May'n Live @ Kashiwa Palooza

[Lolicon]

Hey all,

I happened to have the good fortune of being in Tokyo during May'n's summer tour and was able to snag tickets to see her in Kashiwa (because I sure as hell wasn't going to go to Nagano!). I was going to put up an extensive report on the concert, but my enjoyment of the evening was curtailed by being crammed into a small room with 500 smelly otaku, all struggling to see over each other in a standing room-only venue. This is not an insult; it's ridiculously hot and humid in Japan right now. One local I spoke with told me it's unusually hot this summer.

So this is really just my impression of the concert and May'n's appeal. First off, I would like to address the moronic anime bloggers who have written idiotic things like "May'n is fugly" or "Stop pretending to be Sheryl Nome." I'd like to address the second remark first. I have never actually seen May'n in a pink wig, so I'm not sure why they think she's "pretending" to be Sheryl. Second, if there's anyone on the planet who has the right to pretend to be Sheryl, it's going to be May'n.

Regarding remarks about May'n being fugly: HUH? Have these loser anime bloggers never actually interacted with a real woman before? May'n is a cutie and I think she's even more adorable in person. I won't say she's the hottest Jpop singer I've ever seen, but I think she looks great. I want her to have my babies. I think these bloggers need to look in a mirror if they want to know what fugly really means.

Anyway, unlike Megumi, May'n seems to be going for a more mainstream appeal, and she only performed a few songs from Macross. I actually got there a little bit late so I missed a few songs from the start, but the Macross songs I caught were:

Obelisk

Diamond Crevasse (amazing piano rendition with May'n playing; the best part of the evening)

Lion

ENCORE 1: Universal Bunny

ENCORE 2: Don't Be Late

Which brings me to my next impression. If she really does want to be a big-time "main" star like she's stated during previous interviews, she really needs to appeal to more than just the creepy otaku crowd, which was all I saw in attendance. Note this is merely my impression from a single concert; I have no idea how popular May'n is in Japan and I haven't really followed her work after Macross. Will she become a popular, long-lived singer and not just a passing fad as Frontier becomes a thing of the past? I have no idea. I hope she does, because she as an amazingly good singer. There's nothing better than hearing her perform live.

We weren't allowed to take pics, so I don't have any images to offer you guys. Sorry!

Edited August 3, 2010 by Lolicon

[Tochiro]

Thanks for the impressions - it's always great to hear other's impressions of concerts, especially when there's a Macross connection :-)

Her tour this year is split into 'A-Side' and 'B-Side.' I decided to hit one of the B-side concerts in September (hopefully the current heatwave will have broken by then. Last time I checked over 50 ppl had died nation-wide due to heatstroke and related fatigue).

BTW, the goods list from the tour can be found here.

Firstly, never listen to anime bloggers - 99.99% of them have never even set foot in Japan (let alone out of their mothers basement). By Japanese standards May'n is average looking I suppose. My main criticism is that they use far too much makeup on her (whereas the makeup artists use less on Megumi).

Second, there ARE times where May'n has been acting like Sherryl - in particular the Galaxy Tour. I witnessesd this first hand - but that was the POINT of that gig - both May'n and Megumi were in character the entire show and didnt even use their real names. On the otherhand, when you go to a May'n concert you get...well, May'n. I find it funny how a lot of so-called anime experts dont seem to realise that they are watching a carefully crafted and marketed persona - sometimes what they are seeing is 2, even 3 persona's removed from the 'real' performer. But thats fine, because 'real' is not what Japanese audiences want (I brought this up in the feedback of anAX concert review recently)

As far as May'n going 'May'nstream' is concerned - she has been trying but so far it hasnt been happening. The last concert she did at the Budokan was hyped pretty hard and even got a Bluray release (relatively rare for Flying Dog to do although it has since become a little more common) - but the fact that she went straight back to doing tiny gigs leads me to believe it might not have been as profitable as the organisers would have liked. She is pretty much unknown in Japan outside of otaku/Macross fandom. The company I work at even put her in a tv commercial, but she just hasnt done anything that could be considered a breakout hit music -wise.

Playing to the otaku crowd isnt necessarily a bad thing. Like they say - all you need is 1000 hardcore fans. Keep them happy and they will buy anything you put out and you can live off that. Megumi has gone the full idol route as of late and its actually increased her popularity among the Akiba crowd. May'n on the other hand - well, I hope she finds her niche soon because it would be heartbreaking to see her short on work after the Macross Frontier hypetrain leaves town.

[terry the lone wolf]

Yeah it does seem being an anime idol is a trap of sorts. May'n had albums out way before the Sheryl Nome thing and now it seems she's gaining more attention but seems to be trapped by the spectre of Macross Frontier. I have a copy of the Final Concert in Boudokan and May'n blew me away. She was so professional; a true performer.

[Save]

I agree with Tochiro, plus I've seen May'n perform a few times now and she has a great voice but it does seem her appeal toward the mainstream stardom has dimmed. It's great that you want to speak out against opposing bloggers thoughts but it was pretty sad since you yourself are guilty of their habits being that you had to trash May'n's supporting "creepy otaku" fan base. So Adonus, what do you see in your own mirror?

[Lolicon]

I agree with Tochiro, plus I've seen May'n perform a few times now and she has a great voice but it does seem her appeal toward the mainstream stardom has dimmed. It's great that you want to speak out against opposing bloggers thoughts but it was pretty sad since you yourself are guilty of their habits being that you had to trash May'n's supporting "creepy otaku" fan base. So Adonus, what do you see in your own mirror?

Awww it sounds like I hit a nerve.

Back on topic, I didn't like the tiny standing room-only venue. It said 500 people but that was way too many people for the place. We were quite literally packed shoulder to shoulder, everyone struggling to see over each other. I noticed the Side A/Side B thing but didn't really stop to take it in. Are the later concerts listed going to be at better venues? I'd hate to see May'n relegated to only tiny dives like the Palooza.

I picked up a few souvenirs on the way out and was sufficiently gouged for them.

[ATLMYK]

Diamond Crevasse (amazing piano rendition with May'n playing; the best part of the evening)

I didn't know she played, another Yoko Kanno in the making? I also agree May'n is a cutie, she kinda grows on you with her constant smiling and positive energy. She may never be a mainstream jpop star but she definitely seems to love what she is doing. The flip side is she will always be a bigger draw in other countries as a anison star compared to most jpop artist.

I can understand the smelly otaku comment. The other day I popped in to a random comic shop to see what some of my old favorites were up to. Walking in I was punched in the face with body odor so bad my gag reflex kicked in. I ended up walking out shaking my head cursing the 'comic-book freaks'. Yes, I went in there with the same nerdy desires as the rest but the lack of hygiene and personal grooming on display made me revolt against my fellow comic book nerds.

Edited August 3, 2010 by ATLMYK

[sketchley]

it's ridiculously hot and humid in Japan right now. One local I spoke with told me it's unusually hot this summer.

Nah... the heat and humidity is normal for summer. On the other hand, it's a lot dryer than usual (rainy season was close to a no-show). But this is all par for the course for an El-nino year.

The odd weather this year is the tornado that hit about a week ago West of Tokyo. And the pair of tornado warnings for Hyogo that flashed across the screen a couple of weeks back. THAT's unusual.

Back on topic, I didn't like the tiny standing room-only venue. It said 500 people but that was way too many people for the place. We were quite literally packed shoulder to shoulder, everyone struggling to see over each other.

May I ask what country you're originally from? As people from different cultures have different perceptions of personal space.

[Lolicon]

I didn't know she played, another Yoko Kanno in the making? I also agree May'n is a cutie, she kinda grows on you with her constant smiling and positive energy. She may never be a mainstream jpop star but she definitely seems to love what she is doing.

Yup, apparently she plays the piano too. And who knows, maybe having a niche status might be for the best. Being "mainstream" has its drawbacks too.

May I ask what country you're originally from? As people from different cultures have different perceptions of personal space.

I'm from the Gulf Coast region of the USA, and it's just as hot and humid as in Japan, except back home I make it a point to stay indoors as much as possible and, like everyone else in America, I drive everywhere, so my exposure to the H&H is minimal. Not so while walking and taking trains everywhere in Japan.

My apologies though, as I should have been more specific about the crowding. It wasn't so much being packed shoulder to shoulder that I disliked as it was the effort to get a good view of May'n. Spent much of the nearly two hours standing on my toes with my head craned upwards to maintain a line of sight on her. By the end my feet and back were killing me.

The crowding was actually a little better than taking the rush hour train.

[Seanzilla]

Firstly, never listen to anime bloggers - 99.99% of them have never even set foot in Japan (let alone out of their mothers basement). By Japanese standards May'n is average looking I suppose. My main criticism is that they use far too much makeup on her (whereas the makeup artists use less on Megumi).

I agree about the makeup sometimes, but in my opinion she is well above average looking. I saw her pics from Anime Expo, and it looked like they had her "dolled up" too much, though still very pretty. Some of her cutest pictures in her blog are those without makeup.

As far as May'n going 'May'nstream' is concerned - she has been trying but so far it hasnt been happening. The last concert she did at the Budokan was hyped pretty hard and even got a Bluray release (relatively rare for Flying Dog to do although it has since become a little more common) - but the fact that she went straight back to doing tiny gigs leads me to believe it might not have been as profitable as the organisers would have liked. She is pretty much unknown in Japan outside of otaku/Macross fandom. The company I work at even put her in a tv commercial, but she just hasnt done anything that could be considered a breakout hit music -wise.

I thought Side B was in larger venues? That Budokan concert that you went to earlier this year was a sell out wasn't it? Maybe the Bluray didn't sell well. (Though I plan to pick up a copy) I would be pretty disappointed if she doesn't make it beyond Sheryl Nome. She has such an incredible voice that sounds even better live than on cd.

Beyond Frontier though, hasn't she been doing some music for other animes, and I think I saw she will be singing a theme song for an upcoming movie.

[Cowpeeler]

I was at this concert, my only complaint was being herded into the room and the doors being closed behind us...made it much hotter in there then it needed to be. I am taller then most so I did'nt have to crane my neck too much.

In such a small venue I was hoping there would be some sort of opportunity to pose for pictures and get autograph but after the encore we were booted out.

I am going to see if I can get a kanji reading friend of mine to help me become a member of her fanclub, I think joining that nets you an autograph.

I was able to secretly take a photo of her, but started to get angry looks so I put the camera away.

[Seanzilla]

Awesome pic! Looks like you had a great spot at the concert. Judging by the picture the venue does look suprisingly very small. Was any of her back up dancers there?

[Cowpeeler]

Not a great spot...I was at the very back against a wall. About maybe thirty or forty feet away from the stage, it is a very small place, the 2nd floor of a building in fact.

Yes she had two back up dancers for a few of her songs.