November 4th in Ikebukuro was clear and sunny.
Maybe because the days had been chilly until recently, I felt a bit too warm in my long-sleeved shirt, thrown off by the swing in temperatures.
Honestly, with how Japan's temperature shifts have been lately, I want to file a complaint—but at least today, I was just glad no typhoon was coming.
Because the day I'd been waiting for had finally arrived.
The Tokyo edition of Kyo-Banmatsuri—held September 22nd in Kyoto—"Tokyo Banmatsuri" was being held at Ikebukuro's Brilliant Hall.
You can't imagine how much I'd been looking forward to this day.
I've only been to live shows a handful of times.
Even so, the reason I was looking forward to it was surely because I'd been writing articles about scores here on this Gekiban Portal.
And on top of that, after reading such a fascinating article, it would be strange not to be interested.
Before the show began, a voice-AI character named "Soyogi Bon"—who apparently also appeared at Kyo-Banmatsuri—came out to remind us of viewing etiquette.
Apparently voice actor Yuki Kaji collaborated on this character. The AI voice was smooth too—I thought it might be a VTuber.
The etiquette Soyogi reminded us of was to power off our phones and any sound-emitting electronics. Naturally, I switched mine off right there.
But something unexpected happens after this—though that's a story for a little later.
The first to appear was Maina Hinagi, one member of the working-adult idol group "Innocent Lucia." She began dancing to a track Yuki Hayashi wrote specifically for Kyo-Banmatsuri.
Apparently it was also performed at Kyo-Banmatsuri, and she was, of course, fantastic. After that, all of Innocent Lucia appeared and sang a song called "Shiny Days, Shiny Stars."
Some in the audience waved penlights—it felt like a warm welcome.
And now, at last, Tatsuya Kato takes the stage. The first piece is "Star Divine" (Saiseisan) from Revue Starlight.
Wait, hold on—I've seen this anime, but was it this interesting? Was it this gripping?
The low end of the drums hammers unmistakably at my gut as the anime footage rolls.
The heroine throws herself into a melting furnace and is reproduced as a version of herself clad in stage costume.
So this is what a live show is, I thought, feeling goosebumps for the first time in ages.
I didn't have a penlight, so I answered with clapping—but it's a blast.
Another track from Revue Starlight was performed, and it landed on my list of shows I need to rewatch.
Next came Dr. STONE. This is actually a show I kept meaning to watch but hadn't gotten around to yet.
Kato said he's working on the music for the FINAL SEASON right now.
The mood was a total shift from Revue Starlight—dreamlike, with a fantasy worldview reminiscent of Harry Potter: "STONE WORLD."
Right on its heels came "KING OF THE OCEAN," same fantasy tone, but the kind of track that fills you with courage, like someone's dream spreading across the world and changing it right before your eyes.
There really are still plenty of interesting anime out there. This one is, at the very least, one of them.
It had been recommended to me to begin with, and Kato's music for Dr. STONE reaffirmed exactly that feeling.
Next was "Always in my heart" from SukaSuka—WorldEnd: What Do You Do at the End of the World? Are You Busy? Will You Save Us?
"I just love this show," he said, beginning to talk about it. "It really makes you cry."
He's been promoting it all over, and a certain voice actor (was it? Sorry, my memory's a bit hazy) gave him the happy report, "Kato-san! I watched SukaSuka!" "I cried!" But according to what he later heard from staff, they'd apparently been secretly watching it during work. "Please do your job properly. The end."—with a punchline to cap it off.
Next was Free! The moment Free! started, I could've sworn I heard the women in the crowd let out delighted squeals, as if to say, "This is what we've been waiting for."
And it wasn't just the female fans waiting. I was too. I'd already seen this show. For the first time since Revue Starlight, an anime I'd actually watched came up.
Footage from Free! filled the screen, and the venue's penlights turned a solid sea of blue, coloring the music.
In the Kyo-Banmatsuri report there was this passage:
"That exhilaration—the sensation of diving underwater, of catching your breath, of feeling the spray of the water. And it's not because there's footage playing behind it. It's the pure power you feel from the music itself.
I felt anew the 'sheer force' that a score can carry."
That line had stuck with me and stayed in my memory ever since.
Ah, so this is what it meant, I felt it on my skin. If the music expresses the dynamism of the swimmers, then the penlights flying about expressed the spray, as if the whole venue were creating the imagery together—creating the very work that is Free!
—Incredible. So much fun. Before I knew it, I had dived into the worldview the score carried.
Kato's final piece was "Love Live! Sunshine!!"
A man right behind me let out a cheer at this one. Why is it that hearing a cheer like that somehow makes me happy too?
The track was titled "Let's Make a Miracle Happen" (Okosou Kiseki o), and since the venue stirred up even more at the name, they obviously knew it.
As someone who's worked in scoring, I can tell—but the fact that general audiences know it too means either Love Live! is amazing, or the crowd's passion is amazing.
It flowed right into "SUNSHINE in the MIRROR," the theme of the spin-off Yohane the Parhelion, and then the final song.
An arrangement composed during the pandemic for a phantom Love Live! Sunshine!! live that was never performed:
"Main theme of Aqours 5th anniversary!!"
Everyone's excitement was contagious, and even my own voltage rose. I've got the job of reporting on this live waiting for me—is it okay to lose my composure?
No—getting hyped along with everyone is the proper thing to do. When in Rome. Whoever has the most fun wins!
And so, with Kato's final song, I experienced a live show for the first time and enjoyed it from the bottom of my heart.
In the closing interview with Kato, it came up that he'd had his nails done for Tokyo Banmatsuri—apparently at the salon his wife owns.
The salon's name is ty nail&eyelash. Apparently everyone who works there is an anime fan.
To any women reading this—why not drop by?
...But there's one worry left at the end.
After getting this hyped up, I'm sorry to say it, but—is Takanashi, who's up next, going to be okay?
