The Never Ending Stories tour may be over, but that doesn't mean our time with YOASOBI is over just yet.

Photos: Roger Lee (The-O Network Online)

With assistance from Salvador Mateos and Ken DuBois

Late last week, Complex LA announced it would host a two-day YOASOBI pop-up shop. Even more notable, ikura and Ayase themselves would be present on day one of the pop-up for a meet-and-greet autograph session. It's nearly impossible to get this close to YOASOBI, let alone get their autographs, so this is a rare opportunity. One catch: the duo would only be signing Japanese copies of the vinyl of their newest album, The Book For, and would only be on hand for one hour. Speculation online arose about how many vinyls would be available. 60, for a rate of one per minute? Maybe a more ambitious 120 (two per minute)?

One of our associates, Salvador, took the initiative to head out early and get in line. If you wanted an autograph, you had to put in the effort, and as soon as he got off work, he made his way to the store. According to intelligence reports, by 3:00 AM there were at least 20 people, and by 5:00 AM, at least 30. The line began to accelerate in growth, and estimates were that there were 50 people in line by 6:00 AM. No one knew just how many copies would be available, so it was a gamble as to how early you would have to arrive.

The first man in line, an exchange student living in America, reportedly attended every concert of the tour. He did not want to leave the shop without ikura and Ayase's autographs, and thus he made the decision to get in line at 9 PM the night before. In order to have a semblance of order, the people in line began to Sharpie a number on the hand of each new person that arrived. Salvador was number 78. Word got out that the number of vinyls was a round one hundred copies, so 78 was hopefully a safe number.

Another acquaintance got in line at approximately 8:00 AM. His number? 90. If the numbers held, he would be good, but with hours to go, things could change. Anyone who has been in a line or two in America knows that people meet with their friends, and a line can grow quite a bit by the time things are said and done.

Finally, at noon, the doors of the shop opened. Fans began to trickle inside, all beelining to purchase vinyls.

There were actually three versions of The Book For on sale: the Overwatch Edition (featuring the characters from the music video for the song "Orion," inspired by Overwatch), the Art edition, and the Japanese edition. As noted earlier, only the Japanese edition would net you a signature. All three versions were on display, matted and framed on the wall alongside YOASOBI skate decks. A further tabletop display had twelve more albums lined up in a grid.

By 1:30 PM, all one hundred vinyls were accounted for. Sal was successful in obtaining one of those coveted one hundred. And the fate of our number 90? Just out of the running. The line had swelled just enough that he was outside of that golden number by the time he got into the shop. Heartbreaking, for sure.

A large square on the wall allowed visitors to write messages. Fans from around the world scribed messages in English, Spanish, Japanese, and Chinese. Someone even drew a Pochita from Chainsaw Man on the wall.

Both ikura and Ayase's stage costumes were on display so fans could get a close look at them. There were a lot of details that I had not noticed from a distance, like ikura's skirt being an upside-down shirt and Ayase's pants having multiple waistbands and belts.

On the wall high above everyone's heads were the jerseys worn for the encore from each tour stop. Proudly displayed were jerseys from the Boston Celtics and Bruins, Brooklyn Nets, Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Seattle Kraken, San Francisco Giants, and Los Angeles Dodgers. Photos from the concerts in every city over the course of the last two weeks were printed on the walls, and a projector displayed even more.

The merchandise lineup featured a number of exclusive goods only available at Complex, plus merchandise from the tour. Missing were the city-exclusive shirts, but those went very quickly before the concerts themselves. Even many of those with VIP concert entry rights were unable to acquire them. Shirts with the art from The Book For were some of the hot-ticket items alongside bandanas, hoodies, and other items.

At just before 5:00 PM, a van pulled up, and the guests of honor appeared. ikura and Ayase, both decked in pink-themed outfits that matched the colors of the pop-up shop, greeted fans before heading inside. They posed briefly alongside their stage outfits and walked around the store, taking it all in.

After the two were able to peruse the store, it was time for autographs. Salvador had made his way to the front of this line and was the first to receive their graces. Each lucky attendee was able to say hello and chat briefly with the duo. This is something each person will remember as they continue with their own story they call life.

At just about 6:30 PM, with everyone having been taken care of, ikura and Ayase exited the store. Fans were still congregated outside and cheered them on. The waiting van signaled the end of the day's festivities. Off they went, whisked off into the sunset.

This marks the end of the Never Ending Stories tour, but much like the name suggests, it's not really over. Surely we'll be seeing YOASOBI soon in America, and we'll have plenty more tales to tell at that time.