LIVE REPORT ~ 12012: July 6 2007
AnimeNext New Jersey, NJ
On the two large projection screens beside the stage, fans watched the 12012 (or popularly known as Ichi Ni) PV, Cyclone, begin playing. Many fans shuffled in anticipation as they wondered: Would this song be on the set list? For many of them, this would be the first time they would see Ichi Ni perform, for others this would be the third time since Ichi Ni’s first appearances at Oni-con in Texas the year before. Either way, fans pressed up against each other, willing themselves to get closer to the stage.
Finally, the members of Ichi Ni walked out: Sakai, the first guitarist strolling out up front, followed by Tomoyuki, the bassist, Yuusuke, the second guitarist, and Tohru, the drummer, close behind. Fans’ calls echoed around the room for their respective favorite members before cheers escalated at the sight of Wataru, vocalist of Ichi Ni.
Immediately, the band went into ambience. Hands went up automatically, the crowd almost dancing to the trancelike guitar work. As Ichi Ni began playing, you could tell they were nervous with their scant glances out into the crowd. However, as they continued, the band fell back into a rhythm of comfort that nothing but constant practice and rehearsal could give. And as they steadied from the crowds’ immediate response, Ichi Ni grew bolder.
When wana began, the crowd went wild. The audience threw up their hands, head-banging with the pure enjoyment of true fans as Wataru and the other band members went wild, head-banging and jumping, using the stage as if it was their own playground. Blue, pink, and green lights flashed as smoke went off. Fans screamed “Down, down, down into confusion,” along with Wataru, singing along as if they’d been waiting for years to do so. And in the backdrop of that addictive music arrangement, Wataru’s lips twisted into an eerie, crazed smile, laughing into his mic as saliva slipped down his sweat-slicked face. At the sight of all this, fans screamed louder, pushing against the rail as they tried to get closer to Wataru and the stage.
In the middle of their set, the band paused and the crowd waited in anticipation. What was he going to say? The question hummed in the air. Then Wataru looked out into the crowd and said, “We are 12012! Let’s make it our awesome night! Are you ready?” Typically, the answering calls were shouts of agreement as he goaded the crowd to get even wilder, jumping straight into the next song.
It was inevitable, though, that [6] party was on the set list. And when the song began, it was known immediately that it was a fan favorite. As the song began, Wataru motioned for the crowd to clap with him. The walls shook as the crowd clapped and silly smiles lit across the faces of fans and band members alike, as they all jumped in time to the beat. (It seemed this song was also a band favorite.)
Shinshoku led to crazy amounts of para para. Para para are preset hand movements used during certain songs that are often used by Ichi Ni fans in Japan. It was something else when the roomful of American Ichi Ni fans began to para para as well. The band deliberately lengthened the song, motioning for the crowd to move more, jump more, give more. And the crowd was more than happy to. It was a shocker as the crowd literally moved in waves as the entire audience went down for a specified head-bang and hand movement, multiple times. There wasn’t a single person in the crowd who didn’t do the same moves, because if you were in that crowd, there was no way you couldn’t do the move. It was a sight to behold.
At last, the set ended with Cyclone, another feel-good song that had the crowd jumping. Just as soon as they finished, the band members walked off the stage, taking their instruments with them. Just as quickly, the fans began shouts of “encore” demanding that Ichi Ni appear on stage again. Roadies came out and urged the audience to yell louder as they cleaned the stage a bit. The crowd continued on for five minutes straight. Finally, the band walked out again, performing three more songs before finally stopping. This time, they took their time leaving, lifting their arms up high, waiting for their fans to cheer for them before they walked off; the fans gladly gave them what they asked for. For their third appearance in the United States, the AnimeNext showing definitely didn’t fail in comparison to their first two shows. As a band meeting their fan-base overseas, it was definitely a warm, heartfelt welcome back.
set list
ambience
[6]party
my room agony
Wana
melancholy
shower
queer passion
page
breaking the modern society
Heart
Shinshoku
Cyclone
-ENCORE-
butterfly
newspaper
report by Sophia; photo courtesy of FREE-WILL America
Thank you to JHouse Rock and Anime Next for making this possible.
links
12012 Official Website
AnimeNext
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