A friendly get-together with friends who know each other well! Report on the Uchida Marei Birthday Event "Maaya Happy Birthday Party! 2019" report!

On December 16, 2019, Marei Uchida successfully performed the final show of "UCHIDA MAAYA Zepp Tour 2019 "we are here"". Looking back, it was truly a wonderful tour. The entertainment value, performance ability, and everything was completed at a high level.

The stage was wonderful, with special effects, lasers, and other flashy effects in spite of being in a live house. This, of course, was the result of her many live performances and the hard work she has put in. The teamwork with the band and staff, and the fruition of the trust between them and the fans was the call and response to "Resonance Raison d'etre," and the fact that the audience resonated with that song was the next step. In other words, I believe it was a necessary process before going to Yokohama Arena.

Now that I've given such an enthusiastic summary of the tour, I'd like to share with you the birthday event "Maaya Happy Birthday Party!" held the day after the voice actress artist who never rests, Marie Uchida, turned 30. 2019" daytime session.

The opening song was "Winter has come" with snow falling. From the beginning, the song was so dazzling that I forgot about the winter cold. At the end of the song, they put their left hand on their cheeks and smiled, just like idols.

And so it should have been. The MC, Mr. Chanko, who is a writer, came on the stage immediately after the performance and said, "I wanted to make an idol-like costume. My image is that of Seiko! It seemed to be a reaction to the coolness and intensity of the Zepp tour. And then, in a ritual not to be forgotten, she was greeted by the fans who had gathered at the venue with "Happy Birthday! from the fans gathered in the hall.

Next was the variety corner. This time, the plan was to make a music video for the event, under the title "Let's make a birthday music video for Marei Uchida. The song was "Because it's My Birthday! The music video was made by drawing lots to determine the material to be shot. For example, if a scene was "a scene where everyone is playing a party game," a similar scene was to be shot on stage. The people who were called in as extras were Akihiro Tomita, music producer; Katsuhiko Kurosu, bandmaster of the well-known Maaya band; and Tokio, a member of the event staff. Of course, Mr. Chanko joined in, taking more and more pictures. Mr. Kurosu blowing soap bubbles, for example, was very precious, as it would definitely be seen only here. The rest of the time, we were taking pictures of various materials, such as waving in the hall, but the way Marei moved when she was being filmed was so professional and amazing. She was so professional and her movements during the shoot were amazing. She was bubbly, but she was also very conscious of the camera, and her facial expressions were so rich that it was easy to imagine how much more attractive the visuals would be if she really got serious on the set of the music video.

Now that the shooting was over, the event continued on while the staff was editing behind the scenes. The "30th anniversary project!　Maaya History" ran through her history, looking at photos from kindergarten and graduation ceremonies, and since it was 30 years worth, the topic went as far as her latest Zepp tour, "I thought Maarei-chan's experience had increased, and her performance and singing had grown," said Kurosu. Tomita also praised her performance, saying, "Her domination on stage was amazing. He also commented on his age of 30 years old. I was playing the role of a 28-year-old, so I didn't feel like a young man," he said. I was not feeling very young, so I feel very comfortable now. I feel like I'm in tune with my mind and my age. (A guest told me that it was fun to be in my thirties.) I have nothing but high expectations! I have nothing but high hopes for the future!

In conjunction with this retrospective project, a karaoke corner was held in which the audience sang a chorus of a song they had listened to in their school days. They sang "Cherries" (Otsuka Ai), "Sadness into Kindness" (little by little), and "Genesis of Aquarion," a song they used to sing when they were aspiring to be voice actors, because they wanted to be in such works. This was a project unique to the birthday event in that it was a "karaoke by Marie Uchida," which is something she would not normally have the chance to listen to.

After leaving the stage to prepare for the live performance of her own original songs, a video was shown on the screen. It was a new video by "Shonan Orange," a two-person unit consisting of Mikan-chan (Marie Uchida) and Shonan-kun (Chanko-kun), in which Mikan-chan plays a surprise on Shonan-kun. The content was that Mikan-chan was going to surprise Shonan-kun. During the meeting, Mr. Uchida got into a fight with a staff member and the mood turned sour. What would he do? It was quite interesting to see "an angry Marei Uchida," which is quite rare.

In the mini-live corner, "My Stage" was performed while showing photos from the past. Then she sang "Kraft Sweet Heart," which drew cheers when the microphone stand was placed on the stage, and "Because It's My Birthday! which was made on the spot and filmed on the spot. The guests who had just taken the stage were invited to join in on this song, and they sang happily, but a murmur broke out during the final scene. Marei-san also caught a glimpse of something and asked, "What?　Can I watch it again?　I don't care about my (the video)," he said. Then we all decided to watch the video together to take a closer look at the music video once more. Then, at the end of the music video, someone's image is shown for a moment like a subliminal effect.

Hawks fans would have recognized it at once, and Uchida himself probably already knew it at the beginning, but it was a momentary image of Nao Kai, a rookie but very active player for the Hawks in 2019. Here, as a surprise, Kaino again presented a birthday message video to Marei Uchida.

The staff then presented her with a champagne set, and sang one more song, "To Be Your Heroine," to end the live with everyone waving their hands left and right in unison and smiling.

Finally, as an even more exciting gift, the audience was asked to record their hand claps to be included in the next song. The claps were quite thick, so it will be interesting to see how they will be used. It was also announced that the fan club event "LIVE IS LIKE A SUNNY DAY ♫" Vol. 3 will be held on April 18 (Sat) at Omiya Sonic City Main Hall and on April 26 (Sun) at Zepp Namba (OSAKA). Another exciting event to look forward to.

But one big goal for 2020 would be a one-man live concert at Yokohama Arena, to be held on Sunday, July 5. In closing, Marei said, "Even though I am celebrating my birthday, I myself am staying the same. I feel like I have my feet on the ground and can go one step further as a voice actress in the future, so I think everyone will be able to expect even more from Marie Uchida. I'm also waiting for the side show (laughs). I hereby pledge to continue to be the sun that shines on everyone," she said, bringing the event to a close with her thoughts.

I don't think it is easy to always have a smile on her face, but she is able to do it. Of course there are times when she doesn't, but she doesn't show it, as she said at the tour finale the other day. It is precisely because she is like that that everyone wants to believe in her and follow her. I am sure we will see her again at Yokohama Arena with the biggest smile on her face.

Akiba Research Institute conducted a "Just before her birthday project: Hammer Character Popularity Poll" to commemorate her birthday at the end of last year! Hamari character popularity poll" to commemorate her birthday. We hope you enjoy the results of that poll as well.
⇒ The results of the poll are also available for your enjoyment! In commemoration of the birthday of Marei Uchida, the results of the Hamari Character Popularity Poll have been announced!

(Reporting and writing by Junichi Tsukagoshi)