The score composer who took the stage as Kyoban Festival's second act was Tatsuya Kato. With a break having been taken, here and there you could spot audience members holding Kyoban Ale in hand. Some were even enjoying the live show in cosplay; the ways of enjoying it are wonderfully varied. What they all had in common were smiles that made it clear they were enjoying the festival from the bottom of their hearts.

Two tracks from the work Revue Starlight. "Reproduction" and "Superstar Spectacle," two tracks that represent this girls' opera. A powerful piece that hints at a beginning. The opera-like choral work feels emblematic of a work that's anything but straightforward. Just listening to these two tracks pulls you into the story's world, creating the illusion that you're reliving the story; busily traversing all sorts of musical genres, yet the impression of the tracks stays consistent and never scattered. What I, as a fledgling composer, felt was, in a word, divine skill. As if walking multiple tightropes at once before a watching crowd... How do you conceive and compose to arrive at music like this? It's a mystery.

Incidentally, this work was apparently extremely demanding for the music team. Since it was an anime work with a Takarazuka Revue-like worldview, what struck me most was them saying that, first and foremost, "the sheer volume was staggering." They really struggled with it, so for those who haven't watched, please do. Incidentally, this is an aside from after the show, but I caught snatches of chatter from departing audience members along the lines of, "I'd never seen so-and-so anime, but the music was cool, so I'm going to watch it when I get home!" There's nothing wrong with getting into an anime work through its score. This too must be one of the proper ways to enjoy Kyoban Festival. And surely, these are the words that bring score composers the greatest joy of all, I felt.

Next, a track from Dr. Stone! They performed the main theme, and "King of the Ocean," the theme song for the immensely popular character Ryusui.

The sense of time travel you feel from the very first note of the main theme; from the bell sound that even evokes homages to time-travel works (Back to the Future, Chrono Trigger, and the like), as if you've descended into overwhelming nature. Yet it's a melody that also conveys what humanity built up until then (= in this work, science), something anyone who's watched the anime will surely feel. It masterfully packages into a single track the unmanageably grand images of the worldview, the unfathomable span of years, the march of humanity. As a writer I'm not sure I'm allowed to use such plain words, but I really, truly love this song!

Ryusui's theme. Over an intro that valiantly sets sail across the sea, male and female vocals come in pleasantly. A track that embodies the harshness of voyages and the joy of adventure from a good old era. Dr. Stone's tracks all carry strength throughout, but even among them this one is especially powerful.

The Dr. Stone score. The venue dyed blue-green.

The glowstick colors, too, were the Dr. Stone colors of green and blue, and you could feel the audience enjoying it each in their own way.

Next was a track from the anime with that memorably long title, WorldEnd: What Do You Do at the End of the World? Are You Busy? Will You Save Us? Its nickname is SukaSuka. They performed the main theme, "Always in My Heart."

The timbre of the flute rings out. It's a track that conveys grandeur, fitting the work's worldview of a "medieval-like historical setting." The somehow nostalgic, slightly wistful melody evokes a wide world stretching on without end. And it's a masterpiece that conveys the resolve to reflect on beautiful things now lost forever and the world preserved in memory, and to search out what one can do from here. Even people who don't know the work, many will surely find tears welling up just listening to it as a song. Kato said it's a work he's very attached to as well.

Next was a track from Free! Since it's a work made by Kyoto Animation and the very definition of "speaking of the Kansai region!", the audience's "We've been waiting!" applause grew louder. Women's enthusiastic cheers flew about.

A sense of exhilaration, the feeling of diving underwater and coming up for air, of feeling the splash of water. This isn't because footage was playing behind it. It's the pure power you feel from the music itself.

I felt anew the "sheer force" that a film score possesses.

Now, earlier I focused only on the power of the music, but of course it's well known that Free!'s visuals are wonderful. Speaking of Kyoto, it's home to Kyoto Animation, the front-runner leading Japan's anime industry. And Kyoto Animation works are synonymous with gorgeous artwork. Across the three-track set, the audience seemed captivated by the footage interspersed here and there too.

An all-blue sea of glowsticks swayed. I see, I think I now understand what Kayu meant by enjoying it "like a cheer screening!" as one of the ways to enjoy a film score festival. Kato spoke of being hit by equipment trouble at last year's Kyoban Festival and not being able to perform as he'd wanted. You can imagine, from the audience's satisfied cheers and applause, and from the sheer amount of Kato's sweat (which he likened to "having done a waterfall ablution"), that the 2024 Free! performance turned out splendidly, as if to dispel that frustration.

The next track was Love Live! Sunshine!! This time cheers flew from the men. The glowstick colors became the most colorful of the day. Surely each one was the color of someone's favorite.

A track called "Let's Make a Miracle Happen!" A track packed with excitement and hope for the future, sparing no effort toward the dream of being an idol.

Next was a track from "Yohane the Parhelion," an official spin-off of Love Live! Sunshine!! Simple yet a song that resonates at the root of the heart, as sounds of piano, chorus, sax, and more mix together to form a single world.

The final track was also a track by Aqours, the group from Love Live! Sunshine!! He performed for us at this Kyoban Festival a track that was supposed to be performed at the "dome tour" that ended up vanishing into thin air because of COVID-19. Cries of joy escaped from the audience.

A track with a ska element and a fantastic groove. Your body sways naturally. It's a track that surely tests the technical skill of every member of the instrumental section and looks tough to play, but of course there wasn't a single waver. With a wonderful performance, it turned Kyoto Theater into a cauldron of excitement in an instant.