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Bunshun: Kalafina Members Want to Get Back Together

The female singing unit Kalafina officially disbanded in March, but according to reports by Weekly Bunshun Digital, this was due to issues at the management level and the members themselves want to get back together.

Weekly Bunshun Digital interviewed an anonymous industry insider, who said that Kalafina broke up due to the whims of the president of the group's agency Space Craft Produce. Ikkō Ōnishi had abruptly began showing favoritism to a Takarazuka Revue member and was trying to put her into a higher position at the company. In doing so, he tried to lower Kalafina founder Yuki Kajiura's position.

One of the men involved in Kalafina's management, referred to in the article as "Mr. M," had Kajiura's respect. He tried to object to Ōnishi's actions, which turned Ōnishi against him. One day, Ōnishi became furious at Mr. M and accused him of being a "spy." Mr. M left the company in June 2017. After that, the Takarazuka Revue member whom Ōnishi had been favoring was put in charge of managing Kalafina at the studio.

According to the industry insider, Kajiura did not get along with the new manager, who showed no understanding of how things worked at the studio. She became fed up and decided to leave. She announced her resignation in February 2018. Her absence as the composer made it effectively impossible for Kalafina to continue functioning. Singer Keiko Kubota left the agency on April 2018. Hikaru Masai announced on the unit's official website in November that her contract with Space Craft Produce ended without trouble on October 20, and that she has left the agency. Wakana Ootaki announced her solo career on August 11, and officially debuted in February.

According to another industry insider whom Weekly Bunshun Digital interviewed, there were some interpersonal problems in the group. "Keiko was the most popular and became stuck up because of it, which Hikaru and Wakana resented. But Kajiura and Mr. M held the group together."

The members agree that they would like to work underneath Kajiura again. It will be hard for Wakana, the only former Kalafina member still at Space Craft Produce, but Keiko and Hikaru are "already relying on Kajiura and examining the chances for a revival." According to the first industry insider mentioned in this article, "Kalafina's reunion depends on Wakana's actions."

Music composer Yuki Kajiura started the Kalafina music group in 2007 to perform the theme songs for The Garden of Sinners anime films. Kajiura produced, composed, and wrote the lyrics for most of the group's songs. The group started out with four members, with two of the four members — Keiko Kubota and Wakana Ootaki — having previously worked with Kajiura under her FictionJunction project. Maya Toyoshima left the group in 2009.

The group have performed theme songs for such anime as Sound of the Sky, Aldnoah.Zero, Black Butler, Time of Eve, Fate/Zero, Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works, and most recently, Katsugeki! Tōken Ranbu. The group have released 21 singles and six studio albums.

Source: Weekly Bunshun Digital