by The live music event “NARUTO THE LIVE” commemorating the 20th anniversary of the broadcast of the anime “NARUTO” will be held at Makuhari Messe for two days, September 2nd (Saturday) and 3rd (Sunday). Seven gorgeous artists who were in charge of anime theme songs have gathered! In addition, a live performance of the soundtrack colors the main anime, filling the two days with love for “NARUTO.”
The “NARUTO” (hereafter, “NARUTO”) series celebrated its 20th anniversary since the anime broadcast started in 2002. Many artists are responsible for the opening and ending; music is also indispensable content to discuss the work. “NARUTO THE LIVE” is a gathering of artists who have sung the theme songs of “NARUTO.”
On both the first and second day, KANA-BOON started the live performance with “Baton Road,” the opening song for “BORUTO-NARUTO NEXT GENERATIONS” (from now on referred to as “BORUTO”). They encountered “NARUTO” when they were in elementary school, and now, expressing the joy of being able to sing songs that travel around the world with the series, they perform live performances using only pieces they created for the series, such as “Silhouette.” On the second day, they excited the venue by playing a cover of ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION’s “Haruka Kanata,” which had a significant influence on them, saying, “Today, I will perform a special song in place of my seniors.”
Hamburgers who appeared on the first day. “We are the super generation of ‘NARUTO,'” they say, starting with the January 2023 excellent ED “See you” of “BORUTO,” and from past OPs and EDs, The Mass Missile’s “Until now.” The venue was livened up with a cover of a selected rock number, and the audience responded to the heat with orange penlights.
Junko Takeuchi, who plays Naruto, and Noriaki Sugiyama, who plays Sasuke, appeared during the interval between live performances by the artists. In addition to serving as MCs as Naruto and Sasuke, there was also a corner where the performers talked about famous scenes selected by fans, such as the farewell scene between Naruto, who fought in the Great Shinobi World War, and his father, Minato, who was revived in the Edo Tensei and saved his son. A series of very memorable episodes brought tears to the audience.
On the second day, female singer-songwriter Anly will heat the venue with the ED “VOLTAGE” of “BORUTO”. 7!! ‘s cover of “Lovers” also sent the floor into a whirlpool of enthusiasm, and at the end, the final excellent opening of “NARUTO Shippuden,” “Kara no Kokoro” resounded. In addition to the ending footage from that time, Naruto and Hinata’s wedding episodes were also included, allowing the audience to enjoy “NARUTO” through the synchronization of story and music.
Along with the appearance of the two MCs, the past OP & ED video collection projected on the screen in the intermission exited the venue. Cheers rose from the intro, and the applause erupted every time the song ended, a scene that made you feel the feelings of the fans who gathered at the venue for “NARUTO.”
Chico appeared on both days. Appearing as a solo artist, she sings songs such as “Little by Little,” “Diver” (NICO Touches the Walls), and Wind (Akeboshi), which are popular as “NARUTO” theme songs, and expresses her deep feelings about Naruto. It rang out love. The excitement on the floor rose as the music became familiar to her fans. She gave a powerful solo rendition of the “BORUTO” opening song “Gamushara,” which she sang with CHiCO with HoneyWorks, and took Makuhari Messe by storm with her enthusiasm.
“NARUTO THE LIVE,” which makes you feel the connection between the work and music, conveys the piece’s charm even on the stage with the play. Yasuharu Takanashi, who has been in charge of the music for “NARUTO” since its beginning, will perform his band Yaiba’s songs. Unfortunately, Takanashi served in Germany, so Yaiba Group 2 (Takanashi Dan) appeared. Combining Japanese drums, shamisen, shakuhachi, and violin, the audience enjoyed a dynamic live performance of musical accompaniments loved worldwide, including “Doten” and “NARUTO His Main Theme ’16.”
On the first day, Ikimonogakari will appear. The two also appeared in the “ANI-ROCK FES” held in 2016 with “NARUTO” as the crown. The floor was dyed with blue penlights at “Bluebird,” which is loved by Naruto fans worldwide. Furthermore, “Hotaru no Hikari” and “BAKU,” which was written as the OP for “BORUTO” by the “NARUTO” series and Ikimonogakari teaming up for the first time in 12 years, resonated, and the song made you feel the growth of Naruto and Boruto.
The stage of ORANGE RANGE on the second day reminded me of the early days of “NARUTO.” Like Naruto and others, they celebrated their 20th anniversary since their debut. They heated the crowd with well-known hit tunes such as “Shanghai Honey.” Takes the market by storm. The audience also raised their voices and sang, bringing the venue together.
FLOW took first place on both Day 1 and Day 2. They are the band with the most collaborations with the “NARUTO” series, and the audience responds to their appearance with cheers, applause, and loud singing as they travel around the world with “NARUTO” songs. Instead of bassist GOT, who is undergoing medical treatment, they performed with a unique formation called “Shinobi Allied Forces FLOW,” with KANA-BOON’s bassist Masami Endo joining as support.
They heated the venue from the start with a medley including “Re: member,” and then they performed ORANGE RANGE’s “Viva★Rock” from their recently released album “FLOW THE COVER ~NARUTO Shibari~” on the first day and the second day. They performed Joe Inoue’s “CLOSER.” Of course, the live performance ended with “GO!!!”, confirming the audience’s love for “NARUTO.”
When the silver tape that decorated the finale of the LIVE colored the venue, KANA-BOON, other than Endo, jumped out from the stage sleeves to the stage, and the LIVE closed the curtain in a way that the artist’s love for “NARUTO” could be fully felt.
For the fans who have met “NARUTO” over the past 20 years, the two days they reaffirmed their love for the series.
In addition, all 720 episodes of past works of “NARUTO” are being distributed sequentially on the commercial broadcasting official TV distribution service “TVer.” Please check these out as well.
