Megurine Luka

Released on January 30th, 2009, Megurine Luka (Japanese : 巡音ルカ Megurine Luka) is the third Vocaloid2 in Crypton's character series. Her surname combines Meguri (巡, circulate or around) and Ne (音, sound), while the name Luka invokes the homonymous Japanese words of "nagare" (流, flow) and "ka" (歌, song) or "ka" (香, scent); thus making "songs to all around the world as scent spreads." Yū Asakawa (浅川 悠) provided the voice for the "cool, somewhat mysterious" character.

History
Unlike its previous two characters, Crypton advertised Luka's 3GB vocal database as "Japanese/English bilingual" and chose her name to express its hope that she will transcend borders and cultural barriers. Luka was designed by the Japanese illustrator Kei, who had previously created the designs for Hatsune Miku and Kagamine Rin and Len. However, unlike previous mascots in the series, her costume is not based on a school uniform.

Only a few days after her release, many songs were produced. On the 70th Weekly Vocaloid Ranking (February 2, 2009), many of Luka's songs appeared in the Top 30, knocking the very popular "Miku Miku ni Shite Ageru" and songs produced by ryo (with the exception of "Melt") right out of the Top 30. "RIP=RELEASE" had taken the #1 spot, and had earned a total of 843,233 points, making it the song with the highest one-week score.

Usage for Music
Due to her bilingual coding, Her voice is "moody yet husky female voice" and carries over into both languages and was designed to handle moodier genres like Jazz. Since her voice provider is Japanese, she often sounds like she has a notable Japanese accent when singing in English, although previous Japanese vocaloids who were used to sing English often had a stronger accent than Luka. Also, as a Japanese vocaloid, she has all of the phonemes that are often missing from English vocaloids such as the 5 breathing phonemes ([br1]-[br5]).

Luka's Japanese dictionary is extensive and on par with previous Vocaloids, there are no known problems with that part of her program. However, her English is more limited than English vocaloids and has the main/common words in its dictionary so she may need more attention when singing in English overall then a English vocaloid. As bilingual Vocaloid she has superior capablity of the English language then the Japanese only vocaloids despite this and only the occasional Japanese accents are seen from time to time as a result of her less developed dictionary. However, her overall English quality is dependant on the skills of the user, and some users may be able to use the phoneme system to avoid the occusional English words pronouced with Japanese accents she produces much better than others, as well as fill in the gaps in her more limited dictionary as they appear. Her voicebanks are otherwise quite able to handle English as well as a normal English Vocaloid, so a user who can work around the problems in her English dictionary will otherwise have no problems with using her in either language.

If need be, less than confident users can use a English vocaloid to aid in fixing her dictionary flaws and since she speaks both languages, is able to partner with both Japanese and English vocaloids respectfully. Duets with English vocaloids were commonly seen for her when first released during songs while users (who often were not confident in their English ablities) attempted to work around the flaws in her dictionary and it is still commonplace for Luka to be used with vocaloids from either and both languages.

Overall, Luka serves to bridge the gap between both languages and has proven to be her appeal as a vocaloid. She serves as an ideal vocaloid for English speaking users planning to use Japanese vocaloids and vice versa for users who are not so used to speaking English and planning on using English vocaloids.

Notable Megurine Songs

 * There are not less than 9,000 videos on Nico Nico Douga and 5,000 videos on Youtube which are related to Luka Megurine.
 * More than 60 of her songs were inducted into Vocaloid's Hall of Fame on Nico Nico Douga (exceeded 100,000 views) & recorded in more than 5,000 mylists.
 * Youtube Playlist

ルカルカ★ナイトフィーバー(Luka Luka ★ Night Fever)
Original music and lyrics by samfree
 * Nicovideo broadcast
 * Youtube broadcast

Since this song is composed of electric dancing musical style in progression, it's very popular amongst the young people, and has a lot of covers and chorus versions on the Internet. This song is seen as one of Luka's personal iconic image songs, and describes her nightlife, and her desire to invite her fans to join her to sing and dance along with her in this exciting song.

This song should be considered "|Eurobeat Eurobeat" genre, it complies to the |Eurobeat Eurobeat formula. It sounds very much like songs by |Dave Dave Rodgers and other |Eurobeat Eurobeat songs, for example songs used in the Anime Initial D.

巡姫舞踊曲/Meguri Hime Buyou-kyoku (Itineranting Songstress's Dance Music)
Original music and lyrics by No.D
 * Nicovideo broadcast
 * YouTube broadcast

This song is another personal image smash hit song from Luka Megurine. Luka describes her voice and body as "sexy", which could seduce the viewer into submission.

ダブルラリアット(Double Lariat)
Original music and lyrics by Agoaniki-P
 * Nicovideo broadcast
 * Youtube broadcast with English subs

This song is about a girl whose hobby is spinning around and reaching a certain distance. She gets discouraged because all of her friends can go farther distances than she can, but this only drives her to work harder, until she is able to spin the entire distance of the world. Although the song and PV appear to be about the rather random topic of spinning, the song can be interpreted as someone trying hard to achieve their dreams. Also, sometimes the song is interpreted with Luka literally being the Earth (the largest distance in the song is approximately the earth's diameter).

In the Nico broadcast, the Flash is programmed specifically so that Luka will continue spinning even if the video is paused.

RIP=RELEASE
Original music and lyrics by Ryuusei-P This song is the first work of Luka and basically an answer song to Len Kagamine's "SPICE!". The song portrays Luka's true feelings of how she knew she would get hurt, yet couldn't help being in love. It also shows a slight bit of obsession as she wants to "rip and release" his throat saying that he will be all hers.
 * Nicovideo broadcast
 * Youtube broadcast
 * Youtube broadcast with subtitles

トエト(Toeto)
Original music and lyrics by Toraboruta-P
 * Nicovideo broadcast
 * Youtube broadcast

This song is is about a girl who is extremely shy and constantly says "eto...", which is the Japanese equivalent of saying "um...". Stuttering eto creates the word Toeto. Throughout the song, the girl slowly overcomes her fear.

The song was accompanied with a PV, which featured Megurine Luka in a small, child-like form, wearing a cat hat. The character was obviously named Toeto. The song, and character produced from it has enjoyed many Nico choruses, including a mega-chorus that included more than 50 people singing at one time. It also included all of their Toeto avatars. The song is even on iTunes here (open only if you have iTunes) as well as a rendition by Rin.

Just Be Friends
Original music and lyrics by Dixie Flatline
 * Nicovideo broadcast
 * YouTube broadcast (with english subtitles)

Even though the song is sung by Luka Megurine, it is in the boy's point of view. The song is about how Luka and an unnamed boy 's current relationship is going nowhere; therefore, he is unable to take it and wants to break up with her. Eventually the guy pulls the plug and breaks up with her, and while Luka believes it is for the better just to be friends, the boy still loves her.

人魚姫/Ningyo Hime (The Little Mermaid)
Original music by 4124, lyrics by 紅月満
 * Nico broadcast
 * Youtube Broadcast

The song is based on the story "The Little Mermaid" by Hans Christian Andersen; however, the mermaid dies instead of being given the chance to ascend into Heaven like the mermaid did in the original story.

Wash My Blood
Original music and lyrics by Deadball-P
 * Nico broadcast
 * Youtube broadcast

This song is another work of Deadball-P, who often writes lyrics of dispute. The work also brought controversy both in Nico Nico Douga and Youtube.

「Eternal Snow」Changin' My Life
Originally sung and lyrics written by myco

Music by Shintarou Tanabe

Luka's voice by Miron-P
 * Nico broadcast
 * YouTube broadcast

A cover of the ending theme of "Full Moon o Sagashite (Searching for the Full Moon)".

円尾坂の仕立屋 / Enbizaka no Shitateya (The Tailor Shop at Enbizaka)
Original music and lyrics by Akuno-P The song is set in the old medieval-type era of Japan. Luka plays a woman who owns a tailor shop that she has inherited from her mother, and is the talk of the town for her good attitude and fine skill. However, the only thing on her mind is her "lovely person" and his unfaithfulness, because he never "comes home". One day, Luka sees the man (hinted to be Kaito) walking around with a woman wearing a red kimono (Meiko). In anger, Luka kills the woman with her sewing scissors and tailors her kimono. The next day, she sees the man again, looking depressed and walking with a girl with a green sash (Miku). Luka likewise kills the girl and tailors her sash. Once again, she sees the man, this time with a girl "far too young for her", and watches as he buys her a yellow hairpin (Rin). Luka once again kills the girl and keeps her hairpin. In secret, Luka dons the kimono, sash, and hairpin, thinking that she has finally become the type of girl the man loves. She decides that if he is going to continue being unfaithful, she will go to him. The next day, as the village becomes increasingly restless because of the crimes, she goes up to him and kills him. The last verse of the song reveals that not only were the three women around the man were actually his family members, but also, Luka had absolutely no connection to the man and to him, she was a complete stranger (she had somehow become convinced that he was her boyfriend or husband).
 * Nico broadcast
 * Youtube Broadcast with subtitles

タワー / Tower
Original music and Lyrics by Eshijanai-KEI This song sings about Luka giving up on everything and considers jumping off of a tower. She states that no one would notice because the lights are so beautiful. Through out the song, she decides that she should try harder for someone that she doesn't want to disappear.
 * Nico Broadcast
 * Youtube broadcast with subtitles

Bullet For Prisoner
Original music and Lyrics by QWIC Taking a much darker approach, Luka is now perceived as a sadistic 'laughing devil', implied to be a form of hitwoman or assasin not well regarded by the public. During the song, she finds, possibly seduces and kills her target. As she shoots, she hesitates briefly. Later, she begins to face major regrets for killing her target and sees, to her dismay, that she had fallen for her target. Now, as 'the news brodcast my sin with you as the victim', she is trapped in a personal Hell, which she deems as a 'dark dream'. The regrets and torture she goes through after killing ('I may have taken everything away from you, but you took my heart'), she wishes that she and her target may have been able to meet in a different way and be happy together. But since that has not happened, the sudden rush of compassion Luka receives with the combination of the hatred given from the killed of her target proves to be too much for her, and at the end of the PV she is shown killing herself.
 * Nico Broadcast
 * Youtube broadcast

re_Cycle
Music and PV by Seiji

Luka voice by Vitaone-P

Mixer by Uta-P The story about a broken robot who vows to take back her young master, who was forcefully taken away from her from a group of robots led by someone. She is reborn as a new robot, who searches for the master she had lost that time ago as she fights for the sake of humanity with her new master. In this world, the robots are a threat to humanity, but she only cared about finding her master again, no matter how many times she was to be reborn again and again. She prides herself in being able to re-wind herself up because she's not actually alive. One day, she contemplates upon her memories once again when she realizes that her current master looks exactly like the leader that kidnapped her original master that time ago from behind. When she learns of this, she kills him, relishing the fact that she was able to finally take her revenge. But then she realizes that the master that she killed was, ironically, the same young master she was searching for the entire time when she sees that he's "the same as my memory". In grief, she gives up her will to live and lies together with her master's body in the midst of the piles of debris. Through the entire song, she spoke in a language created by the song writer/artist, and it wasn't revealed what it was meant until the last few verses, which meant "I am an eternal existence. For you, I will always find my way by your side."
 * Nicovideo broadcast
 * YouTube broadcast (with english subtitles)

紅一葉 / Akahitoha (A Single Red Leaf)
Original Music, Compostion and Lyrics by Kurousa-P This song is about Luka's undying love for her lover, as she described it in her memory under the flurries of red maple tree leaves, and recalls every moment how happy she's been with her lover, until she bids him farewell so sadly and painfully, as he heads to war. The setting of the song is put in the early Shōwa Period, possibly during the Second World War period (1939-1945); it also has a beautiful Neoclassical Japanese mood within the song, with great melody and waltz music as well. This song has various cover versions sung by Miku Hatsune (which include her standalone version, and the duet version by Miku and Luka), Nico Nico Chorus, YouTube Chorus, and other countless amateur singers as well. It's also been translated into Mandarin Chinese and English version as well.
 * Nicovideo Broadcast
 * Youtube Broadcast

籠の中の雛龍/ Kago no Naka no Suuryuu (Caged Baby Dragon)
Original music and Lyrics by Yowane-P
 * Nicovideo Broadcast
 * Youtube Broadcast with subtitles

時のオルゴール/ Toki no Orugooru (Music Box of Time)
Original music and Lyrics by Umbrella-P
 * Nicovideo Broadcast
 * Youtube Broadcast with subtitles

Japanese Ninja No.1
Original music and Lyrics by Deadball-P This song is about a ninja who is paid in food in recognition of assassination and harrass girls. She sings about Japanese sports, food, weekdays, a geisha, a sushi-go-round, and her goal to rule the universe, and constantly repeats 'Japanese ninja No.!' (in english), implying that it is above all the other Japanese cultural aspects. Terms relating to perverted behavior is used throughout the song.
 * Original video Nicovideo Broadcast
 * Original video Youtube Broadcast

Perfect Liar
Original music and Lyrics by QWIC
 * NicoVideo Broadcast
 * Youtube Broadcast

Trivia

 * Pro-Japanese vocaloid fans often comment they hear her singing in better English then the English vocaloids. However, as often is the case, the fans are often unaware of the limits of her dictionary compared to English only vocaloids. While she does indeed have many songs singing in clear English, various techniques have had to have been applied to achieve the same level of success that a English vocaloid is capable of reaching easier. Also, in many of the songs where heavy English is heard being used by a Japanese fan, to achieve a high level of quality English a English vocaloid was often referenced one way or another if only to aquire the dictionary phonemes.
 * She is often given a sexier approach then previous vocaloids. This is owed to both her age and the fact in Japan, being able to speak a second language can be considered "sexy" and due to her bilingual coding she can speak two languages.
 * According to her designer KEI, due to her bilingual software, her design was made to be asymmetrical, so from different angles she would look different. Her design incorperates woodwind and bass instruments.