Still alive, cute day

Not dead despite lack of updates! Spent good time in Kyoto but more of that later. I'm still in process of uploading pictures. Not sure why it has become so slow. I'll also probably split Kyoto events to three posts(one per day) since it will likely be way too long for one post.

But for Saturday after the Kyoto trip I was happy to get bit of a rest as the Kyoto trip was quite exhausting. I had meeting arranged with the person I failed to meet earlier(she finally had time for another go). This time we managed to be in same location(yey!) so spent couple hours in cafe just talking about various subjects.

After this I headed toward another place for yet another concert. This time to sister band of the first one I went to see. Not as confident of my memory of songs so I'm working from set list I found from net on some songs. Hopefully I don't get too much wrong.

This time I had one of the furthest places I had yet been(2nd floor, 4th row). On the flip side ticket was also among cheapest one I had got. Also it was not THAT horrible view from there and there was unexpected bonus. Nobody front of me was standing(no real need anyway) so I could sit as well which was blessing for my legs(particularly left). Had been bit worried how legs would hold for 2 hour standing!

I had not taken umbrella when I left home and guess what waited me when I stepped from train station? Yup. Pouring rain. I was also bit later than expected so I sprinted as hard as I could which did no favours to my poor legs(particularly left ankle). Then when I came to the venue I had to stand in the rain with no place to cover for a while and top of that today had to be day when I encountered first real "being in late" here! ARGH! I was soaking wet when I finally got inside.

First performance was again from the new band that was formed that I had seen already before. Guess they want to promote them as much as possible in the beginning(makes sense really).

Watashi ga iu mae ni dakishimetenakya(hug me before I say)

So to begin with they, wearing all sparkling silver tunic and mini-skirt(except for one of them, think it was Saki) who had sort of weird trouser like part covering one of her legs. That was bit random addition! Unsurprisingly song they performed was their latest single. Due to more covering clothes bit less eye candy though.

Next came one of the songs(Shock) I originally found really "meh" largely due to the most extremely unbalanced line distributions I have seen from any of these bands. Apart from choruses it's one girl only. This time they at least spread some solo lines to everybody which also served as member introduction as name of girl was shown on screen while she did her lines.

Set list claim there was solo song after this but I have no memory of it. All I remember is that after the MC(speech part) Mai(my favourite member btw) and Chisato performed song I haven't heard before(watashi ha tensai, I am natural talent). They took off their tunics now revealing white and black shirt which revealed arms.

After this remaining three members performed another song(chikyuu kara no sanjuusou)

Mai and Saki returned and whole group performed another MC regarding one of the latest singles they had released(kono machi, this town) which they then performed. One of my favourite releases from them in past years.

Then another song I can't say I remember hearing before.

Then yet another MC followed by Airi(2nd favourite) doing tsuugaku vector. Never heard before.

They had somewhere along changed clothes and by now everybody was wearing member coloured dresses(generally pretty damn wide ones reaching basically doubling the area each girl takes. Each slightly diffferent. Airi had the winner with her pink one that reached down to floor behind with shoulder revealing top side. Chisato's pale green one was pretty damn good as well. Mai's yellow suffered from being yellow(not my favourite colour). Saki's blue was okay. Maimi's red was perhaps tad too bright red).

Then came medley(I remember they wore the clothes in the first song so by now definitely the clothes change).

Sakura chirari(sakura falling)

gogogo

byebyebye

Disco queen

Sekai ichi happy na onna no ko(world's happiest girl)

Yume ga aru kara(because I have a dream)

Then came kenkyuusei(4 of them) doing bit of introductionary(I'm FAIRLY sure they had appeared before wearing these crazy black clothes with some sort of wings and pieces in head. Oh boy. Poor girls what they have to perform in :D) speech(this time with theme of "what I don't lose in". Most memorable was the panteomine(sp?) performance of last one. Actually did pretty good one. Especially the rope pulling where she appeared to lose at the end was pretty good one). Set list I found claims they sang massara blue jeans(2012 version) but I'm FAIRLY sure that's not it. They did not do the dance moves I find bit offending(particularly from the period the song was first time released. SOME limit on what you make 10-12 year girls do thank you very much!) and I'm FAIRLY sure I would not forget that. Pretty sure it was some other A single they performed.

With this the band members appeared again. Concert tour's name is treasure box and theme is pretty pirate like so the girls were wearing appropriate clothes now(well except pirates probably didn't wear mini-skirts! And Chisato looked odd mix of pirate and viking!).

Mid-way the song was interrupted and the peaceful sea image on the screen(it was meant to look like pirate ship on sail) was replaced by one of thunders and rains and then enemy ships appeared. What followed was bit off odd performance show where girls one by one or in group were fighting villains etc. Hats off for coreographers and synchronizing for the sword swinging sessions as the sword klang-klang sounds came pretty much time spot on most of the time.

Have to admit I found this one pretty "wtf" experience! Haha. Anyway after big baddie was defeated they finished the song and then started another video screen show where they appeared to be walking in jungle and eventually found the treasure.

Another song(EVERYDAY zekkou chou, something like "every day best shape" or something like that).

hitori shimeshitakatta dake na noni. Not quite sure about translation. Another song I had little recollection. Album/B single songs are bit of "huh?" for me for this band.

Somewhere around this time(by next song very latest) they did another cloth change changing to what I figured was the eye candy clothing. Silver top revealing midrif, black miniskirt with wide golden line and boots.

Aitai Aitai Aitai na(I want to meet you, I want to meet you, I want to meet you). One of my favourite songs from them.

Bokura no kagayaki(our radiance) was then followed by Midnight temptation.

During the last parts of song members disappeared and kenkyuusei's came to do bit of dancing. Reason became quickly clear when girls reappeared. And I realized previous clothes were not the eye candy clothes. These were! Instead of mini-skirt(though obviously these were underneath all the time) was skin tight pants and top was one that revealed even more skin up and down including shoulders. All white/silver to boot(what's with silver fixation on this tour anyway?). Seeing clothes I wasn't too surprised to hear kiss me, aishiteru(kiss me, I love you) start up.

Remove the jacket and change colours to silver and you have fairly decent idea of what they looked like today(well apart from hair style changes. Particularly in case of two who have done hair dye at some point so have light brown hair instead).

Chou wonderful(very wonderful) came after this followed tokkai kko junjou("pure hearted city child" might be the translation)

With this main part was over and it was just time to wait for last two songs(and final MC). For clothes they switched to much more normal shirt and pink/white mini-skirt.

Dance de bakoon(and no idea what it might mean! Probably nothing!). Then the encore where everybody said something followed by very last song seishun song(youth song or maybe song of youth) which is their standard "let's make crowd shout out" song. Seats on 1st floor were swirl of member coloured towels fans were swinging around while chanting in unison.

After this I headed home in rain though at least it had reduced a bit so I was not as soaking wet when I reached station as I was when I entered the concert hall.

Tomorrow is the onsen trip I have been dreading/waiting. Find the idea of being naked in front of n+1 unknown Japanese bit taunting but then again probably good for my body that's aching in pain in...Well pretty much every part!