faded_lace (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
faded_lace) wrote2014-07-23 10:33 pm
faded_lace) wrote2014-07-23 10:33 pm
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Back from the Sexy Zone summer concert!
Back from Saitama Super Arena! Man, going to two concerts in one day is exhausting… and I feel lame for not seeing the third, too! I'm going to write a full report about both shows as soon as possible, but for now, I wanted to touch on just a few things I'd promise to report back on.
First and foremost, the penlights. It seemed that fans were going more with this (also found here) campaign than any other I've seen, so turning their penlights on to green or yellow before the show began, then switching to whatever they wanted after the first song, and then again for the encore. I'm bad at estimating, but when I first noticed the penlights before the first show began, I was amazed and moved almost to tears. It definitely was not everyone by a far cry, but I'd say there were at least 1,000 out of the 25,000 people there who turned their penlights to yellow or green. There were maybe slightly more in the first show than in the second show, but not by a whole lot.
Secondly, the balance. I think due to the Kobe shows being 3-member, there wasn't a lot done to change that for these shows. Marius and Sou were often onstage but not a part of the choreography, walking around the catwalk or standing off to the side of where Fuma, Kento, and Shori were dancing. The show was definitely worse than a usual concert in terms of time that only Fuma, Kento, and Shori were onstage, again probably because of the Kobe shows (plus the new single), but basically, my assessment is that while it could have been better I'd say Marius and Sou were truly treated as members of Sexy Zone (doing the same thing as Fuma and Kento; either included in the choreography or running around the catwalk the same as them) maybe 1/3 of the time, were onstage but not treated as equals 1/3 of the time, and were flat-out offstage 1/3 of the time. That's sort of rounding out that Marius and Sou were included in Kono Te wo Tsunagou, Don't Stop Sexy Boyz, and Gamushara, but… it's not like those songs were Sou or Marius solos, or even duets, since it was mostly juniors. On the other hand, Kento, Shori, and Fuma each had two solo sections probably amounting to about 5 minutes per person, so… there's really no fairness there. Kento did 4 solo songs including his new one, while Shori and Fuma each did 3. Marius and Sou had no solos, but were included together with juniors in three songs, but not really featured above the juniors in any way (basically at the same level as the juniors). It could have been worse, and I understand that the Kobe preparations were seriously playing into it, too, but it could definitely have been better.
Thirdly, news. Fuma said in the second show that they would try to "create a chance to meet again" this summer, as some sort of release event or something. However, only he, Kento, and Shori were standing on the stage when he said it, and he said something about "in this form." I'll be the first to admit that I am no native Japanese speaker, and there are often phrases that the context is obvious to a Japanese person while it sounds vague to me, but the immediate implication I took from it was "as the 3 of us" rather than 5. I'm worry that they'll have more single-related events as 3, and that we haven't see the end of this despite what Johnny's is saying on the phone.
But right now I'm really exhausted-- I've been up 18 hours and I need to go to sleep before I pass out. I'll probably be able to share the news a little more lucidly once I've gotten a decent night's rest, so for now, over and out. I don't want to sound like a pessimist-- the concert was definitely worse in terms of balance than every previous Sexy Zone concert I've been to (Summary 2012, New Years 2013, Spring 2013, Sexy Second 2014), but it definitely could have been a lot worse. I got to see all five members sing, dance, and perform, and that's the most important thing in the end.
And it does help that our seats were amazing (arena right next to the catwalk and front row lower stands) and Reia mouthed "thank you" at me when he saw me ♥ I also got waves from Matsuda Genta, Matsukura Kaito, Tamamoto Fumito, and Anderson Casey, and something that looked like a side-eye from Jinguji XD; So that brightened my mood a bit~
First and foremost, the penlights. It seemed that fans were going more with this (also found here) campaign than any other I've seen, so turning their penlights on to green or yellow before the show began, then switching to whatever they wanted after the first song, and then again for the encore. I'm bad at estimating, but when I first noticed the penlights before the first show began, I was amazed and moved almost to tears. It definitely was not everyone by a far cry, but I'd say there were at least 1,000 out of the 25,000 people there who turned their penlights to yellow or green. There were maybe slightly more in the first show than in the second show, but not by a whole lot.
Secondly, the balance. I think due to the Kobe shows being 3-member, there wasn't a lot done to change that for these shows. Marius and Sou were often onstage but not a part of the choreography, walking around the catwalk or standing off to the side of where Fuma, Kento, and Shori were dancing. The show was definitely worse than a usual concert in terms of time that only Fuma, Kento, and Shori were onstage, again probably because of the Kobe shows (plus the new single), but basically, my assessment is that while it could have been better I'd say Marius and Sou were truly treated as members of Sexy Zone (doing the same thing as Fuma and Kento; either included in the choreography or running around the catwalk the same as them) maybe 1/3 of the time, were onstage but not treated as equals 1/3 of the time, and were flat-out offstage 1/3 of the time. That's sort of rounding out that Marius and Sou were included in Kono Te wo Tsunagou, Don't Stop Sexy Boyz, and Gamushara, but… it's not like those songs were Sou or Marius solos, or even duets, since it was mostly juniors. On the other hand, Kento, Shori, and Fuma each had two solo sections probably amounting to about 5 minutes per person, so… there's really no fairness there. Kento did 4 solo songs including his new one, while Shori and Fuma each did 3. Marius and Sou had no solos, but were included together with juniors in three songs, but not really featured above the juniors in any way (basically at the same level as the juniors). It could have been worse, and I understand that the Kobe preparations were seriously playing into it, too, but it could definitely have been better.
Thirdly, news. Fuma said in the second show that they would try to "create a chance to meet again" this summer, as some sort of release event or something. However, only he, Kento, and Shori were standing on the stage when he said it, and he said something about "in this form." I'll be the first to admit that I am no native Japanese speaker, and there are often phrases that the context is obvious to a Japanese person while it sounds vague to me, but the immediate implication I took from it was "as the 3 of us" rather than 5. I'm worry that they'll have more single-related events as 3, and that we haven't see the end of this despite what Johnny's is saying on the phone.
But right now I'm really exhausted-- I've been up 18 hours and I need to go to sleep before I pass out. I'll probably be able to share the news a little more lucidly once I've gotten a decent night's rest, so for now, over and out. I don't want to sound like a pessimist-- the concert was definitely worse in terms of balance than every previous Sexy Zone concert I've been to (Summary 2012, New Years 2013, Spring 2013, Sexy Second 2014), but it definitely could have been a lot worse. I got to see all five members sing, dance, and perform, and that's the most important thing in the end.
And it does help that our seats were amazing (arena right next to the catwalk and front row lower stands) and Reia mouthed "thank you" at me when he saw me ♥ I also got waves from Matsuda Genta, Matsukura Kaito, Tamamoto Fumito, and Anderson Casey, and something that looked like a side-eye from Jinguji XD; So that brightened my mood a bit~
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it's probably not only kobe but also gamushara... promote the juniors more heavily with the shows coming up... etc. did marisou get costumes that differentiated them from the juniors in any way?
well, it makes no sense to include marisou in the release events since they aren't part of the single. imo the statements from johnny's are re: future releases of a 3-nin single. this one is already decided & they have to promote it as they normally would, so nothing that happens along those lines is necessarily something to worry about imo.
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I agree about Gamushara, though I think more than the promoting (tickets are all sold out now anyway) it's the fact that Johnny's flies by the seat of its pants approximately 90% of the time and they just didn't take the time to rehearse new numbers. Since Marius and Sou and the Juniors clearly didn't have much rehearsal for the Saitama shows, I think they just took what they could from the Gamushara shows and possibly filled the time of the Kobe MC with a few MariSou + Juniors numbers. As to costumes, thing were better than they have been. Marius and Sou each had a different costume to match the two juniors in their units for Kono Te wo Tsunagou, the same as in the Sexy Second concert, but for their other songs, they had their own unique costumes. I'm honestly having trouble remembering if there was one more costume change for Gamushara or something where they were in maybe a darker colour of the same shade as their juniors in Sexy Boyz/Show, but what Marius and Sou wore for most of the show was the purple and green costumes from the Sexy Second shows, regardless of what the juniors were wearing (red, white, pink… the juniors had more costume changes than the members, I think).
I don't know, to me this doesn't feel like "promoting as they normally would." Most Sexy Zone singles don't have even one, not to mention two (or more) release events, or random summer concerts based around them (let's be honest, I don't think that the only-three scheduling in Kobe was an accident). It really feels to me like they're doing everything possible to show the 3-member formation down our throats as much as possible in hopes of actually convincing us that it's better.
I know that I tend to get too emotional and read into stuff too much, but at the same time, to be honest, even if it ends after this, I'm still upset that it's even happening at all, and hurting Marius and Sou. Even if things turn out fine, there's a lot of uncertainty for us, and even more for them, and while I'm trying to think positive for the future, I feel pretty down right now about all this stuff.
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this concert sounds like a complete mess. omg. that aside, okay, i was actually expecting to hear that their costumes were virtually indistinguishable from the juniors' costumes - imo that is a good sign. also, i am SO thrilled to hear that gamushara tickets are sold out. BABIES, EVERYONE LOVES YOU!!
oops - by "as they normally would" i meant "as they were planning to for this single" - not as they have for past ones. it's too late to change anything at this point so we just have to kind of ride it out & see where things are once we get past the wave of stuff that's already been done/shot/decided. that's why i'm paying extra attention to sekuchan these days.
i mean, we can't really... do anything about what's going to happen. we can just try to take any action we can (i.e. penlight campaign, choosing not to buy the single, etc) & hope for the best but it's a waste of energy for us to constantly worry & be upset and none of them would want that tbh. all of the negativity and fear-mongering i've seen going around is ridiculous and the next person that attributes some bs remark or a crappy attitude to kento is getting my foot through their face. c: this doesn't mean that i'm not going to overanalyze, like, every single thing that happens for the next three months, but i have to choose to be optimistic bc the alternative is to lose sleep and cry a lot, lol.
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It really was a mess in my opinion lol. It didn't have any of the production value that their stuff usually has; it felt more like a Shounen Club rehearsal or something, just a bunch of singing and running around and not even that much dancing thrown into a performance space. Since there wasn't a main stage I think that was a big detraction. But yes! I hope that Marius and Sou really get a chance to shine at the Matsuri and not just the juniors. It really bothers me that they make the excuse of age and then have younger juniors than Sou doing more stuff than Marius and Sou. >__< So I hope that Marius and Sou get a lot of stage time at the Matsuri.
Yeah, I agree on getting past stuff that's already been filmed. The lag in most idol stuff is really frustrating sometimes since you can't see what's being done now until like 2 months from now. I don't know much about the Sekuchan filming schedule. Will the upcoming episodes be recent?
Hahaha honestly, you sound like me talking to most fans who comment on my stuff. I totally agree that hysterics and pessimism help no one and just make us feel miserable about something we can't change, and there's no reason to jump to crazy conclusions (I'll never forget trying to convince people that Johnny's World 2013 wasn't a sign that Marius and Sou were going to be kicked out of Sexy Zone and they hadn't been in the 2012 version, either, despite being billed lol). Especially the people who do that fear-mongering stuff and cause a huge hysterical panic through foreign fandom with people who can't speak Japanese and believe everything they hear… I definitely agree with you. I guess more of what I mean is… despite actively trying to be optimistic and not jump to conclusions, and my public statement being "wait and see, no use making a mountain out of a molehill," when I'm honest, I do feel pretty miserable about it right now, personally, in my own private life. But all we can do is ride it out and see where it goes and do out best to support Marius and Sou and the group as a whole, you're absolutely right. ^^
Re: Kento, what are people saying? :o I do admit that I find it easier to get aggravated with Kento because he hides his feelings more and tries to stay "professional," but anyone can see plain as day despite that that he's really upset over the whole thing. Honestly, in the past, though I haven't really found anyone willing to say even one negative thing against Kento when they heap criticism on Fuma, so I'm pretty surprised to hear that people are saying that sort of thing. o___o;
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fairly recent, anyway... at the beginning it always says "a certain day in (whatever month it is)" so when we start to hit july/august we'll know we're past the announcement. it's currently in june so it's probably running about a month behind. i'm trying to judge when they found out about the 3-nin single.
re: my personal feelings, i can't pretend that i'm not sad, but when people are retweeting/reblogging hysterical garbage (today i saw: "SEXY ZONE IS DEAD... BUT I'M FINE") or just outright making things up, i feel worried for the fans who believe them & i want to comfort them. i feel like a hypocrite, telling people to cheer up when i don't really feel cheerful, but maybe if i say it enough times i'll have an easier time believing it. i just... yeah, choosing to stay positive, but it is an effort.
oh my god. i will tell you just what i read today.
- he said this is the final sexy zone concert ever (lie)
- okay well maybe he didn't say that but that's what he wants, i can tell
- he said he wants to do more 3-nin concerts (lie)
- he doesn't care about what the fans want bc he only cares about what he wants
- he looked smug during his solo corners
- he yelled a lot bc he was angry that his fans changed their penlights for marisou
c: c: c: c: c: /foot
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Wow, that shows how much attention I pay when I watch Sekuchan lol. I'll have to pay attention to that now. |D;;; But yeah, it's hard to gauge. Do you have any ideas? I'm wondering in terms of magazines, too.
Okay, I understand that well. I basically feel that way every time something goes wrong in terms of fandom on LJ and people are crying that it's the end of Sexy Zone… but it is hard sometimes to convince myself even if I'm trying to convince other people. It's hard to always stay positive when there's no promise of things getting better just yet, but right now, there's really nothing else we can do. ^^;;
Wow, I've never seen anything like that! Is that all on twitter?? In English or Japanese?? I literally feel like people are shoving Kento's glory down my throat all the time (It's not that I don't think Kento is good in a lot of ways but my personal preference has always been to love idols for both their faults and their good points, so I get annoyed when people refuse to acknowledge anything negative about their favorite member) so I'm really really surprised to hear that. o____o People need to calm the fuck down and stop blaming members for the problem. That's only hurting the group more in the long run. I totally understand why you're bitter. Fuma isn't even my favourite member in the whole group, just my favourite in the ani-gumi, and it still makes me want to punch something when I hear what people say about him.
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i don't remember where i saw all of them but both english & japanese... moreso english. you know what, i'll pm you some links.
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I see. It makes more sense to me knowing English fandom and its tendency to jump on trends when it comes to blaming and hysterics. It's good to know Kento himself will probably never see or understand it, but it's still really frustrating. I'm really sorry that they're doing that to your favourite ;__;
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thank you for your sympathy. ;w;
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;__; *pat pat*
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But seeing how upset they look whenever they talk about it really breaks my heart. Fuma especially seemed like he'd rather not be onstage at all during most of the new single songs, in my opinion. Also, what he said in the second show being like "we won't lie to you" sort of worried me about what sort of stuff is happening or going through his head. Fuma has always had the hardest time dealing well with this sort of stuff, I think, and a little bit of what my friends and I call "crazy Fuma" (like how he was singing Lalalila in the debut Yokohama show) seemed to be showing. Of course this is all my reading of it (Fuma is my favourite in the ani-gumi and I'm not the hugest fan of Kento personally, so I tend to watch him the most) but… at any rate the older three did not seem thrilled to me.
Also, I'm sad we didn't bump into one another. Next time? XD
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I hope this blows over soon; obviously everyone is upset, certainly someone somewhere will intervene?
Seeing Fuma the way he was there still has me reeling. I've been really down all day; I can totally see how much it bothers him, and the fact that he's not even attempting to mask it is.. well, I'm glad, but I'm also really worried about him. At the Sexy Second concert he seemed like he was having fun, he was waving at everyone, he was totally normal. He wouldn't even look at anyone in the crowd this time. We were 200-level for two of the three concerts and in perfect view (hell, Marius even spotted us in the last show. And I maybe got to high five him 8D) but Fuma was totally looking past the crowd, if that makes sense. He wasn't waving at anyone, he was just waving. He had his moments where he let loose a bit but overall just.. He's really torn up over this, that much is obvious, and it's really hard to just sit back and watch that. I wish there was more we could do.
Hopefully there will be a next time, so absolutely yes! The next time they will be a group again. They have to be. T^T
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Ugh, I'm glad I'm not the only one. It's like, on one hand I like that Fuma shows his emotions, because it's easier for me to relate to than, say, Kento, who bottles it up all the time, but it makes me worry about him a lot. Just when he was really seeming stable and stuff, they gave him another push towards the edge, and it scares me ;; His personality changed so much when Sexy Zone debuted presumably because of all the emotional upheaval, and I don't want that to happen again. I hope that Kento and his friends in the Juniors support him, because he needs it right now ;
Yes! ;_____; Let's not think about the bad alternatives.
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And so many people saw us~ I'm so happy Reia saw you, and Gengen was so cute ♥ And I hope Anderson Casey is happy to see foreign fans/a fellow half person fan? XD;; I still can't believe we hit for both those seats.
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But yes, my baby ;____; I wanted to be like, thank you for being amazing ;___; And ahaha I always hope that other halfs can tell that I'm half too? We have half-senses, right? |D;
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Yeah, I hope so XD And if Casey has spent time in America too then that probably helps?
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Yeah, I hope so XD;; TGIH did…|D;;;
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True |D So hopefully people you don't hate also notice!
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Hahaha |D;;; Yes, I hope so.
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The stuff with the 3/2 for sexy zone sucks a lot and it makes me really sad.... I keep hoping that they'll go back to five but the way everything keeps going... I just don't know anymore and that makes it worse..
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As for the split… all we can do right now is hope and do our best to support 5, I think. It's making me sad, too, but since we can't know what's going on behind the scenes or change anything ourselves… we just have to show them we love them all, as 5.
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Well. I like Sexy Zone most as 5... so..
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I only like Sexy Zone as 5. So I want to do everything I can to help show that. But right now all we can do is not buy the single and hope, I think.
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I wanted to buy the single for Fuma but I also don't want to support this 3nin business. I just want them to go back to doing things as 5...
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Thank you for the update!
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The project definite didn't fail. The yellow and green was really noticeable, and there's basically no way you could expect every fan to have their penlight to green and yellow the whole time. There are so many factors: many fans didn't own the penlight, and no other Sexy Zone penlight even has green or yellow. Throughout the concert, Sexy Zone fans are gracious and change their penlight to the colour of the person performing (blue for Kento's solo, purple for Fuma's solo, etc), so there's no way they'd all keep it the same the whole time. Additionally, fans just want to support their favourite member. It's not really realistic to think that 25,000 people could somehow 1) all have a twitter account, 2) all have seen the twitter post, 3) all own a penlight that was sold at one event earlier this year, 4) all want to use that penlight rather than the new penlight from this concert, and 5) not use that penlight to support all five members, not just Marius and Sou. I think that the green and yellow was very visible and Marius and Sou probably noticed it. That's pretty much all I could ask for.
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Sorry, what do you mean by "stuff"? ^^;
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I'm glad your seats were amazing! They certainly sounded good~ And I'm glad that lots of people saw you :DD
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Our seats were way better than we even thought they were going to be, to be honest. Of course it was for this weird shitshow, but that's okay. XD; Reia knows I love him, so all's well that ends… with Reia knowing I love him.