Since I only watched IDOLM@STER MILLION LIVE 7thLive Q@MP FLYER!!! Reburn (that is a mouthful) online, I did not actually travel to Fuji-Q Highlands Conifer Forest to participate in the audience. There is a world of difference between going to a concert live in person, versus watching it in the comfort of home (although I enjoyed the comfort of someone else’s home, not mine). As a fan of the franchise, and especially the live concert part of this franchise, I think there is enough in the remote viewing experience to count for something.
Anyways, I will save the pontification later. First, on ML 7th.
(I had wondered by what “Conifer Forest” meant but it gets clearer if you see it.)
Did you know ANN has also a newsletter now? Welcome to 2019. Also more embeds this time than usual.
Omonomono Newsletter, 2021-05-19(?)
Did you know Jun Maeda wrote a song for Cinderella Girls? And it’s for Chitose? So … rich. It’s also out now. If I sent this letter on Monday it wouldn’t have been…
Crowdfunding your way into adaptations of critically acclaimed manga.
Something about following seiyuu, who mostly promote their works on SNS, makes it weird that I found out about the new Overlord anime from following Yumi Hara. But yes, a new film and new TV season is always good. From the first batch of Kadokowa isekai radobe hits I always connected with this one the most, although story-wise it has degenerated like the rest of them at this point. Maybe it can complete the full pivot into absurdist dark comedy (who am I kidding).
IDOLM@STER Million Live seiyuu Megumi Toda, who also voiced the genki one from New Game, seems to have a lower back issue which pulled her out of the lineup from Million’s next big live show. It’s still called Million Live 7th Live Q@MP FLYER!!! but with a new title: Reburn. Its logo also burns blue, because burning blue, I guess, as the joke goes. Get well soon Todakun!
Last but not least, Japan has extended its COVID-19 State of Emergency until the end of the month. This means some more cancelled events and postponed events, some becoming online only, and some not affected at all. Well, some are also just in limbo now, such as Shiny 3rd tour Fukuoka. It has not affected Million 7th, because the SOE only applies to some prefectures–Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo, Aichi and Fukuoka. There’s some consolation when Q@MP FLYER is at FujiQ, I guess, but it makes you think if it’s really a good idea.
On the Mind
I just watched the 4th episode of Thunderbolt Fantasy S3 before sending this post out the door and, did the general guy apologizes for ShÄng because they are fellow countrymen? So Singaporean! They were even fighting just earlier in the episode. And yes, this is an inside joke.
I find the childhood love interest winning anime a little too…low tier? I don’t know how to explain it but there is a rawness to the show that does not serve to further the purpose of its thematic notion. Instead it’s like, WWE, but trashy anime characters. It isn’t to say you can’t have trashy characters in anime or anything, but I feel there’s more of a mismatch in Osamake than, say, Vivy.
Wish I can take some time off to catch up on some of the other stuff.
Events
With the SOE going on, all of this is subject to change. And it has already changed some.
Really, just another weekend where I can actually get sleep and plan for ML 7th.
Personal Note
My free time lately has been spent mostly with some rare family visits. It felt nice because, well, COVID lockdowns for the past however long, but also just trying to decompress. As a result there hasn’t been much time spent on anime. I guess we did talk about anime with my relatives since it’s kind of relevant in pop culture, no thanks to Demon Slayer and other tidbits. One of my siblings likes Jujutsu Kaisen after I introduced it to them. Which is to say I also want to watch more of that… The other one is the middle of finishing Kuroba….which is okay, I guess, except it’s my pet peeve sort of sports anime.
What else time I can leisurely spend, I put it into horse racing, of course. I guess I should raise some B rank horses? And there’s some con that I ought to be helping to run…
Netflix Vtuber N-ko is a multilingual anime employee. Ganba. I don’t really get Netflix’s approach to anime (OK I can hazard a guess maybe) but they did went out of the way and grabbed Househusband and the best anime this year, Pui Pui Molecar.
Congrats Reichama! Rei Matsuzaki is now with child, which could explain why auntie Hanshin (Yui Watanabe) hasn’t been streaming with Rei (and her husband) lately.
A lot of stuff going on during Golden Week, but also not–people are on vacation and playing games. I don’t know what that means for someone out here on the other side of the planet. Less events, more chill I guess.
I caught up on Odd Taxi, and it was…nice. In a way that not watching season 2 of Beastars is like. I really should, on that note. Probably will stick with it.
This season has some interesting stuff, but none are super compelling to me. Any recs?
Ever since 2020 I have been waiting to make this joke where you combine vaccination with this seiyuu porgramming brand. Yes, you don’t actually get the vacc at Second Shot Girls Party 2021. What a wasted opportunity. That said the guests are interesting so I might try to watch it.
The biggest even this weekend for anime nerds probably are the Nijigasaki 3rd live shows?
Personal Note
Kurocon announced a guest so that stuff is happening. Work and family continues to pummel while I try to race horses on the side. It’s tough being a trainer and I really should cut one of the 4 mobile games I’m still playing somewhat seriously. Pricone EN probably makes the most sense, because I just don’t have the time to enjoy the localization (such as read all the stories). But I also want to read the stories lol. More over Priconne is not that time consuming, and it’s just going to get easier over time.
I should just take some PTO.
Long Reads
Just to highlight Netflix a bit, they are doing things like this. More is always good, especially beyond the usual seasonalsplash.
Animator and director Osamu Kobayashi passed away on the 17th due to cancer. You can share your condolences with this project, who will present comments from oversea fans to the grieving. Maybe time to remember him through that episode of Ekoda-chan.
Maybe I should report births too, because I think I didn’t write about Kanako Nomura’s newborn on 4/2.
Japan raises the flag on State of Emergency, because you guys know how crowded Golden Week can be. It gave all the eventers a scare since some weekend events had to publish statements about it. Next week though…
For the late horse trainers. Zombie Land Saga had a Vtuber stream where Yugiri snack-mama smacked the audience, but dropped a note about Umamusume, which is interesting given since her taking over the role from Yuka Aisaka, Rika Kinugawa hasn’t done much.
On the Mind
State of Emergency declared in Tokyo as Japan faces the current surge (3rd?) is cancelling and otherwise affecting a lot of events. It’s also a giant bother for folks locally. The Olympictorch thing is just unfortunate. The real fear is that wave three is going to amplify as a result of Golden Week, replaying wave 2 (New Years break), creating higher numbers there. Which is all just to say these things are insignificant compared to what India is facing.
Kamaburn makes good points about these two shows, but sometimes all I want is to look at is the JK getting laid, I suppose. It’s an interesting dichotomy in between doing the right thing but indulging in the fantasy. I think this is basically the mark of a responsible adult in a way, this sort of almost-hypocrisy.
The new season of Kobayashi Dragon Maid anime begins properly in July but there’s already a “short” running this season.
Still trying to catch up on some new shows. Horse racing and baseball aside, my biggest hurdle is the Funimation Now app on Apple TV–it outright doesn’t play all the shows I want to watch this season. It used to be just a few shows this wouldn’t work on–and I invariably I end up not watching those just out of habit. This season I tried using Airplay, which doesn’t work with subtitles on an iPhone. It does work fine when I use my Chromecast, or watch on PC, but this is unbecoming in 2021 to have a streaming app not work on the basics. Maybe I should request a refund?
The Aniplex-produced original about time traveling AI was ok? Better than expected.
With the State of Emergency going on in Japan, it’s hard to say for sure any event this coming week will still continue as is. Most are making some adjustments. I also forgot to post about Chokaigi last week but that’s continuing online this week until 5/1.
Kurocon is afoot, or at least the work. Between that, work, family, and Umamusume lol my time orz. Which guests do you guys want to see this July? Let me know. I’m secretly hoping the versus mode in Umamusume actually drop before the con so that could be integrated somehow.
Long Reads
Not so much long reads but just want to promote this long listen.
