A concert featuring giants of the so-called anison genre was staged at Pia Arena MM in Yokohama without an audience on Sept. 19, to mark the 20th anniversary of the founding of the JAM (Japan Animationsong Makers) Project.
The JAM Project 20th Anniversary Special JAM FES. (Japan Anisong Meeting Festival) featured performances by JAM Project, FLOW, angela, ALI PROJECT and GRANRODEO, acts that could each easily fill an arena in their own right.
The project's five independent anison singers would be touring the globe in a normal year. However, the coronavirus pandemic forced JAM Project to livestream this year's anniversary performance.
To be honest, tokusatsu sci-fi superhero dramas and films are my area of expertise, not anime. Many of the songs performed at the concert were new to me, but all of the artists expressed their distinct personalities and, as would be expected, they were all great singers.
A comment posted on the Niconico livestreaming site that described the singing as "vocal cords producing CD-quality sound" was spot-on. I, too, found it amazing to hear such clear and expressive singing at a live show.
I was a bit worried at first that I might get bored listening to so many songs I didn't know. But I was wrong. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the three-hour concert from my sofa at home, pumping my fist and waving a towel throughout.
I might have shied away from such exuberant behavior if it had been a normal concert with an audience. However, it ended up being a great introduction to a new genre, which I possibly would not have experienced if the show hadn't been streamed online.
The group announced during the concert that a documentary film about JAM Project will be released next year. Filming amid the coronavirus pandemic reportedly forced the producers to make adjustments while working on the film, which is tentatively titled "JAM Project THE MOVIE."
I can't wait to watch it and see how the entertainment scene has been coping in these difficult times.
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