Day 2 of
Anisong World Matsuri at
Anime NYC took off with just as much excitement and energy as Day 1, opening on a powerful note with anisong legends
Hironobu Kageyama and
Hiroshi Kitadani.
Hiroshi Kitadani
The two artists ran out as soon as the stage lights came on and started singing
GO!!!, a song from the hugely popular anime “NARUTO”. The anticipation for the two anisong icons was palpable; the audience erupted in cheers and waved their glow sticks as soon as the song started.
Kitadani and
Kageyama sang together in well-honed harmony, as expected from the two artists of the well-known anisong rock group,
JAM PROJECT.
After the song and introductions,
Kageyama left the stage and
Kitadani opened his set with
Revolution.
Kitadani then charismatically interacted with the crowd, encouraging everyone to call him “
Dani” and talked about his next song
We Can! a well-known “ONE PIECE” anime opening song. Even though it was originally sung with the band
KISHIDAN,
Kitadani enthused, “I will do my best!” and he rocked out the song with just as much energy as if he were with the band.
Kitadani’s set included
Divine Love from “Saint Beast”, as well as more popular “ONE PIECE” songs, much to the crowd’s delight. Many fans in the audience were dressed up as “ONE PIECE” characters. Never missing a beat,
Kitadani displayed a strong stage presence as he pumped up the crowd, energetically traversing the stage and encouraging everyone to sing and chant along. Despite some language barriers, he made a strong effort to interact often with the audience in English and sprinkled in jokes that made everyone laugh in between songs.
Set list
Hironobu Kageyama x
Hiroshi Kitadani
01. GO!!! (Naruto)
Hiroshi Kitadani
02. Revolution
03. We Can! (One Piece)
04. Divine Love (Saint Beast)
05. We Go! (One Piece)
06. We Are! (One Piece)
Shoko Nakagawa
Although
Kitadani’s set was finished, the high energy pace continued when
Shoko Nakagawa (
Shokotan) took the stage. She opened her set with
Dori Dori from “Pokemon XY”. The crowd continued to cheer and, encouraged by
Shokotan, who had her own glow stick, uniformly turned their glow sticks to pink. Accompanied by two backup dancers, she delivered an energy packed performance, singing perfectly in pitch while simultaneously dancing along. Most of her set carried on at the same pace, with the backup dancers doing more elaborate moves as she sang and fired up the crowd with chants and her own more simpler, yet energetic dance moves.
The pace slowed as she introduced and performed her newest single
blue moon, used as the second ending theme for the anime “Zoids Wild”. She then followed with hugely popular anime theme song
A Cruel Angel’s Thesis. Many members of the audience sang along with the familiar classic. The chants resumed along with the sounds of drums and guitar as
Shokotan closed her solo set with lively pop-rock song
Soriaro Days.
Kitadani then closed the set with
Shokotan as they made a very dynamic joint performance of
Pegasus Gensou ver. Omega from the anime “Saint Seiya Omega”. They performed well together, encouraging the audience to chant along and jump during certain points of the song.
Set list
Shoko Nakagawa
07. Dori Dori (Pokemon XY)
08. happily ever after (Gurren Lagann)
09. pretty please chocolate on top
10. blue moon (Zoids Wild)
11. A Cruel Angel’s Thesis (Neon Genesis Evangelion)
12. Sorairo Days (Gurren Lagann)
Shoko Nakagawa x
Hiroshi Kitadani
13. Pegasus Gensou ver. Omega (Saint Seiya Omega)
Morning Musume。’18
There was a distinct change in the vibes of the concert as loud bass reverberated throughout the hall and the next set of performers entered the stage:
Morning Musume。’18. They opened with
Jiyuu na Kuni Dakara, followed by
Are You Happy? More mature in appearance and performing more complex synchronized choreography than many other well-known idol groups, one couldn’t help but be transfixed by their elaborate performance.
After the first two adrenaline-pumped performances, each of the 12 members introduced themselves and mentioned their favorite anime, ranging from “Gundam” to “Doraemon”.
Miki Nonaka did a cute imitation of “Doraemon”, causing the crowd to erupt in laughter.
Morning Musume。’18’s set was as diverse as their anime interests, ranging from classics
Renai Revolution and
One•Two•Three, to the more recent
Furaru Ginza and
What is Love?. Despite constantly staying in motion, the group’s singing and dancing remained powerful and in synchrony for every song they performed.
An unexpected collaboration between
Hironobu Kageyama and
Morning Musume。’18 that made the crowd go wild ended the set. Together, they sang a medley of
Love Machine and
CHA-LA HEAD CHA-LA. The audience watched and cheered on in amusement after
Kageyama admitted he couldn’t dance. They put on a very entertaining performance with
Morning Musume。’18 performing coordinated moves around
Kageyama as he smiled his usual broad smile and attempted to follow along with his simpler and silly dance moves.
Set list
Morning Musume。’18
14. Jiyuu na Kuni Dakara
15. Are You Happy?
16. Furari Ginza
17. One and Only
18. Renai Revolution (updated)
19. One•Two•Three
20. What is LOVE?
Morning Musume。’18 x
Hironobu Kageyama
21. Medley: Love Machine / CHA-LA HEAD CHA-LA (Dragon Ball Z)
Hironobu Kageyama
Last but definitely not least,
Kageyama began his solo set after
Morning Musume。’18 left the stage. Striking straight into the hearts of devoted “DRAGON BALL” fans attending
Anime NYC, he starting with two “DRAGON BALL Z” classics:
WE GOTTA POWER and
Bokutachi wa Tenchidatta. The familiar synthesized instrumentals reminiscent of many classic 90s anime songs filled the hall and
Kageyama belted out the songs with such power and gusto to bring everyone’s level to over 9,000!
One of the most poignant performances of the anisong event came when
Kageyama brought out his black acoustic guitar and performed an acoustic duet version of
Yume Kounen with
Shokotan. The acoustic portion continued after
Shokotan exited the stage and he played another unexpected popular anime classic
The Real Folk Blues from “Cowboy Bepop”.
Kageyama’s full, hoarse voice was a good match for the bluesy piece and the hall was silent in appreciation.
After the riveting acoustic segment ended,
Kageyama quickly brought the audience back up to speed with his last two fist pumping songs,
HEATS and
Saint Shinwa ~Soldier Dream~. After finishing his set,
Kageyama thanked the crowd, saying “This is the best crowd ever!” He then invited
Morning Musume。’18,
Shoko Nakagawa, and
Hiroshi Kitadani back onto the stage and altogether they performed one last crowd favorite,
THE HERO!! ~Ikareru Ken ni Honō o Tsukeru~ from popular anime series “ONE PUNCH MAN”. All the performers thanked and waved at everyone before exiting the stage.
The broad range of artists spanning Day 1 and Day 2 appealed to the many different fans present. Evidenced by the crowd that remained and continued to chant and cheer, hoping for more after the artists left the stage, it is clear that
Anisong World Matsuri at
Anime NYC will continue to remain a fond memory for those who attended.
Set list
Hironobu Kageyama
22. WE GOTTA POWER (DRAGON BALL Z)
23. Bokutachi wa Tenshidatta (DRAGON BALL Z)
24. Yume Kounen (Uchuusen Sagittarius) – special collaboration with
Shoko Nakagawa
25. The Real Folk Blues (Cowboy Bepop)
26. HEATS (Getter Robo Armageddon)
27. Saint Shinwa ~Soldier Dream~ (Saint Seiya)
Hironobu Kageyama,
Hiroshi Kitadani,
Shoko Nakagawa,
Morning Musume。’18
28. THE HERO!! ~Ikareru Ken ni Honō o Tsukeru~ (ONE PUNCH MAN)
Links
Anisong World Matsuri Website: http://anisongworldmatsuri.com/
Anime NYC Website: http://animenyc.com/
Anisong World Matsuri Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnisongWorldMatsuri/
Anisong World Matsuri Twitter: https://twitter.com/AnisongWorld
Anisong World Matsuri Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anisongworldmatsuri
Anisong World Matsuri YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/anisongworldmatsuri
Read our live report on Day 1 at http://www.jame-world.com/us/articles-132180-anisong-world-matsuri-at-anime-nyc-day-1.html
