2023 Recap

With another year coming to an end, it's time to summarize what the sensei has done throughout. As much as I am looking forward for next year -- and his 50th career anniversary, it's a bummer that this is the first year in a while that Yamamoto hasn't released at least one album, whether a maxi single or a full-length one, since 2014; all the years between them have album releases, if you wanna count THE Jitaku Live in 2021.

To start the second post-COVID year, Yamamoto returned to the stage in January with the Tatsunoko 60th anniversary concert, since he is a prominent person who worked on not the Time Bokan Series, but two super robot shows. Although Ichiro Mizuki was part of the main performers, he sadly passed away one month prior. Thankfully, Birthday Song paid a tribute with a prerecorded video of Mizuki singing the theme to Tekkaman the Space Kinght.

Yamamoto still got the energy and stage presence to keep the audience rockin'! Oh, don't forget that he even had the acoustic corner so he can shred the strings with those upbeat anime themes.

On April Fool's Day (I'm not kidding), he made a company song for a music production studio titled Orihime Hikoboshi AYUMI ONE. The melody and the music video that accompanied the song gave me Time Bokan-like vibes. As of this writing, the music video has garnered over ten thousand views on YouTube!

As an early birthday treat, Yamamoto came back for another Tatsunoko 60th concert in Osaka, but with Mizuki, Hironobu Kageyama and Hiroko Asakura replaced with Andy Koyama, Akira Kushida and Satoko Yamano. It wasn't as special as the Tokyo concert, but hey, at least he had fun again.

Oh, patiently waiting for an original live, or an Anison Shibari, or a year-end request show? Sad to say that those didn't happen, making it the third consecutive year Masayukists have gone without any announcements on live concerts. He apparently cancelled the AJF appearance this year too.

By August, he appeared in an interview from JASRAC on Zesshou Karaokeman, where it was also released on digital streaming at the same time. His neatly combed grey-white hair, slender body and his charisma are all summed down in a video that's even reached ten thousand views on YouTube.

I don't know if this counts, but he wrote the lyrics to a new Chunichi Dragons related ouenka (fight song) titled Moeyo Sunday Dragons that was found in a guidebook published last October. The song has yet to be recorded.

And that's all that had happened this year. Yet another unspecial year that could've been special the time 2023 started, but all we got are some minor contributions and a few activities. Finger crossed that next year will be extra special.

Because not only is it the year of the dragon, befitting to Chunichi Dragons, but also the aforementioned 50th career anniversary. He did it with The Pakapackan for his 35th anniversary in 2009, so lemme predict what should happen for that year:

• Another 10-disc box set containing selected albums from the Bella Beaux era, especially SOLO Hiki no Yoru
• Alternately two best/compilation albums containing selected fan-favorite tracks, one on anime and image songs and another on original songs
• Probably an anime cover album -- mixed with songs he made and didn't made
• Probably an album containing unreleased songs
• Probably an original album
• Moeyo Sunday Dragons and Orihime Hikoboshi AYUMI ONE. either on CD or streaming
• Have some previously released albums on streaming -- maybe Warner Music or Sony (distributor of Susquehanna Record releases) could be interested; also have some OSTs of anime he'd contributed be on streaming too -- King Records could be interested in releasing the J9 OSTs
• The return of Masayuki Zensen(?)
• The return of original live concerts (any moment now...)
• A special 50th anniversary version of Moeyo Dragons (perhaps)

As for these fan sites -- here, The Masayukist's Zone and the newly named MyJournal site of MasaTunes -- things are still gonna be at a medium pace, since I am not a multitasker when it comes to doing free time, but by next year, I am sure things will be regularly updated on upcoming activities and related stuff. I'll also have to keep expanding the The Masayukist's Zone to make that site more detailed and up-to-date, complete with research. I hope these sites will interest some more Japanese fans and a couple of foreigners who are interested. I also hope 2024 will be a crazy year for Yamamoto sensei.

'Til then, here's to another wonderful musical journey in 2024! 💙