Berryz to attend AnimeNEXT

Seriously? I can't believe it. Mere hours after I wrote "I'm still holding out for Berryz to get invited to Japan Expo" in my previous entry about Buono's concert in Paris this February, news broke that they have been invited to a tiny convention on the US' east coast by the name of AnimeNEXT.

My dreams for this year are shattered.

But maybe I can still put them back together.

While I wasn't too keen on the idea initially (and didn't even consider going to their Sakuracon performance for the same reason), I may find a way to attend. America has generally been in the realm of the darkest, most cob-webbed corners - and filed with a do not want sticker - of the "countries to visit" list that I'm sure everyone compiles at some point whether physically or mentally.

And yet, this time something appeals to me.

When I went to Japan Expo for Morning Musume, I had the time of my life, that is true. And much of what made it so was the people I was with. Team Awesome, as Lolli named us. But I still knew that I was a Berryz fan in a sea of Momusu freaks. I still feel guilty that JunJun thought I was wearing one of her concert shirts when it was a Maasa one. So what would happen if it had been a Berryz event?

I seemed to get recognised a great deal when I was at PJX. "You're Dran, right? I read your blog!" and so on. I also feel guilty that many of the people who said this to me, I didn't recognise either. Some of them I did know after they told me their name. But they put me at a disadvantage by recognising me by my awesome good looks. Well... you know.

Would I be more recognised in a crowd of Berryz fans? Would I recognise more people? Who knows. It's an experiment that sounds fun to try though.

And then there's the crowning moment. That which I would see Sudou Maasa for the first time in person. No thought has ever been so compelling to me. For 3 years now I've been referred to as Pope Dran of the Church of Maasa (a title I'm not all that fond of. Sounds too.... pope-y.) And yet, I've never so much as laid eyes on her. Does that make me qualified to be Church leader?

Oh well. The US is still very far indeed. A lot of money, which could be better spent saving for Japan. I have no idea yet if I can afford to go there, at any rate. But we'll see. If I can, it'll be just as tight-cut as it would be to go see Buono. More expensive, perhaps. But also further away. A bit like the sun and moon. The sun is 400 times larger than the moon, but also 400 times further away. So from our perspective, they appear to be the same size in the sky.

The convention will run in Somerset, New Jersey from the 8th of June to the 10th, I believe.