The summer of 2024 arrived along with the "One-man Live." It was my first time seeing Boku-Ao in person. As the staff blog mentioned later, the highlight of this concert was undoubtedly the long MC segment. When Mocchie, the first one to speak, started talking for quite a while, I thought, "Wait, if everyone talks like this, how long is this going to take?" And sure enough, it went on. But honestly, it was better that way. Instead of just a few members sharing their feelings, we got to hear what was in everyone’s hearts. Once again, I was impressed by Eren, who always manages to pull the atmosphere into her own pace, and Nana, who expresses her determination in her own unique words, even when others might fall into clichés. Because of that, the concert felt quite heavy—filled with deep, raw emotion. The venue was a live house with all-standing room. A tall guy stood right in front of me—literally just a few inches away—so I ended up getting a cramp in my side before the encore because I spent the whole time standing on my tiptoes. I suppose in a live house format, the reference number is just for the entry order, and where you watch from is up to you? The performance itself was amazing, of course. They performed the new songs, "Spare no Koi" and "Namida wo Nagasou." Aside from the concert, something that really stuck with me that day was the incredible surge in views for the "Spare no Koi" music video. It was uploaded after the show, and around midnight, I thought, "It's getting a bit more views than usual." But by the next morning, it was already in the tens of thousands. After that, every time I opened it, the numbers were skyrocketing. I thought, "This is it! Boku-Ao has finally been discovered!" I saw some negative comments about "ads" and such, but I don't really get what that’s about. Who cares? People are watching them, and that's what matters. After the "One-man Live" came Natsugasumi. I had completely given up on seeing it, but to my surprise, they announced a stream. I went all in and bought the package for all three performances plus the bonus footage. Toa-chan’s expressive power really shone through. Just hearing her line in the YouTube digest—"Please, stop. Now. Let this moment stop"—gave me goosebumps. She truly is a born performer. Then there was Anno. She’s another one who really made the role her own. She’s a member who can completely shift her aura depending on the situation. Also, when I saw Su-chan’s videos filmed around that time, her expression had a certain "Natsugasumi" feel to it. I could tell she was deep into her character. On the other hand, it felt like a period where certain members were being heavily promoted as a fixed set. No matter what they did, it was always "those seven," and if there was a spot left, they’d figure out who else to fit in. I guess the strategy was, "Let’s push the members most likely to sell first." To be honest, I sometimes thought, "Oh, it's the same faces again." The Kumo-gumi barely appeared in the promotions for the third single. But then, come autumn, the balance and variety started to shift again, making me realize how much they’re constantly adjusting their strategy. Well, I don't actually know for sure. In the end, maybe the best way to enjoy it all is to just let ourselves be played like a fiddle by the management. I managed to catch one more real Boku-Ao event this summer. The opening event at Yokado Kagoshima. As a Nana-oshie, I was so glad I went—and so glad it was close to home. I realized people in the Kanto area get to join events this easily all the time! Being that close, with no other members to distract me, just being able to watch Nana... it was a "God-tier" event. Nana was incredibly cute. I hope this continues for their 2nd and 3rd anniversaries.
