[eggplant]

Stage Report for March 25

Horrendous weather in Tokyo from early morning, a downpour with gusting winds. On the other hand, this weather played to my favor as well, as the waiting line was definitely shorter than yesterday.

10:30-11:00 Main Stage　　Radio Ikki Tousen Dragon Destiny Live Recording Stage
This was a live recording event of the Ikki Tousen DD radio show. The thing is, host and star Asano Masumi (Hakufu) cancelled her appearance due to the flu, so Nabatame Hitomi (Kanu) had to carry the emcee duties all by herself. Luckily, guests Chihara Minori (Chouhi) and Kadowaki Mai (Shokatsuryou) helped her out. Aside from the radio program, the event was a promotional effort by Media Factory and Genco for the anime, which makes its terrestrial debut in April (already airing on the satellite station AT-X). Gankou Mai also made an appearance, singing the opening song "HEART & SOUL". To tell the truth, I don't think this show is appropriate to show in public where children are present (being the first event stage, I don't blame their parents for being oblivious).

11:00-11:30 Stage II　　Saint October Stage
The stage featured the three protagonists, Kataoka Azuka (Kotono = Kurololi), Fukui Yukari (Natsuki = Shirololi), and Kobayashi Yuu (Misaki = Akaloli). The stage was moderated by Kawamoto Naru (Koushirou) and also included Director Satou Masafumi. The show consisted of comments by the guests, which went from one issue to another, as the two girls on the side were within their own world, either straying from the topic altogether, or being distracted by the slightest thing that moved. Kawamoto Naru, originally a comedian, cracked up the crowd with his tsukkomi. Director Satou mentioned that Saint October was initially intended to be an occult anime, but got toned down (no, it was never meant for kids, just as Akazukin wasn't). The show ended with the three girls (Gothloli Tanteidan) singing and dancing the opening song "Wheel of fortune", to the delight of the fans. Director Satou said that the second half of the anime will enter a new phase.

11:30-11:50 Broccoli Booth　　Tomita Maho Live
Had some idle time, so checked out the anime singer Tomita Maho's stage. Although many of her songs are catchy (Kamichu!, Galaxy Ange Rune, Mamoru-kun, etc.), I don't consider her to be a good singer, and it showed in her performance. She could hardly hit the high notes after the 4th song, where her staff abruptly ended it after 20 minutes, to the chagrin of her fans (hey, the front row audience paid good money and braved the weather to obtain the seats).

12:00-12:30 Pony Canyon Booth　　Venus Versus Virus Stage
Guests included Takagaki Ayahi (Lucia, the first live event of her career), Chihara Minori (Sumire), Tsuji Ayumi (Laura), and singer Riryka. The show basically consisted of interviews with the cast, but it also featured an a cappella rendition of Laura's Chocolate Cake song, and Sunmire's berserker mode line. Riryka impressed me with her singing of the opening song "Bravin' Bad Brew".

12:30-1:00 Avex Booth　　Seto no Hanayome Stage
Guests for the upcoming anime were Momoi Haruko (Seto San, the heroine), Nogawa Sakura (Ruri), and Mizushima Takahiro (Nagasumi). Saw the opening clip sung by the two female seiyuus. I have never read the manga, so I can't compare it to the anime version, but I have high hopes for this show led by Momoii, her first leading role since Popotan (not inlcuding the OVAs Nurse Witch Komugi-chan series and Tsukune-chan). Nogawa Sakura doesn't appear until Episode 7, but this is a TV Tokyo x Gonzo show, meaning it's at least 25 epsiodes long.

1:00-1:30 Konami Booth　　Tokimeki Memorial Only Love Stage
This event was actually a live audio commentary recording for the DVD Episode 23. Guests were Miyano Mamoru (Riku), Makishima Yuki (Sayuri), Yoshikawa Yukako (Tsukasa), Fujita Saki (Mina), and Director Takamoto Nobuhiro. Mamoru controlled the flow with his humor, allowing everyone to comment on topics pertaining to the episode at hand. Yuki mentioned that she is similar to Sayuri, in the way she can't express her romantic feelings. The audience chanted the title for the eyecatch. Due to Mamoru's presence, there were many fan girls in the audience, signifying his popularity. Too bad the Konami stages don't conduct singing, as I would have loved to hear the cast sing the songs.

1:30-2:00 Avex Booth　　Touka Gettan Stage
This is the upcoming anime, basically produced by the same staff as Yami to Boushi to Hon no Tabibito. Guests were Ise Mariya, newcomer Hayami Saori, Kitamura Eri, and Kobayashi Yuu. They showed both the opening and ending clips. This show will only be aired on 3 stations, so the limited exposure may hurt, but I enjoyed Yamibou, so another ROOT/Orbit game adaptation can't hurt.

3:00-3:30 Pony Canyon Booth　　Kanon Stage
Guest was Satou Akemi (Shiori). This was only her first live event appearance, and first for Kanon. As the stage area filled with diehard male fans, she seemed nervous and out of place. However, the Kanon fans were appreciative of her job, and the interview went smoothly. I got to hear some of Shiori's trademark lines, inlcuding the "I hate people who say such things", definitely a hit for me.

3:45-4:15 Toei Animation Booth　　Giniro no Olynssis, Binbou Shimai Monogatari, Kamisama Kaozku Stage
This was a collboration of the three Toei titles, featuring the singers of the respective anime, CHiYO (Olynssis OP), seiyuu Sakai Kanako (Binbou Shimai ED), Mizuhashi Mai (Kamisama Kazoku OP) , and Miraku (Mizuhashi Mai + Kudou Mayu) (Kamisama Kazoku ED). I was craving for some music, so this stage was a hit for me, especially the Kamisama Kazoku songs and performance.

4:00-5:30 Main Stage　　Seiyuu Awards Stage
Akready in progress when I saw it, featured winners of the recently held inaugural Seiyuu Awards. Guests were Park Romi, Koshimizu Ami, Hirano Aya, Kano Yui, and Kakihara Tetsuya. Basically, this was a recap of the award presentation, to which the seiyuu added commetns. You could tell that Aya and Ami are close friends to each other, and Park Romi is friends with about everyone.

So, this conlcudes the Sunday entry. Generally speaking, the stages were organized efficiently, with great guests. There was a lot of overlapping going on, but I'm not to complain. My overall impression was that the female seiyuus that appeared on stage were all good looking, which may or may not be a good thing. Sure, a pretty face may be something worth watching, but I hope that it doesn't become the case where talented seiyuus who are not as photogenic are passed over just by their looks.

I'll be attending the Gonzo Festa next Saturday to check out the new Gonzo shows, which I'll report as well.