Fanime opened their doors to Music Fest this year and, once again, showed the world just how fun and engaging J-Pop can be. This year’s guest, Da-iCE, was no stranger to energy and excitement J-Pop groups are known for.
Da-iCE is a five member group consisting of two vocalists, Sota and Yudai, and three dancers, Taiki, Toru, and Hayate. The group took Japan by storm and surprised many of their spectators with their upbeat dance music and energetic dancing. Their performance in San Jose was no stranger to these qualities.
From the opening notes of “Hello” to the encore performance of “Every Season’”, Da-iCE showed the many visitors of Fanime and Music Fest, the music event they performed at, that J-Pop can be fun no matter what.
After attending many concerts in my lifetime, I stick by saying that this by far was one of the most energetic and engaging concerts I have ever been too. From the beginning of the concert to the end, I was dancing along with the other audience members. Da-iCE is incredibly engaging with their audience, encouraging them to sing along with certain parts of the chorus to even creating a dance for the audience to do. The members themselves were also engaging in a personal way. Many of them connected with the audience by pointing to audience members that yelled their names or even asking them questions.
During “Hush Hush“, the group exploded into an energetic dance. While Sota and Yudai showed the world why they are super talented singers, the dancers showed their talents as well. In front of me, three men in full cosplay mimicked Taiki and Hayate’s dance moves energetically. The song was probably the highlight of my night, since it was the first song I had ever heard from Da-iCE.
This energy continued into a small break when the dancers decided to show their talents. I know I talked to quite a few people in line who wondered how a J-Pop group could perform with only two singers, but I know this moment changed all of that. Taiki showed how strong of a dancer he is and definitely showed how he strongly connects with music as a songwriter. Toru proved himself a strong dancer as well, as he took the stage after Taiki to show off his talents. Hayate, although the youngest, was not far from the talent of his seniors in the group and exploded into a dancing style completely unique to himself.
I was surprised also at how well the group spoke English. Although not entirely fluent, the group tried their best to speak english to break the language barrier. This helped create a comfortable environment and really made the experience entirely different. As someone who enjoys J-Pop, language has never really been a problem, but to hear them attempting english was something unexpected and enjoyable.
The group seemed overwhelmed also by the amount of love they received by the audience. Some of them got emotional while others really let their true personalities shine during the concert through jokes. It was also even more personal when the group decided to sing a song off of their new single, “Sky“. The song really summed up what a majority of the auditorium was feeling and it did not matter that it was in Japanese, the message seemed well received.
If you are personally wondering if you missed something at Fanime, I am going to be honest and say that if you did not see Da-iCE then you definitely did. The group was spectacular and I do not think I am ever going to see a group that has a singer that can hit high notes like Sota ever again. As for the dancers, I am excited to see them grow and expand. From where they were when they first debuted to now, they have grown so much and I am excited to see them continue to grow and learn as dancers. Da-iCE has come a long way and I have a feeling we will not be hearing the end of them for awhile.
Da-iCE really took a leap at this performance to expand beyond their Japanese audience and I am excited to see what they do in the future in regards to overseas promotion. Here is to hoping for a world tour!
Setlist
SE
HELLO
BOMB
I got you back
Splash
MC
Back To The Future
BILLION DREAMS
Cynical Life
A WHOLE NEW WORLD
Mou ichido dake (もう一度だけ)
Did you know
MC
SHOUT IT OUT
What you say
MC
Hush Hush (ハッシュハッシュ)
WATCH OUT
MC
Sky (空)
MC
Everybody (エビバディ)
TOKI
～ENCORE～
Every Season
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