The latest livestream antics of Etou and Kimizu have dropped a bit earlier than the usual weekend gateaway window, but nevertheless we got your back on the recap action! See you after the jump for the image-based recap, with the full stream on toe above these lines.
First in line is the slide-showing of the licensed tunes that were released a few months back (what belated blog entry posting), with a brief message clip from Shiritsu Ebisu Chugaku, the Momoiro Clover Z sister unit that has delivered the newcoming Ebi Chili, Hajimemashita.
Earlier (and shorter) than usual, the Taiko no Tatsujin merch corner was second in line, just with one item that was teased on the taiko_all X account a few days ago: edible Taiko drum siblings! Don-chan and Kat-chan have been turned into Mash-cots -"Marshmallow Mascots"- which can be bought and consumed to your liking in major retailers!
These were also shown on livestream, packaging and all the sugar-coated aura. Etou and Kimizu even tried to have their fill a few times, but they falied as (and I quote), "they're just too cute to be eaten"!
Coming up next are the latest stores outside of Japan to have held Real Ranking Dojo events during this Summer. This time around, have some colorful postcards from the Republic of Korea and Taiwan!
Next in line is a contest, but one to award those welcoming Taiko players at their own game centers, for a change! Almost 150 different stores scross Asia have joined a competition to award the best displays for game center operators to welcome players to try some Nijiiro Version action, and the best ones were also shown on livestream today!
While we leave the Honorable Mentions for those who want to scour the Taiko livestream for themselves, below we're just including the award-winning entries of the (left-to-right, top-to-bottom) Etou Award, Kimizu Award, Namco Award and the Grand Winner. Click on each image for a better viewing on each!
The latest (Nintendo Switch) Donderful/Rhythm Festival tournament -the DonKatsu Cup 2026/2027- also had a small corner to digress on its latter stretch, with titles and physical awards for the higher-ranking players.
Next in line, collaboration talk! It's mostly about the ongoing inhouse campaign for this Summer-ending livestream, with the Fishing Spirits Wonder collaboration being first in line.
Seeing as the Taiko leg of the campaign wasn't nearly as much talked as the Wangan Midnight one, have a few screens on the collab on the collaborating arcade game and the variety of Kigurumi-donning variety of Dons and badges you can reel in yourself!
Speaking of, the Wangan Midnight collaboration was next to have a reminder for, just in visuals for the newly-added medley as well as the collaboration hitsounds being briefly played out.
For unheard-of projects for the year's ending, how about one of the eastern-variety ones!? The Hakurei Shrine Autumn Reitaisai edition of this year is ready to welcome the Taiko Nijiiro magic once more, on October 4th.
While no early details for the public Nijiiro Version campaign were handed out, we already know which arrangement tune is going to be playable at the venue as an early perk: Yukemuri Tamaonsen II, a sequel of the rap-based doujin circle Tamaonsen 'theme song' that is based around a song from Subterranean Animism.
We then finally get the announcement on the Taiko side about Namco's coming at the also-yearly Amusement Music Expo, with the guest artists to join the stage at the Music FES's Taiko portion. Joining anchorman Licht/Rihito Tsuboi are also the two vocalists for Re:play, in tone with the franchise's 25th anniversary shenanigans!
Fans of blind-box-drawing Q&As don't have to hold their breath on this edition: the 'What's in... box!' portion is up and accounting!
Of note for this outing is voicing one certain sentiment that was also posted on the main series X account: a permanent way to enjoy Yell Ex Machina and Dark Ex Machina's alternate-vocalists version that have been made playable for the soon-ending Dark DonChare campaign. Even without slide, we can hear they're tentatively set for a September 19th release date, on Nijiiro cabs!
Right after that, the time has come for oneevaluation to meet its end... The 2026 Music Recruitment contest winners are among us!
Before the winners' reveal, we have to set the record straight for a clerical error on our part: this contest's guest judges not only are to set a comment on the winning songs- they also chose one of the winners each! You'll be seeing them in the bottom row before the trio of gentlemen taking the mantle as guest judges on that.
The General Public Voting phase of the contest is also starting today, with the same two-phases format of the 2024 contest. Phase 1 (from today until October 2nd) invites everyone to cast their Likes (one unique Like per day on a single song) on their song(s) of choice while Phase 2 (from October 22nd to November 30th) will have Banapassport-geared Donders to check their Donder Hiroba page to assign their 5 unique votes in any combination across Phase 1's most-liked songs.
The other big topic of the day is also showing up: meet (some of) your next nightmares from the 2026 Ranking Dojo's final main courses!
The Kuroto-to-Tatsujin set of Main Courses will make its debut at last tomorrow, with a few slots being filled in for 2nd-stage and the ending (which, may I remind you, are going to be Ura Onis for the recently-launched three remixed Originals). As for the Tatsujin trial, well...
...we know it's going to feature a brand-new Namco Original from three infamous artists from Tatsujin-ender trials of the past years! The newly-revealed Mayoitsuki also had a few seconds played live on stream (click here!).
Until tomorrow's Ranking Dojo inner demons are unleashed on game centers, take care!
Meanwhile, at Lokamp's...
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGHH
I guess that's the price I have to pay to shield this post from 9/11 references
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I guess that's the price I have to pay to shield this post from 9/11 references
AAAAAAAAAAAAAH F-"
