, Russia, and the United Kingdom, with the arrangement shifting to reflect each country's musical style.
Why did Pixel Voyage's Master chart level increase over time?
The Master chart was originally rated Level 10 in GreeN, but as maimai's difficulty scaling standards tightened across successive versions, it was progressively re-evaluated to its current Level 12+ (12.8), not because the chart changed, but because the broader level scale became more granular and demanding.

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