Dusted off with acoustic sounds to color the winter! Report on "YuruCan△ Music Party 2019," which also features a reading by the cast!

Now that the cold weather has begun to blow, many of you may be thinking, "This is the perfect time to go camping! Many of you may be eagerly preparing your camping gear.　The one that installed the idea of "winter = camping" in our minds is "YuruCamp△"! It is "YuruCamp△". This work, based on a manga by Afuro, was adapted into a TV anime in the January 2018 season and attracted attention for its careful depiction of the outdoors, spectacular mountain scenery, and cute characters. The popularity of the series continues to grow.

On November 24, 2019, "YuruCan△ Concert 2019" was held at LINE CUBE SHIBUYA (New Shibuya Public Hall), where the music of "YuruCan△" could be fully enjoyed. Let us report on the first "YuruCan△" music event since the "Secret Society Blanket Music Festival" held in Minobu-cho, Yamanashi Prefecture in November 2018.

The "YuruCan△ Music Party 2019" opened with a voice drama performed by Nodeshiko Kakamigahara (CV: Yumiri Hanamori), Chiaki Ogaki (CV: Sayuri Hara), and Aoi Inuyama (CV: Aki Toyosaki), all members of Nokuru. As it was just before Christmas, the Nokuru members were immersed in memories of Christmas camping, which was the last episode of the TV anime. While looking at outdoor magazines and thinking about new tents and food at the camp, they decided to go to a music concert that Chiaki won in a lucky draw at a shopping mall. They decide to go to a music concert.

Shima Rin (CV: Higashiyama Nao) joined them, and the four of them went to the concert with an acoustic band. Note that Ena Saito, who participated in the Christmas camp, will not be present this time because she is taking her dog Chikuwa somewhere. There was a large panel of Mt. Fuji in the actual stage background, and when Chiaki said, "I didn't know (Mt. Fuji) could look this big even from Tokyo," Aoi added, "The mountain you can faintly see is called Shibuya Fuji. When Nadeshiko was impressed, Aoi quickly responded, "It's not true!" The audience was filled with laughter.

After the audience was informed of the precautions to be taken during the conversation, the concert finally began. The "YuruCan△ Acoustic Band" led by Akiko Tateyama, who was in charge of music for the anime "YuruCan△," took the stage set up like a wooden deck and was welcomed with thunderous applause. The band, all dressed in outdoor style and each holding various instruments, looked like an "outdoor music concert" even though it was held indoors. The performance of "Campsite Theme - Lake Motosu" began. As the sounds of guitars, wood bass, violins, and pianica overlapped, the lighting effects, reminiscent of morning sunrise and sunset, naturally lured the audience into the mountains.

As Ms. Tateyama said during the MC after the song, "The engine was running at full throttle from the first song," the audience was immersed in the world of "YuruCan△" from the very beginning of the show, with a brief greeting by Ms. Tateyama and introduction of the band members. Ms. Eri Sasaki, who wrote and sang the ending theme song "Fuyubiyori" for the TV anime, joined the band this time as a singer, mandolinist, and percussionist. Ms. Sasaki became the Minobu Town Tourism Ambassador as a result of "Yuru Can△," and her music is broadcast in Minobu Town every day at 5:00 p.m. She excited the audience with her PR, saying, "Please come visit or move to Minobu Town (laughs).

Continuing with "Let's go camping! to "Yuruyaka na Jikan" were performed, followed by the drama part again. Nokulu, Lynn, and the others were honest about their impressions of unfamiliar instruments and music, such as the tin whistle and banjo. The interval is enlivened by Chiaki acting the music connoisseur and Aoi's lies bursting forth again.

Then "Campsite Theme - Foothills" begins. The order of the songs was the order of the campsites visited in the anime "YuruCan△," a neat trick that made the fans grin.

During the MC, Ms. Tateyama explained that the music for "Yuru Camp△" is based on Irish music, arranged with folk and country music from around the world. She also explained the tin whistle as the instrument used in the main melody of "My Heart Will Go On," the theme song of the movie "Titanic," and played the song.

In the song "Solo Can Go On," which is Tateyama's favorite song, a stage set was used with flames that reminded one of a campfire and stars twinkling in the background, making one feel as if one were alone in a winter campground gazing at the mountain scenery.

After the performance of "Campsite Theme - Asagiri Kogen," Yumiri Hanamori, Nao Higashiyama, Sayuri Hara, and Aki Toyosaki appeared as guests. After that, Yuri Hanamori, Nao Higashiyama, Sayuri Hara, and Aki Toyosaki appeared in the guest corner and performed a live "Kuawasedrftgyfujikolp" by Higashiyama, and everyone tried out the "slide whistle" instrument. In addition, an acoustic band will perform live postrecording along with the live reading by the cast members.

Here, live postrecording was performed for the scene in episode 6 where they talk about the types of campsites and the Fuji Five Lakes in Nokuru, the scene in episode 7 where Nashiko and Lynn talk about the night at Lake Yonoren while reflecting on their encounter, and the scene in episode 4 where Lynn is captured on a live camera at Kirigamine. In the following "Dance, Folk Dance," the cast members moved around the stage with tambourines, triangles, and other instruments in their hands, enlivening the audience. The cast then disappeared offstage.

As the "YuruCan△ Concert 2019" was drawing to a close, the artist Asaka appeared on stage. She sang, of course, "Shiny Days," the opening theme of "Yuru Can△." As the word "pop" suggests, the bouncy tune naturally got the audience bouncing, and they clapped their hands together to create a single space. In the chorus, the audience clapped their hands in a big horizontal motion to the accompaniment of Asakika's elongated voice. Together!" so everyone in the audience sang the chorus, creating a sense of unity in the venue as if they were sitting around a campfire.

Then, Eri Sasaki, dressed in a white costume, left the wooden deck where she had been performing and went to the front of the stage by herself. She sang "Fuyubiyori" as if she were sitting around a bonfire. The stars twinkled in the background, and Ms. Sasaki's soft voice seeped into my heart. The campfire was over, and the slow flow of time around the charcoal fire seemed to quietly announce the end of the camp.

Then, an acoustic band plays "YuruCan△'s Theme. This song seemed to be a sign that a new day and fun things were about to begin as the sky cleared up from the clouds. The curtain closed on the "YuruCan△ Concert 2019," but the audience, whose excitement had not yet abated, clapped their hands for an encore.

In response, a PV of "Heya Can△" was shown on the screen and the song "Isn't It Fun?" by Asaka, the image song of the "Yuru Can△" series released in September this year, began. The bright and sparkling song brought the audience's voltage to a new high. During the MC after the song, Asaka revealed that her encounter with "Shiny Days" had strengthened her determination to live her life as an anime song singer. She sang "The Sunshower," the theme song for "Heya Can△," as a "thank you to Nadeshiko and others who changed my life ......."

The band members then appeared again. From the second chorus, the cast members took the stage and united the audience with box steps and choreography by Nao Higashiyama. This choreography was originally performed by Higashiyama-san on his own, but it spread rapidly, and it was surprising to see how many "Yuru Can△" fans are now able to perform it. In this way, all the participants became one and created an enjoyable space, and the irreplaceable day of "YuruCan△ Music Party 2019" passed by.

(Reporting and writing by Michi Sugahara)