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Iwasa Misaki (Wasamin) / 7th Generation

Discussion in 'AKB48 Graduated Members' started by haruna_hamasaki, Sep 2, 2009.

  1. Cristafari

    Cristafari Stage48 Admin Staff Member Stage48 Admin

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    Too early or too late? Akishima is fairly easy to get to from Shinjuku, around 40 minutes on the Chuo/Ome Line. The mall is next to the station.

    If you can make Odawara, it is around 75 minutes from Shinagawa or Shinjuku on the Tokaido Line (plus a 20 minute walk) Or you can go to Odawara via the Shinkansen (27 minutes) and take the bus from the station to the mall.

    Of the two Chiba appearances, Kisarazu is a bit more manageable. Not as far from Tokyo, Mall not too far from the station.
     
  2. JoltFiend

    JoltFiend Future Girls Stage48 Donor

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    Too early. I don't think I'll make Odawara either, as I'll be getting in the late afternoon that day.
     
  3. Cristafari

    Cristafari Stage48 Admin Staff Member Stage48 Admin

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    8th Single CD Jacket Covers....

    Limited Edition:

    cover1.jpg

    Regular Edition A:

    covera.jpg

    Regular Edition B:

    coverb.jpg
     
  4. Cristafari

    Cristafari Stage48 Admin Staff Member Stage48 Admin

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    Iwasa Misaki
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    The beginning of the new year, marks the changing of the Wasa-calendar...

    wasa6.jpg

    Wasamin was busy on New Year's greeting her fans, not only did subscribers to her LINE receive New Years Eve and New Years Eve voice messages, fan club members received a postcard in the mail. Mine was waiting for me when I woke up New Year's morning. I'm not sure when it was delivered though, since I didn't see it in my mailbox New Year's Eve...

    wasa7.jpg

    Wasamin's January schedule has been updated with more events, for those who are interested and/or might want to take in an appearance...

    1/3 Aeon Mall Choshi, Chiba Prefecture
    1/4 J:COM Wonder Studio, Sky Tree (Hikawa Kiyoshi Duet Karaoke Event)
    1/5 Moritown Akishima, Western Tokyo
    1/6 Aeon Kisarazu, Chiba Prefecture
    1/8 Sunshine City, Ikebukuro
    1/13 Odawara Dyna City, Kanagawa Prefecture
    1/14 Aeon Town Fuji-Minami, Shizuoka Prefecture
    1/19 Palamarche West Nagoya, Aichi Frefecture
    1/20 Sound-Inn Matsuoka, Mie Prefecture
    1/20 Yoshizuya Kinosu City, Aichi Prefecture
    1/22 Gamagori Boat Race, Aichi Prefecture
    1/26 Solo Concert, Tokyo Kinema Club (Currently listed as Sold Out)
    1/31 NHK Kayou Concert, Yamaguchi Prefecture


    Management hasn't announced Wasamin's promotional schedule leading up to her new single release (2/13), but I'm sure we will get an update within the next couple of weeks.

    @JoltFiend If you are still interested in seeing a Wasamin live, and you have a JR Railpass, that show in Fuji-Minami on the 14th is totally doable. The mall is like a 10-15 minute walk from Shin-Fuji Station, which is on the Tokaido Shinkansen Line. Just thought I'd let ya know.
     
  5. JoltFiend

    JoltFiend Future Girls Stage48 Donor

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    Thanks for the heads up, @Cristafari

    I'm curious, what time do these events usually start?
     
  6. Cristafari

    Cristafari Stage48 Admin Staff Member Stage48 Admin

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    Iwasa Misaki
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    Cristafari
  7. JoltFiend

    JoltFiend Future Girls Stage48 Donor

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    Yeah, definitely won't make the 13th. I don't get in until 16:45 and I'm leaving on the 19th, so Nagoya's out.

    I'll have to plan better in the future.
     
  8. Cristafari

    Cristafari Stage48 Admin Staff Member Stage48 Admin

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    Iwasa Misaki
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    Iwasa Misaki 8th Single Pre-Release Event at Sunshine City Ikebukuro (2019/01/08)

    Wasamin is in the middle of a fairly active pre-release week, with events 5 out of the last 6 days, culminating with an event at Fountain Plaza in Sunshine City. Mind you, she has done pre-order events at Sunshine City before, but this almost felt like this was originally supposed to be a "Release Week" event, especially since it was taking place on the notorious "furage" Tuesday, coupled with a Sunday event scheduled at DynaCity, a venue where Wasamin has held her "Sunday Final" release week event on more than one occasion. All that said, there was a pretty good chance this event would have at least one nice surprise. It turned out we got two of them.

    I woke up with a bit of a hangover after indulging in too much jalapeno-infused cider the evening before, and then going on a 2 1/2 hour subway trip where I fell asleep and missed my stop multiple times. So I spent the morning and early afternoon medicating myself as best I could since there was no way I was going to miss the event. I had recovered to the point where I merely felt tired, then grabbed the bus by my house which conveniently stops at the rear entrance of Sunshine City, arriving 45 minutes before the first event.

    wasa15.jpg

    Sunshine City events are unique, as they have a seating area which is only reserved for people who purchased CDs, and you draw for your seating priority assignment. Also, regardless of how many CDs you pre-order, you can only draw a ticket for one of the two events. If you wish to have a seat for both, you must fill out two separate forms. It's kind of a pain in the ass, but whatever, I'm used to it. I filled out one form and paid for my CD's, opting for an early event seat ticket. I drew #39. Okay, it's a small seating area. I could still probably nab a second row seat. After hanging out with a few of the fans and filling out a Wasamin birthday card, there was still plenty of time before we had to line up, so I filled out another form for two more CDs, this time opting for a late event ticket...

    wasa14.jpg

    Number one with a bullet! Meanwhile, one of the other fans had multiple seat tickets, and upgraded my #39 to #25 for the early set. We headed back to the queueing area, which is on the exit stairwell near the Cold Stone Creamery. I looked like there were around 50 or so people in the pre-queue. As we headed in I had a choice, I could be in the front row on one of the ends, or 2nd row dead center, which technically is much closer to Wasamin. I chose the 2nd row seat. Finally 3pm rolled around, Wasamin took the stage while the fountains blasted into the air. Here is the early setlist...

    Setlist 15:00
    1. Saba Kaido
    2. Tokyo no Bus Girl
    3. Wakare no Yokan
    4. Koi no Owari Sangenjaya

    Wasamin singing Wakara no Yokan, which is one of the c/w tracks on the new single, was a pretty big indicator of what was coming next. Wasamin admitted she was nervous as this was her first public performance of the song. It's a bit of a change in style from her previous singles. My first impression was that it reminds me of Oshibe to Meshibe to Yoru no Chouchou. I also thought it might be appropriate for Wasamin to sing this in a slinky cocktail dress, as opposed to a kimono. I also liked the background harmonization, which was As for her performance, it felt like she was feeling her way through the song, as her voice kinda dropped a couple times in the verse. Unlike Sado no Ondeko, where she belted the song out right from the gate, this one may take a little tweaking in the coming weeks. Or at the very least would see how she does in the evening performance.

    They lined us up for handshakes/2-shots by where we were sitting, which put me about 30th in line. The didn't allow us to queue up until the first row finished. However they failed to notice at least one guy from the first row re-queued for a second visit before we were even called over. WTF? Eventually my turn came...

    wasa11.jpg

    I never know what pose to do. Sasou-san though it was funny though. I congratulated Wasamin on the performance, and told her I want to hear the song again. She replied "aren't you staying for the second performance?" To which I replied that not only was I coming, but I had seating priority ticket #1! I also asked her about the kimono she was wearing. It is supposed to be the same kimono that she is wearing on the CD jacket, but I noticed a few subtle differences. At first Wasamin was confused, and asked Ishikawa-san (Wasa-manager) about it. Ishikawa-san told me I was correct, and was surprised that I noticed the differences. I'm not sure if it is different, or they digitally changed it on the cover, or what. But it is indeed slightly different in a few spots.

    From there I excused myself as I wanted to grab a bowl of soup from Soup Stock Tokyo. I have never been a fan of borscht, but they have a Tokyo Borscht that looks really good. However, I chickened out and instead went for their new Kimchi-Oyster soup, which was really good. I still had plenty of time, so I ended up resting on a bench upstairs until it was time for the late show. With my #1 ticket, I took my rightful place front row center. Here's the setlist...

    Setlist 18:00
    1. Mujineki
    2. Ringo no Uta
    3. Anata
    4. Koi no Owari Sangenjaya

    Despite both Wakare no Yokan and Anata being c/w tracks on the new CD, she has performed both songs in the past. In fact, she has performed "Yokan" on multiple occasions. I bring this up because Wasamin absolutely belted the hell out of Anata. It is such a dramatic song, and her voice was bouncing off the walls. I crowd suddenly got bigger, and the reaction she got was much bigger than I had heard the entire day. In fact you could hear people cheering from pretty far back. After that we got her second performance of Sangenjaya, and her vocals sounded much cleaner than on her first try. That said, I think it will take at least a couple more performances for her to truly own it. BTW, she does this cute little hand motion during the chorus, forming a sort of triangle. She explained the reason for it before the song, but I didn't understand the explanation. Also, during the instrumental portion of the song she turns her back on the audience and raises her arms, so you get a full view of her kimono. It is similar to the "poses" she does during Sado no Ondeko. After the last song Wasamin informed us that there was one more surprise; The full MV of Koi no Owari Sangenjaya. Here is the MV preview, which Tokuma released around the same time as the video was shown...


    if the video does not show watch the video here

    According to Wasamin she hadn't seen the completed video before, and she was excited to be watching it for the first time together with her fans. She was excited to see our reactions. Not only is the song a departure from her usual style, this video is also a bit different, utilizing actors to dramatize the song's story. At first I was wondering why they didn't have Wasamin act as the girlfriend in the video, until she explained that the two actors, Takuma Zaiki (from Prince of Tennis) and Kanae Yumemiya are both from NagaraPro, so a bit of cross-promotion for Wasamin's teammates.

    wasa12.jpg

    This time I was around 15th in the queue. Again, I am always wondering what pose to do, and at the last second I chose this one. Wasamin didn't understand what the pose meant, although her assistant seemed to be familiar with it, and was laughing. I explained to her that it is kinda of a child's pose, like "Nya Nya Nya Nya!" So she got it. I felt I needed to give Wasamin a review of the MV, so told her that I liked Wasamin's expressions, which almost seemed like a reaction to what the actors were doing on screen. I also told her that her Anata performance was incredible. I told her I planned on attending the next event in Odawara, and was on my way. It was getting late, I was still tired, and wanted to get back home and in my warm bed.

    I came home and immediately searched the internet to see if Tokuma had released the MV, and sure enough there was a preview posted online. Now that she is singing her new material I am really looking forward to the event this weekend. Not only do I want to hear how she is progressing with the new single, but I am hoping she sings Anata again. It is interesting how they chose to tweak Wasamin's style a bit for this single. I think they are really trying to find a song that catches on with the public so that she takes another big step in popularity. Could this be that song? We'll see.
     
    Last edited: Jan 9, 2019
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  9. Roxas04

    Roxas04 Kenkyuusei

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    I like how you pose with Wasamin a lot ! ^^ :)

    Both of you two, you are very great and especially funny ! lol :rofl:
     
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  10. Cristafari

    Cristafari Stage48 Admin Staff Member Stage48 Admin

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    Iwasa Misaki
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    Iwasa Misaki 8th Single Pre-order Event at Odawara DynaCity (2019/01/13)

    wasa18.jpg


    It is one month until the release of Wasamin's new single, and this week she embarked on a series of promotional events covering Western Kanagawa, Shizuoka, Mie, and Aichi Prefectures. Being that my life is about to become super-busy for the next three months, I wanted to at least attend one of the events this weekend, the closest being the event in Odawara at DynaCity.

    Of course "closest" is a relative term in this case, as Odawara is a fairly long trek from Tokyo. If you go by Shinkansen from Tokyo it takes around 35 minutes and costs close to 4000 yen each way. I instead chose the Tokaido Line, which from Akabane station takes around 100 minutes. But it is one-third the price of the Shinkansen, and stops at Kamonomiya Station, which is much closer to the mall than where the Shinkansen stops. All things considered, I would probably only save 30-40 minutes door to door via the Shinkansen. Not to mention I enjoy the leisurely walk through the residential neighborhoods from the station to the mall.

    DynaCity, which has gone through some pretty big renovations since the last time I went there, was hosting a whole bunch of NagaraPro artists over the weekend. On Saturday it was Minyo Girls and Hayabusa alternating live events. For Sunday Wasamin was alternating performances with NagaraPro newcomer Tatsumi Yuto, whose debut single last year is really nice...


    if the video does not show watch the video here

    After my 2+ hour journey from Northern Tokyo, I arrived at the mall around 30 minutes before Wasamin's first event. Yuto-kun was in the middle of his meet and greet, and people were beginning to queue for Wasamin. Like at Sunshine City, DynaCity also employs a priority seating policy where CD buyers get first crack at the seats. In fact, technically I was there early enough to get a priority ticket, but I was extremely thirsty, so I decided to get something to drink instead. By the time I came back the seating was completely full. However, I did my CD preorder, receiving a priority ticket for the late event, and taking a spot in the standing area. I had just put on my Happi Coat when Wasamin took the stage. Here's the early setlist...

    13:30 Setlist
    1. Saba Kaido
    2. Niji no Watatte
    3. Ohisashiburi, ne
    4. Koi no Owari Sangenjaya

    Usually there are more than a few regular Wasafans who camp out in the standing area, but this time I noticed I was the only one, which made me stand out a little bit, especially during Niji no Watatte, where we do the Wasamin call inside the verse of the song. The first time I screamed her name at least a half-dozen people jerked their heads around like "WTF?" LOL. Wasamin debuted two of her four new c/w tracks on Tuesday, so I guessed she would probably sing the other two today. That was pretty much confirmed when she sang Ohisashiburi, ne as the third song. Of course she finished with the new single, and as expected any kinks in her Tuesday performances seemed to be ironed out. She sounded great! Immediately after the last song a handshake queue was formed to the right of the seating area, I was able to get a somewhat closeup spot in the queue, lining up around 20th or so. I had pretty much decided which pose(s) I was going to do today.

    wasa17.jpg

    Since this is a new song, that means it's time to learn all the new 'hand gestures' Wasamin does while performing it. It's a fun little exercise Wasamin and I often talk about. (It's an idol-fan thing, she usually exclaims) She does a bunch of cute little hand gestures throughout the chorus of the song; waving her finger back and forth is one of them. In any case, I told Wasamin that I when I got home Tuesday night I found the new MV preview online, and had been watching it repeatedly. Furthermore, the more I watched it the more I love the song. She thanked me. They seemed to be pushing members through a little bit faster than usual, probably because they had to make sure they finished in time for Yuta-kun's next performance, but I would see her again in a little bit.

    I had over two hours until the next Wasa-event, and decided to go up to the top floor of the mall to check out their new food court. When you consider all three wings of DynaCity, plus the connecting Ito-Yokado mall next door, the food choices are practically infinite there. There are like four separate food courts. I ended up going to their new Kaitenzushi and then camped out at the ChocoCro where I cashed in two free iced coffee coupons I had been holding on to. In the meantime I ran into Kentaro-san, who helped me decipher all the 'Ichigo Bonus' benefits of Wasamin's upcoming solo concert.

    I made it back in time for the priority seating call, and despite only having ticket #34 scored a front row seat on the right side. i was eventually joined by Caster-san, who had missed the early event to attend the kenkyuusei concert at TDC Hall. I wasn't aware that Caster was a Honda Sora fan, but he arrived wearing his Ozora Tsuinzu t-shirt and holding his Sorachan uchiwa. Meanwhile we were all talking to and cheering Yuto-kun, who was just finishing up his fan handshakes. It would only be a few minutes until Wasamin took the stage. Like the first show, the Tokuma rep attempted to warm up the crowd by starting a pre-event Wasamin call. The late setlist...

    16:30 Setlist
    1. Sado no Ondeko
    2. Tokyo no Bus Girl
    3. Koi no Dorei
    4. Koi no Owari Sangenjaya

    As expected, Wasamin sang the 4th her new c/w tracks. And now Sado no Ondeko has officially graduated into a "past single" that will be rotated as the opening song of her live events, a fact she noted herself during the first MC. My seat was right in front of the speaker, so the sound was very loud for me. BTW, Wasamin has been heavily promoting her DAM Channel appearances, where she hosts a regular show. If you search around YouTube a few episodes pop up from time to time, but I think you have to have a Live DAM subscription to see it legitimately. She did mention her upcoming solocon as well, but since it is sold out she doesn't promote it too heavily. Also, I had a great opportunity to jump to the front of the queue after the show. I could've been first in line, but waited for someone else to queue first and then lined up behind them. It wouldn't be long before my turn. In fact, I was already getting my pose ready on stage, but they screwed up the first guy's pic. It was cute though, Wasamin was the one who came up to me, and apologetically asked me to wait a moment...

    wasa16.jpg

    So this is another one of the hand gestures she does in the chorus, a kind of back and forth wave of her hand. There are a few other cute hand gestures she does, although the main one, the 'triangle' gesture would be sorta hard to demonstrate in a still photo. Instead she and I did it together while we were talking at the table. I also told her that I had spent part of this week watching all of her concert DVDs. She thought that was cute, LOL. Since I had a long train ride home, I didn't want to hang out all night waiting for the handshakes to end, so I bid my goodbyes and started my trek back to the station, catching a 17:35 train which got me back to Akabane around 19:15.

    With the benefit of hindsight, I probably should've spent the night in Odawara, and then attended Wasamin's event in Fuji today. The sky is completely clear, and the view of Fuji-san is probably spectacular. But it's probably good that I stayed home instead as this is the final day of my five week vacation. As of tomorrow, it is back to the grind. My next Wasamin event will be her solo concert on the 26th. I'm sure it will be awesome.
     
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  11. Cristafari

    Cristafari Stage48 Admin Staff Member Stage48 Admin

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    Iwasa Misaki
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    Cristafari
    Wasamin Solo Concert 2019 Goods!

    We got our first peak at the new Wasagoods for her big concert this weekend at Tokyo Kinema Club

    wasagoods.jpg

    1) Another Wasamin cushion. I'm not sure if this is going to be the same as the Wasa-pillow we got last year, but okay.

    2) A new smartphone case. Great! This is the third case she has put out, and I have to be honest; I never used the second one. That said, my current case is getting really worn down, so this is coming out just at the right time.

    3) Wasa-mug! I have a plastic Wasamin travel mug (which I have also never used, LOL) But I will definitely get a lot of use out of this one since I make coffee at home all the time!

    In addition, Wasamin also announced that the "New Goods Full Set" bags will come with a random cheki, and if you spend more than 10000 yen you get three chekis

    That's not all, the first 100 people who preorder her new single at the concert venue will receive an autographed Koi no Owari Sangenjaya Clear File.

    Of course I already have my hand-signed signed Ichigo Badge too which will entitle me to VIP benefits at the show, and an aftershow party. It is gonna be awesome!

    wasagoods2.jpg

    <3<3<3
     
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  12. Cristafari

    Cristafari Stage48 Admin Staff Member Stage48 Admin

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    Iwasa Misaki Solo Concert at Tokyo Kinema Club ~The Power of Music Passed Down Generations~ SETLIST

    It's been a long day, and I just got home. I will try to do a proper writeup for Wasamin's concert tomorrow. Meanwhile, here's the setlist...

    (First-time song performances include original artist)

    Kage-ana: Wasamin

    1. Sado no Ondeko (7th single)
    2. Ryoshu (7th single c/w)
    MC 1 (Intro of 1st time performed songs set)
    3. Noto Hantou (Ishikawa Sayuri)
    4. Yarazu no Ame (Kawanaka Miyuki)
    5. Fuyu no Riviera (Mori Shinichi)
    MC (New Single c/w set)
    6. Koi no Dorei
    7. Ohisashiburi ne
    8. Anata
    9. Wakare no Yokan
    MC (Hirutson Characters on stage, start of camera shooting set)
    10. Tonde Istanbul (Mayo Shono)
    11. Osaka Rhapsody (7th single c/w)
    12. Tegami (7th single c/w)
    MC (Continuation of camera shooting for Ichigo Seat holders only)
    13. Neraiuchi (Linda Yamamoto)
    MC (End of photoshoot session, intro of "pop" set)
    14. Yureru Omoi (Zard)
    15. Rouge no Dengon (Arai Yumi)
    16. Genki wo Dashite (Takeuchi Mariya)
    MC (Intro of Original song set)
    17. Gomen ne Tokyo (5th single)
    18. Moshimo Watashi ga Sora ni Sundeitara (2nd Single)
    19. Tomonoura Bojou (3rd Single)
    MC "final" song
    20. Saba Kaido (6th Single)

    Encore

    1. Koi no Owari Sangenjaya (8th Single)
    MC
    2. Hatsuzake (4th Single)
    3. Mujineki (1st Single)

    I will just say this. I am always interested in what new songs Wasamin will pull out for her big concerts. She almost always picks a few gems. Tonight was no exception.

    Wasamin's version of Rouge no Dengon (Theme from Kiki's Delivery Service) totally rocked the room. Probably my favorite performance of the night...

    Her version of Fuyu no Riviera was a lot more uptempo than the original, making sound almost like a completely different song.

    I think that in both of these songs she totally outdid the original
     
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  13. sscrla

    sscrla Stage48 Moderator Staff Member Stage48 Moderator

    Joined:
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    Takayanagi Akane
    Wasamin got a write up in the press.

    "Former AKB 48 Enka singer Iwasa Misaki (23) and a male two person song group "Hayabusa" performed a solo concert at the Tokyo Kinema Club on 26th. Both belong to "Nagara Productions". On the same stage each day and night, Iwasa showed 23 songs including new song "End of Love Sangenjaya" (released on February 13), "Hayabusa" album "Kayo songs 2" released on 27th did.

     Iwasa, whose birthday will be on 30th, will celebrate 7th anniversary of Enka debut on the 1st of next month. Mr. Yasushi Akimoto sang a new song, "My song is also an adult, this year is my oldest year, so that I can become a suitable adult for the year soon Appearance is the same as well, but the inner side is also polished. Although Sangenjaya is extraordinary, but from now on, I'm going to have a drink alone. " (google?)

    Screen Shot 2019-01-26 at 11.26.25 AM.png

    https://www.hochi.co.jp/entertainment/20190126-OHT1T50112.html
     
  14. Cristafari

    Cristafari Stage48 Admin Staff Member Stage48 Admin

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    Iwasa Misaki Solo Concert 2019 ~The Power of Music Passed Down Generations~ at Tokyo Kinema Club (2019/01/26)

    It's that time of year again; Wasamin's birthday is coming up, For the last eight years that has also meant that a new Wasamin single is due to come out. Moreover, for the last four years it has meant that she will be holding a big solo concert.

    Wasamin's solo shows have taken on various looks over the past few years. After the first two were at Asakusa Kokaido, the have switched venues for each show. A couple of times they featured multiple shows, like the concerts at Otemachi Yomiuri Hall and Ebisu Garden Hall. This year the concert was held at the Tokyo Kinema Club, which is just down the road from Uguisuidani Station on the Yamanote Line, next to Ueno.

    con21.jpg

    Keeping with tradition, the fan club was given first crack at purchasing tickets, including the famous "Ichigo Seats" which come with a variety of extra benefits. Needless to say, I put in an early application to assure myself of the full Wasa-experience. My ticket arrived in mid-January, complete with my personally signed 'Ichigo' badge and a rundown of what the Ichigo bonuses would include...

    con18.jpg

    - Priority seating in the first six rows (This ended up not being a big deal since the venue was relatively small)
    - The Ichigo Badge
    - Guaranteed availability of all new goods
    - Additional photoshoot time (I'll address this later in the post)
    - Post-concert after-party with Wasamin, with more photo/video shooting.

    There were also a few additional benefits available for everyone, including a signed clear file for pre-ordering her new single, and a 1-shot cheki giveaway for spending a certain amount at the goods booth.

    Doors opened for the concert at 6 p.m., but I arrived at 2 p.m. to queue for the goods table's early-bird window. When I arrived I noticed a ton of obasans milling around in front of the venue. WTF? Since when does Wasamin have so many female fans? It turned out that Hayabusa, Wasamin's kouhai group were performing a matinee at the same venue (as you can see in @sscrla 's post above. That explained it. A short time later they formed a queue for Wasamin's goods which were being sold outside in the freezing cold. I was around 25th in line, so hopefully it wouldn't take too long.

    I was confused by the cheki giveaway. The way I understood it you received one cheki with at least 5000 yen in purchases, and three chekis with at least 10000 yen in purchases. I should also note that there were only 100 chekis available in total. So initially I was a bit ticked off to see that everyone was purchasing the 'New Goods Set' for 8100 yen, and then adding one 2000 yen item to get three chekis. I thought "What a bunch of selfish pricks! Can't they see that there are over 150 people in line? Maybe some of those people would like to get a cheki too." Some people were even spending 20000 yen to get six chekis.

    What I didn't know was that in order to get any chekis you had to buy at least one 'old item'. So when I bought my new goods for 8100 yen, I asked for a cheki, and they said I didn't qualify to get one. Confused, I asked a couple of other fans about it, and they thought I should have gotten one as well. So they went to the table and asked, and they clarified the 'old item' caveat. They offered to let me buy another item, but at this point I was sorta ticked off about it, not to mention I want to get out of the habit of purchasing things I already have, so I refused. I have a bunch of Wasa-chekis already.

    con1.jpg
    Wasa-mug

    con3.jpg
    Wasa-pillow (the new one is on the left, the one of the right is last year's version)

    BTW, I forgot to take a photo of the third new item, which is a Wasa-smartphone case since I put my phone in it before thinking of taking a pic. It is actually quite cool looking. Anyway, after pre-ordering the new CD and receiving the signed clear file, I had three hours to kill until doors opened. I camped out at a Dotour a few blocks away sipping coffee, and then moved over to the Hidaka-ya near the venue for a couple of pre-show beers and fried squid.

    con17.jpg
    Hayabusa's flowers. I am pretty sure the flowers for Wasamin were the same, and they just switched out the placards. Most of the TV and radio networks sent arrangements

    I returned to the queue around 5:30 since I wanted to take photos of the flowers, but they were placed in a dark alcove, so taking a shot was pretty much impossible. Instead I waited out in the icy cold for 30 minutes for doors to open. The only way we could enter the show was via two elevators, so it took an extra long time for everyone to get inside. It ultimately resulted in the show starting 10 minutes late since people were still filing in at 6:30. Wasamin's entire family were in attendance, and my friend Kenji was lucky enough to have a seat practically next to them. My seat was in the 5th row on the left-side aisle. Hopefully this would result in me getting some good close-up pics for her during the photo-shooting time. Finally, Wasamin started the Kage-ana, it was showtime! The setlist...

    SETLIST

    1. Sado no Ondeko (7th single)
    2. Ryoshu (7th single c/w)

    con4.jpg

    MC (General welcome, confirming everyone was genki, talked about the cold weather. However, the funniest part of this MC was that Wasamin screwed up and introduced the wrong song. She teed up the intro story for Koi no Dorei, and as she got ready to sing there was no music. She paused for a moment, bowed, and said "That's incorrect!" LOL. She then went into her story bout how she had been practicing the next three songs very hard since she had never performed them before)

    3. Noto Hantou (Ishikawa Sayuri)
    4. Yarazu no Ame (Kawanaka Miyuki)
    5. Fuyu no Riviera (Mori Shinichi)

    The Songs (The highlight of this set to me was Fuyu no Riviera, which was originally performed by a male vocalist. Wasamin's version was slightly faster-paced, and with a somewhat more cheery style. Frankly, I thought her version was better than the original)

    con7.jpg


    MC (Wasamin was mentioning how she had been really tense about some of the new songs she was performing tonight, and hoped they turned out well. She also made a bit of a joke about the next song intro, since she had already done her little speech about it in error during the previous MC. But she hoped they would clean it up for the DVD. Jeez, I hope not. The screw-up was pretty funny!)

    6. Koi no Dorei (8th single c/w)
    7. Ohisashiburi ne (8th single c/w)
    8. Anata (8th single c/w)
    9. Wakare no Yokan (8th single c/w)

    The Songs (To me this is possibly the best set of c/w songs Wasamin has ever had on a single. Every time I hear them I am more and more impressed. And Anata, jeez. It is such a dramatic and emotional song to begin with, and Wasamin puts so much feeling into it. I shiver every time I hear her sing it!)

    con16.jpg

    MC (Wasamin left the stage, next Hiyoshi-san and Kanade-chan, the characters from Wasamin's daily show on TV Tokyo, Hiruson, came on stage. Well, actually they were escorted on stage since they seemed to be unable to walk on their own. This was a great idea, since Wasamin has never done anything Hiruson-related with her fans before. Ultimately it ended up being an awkward MC. For one, the dialogue of the characters was pre-recorded, and sounded that way. It sounded like everything was recorded separately and pieced together. However, there came a point where Wasamin was supposed to come back out, but she wasn't ready. Her mic was live, so you could hear her saying "Wait a minute, I'm not ready!" You could also hear the footsteps of her running around backstage. They essentially had to stop playing the dialogue of the characters, who just stood on the stage silently while we listened to Wasamin manically running around. Eventually she made it back, and was positioned on the floor for the camera-shooting time. After a brief interaction between Wasamin and her anime alter-ego Kanade-chan, they introduced the next song.)


    10. Tonde Istanbul (Mayo Shono)
    11. Osaka Rhapsody (7th single c/w)
    12. Tegami (7th single c/w)

    The Songs (Well, I think everyone is so busy taking pics that they don't notice what Wasamin is singing, which is too bad since her performance of Tonde Istanbul was quite good. Not to mention Neraiuchi (the song below) was a serious "clap along" song. Wasamin performed half a verse of that while standing right next to me, and at one point I became conscious that I might be prominently featured on the DVD, so I started clapping and smiling just in case.)

    con14.jpg


    MC (Short MC to end the camera shooting time for the general audience, and advise the Ichigo Seat holders that they may continue to shoot photos for one more song. Of course I was allowed to keep shooting, but personally I don't think this was the best idea; to tell half the audience they have to stop taking pics while the other half could continue...just my opinion)

    13. Neraiuchi (Linda Yamamoto)

    MC (Wasamin spent most of this MC talking about her Kimonos. during the photoshoot she was wearing the one that was a gift to her from Tegawa Toshimi. (Wasa-senpai) Earlier in the show she wore her blue kimono, which I believe was the first one that was specifically designed for her. Later on she would wear the off-white Kimono from the new single Jacket and MV. From there she introduced the next group of songs as her "pop set," which has traditionally been one of the high points of her solocons)

    14. Yureru Omoi (Zard)
    15. Rouge no Dengon (Arai Yumi)
    16. Genki wo Dashite (Takeuchi Mariya)

    The Songs (Oh yes, this set was great. The Zard song is like the quintessential late 80s-early 90's pop song. Genki wo Dashite is a very pretty acoustic song, the type I could totally see Wasamin performing at one of her "Love Live" concerts. But to me the best song of the set, and perhaps the best song of the night, was her rendition of Rouge no Dengon, which is known for being the opening theme for the Kiki's Delivery Service anime. Once again, I think she outdid the original)

    con11.jpg


    MC (Wasamin spoke about her 'Love Live' shows, which feature her performing pop songs almost exclusively, sans Kimono, and playing the guitar. Wasamin always says that she has a lot of fun performing the pop genre and would like to continue branching out)

    17. Gomen ne Tokyo (5th single)
    18. Moshimo Watashi ga Sora ni Sundeitara (2nd Single)
    19. Tomonoura Bojou (3rd Single)

    MC (Wasamin was impressed that the fans are still keeping with the tradition of certain penlight colors for certain songs. Gomen ne Tokyo = yellow, Moshisora = Light Blue, Tomobojo = Red We were tasked with picking a color for the new single, and decided it would be orange. Wasamin noted that since there are 12 colors on the multi-color penlight we are good for four more songs, and then will have to come up with other ideas. After that she went into her usual "last song" routine, which of course features all of our scripted reactions. We have been doing this routine with her for years, but it still cracks people up who have never seen it before)

    con6.jpg


    20. Saba Kaido (6th Single)

    Encore (BTW, we have a go-to guy in the fan club who pretty much does every encore call. Interestingly, this time he was sitting directly in front of Wasamin's mom, and it was interesting to see her mother really getting into the encore chant. The encore call didn't last long (they were running late from the beginning) The encore started with a VTR showing scenes from Wasamin's first seven single MVs)

    1. Koi no Owari Sangenjaya (8th Single)

    MC (Wasamin talked about her upcoming birthday (Wednesday!) But she also spent a lot of time thanking everyone who has been there for her on this solo career journey, including us as her fans. She really got emotional at one point. For a moment I thought there was a surprise announcement brewing. But no, she was merely reflecting.

    con10.jpg


    2. Hatsuzake (4th Single)
    3. Mujineki (1st Single)

    SHOW END

    Ichigo seat holders were told to remain in their seats while everyone else filed out. They put out a bunch of candy and snacks for us to munch on while we waited for Wasamin to appear. We were also given a bottle of Oolong Tea for the "toast." Wasamin eventually came on stage and did the toast. She was really interested in what we were given to drink. "What is that? Oolong Tea? Itoen?" She was given a bottle as well, but interestingly when we toasted I noticed she didn't really drink anything. Ichikawa-san (Wasa-manager) ran onto the stage with a bottle of Aquarius (tastes the same as Pocari Sweat), and switched it. Does Wasamin not like Oolong tea?

    con5.jpg

    We were then instructed to line up with our groups for movie shooting time. Half of us didn't know what our groups were. It turned out to be listed on a piece of paper that was sitting on our chairs when we arrived. I was in group #2 (There were 12 groups in total) I kinda got screwed on this benefit. I think part of the problem was that some people didn't know which group they were in, and just jumped into the early groups. There were so many people in my group that I got pushed all the way to the far end of the space, and was really far away from Wasamin. The people on the other side were like four feet away from her, and I was like twelve feet away. Not to mention the area was far too dark, so my video looks horrible. Oh, and I had trouble getting my camera started, so I missed the entire time she was talking to me, and she was calling out to me for a good five seconds or so, but I recorded none of it. Oh well, not the end of the world. Here's the last part of the session...


    if the video does not show watch the video here

    After that was a short Q&A session, where Wasamin answered four random questions drawn out of a box, and then she bid her farewell. At the end I was hanging out by the door since my friend was waiting for me at an izakaya around the corner. I wanted first dibs at the exit. We celebrated with a Yakitori dinner at Torikizoku.

    My overall impression? Wasamin sounded great. Her song choices were really good. Oh, during the Q&A someone asked how the concert setlists are decided, and it was revealed that her manager, Ichikawa-san has a lot to do with that. The MC with Hiroshi-san and Kanade-chan was cute, but could've been executed a lot better. On the other hand, the VTR was kinda disappointing in that it felt like it was thrown together at the last minute. Not to mention they usually have some sort of special VTR retrospective of Wasamin's past year, but that didn't occur. I was not impressed with Kinema Club as a concert venue. It was small, cavernous, and quite dark. It made photo-shooting quite difficult. It wasn't as nice as the places she has performed before, although the location was really convenient. I would also re-think the idea of giving the Ichigo Seat holders additional shooting time, I think the negative experience of those who couldn't take pics during that song outweighed the positives for those who could.

    con8.jpg

    The good news was they had just announced that Wasamin would be doing a promotional mini-live in Saitama the next day, so it would be a great opportunity to discuss the concert with her one on one. That writeup is upcoming...
     
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  15. Cristafari

    Cristafari Stage48 Admin Staff Member Stage48 Admin

    Joined:
    Sep 10, 2008
    Location:
    Saitama, Japan
    Oshimen:
    Iwasa Misaki
    Twitter:
    Cristafari
    Iwasa Misaki 8th Single Preorder Mini-Live at Benibana Walk, Saitama Prefecture (2019/01/27)

    beni2.jpg


    Since it was a last-minute addition to the schedule, I wasn't aware of Wasamin's Sunday appearance until she announced it at her concert Saturday night. This was great news. After an emotional day at her annual solo performance I really wanted to spend some one-on-one time with her and discuss the show. But there was one little problem...

    Sunday was also the day of Minyo Girls' monthly one-man live. Moreover, I had priority entrance ticket #5 which would put me pretty much front and center for the Minyo show. Now it was still possible that I could do both. Checking the schedule, Minyo Girls' live was at 11:30, and would probably end around 1 p.m. Wasamin's performances were at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Between walking and trains it would probably take me around an hour and fifteen minutes to get from Shinjuku Marz to Benibana Walk, so I had enough time to see Wasamin's second live. Okay....

    Except the entire time I kept wishing that I didn't have this Minyo Girls' show to go to so I could just go and see Wasamin. It was in the back of my mind the entire time I was on the way to Shinjuku. The more I thought about it, the less I wanted to go to Shinjuku and the more I wanted to turn around and head to Saitama. I got to my transfer point at Itabashi Station; it was decision time. If I got on the Southbound train I would see the Minyo's. The train showed up and the doors opened. I stood there frozen. The station chimes jingled, it was now or never. The doors closed, and it was settled. Sorry Mingaru, but the Wasa-love is just too strong today. Ultimately it was the right decision. If I had gone to see Minyo Girls I know I would've been standing there and regretting it for the entire show. Bottom line, Kami-oshi ALWAYS takes precedence.

    I boarded the train in the other direction, and eventually caught an express train out to Okegawa in Saitama Prefecture. I was in such a good mood that I even splurged on a Green Car seat. (Luxury train car on select JR train lines) I arrived in Okegawa quite early, and proceeded to take the long walk to the mall. It's a 15-20 minute walk through a couple of residential neighborhoods, and a couple of small farms! Luckily, it isn't as far as the map makes it seem, and you can see the hulking structure of Benibana Walk from a good distance, so it wasn't a matter of getting lost. Since I was early I was able to snag a front row seat for the events, and when Wasamin's assistant came out I told her my story about skipping the Minyo Girls show. She looked at my ticket and was surprised I gave up on such a good seat, but I told her that I really wanted to spend all day with Wasamin, so it was all good. There was plenty of time before the show, so I went upstairs to the food court for some cold Udon and Tempura.

    beni3.jpg

    After purchasing my CDs, I returned to my seat and put on my Happi. The crowd was filling out quite nicely. Wasamin was running a couple minutes late, and from my vantage point I could see her walking through the mall heading toward the Center Court. Here are the setlists for both performances...

    Setlist 13:00
    1. Hatsuzake
    2. Niji wo Watatte
    3. Anata
    4. Koi no Owari Sangenjaya

    Setlist 15:30
    1. Saba Kaido
    2. Ginza Kan Kan Musume
    3. Ohisashiburi, ne
    4. Koi no Owari Sangenjaya

    Wasamin wore one of my favorite of her Enka hairstyles, pulled back but with a ponytail. So cute. She also picked some of my favorites for the #2-3 slot songs. Niji wo Watatte and Ginza Kan Kan Musume are such crowd-pleasers. Plus, she sang the hauntingly beautiful Anata. Wasamin did talk a bit about the concert during her MCs, exclaiming that we all must be tired to pull this quick turnaround and come to see her after last night's show. She also has a new thing where she is always telling us to take care and not get sick. The weather has been extremely cold and dry over the past week. In any case I purchased enough CDs to do two 2-shots and an additional handshake...

    beni4.jpg

    Mimicking her CD jacket cover. I told Wasamin how much I loved her concert Saturday night, and mentioned that my two favorite performances were Rouge no Dengon and Fuyu no Riviera, noting that I thought her version of Riviera was beter than the original. When I mentioned the first song Wasamin said "Ahh, Ghibli," abut when I mentioned the second song she asked me if I had ever heard it prior to her concert. I said no. She looked at me kinda perplexed, so I explained that late Saturday night I looked up all the original songs from the concert setlist on YouTube.

    beni1.jpg

    Second Visit, handshake only: When I stepped in front of Wasamin she immediately said "Ne ne, Kurisu..." She went on to tell me that she used the products that I gave her for Christmas, and she really liked them, so she just wanted to thank me again. I was kinda taken aback, so I shyly replied "Arigatou." I then told her that I used my new Wasamin mug earlier for my morning coffee, and that coffee in a Wasamin mug is more delicious, LOL. She asked me if I thought about using it for tea, but I told her I am more of a coffee drinker, and only drink tea occasionally. (Actually, I drink a lot of cold tea, both Green and Oolong, but rarely drink it hot)

    Second Set, handshake session...

    beni5.jpg


    Went for the standard heart pose. Since I had an hour to digest Wasamin's compliment, I was able to give her a proper response. I told her how happy I was to hear that she enjoyed the gift. I went on to explain that I often wonder what a good gift for her would be, and sometimes I have a hard time thinking of something. She told me not to worry, and that as long as it was from me she would be happy. (In other words, it's the thought that counts) I told her I would see her soon, and was done for the day.

    It was past 4 o'clock, so I wanted to start heading back to the station to get home. But first I wanted to grab these Schezuan crackers I saw in the mall's specialty market. As I was picking out my stuff, two women came up to me and started asking me about my Wasamin shirt. I was wearing my 32nd SSK shirt, which gets a lot of people's attention. In fact it was the third time some stranger came up to me that day. I explained to them I was there for the show. They asked if I was an AKB fan, and how long I have been a Wasamin fan, then one of them asked to exchange LINE contact with me, and then asked me if I wanted to go out with her next weekend. It was all pretty strange, especially since it was happening right next to the Wasamin event. But I was like "Okay, I'll go to lunch with you next Sunday." I have a funny feeling though that this is going to be some sort of setup. A couple years ago I went on a date, only to find out that the girl's motivation was to enroll me into the religion she was into. So this time I insisted we meet at a train station I am familiar with, just in case I feel the need to escape, LOL.

    Anyway, my next Wasamin event is her 24th birthday/Mujineki 7th Anniversary celebration. Should be fun, although I am going to be late since it is in the middle of the day.

    Oh, and one other thing...

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY MISAKI-CHAN!!!

    <3<3<3<3<3:ome:<3<3<3<3<3
     
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  16. Cristafari

    Cristafari Stage48 Admin Staff Member Stage48 Admin

    Joined:
    Sep 10, 2008
    Location:
    Saitama, Japan
    Oshimen:
    Iwasa Misaki
    Twitter:
    Cristafari
    Iwasa Misaki 24th Birthday Celebration & Debut Single 7th Anniversary at Club Benoa, Ginza (2019/02/01)

    bday1.jpg

    Fan club flowers

    This event was announced back in November during Wasamin's 'Love Live' concert; a Fan Club event on the 7th anniversary of the release of Mujineki. Of course it was also doubling as a Wasamin birthday party, since her actual birthday fell on a Wednesday this year. We knew from the beginning that the party was scheduled for a Friday, but what we didn't know until the tickets arrived was that it was scheduled for 1 p.m., right in the middle of the day. This could be an issue for a lot of people...

    In fact, at first I wasn't sure if I could go. Not only do I have class on Friday, but I also have work. I checked the train schedule, and technically I could make it to the event if I went straight from my Japanese class. Work was another issue however. The good news was that I had yet to select my days off for the coming months, so the first chance I had I put in a request to have this day off, which was granted. That was a relief. Although I didn't really have any time to search for a birthday present, so I was coming empty-handed. I'm a bad Wasafan, I know.

    So cool, I just needed to get through my Japanese exam, and I was off to see Wasamin. In fact I finished my test a few minutes early, which gave me a head-start. Everything was going as planned until I arrived at my transfer station and found out the train was delayed. Shit! I could wait it out on the Asakusa Line platform and hope the train arrived soon, or I could take another route which would definitely make me late for the event. Finally the train arrived, and dropped me off at Higashi-Ginza station just as the event was schedule to begin. The venue was a block from the station, so it only took me around 3-4 minutes to get there.

    Surprisingly, when I arrived the event hadn't even started yet. I checked in, and was given an assortment of paper; a birthday card to fill out, a question sheet, a quiz form, and a feedback form. I noticed the seats were numbered, but wasn't sure which seat was mine. It turned out I was in the front row, NICE! I sat down, changed into my Happi coat, put my stuff away. It turned out Wasamin was running really late as well. The event ultimately didn't start until 1:20 p.m.

    bday4.jpg

    By the way, she looked adorable in that outfit. Wasamin is very stylish, while at the same time she dresses quite conservative. But she is absolutely stunning. After a brief greeting they brought out her birthday cake, being extremely careful not to drop it, especially as they climbed the steps to the stage. After a round of 'Happy Birthday to You' we were treated to a photoshoot session. Since I was in the first row, I was in the first group. And per usual I was off to the side.

    bday5.jpg bday7.jpg bday6.jpg bday8.jpg

    There was also a film crew from DAM Channel present. Wasamin has a show for Live DAM subscribers, and they were filming a show opening for her next episode with all of us in it. It took a couple of takes for the fans to have the correct amount of enthusiasm, but we got it done. Next we got a mini-live of sorts. Here is the setlist...

    1. Mujineki
    2. Konya Kono Mama (original by Aimyon, 2018)
    3. Neraiuchi
    4. Watashi no Kare wa Hidarikiki
    5. Koi no Owari Sangenjaya

    Since Benoa is part of Pasela Resorts, they were using the Karaoke System for Wasamin's performance. So for some of the songs, including Mujineki, we were watching the actual MV of the original artists. In fact, I caught Wasamin glancing up at the monitors a few times during Mujineki. It was also neat to hear Wasamin perform that Aimyon song, since it just came out a couple months ago. Neraiuchi, which she sang for the first time at her concert last weekend, was again a lot of fun.

    bday2.jpg
    Closeup of the Wasa-flower decor

    The Wasamin Quiz was quite difficult. The top score out of everyone who was there (around 125 people) was five out of seven. The questions were...

    1. What anime character is featured on the Tokuma Homepage? (I had no idea)
    2. I didn't understand the question, it was a choice of three numbers having something to do with her blog.
    3. In which prefecture was the Mujineki MV filmed? (I should've gotten this one, I knew it was a northern prefecture that began with the letter "A" and guessed Aomori, it turned out to be Akita)
    4. What was Mujineki's 1st week Pop Single Oricon Ranking? (5th, I knew this one)
    5. What was the 2nd song Wasamin sang at her concert on Saturday? (Ryoshu, knew this one too)
    6. Which hand would Wasamin throw in a game of janken? (I guessed scissors, she threw paper...and lost to Ichikawa-san, who threw scissors, LOL)
    7. What did Wasamin have for breakfast in Yamaguchi on Thursday morning? (I was close. I knew it was a hot beverage because I remembered the photo she posted, and guessed Hot Chocolate. It was Cafe Mocha)

    bday0.jpg

    Finally there was a Q&A session, and again Wasamin pulled the questions randomly out of a box. I usually don't submit questions since I can never think of what to ask her, although this time I did have a question in mind. Since I was late I didn't have a chance to submit it. Oh well.

    bday3.jpg

    We ended with a 2-shot handshake session. I chose a "blowing out the candles" pose since 1) it was her birthday, and 2) she had a rough time getting all the candles blown out earlier. I told her that I was rushing to get there after my Japanese test, and told her about the train issue.. She replied that she was happy it turned out that way so that I didn't miss anything. I didn't have the chance to apologize for not bringing a birthday present, but I will get something for her next week during her release week festivities.

    bday9.jpg

    After that I wrote her a message on my birthday card and affixed it to her birthday poster. After that I was off. I had a 2 1/2 hours to kill before I had to be in Akihabara for the AKB Kenkyuusei stage, which I had cancel machi for. So yeah, it was a long day. Luckily I have no plans for the weekend, so plenty of time to catch up on homework.
     
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  17. Cristafari

    Cristafari Stage48 Admin Staff Member Stage48 Admin

    Joined:
    Sep 10, 2008
    Location:
    Saitama, Japan
    Oshimen:
    Iwasa Misaki
    Twitter:
    Cristafari
    Updated information on Wasamin's new single release....

    First, the Oricon daily single rankings...

    2/12 12th
    2/13 7th
    2/14 18th
    2/15 16th
    2/16 23rd
    2/17 15th

    I don't know if she will rank in the Top 10 this week, but her overall sales number is more important than her ranking. And she will very likely have the #1 Enka single this week (Enka chart posts weekly, not daily)


    Next, articles about the release, and Wasamin's visit to Taishido Hachiman Shrine near Sangenjaya on release day praying for the single to be a success. (Note: all articles in Japanese)

    Tokyo Sports: https://www.tokyo-sports.co.jp/entame/entertainment/1279102/
    Daily Sports: https://www.daily.co.jp/gossip/2019/02/13/0012061552.shtml
    Kyodo: https://this.kiji.is/468314023609549921
    Nikkan Sports: https://www.nikkansports.com/entertainment/news/201902130000456.html
    Actress Press: https://actresspress.com/misaki_iwasa-pray201902/
    All Nippon Kayou Center: https://www.kayou-center.jp/17529
    Megahorn: https://mghorn.com/idol/16293/
    Sports Information: https://www.hochi.co.jp/entertainment/20190213-OHT1T50115.html

    According to the articles, which also talked about her solo concert last month, she is really hoping this is the single that breaks through as a big hit. She also mentioned that she would love to live in the Sangenjaya neighborhood, and if the song is a huge success she will build a house there, LOL. Also, my friend Kenji and I were wondering why there was no press at the Wednesday evening event in Akihabara since it was set up like it was meant to be a press event. They had the huge stage, and Nishiyori Higashi MCd the event. But it turned out the press were all at the shrine in the morning. And based on a few articles, they were at the concert a couple weeks ago too. Good, I feel better now! Here are some photos from the Shrine press event...

    san4.jpg san2.jpg san5.jpg san1.jpg san3.jpg



    Finally, the setlists from her performances this week. Wasamin has been performing daily since the weekend (with the exception of Tuesday)


    Saturday (2/9) Aeon Mall Yumiru-Kamatori, Chiba Prefecture

    1pm
    1. Mujineki
    2. Tokyo no Bus Girl
    3. Ohisashiburi ne
    4. Koi no Owari Sangenjaya

    3:30pm
    1. Tomonoura Bojou
    2. Ginza Kan Kan Musume
    3. Wakare no Yokan
    4. Koi no Owari Sangenjaya

    Sunday (2/10) Polepole City, Ibaraki Prefecture

    1pm
    1. Saba Kaido
    2. Ringo no Uta
    3. Anata
    4. Koi no Owari Sangenjaya

    3:30pm
    1. Hatsuzake
    2. Tokyo no Bus Girl
    3. Koi no Dorei
    4. Koi no Owari Sangenjaya

    Monday (2/11) Aeon Mall Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture

    1pm
    1. Saba Kaido
    2. Ihoujin
    3. Wakare no Yokan
    4. Koi no Owari Sangenjaya

    3:30pm
    1. Mujineki
    2. Tegami
    3. Ohisashiburi ne
    4. Koi no Owari Sangenjaya

    Wednesday (2/13) Yoro-do, Asakusa & Akihabara UDX

    2pm Asakusa
    1. Saba Kaido
    2. Seto no Hanayome
    3. Ohisashiburi ne
    4. Koi no Owari Sangenjaya

    6:30pm Akihabara
    1. Mujineki
    2. Koisuru Fortune Cookie (Enka ver.)
    3. Wakare no Yokan
    4. Koi no Owari Sangenjaya

    Thursday (2/14) Onkyoku-do Koiwa & Tower Records Urawa

    2pm Koiwa
    1. Saba Kaido
    2. Tokyo no Bus Girl
    3. Anata
    4. Koi no Owari Sangenjaya

    7:30pm Urawa
    1. Hatsuzake
    2. Niji wo Watatte
    3. Ohisashiburi ne
    4. Koi no Owari Sangenjaya

    Friday (2/15) Tenryo-do Kameido & HMV Shibuya

    2pm Kameido
    1. Tomonoura Bojou
    2. Toshishita no Otokonoko
    3. Koi no Dorei
    4. Koi no Owari Sangenjaya

    7:30pm Shibuya
    1. Mujineki
    2. Ringo no Uta
    3. Wakare no Yokan
    4. Koi no Owari Sangenjaya

    So far I have only been able to attend three of the events this week, but I am planning on going to the release week finale tomorrow in Kanagawa, so that should be a lot of fun. And of course I have still managed to amass a fairly large stack of Wasamin CDs this week, along with a bunch of other goodies. I will do a proper experience report this weekend.

    san6.jpg

    So far 28 copies in total, not counting the 4 CDs I still need to pick up from Shinseido in Ikebukuro. So actually 32 so far. We'll see how many I buy tomorrow.
     
    Last edited: Feb 18, 2019
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  18. Cristafari

    Cristafari Stage48 Admin Staff Member Stage48 Admin

    Joined:
    Sep 10, 2008
    Location:
    Saitama, Japan
    Oshimen:
    Iwasa Misaki
    Twitter:
    Cristafari
    Iwasa Misaki 8th Single "Koi no Owari Sangenjaya" Release Week Report (2019/02/13-16)

    I posted a lot of the facts and figures yesterday in the entry above this one, now for my personal experiences...

    My Wasamin support got off to a slow start this week. I didn't attend the previous weekend's pre-order events in Chiba and Ibaraki since 1) they were quite far from Tokyo, 2) I had studying to do, and 3) I didn't feel like making any more pre-orders that would require me to pay for shipping. I did plan on going to the Monday events in Saitama, but that went out the window when I won a matinee AKB Theater show. That left me with the Wednesday through Saturday events, and while I would be unable to attend the early performances since they conflicted with work and school, the evening events were doable, as was the finale on Saturday. Ultimately I would attend four events and see five performances, which would be plenty to add to my stack of new CDs, many of which arrived in the mail Thursday morning from the various pre-order events I went to in December and January.

    Special Prizes

    san12.jpg


    Wasamin's management offers various pre-order and release week prizes to keep her fans engaged and encourage purchases. For the pre-order events we were given stamp cards you could turn in for various prizes like a Wasamin, pen, toothbrush, or T-shirt. While during the release week events they kept the tradition of fans drawing for various bonus prizes. For this single you could win a 2-shot cheki, your CD autographed, an autographed poster, or a 1-shot cheki. Also, if you collected 10 losing tickets you could turn them in for an 8th Single Clear file. As an additional bonus, people who attended the event at Akihabara UDX received a 'Wasamin Version' Choco Thunder Candy bar, which was additionally offered as a prize on Thursday. Personally I collected five of the chocolate bars, four on Wednesday and one on Thursday. I tried one, it was nice.

    san16.jpg

    Of course there are always the autograph boards and stickers which you get with each single purchase.

    san14.jpg san15.jpg

    Wednesday at Akihabara UDX

    I really wanted to attend this event since I thought it was going to be the press event for the single. Unbeknownst to be Wasamin held a separate press event without the fans that morning at a shrine near Sangenjaya. Given I didn't get off work until 6 p.m. I was worried that I would be late for the performance. However, my bosses didn't have any more work for me, so I asked if I could take off a little early to make the event. I even hinted that I would write a report about the event that they could possible use for publication. In any case, I got to Akihabara in plenty of time, and was able to participate in the seat lottery. My draw was crappy, but I still found a spot in the third row.

    san17.jpg

    Setlist
    1. Mujineki
    2. Koisuru Fortune Cookie (Enka ver.)
    3. Wakare no Yokan
    4. Koi no Owari Sangenjaya

    To be honest, the crowd was quite underwhelming, and at the time I was especially worried about the lack of press in attendance. The event space at UDX, which is directly behind the AKB48 Theater, is a big place, but it doesn't have too much foot traffic, and if somebody wanted to watch the event they would have to commit to stepping inside the event space. So it was pretty much limited to the Wasafan regulars, and a few random salarymen who ventured inside. The event was hosted by NagaraPro MC Nishiyori Higashi, who not only warned up the crowd but did sort of an impromptu interview with Wasamin between each song. BTW, I had purchased four copies of the CD, which would afford me two 2-shot shamekai.

    san10.jpg

    I happened to still be wearing my work badge, which Wasamin took hold of. "Is this why you haven't been coming to my events? Your job?" She sounded so sad when she said it that I could merely apologize. But as she looked at the badge she remarked "Sugoi Kurisuu, Seriously, Do your best okay?"

    san9.jpg

    Most fans were doing poses with the candy bars, including me. Wasamin asked me if I had ever tried Black Thunder Candy before. I told her I hadn't but was looking forward to it. I ate one right after the handshake, but had no more tickets, or so I thought. With one of my last tickets I drew the 2-shot cheki. Score-a-rooni!

    san18.jpg

    I was able to inform her that I ate the candy and liked it. She asked if she would see me on Thursday, and then added "at the evening event, right?" Yep, that was my plan! And with that, my friend Kenji and I took off for a Spicy Nabe dinner at Akakara.

    Thursday at Tower Records Urawa

    This time there was no risk of me being late for the event since I had over two hours from the end of class to get there. In fact, I was going to take an express train up to Saitama, but when I scored a seat on the Keihin-Tohoku Line, I decided I would rather take a little longer and be comfortable than get crushed on the express train in rush hour. I even had time to relax with a cup of coffee before the event started. Eventually I headed upstairs to the record store where I have seen Wasamin perform so many times before...

    Setlist
    1. Hatsuzake
    2. Niji wo Watatte
    3. Ohisashiburi ne
    4. Koi no Owari Sangenjaya

    After purchasing my CDs, I was able to find a spot on the far right side in front. But just before the show this one guy began pushing through the crowd, and proceeded to attempt to push me out of the front row. He's a regular, and I have seen him do things like this before. After he kept persistently shoving at me, I finally asked "You want this spot?" He's like "Yeah" Fine, take it...Jesus!! I moved toward the back where a couple of my friends were, including Goma-san, who I usually only meet when Wasamin comes to Urawa.

    Wasamin normally doesn't wear a Kimono at this venue, but she wore one today, probably because she had performed earlier in a Kimono and had her hair styled for that look. Also, this is one of those venues that doesn't allow the fans to do calls, so we were pretty much limited to 'golf claps' throughout the performance. Another odd thing about this shop, they were promoting the Bohemian Rhapsody movie soundtrack, and for the entire event Wasamin was competing with a rather loud PA speaker blasting Queen songs. It wasn't an issue while she was singing, but is was kind of distracting when she was doing MCs. Anyway, I purchased three CDs for one 2-shot and 1 regular handshake...

    san8.jpg

    I told Wasamin that I watched the entire DVD from the new single...twice! She asked what I thought, and I told her that my favorite part was when she was walking down the street and talking about her 24th birthday coming up, and her hopes for 2019, although as I was explaining this I started to get pushed out, so it came out kinda jumbled. For the handshake we basically talked about me bringing friends to the event, and that I had also planned on bringing another friend to Friday night's performance in Shibuya. Oh, and I won another 2-shot cheki!

    san19.jpg

    Faito! The 2-shot cheki was considered the "Grand Prize" of the drawing bonuses, but to be honest I was really hoping to win one of the autographed posters. In fact, when my friend Kenji won a poster I asked if he wanted to trade, but I was denied. I mentioned to Wasamin that I had purchased a ticket for her upcoming play. She asked which performance, and I told her the 10th. Although I forgot to mention that it is for the matinee. Afterwards my friends and I ended up heading to Saizeriya for dinner, which ran far too late considering I had a ton of homework and a kanji test the next day to study for. I ended up studying until 2 a.m., and waking up at 6 a.m. to finish the homework. I got a decent grade on the test, so it was ultimately worth it.

    Friday at HMV & Books, Shibuya Modi

    We unexpectedly got a bit of snow late Friday morning, and at one point it looked like it was turning into a big storm, but it passed through quickly without messing up traffic or the rail commute. Once again, I arrived fairly early and grabbed a quick snack at Guzman y Gomez before heading over to the shop. When I got there I could hear the energetic sound of an idol show nearby, so I went around to the front of the building to find a Niji no Conquistador live event in full swing. However, I didn't have too much time, so I only watched for a couple minutes before heading upstairs. In the meantime my friend who was supposed to accompany me to the show cancelled at the last minute. Oh well. I again purchased three CDs for a 2-shot and a handshake, and was able to find a spot close to the front, but then decided to move toward the back where the crowd was sparse. It's a tiny venue anyway.

    Setlist
    1. Mujineki
    2. Ringo no Uta
    3. Wakare no Yokan
    4. Koi no Owari Sangenjaya

    Interestingly, at this HMV they allow fan calls, and also allow the music volume to be fairly loud, at least sometimes. But the one thing they are adamant fans don't do is jump. That's right, No Jumping whatsoever allowed! Wasamin was kinda making a joke about this, since her fans never jump. Enka isn't really 'Jumping Music', but we all agreed to refrain from any jumping for the duration of the live. She also mentioned how cold it was, and was happy people made it out despite the weather.

    san7.jpg

    I had to explain to Wasamin that this was a hand gesture from the new single. Anyway, I apologized for my friend not coming after all, and reminded her which friend it was since Wasamin usually has a good memory with that stuff. I continued her joke about jumping, saying she should have a song called "Jumping no Owari Shibuya" At first she didn't get it, so I had to explain it to her. "Kawaii Kurisuu!" For the handshake I told her that I started to write an article at work about her, and my bosses said they would publish it if they liked it. She grabbed both my hands and seriously said "Do your best!" Ya know, I would love to do her that favor and get an article about her published. Suffice it to say I think she would be very happy with me

    Saturday FINAL at Ito-Yokado Yamato-Tsuruma, Kanagawa Prefecture

    san20.jpg


    Despite this event being a bit of a trek from Tokyo, the release week FINAL is a bit of a 'must' for most Wasafans. Tsuruma is on the Odakyu Line on the way to Enoshima. I initially misjudged the travel time, but ultimately left early enough to catch the Rapid Express and make it to the mall 10 minutes before the first performance. I purchased four CDs, with the intention of possibly buying more later on. I'd see how it went. I put on my Happi coat and found a standing position toward the back. There were a lot of people there, perhaps the largest crowd of the week, at least from the crowds I saw. It was the first time she had ever performed in this town.

    Oh, and I had made a setlist prediction, which I told my friend Kenji before the show. My predictions were as follows for the two events...

    1. Mujineki and Gomen ne Tokyo
    2. Blue Light Yokohama (I was sure of) and Niji wo Watatte (a wild guess)
    3. Koi no Dorei and Anata
    4. Sangenjaya x2


    How did I do?

    Setlist 1 p.m.
    1. Saba Kaido
    2. Blue Light Yokohama
    3. Koi no Dorei
    4. Koi no Owari Sangenjaya

    Setlist 3:30 p.m.
    1. Gomen ne Tokyo
    2. Watashi no Kare wa Hidarikiki
    3. Anata
    4. Koi no Owari Sangenjaya

    Not bad, eh? When you have seen Wasamin as much as I have, you begin to spot patterns in her setlists. I knew she would perform 'Blue Light' since she always does when she is in Kanagawa Prefecture. This week Anata and Koi no Dorei had been performed the least of all the c/w tracks. I had a feeling she would sing Gomen ne Tokyo since it was one of three of her original singles she hadn't performed this week, and I figured it was the most likely of those three. And I knew she would pick an uptempo song for the late event, and I considered predicting "Hidarikiki" since it is very similar to 'Watatte' and has a similar "Wasamin" call. Ultimately it shows I am pretty good at spotting Wasamin's patterns. Either that, or Ichikawa-san (Wasa-manager) and I think alike. When the first performance ended I immediately lined up since I wanted to have as much time as possible to eat lunch and find some kind of gift for Wasamin.

    san21.jpg

    I mentioned that I read a bunch of the articles from the press events on Wednesday, and like her I hope the song becomes a big hit. She thanked me, and assured me that if it does become a big hit, I, as her fan was a part of it. She kept emphasizing that we are a success together, which was very nice.

    I knew the early handshake event would go on for a while so I headed downstairs to the mall food court, eventually settling for a Tendon/Soba set from Fuku Tendon which was quite filling. After lunch I was wandering around the downstairs area when I stumbled on a big flower mart at the rear of the mall. Lots of different flowers, and amazingly low prices. Flowers for Wasamin? This would be perfect! I chose a bouquet I thought was really pretty and colorful. But then I thought "Am I going to carry these around for 90 minutes until the next show? I headed back upstairs to see if the early event was still taking place. It was. Great! I can give them to her now. Only I really wanted to take a 2-shot with her and the flowers, which meant I would be using up all my tickets and would need to get more CDs/tickets for the later event.

    san23.jpg

    You can't totally see the flowers because of the paper wrapping, and there was even more wrapping on them before, which I peeled off with the help of the Takuma rep who always makes a big deal about me being there; "It's Chris!!" The other issue was that the stems were all wet since I had just bought them. So when Wasamin mentioned the water I said that I would handle the bottom, and afterwards handed them directly to Ichikawa-san. However, this made my hands all wet, so I had to towel them off before I shook her hand. Oh, and I won the autographed poster, Yatta! I retreated to the nearby Dotour for some coffee, and to relax before the second show.

    san25.jpg

    I walked around the mall for a while thinking about getting Wasamin another gift. In fact, they had a Godiva Chocolate outlet with a huge selection of Godiva gift boxes. But ultimately I figured the flowers were enough for the day, and an additional gift would be overdoing it. I headed back to the event and purchased another CD for the late performance, and then realized that it was my 37th CD. I am a bit obsessive compulsive when it comes to numbers, and I consider "37" an unlucky number, so I turned around and purchased one more to make it "38," LOL.

    san6.jpg
    The stack has gotten bigger since I took that photo

    By this time the crowd had really swelled, I was glad Kenji and I had found a good standing spot, with only two young girls in front of us. Watashi no Kare wa Hidariki is a great audience participation song, and the fans were putting a huge effort into it, enough for Wasamin to comment about it after the song. Of course Anata is so intense, it drew even more shoppers over to the stage area. It was a very nice "final" performance for the promotion. I waited for Kenji to purchase more CDs before lining up for one more 2-shot.

    san24.jpg

    Zombie pose! Wasamin was wondering if I had thought about coming to her event at Minoh Spa in Osaka tomorrow, but I told her I had to study Kanji for a test on Monday, and that I am struggling a bit with Japanese class this semester. She confessed that Kanji is a weakness for her as well, and she understood why I might be having trouble. With that I congratulated her, and was on my way. I decided not to wait around for the end of the event since I already knew that a few of the 'heavyweights' had purchased boxes of CDs, and had stacks of handshake tickets. In fact for the last single the final event went for over 3 1/2 hours. So instead we headed back to Shinjuku for dinner.

    After tomorrow, the only things currently on Wasamin's schedule through March are the play at Meiji-za which runs for two weeks in the middle of the month (I have a ticket for the 2nd performance) and the chara-ani cheki event in late March. However, I am going to guess that at least a couple events will pop up on the schedule between now and the end of the month. But for now it will be interesting to see where this single finishes on the charts, and in overall sales. Hopefully we will see sales numbers at least in the same neighborhood as her 7th single Sado no Ondeko. I am cautiously optimistic.
     
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  19. Cristafari

    Cristafari Stage48 Admin Staff Member Stage48 Admin

    Joined:
    Sep 10, 2008
    Location:
    Saitama, Japan
    Oshimen:
    Iwasa Misaki
    Twitter:
    Cristafari
    Wasamin is on a bit of a fan hiatus while she rehearses for the upcoming play. I have a ticket for the second performance (10 days from now) so expect a report. In the meantime, a bit of news...

    Iwasa Misaki 2019 Concert DVD/BluRay to be released May 29th (Wednesday)

    This is her 5th Concert release, for the concert I reviewed further upon this page. She has released one concert video each year since 2016, except in 2017, when she released two.

    BluRay 6000 yen, DVD 5000 yen, and is available at the usual online shops. I'm sure she will be doing promotional events as well, for anyone who is going to be in town in late-May.
     
  20. Cristafari

    Cristafari Stage48 Admin Staff Member Stage48 Admin

    Joined:
    Sep 10, 2008
    Location:
    Saitama, Japan
    Oshimen:
    Iwasa Misaki
    Twitter:
    Cristafari
    Here's a friendship that surprised two fandoms...

    Wasamin out to dinner with former ANGERME member Fukuda Kanon.

    wasakanon.jpg wasakanon2.jpg wasakanon3.jpg

    I don't recall Wasamin ever mentioning Kanon before, nor do I recall them ever working together. That said, Wasamin is known to be an H!P fan (she had mentioned being a fan of Morning Musume and Berryz Koubou in the past) Also, they are both avid Disneyland fans, each possessing an Annual Pass.

    By the way, tonight was opening night of the new play Wasamin is in with Mizumori Kaori. I have tickets for tomorrow's (actually today's) matinee.
     
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