As I sit here with my Mari Nesoberi by my side, the penlight from the Live’s purple glow illuminating my keyboard softly and the music from my Brand New Wave playlist captivating my hear, I’m struck with a number of thoughts. Several of which are seemingly distant memories from the Live, each one bringing a wave of nostalgia and joy with them. Yet one though contradicts all of them. That one being the disappointment I feel in myself for taking so long to do this.
I ask myself if having done this sooner, would I have been able to preserve such precious memories, feelings, and emotions from the Live any better? Perhaps. But in a way I was scared that by writing this down and listening to the songs from the Live, I would be acknowledging that it was all over. That somehow by putting my thoughts into words and re-living the Live as best as I could, I would at the same time be putting it to an end.
I wanted this to live forever, and was scared that by moving on, I would be saying goodbye to such beautiful moments forever. And as a result, I avoided listening to many of the songs from the Live. I never listened to the playlists I created. I chose not to watch any of the Live BDs I had. I chose not to rewatch the anime itself as well.
All because I was scared to replace what had happened.
It’s silly, really, but that’s how I felt.
But feelings, emotions, and even sometimes memories all pass on. And yet I know now that the memories I made during this beautiful once in a lifetime experience is something I will never forget. And I am finally putting everything down into writing so I can, one, hopefully reference this later and recall some of the emotions I felt during the Live, and two, to help preserve what happened. To make it more permanent, if I can.
So without any further ado, allow me to take you on a not-so-brief adventure of my journey at Love Live! Sunshine!! Aqours World LoveLive! in LA, ~Brand New Wave~!
Though the Brand New Wave Live didn’t happen until 2019, my story starts briefly in 2018.
I had been following Aqours for a while at this point, and had been in love with Love Live for almost a year. I had heard that Aqours would be holding a Live at Anime Expo in Los Angeles, California and just KNEW I had to go. But, sadly, it was just a pipe dream. Financial troubles, and being grossly underprepared for such a journey across the country unfortunately kept me from seeing Aqours Live.
And that is something I regret to this day.
That being said, in a sense it was a blessing in disguise that I wasn’t able to go that time. I didn’t have a penlight. I wouldn’t have known any of the calls or responses. Heck, I wouldn’t have even known how to wota during the songs. I don’t think I even had the Seiyuu’s names memorized yet! (Grossly underprepared, indeed!)
But I made a promise to myself that if they ever came back, nothing would stop me from seeing them. I swore an oath that I would move heaven and hell to see them. And I thank God every day that I did.
Flash forward to a year later, and I’m working a new job, free from most—not all—of the financial liabilities that prevented me from going the first time, and during the middle of a baseball game I was working, I get a text from a friend.
“Are you going to LA?”
What a dumb thing to ask, I thought. So I responded logically.
“No? Why would I?”
“Aqours is going to be there.”
And at that moment, I knew my life was about to change forever.
Honestly, I couldn’t even concentrate on work for the rest of my shift. All I could think about was Aqours returning. Though I was saddened at the news that Arisa wouldn’t be able to attend—yet still held out hope that she would miraculously show up anyways—I was extremely excited at the idea that Aqours would be performing TWICE! A two day Live on July 5th AND 6th!
The months that led up to July were chaotic. Getting tickets was an absolute nightmare—and Premiere Fans were royally screwed over when VIP tickets were reserved and sold during general admission. Yet, somehow, through the grace of God Himself, I was not only able to secure a ticket to Day 1 of the Live, But I also got a VIP ticket for Day 2.
In the pit, mind you.
In. The. Frickin. Pit.
In. The. Frickin. Pit.
Now, if you know anything about me, you know that I don’t do well in crowds. Or tight spaces. And therefore, I have always, always avoided pits like the plague. Too many people, too many smells, and everyone’s just bumping up against each other and pushing and shoving and—how the heck am I supposed to even see over the people in front of me?!
But. I told myself. I would endure it.
For Ainya. (Shocker, I love Ainya.)
After all, if these girls can go through everything that they go through, all of the long hours of practice and preparation for a Live, the blood, sweat and tears they shed for each of us, then SURELY I can survive a pit for a couple hours to give back to the girls who have done so much for me, right?
Right?!?
May came and went. June came and went. And finally, it was July. After working hard and picking up extra hours to help finance this trip, I was about to fly across the country—by myself—to finally go see Aqours.
Armed with a half empty suitcase—gotta prep for merch, ya know?—a backpack with my Mari nesoberi, and 5th Live Penlight, I was finally ready. With a number of Delayed Viewings under my belt and having practiced calls and responses until I could do them by heart, it was finally time.
My whole experience at AX is a story in and of itself. From splitting an AirBnB with 4 other people I’ve never met before—one of which never showed up even after paying for his bed?—to the wild Uber rides back and forth, to the people I’ve met, the friends I made; the memories I made at AX will always remind me of the wild and fun time I had!
But it is the Live itself that will always be a part of me.
The first day of the Live was definitely something that I will never forget. From the massive line outside of the venue, to the cosplayers I met in line—thanks for all the amazing pictures everyone!—it was a beautiful experience.
As I carried around my newly acquired Christmas You neso, I felt more at home than I felt anywhere else at the time. Though people passing by would make fun of us for our nesoberis, penlights, costumes, or what have you, none of it fazed me in the slightest. For once in my life I felt a part of something greater.
At that moment, I wasn’t just a weird weeb who was obsessed with cartoon Japanese girls—I was part of a culture that loved and appreciated, and even celebrated something that brought us all together to make us a family. Love Live!
Aaaand I might have teared up a little in line… Even when I was trying to buy some Mari keychains from a friend.
Once we all made it inside the venue—which I could go on and complain about forever, from the completely ignorant staff, to the egregiously horrid choice of music before the performance, to the putrid way they handled the crowds; but the positives FAR outweigh any negatives!—I made my way to my balcony seat for Day 1 and placed my box of UOs, Mari Nesoberi, Christmas You neso, and backpack in my seat when I suddenly realized: I wouldn’t have a place to sit anymore! This was only made more evident when everyone around me apparently decided that my seat would make a great spot for their nesos!
No matter—I just scrunched down between my seat and the floor during the intermission. It was worth it for Aqours!
The wait for the Live, however, was truly an amazing experience. Everyone’s anticipation and hype was so surreal. Penlights twinkled across the room like multicolored stars in the sky—it was such a beautiful sight to behold! I, of course, had my Brand New Wave penlight as well as my 5th Live penlight; both purple—again, I love Ainya—as I was ready to rep Ainya—shocker!!—as best as I could!
As the lights dimmed, everyone in the venue began cheering as we all knew what was coming. The classic intro video displaying each of the members began to play as everyone screamed and cheered and waved their penlights to the color of their best girl—I screamed as loud as I could when Mari came on the screen.
Once the video ended, there was a brief second as everything was quiet—but then, on the stage, you could see it. Aqours! Slowly walking on set—wearing their beautiful Bokura no Hashittekita Michi wa outfits.
And they were gloriously sparkly!
As soon as you could see their shadows walking on set, everyone in the crowd went wild. Aaand I started to cry. Again. Because I was LITERALLY there! I was in the presence of Aqours, and I was about to watch them live!
The girls finished their first song and then immediately leapt into one of the most hype songs I have ever experienced live. Thrilling One Way. Oh. My. Freaking. God. The hype was UNREAL. UOs broke all over the place, Anchan screaming her heart out on stage, everyone in the audience shouting along with the song—Honestly I feel like this song broke me.
But once TOW was over, they leapt immediately into Aozora Jumping Heart—and the wota only intensified. Being one of the first songs I learned the calls for, and always one I cheer extra hard for during any of the DVs, or even at home when that song pops up in my playlist; I was MORE than ready for it! Except this time, it was LIVE! Aqours was right in front of me, performing the song live and in person! And with thousands of others in the audience, I chanted and cheered and swung my penlight around as we sang together! It was such a beautiful feeling—I honestly started to tear up halfway into the song.
Once the girls finished singing Aozora there was a brief intermission as each of the girls did their call and responses—during one of the Lives Shuka accidentally introduced herself as “Watanabe You, the voice of Shuka!” Such a blessing, hahaha. The part I will remember the most though, was not the cute Engrish spoken by the girls—some of them spoke really well though!!!—not Kingchan’s acting depressed with a classic “OH MY GOD~!” not Rikyako’s “I like to eat~…!” It would HAVE to be Ainya’s call and response.
As Ainya walked up to introduce herself, she mentioned that she was the voice of Mari Ohara—the USA Poster Girl. And at this moment, the screens flashed an image of what I lovingly call cowgirl Mari, which immediately prompted shouts and cheers from across the venue. But the best part of it all, was what Ainya did next. Starting to jump up and down and pump her fist in the air, the girl shouted, “U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!”
Best. Girl.
No bias at all.
Then when it came to her call and response, she shouted, “Big shiny voice, okay!?” And when it came turn for us to respond, everyone shouted “SHIIINNYYY~!!” You could tell Ainya loved the response she got, as she beamed and clapped excitedly. (And I ended up with a number of compliments from the people around me for my ‘shinnyy~!’ Gotta rep best girl, ya know?)
The rest of the calls and responses were a blessing. Watching Suwawa hug Ainya, (she hugged Aikyan on Day 2 because the girl practically stood and begged for the hug with her arms outstretched as she waved.) Rikyako’s “Rikako Beam~!” Suwawa’s, “I made precious memories in LA,” Shuka saying, “You can call me Shukashu~!” So many fun and cute moments that I wish I could remember more vividly.
After their call and responses, the songs continued with Matte Ainouta and then Shoujo Ijou no Koigashitai. While my memories of these songs have started to blur—I really only vividly remember one moment from Matte Ainouta during Day 2—I do remember the girls dancing amazingly to Shoujo Ijou. So many beautiful moments in that song. Honestly that song had always been a little overlooked by me until I saw them perform it live. Now it’s easily a fav.
Once that song was over, the girls went backstage for a quick costume change. And by “costume change” I mean they changed jackets, the rest of the costumes were the same—But! That doesn’t mean they were any less beautiful. Honestly, the black sequin jackets they came out with really fit the tone and mood of the next few songs they sang, being a little more ‘edgy’ and flirtatious.
Sky Journey, Daydream Warrior, Tokokanai Yoshida to Shite mo—these songs carried over a more mature vibe that really hit in a new way seeing them live! Each of the girls put on such an amazing performance, it was certainly a sight to behold. During Sky Journey, Shuka took a moment to sensually run a hand up the length of her body on center stage and—oh god, the cheers at that moment…! Such a shame she didn’t do it on Day 2. Would have loved that view from the pit!
Daydream Warrior was such a blast, and certainly one of the songs I will never forget seeing Live. It’s got such a sick beat by itself that only exploded with the Live energy. Suwawa’s dangerous glare as she sings her lines before the chorus always brought an enticing strength to the song! But the most memorable moment of this song was easily the breakdown—the girls went absolutely wild on stage! God, I wish I could remember who was doing more of the dancing at this part. All I remember is wild hair flying around. But I suppose that’s all that really needs to be remembered!
Before wrapping up for a quick intermission, the girls kept the energy going with Todokanai Hoshida! Singing along at the various points of the song with the lyrics on the screens was such a blast. Even though I didn’t know most of the words, by Day 2 I was singing with the rest from heart! Couldn’t have asked for a better song to play before the intermission, to be honest.
And speaking of intermissions…
The intermissions were the same as the ones that played during their 5th Live, but they had subs this time! The gist of the intermission videos were Aqours attempting to find a finance for Mari. It was hilarious as the girls would ask for the audience to cheer for who they felt would be best for Mari as each member of Aqours tried to show off why they were the perfect fit for Mari. I remember one moment when Dia got up and began to explain why she was perfect; she was classy, she was traditional and knew how to be a good housewife. And the audience just sat there silently for a moment until Dia screamed, “WHY IS NO ONE CLAPPING!??!?!”
The ensuing laughter was glorious.
When the girls came back after a full costume change, they leapt instantly into Brightest Melody! Such an amazing song, so many emotions from the movie, and yet again, seeing it Live brought a whole new level of appreciation and love for it that I don’t think I would have ever had otherwise.
The hype everyone felt on the balcony during Brightest Melody was insane. Everyone was jumping up and down with so much force that at one point I felt as if the balcony was LITERALLY shaking beneath my feet! Which, come to find out, it actually was?
Apparently no one was actually jumping because apparently we all just survived an earthquake.
About halfway through the song, some of us started to feel like something was a little off. A number of people pointed out that some of the lights were swaying, others felt dizzy and light-headed. Myself, I felt as if the balcony was slowly swaying back and forth in a strangely circular motion. If you’ve ever been on a suspension bridge at a theme park or attraction before, then you know what I’m talking about.
But the part that amazed me the most about the experience wasn’t that it was my first earthquake, and it wasn’t even the memes that came from the quake, it was that the girls on stage didn’t stop. They kept performing their song. They weren’t even phased by the quake! Of course, once it ended, they walked off stage and the announcer mentioned there would be a short break. (Which promoted the best “USA! USA! USA!” chants from the pit.) But seeing Aqours power through an earthquake and continue to perform despite the fact that the ground beneath them was physically shaking was such an inspiring image—and during Brightest Melody no less!
We waited in the dark for maybe five or ten minutes, before the girls came back on stage to an uproarious applause. Anchan stole my heart though when she shouted, “Minna? DAIIIJOOUBUU???!” Making sure that everyone was okay after the earthquake was such a cute way to bring us all back together after what could have been a moment of panic for some.
God. I love her.
Day 1 continued with Koi ni Naritai Aquarium, then followed with Kimi no Hitomi wo Meguru Bouken—one of my fav songs!! Whereas Day 2 hit Happy Party Train and then the doo-wop of “My List” to you! Which, honestly was such a fun song to watch from the pit; being able to see all the distinct smiles from each of the girls as they bopped around to the beat.
Following up with Mirai no Bokura wa Shitteru yo, the girls took a moment to speak with the audience once more after the song. Thanking all of us for making such an amazing experience for them and for cheering them on as they performed! But, sadly, their next song would be their last. (And apparently some people actually booed at this?! Don’t boo Aqours!) As for me though, by this point I was too emotionally drained to have any sort of reaction other than, “awww!” I didn’t want it to end!
The girls finished with their first single, Kimi no Kokoro—again, such a blast to experience Live—then went backstage while everyone in the audience shouted for an encore. With a mixed chant of “EN-COR-RE” and “A-KU-A!” it was something rather odd, and yet exactly what would have happened at an American Live.
Yet our chants worked! As Aqours came back on stage sporting their classic school uniform skirts with the new Brand New Wave shirts! Starting the encore off with Hop? Stop? Nonstop!—such a bop!!—they gave us one final thank you as each of the girls said a few words—again, their English was very good!—promised to come back, and then told us that they wanted to thank us for the encore by giving us multiple songs! This elicited another uproarious applause from everyone as none of us there wanted the Live to end and were all more than happy to have more songs!
Then slamming us over the head with tearjerker after tearjerker, No.10, Thank you Friends, and Jump up High; Aqours delivered a super emotional encore that really hit me hard. But, hey! We freaking NAILED the No.10 Rainbow! (Even getting a number of reactions from the girls themselves!) For Day 1 I repped Yohane with two white penlights—and I kept that color until the end of the Live! Though I was hoping to rep Mari, I honestly can’t say I was disappointed with my spot and think I did quite well.
For the final few songs, I did my best to cheer and shout as loud as I could during the appropriate times, though there were several moments when I was tearing up so much that I couldn’t see the stage anymore, let alone the words that were flashing on the screen for us to sing along with the girls. And when No.10 came, the entire audience shouted “Roku!” in unison for Arisa—letting Aqours know that even though she wasn’t there physically, she was with us all in spirit.
Once the Live ended, and the girls on stage waved goodbye to everyone, I tearfully made my way outside. I couldn’t tell if I was crying from the hype, the emotions, the Live itself, Jump Up High, or the fact that I had just seen Aqours Live and was in the same room as them. Maybe it was all of the above?
As I called an Uber and waited, I noticed several people already lining up for the Live the next day. I didn’t think much about it until I arrived home when I remembered that my ticket for Day 2 was pit.
And that meant everyone who was already lining up would be in front of me…
And that simply would not do! Not when I needed to rep Ainya as best as I could!
So after less than four hours of sleep, I got back up, showered—didn’t wanna smell up the pit, yo!—and got a ride back to the venue just to wait in line for the whole day. And I’ve got to say, even though I was in line from 5AM until around noon when they started to let people in, the time really flew by! Maybe because I was on such a high that I didn’t notice the time… Or maybe it was the Love Live music I was listening to… Or the fellow Livers I met and chatted with… Or the nap I took?
Either way, fortune was upon me, as I was blessed to get essentially front row at the Live in the pit for Day 2. (Oh god. I was in the pit. The freaking pit.) The pit wasn’t bad I suppose. There was one person in front of me though who had the nerve to ask me to not use my penlights because he was afraid I was going to hit him in the head? Sorry, but if you’re in a pit, you’re gonna get hit in the head. It’s a pit! A. Frickin. Pit!
Good news though, I never actually hit him. I even took my Mari keychain off the penlight to keep from bothering him. (Last thing you want is for something to ruin your Live experience, so I try to be respectful of others.)
But that aside, my view was honestly glorious. It’s hard to say which view I preferred more, as they both had their benefits so I’m certainly glad I got to experience the best of both worlds. Day 1 gave me the opportunity to see the girls perform from more of a birds eye view—I could see just about anything I wanted as the view from the balcony was near perfect. Day 2 provided me with the amazing views that one can only dream of. (Front row pit is hard to swing, but I was blessed to get my spot on stage left. Right. Where. Ainya. Is. Again, I’m totally not prioritizing her.)
Not only was I able to see Ainya up close for the majority of the Live, each of the girls came by my side a number of times, and I swear they each made eye contact with me. I know for a FACT Ainya did during Mattete Ainouta. For a full line or two, she stood there and literally sang to me. And during that moment, NOTHING ELSE MATTERED IN LIFE!!!
I may have also gotten a glimpse of more than I should have when Aikyan made a glorious spin and twirl as she kicked a leg in the air… Or that could’ve been a dream…
Back on track though…
Reliving the experience of the Live but in the pit was something that I will never take for granted. I can’t say that I will ever do a pit again, and I can’t say that it was the best choice—as I wonder what the VIP view from the balcony would have been in comparison. But the experience was certainly one that I wouldn’t trade for anything else.
The balcony was fun and all, but it’s nothing compared to the hype you get during Thrilling One Way in the pit. Oh god. If that song was hype before, the pit literally brought new life to it. Leaping into the air, screaming with everyone else and LITERALLY being mere FEET away from the girls as they shouted along with you was something STRAIGHT out of my wildest dreams. I never would have thought I would be blessed with such a thing, and yet there I was.
I do want to take a moment and apologize to whoever had to catch my waylaid UO. I didn’t mean to throw it during the song, I promise. It’s hard to juggle back and forth from penlights to UOs during TOW. And I think I cracked eight in that one song. Not counting the one I lost. But hey! I hope you enjoyed the UO!! Maybe you even kept it, IDK. I kept mine, hahah. It’s hanging with my VIP badge as a memoriam of the first UO I cracked at a Live.
Anyways, there were so many moments during the Live that made me cry even more during Day 2. Hearing Ainya’s solo during Hop Stop Nonstop made me cry. Being in Aqours’ presence as they sang and danced made me cry. At random points during the Live I would just tear up as I realized that I wasn’t dreaming, and that I was physically there. And I’m sure people in the pit thought I was crazy, but I don’t care.
Don’t even get me started on when they started singing Mirai no Bokura. It was at that moment where I know I lost all dignity. I sang my heart out for the girls, and cried as I was able to shout, with all of Aqours, and the thousands of people in attendance, “I LIVE, I LIVE LOVE LIVE DAYS!” I cried. I cried, I cried, I cried, I cried. And I cried. Shocker, I know.
And it didn’t help that they followed that song up with their first single. Kimi no Kokoro. Back to back, two of the most fun songs to sing and wota to—and instantly became super emotional memories for me as I wasn’t just cheering along with their recordings at home. It was LIVE.
But sadly, all good things must end. And once the girls finished all of their songs and walked off stage, the encore chants began! This time I feel like we were more successful than before during Day 1—though some tend to disagree on that.
“A-KU-A! A-KU-A! A-KU-A!”
What was probably only about five minutes felt like half an hour as we shouted as loud as we could for these amazing girls—showcasing our love for them and the joy they bring to each of us. And of course, the girls came back for an amazing encore packed full of beautiful songs. Starting off with the bopper that is Hop Stop Nonstop! And Ainya’s voice once again utterly blew me away.
The rest of the encore was super emotional once again. No.10 immediately followed by Thank You Friends, and then the tear jerker that is Jumping Up High. It became very clear that Aqours was singing to us, their North American fanbase. Not only acknowledging that we were part of their family, but that we too, were their Number Ten. And I cried.
Yes… again.
The No.10 Rainbow was another smashing success. Bringing joy and tears to many of the girls on stage. And even though we utterly failed the Kananrail—UOs, really?—and sorta did the Yousoroad—it looked more like a ‘You-so-sparkling-road’ than anything—at least the rainbow elicited a number of responses from the girls, with them even thanking us after the Live.
And I got to be a part of it!
Since I was in the pit, I was able to rep Chika for the rainbow. So instead of using my penlights to shine orange, I cracked a couple UOs for the girl! Keeping my orange color for the rest of the Live until JUH, I used up the last four UOs I had for Chika! I certainly hope that the pit was able to shine as bright as we could for our little sunshine, and I hope Anchan appreciated it!
Once we all finished singing Thank You Friends, we all pulled out our towels and sang Jump Up High together, and boy was that song something special in the pit. With everyone jumping up as high as we could, swinging our towels around like crazy—it was something I will never forget. And I do wonder if Ainya saw my Mari towel… I can’t say for sure, as anytime we displayed our towels in the air, I couldn’t see the stage. Either way, I’m sure that Aqours was impressed with the number of towels present for the song.
As the girls finished performing, the instrumental track to Jump Up High began to play, and the girls’ final goodbyes were being said. We all waved as much as we could and cheered for each member of Aqours as they came by. Hopping by each side of the stage as a group, the girls made sure to wave to as many people as they could—and I felt as if they were personally thanking me for being part of their show. And with a tear in my eye, I waved and shouted as loud as I could for Ainya! I mean—Aqours!
As the girls left back stage one at a time, Aikyan stayed behind for a brief second. I recall someone saying they spelt out Aikyan’s name with their penlights, which prompted a tearful wave from the girl before she, too, left backstage. She bowed and waved a final goodbye, blowing a (guilty?) kiss to everyone in attendance.
I’m sure each of the girls had a blast performing, and I truly do hope they will return like Anchan promised they would—even saying they would bring all nine members next time! And I hope that everyone in attendance made memories they will never forget, because I for sure did.
For those who were lucky enough to be part of the VIP goodbye session, we were blessed with the opportunity to say goodbye to the girls one last time as they stood mere feet away from us and waved to each of us personally. I remember running by, Mari Neso in my hand, waving at Ainya. She laughed, pointed at me and waved as she giggled. Then I shouted “SHIINNYYY~!” and her eyes went wide. She seemed shocked for a moment that I could shout so well, then she came back with, “O-oh, oh! S-s-SHIINYY~!” And laughed. Eyes wide. Smile as broad as ever.
I. LOVE. HER.
And as I passed the other girls and waved and smiled at each of them, I knew that for a brief moment, they were able to feel my gratitude for everything that they have done. And I would have broken down and cried right then and there, but before I left, I got a personal, “GanbaRuby~!” from Aiai herself—as if she were telling me to keep on, and ‘thank you’ all at once.
As I left the venue, I walked around aimlessly for several hours. Even though I had plans for the rest of the day with friends and fellow Livers—I couldn’t help but feel lost. I was so content in that moment that I knew nothing would compare.
Nothing COULD compare.
For a brief moment in time, I was able to put a smile on the girl’s face who's done so much for me. And even though I know that Ainya will never know who I am, or fully know how many lives she’s touched; she’s done so much for me, and being able to give back to her was a blessing I shall always cherish.
She’s always made me smile. She’s always made me laugh. I’ve been able to push through some hard things because she’s been there for me in a way. And I was able to return a bit of the joy she continues to give me, back to her.
For a second, I put a smile on her face. I made her laugh. I brought a little joy to the one who brought joy to me. I touched her in a similar way that she’s touched me. And that is something that I will never forget.
Even now as I continue to pay off the money I spent during my trip, I’m not discouraged. Even though I face hardships and continue to struggle—I just remember the moment when I was the one who blessed Ainya with a smile, and everything becomes worth it.
I will never forget her smile.
Nor will I ever forget Aqours. Brand New Wave.
