ABOUT THIS PAGE

kaf is my favorite singer of all time, and this is my page for hosting reviews of her music videos, just for fun because i like talking about them! it's also a bit of an art project, since i plan to have every review page look at least slightly unique visually to match the song being reviewed, with its own code and/or images. the music videos i will be including must contain visuals of kaf herself in some way (usually her 3D model) and are not purely lyric videos or edits of previous content mashed together. i plan to mainly do them in order of release, though i may occasionally break that rule if i really want to review something newer. these reviews are less critical analysis and more just my subjective personal thoughts and feelings.

you can read through my reviews without all the context given below if you want by clicking the "REVIEW LIST" button at the top of the screen!

WHO KAF IS

kaf, more properly written as KAF or 花譜, is a japanese virtual singer managed by kamitsubaki studio/神椿スタジオ. i use the term "virtual singer" or "vsinger" to refer to her instead of "virtual youtuber" or "vtuber" because she does not do typical youtuber content despite representing herself with a virtual persona like vtubers do. there is a real person behind her voice - she is not a software like vocaloid/hatsune miku.

she posts both song covers and originals to youtube (lyrics often written by kanzaki iori/カンザキイオリ) as well as doing both virtual concerts and concerts in real life venues, which use the same projector technology often used at vocaloid concerts to display her 3d model on-stage. her music leans on the sentimental end and often explores the pain associated with growing up and becoming an adult, as well as other emotional songs... but the occasional fun song, too! aside from her own youtube channel, she sings in a group of other kamitsubaki studio girls called virtual witch phenomenon, or V.W.P for short, which also have their own channel.

her character design was done by PALOW, an established japanese artist and character designer best known for his attention to detail with bug-like mechanical parts and complicated shapes. as a result, even though kaf is not a robot or a bug, kaf's designs often tend to lean on the monstrous side, with small details. you can see this in the almost alien-looking original kaf design, hinadori/雛鳥, with the toothy hood and detailed clothing.

PALOW designs a new "main" kaf outfit roughly every year that represents her for around a year's worth of time, as well as special outfits that she only wears during concerts. these are always named after, and loosely based on, birds. PALOW is also the designer of kaf's big flying fish mascot, laplace.

very, very little is known about the real person behind kaf's voice other than she was born in december 2003 and was born and raised in japan. this is purposeful and done for her privacy, especially since she started performing as kaf at the young age of 14. piedpiper, a staff member at kamitsubaki and essentially the start of kaf's career, stumbled on her casually posting clips of herself singing karaoke online and recognized her vocal talent, offering her a job as a vsinger. kamitsubaki studio as it's known now was actually created later when kaf began to grow and they wanted to expand the project.

there's a lot more i could write here but i'll save that for the eventual virtual shrine :^) this should be enough of a gist for my reviews to make sense.

WHY I LOVE HER SO MUCH

there's a lot of reasons kaf is my favorite singer and why i'm passionate enough about her to make this page, but here's a good summary, in no particular order:

• her voice is beautiful. kaf is very talented and also has a voice that lends itself well to emotion. it completely sells the feeling of her music and the content of the lyrics. i can listen to a kaf song without understanding the words with my very limited japanese knowledge and still be brought to tears from her voice alone.


• kamitsubaki is closely associated with the vocaloid/vocalsynth community, which is another interest i've had for a large part of my life. i already felt connected and continue to feel connected with many of the artists and musicians working on kaf's media through my interest in vocalsynth. i heavily appreciate kamitsubaki's clear love and appreciation for the space!


• kaf's music videos often have a "virtual reality" theme, in which kaf is a stylized 3D model standing in real life environments. i am absolutely obsessed with this theme. i often feel more connected with who i am over the internet than who i am in real life, and for that reason and a variety of other reasons, kaf's virtual reality themes are like comfort food to me.


• overall, i just love the art of it all. kaf is not only a singer who's music i listen to, but a multimedia art project created by a variety of people collaborating to make kaf what she is, as well as a community of fans who inspire me with their art and love everyday.

WHERE TO FIND HER

here's a quick reference to most important kaf links:

• main youtube (music videos, etc)
• membership-only youtube (occasional paid rewards/streams)
• VWP's youtube (the group she sings in)
• twitter (mostly news/announcements, occasional personal posts)
• instagram (song updates, photo "selfies")
• kamitsubaki studio's homepage
• kamitsubaki's main storefront, where kaf merch is sold