Orangey Orange, Grapity Purple: Drawn to Dawn Concert Review

Posted on by

“Solo live.” “Duo live.” Whatever you call it, Drawn to Dawn was something special. An in-person VTuber concert at the Wiltern in Los Angeles held on March 27 and 28, the event featured two of the founding members of hololive English: the spirited phoenix diva Takanashi Kiara and the low-key eldritch priestess Ninomae Ina’nis. While both have years of experience performing in front of a live audience, they also have never had the spotlight dedicated to just them. They join their gen mate Calliope Mori in being among the few EN talents to star in concerts of this kind.

And in the months leading up to the event, I kept waffling between excitement and buyer’s remorse.

While I greatly admire and support both Kiara and Ina, I’m also nowhere near being the most diehard fan of either. Was I denying a bigger KFP or Takodachi the opportunity of their life? Was I spending my money wisely, given the cost of tickets and overall travel expenses? Was I really going all the way to LA just to do this? The doubts lingered, but one thing I told myself was that if ever there was a time to show my appreciation for these Myth girls, this was it.

I’ve seen my fair share of VTuber concerts, and multiple talents typically means alternating between the performers from song to song. To my surprise, however, they instead each had their own dedicated sections before crossing over for a big finale. Kiara started for Day 1 (and thus appeared in the free preview online), while Ina opened on Day 2. The approach differed significantly from the generation-focused concerts (e.g. NePoLaBo’s and holoFantasy’s) by emphasizing them as individuals more than their identity as a group, which ended up very effectively showcasing their differences, allowing each to shine in their own unique ways and at their own paces.

Takanashi Kiara

As the owner of one of the largest discographies on the English side, Kiara has always made clear that a concert like this had been one of her dreams. However, it has been an uphill battle for her, having started in hololive at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and having spent the great majority of her tenure living outside of Japan. As later generations have debuted with even more stage experience than her, it felt like her star might not shine quite as brightly among the multitude. Despite these challenges, she persevered and honed her craft, and her resulting performance truly felt like she was pouring all of that passion and determination onto the stage. I have never seen Kiara move better or sound better than she did for Drawn to Dawn. 

Kiara has always had the most “pop star” energy of her generation, and her setlist embodied that. Every single one of her 20 numbers had its own unique choreography, with only a few slow enough to even arguably be considered “restful.” She even included more complex formations with back-up dancers, who themselves had newly revealed designs that took them from shadow silhouettes to full-fledged characters. And in a first for hololive, the dancers actually have two unique designs instead of just one.

Not to be outdone by her own back-up, Kiara debuted a new 3D outfit herself. It was exactly what she was wearing on the official promotional art for the concert, and also happened to be one of the best VTuber outfits I’d ever seen, both from Kiara and in general—and that’s factoring in the fact that I adore her other outfits too. (I may have a dirndl bias, though.)

It was also quite remarkable to hear her bring her current singing ability and some of the flair she uses in “Do U” and “Mirage” (one of my favorites), to her older songs, such as “Hinotori” and “Fever Night” (another favorite). And when she slowed down the tempo for “Blue and Gold,” a song dedicated to her former genmates Gawr Gura and Amelia Watson, the weight of the history they (and we) share felt palpable. 

During one of her MCs, Kiara read a letter she wrote to her past self. She recalled the time she performed in front of an audience of just one person (who wasn’t even there for her), and wanted to congratulate the younger “Kiara” on not giving up. She also brought up the development of her music style—which she cheekily called “K-pop” (short for Kiara-pop)—and the way she has shifted from a more cheerful J-idol sound to a more mature K-pop presentation. She was honest in stating that she personally prefers the former, but understood that the latter was getting her more notice, and that mix of passion, pragmatism, and bluntness is what I think draws fans to Kiara. 

I have to wonder if the rise of “Kiara-pop” simply comes from her fan base being younger than her now (whereas it would have been older than her in the past), and whether Kiara will find a way to unite the two sides of her music into something greater.

Ninomae Ina’nis

In many ways, Ina is the opposite of Kiara. With her more subdued personality, she’s known for things like her professional-level art skills, her comfy chatting style, and her love of puns. To Ina, music and stage performances have not been life-long pursuits, but rather something she has come to learn and appreciate as part of hololive. The size of her discography is only a fraction of Kiara’s, but Ina’s artistic sense comes through every time in her choice of music style and the aesthetics of each music video, and she brought that same creative unity to Drawn to Dawn.

Whereas Kiara’s staging drew most of the attention to herself and the dancers, Ina’s was almost like a series of paintings in motion. Each of her original song performances was unified by a single thematic color that reflected the contents of the song, and often its implications in both the official lore of Ninomae Ina’nis and the identity she has created with her fans. As she sang and moved about the stage, it was as if she was integrating herself into each art piece.

Ina also revealed her own new 3D outfit matching the official promotional art, which resembles something like occult priest robes but with some extra pizzazz. It was sharp and elegant, but there was an additional surprise: the robes could be removed to reveal a more casual long-sleeve and short skirt ensemble. Social media was abuzz with the comments about how her lack of high heels and somewhat larger thighs gave a different (yet welcome) impression to Ina’s appearance. Incidentally, Kiara’s thighs also seem to have been made larger, and attractiveness aside, I can’t help but wonder if this is some kind of trend. (Then again, even the original and official character designs of hololive members often don’t end up perfectly matching their VTuber models in proportions, be they 2D or 3D.)

While Ina doesn’t have a ton of range to her voice, she used it well across all her songs, especially when taking into account that all her originals are quite different from one another. “Violet” is quiet and gentle, “Meconopsis” has a heartrending and forlorn quality that I particularly love, “ “Tako Takover” is silly and hypnotic, and so on. Because she doesn’t have nearly as many songs as Kiara, she filled out some of her setlist with covers of other hololive members’.

As Ina explained in an MC section, she had no experience singing and dancing in this way prior to hololive. However, that has made her journey to Drawn to Dawn special in its own way. Rather than it being the culmination of a continuously striving performer, Ina’s path is one of new discovery and the realization of another facet of herself. Together with Kiara, they exemplify two types of idol journeys, and this juxtaposition strengthened both women’s respective approaches.

Miscellaneous

There were a few technical issues that occurred during the event. The line on Day 2 took so long that some people did not even get the chance to see the first few songs. I managed to get in on time, but only because I went around asking employees about the early entry line, and that was only because a friend reminded me that there was supposed to be early entry in the first place. Apparently some of the Wiltern workers didn’t realize that, and put everyone on the same massive line, which wrapped around the venue. 

This isn’t the first hololive concert that had issues of this kind, and I think it might come down to unfamiliarity with attendees who want to carry their entire fan collection with them. Each venue exists on its own, so we have to repeat history over and over. Day 2 was better in the sense that they just delayed the start. 

I also realized something myself. I’m actually not a huge fan of penlight stuff, especially when it’s supposed to be a detailed and coordinated choreography. When I have to make a conscious effort to do it, I end up having a harder time concentrating on the actual performers, who are my main focus. There was more than one occasion at Drawn to Dawn where I found myself fumbling to do the “right” thing and missed a dance move or accidentally zoned out. I appreciate penlight formations and all that, but I end up distracting myself. At the most, I just want to vibe along with it at my own pace. 

Speaking of penlights, one bizarre thing happened to me (and apparently a few others) during “Blue and Gold.” As per Kiara’s instructions, we were supposed to set our Penlights to Myth colors during the final chorus, and I had mine set to Gura blue and Ame yellow. Venue security actually came up to me during the song and asked me to turn off the yellow, mistaking it for an Ultra Orange glowstick. This is despite multiple Ultra Oranges being deployed by other people during the concert with seemingly no consequence. I was a little annoyed to have the moment tarnished by this interaction, but I understand that security was just trying to do its job and didn’t understand the difference—hell, I only recently learned about it in greater detail.

Final Thoughts

While I was initially unsure about whether attending Drawn to Dawn was the right decision, I don’t regret it one bit now that I’m on the other side. I enjoyed the hell out of it, and was happy to be part of something so unique. I ended up making a lasting memory and growing my appreciation for both Kiara and Ina.

At the end of each day, both girls asked the audience to quiet down so that they could shout out with their voices unmic’d. Despite some audio mishaps and audience confusion, getting to hear the fact that two of them were really and truly present with us in that concert hall is a treat I’ll cherish forever.

I Think I Finally Understand the Omegaverse

Posted on by

I remember being caught off guard the first time I heard about the Omegaverse, and I still feel that way. There’s what? And they get huh? And it comes from…Supernatural fanfic based on the actors?! I’s still not really my cup of tea, but I operate on a policy of “let people enjoy what they enjoy.” Still, I’ve had to wonder why exactly has it garnered such a sizable, prominent, and devoted fandom. At least, why this instead of something else?

As I was pondering that question, though, I realized something: It is both kink and world building in one. 

Plenty of erotic stories revolve around specific sexual dynamics, as well as the idea that a character’s personality (based on a canon source or otherwise) dictates how they behave in more intimate and explicit situations. Shipping is often about expanding this thought exercise to two or more characters.

But the Omegaverse takes things a couple steps further. The concept of “alphas” and “omegas” doesn’t just dictate their roles in bed but also their biological makeup, their history, and by extension the way characters move through their society. The extrapolation of sexual behavior based on personality becomes all-encompassing.

To put it differently, it’s kind of like creating a story where it’s assumed that pizza delivery people are going to get some “extra tip” by default, and the consequences of such a world. 

At least, that’s what I’ve gotten out of the idea? Perhaps I’m barking up the wrong tree.

Loose Connections: Soul of Chogokin Shinkalion E5 Hayabusa

Posted on by

I have a hard time believing that Shinkalion is over a decade old. It feels like just yesterday that I first saw a live suit actor performing as a train robot at an event as a precursor to the anime. But last year, the Soul of Chogokin toyline released its version of the Shinkalion E5 Hayabusa to commemorate the franchise’s 10th anniversary, so there’s indeed proof. And now I have this physical manifestation of train marketing for myself.

Only 10 years to get a Soul of Chogokin rendition is remarkably fast for any mecha series; some have needed 40 or 50, if not more. While Shinkansen Henkei Robo Shinkalion isn’t the most amazing anime ever, it’s fun and tries to bring together viewers young and old. Also, the design is pretty cool overall, and I’m glad they tackled a relatively modern mecha. That said, one of my criticisms of Shinkalion has always been that nearly all the robots across multiple series transform in much the same way and look largely similar, so it can get a bit repetitive. Just one SoC is enough, I believe.

The figure comes in shinkansen mode as two separate trains, which are then bent and contorted to become the upper and lower halves of the Shinkalion’s body. The end product makes quite a striking impression, though I need to mention that transforming it is both a figurative and somewhat) literal pain.

Upon looking at the instructions, one thing stands out: the amount of warnings about notches, pegs, and slots that can easily break off or get worn down if you’re not careful. There are also many areas that have to join together in just the right way, or else things just start falling off or risk snapping. And because the design of the Shinkalion is so spindly, there are pointy edges everywhere, and I could feel them stabbing into my thighs when I was trying to get two pieces to connect. Now that I have it as a complete robot, I probably won’t ever change it back to train mode.

I don’t own and have never touched the higher-quality figures from the original Shinkalion toyline, so I can’t make a firsthand comparison, but based on the videos I’ve watched, the SoC figure sacrifices a good deal of the playability in terms of transforming it back and forth in favor of getting closer to how the E5 Hayabusa looks in the anime. For example, the double-layered pauldrons recreate how the shoulders come together in the show’s transformation sequence, but this also means the arms have to be attached to the body in a more finicky way. Even posing it can be tricky, as pushing too hard in one direction or another can easily make a limb fall off. A delicate touch seems necessary.

However, I can’t deny that the end result looks both really sleek in a way that should be familiar to Shinkalion fans. It’s just an aesthetically pleasing robot, at least from the front. The rear view shows a lot less detail, but that’s just part of the mecha itself from its source material. I find that goofy and charming in its own way. 

I also enjoy how the lower half is mostly just one hefty piece filled with diecast metal, especially in the hip joints, as it makes for a stable and poseable figure overall. The large pieces that attach to the legs help give the figure a more pleasing silhouette.

I do have one other small criticism, which is that the instruction manual is unusually sparse. All of its space is dedicated to teaching how to transform the Shinkalion, whereas other SoC figures’ booklets will have things like a history of the original show, early drafts of the mecha design, older toys, etc. While Shinkalion is a relatively young franchise, there should still be some kind of material worth including. I’m left to wonder if this has anything to do with either the length of the instructions provided, or perhaps some kind of copyright issue.

When I look at the SoC Shinkalion E5 Hayabusa, one thing I think about is the fact that there were kids who grew up with Shinkalion, who came to it because of a love of trains or even learned to love trains because of Shinkalion. Perhaps this figure is a test of their maturity 10 years down the road—can they handle this figure now that they’re teenagers and adults? Well, provided that they have the money to buy it, of course. This thing is still a premium figure at the end of the day, and we might need another few years for those kids to have the disposable income to make a purchase like this. 

Seeing the Influence of Tsuge Yoshiharu and Nejishiki

Posted on by

I first learned about the influential manga artist Tsuge Yoshiharu thanks to that seminal book on Japanese comics, Manga! Manga! by Fred Schodt. In his goal of showing how diverse manga can be, Fred includes images of Tsuge’s most famous work, Nejishiki, also known as “Screw Style.” Now, thanks to Drawn & Quarterly, I’ve gotten the chance to read it in English, as well as other works by Tsuge. 

I had originally written this review with plans to eventually publish it when the time felt right, but then news came that Tsuge had died at the age of 88 on March 3. So here it is.

Tsuge’s work is hard to describe. It’s never straightforward, and each story seems to exist in the space where rationality ends and passion begins. His characters aren’t “characters” in the traditional sense, but rather agents of deep-seated desires. They’re dark and succumb to their (often sexual) vices, and feel like people who are meant to be relatable, though far from admirable. Originally published in Garo, Nejishiki has become practically the go-to example of experimental comics-making in Japan. It’s not surprising to see why Tsuge’s comics would make an impact back in the 1960s and 70s. 

What is perhaps surprising is that they can still shock today. In a sense, the changing morals and ethics of society over the past few decades make the questionable decisions all the more eyebrow-raising, as well as thought-provoking. Even putting aside the sex, violence, and sexual violence (none of which are portrayed with excessive detail, yet feel more visceral), the seeming density is haunting and reminds me more of something like the ambient moments in Serial Experiments Lain or Evangelion.

Reading Nejishiki also puts another creator in a new light for me: Panpanya. It’s clear now that the author of Invitation from a Crab and Guyabano Holiday draws from Tsuge in a big way, whether directly or otherwise. The simplistic character design juxtaposed with the detailed backgrounds, the surreal and seemingly non-sequitur stories—the big differences are just that Panpanya’s “avatar” is cuter (one might say kawaii) and that the narratives are relatively clearer. 

There’s a long essay by Ryan Holmberg in the back that I’ve been slowly working through. In it, he gives the friendship and working relationship between Tsuge and Mizuki Shigeru (author of Kitaro) a lot of attention, describing how the two mutually benefited from each other. Tsuge worked as an assistant to Mizuki, used some of Mizuki’s other assistants for his own work, and exchanged ideas. What I think is fascinating about this connection is that Tsuge is basically the patron saint of unorthodox manga, whereas Mizuki has been a household name for over half a century. While the comparison I’m about to make isn’t quite the same, it reminds me of how the two directors of the Sailor Moon anime ended up on two unique paths, one highly experimental (Ikuhara) and the other conventional yet still profound (Sato). 

Drawn & Quarterly also published a picture diary by Tsuge’s wife, Fujiwara Maki, which details their life together with their young son. In contrast to the image of her husband as this legendary figure of Japanese comics, Fujiwara’s portrayal often paints him in a less glowing light, especially when it came to his abusive misogyny towards her. Fujiwara, who passed away in 1999, was an avant-garde actor herself before having to abandon that career to be a housewife. Tsuge himself even said that Fujiwara meeting him was probably ultimately to her detriment.

Still, Nejishiki is worth at least knowing, but even beyond the historical significance, it holds up in its own way. Tsuge’s manga result in art that can be challenging to approach, and the act of grappling with it can be its own reward. 

I Actually Met the Author of Genshiken! Kio Shimoku Live Drawing Report

Posted on by
A close-up of a drawing of a woman's face from the nose up. It is the wife from Spotted Flower. She's wearing bunny ears.

This past February, Kio Shimoku did a live drawing event with fellow Rakuen: Le Paradis manga artist Minoda Kaidou as part of a series called “Oekaki no Jikan Desu,” or “It’s Time for Doodling.”

And by amazingly fortuitous coincidence, I happened to be in Japan at the time, and I couldn’t let this chance slip by. So I actually got to see Kio Shimoku in person for the first time!!

The Venue

Tonarimachi Coffee is a short walk from Nakanobu Station, and is located in a shopping district, down a short staircase. A number of attendees had already lined up when I got there, and unsurprisingly the audience was mostly older men. The seating area included trays to put your personal items. The “camera” used to capture the drawings for viewing was just a smartphone jury-rigged into a projector. Classic American music played on the speakers before the event started as well as during the break in between, such as “Stand by Me,” “Be the One,” “My Sharona,” “Jailhouse Rock,” and “Oh Carol.”

A coffee shop counter, with coffee cups on shelves in the back.

Event and Guest Details

Photos and video weren’t allowed in the event, so I took notes as the guests drew and talked to each other. Due to a combination of not having the best listening skills and them talking a lot of inside baseball, I didn’t catch everything, so if anyone happened to watch (in person or via the stream) and has more to add, I welcome clarifying comments.

The event was MC’d by a “navigator” (their term), Iida Takashi, who was a gray-haired gentleman in a nice suit and spoke with a fairly authoritative air. I later found out he was the editor of Rakuen: Le Paradis, with a long career working for the manga publisher Hakusensha. His experience includes working for magazines such as Young Animal and Hana to Yume, and he currently does freelance editing after retiring in 2020. 

Kio was a slender guy with gray hair. He had on a sweater, a scarf, and slim pants, as well as flip-top glasses. Later, they mentioned that the weather was fluctuating a lot that day, so it was hard to dress for. 

Minoda Kaidou’s Turn

Both Minoda and Kio drew bunny girls, which seemed to be both the theme of the event and something that other manga artists have done for Tonarimachi Cafe. I didn’t know this going in, but they announced that they were going to give every attendee a copy of the drawings at the end! Iida asked if regular copy paper was okay, to which Kio replied that it’s fine, and he’s had experience doing doujinshi on cheap photocopy paper (copybon).

Minoda was up first, with Iida and Kio providing additional commentary. They used a 2H pencil for the initial, which was so light that it didn’t quite show up on camera. Kio pointed out that a lighter pencil is easier to erase, but Minoda said it’s just what they’re used to. As they continued to draw, Kio got distracted by the fishnet stockings of Minoda’s bunny girl. 

(Iida briefly referenced the author of Houkago Play, Kurosaki Rendou, who was also published in Rakuen. I couldn’t catch it all, but Kurosaki does draw a lot of bunny girls, so maybe that’s why.) 

The topic of pens came up, and Minoda said that round pens are easier to use. Kio followed up by saying that digital art can’t capture the special feel of the G-pen, which is fun and has unique quirks. The digital G-pen setting has no feedback the way analog does. However, digital is great for filling blacks and applying screentones. Minoda and Kio also hold a G-pen differently from each other. Minoda said they probably do it wrong, but Kio basically said different strokes for different folks.

Kio said his right wrist was hurting, and that the wrist bone on the pinky side has issues. He mentioned that it was taped or bandaged, but I didn’t see the actual tape. Genshiken was drawn entirely analog, and Kio basically did it all himself. In fact, he was at a gathering at Kodansha, where Iida pointed out that Kio is one of the few creators who don’t use assistants.

Most younger artists apparently draw digitally now. Kio thinks it’s possibly because of COVID.

The drawing was going fairly quickly up to a certain point, when the pace slowed down because Minoda started meticulously drawing the fishnet stockings details. They really like drawing the S-curve of a woman’s waist and hips. Minoda likes to use a Tentel brush pen with refillable ink for doing blacks.

Gundam and GQuuuuuuX came up briefly. Kio may have also drawn a Gundam doujinshi at some point.

Kio said that artists often struggle with how much ink to put in their pen. While Genshiken linework was drawn analog, coloring was digital. Back then, he didn’t know how to use layers in Photoshop. Someone then brought up the fact that Sadamoto Yoshiyuki, when working on the Evangelion manga, would apparently mke drawings and then discard them over and over.

The topic then shifted to Rakuen Issue 50 (the final print volume), and Iida said the art for Spotted Flower looks amazing, especially when it comes to all the different “connections” being shown. I didn’t understand this at the time, but now that I’ve read it, I can see what he means. (More on that in a future post.) Kio talked about how Spotted Flower started with only a few characters, but the cast kept growing. 

During this, Minoda was adding little dots to the intersections of the fishnets. With the finishing touches done, everyone got to see their drawing up close. We then got a 10-minute break before the next session started with Kio’s turn.

An empty space showing a projection screen and two tall, round tables with tall stools near them.

Kio Shimoku’s Turn

At the start, Kio was asked what some of his preferred drawing tools are. His answer: Air-in erasers and Prockey pens. One thing I noticed is that Kio extends his fingers and grips the pen high when drawing.

He also asked who he should draw as a bunny girl, to which Minoda replies “the wife” from Spotted Flower because they love that character. 

During this session, Minoda accidentally got a bit of water on their own drawing because Iida was advising to erase the pencil and Minoda accidentally bumped a cup of water. 

Kio said he wished he could take a screenshot, but that this was analog. When asked about their own process, Minoda does their manuscripts digitally. However, they do drawings analog but backgrounds digital. 

Kio got to inking really quickly compared to Minoda, taking only 11 minutes. His head kept accidentally showing up on camera and blocking the drawing, until he was informed by staff. Kio showing he’s not afraid to draw hands at odd angles.

Other bits of information: Minoda finds taking a blank page and filling it with black very satisfying. Iida’s manga god is Toriyama. 

Iida and Minoda were very impressed by Kio’s drawing. The wife has sexy curves and wide hips. He used different copic markers with different grays to add shading. Minoda also found Kio’s thin gray lines to be amazing. 

Kio struggled some with erasing the pencil: the perils of working with paper. Iida then talked about using screen tones in the 90s, and about non-photo pencil—a kind of blue pencil that doesn’t show up when copying and printing. Iida also pointed out that grays are easier with digital. [Personal query: Is it because they automatically can become tones when printed?]

When asked how he feels about drawing analog these days, Kio replied that while he does all digital for his work these days, he has drawn analog for signboards. He uses Copic on those.

Seeing both Minoda and Kaidou draw, Iida was reminded of those shows on NHK where they show the old vs. new way of doing something. Minoda mentioned that being so up-close to Kio was a learning experience. Iida meanwhile was impressed by the details on the hands in the drawing.

Late into the drawing, Kio commented that it kept getting more erotic. He also added the little dots to the fishnets. Minoda brought up the angle of the eyebrows on their own bunny girl, possibly because they wanted to fix them. Other revisions they would make if they could do it again would be to have more of the legs and less of the bunny ears. Kio responded that he can’t draw legs well aside from the thighs. After some finishing touches (including some white out), his drawing was done. One really cool thing was that Kio actually used a hand mirror to look for errors, like a low-tech version of the “canvas flip” command in Photoshop or Clip Studio Paint.

At the end, they took questions from the audience.

Q&A

What is the fate of the artists of Rakuen?

Iida: Can’t say anything yet. Wait.

I’ve never seen a bunny girl before. How do you draw the chest, upper body details? 

Minoda: I do what I want to see.

Kio: But there are photos you can reference. 

What software do you use? 

Both: Clip Studio Paint. Kio uses version 4 from when it used to be Comic Studio.

(There seemed to be a question about one of their manga, which is set in Hokkaido.)

Minoda: Seeing people wear not much even in the cold of Hokkaido shocked them.

Will you draw a sequel to your Hokkaido work?

Minoda: Yes. Wait for it.

Kio, did you feel your drawings change from doing adult work? 

Kio: Not really, but it made me really impressed by everyone else who does 18+ material.

Minoda and Kio then made some closing statements:

Minoda: It was fun getting to draw for everyone. 

Kio: Thank you. Could feel myself trembling as I drew.

Closing

A hand holding a drawing of a bunny girl. The girl has a stoic look, medium-length hair, bangs, hands behind body, and medium breasts. It is signed "Minoda Kaidou."
A hand holding a drawing of the wife from Spotted Flower in a bunny girl outfit, done with an upward perspective. She has a hand one one hip and a smirk on her face. Her hips are also very wide. The drawing is signed "Kio Shimoku."

After all the attendees and I got our copies of their drawings, I decided that this was probably a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me, and I actually went up to Kio Shimoku to talk to him. I told him I was a big fan ever since Genshiken and thanked him for all his work.

As I walked back to the train station that evening, I picked up some discount sushi. As I ate it, I marveled at how lucky I was to have had that experience. If ever there was a moment to be grateful to be a Maniac for Ogiue, this was it. 

A photo of both bunny girl drawings showing that they are on the same large piece of paper.

You Are Fool!: Ogiue Maniax Status Update for April 2026

Posted on by

April means the spring anime season is upon us once more, and this year’s lineup has some of the heaviest hitters in recent memory. If it wasn’t enough to have the highly anticipated Witch Hat Atelier, we even have Akane-Banashi and a slew of other shows with tons of potential. While many of these are indeed manga adaptations, a lot of them have some sturdy legs underneath them, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see something like Daemons of the Shadow Realm (from the creator of Fullmetal Alchemist), Scenes from Awajima, or even I Made Friends with the 2nd Prettiest Girl in My Class get some real traction.

I do find it funny that Rooster Fighter is out in the same season as the Fist of the North Star remake.

Thank you to the following Patreon members, and may spring be a time of renewal for you and all other weebs:

General:

Ko Ransom

Diogo Prado

Alex

Dsy

Sue Hopkins fans:

Serxeid

Hato Kenjirou fans:

Elizabeth

Yajima Mirei fans:

Machi-Kurada

Blog Highlights from March

The Next Moves: Hololive 7th fes. Ridin’ on Dreams

My thoughts on 7th fes from hololive!

When I Fell into the Stars: A Tribute to Ikeda Masako and Maetel

A tribute to the voice one of my favorite characters of all time.

Curry Land: The Store of My Dreams

I visited an amazing store in Japan that I probably wouldn’t think was real if I hadn’t gone there myself.

Kio Shimoku

Kio Shimoku Twitter Highlights March 2026

March wasn’t a big month for tweets, but there are some interesting ones in there.

Closing

I know this blog isn‘t as Kio and Genshiken-tacular as it was at the very beginning, but I plan on having more than one related post this month. After all, the digital edition of Rakuen Volume 50 is out, and with it likely the last physical serialization of Spotted Flower. And I’m saying this now to make me actually write these dang things!

Kio Shimoku Twitter Highlights March 2026

Posted on by

This month: Some movie review tweets, and an Afternoon manga exhibition!

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/2029827101352939949

Kio watched Cosmic Princess Kaguya in theaters. It was actually his first time seeing it, since he doesn’t have Netflix. It was super yuri-tacular.

Kio is excited for the anime adaptation of J ↔︎ M, whose original manga shows a ton of potential.

The past month’s chapter of The Five Star Stories is apparently so full of information that it’s ridiculous. Also the character Concord makes an “erotic expression.”

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/2031938416066380287

The Japanese White-eye birds were flying around the kawazu-zakura tries, which sucked up the bees from the flowers.

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/2032022278071075157

Kio managed to get the third limited-edition manga that came with the third Girls und Panzer: Motto Love Love Sakusen Desu!! Movie.

Kio saw the anime movie L’etoile de Paris en fleur, and found it to be a rich and plentiful film that was 10 times better than the trailers.

Kio also saw the movie Golden Kamuy: Attack on Abishiri Prison. The otter nabe at the beginning looks exquisite.

There’s gonna be an Afternoon magazine 40th anniversary exhibit in Japan in July!

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/2036822754520166598
https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/2036827144949731611
https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/2036829397035130954

A whole bunch of original comics pages from Genshiken!

Have Some Kaela-Aid

Posted on by
Kaela Kovalskia crossed over with her water jug mascot, Gachan, and made to look like the Kool-Aid Man. Instead of saying "Oh yeah!" she's saying "Dahlah!"

This was inspired by Kaela’s original 3D Debut, so I thought it appropriate to post after her 3D Redebut.

Curry Land: The Store of My Dreams

Posted on by
A sign that says in .a mix of Japanese and English the following. Pouch Curry Specialty Shop: Local Curry Curry Land

As I was looking up places to eat in Tokyo, I discovered an incredible place in the district of Jinbocho: Curry Land, a shop that specializes in selling instant curry from all over Japan.

Located in a small side street not far from the main intersection in Jinbocho, Curry Land is a tiny shop with no frills. Past the sliding door at the entrance are three or four shelves filled with pre-cooked curry in reheatable pouches. A woman was running the shop when I visited, and she was very helpful, though I don’t know if she’s the owner or just someone employed there.

A shelf full of prepackaged curry.
Another shelf full of prepackaged curry.

Many of these packages are local types of curry, normally found only in the specific regions from which they originate. There are also other unusual options, such as curries eaten on naval vessels or even a whaling ship. The shop even has its own special curry available!

I bought nine packs in total, which ended up being about 7,000–8,000 yen, with the price of individual packages varying.

Clockwise from top left: Go Go Curry (not actually at the shop but I included it in the photo anyway), Whaling Ship Curry (does not contain whale), Curry Land’s Own Black Wagyu Cream Cheese Curry, Graceful Lady Pink Curry, Iwakuni Naval Flying Forces Curry, Ibaraki Chestnut Curry, Famous Osaka Curry with Worcestershire sauce, Enoshima Naval Curry, Dinosaur Curry (made with chicken), and Spicy Mutton Curry.

Some could be relatively expensive (~1,300 yen), so while this store won’t break the bank (unless you try really, really hard) this is not the place to go if you really care about getting the cheapest options. Nevertheless, Curry Land is basically a dream come true for me, and I recommend it to anyone who loves curry, but also anyone who wants to experience a thin yet broad slice of Japanese food.

I plan to review each curry eventually, but I don’t know if I’m going to devote a separate blog post for each curry, or if I’ll cover a few at a time. I know it’s not exactly anime, but I hope you’ll indulge me.

The Next Moves: Hololive 7th fes. Ridin’ on Dreams

Posted on by

hololive is arguably the premier VTuber company, and hololive fes is the big annual concert for its female talents. I’ve been watching avidly for a few years now, and it’s become a tradition I increasingly look forward to every time. However, 2025 saw quite a few major challenges for hololive, notably the departure of multiple talents. So while I was just as enthusiastic as ever about watching this year’s 7th fes, I wondered how differently I might end up feeling with so many familiar names gone.

Despite the potential setbacks, I came out of it with generally positive vibes. I always appreciate that we get performances of all stripes, with each talent bringing a story of their own that was created through their experiences as VTubers and the fanbases they’ve cultivated.

Venue and Other Details

This was the first year that the event took place over three days—a change that affected its associated convention, hololive Super Expo 2026, as well. Rather than having two concerts per day over two days, they had one on Friday, two on Saturday, and one on Sunday. Moreover, whereas one of those concerts used to be an “extra” stage that utilized talents from the other three, this time around saw all four concerts featuring unique performers. Watching the stream live meant messing with my sleep schedule, in some ways better compared to previous years and in other ways worse, due to time zone shenanigans and a pesky thing called a “work week.”

Once again, the venue setup used multiple stages as a way to have more people able to get better views of at least a few performances. The mysterious pod from 6th fes did not return, and was replaced by a new moving cart/trolly contraption with screens on the sides, which acted as “windows” to see the VTubers and vice versa. It moved through a diagonally placed lane that cut through the audience section, with the seeming aim of also providing more up-close viewing and interactions with the talents. While it was definitely less confusing and bizarre than the pod, it didn’t have quite the novelty factor, for better or worse.

The Debuts

While it stung to lose some beloved members of hololive in 2025 and to have both Inugami Korone and Haachama not participating, the overall number of performers stayed close to the same as last year thanks to the two most recent generations making their fes debuts: Justice on the English side and Flow Glow on the Japanese side. While the graduated talents were truly special and can never be replaced, the performances by the newest blood kept them well out of their predecessors’ enormous shadows.

Justice showcased each of their unique approaches—Liz’s versatile vocal range, Cecilia’s emphasis on elegance and accuracy along with a violin solo, Gigi’s boundless energy and a singing style that hangs on a razor’s edge, Raora’s bubbly pop. And when Flow Glow hit the stage, they put on a display of why they’re the most stage-focused group ever in hololive thanks to their well-honed skills and experience in singing, dancing, and overall entertainment.

Leveling Up

For the returning fes veterans, their hard work came through more than ever in their performances, with some having come particularly far from where they started.

With her characteristic awkward grace, Shiori Novella sang her recently-released first original song, “Monsters and Men” and came across as more comfortable than any previous performance—possibly because the song was made for her. Biboo (Koseki Bijou) discovered in the past year a method for singing lower, which she utilized for her original song “Rock In” while showing increasing comfort with dancing. Ichijou Ririka took on the challenge of covering “Darling Dance” and its fairly complicated choreography despite having two left feet when she first debuted. Ouro Kronii probably wins the award for greatest overall vocal improvement, showing a different and more vibrant quality as she performed a surprise new original of her own titled “Storm.” And Airani Iofi pulled off an impressive cover of “Unison of Smiles,” the main heroine’s signature song from You and Idol Precure!, emphasizing just how far she’s come in all aspects.

Not everyone comes to hololive as a strong singer or dancer (skill in either doesn’t seem to be a strict requirement), so seeing evidence of the talents’ hard work and progress in these areas gives me joy.

Conquering Great Hurdles

Even those with more experience and ability pushed their limits. Baelz Hakos, already a top dancer, gave a stunning performance of the first Oshi no Ko opening, “Idol.” One stand-out moment was when Bae seamlessly transitioned into a squat as she went into the rap portion of the song, but more significantly, she also threw in a cartwheel and some basic breakdancing moves at the end. These are more acrobatic moves that she has been afraid to do because of the potential head trauma, and for her to confront her fear directly was a real thing of beauty. 

Perhaps the biggest story of all was the astounding recovery made by Kazama Iroha from holoX. In 2024, she was afflicted with a psychological condition that left her unable to speak, and her voice only barely managed to come back by the time 6th fes rolled around. But whereas some of her speech was still noticeably halting and unsteady in 2025, a year of speech therapy and streaming resulted in an Iroha at 7th fes who almost made me forget the tribulations she’s experienced. We saw her sing and dance with confidence, and even have heartfelt and off-the-cuff exchanges with her frequent collab partner (and idol) AZKi. 

Preludes to Upcoming Concerts

Speaking of holoX, they have their big live-attendance concert, First Mission, coming up. They’re not alone either, as Ninomae Ina’nis and Takanashi Kiara from Myth are only days away from their own concert in Los Angeles, Drawn to Dawn. While I can’t be sure how the rehearsal timelines lined up, I really felt that their practice for these major events are evident at 7th fes, especially in the case of Kiara and holoX’s leader, La+ Darknesss.

Kiara’s dancing and singing showed a new level of refinement, while La+ once again focused mainly on singing for her solo performance…and then threw everyone for a loop by humorously and abruptly tossed her prop guitar on the ground at the beginning of her song. When Kiara and La+ then performed together their original, “Glow in the Dark,” they reminded me that 1) Kiara is one of the most versatile talents around, and 2) even as the overall level of dance in hololive keeps going up, there’s really something special about the way La+ moves. At the same time, it felt like both of them were holding back a bit, as if they’re saving the big guns for the upcoming concerts.

IRyS has also just announced her first solo live concert for October 2026. I had thought her incredibly solid performance of her Eurobeat original “Carbonated Love” might have been out of a desire to feature at fes a song she personally adores, but now I also suspect it’s because the majority of her energy is going into this major project.

Other Stand-Outs

There were still other performances that caught my attention.

I feel that the entirety of hololive Indonesia really showed up this year. Moona Hoshinova especially brought some of my favorite performances of the entire event, with “100%,” her song featuring Nerissa Ravencroft, being one of the absolute highlights for me. 

On the Japanese side, Nekomata Okayu’s deep and sultry singing is always a surprise, but it really hit hard this time around. Natsuiro Matsuri can go under the radar, but she appears to have made some incredible strides this year on top of her already underrated skills.

I also got a kick out of Todoroki Hajime’s new solo choreography for “Countach,” and Otonose Kanade’s voice rang out loud and beautifully on  “Greatest.” And while Juufuutei Raden isn’t quite the musical performer of her fellow ReGLOSS members, the fact that she turned a Japanese art history lesson into a song and then had thousands singing along (and thus learning in the process!) really showed me how VTubers can reach people in unique ways.

Final Thoughts

As I finished watching 7th fes, I began to think about the structure of the event itself and what it can accomplish. fes is a gathering of both the hololive talents and their fans, and because these fanbases don’t overlap perfectly, the concerts can also be someone’s introduction to other VTubers. In that context, I end up wondering what kind of first big impression these unfamiliar audience members get. The way this format encourages fans to branch out past their immediate faves by providing this comfortable atmosphere really appeals to me, especially with the live audience there to react. That’s why, despite the fact that fes prices out a lot of fans (and something like the New Year’s Countdown is arguably a better introduction because it costs nothing to watch), I think it can go a long way in igniting someone’s career and helping someone discover a new favorite.

So while I certainly missed the presence of the talents who left or couldn’t be there, it was also an opportunity in many ways. I just hope that hololive can foster an environment that gives these artists the chance to develop their craft in the ways they want, and in ways that keep them healthy in both mind and body.