Fukuoka de ukka! [Impressions]

On Saturday, January 25, 2025, I attended ukka's solo live concert "Fukuoka de ukka!" held at BEAT STATION in Hakata Ward, Fukuoka Prefecture.

Although they have visited Fukuoka several times in the past for tours and joint events, it was a rare event since holding a solo concert in a regional city is quite unusual.

This time, there was a yousugala solo concert after ukka's, and a two-man live with yousugala was scheduled for the following day.

Merchandise sales this time were for pre-orders of ukka's 3rd single "T," handled by the nearby Lawson (HMV).
The special event consisted of a send-off and 2-shot photos. The regulations and sales format felt similar to a release event.

The background music playing while the doors were open included
Moka Sato's "Peach Perfect,"
Kohmi Hirose's "Romance no Kamisama,"
Nogizaka46's "Kaerimichi wa Mawarimichi Shitaku Naru,"
back number's "Heroine,"
and AAA's "Sayonara no Mae ni" (according to Shazam).

Setlist

Overture "We are…" played and the members appeared. They were wearing the light blue costumes from "Utakata/Kousai."

For the first song, "Teen Spirit," I think Koharu-chan was patting Sora-chan on the head near the stage left side.
My notes say Riju-chan was doing a loose, relaxed stretch, but my memory is a bit fuzzy...

Second song, "Uno-Uno"!!!!!
Last year's spring tour also featured "Uno-Uno" at this same venue!!!! It's so fun and feels so good!
I really love the U.N.O dance. It's the best song provided by ONIGAWARA with that perfect 90s J-POP vibe...

The guitar in the interlude is really great, isn't it...

Third song, "Saisho no Saisho"!!
Every time I hear it, I remember how the fans moved left and right together at the "Aruaru Idol Daishugo" event at Aruaru City in 2019, their first time in Kyushu. Since the venue in the basement of Aruaru City closed at the end of last December, I felt the passage of time seeing a solo concert being held in Fukuoka now.

My tear ducts get hot every time during the D-melody after the drop chorus, "The moment when dreams become reality"... especially since this was a solo concert held in Fukuoka...

Next was the self-introduction. Then, for the photo-taking time that was announced in advance, they performed the new song "TOUTOI"!! It's too cool...

For the fifth song, "Super Girl Sensation," Tomo-chan's singing voice in the parts previously sung by Ayame-chan left an impression.
Personally, I think Tomo-chan's voice is sweet and addictive, like Sayuri (the oxygen-deprived girl) or Ringo Sheena, with a kind of poisonous (menhera-ish?) quality that grabs your heart. The big chorus of "Musubime" and her performance in "Shirogarasu (cover)" made me feel like she has blossomed, and I thought, perhaps presumptuously, that her voice has become a new color for ukka.
Her peer Koharu-chan is a genius type with experience in piano and choir, but Tomo-chan, who has grown so much in just one year, is also a genius of effort...

Koharu Wakana and Tomo Miyazawa joined after having a foundation as Stardust Planet trainees, but for them to catch up to the older members who have been active for 10 or 3 years in just one year is an incredible inflation...
It reminds me of Trunks and Goten from Dragon Ball; it's like a bargain sale of Super Girls, not Super Saiyans...(?)

Sixth song, "Girls Night"!!
It was a staple among the songs on "T.O.N.E" around 2022-2023, but for me, it felt like it had been since the Kinema Club show.

Sora Akane-chan sang the "If you smile, you're invincible" part from the first verse and other parts with a sexy, glossy, thin, and soft voice, which reminded me of Sora-chan's glossy, soft voice in "Onegai yo" during the 2023 Fukuoka tour.

She belted out those sultry vocals about three times, and even the "dance" part was sung with a characteristic, sultry, spoken-word feel (or was it...?), making her sexiness run wild. I had the image of her playing a sexy drum solo all by herself (wait, what?)

Akane Sora-san had her hair swept to one side, looking like a lady from the bubble era, just like the duo Bed In... and when I saw others on the timeline feeling the same sexiness, I felt relieved. ←

The 7th song was “Kaerenai!”!??

It’s been since last year’s FC live, but since that was a unit performance, it’s been even longer since I saw it in full!
Could it have been since the 2023 spring tour in Fukuoka...?

The "Seishun!" call was fun and nostalgic, and I love the song’s melody to begin with. Come to think of it, I remembered that it was released in the same month as now, as the January release of the 12-month consecutive release project. Back then, I had just gotten hooked, and the graduation ceremony vibe of the lyrics really hit home in real-time, but it feels so long ago now ()

Next was the cool block, so the 8th song was “Musubime”. This was the true essence of Tomo Miyazawa-chan’s vocals, which I also felt were great in the previous "Super Girl★Sensation".

I felt the raw, unstable, true-to-life screams of an adolescent girl’s heart, and it was unbearable.
And that 2-step instrumental was spot on...

Riju-chan’s facial expressions, with the shadows cast by the lighting, looked incredibly cool and dark...
Like she had fallen into darkness, her eyes vacant, quietly burning with rage (maybe?)

9th song “don't say Love”.
Come to think of it, I was in Fukuoka when this song was performed personally (whisper).
Riju-chan is cool and strong, like a powerful character in a Jump manga, so cool...

10th song “Marionette Girl”!
I love the part where she passionately flutters her skirt like a matador.

Next was a segment proposed by Ruri-chan during the MC: the "Bari Kawaii Championship"!!
It was a typically cunning and cute segment where Ruri-chan had the members say cute lines in the Fukuoka dialect.

The victims of Ruri-hara werefirst, Riju-chan! I actually love that she’s still bad at the segment where she has to say cute lines, and yet she tries her best... Riju-chan, who was predicted by a fortune teller to be the key person for ukka in 2025...

I’m glad I could burn Riju-chan’s "Suitoyo" into my ears...

Next was Rina-chan! "Bari kansha yo"...
I felt like saying, "No, thank YOU!"...

Ruri-chan, who proposed the segment, closed it out by saying, "That’s all for the Bari Suitoyo Championship!" but she got the segment name wrong and was immediately teased for her "ukka-ri" (clumsy) moment. lol

Next was the cute block, so Ruri-chan gave a song intro that made us expect something cute.
The 11th song was “Marmalade Flavor”!
Personally, I feel like I’ve been able to hear this every time I’ve gone to a show for the past year.
As expected, Ruri-chan changed the "Nee dou mieteru?" part to "Nee dou mieteru-tto?" with a unique rhythm, and it was so cunningly cute that I could barely stand (?).

And for Koharu-chan’s "Suki dayo Suki!" part, she turned toward Sora-chan and said "Bari suitoyo!!" just for her lol
As expected of Wakana Koharu-san, the hardcore Akane Sora otaku within the group...

12th song “popping love!!!”!
I was happy because I’m sure it’s been since ALL OUT SECOND for me personally!

13th song “Oshi≒Koi”!
I really love the relentless, thumping bass.
It seemed like the end of Tomo-chan’s "Kimi no me wo mite hanasu no ga zutto muzukashii no" part was changed to "ken"...
Ruri-chan’s wink,
and I was able to get a good look at Riju-mama again, where Tomo-chan goes through the arch of Riju-Ruri, passes through Rina-chan’s automatic ticket gate, and rides the crowded train where Sora-Mao are, all while doing chores in between.

14th song “wonder little love”!
Once again, I thought the sense of floating was stylish. I feel like it’s been since the 2023 autumn Kinema Club show for me personally, so it felt nostalgic.

During the MC, Sora-chan scolded Koharu-chan, saying that her "Suitoyo" in "Marmalade Flavor" was supposed to be directed at the audience. lol

Koharu-chan being made to redo her "Bari suitoyo" toward the audience lol

Whether it was a scripted skit or the real deal, it was such a nice flow to get another supply of "bari suito-yo" (I really love you), lol.

And poor Tomo-chan was also made to say the "Oshi ≒ Koi" (Oshi ≒ Love) part in dialect again. Lol.
The members sang the preceding instrumental a cappella. Lol.
Was it "It's much harder to talk while looking into your eyes"? She looked embarrassed and apologetic, it was pitiful. Lol.

Next is the final block. The customary "Eh!" was exactly what I was thinking. It really went by in a flash...
The 15th song was"New Fiction"!!!
It's a rare song to begin with!!
Personally, it's a song I'm lucky to see live once or twice a year, so I was happy! (Glow-up days, the coupling track from the same single, has been played more often lately, but please play Marmalade too...)
It was very pleasant on a January afternoon with spring just around the corner.

16th song"Magik Melody"!!
Like "Kaerenai!", it's a song from the masterpiece album "octave"! I love this floating feeling...
The "Bang!" grazed near me, but I felt like I was shot by Riju-chan's somehow (?) My real-life friend who is a Moa-chan fan seemed happy that Moa-chan's "Bang!" came her way, which was really great...

17th song"AM0805 no Kousaten"!
The dashing feeling was refreshing, and as I was immersed in it, I realized it was Rina-chan's "I want to learn your mom's curry recipe" part, and it was good...

18th song"Afternoon Graffiti"!
The song that marked a new beginning for their major debut.
Isn't a climax where the opening theme plays at the end the ultimate series finale trope in recent anime...?
Koharu-chan's "kata-kata" typing part didn't have that baby-like feel from when the new lineup was unveiled; it felt a bit more resilient, and I felt her growth thinking, "She'll be a high schooler from spring..."
They say one year for a minor is like ten years for an adult...

The encore call started with a passionate sing-along of "Afternoon Graffiti"!
The encore call in Fukuoka is always so passionate and great no matter which venue I go to...

The first encore song was"Lindbergh"!!
I've always loved the dance on the stage-left side during Sora-chan's "fingertips touching the darkness" part, but the current lineup of Rinaruri and Tomokoha makes it so impressive, the turns are really cool...
In the second verse, Moa-chan and others were hyping us up by saying "Let me hear (your names)!", and it was super exciting.

The second encore song, the true final song, was"Viva La Vida"!

In the 2A part where the members become RPG jobs, Riju-chan looked like Meena from Dragon Quest IV and I had to hold my head in my hands ()

The "KOCHIRA KOSO!" (No, thank YOU!) in response to Rina-chan's "Thank you so much for meeting me" part felt like it was half and half in the back of the audience, but Rina-chan also hyped up the "Growth!" part, and it felt like it ended at a climax.

In the MC, Sora-chan said someone hip-attacked her... and the culprit was indeed Koharu-chan. Lol.
She apologized for real, which was hilarious. Lol.

At the very end, when Moa-chan tried to stay behind, Sora-chan was late, and Moa-chan asked if she would stay, but Sora-chan was being extremely modest, like "It's okay, it's okay!" Lol.
Moa-chan seemed to want to do the "Baibiroon!" together, but Sora-chan crouched down and ended up saying "Baibiroon!" together from the audience side. Lol.
Is she the boss of Kyushu after all...!!
We said goodbye by exchanging "Baibiroon!" between Moa-chan, Sora-chan, and the audience.

Special event

We exited the venue once, and the lines started forming for Sora, Moa, Tomo, and Koha, followed by the Riju and Ruri lines, and the special event was held inside the venue.

In conclusion

Originally, Tomo Miyazawa was scheduled to join midway through due to a school event, but she must have managed to coordinate well with the school, as she was able to participate fully from the start through to the yosugala two-man show the following day.

For me, this was an ukka solo concert held in Fukuoka, the closest location to me after Hiroshima. My best friend from back home also came to see them for the first time since the Tanabata concert at last year's spring tour final.

My best friend seemed to have a blast, and I was happy to be able to catch so many songs I hadn't heard in a while. It felt like a rare song festival, different from the FC live, almost like a bonus to the Song Awards live.

There were cool blocks and cute blocks, and the concept allowed us to experience the various colors of ukka's music. It feels like this is becoming a staple since last year, and I think it's great.

The octave songs feel especially special, and I was reminded once again that they are masterpieces.

I wonder if songs like "Watashi Romance," "360° Shooting Girl," "Hatsukoi Moyou," and "Boku Yell" will be performed at any of the monthly solo concerts being held this year...()

Also, this time I was reminded again that Tomo Miyazawa's singing voice exists as a new color, a distinctive voice that catches the ear just like Moa-chan's.

And Akane Sora's alluring, soft singing voice, which captivated us with "Onegai yo" at the same venue last spring, has been fully implemented as a weapon and was running wild.

The "Bari Kawaii Championship" devised by Ruri-chan was also a genius project. I'm so grateful... The aftereffects were great, including Koharu-chan's redo of "Bari Suito-yo" and Tomo-chan's "Kimi no me wo mite hanasu hou ga zutto muzukashii ken" (It's much harder to look you in the eye when I talk to you)...

January was very fulfilling with Toyosu and Fukuoka. I'm really looking forward to seeing what kind of 10th anniversary year this will be...!!