Maaya Sakamoto – We Are Kazeyomi!
Maaya Sakamoto, the greatest singer/seiyuu in the history of the universe, held a live tour at the start of this year (2009) called “We Are Kazeyomi!” This was her first proper concert in the five years since she released her album Shounen Alice and her third since her debut as Hitomi in Visions of Escaflowne.
This is a story of what may be the greatest regret of my life. And oh yeah, the official concert DVD is out too.
I am a terrible fanboy. Terrible in the sense that if companies depended on fans like me to survive, they would probably be worse off than General Motors. I just can’t keep my attention focused on something long enough… Ooh Shiny.
It is therefore rather amazing that I have been a Maaya fanboy for the past six years, ever since I first listened to her performance in RahXephon. It’s probably not too far-fetched to say that during my rise from adolescence, my love for Maaya is the only constant in my life. Watching Maaya perform live is a dream that has always been at the back of my mind.
Although I’ve been to Japan numerous times, I never had the opportunity to attend her many performances. (Kazeyomi is technically her third live tour, but she does a lot of smaller promotional concerts and also voices Eponine in the Japanese production of Les Misérables.) This was because concert seasons tended to fall in the middle of my school terms. I accepted, rationally if not emotionally, the fact that in all likelihood I would never see my wish come true. Will I find the time to realize my dream, or will she retire from performing before that? I was not hopeful.
Kazeyomi gave me hope. At the end of 2008, I had just graduated from Singapore’s equivalent of high school and was planning a year-end trip to Japan with my classmates. Kazeyomi was to be held in late January. I applied for a ticket through the official Maaya fan club (I am probably its only Singaporean member?) and won the draw for the Nagoya stop. I had to pay upfront to secure my booking, but because I was then uncertain about my schedule in January, I decided to give it up. I thought I could purchase a ticket (preferably for Tokyo instead) later during the regular ticketing period, after I had confirmed my availability.
Long story slightly shortened, I ended up with nothing. By the time I realized that my schedule did in fact allow me to attend the concert, it was too late to get a ticket.
Looking back, it would’ve taken me a good amount of money and trouble (including staying in Tokyo for an additional two weeks) to make it all work, so the outcome was probably for the best, all things considered. But deep down in my heart, I knew that I would live to regret not giving in to my impulsive desires for that one time.
Of course, I preordered the official concert DVD which is in my hands now. (Can you expect anything less from a guy who owns every album and single released under Maaya’s name?) The DVD is great and all — in fact it is awesome and brings tears to my eyes — but it also serves as a sad reminder of what could have been.
During the concert, Maaya performed both her new works and old favourites, including Triangler, Ame ga Furu, Kiseki no Umi, Praline, Platina, tune the rainbow, and a rather awesome rendition of Poketto wo Kara ni Shite. Including the rather long encore, it was a total of two and a half hours of awesomeness.
There was plenty of concert theatrics, some of which I’m sure were pre-planned. (See: the encore.) Maaya’s performance was not perfect either — she even forgot one line of lyrics during Yubiwa! But no matter how I try to play it cynical cool, I know that this flawed and deeply human performance is exactly what I would like to have watched live. (And maybe it’s just the fanboy speaking, but I find that she performed much better for her older songs.)
Maaya’s emotional displays might very well have been staged, but ultimately it didn’t matter. The transient relation between a performer and her audience remains a fleeting illusion as it has always been. The audience’s reaction is the only meaningful outcome. I just wish I were part of it. (Also, the fanboy bias in me tells me that Maaya’s words were sincere. I want to believe!)
I still hope desperately to watch Maaya perform live at least once before either one of us dies. It is a tiny wish that rests in an inconspicuous corner of my mind, waiting for its moment to come — one which may never arrive. Then again, now that Obama is president, anything is possible.
Unfortunately, the signs are not looking favourable. TBS recently cancelled her weekly late-night radio talkshow Chizu to Tegami to Koi no Uta (which I miss terribly) and the official fan club stopped its online merchandise sales. Is Maaya getting ready to retire (or fade into talent management like many older seiyuu)? I hope I’m just being over-sensitive…
This is starting to feel like LiveJournal, so I shall stop. Oh yeah, the DVD is really great. You should get it if you love Maaya. *Pokes Omo*
“DM, why didn’t you cough up 7,000 yen + lodging to watch my concert?”
Why indeed… orz
P.S. Does worrying about my favourite singer retiring mean that I am getting old? :( I hope I don’t start to chase young whippersnappers off my imaginary lawn soon.
June 2nd, 2009 at 9:55 pm
Statistically, she may not outlive you.
(77.22 for a Singaporean male vs 84.5 for a Japanese female, according to google.)
June 2nd, 2009 at 10:19 pm
Ah, I’ll join you in Maaya fanboyism ^^;
I love her and her work! I was a bit worried when she stopped working with Yoko Kanno (her compositions are amazing), but I enjoyed Yunagi Loop. It’s good to see them working together some more, they are such a great combination.
I like to play Maaya Sakamoto on kawaii-radio ;)
June 2nd, 2009 at 10:22 pm
But Maaya is 29 this year so that makes her older than darkmirage so they will probably die around the same time?
Oh and I think she sang the older songs better too.
June 2nd, 2009 at 11:19 pm
/me is poked.
See, the difference between you and me is that:
1. I think “the transient relation between a performer and her audience remains a fleeting illusion as it has always been” is bull. Illusion or not, it’s substance hearts hope for. In fact it might be the difference between going balls out and making it versus shriveling in regret.
2. I. Saw. Her. Live. MUHAHAHAHA.
June 3rd, 2009 at 12:04 am
@rlime: assuming they both die at the exact ages they’re expected to die….Darkmirage won’t be 77 yet when Maaya turns 84 (and dies)
Either way, a Maaya live 60 years later is rather unlikely….
June 3rd, 2009 at 3:42 am
Well just find a job in Japan for a few years and wait for a performance, sure it might put a shoe in your long term plans (unless it is to become a resident of Japan), but it should be worth for a fanboy like you *high and mighty annoying laugh*
June 3rd, 2009 at 9:21 am
I plan to create a Tokyo Jupiter, and trap her in it so that she will be young for a very looong time.
@omo
I is jealous.
June 3rd, 2009 at 12:22 pm
There were plenty of opportunities to see her, DM says as much. She’s going to be around for a while.
June 3rd, 2009 at 4:04 pm
*jumps on bandwagon*
i want the dvd!!
June 3rd, 2009 at 8:31 pm
I made the flawed assumption that because the title of the concert was had Kazeyomi in it, it would feature only her post-Kanno songs. Boy was I wrong.
Ah well, considering I’m not even in her fanclub, I wouldn’t have been able to get a ticket anyway. I really would like to see Mameshiba performed live at least once, though.
/me goes off to get the DVD.
June 3rd, 2009 at 9:17 pm
Probably one of the best albums of the year so far, Kazeyomi.
June 6th, 2009 at 5:44 am
Whats going on agian??
June 6th, 2009 at 9:55 am
lol… you are not in university yet and you thinking you are old? oh boy…
and well well well, she’s 29… and according to what you’ve written, looks like she’s very likely to draw back and try some other challenges in life… but well, there’s always possibilities
and having some regrets in life is not necessarily all bad, it makes the event or the thing more memoriable :)
June 7th, 2009 at 12:09 am
“the greatest singer/seiyuu in the history of the universe”
LOL no.
She is a good seiyuu, and she is the greatest Japanese singer, because the Japanese singers sucks.
She is a mediocre singer.
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August 16th, 2009 at 1:46 am
Maaya is awesome indeed. I think it would be great to attend one of her concerts. Didn’t she did this live with Yoko Kanno before? That would be something…
Too bad you didn’t get to see her!
August 16th, 2009 at 5:31 am
That’s the chick who’s voicing Lightning in the japanese dub of Final Fantasy XIII.
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