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Day One of J-POP Summit 2015 was almost too much for any one attendee to grasp. From the action on the Fort Mason Center Main Stage, to the action at Union Square, there was more than any one person can see in one day. Thankfully J-POP Summit is a two-day event!  The second day started off a little slower than the first with the J-POP IDOL Contest. This is another popular yearly tradition similar to the ODOTTEMITA contest. This year it was judged by a panel that included YANAKIKU who would also be the first performers of the day.  YANAKIKU marked their return to J-POP Summit with a set that included their super popular song "Fujiyama Disco". The pop duo have been wowing fans with their up-beat and fun songs ever since their formation and were fan favorites at J-POP Summit 2014. It was a pleasure to see them again and to see that their penchant for fun had not diminished one bit! Besides performing on the main stage, they could also be found at the Sake Summit Stage at Union Square and could also be found at the Ryokan Pavilion. Like FESTIVE and FAINT STAR, they were very approachable and more than willing to stop for a picture with their fans, many of whom they won over that day.  Following this, J-POP Summit attendees were treated to a fashion show featuring pieces by way of Baby, The Stars Shine Bright. This was followed by the MARUQ fashion content before the music acts continued.  Now day two had a sense of deja vu to it for a bit after this otherwise fresh start as we were treated to performances that also took place the day before. First up we got another performance by Little Glee Monster who today switched places with FESTIVE in the running order. I was pleased to see them again and it would be unfair to not mention that they performed a set that was slightly different than the one the day before. The energy was definitely still with them even though the attendance was slightly less than before. Little Glee Monster also performed at the Sake Summit Stage with YANAKIKU on this day and I was lucky enough to stop by their meet and greet in between the festivities.   Once again repeating part of the previous day's line-up we were treated to another round of FESTIVE. This time they performed the set that they had done the day before at the Sake Summit Stage (A set which was different than the one they did on the main stage) and were met with as much fan fervor as they had been at their previous performances. If anything fan reaction was stronger as they had had time to get to know the girls both by way of performance and by way of one-on-one interaction.  This is also a good time to mention their continued appearance at the CHEERZ booth. For those that don’t know, CHEERS is a smart phone app that allows you to “cheer” on your favorite idol by basically liking (cheering) their photos. There are many idols featured on this app including the members of FESTIVE. The app is available in the US on both the Apple and Android app stores.  Following this was another performance by FAINT STAR. I was quickly becoming a fan of their sound and their songs so it was a pleasure to see them again. Their set list was something of a mix between their sets the previous days, but I think their reception was a little stronger most likely owing to the same factors that helped FESTIVE. Also like the previous day, it was easy to find the pair around the event for that quick autograph/photo op.  Next up we got a performance from AMIAYA. Now they had performed the previous day as part of the Moshi Moshi Stage Line-up, but this time they had their own set. I had the joy of seeing them DJ the week before at Moshi Moshi Nippon LA and I was very pleased to see them perform some of the songs that had made them popular such as their cover of Pink Lady's "UFO". The twins AMI and AYA are talented enough to not only be DJs, but also performers, as well as models. Hopefully they appear at more events in the US. It is also worth noting that they provided an interesting departure from most of the sounds otherwise heard at J-POP Summit.
The second day didn't have headliners like Gacharic Spin, Eir Aoi, and JAM Project, BUT it did have FEMM. FEMM is a pop duo whose unique electronic sound has made them popular the world over. The self-stylized "Mannequin Dance Duo" are noteworthy do to the fact that they keep up the “mannequin” facade far beyond the stage. They could be spotted at various spots around the Fort Mason Center and were available for some silent photo ops as well as a silent autograph session. There was actually a contest judging who could take the best picture with them during these pop ups. Their one-of-a-kind take on the J-Pop formula meant that fans who might not care for other aspects of J-POP Summit were there to see them and quite a bit of excitement was being built up regarding their appearance.
Before we got to see them on stage though, we were treated by several performances by the Go-torch characters. These characters represent each locale in Japan and act as their mascots. For this stage we got Chissai Ossan (Amagasaki, Hyogo), Sanasenabona (Sasebo, Nagasaki), and Koakkuma & Akkuma from Hokkaido. Their mix of comedy, music, and performance was one that was very amusing to watch and while some of the fans might not have come in originally intending to stick around for their performance they did once they realized how much fun they actually were! They were also available for many photo ops throughout the day and were very approachable at their booth.  This night's main events were FEMM, DJ Ken Ishii, and ANAMANAGUCHI. Now before I start to bring this report to a close I must admit that out of these three I only personally witnessed FEMM's performance. I was busy attending to the spectacle that was their second autograph session (which seemed to have attracted EVERY attendee at the event) and missed most of DJ Ishii's set. I am glad to note that I DID in fact catch him a couple nights earlier at the Castro Theater. ANAMANGUCHI unfortunately I skipped out of pure ignorance, but I am sure that they were more than capable of closing out this amazing event. With that said, let's talk a bit about FEMM!
FEMM were arguably the biggest performers of Day Two and they were fresh off a performance in West Hollywood days before. This West Hollywood performance conflicted with the opening night's event which not only caused A-To-J to miss it, but also meant that they were absent from both that and Day One. They made up for this absence though with a performance that got the crowd the most active they had been all weekend. I mentioned before that their style of music broke boundaries of fandoms and it was most apparent in the varied crowd that showed up for their performance. People who probably would not attend for say...FESTIVE or even JAM Project showed up for FEMM. While I was skeptical about how lively their performance could be since their gimmick required them to be all but stationary at all times, I was quickly silenced by what I saw. Pictures don't do it justice, this duo pull off the mannequin thing perfectly and also provide a dance performance (complete with twerking!) that has to be seen to be believed. They performed all many of their most popular songs including the megahit "Fxxx Boys Get Money" a song that the emcee conveniently called "Boys Get Money". They definitely won over fans of all kinds this night and hearing a room full of people shouting "Fuck boys get money!" was something that I thought I'd never witness in my life! There you have it. J-POP Summit 2015 comes to a close and we wait until next year. A-To-J Connections had the pleasure of covering this event, but as I stated several times, this was not an event where one person could cover easily, but I personally took up that challenge. Here's hoping to an even bigger next year, both to the event and to our level of coverage! Manuel (alavic_222) Follow A-To-J Connections for comprehensive day-by-day coverage on both our site and our social media accounts! For more information on J-POP Summit: Website: http://www.j-pop.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JPOPSummit/?fref=ts Twitter: https://twitter.com/JpopSummitFest  J-POP Summit officially kicked off its 2015 show at Fort Mason, San Francisco on August 8 (also my birthday) and it was an interesting change from previous years. A lot has been said about the shift from Japantown to Fort Mason and the move from a free event to a paid one. While both of these are true, I think there is much to be said regarding now overall feel of the event. In past years the J-POP Summit had more of a music festival atmosphere where random people could perhaps be introduced to music and cultural elements they wouldn't be otherwise. This meant that it wasn’t a show for just fans of a particular artist or Japanese music/culture in general. Now it has more of a standard convention feel as it is enclosed, ticketed, and the audience is largely those already familiar with the guests. That doesn't take away from the event as a whole though and there are a lot of pluses involved in the move. The concerts are more structured and the meet and greets are more organized. Also, since it is indoors, there is more ease in shopping and the opportunity for increased growth in both the amount of exhibitors offered, but also in variety. With that out of the way, let's discuss the main event itself!  FESTIVE The show on the main stage kicked off with a performance by idol group, FESTIVE. FESTIVE is an eight member group whose goal is to spread the idea and love of Japanese festivals to the world and they did just that! They put on a very powerful performance that had the audience cheering along in no time and more than a few fans were ready with coordinated dance moves and chants. Their meet and greet events were also some of the most interactive and they spent much of the day wandering around the event interacting with fans both on the show floor and at the CHEERZ booth. They also performed at the Sake Summit Stage in Union Square. This performance did draw a crowd of curious onlookers and harkened back to the days of J-POP Summits in the past, but more on this later.  Little Glee Monster Little Glee Monster were up next and their performance shocked me and probably much of the audience who were probably expecting something more like FESTIVE. Little Glee Monster is a six member group who possess some of the strongest singing voices I have ever heard in my life. More shocking is the fact that they are all very young (high school age) but still possess the aforementioned talent. They belted out their own hits like “Houkago High Five” as well as a cover of The Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back”. Definitely one of the pleasant surprises of their event. Their meet and greet was also heavily attended and they were quite fun to interact with.
FAINT STAR came up next. FAINT STAR is a duo made up of HINA and YURIA and their unique blend of soft, catchy synth pop was somewhat of a shift in the sounds we had heard before. While being relatively unknown compared to some of the other performers, FAINT STAR put on a set that was both poppy and catchy yet cool and modern. Similar to FESTIVE, FAINT STAR could be seen on the show floor much of the day and were quite open to pictures with the attendees. Their meet and greet was actually probably the most heavily attended this day (barring the main event acts) as well and speaks volumes about their personalities and their ability to interact with fans to their benefit. They also performed at the Sake Summit Stage following FESTIVE.
Now I mentioned the Sake Summit Stage a couple of times now and it was at this point in the event that I traveled over to Union Square to see what was going on there. Being that it was a satellite event I wasn't expecting much, but I was sad to note that there were hardly any attendees at all. I was expecting low numbers, not a complete absence of attendees. This wasn't helped by the fact that I wasn't sure if ticketing was a thing at this event or not. I did not see any noticeable ticketing counters, but I was not stopped by anyone as I traveled across roped off areas. (This could have been due to my press status though) I feel that this could have deterred others who might have been otherwise interested in the event. The sake tasting areas were similarly confusing as well, but an interesting attraction to bring to an event like this. With that said there was a lot to see here and try in terms of food and drink and the main stage also featured many of the performers from the Fort Mason part of the event.
I only attended the music events at the Sake Summit Stage, but as I mentioned previously, it was interesting to get to experience the old feel of J-POP Summit and to see a crowd who probably would have never seen groups like FESTIVE or FAINT STAR otherwise interact with them. Perhaps due to the shift of venue, both artists seemed more relaxed here and FESTIVE even performed a longer set than they did at the Fort Mason Stage. What the Union Square part of the event lacked was a variety of activities to take part in outside of the performances though and the crowds quickly dispersed after each act. It is also interesting to note that I did not witness much migration between the two events and very few of the Fort Mason fans seemed willing to trek out to Union Square even when promised more performances.
Back at Fort Mason, Moshi Moshi Nippon took the stage and the fans got to see a wide mix of music and fashion. Idol unit, Musubizm, soloist Anna Yano, and pop duo AMIAYA all took to the stage with music performances while Ayumi Seto displayed the latest from Aymmy in the batty girls fashion line. Their section on the show flow also featured fashion, food, and karaoke brought to J-POP Summit by LIVE DAM Karaoke.  ODOTTEMITA Group Winners, Empire, with FESTIVE Following some blistering rock performances by The Akabane Vulgars On Strong Bypass and Jinny Oops!, we saw the continuation of one of J-POP Summit's most popular events, the ODOTTEMITA Dance Contest. This year's contestants were judged by a panel that included FESTIVE. All this kept the audience busy before we arrived at the headliners for Day One: Gacharic Spin, Eir Aoi, and JAM Project!
I will be the first to admit that I knew nothing about Gacharic Spin prior to this event. This didn’t keep me from anticipating their show with great excitement though, and I was not disappointed. Gacharic Spin are a unique six-member group that also includes two dance performers. They have been around for several years and have made many convention appearances in the US. In this writer's humble opinion, they completely stole the show. Their set was definitely the most energetic of the weekend and they had the crowd excited with their antics that included the members climbing on every section of the stage, including some of their own instruments! Their unique brand of music also meant that the band featured vocals from nearly all the members and the two dance performing members were non-stop during the entire show. Did I mention that one of them even strapped a keyboard to their back and bent over to become an instrument themselves? Because that happened too! I look forward to hopefully seeing them perform in the future again.
The second headliner was JPop and anisong singer, Eir Aoi. Eir Aoi is best known for her music that can be heard on popular anime like Sword Art Online and Kill la Kill. Fresh off several US convention appearances (despite what the program guide says, this was NOT her first US performance) her set get the crowd moving and proved to be a strong follow-up to the almost unreachable levels we had seen with Gacharic Spin. I’ll admit at this point that it was hard to get excited over a soloist with little staging after the sheer powerhouse-style of Gacharic Spin, but Eir Aoi’s amazing vocal performance got most of the crowd back on her side and the attendees turned the Fort Mason Stage blue with their penlights and glow sticks.  JAM Project If any group could hope to retake the glory of the main stage it is JAM Project. JAM Project is currently a five member group whose combined membership has contributed to so many anime past and present that I could literally fill up the entire article with their credits alone. This doesn't even begin to cover their own huge catalog as a group. They performed many of their defining songs such as “SKILL” and “Rescue Fire” and also featured solo performances from various members such as Hiroshi Kitadani with "We Are!" and Hironobu Kageyama with "CHA-LA HEAD CHA-LA". Their set definitely brought every single attendee to the main stage and while they didn’t partake in the antics that made the Gacharic Spin crowd go insane, they did captivate the audience with their tried-and-true talent and set list that literally took fans through decades of anime.
The day was long and it was full of more content than any one person could possibly hope to fully experience in one day, but J-POP Summit is not simply a singular event and there is still one more day to go! -Manuel (alavic_222) Follow A-To-J Connections for comprehensive day-by-day coverage on both our site and our social media accounts! For more information on J-POP Summit: Website: http://www.j-pop.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JPOPSummit/?fref=ts Twitter: https://twitter.com/JpopSummitFest  J-POP Summit 2015 kicked off in San Francisco on August 7th and promises to be the biggest event yet! Stretching all across San Francisco, J-POP Summit coincides with the Japan Film Festival (at New People Cinema in Japantown), Sake Summit (in Union Square, Downtown San Francisco), the event proper in Fort Mason, and the opening event held at the Castro Theater! Kicking off this year's event was the VIP Party/Screening at the aforementioned Castro Theater. The VIP party was only open to invited guests and press, but it was a great way for all to mix and mingle and showcased the varied talent present! It was also rather surreal to see sights like JAM Project and idol group Festive take pictures with accomplished actor Tadanobu Asano or others take photos with the oversized Ichiko Shochu props!
The event itself centered on the screening of the film Electric Dragon 80000V, a very unique, stylized film that left the audience in awe by the time it was finished largely due to its extreme imagery and harsh noise/punk rock soundtrack. Being a rather early film in Tadanobu Asano's career, it was interesting to hear him discuss it following the feature in a special Q&A Session that also covered his more recent works. It was a unique treat for those that attended this opening night event. Not content to just deliver this once-in-a-lifetime experience, the night concluded with an amazing set by DJ Ken Ishii that was accompanied by animation by director Koji Morimoto. This surreal, otherworldly combination was just as much a treat as the film/Q&A session earlier and was a good way to get those who perhaps only knew about the music aspect of J-POP Summit to realize that the other events the weekend had to offer were worth considering as well.
If this is any indicator of what is in store for us at this year's J-POP Summit then we are definitely in for the biggest year yet!
-Manuel (alavic_222) Follow A-To-J Connections for comprehensive day-by-day coverage on both our site and our social media accounts! For more information on J-POP Summit: Website: http://www.j-pop.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JPOPSummit/?fref=ts Twitter: https://twitter.com/JpopSummitFest |
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