JEDDAH: Members of the Japanese rock group Koyomi Band had fans of anime and manga dancing to their tune when they recently took to the stage as part of Jeddah Season.
Anime Village, one of the port city festival’s activity zones, on Sunday played host to a second show by the group that had otaku (passionate followers of the cartoon culture) in raptures.
Concertgoers sang along to songs from popular manga series such as “Naruto,” “One Piece,” “Dragon Ball,” “Jujutsu Kaisen,” and “Tokyo Ghoul” during the band’s first appearance in Saudi Arabia.
Lead singer, Koyomi, told Arab News: “In this event, Jeddah Season, we felt that all of our fans here loved anime more than we thought.”
And Yoma, the group’s guitarist, said: “I never thought that people in Saudi Arabia loved Japanese anime so much. I’m surprised and want to return again soon.”
Drummer Bobuji noted the warmth of the welcome from the Jeddah City Walk audience. “Even though I cannot express my feelings to the fans in words, I can through music,” he said.
Meanwhile, bassist Kyoya said he was impressed with the Anime Village. “It was awesome, and the fans’ reaction was amazing. The fans were most welcoming, and that made us very happy,” he added.
Visitor Rana Bukhari, 20, said: “They played opening songs from my favorite anime shows, and their concert was so much fun. They sang beautifully and got the crowd excited to sing with them.”
Adel Khalid, 34, another fan of Japanese anime, lauded the targeted Jeddah Season event.
He said: “There are a lot of people in Jeddah and the Kingdom that love anime and attending a concert like Koyomi’s was such a special experience for me.”
Hala Yanba’awi, 25, said: “I learned new greeting phrases such as konnichiwa (hello) and arigato (thank you) from the volunteers in the store, maze, and virtual reality room.
“The Anime Village is actually my favorite zone because I find the events there to be the most fun. I love how colorful it is too,” she added.
Before setting up the band, Koyomi was the main vocalist for the group Re:ply performing concert tours around the world.
