Tuesday, November 15, 2022

Film War: The "Hell" of UtaPri Hell

This weekend was not really a happy one, even though it should have been. I'm glad I was able to see the movie with my friend, so I wanna start off with that. I don't know how I would have felt if I was alone.

"But you got to see the movie." Yes I did, and I'm happy about that. But it was kind of like taking medicine to numb the pain and stress of what's been going on lately.

Every week of Starish Tours, a movie bonus was offered. Coasters, metallic tape, instant photos, stickers, etc. In all I've watched the movie at least 70 or 80 times, collecting as many of the bonuses as I could (and some extra for others). I was pretty good at getting seats every week, even for the weeks with the more in-demand bonuses. I enjoyed the movie every single time, even if something happened before or during the screening to not make it my best experience.

For Week 7, pieces of movie film strips were introduced. Rather than having 7 different characters, there was a variety of short clips that people could get. They edited them so that there would always be a character featured in the clip (no fade outs or blank scenes, pictures of only the stage, etc.) but depending on the clip, they could be in the middle of doing something, having an unflattering expression (like eyes half open or mouth open in a somewhat weird way). Trading would also be a pain depending on how selective people were about the scenes they wanted. Nonetheless, it was by far the most popular bonus that led to people calling it コマフィルム地獄, or "Filmstrip Hell."

Things were already bad, but I think it really brought out the worst in people. I was not my best self either, mostly due to the stress of other things going on. There were some nice images that people shared which was good, but I'm not sure if it overrode the sadness of those who couldn't get anything, or who got shots that they didn't feel were worth sharing. I'm usually an optimistic person, but even when I pulled clips of Ren, I felt really disappointed when they were shots that I felt no one would really care about, so I haven't shared them yet. I feel fortunate that I was able to trade with a few people, and I did pull a few good shots myself, but there were so many that I couldn't help but wish I had (especially a shot with both Tokiya and Ren in it).

But that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was seeing and hearing about resellers snatching up tickets and then not seeing the movie, and then watching people--actual fans--get up and leave the movie they were watching to catch another show, just so they could get another filmstrip. One of the "princesses" I saw running out still had her ring light on, and it was decorated with lace and ribbon just like in the Christmas card novelty. And yet, she left the movie early.

Overseas fans are struggling to get anything and are soon losing the only official English content they had with Shining Live Global shutting down. Meanwhile, we've been barraged left and right with merch, collaborations, more merch, events, all of which is so much to keep up with that I feel like I'm drowning. I'm drowning to the point that my day job actually feels like an escape sometimes. I'll get notifications on Twitter and sometimes pray that it isn't an announcement about something new.

Don't get me wrong, I still love UtaPri. I'm here for good, especially because Ren is the love of my life and meeting him is one of the best things that's ever happened to me. I also want to stress that the bad behavior I saw was a minority, and I do think most of the fans here in Japan have been respecting the movie by watching it from start to finish (or at least from the time they enter the theater). But as a whole, the blissful memories I have watching Starish Tours are starting to be overshadowed by a lot of stress. I know part of that is my fault, since I've chosen to devote my life to trying to stay on top of things on behalf of everyone else.



I'm trying to rest. I think my upcoming visit to the USA is probably for the best, and then I can reset and pray that things will calm down after this film war ends, or after the movie is no longer in theaters. I'll really miss it, but I'm praying that I can smile until the next big event.
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Sunday, September 18, 2022

Uta no Prince-sama: Maji Love Starish Tours Report


Billboard outside Shinjuku Piccadilly in Tokyo.


Twenty-two times as of this blog post, and more planned.

I’ve never watched a movie or concert that often in such a short period of time in my entire life. Ever. Not even Maji Love Kingdom. Not even Shining Star Stage.

That being said, I think I can finally write a report about Maji Love Starish Tours.

The movie opened on Friday, September 2nd. This was a rough time for me who was coming back from a summer break and was instantly hit with not just the movie premiere, but a huge wave of announcements for promotional events and displays around Tokyo. It was also very different from the time I saw Maji Love Kingdom, when I was living outside of Tokyo and was preoccupied with 2.5 stages as well (which I’ve since given up). Promotion was also done somewhat differently–for Kingdom, a lot of collaborations and events were done before and during the movie. I think I recall Namjatown having an event over a month before the movie was out and I still knew so very little about Heavens and how much or little I liked them. I had only just started watching the movie when the amusement park event at Tokyo Dome City was happening. This time all of the events are happening during and after, which I think is a better idea.

My thoughts will be divided by different elements of the movie: animation, sound, and event progression. I’ll keep the details to a minimum, but I may mention a few scenes here and there that have been shown in previews on Twitter. I’ll put up a warning before they come up so you can avoid them!

Animation

One of the first things I mentioned on Twitter is that the animation quality is superb. I was worried when the trailer came out because it’s hard to tell from watching on a computer or phone, but also the trailer features them in their pilot attire, which looked a little stiff compared to typical concert costumes. However, seeing it on a big screen and watching everything outside of the opening song, it’s easy to tell that the animation is top-tier, well past Kingdom (in which you could clearly tell the difference in quality between the performance animation and the MC animation). From beginning to end, I felt like I was part of the audience on the big screen, and the idols came alive more than they ever have been. This is no normal anime where their mouth just opens and closes in one of a limited number of ways as they’re talking; their mouths match the words they’re saying. If you’ve heard Ren’s “Ready to Be A Lady,” you know how essential that is; they did an impeccable job on that part and still gives me goosebumps when I think about it.

Sound

To add to the previous point, the sound in the theater is also designed to make you feel like you’re in a concert. If you sit towards the front, the idols’ voices are more audible (this is important for certain songs) and towards the back, you can hear sounds of audience members, as if they’re right there with you. Due to the pandemic, we’re still not allowed to call out in the theater which is a little frustrating, but no matter how many times I watch, the audience cheers would feel so real that sometimes I’d think for a split second, “Was that someone IN the theater just now?!” I’m hoping this can be replicated in overseas screenings, and I also hope that surround sound will be supported when the DVD & Blu-Ray comes out (I may have to invest in a sound system if I want to watch it in my apartment).

Event progression

If you listened to the Maji Love Starish Tours single released in April, you could probably guess that Starish Tours is the opening song and START OURS is the closing song. In between are the Idol Songs and Cross Unit songs, but I won’t identify the order in which they’re played.

Overall, Starish Tours is much shorter than Kingdom, but the entire concert is so fulfilling that the shorter length is irrelevant. Unlike Kingdom–which had short MCs in between songs–the Idol Songs are performed one after another. If you are invested in knowing about each idol as a person, it’s absolutely essential to pay attention to their movements and facial expressions from beginning to end. I would recommend watching or rewatching the anime (1000% and 2000% are most recommended, but Legend Star also contains some important background as well). Knowing how each idol has grown from their days in Saotome Academy to the present, their struggles and their triumphs, makes every moment in Starish Tours even more special. I have to say that the progression from one song to another is somewhat quick that upon watching the movie for the first time, it’s a lot to take in. It took me several viewings for everything to really sink in, but maybe that’s just me and my somewhat easily distracted self.

One strategic point they made in the Idol Song performances was [[minor spoiler--highlight to see]] how they featured other idols during the solo performances. [[end spoiler]] This may be a little jarring for fans at first, but I assure you that it takes nothing away from your favorite idol (if you have one), and you may even come to appreciate the other members more if you initially only cared for one or several (although I hope you already do appreciate all of them!)

Overall

I’m a huge fan of UtaPri writing this report so maybe it seems biased, but even if you aren’t familiar with the franchise, it’s absolutely worth seeing if you’re interested in 2D idol performances, animation, music, Japanese voice actors, any or all of the above!

If you are a fan of UtaPri, and especially one of ST☆RISH, this is absolutely the movie you’ve been waiting for and it will surely exceed your expectations. As much money as I and many others in Japan have paid to see this movie repeatedly over the past few weeks, Starish Tours feels like the viewer is the one being rewarded every time. It’s the greatest love letter yet to their fans for taking part in this journey with them. ☆
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Wednesday, April 13, 2022

Spring 2022 Update



What has even happened since 7th Stage? Everything has been so busy these past few months! After what felt like an eternal winter, the weather has finally gotten warmer and with it has come a wave of UtaPri announcements and events.
I've been swamped with group orders and then tried to rest as much as I could over the winter break in anticipation for the orders coming early this year. That all turned into a train wreck as the merch from Shining Star Stage ended up being delayed by a month, leaving me to go from a clean apartment and free weekends to juggling incoming orders while having work on Saturdays.

Even after all these years, I'm still working on improving my group order process, but also still making mistakes here and there. Everyone has been very helpful and understanding so I'm very grateful for that. The mistakes cause me a lot of anxiety and sometimes I wonder if I should scale back, but then in comes a wave of requests for popular items and I remember that if there's anything for the UtaPri community that I can do, it's this. And blog about the events going on here, of course.

So where to start...? Around the time of my last blog post, I finally was able to see the CG Star Live for QUARTET NIGHT! Earlier in 2021 I had a ticket, but due to pandemic-related cancellations, I ended up getting a refund for my ticket instead of waiting for a rescheduled date. This time I was able to get two tickets, as well as tickets for STARISH Secret Party with Ren as the MC, which I had been waiting over two years to see.

I can't remember if I ever talked about CG Star Live in detail before, but basically it's a show in which the idols are projected on a theater screen to make it appear as though they're actually on stage. It's similar to Shining Star Stage but on a much smaller scale--think live house compared to a concert hall.

For Starish Secret Party, the show and set list is mostly the same except for the MC and Q&A portion which varies by character. In 2019 I was able to see Tokiya's and Syo's, but in every lottery following that I failed to get a ticket for Ren's MC. Finally I was able to see it (on my birthday!) and it was so nice to see Ren as the star of the show. I was actually able to see his MC a second time because I snagged a ticket during the general sale.


QN's CG Star Live is pretty different. Of course there's the performance portion, but instead of a "secret love" and a "secret question" that the audience chooses from, there are two games in which the group splits into pairs. I found it to be really entertaining, especially seeing Ranmaru's reaction when he does (or doesn't) become teammates with Camus.

There's also Photo Time just like with Starish Secret Party, although depending on the seat it's difficult to get a good picture, and the lack of lighting doesn't make things any better. I've never gotten a front row seat to any of the shows I've attended, but I feel like that's probably the only way to get a clear, unobstructed photo.



I can't recall if this has always been the case, but outside of the theater they had boxes where you could give fan letters, to really round out the experience of attending a live show.

After having attended CG Star Live a total of six times, I think I can say that I'm done with it unless they release an updated version. The costumes are color swaps of their Legend Star outfits, and the set list is a few years old at this point. Shining Star Stage is much bigger and the movements are smoother as well. But at least CG is small enough that you don't have to worry about sitting too far away.

Speaking of Shining Star Stage, I talked about that on Twitter a few weeks ago, so if you missed it here it is below:



I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to do reports in blog form, actually. As you can tell, this one is already months late! Lately I've been trying to reduce my screen time since I spend a lot of time working on group orders as well, so doing a Twitter live is much easier.

On the translation front, I've begun posting Cecil's 10 Questions Q&A from the 10th Anniversary Book on my Ko-fi. Once that's done, I'll be taking a break from the series to work on something else. Donations would be very much appreciated--I should be able to afford a new computer this fall (fingers crossed that Apple will announce a new MacBook Air). Following that, my next goal will be to work on earning enough money for a round-trip ticket to the USA to visit my family for the first time in years, now that I've gotten my booster vaccine! 

I'm optimistic about what 2022 will bring, especially with the Starish Tours being released!☆
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