Four years have come and gone since we last got some official livestream shenanigans from the Taiko Team, with so many happenstances and staff member baton-pass changes around the Taiko scene to mold the shape of what happens behind the scenes of everything surrounding the series.
Time has passed, but we're still alive and kicking (corny post titles and all!), with a more in-length look at the latest online venue which summoned the Bandai Namco people who are keeping the flame alive! Being a public broadcast on YouTube, the full rerun is available (for the time being) in the above-embedded video, but after the jump you'll find the broadcast's highlight in still-imagery fashion, together with a brief post-livestream look at eventual updates to each of the newly-announced forays. Let's dive in!
First and foremost, here's the studio's initial composition for this
highly-sanitized broadcast, with the main hosts in a 5-seats array and a huge
monitor display to broadcast the other illustrious guests that have joined the
fun for the occasion.
Pictured in the monitor for the snap below are six familiar faces (that may or
may not have a more prominent role later on), but during Part 1 it was also used
to display all the lucky donders who won the Taiko lottery for a hot Zoom seat
to the venue! We also have Chiaki Matsuzawa (松澤千晶) as MC coordinating the
whole event for the first time, with quite the familiar-sounding name...
Wouldn't it be funny if someone mistook her for a Taiko songsinger?
Ha ha ha, I crack myself up...
While the two front-liners -Taiko Team leader Etou (エトウ) and Sasaoka (ササオカ)- are no stranger to Taiko livestream action, we got the visit of three more people for this portion. The guys on the left and on the center are Crystal Noda (野田クリスタル) and Murakami (村上), members of the Magical Lovely (マヂカルラブリー) act that managed to win the latest edition of Japan's M1 Grand Prix manzai tournament. The straight-man/oddball comedy duo is also joined by a big name among the Taiko community: Yosuga (よすが), the two-times-active-streak Taiko no Tatsujin arcade world champion in charge.
The three guests, alongside all the invited Donders via Zoom, are quickly challenged to the anticipated quiz portion of the livestream as a means to quickly mark the many releases that happened over the years. In order to better reflect that, how about a timeline clipboard?
As the panel goes through the various arcade and console entries along the timeline, quiz questions are lined as shown by the question marks on the top. Here they are for you; see for yourself if your overall Taiko no Tatsujin knowledge is strong enough for the task! Highlight the hidden text via click-dragging after the answer possibilities to find out the correct ones.
A flip of the clipboard and here we are with the other half of Haiko history thus far! Another couple of questions lie on it as well.
It's also fun to see how good sports the on-site guests are, with some of
their answers being shown off in such a creative way, especially for the
Magical Lovely duo!
After a short break, the Zoom guests have left and the on-site station was hit with an almost-complete host takeover, with many of Etou's Bandai Namco colleagues over the monitor in Part 1 joining the fun in person! The Taiko series' 20th-anniversary key art was also revealed at the end of a short commemorative video, aired right after the hosts swap. It looks like the the artist that was tasked for the 15th Taiko anniversary key art's creation is back at it again!
Being an anniversary's eve livestream for the Taiko series, there's no way its lifetime mascot would not show up physically at some point, isn't it? And so, here's Don-chan waddling around for his own birthday, celebrated with a small sweet treat bearing his visage of all things!
The swapped-out hosts have now their time for a brief title card-enhanced
introduction. Aside from the already-mentioned Masubuchi, we have console
producer Ayano Ueda (上田彩乃) and app-version producer Yasushi Kawajima
(川嶋康師).
It also bears mentioning the renewed presence of arcade Taiko version director
Katsunori Kimizu (木水克典), seeing as apparently we've already had quite the
presence on the official blog, under a certain guise...
Thus, we finally come at the crux of the broadcast: the upcoming content section! Kicking things off for the 20th anniversary's fanfare is the introduction of Don-Chan's very own YouTube channel. Taiko-themed content and animated shorts with the drum siblings and their friends are sure to come!
Next up is a visual overhaul of the series' official webside, going live this coming Monday. Flashbacks to the 10th anni9versary's website tweaks are lurking from a distance for us!
Always on the online presence department, the Taiko no Tatsujin's Twitter presence will be further compartmentalized into four different handles, with two more joining the first ones and the original handle slightly changing its functionality. In short, we now have:
In another curious turn of events, it also appears that this upcoming week will see collaboration within Taiko gaming and social media app TikTok, with Taiko-flavored effects for your cuts as well as "a certain hit song" from the app becoming a playable song on Taiko + Shinkyoku Tori Houdai in the near future.
If you happen to stumble upon select Namco-approved stored during this year, it will also be possible to purchase a commemorative catalog for the 20th anniversary milestone. It also comes with some strips from the ongoing CoroCoro Taiko comic strip!
Starting tomorrow, a new official line of... well... LINE stickers starring Don-chan and friends will also be available to purchase. Share your love for the beat on the go!
20th Anniversary! Theme Song Lineage Pack: February 22 2021 (500 yen+tax)
Key: red = series debut; blue = console debut
Another ongoing campaign about console Taiko gaming is the latest discount run of both Drum 'n' Fun and Drum Session's digital versions. Act fast if you're on the fence on either!
The 10th campaign reveal begs no flowery introduction, really...
That's right- a new arcade tourney! Like the last ones before it, the World Championship 2021 will run its elimination rounds in Autumn, in order to hold the finals on February next year.
A new tourney calls for a renewed look at the tools for the job! A new line of tournament-approved MyBachi will launch during the year, with the first models being showcased on stream.
For once, that wasn't a typo on my part- indeed, there are going to be multiple official MyBachi variations! These three versions differ in both their grip's color, their length and after-hit recoil, and they all are approved choices for the upcoming arcade tournament.
Contest submission have started the day after the livestream's end and will be closed on March's end.
The last anniversary-related surprise for the day is all about the Namco Original new song department, starting out with the roaring tune to mark the 20th anniversary milestone with. Heard during the aforementioned history clipshow, it's actually going to be a playable song in public arcades!
A little bit further on the stream, we've also apprehended how it's also gracing the console and smartphone scenario in later days, coming this Monday on Taiko + and on Nintendo Switch during March.
Shortly after the initial playable reveal, the Magical Lovely duo came back to take on the latest Taiko inclusion on Futsuu and Muzukashii. You can really feel the tension building up for both!
In the end, the 20th anniversary's Namco Original special project is revealed!
With Todoroke! Taiko no Tatsujin opening the scene and for the following
months, twelve brand new songs will be released on arcade, all following the
peculiar Taiko de Time Travel theme. Taiko-styled music reflecting
different time periods will grace public Nijiiro arcades once per month, going
more and more back in time as the theme goes on.
We're also served with a partial primer of what to expect with the project, thanks to the following slide. Most of them have the attached artist profiled, some will have either their time period/song genre of inspiration or directly their full title, while the very last one lies in complete mystery...
Here's what we know of the upcoming tracks:
While the two front-liners -Taiko Team leader Etou (エトウ) and Sasaoka (ササオカ)- are no stranger to Taiko livestream action, we got the visit of three more people for this portion. The guys on the left and on the center are Crystal Noda (野田クリスタル) and Murakami (村上), members of the Magical Lovely (マヂカルラブリー) act that managed to win the latest edition of Japan's M1 Grand Prix manzai tournament. The straight-man/oddball comedy duo is also joined by a big name among the Taiko community: Yosuga (よすが), the two-times-active-streak Taiko no Tatsujin arcade world champion in charge.
The three guests, alongside all the invited Donders via Zoom, are quickly challenged to the anticipated quiz portion of the livestream as a means to quickly mark the many releases that happened over the years. In order to better reflect that, how about a timeline clipboard?
As the panel goes through the various arcade and console entries along the timeline, quiz questions are lined as shown by the question marks on the top. Here they are for you; see for yourself if your overall Taiko no Tatsujin knowledge is strong enough for the task! Highlight the hidden text via click-dragging after the answer possibilities to find out the correct ones.
Question 1: The first Taiko no Tatsujin arcade had 25 songs. True
or false?
Answer: True
Question 2: The diameter of Don-Chan and Kat-Chan's head is two
shaku (approx. 60 cm) long. True or false?
Answer: False
Question 3: Which of the following artists starred for Taiko no
Tatsujin Appare! Sandaime's TV commercials?
1. AKB 2. Mutsugorou 3. Momoiro
Clover Z 4. EXILE
Answer:
No.2
Question 4: As of 2010, the player base of Taiko no Tatsujin is
similar to the population of which of the following countries?
1. Finland (5.8 million) 2. Sweden (10
million) 3. Malaysia (31 million)
Answer: No.3
Question 5: In one heated notecharting session, Etou didn't
realize that everyone else has left for the day and he is the only one
in the office. Which of the following spooky(?) things happened?
1. Canned coffee appeared on desk 2. Etou
broke his knee 3. Light taps on Etou's shoulder
Answer: No.3
A flip of the clipboard and here we are with the other half of Haiko history thus far! Another couple of questions lie on it as well.
I wonder why last year's Dokodon RPG Da-Don/Rhythmical Adventure releases
haven't been reported here, though...
Question 6: How heavy are the attached drumsticks of Taiko no
Tatsujin arcades since the 2012 model?
1.
250g 2. 290g 3. 330g
Answer: No.2
Question 7: Which of the following are NOT version names of
Taiko no Tatsujin as of 2020? Pick all correct answers.
1.
DON-KATSU 2. Sorairo 3. Yamabuki 4. Momoiro 5. Kimidori
Answers: No.1 and No.3
Right after that, both of the Taiko Team branches on stream (the live hosts
and the Zoom contingent) have taken a short round of Q&A about the series
with questions from people that have been collected beforehand through social
media, with Etou fishing them out from a box.
The highlights of the portion were brought by NAMCO SOUNDS veteran Masubuchi and Sasaoka; the former took a stroll down memory lane to talk about working with former Taiko Team leader Takahashi and the creation of some of the series' earlier original songs (Nijiiro Yumeiro Taikoiro in greater detail), while the latter showed off live on stage how easy is to draw the series' mascot while singing Don-chan Ekaki Uta!
The highlights of the portion were brought by NAMCO SOUNDS veteran Masubuchi and Sasaoka; the former took a stroll down memory lane to talk about working with former Taiko Team leader Takahashi and the creation of some of the series' earlier original songs (Nijiiro Yumeiro Taikoiro in greater detail), while the latter showed off live on stage how easy is to draw the series' mascot while singing Don-chan Ekaki Uta!
After a short break, the Zoom guests have left and the on-site station was hit with an almost-complete host takeover, with many of Etou's Bandai Namco colleagues over the monitor in Part 1 joining the fun in person! The Taiko series' 20th-anniversary key art was also revealed at the end of a short commemorative video, aired right after the hosts swap. It looks like the the artist that was tasked for the 15th Taiko anniversary key art's creation is back at it again!
Being an anniversary's eve livestream for the Taiko series, there's no way its lifetime mascot would not show up physically at some point, isn't it? And so, here's Don-chan waddling around for his own birthday, celebrated with a small sweet treat bearing his visage of all things!
It might be not as a shocker as the 'Zeami=Tatsh' public reveal, but nice
callback nonetheless!
Thus, we finally come at the crux of the broadcast: the upcoming content section! Kicking things off for the 20th anniversary's fanfare is the introduction of Don-Chan's very own YouTube channel. Taiko-themed content and animated shorts with the drum siblings and their friends are sure to come!
Next up is a visual overhaul of the series' official webside, going live this coming Monday. Flashbacks to the 10th anni9versary's website tweaks are lurking from a distance for us!
Always on the online presence department, the Taiko no Tatsujin's Twitter presence will be further compartmentalized into four different handles, with two more joining the first ones and the original handle slightly changing its functionality. In short, we now have:
- @taiko_team, for the arcade-related content;
- @taiko_kateiyou, for the console releases;
- @taikosp, for the smartphone-oriented apps;
- @taiko_All, for general Taiko content, also pertaining the sectorial handles.
In another curious turn of events, it also appears that this upcoming week will see collaboration within Taiko gaming and social media app TikTok, with Taiko-flavored effects for your cuts as well as "a certain hit song" from the app becoming a playable song on Taiko + Shinkyoku Tori Houdai in the near future.
If you happen to stumble upon select Namco-approved stored during this year, it will also be possible to purchase a commemorative catalog for the 20th anniversary milestone. It also comes with some strips from the ongoing CoroCoro Taiko comic strip!
Starting tomorrow, a new official line of... well... LINE stickers starring Don-chan and friends will also be available to purchase. Share your love for the beat on the go!
Preceding other prominent Namco IPs in the likes of Soulcalibur and Dark
Souls, official Taiko no Tatsujin merchandise will be available to purchase from Amazon! Clothing gear will be up first to carry high the anniversary spirit.
In more videogame-y news, the Nintendo Switch Taiko game has in store a
brand new DLC pack starring Namco Original songs, available right now as you're reading these very lines! This paid pack will also feature the long playable version of Hibike! Taiko no Tatsujin like select Gen2 arcade versions and PS4 before it.
N.B. While the presentation slide stated the pack to cost "550
yen+tax", the actual price is adjusted to "500 yen+tax" at launch.
Every song in there is also compatible with the tournament mode, so I
hope you're ready for half-hour tourneys around PS2 Anime collection
fans...
| Title |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Hibike! Taiko no Tatsujin
Ichirou Mizuki, Mitsuko Horie, Hironobu Kageyama Taiko no Tatsujin Tobikkiri! Anime Special Theme Song 響け！太鼓の達人／水木一郎・堀江美都子・影山ヒロノブ 「太鼓の達人 とびっきり！アニメスペシャル」TS |
★4 | ★4 | ★6 |
★8
|
|
|
|
Hibike! Taiko no Tatsujin -Long Ver.- Ichirou Mizuki, Mitsuko Horie, Hironobu Kageyama Taiko no Tatsujin Tobikkiri! Anime Special Theme Song 響け！太鼓の達人 -Long Ver.- 水木一郎・堀江美都子・影山ヒロノブ 「太鼓の達人 とびっきり！アニメスペシャル」TS |
★5 | ★5 | ★6 |
★7 |
|
|
|
Kumo Made Todoke!
Taiko no Tatsujin Portable 2 Theme Song くもまでとどけ！／「太鼓の達人 ぽ～たぶる2」テーマソング |
★3▼ | ★5▼ | ★7 | ★8 | |
|
|
Nanairo Harmony Meccha! Taiko no Tatsujin DS Nanatsu no Shima no Daibouken Theme Song 七色ハーモニー 「めっちゃ！太鼓の達人DS 七つの島の大冒険」テーマソング |
★3 | ★4▲ | ★5 | ★8▲ | |
|
|
La-la-la☆Happiness
Taiko no Tatsujin Wii Dodon to 2-daime! Theme Song ららら☆ハッピネス／「太鼓の達人Wii ドドーンと2代目！」テーマソング |
★4 | ★5▼ | ★6▼ | ★7 | |
|
|
Kimi to Hibiku Harmony Taiko no Tatsujin Chibi Dragon to Fushigi na Orb Theme Song キミと響くハーモニー 「太鼓の達人 ちびドラゴンと不思議なオーブ」テーマソング |
★3 | ★4 | ★5 | ★6 | ★8 |
|
|
Morimori☆TokumoRhythm♪
Taiko no Tatsujin Tokumori! Theme Song もりもり☆特盛リズム♪／「太鼓の達人 特盛り！」テーマソング |
★3 | ★5 | ★6 | ★8 | |
|
|
Kibou e no Melody Taiko no Tatsujin V Version Theme Song 希望へのメロディー／「太鼓の達人 Vバージョン」テーマソング |
★3 | ★3 | ★6 | ★7 | |
|
|
Tsunagare! Hirogare! Uchi-agare! Taiko no Tatsujin Session de Dodon ga Don! Theme Song つながれ！ひろがれ！打ち上がれ！ 「太鼓の達人 セッションでドドンがドン！」テーマソング |
★4 | ★5 | ★7 | ★9 |
The 10th campaign reveal begs no flowery introduction, really...
That's right- a new arcade tourney! Like the last ones before it, the World Championship 2021 will run its elimination rounds in Autumn, in order to hold the finals on February next year.
A new tourney calls for a renewed look at the tools for the job! A new line of tournament-approved MyBachi will launch during the year, with the first models being showcased on stream.
For all you Greater Asia Donders out there (that is to say, Taiwan/Hong
Kong/Singapore/Malaysia/Thailand/Indonesia/South Korea), we also got the
reassuring notice on how the new, Banapassport-compatible Nijiiro arcades'
release is still set next month as previously advertised!
Another event surrounding major arcade tournaments as of late is the introduction of a song contest to enrich its rounds' ranks... which is exactly what the WCS2021 is going on with, too! This time around, the contest is hosted on Nippon Columbia and can be accessed through this link. We'd usually make a separate post in order to digress on the participation requirements and miscellaneous notes due to the language barrier, but this time we don't need to: the contest's minisite has an English version, too!
Another event surrounding major arcade tournaments as of late is the introduction of a song contest to enrich its rounds' ranks... which is exactly what the WCS2021 is going on with, too! This time around, the contest is hosted on Nippon Columbia and can be accessed through this link. We'd usually make a separate post in order to digress on the participation requirements and miscellaneous notes due to the language barrier, but this time we don't need to: the contest's minisite has an English version, too!
Contest submission have started the day after the livestream's end and will be closed on March's end.
The last anniversary-related surprise for the day is all about the Namco Original new song department, starting out with the roaring tune to mark the 20th anniversary milestone with. Heard during the aforementioned history clipshow, it's actually going to be a playable song in public arcades!
| Title |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Todoroke! Taiko no Tatsujin steμ×Masubuchi×Sasaoka feat. Takayoshi Tanimoto ＆ Chiaki Takahashi 轟け！太鼓の達人 steμ×マスブチ×ササオカ feat. 谷本貴義＆たかはし智秋 |
★2 | ★5 | ★7 |
★8 |
A little bit further on the stream, we've also apprehended how it's also gracing the console and smartphone scenario in later days, coming this Monday on Taiko + and on Nintendo Switch during March.
Shortly after the initial playable reveal, the Magical Lovely duo came back to take on the latest Taiko inclusion on Futsuu and Muzukashii. You can really feel the tension building up for both!
We're also served with a partial primer of what to expect with the project, thanks to the following slide. Most of them have the attached artist profiled, some will have either their time period/song genre of inspiration or directly their full title, while the very last one lies in complete mystery...
Here's what we know of the upcoming tracks:
| Release | Period/Genre | Title (if any) | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 2021 | 2010s Future Bass |
??? | Sho Okada (NAMCO SOUNDS) |
| May 2021 | 2000s Vocaloid |
??? | cosMo@BouSouP |
| June 2021 | 1990s Super Eurobeat |
??? | Tatsh |
| July 2021 | 1980s City Pop |
??? | Masako Oogami |
| August 2021 | 1970s Showa Idol |
??? | Kawagen Kollagen (NAMCO SOUNDS) |
| September 2021 | 1960s Showa Anime |
??? | Katsuro Tajima (NAMCO SOUNDS) |
| October 2021 | Edo Period | Isseifuubi (Butou Series new track) 一世風靡 |
Kakumi Nishigomi |
| November 2021 | Heian Period | Byoudouin Houou-don vs Choujuugi-kat 平等院鳳凰ドンvs鳥獣戯カッ |
IOSYS |
| December 2021 | BCxxxx | ??? | ??? |
| January 2022 | ??? | ??? | Camellia |
| February 2022 | 2022 | ??? | ??? |
Hard to find a moment where "saving the best for last" is quite literal: after the news portion's end the current arcade world champion Yosuba stepped in one last time to play the newly-introduced Todoroke! Taiko no Tatsujin on Oni mode. Here's also the clip for it!
Before the stream's end, however, a Twitter campaign was announced for Japanese viewers to try their chance to win one of the 300 handkerchiefs with the 20th-anniversary key art on!
And finally, that's a wrap! It's nice to see how the same jolly spirit of the past livestream runs is still going strong, despite time lapses and ongoing health-related crisis to face.
Have a good one everyone, and see you next time!
Before the stream's end, however, a Twitter campaign was announced for Japanese viewers to try their chance to win one of the 300 handkerchiefs with the 20th-anniversary key art on!
And finally, that's a wrap! It's nice to see how the same jolly spirit of the past livestream runs is still going strong, despite time lapses and ongoing health-related crisis to face.
Have a good one everyone, and see you next time!
