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Overview
林檎華憐歌 (Ringo Karenka) is a folk-infused doujin vocal track by COOL&CREATE founder beatMARIO, distinguished in the maimai series by an unusual performer credit: beatMARIO's own mother, Junko Ozaki (ビートまりお母). The song was added to the arcade on February 26, 2014, as part of the maimai GreeN PLUS update, and remained playable until its removal on July 11, 2019, making it one of the relatively few tracks to be delisted from the standard song list.
The arrangement, handled by ARM (Youhei Kimura), dresses the song in traditional Japanese festival colors: flutes, drums, and a carnivalesque energy that matches the lyrics' imagery of cherry blossoms, summer festival music (祭囃子), apple blossoms (林檎華), and nostalgic longing for one's hometown. beatMARIO wrote both the music and lyrics, while Ozaki delivers the vocals with a warm, matronly sincerity that stands apart from the usual VOCALOID or professional-singer performances in the maimai catalog.
Two versions of the song exist: the original, sung by beatMARIO himself and released on the 2011 Comiket 81 album スペシャル俺たち!!!!, and the "母" (mother) version used in maimai, which was also performed live on the Nippon TV program スター☆ドラフト会議. Years later, the song experienced a surprise resurgence when Ozaki performed it for THE FIRST TAKE, drawing renewed interest from both longtime fans and a broader audience.
In maimai, the Master chart, designed by はっぴー (Happy) at level 12 with a constant of 12.5, is a stamina-heavy endurance test across 719 notes, while the Expert chart by mai-Star sits at level 11. The song also received a UTAGE (宴) chart during maimai FiNALE in December 2018, notable for a gimmick where notes fly in to mirror the spoken syllables of Ozaki's farewell lines at the song's end, a playful touch its designer acknowledged with the pseudonym 流石にしゃべり過ぎです ("That's too much talking").
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Trivia
- The version of 林檎華憐歌 used in maimai is the "母" (mother) version, sung by beatMARIO's actual mother Junko Ozaki. The original version is sung by beatMARIO himself and was released on the COOL&CREATE album スペシャル俺たち!!!! at Comiket 81 (December 2011).
- Junko Ozaki performed 林檎華憐歌 on the Nippon TV variety show スター☆ドラフト会議, an unusual crossover between a doujin vocal track and mainstream Japanese television.
- The song received a THE FIRST TAKE performance, a rare honor for a doujin-origin track, and an even rarer one for a performer outside the typical pop/rock mainstream.
- A collaborative version of 林檎華憐歌 featuring both Sachiko Kobayashi and Junko Ozaki was released as a CD bonus at Comiket 86 (August 2014) for buyers who purchased albums from both COOL&CREATE and Kobayashi's personal circle 5884 Gumi.
- The UTAGE (宴) chart, added in maimai FiNALE in December 2018, has a gimmick where the final section's notes are timed to match the spoken syllables of Ozaki's closing lines. The chart designer credited themselves as 流石にしゃべり過ぎです ("That's too much talking") as a nod to this quirky design.
- The song was originally categorized under VARIETY in early maimai versions (GreeN PLUS through ORANGE PLUS), before being moved to niconico & VOCALOID from maimai PiNK onward.
- The Asian English versions of maimai display the title as Ringo Karenka and the artist as beatMARIO's Mother (Junko Ozaki).
- The Master chart has undergone multiple level revisions across maimai versions: it started at level 10 in GreeN PLUS, rose gradually through the series, and was last set to level 12 with a constant of 12.5 from UNiVERSE PLUS onward.
- The lyrics weave seasonal imagery, cherry blossoms in spring, festival music in summer, around a refrain that calls out to apple blossoms (林檎の華) as a symbol of a distant, unforgettable hometown.
- The song was removed from the maimai arcade song list on July 11, 2019, making it unplayable in standard rotation from that date onward.
FAQ
- Who composed and sang Ringo Karenka in maimai?
- The song was composed and written by beatMARIO with arrangement by ARM (Youhei Kimura). The version in maimai is sung by beatMARIO's mother, Junko Ozaki, credited as ビートまりお母. The original version is sung by beatMARIO himself.
- When was Ringo Karenka added to and removed from maimai?
- It was added to maimai GreeN PLUS on February 26, 2014, and removed from the game on July 11, 2019.
- What is the gimmick in the UTAGE chart of Ringo Karenka?
- The UTAGE (宴) chart, added in maimai FiNALE, has notes that fly in to match the spoken syllables of Ozaki's farewell lines at the end of the song. The designer's pseudonym for this chart, 流石にしゃべり過ぎです, translates to "That's too much talking."
- What level is the Master chart of Ringo Karenka?
- The Master chart is level 12 with a difficulty constant of 12.5, designed by はっぴー (Happy). It contains 719 notes (636 Tap, 27 Hold, 50 Slide, 6 Break).
- Did Ringo Karenka appear on THE FIRST TAKE?
- Yes, Junko Ozaki performed the song for THE FIRST TAKE, the popular YouTube series featuring uninterrupted one-take performances.
- What is Ringo Karenka about?
- The lyrics evoke nostalgia for one's hometown through seasonal imagery, spring cherry blossoms, summer festival music, centered on apple blossoms (林檎の華) as a symbol of distant, cherished memories. The song title combines "ringo" (apple), "ka" (blossom), and "renka" (a song of love or sorrow).
- Who designed the charts for Ringo Karenka in maimai?
- The Expert chart was designed by mai-Star, the Master chart by はっぴー (Happy), and the UTAGE chart by はっぴー under the pseudonym 流石にしゃべり過ぎです.
- Is Ringo Karenka still playable in maimai?
- No, the song was removed from the maimai arcade song list on July 11, 2019, and is no longer available in standard gameplay.
