Last weekend, Ikebukuro’s Sunshine City, a large shopping, dining, and entertainment complex, hosted SchoFes Kanshasai 2016, a fan-appreciation event for players of the Love Live! School Idol Festival mobile game, itself based on the smash hit teen idol anime franchise Love Live! Love Live! has become such a cultural phenomenon that it’s now just as famous for its hard-core fans, called the Love Livers, as it is for the content of the series itself.
With Love Live! music playing, Love Livers packed the area and gave a startlingly powerful demonstration of the passion and participative spirit that defines modern Japanese idol fandom.
But sometimes, fans feel there are messages important enough to stop pedestrian traffic for, such as “Dededededede!”
Although Tokyo’s Ikebukuro neighborhood isn’t as thoroughly otaku-centric as Akihabara, it’s becoming an increasingly popular location for anime-themed shops, restaurants, and events.