ドリフェス！ ラストライブ？

Oh, gods...

I didn't even realise it's that time already. I knew it was scheduled to start on the 16th, but...

And it's already the 16th in Japan...

This is so unreal. How are we even supposed to feel? How are we supposed to have fun and happy and go on with another event like nothing's changed? Even Keigo's birthday was so, so spoiled by that black cloud...

The news came so abrupt last week. So very unexpected, so - violent, almost. So soon. It wasn't just us fans who've learned about it the way we did, apparently. They had no prior warning, no advance notice either. They'd had no idea, either. That is just bad form and extremely unprofessional.

It is bad form after the much hyped and, from what we know, widely successful 1st Live Tour. First live tour. This is simply atrocious. You don't organise an entire first tour and let everyone have fun with it, only to pull the rug out from under their feet just a week or two after its conclusion. Might as well have named it farewell tour, then, at least saying goodbye wouldn't have been as painful. But like this? It's not only unexpected and unprofessional - it's plain cruel, for no reason.

It's bad form when the entire franchise is so obviously loved, not only by the fans but by the people working on it. Both DD and KF, they haven't only been giving their voices to some characters. In many ways, they have been the characters, and it's apparently a mutual thing, where the characters also have affected their lives in return. Taking away something like this, so unexpectedly - it's unnecessary and cruel.

It's bad form when the entire franchise is so complex, so widespread. Arcade game, mobile game, VR app, concerts, crossovers with other games, partnerships with restaurants and stores and whatnots, two seasons of an absolutely beautiful and entertaining anime, an accompanying manga... Did I miss something? So. Damn. Many. Outlets. Truly unique, truly "5D", something that doesn't exist elsewhere. 

Now, if this exact thing has led to financial issues... So many ways to cut back on all that. Pull things a little tighter. Don't branch out so much. Slow down on the app - who said we have to have a bunch of new cards, entire new stories and lives and everything basically every (other) week? And while there - GO ENGLISH. Here's this absolutely unique project, absolutely loveable and awesome... and it's almost completely inaccessible for international fans, despite the anime being licensed and having an official translation. Look at UtaPri: game's got an English version, BOOM, 3 million (three million) downloads in...what was it, a week? Two weeks? Yeah.

If it's something else, then.... I don't know. No way to know, obviously, but I'm sure a solution could be found. There is so much enthusiasm, so much spirit, so much inspiration in DF, it's unfathomable that some people just want to flush it all down the toilet. Doing that to people's work in general is cruel, but doing it to creative work is even worse. Where there is a will, there is a way, and the crew and staff certainly don't seem any less willing than us fans.

It's unique. There is so much potential in it all, even in the 2D part only. Especially for the anime: we are being flooded with generic idol shows and people overseas go bonkers about them. DF has something unique to it that most others don't: it has a heart and a soul. I certainly can see why the animation studio started thinking about a 3rd season (according to those tweets): there are so many ideas to develop into stories. I could list quite a few myself. 

There is such potential in DREAM FESTIVAL!...

And now we're supposed to have fun with a "last" event, knowing even the app is going away? How are we expected to do that again, please?

At least leave us the app. There is no reason why a final update can't be applied that utilises Google's/Apple's own gaming services for profiles and cloud saves, and leaves the basic data intact. Heck, even the events could be added in as static story chapters to unlock by collecting points. Literally nothing's stopping such a transformation, and at least we could still have something, even if the project is actually over.

But like this...

I had to give up so many of my dreams. So many smiles. I don't want to give up yet another....

I'm sorry if this entry is a mess. I'm not quite able to think straight.