Thursday, November 21, 2024

Music News

Music

Kenshi Yonezu Announces First-Ever Tour Across Europe, Asia, and the U.S.

Japanese singer-songwriter Kenshi Yonezu has announced his first-ever U.S., Asia, and European tour dates. His world tour kicks off with two performances in Shanghai on March 8 and 9, 2025...

Theodore Mak - 09-10-2024

Music

NCT DREAM US Tour Starts this Month

South Korean boy group NCT DREAM, formed by SM Entertainment, will be kicking off the first leg of their US tour this month in Los Angeles, California on September 12...

Theodore Mak - 05-09-2024

Music

Lovebites US Tour Begins Soon

We are almost to the beginning of Lovebites' US tour. This is a long-awaited series of performances, and in a way, it's surprising that it took this long. One of...

Brian Lee - 03-09-2024

Music

SiM PLAYDEAD World Tour in America Begins Soon

SiM, who we last saw live at Crunchyroll Expo in 2022, is embarking on a world tour in support of their latest album, the PLAYDEAD World Tour.  They'll be spanning...

Brian Lee - 10-04-2024

Anime News

Anime News

BEYBLADE X at San Diego Padres Games

BEYBLADE X is going to San Diego, offering fans an opportunity to battle at Petco Park during two San Diego Padres home games. The event will take place on August...

Theodore Mak - 18-08-2024

Anime News

Shion Wakayama AVIOT Talk Show @ Anime Expo 2024

Anime Expo 2024 was brimming with excitement, and one of the standout moments was the talk session at the audio company AVIOT’s booth in the Entertainment Hall featuring the talented...

Administrator - 18-07-2024

Anime News

Warner Bros Anime Expo Panel - Batman Ninja vs Yakuza League and Suicide Squad Isekai

Warner Bros. Animation unveiled the Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League trailer at their recent panel at Anime Expo. This highly anticipated sequel to the 2018 film Batman Ninja gave fans a glimpse of what to look...

Salvador Mateos - 16-07-2024

Anime News

FAKKU Guest Spotlight Q&A: Karasu Chan

NOTE: This article is meant for those 18+. Discretion is advised. For this year, FAKKU's guest is none other than Karasu Chan, an artist from Taiwan. Karasu Chan is well known...

Brian Lee - 14-07-2024

Anime News

Studio Bones Gachiakuta Panel @ Anime Expo 2024 Report

Studio BONES held a panel on July 4th, 2024 at Anime Expo. Hosted by Joey Bizinger (aka The Anime Man), fans got to hear about the upcoming anime adaptation of...

Theodore Mak - 12-07-2024

Gaming News

Gaming News

Dying Light: The Beast Announced - Gamescom 2024

It's been some time since we have heard anything from masterminds over at Techland and what is in store for the Dying Light franchise. During Opening Night Live at Gamescom, Techland...

Ken Dubois - 20-08-2024

Gaming News

Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage Ai Furihata and Mayu Yoshioka Talk About Being Idols In a Game - Anime Expo 2024

I have always been obsessed with rhythm games and Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage has been at the top of my list. At this year's Anime Expo, Sega brought a playable...

Ken Dubois - 04-07-2024

Gaming News

XSEED Games Announces Anime Expo 2024 Lineup and Hidden Title

XSEED Games has unveiled its plans for this upcoming Anime Expo during the 4th of July weekend.

Ken Dubois - 28-06-2024

Gaming News

Life is Strange: Double Exposure Gets a New Trailer Showing Off Gameplay and New Details

Square Enix has released a new Life is Strange: Double Exposure Trailer revealing everything players want to know about its latest entry in the Life is Strange universe.

Ken Dubois - 13-06-2024

IA seemed to have some technical problems before going on; a full hour passed between the slated start time and actual showtime.  She uses the same projection screen technology as Hatsune Miku in Nokia (now Microsoft) Theater but on a much smaller scale meant to fit the stage of Club Nokia.  Once things went live she wowed the crowd who was glad to see her.  Everyone was in high spirits and pumped their fists in the air and grooved alongside IA and her real-life backup dancers.  A live backing band hidden in the wings provided the music.  An hour quickly passed and she ended with the song "Otsukimi Recital" with the promise to return.  Next up: Wagakki Band.

Wagakki Band is not your usual band.  For one, there are eight members.  That's a lot of people to fit on stage.  For two, they play a mixture of both modern instruments and traditional Japanese ones (the "wagakki").  They also look pretty damn cool.  Their outfits are inspired by historical Japanese clothing and their lead vocalist Yuko has an elaborate oiran-esque design.  The band consists of shigin-trained Yuko Suzuhana with guitarist Machiya, bassist Asa, and drummer Wasabi. Adding to this are Beni Ninagawa on tsugaru-jamisen, Kiyoshi Ibukuro on koto, Daisuke Kaminaga on shakuhachi, and Kurona on wadaiko.

wagakki impression 2

They started with "Senbonzakura" which serves as an introduction for the band.  Originally a vocaloid song from 2011, it also helps highlight some of the members.  A sea of purple glow sticks (their theme color) rhythmically pumped through the room to the beat, a sure sign of a crowd having fun.  This was followed by "Iroha Uta" and "Yoshiwara Lament," both from their popular album, “VOCALO Zanmai.”  A lot of the songs featured would end up being from that album which, as it's name might imply, is heavily vocaloid based.  "Akatsuki no Ito," from their upcoming album, “Yasouemaki,” would break this trend and usher in a trio of their newer songs including "Ikusa" and "Hana Furumai."  The band would close with "Roku Chounen to Ichiya Monogatari."  The show might have taken a while to start but it passed by in a flash leaving fans wanting more.

wagakki impression 3What can you say about Wagakki Band?  They look great on stage.  There's always something or someone to watch and no member is forgotten.  You can tell they like performing on stage and have a bit of fun.  Their sound blends modern music with that of historical Japan seamlessly and brings the two together to create a stronger whole.  It isn't the first time I've seen modern instruments combined with traditional Japanese ones but Wagakki Band has definitely executed it to a higher degree than I've seen before.  Each instrument has its place in the ensemble and none are forgotten in the background.  At times the seven different instruments threaten to merge together into cacophony but things quickly come under control with Yuko at the helm.

Later in the day both in person and online I overheard more than a few persons saying things along the lines of "worth the wait" and "to be able to see them, an hour was nothing."  I had the same feeling and while I might have been a bit demoralized by the delay I loved the show.

The band is currently finishing up a new album in which each member contributes arrangement and songwriting.  It is slated for a September release.  Rumor has it that the band is aiming to do a world tour sometime so maybe us stateside folks will be able to see them again soon.  San Francisco, perhaps?  Hint hint, wink wink.

Set list:

Senbonzakura
Iroha Uta
Yoshiwara Lament
Kagerou Days
Tengoku
Homura
Akatsuki no Ito
Children Record
Ikusa
Hana Furumai
Setsuna Trip
Roku Chounen to Ichiya Monogatari

MORE STORIES

Oct.15

Convention News

Bay Area Anime Impulse/K-Play! Fest/Collectors Expo 2024 Impressions

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Oct.09

Music

Kenshi Yonezu Announces First-Ever Tour Across Europe, Asia, and the U.S.

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Sep.05

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NCT DREAM US Tour Starts this Month

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Sep.03

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Aug.20

Gaming News

Dying Light: The Beast Announced - Gamescom 2024

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BEYBLADE X at San Diego Padres Games

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Aug.14

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Anime News

Shion Wakayama AVIOT Talk Show @ Anime Expo 2024

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Jul.17

K-pop

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Jul.16

Event Reports

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Jul.16

Anime News

Warner Bros Anime Expo Panel - Batman Ninja vs Yakuza League and Suicide Squad Isekai

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FAKKU Guest Spotlight Q&A: Karasu Chan

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Jul.12

Anime News

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Anime News

2.5D Seduction Premiere at Anime Expo 2024

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Oshi no Ko at Anime Expo 2024 - Anniversary Screening and Season Two Premiere

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