ドリフェス！ 僕のストーリー

One week ago at this time we already knew the end was upon us. The announcement was abrupt and unexpected, came right in the middle of the Academy Awards, and while we still tried to hold on to our hopes while waiting for that emergency broadcast, it had definitely ruined our day. There is so much on my mind about DFes, and my mind is still so frazzled, I'm not even sure where to begin. I saw long essays about people's experiences and memories... I don't think I can be quite as collected. Not living in Japan  and not speaking Japanese either, thus not having access to many of the related things, I suppose I'm expected to be in a different situation. But the heart of the matter is the same though, and for now, I shall try to reminisce a little.

I can't recall how or when I first heard about DFes. I was probably browsing AniChart one day, looking for something fun and light, and spotted it there. I had not had much to do with idol-anything before, in fact I think I had not had anything to do with any such before. As such, I had no idea about the details of the project, to me it was an anime with boys, it looked colourful enough, and so I signed up. September came, and it had me hooked right from that very first episode. The premise was a little random, not particularly unique either - but it captured my heart with laughter almost immediately. Surely, a certain level of fanservice, but it managed to do that in a way that felt organic, actual parts of the whole, as opposed to tacked on like afterthoughts on so many post-its, like in so many other anime. 

The series went on, it introduced one character after another, building up not only their personalities but also the bonds between them. They had inspirations, they had motivation, they had goals, they had life circumstances, they had their families and friends and enemies - and soon it was clear to see that DFes has a soul. All these details that most anime lack, or sweep under the rug? They were in there, they were brought up, they were put on screen time and time again, even if only in small doses. And those other details some people brought up as negative, for being silly or unrealistic? The dorika nothing short of the myriads of fanart people draw, giving the characters clothes they want to see them in or situations they want to put them in. The beams of light coming out of their phones are a perfect representation of the thousands of notifications tweets and photos and posts get. The magical transformations (and in R the pure magic of dream appeals and the like)? It's simply the magic of how the fans make things possible for their beloved idols - if you've ever been to a concert of someone you really love, you know the atmosphere and energy of all that, you're fully aware of what this is about. These "silly/negative/unrealistic" things are the connection itself between the fans and the idols. These things are some of the most genuinely intelligent ways of translating immaterial support (be that cheers in form of comments and likes or the hard work of assembling a stage; or learning songs and dances as far as the idols go, because this support is a two-way street) into something that can work... Not in an imaginary world, because the world itself the anime takes place in is very much real... But just something that can and does work on the screen. And I love that. A little direct and predictable perhaps, but clever nonetheless. My only gripe with s1 was probably KUROFUNE, and that wasn't on a personal level either, rather the way they were introduced, all random and abrupt without any preamble, only to go fight for that finish line right off the bat, without the hurdles the others had to face before getting that chance. But then R came, a surprise announcement at the end of s1, and they got their much needed character building too, which made them much more acceptable and full-fledged. Everyone's got into some more shenanigans too, with totally new characters introduced as well - that may not have been much to my liking, personally, as there had been side-characters from before that could have used some more screentime instead, but oh well. At least I got to see these awesome people again, watch them, cheer them on, worry for them.......... It ended basically an episode too early, with that last one being just a recap. Probably more than one of us wanted a "concert" episode, but I don't think recycling old material was the way we envisioned it, and with the lack of an announcement of a third season, I think we did feel a little disappointed. I sure did.

Sometime during all the fun of the anime, I learned about the rest of DFes, about how it's a "5D" project. I learned that there had been arcade games, I learned about the mobile game, I learned that DearDream and KUROFUNE were actual real life units too and so the VAs weren't just VAs but also doing fan meetings and concerts; I learned that things we saw in the anime and things we see in the game often have roots in real life events or conversations or emotions. Sadly, being outside Japan, I had no access to any of these. And not even understanding Japanese, I've had a hard time connecting even to those bits that have been available to some degree. I have not become a fan of the VAs as "civilians"; I managed to get the game but not played it much (with an old phone that's slow in general, and actually not being good at it, and not even understanding anything even if I do make the effort - not really motivating). I have, however, become a fan of the music. Especially with the songs having gotten their "stories", their own interpretation by the artists in the anime: they are full of life, they are full of meaning, they are relatable and/or just plain fun. I love the music. To me, the anime and the music have been the heart of DF. The game, maybe to a lesser extent... I've not played much, but just starting it up and knowing I can listen to these precious boys any time, hear their voices and make/see them dance? It's a bit like a safe place, a safe activity, something to go to when I just don't feel good. Like having a favourite anime to rewatch any number of times, with the added magic that it always has a few new bits here or there. It makes me smile.

I guess it can be said that I've had a bit of an odd relationship with DFes: never getting so obsessively into it that I would've stalked everyone I could find on the internet or that I would've gotten up in the middle of the night just to get a head start on a new event in the game. (Perhaps I'm too old for such behaviour?) But I've really grown to love the characters, I've really grown to love the music, I've grown to love what it is: a world created across multiple platforms that the participants genuinely put their hearts and souls into, all for the smiles of the fans. It's simply honest, as opposed to being just another title to make money from. I'm not in the habit of becoming this attached to any one franchise, any few characters from whichever show. But for the past ~year and a half since the anime debuted, it's always been around me. They have been around me, a part of my life.