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adurnah · 7 years ago

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REPORT: Aqours 2nd Live HAPPY PARTY TRAIN TOUR in NAGOYA - Day 1

(Disclaimer: this report will not be a serious and professional one because I just can’t contain the fangirling; also I may and probably will be biased towards Aikyan and Shuka I’m sorry- Also I’m sorry but I can’t really understand Japanese so I don’t know a lot of the things they said and what the Intermission PV was about, but maybe I will be able to update it later Last, there will probably be a lot of mistakes since I’m writing this on my phone (since I’m going back home to Italy only after Comiket next week)

Sorry this took me a lot of time! So, on Saturday I’ve been to the first day of Aqours 2nd Live Tour in Nagoya and I wanted to write a report of it for curious people and also for me to remember it better :)

My seat was on the last floor, but we were really close to the stage and the arena is rather small compared to Yokohama Arena (to which I’ve also been) so it was a really good seat. The stage was on two floors, connected with two stairs at the sides and the usual three monitors behind. Above there was the lit-up Aqours logo that changed with the singer’s colour and had all of them flashing when they were singing together. All around the stage there were neon lines that resembled railways; altogether the scenography was amazing. There was also a squared stage in the rear part of the arena, but with no aisle to connect it with the main stage.

The live started perfectly in time, as always with the introduction video. This time it didn’t really have any new animation of the girls, it was just the Happy Party Train from the PV soaring though the sky at an incredible speed and passing through Nagoya Station, and it also had the introductions of the characters.

Just after that the music from HPT started and the upper stage literally split in two and A WHOLE TRAIN CAME FORWARD. THE TRAIN FROM THE PV. WTF. And all of them were in front of it in their HPT outfits! I loved them, they were really accurate and had a central vertical area in sparkling blue fabric (you probably already saw them at this point from the seiyuu’s twitter), and altogether they were really beautiful. I have to say I like the design more than before now that I’ve seen the live version. At this point, even if this wasn’t the first time I attended a live, I’ve started crying for just how happy I was to see them in person again. The performance of HPT was amazing, Suwawa has improved a lot since First Live, her solos were really good and her high notes were amazing. All of the other girls solos where super good too, I am so impressed by their huge improvement. During the closing MC Rikyako said that she sang Yoshiko’s lyrics instead of hers and I’m so ashamed to say I didn’t noticed lol how did I missed it?? (I was probably still crying lol) Then in the last part, as everyone expected, the costumes lit up like in the PV! They were amazing. At this point they were only yellow and static, but in Shoujo Ijou later they also changed colour.

After HPT they went on right away with Pops Heart. Nothing to say here, since it’s a song that’s already been performed.

Then they did their introductions. Unfortunately I can’t tell you a lot of what they said because I can’t understand a lot of Japanese, but basically it was all the same as always. One particular thing that happened was that during Suwawa’s introduction, the lateral monitors showed the second years and Anchan and Shukashuu talking and laughing by themselves (anshuka cough—) and then at the Hagu shiyo part Suwawa LITERALLY RAN TOWARDS AINYA TO HUG HER and then Shuka made a face like “ah she didn’t hug me today” BUT THEN BOTH ANCHAN AND ARISHA HUGGED HER IT WAS SO CUTE- Also Suwawa admitted that her voice is not good and she isn’t the best at singing but then Anchan encouraged her by saying that the HPTT wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for her and Kanan-chan and everyone cheered for her. Then after the introductions they made a little skit to remember people to drink, basically Arisha faked a collapse saying that she was thirsty and was sweating so she needed to drink and then something like offering us to drink her sweat (this may be wrong I’m sorry). They also showed their outfits by turning around, this time guided by Suwawa who brought out a whistle and made them turn by whistling it.

After this skit they went on with the next song, Shoujo Ijou no Koi ga Shitai! As I said before this time the costumes lit up but each one in their respective image colour, and they were also flashing from time to time, it was amazing! The performance was really good (yeah I will be repetitive about this, I won’t stress it enough they were incredibly good I can’t even believe they improved so much in such a short time) and the choreograpy was really cute, I remember Aikyan and Shuka turning around arm in arm for their duet. This song also had CG on the main screen, with hearts floating at the sides.

During the final chorus the second years disappeared from the stage, and in fact right after Shoujo Ijou there was Sora mo Kokoro mo Hareru Kara. The girls were sitting on a bench on the higher floor of the stage, and had cute white outfits with details in blue and their image color (this fanart by Nanotsuki catches them perfectly). The monitor right behind them showed a sky in different moments of the day (morning, sunset, night). Their singing in this song was really amazing, probably their best performance in the live, all of them shined a lot in their respective solos PLUS SHUKA MADE ONE OF HER GLORIOUS SOLO DANCE DURING THE INSTRUMENTAL PART AND IT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL I CRIED HOW CAN SHE BE REAL

When the song ended the first years arrived right away in the stage for Waku Waku Week. Their outfits were… well… a patchwork of colours and patterns… I can’t say I liked them a lot. But their performance was super cute and funny! I’ve always thought that Waku Waku was a perfect song for the comedians of Aqours (the first years seiyuu) and I wasn’t wrong, they seemed like they were having a lot of fun just singing and dancing together! Something that bothered me, at the end of the song I expected people to do the “giran”, “zura” and “pigi” instead of the usual “uh-uh” (the words even appeared on the monitors) but everyone just did that again, I was a bit surprised. (Well I’m still a bit disappointed that no one does the yousoroad during KoiAqua but whatever lol)

After them it was the third years’ turn and OH MY GOD THE OUTFITS. THE OUTFITS. I was wondering if they would actually have ballroom gowns and I wasn’t disappointed (this fanart is one of the most faithful), the dresses were absolutely gorgeous, in fine fabrics like beautiful organza, satin, tulle… I was speechless. I think that with all of those gorgeous fabrics they were probably the most expensive outfits of the live, they went all out with them. Also, the dresses were sleeveless… can you imagine Arisha in a sleeveless red gown? I can tell you, no you can’t. It’s beyond imagination. I can’t believe I witnessed a beauty like that. And it wasn’t all! Toward the end of the song the other six girls came back with black dresses with short tulle skirts, they were all amazing! And they danced (waltz?) in turn together with the third years, first Aiai with Arisha, Shuka with Ainya and Aikyan with Suwawa, then Anchan with Arisha and… I’m really sorry I didn’t see who King and Rikyako danced with. The other girls also gave a kiss on the hand of the third years while dancing, like they were the “men” of the dancing couple. It was a really nice touch that I didn’t expected (also those black dresses were asdfghjkl. Yeah.)

After a short MC when they talked about the dresses and the songs, they went away and an intermission PV started. No clue what it was about, sorry, looked like they were talking about Nagoya history.

And after that my favorite part of the live started. First of all was KoiAqua and WITH THE ORIGINAL OUTFITS!! I WAS SO HAPPY!!! I was super sad that during First Live they didn’t have them, and I expected that this time they either left the song out completely or do it with the original outfits and I wasn’t disappointed!! They were gorgeous too, really faithful and the colours were amazing, like when they were all lined up the beautiful colours of their outifts really stood up. Also, I was absolutely shocked by the fact that the outfit was actually split in two parts (top and bottom) and YES IT SHOWED THEIR MIDRIFFS. Like. Wow. Just a little bit, not like in the anime, but at one point Shuka was waving while she was on the monitors and I literally saw half of her midriff I died omfgsdfghjkl ANYWAY— I was so happy to be able to listen to KoiAqua live again! Shuka improved a lot too and her solo was really good, I loved it.

Then they did an MC right away, talking about the song and the outfit. This time to do the turnaround, Aikyan said something like “daten!” with her datenshi pose and at first only Shuka turned and they were like “eh? Why did only me turn? www” then Aikyan did it again and everyone did their turning and the little demon pose lol- they also showed the rear part of their outfits, which were very decorated and if I understood that corrected they said that Anchan’s, Suwawa’s, Rikyako’s and King’s rear part looked like from samba dancers lol

After this, well, I almost cried when they announced Daydream Warrior, one of my absolutely favourite songs. I have no words to describe how awesome this whole performance was. Their singing was super good, their low voices were amazing; the one that hit me the most was incredibly Furirin’s solo, you can’t even imagine how good her voice was. The best part was probably the choreography: it was absolutely intense and really really difficult, at one point I started wondering how the hell they were still singing like that, they really built up an incredible amount of stamina. There was this part in which just Aikyan, Shuka and Anchan were dancing (an instrumental part) which was super intense, I was really impressed… I am absolutely sure no other Love Live choreo has anything at this level. Even their expressions were so intense, they added a whole level to the performance. The only thing that “”“ruined”“” it a bit was that they had those super colourful outfits while singing about war and impossible love, it was a bit out of place. But overall it was a really intense and powerful performance.

And! We didn’t even have time to catch a breath because after that was fucking Thrilling One Way!!! I can say that this was absolutely the most hype song, the arena was LITERALLY ON FIRE: their background monitors showed images of flames, there were jets of smoke (like the flames in Saitama Super Arena, but with just smoke) from the front part of the stage, I saw really a lot of UOs and the overall volume of the audience’s calls was absolutely higher than before. Like I said, literally on fire. And much to my amazement this song choreo was as intense as the Daydream Warrior one HOW DO THEY DO IT THEY ARE NOT REAL. I am amazed I love them so much they work so hard……. After this medley of kakkoi songs I was basically drenching in sweat. Me. And they were there singing and dancing. h o w.

Anyway, after another Intermission PV (which was about uirou, a Japanese sweet typical in Nagoya) it was subunit time! Of course CYaRon arrived first singing Kin Mirai Happy End. They had their pirate outfits from the CD jacket and they were suuuper cute in them! The monitors this time showed the deck of a pirate ship with a CYaRon flag, making it seem like they were dancing on the ship. They also had flags with a new CYR logo, which they said during the MC was designed by Furirin. During the MC they said the usual things like talking about the song and the outfits. Then, before singing Kaigan Doori, they showed us a move to do during the chorus, like the CYaRon sign (the number three with one hand) with your left hand and a salute with the right.

When they finished Kaigan Doori it was AZALEA time! For Galaxy HidE and SeeK, Arisha started singing while being alone on the center stage, which was elevated, and on the monitors there were astronomic photos of galaxies. Her singing was really amazing! Then the other two members suddenly appeared from hidden carts, then joined Arisha in the central stage and then back to the main one. Their performance was really wonderful, they all improved a lot in their singing. Oh, they were dressed in their CD jacket outfits too, white and pink, and they also had angel wings. They also took out some magic candy (?) similar to the magic wands they had for First Live. And as in First Live, during the MC they did the torikoriko spell to change the audience’s penlight colours, this time by also making us change to their respective image colour. Then they sang INNOCENT BIRD, another favorite of mine, which was really good. They had these fake microphones in their hand and they were dancing and using their cables like a lazo. Unfortunately as much as I love this song at this point my mind was already on the next song…

Guilty Kiss appeared on the central stage, in their CD jacket outfits too (they were a bit different though, if I remember correctly- but still good, I love them more than the Strawberry Trapper one, they were so hot in those pants oh my god I’m gay). I’m sorry but all of my biased will come out here because Aikyan in Kowareyasuki was simply the best. I wanted to cry at all of her solo parts. Her scream during the instrumental gave me so many chills. She was so so so so so so good. Absolutely gets the award for best singer in Aqours, hands down. So good. I died and resurrected. I love her too much. Anyway, of course all of them were super good and the whole song was LIT AF exactly as I imagined it. After the usual MC with the usual things and a bit of cnrk (Aikyan put an arm around Rikyako’s shoulders to apologize to her because she involuntary interrupted her), they started with Shadow Gate of Love. The monitors had CG for this but I wasn’t really looking at them since the seiyuus were on the carts and I was looking at them, but once I saw Aikyan on the monitor making a heart with her hands and the CG followed her hands. The choreo of this song was really sensual, I loved it. At the end they made a final pose with their backs to the audience and making a heart with their hands behind them, it was such a cute touch.

Then another intermission started and surprise surprise! BACKSTAGE FOOTAGE!!! I was so happy, I LOVE seeing them during their training! It really shows how hard they work. They always wear their characters T-shirts during their training, it was so cute to see them with all of the different T-shirts that came out (I remember Aikyan wearing the COSPA “emotional series” T-shirt, and Ainya with the one with Mari in swimsuit) Unfortunately they were just really short clips of training, one for each of them, together with some messages from them to the audience. One thing I clearly remember is Furirin’s clip, because they showed her practising the chorus of Thrilling One Way and she looked so cool.

After this intermission they came on the stage again with KimiKoko outfits and sang the ONLY anime song of the whole 2nd live, Aozora Jumping Heart. Nothing to say, this has been performed countless time.

Right after that it came another one of my favs, a song that I didn’t expected them to perform at this point (so many new songs already, and they also already did the kakkoi songs together) so I was surprised again: SKY JOURNEY. I will be repetitive again they were so good so good soooo good I don’t know what else to say they are so good I love them. The monitors were showing beautiful images of stars behind them, that really added emphasis to the whole performance.

After that it was another old song, KimiKoko. At the end of it they started waving and going behind the stage, but of course the lights didn’t turn off which was our cue to start calling the encore.

After some minutes an animated PV started, showing the girls with the yellow live T-shirts on the HPT. Suddenly the train stopped because it didn’t have any more energy (?). They said (sorry I can’t remember who said what) that they needed everyone’s power to make it start again, but that their power as only nine girls wasn’t enough. Then I think Kanan said that “we’re not just nine” and asked us to call “Aqours! Aqours!”, at which the train filled with energy and started again, bringing us to the encore.

When the PV finished the stage split in two again and the HPT came out, this time with Uchicchi in front of it!! The audience went wild, he is clearly everyone’s best girl. He had a big red fan with the kanji 祭 (“matsuri”, festival) written on it, bringing us into the atmosphere for the next song, Sunshine Pikka Pika Ondo! When the music started the girls appeared on the center stage, wearing the yellow Nagoya shirts and the happis above them, with Anchan in the central elevated part of the stage, with a big taiko and lanterns all around her stage, and the other girls all around her in the lower stage holding big and small red fans. It really felt like being at a natsu matsuri, the scenography was amazing! Also I love so much this song, I was so happy that they went all out with it, it was so funny! (I won’t say that of course their singing was so good you already know it at this point.) During the final part they went on the carts and back to the main stage, where they did a MC thanking us for the encore. I can’t remember anything special about this except what I already said about Rikyako (that she admitted her error during HPT) and that Aikyan was a bit teary-eyed (as always, my precious child).

After which they removed their happis announcing the very last song… everyone at some point in the live expected Mirai Ticket since Nippon Gaishi Hall is the arena in which they sing it in the anime, but much to everyone’s surprise it wasn’t even the last, which was instead Taiyou o Oikakerou. Not that I’m complaining, I like the song and the performance was so cute! They went back and forth on the stage while marching and waving at us all. The cutest moment was when Suwawa went to hug Shuka (to make up for before, uh), and then Arisha went to hug Suwawa from behind and then Ainya hugged Arisha! A Happy Party Train of hugs lol ♡ At the end they just waved at us saying thank you and went behind the stage, to which the lights on the arena went on again, marking the end of the concert.

Final considerations:

All of this live was so unexpected to me. I expected a live with S1 songs, PV songs and a bit of new songs, I hoped for the BD bonus songs but I didn’t have a lot of hope… instead we got a live with no anime songs and SO MANY NEW SONGS. ALL IN DAY1. This is better than anything I could have ever imagined I am so. So. Impressed. They are so good.

My feeling of attending a live has kinda changed, the first time (Aqours First Live) seemed unreal to be there and I was so shocked the whole live, this time I was able to be more present, I guess I needed to get used to the sudden and unusual burst of emotions.

A thing that I really liked about this live more than any other are the coreographies, and since I already talked about the girls’ awesome performance and no one ever talks about her I’m making a special mention to Yumi Ichikawa, the coreographer of Love Live. Her coreos improved so much, they are not only the typical idol moves anymore, they… well, when you’ll see Daydream Warrior you’ll understand what I mean. It’s so good.

Before every live I think to all of the money I spent to arrive here and obtain a ticket and I say this will be the last for some time, I have to save up for my future and more serious things but then when I’m there I can’t help to say HOW CAN I MISS THIS MY PRECIOUS GIRLS I WANT TO SEE THEM ALWAYS Don’t start going to lives kids it will ruin your life

TL;DR they’re good girls Brent

#love live #aqours #aqours 2nd live #happy party train #love live sunshine

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hyperactivemess · 7 years ago

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SEPTEMBER 2017 IS A DEADLY MONTH FOR ANIME/COSPLAY FANS IN THE PHILIPPINES

Why you ask? Let me break it down for you.

Every September, 2 of the biggest anime/cosplay/Japanese Pop culture conventions in the country always seems to be outshining each other in terms of providing the best con experience with the use of their guests.

If you’re from the Philippines like me, you know what I’m talking about: COSPLAY MANIA and THE BEST OF ANIME.

But let’s talk about The Best of Anime first (BOA, for short).

BOA started back in 2011 with what you can say “A very satisfying con without the help of big guests”. I, myself, have witnessed their beginnings (and it was also my very first convention) up until last year on how big they are now, mentioning last year they have invited Haruna Luna (Yes. THE HARUNA LUNA you know) and the visual kei band that the Filipino people loved: Uchusentai: Noiz. They also got big international cosplayers like Misa, Yau and Jun Kaise.

This year, however, that are going all out!

BOA have managed to get SPYAIR this year, which is heavily requested by the supporters of the event! Dreams do come true!

I shit you not, every single one of my friends is so ecstatic on seeing the band live (me included). It really is a big deal to hear the band behind the songs for Haikyuu!!, Gintama and Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron Blood Orphans. VIP tickets for their performance (which also includes posters, official merchandise and a reserved seating) IS ALREADY SOLD OUT! Only regular concert tickets (Standing) is left and the stock for it is only on 50% now as of this writing!

But that’s not all. They are also going all out with super-special set of guests cosplayers and performers!

BOA 2017 marks the return of Japanese cosplayer Reika and Thai cosplayer Yuegene Fay to the Manila shores! It’s been a while since we have seen these faces and I CAN’T BE MORE THAN EXCITED TO FINALLY MEET THEM AGAIN!! As you may have already know, I am a huge fan of Reika since 2013 so this is really a great chance for me to see her again. So is Yuegene! I really wanted to meet her and this is a perfect time!

BOA also got Taiwanese cosplay duo Liu & Hana, which got their fangirls super excited for their pairings. This also marks the return of Idol Group STARMARIE, which managed to build a fanbase for themselves here in the country, which is an amazing feat.

BOA 2017 tickets rage from PHP300 (roughly USD5.92) for the regular pass that doesn’t include the concert with SPYAIR to PHP2000 (roughly USD39.44) that includes the concert at night. VIP Tickets, which is SOLD OUT, is at PHP3300 (roughly USD65.08) that includes official merchandises from SPYAIR.

So just imagine what kind of spending we do in cons. Haha! I know cons overseas is more costly, but as asomeone who doesn’t have that much money in the world, this is really challenging.

But here is where it all gets more despairing: Cosplay Mania.

CosMania, for short, has been in the scene for over 10 years now. This year marks their 10th anniversary for being one of the most-awaited conventions in the country. They have built themselves as one of the pioneers in the industry and it’s easy to see why. Over the years, they have invited really awesome guests and performers that makes everyone excited and happy. This is the convention where I first encountered Reika and most of my community friends so this is really a special con for me, as well.

They have really cool guests over the years but like BOA, they are also not stopping at anything to provide you with quality cons and experience.

I mean, look at their set of guest international cosplayers this year:

We got Angie from Malaysia, Eki and Kong from South Korea, Siutao from China (her fanbase is so fucking big here), and the guests that made a lot of panties drop to the floor, Knitemaya from Australia and Hikarin from Canada. The good thing about them is that they are announced way back in March, so I think Cosplay.ph (the organizers) made sure that the attendees will have a lot of time to save money to go to their meet and greet sessions, which I highly appreciate. Man, I got excited to hear that Siutao, Knitemaya and Hikarin will be here this year and I can’t wait!

If BOA got SPYAIR, wait till you see what Cosmania have on their JAM Concert.

UTAITE fans here got so fucking excited with the announcement of Kradness coming in to perform!! The hype went uphill so freaking fast! But that’s not all...

After the postponement of her appearance last year, everybody is hopeful that Shiena Nishizawa will be performing for real this year. I really hope so.

But this is where it gets all more crazy:

Yes. THEY GOT KONOMI FREAKING SUZUKI THIS YEAR!! I was imagining the past years what if she performs here AND IT’S GONNA HAPPEN SOON AND I CAN’T FUCKING WAIT!!!

But the surprises are far from over. Just a week ago, they dropped this motherfucking announcement to our faces:

FOR THE FIRST TIME IN YEARS, THEY GOT MALE SEIYUUS!!

I literally dropped off my chair freaking out of the announcement of Wataru Hatamo and Koutarou Nishiyama coming over to Cosmania this year. For a seiyuu fan like me, THIS IS A BIG DEAL!! I will be able to meet several seiyuus now and this made me more that happy!!!!

I don’t know. Cosplay Mania also went out this year and this stresses me out because CosMania will happen 3 weeks after BOA. See how stressful that is. But look at the ticket prices.

Cosplay Mania tickets range from SILVER (PHP349 / USD6.86, Halls Only, with Meet and Greets with guests), GOLD (PHP699 / USD13.74, All Access with JAM Concert) and VIP (PHP3,499 / USD68.78, 2-Day All Access, JAM Concert with Reserved Seating)

My wallet is crying yo. SEPTEMBER IS INDEED A DEADLY MONTH FOR ME.

#conventions #con talks #philippines #best of anime #cosplay mania #cosplay #anime #struggles of a congoer

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lovelybaka · 8 years ago

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My own Diabolik Lovers Versus Song Requiem (2) Bloody Night Review

Like my previous review of the two first series of solo songs of Diabolik Lovers (that you can find here and here), I wanted to give my opinion about the third series of Diabolik Lovers songs. As they are VERSUS songs, I gave my opinion about the winner of these versus.

I friendly remind that this review is definitely subjective, it’s my own opinion and you’re free to not think like me.

Thank you for reading and enjoy (re)discovering these series of great songs, enjoy~

Sakamaki Ayato VS Sakamaki Subaru: →REDRUM← 🎵(I Am) →REDRUM← 🎵

Haaan the sound of the opening gate, a true trademark of the Diabolik Lovers universe. I like it. And yeah, backward talking to begin with, it’s great. Little talk part of the two of your vampire before a short refrain, I love it. The rhythm is good, it’s really better than the both previous songs we had for Ayato AND Subaru. It’s really what I wanted for the both of them to begin with. The difference between the verses and the refrains are just enough, not too much, just what I think it was good. The talk confrontation in the second last part of the song is just good. The solo parts and the duet moments are really well mixed and arranged. There are a lot of solos in the verses and the duets are basically during the refrains, it’s a choice, and a good one for me. Really, it’s a good introduction for this series of songs.

So, the lyrics. I didn’t get they were so… trash until I watch the translation. So, for the ones who didn’t get it, “REDRUM” means “MURDER” aaaand, it’s really what the lyrics mean. All the way you could die by, here they are. In a sense, it could fit to more than just Ayato and Subaru. All Dialovers guys can kill someone. But, in a sense again, the passion behind, the love passion I mean, is strong and fits to Ayato and Subaru both. I think their characters are really passionate in their roads with Yui (or any other name you give to the main character when you’re playing). So, I’m mitigated.

For the choice of the paring, it’s not really a surprise. It’s a pairing we all know because of the opening songs of the first games. When I saw the names of the paring, I was a little disappointed but when I heard the perfect results, okay, I’ve said nothing and I accept fully the choice of the management, it was a great choice.

Now, for the solo tracks. In the order I’ll begin with Ayato. We don’t have a change of melody in the introduction as we can have in other songs. It’s okay. Modorikawa Hikaru has a good voice but sometimes, more often in the verses, I think he lacks a little of power. But his really strength comes at the second part of the verses after the acute parts, it’s really a good job! (and I’m not even a fangirl of Ayato!) Actually, I think my problem with his voice is the fact I don’t really like his acute voice. So, without it, his singing is almost perfect and I love listening his solo track as the duet one. Now for Subaru. As I said, I wanted this kind of song for Subaru. But I realise than my main issue with Kondo Takashi is his acute voice. Without these parts, the deeper parts are great. I don’t have a lot to say about Subaru, just maybe the fact he is a lot powerless than Ayato in the solo part during the refrains. I prefer listening the duet song than his solo BUT it’s really a good job and I don’t have any problem to listen his solo track, really.

After all this chatting, the moment of the revelation and who won this battle~ The both are really perfect during the duet moments so for me, they’re almost equal but if I had to choose a winner, it would be Ayato. And for the song, it deserves a really great 8/10. I like it and it’s a great promise for the next ones! (*cough*)

Mukami Ruki VS Mukami Azusa: Luv Apple Juice 🎵Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah… I want you!🎵

I love the 10 first seconds of the introduction. Great beginning with Azusa aaand… a new reading part of Ruki. Here I have less problems than his previous song (Tsumetai Chi). The fact that the reading parts are shorter and placed between singing parts of Azusa makes also my listening easier. If I take the rhythm and melody of the song only, it’s really great. I have the same rebukes than I had with Tsumetai Chi and KILL YOU, AGAIN (previous song of Azusa): for Ruki, I preferred the instrumental part and with Azusa, the rhythm is too fast for him (it’s, once again, my own opinion). Actually, the only part I truly enjoy is the “Ah-Ah-Ah I want you” because I think it suits Azusa perfectly. It’s not too fast, and I can imagine him speak like that. My positive point is on the contrary the refrain for Ruki. I prefer them with him than Azusa. And again a new deception is the fact we never have a duet since Ruki don’t sing so, no mixed voices and duet…

So, the lyrics. The refrains are really well-tuned to the title. The reference to Adam and Eve and, by extension, the “Mukami Theme”. I think it’s really a good job. It’s actually the best part of this song. As Ruki and Azusa have their own lyrics, the lyrics are perfect and suit the both of them. I don’t have a lot to say except this is the great surprise of the song.

On the other hand, I’m not really surprise for the pairing. They put the “families” together so, there are less choices for the Mukami (and I don’t even speak for the Tsukinami). But, unlike the pairing for the second season anime’s opening, Kou-Azusa, I think Ruki and Azusa was a good choice. I’m a little sad Ruki didn’t sing because I think their voice together would have done something nice.

Sooo, solo parts and I begin with Ruki. Unlike Tsumetai Chi, I almost enjoy listening his reading version (and I appreciate the fact they called it “reading version”). I think the rhythm plays a great deal. I don’t have a lot to say. It’s nice to listen to. I won’t listen to this all day but once here and there, it’s okay. Now for Azusa. I love the verses, at least the first parts, because they’re slow. At the second third part, when he speeds up, I find it’s less like him and I lost my interest for him. My biggest problem are the refrains. Theyr’re, one, too fast, and second, I don’t enjoy the acute voice of Azusa. I don’t really like to admit that, but I almost enjoy the fourth and instrumental track of this song… I don’t know who is the guy who have done almost all harmony voices for Dialovers songs, but he did great.

So for me, the winner of this versus is surprisingly Ruki. I’ve always thought before doing this review it would be Azusa but I realised he did a better job with is reading version than Azusa for me, but Azusa solos were great. It was a difficult choice. And for the note, 7/10 seems fine to me.

Tsukinami Carla VS Tsukinami Shin: Operation X 🎵Mohaya, teokure kan wa inamenai ne? Dr.🎵

Haaaaaa here comes the fun~ Or not. I had to download it yesterday because I never had done it, I didn’t like the preview we had on Youtube last year. So, Operation X. My first thought: why do I download an Arashi single?! Ah, it’s not Arashi… Okay. The introduction makes me thinking about the Johnny’s style (Japanese male Idols). When I re-listen to this, I don’t really understand why I hated it like that last year… I think it was because of the voice of Carla, and God knows I love the character of Carla. Ah, now I remember why I didn’t like it, I really don’t enjoy the rhythm and the differences between the verses and the refrains. I don’t like the auto-tune too, there are too much effects on both voices… But, I truly love the “Wowowowow” parts! Another positive point is the ambiance. It’s really a good job, I can imagine the décor in a hospital, Carla and Shin in doctor’s coat and all. The voices of the two are great together.

The lyrics now. Okay. The medical universe is okay but, why for Carla and Shin?! If someone deserved its medical ambiance, it was Karlheinz, wasn’t it? I mean, I have nothing against that but, a priori, it’s not for them (or I missed something and it’s 100% ok with that, I’m not perfect). For me, the lyrics suit neither of Carla or Shin. It’s out of subject.

Family choice for the pairing so, no surprise at all here. Instead, I’ll speak really quickly about the characters and their seiyuu since I hadn’t in the previous review. I love Carla. He’s my favourite Tsukinami guys. Mostly because he’s awesome but I also love his character. Morikawa Toshiyuki… Haaa… His deep voice… I know him for his roles of Thoth-sama in KamiAso and Hugo in Magi, I love him, his character is so cute, he’s a true puppy (I highly recommend you the seiyuu event of Magi, he did the cutest roulade I’ve ever seen!). So, he’s very professional, even if I don’t really like his singing voice to be honest… I’ve always had a little problem with Shin, I don’t know why. I love Morikubo Showtaro, that I love for his roles of Okita Shouji (Hakuoki series) and Sharrkan (Magi) and so many more, but I don’t know, I don’t really enjoy the character of Shin. On the other hand, I LOVE his singing voice. In the best ID of Rejet, 80% of my favourite songs have Morikubo-san in them!

Now, the solo tracks. And here I go with Carla. Okay, I’m not a huge fan of his singing voice but it’s okay here, except he accentuates his Carla voice too much. But the auto-tuned parts, I really can’t, I can’t understand what he’s saying. But his voice is powerful, I really appreciate that. I don’t have a lot to say, he managed his solo track, it’s pleasant to listen to. For Shin, I usually love his singing voice but I find he did a little too much this time. And as for Carla, I don’t like the auto-tuned moments. My little disappointment is that he isn’t as powerful as Carla was during the refrains, buuut, I truly enjoyed the verses and his talking parts! I also enjoy listening his solo track but there is nothing amazing or unforgettable about his solo.

Carla is the winner of this versus for me and I’m pleasantly surprised about this song actually. I thought I hated it but, no! It’s not perfect but 5/10 seems more than fine for me. Waow.

Sakamaki Reiji VS Sakamaki Kanato: Kowaku no Parade 🎵Anata ga oboreru makka na umi de🎵

Hehehe~ Here we go for my favourite one, no suspens at all, sorry. So, the negative point first: the introduction is too long. It’s the longest one of the series and once again, it’s for Kanato… But 35 seconds are okay I guess. But then, the rhythm is GREAT. I find it has a “Kanato touch” and it suits Reiji well too. For me, the ambiance is like Kirisaki CARNIVAL and GREATFUL DEAD MARCH (the two previous Kanato songs). In a sense, it’s refined and it suits once again both Kanato and Reiji. I really did fall in love with the preview last year and it never stop for more than a year. For me, everything is perfect, the rhythm, the ambiance, the verses, the refrains, the voices of Reiji and Kanato together, the harmony of their mixed voice during the second part of the verses, it makes the song unique, I haven’t noticed that in the other cds. Other than the long instrumental parts in the introduction and in the middle of the song, I don’t see any negative point, it’s almost perfect for me.

Of course the lyrics suit our two sadistic brothers. There is a notion of magic, death, refine, the tea and flowers references, it suits them both. I can’t see the lyrics for another pairing. I can find back a lot of reference to Kirisaki CARNIVAL by the way. Maybe it’s a negative point if it’s too much alike but, I don’t really care because it was a good job.

For the pairing, I didn’t expect to enjoy a duet Kaji Yuki - Konishi Katsuyuki, mostly because I LOVE Kaji Yuki and I don’t particularly like Konishi Katsuyuki. BUT! It’s the perfect voices pairing for this series for me (with Mukami Kou and Yuuma but I’ll speak about them right after). For me, Kanato and Reiji are the most sadistic Sakamaki brothers, so, this pairing, along with the lyrics and ambiance, is interesting.

Solo tracks now. Reiji. Reiji, Reiji, Reiji dear. I have nothing against your solo track. On the contrary, it’s his best solo song for me. I was pleasantly surprise with his two first solo songs but Kowaku no Parade confirm to me he’s a good singer. He actually has a great English accent (better than Kaji Yuki) so it’s a positive point for me buuuut… He isn’t really powerful for me in his solo track. Indeed, the song doesn’t ask a great powerful voice, it’s more refine once again, but I miss something in his solo track… On the other hand, with Kaji Yuki, I have this great level of power. But I don’t have the good English pronunciation. But I have the perfect intonation, and the perfect “subete ga hoshiin desu yo!!” (I’m a poor fangirl after all). During his solo track, I can’t help it but smile. I listen to Kanato during 7 minutes (minus the instrumental parts) and I love it. I can’t say anything else but that I love listening to his solo track as much as I love listening to the duet one, and I secretly think I had listened to his solo track more than the main one.

With that, I think that Kanato is obviously the winner of the versus, but Reiji did a wonderful job too (and Gog knows I don’t like the character of Reiji). As for the note, there are little negative points so, 9.5/10 because I can’t give a 10…

Mukami Kou VS Mukami Yuuma : DIE IS CAST 🎵Moe agatte mimashou🎵

Hehe~ Happy birthday to me~ I mean… So, the main track. No introduction, okay, it’s a choice. Mmm their voices together, I love it! And I love the rhythm of the first refrain, which isn’t really a refrain if I follow the other ones. I love the rhythm of the verses, first and second parts both but the difference with the refrain is big. I love the ambiance of the song but I don’t find it suits perfectly Kou and Yuuma. I mean, it could be for any other Mukami or even Sakamaki brother. But my favourit parts are definitely the second parts of the verses with the “mimashou”! It’s a good rock song and their voices are perfect together, I almost regret this wasn’t the opening of the second anime season. This song isn’t really original but it’s a really good job.

I’ll be honest, I didn’t find the English translation for this song (as for Camouflage) and I don’t think my Japanese level is good enough to analyse the lyrics. So, if someone knows where I could find them, don’t hesitate to tell me.

My favourite pairing ever! I mean, Yuuma and Kou are my first and second favourit Mukami brothers and they’re both high ranked in my all-brothers top. And more than that, Suzuki Tatsuhisa (Yuuma’s seiyuu) and Kimura Ryohei (Kou’s) are my fourth and fifth favourit seiyuu ever! I couldn’t wait to listen to their pairin and I wasn’t disappointed! Released one day before my birthday day, my favourite pairing and an amazing rhythm, I could only be happy!

General remark for the both solo tracks: I love them both, but more than that, I love all the parts that aren’t in the duet! Is that make sense at all? If every solo parts in the main track were inverse, it would have been perfect for me. But here we go for Kou~ I love the new introduction they added, it’s a great job. So, I love Kimura Ryohei and he’s a great singer and more, he did a great job keeping the accent of Kou during all his solo track. My only deception here is that it isn’t really an idol song like I wanted for him. For me, his best moments are during the verses because I find he forced a little too much during the refrains BUT I do love listening to his solo track a lot. Yuuma, Yuuma, Yuuma~ I’m a huge fan of Yuuma and Tattsun both, and to begin his solo track with this perfect “Nemurenai yoru nara~”, I’m dead. Like Kou, Tattsun keeps Yuuma’s character for the song, but maybe for me, he forced a little too much by moments. But this style of music and rhythm fits him better than Kou (in my humble opinion) and, his English pronunciation is a little better than Kou so, it’s sometimes easier to understand.

It’s a really difficult versus since I love them both so much and I love both of the seiyuu too but with this kind of song, I think Yuuma won this one (sorry Kou!). And I don’t have a lot of think to reproach so, 8.5/10.

Sakamaki Shuu VS Sakamaki Raito : Camouflage 🎵Against the blood...🎵

Haaaaa the last one, and the most difficult one to analyse for me, I’ll explain. But the general information first. No introduction, once more, no problem. It looks like the song with be melancholic, it’s the first impression I had with the first verse. There are a lot of long notes, like a complaint. It doesn’t really bother me actually. What bother me is the transition from the verses to the refrains, it doesn’t fit. I have three different parts and I don’t find this fine. I don’t enjoy the verses and it spoils the refrains which have a great rhythm and ambiance, a bit like Q.E.D. (previous Raito solo). If the verses had had a rhythm similar to the slow refrain after the talk part, I would have enjoy fully the song. And a good point for me is the little sound after the talk part, almost like a “game over” sound, I think it fits the ambiance and it’s great for me.

Once again, I didn’t find the English translation on internet so, I won’t try to speak about it, I didn’t understand all of the meaning of the lyrics.

But I can say that I loved the idea of the pairing RaitoxShuu for a song. The two most pervert Sakamaki brothers and I love their seiyuu both too. But maybe it wasn’t really a wise choice. I explain: I love them both, but together, they’re a bit… soft. I would have enjoy a little more power in their voices actually. But otherwise, on the paper, I love the paring a lot!

So, Shuu’s first. Oooh I don’t like the firsts “Against the blood”. Actually, I don’t enjoy his solo track but mostly because I don’t like his singing voice. It’s always the same problem with Toriumi Kousuke, I love this seiyuu but I can’t stand his singing voice… But I must recognize his voice fits during the refrains and I thought I would hate to listen to his solo track but it was okay actually. I coul have been worst. The main problems are his singing voice and the fact he isn’t really powerful during the song (but it’s probably to be accurate with the lazy character of Shuu, at least, I’ll believe that…) And here we finish with Raito-sama~ After reflexion, I think I just can’t stand the “Against the blood’s”… I love the voice of Hirakawa Daisuke and he stayed in his character during the whole song. The best part is definitely the last “Wow wow” at the very end… It was more powerful and I would have like a whole song like this… If I had to keep only one track from this cd I would definitely keep his solo. For me it’s like a continuation of Q.E.D. like I said earlier so I obviously think he did a great job. I don’t have a lot to say actually.

And for this last versus, no surprise, Raito is the winner without hesitation. And the song deserves a… 6/10, I don’t think I will keep it on my MP3 after I finished to work on this review…

So the top 6 and winners:

Kowaku no Parade (Sakamaki Reiji VS Sakamaki Kanato) 9.5/10

DIE IS CAST (Mukami Kou VS Mukami Yuuma) 8.5/10

→REDRUM← (Sakamaki Ayato VS Sakamaki Subaru) 8/10

Luv Apple Juice (Mukami Ruki VS Mukami Azusa) 7/10

Camouflage (Sakamaki Shuu VS Sakamaki Raito) 6/10

Operation X (Tsukinami Carla VS Tsukinami Shin) 5/10

Thank you very much for reading this review and don’t hesitate to give me your own opinion! Have a lovely day everyone~

Source for the lyrics and translations: silvermoon249 / chachajjang

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kaitsunnonichijou · 7 years ago

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Me as soon as OP kicks in.

Damn, it’s been a seriously long time since the prequel TV series. Do you know how much I’ve waited for this?

THIS MUCH.

… although that’s kind of an understatement.

I’m a huge fan of both Negima and UQ Holder manga series, so I might go into complete fangirl mode throughout this article. So, what do we talk about first? I thought about dividing this first impression review into three categories that highlights this episode’s strengths and weaknesses. But before that, episode synopsis below. Let’s start!

Highlight and read at your own risk!

Years after the Great Magic War and the existence of magic finally acknowledged on Earth, Konoe Touta and his group of friends continuously pursued Yukihime, his foster guardian, to take them to the other side of the “tower”. When the seemingly effective plan from another teacher took a completely different turn, Yukihime’s secret about Touta’s real identity was revealed.

General Impressions:

Here I am, after 80 years: The anticipation

Watching this episode felt like reading Chapter 1 of UQ Holder all over again, with quite a few alterations here and there. But the changes didn’t matter to me because I was so impressed with how good this episode turned out to be. It was solid from flashback start until the ending credits to the point I was satisfied and proud of this fandom that I’ve involved myself in. The Negima manga series holds a special place in my heart (more than K-ON, I admit) to the point that I felt complete and empty at the same time when the original manga ended five years ago. I wanted to continue on my journey with them. I wanted to know what happened after the Great Magic War. I wanted to see them again… until UQ Holder came and answered all questions Negima has left.

Being as a sequel, it’s peculiar to see that one doesn’t need to watch the entire first season because honestly, the prequel was a downer and didn’t do justice to the original manga. Also, some of the events on UQ Holder won’t make that much sense if you only watched the prequel anime. I advise everyone to read the Negima manga completely just so you won’t be confused with UQ Holder.

To be honest, I feel like talking about theories like immortality and how does it feel like for this episode but I think that topic’s gonna pop out more in the following episodes, so I’m just keeping the hype going and talk about the episode in general. But, seriously. Yukihime has so far given us a perfect answer; as expected of a vampire who has lived for more than 700 years.

Touta Konoe and Yukihime: Animation and characters

I don’t think I have the right to say this since I haven’t completely watched the anime adaptations but J.C. Staff did a major step-up with their game. J.C. Staff isn’t the best when it comes to animation (in my own opinion, because I’m a KyoAni fag) but they’re quite consistent with most adaptations under their name that their own strength, with regards to animation, is their own weakness as well. But honestly, they didn’t really need to go extraordinary with UQ Holder’s animation at this point. Just something worth noting for: I’m glad J.C. Staff didn’t shy about detailing the violence and blood in this episode. Yes for no censorship!

As for the characters, I have no qualms about them because I think they’re pretty much alive and on-point. Also, no hair color changes and exaggerated character traits! Plus, they’re like carbon copies of the manga’s original designs. I love it! The voice acting didn’t stand out too much for me, they’re good but nothing exceptional. I realized Yukihime’s seiyuu is the same as the Evangeline from the prequel 15 years ago (yes, it was that long). Right now, I’m very much excited for Kirie’s appearance since she’s best girl and voiced by Kayano Ai, one of my all-time favorite seiyuu.

By the way, I don’t know what’s with me but the opening sequence reminded me of Working!! anime lmao the shapes aren’t even the same but the yellow is so misleading pleaseforgiveme.jpg

Negi Springfield: What to look forward to

Judging from the way things are going with this first episode, It’s hard to say whether they’d do a faithful (or even close to) adaptation of the manga or decide on an original ending. I get that the first chapter being entirely used for the first episode makes sense, and then there’s this foreshadowing of about two to three chapters going on with the next episode, but with no information of how many episodes J.C. Staff’s planning to make, you can never tell. Nevertheless, the website is showing a teaser photo of UQ Holder facing against… Ala Alba? If that’s the case, I am so much looking forward to it!

Verdict: 10 Chamo “thumbs-up”s

– It was a solid episode with little to no loopholes. – Great to see Negi, Eva, and the 3-A students again. – Opening theme OMG SO NOSTALGIC AAAAAAAA – BRING IT ON, EPISODE TWO! BECAUSE I’M READY!

Next episode: You can’t hate someone you met naked.「裸で出会えば友達(ダチ)になる。」

Here’s a (random) slideshow of this episode’s screenshots!

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UQ Holder 01 – The Beauty and the Boy 「美女と少年」

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kaitsunnonichijou · 7 years ago

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This is not a “Guide to Wonder Festival / Comic Market” post. Close, but no.

I was planning to write a blog about my summer otaku event experiences but almost a week passed after Comiket and I can’t stop playing TS4, so I just had to do something about this procrastination.

Summer WonFes billboard at Makuhari Messe

About Wonder Festival – Wonfes

Having been around for more than three decades, Wonder Festival or Wonfes is best known for its massive toys and figures exhibition. Every year, Japan’s top toy manufacturing companies as well as huge names in the anime industry gather around to showcase hot and upcoming anime figures and merchandises Wonder Festival is also home to various independent toy makers, giving them a chance to showcase their works.

Wonfes is held biannually (Summer and Winter seasons) at Makuhari Messe in Makuhari, Chiba.

About Comic Market – Comiket

Entering its’ 46th time this year, Comic Market, or more commonly known as Comiket, is the biggest hobby convention in Japan, running biannually (Summer and Winter season) for three days (Fridays and Weekends). Comiket is home for self-published materials like books, music, softwares, etc., but also caters official publications as well.

Comiket’s venue is Tokyo Big Sight in Odaiba, Tokyo.

Comiket and Wonfes catalog books

Of course, you probably know about the stuff I wrote up there, but here’s something most of the foreign people don’t know:

Wonfes isn’t a free admission event – you have to buy the Wonfes catalog book. The catalog book double-serves as an entrance ticket and your guide map to the event! Cool, right?

Comiket is free. (Ay, so you know that huh?) Also, you don’t really need to buy the catalog book as there are hall maps all around Big Sight.

You can explore Wonfes in a single day, as long as you don’t stay around taking pictures of all the figure exhibits.

You can’t explore the whole Comiket event in a single day! No!

Follow up your favorite artists on twitter if you want to see them on Comiket. You don’t want to miss them by coming in the wrong day!

Don’t worry if you’re a foreigner who can’t speak/understand Japanese, because there are international desks around the events where you can ask in English (or in your own language, if you’re lucky)!

July 30, 2017 – Wonder Festival 2017 [Summer]

Summer Wonfes was my second time to attend the event and the first time I attended during the Summer season. The catalog books are available in advance and can be bought in major anime book stores around Tokyo, so I decided to grab one to prepare for the event.

Map of Halls 1-3, where most of the big shots are.

I marked those exhibits I want to see the most.

Since I live really close to Makuhari (I can just literally walk from my apartment to Makuhari), I thought of not using the train and going to the event with my bicycle… which is a bad idea because it rained that morning! I took a bus instead to Makuhari Messe and arrived at the venue around 10:30-ish, only to be greeted by a very long line outside the event halls. We went a full circle around Makuhari Messe before eventually going inside.

And then my first Otaku Summer War begins.

Not the actual crowd. It was way jam-packed than this.

A few tips before going to Wonfes:

Make sure to charge your phone and camera before the event because you’re gonna have a lot of photography to do.

Summer events tend to be really hot and humid, so bring water / extra shirt / towels.

On the opposite, Winter events are quite cold, so wear warm and comfortable clothing.

There are food stalls inside the event, so don’t worry about food. Alternatively, you can also bring your own food inside. The konbini is your best friend.

Bring extra shopping bags with you in case you want to buy a lot.

Or better yet, bring your empty luggage with you. (As the say, do as the Romans Japanese do.)

While at the event:

No touching of figures!

Show proper courtesy! Do not push in line or even try to squeeze in.

Most of the time, taking a photo of a certain figure will took you time because of the line. Again, show proper courtesy and wait for your turn.

Be considerate in taking photos, as there are others waiting for their turn.

Some figures on display around the event are marked with 撮影禁止, which means no photography. Do not take photos of those figures!

Do not loiter inside the halls. Ask the food stalls for trash bins or you can bring an extra plastic bag with you to carry your trash before throwing it in its proper place.

Segregate your trash. This is basic Japanese law and everyone is expected to follow.

There is a special stage event at Wonfes where seiyuus usually make appearances. You cannot take photos or even shoot a video while a stage program is taking place.

Good Smile Company and Max Factory usually has the biggest space at Wonfes, but famous toy companies such as Alter, Kotobukiya, and Sega are also present.

Here are some of the photos I took:

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I had the rest of the photos uploaded on Facebook in which I posted as Public, you can just find them there.

Not only did Wonfes have anime and manga-related figures on display, but the event’s main sponsor, Prime1, showcased an impressive line of realistic scale figures of popular game and foreign comic characters.

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I was roaming around Halls 1-3 for the entire event and only got the chance to see the opposite halls around 4:30PM, right when people are starting to pack their stuff and sellers making discounts on their remaining items. After much inner fangirl debating, I only got one figure and that’s….

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Shigure Kai Ni!!

I am not complaining, though; I LOVE HERRR (Next to WaiFubuki and Hatsushimo)

August 11 and 13, 2017 – Comic Market 92

For Comiket, I had to take trains and transfer at two stations before arriving at Kokusai-Tenjijo station, the main station for Comiket guests. It took me around an hour of travel, but I didn’t mind because I get to seat inside the trains. Albeit the light rain last Friday, because August 11 is a National holiday in Japan, there was more people than ever.

For first timers, going to Comic Market will be tough because of the huge venue and the crowd. People are literally gonna bump into you every time, but that’s fine. Usually if it’s your first time going to an event, you get excited and might want to see everything, but the technique to conquering Comiket is knowing what you’re actually there for.

Which comes down to the use of those catalog books. Like Wonfes’ catalog books, Comiket catalog books has everything you need to know around: full list of doujin circles grouped by the three dates of Comiket, a map of Tokyo Big Sight’s halls (West 1-4 and East 1-7), as well as a complete list of companies selling official merchandise. As I have said, you really don’t need to buy the catalog book, but it is always better to plan ahead for war.

Alternatively, there’s a free guide map of the West Halls, where all the official merchandise are. There are also maps pinned up around the halls, so long as you can read Japanese.

This guide map for the West halls can be found at the staff tables. They’re free.

If you are aiming for the East Halls where all the doujin material are and wouldn’t like to spend money for the catalog book (~2,000 yen), a good way to prepare is to navigate Twitter. A lot of doujin circles (some companies as well) use Twitter to promote their stuff. They add this information in their Twitter names in order; what day they will attend / location. For example:

@3日目東1-A62a This means that the doujin circle will be participating on the third day and their table location is at East Hall 1, A62a. (The doujin circle who was at that space this Summer was QP:flapper, just so you know).

More tips before going to Comiket:

Make a list of all the booths you want to visit beforehand.

If you’re going during the Summer, stay hydrated and drink plenty of water. For Winter, wear warm but not too bulky clothes because you’ll do a lot of walking. Srsly.

Bring extra towels with you. Never mind an extra shirt; you’ll need more time to spend around Comiket than going to the toilet and changing shirts.

Bring food with you, or you can just buy food inside the venue.

Sleep well the night before the event. You will need a lot of energy falling in line for goods.

Wake up early, arrive early, and head straight for the East halls first if you are targeting for the doujin stuff. Chances are the popular ones will ran out of stock before 1PM. (That happened to me huhuhu)

Bring shopping bags with you (or you can buy the official Comiket huge bag for 1000 yen).

This year’s shopping bag design for Summer Comiket.

What to remember when at the event:

Always keep you things in check! Japan is generally a safe place but there are still instances of losing stuff in a huge crowd like Comiket.

Patiently wait in line for the goods. You will get your turn soon.

Watch out for free stuff! Companies and other doujin circles sometimes give extra items so try to keep an eye on your surroundings.

Throw your trash properly. Separate plastic bags, papers, and PET bottles.

Can’t understand Japanese? Look for the International Help Desk at the 2nd floor of the East hall!

I only attended days one and three for Comiket. I would have loved to go to day two as well, but I too tired from walking and carrying stuff on first day, plus my allowance won’t let me.

Main reason for attending day one – TOKOTOKO CDS!

I didn’t get to take a lot of photos for Comiket because it was super crowded you can’t just stay put on a certain area to take a picture without people bumping you from both sides. I just took what I can and went ahead to explore.

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Fate/Grand Order was a huge hit even at Comiket, so there were tall prints around the West halls for the FGO girls.

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This is all that I got after Comiket. Most of what I got are for free, can you guess which?

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For those who are planning to go to next season’s Wonder Festival and Comic Market, they are scheduled on February 18, 2018 and December 29-31, 2017. Book your flights now and remember to plan ahead before the Cold Wars.

Otaku Summer Wars: A Wonfes + Comiket post by Kaitsun This is not a "Guide to Wonder Festival / Comic Market" post. Close, but no. I was planning to write a blog about my summer otaku event experiences but almost a week passed after Comiket and I can't stop playing TS4, so I just had to do something about this procrastination.

#c92 #comic market #comiket #comiket 2017 #summer comiket 2017 #summer wonfes 2017 #wonfes #wonfes 2017

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