UlasanAnime.com – I attended the Million Live concert at Nakano Sunplaza last weekend, and while in Japan for a brief period, I also managed to catch two other live performances. This piece will primarily focus on the Shinso Ongaku Ensoukai and touch upon the final stop of WUG’s 4th tour at Zepp Tokyo. Given that WUG is a well-established group, my main interest lies in discussing the less familiar event.
Let’s begin with the WUG performances. During the earlier session, Mayu N joined them on stage and performed “One in a Billion,” which was a pleasant surprise. However, I was still en route from Haneda Airport at that time, possibly even in the immigration line. I had a considerable amount of waiting time until the early show concluded, so I decided to head towards the Unicorn venue. While there, I enjoyed observing the crowd at Ultra Japan. It seems Porter Robinson was performing on Sunday. I haven’t visited Odaiba in years, so this was a nice change of scenery.
Zepp Tokyo is an appropriate venue for WUG, but tickets for this particular show were exceptionally hard to come by, leading to a significant markup for resale. The setlist for the concert speaks volumes; it was arguably their most definitive one to date. Experiencing the second solo medley live for the first time was a particular highlight. Towards the end of the night session, Mayu proudly declared, “This is WUG,” and it certainly felt that way.
The setlist for the night show is available on Aniuta, while the afternoon setlist can be found [here](https://www.famitsu.com/news/201709/16141967.html). It’s been quite some time since I last attended a WUG solo live, which was during their 2nd tour in Osaka.
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? TRUE/???? @ 10th Anniversary!! (@miho_karasawa) September 17, 2017
Shinso Ongaku Ensoukai is a concert series presented by Lantis. To draw a comparison, Shinso Ongaku Ensoukai can be seen as the antithesis of Anisama. The Ensoukai takes place in an intimate live house setting, featuring songs that lean more towards “music” than “hype.” It’s a celebration of anisong, music, vocals, and all that jazz, though not actual jazz. TRUE and Mia Regina were the guest artists for this iteration, while fhana and Choucho, who were instrumental in organizing the event, performed at every installment so far. You can check out their impressive setlist [here](https://twitter.com/nanodayo_7/status/909383967920361472).
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BUTTERFLY EFFECTOR
UNISONIA(Aco)
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Divine Spell(Aco)
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????????#TRUE?? pic.twitter.com/M2q5oJXUU8? TRUE_staff (@TRUE_staff) September 17, 2017
Setting Mia Regina aside for a moment (more on them later), it was truly remarkable to witness fhana, TRUE, and Choucho perform in such a setting. The audience and the overall atmosphere were distinctly different from Anisama, lacking the medley-focused energy. The artists also brought out their best performances. For instance, Choucho’s backing band contributed to the bassline of “Outside of the Melancholy,” which is now a special treat as fhana doesn’t perform it as frequently, and it sounded like an entirely new song. TRUE herself delivered three acoustic arrangements: “Unisonia” (from Buddy Complex), “Steel-???の?- ” (from Iron-Blooded Orphan), and “Divine Spell” (from Regalia Three Sacred Stars). She also performed the high-energy tracks “Butterfly Effector” and “Soundscape,” which concluded her set. I was particularly excited about the songs from IBO and Sukasuka ED, as hearing them in a live house setting allowed her vocals to truly shine.
TRUE serves as a prime example. I vividly recall her Anisama performance where she deliberately omitted “Sukasuka ED” because the organizers opted against including a sad song in the lineup, and she had limited slots to work with. For someone who casually knows her anime songs, experiencing them in this intimate setting was a genuine treat.
Choucho’s performance was largely as expected, though she focused primarily on her newer material. For the “encore” (though it wasn’t a formal one), the artists joined together for a rendition of “Starlog.” This featured fhana, primarily Sato’s keyboard and Kevin’s xylophones, with Yuxuki handling the guitar bridge and the rest providing vocals. fhana themselves performed their key tracks, with “Reaching for the Cities” being the most notable contribution, and the song I was most eager to hear. Their set concluded with the audience in the sold-out livehouse attempting to dance to “Aozora Rhapsody,” an experience to behold in person.
For me, this concert was quite eye-opening. Witnessing fhana in a live house setting proved to be the ideal environment, amplified by the high energy and yet relaxed atmosphere. During TRUE and fhana’s sets, the audience was enthusiastically bouncing, and it even became a bit mosh-like during TRUE’s performance, particularly in the front rows. Then, Choucho’s Fate/Kalied liner movie tracks provided delightful moments. The event also revealed the strengths of the vocalists; with the exception of fhana, TRUE and Choucho were front and center, their powerful voices not overshadowed by larger ensembles, but rather filling the venue and captivating the audience. This experience perfectly encapsulates the meaning behind the name “Shinso Ongaku Ensoukai.”
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?????????????????? pic.twitter.com/NFzcnlyJYp? Mia REGINA???? (@MiaREGINA_info) September 17, 2017
Mia Regina opened the show. For those unfamiliar, they are a Lantis vocal unit with connections to Dear Stage and STAR ANIS. Within Mia Regina, they have also written several songs for themselves. I must admit, I was not very familiar with them either, and only discovered them through “Sacred Slayer Matoi.” While it’s their most recognizable song, their CD sampler showcased a considerable range and promise. Compared to typical idol units, Mia Regina stands out as being somewhat different. They are more vocal and music-oriented, which made their live performance sound formidable and much closer to what one would expect from a vocal-centric group. Without naming names, they reminded me of another three-piece vocal group known for harmonies, albeit without the high-budget polish. Mia Regina does incorporate dance, thanks to their ties with Dear Stage.
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While I wouldn’t necessarily fly across the globe specifically for this event, I would certainly attend again if the opportunity arose. This is the kind of anisong event designed for individuals who appreciate music in a traditional sense. If the right artists bring their best performances, I believe it will consistently deliver a fantastic show.
