ALI Project

ALI PROJECT is a Japanese group formed in 1985 by vocalist and lyricist Arika Takarano (宝野アリカ) and composer-arranger Mikiya Katakura (片倉三起也). Its music has been associated with progressive rock, rock, and visual kei, and the duo built a catalog of elegant melodies, ornate arrangements, and a darker theatrical edge. The group made its indie debut in 1988 with Fantastic Garden (幻想庭園). In 1992, it adopted the name ALI PROJECT and made its major-label debut with the single "Koiseyo Otome" ("Fall in love, maiden"). Over time, it moved away from earlier songs with a lighter, brighter feel and toward a more mysterious sound, a change that Takarano described as a shift from "White Alice" to "Black Alice." Releases by ALI PROJECT have appeared through EMI Music Japan, Toshiba-EMI, Victor Entertainment, and Tokuma Japan, and its official site is aliproject.jp. The duo is also closely associated with anime through themes such as "Coppelia no Hitsugi (「コッペリアの柩」 Coppelia's Casket)" for Noir, "Kinjirareta Asobi" for Rozen Maiden, and "Yuukyou Seishunka (勇侠青春謳)" and "Waga Routashi Aku no Hana (わが﨟たし悪の華)" for Code Geass, alongside later work for Another, Katanagatari, Phantom, Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry, Hachi-nan tte, Sore wa Nai deshou!, and Tsuki to Laika to Nosferatu.