#this is a 10th anniversary concert btw

[illdothehotvoice]

Screaming and crying at how much of a shit show Miku Expo has been the only reason I'm not pissed is because my tickets were only $60 while other's were up to like 300% of that.

[edge-oftheworld]

delta goodrem is playing mistaken identity (album) in full at the opera house this april including songs never played live before!

I'm super keen, and also like, hey, 5sos, you should do this with youngblood for its 10th anniversary in 2028

[ask-serendipity-sky]

https://youtu.be/-vbvkuMCr8M

such a piercing stare of jungkook to jimin at 12:57 mark. im a little sad not to see jikook interact much (or even horse around) in this video but i missed seeing them together i'll take what i can get! Jk looked a little glum as well but i don't want to think too much about it. I missed seeing all of them in one room and I wonder how next year's festa will be like..

Anon 2: Watch the new video, made around the period of busan concert. Jikook is not jikooking. I loved jihope interaction btw

Anon 3: What do you think about the BTS 10th anniversary project video that just drop? I saw one Jkker say it look like Jikook had a fight. To me it seems more like JK was feeling down and was really only smiling with Jin. So, what do you think?

Hello anons,

Jikook is not jikooking but also BTS is not btsing.

Jk wasn't being his silly self, only with Jin. And Jimin wasn't his funny self either, only with Jhope. And we know these two people are their emotional support people.

Jimin didn't play along with Suga,

(excuse the potato quality)

Jk didn't play along with Tae,

I felt Jhope tried to cheer things up the most but he was working overtime :( Jin and Jhope looked sad :(

I think that Jikook is sat away from each other on purpose (screw the company) because the moment they are next to each...eye contact and a smile.

Did you see when Jimin said he saw a bus ad for Jk's birthday?

And Jk said he saw an ad on a plane lol

and we know who gets the ads on the planes..

And did you FEEL Jk's piercing eyes on Jimin when he was dancing with Jhope lol

I think there is still Jikookery but, to me, tensions were there probably due to a lot of factors.

When Jikook is doing bad, they don't even look at each other or mention each other. In today's content they still did although things still felt off. Ms stuff, Jimin living with producers, Jk's Qatar trip, the company being shitty could be influencing all of that.

Thanks for stopping by.

[yostresswritinggirl]

it's rather fascinating how all the people who sent nikki men did not send any duplicates of any man at all kekw

anyways other than the women, the men and the clothes, the music in shining nikki (and the nikki series in general) is gorgeous!

go check at least "Departure of Heart" out, or just check the series' 10 year anniversary concert lololol

i can't include the link, but just search up nikki 10th anniversary, it's a beautiful concert.

one more nikki man this'll be the last one i swear (?)

btw dw my ankle is all good now, it did take a full day of limping around though

Right?! That amazed me so much knowing that they all got sent at the same time without seeing each other's response

NIKKI HAD A WHOLE ASS CONCERT?! Omayghad I did not expect a full fledge soundtrack for a DRESS UP GAME SOFNROJEKWN truly the era of videogame music, and it was so beautiful too, bit melancholic even

Nikki men with an adorable sheep, the best of the best <33 glad to hear you healed well too!

[emma-radfemcanu]

Hi you’re my favourite blog on tumblr and I’m always too scared to message you but I really need a friend for a moment so I’m hoping I can borrow your ear lol

So yesterday was my 25th birthday, it’s also the 15th anniversary of me becoming a Swiftie (I got Fearless on my 10th birthday as a present, instantly fell in love), but instead of being at Taylor’s Eras Tour concert in Sydney (just a state over from where I live) I spent the night at home.

All this because the ticketing company for the Aus leg of the tour is dog shit. Im on a disability pension so I had literally spent years saving up for a chance to one day see her, I didn’t even go to see Harry Styles on tour bc I’ve never seen Taylor live (I’ve never seen Harry live either but Taylor is my priority). I spent 10 hours online trying to get tickets, I didn’t have anyone to help me so I only had one chance. I never once even made it into the online ticket lobby.

I’m actually so crushed. It’s been getting me down for ages but I was hoping that for the actual day of, I might be able to go out with a friend to take my mind off it and hopefully enjoy my birthday but all my friends managed to get tickets and so went to the concert without me. Also just to rub salt in the wound I didn’t get any birthday presents, which like I get it I’m an adult and my family is pretty poor but it still would’ve been nice to at least get a card. My Mum did cook me my favourite dinner which was nice and she and my Dad tried to cheer me up by insisting I watch the SpongeBob movie with them, I used to watch it as a kid whenever I was sick, and it used to work to cheer me up but yesterday it just reminded me of spending my childhood in a hospital and having no friends. So yeah I just feel really shit.

Sorry to dump all this on you but i can’t really talk to any of my irl friends about it bc for some bizarre reason they just say I’m being ungrateful (I don’t get why but that’s just how my friends are lol). I just had to get it out of my system you know? I hope it doesn’t bum you out too much. I spent some time scrolling on your blog and as always it’s cheered me up a great deal so thank you💖

Ok anyway if you read this thank you you’re the best, I’m gonna cry in the shower now lol (btw we have the same name which I think is really cool🥰)

Another rad Emma xxx

Hello! (I am v excited that I can finally answer asks again- I meant to contact tumblr support so many times but was afraid of getting termed, but I saw the beginning of this and it made me finally do it)

I'm sorry that you didn't have a nice birthday :( it sucks when you really look forward to something and then it doesn't work out. It is what it is but you shouldn't feel bad for feeling disappointed- even if your parents did make an effort I get why you would feel sad about it

And unfortunately you definitely weren't the only one who had this experience with Eras tickets- the sales were enough of a shitshow as it was lol, I can only imagine how difficult and frustrating it must be trying to get accessibility tickets. And it was especially crappy timing for you with it being your birthday. I really hope that you'll get to see Taylor (and Harry) someday even if it wasn't to be this time

It was very sweet of you to say that you love my blog 💕 and I am always happy for people to send me stuff so please do if you want to talk!

(although just for clarification my name is not actually Emma haha, my url is a tennis pun)

[its-tea-time-darling]

hi anne + other 100 fans 👋🏻

i've been seeing this lovely tradition of yours on my dash for a long time bc of anne's participation, and low and behold, i've started to watch the show myself now 😂🙌🏻 reaaally enjoying it (although the spam ranting and commenting my mutuals have to see might send a different message xDD), even dreamed about it again yesterday night, i looove those dreams they're so action packed and interesting 😎

anne i hope your elbow is already better by now. sending strength + good wishes 🍀 and a 10 year anniversary for carrieeve, that's huge! 🙏🏻🎉

oh and btw anne, are you going to a taylor concert this summer too? 👀 mine's on july 10th in zürich 🤩 (tried to get july 9th tickets bc of last kiss but they were all out 😂)

oh and edit to add a flower pic i took yesterday evening on a walk - adding flower pics seems to be a thing here?

Happy Tuesday, fam! 🌻

I'm having a fandom anniversary soon. On Friday, it'll be 10 years with the 100. Damn, time flies!

@pendragaryen @togetherkru @ninappon @natassakar @nakey-cats-take-bathsss @infp-with-all-the-feelings @igotbellarkeforthat @immortalpramheda @geekyogicheese @roguetwelve @jeanie205 @okmcintyre @julibernardo @gabbagabbayo @writetheniteaway @travllingbunny @lee-em-dee

[ilymyboys]

WHAT THE FUCK LOUIS IN LA ??? WAITING FOR A PRIVATE FLIGHT AT THE AIRPORT ??? WHERE IS HE FLYING ??

harry has a concert in Dallas in a few hours, will sing WMYB on the 10th anniversary of the release, fans in 10 minutes found out that louis is neither in the UK nor in a hotel room, TODAY NIGHT IS DAMN SICK AND I AM NOT READY FOR WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT

btw this fandom scares me

[queensgaybeach1d]

HELLOOO, I just discovered your blog, shame on me. So, I read your masterpost about the stunts in the industry (great work btw) and was wondering how to tell if something is real or purely pr. Would you mind giving me a few pointers ?? Answer however and whenever you can.

Hello Sweetie,

Thank you so much for your lovely words. I would love to help you dig deeper into the PR industry. In fact, I did some research myself and I stumbled upon a great confirmation on how everything works. I think it is just the right fit for you, sweetheart.

Please take your time reading the post and if you have any questions or suggestions, please do not hesitate to ask me. Have a great day and enjoy!

Kisses,

Suman 😊

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How to spot a PR relationship?! 

This post is made for everyone who would like to learn how to spot a fake relationship in Hollywood. This information is supported by a very reliable source. The name of the source is Jack Ketsoyan, he set up two PR relationships himself. If you would try to compare this to your favourite Hollywood couple, you might be surprised of the outcome. I wish you all the best while reading this and if you have any questions/suggestions please do not hesitate to ask. Enjoy! :)

 This is the link of the podcast about the PR relationships (skip to 5.40). I will make a little summary of the very important things Jack said. There is also another man who is speaking about this subject. His name is Christopher and he is a lawyer who has worked with cases like these for a long time.

 (Please note that I am in no way hating on anyone. I have a strong dislike for all ‘’beards’’, but what they do with their lives is their responsibility. Therefore I mean no harm to any of these people. It would be very sad if any of these people would do it because they needed money for their families. If that was the case I would truly feel sorry for them, but the thing is they want to become famous by dating someone else who put his/her hard work in his/her career. That it just not fair. There are plenty of ways to become famous by dedication, hard work and staying yourself.)

I want to give compliments to the lovely @Totallylost4you on twitter. She made me aware of the podcast.

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-’’To hide the artist’s sexuality; boosting of the careers.’’ --> (Louis, Harry, Zayn, Liam and Niall. Also, Kristen Stewart, Cara Delevigne and Taylor Swift) -->

‘’It is more common on the male side than on the female side. There are certain celebrities who were, back in the day, in the closet and it was not okay to be out. We live in a completely different time nowadays, these days being gay is okay. So back in the day that was the biggest secret, it was a big taboo, if a certain high profiled male, the heartthrob is all of a sudden gay, they were not going to get the bigger roles anymore. They were going to be type casted, so that was the big way of hiding things. Them hiding their sexuality was dating a female who would keep them in the limelight basically and cover it up.’’  [about closeting] ‘’Times have changed, it still happens, but a lot has changed.’’ --> There are still people who would not like attending a Harry Styles (the heartthrob) concert when he comes out as gay.

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-’’To be able to sell the hype of it.’’ --> (Whenever a picture of Taylor and Tom or Louis and Eleanor comes out, people are quick to retweet, post and talk about what happened. Within no time the pictures have traveled through the internet. Which automatically means that a lot of people have seen it. All of this gives the label/couple/artist attention and money. --> Whether it is bad attention or good attention, attention means money.) a few examples of these couples are also: Haylor, Zigi and Elounor.

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-’’To sell tickets to concerts or movies.’’ --> 1D world tours and solo tours. That is also why beards like Camille Rowe, Eleanor Calder and Maya Henry attend their concerts. As for movies think about Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart (who is gay) fake dating, moments after Twilight came out. Think about 1D bringing their fake girlfriends to the world premiere and Zayn and Perrie getting engaged a second after. The purpose of these events are attention. Sweethearts, whenever people go to these shows/movies all they will focus on is 1D and their ‘girlfriends’. Photos will spread faster than ever and people will talk about how ‘real’ they are. Their aim is to kill two birds with one stone; making them look like a ‘real’ couple whilst promoting their movie/album.

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-’’To sell albums.’’ --> (Zigi, Chiam, Elounor, Hamille, Nailee, Haylor.) Let us be honest, are they not the biggest reasons why antis buy the album? Just to see what stuff they write about their fake girlfriends/boyfriends. Just to see how ‘Camille’ pronounces ‘’Coucou’’or just because Gigi Hadid starred in Zayn’s music video. Or maybe to finally know the ‘truth’ about Taylor’s fake relationships.  

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-’’It's all about the hype at the moment. Especially with the social media world.’’ --> I am going to point out an important thing Jack said. He said ‘’especially with the social media world.’’ Remember when there were only rumours of Louis and Eleanor being back together? The whole fandom tweeted about it. This made it popular and that was the solid moment 1D’s label knew that Elounor 2.0 would do it for them. They would earn a lot by it. The same thing counts for Zigi, Chiam, Haylor, Hamille. Hamille is a good example too. When all of you heard that Harry wrote a song about her and that her voice was going to be included in his song, what happened? Exactly, everyone went nuts and made sure to listen to that exact song. That is exactly what they want. They want that power over you, that is what gives them the money. Another example, how fast do you think solo Zayn stans and Directioners tweeted about a ‘power couple’ when the news broke that Zayn and Gigi are ‘expecting a child’? How fast did people open their social media accounts when Kylie Jenner was pregnant for the Kardashian’s 10th anniversary? (Social media does A LOT. Whenever a picture of Eleanor (beard) and Clifford (Louis’ dog) arrives on the internet, people automatically assume they are together in a room. This, is not the case. That is how convenient social media is to arranged relationships. Why start a rumour by hiring newspapers instead of posting a message on social media? It is much cheaper and more people will know about it in less than four hours.)

Promoting certain brand like Coca Cola (Elounor), YSL, Gucci, Vogue (Zigi) and Hugo Boss are also a part of it. Celebrities wearing those brands make their fans want to buy it too, think of the Kardashians promoting Adidas and other expensive brands. Also think of people like Briana Jungwirth promoting flat tummy tea. This is called ‘celebrity branding.’

Tell me, how many times do you get HQ pic of your PR couple on your phone? People tend to go out of their mind when pictures come out. That is the immediate effect Hollywood has on social media/ you. That gives them the promo they need, even during quarantine the beards post pictures of themselves, making you think they are together when in reality they are not. :)

{About why Jack hooked an arranged relationship up himself} --> ‘’It was more of a mutual agreement between the agents. {Tells a story about an actor getting bad reviews for a movie and in order to let people focus on something else they got the actor a girl, so the media would focus on the girl instead of the bad movie.}’’ -->  ‘’Just a one year deal. Basically they finished of the press and the international press and then they went their separate ways, because she did not want to do a two year deal.’’ {interviewer asks if it worked} --> ‘’It worked.’’ -->  A few examples of (approximately) a one-year deal: Calvin Harris and Taylor Swift, Niall Horan and Hailee Steinfield and Louis Tomlinson and Danielle Campbell. It is also good to point out that the beard can decide whether she wants to continue or not, but the celebrity has to do what the agent arranges.

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{Interviewer asks what reasons people might have to agree to one of these PR relationships} --> Different reasons, that could be to deflect attention away from a controversy (damage control. think of something Larry or Ziam related happening and the next day Zigi and Elouno are papped. Or fans finding out Louis is in the same country as Harry and the next day they will let Elouno do a pap walk. Another example is when Ziammies find out a Zigi picture is photoshopped, the next day you will see Zigi in person. This happens when their stunts fail). So if an actor has drugs and alcohol problems they may want to give the appearance that they have settled down and are in a committed relationships so that they can banked for films. Or they are going to be able to get bonded and get work and people will trust them, because they have settled down. It also could be done to create a brand. Two celebs getting together and 'now there's this tremendous interest about them being a power couple.' [...] We create strong provision against the disclosure of any negative facts against the celebrity - with consequences. So these agreements need to be structured with a hold back of money so that over time if they have complied with the agreement and not disclosed ehh no personal information and violation the agreement then they would be entitled the payment, so under the agreement. " --> The last part might be difficult to understand, because the lawyer uses difficult words, but what he is actually saying is very important. He says if the celebrities who are in the PR relationship have done their part (parading around with each other) then they will receive their money (please correct me if I am wrong). The host also confirmed that contracts like these are the reason why a lot of celebrities do not admit they had a PR relationships.

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Clues on how to spot a PR relationship:

-‘’The main clue you would see is if, you know, a certain high profiled male is dating a female (or when a high profiled female is dating a regular male), who was not high profile. All of a sudden, she is, overnight, the most talked about girl in Hollywood and everyone want a piece of them. That is the biggest thing, you know, it is such a career boost for the female that some females end up taking the deal.’’ --> Zigi, Elounor, Chiam, Brouis, Haylor, Taylor and Calvin. How does the world know Eleanor Calder? Because of Louis Tomlinson. No one knew her before, except her family. How did Gigi gain so many followers? Because she started dating Zayn Malik. Gigi already had a platform for herself, but she gained a lot of followers by dating Zayn. Zayn also gained followers by dating Gigi. Gigi needed promo and Zayn was in the spotlight, because he just ‘left 1D.’ This made him the perfect target. I hope all of you also notice that when beards/fake girlfriends post pictures of them with their fake boyfriend, it gets way more likes than their usual pictures.

{What was the benefit for the girl in the scenario?} --> ‘’Ehm, she has a huge career at the moment. She benefit from that by becoming a household name (someone that is well known) and getting bigger roles than she would have. She would use to be the 3rd or the 4th lead in any auditions or any jobs that she was getting. She then became the first lead. She got a great career boost out of it, for sure.’’ --> Gigi Hadid, Eleanor Calder, Sophia Smith, Cheryl Cole, Maya, Camille Rowe and Kendall Jenner are just a few examples.

How did the world know Townes? Because ‘Harry named’ her in one of his songs. How did the world know about Maya Henry? Because Liam Payne started dating her. Before this, she was just a fan. How did Cheryl Cole get the attention back? Because of baby gate and by fake dating Liam Payne. How did Briana gain so many followers? Because Louis Tomlinson fans gave her the attention and because she participated in faking a pregnancy. How did Shawn and Camilla become a couple in the spotlight? Because people have always shipped them, ever since the beginning and their label gave the fans what they wanted. How did Kim Kardashian become famous? A *** tape of her and Ray J leaked and she became famous. Now, she is a lot richer and more famous than he is. A quick note, not many people know how Kim Kardashian became famous. They only really know her from Keeping Up With The Kardashians. The newer generation does not know about the tape scandal, and that is what they do. You need to dig a little deeper to see that. This all is an on-going cycle and it will not stop unless we all stop believing it. 😊

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  What do they do in order to make a PR relationship look real?

{Interviewer asks what the clauses in an arranged relationships contract are} --> ‘’An arranged relationship is estranged by definition. So certainly we are going to see requests that are equally odd. They are certainly going to have requirements as to how they hold themselves out to the public as a couple. This would mean appearances at award shows, parties or events together as a couple and that there would be requirements maybe for specific events.’’ --> Eleanor attending Jay’s wedding and being ‘maid of honor’, Calvin and Taylor at Award shows, Elounor at the fashions show 2013, Haylor and their NYE ‘kiss’, Zigi at the MET gala and Chiam at the Brits, celebs at after parties with their ‘girlfriends’. All of these couples have also pictures with each other’s family members. That made a lot of you think they are close and real, well my loves, now you finally know that it is all part of a PR stunt. The fake girlfriends also have to look supportive, that is why they have to be there at concerts, soccer matches, award shows etcetera. 😊

Remember when Eleanor (beard) posted a picture of herself and in the background you could see a picture of her and Louis in 2012 and ‘Louis’ written on a board? Remember when she posted a picture of herself with her and Louis’ boots in the background in 2018? All of these things are there to make it look like they truly live together and  that they truly own each other’s stuff. The same thing counts for Haylor’s airplane necklace. Do you genuinely think they did that by accident? No, that is the purpose of the whole picture. 😊

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‘’Then there is going to be particularly some none disclosure issues surrounding them as to what cannot be said about the relationship and what needs to be said. There could be a script even as to what they have to say if asked about the relationships. There would be photo sessions showing them as a couple. And then I have seen issues of sexual relationships and specific whether this would happen or not happen in an agreement. But if it is truly a PR relationships then sex would not be a part of that relationship, because it is not real.’’ --> Loves, do you remember a moment when someone asked a celebrity about his/her relationships and they stuttered and looked uncomfortable, or they just said something wrong or embarrassing or tried to talk themselves out of it? Well, that happens when you have to make up stuff that never happened.  Louis Tomlinson confirmed his interviews are scripted, so this one is just an extra thick layer of confirmation. I also recall Gigi doing a live and someone asked about Zayn and she just stuttered and looked away, not knowing how to answer a question. (I think there have definitely been times when two people who were in an arranged relationship gave different answers to the same question, why? Because they do not know anything about each other.) Here is an example of a moment that is repeated and scripted about Louis’ ‘relationship’ with Eleanor, even know we have legit proof that is not what happened:

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Now I can hear all your lovely brains working and thinking whether a celebrity is willing to sign a contract like that or if their label is making them sign it. Well, if you have read my previous masterpost about the music industry you can see confirmations of the label making the artist their puppet. They own you, so if they think you should have a girlfriend to hide gay rumours then they will give you one. ‘A label cannot force you anything’, but it does make you sign a contract. When you sign the contract without reading it carefully, then your label will mess you up. In those contracts they do not write ‘’Taylor Swift has to agree to arranged relationships.’’ They write stuff like ‘’When signing the contract, Taylor Swift allows the label to make changes in order to get her to fame.’’ Of course Taylor (and other artists) would think that they mean changing her outfit and looks, but no. The label thinks being gay is something that will not get people enough fame. So what do they do? They change her, they change her sexuality. They closet her and even though Taylor and other LGBTQ artists do not want that. You cannot deny because when you do so, the label will show you the contract you signed. A contract like that is never written literally, they can manipulate their words. To the label ‘’being gay or a part of the LGBTQ+ community’’ falls under ‘’making changes’’ in order to make her famous. Of course there are celebrities who willingly closet themselves for various reasons. I hope to create a single post about how devious these contracts are for you all! 😊

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Here are a few things I hope you have learned from this: 😊

 - Fake relationships still exist and they will always exist. It has been confirmed, so no one can deny this anymore.

 - The girl and boy have to go to special events, such as award shows, family dinners and weddings in order to make it look real.

 - Homophobia is still a thing and the biggest reason why arranged relationships exist.

 - The beard has a contract too, so your idol has no say in how long she can or cannot stay. If she does good then she will stay. (I see many people say that Louis chose Eleanor because they are friends and that is why she is back, but he actually has no say in anything. Your idol is their product to sell. Your idol is basically a marionette.)

 -The PR team does everything to make it look like they are truly together, think of photos of each other in each other’s homes and ‘personal gifts.’

 -Celebrities get an enormous boost on their social media accounts when they start being part of an arranged relationship. Something I have always thought was a bit odd, is the fact that Eleanor never created an insta account until her and Louis’ ‘relationship’ had its peak; in the middle of June 2012. When in reality, insta was created in 2010. She also created twitter in 2012. Exactly when the first few big events were attended by them. (I genuinely think she did that, because everyone wanted to see more of her. Plus, she has always wanted to be a fashion blogger and this was her ‘big moment’ to do so.)

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The credits for this post go to @Totallylost4you. They made me aware of the podcast and they continue to shine light on hidden treasures like this one. They also hardly get credits for their solid hard work and I hope they will continue doing this! Thank you!

Thank you so much for your attention. If you have any question/suggestion, please do not hesitate to ask/tell me! I wish all of you the best and please stay safe. Have an amazing day!

[anyab]

Yeah but i think about this band a lot like. They were (are) this band formed in uni and then they won a very small battle of the band type thing then within a few years they were headlining one of the biggest festivals in the country then the singer comes out then they keep being popular (as much as an indie rock band can be) then they release an album in 2016 that a major (local) tv channel broadcasts live and still has it on their yt channel btw then 2 (3?) years later for their 10th anniversary concert that was meant to be held at a festival people suddenly remember that the singers gay (and also apparently now some flavor of genderfuckery which good for them) and the same channel leads the crusade against them under pretense of their album (that the tv broadcasted btw) had blasphemy and whatever and the church and islam and religion and whatever (textbook homophobia) and then the concert gets cancelled for their safety and now the lead singer has an arrest warrant waiting for them and is probably never gonna be able to come back

[amisbro]

If UtaPri had/gets a 5th season...

What would it look like? So this is a question I have thought about for a while because of the fact that I think a lot of people (Myself included) believe there is more of a story to tell in the world of UtaPri.  I think with enough time we could get a very interesting idea for a season and honestly I think WHATEVER this project we got coming up actually IS could be an interesting testing ground for something. Let me explain

So if we think about how Season 4 ended it seemed rather definitive.  Like the way that message was wrote made you believe ,to a degree, that the series had ended as far as an Anime project.  Then we got the end card AFTER that and that kind of made things turn on its head cos no one knew what that was supposed to be until 6th stage happened right? One thing that always stands out to me is the fact that Season 4 was a bit of a mess and I say that in the most objective and neutral way possible because...when you have an Anime that is based on a Manga we typically get a story based around that in some fashion.  It might not be panel for panel and word for word but we get one and that is always fun to see how certain scenes get animated for sure.  When you do an Anime based on an Otome game you almost always do whomever is considered the “true route” or just leave it open ended so people will want to play the games (which is what I think DiaLovers did when it had its run). UtaPri has a very interesting situation because the series DOES have an idol component (and the Anime made sure to really focus on that mostly) but it is also an Otome game so the studio (A-1 Pictures) had that to work off of for the most part.  The problem is that when they were done with the material they DID USE it created a problem because Season 4 was a mess if I am being as objective as possible about it. So here was the problem You had 3 groups in play here STARISH QUARTET NIGHT HEAVENS Forget whom your group was for a second...this was going to be a problem because 2 of the 3 groups had content that was used in the first 3 seasons but Season 4 was going to be a problem.  How this would have been remedied I have no fucking idea!  Like if Broccoli knew they were going to do this season they needed to get something out BEFORE IT so people would have had something to go off of for HEAVENS so we could have had 7 episodes that made sense instead of episodes where it felt like they didn’t know how to have the HEAVENS member that was being featured in it not look like a complete ass!  If we are honest this is what happened and its frustrating to remember One of the biggest issues with the season was that you had a group that HAD been Antags during Season 2.  I said HAD because I genuinely believe that the marching orders for A-1 was to write a season where STARISH was still THE focus but HEAVENS could be rehabbed into a group that was more “likable/marketable” so when the time came to sell CDs and merch that they would fly off the shelves and could be a contender to at least QN if not both them and STARISH.  As we saw during the Oricon charts it was a puzzling time because the duet CDs sold like garbage in the sense that only TWO our the 7 actually charted in the top 10 Ren/Van - Lovely Eyes Syo/Yamato - Justice Impulse This was the most puzzling thing I ever dealt with because I tried to figure out WHY and to this day the best thing I could come up with is the fact that the CD releases were slated to come 10 days after the episode aired which seemed like the dumbest thing to do (IMHO) because when I looked at Season 3 all of the releases charted in the top 10 and a big reason for that was the gap between CD/Episode was only 4 days...well we got to QN and HEAVENS’ CDs they did VERY WELL in Season 4 and its because of how close they released them (I think) to the episodes...funny how that works! What was really weird also was during the “Duet Project” episodes the writers didn’t know WHO to make the focus of the episodes and that was weird BUT ,looking back on it, this whole season was gonna be weird because of how quickly the season was coming in the turnaround vs. its normal time for a season.  Typically a UtaPri season gets a 2 year window and this time they were going under that...about a year and 4 months so this was going to cause a crunch and also a mess of a message as to what the writers wanted to do!  I personally believe that the writers wanted to make HEAVENS all the more sympathetic and they were able to get SOME of the backstories in that they could for certain characters but a few others (Nagi and Eiichi for example) “kind of” tried to show you the “why they were acting the way they were” but it felt (at least Internationally) that the episodes didn’t register or if they did not as well as they hoped.  I do wonder if a big reason that the content is as out of sorts in terms of balance for HEAVENS vs. the other two groups is because of how jacked up that season got.  I genuinely wish I could sit down and discuss that season with someone that was in the room when they were given the orders on how that season was supposed to go vs. what actually happened after the fact! So this brings me back to the “What would a 5th Season look like if we got/get one in the future?” The weird thing is I think A-1 already knows but they have to get the reference materials FIRST before they start writing it.  I genuinely think they saw/heard about what happened Internationally when it came to the “NEXT DOOR” saga and they didn’t want to see that happen again so NOW they want to work on these projects to get the idea other there right now that all the groups are separated as first we have STARISH and then no doubt QN but the big question of course is HEAVENS...can they do a concert with them at some point with hopefully more songs under their belt OR will Broccoli start to really consider them a lost cause and that the fandom just doesn’t want them.  You can only go with the “Round peg/Square Hole” philosophy so much before people get mad and don’t want to deal with the series (or at the very least HEAVENS) anymore. The other big issue is HEAVENS’ role in Dolce Vita because, As of this writing, we still don’t know ANYTHING about that game...like we don’t know if its a straight up VN or is there going to be something similar to the original La Corda back in the day which ,fun fact time, had Kishou and Mamo in it.  Like if anyone would know how a game like that worked it would be them (And they ARE in the new game “Starlight Orchestra” btw) so they HAVE to have had given some input about how the mechanics worked and all that...right?! (Oh and unrelated but Kishou’s original character in Len Tsukimori is a special character in that game.  He was unlocked through a campaign we had in that fandom a bit ago) So again...what would Season 5 look like? Well my guess is that it would have to be a STARISH/HEAVENS season again but with new duets unlike last time.  The other possibility (And I think they were teasing this at the end of Season 4) is that it would somehow be a HEAVENS/QN season which could be interesting especially if they did something like how Season 2 was probably supposed to go...and in a way didn’t because of how the story worked. The thing is its been almost 5 years since we had a proper season...FIVE! Let’s assume that the “Anime Project” as we know it is over alright?  STARISH and QN’s brand is already established so what do you use to help HEAVENS’ get on the same level?  That’s a big reason why I don’t think they could/should end the “Anime Proper” because to do that you literally would be cutting off a way to properly market a group that actually needs it vs. the groups that clearly don’t.  I won’t go so far as to say that the STARISH/QN Animated concerts are going to be “Vanity Projects” because they aren’t.  They are clearly something that Broccoli believed in as far as a project to do for the series BUT I will say that having 7th Stage so close to this project is a bit...weird?! Like okay to be fair this probably was planned well in advance and the Pandemic fucked everything up because it was supposed to be announced at 7th stage in 2020...okay cool fine but let’s say it was right?  What stopped them from revealing it at 10th Anniversary when it would have been a bigger “Holy Shit” moment?  What was really so important that they had to do EVERYTHING ELSE and not that?  Just seemed weird to me. But anyways HOLY SHIT did we go around the block here...I need to stop If you were going to script out a proper 5th season when would you do it and how?  The thing to remember is we have a 3 group scenario and now HEAVENS is trying to become an even better group to finally beat STARISH and QN so do you have QN and HEAVENS do a thing together or do you do a 3 cour season where each is dedicated to a particular group? Love to hear your answers on this and take care

[s-p-o-d-e]

I have been listening to Les Mis non-stop as of late. (My favorite recording is still the 10th Anniversary concert btw, I am obsessed with Philip Quast.) Starring: Moon Butterfly as Jean Valjean Toffee of Septarsis as Inspector Javert Star Butterfly as Cosette Marco Diaz as Marius Jackie Lynn Thomas as Eponine Globgor as Monsieur Thenardier Eclipsa as Madame Thenardier I do not own Les Miserables nor Star vs the Forces of Evil. All rights go to their original creators respectively.

[thegirlisuedtobe]

Hi! I've been looking into Ok Joohyun since I followed you and I'm curious if you could recommend some of her shows? I listened to a performance of the Rebecca song and I was really blown away. Also, do you think audios of her do justice or should I watch videos instead?

OH BOY ANON!! Do I have a whole long long list for you LMAOOO Please come off anon let’s talk, I literally could talk about her for hours and if you do I’ll give you a couple gifts ;)) Since it’s the month of gift giving~

But honestly as far as her shows? all of them LMAO anything from her career 2010 and forward. I refuse ti look at any of her work earlier than that bc oof she was still working herself out. Let’s just go through her theatre history and then I’ll recommend my most favourite shows she’s done!

I realised that this is so long LMAO like I literally sat here for 30 minutes droning on, I swear you probs wanted like a 3-4 lines or something mdsfkgk But everything is under the cut!

(From 2010 forward) Since she’s doing Monte Cristo for its 10th Anniversary, please, please check out her “When the World Was Mine” and ���All This Time.” The performances I linked are things that I just keep coming back to and it’s amazing!! A friend of mine was able to go see this year’s Monte Cristo run and her “All This Time” performance was just so so incredible, like a complete full body experience.

(2011 also doesn’t exist to me btw) But 2012 was where she was really starting to turn her career around. Like keep in mind that a lot of people still regard her as an idol and an ingenue type cast, so when she did Elisabeth people were starting to pay attention. Elisabeth as a role means a lot to her and she has kind of become Korea’s Elisabeth having represented Korea for the 25th anniversary against Elisabeth’s of the world. The part she does best is angst LMAO and this performance of “Rudolf, Where Are You?” is just heartbreaking ㅠㅠ

2013 was the real game changer in terms of her career. Rebecca literally shot past the moon, did yall know she was meant to be cast as Ich??? As Ich???? But the CEO of Emk personally was like I want to see her as Mrs Danvers, and honestly I owe my life to that CEO. Having personally gone and seen her live earlier this year HOLY SHIT actually HOLY SHIT because no audio or video really can ever capture the absolute incredible feeling to be in that theater hearing her sing and act. Added bonus is that she thinks Danny is a lesbian so Ock!Danny stans really won LMAO She also did Wicked in the same year and honestly we just kept winning. Her “No Good Deed” is the best hands down don’t @ me @ god

She kept doing Wicked until 2014 then did Marie Antoinette, and as far as she nails all of the angst parts in act 2, I think I’d rather have seen her as the rival protagonist, Margrid. Joo Hyun is deff more of a belter than a soprano but she can do both.

2016 was the most busiest time of year for her. She had her Vokal Concert, which are all crazy, she doesn’t the craziest shit during them and it’s like,,,,, why am I still here and then I see the dumb shit she does and I’m oh, oh yeah LMAO And she also had Sweeney Todd and Mata Hari, both are some of my top favourites from her. Hands down her Mrs Lovett?? Unbeatable, I’m sorry but her interpretation is so energised and layered?? I didn’t expect that she would add this kind of melancholic undertone to her character but she did and it really worked. My personal fav song she does is “By The Sea” which sounds weird because it’s not a hit Lovett song but when you see it you’ll know. Mata Hari was her first original Korean musical role and legit Wildhorn, the composer, was like I really like this woman so much I’m going to write this whole score specifically so she can sing it and I SCREAM like same honestly skljfkjgfdhg I couldn’t find a good audio quality of her singing it live but this is from her 2016 live album

2017 brought me Bridges of Madison County and I have been begging and begging for her to come back to it. Madison County also just held a really special place in my heart well before she even came into the picture, the score is just amazing. And this role I think is where her soprano skills really shine, like she deff does it for other roles, but she is full soprano the entire show and it’s just soooo so good yall. Here’s her performing “Before and After you/A Second and A Million Miles.”

2018 was her 20th anniversary debut in the entertainment industry and she held another Vokal concert. As I said before she does some really crazy shit and was not surprised when she hit the fan in the best way LIKE kjsdfkgljdflkj she was doing the most in her concert and it was great LMAO I’ve seen a lot of other musical actor’s concerts and most of them are very lowkey, sitting on a stool and singing or moving around a bit but she’s out here doing full choreography and belting her face of it’s real fun! As for her roles, she premiered Anna Karenina in Korea and let me just say even though Anna Karenina as a musical kinda really sucks ass it really rests so heavily on the actors to make to run well and Joo Hyun has never let me down. I tend to usually favour the second act and OH MY GOD she does it perfectly, like I swear angst and crying is Joo Hyun’s super power. Her “Lullaby” and “Anya Oblonskya” and the part from “I’m Losing You” to the very end of the show is absolute goosebumps. Like the way she goes through Anna’s mental breakdown and her specific take on it (I legit just wrote probs a 5k word essay comparing her and So Hyun’s takes on Anna’s characterisation) and there’s just something about her madness that you can see in all of her characters. It’s this strange sympathetic pride and really truly something amazing to watch.

In 2019 she did the Camping Club variety show with her idol group where they all reconnected over a trip and did a concert at the end. Even though she was kind of really in the background of the show a lot of people really took her quiet, steady love of her group to heart. And I think it reveals, if you’ve been following her as long as I have ^^;; it that she really really cares very deeply. She’s really thoughtful and aware of people around her and how best to meet their needs. You can see it a lot with how she treats her fellow cast members, she’s gifted basically all the casts she’s worked with in some form or another. For earlier this yearn Rebecca she gifted them all coats, and hand sewed all the Dannys and Ich’s personal monograms into their coats. She’s also highkey a mentor LMAO in an interview she was like “I will teach you all that I know without mercy” LMAO and it’s so funny how often people catch her teaching. I think after she’s done with musicals (which tbh I don’t really see) she might go into teaching the nest generation of musical actors!

And just before I forget 2020 also brought us a new role! Marie Curie! Though technically it’s classified as Popular Theatre now, it started off as a Small theatre show (think bway and off bway size) and it caused a bit of minor chaos because of her casting LMAO. It came so left field a lot of people were stunned slkfjglkjg we thought we all knew what kind of roles she’s be taking but it was a really pleasant surprise! Here’s her almost breaking her mic stand during the musical press presentation. And this is her singing the song “An Other Name” again but this time an official MV. There was a free livestream a bit earlier this year and I managed to record it, it’s only her in the first act though because they changed. And yooo I really forgot how much I needed her being happy LMAO Angst may be her forte because that’s all the characters she’s been given, but with this native Korean original musical she’s really been allowed to explore the entire breadth of the emotional spectrum LMAO like legit Marie Curie was so well written she actually got to emote properly and have a well written arc. And a happy ending LMAO Like god this is the first show where she doesn’t die horribly.

Now that I’ve gone through most of her history. I thoroughly recommend checking out Elisabeth, Sweeney Todd, Mata Hari and Marie Curie. (Since you’ve already checked out Rebecca) those shows are the shows that she really out does herself. All of the roles she’s done has always been knockout to me but these in particular are the rubies of her crown. They show the most passion she has in theatre and as an actor. They also show off just how crazy her voice is. (I would add Wicked but there’s only her concert videos that you can hear her sing the score rather than properly check em out, but ocme off anon and I can change that LMAO) Rebecca I’d say is her crowning jewel. And that really boils down to the way that it changed her career, the types of roles that would be offered to her from then on, audience perception, and her interpretation of that character. I don’t think she’s every thought of a character as deeply as she has done for Danny. And though Elisabeth is equally tied to her name she even admitted that she didn’t do as much for Elisabeth as she had done for Rebecca.

But anyways! That’s just the best shows to introduce yourself, I’d recommend checking out everything her theatre history has to offer!

[al-mayriti]

#13 (In honour of the one and only 👸, Taylor Alison Swift. 💚💚💚

this is truly her year, a true queen (btw i listened to evermore and i think my fave songs are ‘tis the damn season, closure and evermore!)

onto the video hehehe

It’s a cut-out song from In The Heights they sung in the 10th anniversary reunion concert!!

[dagmartoons]

(Underneath the cut is me rambling about what NSP means to me and also talking about the drawing)

NSP has started to mean a lot to me in recent years.

I knew of their existence from Game Grumps, but never actually listened to them until I got recommended the video for Take on Me one day and decided to watch it. Then I watched the Last Unicorn video and everything went downhill from there.

These guys were my first concert (I’m actually wearing the shirt from that concert right now as I write this). NSP and Game Grumps were the first real fandom I actually drew and posted fanart of online. Dan and Brian’s individual stories and struggles to get where they are now have struck a chord with and inspired me in numerous ways. I’m very grateful to these two for inspiring me so much, and so on this the day of their 10th anniversary, I drew this. (I actually drew this the weekend before and scheduled it; I’m writing most of this the Sunday before.)

I didn’t get to actually meet Dan or Brian or really even see them up close at the concert I went to (I almost did, but then my dad decided to try and get us on the balcony and so my view of them was awful and the photos I got were shit GEE THANKS DAD (jk I love you)), but one day I do want to meet them and Arin and tell them how much they’ve all inspired me both personally and creatively (that thing Dan said once about how you’re nothing unless you can confidently say you are something really stuck with me and made me decide to start calling myself an actual artist instead of just a budding one). For now, though, I’m content to just keep drawing and posting my art for all of you to see. (BTW THANK YOU for the amazing response After the Show got! I’m so happy y’all liked it I poured my heart and soul into that comic (this part was written Monday the rest was on Sunday please don’t think I knew people would like the comic to the point I pre-wrote a thank you note about it).)

Speaking of my art, I’m really proud of this piece! The colors are really good (I’m a sucker for bi lighting/colors even on characters/people who aren’t bi), the shading is good on the parts you can see, and the alicorn in the background is better looking that I thought it’d be (it’s actually sorta supposed to represent Arin). Dan and Brian themselves look amazing. The red line coming from Brian’s eye was added last minute, and I think it looks pretty good. The sparkle effects on Dan’s costume look nice as well. The moon in the background could’ve been brighter, though.

The Japanese I got from Google Translate because my Japanese is very very poor, so I apologize if it’s not exactly correct. I wanted it to look like an anime movie poster (think the original End of Eva theatrical poster which to this day is one of my all time favorite movie posters), and I think it looks really good.

Once again, congrats on 10 years NSP! Bravo you beautiful marshmallows!

[thewickedwitchofthekanyewest]

the way f(x) went and disbanded. i’m fucking devastated, they’ve been pretty much shelved since after hot summer and electric shock (when they were at their peak, btw) and all sm gave them were one comeback per year, shitty short promotions to match, little to no general content, one concert in ten years, no world tour, and the fandom name being announced 7 years into their career. Complete and utter garbage. Nothing to celebrate the 10th anniversary, not even a station song.

But at the end of the day this isn’t about me and no matter how heartbroken I am, I am so happy for Amber that she is now out of this trash company. I hope people support her in the future because meu akgaes were making fun of her for flopping instead of supporting her music. f(x) you girls deserve the world.

[putschki1969]

Japan ~ Summer 2018 #2 🎌🚅

Quick introduction: Hello my lovlies!! As most of you might already know, I went to Japan this summer. It was a rather spontaneous decision based on the fact that both Hikaru and Wakana had announced their solo lives. At that point I was suffering from a serious case of Kalafina withdrawal so I felt like I had no choice but to go. I just needed to see them. Also, it was my 30th birthday so I thought I would treat myself. You only turn 30 once, right? On a side note, the timing finally gave me the opportunity to do something I had wanted to do for a few years now. Climb Mount Fuji. o(〃＾▽＾〃)o So yeah, that’s the backstory of my trip. I stayed in Japan from July 30 till August 14 and pretty much my entire trip was dedicated to Kalafina Pilgrimage. Let me tell you this, it was by far the best summer vacation of my life, worth each and every penny! And believe me, there were a LOT of pennies involved XD

Notes: Once again this is coming pretty late but not as late as my previous travel report so that’s a good thing. It took some time to gather my thoughts and put them all into words. This report will be a bit different from the last one since I thought it would be nice to include some travel tips here and there. I guess you could see this as some sort of travel guide/Kala-guide. Many of my followers have never been to Japan so I guess some general info would be useful to make things easier for you if you ever decide to travel to Japan.

Please note that this is Part 2 of my report. It is dedicated to my time in Toyama. Part 1 can be found HERE!

Without further ado, let’s get to it 〈(•ˇ‿ˇ•)-→

Aug 4 (Sat) ~ Toyama Trip

I decided I would dedicate that entire day to a Toyama trip. I made the mistake of not reserving a seat in advance for the shinkansen. I usually always do that but for some reason I didn’t think the train to Toyama would be that frequented. Turns out I was wrong (at least when it comes to the fast bullet train - the Kagayaki). When I got to Ueno that morning I was planning to take one of the earlier trains but it was already completely booked out. Later on I found out that Aug 4/5 was the Toyama Matsuri weekend so it's really no surprise that all the shinkansen seats had already been reserved. I ended up getting a ticket for the 10:14 Kagayaki which meant I would arrive in Toyama around noon (a little later than planned but oh well, there was nothing that could be done about it). It was my first time taking the Hokuriku Shinkansen so I splurged a little on a fancy ekiben °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖° For those of you who don’t know, ekibens are bento boxes sold at train stations. You can eat them on a long shinkansen ride. There are so many different types to choose from. But I’d personally recommend the one I got. The E7 Bento Box. Like many others, the Hokuriku shinkansen has a very distinctive look so of course, it also has its very own bento box XD And boy, is it a cute box! Perfect to keep as a souvenir. And the good thing about it, there’s mostly stuff in it that I actually eat (I am a VERY picky eater!). The special Ueno Coca Cola bottle is also cute as hell btw!

The ride to Toyama takes a little over two hours I think. I arrived around noon (maybe at 12:30 or something). Shortly before I arrived I realised that I had forgotten my USB cable. I brought my charging battery but it was useless to me without a USB cable At that point I had already used my phone quite extensively and my battery was at around 60%. I was already starting to panic a little because I had all these plans for Toyama but they required me to use google maps, without google maps to rely on, I wouldn’t be able to find ANY of the places I wanted to visit. When I arrived I was greeted by a gorgeous little street festival, right outside of Toyama Station there were lots of people gathering around a handful of dance groups. It was quite pretty and spectacular. But at that point I was already scared to use my phone for anything except google maps so I didn’t take any pictures. *sobs* Such a shame. First I made my way to the Nanakosi shop that sells those pastries Hikaru mentioned in the 10th Anniversary Film. It’s located inside the Sōgawa Ferio Grand Plaza which is about a 20 min walk away from Toyama Station. Usually 20 min is nothing for me and I always try to explore new areas on foot but man, it was hell to go there. It was really hot that day and my battery was dropping faster than expected in the heat. Google maps was constantly crashing on me and it didn’t seem to work properly. I kept going the wrong way (please note that I have no sense of direction whatsoever). So yeah, I was a mess. Frantically I was trying to find a shop that sold USB cables but for some reason I had a really hard time finding one. Usually they sell those in conbinis but I couldn’t even find one of those. Plus, I was scared to venture too far away from my route since I thought I might get lost. Thank God I eventually managed to find a 100 yen shop. They have everything, including USB cables. After that I was able to relax and focus on my Hikaru pilgrimage.

So yeah, like I said, I was walking towards Ferio Grand Plaza. On my way there I passed Toyama Castle. It’s a nice little castle with a small garden but nothing to write home about. When I arrived at Grand Plaza I was greeted by yet another festival. A nice little wind ensemble was playing popular songs such as “Under the Sea” from The Little Mermaid, it was quite epic. They were all wearing uniforms, it was some sort of commemorative event to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Toyama police department band or something .

Grand Plaza is a really nice gathering place that’s protected by a glass ceiling but it’s still outdoors. It’s a wide open space and often used as venue for events like the one mentioned above. While enjoying the concert I bought myself one of those infamous Nanakosi pastries.

I got the one with custard because I am not a fan of the standard bean filling. I’ll be real with you, it wasn’t all that great (sorry, Pika-chan T_T). I think it might be more enjoyable in winter but during a hot summer day it was just too much (and that’s coming from someone who can usually eat a lot of sweet stuff). There was just too much filling. It was a struggle to finish it. Afterwards I walked around the Ferio Grand Plaza area a bit to find the Doutor Coffee shop that Hikaru had worked at in her student days. It’s very close to the Nanakosi shop so everyone should be able to find it quickly. It’s the Toyama Sōgawa shop in case any of you want to check it out ( 〒930-0083 Toyama-ken, Toyama-shi, Sōgawa, 3 Chome−5−４ アキオビル 1F).

My next stop was the Yamaha Music Center which was also mentioned in the 10th Anniversary Film. It’s only a 10-minute walk from Grand Plaza (although I took a lot longer because google maps was messing with me again or maybe I was just too stupid to follow the directions, I don’t know). At any rate, the center is a little hidden away in the backstreets of Toyama so it wasn’t exactly easy to find. Of course the heat made everything seem a lot worse XD. Here’s the address for those of you who want to go there one day => 富山音楽センター 〒930-0049 富山県富山市豊川���５-６

Then it was time to head north, to Kansui Park. You simply follow the river for about 30 minutes and then you are there, it felt really nice to walk along the riverside, the trees were providing some shade, there was a nice breeze so close to the water and you could listen to the cicadas singing. Oh boy, I underestimated how loud they could actually get. I had never heard them before because I always travel to Japan in the winter time.

Kansui Park is absolutely gorgeous! This is where Kalafina performed during the Stardust Illusion Festival. I summarised Hikaru’s blog post from that day. She talks about how that was one of the most special lives for her so of course I had to go and see where it took place. Hikaru also mentioned the infamous Kansui Park Starbucks which is known for its lovely terrace views. And really, it DID have some nice views. I took a little break there and tried to cool down with a cold drink. Afterwards I headed to Aubade Hall, the venue of Hikaru’s dreams. She has mentioned in a couple of blog posts that ever since she was little she always wanted to perform there. And Kalafina did end up performing there twice. Once back in 2015 for their fotw tour and then last year for their 9+ONE tour. It’s about 10 minutes away from Kansui park, pretty close to Toyama Station actually. Here’s the address => Aubade Hall (Toyama City Art and Culture Hall), 9-28 Ushijimacho, Toyama, Toyama Prefecture 930-0858, Japan

Then I wanted to have some dinner and I thought about going to the Izakaya that Kalafina always go to when they are in Toyama. It’s called Soratobu Usagi which pretty much means Flying Bunny XD. You can even check out their signatures at the bar. It’s quite cool. BUT I decided against it since they only have seafood and I don’t really eat seafood. So I slowly headed back to the station and ordered some gyoza (because I always crave gyoza XD) at a random restaurant. I finally got to relax after walking around in the heat (I didn’t really walk that much but it felt like I had run a marathon due to the humidity). While watching the sunset I ate my yummy giant gyoza and then I took the train back to Tokyo.

❗ Some tips ❗ 

Always bring your charging battery AND a USB cable

Conbinis and 100 yen stores have everything in case you are ever in need of a random product

Always reserve your shinkansen seat tickets in advance. It’s best to reserve them at least a day ahead if you are planning to travel during communiting hours or during the weekend.

Prepare an itinerary so you don’t waste your time going back and forth between locations. I started with the lower part of Toyama and visited all the places in that area. Then my plan was to head north where another bunch of places were located. Do your research before you travel and life will become so much easier. You can lose track of all the places you wanna visit if you don’t have an itinerary and then you might end up having regrets because you didn’t get to see everything you wanted to see. I mean, you don’t have to strictly stick to your plan but just see it as a sort of guideline.

When you are taking the shinkansen splurge on an ekiben. Yes, I know they are totally overpriced but really, they are pertty delicious most of the time and it’s just part of the shinkansen experience.

Aug 5 (Sun) ~ Lazy Shopping Day

I didn’t actually do much on that day. After all I wanted it to be a relaxing holiday and not just one exhausting trip after the other. Plus, the heat really took a toll on me so I felt like I needed some downtime. So yeah, I just did some shopping (mostly window shopping) and eating. I walked around Tokyo Station and happened across an IENA store. Guess what I found there? Yup, Hikaru’s blouse, right in front of me. In my previous post I mentioned that I originally wasn’t planning to buy it since it was just way too expensive. But after climbing Mount Fuji and after celebrating my 30th birthday I just felt like I deserved a treat. I realise I have said the same thing about my nail salon appointment but oh well, you only live once. So yup, that’s the story of how I ended up buying the blouse even though I was initially not intending to.

This was me during the entire trip.👇

The rest of the day was spent in all kinds of shopping malls in Shibuya/Shinjuku. I am actually quite proud that I didn’t buy anything else. But on this trip I really wanted to focus on Kalafina so I didn’t feel the need to spend money on random clothes or accessories. But I always enjoy just looking at stuff. We don’t have any of these malls here in Vienna (at least not in those huge dimensions) so it’s a cool experience to check everything out. To wrap up the day, I had some yummy dinner and then I headed back to the hotel to pack for my upcoming trip to Fukuoka.