04/02/2026

LYFE WEDNESDAY | FEB 4, 2026

25

CONCERT REVIEW

Ű BY AMEEN HAZIZI

T HE 2026 Strength Japanese Anime Concert Tour in Malaysia felt less like a themed concert and more like a collective release of childhood memories, blasted back to life with volume, colour and unapologetic enthusiasm. From the start, the setlist made its intentions clear. Naruto , Detective Conan , Kamen Rider , One Piece , Pokemon and Digimon were not treated as nostalgic footnotes but as the foundation of the night. These were the songs many in the crowd grew up with and the pacing ensured there was barely a moment to catch one’s breath. Allowing audiences to stand despite the numbered seating turned the arena into a lively, communal space rather than a polite concert hall. Production values carried that energy. The lightshow was bold and dynamic, shifting moods without overwhelming the performers. The lights were especially creative when envoking semi religious imagery during the Evangelion performances. Sound at Idea Live Arena was booming, with bass-heavy tracks that rattled through the venue and left ears ringing in a way that only added to the thrill. It was loud, physical and exactly what this kind of show needed. Setting the mood The night opened with Flow and they wasted no time setting the mood. Their set immediately ignited the crowd, especially when they launched into Go!!! , the legendary Naruto theme. The reaction was instant, with fans singing along at full volume and riding that high straight into the rest of the show. Ayumi Miyazaki followed, delivering Digimon themes that hit squarely with fans who grew up watching anime on Astro Ceria. His performance leaned into nostalgia without feeling tired, drawing warm responses from an audience clearly reconnecting with a defining part of their childhood. The tone shifted with Yoko Takahashi, who appeared in the iconic purple and neon green colours associated with Evangelion’s Eva Unit-01. She opened strongly with Angel Attack , then slowed things down with her rendition of Fly Me to the Moon , before bringing the arena to its loudest point with A Cruel Angel’s Thesis . Backed by dancers performing expressive interpretive choreography, her segment felt theatrical and carefully staged, adding an extra layer of emotion to already iconic material. One Piece fans were next, as Hiroshi Kitadani delivered his anthems with boundless energy and visible joy. His set ended on a high note with a surprise duet alongside Rica Matsumoto, drawing one of the loudest cheers of the night. Rica Matsumoto’s solo segment leaned fully into fun and colour. She reminded Pokemon fans of a brighter, simpler time, even tossing oversized inflatable Poke Balls into the crowd, which were batted around the arena as fans laughed and sang along.

Ayumi Miyazaki is best known for performing multiple Digimon theme songs, including Butter-Fly .

Flow’s set leans heavily into early-2000s anime rock, drawing one of the fastest crowd responses of the night.

Anime nostalgia night o Naruto, Evangelion, One Piece, Digimon, Pokemon all in one concert

The full lineup of performers, including the accompanying band and backstage crew, appears together on stage during the show.

she said. For Tan Wei Liang, the appeal was deeply personal. “These are the songs we grew up with, from the 1990s until now,” he said, adding that the One Piece segment stood out as his favourite part of the night. Another attendee, Zul Faqar, said the joy came from the collective experience. “Singing together with everyone was the best part,” he said, naming Dragon Ball , One Piece and Kamen Rider as his standout moments, while noting even Digimon hit hard in a live setting. The one clear weakness of the night was the lack of an active interpreter. When performers addressed the crowd in their native language, moments of audience interaction often became awkward, with fans unsure how to respond. A translator did function later in the show but by then, the concert had already powered on without one, making the late inclusion feel unnecessary. That aside, Strength delivered exactly what it promised. It was loud, emotionally charged and unapologetically nostalgic, a concert that trusted its audience and rewarded them with a night that felt personal and spectacular.

who attended while cosplaying Kakashi Hatake from Naruto , summed it up simply: “Everything about it was great. The performers, the songs, all of it.” Ava Maru, dressed as Itachi Uchiha, pointed to a clear highlight. “The Evangelion songs were incredible. That part of the concert really blew me away,”

All five performers returned to the stage to close the show together with the Dragon Ball theme, a joyful, chaotic sing-along that felt like the best possible way to end the night. One in nostalgia Among the crowd, that sense of shared nostalgia was everywhere. Christopher Kirisu,

Audience’s participation peaks during the One Piece segment. Yoko’s segment has marked the most theatrical shift in tone across the night.