I didn’t know until the last minute, but there was an Ishida Yoko concert at Universal City Walk the other day (Friday, January 20th). It’s part of the Anime Fusion Tour. It sounded useful, so I headed on over to check it out. It’s hard to tell from the pics below, but the venue was right in the middle of City Walk next to the Hard Rock Cafe – a modestly sized gathering of a couple hundred people. Probably less than half of the audience was composed of anime fans, and the rest were the usual rubberneckers.
I was up near the front of the stage with a couple friends, one of whom was vigorously imitating the Para Para moves. I was almost seriously injured several times when other people were performing their backward Zs and reaching for the sky. Despite the dangers, it was fun hearing a bunch of anime songs. It was also pretty cool to be up close and personal with Ishida Yoko (definitely worth the $10 parking fee). Although, I can’t help feel a bit skeptical about the whole affair. They’ve been trying to push Para Para for the past couple of years, and I don’t really see it growing that much. Maybe I’m looking in the wrong places, but it’s barely visible on my radar. Also, the announcer was very enthusiastic about her being the “J-pop Princess”. Anyone who’s into J-pop knows that her popularity pales in comparison to a number of other acts in Japan. I like her songs a lot (I have an autographed CD), however, I don’t want to ignore the reality of the situation. I really do hope she does well, and I wish her all the best.
On a less serious note, I was surprised to notice a Code of Conduct right when I walked in from the parking garage.
It’s funny how I never noticed it before, but I suppose my recent encounter with one in Anchorage opened my mind to subtle details in the world around me. One such detail in Ginban Kaleidoscope was how the letters on the shirt of one of Tazusa’s friends changed in the same scene. Normally, this wouldn’t be so distrubing, but it’s a glaring error given the seriousness of this skating drama.
Before the discussion becomes too deeply mired in serious details, I’ll point you in the direction of another spatula, and the overhyped Pic of the Week.