this will be related to lolita...... i promise !
i've been a somewhat long-time fan of project sekai . i originally got into it on july 4th 2022 , after some friends of mine forced me to download it -- in the middle of a national park !!!!! it took a whole hour to download onto my phone.......but i was instantly hooked !
(at the time , i thought this characterization was a bit funny and somewhat bizarre....^)
i've been a huuuge vocaloid fan since i was little ! different songs , MVs, & voca-ps really had a huge impact in my art , music taste , & developing mind ! so having an accessible vocaloid rhythm game was so fun for me ! one of my friends had actually been playing it every class , and i was so confused but intrigued by the OCs....
my friends actually FORCED me to get wonderlandsxshowtime for my starting group !!!!!!! but after playing a bit... i met my absolute favourite character - mizuki akiyama !!!!!!!!
there is so so so much to be said about mizuki - shes one of the most popular characters for a reason !
but for myself , i immediately was charmed by her "unyielding" cuteness & relatability... i related to her on so many different levels for different reasons !
she likes cute idols and magical girls (where her screen name comes from - amia from "mia" in a magical girl anime !) - she loves collaging and wearing cute clothes , and i loved how she can be both silly and genuinely kind ♡
i also fell in love with her deeper voice . i'm not the type to say "high pitched voices are weird-sounding !" but i've always been drawn to the girls in idol groups with strong lower ranges - like my oshi noel hayase of fruits zipper , i found sato hinata's CV to be absolutely beautiful~
i also deeply related to her feelings of isolation for many reasons... and it made me really see myself in her...!
her story to me was so compelling and jarringly realistic , and i grew super attached to her !
to this day she's by far my highest ranking character , and i even tiered for t400 in my footprints..(still my favourite cards & favoruite event !)
(i don't think i can ever manage this again....)
what really gives me the most comfort is how she’s able to find herself through fashion ♡ - i always struggled a lot with my appearance for many reasons , and seeing someone like me grow to have friends , a community , and express herself fully through fashion really meant a lot !
i also loved that she’s not framed as vain or ridiculous - fashion is just as valid and important to her as other interests are for anyone else ! (she even designed the wondershow costumes - fashion is useful too !) , which was a refreshing change from how a lot of fashionistas are oftentimes framed in different games/shows (though i still love my fashion divas !)
mizuki genuinely kickstarted my full EGL & fashion journey , as i was able to finally find confidence and joy in clothing that let me be myself ! i’d worn EGL beforehand for special events , but i always struggled to find the confidence to try anything more than that - i felt i didnt “deserve it” in all honesty . but seeing mizuki , so sweet , cute , confident , and brave in the clothes she loves , no matter what others say , really motivated me to do the same !!
though i wasn't as active in the fandom anymore , i was super crazy excited to hear about the project sekai movie being released !!!!!
(how my p5-fan friend let me know...)
i was DETERMINED to watch it no matter what - and i quickly assembled other EGL comm members who were interested in it to join me !
i also "quickly assembled" my mizuki ita bag to show off my love for her !
all of the buttons were lovingly handmade in my college's technology lab - button press machines are rough on the wrists ! >_<;;
i actually have more mizuki merch believe it or not... but that's in boxes somewhere...
i also assembled a mizuki-inspired coordinate !
of course i had to wear pink , her signature colour ! i was also pretty excited to debut a new dream dress , and i felt it fit her vibe !
i didn't want to necessarily *cosplay* mizuki , but i did my hair up in curly twintails like her side pony , and i wore my ribbon socks since ribbons are her signature accessory !
the movie was super fun !
most of my friends (and a lot of moviegoers , it seemed !) were there primarly because it was a "miku" movie , which was super awesome in and of itself !
i felt the movie balanced that sort of audience with fans of the game well as well - it dragged with that a bit in the beginning , but it wasn't bad or anything , just the struggle of having 20 main characters !!!!!!!
the plot was super cute & just... fun ! it really felt like a love letter to not only fans of the game , but fans of vocaloid in general . there were a lot of cute easter eggs/references and of course , some voca-ps directly being involved with the movie's music was wonderful !
i know many people have mixed feeling on proseka , but for me , i think it's really helped revitalize a lot of the vocaloid scene . oldheads might remember sand planet - that sort of sentiment , that "vocaloid is dying" was pretty common at the time . i feel proseka helped create an incentive for a lot of voca-ps to continue producing and/or return !
the movie almost felt like a reflection of that... not to spoil , but the TLDR is miku is essentially "dying" & is saved through the efforts of the community . it was super , super heartwarming , and seeing so much love and care put into a "vocaloid movie" really moved me ...
overall , i had an amazing time . the movie was super fun & sweet , and i really loved seeing it with vocaloid/proseka comm members and fans as a whole ! i saw so many cute cosplays , ita bags , and miku merch - it was so wonderful having so many people show out to a random theatre in the middle of nowhere just for miku & proseka !!!!
i have so much love for vocaloid , and mizuki as a character - so this was a very special experience ♡