Producer Meeting 2017

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UlasanAnime.com – Last weekend, I had the opportunity to attend the IDOLM@STER Producer Meeting event, which spanned two days. The official event page, http://idolmaster.jp/event/765pm2017/information.php, provides exact details. This year’s main attraction was the full cast, despite initial indications that it would be a combination of live performance and talk segments. The event was preceded by the release of IDOLM@STER Platinum Stars, which was the focus of the first lottery round, and preparations for it had been ongoing for over half a year. Given ample time, we organized a flower stand again, with more details to be shared on the HPT site at https://hpt.moe/2017/02/06/producer-meeting-flower-stands/. Due to the event’s nature, which included extensive talking and singing, I will provide limited details on the talk segments as I do not understand Japanese. Consequently, I cannot provide a full setlist recap and will keep the coverage concise, incorporating travelogue elements.

Producer Meeting 2017

My arrival at HND was via one of ANA’s new JFK-HND routes. Landing in Tokyo by 9 PM allowed me ample time to purchase a SIM card, as Bic Camera at HND remains open until 10 PM. This later arrival was a strategic choice to conserve PTO while also leveraging jet lag to wake up early for the merchandise sales (buppan). An idea to bring a tarp for the buppan queue proved somewhat effective as we waited.

I also decided at the last minute to prepare a set of presents while at JFK terminal 7. Upon landing, I went shopping for stationery to write some notes. These gifts are already visible in Haramii’s post at http://yaplog.jp/heavenly_cafe/archive/1773. I am unsure if Hirorin, Azumin, or Asapon also prepared similar gifts.

The buppan experience was uneventful. As it was my first time at Tokyo Metro Gym, everything was new. From the merchandise queue area at night, Tokyo Tower was visible, illuminated like a needle.

Although we were technically in the third group to arrive, it felt like we were “first trained.” By the time the line began moving at 10 AM, we were approximately halfway through the total queue. By the time I left the buppan area, no items had sold out yet.

During the approximately five hours spent in line, I engaged in the usual socializing with other producers. The Japanese producers tend to be more reserved compared to the overseas producers who attended in groups. Producers from Thailand, Singapore, and Korea were prominently present. China and Taiwan had fewer attendees than anticipated due to Chinese New Year, though I did encounter a few and assisted them with errands.

The rest of that day involved attending the first day of Lisani at Nippon Budokan, a three-day event. It was my first time at Budokan, and I found it to be a pleasant venue with excellent acoustics. Despite being in the third level of seating, the view of the stage was quite good, even from the rear. The night’s lineup featured only Lisa and Kalafina, both of whom I enjoy. It had been a considerable time since I last saw Kalafina perform live. The concert was particularly memorable for its various Fate Stay Night covers.

Saturday morning was dedicated to recovery, but I managed to fit in some shopping. I then headed to the venue, which is located near Sendagaya JR station, primarily traveling via the Chuo-Sobu line between there and Akihabara. I took photos of the event setup. Some of our group attended Walkure on day one, and a few also attended day two. Consequently, the day largely consisted of meeting up with people from Japan and other parts of Asia at the venue. I acquired a call book, which was useful for seeing the calls for the new songs, specifically for Amaterasu and Happy. Kakumei de Show also had calls, though I found it relatively easy to follow, perhaps not as straightforward as Machiuke Prince but still manageable.

We entered the venue shortly after. My seat on day one was on the right side, third level, about seven rows up, and roughly halfway back. Although distant, it offered a complete view of the arena. In retrospect, I should have brought binoculars to observe the VIP area, as I was situated directly across from it.

For a more detailed account of day one, Mycs’s write-up at https://www.facebook.com/notes/lee-yong-han/report-producer-meeting-day-1/1237195073000536?pnref=story is recommended. I will focus on my personal impressions and observations.

The event commenced with the customary announcements from Kotori and Shacho. The idols then entered, performing “Cherry.” (Details regarding the voting process can be found at https://hpt.moe/2016/12/20/producer-meeting-announcements/). They were dressed in their training camp outfits, paired with white sneakers and various legwear. Azumin and Chiaking were seen wearing thigh-highs with their shorts. “Cherry” is a highly emotional song, and it was unsurprising that some attendees were already overcome with emotion. This sentiment was also evident during the introductory MC, where some cast members appeared visibly moved.

This emotional start quickly transitioned into BaneP’s introduction to host the first talk segment. Various statistics, gathered from audience surveys for the live event, were displayed, and the cast engaged in discussions about them. All these statistics are also included in the P-Meet pamphlet, with the exception of the 11th to 20th ranked songs. The discussion began with percentages detailing the age of producers, their years of experience, the number of lives attended, and so forth. It was unclear what specific responses were expected. The statistic indicating that 17% of survey participants were female was noted as a significant, albeit small, increase from previous surveys. Subsequently, top 10 lists of favorite songs were presented based on different moods, such as feeling down or wanting to get pumped. While this data was available in the P-Meet pamphlet, the live event also showcased the top 20, accompanied by interesting comments and lighthearted “bullying” when the cast members were asked to demonstrate various actions. For instance, during the calls for “Pon de Beach” (from the favorite calls song list), Nu even performed a part of the dance. I was nearly moved to tears during the “Ippai Ippai” calls.

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I believe this aspect made Day 1 particularly special for me. All these elements seemed designed for a collective experience. While it felt like a missed opportunity for a full-scale live performance with everyone, perhaps there were other plans in motion.

It wasn’t immediately apparent, and many things took time to resonate, but I felt they were making a concerted effort to provide long-awaited IM@S service. This was partly a response to the absence of a full live concert. The idols who were put on the spot did their best to deliver a line or two, though not everyone was able to participate.

A few points regarding BaneP: his appearance at a 765Pro All Stars event has been infrequent, and this was his first appearance since the “Kingblade Era.” The audience did not settle on a specific color for his glowstick until the end of the show, when the other cast members collectively designated it as red. Initially, more orange than red glowsticks were observed, based on my estimations. Furthermore, his MCing skills were not exceptional, though he did deliver some witty remarks.

The second segment featured a drama where the audience could influence the narrative in real-time by waving their glowsticks. If more people waved for one option than the other, that option would be selected. This interactive element was surprisingly enjoyable, although I suspect I would have found it even more engaging if Day 1’s script had differed more significantly from Day 2’s. This segment was arguably the most quintessentially IM@S experience.

As anticipated, there was a considerable amount of ad-libbing throughout the event. At times, it felt like a punishment game when producers selected embarrassing options, and one of the more, shall we say, amusing cast members would turn the situation back on those involved. In such instances, I was glad that Asapon portrays two characters, doubling her potential for playful teasing. LOL.

I will omit the specific jokes, but there were some genuinely humorous moments. JUSTICE.

Selecting choices in the drama segment required a certain strategy. Initially, one might aim for the “correct” choice, but participants soon realized that choosing the “incorrect” option would lead to more entertaining outcomes. Day 2, in particular, leaned heavily into these “wrong” choices. However, the game’s design implies that there are no truly wrong choices, which contributes to its fun factor.

The drama event also featured a surprise guest. It seems to be a standard practice now to have surprise guests at IM@S events. While I haven’t attended many full-scale IM@S lives, I’ve witnessed eight surprise guests across six different live events, excluding MCs like BaneP. This is quite remarkable. The appearance of Sanpei Yuko was a significant surprise. I might have been even more astonished had I not seen her just two weeks prior at a US convention (https://omonomono.com/2017/01/09/taiyoucon-2017-wrap/).

Following the drama segment, a brief MC with 3pay and the team took place, leading into the VTR segment. Similar to CG4th, a roughly five-minute clip of special footage featuring IM@S characters dancing in P-Meet outfits, rendered using the PlaStar engine, was shown. The music primarily comprised existing PlaStar songs, with a few new additions. As usual, there were light call-and-response segments during the VTR.

This intermission allowed the idols to change into their live performance outfits. The live portion commenced with Sanpei performing “Dazzling World,” a rare and exciting occurrence, marking only the second time she has performed this song live. Given her increasing involvement with F-lags, this might be her last performance of the song. Yuyu delivered a remarkable performance, and her participation in SideM is highly anticipated.

3Pay was even cuter than I had imagined, but this segment quickly concluded, making way for 765Pro All Stars. The performance kicked off with the setlist that can be found at http://imas-db.jp/song/event/live20170128.html. Here are some highlights:

  • I was slightly disappointed with “Kakumei” as I found “Machiuke Prince” to be a more engaging song in the moment. “Kakumei de Show” has amusing and entertaining parts, but they didn’t elicit the same reaction from me. The calls for it were only moderately fun.
  • “Miracle Night” was my favorite song from the setlist, and hearing it live was fantastic. The vocals added significant nuance to the performance. When Hirorin’s part began, it was so captivating that I momentarily forgot to perform the UO (Ultra Orange) light stick action.
  • “Amaterasu” proved to be the most enjoyable song in terms of calls, with the clapping sequence fitting perfectly.
  • “Happy” still presents a challenge for me, for reasons I can’t quite pinpoint, but the performance itself was excellent.
  • All four group songs featured captivating bridge sections with intricate choreography, which I greatly appreciated. I look forward to seeing them on Blu-ray, as my seats were not ideal for fully appreciating these parts. I hope a Blu-ray will be released.
  • Following “Happy,” the

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Muhammad Suyou

Muhammad Suyou adalah penulis dan pengulas anime yang telah mengikuti perkembangan industri anime selama lebih dari 8 tahun. Telah menonton ratusan judul dari berbagai genre, dengan fokus pada analisis cerita, karakter, dan pesan yang disampaikan dalam setiap anime. Melalui UlasanAnime.com, ia membagikan review, analisis mendalam, serta rekomendasi anime berdasarkan pengalaman menonton secara langsung, dengan tujuan membantu pembaca menemukan tontonan terbaik sesuai preferensi mereka.

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