kei list the director's cut edition
hey there. this is kei. I’m not posting this list anywhere else besides the link from shy’s substack, so if you clicked, thanks for being interested enough to do so! I really went overboard and ended up really wanting to talk more about things from this year. it’s the same list really just with a lot more context. a director’s cut if you will.
it was a long year for me. but even I still think it’s fun to talk about things sometimes. the last few years I’ve sort of fallen in on myself. In the past it used to be a funny thought, that I might get older and grow out of the social media spaces I was in like other people I’d seen before do, and now here I kind of am. I can’t say it’s entirely my fault though, there were some tough times as we might say. I felt like I was in an off year, or maybe you would say it wasn’t exactly a contract year for me. I didn’t have my north star in the sky to follow of a new kiseki game in late September, so maybe that was what had me feeling lost. I have had to learn to accept a lot of things. but I’m getting better at routines. I’m probably too old to say that’s what becoming an adult is, but hell, it feels like it could be. I may not have relaxed quite as much, but what I worked towards in so many respects felt at least worth for myself. I’m very thankful every day to my wonderful family and amazing friends.
all in a day’s walk
I can always go back to a moment from this year for some peace. Walking aimlessly in the foothills of a place I’d never been to, I wandered onto the grounds of a bamboo garden. It was the afternoon and sunlight just seemed to be bleeding through the trees at the same rate as the light breeze. I have really bad astigmatism so the sunlight ended up causing me to walk into a Chinese tourist’s Instagram shot. I apologized and had a really good bowl of green tea at the venue. There was barely anybody around on this spring-like Winter day, and the rustling of leaves and very faint whispers of conversation were all that I could hear. Life has felt particularly noisy this year, though not in a negative way. The grinding of every piece involved is simply not quiet. At least I have this memory to return to whenever I need to expel the sound for a bit.
overly susceptible to advertising (Heaven Burns Red)
Turns out I’m very susceptible to advertising. I was pretty gone one night and made a pledge to play what was the most advertised game everywhere on my visit to Tokyo–Heaven Burns Red, the PC/mobile game from VISUAL ARTS/Key. I didn't simply proclaim I'd do this, I simultaneously bought multiple T-shirts from the game, an action that was meant to enlist myself into playing it so that I could feel like I wasn’t a poser when wearing the shirt out. I had no idea what I was getting into, and turns out it was the perfect time to get into the game.
Heaven Burns Red feels impossible to describe. Loading this game you are greeted with one of the most loaded theme songs I’ve ever heard, linked above, from singer yanaginagi. This title track, “Before I Rise” sweeps you away with somber, pathos filled to the brim style lyrics before launching into an emotional suite of strings and electronic synths. Coupled with the absolutely beautiful art from lead artist Yugen, you start to get a feel for the emotion this game packs in. You then set out with our protagonist, Ruka Kayamori, waking up from a doze in the middle of a school entrance ceremony. Ruka, a teen prodigy rockstar with zero braincells, immediately introduces you to a number of wacky dialogue choices. In due time the setting of high school students tasked with defending the Earth against an alien menace is introduced, but to say that is all there is to it would be selling the game incredibly short. I can’t comtemplate any way to talk about the places this game goes without spoiling it, but I can talk about the outside material.
I had never played a KEY game, nor was I familiar with any of the works of Jun Maeda besides Charlotte. I had no idea the man was an incredible musician or that his works were considered to be particularly funny. I did however know that they were emotional, and in every single one of those respects, this game delivers. Within the setting that already pushes the boundaries of disbelief, the game doubles down and has the “main party” of sorts (Class 31-A) form in-universe band She is Legend. This band, formed in real life as well as in game, is performed by newcomer vocalist XAI and veteran anison vocalist Konomi Suzuki (with additional Scream segments by ayumu of Serenity In Murder). It goes without saying to anyone already familiar with Maeda and co. that this band would be a gold standard for anison bands, but I wasn’t, so I was just plain ole blown away. As seen below, they have also started doing 3DCG live segments for songs in the game, and they completely deliver.
More than anything, this project has introduced me to a huge number of voice actors and artists that I want to continue following even if this game hits end-of-service next quarter. From She is Legend vocalist XAI, to emotional voice performances from the likes of Tomori Kusonoki, Aimi, Aoi Hinata, Koga Aoi, Yume Miyamoto, and SO many more. Heaven Burns Red is flipping the script on so much of what was predefined for its predecessors in the mobile/social game realm. I can’t even be mad at them for putting “a game that will redefine the history of smartphone games” tagline in their trailer, because I really do think they’re achieving it. I’m just happy to be along for the ride as it does.
TOKYO MX PRESENTS Healing Time
At varying times of the day and night, the Tokyo area TV channel, TOKYO MX, will broadcast a program that I can simply describe as respite. Healing Time and its various spinoffs are a selection of calming music, nice images and videos, the current time and temperature in Tokyo, and news headlines silently running at the bottom of the screen in text form. Sometimes you can catch CHORO CLUB tunes while the text feed displays a headline about a local construction project and many pleasant cats are lounging around on screen. You can enjoy Healing Time while getting ready for bed, or while getting ready for the day ahead. I’m so lucky to be able to experience this program that I only found because of jetlagged channel surfing. My only regret is not living in a timezone that matches up to its programming, because watching on tape delay just isn’t the same.
Hello and Goodbye: A Dance Evolution Arcade Story
I can trace a lot in my life back to my local Round1 arcade establishment opening. Thanks to those doors opening, I stumbled into learning all about shuffle dancing, and then found out that I really just loved dancing in general. Over the years now I have put in effort on learning and training almost every single day as it quickly became one of my favorite things to do. In 2022, we got an answer to the question few were asking—-when is the next Dance Evolution going to come out? To quickly explain, this Kinect game (and arcade machine housing a PC + Kinect!) may have reached maximum exposure prior to release when then BEMANI team member NAOKI poorly playtested it during Konami’s infamous 2010 E3 conference. I was even lucky to be able to play the game at my local arcade, though that was long after the game was removed from online service.
When listlessly searching for an arcade in Tokyo featuring the game led me to the 6th floor of a 9 floor tall monolith of a shopping mall, appropriately named BIG BOX, where I found not just a working cabinet, but an online model at that. Arcade operators would have had to pay to get an online upgrade kit, and since I was so late to the game, I had never seen it before. When booting the game and logging in, animations I might never get to see again played across the game screens. The warm feelings of discovering this machine, late at night, in the cold corner of a barely occupied arcade, couldn’t be extinguished by the news that would arrive weeks later, of our local arcade having to put the game out of commission. It’s another lesson in how you truly don’t know what you’ve got til it’s gone, especially when arcades are in such dire straits. I’m still putting in the work at home every night, and hope that if I ever encounter the game in the wild I’ll be ready, but at the moment I am simply happy that I was able to see the game in its original form just once in my life.
the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come should have just showed me this anime (accidentally discovering MyGO and also Remorse)
Wandering Tower Records’ anime music floor with a friend, I pointed out a section of CDs that caught my eye. Designs that looked like the exact kind of anime v-singer band that I would usually be so very into jumped right off the packaging. Later I would come to discover that this new band belonged to the BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! Series.
I used to be a real bully about Bandori. I can still recall making fun of it for no reason, just to fit in with people I barely knew at the time and never went on to know any better. More than anything, it ended up hurting a real friend who never mentioned they were into the series. I can’t say enough how much I regret that, and I’ve tried to make sure that I don’t make the same mistakes again.
As I’ve been shown the error of my ways, I hope that I can spread the love now.
It didn’t take long for me to fall for the band after seeing their incredibly atmospheric live events. Getting to know the cast after their official unveiling and subsequent anime announcement has been an absolute blast. Not only has this fictional band taken over so much of my listening time this year, they also went and dropped my favorite anime of the year to tie into it! Studio Sanzigen and Yuniko Ayana knew their assignments and came out swinging with what was dubbed by Yahoo News Japan as “Reiwa’s Most Depressing Anime”. I listen to the MyGO radio show weekly, bought multiple copies of their first album, and can even name every cast member by their regular nicknames—something I’m usually terrible at memorizing!
It would be one thing if MyGO came from out of nowhere, like 2022’s Kessoku Band, but MyGO is just the next entry in a well established franchise. Seeing the management of this series push to new horizons with confidence is inspiring in an age where a six month anniversary is a huge milestone. I cannot wait to see where MyGO are headed, as well as literally see them when I head back across the Pacific next year to their Zepp Tour stop. For 2023, MyGO’s impact and following shock waves were some extremely fun waves to ride.
still chanting in-n-out at the top of my lungs (Walkure Final Live)
I realize that much of this list is about my experiences with Japanese media mix franchises. The thing is, I don’t think I’d have ended up at this point without having been exposed to the Macross franchise’s idol group Walkure in 2016. Entirely unable to turn back to normal after experiencing Ikenai Borderline for the first time, I trekked through the sweltering heat to Anime Expo just to see JUNNA and Minori Suzuki perform. In the process I was exposed to Wake Up Girls, Aquors, and various members of The IDOLMASTER Cinderella Girls.
It was only right that after so many years of amazing music I would make another trek to see them off at a delayed viewing a state away. This is the first time I’ve seen a group I cared for so deeply perform in a “final” capacity, and goddamn did they set the bar high with their performance at the Makuhari Messe which seemed to go on forever both in physical size as well as time. My own personal struggles (waking up early, driving through the state of Ohio) paled in comparison to what these girls accomplished at this event. It was my first time seeing a delayed viewing, or a live viewing, and what better to have as a first than the ultimate live from the group that started it all for me.
I can still remember how much of a dipshit I felt like not having penlights at my first ever idol live to cheer on JUNNA and Minori Suzuki, just really toughing it out with the pathetic plastic one given to me at the door. I will never arrive that unprepared again, and next time one of my favorite groups has a finale, I will be there in person.
Breaking out of The Algorithm (does anyone have some cdjs we can borrow)
I’m not really the type to make New Year’s resolutions. The single exception was last year around the holidays, when, in a particularly inspired moment, I told some friends that I was going to take 2023 to “get back into music”. 2021 and 2022 felt like I was resting on my laurels and letting algorithms decide on too much of what I listened to.
Actively searching out and discovering music arrived in a much different form than I had anticipated, as I found myself often using the DJ controller I bought and let collect dust for years. I’ve found that having that as a basis for seeking out new and different genres of music, as well as listening to a lot of other DJs to get inspiration, has turned what I thought might be exhausting (in a good way) into straight up fun that I can’t stop with. It’s a hobby that I truly hope I can do more with in the next year.
So much of this I can attribute to my really awesome friends for giving me the confidence to stick with it. I can also say that having a space to enjoy discussing music again helps more than I remembered. When I think back now, I can recall that the times I was most excited about music were all tied to the people I had to talk about it with. Big shoutouts to pas tasta, AVYSS magazine, libesh ramko, and Tsunaki Kadowaki.
Bonus feature I’m adding the day before, my favorite albums of the year:
no public sounds - 君島大空
GOOD POP - PAS TASTA
Job for a Rockstar - She is Legend
迷跡波 - MyGO!!!!!!
POP AID - TEMPLIME
PRESENCE/ABSENCE - 楠木ともり
CODE GE4SS - 4s4ki
Local Visions - 長瀬有花 & OACL
shumatsucollection - libesh ramko
FINE LINE - パソコン音楽クラブ
Government Assigned School Idols (Link! Like! Love Live!)
Slowly I have been caught in the quicksand by Hasunosora Girls’ High School Idol Club. This comes as a surprise to me, as I assumed I was just out of the franchise for no real reason in particular. This project, envisioned as an active time story encapsulating a full year, is presented in scripted episodes as well as livestreams. The art is crazy good, and the music is too. I just thought that I couldn’t be invested in something like this again. Maybe I’m just better acclimated to enjoying a project with less commitment required, and a set start and end date, but I can’t deny it just blows my mind that I’d care about this particular franchise in any capacity again. The music does a lot in that regard, and clearly the performers are talented as hell, which I’m noticing from seeing them at the recent IDOLM@STER vs LOVE LIVE Ijigen Fes event. It’s just nice to be along for the ride like this sometimes without feeling like there’s 200 years of catchup to be done beforehand.
gaijin jumpscared at the coco ichibanya (THE IDOLM@STER M@STERS OF IDOL WORLD!!!!! 2023)
I already talked about falling backwards into idol music, and eventually actual events. With that being said, what has captured my heart more than anything else has always been The IDOLMASTER franchise. When Masters of Idol World 2023 was announced, I struggled to figure out how I could make getting there happen. It was nerve wracking enough given that I hadn’t traveled since prior to the pandemic breaking out. I ended up planning a trip around this event, and didn’t even have tickets for it until I was already on the ground. Two days of unforgettable music and so many dreams of which I couldn’t have even imagined fulfilling later, and it still doesn’t feel like it was real. I still sit here just imagining the roars explode through the Tokyo Dome as additional characters joined in to sing songs in collaborations and crossovers like it was an anime idol Royal Rumble. I’m fairly sure the excitement I felt hearing the opening melody of Hanazakari Weekend followed by immediate fumbling for my last UOs (which I held upside down by accident) was the highest spike in my heart rate all year.
Right now, these memories feel particularly fleeting, like the last celebration of what was. Bandai Namco threw a “Please Look Forward To 3rd Vision” graphic on all screens as the event came to a close, marking their line in the sand that what was coming next would be the “next era” of the series. Their management decisions have not inspired confidence in this series, with a number of fumbles and tone deaf responses landing in the months since the concert took place. I can’t say what type of place this franchise holds in the halls of Bandai Namco, as it is one of the final remnants of Namco influence still kicking around, but I wish for more than it currently receives.
However, no amount of distrust in management, can take away my one shining moment from after this event. Committing myself to the cause of International Danketsu (read: Unity) in a curry restaurant after the event wrapped up, I gave a Japanese man the biggest white man jumpscare of his life by drunkenly complimenting the character pins on his bag, and explaining that the character on them was my favorite, in so many words.
In summary: I heard M@STERPIECE live, I’m never going to fail.
“ohhhhhhhh so that’s what those girls are from” game of the year 2023 (Blue Archive)
For anyone as embedded into the various subcultures I am, it would be a very difficult year to ignore Blue Archive.
After several years of building up from its launch in 2021, it has achieved complete dominance over the market it was shooting for, no pun intended.
From the outside looking in, it’s easy to assume that this game would be nothing but more slop in the trough for the type of person that was already playing other mobile games of the gachapon variety. The presentation certainly did catch my eye back in 2021, with an undeniably of-the-era soundtrack and sleek, modern character and world designs. These are all the obvious hooks you need in the era of social games (soshage for short).
Besides that though, what of the actual material? I had to find out for myself. It seemed so unlikely that a game could have so much fan support and creative content with nothing to actually inspire it. What I found was a game that knew its limits and lived to the fullest within them. Instead of pushing boundaries on presentation like full voice acting, or pushing the limits of mobile chipsets with insane graphics, Blue Archive just puts in work at the ground level by aiming to present itself more like TYPE MOON’s Fate/stay night or Kazuma Kamachi’s A Certain Magical Index than it does a cheap clone of whatever was hottest at the time of development.
The game’s various systems contribute directly to this sense of creativity and community–it’s easy to imagine fun scenarios where two characters are at the same location on the map, and though they never interacted before in any canon material, this occurrence could spawn fan art or jokes that grow legs until they’re officially recognized by the game’s development team. The parts of this game where the investment shows through, such as the art, score, and chibi style 3D models, are rife with details to be explored and expanded on.
The other series that I can remember having this type of output was the aforementioned IDOLM@STER. It’s hard for me not to look at Blue Archive’s massive success with fans as a passing of the guard. It would be easy for Nexon to fuck this up, but their planning has stayed one step ahead the entire way. It’s not uncommon for soshage to feel unplanned, but Blue Archive was planned all the way to having a final chapter. The reactions of fans seeing “Final Chapter” on screen with the premiere of the game’s 4th PV is one of the most hilarious moments of the year. Of course, the 4.5th PV would blow them away months later at the conclusion of the final chapter as the game continued. Between various spinoffs, an anime adaptation, and so many other mixed media matters, it’s going to be difficult for even the biggest in the business to get a piece of it.
As for the writing of the game, it really can go quite back and forth, not helped much by a somewhat lacklustre translation, but at its best, it draws upon many of the loveable character writing aspects that you might have found in older visual novels or galge. The focus on the player character (a teacher, still referred to in the English localization as “Sensei”) as they attempt to relate to, understand, and assist their students as a helpful teacher is particularly well done. It’s hard not to see the undertones, what with the most recognizable aspect of this game to English game communities being two specific characters and their associated event outfits, but you truly can look past it if you try, in my opinion anyway!
There’s so much more to love about it than I could put into words here, but it has been one of, if not my favorite experiences this year.