Omonomono

March 21, 2025

The End of an Era, The IDOLM@STER Million Live’s 10th Pause

By omo

It’s not about jokes revolving End Of Service, or retirement or graduation, even. It’s just the pronouncement of a pause, a well-deserved break, a long vacation maybe. Well, nobody is going on vacation except me, writing this up within a sun-lit villa on the islands of Hawai’i.

I was just musing with other Ps in a chatroom about how due to the postponement of ML11th, we now have these things after ML10th Act 4, as Million Live has not had another major concert since:

A new IM@S brand, which finished a 3-city tour four times
A full unit tour, and 2 more big productions for Cinderella Girls
765PRO All Stars, well, with 961Pro, also put on 3 productions for MR concerts (Hangetsu, Re:Flame x2)
SideM had a few events, with its 10th anniversary stuff lined up. There were concerts and P-meets and even some reading plays.
Shiny Colors probably had the most. A full 2-cour anime (26eps) has aired since, plus a handful of full on concerts. A lot of stuff came with it.
There was also the big IDOLM@STER Expo which had cross-branch content, and the weird entrance exam-type event last month.

Million Live has had some things, namely a radio event (a 2-session talk and mini concert), and two release events (also same format). But it is definitely a big pause for a series that is about, uh, concerts. Which is just to say, that was merely theme, and not a promise that Million Live will have a lot of concerts. I mean, it did, just not anymore since maybe 2018.

The pause was dramatized here but also largely due to the postponement of ML11th due to uncontrollable circumstances. COVID still exist and caused some other cancellations, among other illnesses and issues putting the cast members on the disabled list temporarily. In the case of Ume Hanami’s character voice, she has been on hiatus since last autumn, and it is concerning given there has been no notice or signs of her getting better. The 1st full, big concert for Gakuen Idolm@ster is coming up at the end of May, so time is running out.

Having mixed media, live-performing content for decades invariably you have to work through the issues the average person may have with their bodies, be it normal or abnormal. When the cast count across all 6 (7? 8?) branches is in the several hundreds, well, you cannot really help it when folks take maternal leave or had to rest to recover from their throat surgery, or what have you. This is good–we don’t want to replace cast members in this franchise if we can avoid it, and if we’re cheering them on, we should cheer for their health benefits also. With this many people it’s bound to happen here or there across the full cast.

The funny thing to me is, it’s pretty clear that the team behind IM@S is taking the foot off the accelerator pedal now that ML enters this post 10th phase (all right after the anime and the postponed 9th/10th stuff). As a fan it feels like we’re floating, a bit like the anime production team between the end of the TV series and the OVA a couple years out?

Maybe it’s time to say it’s time to take a break, except seeing what they’re doing in the other branches, they are clearly tending to them with what spare energy they have left. I still clearly remember how bad KominoP looked during the announcement stream, there was probably some death marching going on? I don’t know, but bringing up Gakumas from the start had to be hard, especially with the amount of engagement the series is getting. It’s a lot. I can’t remember any time engaging with any IM@S series that I had this much difficulty keeping track of all the collaborations that it has. And this is a series that isn’t even a year old.

So while my foot is also on the pedal like the rest of them at Bannam, maybe it’s still a good time to take a breather for the hard Million Ps out there. HotchPotch 2 is almost upon us, and so is the 20th anniversary stream (part 2?) in a few days. I hope everyone can take a moment to rest and finish out 2025 safely and with health.

PS. There was a tweet/post of WakachikoP (Wakako Hazama) looking frenetic at one of the AEON mall events some months ago–those events tend to feature a small space in a rural or suburban mall, with a couple cast members giving a talk and some giveaways. It all tend to be somewhat disorganized (for Japan standards) and the frenetic face in the pic is worth a thousand words. I am truly hoping the members of the team take better care of themselves. Running events can be hard (LOL don’t we know).

Leave a comment | posted in Bishoujo Gaming, Idolmaster, Modern Visual Culture

February 7, 2025

Togenashi Togeari’s Winning Formula

By omo

In the 21st century, there are few bigger “modern visual culture” developments on the Japanese side of the thing than 2.5D. What more can we ask for to employ the entire cache of cultural and industrial (it’s not just “geinokai,” it’s pipelines?) expertise of the show business by blowing up cartoon characters with the breath of (human) life, giving them likeness unto ourselves? In short, it’s about plays (the old fashion kind, done on a stage) based on novels, games, anime, and manga. In this particular case, we are talking about a media-mix franchise that is original, which yielded a manga and anime series, which boils down into a 5-piece band that are played by the humans behind the respective character voices themselves.

This is the ultimate dream-come-true. It is great that Minako Kotobuki can go at the keyboard from her Kyoto Animation gigs in the late ’00s, but it took a few more years before Aki Toyosaki can strum the guitar in any respectable way in front of a paying crowd. The K-ON generation pointed out to everyone that, well, there was even a K-ON generation to begin with. This girls band dream took shape later when the then-IM@S-Producer-lore-turn-yet-into-another-BanG-Dream-cover-song AIMI played guitar for the character Julia, launching the idea that we should just make a whole media mix video game thing. Nearly 10 years later, BanG Dream continues to own this segment and capture the dreams and discretionary spending of kids and adults all over the place.

I say kids, because at Togenashi Togeari’s one-man live on Feb. 7, 2025 at Pacifico Yokohama, I saw a teen with her mother a few rows in front of me at the show. This was Togetoge’s (henceforth) first solo show in a theater. It’s a stretch because they previously played at bigger venues (even moonlighting at Anisama 2024). As a band that started in 2023, they already have a show at the Nippon Budokan in September 2025.

My seatmate and I talked during the 20-minute intermission at the Togetoge show, and we talked about how TrySail has a show coming up in a few weeks at also Nippon Budokan, which is their first time at that venue, celebrating their 10th year as a unit. It served unintentionally as a nice contrast because both of us thought, after the announcement of Togetoge’s Budokan show at the end of the concert, that it was really soon. Maybe even too soon. I don’t think it is inappropriate at any event, too soon or not, because this is a great example of marketing striking the iron while it is hot.

What is hot? Togetoge is currently the best all-around incarnation of the girl band dreams media mix projects. This time we have something that is rock and roll at the core, a high school dropout meets a high school delinquent? It is hilariously traditional but it is packaged with that Bang Dream trapping that it goes down just as smooth. Except this time it’s got some fiber to go along with that rock-n-roll caloric intake. The much less substantive ball of fun that is the usual BanG Dream bands pre-MyGO!!!!! definitely still is the rule of the land, but within the rules, Togetoge is brand new and growing fast. China loves this stuff. MyGO hit a home run over there, but I think so did Togetoge, it’s just there isn’t a vast network of cover-song-rhythm-gamers already covering it. There’s something about starting mostly from scratch, as it were.

And this is why you can get to Budokan too soon. It took BanG Dream a few years too (and also probably too soon by some standards). It’s hot, strike it while the iron is hot. It’s BanG Dream v2. It is definitely the “more taste less calories” version in the 2.5D.

Of course, more discerning people (or anyone FWIW) can have differing opinions on this. In person, I already saw a big improvement in the playing and showsmanship of Togetoge from their Anisama 2024 appearance. Granted two members are still on hiatus, so we have pros playing the drums and on keys–the vibe I get is that now the three cast members are actually showboating, playing their roles, having fun while knowing they’ve got “training wheels” on drums and keys. It’s the best 2.5D. Compared to MyGO or Ave Mujica, those people are in a play and we are just along for the ride. Maybe you prefer that. I prefer my girls bands be bands first and stage actors second, if you can tell the difference. This is what makes RAS great and Popipa forever best in a live house or on the streets and probably not nowhere else. Or, you can be like the eternally popular Roselia–just not be a girls band at all. (I guess this applies to some other groups I omitted also.)

Girls Band Cry is rock. I think MyGO too. My bones with BanG Dream is that they created a good thing–MyGO anime–and then promptly carved this square peg into a round peg to put the media mix machine’s round holes. Maybe the kids love all the drama, but to me that is second (and naturally flows from) to the core idea of having relevant conflicts in stories. And if the driver of that is because someone’s mom died, we be in B-rated Korean drama territory. At least give me B-rated Japanese cinema tropes (that is GBC).

Leave a comment | posted in BanG Dream, Girls Band Cry, Modern Visual Culture

January 20, 2025

Gundam GQuuuuuuX First Impressions

By omo

It’s hard to not spoil in this post, so I will make a page break and warning. Unfortunately it is also a spoiler for this piece of advice for the un-spoilt: go in blind if you can. That knowledge itself is a form of spoiler. I think also once the gig is up from Gundam GQuuuuuuX (pronounced like G-quacks) you’ll know there is actually another form of helpful knowledge one can possess before watching, which I will discuss after the spoiler jump.

One thing is for sure, if you enjoy the output of Studio Khara in the past several years, you’ll enjoy this work. The direction is signature Tsurumaki where it counts. In fact some scenes felt straight out of FLCL. This is also, well, a Gundam work that fully embraces the ethos and vibes of other similar alt-timeline Gundam shows. You really know the old timers of former Gainax worked on this, knowing full well what a Gundam title means to them and fans of that generation. Actually as I was going through the end credit roll there were quite a few names I recognize, which kinda sucks that I can’t just go back and reference that easily. The pamphlet doesn’t even have all the credits, but it was surely impressive.

What I watched was the first episode in a theatrical screening, which is coming to America on Feb. 28, 2025 via GKIDS. Rather, I watched it in Japan a few days after it premiered in Japan, so my understanding of both Japanese and Gundam is heavily tested in this experience, to say the least. The rest of Gundam GQuuuuuuX will be a TV anime that begins streaming/airing later in 2025. And for completeness, I saw it in IMAX (wonder if we will have this option in America…?) and the episode was presented as one seamless thing. Maybe it’s just a 90-min pilot instead of 3 episodes, I don’t know.

Also as trivia, after my showing I went to the theater shop to browse for merch. This was at the TOHO Cinema in Hibiya. Turns out a bunch of people were also trying to buy stuff, namely the Gundam GQuuuuuuX pamphlet. So I got to hear a bunch of Japanese people trying to pronounce GQuuuuuuX. Guess what, they can’t either.

Leave a comment | posted in Gundam, Modern Visual Culture

December 30, 2024

2024 Travelogue, 2025 Outlook

By omo

With a new IDOLM@STER game grabbing my interest, it’s not too surprising the blog is in this hiatus-like state. Still I have ideas, and they must exit the system and go somewhere. Anyways, the holiday season is a good time to recap some stuff.

In 2023 I thought the cons in the USA would strike back from the COVID days in 2024. The State department has done a lot to shorten the visa times, but there are still some problems with that. With the political situation in the US being what it is, it’s probably more realistic to expect some hits in the next few years in terms of difficulties surrounding visa processing. But coming back to the last 12 months, some big cons did come through (AX, Animazement), but others didn’t (Anime NYC, and to an extent AWA). Some cons seemed more modest in terms of their steps forward (Acen, Sakuracon), while others were interesting to say the least (Kawaiikon, SoJ Miami, Holmats). Rather diving into each case, it’s just good to note many Japanese acts and events happened outside of the big cons also, like the One Piece concerts, or the Anime Orchestra thing (I didn’t end up going to). There were the Ado and Yoasobi tours, which to me were just as big of a deal. I didn’t get tickets to see Fujii Kaze, but that sounded great. There were also the Nier concerts, and Joe came back to MSG NYC. All of this is just some of the large number of anime-interested stuff building on top of what we already have.

I didn’t think anime cons in the US did all that much given the post-COVID bounce. I think part of this is fundamentally, anime events still haven’t recovered from COVID in a lot of ways. Texas cons suffered this year, with most notable AnimeFest and A-Kon shuttering. Canadian cons though, they cooked pretty hard. Edmonton and Vancouver especially was pretty great. Even Ottawa and Montreal did OK. Toronto was a weird vacuum, which is probably also due to the organization side not bouncing back.

Inflationary pressure and overall tourism bouncing back to pre-COVID numbers also did a lot to temper traveling in my experience. Japan experienced over-tourism at its key tourist traps out near Mt. Fuji and around Kyoto’s picturesque streets, and elsewhere. I don’t blame the locals trying to tamper it down using new laws and regulations, but everyone else, including the local hospitality industries, are still adjusting to the new normal. It’s hard to say 2025 will be any better–odds are it isn’t going to, especially with the continuing weakening of the Yen versus other currencies.

Yes, this makes me less wanting to go to Japan, but the people out at Bandai Namco has other ideas. I am not going to the Aqours final solo show in June, because I am already over-committed for the first half of 2025. I have already needing to sacrifice the Kanno NYC show at the end of March for Hotchpotch. There is already 2 weekends I wanted to go in the summer, not counting the annual Anisama festival.

Speaking of summer, the summer of 2024 was pretty brutal, and I expect the same for 2025 already. I logged like non-stop weekend travel for about 7 weeks this year, or 13 out of 15 if you include a 2-week gap I had, even if some were for family and vacation trips. For 2025, from Acen onward I probably will also have back-to-back weekends of traveling again, depending on if I go anywhere in June. July will have AX, which I probably should start booking now. July-August will have the usual gauntlet of summer cons, plus 2 weekends of IDOLM@STER events. I really should cut Anisama this year but that can wait until March…

Which is to say, like 2024, I welcome 2025 with worn vigor and tempered excitement. I think if Japan wanted to, they can do better than to bring Phantom Siita, and generate some real excitement. It’s the US-side of things that are the cold water pouring out to show the harsh reality of the domestic side. I’m glad people like Ado want to play along though. Someone has to stir the pot.

Happy holidays and hope to write more in 2025. Meanwhile I have a lot of anime to catch up.

Leave a comment | posted in Conventions and Concerts, Modern Visual Culture

November 18, 2024

From Super Duper to Choo Choo Choo, From Korea to the World through IDOLM@STER, Or Just Gakumas Half-Year Update.

By omo

Does anyone remember Super Duper? This certified Kpop inspired track was written literally by a Korean composer, is going on to 8 years old now.

Kpop has been a thing for some time, especially in Japanese music scenes–easily from the turn of the decade into the 2010s. What is it now? It’s basically baked into the influences of modern-day track makers and composers. ASOBI NOTES is full of these people. Music games like Deresute and Theater Days have to sort of refresh its turn-of-decade meta to catch that Kpop wave, while newer IDOLM@STER IP have incorporated those styles more deeply, with SHHIis and, well, everything about Gakuen IDOLM@STER.

Here is the contribution in Gakumas by Shiina Go, the video game music creator of some renown, putting down these pop rhythm tracks to give the character song more, uh, character. It’s not some big epic piece of “founding of a nation” as seiyuu Matsuda Ayane (CV of Ume) said during the stream, but it sure sounds like one? It’s not Kpop, but maybe laced a little with various inspiration.

I bring up Juou Sena mainly because before her character song/MV was released, the teaser video from a week earlier looked like this:

On the night before her release, we then get this video?

Anyways.

There are other similar types of pop songs from the various branches of IDOLM@STER, and it’s easy to see how the first branch of IDOLM@STER with a Giga song would try to out do the OMGs or H4ADSHOTs from the other branches. Turns out it’s not yet upon us?

Just to give a quick half-year update on Gakumas–the initial excitement has definitely faded somewhat but behind all the hype lies a solid Slay-the-Spire-inspired video game that also loops a good chunk of the game into what Shiny Colors really ought to be in the first place. Each run takes 20-30 minutes, and while for the first 6 months we were preoccupied with grinding up levels (to unlock new cards) and to get the hang of the base 2 produce plans (logic and sense–each has a couple different builds), we are getting the “Watcher” equivalent now with Sena.

So far the Anomaly (or watcher?) produce plan plays closer to the power build for sense, except you can really chain those switchovers between Guidelines (modes?) for a lot of buffs such as added appeal bonuses and additional actions, and shredding the deck becomes kind of important. In fact, part of the mechanics is an exile system where some cards can be basically exiled and then returned when you go into the Full Power Guideline (mode). There are also some cards that can only be played during full power, and you can sort of chain between the modes for even more impact. There are also cards that has “growth” abilities which gives additional bonuses when you use those cards to enable a mode switch.

So far, yeah, it’s definitely more powerful than the other plans, at least in terms of ramping up to a certain score quickly. It’s less certain how high it can possibly ramp in total, but it wouldn’t surprise me the heights will be higher than ever once folks start to complete their inheritance decks and start playing for real.

On that note, Sena’s push into the game and the whole intro was really fun and I enjoyed her character story in the game. It paints an interesting character and, if anything, makes other characters like her from the IDOLM@STER a bit more grounded? Anyways, it’s nice to have an injection of fresh air at this point in the Gakumas product time line.

We know that the 3 rivals we’ll get in the first year of the game (Mizusu eventually, right?) will match with the first 3 idols in the series (Sena actually pairs with Kotone, which is something people didn’t really vocalize so far). Ume was most notably taken by Saki as the main character (while being her sister). MIzusu appears plentily in Temari’s character story. So will the other 6 also get rivals in year 2? I guess we’ll find out.

Leave a comment | posted in Bishoujo Gaming, Idolmaster