Roselia Einheit: Virtual Concert Review

Opening Act:

-The Concert went straight into the performance of the D4DJ group, Merm4id, who began with two cover songs. The transition between the songs was smooth and the group had a unique stage presence that was rather quirky, perhaps even a bit odd at times. They were very energetic and different. I have not listened to much D4DJ music before, but found the music to be catchy and upbeat. I don’t think this group was for me, yet I was intrigued by how unique they were and wanted to look more into other groups by this franchise.

How I Discovered Roselia:

-I have followed Roselia for awhile, since the Bang Dream app was released in the states. I stumbled across the app through several advertisements, and in part because I also am a fan of Love Live. I  loved Roselia’s outfits, vibe, and of course, catchy music. Although the band does seem to have a dark theme, the lyrics of their music are very hopeful and encouraging.

Now, Onto the Concert:

This concert took place in an outdoor arena in August. Everybody in the audience wore masks and portions of the audience were separated into different groups of seating, to avoid overcrowding. Japan was still impacted by the virus, but it seems that the virus was less severe in this area than in America, as they are returning to a new normal, albeit with different procedures, including what appeared to be less capacity.

The voice actress for Yukina, Aiba Aina, had a mysterious stage presence, fitting for the gothic theme of this band. The other performers also had a great presence, as well. Everybody genuinely looked like they were having a great time performing.

I was amazed with the introduction video, which showed each of the characters and credited their voice actresses. The video showed different parts of the concert logo, with focuses on each of the character’s image colors. I also liked how some of Roselia’s music videos with the characters were shown in the background.

The Online Viewing Experience

Many of the past concerts from Roselia and the Bang Dream franchise took place  via satellite viewings in movie theaters. Due to COVID-19, the concert was virtual for overseas viewers. The concert aired live at 9p.m. JST time, on September 20th through the streaming service, Zaiko.  In EST time, we are a bit behind—the concert began early in the morning in my area. I was excited to wake up early and view this concert!

The virus has made it challenging for me to feel connected to fellow fans, between cancelled conventions and events. Although I do miss the in-person concerts, I was very happy that the company in charge of these concerts is giving overseas fans the opportunity to still safely participate in their events.

I did have two small parts of the concert I felt mixed on:

The outdoor performance began while it was still bright out and it was a bit hard to see the  penlights in the audience as an online viewer.  Penlights are a very engaging and fun part of many Japanese concerts. For those who may be a bit familiar, penlights are like glowsticks, but are battery-run and can change colors depending on someone’s favorite character—or feel of a song. For their fiery song, Fire Bird for example, the audience made their penlights red. By the time it was dark out, the appearance of the audience really brought everything together. The penlights were beautiful and lit up the arena.

 I am also hoping that subtitles will be offered in the future, so fans can be able to understand the conversations the group has in between songs.

These two aspects were overall minor details. Between the special effects such as the flames on stage, the backdrop, performances of Roselia, it was a solid concert. Roselia is slowly transitioning away from cover songs and is performing more original music, which really is exciting!

I look forward to seeing future performances from Roselia!

Cinnaknight

A grad school student and librarian who seems to run solely on espresso and sweets, Cinnaknight has been going to conventions for about eight years. In her free time, she loves to bake, cook, as well as write!

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