Anisong World Matsuri at Anime NYC - Day 1

The globally renowned event Anisong World Matsuri was held in New York City for the first time this November as part of the Anime NYC 2018 convention. Despite the frigid weather, fans lined up early outside Hammerstein Ballroom both nights in anticipation of the anisong artist event. The first night of the two-day event showcased performances from nano, Konomi Suzuki, TRUE, and Luna Haruna.

nano



The night opened with all four artists performing the song Sousei no Aquarion together. Following this joint performance, New York City native nano initiated the introductions, bouncing flawlessly back and forth between fluent English and Japanese. Each of the artists, adorned in their uniquely colorful outfits, introduced themselves and left the stage to allow nano to open the concert.

nano, talking effusively, took the stage. “I get you guys all to myself now!” She mentioned that she was born and raised in New York, and touched on how exciting it was to be able to perform in the city where she grew up. Chunky guitar riffs and nano’s punctuated lines at the beginning of No pain, No game reverberated throughout the concert hall. Fans cheered excitedly as they recognized the upbeat, fast tempo of the opening theme for the anime “Btooom!” nano delivered the powerful rock song while energetically traversing the stage and pumping up the crowd. The crowd’s energy and excitement were palpable as she followed up with Nevereverland from “Ark IX”. nano introduced the next song as one that she felt she had to sing during her first performance in the US, Freedom is yours. The lyrics being entirely in English, fans sang along easily with the catchy melody while pumping their glow sticks in the air to the rhythm of the song.

Be the one followed after nano welcomed Konomi Suzuki to the stage. Before beginning the song, nano commented that Suzuki covered it in the past and that this event was the perfect opportunity to sing it together. nano expressed that it was a special song for her, and Suzuki shared her sentiments. Suzuki’s higher pitched voice harmonized with nano’s deeper, throaty voice beautifully, and the chorus had a pleasant fullness to it, amplifying the impact of the song. Fans cheered as the set drew to a close. nano exited the stage, thanking the audience, and Suzuki took over to begin her solo performance.

Set list

nano, Konomi Suzuki, TRUE, Luna Haruna
01. Sousei no Aquarion (Genesis of Aquarion)

nano
02. No pain, No game (BTOOOM!)
03. Nevereverland (Ark IX)
04. Freedom Is Yours

nano x Konomi Suzuki
05. Born to be (Magical Warfare/Mahou Sensou)

Konomi Suzuki



Konomi Suzuki, wearing a uniquely designed, silky light blue dress, enthusiastically took the stage next, reminding fans of her nickname “Konomin”. She then launched into her first upbeat pop song, Ao no Kanata from “Between the Sky and the Sea”. Her bright voice reverberated throughout the hall as she energetically ran back and forth across the stage. The audience transformed into a uniform sea of blue lights as they waved their glow sticks side to side along to the slow, heartfelt song that came next, Weak and Brave. Suzuki’s versatility as a vocalist was evident in the range of songs chosen for her set. The tracks ranged from light, upbeat pop to soft, slow ballads and fast rock-influenced tunes. She closed the set with Redo from the anime “Re:ZERO-Starting Life in Another World”.

Set list

06. Ao no Kanata (Sora to Umi no Aida)
07. Weak and Brave
08. Redo (Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-)

TRUE



TRUE joined Suzuki on stage to collaborate during the easygoing pop tune Sparkling DayDream from “Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shita”. TRUE was dressed in a bold rosy red and black asymmetrical dress that was adorned with plenty of frills, lace and a full skirt, and it was paired with high-heeled black boots that reached above her knees. Her solo set started with the sentimental opening of the anime “Violet Evergarden”, Sincerely, which was a change of pace from the upbeat, high-energy tunes before it. TRUE carried the crowd along with her as she continued on to STEEL-Tekketsu no Kizuna, singing with passionate emotion. She then closed her set with the crowd-pleaser Another Colony from “That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime”. The audience pumped their glow wands, which were all uniformly lit up in red to match the hue of her dress. TRUE then welcomed Luna Haruna onto the stage and, together, they rocked out to another uptempo, crowd-pleasing song, Don’t Say Lazy from “K-ON”.

Set list

Konomi Suzuki x TRUE
09. Sparkling Daydream (Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai!)

TRUE
10. Sincerely (Violet Evergarden)
11. STEEL-Tekketsu no Kizuna- (Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans)
12. Another Colony (That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime)

TRUE x Luna Haruna
13. Don’t say “lazy” (K-ON!)

Luna Haruna



Luna Haruna’s cute bubblegum pop style really stimulated the crowd, and the fans cheered loudly as she started her set with Momoiro Typhoon. Fans changed their glow sticks’ colors to pink as they enthusiastically waved them along to the rhythm of the song. Her bright cherry blossom pink dress was recognizable as the same one from the music video for the song. She continued her set with Starear from the popular anime “Sword Art Online II”, and she closed with Kimiiro Signal, another cheerful pop tune. Following her set, nano returned to the stage to join Luna for a duet. Fans laughed as nano jokingly noted how different their styles were. “So cute! ... And then so black!” To the pleasant surprise of everyone in the hall, the two artists then broke into a fan favorite, the T.M. Revolution classic Invoke.

Luna Haruna departed from the stage as the crowd’s cheers subsided, leaving nano to perform Uchishio no Yume, a more recent song of hers, as her final solo number. She described the song as a blend of the Japanese side of herself and the more Western aspect she gained from growing up in the United States. Backed by a catchy, high-energy track featuring Japanese traditional instruments, it was the perfect kind of song to end her first concert in the US. Although nano expressed appreciation for her roots through the song, it also felt like a celebration of the coming together of East and West in appreciation of Japanese pop culture.

Following the original order of artists, Konomi Suzuki reappeared for a passionate rendition of Uchishio no Yume, while TRUE returned to perform the euphoric, brassy pop song DREAM SOLISTER. The crowd jumped in unison with her during the catchy chorus. Finally, Luna Haruna returned and performed Overfly, another popular “Sword Art Online" theme song. The rest of the performers returned to the stage after she ended her song and they thanked everyone for coming to New York’s first Anisong World Matsuri event. After they finished expressing their thanks, the opening guitar riff introduced the final song, God Knows from “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya”. The first day of the Matsuri ended on an exciting note as all four artists sang together for one last time while the vibrant colors of fans’ glow sticks were pumped along to the music.

Set list

Luna Haruna
14. Momoiro Typhoon (Yuuna and the Haunted Hot Springs)
15. Startear (Sword Art Online II)
16. Kimiiro Signal (Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend)

Luna Haruna x nano
17. INVOKE (Mobile Suit Gundam SEED)

nano
18. Uchishio no Yume (Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits)

Konomi Suzuki
19. This game (No Game, No Life)

TRUE
20. DREAM SOLISTER (Sound! Euphonium)

Luna Haruna
21. Overfly (Sword Art Online)

nano, Konomi Suzuki, TRUE, Luna Haruna
22. God Knows… (The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya)

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