Overview
炉心融解 (Meltdown) is a landmark VOCALOID song originally composed by iroha with lyrics by KUMA, featuring the voice of Kagamine Rin. The track first appeared on the 2009 compilation album EXIT TUNES PRESENTS Vocalostar feat. 初音ミク and quickly became one of the most recognized songs in the VOCALOID canon. Its title, which translates literally to 'core meltdown,' carries nuclear-reactor imagery that pervades the lyrics, a theme of emotional collapse and the desire to disappear, told through vivid metaphors of a fusion reactor's blue glow. The song was added to maimai MURASAKi on June 6, 2017, as part of the niconico & VOCALOID genre category. In maimai, the track uses a shortened 1:39 edit that omits the fourth through sixth lyrical sections of the full version. The in-game jacket art is a screenshot taken from the music video featured in SEGA's 初音ミク Project DIVA Arcade, reinforcing the song's deep roots in the broader SEGA Vocaloid rhythm-game ecosystem. Beyond maimai, 炉心融解 also appears in CHUNITHM STAR and オンゲキ PLUS, making it a recurring cross-title pick in SEGA's arcade rhythm game lineup.
Videos
Charts
Trivia
- The song's official English title is 'Meltdown,' while the Asian maimai releases display the romanized title 'Roshin Yukai.'
- 炉心融解 was added to maimai MURASAKi on June 6, 2017, as part of the initial song lineup for that version.
- The MASTER chart was designed by 玉子豆腐 (Tamagodoufu) and the EXPERT chart by Jack, two established maimai notes designers.
- The chart has undergone multiple difficulty re-ratings across maimai DX versions: MASTER started at level 11 in MURASAKi, rose to 11+ in DX+, then 12+ from Splash onward, and finally settled at level 13 from UNiVERSE+ to present. ADVANCED similarly moved from 6 to 7 in FESTiVAL.
- The maimai edit of the song is 1:39 long, cutting the full version's 2:23 runtime by omitting the 4th through 6th verse sections of the lyrics.
- The jacket art is a screenshot from the music video used in 初音ミク Project DIVA Arcade, SEGA's own Vocaloid arcade rhythm game.
- Beyond maimai, the song appears in CHUNITHM STAR (added as part of the バーチャル・シンガー event MAP in 2017) and オンゲキ PLUS (added March 2019).
- The song's nuclear fusion motif, '飛び込んでみたいと思う / 真っ青な光包まれて奇麗' (I want to jump into a nuclear fusion reactor / wrapped in pale blue light, it's beautiful), is one of the most quoted lyrical passages in VOCALOID fandom.
FAQ
- Who composed 炉心融解 (Meltdown)?
- The song was composed and arranged by iroha, with lyrics written by KUMA. Together they are credited under the artist name iroha(sasaki)／kuma(alfred) in maimai.
- Who sings 炉心融解?
- The vocals are provided by Kagamine Rin (鏡音リン), one of Crypton Future Media's VOCALOID voice banks.
- What is the English title of 炉心融解?
- The official English title is 'Meltdown.' In Asian maimai releases, the romanized title 'Roshin Yukai' is used.
- When was 炉心融解 added to maimai?
- It was added on June 6, 2017, as part of the maimai MURASAKi version.
- What level are the 炉心融解 charts in maimai DX?
- The current difficulty levels (as of FESTiVAL onwards) are: Basic 4, Advanced 7, Expert 11, and Master 13. The Master chart has a difficulty constant of 13.2.
- Who designed the 炉心融解 charts in maimai?
- The Expert chart was designed by Jack, and the Master chart was designed by 玉子豆腐 (Tamagodoufu).
- What album is 炉心融解 originally from?
- The song was first released on the compilation album EXIT TUNES PRESENTS Vocalostar feat. 初音ミク in 2009.
- Does the maimai version of 炉心融解 have different lyrics?
- Yes. The maimai cut is a shorter 1:39 edit. The 4th through 6th sets of lyrics from the full version are omitted, and the full song runs 2:23.
