Macross Delta's Walkure idol group is currently undergoing their final run of performances. Delta was first launched in 2016 as the latest incarnation of the Macross franchise and Walkure has had quite the longevity since then. I've actually never seen the full Walkure group in person. We were lucky enough to see JUNNA (Mikumo) and Minori Suzuki (Freyja) at Anime Expo in 2017 as part of Anisong World Matsuri, but never the whole group.

Seeing popular concerts in Japan is always a gamble, a literal lottery, where you don't know if you'll be able to actually go. You apply, and you pray your number comes up. Add to that the whole thousands-of-miles-away part and seeing concerts for foreigners is very difficult. It's hard to plan ahead when you don't know if you'll even have a ticket waiting for you, which sometimes means paying quite a bit for a last-minute ticket.. Some of Japan's franchises have held dedicated foreigner lotteries like Hatsune Miku's Magical Mirai and Love Live! in an effort to make things easier (I previously attended Aquors Fourth Live in 2018 through the foreigner lottery).

Walkure Final Live Tour 2023 ~Last Mission~ takes place on May 20-21 at Tokyo's Ariake Arena, May 27-28 at Osaka's Maruzen Intec Arena, and June 3-4 at Chiba's Makuhari Messe. Tickets were hard-won with many people purchasing DVDs and Blu-Rays in an effort to make a win come true.

But, thankfully, for those of you not in Japan, you do have the option of watching the concert in theaters. A live simulcast will be available for Asian countries. America and Europe will have to settle for a time-delayed broadcast.

I'm very pleased with the inroads that Macross has been taking over the last year, including various theatrical movie stints. Not too long ago, if you were unable to view the concert in person, you were stuck waiting for a DVD or Blu-Ray release. Now, internet broadcasts and watch parties are becoming more and more common.  The exact information for the North American and European screenings has yet to be announced but keep an eye on https://liveviewing.jp/overseas/walkure-lastmission-eng/ for details.  For those of you in Asia (namely Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Thailand, and Singapore), the info is already up.  

You can also be a maniac like me, and fly over there. When one of my friends told me that he had an extra ticket, I jumped at the chance. I just came back from Japan a couple of weeks ago, and here I am, planning for one more run.

I'll be attending the final final, on June 4. This will be the first time I see Walkure, and sadly, the last time.

I've been a fan of Macross since the mid 90s when local Bay Area TV stations helped expose many a person to anime, Macross included. Macross has been a big part of my life.  I've been lucky enough to see (and meet) May'n and Megumi Nakajima in America, but this is going to be the first time I do anything Macross over in Japan.  

Macross as a whole marked its 40th anniversary in 2022, and here's to many more years.

Macross Official
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SANKYO presents Walküre FINAL LIVE TOUR 2023 ~Last Mission~
June 4, 2023
Live Viewing Event (delayed stream in certain regions)
Organized by BIGWEST
Distributed by Live Viewing Japan Inc.