UlasanAnime.com – The Songs of Tokyo Festival, an annual special program by NHK World that is part of its broader Songs of Tokyo TV segment, recently aired its 2020 edition. This festival is dedicated to showcasing Japanese music acts, complete with translations and feedback from a global audience. For those who missed it, the 2020 festival is now available for on-demand viewing online, with the VOD set to expire on January 31, 2021.
While the Songs of Tokyo program and its associated festivals have been running for some time, it’s always a remarkable experience to see artists on domestic television whom one might have previously had to travel to Japan to witness live. NHK World is often broadcast as a community program in metropolitan areas or included in international channel packages. The ability to view these performances in high definition, specifically 1080 broadcast resolution, is a stark contrast to the often pixelated quality of live web streams, especially when the shows feature extensive visual elements that strain bandwidth.
For this particular 2020 edition of the Songs of Tokyo Festival, the traditional in-person audience was replaced by a virtual one. A group of fans appeared on two large television screens set up in the venue, NHK Hall, in a Zoom-style format, effectively serving as a studio audience.
Moving beyond the introductory details, the focus shifts to a 25-minute television segment that has garnered significant attention, being watched multiple times in a short period. The production value of the visuals displayed on the screens behind the performers is notably high, reminiscent of the acclaimed Mai-Note productions often seen at IDOLM@STER (IM@S) live events. The set, primarily a giant half-circle LCD wall, appears to have amplified this production quality even further.
The 15th Anniversary song for IDOLM@STER, a significant milestone, was presented at the Songs of Tokyo Festival, marking its first public performance. Notably, it was not performed by the original cast, highlighting the song’s intended inclusivity for all artists within the franchise. “Nandodemo Waraou” also holds the distinction of being the first IM@S group song to feature artists from SideM, allowing male and female idols to sing together, a novel occurrence for the franchise.
The hour-long television program also featured other prominent artists such as Nana Mizuki and BanG Dream (including Popipa, Roselia, and RAS). The allocation of approximately 22 out of the total 48 minutes to the IDOLM@STER segment is considered a substantial amount of time. In typical fashion for performances curated by JUNGO, the IDOLM@STER team’s segment was packed with numerous small details, inviting a closer examination.
Song choices: The selected songs for the medley included “Beyond The Dream,” “Spread the Wing,” “Thank You,” “STAR,” and “Jibun Rest@rt,” culminating in the special 15th-anniversary song. This selection, when presented in a medley format, proved to be well-suited for a television broadcast. The thematic interpretations of these song choices are presented as follows:
- The inclusion of SideM in the performance is described as being “Beyond The Dream” in itself, suggesting a significant and perhaps unexpected collaboration.
- “Spread the Wing” is seen as representative of Shiny Colors still in its developmental phase, spreading its wings as a brand. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their activities is acknowledged as a significant factor.
- Million Stars performing “Thank You” while wearing “Glorious Trinity” outfits is interpreted as a nod to an overseas audience. While “Welcome” might have been a more direct fit, “Thank You” was deemed appropriate for the core IDOLM@STER fandom and fitting for the specific time and occasion.
- The choice of “STAR” is considered more open to interpretation. It is suggested that it might be due to the widespread popularity of the Deremas (Cinderella Girls) branch, which is currently shining the brightest. The song is also noted as being a great pick over more predictable choices and potentially recognized globally as the anime’s opening theme.
- “Jibun REST@RT” is the song that the author finds easiest to understand, despite initial confusion. It’s highlighted for its suitability for a grand, big-band-style finale, similar to how “World Is All One” was used in a previous event. The emotional impact of seeing specific performers execute the choreography is noted. More broadly, the lyrics of “Jibun” are seen as uplifting, potentially reflecting the sentiment gathered from fan surveys (P Meet surveys) and symbolizing future developments for “All Stars” with “Starlit Season” on the horizon.
Dance chain: A notable detail for dedicated IM@S concert-goers was the incorporation of a “dance chain” or synchronized choreography across different units. This element is appreciated by fans, and the sight of the unit FRAME performing a move from “Spread The Wings” that appeared somewhat “girly” while being executed by male idols is described as hilarious, with the performers owning the move. This is compared to a previous event where performers chained movements across their subunits, with four subunits performing each day.
An amusing observation during the initial viewing was the lack of a dance chain between the CG (Cinderella Girls) and ML (Million Live) units, which was then resolved by their synchronized “Jiburi” dance at the end. This created a sense of unity and closure.
The audience: For the 2020 festival, Songs of Tokyo arranged for several large screens in the NHK Hall seats to display fan reactions. Thirty Zoom sessions were set up, connecting 30 fans who were selected from a survey. In the televised version, only one fan’s comment was featured, and this fan was observed to be using glowsticks. The individual fan’s Twitter account is provided for further reference.
2020: The year 2020 has been characterized by the cancellation of numerous live events. As Japan gradually resumes such activities, major multi-franchise projects like Bandori and IDOLM@STER face significant challenges in restarting their operations. This year also marks the 15th anniversary of the IDOLM@STER franchise, which had plans for an extensive all-production tour that were ultimately canceled. Many fans recall and long for the multi-production collaborations witnessed during the 10th anniversary live event. It is noted that such extensive collaborations have been relatively rare outside of Million Live events, with only a small instance at Bannam Fest last year.
This situation particularly affects Shiny Colors, a brand still in its early stages of development and “gathering crew” in its second year. The pandemic has necessitated a pause in building its legacy. The author expresses frustration at seeing the build-up of Shiny Colors fandom and content, from the hype surrounding “Straylight” leading up to “Noctchill,” only to have the event side halt. This context explains why Shiny Colors is opting for a full-blown online concert, even when Million Live is not, due to the brand’s strong need for such an event. Anticipation is expressed for an upcoming Shiny Colors online concert.
In a sense, 2020 was also intended to be a significant year for Million Stars. Their 7th live event was planned as a grand outdoor spectacle, featuring fireworks and a light show against a starry sky, synchronized with a television anime release in 2021. Unfortunately, this plan was also affected. However, it is acknowledged that Million Live has faced setbacks before.
Little things: A multitude of small details were observed, which are listed below:
- The camera’s rolling pans of upper body shots evoked a sense of nostalgia, with certain performers like Hego and Kidochan executing them particularly well. Nanamin and Mikku are described as naturals, with Mikku’s smile at one point being capable of “melting steel beams.”
- During parts of “Jiburi” and “Nandodemo,” there were shots featuring Eriko in the center, framed by the camera, with Nanamin and Mikku visible in the background due to the symmetrical lineup. Although there was no focus racking, it created a neat shot of an idol with her “wingmates.”
- A specific shot during “Star!!” showing Nanamin’s shoes and panning up during the lyric about “10cm pin heels” is described as fun.
- The varied reactions of different performers to camera time are highlighted as enjoyable and indicative of genuine seiyuu idol content. Hitomin, for instance, was noted to be slightly off-beat in the first instance but performed correctly in the second. A panning shot of the CG/ML units had more vibrancy due to Nanamin and MatsuEri’s in-character approach, which is seen as a key differentiator from typical J-music acts on NHK.
- The background visuals were exceptionally dynamic. They not only posed challenges for the low-bitrate encoding but also required significant attention to track. A five-color “sentai” (super sentai) vibe was prominent: Pink/red for AS (All Stars), Blue for CG, Yellow/Gold for ML, Light Blue (described as watercolor-like) for Shiny, and Green for SideM. A question is raised about when CG became associated with blue.
- The positioning of logos and colors in the background video was synchronized with the dance formations, which was considered a neat detail. While not as striking as Yukina and Aina Aiba performing identical hand movements during Roselia’s set, it was an unexpected bonus.
- Apart from a “Where’s Waldo” moment in the final image, most idols received individual screen time during the rest of the set. It is uncertain if all CG idols were shown in that short segment, but the general idea of individual focus is conveyed.
- Eriko looking back at the end of “Nandodemo Waraou” is described as being as powerful as when she recited Haruka’s line about seeing fans worldwide.
- The English lyric, “We can be whatever want,” as the opening line for the English-speaking audience, is met with a slightly mixed reaction. The author notes that IDOLM@STER marketing further emphasized this with “We all smile,” suggesting a deliberate focus on this message.
Nandodemo Waraou: The live performance of “Nandodemo Waraou” at the Songs of Tokyo Festival is noted as its first public showing. While the song may not have initially resonated strongly, it became a cherished piece when presented in a way that evoked emotional depth. Watching the performance at SOTF reinforced the author’s sense of missing IDOLM@STER, despite having attended a live event in February.
However, a critique is raised regarding the presentation of a tear-jerking montage during the 15th anniversary stream, followed by an attempt to sell multiple copies of the song. This is described as being “a tad over the top,” feeling like a warm embrace undercut by a reminder of the commercial aspect. This sentiment is acknowledged as being in the past, with the author’s copies of the song reportedly on their way.
The live performance of “Nandodemo Waraou” is considered even more powerful and effective than the anniversary video itself. Viewers are encouraged to watch the VOD of the Songs of Tokyo Festival performance instead of the provided video below.
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Footnote 1: Songs of Tokyo originated in 2017 as a special music program. By 2019, it evolved into a regular monthly program on NHK World. The Songs of Tokyo Festival, being a more specialized event, occurred twice in 2018, once in 2019, and likely once in 2020. The branding of SOTF 2019 and 2020 by their respective years suggests an annual occurrence. NHK World is one of the many channels operated by NHK.
