After listening to the Boiler Room set from Yousuke Yukimatsu and Tzusing, I discovered that their type of high energy, dynamic, tribalistic mixing and original works resonate the most with me within the EDM sphere. Any stuff that’s similar to them in terms of energy and atmosphere would be much appreciated.
Came back to this series after finishing Chapter 5 two months ago, and after attending a wonderful panel regarding the work of Riyukishi07 at Acen, and let me tell you, I was not prepared for how emotional I was going to get after 6 hours of reading. (Please do not spoil anything after episode 4)
The previous chapters certainly made me emotional, but I never straight up cried, until the perspective shifted from Keiichi to Rena and we learn more about her internal struggles and the trauma she experienced in her past.
I really have to commend the author for his ability to write such an emotionally and psychologically deep character and filter so many complex and heavy emotions in her voice. Her whole outlook on being happy every day, fighting for your happiness, and being able to fully appreciate the time spent with your friends is endearing and a bit sappy on the surface, (although I do share a similar sentiment) the way she uses this outlook to cope with feelings of loneliness, unworthiness, guilt and depression resonated with me on a deep level to the point where I couldn’t help but start crying profusely.
I’m the type of guy that rarely cries over fiction. I have done it in the past, and have certainly have gotten emotional over certain pieces of media, but it’s incredibly rare for me to feel so empathetic to a character to the point where I couldn’t help but burst in to tears.
Her blaming herself for her parents getting a divorce, wishing her father to be happy at the expense of her own happiness, and retreating to her hideout in the garbage dump—where she subsequently compares herself to trash—made me want to give her a hug and tell her it’s not her fault. Maybe it’s because I’ve dealt with similar feelings and thoughts in the past that made me feel this way, especially the struggle of dealing with a divorce between parents, and her trying her hardest to be happy despite the deep emotional pain inside her, while also trying to rationalize why she shouldn’t be depressed, hit me to my core and kept me awake last night after finishing episode 4 of the chapter.
I really don’t know why I felt compelled to write this post. This whole sequence hit me at such a raw, emotional level that I felt like I had to share it with you all. This is why Riyukishi07 is such an incredible writer to me and I’m curious if others felt the same way during this chapter. I greatly look forward to reading the rest and am ready for more devastation.
Thanks for reading.
Sup guys. 👋
To preface this, I’m a 30 year old dude that’s lived in the Midwest his whole life. I’m a casual fan of anime, and other Japanese media, and got invited to Acen for the first time by a group of friends and have been having a blast. I look forward to attending it again next year.
Now for Idolm@sters. Before the con, I asked some people familiar with Acen on what the most anticipated events were for this year and every single one of them said the IMAS show by far. The fact that it was their first ever performance in NA, and that people were flying out to Acen just to see it, peaked my interest. I’m not super familiar with Idols and idol culture, other than playing Haruka’s section in Yakuza 5 and watching a documentary about the subject years ago, but I’m an open minded guy and love a good concert, so I decided to check it out.
The line formed at 2 PM and the actual show started at 6 PM, so that initially made me hesitant to attending. After wandering around the convention, I checked my phone to see it was 2:20 PM and had to make a decision: do I take a chance and get line? Get in line later? Or just not go? I decided to head to the line right then and there.
There was already a decent sized line when I reached it and a bunch of people got in line behind me after I got my spot. Once the line got ridiculously long behind me, I realized I was in too deep and might as well see what the hype was about. I chatted with a group of four that were ahead of me and were incredibly cool and made the time pass. We also were under a bunch of trees the whole time and the shade made the waiting much more bare-able. Godbless those who waited 3+ hours in full cosplay attire under the sun; talk about troopers.
Once they opened the doors—and dealt with some confusion with line and how to get in—I made into the venue. I opted not to get merch because I was exhausted when I got in and did not want to get into another line.
Now for the show. The first thing I noticed was just how invested the audience was the whole time. Almost everyone had light sticks and were waving them to the beat of every song and chanted during certain sections of each song, on queue, in unison, every time. It’s one thing to read about it, it’s another to see it in person. I found it endearing. The energy and joy they displayed was infectious and made the experience better.
The moments where the performers talked to the audience, and everyone sat down, were a god send for my back. The display of mutual respect for concert etiquette is something more audience goers should partake in to be honest. I enjoyed the performances of both Cinderella Girls and Miki Hoshii, but I liked the latter a little more because I’ve never seen a virtual character perform in person before and loved the novelty of it, not to mention the songs were excellent.
Overall, I felt the performance was worth the wait and found the whole experience memorable and incredibly fun. I wouldn’t say I’m an Idol or IMAS fan per-se, but I have a newfound appreciation for the Idol scene and would see another Idol performance if they host more of them next year at Acen. I might even watch the IMAS anime if there’s a version with English subtitles.
Just wanted to share my thoughts with you all. Thanks for reading ✌️