Last weekend was a huge deal for all the Malaysian otakus as Comic Fiesta celebrated its 20th anniversary! The 2-days event went smoothly with fans checking out all the exhibitions, participating in games and contests and even meeting their favourite cosplayers and voice actors.
One of the highlights of the event was, of course, the concert headlined by Japanese superstars ASCA and spira spica (スピラ・スピカ)! The two artists took the stage at Plenary Hall, KL Convention Centre at 8pm and it was nothing short of electrifying.
Spira Spica
Taking the stage first was Mikiha (幹葉) of spira spica! The vocalist of the popular Japanese band started her set with their song appropriately titled, “Start Dash” before moving on to “Sorairo Days”. The two uptempo tracks had the audience on their feet, dancing and singing along with her. The singer then introduced herself in Malay saying, “Saya Mikiha dari spira spica!” with so much enthusiasm.
The band member showed off her impressive stamina and breath support as she danced, ran and jumped on stage throughout most of the set without missing a single beat or note! Of course, she slowed this down with ballads like “Sayonara Namida” and “ETERNAL WIND” where she showcased her amazing vocal skills that left fans mesmerised. One of the highlights of her set was when she invited her fellow headliner ASCA onto the stage where the two performed “Blue Bird”, the opening theme for “Naruto”.
As soon as ASCA left the stage, Mikiha carried on with her set and performed another anime theme song, “STAND UP TO THE VICTORY” from “Mobile Suit Victory Gundam”. The most unexpected moment was when the singer surprised fans with a cover of a popular song originally sung by her senpai LiSA. You guessed it, it was “Gurenge”, the opening theme song for “Demon Slayer” which got everyone singing along to every word with her.
We are sure that she has indeed made her senpai proud as she performed the difficult fast-tempo track flawlessly. As much as we hate to see her leave, she thanked her fans saying, “Saya suka Malaysia! Saya suka Comic Fiesta! Terima Kasih!” before ending her set with “Sun Sun Days”.
ASCA
As soon as the lights went down, fans continuously cheered for ASCA. Before gracing the stage with her strong presence, the audience was entranced by the visuals presented onscreen as well as the lighting effects. The soloist made her grand entry, donning a white dress, and performed “PLEDGE” from the anime 2018 “Record Of Grancrest War”. Fans’ eyes were glued to the singer as she commanded the stage while performing the second track, “凛 (Rin)” also from the same anime.
Just like her co-headliner, ASCA introduced herself and spoke with the crowd in Malay saying, “Nama saya ASCA! Apa khabar? Sudah makan?”. If fans were sitting before, they weren’t sitting for long as they all got up in their seats when the artist gave an electrifying performance of songs like “CHAIN” and “RESISTER” from “Darwin’s Game” and “Sword Art Online” respectively. Much to everyone’s delight, ASCA invited Mikiha of spira spica back on stage where the two performed a duet version of her latest single, “私が笑う理由は (Watashi ga warau wakewa)”.
She’s proven that she’s definitely more than just a pop star. Throughout her set, the songs ASCA performed showcased her versatility as many of them were in various genres such as Pop, Techno, Ballad, Classical and even Rock. One of the most unforgettable moments during the show was when we felt Plenary Hall shaking as everyone in the audience jumped to their hearts’ content during “Howling”. Talk about almost bringing the house down, literally!
The singer ended her set by promising that she would be back in Malaysia next year before singing her final song, “REAL DAWN”. spira spica’s Mikiha returned to the stage to join ASCA in thanking their fans for coming to see their performance at this year’s Comic Fiesta. We were sad that the show ended but after what we’ve seen on stage, we’re very much looking forward to the next one!
If you didn’t manage to catch them live at the biggest anime/cosplay convention, then be sure to get your tickets for the SACRA MUSIC Fest that will take 3rd February at Zepp KL where the two will be joined by FLOW, Who-ya Extended and Akase Akari.
