AidenDH

The stage opened with a funny dialogue between Chuuya and Akutagawa - I didn't catch it all, but either Akutagawa was in Chuuya's seat and/or Chuuya was surprised to see Akutagawa at such an event. Chuuya asked Akutagawa if he knew the rules for such an event, and he didn't, which made the audience laugh. So Chuuya gave the typical rules like no standing or jumping, and generally behave yourself. Akutagawa made several humerous comments referring to Rashoumon, that unfortunately I didn't get the details of, but potentially either something about killing unrully audience members, or the rules excluding Rashoumon. 😂 Chuuya then told Akutagawa to enjoy the music, to which Akutagawa seemed to say he didn't know how to enjoy it, but Chuuya told him he'd realize it after the event.

And then the event opened with a stylish abstract design on the screen with the classic squares and lines, a mix between retro and futuristic, and it introduced all the orchestra members. Then the lead came out, and he was super into his performance. (They were selling orchestra arrangements of his BSD work for 11,000 yen, and I didn't pick one up for that price. But they had a piano arrangement for one song, which I did grab:)

After the introductory pieces, each song, or set of songs, was accompanied by a beautiful set of on-screen animation from the show that was intended to evoke a theme - relationships, or feelings like trauma, struggle, etc. Between each set was an audio anime quote from one or more of the characters - Atsushi, Dazai, Akutagawa, Chuuya, Mori, Odasaku all gave classic quotes from key moments (Chuuya's promise to the Boss, or Odasaku's and Dazai's final moments, for example).

During the Buraiha trio's set, the first singer appeared on stage - and she sang two pieces in English, generally about seeing someone again, which gave some heavy emotional weight to the historical images on screen from the Dark Era.

Then, they brought out the rapper who'd done the Dead Apple dragon battle with Chuuya. And we watched a good chunk of that Dead Apple fight on screen - it was epic! By this time the orchestra was fully invested in the music and visibly having a ball, getting the audience involved with clapping the whole song. He also did another piece (both had a lot of English)...Atsushi's first transformation into the tiger under the moonlight, if I recall?

But there was another set, which I interpreted to be about struggle and trauma. Throughout the entire event, none of the orchestra looked at the screen. Even when the violinists and stringed instruments were doing the most haunting pieces to illustrate the strife the characters were going through on screen, they never once looked. It was like when the villain plays the organ, or when Fyodor plays his cello as an accompaniment to the pain he enjoys causing to others. As if the orchestra members were the engineers of the characters' suffering, playing while fulling ignoring it. It was ghostly.

And then the last major set, they brought out the most animated pair of singers, a guy and a girl, and the entire orchestra was so into it, dancing or clapping in whatever way possible. These two even went down into the audience to sing, and it was amazing to see them from the front seat! Absolutely worth it!!

The main lead of the orchestra, who played the piano and keyboard, also played the theremin, which is an electronic instrument that you play by waving your hands around an electromagnetic field. It produces strange scifi noises. He also played some kind of small electronic hand percussion instrument, and went down the front row letting some of the audience members play it! Unfortunately, I wasn't one of them 😂

At the end, the lead came back out by himself to play what I think was Fyodor's cello piece on the piano.

It was an absolutely enjoyable time, and I would definitely recommend it, even over Granrodeo. Less crazy crowds. More BSD (pure BSD!). The entire band seems emotionally devoted to the music and to the feelings in BSD.

The lead was literally at a loss for words afterward. Compared to the long, heartfelt messages from the bands in Part 1, he could basically only say 'Thank you', and 'Please get home safely. Bye.' ❤️

Bonus flipthrough of the VIP pamphlet (with sound):

*i don't speak Japanese, these are mostly translated by automatic translators, i only make small adjustments, plz let me know if i get anything wrong

First, it was revealed that Akiko Yosano, as a child, was forced to use her supernatural ability on the battlefield under the command of Mori Ogai, and that she was recruited into the Armed Detective Agency by Edogawa Ranpo.

Shimamura: I try to portray Yosano as someone who is actually very friendly, and no matter how sadistic her behavior may be, at her core, she has a love for people. In particular, I think the line she said during the fight with Kajii Motojiro in the first season, "I'll kill anyone who doesn't value life," succinctly expressed her character, and the childhood scenes depicted this time certainly confirmed that. I enjoy acting in it. I find Mori-sensei, who likes strong-willed girls amusing, and I also find it refreshing to see her as a normal child who can't quite grasp the "real story" that adults talk about.

Hayashi: Mori-san was really scary, wasn't he? If you're a child, you have no choice but to obey him.

Shimamura: That's right. Plus, I think she had a crush on the young soldier who called her an "angel" and gave her a butterfly hair ornament, so she must have wanted to protect him. If she were an adult, she might have considered other options, but as a young girl, she was very straightforward, and it is painful to watch her get cornered simply because of her strong desire to "help people and not let them die."

Hayashi: As a result of losing that person, Yosano herself was broken.

Shimamura: I shudder to think what would have happened if Ranpo-san hadn't come to help, I wonder if she would have remained holed up forever. But the fact that she didn't commit suicide despite being so mentally exhausted makes me think that she must have possessed a proper sense of instinct.

Hayashi: Having "something" that prevents her from becoming completely corrupted makes her seem like she could be a member of the detective agency. And Ranpo-san is amazing! He must be really popular with the ladies (lol).

Shimamura: It isn't about supernature abilities, but rather, "What I want is that 'kindness'." He's someone who can see through things in an instant, so he must have understood what Yosano wanted most. Up until then, Yosano had been deprived of her "childhood," so she sobbed uncontrollably, feeling as if she had regained herself.

The young soldier was also Tachihara's older brother. How did you interpret the message he left behind, "You are too righteous"?

Shimamura: Those are cruel words that really sting the heart. But I think that the phrase "angel of death" along with it shows the gentle side of Tachihara's older brother, who doesn't completely deny Yosano's existence.

Hayashi: I see. I feel that "rightness" is a little different from "the correct answer," and I think it's important to just do what you believe is right, but it's difficult when you consider that you also have to be flexible and take into account the feelings of those around you. As someone who plays the younger brother, I want to believe that he was such a kind person until the very end, just as Shimamura-san interprets him.

Tachihara has now revealed his true nature: he was a "hunting dog" who infiltrated the Port Mafia to keep an eye on Mori, and he was waiting for an opportunity to take revenge on Yosano for his brother's death.

Hayashi: I pour all my energy into portraying the mischievous side of him, but I also feel a deep sense of "strength" in his loyalty to his friends, such as when he risked his life to save Higuchi Ichiyo from danger. He also plays the role of the one who was teased, and while he seems foolish, I think he is surprisingly aware of his position, so there were times when I nodded in agreement after learning his true identity. In the scene where he reveals his true identity to Yosano, there was his love for his brother, of course, but also his pessimistic feelings of inferiority towards his superior relatives, and his positive outlook on finally finding his place in the world after being taken in by the military police. I am grateful to have had many discussions with sound director Wakabayashi (Kazuhiro) about his background and to have the time to carefully record the lines.

Shimamura: The phrase, "Orders make me who I am," doesn't sound particularly positive when you just look at the words themselves, but I was struck by the feeling that it wasn't like that for Tachihara.

Hayashi: That's right. There's a prevailing sentiment that those who think for themselves and act independently are the ones who are right, isn't the saddest thing truly when someone does nothing and gains no insight whatsoever? For Tachihara, "orders" are a salvation that gave him a place to understand himself, and it's a line filled with very positive feelings, so I put a lot of effort into it.

Shimamura: I think what's appealing about Tachihara is that he's always been a work in progress. To put it simply, he's cute (laughs).

Hayashi: That's his true nature, and it doesn't change even when he returns to being a hunting dog (laughs).

What did you learn from seeing those two confront each other?

Shimamura: From Yosano's perspective, it is a moment of relief, or rather, a moment of realization where she could finally understand and accept the situation.

Hayashi: Yes, I think she accepted it surprisingly quickly. I suppose Yosano had come to terms with it, but I feel that her past traumas and everything else hadn't completely disappeared, so her words, "Do as you please," feels sad to me.

Shimamura: This is not related to what Tachihara said earlier, but for me, those were words I could utter in a positive way. One reason for that is that Yosano knew the soldiers were fighting because they wanted to return to their families. I think she was able to accept the revenge because she thought, "Is this the brother that person was talking about?"

Both Yosano and Tachihara, like the protagonist Nakajima Atsushi, have struggled to find their "place to belong," and that's how they got to where they are today.

Shimamura: It was the same for Ranpo-san, too. In Season 4, it's very clear that the Detective Agency is an irreplaceable place for Atsushi, and that it's the same for the other employees. Up until now, Yosano has been portrayed more as a supporting character, but I'm happy that I was able to play a role where I could get to know her on a deeper level.