The Love Liveian juggernaut has been the reigning queen of the anime industry for many years now. It has spawned a variety of pretenders to the throne and with regards to the franchises that came before it has quickly outpaced them with a decidedly global appeal. People around the world know Love Live and would kill to be able to see these girls in person. Attending the Japanese concerts involves a lot of luck as getting a ticket means winning the lottery (not to mention having to fly to Japan too). Having it stateside eliminates both of those barriers to entry and makes it a unique experience for fans over here, myself included.
This is the third time the girls have been to Los Angeles but the first where they got a time slot all to themselves. Their first visit back at Anime Expo 2016 was an introduction of sorts; there was no performance at all but just a Q&A along with a screening of the anime and a few of their music videos. Their second visit in 2017 had them take the stage alongside three other groups (Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls, Macross' Walkure, and Wake Up Girls). Time constraints meant they could only do a handful of songs. This year marks the first time they've been able to have a full two-hour show. It might not be as long as the lives in Japan which clock in at about 3.5 hours but I'll take it.
Last Saturday I saw the recorded screening of the Saitama stop of "Wonderful Stories" which is the name of the current Japanese tour. The girls looked like they were genuinely having fun with nary a care in the world. They've been doing shows for years now and have countless hundreds of man-hours of practice to the point that being on stage may as well be second nature. It's a far cry from the disaster that befell their first live (the "piano incident"). Rikako had taken upon herself the daunting task of learning to play piano from scratch and play it onstage during one of their songs. Day 1 went without a hitch but day 2 resulted in her losing track during the song and breaking into tears. She was quickly comforted by Anju-san and the others, recomposed herself, and on the next attempt nailed it. Some might even consider it the crucible of these girls' struggles. In contrast, the ease and grace that these nine exhibited in Los Angeles is the mark of their current quality. We've truly been able to see the girls blossom into their own.
And as for the live itself? It clocked at two hours and spanned the entirety of the girl's career. They started with the two songs from the second Love Live: Sunshine opening single: "Mirai no Boura wa Shitteru no" and "Kimi no Hitomi o Meguru Bouken." This was followed by one of the most important things in the Love Live franchise: self-introductions. It sounds simple enough but it's a ritual that baptizes the beginning of a live. It's a sign of respect between idol and fan where one calls and the other responds.
【ニュース】『ラブライブ！サンシャイン!!』Aqoursがロサンゼルスでワンマンライブを開催。6,500人のファンを魅了 #lovelivehttps://t.co/CdG6Co2tDw pic.twitter.com/4U0RHGKh6S
— moca (@moca_news) July 5, 2018
Two more group songs ("Kimi no Kokoro wa Kagayaiteru kai?" and "MIRAI TICKET") would give way to subunit songs. With the subunits, the nine girls are split into three groups of three each with their own theme and style. Honestly, I had not expected subunit songs; with just two hours of time Aquors could easily fill it up with group songs.
The three units are as follows:
CYaRon! (Chika, You, and Ruby) are the fun, energetic ones. Their songs are lively and enjoyable. I'll admit there is something fun about yelling "We are CYaRon!" during one of their songs.
Azalea (Hanamaru, Dia, and Kanan) is a group whose model is the azalea flower. Their message is one of purity and their songs exhibit as much. I would describe their songs as whimsical.
Of course one cannot forget Guilty Kiss. Consisting of Riko, Mari, and Yohane, their songs bring a mix of metal and electronic dance to the stage. They are by far my most favored of the three groups. Strawberry Trapper is one of my favorite Aquors songs and you could tell it was others' too from the pop of the crowd as the opening bars came over the speakers. Many super bright ultra orange glowsticks were lit across the theater.
As the girls came onstage for the third and final time one could not help but notice that they were wearing t-shirts. Japanese artists often use their tour t-shirts during the encores and tonight it was a signal that the end was near.
This seems like an apt time to describe one of the greatest moments in foreign Love Live fan history. There are tales of the Yousoroad and Kananrail. Those are crowd participation exercises where the songs "Koi no Aquarium" and "HAPPY PARTY TRAIN" are met with attendees working together to create a coordinated visual that spans the entire theater. Both of those songs, up to this point in the concert, had gone unheard. This was strange as they are almost a given at every live the girls have done. Instead, we saw the birth of the Aquorainbow. Through the day potential concertgoers must have noticed a throng of people handing out flyers with instructions about a multicolored array of penlights and glowsticks. This was an effort born out of a desire to make an American mark on Love Live fandom. Different sections of the crowd would, at a certain point during "Yuuki wa doko ni? Kimi no Mune ni!" would ignite their lights with one of the nine colors specific to their section. This was an attempt at celebrating Aquors' first full US concert.
And you know what? It worked. It worked beautifully. The girls noticed and were surprised; they clearly expressed as much.
A photo taken by one of the folks in the mezzanine shows the result. From my spot in the crowd, it was a little hard to see. Being on the same level does not lend itself well to seeing the big picture. Take a look:
【World Love Live! in LA】Thank you for coming to "LOVELIVE! SUNSHINE!! Aqours World Love Live! in LA ~Beyond the Pacific~" today! We got such a surprise today from you all!! We look forward to returning to America again!! Thank you so much! Do your Rubesty!! #lovelive pic.twitter.com/HJGxpEt210
— ラブライブ！公式 (@LoveLive_staff) July 5, 2018
I once said that the only way AX could have surpassed last year's show was to have a full concert and that's exactly what they delivered. Those two hours flew by in a flash. For a lot of us, we will never get to see something like this again; I'm certainly glad I had the chance to take part of it. I'm not sure where Anisong World Matsuri can go from here. They've already conquered the highest mountain that is bringing Aquors here for a solo concert. How do you surpass that let alone match it? Whatever that answer is I'm sure it'll be worth coming to see.
Thanks to @cowboybibimbop for the set list!
Mirai no Bokura wa Shitteru no
Kimi no Hitomi o Meguru Bouken
[Self Introductions]
Kimi no Kokoro wa Kagayaiteru kai?
MIRAI TICKET
Genki Zenkai DAY! DAY! DAY!
Kaigandoori de Matteru yo
Torikoriko PLEASE!!
LONELY TUNING
Strawberry Trapper
Guilty Night, Guilty Kiss!
Taiyou o Oikakero
Yuuki wa doko ni? Kimi no Mune ni
!Sunshine Pikkapika Ondo
