The first live performance in a year was full of unique performances that were audience-less and online, using the entire venue! Report on the daytime performance of "i☆Ris 8th Anniversary Live ~888888888~ (Pachi Pachi)

Popular voice-over unit "i☆Ris" held "i☆Ris 8th Anniversary Live ~888888888~ (read: pachi pachi)," a live broadcast live to celebrate their 8th anniversary on Sunday, November 8, 2020. They performed hot live twice a day and twice a night.

i☆Ris is known for its powerful choreography by the six members and nonstop setlist. Their harmony work is unwavering, and their live performances are among the best in the world of anime/seiyu. Although their main battlefield is the live stage, they have refrained from performing live since the beginning of this year to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus. This was their first live performance in about a year since the "i☆i☆Ris 7th Anniversary Live ~Sichifuku Banrai~" held on November 24 last year.

For safety reasons, the event was held as an online live with no audience, but the joy of being on stage could be felt even through the monitor.

The online live performance was also a spectacle to behold, taking advantage of the real-time "AR" effects that were displayed on the screen!

Let me report on the daytime session.

The photos above are from the evening session.

The venue was Kawaguchiko Stella Theater, the first time in four years!

When the show began at 2:00 p.m., the audience cheered loudly and countless six-colored lights were shown on the monitor. The screen was covered with "8888888888" comments, just like on "Nico Nico Douga"!

Fans who could not be at the venue but were cheering through the monitors from all over the world must have felt the same way. The tension was suddenly relaxed to the max by the chic performance!

The live started with "Hapilaki☆Dream Carnival"! This is the opening number from their fourth album "Shall we☆Carnival" released on March 13, 2020.

The six members appeared on stage in slightly casual costumes decorated with their image colors, and seemed to be enjoying their first live performance in a year to the fullest. The camera focused on each member's face. I was glad to see that the girls, whom I usually watch from the audience seats, had such rich expressions on their faces when they performed on stage. The six girls sang, "We get our power from the way you work hard! The opening of the concert was a spectacular opening to the show.

The gorgeous song that decorated the opening of the live was colored by AR effects: a balloon floated above the stage where i☆Ris performed, and countless petals danced in the air. The stage set changed completely for each song, which is only possible at an online live performance.

Next was "Miracle Paradise," a well-known live performance. Here, the entire stage was enveloped in a glittering light that seemed to burst with the charm of the six sparkling members.

Azusaki Shibuya and Tomoki Wakai were giving the microphone to the floor as they do in their usual live performances, and they were all smiles. Yu Serizawa shouted "Let's go! and other emo scenes.

Then, when Miyu Kubota asked, "Where am I? The background cloth fell and the outdoor scenery spread out. The AR display of a tree with autumn leaves appeared on the screen. After finishing the song in the liberating atmosphere, Kubota answered, "It was at Kawaguchiko Stella Theater! he reveals his answer.

Yes, this was the first live performance at Kawaguchiko Stella Theater in four years. Here comes the first MC part. The members greeted the audience as is customary at live performances. Normally, a call-and-response with the audience would have ensued, but since there was no audience this time, only the members responded! The six members were so friendly that they were helping each other out with the call and response.

At one point, the six members were helping each other out with their call and response, and at another point, they were giving each other a hard time by taking a dig at the other members' MCs. This kind of life-size girl interaction is another charm of i☆Ris. Watching this exchange, I found myself saying, "This is it! This is the i☆Ris way! I am sure I am not the only one who was happy to see this exchange.

Saki Yamakita said, "We can keep the tension even when there are no customers. This groove is also made possible by the bond between the six members.

The fun atmosphere was carried over to the start of "FANTASTIC ILLUSION". A gate of playing cards and a light fountain appeared on stage. It was like a magic show.

The dialogue part, in which the performer speaks to "you" on the other side of the monitor, is also very enjoyable. Following the entertaining stage performance, in which the members showed off their skills as artists and voice actors, a new song from "Shall we☆Carnival" was performed again.

This new song, which the members themselves described as "like K-POP," was a new frontier for i☆Ris.

The electro-swing style of "Spending" was a perfect example of the mature and sexy gestures of the members. The aggressive dance moves and provocative singing give a mature impression.

On the other hand, "TIN TONE" is colorful and cute elepop. It is a song that fits perfectly with the royal idol choreography.

Here, a pastel-colored, home-like set appeared (this was a realistic book division set).

Kubota-san and Serizawa-san shine in this kind of song. Kubota's idol power was in full force, making me want to follow her on the monitor, and Serizawa's expression as she glanced away from the audience to the side during the chorus was absolutely charming.

The audience was smiling and laughing even at the happenings!

The live was already in the middle of the show. The members took a break and took out their smartphones to catch up with the comments on Twitter. This was a scene that could only happen at an online live performance.

The members also talked about the charm of the daytime costumes, which were slightly different from the nighttime ones.

Yamakita: "Ninety-five percent of my legs are showing. I'm trying, I'm the oldest!"

Serizawa: "The choker is the key.

Akaneya: "The point is the belly (in navel-baring fashion). Himi: "You thought I was wearing pants again, but here (belly button) is the point!

Wakai: "The only fluttering skirt.

Kubota: "I was so excited to see the "88" on various outfits and the sparkling sequins.

Shibuya: "My stomach wasn't showing until yesterday, but it was showing when I put it on today. Also, I showed my legs for the first time in a long time.

After the MC, the audience was treated to a series of quiet ballads.
During "Ichizu," the members moved from the stage to the audience seats. They sat down on the audience seats, which were shaped like a mortar, and sang as if they were surrendering to the sound. It was a strange sight, as if we were watching a music video even though it was a live performance.

From there, they seamlessly led into "Endless Notes" and "Puzzle". For "Endless notes," the audience moved to the space in front of the stage. Using the open space, they performed dramatically with the same choreography as in the music video.

The audience was surprised by the many scenes that showed how they had thought out effective ways to showcase their performance, which is only possible at a nonattendance live concert.

The live gradually reached its climax from this point on.

The special video of their memorable debut song "Color", which was a look back on their 8 years of activity, was followed by the performance of "Color", the song they have been singing for 8 years and the origin of i☆Ris. The song, which has been sung for eight years, is the starting point of i☆Ris. The song is still as fresh as ever, and they showed their polished skills on stage.

Then, "Shinig Star", "Dream Parade" and "Pripara", which cannot be missed in the history of i☆Ris, gave them momentum. The tension reached to the highest with the unquestionably exciting songs, and then the last spurt started.

Just as they were about to perform "Happy New World☆", a birthday cake celebrating the 8th anniversary of i☆Ris appeared on stage. The cake was said to be a cake to be eaten with popping candies in connection with the live title "i☆Ris 8th Anniversary Live ~888888888~". The sound echoed around the world. I did not expect to enjoy ASMR videos during the live performance, but this sense of variety was very typical of the girls.

In such an enjoyable atmosphere, "Happy New World☆" started again. From the introduction, the tension of the six girls was soaring. Wakai-san, in particular, was so excited that she "inadvertently" jumped to the front of the stage, forgetting the circle formation scene at the beginning of the song! The other members laughed hysterically at this unexpected action!

The other members laughed out loud at this unexpected action! Despite such happenings, the singers performed well. What was impressive was that the camera kept following the members in close-up throughout the song. The camera kept on showing the members in close-up throughout the song, and the image of i☆Ris singing "Kimi ni" to the audience through the monitors was very impressive.

The last song was "Ultimate☆MAGIC". Countless fireworks were displayed on the screen in time with the party tune that was suitable for the last song.

Although it had been a year since the last online live performance with no audience, the passion of the audience and the feelings of the six members could be clearly seen on the monitor.