KyoAni Music Festival 2023

KyoAni Music Festival, the 6th Kyoto Animation Thanks Event, took place on 11 and 12 November 2023 at ROHM Theatre Kyoto Main Hall. This was the same place where the 5th event was held in 2021. When they first announced the event with no options other than going to Kyoto, I was quite disappointed because it would be too costly for me to travel to Kyoto for this event. However, they subsequently announced that the event will be broadcast live at many (79, if I recall) cinemas nationwide in Japan. Then, finally, closer to the event's dates, they announced that the event will also be available for streaming online, with this option also available to people living outside Japan.

So I proceeded to book my online streaming ticket for Day 2 (which featured Violet Evergarden series) but eventually also booked a ticket for Day 1. This allowed me to enjoy the event without having to travel, which turned out to really help since I needed to work on the weekend in which the event was held.

Day 1 featured the following series: AIR, Kanon, CLANNAD, Miss Kobayashi's Maid Dragon, Suzumiya Haruhi, Tsurune, Nichijou, Full Metal Panic, and Munto.

This was the program for Day 1.

Day 2 featured the following series: Violet Evergarden, AIR, Kanon, Kyoukai no Kanata, CLANNAD, Suzumiya Haruhi, Sound! Euphonium, Free!, and Munto.

 

This was the program for Day 2.

Both days started with Munto, which can be said to be the start of Kyoani's anime production history. Before that, Kyoani did work on other works but not as the lead studio. So starting with Munto seems a fitting start. This year's event also brought back the older series like AIR, Kanon, Full Metal Panic, and CLANNAD, with a lot more overlap too. For example, Munto was the only overlap at last year's event, but this year, Munto, AIR, Kanon, CLANNAD, and Haruhi were featured on both days. So if you are a fan of Miss Kobayashi's Maid Dragon, Tsurune, Nichijou, or Full Metal Panic, go on Day 1; a fan of Violet Evergarden, Kyoukai no Kanata, Sound! Euphonium, or Free! would go on Day 2. All other Kyoani fans can just go on either day. Anyway, both Day 1 and 2 ended with all performers singing "Te to te to te".

 

There is no MC for this event (like last year) so it really depended on the artists to try to fill the gap when they were setting up the stage for the next artist. Some, like TRUE, are very good at this; others are more "green" in this area. Composer Yokoyama Masaru had it worst because he was the first one who had to do this, and he is a composer who usually works behind the scenes.

Also, I am quite amazed that Kyoani decided to focus on the older series for this event. And how they probably dragged some of the artists out of semi-retirement (I don't think any of them is actually above 65 years old, but some look well on their way there). Some of them probably hadn't performed on stage for years, if not a whole decade or more. Younger Kyoani fans may not even know who these artists are, except through hearing their voices when they watch Kyoani's older series on streaming platforms. 

 

Meanwhile, K-On!, Phantom World, Chuunibyou, and Tamako Market series (which were featured in 2021's event) were not in the program this year. It would have been nice to have Tamako Market series at least, since 2023 is the 10th anniversary of the series.

 

Still, Kyoani had decided that this lineup would help them fill the ROHM Theatre on both day, draw crowds to 79 cinemas nationwide, and still have enough people wanting to watch online that online streaming would be profitable. It shows the confidence that Kyoani has in its brand and the loyalty of its fans.

In the end, I am glad I did not travel to Kyoto, or even the local cinema, for this event. Violet Evergarden did not get as much time this year compared to the 2021 event, although Tsurune had quite a long time slot. It was enjoyable enough for me watching it from home on a computer screen while wearing headphones.

Note: The illustrations in this post were taken from KyoAni Music Festival's official Twitter account and the official website. The photos are screenshots taken by me.