Japan Expo PART 9 the concert

Dashing through the sun, jumping over the corpses of those who failed, we finally made it to the Live House line again. We had great conversations in broken Japanese and English I knew Dashuu-san might recognise from H!P songs. I don’t know what time it was but there were around six more people in the premium line when we got there. JUST SIX PEOPLE?! I was prepared to fight my way through a freaking crowd of desperate wotas. I just took my place like I wasn’t gone for an hour and a half for the handshake.

I’ve read many reports about being in a queue but the experience was nothing like I expected it to be.
EXPECTATION                            REALITY

1. Scorching sun                         1. My part of the line was in shade

2. Boredom                                   2. Time flew by so quickly

3. Lack of water                           3. I had plenty

4. Hunger                                       4. I ate a sandwich and was full

5. Bladder issues                         5. Was too stressed to think about peeing

6. One big wota family              6. Separate little groups of friends

7. Loud singing                           7. Some singing here and there

8. Orgy                                            8. Nobody came (BADUM TSS)

I thought it’s gonna by a gruesome ordeal but I actually enjoyed it a lot! I’ve talked a lot and had great discussions. It’s so refreshing to finally have ppl around you who know what you’re saying (now I’ve got Twitter so DUH).

I took off the pink wig because it was way too hot and uncomfortable. I deeply regretted the short skirt but it was too late to do anything about it.

            (notice the strategic placement of the towel :D)

After eating the sandwich, talking with people around me, lending my umbrella to those less privileged (in the part of the line that had no shade), we heard some music coming from the Live House. I ran to the glass wall and when I squeezed my face really hard into the surface I could see the stage with girls having the rehearsal! It was Berryz Koubou this time singing Cha Cha Sing. I noticed how Momo was prompting the imaginary crowd in front of her to follow her movements. It looked hilarious XD The song was interrupted a couple of times and I thought: “No! It was perfect. Just go on :D”. I bet the rehearsal wasn’t for the girls but for the sound and the light ppls. The girls knew exactly what to do.

The last hour before letting us in was spent in rushed voices and  anticipation. Listen, if I knew that after opening the door some nice JE staff member would take my hand and lead me to my reserved spot in the front row I wouldn’t have felt so stressed. As far as I knew the door would open and the crowd behind me would stampede in front of me.

Camera crew finally arrived and started making photos. It looked like that:

“Okay, people. When I count to three you’re gonna start acting like Barack Obama just arrived and promised to give out millions of dollars to you. Basically, shout and act excited. Got it? 1…2…3….”

And it happened many times ><‘ I felt like a trained animal at the zoo but what can you do. We did some chants for both groups, shouted our oshi’s names, did plenty of peace signs and hearts and everything for the camera crews. One moment was just too epic.

JE staff came with a “No photo, no video” sign and we started chanting “No photo, no video” wota style XD I want to say that I was the first person to get the idea but I’m not sure so let’s say it was a shared initiative. Just imagine the face of the poor JE person walking with the sign held above his head. EPIC. I really hope that Japanese television won’t use this particular footage for the Berikyuu Concert in Paris coverage 😀

Other fans around me acted so freaking calm! It was probably their (at least) second concert but still it felt strange to be the most giddy person around. It was sad that the line to the concert was so small. I honestly expected never ending crowds of crazy wotas.

When  they started to let ppl in, again I was surprised how people around me acted all cool. Of course we tried to run straight to the stage but there was this guy standing in the middle to make sure we wouldn’t die running. I don’t know  his role exactly. They let people in quite slowly. What would he have done if we’d run? Shoot us in the knee?!

I noticed the stage and of course other fans already stood in the very centre so I opted for the right side. It wasn’t that far from the centre so I always had two members right in front of me just like at the conference. Thinking about it now I regret not running to the centre because people from behind me still managed to squeeze in the centre and have  a really good view. But we can’t have everything so I guess that’s just the way the cookie crumbles. But on the bright side I got to stand next to another dedicated MaiMai fan on my left and Mico on the right (meeting ppl in the queue feels nice) 😀

The stage looked pretty simple. There was a huge sign in the middle and a screen on my right.

I put my bag behind the barrier and tried to think of a clever way to use all my glowsticks. A guy standing not far away from me (Japanese of course XD) helped me to break them for me. Again I regretted the freaking skirt because I had no pockets to hold the blue glowstick for Maasa. I decided to just hold it under the belt. I looked around and waved at Ethan who I noticed not far away from me in the crowd. I had five pink glowsticks altogether. It’s a pity I couldn’t afford the Kingblade or any other light changing device. It’s really difficult to buy one in Poland. The shipping is stupidly expensive. Next time I’d ask my new friends from France to buy me one *puppy eyes* ;))

When the emotions cooled down a little (I had my spot) I realised another mistake. I was already dead tired from standing in the queue! >< I really should have eaten more than one sandwich. My muscles were already aching and the concert haven’t even started.  What if they sung JUMP? I had my towel prepared but me legs would buckle immediately D:

I talked a bit with Mico about the songs we would like Berikyuu to perform. Apart from Massara Blue Jeans and Special Generation I would appreciate any crowd song. I mentioned Dschinghis Khan because it’s such a fun song.

While doing reviews for my blog I always say that such crowd pleasing songs are a skip for me but I’d love to see them live. Writing the review I didn’t expect I’d actually see them perform live.

Let’s quote myself:

from THIS review

“A lot of YEYs and WOOs make wota happy. During a concert it must be fun to follow the movements and make all the shoutings but while watching it I just wanted to skip it. It got more annoying with time.”

from THIS review

“When you read the title Yuujou Junjou oh Seishun and see that the lyrics include a lot of OHs and some Engrish you can be sure that this is  a pure ‘wota song’ made for concerts specifically. It’s supposed to provide fun and it does. At least, when you attend a concert. But when you watch it…you can only focus on some body parts jumping and observe rivers of sweat. Only.”

They started playing Berryz Koubou / C-ute songs on the screen and tension suddenly sky-rocketed. I knew from the previous backstage footage that girls were probably listening to us at the moment so I tried my best to scream and do the chants with other people. Luckily the people in the very centre knew what to shout and when because without them we’d be lost 🙂

 1.Because Hapiness

 I really didn’t expect them to sing those songs separately. Why not Chou HAPPY SONG only? It seemed like such a waste of concert time to me.At least I had Momo in front of me so it suited my pink glowsticks 😀 She’s so entertaining to watch. She jumps so enthusiastically. I followed the dance (the flapping duck move) and sang the English words along with the crowd. What else to do? Risako’s voice got better over time.

2.Shiawase no Tochuu

UGH, really? I’d much preferred any other C-ute single. Why? Mostly because there weren’t many chants there. I had no idea what to do during the long pauses in the song. I wasn’t the only one. When the pauses occurred we simply screamed for the girls. Oh God, I screamed so loudly. And Airi’s voice is simply gorgeous. But she wasn’t singing in front of me ==’

3.Chou HAPPY SONG

I knew this song is a MUST with a Berikyuu concert. I never liked it though. However… AIRI EYE CONTACT maydaymayday brain malfunction D: With Berryz on stage C-ute had to spread out and I had Airi in front of me. And MaiMai but who cares XD C-ute had better outfits than Berryz 🙂

MC intro

I understood their Japanese more than I understood their French XD Momo again was in front of me along with Saki and her smokey body. It was funny how Momo said K OM -BA- WAAAA. Maybe she thought we were retarded and saying in slowly would make us understand it more somehow >< Oh, funny Momo. She spoke more than Captain. Such a crowd pleaser she is 🙂 Risako’s introduction: *smiley smiley* *girly girly*. Risako, pls give us more of that in fan-idol interactions. Yurina couldn’t finish hers because ppl started screaming so loudly me included. Well, I screamed for all of them. I tried to look at other members while they were waiting for their turn. Everybody kept their idol chara up besides Chinami. Her smile slacked and looked mighty confused at best. Miya’s introduction: what’s with the hair extensions? They really don’t look too flattering on her 😦 She tried some French. What about Polish? 😉 Next time, Miya. Don’t worry. Maasa was clearly sick that day. While she was introducing herself I prepared my hidden blue glowsticks. There was no surprise there I guess. You obviously expected the Happy Birthday :)Yet Maasa did look surprised. Maybe she thought we would sing it later. It felt sooo good to sing it to her. It was a true contact between the crowd and her. It was a small gift but still. She spoke something in Japanese that was longish and sounded prepared in advance but well 🙂 For Chinami I did the BARREL because obviously that’s her favourite move. I did it every time she was in front of me during the concert. Momo again? The helium voice is annoying quite quickly. Compared to her, Saki’s voice is very pretty.

And C-ute’s introductions. Mai’s -Kyuuto was really C-ute 🙂 Chisato did the HEIL which was dodgy but I focused more on the way she accented her own name. Chisato OOOkai XD I’m too used to them saying their surname first. Airi again did some French I didn’t understand but screamed all the same for her. When Nakky spoke there was a huge scream from female fans. Woah, I wondered how nobody reacted to that. Maimi did a funny mistake mixing French and Japanese which got a HUGE reaction from Nakky, I don’t know why. It was sweet 🙂

4.Massara Blue Jeans

HOLY MOSES YES GOD YES >< Of course they would sing it, right? I dreamt of chanting to this song! It’s such a perfect song for chanting! And the dance is so fierce with the LOVE ME pumping being the best example. My throat hurt but my face was split with an enormous grin. Oh the pumping. And I had two great dancers in front of that was Maimi and Nakky. They certainly know how to pump it 😀 God, another dream come true.

5.Forever Love

Now this one surprised me a lot. It’s on the SUPPECIAL (not special, mind you but SUPPECIAL) CUTIE BEST ALBUM but during the concert I forgot about it. I was really happy for this choice because it’s an oldie with Erika and Kanna still in it. C-ute doesn’t play this song too often these days so although I’m not a huge fan of this song I enjoyed it a lot. And Airi was often in front of me so HELL YEAH!

6.Love take it all

I actually do like this song. And C-ute can sing live and, boy, they can dance. Chisato’s voice is so strong and I love it! She sounded pissed 😀 Not much crowd interaction but we could chant the girl’s names in this one which is always rewarding.

7.crazy Kanzen na Otona

I wouldn’t pick this song. Not much chanting and not their best dance. But it’s C-ute *shrugs*

8.ROCK Erotic

Say what?! *runs around* Never in million years would I expect to see Berryz Koubou perform ROCK erotic. It was their groundbreaking single in so many ways. Great costumes, gender swap and sexual innuendo galore. Unfortunately, watching it live was disappointing.  Compared to C-ute, Berryz are not great dancers. I had Chinami in front of me and she danced like a stickman. She looked awkward and probably felt awkward. There was no feeling, no energy to their dance. It looked like a rehearsal really. And the costumes didn’t suit the song. But the chanting again was fun.

9.Dschinghis Khan

When the song started I looked at Mico and screamed because this was the song I wan waiting for! (thinking about it now I don’t know why I was so surprised. The whole setlist was basically the SUPPECIAL CUTIE BEST ALBUM ==) Oh the chants, the pure joy. When was the last time I could simply goof around like that? Nobody judged me. Listening to this song was always a guilty pleasure of mine. HEY BRAAZA HO BRAZA NAIS BRAZA GO BRAZA – I was shouting it with wild satisfaction like it meant anything. I did the WAHAHAHA like the world depended on it.

Risako was at one moment right in front of me and she did one move so differently than other girls. She bent her knees more and thrust her hips like a pro she really is XD I might laugh but it was the only moment I thought that she might actually have bits of personality and put some effort at last. (I’m aware that this statement is probably deeply unfair. I’m talking about the feeling she gave away. If she doesn’t want to send this energy, somebody should tell her)

10.Loving you Too much

I tried to follow the moves and I swear to God that Chinami laughed at my effort 😀 I appreciate the English in the song. We could sing together YEY Momo and Maasa were in front of me so I put pink glowsticks in one hand and blue ones in the other. It was so hard to get any reaction from Maasa. Is she always like this or was it because she was sick that day?

11. Piriri to Ikou!

I did NOT expect this song at all! This was the greatest surprise of the whole concert. (yeah, I know. Read the album…) The old songs made me so nostalgic. I was super happy about this one because they rarely sing it.

MC (C-ute questions)

SKIP SKIP SKIP

12.Hatsukoi Cider – Buono!

BUONOOO DAISUKII  \(>o<)/ We knew it’s gonna happen. Girls mentioned that on the radio so the gossip was true after all. I bet that seeing Buono! felt even better for people who saw them during their previous appearance in France. Again Airi kicked ass in the intro.

13.Gachinko de Ikou – Buono!

Another song by Buono! And this one wasn’t on the SUPPECIAL ALBUM! I adore this song so much and was happy to see it live. Who would have thought? They are a really good unit. Watching them interact is a treat.

14.Honto no Jibun – Buono!

An oldie! They changed since their debut song, right? All early Buono songs are very catchy so I basically know this one by heart. You just have to love the “Ganbare” and “Wakaru” parts. This song never gets old. If I could choose a setlist for this concert I’d swap Hatsukoi Cider with Buono no Theme because it’s so energetic and fun.

MC  Happy Birthday Maasa

When Kumamon came on stage it really caught me by surprise. Not the good type of a surprise. It’s nice they did something extra beside the cake but a mascot? I know nothing about the regional mascots  and I don’t want to. When I told my friend about Kumamon appearing on stage for Maasa she said that it was probably more of an honour for her because he’s more popular XD Srsly?! Either way she was truly surprised and happy. She had some problems with blowing the candles since she was so out of breath at that time (singing/dancing/being sick). They made a commemoration photo with the crowd and for that one moment I was happy with my position to the side so I fitted the photo. Another dream come true.

Okay, so I look like a pink dot but it’s the equivalent of Airi having my full-body photo hanging on her bathroom door. Well, as far as my imagination goes that it.

15.Tokkaiko Junjou

Spasms again. I was just Wakkyanai (Z) away from having my fav C-ute songs collection complete. The song has everything I love about them. The dramatic intro, the English, the fierce dance and easy to follow chants. When the very first notes of this song started I was already head deep in idol heaven.

16.kiss me Aishiteru

Dear C-ute members. I don’t need any cues like “C’mon” to repeat he “nee” parts after you. I did that with most pleasure and it’s the highlight of this song both live and in the music video. You just can’t get enough of that. Around this song I calmed down a bit (late, I know) and tried my best to grasp with my eyes the whole stage, to keep all the details in my mind. I looked for things you could only notice in the first row. Underskirt shots? Check. Fairly long underpants and girl’s weren’t scared to show them off. Yeah, I’m a perv. Any close-up imperfections? Chisato’s complexion seems to be problematic that day. Poor girl. I focused on the legs but really all of them looked perfect and flawless. Comparing their dance expressions? Of course, Airi and Maimi were the best. Chisato seemed distanced and focused on the technique. MaiMai was soo stressed I wanted to shout at her: You’re doing great, girl!

17.Dance de Bakoon!

Those two songs cannot really exist without each other, can they? Cloud pleasers to the core. Air guitaring never been cooler. I waited for the booty shaking because when will I ever be this close to Airi’s butt and was disappointed to see that those weren’t the heavy shakes I know the girls could clearly do. They were, excuse the pun, half-assed. I need to complain to JE staff about this 😉

I had Airi and Mai in front of me and I’m sorry MaiMai but the comparison made you look weak as a performer.  Not many idols can stand a chance when singing/dancing next to Airi. This song made it clear that Mai is NOT the best dancer in the group.

18.Dakishimete Dakishimete

I simply love this song. It was the fierce Berryz that I could actually show to my friends with pride (not a good idea). Again I was happy that they performed a song they don’t perform so often these days. It’s a pity I wasn’t too good with the chanting on this one. I hope the girls didn’t feel offended and neglected. I watched them perform with pleasure but I had Maasa in front of me and she’s not very “interactive”. Maybe it was because the choreography for the song didn’t leave too much room for prancing around and waving to the crowd.

19.Special Generation

This was the song during which I cried the most. I thought Massara Blue Jeans would crack me more. I cried a lot during Massara, believe me, but somehow Special Generation seems to me as one of the staple songs of H!P. How many times have you seen it performed by other groups? How many times have you seen Massara performed by other groups? This was the song I wanted to chant to the most. Hell, even the intro itself would be enough. It’s like Renai Revolution/Love Machine but not annoying, overused and that cheesy 😀 It was a milestone for me. After the Berryz Koubou hiatus announcement (just a month after the Japan Expo concert, I feel so happy that I had the opportunity to see them sing this song live.

20.cha cha SING (with C-ute)

I would have never expected to enjoy this song so much! Momo was on my right and this girl just waved off her energy on me and I couldn’t stop. And C-ute to dance with Berryz and it was a pefect idea. Yurina was right in front of me and I felt a bit strange shaking my boobs at her but hell, that her basically in her job description, amrite? 😀

Encore

They would give us encore? They would, right? RIGHT?! My throat was almost giving up on me but I screamed the encore shout until I croaked it. It wasn’t going to strong because some people were chanting  different chants and we weren’t too organised. I was honestly scared they wouldn’t come back.

21.Amazuppai Haru ni Sakurasaku

 But they did and it was quite fast 😀 But why this song? I forgot about it. I really hoped for some towel song with lots of chanting and idol-fan interaction. Instead I got a mildly entertaining song with lots of waving. Ugh. Okay, stop complaining. It was at least one more song to look at all the girls and cry some more waving them goodbye and making plenty of eye-contact.

I could list the number of complaints:

– not all of the songs were a good choice

– some of the girls acted distanced and seemed cold

– dances looked sloppy when compared to previous concerts abroad

and so on.

But the truth is I enjoyed every single second of it and will keep it in my heart forever.

nyuchandesu

Japan Expo 2014 PART 8 The handshake

*hyperventilation* Okay, just calm down. It’s gonna be fine. Breathe in and breathe out. Like you always do and you’re gonna be oookaay.

Concert or handshake?

Concert and handshake?

Concert or handshake?

Concert and handshake?

Risk the concert or risk the handshake? Decisions, decisions and not much time D:

I asked friends and it seemed that all of them had different opinions on the matter like e.g. “handshake is better”.

Or “standing far away from the front row at the concert is the best”. Or “the first row is the best, are you fucking with me?”.

I decided to play safe and check both lines. First I ran to the handshake line (let me skip losing the NaviGo, finding the NaviGo, losing the JE ticket, finding the JE ticket, missing two RERs  and all the bad karma kicking my ass for the good luck the day before ==).

It was empty. Absolutely NOBODY was there apart from Airi’s lingering smell (the latter part might be my sick imagination). Great, I could be the first one for the handshake.

Or….. I could check the concert line.

Time to find the freaking Live House. I knew it’s gonna be somewhere far far away, over moors and mountains, and pools of lava and woods full of giant spiders but I didn’t expect it to be THAT hard to find. But it was. JE staff (useful as ever) told me I can reach the Live House straight from the Japan Expo hall. I said I was pretty sure I had to go out and around all the halls to find the queue because it’s probably shut by now to prepare for the concert. They said: no, it’s open just follow the correct rabbit…ee… carpet.

I already imagined myself lurking in the shadows of the Live House while girls would have a rehearsal but of course the Live House was closed. (somebody told me it was open not long before that so the JE staff wasn’t so wrong after all). I knew there was long way to go but then I saw one security door open next to the Live House entrance.

Hell yeah. A shortcut. I appeared in the middle of nowhere and felt the wrath of the orange demon (aka the Sun) peeling off my skin.  Soon I met some quite surprised security guards (remember I had my pink wig on. After getting Airi to recognise me the other day I just needed to wear it again at least for the handshake. I just changed a T-shirt into a pink bunny blouse which btw I bought in the kid’s department store ==”).

They showed me the way to the Live House where I met another bunch of amazing/nice/not so nice/neutral people.

For the sake of your naïve view that all people are good (and intelligent) at heart I’ll pass over the rest in silence. Let’s just say we all became friends in the end. Or at least stopped ripping our throats out which in my dictionary is as close to “friends” as it gets.

RainbowSeven (H!O user), who falls into the “amazing ppl” group, prepared the queue tickets and after me waiting in the scorching sun for some hours gave me one with a blessing to go to the handshake and come back to my place.

Of course that would depend on the kindness of ppl around me to allow that. The person in front of me said “fuck you” (sorry, this one negative thing must have slipped) but some people behind me said “No problemo”. One of them was a Japanese guy. I kinda met A WHOLE LOT OF nice Japanese Guys.

Hostel Japanese Guy aka The Japanese Guy Who Got Airi To Sign a Book For Me

Queue Japanese Guy aka Dashuu- san (I’ll explain later)

I ran for the JE expo and found out that without my brilliant shortcut it took me about 20 minutes to go back to the handshake line.

Did I say line? I meant a fucking spiral! ARGH! The stupidity of ppl! They literally made a turn in the line so it started to spiral inwardly resulting in much confusion. Thanks JE staff for not helping. I know you were busy not helping  the concert line. *thumbs up*

But on the bright side I met Chobineko again and about a dozen of new people I might not be able to name.

Firstly I met Julia from Netherlands who I knew from H!O and Facebook (one of people I actually could recognise without asking for a name, thanks God). I met MimiChama from Germany who I saw the day before but never had the chance to talk to). She was preparing a gift for Maasa so thanks to her I could at least write a birthday message 😀 Then I met two great girls from Finnland. We had a nice chat and finally I regained some faith in humanity after meeting the not so nice people in the queue. We even exchanged some candy. I got a Moomin gum which tasted fruity and sweet just like real Moomins would. I think I did the Airi Oishii ~~~~~face. I’m not sure :]

The handshake was about to start in less than an hour and I still felt utterly unprepared for it. I don’t know how it happened but I wasn’t able to form the words I’d like to say to the girls. The language barrier was huge. There wouldn’t be enough time plus I found a somewhat sad truth. I didn’t have much to say to many of them :((

My sister’s friend who speaks Japanese really well taught me some phrases. I’ve written them down but I only had like three of them and much too many idols to speak to D:

Stress kicked in again and my mind was blank.

The line was getting all confused more and more. People were butting in but I really think that most of them just couldn’t find the end of the line which by now was eating its own ass.

I decided to butt in as well because there was no use pretending there’s a line anymore. I mingled with Julia hoping nobody would kick me out which they didn’t.

And then my good karma came back to me. By total accident another amazing representative from Japan was standing right behind me. This time it was a Japanese Girl who I will now call a MaiMaiFan because dear God how she loved MaiMai. I might start thinking that all Japanese people are just pure amazing from now on. Or maybe just wotas? But I digress.

She spoke perfect English and tried to calm me down because I was seriously on the brink of falling off my trolley.

The handshake wasn’t such a big deal for her and she promised to translate for me whatever I’d want. That was so generous of her. But I knew that it wouldn’t work for the handshake. I wanted to say the words and get the immediate reaction. The translator would delay the process. I practiced my phrases with her and decided to stick to them. She said she would say whatever I’d forget to say.

Can you imagine what she did next?

She gave me an extra handshake ticket.

I’ll let you ponder on that for a minute.

I didn’t have the money to buy Airi’s goods that would make me feel more like other fans in the venue beside the towel.

I didn’t have the money to buy multiple CDs to get more handshake tickets.

(I apologise to all the ppl who didn’t have the money to go to France, to meet the girls, to get the premium ticket because it’s unfair to feel bad about myself while I was VERY privileged. It’s just during JE I didn’t feel this way.)

I cried again. And I cried some more. Hell, I’m crying right now. I don’t think that anybody gave me a more amazing gift. Out of the whole JE experience handshake was the most valuable one. And this amazing woman doubled it for me like it was nothing. I felt this emotional the moment I was given the first gift, the Airi’s photo. Those two gifts cannot be compared but somehow they felt similar.

The surprise, the shock, the stress, the happiness, the confusion – all of them contributed to the fact that when the girls arrived and the line started moving I was a total mess. I consider myself a rational human being but those minutes before the handshake I almost went crazy. I was THIS close to jumping up and down, laughing and screaming and rolling on the floor with saliva dripping down my chin.

At the same time I was paralysed by fear because my mind became a sheet of totally blank paper. The Japanese phrases, the preparation, the message I wanted to convey disappeared.

I thought about a great handshake tutorial I once read (http://www.jicchan.com/?p=386 ) <=== AWESOME

The most relevant things for me were: 1. calm down and stop crying, it’s impolite for the girls to see you like that 2.talk about yourself  3. mention something they said on a blog

And magically I did calm down. I was just a couple of people before the girls would hold my hands and my mind started working again. I count it as another miracle of that day. And there were still many to come.

One of them is that a bit behind me in the queue were Morningtime (<===check out his great blog!) with his lovely wife MTSayuRin. They didn’t know it was me while they were filming and taking photos of the girls. Guess who was in those photos as well? This was just too much of a coincidence to not call it a MIRACLE. (I’ll include the photos but not all of them are from Morningtime. Just the best ones :D)

HANDSHAKE EVENT ROUND 1

(all in Japanese, very very simple Japanese mind you)

Me to SAKI: I really liked you in Koi no Jubaku.

SAKI: *surprised face*Oh! Do you like it? (I think she meant the song)

Me to SAKI: Yes!

 Saki was taller than I expected and very gentle. Her hand was soft and she was smiling in a very girly way. She wasn’t forcing anything. Just being herself I think. I really enjoyed her surprised face. It was  a mixture of genuine and idol-like. Plus the hairstyle really suits her I think. It was flawless.)

(partially Japanese, partially English because the MaiMaiFan said Momo would appreciate the English part)

Me to MOMOKO: I like you, yurushite nyan. *cutesy sad face*

MOMOKO:*a bunch of strange faces*

I’m not sure she DID understand me. Her reaction was great but confusing. Like I said something between “I hate you, forgive meow” and “There’s spinach between your teeth, forgive meow”. Just look at her. What the hell was that about? Notice how Saki is smiling at me aaaahh *melting*

(in Japanese)

Me to CHINAMI: By the way, do your best at the concert!

I aimed at a pun. A poor pun really. Chinami ni – means by the way. I don’t think she understood it 😀 I said it really slow, putting much emphasis on the “ni” part. I think she didn’t expect it from a foreigner.

I never thought that Chinami is pretty and looking close I just reassured myself that she truly isn’t XD Yeah, it’s a nasty thing to say but I don’t consider myself to be a beauty either 😀 She was smiling kindly and had a moderate handshake grip. God, holding their hands was a strange experience. I didn’t really want to do it because it felt really unnatural. How many times do you talk this close with somebody’s hand in your hand? But it created the connection and I felt the idol in front of me was all eyes and ears and it felt nice. She did a nice *I understand*  face which I aimed for really.  I was soo happy 😀 She even waved a little at me. Watching the video I noticed that Saki was still staring at me 😀 🙂

 

(in English)

Me to MAASA: Happy Birthday!

Maasa acted just like I thought she would. She was nice but not overly cutesy or hyper. A bit businesslike if you prefer 🙂 They said she was sick that day but I haven’t noticed that. Her grip was normal. I don’t know why but I expected a bone-crashing grip of death *shrugs*. She thanked me for wishing her happy birthday. I know that was kinda lame to say but hey, I knew I’d say something more creative next round 😀

(in Japanese)

Me to YURINA: Yurina! Green Giant is amazing!

Why did nobody tell me it’s a bad idea? >< Okay, she clearly forgave me since I’m a foreigner/wota/in shock apparently 😀 She was super tall and super nice. They all looked so tall to me and looking at the photos/videos I think that’s because I was bending so much. The natural reaction to idols I guess 😀 She had a nice smile but her facial expressions weren’t as nice as other girls’. I think she was intimidated by us or a bit tired. Both most probably. I know she can do so much better. I had a great moment with her during the concert but handshake was plain and simple. Smile, handshake, go.

(in Japanese)

Me to MIYABI: Miyabi! Please do the Miyabeam during the concert!

MIYABI: *does the Miyabeam* Okay!

I was shaking by then that’s perhaps why I yelled her own name at her. ==’ My face which I’m glad you can’t see there but it was something like that:

Again the same energy as from Yurina. Smiling but not putting much energy to it. I don’t say it in a bad way. She just seemed a bit distanced. I liked her hairstyle but up close she doesn’t look any more appealing.

(in Japanese)

Me to RISAKO: Risako! (what’s with the name again == my mind was on overdrive) I’m Polish./I’m an English teacher. (whichever it was at that round. I could say “thank you and I like xxx” but I also wanted to say something about myself.)

RISAKO: *nods politely and smiles*

I yelled Risako at her with a different emotion than to Miyabi. You know that our *cough* relationship is  a bit shaky but because of that I feel close to her. I just got this feeling when she looked at me “THIS is the Risako, the ONE I mentioned so many times, the one I dedicated a video to”. She really is very pretty. But boy oh boy how not interested she looked. She was even more bussiness-like than Yurina, Maasa and Miyabi all combined. Really, she was silent. I don’t even remember if she acted surprised to any of what I said. Her grip was also the weakest of them all. Like she was scared to touch us. Am I the only one feeling that?

(in Japanese)

ME to MAIMI: *pointing to myself* I’m Polish. (this time I’m pretty sure I said it)

Okay, maybe it’s because Risako was so laid-back immediately before but Maimi was super right into your face involved. Her grin was making ME feel nervous but at the same time soo happy.  I regretted not being her fan because interactions with her are extremely rewarding. First thing is that she moves really close to your face and pulls your hand to her. Suddenly I was VERY close to MAIMI’s face and I felt tiny. Her face was like: “NO FUCKING WAY?! POLISH?! THIS IS MADNESS” and I loved for that great reaction. I don’t know if she has any idea where “Poorando” is but hell I hope she understood it’s a country XD

Another great thing is that the amazing JapaneseMaiMaiFan after me clearly said something to Maimi about me. Once I know I’ll tell you but it seems she tried to explain where Poland is XD

Now I’m super curious 😀

Me to NAKKY: Was the pole dancing difficult? (slowly because this phrase was longish for me)

NAKKY: *painful face* Really dificult. *big smile*

I was really glad that I asked that. I’ve read their blog before going to France and both Nakky and MaiMai talked how hard it was to hear negative feedback about the pole dancing. My opinion on the matter was “you’ve crossed the line a bit but I really enjoyed watching it and I think you did a great job”. I wouldn’t say that to them. But I wanted them to have the support even in France. I think she was surprised to hear me speak about it. She responded to me with actual WORDS (only Saki did that too) not just facial expression. Those were great too. I was happy for the reaction.

I don’t have the video to show the array of great emotions that passed her face but there’s something else. You can see how Airi was already observing our conversation and reacting to it! I haven’t seen that back then focused on Nakky but re-watching the video makes me notice more things. Just look at Airi.

 

She’s a pro at this. She could have just looked around and sigh but she actually got involved.

I knew that Airi will be next and it felt like a dream. There was just everything I wanted to tell her.

my phone number, shoe size, her perfect eyes and lovely teeth, my love for her, the weather outside, that I’d lick her face anytime etc.

Well, I couldn’t do that but I blurted out what I wanted to say the most.

(in Japanese)

Me to Airi: Thank you for your autograph from yesterday. (I’m Polish.  – I’m not sure I managed to say that real quick. )

Airi, sweet Airi. The look on your face was recognition. It had to be. I think you remembered me from the day before. I really hope you did.

She was so happy and energetic and sincere. There are no words to describe it. There’s this special aura about her. My dreams came true that moment. I was full of emotions by the time my hand touched hers. She had a delicate brittle hand. Her smile was big and toothy. I think I fell in love  with her even more. I wish I could remember every second, every word I said but the fact I spoke was a miracle on its own.

(in Japanese)

Me to CHISATO: Bokura no Kagayaki is great!

CHISATO: *smiling* Thank you!

I apologise for the quality of the caps from now on. They’re not from Morningtime that’s why they’re so shitty 😀 Chisato was smiling brightly. I haven’t noticed anything special about her. Her voice is powerful and I rank her quite high in my personal favourites.

(in Japanese)

Me to MAIMAI: I’m Polish!

MAIMAI: *confused smile*

I was rushed through her unfortunately so I think she might not heard me properly. I felt bad for her because there weren’t many MaiMai fans in France. The year before there were a lot of MaiMai shouts during the concert but this year perhaps because of Berryz Koubou I felt that they were left out. The same for the Captain. She’s a pretty up close even more than in PVs.

It was the end of round one for me. I felt utter bliss. Like running the marathon. I looked around and saw ppl crying, flush and as happy as I felt. The feeling of belonging no matter the amount of merchandise you own was amazing. For a split of a second I thought to myself: I told them everything I wanted to say so maybe it’s better to give away this second handshake opportunity? Yeah, it was a silly thought. I looked at the girls  and the thought evaporated. I want to see them up close one more time!

By the time JE staff decided to organize the queue (FINAlly!). You won’t guess who was right in front of me. Yep, the Queue Japanese Guy. Hell yes. Now I had another person to help me with any translation plus we could run to the Live House together. Unfortunately his English was non-existent. the nice girl behind me knew some basic Japanese phrases so with many gestures and silly faces we managed to communicate.

(if you know Japanese pls forgive me. I write the conversation here just for the lolz :)))

ME: Laivu Haus doko doko? *hand to forehead and look around*

That was so funny XD He nodded and said a string of Japanese phrases I understood as yes, I know where it is

ME: *running motion* Ishonii? *pointing to him and me*

He looked at me really confused.

ME: Run? *running motion but more exaggerated this time*

QUEUE JAPANESE GUY: Oh. Dashuu? *running really fast motion*

I didn’t understand him because really, if you don’t know the word “run” in English how come do you know “dash”?! But then I thought that’s because of the “R” in “Run” and  we laughed together. He pronounced “DASHUU” in such a funny way. So he became Dashuu-san in my mind 😀 I tried to ask him for more translations. I wanted to say to the girls to do more tap dancing during concerts (you can already imagine how I tried to communicate TAP DANCING to Dashuu-san). He told me some phrases but there was no time to say them as the queue was moving really fast and I decided to stick to the ones I already knew.

HANDSHAKE EVENT ROUND 2

(the honourable mentions only. It all boiled down to basically switching between I’m Polish. / I’m an English teacher. / Do your best during the concert. for SAKI, YURINA, MAASA, MAIMI, MIYABI, RISAKO, NAKKY. I received the appropriate smile/surprise/thank you so much for coming)

(all in Japanese this time)

Me to MOMOKO: I’m a preschool teacher. (I wanted to say that to her because I knew she had the papers to teach in preschool as well. I teach in preschool but not only there but that’s the quickest I could say it 🙂

MOMOKO: *surprised face and a smile*

Me to CHINAMI: I’m a preschool teacher. (I don’t know why I repeated myself >< but I got a similar reaction to Momoko’s)

Again, I knew Airi was close. The special moment. The last occasion to be this close to her. I think I finished my interaction with Maimi as soon as I could and rushed into words.

(in Japanese)

Me to AIRI THE GODDESS: I’m your fan. I’m Polish. I’m an English teacher. Please sing Wakkyanai (Z) more.

(I’m not sure how many of those I managed to blurt out because Airi interrupted me. I got a feeling she was half listening to me politely but wanted to say something to me.

(in ENGLISH Goddamit, in the purest English accent ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

AIRI to me: What’s your name?

sdjipfo9ijr golkfdbn n ,xvkasfae iopr peopdc,;xdc,gkofr…………………………………..

I’m gonna cherish those words forever. It’s not “I love you”, “Please, visit me at my hotel at midnight” or “Come with me to Japan, beautiful foreigner” or even “We’ll come to Poland next year” but it was a CONNECTION. A CONNECTION she initiated! It may be normal for her to ask fans for their name. Is it? Does she do it all the time? I’m not sure. For me it was the greatest thing ever. I can’t find a good picture to represent how my face looked like but I think I was crying.

A person behind me from JE staff was already pushing me to Chisato but I was still holding Airi’s hand.

Me to AIRI THE PERFECT IN EVERY WAY: Nyuchandesu!

I know it means “My name is Nyu” but it represents much more to me; my twitter account, my blog and this part of me who is a total Airi lover. I said the words in my cutest voice along with a slight tilt of the head and Airi smiled brilliantly at me.

*sigh* that was pure WIN.

I managed to say to MaiMai that her pole dancing was great and she understood this time which I appreciated. She was slightly surprised but not as much as Nakky was the first time. Still, it felt nice to finally get the message accross.

It was the time to DASHUU indeed. Concert, here I go!

nyuchandesu

Japan Expo 2014 Part 7 second signing (Airi-ME contact achieved)

Sheesh, this report is getting longer and longer 🙂 It turned out to be quite a diary but it’s very important for me to remember every moment.

After the conference I decided to watch the girls during the second signing session. I couldn’t attend it but was still surprised to see that I could stand really close to the queue. We exchanged lots of waves and smiles mostly with Airi who was very generous and some with other C-ute members. Airi was by far the most expressive one with her famous playful facial expressions. There are tons of photos online.

I ran for my sister to come and look at my idols live and when she came she was as shocked that it was soo incredibly easy to see them up close! I’m not sure that even if I went to Japan I’d have the same opportunity.

Time during the second signing was spend trying to encourage any of the members to wave back. They did that a lot but you never knew if that particlar wave/hearts sign/peace sign was directed at you and not at all the other eager people around you. I was somewhat shy to scream too loud and I found my voice too weak even if I tried. I noticed how a guy standing not far away from me had this strong booming voice. I immediately thought: “Good job!”. He started some chanting and managed to get the girls attention which was really good. I learnt that day the famous Berryz ikube! C-ute saikou! Chinami and Momo took photos of us all and I want to see them so much 😀

Many fans gathered around and I had the chance to give out more candy. I received many gifts. If one small photo of Airi made me cry I probably should have died of heart attack that instant because of the things I got from other fans (one of them was Airi’s PB/beauty book or whatever that was didn’tmatterhadAiriandwasperfect). It was UNREAL. It was like being on constant high. Like being washed off the shore by a great wave of idols. Receiving so much merchendise made me feel really bad about not owning any (I guess that’s how the whole “giveaway” works, amirite? You give some and the person feels obliged to buy some :D). I went to the NoLife booth and bought myself the greatest of them all (because paid with my own money) Suzuki Airi towel. I value it so much. Nobody would ask me about my oshimen. They would know and it felt really nice.

When I came back I noticed somebody in the crowd that I knew. A Japanese guy from my hostel who I knew would attend the concert. He was a MaiMai fan. And he won the drawing! I couldn’t believe my luck! I ran up to him and thought that it was my moment. I could ask him to get Airi’s autograph! He was sincerely surprised that a person can have many items signed. He didn’t even expect to have a CD signed by more than one member! When I told him the news he and his friends almost cried. JE you’re confusing == He agreed to take Airi’s PB and I stood close to the signing place so I could see Airi sign the book for me. About halfway through an idea struck and I almost did a major facepalm in front of everybody. I signaled for my friend (jeez, I still don’t know his name. His English was okay but we didn’t have an popportunity to exchange names) and managed to run up to him and quickly pass my request.

I asked him to tell Airi to write my name and tell her that a girls in a pink wig is her big fan. I was to stand in one place and hopefully exchange a nice wave or two. God I was so nervous it wouldn’t work.

I waited for him to approach the girls. Some reporter stood in front of me and Airi wouldn’t be able to spot me D: I was close to throwing my phone at him. Luckily (srsly, the amount of sheer luck I had that day was MONUMENTAL), the guy moved away just in time my Japanese friend started to get his CD signed by Berryz girls. When he walked up to Airi I felt like my whole body was sweating. I could here anything but after his words Airi did a series of cute sad faces and clearly declined something (later I learnt that she couldn’t write anybody’s name so she drew a heart next to her autograph as she explained). She did her signature and then listened to what my friend told her.

She looked me straight in the eye and I think the Earth stopped revolving. South became North, icebergs melted and polar bears started dancing Macarena. My mind became a big bucket of pink fluff. Airi did some cute signs with her hand in quick succession and my mind later registared that she was repeating my signs (mostly a heart sign and “ok” to a cheek) plus some waves. I think I cried. I think my eyeballs started sweating. The friend passed me the signed PB and I put it next to my heart with the cover visible to Airi.

When the signing ended and the girls started to say their mute goodbyes to us I showed Airi the signed book and bowed mouthing Arigato with tears in my eyes. She nodded and smiled at me.

The contact was achieved. The one I never dreamt of achieving. And it wasn’t even the handshake!

Here are the photos of goods I received from the nicest people I’ve ever met.

 

And some special photos of Airi’s book. Every picture inside is just perfect.

nyuchandesu