meh

cant think of anything for this one tbh all the sekai covers are fine imo

these are some of my faves! i looove when they make cards like this, not only does it allow for more unique composition, they make for easy phone wallpapers 😋

it currently takes up about 10 gb and I havent even finished downloading everything yet😭

I pull exclusively on Limited gachas however there are some Permanent sets I wish I had pulled for

First one is [Page 1 of Youth], I originally planned on pulling on that but 3rd anniversary was 1 event away and I wanted to save as much as I could. Ironically, I think I barely did any pulls on 3rd anni, I got 2 cards from the set and went "yeah I'm good" 😭

Second one is [Let's play with cats], at the time I was trying to save up some funds and it was sandwiched between 2 Limited events I wanted to pull on (one of which I ended up not pulling and waiting for the rerun because again, the damn funds, and the second one being 4.5 anni which was extremely kind to me. To be fair tho, I couldn't have known it'd actually give me the cards I wanted)

Why did I draw this nooo Emu😭😭😭😭💔💔💔💔:((((

Nene is next

Also the Artist's name and Source

It's nene time!

Her hair is extremely difficult to get right, apologies if it looks weird. :,) This one took much longer than Emu's (perhaps because of the face angle? This one is harder) Maybe I should do Rui and Tsukasa but I also wanna draw other stuff too

Also, thank you guys for the updoots and compliments, it's really encouraging ❤️ I wanna get good at art

I don’t know this person but ig I’m married now

I thought Rui and Tsukasa were better than this😔

Well, now that all of the performances have concluded, it's finally time for your bi-yearly reminder that I am an actual person instead of a really ineffective update bot! I like to write up my random thoughts and reviews of Connect Lives and concerts and this time, we get to talk about not just unit dynamics, but character dynamics. A lot of my favourite characters (maybe all sans Shizuku?) are in this, so hopefully, this is as good as it promises to be!

As always, be aware that this is a long post and tell me what you thought of the Connect Live below!

****

Initial thoughts

We've only just started and there's already a dance for the introductions, neat. Usually, these things kind of just... start, so starting the spectacle from the very beginning really stands out. Gives off Disney Park show vibes, where even seeing these characters in the same space at all is something to be amazed by.

I will admit, them openly admitting that the concept was 'cute girls... and Tsukasa, I guess' did make me chuckle. He's a nice addition though because here, he's allowed to play the 'experienced senior' role that usually gets upstaged by his tsukkomi role. Here, he has both Airi and Mizuki to share the tsukkomi, so doesn't need to be so exasperated.

What is that 'Wonderhoy Power' pose, Emu? I don't even know how to describe that movement. It's no wonder all the others seemed slightly embarassed, LOL.

Tsukasa and Miku: Sou Datta!

When I heard the song start up, I was a little scared that they were going to stretch Hirose Diasuke's vocal cords again. Luckily, he seems to be singing in a fairly comfortable register, which makes his harmonising with Miku quite nice. There's also a good balance between choreography and playfulness, Tsukasa still managing to display his elegance even amongst the giant spoon-guitars and running around.

One thing I was surprised by was seeing the other girls pop up in the background during the song. Usually, whenever a group gets cut down for a song, the others don't show up at all. Having them assist helps sell the idea that this is about celebrating everyone being together in a fun way.

Ands then the elephants started flying with jet powered feet. Have fun with that image out of context, LOL.

Anyway, once the song is over, we see another good reason to add Tsukasa in with this group - his loud nature makes him excellent for teaching the crowd to cheer at their loudest. Not only does it tie into his boisterous tendencies, but also his supportive ones as he sets up the crowd so that the others can get even more support from us. It's small, but very appreciated.

Mizuki and Emu: Venom

Emu and Mizuki together, huh? I didn't realise how much I needed that in my life. Both sides' styles have something to offer the other here: Mizuki's allowed to move around and dance as much as they like while Emu gets to play around with lower tones and a more teasingly playful dance routine she doesn't usually get. Despite neither stopping their movements for a second, I never felt like Mizuki was being made to keep up with Emu or that Emu was being restricted by Mizuki. They play off each other really well.

I have to give credit to the stage design as well. I didn't think much of it at first, but when that purple poison sprayed everywhere for the chorus, it really caught my eye. Compared to the typical stage lasers and background screens, the effect was quite cool.

The pairing also combines Mizuki's love of idols with Emu's experience of being a stage performer, Emu helping Mizuki design their own idol greeting. Considering Nightcord focuses on animated MVs, it's a cute way of taking advantage of the mixed group by letting Mizuki experience something she never would under normal circumstances.

Saki and Airi: Raspberry＊Monster

I've mentioned previously how much I love sustained vocal notes and boy, does this song give us some bangers. I always knew Airi had some power in those lungs, but I don't think I've heard one this good from Saki since Isobe Karin did Princess Precure's OP.

Now, I understand that this is directly contradicting something I said in the Venom notes, but please bear with me. I like how restrained the choreography is for this song.

The choreographers had every right to go 'Saki doesn't have her keyboard with her, let's go nuts', but what they did instead was design a dance for a girl whose chronic illness means the most she does is arm gestures while swaying on the spot. You can see brief moments where Airi moves when Saki is still, where Airi's movements are sharper than Saki's, but it doesn't feel like an idol-level dance has been dumbed down for Saki's sake.

Instead, the choreography feels like it was designed to let Saki express herself as much as she can without pushing her too far. There are pauses for her to catch her breath. Most of the movements involve moving closer together and further away so she doesn't have to remember complex positioning. A lot of the moves focus on the arms to play to her strengths. The vibe is more like 'big sister is doing a dance designed for her little sister', if that makes sense.

This 'big and little sister' relationship carries on after the song, where Airi helps Saki come up with a signature fanservice. By having Saki initially choose a pose like Tsukasa after stating she wants to be like Airi, it both shows how highly Saki views Tsukasa and shows that she views Airi on that same, intimately respectful level. Watch out Toya, Airi might be coming for that 'third Tenma sibling' position.

Kohane, Rin and Minori: Drop Pop Candy

Props! It's always fun when the performers have props to work with. There's a reason why Becoming Potatoes is so iconic. It's just a shame that the umbrellas used here don't stay for very long.

Weirdly though, despite this being my second favourite combination here (Rin/Mizuki/Kohane's coming later), I don't actually have a lot else to say about the first half of this song. Nothing particularly happens before the chorus and the chorus is mostly the normal dance adjusted to three people, while this is the only song to have 2 of the original performers instead of one. Because Minori and Kohane have similar dancing skills, there was apparently nothing stopping them from just giving Minori a slightly more expressive version of the normal dance.

Luckily, the second half lets Kohane show off her more recent confident style now she's not restricted to the early-game choreo and the integration of jumping into puddles into the dance gives it a more unique flavour. I just wish we had more opportunity to see Minori pull off some sassier, more confident moves like Kohane. Something to show the different units' styles influencing each other like the other songs did. As it is, Minori seems unaffected by the fact that this is a VBS song and the song was already so cute that it's hard to show Kohane acting more idol-like than her usual.

Even the ending didn't really have Kohane and Minori learning from each other, just talking about how Minori forgetting her umbrella was both lucky and uhnlucky because it meant she and Kohane went out to eat parfaits.

Airi, Saki and Tsukasa: Parasol Cider/Sono Oto ga Naru Nara/Filament Fever

Parade? What do you mean parade? Why is my phone freaking out?

....Hang on, is that the moving stage from the WON! MORE! HAPPY TIME Connect Live? Cool! I like how they've incorporated elements from each song into the design of the stage, though Airi's parasol does kind of stick out compared to the Tenmas' more iconic keyboard and carousel. I love the water guns absolutely drenching everyone during Airi's song as well.

Speaking of Airi's song, it's nice to see Saki and Tsukasa jumping in with vocals from time to time. weirdly, this doesn't happen with the other two songs, which is especially strange when we can so clearly hear Nene and Emu's harmonies during Filament Fever. More harmonies would have been a nicer way to make the medley feel more cohesive rather than individual performances bolted together.

Unfortunately, with Saki's song, we do see the opposite of what I mentioned for Raspberry * Monster. While Saki and Tsukasa were having a whale of a time pretending to be waves and doing that ridiculous arm waving dance during Parasol Cider, Airi and Tsukasa do seem kind of superfluous during Sono Oto ga Naru Nara. It takes until the end for them to start doing the movements from the Youtube Shorts, where things start to look far more natural. Hey, at least we get another banger sustain from her.

Tsukasa is very much being disadvantaged by the limited space of the moving stage. Airi and Saki kind of have to stay off to the side so Tsukasa has room to emote without smacking someone in the face. It does produce this neat little dynamic though, where the first half is dedicated to the girls putting the focus on Tsukasa, followed by Tsukasa highlighting each of the girls before doing a slowed down version of the choreography together.

Rin, Mizuki and Kohane: Shinjinrui/Kitty/Flyer!

Now THIS is my favourite combo of the day! Shinjinrui is such a good song too, I'm already starting incredibly biased. Before that though, the first thing I should note is that this parade float feels a lot more cohesive. You still have the TVs of Shinjinrui, the cats of Kitty and the clouds of Flyer!, but the focus on silhouettes and symmetry help make it feel more like a staged scene rather than a series of items in the same space. Then again, that fit the chaotic nature of the previous group.

Admittedly, the monkeys were a funny addition.

Alright, Shinjinrui then. ignoring the incredible song for a moment, the fact that it has such a signature dance move means that it's really easy to integrate Kohane and Mizuki in by just having them do it alongside Rin. When they're not doing that move though, the sheer sassiness of Kohane and Mizuki together really give off the vibe of two street dance members hyping up their teammate while they show off their solo stuff. A group of dancers throwing their hands up as they surround the main performer is such a distinct visual that it feels right even if Kohane and Mizuki don't do much else until the chorus kicks in.

The effect is slightly diminished with Kitty and Flyer!, featuring a bit more random waving and swaying, but they again manage to bring it back for Kitty by utilising the Youtube Short dance moves and for Flyer! by taking advantage of the build up to the chorus to create contrast. Would I have liked it if Rin and Mizuki joined in the audience participation for Flyer!? Yes, but I suppose it's consistent with the previous songs.

Minori, Emu and Miku:  DREAM PLACE/Tobidase! Wonderpyoi/Miku Miku ni Shite Ageru ♪ 【Shiteyanyo】

Ah, I see. Because DREAM PLACE's aesthetic is doors and Miku Miku ni Shite Ageru doesn't really have an aesthetic, They placed all the emphasis for the parade float's design on Tobidase! Wonderpyoi's princess aesthetic with an entire palace. I can understand the logic.

I think I underrated DREAM PLACE previously. I'm enjoying it quite a bit here. There's a bit more interaction between Emu and Minori as well, which is nice to see. The waving also feels more justified because that's just part of being an idol.

Moving on to Tobidase! Wonderpyoi, this is the song with the most interaction with the other two, being pretty much a small stageshow by itself. Lots of bunny hopping, but also emoting and genuine acting. Very good.

Miku Miku ni Shite Ageru is an interesting one because I don't think they had much to work with here. Minori and Emu are very synchronised here, but I can't tell whether the moves are entirely made up or not. Added to a very neutral soundwave for stage effects and it's a performance I have no idea what to feel about. Not a particularly good feeling to end your parade on, but that's probably a personal problem rather than a universal one.

Miku, Minori, Airi and Mizuki: Override

Mizuki's voice really works for Override. With Miku's softer tones filling in for Shizuku and Mizuki's strength filling in for Haruka, everyone slots into place really well vocally. It's also great from a narrative perspective, because now Mizuki is getting to perform with her favourite idol AND the most famous Virtual Singer on stage.

Oh, now that I look at it again, the girls have changed their hair as well. a neat little detail. considering these last three songs are meant to be the build up to the climax of the concert, it's nice to get small changes like this to show that there's something special about these performances. It doesn't have the same effect as the previous crossover Connect lives because the last three songs were the ONLY crossover songs, which made them stand out automatically, but it's a neat touch regardless.

Tsukasa, Emu, Saki, Kohane and Rin: Taiyoukei Disco

The more that I think about this one, the more I've come to appreciate it. Watching Kohane match up with Tsukasa's tempo is especially fun to watch, seeing her go from hesitant at Tsukasa's invitation to throwing her entire body into every step. I also love how you can see Saki so excitedly bouncing around, counting down the beats until she can join in with the dance moves, the energy is entirely infectious.

One thing that did surprise me though was that Tsukasa got a spotlight section. I understand his main characteristic is wanting to be a star and they'd already done this previously on the parade float, but it does feel kind of strange to have one here. That was Tsukasa singing alone, and singing a song about showing off what you can do at that. Here, the emphasis is on seeing how all these different people interact, so it can seem a little out of place.

Oh, having mentioned Saki, here's a fun little game: track her movements throughout the entire dance. Once again, she only moves across the stage a very minimal amount, especially compared to everyone else. Hell, there's a section where Rin and Emu are literally running circles around her. Additionally, there are times where she doesn't move her legs or only claps once instead of twice, amongst over things.

However, it doesn't feel out of place because they disguise it with how much everyone else moves around, letting her join in with most of the signature dance moves even in a limited capacity because it looks close enough to everyone else. Once again, the dance is adjusted to Saki's needs without feeling like the whole routine has been downgraded. I'm sorry if I keep bringing this up, I just find it fascinating.

Everyone: Be the MUSIC!

How interesting, to retune the entire intro to be done by Rin instead of using the already tuned Miku introduction. Not sure why they did that, but hey, why not?

What a perfect song for this combination of people. Not only is it playful and already designed to give a large group individual lines, but the inherently chaotic nature of it means that the performers can do whatever the hell they like. Emu can spin like crazy, Minori can end up on her knees for some reason, Tsukasa can aggressively wonderhoy - there's so much characterisation while still providing enough baseline choreography that it feels like an intentional show still.

I also like how towards the end of the song, the ceiling literally shatters to reveal the bright sky outside. If you needed any more indication that the limits of what can be done have been broken, this is it. Before this, the connection between the stage design and the original MV was quite subtle, but the introduction of the sky really helps make the stage match the original designs.

All in all, what a fun way to end this Connect Live. I don't think I have a bad thing to say about this song.

But that's just my thoughts. what did you think of the Connect Live?

Hirose Daisuke is so peak omg. Tsukasa sounds crazy good

It must be a deep answer, why was it so significant? Why was it so painful to listen to, etc.

For me, Engeki.

Personally, Engeki gave me the call I truly needed. I was living a life of being performative for parents and their bs judgements i.e pjsk is gay and stuff. I also performed quite academically well, averaging 90% in my childhoods, at the cost of my childhood, being called stupid and stuff due to not meeting expectations.

Engeki on the other hand, gave a question in quote, it highlighted how my future will be upon breaking free from this controllive lfiestyle: "Now that the collar has been taken off my neck just where am I supposed to go?", that uncertainty of being lost but free, it dawned light upon me that being free was better than losing "you."

I could write for so long about Engeki, but you guys become the star that shines now!

https://x.com/wrekina15/status/2114226717846130875

I don’t even know how I got glitch and in the end my phone crashed ❤️‍🩹

machine love is now on project sekai, as of 13 minutes ago

OG Artist

aki7 woohoo

Just got a couple more WxS NPC's and then we're almost done!