[2012/06/08 to 10] Berryz at AnimeNEXT (New Jersey, USA)

[J-Triumf]

I know I'm slow at updating these, but I had to post about this tonight...

http://blog-project.net/shimizu-saki/62256

Saki freaking Shimizu mentioned how I told her I translate her blog... on her blog!!! lol
I was back to work today, but this is really such a wonderful conclusion to the weekend......

When I saw that blog entry pop up on my RSS feed I was really tempted to send you a text message about it! On that note, I wonder if she understood what I was actually trying to say to her when I flubbed my Japanese...

Anyway, time for MY recap!

-----
Day negative 1 and Day 0

Yes, my journey actually starts they day before the day before the con! I booked myself a red-eye flight for Wednesday night to give myself a whole day to mentally prepare after my last minute rush for Erina Mano two years ago...but as I'll mention later, it was impossible for me to truly stay on top of everything. The days leading up to my flight were filled with anxiousness, and before I hit the airport I found myself quadruple checking my luggage to make sure I didn't forget anything and debating whether to bring my copy of Hello Channel volume 1 for signing--ultimately I decided to leave it since that was originally meant for Mano to sign, so I was to head into this whole thing empty-handed with hopes of nabbing some merchandise there. Said goodbye to my mom at the gate (she works at the airport), boarded the plane, and wandered off to slumberland shortly after takeoff.

I woke up with the plane already flying over the Garden State in the morning sun; looked out the window to see if I can spot the convention center from the sky, but that wasn't gonna happen. Instead, I was greeted by a more impressive sight: the New York City skyline! It was the first time in 18 years that I saw the Big Apple with my own eyes. Landed at Newark Liberty International Airport around 8AM local time...and began THE MOST EPIC WAIT OF THE WHOLE TRIP.

I made prior arrangements to meet up with some Hello!Online users as they trickle in at the Newark Airport; first was Yvette (who says she's also registered here at JPH!P, so look out for her) coming in from Canada, who I spotted easily thanks to her Gaki graduation shirt. We chilled and walked around the baggage claim area, sharing our own H!P experiences while waiting for the next person to come in, as well as starting the first speculation of which airport will see the arrival of Berryz and when.

Hours passed and we finally saw the other people slowly show up as noon came and went...and even more discussion of when/where Berryz will arrive continued. It was during this time that I looked up what flights from Tokyo would be coming into the NYC area...and noticed one flight at 4:30 coming in directly from Narita into Newark! Could it be the one???

The afternoon went on, and as we all got to know each other and debated over whether to wait for this 4:30 flight one of us got word that our beloved idols were actually flying into JFK International Airport and had in fact already arrived! But that didn't make sense to some of us, who rightly pointed out that the event is happening deep in the heart of New Jersey and Newark would make the most sense for them to fly to. I was determined to wait it out, because sticking around and being wrong seemed like a better situation than leaving early only to find out they were there. We found the international arrival exit and began our wait...but when 4:30 rolled around doubts started to set in for some of us. I had to remind everyone that international visitors still had to clear customs, which triggered a flurry of crazy jokes ranging from Berryz disguising themselves as Jewish rabbis to the TSA confiscating Miya's chin for being a deadly weapon.

Time passed to the point where even I was starting to lose patience...of course, having waited at the airport the longest out of everyone I had every right to to lose patience, but the situation was flipped the whole time: Derek, the last of us to arrive, had the most doubts, whereas I, who was never in any rush to get anywhere the whole time, was still determined to give it a shot...I mean, I waited this long for our group to come in, what's another hour or two? Then came the first sign of validation: one person looked off to the side and recognized someone as "The Dragon Lady"! Perhaps my instincts were correct??? 5:30 finally rolled around, and just as we were all about to give up I looked on above the barriers towards the hallway exit and noticed a few camera flashes amongst a group of females...why such an unusual place to start taking pictures? I then noticed that there was a bit of a height difference in that group...you know, like how Yurina towers over Momo! Then came the ultimate confirmation: A SNEAK PEAK OF MAASA SUDO'S EASILY RECOGNIZEABLE FOREHEAD OVER THE BARRIERS!!! My 9 hour wait at an airport that Amplifier deemed "complete shit" was vindicated!

But when the girls finally came out, they came out quickly! In fact, Momoko and Yurina were pretty much right in front of us before we finally started making some noise to greet them. Me, I was still in a bit of shock that not only did I make the right call but also that BERRYZ FREAKING KOBO were live and in the flesh right in front of us! I struggled to say hi while I whipped out my iPod to record this historic moment (which I'm sure you've all seen by now):

While Momo and Yurina zipped past us and Captain seemed to have disappeared into the crowd for a bit, Chinami clearly smiled at our welcoming committee, and as you can see, Miya and Maasa were kind enough to wave. Risako was there too of course, also seemingly sneaking past our sights but easily visible thanks to her new bright hair color (and for some reason she already had makeup on while everyone else didn't). In a revelation that simultaneously surprised me and didn't, Yurina and Maasa looked a lot shorter in person than on TV.

We also had a banner Derek brought to bring as a present for the group, and as the girls settled to meet with Yaz we unfolded the banner to complete the awkwardly small welcoming party. As the girls went off towards an elevator one person in our group, Danny, slowly walked after them and waved, culminating in Yaz and Yurina waving back as they disappeared into an elevator.

Having started our journey on the right foot, we proceeded to make our way to the train station, with Yvette proudly dubbing us "The Berryz Avengers"! I actually don't remember exactly when she came up with that name, but it stuck around for the whole weekend. I was tired, hungry, and thirsty, but the night was still young. We took the train to New Brunswick and waited for the free shuttle to the convention center, which came a lot later than expected, forcing us to miss the dinner gathering at Ruby Tuesdays. I thought no big loss at the time, after already having one hell of an experience at the airport. We finally got to the convention center and did the pre-registration thing for our badges, then word came in that Berryz had also eaten dinner at Ruby Tuesdays while we were stuck at the train station!!! After meeting with a few other H!O users we walked over to the restaurant, found out it was still gonna be an hour long wait for tables, and went back to the DoubleTree, where we finally got some food at a bar. Me and Danny, having booked ourselves at the Econolodge the next block over, made a Harold-and-Kumar like trek into the sidewalk-less night streets of rural New Jersey, finally checking in after midnight and knocking the fuck out.

To be continued...

[J-Triumf]

As promised, here's a much better view of what happened at the airport (complete with annotations) courtesy of Derek, AKA -=o=- at Hello!Online. Honestly, if it weren't for him organizing this airport meetup amongst us fans I don't know if I personally would've waited around for the girls to arrive (then again, I probably would've made it to the Ruby Tuesday dinner and seen the girls there anyway) so big thanks to him for stepping up.

As you can see, Captain is very very sneaky. Take note of Miya's friendliness towards our welcoming committee, as it's the first sign of a little dilemma that developed for me over the weekend that I'll cover in my Day 2 report.

I also forgot to mention that after learning of Berryz appearing at Ruby Tuesdays we also learned that they were also encountered at a local grocery store by a very small group of fans who decided to eat elsewhere that night. This led to us questioning just how many people will be coming up with stories of meeting them on this trip. "Hey, I saw Momochi in the sewers!" one person in our group joked.

And now, on with the story!

-----
Day 1: Taking FOUR STEPS BACK into history

Uploaded my airport greeting video and went to sleep shortly after 1. Woke up around 8:30, having slept through my phone alarm and several missed calls and messages. This would be the most sleep I would get for the rest of my stay. After a minor incident with my contact lenses that resulted in a fortunate improvisation, I finally headed towards the convention center at 9:30; failing to grab contact info for my fellow JPH!P users the night before, I made sure to wear my black JPH!P shirt that I won in the Rika birthday contest earlier this year for recognition/visibility purposes. I made it to a grassy field between the DoubleTree and the convention center where a line for Berryz merchandise had already formed before the dealer room officially opened; fortunately my fellow Avengers (minus one, who was busy broadcasting a Ustream of the line to those who couldn't make it) were gathered and allowed me to tag along. It was also at that time I met up with Rokun and Writerjunkie...and someone else with a JPH!P sticker on his clothing that I did not recognize at all and who said isn't really on the forum; I later learned that was TakeoRey, who helped out with organizing this year's Hello Party and rallying other fans in general. (on a side note, his Youtube account--which got shut down unfortunately--was one of the ways by which I explored H!P in my early days of the fandom, so in a way he's a big contributing factor to me being out there)

And thus began our first experience of WAITING AND WAITING IN THE HOT AND HUMID NEW JERSEY SWAMP. I forgot how long exactly we were stuck outside, but it took a while before convention staff finally let our long and growing line into the building; as we snaked around near the Berryz booth to begin the second phase of our wait, we all did running high-fives with the early linegoers as we passed them by in an attempt to revive our excitement during this long, dull moment. I found myself parked next to some booth selling K-pop merchandise; too bad I'm too unfamiliar with anything in that realm. Eventually security was forced to split up our line due to complaints from other booths; we got snaked around to an area behind the Main Event section on the other side of a short divider wall, and apparently I was at the front of this new line.

Unfortunately we were still forced to wait even more; once the merchandise went on sale the first people in line took their sweet time shopping around and snatching up as much as they could. Supposedly there was also an incident involving people trying to cut into the early line that slowed things down even more. It was during this wait that my JPH!P shirt continued to work its magic: I was recognized by Ping and HashirePomeranian/PomPom as they came in to do their press thing. Also during this wait is when I checked Twitter and saw that the Berryz booth also featured flyers for an upcoming appearance by You Kikkawa in Atlanta!

Still no sign of the early line finishing up, and we were getting constant updates about all the merchandise that was selling out at a quick pace. Eventually we were left with only CDs of the latest Berryz album available, which led to a lot of groans about why this new team of H!P resellers failed to properly estimate how much stock was really needed or why they didn't limit individual purchases. When the line finally got moving I made my only purchase which was fortunately enough to qualify for autograph priority but unfortunately ruined my plans of having the girls sign the visual book I intended to get with the album (which also came with a clearfile, though mine wasn't signed--still better than nothing). I heard that there was gonna be more merchandise available early at 7:30 AM the next day, but it was an unofficial announcement...turns out it was just a rumor, or maybe I just didn't wake up in time.

I ran back to my hotel for a bit to secure my new cargo and met up with people again at the booth. On the way back to the booth I noticed a line forming outside for the Opening Ceremony which would feature Berryz Kobo's first official appearance at the convention; naturally me and several others skipped it in anticipation for their upcoming booth appearance. And thus the first signs of antagonism between us and con staff began: as our crowd around the booth grew the staffers and other vendors became a bit antsy that we were blocking normal convention traffic, leading to the first request that we all NEED TO TAKE FOUR STEPS BACK. This would become the official AnimeNEXT motto amongst H!P fans everywhere. It was during this time that Avengers organizer Derek whipped out his welcoming banner for all of us fans to sign and give to the girls, who we saw on the entrance room screen as the Opening Ceremonies commenced.

The crowd continued to grow. FOUR STEPS BACK continued to be the official chant by security. Then it got really loud: Berryz Kobo slowly made their way towards the booth and we were once again just a few feet away! Lots of screaming by security to put our cameras away, to the point where even press people got yelled at even though they were allowed to take pictures. Then came the low point of the convention...

After the girls waved hi to us all and prepared to sign the booth banner, head of security came out of nowhere and TOLD US THAT WE WERE CREATING A FIRE HAZARD AND NEEDED TO DISPERSE IMMEDIATELY. WHILE OUR BELOVED IDOLS WERE BUSY SIGNING THE BANNER. Imagine being a famous performer, travelling to an unknown part of the other side of the world and seeing your foreign fans' faces light up as you appear right in front of them, then you turn around for a bit and they're all gone. To be fair, they did have a point about safety, but as the late Mitch Hedberg once said: "If you're flammable and have legs, YOU ARE NEVER BLOCKING A FIRE EXIT."

With security performing lockdown around the booth until the girls left, I decided to take some time to explore the rest of the convention, checking out what other booths had in store and eating my first real meal of the day. Once we were allowed to gather around the Berryz booth again I began to stress about needing a premium pass, having stopped by an ATM prepared to pay whatever I needed to. Fortunately Eddie, a member of our Avengers crew, came through and simply gave me a spare he had--I pestered him about how much I owe, but he said not to worry about it. A little bit later my JPH!P shirt once again came in handy, as I was recognized by user needextrasalt; he saw that I had his favorite member, Miya, on my premium pass and offered a trade for a higher (or is it lower?) better waiting number. I also learned that he's currently a student at Cal Berkeley, so dude, if you're reading this (and apologies for forgetting your real name) we should hang out some time.

More convention exploration followed before eventually deciding to hit up the Main Event line area again. The non-premium line was growing quickly while premium holders were organizing by number. I fetched some green glowsticks for myself from Yvette and also helped her out distributing her remaining glowsticks to any fans that wanted/needed them. Anticipation was growing quickly, despite the wait outside lasting a bit longer than expected...when we were finally let in we were greeted by the stage screens playing "Shining Butterfly" by Dream Morning Musume, followed by the latest singles from each H!P act. I saw the new Mano song completely for the first time, wondering if she would ever return to our shores...but it was when a certain familiar rhythmic synth organ pattern and choppy vocal kicked in that everyone got really loud! The Dance Shot of Momusu's "One Two Three" came on, and already hyped by the upcoming concert I was totally feeling the song! Everyone got amped and chanted and waved their glowsticks...AND THE MAIN REASON FOR US BEING THERE HASN'T EVEN STARTED YET!

But yeah, eventually the concert did get underway, with Berryz starting things off with "Rival"...or did the VTR of the group's history come on first? To be honest, the concert was a bit of a blur for me looking back on it, partially because of my lack of sleep, and partially because I spent most of my energy during the concert just trying to keep up with songs I barely knew and struggling to get the best view I can behind two tall guys; this was the first of my main regrets of this vacation, not switching places with Danny who was next to me the whole time and stands like half a foot taller than me. Anyway, a few points that stuck out for me:
1. I couldn't help but notice that some of the girls were wiping tears from their faces every now and then between songs. It made me a bit paranoid that a sad announcement was coming at the end of the concert, but fortunately no such thing occurred. So I think it might have been caused simply by stress/tiredness from jet lag, or still being upset by the booth incident, or both.
2. The girls did a short Japanese lesson for us, each girl picking a word and giving us the English meaning. Maasa's word was "kuchibiru", which she says is "beautiful lips"; it's really just "lips", but you gotta admit she does have a nice set herself. Momo translated "kawaii" as "beautiful"; can't argue with her. Captain's word was "yakiniku", which she translated as meat--keep this in mind for what I'm gonna show next.
3. The winning song of the fan vote was "Jiriri Kiteru"...it took me a second to recall which song exactly it was, but as soon as that low bass kicked in I knew to expect the pianos next.
4. I got so crazy with my jumping (especially with "Maji Bomber", which I like now after initially having reservations about it when it was first released) that I accidentally landed on some girl's foot. She seemed to take it in stride as the landing didn't seem too hard, but still, if you're reading this, I'm sorry for my recklessness.
5. There was an attempt by us fans to sing C-ute's "Shiawase no Tochuu" when "Because Happiness" came on; the girls seemed to notice and held out their mics at us during the appropriate parts, but from where I stood we were barely audible, and I personally couldn't memorize the song in time so I just chanted nonsense to the tune of it.
6. Fun fact: I actually had an orange glowstick in my left hand during the concert due to Danny not needing it. I made sure to raise it up whenever Chinami came to our side, though there was a point when I actually switched my glowsticks and forgot about it for a second.
7. One of the funniest moments was when Chinami posed for a camera on our side and Maasa had to leave her spot to drag her back to the proper dancing position. Gotta love her.

Overall the concert was chock full of energy, and it was tons of fun finally being part of some sort of genuine H!P concert experience. AND THEN THIS HAPPENED AGAIN...

At about 14:30 you can hear me chanting songs from the wrong H!P group. TakeoRey naturally followed it up with "I want yoooouuuuu....I need yooooouuuu...."

Security prevented us from waiting by the exit for the girls to appear one last time, so the Avengers crew assembled in the parking lot far from the exit but still in viewing distance from the waiting vans. We held out Derek's banner as the girls appeared; I don't remember if they waved at us but I'm sure they had to have seen us. We then decided to have dinner at Ruby Tuesdays; the food took a while but not as long as what I've heard everyone else had to put up with the night before (but at least y'all got to see Berryz there so don't complain too much). We then headed back to the convention center and split up for the night; I stuck around the DoubleTree for a bit to see what was going on there before finally heading back to my hotel.

At midnight.

In complete darkness.

I actually saw a wild deer cross my path.

As I approached the Econolodge someone asked me how the rave was, as I still had my glowsticks out. Obviously the rave was awesome.

Still thirsty and wanting to both save money and drink healthy, I skipped the vending machines and drank tap water from the bathroom sink. That turned out to be a big mistake...

To be continued...

[WhiteMeat89]

Hey everybody, here's the link to the interview we had with the girls!
http://forum.jphip.com/index.php?topic=33182.0

[daigong]

^^ EPIC! haha the Bald Guy. He's real nice.


The bonus is that y'all got to see each other, let's do it all over again! Where's the group photos??

Hey welcome back Bryan

Hey everybody, here's the link to the interview we had with the girls!
http://forum.jphip.com/index.php?topic=33182.0

FUCK YEAH!!

thanks for reppin like my eyes and ears. the questions are so cute, and the REACT glad y'all got some. FUCKIN SO PROUD! NOW YOU KNOW NOW YOU KNOW, man. Shit just came in so perfect. Looking forward to more react, fangasms.

[daigong]

got this straight from the wires!! (15 hours ago )
 
Berryz Kobo performance at AnimeNEXT 2012
 


June 19, 2012 - Berryz Kobo performed for an excited crowd of fans at New Jersey's AnimeNEXT (June 8-10). It was the Japanese idol group's second appearance in America in 2 years, following 2011's appearance at Sakura-Con in Seattle, WA.
 
Berryz Kobo fans from around the world gathered to support the idols, wearing Berryz Kobo cosplay and buying all the official Japanese merchandise within the first 3 hours of the event. Due to overwhelming attendance, the group doubled their official autograph time to accommodate all the adoring fans.
 
During the live concert, Berryz Kobo fans surprised the group during "Because Happiness" by spontaneously singing the accompanying ℃-ute song "Shiawase no Tochuu". The two songs are designed to be performed together, creating the new song "Chou HAPPY SONG." The unplanned participation by the crowd touched the hearts of the Berryz Kobo members.
 
Berryz Kobo held a contest the week prior to the event which was open to fans worldwide, asking for the "fan favorite" from Berryz Kobo's extensive catalog. Fans voted via Up-Front Link's Facebook or e-mail, and the winning song "Jiriri Kiteru" (announced in English by Chinami Tokunaga) was performed during the encore.
 
After the event, fans spilled out of the venue chanting "Berryz Saikou!" ("Berryz is the Best!"), repeating the tradition set last year by the Berryz Kobo fans at Sakura-Con.
 
 
Berryz Kobo member comments:
 


Saki Shimizu (Captain): "I was so happy to go to AnimeNEXT! When we learned this convention had been asking us to come for 3 years, we were all so happy! To see confirmation that so many people are supporting us from so far away makes me want to be even better! I'll do my best to be invited again!"
 
Momoko Tsugunaga: "Feeling this love overseas makes me feel so happy and grateful. Thank you "Berryz" much to everyone around the world for always supporting me. It was so great to hear everybody's support when I said 'I am the best idol in the world,' or when I asked 'Which one do you prefer, Momochi or Lady Gaga?', it was a unanimous 'Momochiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!', lol!"
 
Chinami Tokunaga: "Thanks to our participation to AnimeNEXT, I have so many great memories! Even though we don't speak the same language, I was so happy to communicate with everyone during our signing sessions, the Q&A, and the live. I will try my best to talk and sing in English! After Sakura-Con and AnimeNEXT, I will do everything to come again in America!"
 
Maasa Sudo: "I'm so happy to have received so much love from New Jersey, a place really far away from Japan. I was able to feel this love when we sang and talked together, so thanks to everyone. Personally, since I really love anime and manga, I'm glad to see all this love for the Japanese culture."
 
Miyabi Natsuyaki: "I'm so glad I was able to go to AnimeNEXT. I felt anxious that our Japanese songs may not be well-received because of the language, but as soon as the concert started, all my worries disappeared! Everyone was singing in Japanese with us and dancing as well! I promise we'll definitely meet again."
 
Yurina Kumai: "It was so fun! After 3 years of asking us to come, Berryz Kobo got to go to New Jersey to meet all of you. With all the enthusiastic shouts from the audience, especially during 'Icchoume Rock!' when everyone knew the lyrics, it was a really great moment. I feel so happy to know people love Berryz Kobo from all over the world, not only in Japan. Thank you so much!"
 
Risako Sugaya: "I was so happy to go to AnimeNEXT 2012! I was deeply moved during the live, seeing all the local fans singing in Japanese with us. It motivated me even more to improve my English so we can communicate better! I want to perform again overseas."
 

 
SET LIST
Rival
Yuujyou Junjou oh Seishun
Special Generation
Dakishimete Dakishimete
Koi no Jubaku
Because Happiness
Ai no Suki Suki Shisuu Joushouchuu
VERY BEAUTY
Otakebi Boy WAO!
Maji Bomber!!
Yononaka Barairo
Icchoume Rock!
-Encore-
Jiriri Kiteru
GIRLS TIMES
 
===

all Berryz Kobo event photos (credit: Up-Front Agency)

which one of these is YOU!!?

[J-Triumf]

That's similar to what Up Front Link has posted in their official recap of the event on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/notes/up-front-link/en-berryz-koboanimenext-new-jersey/378409302217993
It's great that they acknowledged our attempt at singing the C-ute song as well as the post-concert craziness!

I know there are several group photos from the riot and some other gatherings, but nothing exclusive for JPH!Pstas that I know of...unless someone else has that covered. That was another thing I wish I did a better job being on top of.

Forgot what else I was gonna write here, but I'm sure I'll end up covering it with the rest of my story...

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Day 2: Trolls? Marriage proposals? Flipped tables? Oh my...

Woke up at around 3 in the morning finding myself unable to go back to sleep. Remember how I drank tap water from the bathroom sink? New Jersey doesn't filter their shit the same way California does! I didn't throw up or have massive diarrhea or anything, but still, I found myself wide awake for a bit just feeling generally uncomfortable, and thus my sleep/energy rhythms would be permanently thrown off for the rest of my time out there.

Somehow I managed to get back to sleep eventually, but keeping in mind what I heard about merchandise being sold I was still determined to wake up at 7:30, which I did...painfully. Didn't bother with my contacts or hair gel for the time being as I was in a rush; stepped out into the hallway just as Danny did, since it turns out our hotel rooms were just a few doors away from each other. We groggily made our way to the convention center and looped around to the main entrance. The additional merchandise thing didn't come to fruition, but there was one guy who was taking down people's names for the eventual line-up for the Q&A/autograph event that was taking place in the afternoon. We put our names down, our proto-line moved back to the grassy area behind the Main Events room, and once our spot was settled Danny and I went back to the DoubleTree and grabbed "breakfast" from the hotel's gift shop, which I took back with me to the Econolodge for consumption while I readied myself for the long day ahead. Grabbed my backpack with the recently purchased 8th Berryz album stowed away and headed back to the "line".

Other H!P fans started to trickle in as the summer sun started blaring down us. I recognized a few (or at least assumed identities) from past online encounters, but didn't really reach out to them--another thing I regret in retrospect, but hey, I was struggling to stay awake! At this point, due to both my lack of sleep and the long wait until the next Berryz appearance, my memory of things becomes a bit muddled. But it was a long wait, so the memorable moments still managed to stand out, so I'll try to cover them quickly:
- Derek whipped out his banner again to get more people to sign. It filled up quickly and quite nicely; people had to get creative to find space for their messages.
- Observed lots of interesting cosplay of varying qualities; one dude dressed as Billy Mays approached our line and proceeded to give us generic sales pitches. I accused a TF2 Engineer cosplayer of being a spy, to which he appropriately replied "NOPE!" One guy's costume consisted only of a box of Gorilla Munch cereal over his head, with labels declaring how his jimmies have managed to stay unrustled. Oh how I wish I took more pictures and videos of these things...but I'm sure y'all can just look up this stuff on Google or something.
- Lamenting my lack of Berryz merchandise for signing and wondering if I should stick with using the 8th album's booklet (at this point I still haven't really heard it, lacking a CD player out there), I left the line for the dealer room, remembering something I saw the previous day: the booth next to the Berryz booth was selling CDs, one of which was the 7th Berryz album! Still beating myself up a bit for not going to Seattle last year, I decided to buy the last copy available to give myself an additional option as well as have myself more H!P music to listen to once I get home.
- The Japanese fans who flew out to see Berryz were giving away stuff to all of us! I managed to snag a copy of the "Ai no Dangan" single; other people were sorting through photosets from different H!P acts and eras.
- Terrie swung by and started asking us if we had filled out our cards for messages to give to Berryz; I had totally forgot about it and my blank card was still at my hotel room! Luckily she gave me another one, though it still took me a while to come up with something to write.
- It almost rained on us! Clouds were gathering in the sky and looked a bit too dark for comfort, but fortunately we only felt a few drops now and then. I checked weather reports the week before and worried about possible thunderstorms, but my whole stay out there was completely dry.
- Another big regret of mine came when it was only right then and there that I came up with an idea for a gift to give to Berryz: CDs featuring all the H!P remixes I've done. Then again, as you'll read later, a gift of CDs probably wouldn't have been a good thing for me to give...

Eventually the convention staff shuffled our line against the wall as the Q&A event drew near. Getting hungry again, I left the line and grabbed more food and drink from the DoubleTree gift shop, and got back in time to see staffers roping off our line. Within minutes one of them announced that anyone who leaves the line will not be allowed back in! Looks like I dodged a bullet there. We continued our wait, until a bit of commotion started up in the direction of the DoubleTree: it was Berryz Kobo walking from the hotel towards us! Despite warnings from staff that we would lose our place in line, we all rushed over as close as we could without leaving our area to greet them and take pictures/video! Unfortunately I only managed one good photo of them, but I'm sure you've already seen the stuff Rickker posted earlier in this thread. Here's another good video from my friend Derek:

It was funny how Chinami continuously lagged behind to smile and wave at all her American fans. She seems to really enjoy visiting us. Come on, UFA, you know what to do! Third time's the charm!

Finally, after hours of waiting in the hot and humid New Jersey atmosphere, we were finally let in to take our seats. Unfortunately it took about half an hour before things got started, and once they did, we were hit by a few rule changes:
1. The Q&A would now be combined with the gift-giving process, instead of saving the gifts for afterwards.
2. People had to pick between giving a gift or asking a question, not do both.
Still, the Q&A session was pretty fun overall...except yet another thing that I ended up regretting: I couldn't come up with a decent question to ask until it was too late! I was debating between asking the girls of their awareness of fan remixes of H!P songs, or asking Captain about the status of her nickname now that she has the most seniority in H!P. By the time I decided on the nickname question the line got closed off for further questions! I didn't fret about it too much at the time, since I was gonna interact with the girls shortly after anyway, but in retrospect I dropped the ball there.

As for everyone else, there were some memorable gems.
- One guy surprised the girls by wearing a Tsunku mask and pretending to be him for a bit before asking his question. If only he brought flowers too.
- One guy in an all-pink outfit had a gift to give to Momo, who he referred to by her normal name of Momoko; she proceeded to correct him with "MOMOCHI!", which elicited a "you got told" sense of laughter from everyone in the room.
- Yvette got designated as the person to present the fully-signed banner to the girls! You can see a photo of her doing so in the official reports.
- Possibly the highlight of the session: TakeoRey brought a little kid to the mic for a question...the kid then proceeded to ask Chinami for her hand in marriage!!! Even better, Chinami called him over to the stage for a more direct interaction! It was the cutest, most awesome thing to come out of the Q&A.
- On the flipside, the low point that I'm sure you all are aware of by now: One guy announced that he had some gifts to give, holding a pack of CDs in his hand. As he approached the stage, the crowd proceeded to groan and boo as we saw the back of his shirt sporting those three notorious letters: AKB. After he gave his "gift" and turned around to get back to his seat, the girls got a glipse of what we saw and reacted in shock, pointing and screaming at him, though I'm sure they took it in stride better than the audience did.

Now I gotta be honest: at the time, I found the trolling to be hilarious, mainly due to the audacity of someone wearing such a shirt to an H!P event and me not yet knowing what was on those CDs. But of course, in retrospect, upon learning of the true nature of the "gift" and that guy's actions later that night (attempting to steal a microfiber towel at Hello Party), that shit wasn't that funny at all. So apologies to anyone who saw me laughing my ass off, I honestly did not know.

Then came time for the autographs. I thought we were gonna go by the order that we originally lined up in, which I wouldn't have minded at all due to signing up fairly early, but instead it was a mad rush to create a really jumbled, messy line! I simply ran for the corner and did my best to hold my position at the outer edge of the gathering, which worked. As for what to get signed, I had decided on the booklet from the 7th album, because again, I missed out on Seattle, and plus the photos in the 7th album's booklet looked a lot nicer and had more empty space for the girls to sign compared to the 8th album's booklet. In an ironic twist, once I got back home and started listening to the CDs I actually found myself enjoying the 8th album more! Oh well, at least getting the 7th album signed helps balance the value I personally hold for each CD.

While we were waiting, the dude in the pink suit started talking to me, saying he recognizes me from YouTube. While I do have a video on my account that does show my face, it's not H!P-related at all. He then asked if I made something for Ai Kago, to which I pointed out the remix I made of her song "No Hesitation". Then the confusion finally got settled: he recognized me from [noembed][/noembed]! It was also right then and there that I realized that I still haven't met and talked to Holly, the person who organized that project, despite having already seen her around a few times before. I made sure to set aside time to talk to her once the autographs were taken care of.

So yeah, my time for autographs eventually came about, naturally encountering Captain first. While she signed my booklet I hastily tried to tell her, in Japanese, about seeing Berryz at the airport when they arrived...except I used the word for airplane instead! I got the words mixed up and actually didn't realize this until days later when I was leaving my hotel for the airport! Thinking back to what I actually said to her, it would be a miracle if she managed to figure out what I actually meant.

I went down the line and wanted to say the same thing to the other girls, but I was both worried about being rushed by staff to move and simply star-struck by seeing Berryz Kobo right in front of me, signing my booklet and smiling at me, that I couldn't really talk anymore, only smiling back like an idiot. Despite my relative silence towards the rest of the group, I still managed to get one very memorable interaction: after Miyabi signed her page, I reached out to grab the booklet...but she reached out to grab my hand! Up until that point I had been telling anyone who asked that Yurina was my favorite Berryz member, and even proceeded to rock green glowsticks at the concert. One handshake later, initiated by Miya herself, and I've been questioning my own loyaties ever since, even today. To be fair, Miya was my original favorite years ago and stayed my 2nd favorite since then, but yeah.

My mind melting even further, I struggled with opening to the right page for Yurina--excuse me, Yulina--to sign...her and Risako seemed to have went by quickly. Got my booklet back fully signed and proceeded to take a deep breath at what I just went through. Walked around the room for a bit, checked Twitter, finally talked to Holly, tried to figure out what was next after this...once the autograph line finished we waited for the booth banner giveaway raffle to commence. With no one left in front of the girls I quickly yelled out to Captain, who waved back at me. Yaz announced that we were actually having two raffles right then and there, but unfortunately I can't seem to remember right now what the other thing was that was being given away. Numbers were announced, silly reactions by fans were had. The girls waved their final goodbyes to us before running off backstage, then convention staff promptly told us to GTFO.

Still trying to figure out what was next, I met up with Rokun and writerjunkie and got invited to join them for dinner. But before we took off, we waited in Rokun's car, who was parked by the building exit where a van was waiting for Berryz. We chilled until the girls came out, and once the van took off so did we. Ended up at a strip mall and chose a burrito place; while there I got a text message about some H!P karaoke thing going on. I later learned it was some people who took over a bar at the Holiday Inn. At least I think that's what it was. Got back to the convention center afterwards in time for what I thought was going to be a flash mob of H!P fans dancing to Berryz Kobo's "Maji Bomber"...but apparently most of the people who originally committed to it ended up eating dinner at Ruby Tuesdays again (like seriously, y'all expect Berryz to show up there again just because they were there one night?). We just ended up talking to Gabby, the organizer of the would-be mob, for a while to kill time before Hello Party 3. We all ended up going to some screening of the cartoon Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt, then went upstairs to where Hello Party was scheduled to be...except there was another panel scheduled beforehand, which disrupted the Hello Party crew's ability to set things up and delaying our scheduled events. While we waited, nametags for the party were being given out; still reeling from the autograph session, I reluctantly asked for a purple one.

Finally the party got under way, the room decorated with random microfiber towels of various H!P girls. Things started off with random games such as the janken involving mallets and hardhats. Due to the large turnout, convention staff allowed us to take over another room nearby for more space, and it was in that room that someone brought the booth banner signed by the group. Also, Yaz was there...for a little bit.

Just to clarify, Yaz and the Frenchman were there to talk about Up-Front Link at intermission. Unfortunately, because of the domino effect of lateness caused by AnimeNEXT's placing of a panel in our setup time slot, intermission was pushed farther back than we anticipated. As you probably already know, Yaz was pretty exhausted so she left early. Philippe couldn't stay until intermission either.

At this point I was simultaneously tired and energized, like I had alcohol in my system, though I had yet to have any drinks. It was a fun atmosphere but after a long day of waiting and other stuff it was a bit tough to get into the spirit of things sometimes. Nevertheless, I still had a great time. Some guys did a special wotagei presentation, Bryan showed off some Hello Ranker stuff, I managed to snag two more Berryz singles at the prize giveaway, watched people go crazy dancing to H!P songs, including bringing back Mikitty's "Romantic Ukare Mode" and ending the night with Momusu's "One Two Three". Unfortunately due to being forced to start late we didn't have much time to dedicate to more dancing stuff. After all was said and done, we ended things the only way we could...

Talked to Derek and Holly about the general plans for Sunday in NYC, then Danny and I headed back to the Econolodge in late night darkness.

AND THIS TIME I MADE SURE TO HIT UP THE VENDING MACHINE FOR WATER!

To be continued...

[J-Triumf]

H!O user ryu1132 just posted this epic video recap of the convention from his perspective. Just over 40 minutes long but an interesting look at a person's journey from across the country to catch a rare glimpse of H!P paying a visit. And yes, he was part of the "Berryz Avengers" group that assembled at the airport; he was the only one of us to have gone to Seattle last year and thus was able to recognize "the Dragon Lady".



Towards the end you can see me (white shirt, no shoes) all tired and worn out trying to keep up with the dances.

As I approached the Econolodge someone asked me how the rave was, as I still had my glowsticks out. Obviously the rave was awesome.

I just found out from the AnimeNEXT forum that there actually was a rave that night! Must've been that dance party in the DoubleTree ballroom that I almost attended (probably would have if I wasn't exhausted at the time; had glowsticks and all).

And apparently there will be a DVD of the whole thing coming soon!
http://blog-project.net/shimizu-saki/62892
Possibly a fan club exclusive but I'm hoping I can snatch up a copy somehow. Time to start shopping for an all-region player! Or just wait for a subbing team to take care of it.

For now, time to conclude this madness!

-----
Days 3, 4, and 5: Watashi wa densha/hikouki de kitaku...oops, wrong H!P group again

I'm not exactly sure when I woke up Sunday morning; for sure it was early enough to catch Econolodge's free breakfast. Had a couple danishes, drank my coffee on the way to the DoubleTree. The atmosphere was a lot more relaxed now, with only a couple more H!P-related things to check out at the convention. With my voice still on the fritz, I bought some lozenges and made my way into a panel called H!P Idol Madness. It mainly consisted of random trivia questions as well as a short performance by H!P dance cover group Paradise Peach. Things were learned, laughs were had, knowledgeable fans got embarrassed (including myself). Highlight of the panel was a quick poll asking who was the better dancer between Captain and Nakky; when one panelist was disappointed that the votes unanimously picked Captain, another panelist pointed out "You’re asking a room full of people who came here for Berryz". Despite the small turnout it was a fun and relaxing little way to slowly ease our way out of convention mode.

It was there that I caught up with Rokun, Derek, Danny and Yvette, who all wanted to watch/participate in the upcoming charity auction; I decided to explore the convention one last time, motivated by a tweet from Up Front Link that there was gonna be a video interview at the Berryz booth.

...it was an eerie feeling coming up to that booth for the last time. With the girls long gone from the convention, very little evidence of their presence remained, the whole thing now decorated with Sailor Moon posters; all that was left was a stack of untouched Kikkawa-Atlanta flyers and a DVD playing an interview the girls had over the weekend in which one of them metioned the desire to visit Belize (ベリーズ = Berryz or Belize, get it??? ). As soon as that video ended, so did the convention for me. Still, I had to wait for the auction to wrap up, because there were still some things left to do.

After witnessing random items signed by the girls sell for hundreds of dollars, I quickly made my exit with Rokun, Derek, and Danny; I regret not saying goodbye to Yvette that day, so if you're reading this, apologies and may we see each other again at the next American H!P event! Got into Rokun's car and hit the highway, destination New York City! Well, our car destination was a train station halfway there, but yeah, we headed out to NYC to catch up with a bunch of other folks for karaoke fun times (despite my voice still generally feeling like shit). I was given navigation duties, which seemed like a good idea at the time, but a poorly printed map and vague instructions (combined with my lack of sleep) led us to drive into a questionable part of Newark! We weren't gonna make the early train on time anyway, so we simply backtracked, made our way to the station and chilled for a bit until the next train came.

Despite arriving two hours later than everyone else, we finally made it! Penn Station! Madison Square Garden! Broadway! We wormed our way to the karaoke place just in time to catch someone singing "Shabondama" in the reserved private room...and the next three hours got filled with random craziness involving not just H!P songs but also American, Korean, and other Japanese songs. Someone picked AKB's "Heavy Rotation" just so we can watch the video. I was only able to pick one song due to indecision and the size of our group, but I had a blast singing "Do It! Now" (even making sure to hold the mic upside down at the proper time), taking it back to the first H!P song that got me into this whole mess. The last half hour got interesting: with our time running out, we just ran through our remaining queue, skipping to the next song after only 30 or so seconds! Best quote to come out of that rush: "I don't love you for what you are!" in reference to "Hare Ame Nochi Suki" getting interrupted.

Derek split from the group to explore the city on his own during this time; it would be the last time we'd see him, since he had to leave early the next morning. A few more people broke off after karaoke, then we all headed to the subway. One person in the group...well, she was being a bit of a Debbie Downer for some reason. I tried to get her to snap out of it, but in retrospect I wish I had said something else or worded things differently to her because it didn't really help matters. While we waited for others in the group to take care of her and send her off on better terms, we started an impromptu crabwalking session--as in the infamous crab dance from "Renai Hunter"!

We took the subway to downtown and ate at a small but nice-looking Thai restaurant. The Pad Thai was delicious but having trouble stomaching food the whole trip I couldn't finish it or my beer. While there Bryan decided to hold a live Hello Ranking preview amongst us, starting with Berryz...but also declared that we should pick a favorite if we don't have one yet! In a panic, I raised my hand when Miyabi was called...only to see nobody raise their hands for Yurina! And my Berryz dilemma continued.

Sadly, our time to say our goodbyes had finally come. We all hit the subway together; a few people broke off from the group at our first transfer stop, then half of us split apart at another. We all did one last crabwalk to each other as that train took off. Eventually it was down to a few of us at Penn Station, with one person, Henry, offering to drive us back to our hotels from New Brunswick. He kept us entertained while we waited for our train with some random yoyo tricks (for which he earned a dollar from a passerby) and loading up an H!P concert on his tablet; he also loaded up the Gaki graduation special from Hello Pro Time on the train ride back. We finally made our way back to our hotels; I grabbed a soda from the vending machine, took a shower, and hit the hay.

Waking up Monday morning felt incredibly empty. The convention was officially over and all the other H!P fans had either already gone home or were on their way home. Still, I booked this extra day for myself so I can explore New York, or at least Manhattan, plus I made arrangements to meet with Rokun out there. Arrived at Penn Station at noon; we ate a small noodle place and proceeded to take the subway to the Staten Island ferry. Took a few pictures of the Statue of Liberty from the boat, after which I pulled out my iPod and showed Rokun the HPT episode where Captain attempts to draw the Statue. We got back to Manhattan and headed straight for the World Trade Center/Ground Zero...I had to bite my lip for a bit as we approached in case things got too emotionally intense for me (I had visited the roof of the old WTC in my previous visit to NY), but was relieved when the line to the memorial was both very long and required an advance ticket. Even better, seeing the new tower near completion gave me a sense of awe and comfort, knowing that people are always rebuilding after being knocked down, and heck, me simply being out there was part of my own personal rebuilding process anyway.

Rokun's time in NYC was almost up so we hit the subway again; I had my first ever encounter with a stereotypically rude New Yorker trying to buy a ticket! We reached Penn Station and waited for the next train out, and said our awkward goodbyes while trying not to cry in front of each other. My pain was shortlived as I had the rest of the day to explore the place on my own! Hit up Times Square first, encountered the Naked Cowboy, then found myself walking to Rockefeller Plaza and Central Park, just enjoying the sites while wondering if Berryz had visited the city or if I'd run into them. Funny how that worked out, though: I took this picture at this sculpture rather innocuously, only to find out later when I got home just how close I was to Captain again! (she was there the day before)

Unfortunately Manhattan simply cannot be explored by one person on foot in one afternoon; getting tired and overwhelmed by all that I had yet to see, I reluctantly made my way back to Penn Station for an evening train ride back to New Brunswick, vowing to someday return. Had dinner at Dunkin Donuts (which doesn't exist in SF) and hitched a taxi ride to the hotel, arriving just in time to watch the 3rd period of Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals. That awkward moment when you're a Californian still stuck in New Jersey while the LA Kings clinch the title against the Devils...

Got as much sleep as I could, quadruple checked my stuff, and finally began the long journey home...damn those cheesburgers on United flights are more expensive than necessary. Also nearly killed my iPod battery catching up on HPT and ManoSpy during the flight.

Conclusion

Despite several big regrets, and despite the convention simply not being prepared for what kind of mess they were getting themselves into by inviting H!P, I had an amazing time out there, finally connecting with huge groups of H!P fans and meeting a lot of good people, seeing the lovely ladies of Berryz Kobo up close three days in a row, losing my voice in the riot sequel...just all around an incredible experience, but also a learning experience too. It was the most fun I've had in years, and even though my bank account is in pain from my late booking, this was something you just can't put a price on. And with all the close encounters fans had with the girls--our airport greeting, the restaurant/grocery sightings, finding out their hotel rooms were just down the hall from Hello Party--makes me hope to someday meet them again, not just see them but actually interact with them (so jealous of you and your backpack, PomPom).

While Atlanta is still a long shot for me, I'm definitely determined to make it to the next big H!P gathering that comes our way. Really hoping for those SakuraCon 2013 rumors to be true...but who will it be? Signs seem to be pointing towards Buono--the Berryz concert had a very rock-oriented setlist, the Q&A crowd erupted when Yaz asked us about wanting to see them, and the trio already has a strong connection to anime--but I'm personally hoping C-ute will be next...bring on the Maimi Heat! Heck, just bring the whole Berikyuu/Kids crew over! Preferrably to Fanime in San Jose so I don't have to fly anywhere!

Yeah, definitely wanna do this again in the future. And this time I'll be more prepared.

EDIT: Added/adjusted a few more thoughts...I was kind of in a rush posting this last night. And apologies for taking over this thread like some kind of blog; it was my first time doing all this and writing it out has been helpful for remembering/reliving the highs and lows of the journey, as well as hopefully giving more insight for those who couldn't make it.

[J-Triumf]

I'M TAKING OVER THIS THREAD AGAIN! Well, not really, just to post this Girls News report on the whole thing:



Feeling the rush of emotions watching this stuff again...

Oh yeah, I found out recently that the gift from the AKB shirt guy was genuine--the CDs were actually of instrumental covers of Berryz songs. I really should lurk moar in other places and get the whole story...though the whole towel shenanigans at the end of Hello Party still needs explaining...

[J-Triumf]

I'M TAKING OVER THIS THREAD AGAIN!!! This time a subtitled interview with TokyoHive!



The first question and answer are the same as the JPH!P interview, but looks like everything else is different.

I can't believe it's already been a month since it all happened!

[nachdenki]

Another interview video, with "91.8 the fan" (some page idk)
http://blip.tv/918thefan/animenext-interview-with-berryz-kobo-6238537

[J-Triumf]

Kind of old news but Otaku USA magazine has a report on the event:
http://www.otakuusamagazine.com/SearchAudience/News1/e03d42c5-8982-4157-be85-966a1a9efb27.aspx
A shorter version of the article also appears in the print edition.

[J-Triumf]

DVD FINALLY AVAILABLE!!!!
http://www.e-lineup.com/shopdetail/003000000160/

I need to figure out how to work this website...I heard e-lineup is kinda tricky to deal with.

I also wonder if it's just the concert or if they also have the Q&A and other stuff...I do remember seeing cameras still rolling at the start of the post-concert "riot".

[TommyVD]

I need to figure out how to work this website...I heard e-lineup is kinda tricky to deal with.

There's a good chance it may pop up on CDJapan: http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/special/artist/ufd.html

"CDJapan exclusively offers CDs and DVDs from UP-FRONT AGENCY, a Japanese label working with very popular female idol groups such as Morning Musume, Berryz Kobo, and Cute.
These items are normally available only at their official shop. Quantities are limited, so. check them out as soon as you can! "

A lot of previous e-LineUP! releases have been offered through CDJapan.

If it's not, they encourage you to use Tenso: http://www.tenso.com/en/guide/shop/shop.html?ad_code1=elineup

[Rickker708]

I finally got the DVD on Friday thanks to the amazing Terrie. Saw a lot of familiar faces, Mine came up a couple of times during the concert. When they went to footage of the interviews, a couple of girls answered questions with the JPH!P mic!!!!11

    I still havent finished it, I got to the point where the girls were at the station getting ready for the train ride into the big apple.  I waited till after my D&D game to start watching it since I didn't have to work on Sat, and I haven't gotten back to it yet.

Now the girls and all the fans who get the dvd will know who we are.