TOKYO wa CHAOS Live Report

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

Held in Shibuya on Tuesday, November 29, 2022 and produced by D･I･O ENTERTAINMENT LLC, the TOKYO wa CHAOS (TOKYO和CHAOS) event was held in Shibuya on Tuesday, November 29, 2022. One of the main groups to perform was KAO=S, which is a duo made up of Shuji Yamagiri and Kaori Kawabuchi.

Kaori Kawabuchi is the motion capture actor for Zero (Drakengard 3), cinematic sequences for 2B and A2 (NieR:Automata), as well as the voices of Jackass and Simone from the same title. She has countless notable credits, so definitely check out her other work!

Starting this report off with a slight aside, I knew the next recording for our music program at work was going to be sometime in late November, but it took much longer to lock down a specific date. So, before a definitive date was set, I had been hoping to go to this show… and with a gentle push by a wonderful friend, I managed to finally get a ticket. Only, It turned out that my company scheduled our recording on the same day and I was conflicted with what to do. 

I ended up bowing my head down to my supervisor and asking if there might be any way I could still do the recording and leave early enough to also make it to the performance. He helped me out massively by scheduling the recording earlier in the day (we actually got through it in RECORD TIME! Great work, guys!!), so I dashed out of work at 7pm, grabbed a taxi directly to the venue while enjoying a wonderful, heartfelt conversation with the driver the whole way, and made it to my seat within just a few minutes before the start of the show. It was an absolute miracle.

And let me tell you, I’m not the most outwardly emotional person, but I believe I’m quite an empath that easily absorbs the emotions of those around me, whether I want to or not. The same is true when it comes to music and art. I absolutely lose control of my emotions when I encounter such talented performers and their artistic expressions. I often feel that this is why I am here, why I am alive, because I really believe that everyone needs to experience this amazing art and in turn be inspired by it as I have.

But anyway, inspirational talk aside, let me get into the meat of the actual performance!

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STREAMING ON ZAIKO

The full performance is now streaming on ZAIKO! It will be available to watch through Saturday, January 21. You can choose to watch as many times as you want up to four days, a week, or a month! The page is also in English, so you shouldn’t have any problems purchasing a viewing ticket!

TOKYO wa CHAOS on ZAIKO

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OFFICIAL YOUTUBE VIDEOS

In retrospect, KAO=S has released several official videos on YouTube from this performance.
They’ve released both the first and second half of their TOKYO wa CHAOS performance here:

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THE CAST

KAO=S

偉伝或~IDEAL~

Dazaifu Mahorobashu

Additional Performers

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THE PROGRAM

M01 – HAJA KENBU & JAPANESE TAIKO DRUM

The show begins with the Japanese taiko drums (wadaiko) by Hirozumi as Kaori comes on stage for an impressive, fiery sword dance. The word kenbu literally means sword dance, but the specific haja addition (lit. evil destroyer) is a sort of exorcism of evil spirits. Here’s an example of Kaori performing this type of sword dance:

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M02 – AMENONUBOKO (アメノヌボコ/天沼矛) – Wiki

Based on Japanese Mythology

The next segment is a sort of recitation piece accompanied by the rest of the band and four amazing dance performers. “Amenonuhoko” is actually the name of the spear or naginata that the god Izanagi used to create the first land, Yamato, which later became the islands of Japan (part of the traditional Japanese creation myth). Along with the slow tempo of the music, Shoji begins to sing slowly with the drums, guitar, and gorgeous violin recording. It’s so beautiful!

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M03 – TAIMATSU (松明)
Torch

This was the first rock song of the night, performed by the full band members. Kaori’s singing and dancing are one of the highlights of this piece. You can really hear the great strumming on the acoustic guitar by Shoji, accompanied by Tomo on the bass. The balance between all instruments was really done well. Additionally, the performance here by Hirozumi on the wadaiko and Pierre Ono on the shamisen is a joy to watch, let alone listen to. It’s really interesting to see how the traditional drums are used in tandem with a typical drum set as well. Shoji sort of kneeling down toward the end of the song was especially dramatic. Very nice touch!

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M04 – KAORI’S STORYTELLING

The next piece is a fight sequence with accompanied recitation by Kaori as Pierre Ono plays the shamisen. We see some great tate (殺陣) action by Yuki Yoneyama, Takuya Morimoto, and Mile Ise.

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M05 – KOJO NO TSUKI (荒城の月) – Wiki
Moon Over the Ruined Castle

The song portion starts off slow with some excellent vocal work by Shoji before the tempo is cranked up to unleash even more greatness. There are several moments in which Ryoichi on the drums as well as Hirozumi on the wadaiko really stand out with Tomo plucking away at the bass, but I think Shoji’s guitar and vocals along with Pierre Ono on the shamisen are the highlights of this piece. You can’t help but bob your head or tap your foot to the beat!

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M06 – SAKURA KAORU (桜香る) – Piano Instrumental
Fragrant Cherry Blossoms

This segment begins as a solo piano piece with an exquisitely beautiful dance, starting with two dancers in traditional kimono wear and sakura designed parasols. The two are then joined by an additional two dancers holding a pair of fans draped in long swaths of silk that float in the air when they’re moved. Once the two girls with the parasols finish their solo dance, the two others with the fans begin their solo segment before they all begin to dance together.

I felt extremely moved at the beauty of this piece and couldn’t hold back the tears. Everything from the dancing, the beautiful smiling faces of the performers, the exquisite costumes and flowing fabric to the piano and flute accompaniment; it is a pure work of art and talent.

I later came to find out that this was an instrumental version of the final song of the night, which also had me very emotional again, so I truly feel the song itself holds great power and meaning behind it.

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M07 – YAMI HYAKKIYAKO (闇・百鬼夜行) – Wiki
Dark Night Parade of One Hundred Demons

The next piece was by Dazaifu Mahorobashu which included some amazing traditional Japanese music and sounds. This is a type of masked dancing in which the dancers have a cloth or something that completely hides their face as they are meant to portray a certain animal or character, something other than human. I don’t know well, but I believe the pattern of their costumes are meant to conjure the image of a giant moth, perhaps the Japanese giant emperor moth.

The dance begins slowly but the tempo quickly picks up when they remove their headdresses to reveal entirely different and colorful face masks. Along with music and chanting soundtrack, another member gave a live voice performance, reciting several passages throughout the piece.

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M08 – OIMATSU/YACHIYO (老松・八千代)

This is a work inspired by Noh theater, which was first performed in March 2021.

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M09 – CHAOS

Before the start of the next piece, several figures dressed in black came out to whisk the moth dancers off stage in a really interesting, creative way, almost like death calling them to the next world.

As the lights flash red, the music first begins with the shamisen before the rest of the band joins in with a really cool, up-beat rock piece that is accompanied by a powerful story recitation by Kaori. I will need to take a closer looks at the script to fully understand everything, but I believe it’s about a woman who is slowly falling into the darkness of the underworld, but before she does, she’s lamenting about how her life is being cut short and that there’s still so much more story to tell. She goes between speaking in a calm, gentle voice, calling out to her lover one second then crazily screaming that she’s not yet finished. The piece winds down with a rendition of the traditional Japanese folk song, “Sakura, Sakura“.

Additionally, you can view the official animated version of this song below:

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M10 – SWORD FIGHTING OF IDEAL

The next segment is probably one of my favorite sword performances of the night by four members of IDEAL. Early on, Mile’s sword breaks and he’s quick thinking to use his saya / scabbard instead.

From a story perspective, this piece is really interesting because it portrays fighters that continue to fight endlessly. They attack and are struck down only to be drawn back to fight again, almost mindlessly rising to their feet to continue the battle. This goes around and around, each of the four members taking a turn until eventually the fighting spirit has faded. The part where Hiroyuki dodges all of their attacks before even drawing his sword was one of my favorite moments. Very cool! There was also a lot of fancy footwork and balancing acts that were done masterfully throughout, as well. Really great work!

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M11 – THE BATTLE OF DRUM AND JAPANESE TAIKO DRUM (ARABASHABASARADANKAN)

Next was a drum solo between Hirozumi and Ryoichi. It was a lot of fun to watch and cheer them on by clapping along to the rhythm. What a powerful performance!

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M12 – MORE THAN BLUE

The next song “More Than Blue” was actually a cover of a 2008 song of the same name by the band quaff (you can view their official music video here). As the story goes, KAO=S was introduced to this song while they were on tour in Germany this past August, and while mourning the loss of a dear friend back in Japan, they randomly heard this song playing. The lyrics also seemed to symbolically represent everything they were going through at the time, and just as the title of the song suggests, the sky there in Germany at the time was like a deep sea of blue. Coincidentally enough, it turns out that Hirozumi is friends with one of the quaff band members…! So, again, it’s likely that KAO=S was meant to come in contact with this song to give us this gorgeous cover and amazing dance performance!

As a vocal duet between Shuji and Kaori, these melodies almost feel specifically written for them. Each of their solo parts leave you wanting to hear more, so you rewind it and listen again and again. Starting off with two dancers, as the song progresses, more and more members come out on stage until it’s a full house of smiling faces!

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M13 – TSUGARU JONGARA BUSHI

The next piece was a solo shamisen performance by Pierre Ono. It started off relatively slow but quickly went supersonic with some amazingly fast fingers! It was a sight to not only hear but see as well!

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M14 – SAKURA NO ONI (桜の鬼)

This is another epic piece that tells a story. Here we see a girl dressed all in white wandering alone in the darkness, and she raises her hands to her ears as though she can hear something or perhaps she’s trying to hear something. Eventually, she slumps to the ground as a red figure approaches her… She attempts to hide her face in fear and recoils at the sight of the red figure with a demon face peering through its vail but is somehow mystified and tries to remove the vail. She begins to dance along with the red figure until it comes up behind her, draping its red veil over her head… When the veil is removed, we see the demon mask is stuck firmly on the girl’s face.

As two other masked dancers with huge long claws come out (Dazaifu Mahorobashu), they begin to dance erratically as the girl tries to remove the mask. Eventually, she removes it, but it quickly gets sucked back on her face. She continues to fight for control until she succeeds and places the mask at her feet.

But then it’s as though she’s tied to some ropes or perhaps she’s trying to reach for something to pull her out of the madness. With the two clawed demons on either side, she slumps lifeless to the ground but never loses her grip on the rope. She slowly begins to pull herself upward slowly, then gains momentum as she continues to climb. But the further she climbs, there’s less and less of the rope to hold on to… until it’s little more than a single thread, at which point she loses hold of it and falls to the ground.

Then she gets back to her feet and in a moment of defiance, she walks down stage into the darkness and grabs a sword. Holding it high above her head for a moment, she jumps into the air, drawing out the sword, and begins an amazing, high paced sword dance.

This single piece does such a wonderful job showcasing Kaori’s limitless talent. Every second of it draws you in and makes you not want to take your eyes away for even the briefest moment.

Musically, this piece also has some amazing work by Shuji, Pierre Ono, and Hirozumi. Shuji’s vocals during the part where the girl is trying to climb up the rope until nothing of it is left is both beautiful and haunting. A true masterpiece!

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M15 – YU (結う)

This piece was a sort of cast curtain call where each individual performer came on stage to do a quick move or two in closing. Once everyone had finished their little routine, Kaori came on stage to sort of lead a fun dance with all the cast members. It was really happy and fun with so much positive energy filling the room. I felt myself getting emotional again when Shuji started singing. What a great show!

But! It wasn’t over yet! Some of the best was saved for last!

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ENCORE

M16 – ZANGEKI LIGHTNING

The performance of Zangeki Lightning is an absolute must see. There is so much awesomeness jam packed into this one piece, it’s crazy! With musical performance by all members of the band as the base, it begins with Hiroyuki Miyazono stepping out on stage before he’s joined by four other members of IDEAL. What I really love about this performance is how fluid everyone is with the moves. Especially with Hiroyuki in the front, you sort of get the sense that he’s the leader of this group. That is, until Kaori pushes him out of the way to take center stage.

The way movements are choreographed to balance the action between all five performers is also really well done. For example, sometimes the back three are doing a routine while the front two hold a pose, or vice versa. I also enjoyed the moments when they’re all traversing in a circle in the center of stage as it synchronizes with the music perfectly. Their finishing kiai shouts are also super awesome!

And don’t think I’ve forgotten the band in the back just because of all these guys doing such awesome sword moves– I see you, Hirozumi, twirling your taiko drum sticks! You guys rock!

I just love this piece so much!

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M17 – SAKURA KAORU (桜香る)

Before starting this song, Kaori spoke about what this song means and how it’s important to them. The theme is about sakura, cherry blossoms, which only bloom for a short while before they’re gone. It’s a very common analogy to life, how we’re born, grow up, and eventually die; but our story doesn’t end there, but rather continues with the next generation and so on and so forth. And that even within this cycle of “seasons,” we’re all connected.

The music and lyrics for this song were composed by Shuji Yamagiri. I cannot possibly express how much this song resonated with me. Earlier in the concert, the instrumental version of this song did the same thing to me, bringing tears to my eyes out of the sheer beauty and tranquility it conjured. From that moment, I knew this was something special, so when I heard the same melody, I knew it was going to be a special performance. And I was right.

Below is a rough translation of the lyrics so you can understand the imagery and linguistic beauty that’s so effortlessly encapsulated in this song. It’s so good, beyond words. And please be aware that these lyrics aren’t necessarily meant to be sung with the music, but are simply to help understand the deeper meaning of the song.

Fragrant Cherry Blossoms
ー Sakura Kaoru ー

Caressed by the wind, announcing the arrival of spring,
I recall the face of a gentle person

Let time pass slowly
Even these wounds shall heal
As weightless petals dance
I ponder lost love

Sweet are the memories, oh cherry blossoms
As though to speak, they flutter away…

Dance on, dear prayers,
May you never change
And continue to have strong hearts

The smell of spring fills our dreams,
We who make flowers bloom deep within our hearts

Joy, sorrow, and everything between
Shall blossom as flowers
Still, there’s meaning to life, surely
Yet we must journey to find it

Wipe away those tears and start off once again
May the light of hope never fade away

Round and around, the seasons come and go
Endings shall become new beginnings

Sweet are the memories, oh cherry blossoms
As though to speak, they flutter away…

Dance on, dear prayers,
May we always be protected by a greater power

Round and around, the seasons come and go
Wipe away those tears, heading toward the beginning once more
As we traverse through time

Oh, spring
Sweet flowers, sweet flowers
Dear people

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TWITTER HIGHLIGHTS

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MY PHOTOS!

And last but not least are a couple photos that I took at the venue myself. I have no real photography skills and my iPhone doesn’t take the best pictures, so it’s a little sad. I also felt weird taking photos during the performance even though it was allowed; I typically like to sit and enjoy the show. Thankfully, we have professional photographers like Akifumi Soeda who shared some amazing still shots from the show. Thanks so much for the awesome photos!

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UPCOMING EVENTS

  • Kaori Kawabuchi along with the other members of IDEAL will be performing in a sort of versus sword fighting performance with other talented artists. Please see below for the details.

TITLE: Say what you will, Fight! / 御託はいい、戦え
DATE: Thursday, December 22
TIME: 1st Stage: 5pm / 2nd Stage: 8pm
VENUE: Kichijouji STAR PINE’S CAFE [ Map ]
PRICE: 1 Stage: 3,500 yen + Drink / Both Stages: 6,000 + Drink
TICKETS: Quartet Online Reservation Form

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SPECIAL THANKS

★ To Kaori Kawabuchi: Thank you so much for being such an amazing and inspiring person. You have such limitless talent that’s like rain on a sunny day, warmly helping flowers to bloom. Only a few moments in her presence gives me such unconditional positive energy. Thank you so much!

★ To Shoji Yamagiri: Thank you immensely for your support with this article. I was greatly impressed and deeply moved by your performance at the show. I hope to attend another live show again sometime soon!

★ To Akifumi Soeda: Thank you for taking such gorgeous photographs of this show. I will definitely be watching and sharing your future endevours.

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