12 Moments of Anime #12: Vocaloid Concert (and Merry Christmas!)

If you think about it, Hatsune Miku and Vocaloid actually has nothing to do with anime at all. But you just can't deny the huge impact it has in the otaku fandom and it's influence. It can already be said that Hatsune Miku is a prominent figure in the anime industry, despite never having a single anime produced for her. This is why the Mikupa Concert in AFA11 this year is the most memorable, and most important memory of 2011.

I don't wanna get pulled out of the concert, which is why I didn't take any pictures of the concert itself. But now that I think about it, the possibility of that happen is near impossible, right? Must be the heat of the moment. Anyway, check out this and this for more coverage and pics.

I regret not knowing the newer songs before I went to the concert, because it was so awesome, it made me a Vocaloid fanboy all over again. I used to only bother with Supercell; now my playlist expanded to 74 songs from different composers, like kz, Deco*27, samfree, wowaka, and more.

...I'm so obsessed, I could go on rambling forever, really. I'm sorry this isn't a very interesting post, but I really just wanna save the best for the last, and maybe other Vocaloid fans would feel the same way. But I'll end this here, because today is a important day for friends, family and lovers, right?

Merry Christmas!

AFA11 in Singapore

Pictured above is the highlight of AFA11 for me, the live dubbing of Chiwa Saito. The guy on the left is Danny Choo who is also the host of the AFA stage events. It's a pity she only appeared on stage for like 15 mins, and only dubbed a few scenes from PM3... no Senjougahara, no Sigyn Erster, no Lucchini... she did say "Hazukashii serifu kinshi" as Aika from ARIA (fan request) and something else as her Keroro character, but that's pretty much it.

Hatsune Miku Concert Singapore, Afterthoughts

FYI, the concert ended ~7hrs ago.

Sorry I couldn't get a better pic. I found myself a pretty good spot among the standing area, and I don't wanna risk getting pulled out by taking a picture lol... although I doubt anyone could get to me anyway. In the pic above, I'm just slightly to the left of the camera guys in the center.

Some info and afterthoughts:

First song is Hajimete no Koi ga Owaru Toki. The second one is Rollin' Girl.

Last song before the encore was Miku Miku ni Shite Ageru. Last song overall was Melt, like in Sapporo.

Much like Sapporo, the concert is actually one and half hours, as it started approx. 7.15 pm and ended approx 8.45 pm.

The song list is very similar to the one in Sapporo (Sapporo started with Kochi Muite Baby I think, Singapore's came much later). The AFA's concert features more songs that I'm familiar with, like Kokoro, Double Lariat, Migikata no Chou, etc...

The concert is 90% Miku (not that I'm complaining). Luka, Rin and Len average only about 3 songs each. The only duet is Miku & Rin... there's no Len & Rin (wtf?).

Len and Luka doesn't have alternate outfits.

There's a song (if anyone can help me identify it) where Miku wears a kimono and hold a paper fan... In the song Hold, Release; Raksasha and Carcasses, there's a part where Miku would hold out the mic to the fans to sing it for her. This worked extremely well in Sapporo, but sadly, it seems that a bunch of girls towards the left of the hall are the only ones who know those lyrics.

Miku introduced the band and herself in English (Engrish) before Miku Miku ni Shite Ageru, which technology seems to still be in testing stages. It feels like no one know what she's saying, but everyone cheered when the spotlight shone on the band. When Miku asked the crowd to introduce herself, well... it got really awkward when it seems like I'm the only one who screamed her name. No one understood, I guess.

The band 39 seems to have 5 members this time. Not sure about the previous concerts, but I think the first concert only had 4.

edit: Song list in comment below!

Anyway, my only real gripe is that the two steel support columns behind the screen are distracting. They reflected the light really well, and when Miku stands in front of either columns, you can't see her. I thought they could have covered them up or something.

This is all based on my limited knowledge, so don't curse me for getting anything wrong.

So, in conclusion, how was the concert?... It's fucking awesome. So awesome, that I feel like drowning myself in the music afterwards. I've always been a fan, but now I'm getting dangerously addicted...

See you at AFA11 tomorrow.

edit: I got the song order of the Sapporo concert wrong I guess.... but check out this link to see the Sapporo Concert Song List. I've tried in vain to find a proper one on Google, but thank god for Mikubook (which link I found in the concert hall, lol)