UlasanAnime.com – I’ve returned to the United States after attending Anisama 2016! The three-day festival and concert held at Saitama Super Arena was an exhilarating, albeit mentally and physically demanding, experience. To intensify it further, I added a side trip to C3 Tokyo (formerly Chara-hobby Expo Tokyo) before the main concert on day three, as there was a Million Live stage event scheduled for the morning. This turned out to be even more challenging due to unforeseen circumstances. At least I can now tick “going to Mogra” off my bucket list.
I’ve been following Anisama since its inception. Having finally attended for the first time, I can confidently say it’s the anime song equivalent of Comiket in terms of its collective, cultural significance. The addition of an outdoor stage several years ago has further cemented its status as a celebration of young people enthusiastically enjoying Japan’s summer break, featuring somewhat 2.5D idol up-and-coming acts. The main concerts themselves span over five hours, showcasing a diverse lineup of both established and new performers. Some acts are one-off appearances, like B.B. Queens, while others are mainstream sensations such as Tamaki Nami this year. Veterans like Minami and Angela have been present since the beginning, and some artists, like Ayukawa Maya and Matsumoto Ricca, seem to have arrived from a time machine. There are also the typical promotional acts like TrySail and AOP, alongside artists like Numakura Manami, who had never publicly performed as a solo artist until this event. Overall, it’s difficult to fault Anisama 2016’s diversity, at least on paper.
Anisama distinguishes itself from other festival-style concerts I’ve attended. The energy and anticipation are exceptionally high, with many attendees exhibiting an intense level of engagement. While most are quite normal, some individuals remain seated more than they stand. I haven’t yet experienced Animax Musix or Lisani, which have significantly upped their game in recent years, particularly with collaborations. However, Anisama, as a whole, feels more epic compared to the events I’ve attended so far, such as P’s Live 02 and Nendo 10th. Three hot summer nights are a considerable duration, demanding a lot of cheering from anyone.
This year, thanks to Typhoon Lionrock, we experienced mild, though slightly damp, weather for days two and three. It rained on and off in Saitama, but the Tokyo region remained cool, a stark contrast to day one when heat and humidity were at their peak. Standing in the sun was strongly discouraged. This was also my third summer visit to Japan, and I find it as enjoyable as receiving a punch to the gut. Anisama, along with IM@S and Yoko Kanno, are the sole reasons I endure it!
I believe much of this contributes to what makes Anisama special. The crowds, energy, and passion are significantly stronger and better. Perhaps there are indeed those who wield custom umaibou penlights during “Calorie Queen” or dig into their gyudons during “Rice to Meat You.” How can one blame them? I mean, that’s awesome; I would do the same.
Just look at this (outdoor stage):
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? ????? (@Lohengramm_007) August 28, 2016
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? ???? (@rnrfar) August 28, 2016
Anyway, here are the event-specific key links:
Performers: http://anisama.tv/2016/artist/index.php
Set list: http://anisama.tv/2016/special/setlist.php
Day 1
My seats on day 1 were exceptional: A4, row 3. This placed me about 15 meters from the main stage and another 25 meters from the center stage. While this sounds distant, it was close enough to see everything clearly. The only drawbacks were the occasional obstructed views of performers’ backs when they were on the center stage, especially on the far right, and sometimes the moving camera equipment would momentarily block the view or be a bit distracting. It was also advantageous because I was positioned on Iidashi’s side during the Cinderella Girls segment. She is definitely on my shortlist of CG seiyuu I’m interested in. During “M@gic,” the performers appeared on the center stage. With ten of them, they formed a circle facing outwards, allowing me to see her, Baum, MatsuEri, and half of Moyochi facing my direction. I was almost overwhelmed. Then came “Tulips,” where she and Amina each took a side of the circle, with her on my side. I was ecstatic then. Even in medley format, “Trancing Pulse” with its upper stage and standing mic setup felt very similar to what was seen at Nendo 10th. It was around this time that I realized I would be experiencing “Trancing Pulse” live for the third time this year!
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? May’n (@mayn_tw) August 26, 2016
Day 1 was difficult to encapsulate. Even considering it was my first day at my first Anisama, it was overwhelmingly tailored to my tastes and preferences. Beyond the obvious Cinderella Girls segment, the biggest talking point of day 1 was ALTIMA’s hiatus announcement. This marked the first Anisama where an artist debuted (MOCHOOOO) and another concluded their career in the same year. Imagine “Final Cyber Cyber” at SSA! The only missing elements would have been Star Anis, WUG, and 9nine engaging with the audience. During the final part of “Cyber Cyber,” all the other artists appeared on the upper stage in a “Yakusoku” fashion, performing what was called “Cyber Cyber!”
KOTOKO performed in her usual style, but it felt like she was shortchanged with only a solo song and a collaboration. Given the late finish on Friday, it’s understandable, but “Plasmic Fire” was as impressive as it could be. Similarly, when Maon appeared as herself for “Dead Or Lie” with Trustrick, it was incredibly hype. I also felt a bit disappointed with only one Zwei song, as I’m a big fan of the group.
This wasn’t exclusive to Friday; it seemed to be a recurring theme this year – great anison acts were limited to a maximum of two songs. It was tough, but I suppose that’s always been Anisama’s philosophy: talented artists don’t necessarily get more songs than those the audience might not be as interested in. On paper, Anisama can seem like an event to easily skip if you prefer a more intimate and authentic experience with solo artists you admire. It’s easy to dismiss it as a sampler or a discovery platform, but Anisama truly transcends that.
Other notable performances on day one included Rieshon and Aisaka-kun. The “Inside Identity” duet would have been even better with ZAQ’s participation, which I half-expected.
https://twitter.com/kousuke_LP/status/769882209444466688
Suara’s performance was another mind-blowing moment when she delivered her first major tie-in song.
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You might also be interested in : The Top Idolm@ster Panel Materials
? Suara (@Suara_FIX) August 26, 2016
Similarly, it was a lot of fun to finally see Koroazu perform solo. I thoroughly enjoyed her new album (I really must write about the seiyuu solo albums I sampled this year, or at least the notable ones, someday), so hearing the AZ-lead-in was a great experience. She also wore an interesting “rock” inspired outfit and her midriff was often exposed due to the see-through layer catching on her belt. It was a small detail I found charming, not in a particularly sexy way.
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? ???(i?Ris) (@iRis_s_yu) August 26, 2016
This was my first experience with iRis, and I must admit, it reinforced some of my previous biases. Their unit performance triggered my “real idol” defenses a bit too much for my liking, and they acted with the polish of seasoned professionals. I think it’s enjoyable and I respect their work, but iRis isn’t really my cup of tea. It’s not about objectivity; to me, they came across as trying too hard, but I can easily see how someone else might find them very effective in engaging the crowd.
While Cinderella Girls made history by closing out day one of Anisama (being not only the first idol group to do so but also the first anime-tie-in unit to achieve this), May’n did her part in closing the first half of the show. Singing all her old hits from Frontier was great, though it fell a little short of my memories. The girl still has it, though! It was also fun to see her interact with the CG girls, and hopefully, we’ll see more of that in the Blu-ray release.
On that note, predicting the closer was part of the fun at Anisama. We didn’t anticipate Cinderella Girls closing because there was no precedent, but they were certainly the biggest draw on day one. Frankly, most of us probably expected May’n to take the final spot.
Tamaki Nami was an interesting presence. She burst onto the stage for “Believe” in the first half and reappeared for the “ALL-WAYS” collaboration. It felt as if she performed two songs in separate segments. I could say the same for Iguchi, who first appeared in a lovely white dress before changing into a black one underneath for “Lostorage,” showcasing her usual alluring legs and upper chest. The costume change occurred during a musical interlude where she ducked beneath the main stage drop doors.
My favorite gothloli model, Luna Haruna, stepped in for Aoi Eir on day 1. It was actually the only slow act of the night. She even gave a shout-out to Eir during the MC. As an aside, the event pamphlet includes a segment on Eir, which presumably went to print before she withdrew from the show. Get well soon!
Every act had some pretty enthusiastic calls from the audience, which were a lot of fun. What was even more enjoyable was when Bless 4 performed their hit songs, or when Matsumoto appeared to perform a medley of Pokémon songs. Thanks to PokéGo, I got to see Matsumoto again because of it! But Bless4, they are genuinely good and left a strong impression on me.
Zaq was her usual self, but her collaboration with Yamamoto Yohsuke was quite interesting. Yamamoto is a guitarist who performs instrumental rock, and it was a pleasant change of pace for me.
I really enjoy this kind of performance. Enough about day 1! If anything, this was my favorite day and a fantastic start.
Day 2
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? ????????????????? (@anime_eupho) August 27, 2016
Day 2 was peculiar. It was simultaneously the most “anime” and the most “international” of the three days. At one point during “Fighting Dreamers/Go” (Flow closed the first half), I felt as if I were at Anime Expo. This is the kind of performance Flow has done worldwide at various conventions. Now, multiply that by approximately 27,000 people, and you get the picture. Adding to this were the GirlDeadMonster segment, Lia’s set and collaboration, Lisa’s set, and the iconic “Komm, süßer Tod.” Yes, death is indeed sweet. I used an UO (ultra-orange) during the final part of it just to say I did so during “Komm, süßer Tod.” I also burst out laughing when Sato began the piano intro.
