Written by Sky
Anime Expo brings together some of Japan’s best musical talent every year for an unforgettable concert featuring a diverse lineup of performers. This year’s J-POP SOUND CAPSULE was no different, as they brought in artists involved with some of the most popular anime music, from Neon Genesis Evangelion to Haikyuu!!.
The opening act, Yoko Kanno was a decorated composer known for creating music for Cowboy Bebop, the Macross franchise, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, and other famous works. She put on a captivating performance with a mixture of live piano music and electronic sounds alongside beautiful visuals. Yoko Takahashi, another guest and original vocalist for this song, accompanied her to perform vocals for “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis“. After the performance she stated, “I haven’t done many live performances before, but seeing the audience spontaneously match the colors of their penlights to the music and cheering me on made me feel like I was jamming along with them. I’m addicted to it.”
The second performance was by a band known as ALI or Alien Liberty International. They were formed in Tokyo in 2016 and create unique blends of hip-hop, rock, funk, soul, jazz, latin, and ska. This mixture comes from lead singer LEO who has influence from Japan, Spain, UK, and the Philippines. Their motto is “Long Live Music”.
ALI became popular in 2019 after releasing their single “Wild Side,” which was chosen as the opening for the anime BEASTARS. The setlist included music from Dr. STONE, Golden Kamuy, JUJUTSU KAISEN, and other anime. During the show, LEO addressed the crowd to say thank you and shared that he had come to LA 8 years ago with the original band members and his wife to record music. He dreamed that they would one day play a live show in LA. Although the band members left and he and his wife separated, playing the show was a dream come true. He expressed, “If you feel alone, even if you don’t have a best friend, even if you’ve been through a divorce like me, it’s okay because you are fucking beautiful and we are fucking beautiful.”
The BanG! Dream franchise is a musical project that spans anime, games, voice actresses, and live musical performances. The group Roselia is a five-member rock band consisting of Yukina Minato, Sayo Hikawa, Lisa Imai, Ako Udagawa, and Rinko Shirokane. At J-POP SOUND CAPSULE, the actual voice actresses performed by the band, playing the instruments and singing live. Aina Aiba, Haruka Kudo, Yuki Nakashima, Megu Sakuragawa, and Kanon Shikaki are the vocalist, guitarist, bassist, drummer, and keyboardist. They played alongside music videos from the franchise and their stage outfits and instruments resembled their 2D counterparts.
The next performer was SPYAIR, a group formed in 2005 in Nagoya. They are a rock band containing KENTA on the drums, MOMIKEN on the bass, YOSUKE as the vocalist, and UZ as guitar and programming. Although YOSUKE isn’t the founding vocalist, he adds a unique flare while keeping a similar style of singing. The band had their major debut in 2010 with the theme song for a drama, Hammer Session! titled “LIAR.” They went on to create music for BLEACH, Gintama, Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans, and most notably Haikyuu!!. Many of their songs featured screaming vocals from YOSUKE that excited the audience. Mixed with their punkish outfits and makeup, SPYAIR created a unique and high-energy performance. YOSUKE stated that someday the band hopes to tour the United States.
The last performer, Yoko Takahashi, took the stage again in her elegant outfit featuring themes from Neon Genesis Evangelion. Her singing career started in the ’90s, and her voice is known all over the world for providing vocals throughout the Neon Genesis Evangelion series. Yoko Takahashi even stated that although anime is only one aspect of Japanese culture, she was glad to be able to bring it to everyone at the concert. She was accompanied by two backup dancers who highlighted her beautiful voice through movement.
Los Angeles, in particular, means a lot to her. She shared that she started in classical music and, when she was 29, moved to Los Angeles to work and learn about music with an artist who had worked with Michael Jackson. She recounted visiting the home of a composer who wrote one of Madonna’s songs and being surprised that the bathroom was bigger than her living room, making her think, “Wow, this is LA!” The surprises and challenges helped her grow, and sharing music with everyone in Los Angeles during J-POP SOUND CAPSULE meant a lot to her. She believes that music brings people together beyond language and culture.
Her set contained a few songs from Neon Genesis Evangelion, including “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis,” where this time Yoko Kanno came onstage with a keytar to accompany her. It was a perfect ending to the concert, as the entire crowd sang along and celebrated J-pop.
J-POP SOUND CAPSULE was a great celebration of Japanese music and anime. Each performer brought something different to the stage, making the concert exciting from beginning to end. It was a memorable night that showed how music can bring fans together.
Yoko Kanno: https://yokokanno.ch/
ALI: https://alienlibertyinternational.com/
ROSELIA: https://bang-dream.com/artist/roselia/
SPYAIR: https://www.spyair.net/
Yoko Takahashi: https://king-cr.jp/artist/takahashi/
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