After two moon cycles of wait, we finally have the music video for Reol’s digital single Byakuya (白夜), or “White Midnight” which it is called in English. Fittingly published on midnight, on October 15, Byakuya expresses melancholic lyrics and melodies while pertaining to a black and white theme. But maybe most impressively, we see Reol challenge herself with contemporary dance for the very first time, making the whole setting a lot more lively.
Within seven hours, the music video already racked up nearly 50,000 views on YouTube. The number of praises from fans overseas and from Japan was evenly split, saying how beautiful the music video is and admiring Reol’s newly developed performance skills.
The single Byakuya was released back on July 28, but before that, it was introduced to the world as the theme song for the mobile game Alchemy Stars. As such, it is accommodated to the game’s setting, however, not limited to—as Reol expressed previously in her statement.
“Byakuya” is my first new song since over half a year.
Not limited to the world of video games, we all have our sense of justice that we cannot yield. We fight for beauty, console each other when we are tired, and even if we know our prayers won’t be answered, somewhere inside we still keep praying.
After spending a long, difficult, and grim time in Byakuya—almost like a journey—I hope that you can find some tranquility. That is the kind of prayer I put into this song.
I would be delighted if you would enjoy this song along with the game Alchemy Stars.
With the music video out, we finally have the song visually expressed through Reol’s performance and not just through Alchemy Stars’ promotional videos. And most definitely, it was worth the wait!
- White Midnight白夜