After 118 days without Moi dix mois, finally, we all gathered in Amemura, Osaka, for a jet black meeting to cheer for the band that was visiting Kansai for the first time in years.
I was meeting a friend from Hyogo, and two from Tokyo on Saturday. Before the show, we had a lovely lunch at a "Heavy Metal Rock" themed sweets buffet, which put us in the ambiance with their guitar, amps and skulls decorations adorned with black and red flowers and food items. It was such a good timing with the theme, when I had seen the post on Twitter, I had to invite my friends to join me for it before the show. It seems the Art Hotel Osaka Bay Side has many wonderful themed buffets year round at the Sky 51 Buffet, so I definitely recommend it !
With a little time to spare, we also planned to stop at Atelier Pierrot Osaka, where my friend (an Atelier Pierrot staff) had briefly met Mana the previous day when he went to the store to leave a signed panel to put up in store, since they carry Moi-même-moitié there. Friday evening, Mana was alone it seems, but when we went, we were lucky to see all members had come by and left their autograph as well ! They must have had a busy Friday evening, so I'm thankful they visited !
After a quick visit at the shop we walked to the venue a few steps away. We had good tickets for both days so I did not want to miss the opening time to make sure we could secure a good place (the aim is always on the right side as close as possible, but that's also a lot of other people's goal, so the competition is fierce, fufufu....) We got about 2 people in front of us, right in front of Mana's place, so we were happy with our placement. The venue was small, so we were very close. The 30 minute wait time before the show was so long, and it was quite hot in there... And then it started.
Day 1
All members were wearing their "white" themed outfits, which was expected of a 2 day show series. I had missed them so much. We got emotional when they all entered the stage to En Lumière. And then the party started, with Unmoved ! I had the feeling they had not played this song in a while (?) so it was super refreshing and a great way to start hyping up everyone. Then, Seth came to the microphone, and made the announcement that would switch up the whole weekend :
"It seems that, the venue told us, if everyone wears their mask, they will accept voicing! (/screaming/singing/calling, in Japanese 声出しOK)"
Everyone almost hesitated to scream to answer him, as it had been 3 years now (since the December show 2019) that we could only clap with our hands to answer them during MC or else. The tension was high, and I could feel the happiness and joy calls coming from behind me and it was great to feel everyone being so happy and joining forces to encourage the members. They were clearly happy to finally hear us again, too.
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| Mana's white outfit on the 1st day |
With everyone ready to lose their voices over this new hype, having been silenced for years and unable to truly share our love with the members, everyone truly gave it their all as soon as they started with The Seventh Veil. I LOVE this song and I'm always super happy when they play it, it's one of my top favorites. Already, we could feel that the members were really happy to hear us cheer and call for them, it was so heart warming.
Then followed Witchcraft and Forbidden, the last during which we could finally scream "MY DIS !! YOUR DIS!!" with the members and everyone really gave it their all. Mana seemed so enthusiastic and energetic, and truly seemed happy about the new lifting of the voice ban, at least for that weekend. We all truly missed it.
For a little cool down, they played Xanadu, which so far has a record of making me cry every time, followed by Lueur Blanche, which is another intense tear jerker, so after those two wonderful songs my mask was already wet with tears. To shake it up a little, I got woken up with Sanctum Regnum, this time, joining our arms with the D-I-X motions, but also the calls !! I think some people who don't go to shows in Japan might have difficulty understanding how a ban on "voicing" changes the mood, but this new lifting of the ban truly made this show extra special.
Then Mana left the stage, and a cute music box style birthday song started playing. People started clapping on beat, and singing ~Happy birthday to you...~ but when it came to Happy Birthday to~?? people hesitated, so I said ".... Hayato and Sugiyaaaa~" and people laughed LOL. I wasn't sure what was coming but Sugiya had his birthday on November 7th, and Hayato November 13th, so since we were barely one week off, I thought they'd definitely mention it, so it just felt normal to say it but I didn't realize it probably should have been "Moi dix mois" (oops !). Anyways we called Mana back, by finally being able to scream "Je t'aime, Mana Samaaaaaaaaaaaa !!!!!!!!" As strong as we could to bring Mana back ! My voice felt so strange, not having screamed for years now... I needed practice haha.
Following this, we sang Happy Birthday Moi dix mois, and Seth did the MC with "Mana's message". This time, we got a short "Mana's past life in Osaka anecdote" and it was very funny. I won't disclose any specifics but it was about Mana getting into some kind of sad situation because of his "different" looks as a late teenager and looking for jobs.... Mana went full drama with the gestures and was very funny and adorable, the other members laughed a lot. After this message and news about sales at Atelier Pierrot and such, Mana took back his guitar to keep the show going.
Next song was Vestige (try not to cry challenge) followed by Beast Side, a strong whiplash moment between emotional and powerful, remembering his departed friends. To gather us all after this moving set was Immortal Madness, with Dead Scape, where we usually have specific instructions for calls ! Again, the opportunity to be able to call made this 10 times better, as recently we could only make gestures. This time, very specific instructions were given lol.
Because of the birthday boys, Sugiya and Hayato, we had prompts for each. For Sugiya, we had to pour a drink, gulp it and put up our glasses on our noses, then spread our arms and say "Sugi-sama" !! (*´▽｀*)/, so we did this to the beat of the song once, and then for Hayato, Seth said he likes ramen, so we did ramen ! Hayato stood up behind the drum set and gestured with this drumsticks like chopsticks eating ramen hahaha, he was so cute ! So for Hayato we did ramen eating, arm flexing and again the "Haya-Sama" (*´▽｀*)/, and then one last time we did a double, Seth splitting the crowd making the left do the Sugiya part, and the right doing the Hayato part. It was so fun and cute making all the gestures.
Once all that madness played off, they took the show back with Twilight Flower, wonderful emotional song that made me cry again, followed by A Ghost Whisper, which just pushed me down further into sobbing territory (lol). This combo of Twilight Flower and Ghost Whisper back to back is very dangerous. By then I had to crouch down to wipe my face from all the tears, and I ended up losing my fake eyelashes that could not stand the tears and fell down (hahaha).
After sobbing for a few more seconds, Seth talked a little, and announced we would do a classic, to celebrate Moi dix mois' 20th anniversaire, with La Dix croix, this time him singing La "Vingt" croix (20), in the song to commemorate.
And then, as a closing song, Seth explained that we should hold our hand towards the stage, to share our love, and said that we could sing Je l'aime. A big emotional crying baby as I am, I usually cry when Seth sings by himself and we hold our hand to Mana in the dark, but when Seth let us sing one part all of us with our hand extended I just broke down in big sobbing tears (lol), it was so beautiful. With Seth bowing to us and waving goodbye, I kept crying while everyone left and smiled and waved at us while we called all their names !!! It was time for their short change and break before the Encore.
This time, instead of just clapping to call them back, we all screamed "Moi dix mois ! Moi dix mois!" so it was exciting.
After a few minutes, Seth came back, and they usually all change to Mdm t-shirts or hoodies then, which Seth was wearing (the new 20th anniversary logo hoodie). He starts talking to us a little, while we wait for the others to come in. Sugiya comes back and waves, low key going to his spot at the back on the left. Then Seth keeps talking. No one else is coming.... So Ryux busts out the curtains while Seth is talking and fakes being angry saying "Okay enough now !!!! è_é !!" everyone laughs. Seth says "Oh, but you were not coming so I was talking to fill the void, I had to ---!" and Ryux answers (fake) angrily "But if you keep talking I can't come in !" Everyone clapped and laughed it was super cute. Once that little happening was done, Hayato also came back, triggering many calls for him "Hayato~~ Hayato~~", but since no one called Ryux when he came in, Ryux looked at Hayato and Seth in the middle and said under his breath "... yeah must be nice eh" HAHAHA. I didn't catch it as I was busy looking at Hayato.... lol but my friend on his side heard him and told me later.
Then Mana finally came in in only his hoodie kinda opened (very short..!) and his lace tights and overknee socks, and he walks in confidently and comes to pose in the middle of stage with his hands in his pockets all cool and stuff hahahahah. People started cheering like "woaauuhh !! <3 Woww !! Woo !!" and then he started making cool poses and switching hips and stuff it was SO FUNNY LOL. He stopped for a second, and then took another pose which everyone cheered for again, so Seth was like "Omg are you done lol ?" and Mana just looked at him like ".... is there a problem here ? :) " it was adorable lol. After Mana and his little "feeling himself" moment, Seth announced the last song, Deus Ex Machina, which we all screamed for too ! It was a super song to end the evening.
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| My depiction of Mana playing model at the Encore (lol) |
Then they all left with a final wave, Seth left under applause and calls, Sugiya too, Ryux faced Mana for a couple guitar riffs before bowing and leaving, then Hayato too, and Mana showed us all his guitar up high, then put it down on the ground to bow to us. And after that he turned to go backstage..... but then he stopped on the way and started to pose again LOL. Under the thunderous applause and squeals of everyone, every time he'd strike a new pose we kept going and he was smiling a lot, everyone was laughing and cheering. After a few last poses he bowed again and finally left for the evening.
My heart full, my feet numb with pain (omg) and my voice already hoarse from the screaming.
During the MC, Seth announced that they would be present at the goods table after the show, and that they would have a special item ! They brought many copies of the new photobook, Philosophy III, but this time they had taken time to sign several copies ! Even though I had already purchased one, I decided to go and see them for the exclusive one... I was lucky to be early in line, so I said hi to Ryux and Seth working the goods table, and got my copy !
After a couple funny remarks and chatting with Seth and Ryux for a few seconds, we went home tired and happy. I felt a sudden loss, but I knew we'd see them again the next day, even more ready to scream !
Day 2
We had better tickets on Sunday, so my friends took the open spots on Ryux's side and I stayed at 2nd row on Mana's side. The wait seemed eternal, but the show started strong, with Unmoved ! It feels like it had been a while since I heard it live... ? This time, members were wearing black outfits, Mana was wearing a Moitie print (?) asymetric long sleeve top with a tulle half skirt and black make up with a red-middle faded to black lip (I love this !).
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| Mana's look on day 2! |
They followed up with more high pace bangers like Front et Baiser and the original version of Tentation (instead of the more recent Last Temptation). It wass a great surprise to hear this version after so long. Energy was high, so they followed with Solitude, with Mana swinging side to side with the chorus and all of us waving our hands together.
We had been suspecting they would play songs from "Beyond The Gate" album, since this show was at a venue named BEYOND, and with no surprise, the following instrumental of The Other Side of the Door started, being a premonition to Eternally Beyond ! It might have been the first time I heard it live, though I must admit I'm not sure about that. It was so great to hear it !
We had no time to rest as Beast Side came next, a nice powerful song in remembrance of K. Then, finally, we could calm down a little, not without being held with emotion through Ghost Whisper. Immediately wiping our tears when we heard the little music box Happy Birthday song coming in, Seth went through Mana's message for MC.
They picked up after that with Dead Scape, with the special moves this time being instructed by Mana, who gave us a little disco Travolta feeling by sliding a peace sign in front of his eyes and then striking a pose with his arm out in the air (ahaha), making us call ~*Mana Sama Fever*~ ! It was so cute and everyone had a great time with the gestures.
The following songs wee Twilight Flower, right before Lueur Blanche, which is a crime to my mascara and fake-eyelashes who barely stayed on after all the tears from that impactful song duo. Woken up by Dialogue Symphonie, the song that birthed Moi dix mois 20 years ago, we lightened up, all ready for Ange(D~side Holy wings), which packs a last punch to make us all go loose !
Time for the little break and the members leaving before the Encore. Excited, I waited (im)patiently, thinking we would finish with Pageant, a classic end-of-show song, since we had Je l'aime the night before. But no... For another time, Mana pulled up VIZARD as the last song !!!!! It's literally one of the best end songs in my opinion so being served this absolute destroy energy song as a last both in Hiroshima and Osaka was amazing. My friend on Ryux's side told me she saw Seth's setlist on the floor at the beginning of the show and tried their best to not look but kind of caught a glimpse of it and saw it coming, so I'm glad they didn't let me know and I got surprised with it again. Finishing on VIZARD and almost un-hooking my wig from my ponytail is an experience (haha).
After the show, Ryux and Seth were at the goods table again (they had a signed version of Philosophy III that night too with Gold signatures!), and even though I had purchased the "limited Osaka edition" signed copy of Philosophy III the night before, I decided to get the new hoodie, so I lined up to get it, and my friend who got in line before me told me Hayato was also there ! I was happy to chat up a little with Ryux and Seth (very quickly) but also to say Hi to Hayato (/ w \)~<3 haha. It was fun to see them all !
Overall, the weekend was great, the venue was cool and small, the setlists really gave us a good performance and all members were once again lovely, funny and amazing. This time, there is no need to wait a whole 3 months before the next show, as I am (finishing) writing this barely two days before the next.
What will 2023 bring us ? More cities planned for the tour, hopefully, probably a show(/double-show) for Mana's birthday in March, and more maybe !
While we wait for more news, go get the Philosophy III photobook and the new 20th anniversary light on Midi-nette's webshop (you need a shopping service to purchase).
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