Neo Romance Summer Live: Feel Summer Love (in bullet points)
- Bless Okiayu and Hayami Sho for the numerous changes of clothing. Hayami should always be in black leather ... unless he's in a yukata. And Okiayu dresses for the character at hand. Red and white for Nasatya and white for Hakuryu.
- It is all Hayami's fault that I will forever have an image of Aizen forcing Byakuya to his knees ... using a long, leather-clad leg (the Harutoki boys were kneeling during the closing song 2nd show, first day, and when Okiayu went to stand up, Hayami forced him back down with a leg across his chest). Ngh.
- Okiayu sang Nasatya's song very well, but he sang the *hell* out of Tenkyuu no Hate ni. Such a gorgeous, GORGEOUS song, and he was absolutely amazing. Made up for not singing Banshou no mamoribito.
- Eeee, Taiyo e no Kaidan - Message of Silence from Hayami on day 2. Totally forgot that this song (which I love) was a Julious song. And hey, there's the go-go dancers!
- And yay, Oscar and Julious duet ... in yukata. Sweet! Hayami rockin' the yukata is awesome.
- Any mini-drama featuring Hakuyru is going to be golden. First day was the Ryoutarou and Ryoutarou show -- Hakuryu & Tsuchiura, that is. My brain wanted to go "hey, Byakuya and Renji," but no ... not unless Byakuya became the ukeist of ukes. Okiayu's "Mmmmm" as Hakuryu discovered takoyaki and other yummy festival foods was criminal in what it did to my brain. (I am hoping Ryoutarou talked him out of the goldfish...!) And day two ... well, I'll never be able to think of Bon Odori without hearing Hakuryu correct everyone into saying "Bondori!" (poor Tsukimori and Rain).
- Horiuchi's "ojou-chan" is also fairly criminal in its saying.... (and it was rather amusing when he goofed up on the Oscar and Tsuchiura "camp fire" mini-drama).
- Taniyama ... oh Taniyama. Words fail me. Almost. As I turned to Michi at one point after "Destination" on day 2, it's the difference between watching performers (no matter how amazing or talented) and watching a star. Taniyama walks onto a stage and *owns* it. Not only does his singing blow everyone away, he prowls, slinks, struts and dances around the stage like he's been there all his life. Admittedly, he's a singer first, seiyuu second, but damn, he's just a pleasure to watch. Also figured out part of the appeal: whereas the other seiyuu provide a safe, watered-down sexuality on stage (though that's largely debatable for Hayami at times), appropriate for their nominal fan base, Taniyama can't help but exude animal attraction when he's singing. He just does, raw and powerful and oh-so-appealing.
- Ito is so adorable. He did play the keyboard again for Tomorrow, as he did in Yokohama. So humble and self-effacing about it, which he didn't need to be.
- Uchida cracks me up with his ... limberness. And I need to know if it's his character, or him, who's so sweets crazy.
- Takahashi was also adorable, and knows how to work a crowd. Kimura ... cute enough, but his singing voice doesn't do much for me alas. Nor does Nakahara's, but he seems so nice and earnest.
- Toriumi's songs are awesome. I need to pull out the CDs when I get home.
I need to run now, as others need the computer. Must kill time until I can get into my room and sleeeeeeeep.