Roman

5th Story CD Roman is the second CD release after Aramary's departure from Sound Horizon. Released on November 22nd, 2006, this was their 3rd major album. The cast for Roman was much larger compared to previous releases, with 7 singers and 14 voice actors, it was vastly different to records like Elysion ～楽園幻想物語組曲～ or even 少年は剣を…, which heavily promoted the 5th Story's release. From the first track alone the stylistic changes are evident; with Revo taking center stage as a vocalist and the songs being more complex. The album is titled "Roman", which is French for Novel or in this case Story. The album contains 11 tracks, which is a significant number with deep symbolism in the album. The last track, 11文字の伝言, can seamlessly connect to the first track of the album, 朝と夜の物語. This is the only major release besides Elysion ～楽園幻想物語組曲～ to feature a song originating on a previous release; with 緋色の風車 being titled as 緋色の風車 ～Moulin Rouge～ on 少年は剣を…. This is the first Sound Horizon release to feature bonus tracks not physically on the disc but instead hidden on a special riddle website.

In May of 2010 C&L Music, a Korean CD publisher, released Roman for South Korean audiences. Going forward C&L Music published 5 other SH CDs, 3 SH DVDs, and 5 Linked Horizon CDs. The release featured an officially translated lyric booklet printed in black and white. The album's catalog number is CNLR 1003. This album, along with 10 others, was remastered in 2020 for Sound Horizon's 15th Anniversary.

Roman's Password
Throughout the lyric booklet of Roman there are numerous cut outs and numbers in place of Japanese lyrics. By using a secret table located on the back cover's backside (accessible by removing the CD plate from the jewel case), one can decipher various lyrics and messages throughout the album:

To use this table simply match the lyric's (or message's) numbers to the table and coordinate which character is represented; so 0101 would be あ, 0302 would be し, etc.

Roman's Riddle
The bonus tracks for Roman are hidden on a hidden website seen at the bottom of the last page of the booklet. To access them one must use the various numbers hidden throughout the album and on a separate paper included in the album. To access truemessage. one must enter the password しあわせにおなりなさい (B E C O M E H A P P Y). However, taking the order of songs detailed in 黄昏の賢者's narration, one receives another message: おりあわせしになさいな (A C C E P T D E A T H). Entering this into the password page is how one accesses yaneuraroman. The separate paper also has 5 additional messages but these cannot be used on the hidden website due to an 11 character limit.

Personnel

 * Sound Horizon
 * Revo – music production, lyrics, composition, arrangement, computer programming, keyboards, guitar
 * Vocals and voices


 * Hiver Laurant – lead vocals (track 1)
 * RIKKI – lead vocals (tracks 2, 11), backing vocals
 * KAORI – lead vocals (tracks 3, 6), backing vocals


 * REMI – lead vocals (tracks 4, 9), backing vocals
 * 井上あずみ (Azumi Inonue) – lead vocals (track 5)
 * YUUKI – lead vocals (tracks 5, 8), backing vocals
 * Jimang – lead vocals (tracks 7, 10), backing vocals, voice-over (tracks 1, 6, 9, 10)


 * Voices


 * 大塚明夫 (Akio Ōtsuka) – voice-over (tracks 1, 3, 5)
 * 深見梨加 (Rika Fukami) (Vi-Vo) – voice-over (tracks 4, 7, 11)
 * Ike Nelson – voice-over (tracks 1, 10)
 * 能登麻美子 (Mamiko Noto) – voice-over (tracks 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11)
 * 飛田展男 (Nobuo Tobita) – voice-over (tracks 3, 9)
 * 若本規夫 (Norio Wakamoto) – voice-over (tracks 2, 3, 4, 10)


 * ゆかな (yukana) – voice-over (tracks 4, 6, 7)
 * 皆口裕子 (Yūko Minaguchi) – voice-over (track 8)
 * 緑川光 (Hikaru Midorikawa) – voice-over (tracks 1, 4)
 * 田村ゆかり (Yukari Tamura) – voice-over (tracks 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10)
 * Sublime – voice-over (tracks 3, 10)
 * 保志総一朗 (Sōichirō Hoshi) – voice-over (tracks 3, 4)
 * 日高のり子 (Noriko Hidaka) – voice-over (tracks 10, 11)


 * Musicians


 * 斉藤"jake"慎吾 (Shingo "jake" Saitō) – guitars
 * 大迫杏子 (Kyōko Ōsako) – keyboards, acoustic piano (tracks 4, 9)
 * 長谷川淳 (Atsushi Hasegawa) – bass
 * 藤本健一 (Kenichi Fujimoto) – drums
 * 石川尚巳 (Naomi Ishikawa) – percussion
 * 朝川朋之 (Tomoyuki Asakawa) – harp (tracks 4, 7)
 * 新澤健一郎 (Ken'ichiro Shinzawa) – acoustic piano (tracks 1, 11)


 * 坂上領 (Ryō Sakagami) – flute (tracks 3, 7)
 * 水野弘文 (Hirofumi Mizuno) – harmonica (track 8)
 * 柴山洋 (Hiroshi Shibayama) – oboe (track 7)
 * 星野正 (Tadashi Hoshino) – clarinet (track 7)
 * 藤田旬 (Jun Fujita) – bassoon (track 7)
 * 和智秀樹 (Hideki Wachi) – mandolin, balalaika (track 9)
 * 渡辺ファイアー (Watanabe Fire) – saxophone (track 5)
 * 伊藤佳奈子 (Kanako Itō) – solo violin (tracks 2, 6)


 * Kanaストリングス (Kana Strings) (tracks 3, 7, 10, 11)


 * 1st Violins
 * 伊藤佳奈子 (Kanako Itō)
 * 松本亜土 (Ado Matsumoto)
 * 久永泉 (Izumi Hinasaga)
 * 渡辺一雄 (Kazuo Watanabe)
 * 瓜生田万紀子 (Makiko Uriuda)
 * 三浦道子 (Michiko Miura)


 * 2nd Violins
 * 萩野恵美子 (Emiko Hagino)
 * 山本真希子 (Makiko Yamamoto)
 * 元井信 (Makoto Motoi)
 * 津布久未代子 (Miyoko Tsubuku)
 * 桐山なぎさ (Nagisa Kiriyama)
 * 大林典代 (Noriyo Ōbayashi)
 * 佐藤悠紀 (Yuki Satō)
 * 大久保裕子 (Yūko Ōkubo)


 * Violas
 * 萩原薫 (Kaoru Hagiwara)
 * 木佐貫美保 (Miho Kisanuki)
 * 河野理恵子 (Rieko Kōno)


 * Cellos
 * 大沢真人 (Makoto Ōsawa)
 * 橋本しのぶ (Shinobu Hashimoto)
 * 土田寿彦 (Toshihiko Tsuchida)


 * 弦一徹ストリングス (Gen Ittetsu Strings) (tracks 1, 4, 5, 9)


 * 1st Violins
 * 弦一徹 (Gen Ittetsu)
 * 永田真希 (Maki Nagata)
 * 梶谷裕子 (Yūko Kajitani)
 * 竹内純 (Jun Takeuchi)
 * 門脇大辅 (Daisuke Kadowaki)


 * 2nd Violins
 * 森琢哉 (Takuya Mori)
 * 金子芳子 (Yoshiko Kaneko)
 * 藤田弥生 (Yayoi Fujita)
 * 落合孝男 (Takao Ochiai)


 * Violas
 * 梶谷裕子 (Yūko Kajitani)
 * 三木章子 (Shōko Miki)


 * Cellos
 * 森田香織 (Kaori Morita)
 * 岩永知樹 (Tomoki Iwanaga)

※ Recorded at Studio Z'd, Wonder Station, Malibu Studio, Sunrise Studio, Towerside Studio and Triumph ※ Mixed at Studio Z'd and Wonder Station ※ Mastered at Bernie Grundman Mastering
 * Technical
 * 恵比須弘和 (Hirokazu Ebisu) (Walla-Works, inc.) – sound effects
 * 坂知学 (Tomotaka Saka) (Wonder Station Inc.) – recording engineering, mixing engineering
 * 矢作寿江 (Hisae Yahagi) (Studio Z'd) – recording engineering, assistant engineering
 * 高橋利幸 (Toshiyuki Takahashi) (Wonder Station Inc.) – recording engineering
 * Takahiro Suzuki (Sunrise Music Inc.) – recording engineering
 * 田淵章宏 (Akihiro Tabuchi) (Wonder Station Inc.) – assistant engineering
 * 見元李衣 (Rie Mimoto) (Sunrise Music Inc.) – assistant engineering
 * Hayato Iguchi (BEC) – assistant engineering
 * Itsutaka Takusagawa (Triumph) – assistant engineering
 * 布施幸恵 (Yukie Fuse) (Bernie Grundman Mastering) – mastering engineering


 * Artwork
 * yokoyan – booklet illustration
 * 橘田貴文 (Takafumi Kitsuda) (KING RECORDS) – design
 * 鎌野友理子 (Yoriko Kamano) (KING RECORDS) – art direction
 * Production
 * 高橋幸司 (Kōji Takahashi) (Rap Products) – production
 * 浅沼正人 (Masato Asanuma) (Bellwood Records) – executive production
 * 高木真由美 (Mayumi Takagi) (Rap Products) – direction
 * Takako Saito (Rap Products) – desk
 * 山田慎也 (Shin'ya Yamada) (KING RECORDS) – A&R
 * Mitsue Yokota (Bellwood Records) – A&R
 * Emiko Hosoda (KING RECORDS) – sales promotion
 * Hiroyuki Terui (Bellwood Records) – sales promotion


 * Special Thanks


 * Masayoshi Okawa (Bic-River)
 * Eiko Konoo (Legato Music)
 * Yuuka Shimokawa (Legato Music)
 * Hironobu Tanaka (Legato Music)
 * Yasuko Endo (Fillin Inc.)
 * Yukari Ohashi (Office RIKKI)
 * Itaru Nishimura (SPACE CRAFT)
 * Yasunori Mori (SPACE CRAFT)


 * Kosuke Imao (DoReMi)
 * Hiroaki Hirakata (Weeks)
 * Toru Miyama (Weeks)
 * Yoshiaki Takami
 * imamu
 * Shunji Okada (FINE LINE COMMUNICATION)
 * Azusa Kawakami (FINE LINE COMMUNICATION)

Anecdote of 5th Story
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Personnel

 * Sound Horizon
 * Revo – music production, lyrics, composition, remixing, computer programming, keyboards, guitar
 * Voice
 * Hiver Laurant – lead vocals
 * KAORI – backing vocals
 * YUUKI – backing vocals
 * 大塚明夫 (Akio Ōtsuka) – voice-over
 * Jimang – voice-over
 * Ike Nelson – voice-over
 * 能登麻美子 (Mamiko Noto) – voice-over
 * 緑川光 (Hikaru Midorikawa) – voice-over
 * 田村ゆかり (Yukari Tamura) – voice-over
 * Additional musicians
 * 斉藤"jake"慎吾 (Shingo "jake" Saitō) – guitars
 * 大迫杏子 (Kyōko Ōsako) – keyboards
 * 長谷川淳 (Atsushi Hasegawa) – bass
 * 藤本健一 (Kenichi Fujimoto) – drums
 * 新澤健一郎 (Ken'ichiro Shinzawa) – acoustic piano
 * 弦一徹ストリングス (Gen Ittetsu Strings) – strings

※ Recorded at Studio Z'd and Wonder Station ※ Mixed at Wonder Station
 * Technical
 * 恵比須弘和 (Hirokazu Ebisu) (Walla-Works, inc.) – sound effects
 * 坂知学 (Tomotaka Saka) (Wonder Station Inc.) – recording engineering, mixing engineering
 * 矢作寿江 (Hisae Yahagi) (Studio Z'd) – recording engineering, assistant engineering
 * 高橋利幸 (Toshiyuki Takahashi) (Wonder Station Inc.) – recording engineering
 * 田淵章宏 (Akihiro Tabuchi) (Wonder Station Inc.) – assistant engineering
 * Artwork
 * yokoyan – booklet illustration
 * Production
 * 高橋幸司 (Kōji Takahashi) (Rap Products) – production
 * 高木真由美 (Mayumi Takagi) (Rap Products) – direction

Re:Master Project
Roman (Re:Master Production) is a remastered version of the 2006 album Roman. Released on August 26th, 2020 it features all of the original tracks on the album and a revamped HTML bonus track website. Under Revo's supervision, and using the latest technology, King Records released this album in a "Sound Horizon Around 15th Anniversary Re:Master Production" series. The person in charge of remastering this album was 前田康二 (Yasuji Maeda) a mastering engineer who studied under the legendary sound engineer Bernie Grundman. the first press limited edition contains a specially illustrated postcard by yokoyan. For Fanclub members only, Sound Horizon Around 15th Anniversary Re:Master Production Complete Set was sold in two parts, the first half being shipped on July 29, 2020 and the second half shipping on October 21st. This album is contained in the first half. The complete set retailed for ￥30,000, about $280 USD.