Dedicated to the late Sayaka Kanda

The 72nd edition of Kohaku Utagassen was by any and all means the best so far in many years, quite possibly in all its history. With the theme “Colorful” and a narrative that carried this theme well and consistently throughout the show, the excellent level of execution was remarkable and entertaining.

Far and beyond the obvious musical aspect that drives the show, a spotlight can be shed on the performances of Mafu Mafu and Masaharu Fukuyama. Both touched on the importance of life being worth living. This was quite remarkable in a year when Japan has seen a high degree of lives lost taken by the very own hands of the bearer.

This time and as is the unusual case, the ladies in the Red team won the competition again following a consecutive win in 2020. After Seiko Matsuda withdrew from the competition due to personal grieving, the ladies with 21 artists on their team conquered victory over the 22-artist team on the gentlemen’s White team. And let’s remark that in no way of apparent notice, there was a compassionate move in favor of the ladies. They won on their own right.

What is also remarkable about the show this year is that it was filled with new and cotemporary artists who did their very best to show the current state of the music scene in Japan. Still, we are not yet at the point where large stars like Seiko Matsuda and Ayumi Hamasaki are present in the industry; however, it is clearly noticeable that the ground is shaping for big names to arise.

Within the framework of the show being made in many respects for 2021, two stages were put in place with Tokyo Kokusai Forum taking center stage over NHK. The former being a conservative studio while the latter a hi-tech digital space for not only playing music but also to show what Japan can offer to enhance experiences digitally. There were no robots or unnecessary use of technology for technology’s sake but a good use of technology that showcased how enhanced experiences can play in favor of story-telling.

Back to the teams and dynamics, the first half was very intense driven by a high-tempo in which Lisa started with a beautiful performance for the Red team followed by Dish on the White, NiziU on the Red and everybody that followed on this same team who gave them an early win. The 46 girl bands, Millet and the fantastic performance of Mone Kamisiraishi consolidated a strong positioning. On the White side the gentlemen trailed behind with the only strong performance being of Mafu Mafu. The rest where boy bands that while being strong failed to impress. Especially when confronted with Kaori Mizumori and her digitally enhanced performance that quite possibly blew everybody’s mind, not only for what it was but also because it spoke dearly to everybody who lives in Japan. With a beautiful treatment of “Ii Hi Tabidachi” she delivered a message of how important it is to travel and discover the things we have been neglecting in recent years.

The 2nd half was longer as is always the case and during the first half of the remaining 2.45 hours the gentlemen started to catch up and the White team gained more votes helped by the usual suspects Kan Jyani, Hiroshi Miyama and young faces like Kaze Fujii. But, the ladies stroke back and did this consistently throughout the 2nd half with AI, Perfume, another 46 band, Fuyumi Sakamoto, Yoasobi, Ai Miyon, and let’s not forget the usually present Hiroko Yakishimaru and Sayuri Ishikawa. While the White team tried to catch up with good performances by Dai Hirai, Hiroki Miyamoto, Masayuki Suzuki, Yuzu, Gen Hoshino, and Kiyoshi Hikawa, they felt to amount to the final blow on the Red team delivered by Misia.

As another big moment in Japanese music was showcased this time with excellent grace, I have nothing but praise for the organizers who finally thought with a contemporary mindset. Whether this will lead into a new direction in the music scene, it is still not know but for now the new start is good and hope is in the horizon.