September 8th, 2025
Happy Birthday to me!
Anime Relations: Mikadono Sanshimai wa Angai, Choroi.
I have made it another year on planet earth. Crazy to think that here we go again. It all just goes by so quickly these days. Time just flies by and suddenly I just keep growing up. The worst thing is that you can’t do anything about it. You just have to accept it even when you don’t feel your age. For once I booked the time off work to have my birthday off instead of working through it. I have spent it seeing family. I played a bit more of silksong, catched up on mikadono and listened to lots of Gregorey Alan Isakov who I have been super into recently. I really love songs like Second Chances and San Luis. I have been addicted to the TV series Suits as well. It has been good and I have been binge watching it all day.I am slightly sad that none of my friends remembered it was my birthday nor wished me well but that's just part of growing up. And it's fine. I have had so many lovely gifts and cards off of my family it has been great. I had such a wonderful cake and of course I also drank plenty of good beer. I feel so fortunate to have such a loving family. Here's to growing one year older and lets see what the world brings for me this time round. Lets see where the wind blows me.
Posted by DBX | Sep 8, 3:02 PM | 0 comments
August 31st, 2025
Happy Birthday Hatsune Miku!
Anime Relations: Project Sekai Movie: Kowareta Sekai to Utaenai Miku
Today has been very unexpected. To be completely honest with you, hatsune miku doesn’t mean that much to me as much as it means to other people but somehow today I have found myself celebrating her which I have no quarrels with. It has been very interesting.Lately I have had this hankering to play a rhythm game so I picked up project diva for the switch and have put some hours into it. I am not very good at it but that doesn’t bother me because I find it fun to play and I enjoy the music. My mate had brought this ticket to see this movie called “Colorful Stage! The Movie: A Miku Who Can't Sing” and seeing as though I found myself enjoying the miku game recently I decided to tag along to go watch it with him today. I also did something quite rare for me and I went into it completely blind. I didn’t watch the trailer or read the summary. I knew that it was a miku movie and that’s it.
I went and got myself a nice coffee and then got my ticket scanned. I was then handed a small card by an employee with the movie poster on the front and a code to something for the game on the back. It is then that I realised that this was based around a game. Also upon entering the screening I was surprised to find it quite packed with people. Some even dressed in vocaloid attire. Maybe not the type of crowd I normally mingle with but I thought it was cool that there were so many fans that enjoyed this type of medium.
The movie itself was far from fantastic. I mean I went in with zero expectations so I didn’t expect anything which meant I could only gain from watching it. And I did find some enjoyment in it. I mean it is a hatsune miku movie. I don’t think you should expect too much of it. It is just supposed to be something easy going. My mate didn’t enjoy it but I think some of the reactions in the cinema would indicate that others did enjoy it. I mean it was just a bit of fun at the end of the day. I thought that the visuals were really good though some of the 3D animation used was a bit jarring. I enjoyed seeing all the broader characters on screen and I thought the overall theme and story was well put together. It has at least given me the thought to check out the game sometime and maybe see what I get from redeeming the code on the back of the card.
After grabbing some snacks from the petrol station, going home and the only thing on the telly was my football team losing miserably I opened up YouTube and to my surprise I saw Saba playing the same game that I have recently been enjoying to celebrate Hatsune Miku birthday which I thought was just awesome. She is just so good at the game. It is just so cool to see someone do something they enjoy and be so enthralled in it. So to close the day I have enjoyed watching Sabas stream and maybe singing along with it. Maybe. It was nice that she played some of my favourite tracks.
So it has been a hatsune miku day. It has been interesting. It isn’t often you wake up and dedicate your day around a vocaloid character but it has been enjoyable. I don’t know, maybe I need to dive deeper into the medium. Like a lot of people I also grew up listening to those songs but I have buried it away in my past and there it will stay. I mean I felt second hand embarrassment for the cosplayers at the cinema. I will still keep playing project diva though.
Happy Birthday Hatsune Miku! I hope you get all the leaks in the world!
Posted by DBX | Aug 31, 4:52 PM | 0 comments
Private Entry
July 14th, 2024
RADWIMPS
RADWIMPS - Live in London
21st May 2023
I remember when they announced that they would be performing in North America. I thought surely, they will have to announce a European tour as well. I think that was before everything that happened in the world. Things fell silent, and then suddenly boom. A London date. Snatched a ticket as soon as they went on sale. I am glad I did, as it sold out very quickly. I can’t say I am a huge fan of the band. You wouldn’t find me in the front row, however they have some solid albums, and you cannot not enjoy the soundtracks they did for recent movies. I remember when Your Name came out, and for a good while I would watch live clips of them playing songs from the movie. So the thought of finally being able to experience that in person was euphoric.
The date was set May the 21st. Me, and my friend took the coach down to London. I remember it was a pokemon go community day, so I spent most of my time getting to the hotel on my phone trying to catch shiny pokemon and avoiding walking into objects. The hotel by the way was extremely expensive. It was £250 a night, because I think there were a number of things also going on at the time. I will tell you this. You do not get your money's worth. However, the weather was nice and warm, and a quick run down to the local shop to stock up on beer, and everything was alright. We just chilled out in our hotel room, until it was time to leave. The venue was actually quite a bit away from the venue, but it was very scenic walking along the canal so it didn’t bother me all that much. I like a good walk. It is a good job we set off when we did, because the line was starting to long. While in the queue, I did the smart thing and made sure that my ticket could be an e-ticket for swift entry. I am glad I did this as my friend was delayed getting in because he had to get it as a physical ticket. Whereas I got to get into the venue, grab a tour t-shirt, and find a good spot to stand. I Stood there for a whole 1 hour and 30 mins until they came on. That just seems to be how it is with Japanese bands. Not that I have a problem with it.
Show time! The lights dimmed down, the crowd started to cheer, and the stage lights started to shine. The moment we have all been waiting for. They opened with the track grand escape from the movie weathering with you. What a way to start things. After that it was just banger after banger as they say. They played all the ones you would want to hear, but also threw in some deep cuts like Tummy, and I I U. I have to admit I thought we would get more tracks from FOREVER DAZE, and I was hoping to hear more tracks from Batsu to Maru… but that is just the thing. They have been a band now for quite a while, and they have so many albums now that it's hard to fit it all into one evening. The highlight for me was shamelessly hearing Dream Lantern. It’s just such an awesome track. It’s fast, technically hard, and it’s too iconic at this point. The moment I heard those reverb guitar swells I was just transported somewhere else. Isn’t it just cool when you get goose bumps?
Songs played: Grand Escape, NEVER EVER ENDER, TWILIGHT, Gimigimikku, Zenzenzense, Mitsuha no Theme, Sparkle, DADA, Oshakashama, Sennou, I I U, Tummy, Toaru Haru no Hi, Nandemonaiya, KANATAHALUKA, Kimi to Hitsuji to Ao, Yume Tourou, Iin desu ka?, SUMMER DAZE.
A couple more songs later, and that was the evening. I met back up with my mate, and we discussed the evening while walking back to the hotel in the nightlight. To my surprise, he thought that they were just okay. I think he also wanted to hear more songs from different albums but, it is what it is. We grabbed something to eat, got back to the hotel. Tried on our new shirts in the mirror, and partook in some drinking before hitting the sack. What an awesome day!
Posted by DBX | Jul 14, 2024 8:59 AM | 0 comments
Suzume
Anime Relations: Suzume no Tojimari
Suzume
15th April 2023
Disclaimer! For people who haven’t seen the movie yet, I may spoil some of the key plot points within the film so please read at your own discretion. If you haven’t already seen the film then I highly recommend watching it. It gets a thumbs up from me.
Whenever an anime movie gets announced for the big screen, I always keep my eyes on it, because they come far and few. The big one that got announced was Suzume! I was unfortunate enough not to see Your Name, nor Weathering with you, when they were showing, so I rushed to get a ticket when Suzume was announced, regardless of whether it was good or not. My mate was also interested in seeing the movie as well so we got to watch it together. I went and brought the fancy chairs that you can recline in as well, just to make the experience that more enjoyable.
The initial impressions of the film were that it looks fantastic! I mean, it really was meant for the big screen. Full of colour, detail and the music was brilliant. I always love the pale blues of the ocean, and the greens of the grass. Getting to know suzume as a character was interesting. Her background, and personality was full of intrigue. We quickly learn the concept of the doors, and the significance they have on the environment the characters are in. All I can say to you is that I found it very Shinkai, if that makes sense. Here comes the dilemma. Souta gets turned into a chair by a talking cat. Yes, I know. How absurd. This means that he cannot perform his vital duties to close the doors, and therefore Suzume must take over the role, and find these doors, and close them herself. This adds an adventuristic element into the mix, which I enjoy. Seeing these characters go to locations based on real life locations and close these doors no matter how difficult. But also worrying her poor mother to pieces while at it.
It is at this point that the film goes proper weird with Souta losing his identity as he slowly gets turned into a chair, and suzume discovering and confronting new found emotions, but also new found resolve as she attempts to free souta from his problems. This becomes difficult when souta is made a keystone, an item used to lock away the Namazu, the monster capable of destroying Tokyo with earthquakes. At this point in the film I am honestly thinking. Well. I mean. Job done really, sacrifices have to be made. However, suzume cannot let this be.
She comes to the conclusion that in order to save him, she must try to use the same door she used when she was young in her hometown, as the Daijin has made it hard to enter the ever-after. Here we go down memory lane to where it all started. Back to her hometown once tongue and cheek destroyed by the 2011 earthquake, and tsunami. Suzume finds souta once more, and wakes him up, freeing him from his chair-like form. This frees the worm again, as there is no keystone to keep it at bay. The Daijin, and counterpart Sadaijin therefore turn themselves in the necessary keystones to once more keep the worm in the ever-after, and from the destruction of tokyo.
Whilst in the ever-after Suzume notices her younger self from 12 years ago, from when she first entered the door. She confronts her, giving her the broken chair bringing the movie to a sort of full circle. Later on it jumps to a moment where Suzume, and Souta are walking past one another mirroring the start of the film, bringing the movie to a finish.
I left the movie theatre feeling really confused in a good way, but also like I had just watched something really enjoyable. Besides, I hadn't checked my phone for a while throughout the whole thing. My mate who also watched it with me surprisingly didn’t enjoy it all that much, at least not as much as the previous films. To which I agree on somewhat.
Yes the animation, music and the story were great, but what I really took away from the film was the impact natural destruction has played on Japan. I still remember where I was in school when it was on the news about the 2011 earthquake and the tsunami that followed. The dim light classroom, and not fully understanding the impact of it all. I thought it was very interesting how they incorporated real life tragedy into the movie, intertwined with the mythology of Namazu. It reminds you to appreciate normality. At least that's what I took away from it all, as cheesy as it is. From the perspective of a foreigner, how good we have it that we don’t have to deal with those kinds of things. Ever. That’s all I really have to say about Suzume. I might watch it again one day, when I have nothing to do, but for now I have had my fill, and I look forward to what shinkai has to offer in the future.
7/10
Posted by DBX | Jul 14, 2024 8:28 AM | 0 comments
Private Entry
February 9th, 2023
BLARE FEST 2023
Anime Relations: Rainbow: Nisha Rokubou no Shichinin
Blare Fest 2023 - Port Messe Nagoya
Saturday 04/02/2023 - Sunday 05/02/2023
I was very interested in Blare Fest 2020 but ultimately didn’t attend due to already being abroad somewhere else. However, with the dread virus somewhat out the way, and one killer lineup announced, the thought of Blare Fest 2023 was firmly planted in the back of my mind. The more I thought about it over time, the more I thought that it was worth going to, and after a few sleepless nights, I bought a ticket, booked a flight, and found the cheapest hotel I could find. I had decided to go to Blare Fest 2023 and everything was arranged.
Two days prior to the event, I got 4 hours of sleep, woke up at 4:00 AM to get an Uber to the coach station, from there I got a coach to the airport and waited for my flight. I thought perhaps I could watch some movies on this flight but nope. No adapter for the entertainment system was provided. Apparently this is the case for a lot of aeroplanes to deter stealing the headphones. So with copious amounts of free alcohol I played a mixture of games on the system like solitaire, slot machine and who wants to be a millionaire… for 14 hours and 30 minutes. With no sleep. I find it hard to sleep in moving vehicles. Landed safe and sound in Haneda Airport Tokyo 9+ hours ahead of my original time zone and 1 day later. By this point I was tired, feeling sick and in a foreign environment on the other side of the world. What could go wrong though you ask? First of all, I had trouble actually getting the event ticket, I got the wrong train in the wrong direction and then I bought the wrong train ticket for the train I needed. All that being said, after taking the shinkansen half awake from Tokyo to Nagoya and walking straight past my accommodation multiple times, I finally arrived at where I would be stopping the evenings. A capsule hotel! As soon as I found my pod I tried my best to sleep as much as possible… for all of 2 hours. So I got up and did some sightseeing, up until around midnight. Then I took a short trip to a seven eleven to get some snacks and took a roam around just taking in the night time air. It was at that point that the whole thing finally set in. I am on the other side of the world, god knows where. It’s a lovely feeling. *DBX also decided to stop up all night*
DAY ONE:
Headed down to the Nagoya train station and straight away I could tell this was going to be a big event as the place was covered in people in various band merch. Took the right train for once with no problem and headed down to the port where the day was held. It was also kind of hard not to miss as there was a staff member round every corner telling you where to go with a sign. Kind of overkill. I had no issue getting into the venue and was issued a wrist band. Headed down to the hall and plonked my butt on the floor and waited for the first act to take place. I won’t talk about every band I saw but will go into detail about the ones I was most anticipating.
Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas - I have been a fan of this band for sometime, and they are most notably recognisable from the parasyte maxim opening. They have a truly interesting sound to them as they are both electronic and somewhat metal I suppose. This translates surprisingly well in their live performance. They actually really took me back. I was really enjoying their set until the point I felt my pocket and realised I dropped my wallet somewhere and sudden dread came over me. Imagine to yourself thinking I am going to have to freeze my card, I have lost all my money and my driving licence all while the song let me hear is playing. Fortunately after going to lost property it was handed in, and I got it back.
TK from Ling Tosite Sigure - A highly anticipated artist that I was ever so looking forward to watching and boy did he deliver. He is the reason why I bought a guitar pedal which is very expensive. There is just something about his tone and personality which I just can’t get enough of. Not to mention the amount of amazing songs he has put out. This gig he put on ticked all my boxes. I didn’t expect the sound to be so filling. He played unravel which is kind of a guilty pleasure for me. I fan boyed. He also played First Death which was absolutely nuts.
Man with a Mission - I have actually had the pleasure of seeing this band several times in the past. This set did not disappoint. I didn’t expect them to play a cover of thunderstruck but it actually went down surprisingly well. I also absolutely love the song Dead End in tokyo. It is such a good song. I was surprised that with all the openings they have done that they didn’t lean into that more with the setlist but it seems that they went for a more reserved approach.
Hoobastank - I mention this band simply because they were a dark horse. When they were first announced as part of the lineup I actually laughed pretty hard because it was just so odd to me. This band with the stupid name and one hit wonder song on this stood out so hard on this bill. And yet they were amazing. I am officially a hoobastank fan now. They were amazing and they brought the place down.
The Oral Cigarettes - I am actually a huge fan of this band. I own their fixion album which is signed. This was almost a dream setlist as they played Black memory, Hey Kids, and 5150 some of my favourites. They come across as super hyper live. Their sound is just truly encompassing. A key moment of the festival for sure.
Getting out of the venue was a living nightmare. Basically imagine 15,000 people all trying to leave the room through two doors. I was somewhat concerned about getting crushed. It was ridiculous. Not to mention that the train took forever to arrive and forever to leave the station and the journey to the station was something of a walk itself. They say the Japanese have it all right. Well apparently, not in some circumstances. Still better than other times than I have been in but still. Fair to say that I slept well that night.
DAY TWO:
Slept like a log during the night. Woke up in the morning, got ready and meditated for a little while before heading off to the station. Armed with the previous days experience it was no problem getting to the venue. There is just something so relaxing about being on a train in the morning with sunlight bleeding through the carriage windows. Being so close to the sea is also always a bonus. It can’t be me without screwing things up. Had a little trouble getting into the venue because you had to show the ticket again, not just your wrist band. Being not so familiar with the app it had disappeared and I had no idea where it went. But luckily, I worked my way around it.
HEY-SMITH – I have always been fascinated by this band, mainly because of the song come back my dog. Seeing them live was super cool, they are just full of energy and that just comes across with the energy of the songs. What a way to start the festival day. I remember listening to one of there albums when I went on a trip to Wales. It just seems surreal to be able to see them perform live.
NOISEMAKER – Ever since this band released the song Name I have been enamoured with this band. They were a huge reason why I wanted to attend BLARE Fest this year, so you know when they were coming on, I just had to be apart of the crowd and boy was I apart of the crowd. We were all packed in like sardines. What a setlist they played as well. I think I just became more of a fan of the band for it. The whole crowd was reacting too. What a good time.
SiM – My first time ever seeing this band, and this band means so much to me. I anticipated this show so much. What an absolute euphoric experience I tell you. They played dancing in the dark as well. Something that I didn’t expect and boy was it amazing. I feel just super fortunate and so happy to have been able to be at that gig I tell you. I am really looking forward to seeing them again when they come to my home country later in the year.
Maximum the Hormone – I saw this band last year so to be able to see them this year and in there home country was truly special. If Hey-Smith bring the energy, maximum the hormone is the energy. They are just completely nuts in all the right ways. I don’t think I have jumped so high or head banged so hard in my entire life.
Coldrain – How can I talk about BLARE Fest and not talk about the host band. If you know me then you know that I am not that big of a fan of the band. Despite actually meeting the band once and proceeding to slag them off when I met the guitarist of Crystal Lake. Despite that, I do like a chunk of there songs. They are just songs they never play live. Or so I thought. They played UNINVITED which was amazing. The two sets they did play as well I did actually have a lot of fun with. I can’t complain.
Yet again, getting out of the venue was an absolute nightmare. Something I think they should work on next year if they are to hold it again. At least on the way out, you are given free cans of Sapporo. Which I wish I could’ve drunk because all I drank was monster but then again, I don’t want to be seen publicly drinking. The train took so long to set off. Fortunately, I was not in a hurry at all. But ultimately that finished Blare fest and my reason for my visit was over. I took the train to Nagoya and checked out of my hotel.
I now was in a position where I had a lot of time before I needed to take my flight but the logistical problem of needing to get the train ASAP because had I had taken it first thing in the morning, I would have missed my flight. All in all, meaning that I was in Tokyo in the early morning, with nothing to do, with no sleep. So, I did what any sane person would do and walked miles and miles to see the Gundam statue. Which was worth it. I thought when approaching it, that it was a tree and got slightly bumped out but then looked to the right of me as I approached the corner and saw thig massive statue and I think my jaw dropped. I stayed a while before I needed to go find the train station. But not before getting lost several times.The flight home was something of a nightmare of its own. Getting into the airport was no problem but waiting for the plane was a drag. Not to mention the plane was then delayed for a while. I got a lovely picture of Mt. Fuji though as we took off. The flight home was actually super quick for me. You see due to the flight being delayed, and me not getting my preferred meal, the free drinks just kept rolling. So I got super smashed and pretty much slept through the whole thing. Now all that was left was to land and then go to my coach and then I am homebound. Or so I would have thought however, I brought the wrong coach ticket. I gave in and brought a train ticket instead. So I ran to the station and printed my tickets and took the London underground to London Euston. Only to find my train has been cancelled. So, I then had to buy another train ticket. Fortunately, it promptly arrived and I was finally going home… *DBX managed to get home before midnight*
In hindsight, BLARE Fest was a fantastic euphoric headache. It had its low moments, but it certainly outweighed all the high moments. I had a lovely time. I feel so lucky to have been able to just go to the other side of the world, wing every moment and come home safe and sound within the matter of a few days. I plan to return to the country later in the year to do some site seeing with a friend which I am thoroughly looking forward to. However, for now I plan to sit around and relax. I have got my airmiles in and am now satisfied.
(。-ω-)zzz
Posted by DBX | Feb 9, 2023 5:13 PM | 0 comments
December 28th, 2022
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Anime Relations: 3-nen C-gumi 14-ban Kubozono Chiyoko no Nyuukaku
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Blimey, where did the time go? Another year gone just like that. I hope you all had a lovely Christmas. I find myself each year, wondering whether this will be the year where I lose my sense of festivity, and am always reassured when the feeling overcomes me once more. It’s been great to get away from work and spend some time with the family. Sitting around watching a bit of telly and drinking plenty. Soon I will have to snap out of this winter dream and return to the norm. Sigh. I suppose all good things must come to an end at some point.
Recently I have been enamoured with this band called Sleep Token. There music was playing over the PA before an Alter Bridge concert the other week because the guitarist has recently become a fan of the band. I don’t know but what I hear really struck a chord with me. I always liked the song The night does not belong to God but songs like Alkaline and Take Aim have solidified my interest in the band. It is all I have been listening to over Christmas. It’s not very Christmas like, I know this. Fortunately, I think they are playing live soon where I live so I will have to be at that show. We are currently in a Christmas limbo though. I always find these days strange. Its passed Christmas but it isn’t quite the new year yet. It is within these days that I think about what I want to do in the year to come. I am huge on new year wishes, and just setting goals that I want to achieve in the year. The passed couple of years I have surprisingly stuck to it, and I hope to continue that. There’s a lot of things I want to do next year, and I am aiming big. It feels like a now or never situation, and I feel like I am almost ready to tackle those challenges head on. We still have a few days left before the new year though which means more indulging in lazy behaviour.
At the start of this year, I made a blog post of all the things I hoped to get done on this site and boy did that not work out at all. I suppose you can’t plan these things. I have not updated any of my lists, make reviews or recommend anime. I didn’t involve myself with the community. I even relinquished my position as a community moderator. I am perfectly okay with all this. I didn’t fall out of love with the medium this year, I have just spent the time I have with it differently. I spent my time watching series sparingly with family, discussing it with friends and going to see a lot of films in the cinema. A more present experience to say the least.
Going into the new year I am making no promises, no commitments to what I want to do on this site. I may just disappear from it completely. I might be even more active. I am just going to let it be. I am horrendous as I procrastinate, so if I double down, it will just make things worse. Therefore, whatever happens, happens. This year has been amazing. I have travelled to new places, celebrated joyous occasions, started a new job, hunted for ghosts, and seen over 150 bands. I got to see my favourite album in the whole world be played live in its entirety. What a year man. I look forward to all the opportunities that arise next year. Equally I wish whoever reads this all the best for the new year. You are loved, and you deserve the best. I guess that is all I have to say really. Until the next blog post, I guess.
( ´∀｀)
Posted by DBX | Dec 28, 2022 7:50 AM | 0 comments
December 23rd, 2022
Maximum the Hormone
Anime Relations: Death Note
Maximum the Hormone - Live in London
17th June 2022
I am not a die-hard fan of Maximum the Hormone, but I am somewhat a huge fan. When I heard that they would be playing Hellfest sometime 2019 – 2020. I was like. I am unbelievably jealous. They never play outside of Japan and the last time they played overseas was absolutely years ago. Well… long story short. Hellfest originally fell through when the virus happened, but they were still on the bill. So, I was holding out hope that maybe they would do a few shows in Europe, around the time they are doing the Hellfest show. Fortunately, early this year they announced that they would be playing in London. I was so over the moon. I instantly got a ticket.
As the date was getting closer, I was quite worried that they were going to cancel the show. Crossfaith had pulled out of a festival in the U.K. and as a fellow Japanese band I was expecting the worst. On top of that, I was just so worried about everything going on that I lost a lot of excitement. Nothing was going to get in my way, so I kept my spirits up, and when the day came. I made my way down to London.Of all the times for the UK to have good weather. This was the day. A crisp 30 degrees. Fortunately, the coach I took to get to London in the afternoon had good aircon. What made things worse was that it was only going to get warmer as the day panned out. When I did arrive in London, the heat was surprisingly pleasant. It wasn’t overbearing. Grabbed a burger from burger king and took the London underground to get to my hotel. Luckily the hotel was only a two-minute walk from the venue, and it was easy to find. However, I nearly didn’t get in the hotel as they didn’t really allow contactless payments. I had to pay for the room in separate payments. The payment fortunately went through and was greeted to a nicely chilled hotel room. As the time for the concert was approaching. I dropped off my stuff and then headed down to the venue. Having arrived an hour early I wanted to ensure that I could get a good place to stand. When I arrived the line wasn’t too big, so I was pleased about that.
I noticed that there were a lot of foreigners in the que which I thought was interesting. It looked like a lot of people had already been to see the band in another country as they were all walking round with the t-shirts that you could buy inside the venue. Of course, there were also a lot of Japanese people which is a no brainer. Though I was surprised at the amount of people who weren’t into anime per say that were going to the show. I hadn’t thought about it before but there were a lot of metal heads in the que.
Got into the venue just fine but was disappointed to find that the merch was cash only because the card reader was down. Therefore, I couldn’t buy any merch. I did however find the best spot in the room to watch the show from. Well, that’s what I originally thought anyway. The band was supposed to come on in an hours’ time and after waiting for 55 minutes with an unobstructed view I thought that okay. I have secured my spot. That was until the biggest person in the whole room came and stood right in front of me and then moaned to everyone behind him saying that it’s a concert and you should expect it. At the last second, I walked away and headed to the back so I can still see the stage. I wasn’t all that annoyed to be honest because it just always happens to me, and so I always expect it to happen. Besides. Now some of the people who were shorter in height could take my spot and at least see the stage. The band made it clear that they do not want anyone to take pictures, videos or just have their phone out which was awesome. Everyone just collectively in the moment watching with their eyes. I haven’t really ever been to a concert before where that has happened aside from the select few, so it was a cool site to see.
The whole night was just phenomenal. Unreal. There live shows are just off the wall. The sound is immense, the band was giving it everything, the crowd was giving everything, and they played every song I ever wanted to hear live. Plenty of songs off all their albums, and they even played a few songs I thought they would never play live. The crowd really went hard as well. Constant head banging, and constant circle pits. The light show was also cool. I have never sweated so much in my life. It was 30 degrees outside, but everyone squished together inside, jumping around. Man. It was an oven. I could rinse my t-shirt and sweat would drip out.
Songs played: Maximum the Hormone II, Abara Bob, What’s up, people?!, Hungry Pride, “F”, A-L-I-E-N, Kuso Breakin’ Nou Breakin’ Lily, Chu Chu Lovely Muni Muni Mura Mura Purin Purin Boron Nururu Rero Rero, Rock’N’Roll Chainsaw, Heisei Strawberryvibe, Louisiana Bob, Zetsubou Billy, Buiikikaesu!!, Koi no Sperm, Nigire!!, Koi no Mega Lover.
The band didn’t speak much English, which works out well becomes it means more songs to be played because there is more time. One of the band members however said one of the funniest things I have ever heard in my life. The drummer said, “We love Tesco” and the crowd absolutely erupted. It was so out of nowhere and so random. So good. Though I can’t say the same after they have recently upped their prices on the meal deal. Oh well. Before I knew it really, the night was over. Just like that. However, what an evening it was. I made my way to the nearest store, brought a load of alcohol and went back to the hotel to have a shower, and watch some late-night family guy. A tradition I must do after I have gotten home from a concert. Money well spent.
Note: Yeah, took me a while to get this blog post done. I just kept stopping after each paragraph as I procrastinated. I have however powered through and finished it. Looking back on it a fair few months later, I just feel so fortunate and lucky to have gone to that show. Tried to look online for the merch but to no luck. Shirts that did pop up sold for a fair few sterling. I have got a ticket to see my all-time favourite Japanese band for next year called SiM. While I am super annoyed I didn’t get VIP as they sold out faster than I excepted, you bet I am splurging out on merch.
Posted by DBX | Dec 23, 2022 1:50 PM | 0 comments
November 12th, 2022
One Piece Film: Red
Anime Relations: One Piece Film: Red
One Piece Film: Red Cinema Viewing
6th November 2022
Disclaimer! For people who haven’t seen the movie yet, I may spoil some of the key plot points within the film so please read at your own discretion. If you haven’t already seen the film then I highly recommend watching it. It gets a thumbs up from me.
The other day I happened to be up in Manchester for a couple of concerts. I was seeing bands which your parents would call noise. Just pure and utter mayhem. But I was also seeing one of the most relaxing and atmospheric bands to ever grace the earth over the course of two nights. I did however find myself with a predicament. In between these events was a whole day of nothing planned and it needed to be filled with something, but what… this is where One Piece Red comes in.
I came up with some ideas but one by one I talked myself out of them, so I found online a local cinema and decided to see what was airing. Interesting, interesting… Oh… One Piece… If you know me, you know I have never seen a single One-Piece episode in my life. Though that only made me want to watch it even more. So, I took the tram into the rainy city, found the cinema, and located the screen it was showing on and sat down.
To no surprise the screening was littered with the typical anime fans you expect to find. For once though they showed other anime movie trailers during the trailer sections, and I did discover one which was cool called Inu-Oh which I will have to get round to watching when and if it becomes available. Other than that, I just went into the screening with no impression or thought and I just let things unfold. Off things went.In the beginning there were several things that was going through my head. The first being, wow this is colourful. The second being, wow who are these characters. And that was a neat experience. I had always seen these characters in pictures of the show but never seen any clips, so I had no idea what these characters were like. So, it was cool to come to know the characters that a lot of people synonymously loved and have loved for hundreds of episodes. I can’t really say I gravitate towards any of the main cast. The closest person that I can come to liking is probably Shanks and it looks like he doesn’t appear in the show all that often. Though after seeing the characters I understand why people like this type of anime.
The premise of the film was laid out very quick and simple. Your just sort of thrown into this story and the story goes along very quickly. Which isn’t a bad thing. It is something that I enjoyed about this show as it left me immersed all the time. You are introduced to this famous music star who doesn’t like pirates which makes for an interesting watch. This is made even more interesting when you learn about who she is a relative to. I am not going to lie. Some of the beginning scenes made me hind behind my hoodie because some parts are hard to watch. The mannerism of the main character is just a little too relaxed sometimes I find.
The meat of the film delves into some interesting back story developments. Characters splitting off and facing personal challenges. I wouldn’t have thought that this type of anime would make me giggle at some moments, but boy did it make me chuckle. Maybe that was down to it being such a social viewing. I am not too sure. All the time through this showing I couldn’t stop being in awe at how good the music was. It took me back a bit. I just really liked how the music integrated itself into the story. That is something I will give it props about.
For me the latter part of the film was where it was truly at for me. The twists and turns unravelled, the music intensified and so did the battles. Whilst I haven’t grown up with these characters or lived with them for 1000 episodes, aspects of characters made me feel emotional which I didn’t think it would. As cheesy as it was, I nearly shed a tear. Though after later researching more into where the film stands in terms of the series it looks like I am reassured that all is not what it seems. I waited around as always to see if there was any after credits but it seems that all I gained from it was more time to collect more dust for my dust collection as I could have left when the credits started to roll.
And that was that really. I left the cinema thinking damn. I actually really enjoyed myself and the film somewhat stuck with me for the rest of the day. So good that I accidently left my air pods on the seat next to me and had to rush all the way back to the screen to go and collect them. After I got out, I found the nearest fast-food restaurant, sat down and started to google and think more about the series. It’s rare that films do that for me.
This movie really was like all one big musical. It’s littered with Ado songs, and I was all for it. I had no idea going into this viewing that she did the music for it, let alone starred in it so it was quite a nice surprise. She has such a powerful voice and its super varied. There are a few songs that really stuck out to me that I would like to discuss. New Genesis - Boy these songs are layered hard, and you can really hear it here. There is just so much in your face, and I am all for it. Whether it is the vocals the instruments or the synths. It’s rocking. For the practically introductory track of the film, this really sets the bar. Its brilliant. There is just so much relistening to be had.
Backlight - This song is so awesome. It’s so somewhat angry and just super catchy. It just shows you was Ado is capable of here. I can’t quite explain why as I do not understand why myself but this is the track that I revisit from the film the most.
I'm Invincible - This song caught my ear because it has a good stride to it. Its loud and has a riding beat. At times it also switches the tone up. It has it all. It feels joyous and grand. While I do not listen to it much, when I do it makes me feel good. In the context of the film as well it is just even more special.
Where the wind Blows - How can I not mention this song. Each of these tracks tell a different story and set a different tone. If there was any song that left an impact after hearing it from this film, it would be this one. It sounds super nostalgic in tone but looks can be deceiving I tell you. Ado catches so much emotion in this one.
I came into this viewing looking for an adventure to go on and boy was I not disappointed. I had a lot of fun with something that I never thought I would understand or hope to find enjoyment in. I can see why there is some criticism to this film as the films actual setting doesn’t all change that much. It is set in the same location throughout the film. It is also quite a long film, and if you do not like musicals then that is also something to take into consideration. The fact that I have never seen One Piece, and this was my introduction into the series I think is what made it special. Can I really say that I want to go away and now watch the whole thing. Well, that is a debate for another day. Would I recommend this to anyone? Absolutely. Knock yourself out. Trust me, it is worth your time.
7/10
Posted by DBX | Nov 12, 2022 5:24 AM | 0 comments