HI HI! Hisashiburi! it’s been a long time. this is not a continuation of the Countdown Dinner Show (that will have to wait a bit more… haha oops!), but i thought i’d post some photos of the X’mas Dinner Show, which was essentially a shorter version of the Countdown Show. bon appetite and i hope everyone’s well, Akina included! =)

Akina didn’t seem to be in a very good mood that night. felt as if she was reluctant to be there singing her X’mas away, and that she’d rather be somewhere else, at home perhaps, shining her parquet floor. lol. she did her thang, we ate our fills, and had er well, a merry x’mas! hahaha. company was great as i was with Kenji and Sharon, both big Akina fans, and Hamu was seated right behind us, a table away (one whole table to herself!!). incidentally, she was seated next to this really depressing looking lady (please see image below) who shared her table with what i sussed out to be a total stranger. they were so uptight and both were not talking. just staring into their plates and glasses. after the show, we caught the sad lady looking even sadder (maybe she had nothing else to look forward to now, apart from consecutive releases of best compilations…), and was wandering around aimlessly in the hotel lobby. she took the escalator up and down… =(

some quick review notes about the show:

1. costumes - were rather nice. nothing too gross. the first number was her usual va va voom, short hot pants, fishnet stockings, and the all-important-always-included TRENCH COATO! she looked fierce, on fire, and burst onto the stage with fiery vengeance. you know she likes to carry that “look at me, i’m using all my might to perform, you eat that” look. the best costume was when she sang a selection of 4 songs from Enka. think classy, elegant, timeless Akina. oh wait, i have to take back what i said earlier — there was something very gross — her last outfit where she sang her “killer” medley. well, let’s just say what the medley didn’t kill, the outfit did!! HAHA. it was this OTT Kira Kira pants suit (circa her latest Kouhaku appearance, except it’s even shinier!!!) help! she’s trying to blind us all!! oh why oh why. but i guess my love for her is unconditional…

2. vocals - ma ma.

3. banter - minimal. lacking in energy. a bit subdued.

4. stage set - ew. zebra prints flats as background. well, i mean there IS a concept. sort of. it matched her Calendar. she reminds me of Apple’s OS releases. Tiger, Panther, Jaguar… in addition, there was this weird “water feature” in the middle with synchronized water bubbles that form words in extremely cheesey fonts with gory looking neon light flashes. my. eyes. hurt.

5. food - french fare. rather good, if you compare it to the New Year Countdown Show. there was free flow of drinks, so i drank like a happy fish!

6. venue - i felt it could be a bit more intimate and cosy. place felt a bit old school. lighting was horrid before they dimmed the lights. it felt like dining in a hawker centre with flourescent lights. imagine making out under those lights. okay, you get the picture. mood. we need mood!

7. merchandise - nothing too exciting. Countdown Show spread was much better.

8. crowd - rather “senior” and boring. we stuck out like a sore thumb (read: we’re young and fun!) hahaha.

okay, that’s all! hope you enjoyed this!! kiyotsukette ne~!