This documentary is the last film I watched in 2021, and I was completely blown away by it. My encounter with One OK Rock was many years ago when I found their MVs on YouTube, even before I found the rabbit hole leading to the Asian dramaland. I fell for their high energy, wildness, loud music, plus English mixed Japanese lyrics. I love most of their songs, from the heavier “No Scared” to softer “The Beginning”. I didn’t even know that the latter song is the OST of the “Rurouni Kenshin”, the first of its famous movie installments.

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Production: The making of this video is exceptionally well done. Specifically, I love the smooth shifts between their rehearsal and the actual concert scenes.

The subtitle was well done.

Story: The film starts with restless Taka telling us how hopeless he felt when Japan and the rest of the world were shut down because of the pandemic. Their last world tour was Australia tour in March 2020. Everyone was afraid, especially when Toru was contracted with the COVID-19. Forever a visionary, Taka started having this dream to create a live-streaming concert online. Most of the film then spent on how they prepared the concert. However, we also see a glimpse of their personal lives, for example Tomo spending time with his three little boys (the newborn is cutely presented in his father’s arm in the credit scene), Taka visiting his dad whom he once was estranged from, the members playing sports and barbecuing together.

I like the fact they also collaborated with other Japanese musicians and singers not from rock genre to perform together. Especially for the singers, each has their own unique voice and style and blended together harmoniously during the duet and chorus.

I also like the angst during rehearsal scenes on the second and the one day before the concert, when typhoon blasted Chiba, Japan where their live-streaming concert is held. Although there was no sign that the typhoon would stop on the concert day, the group and the team still rehearsed professionally and didn’t lose hope.

Acting: What to say, they’re performers. It was quite interesting to watch a glimpse of their anxiety in performing at an empty stadium, not seeing crowd neither hearing their cheers. However, one the concert started, the band and other performers just loosened up; especially knowing 100,000+ people bought online tickets (totaling to 110,000 live audience).

Visual FX: No complaint, everything was artistically created, like they were making a real movie!

OST: Although this film is not a video of their concert (you need to buy separately for their concert video), but we also hear and see them performing popular songs like “We Are” and “Wasted Night”. Their new song “Wonder” was also introduced at the concert. Taka singing a cappella the last line of “Wasted Night” as the last song gave me goose bumps, and closed the concert impressively.

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Lastly, congratulation to Toru who announced his marriage to Japanese model and actress Omasa Aya on 28th December 2021! Now with three of the band members are married, we’re waiting for the last eligible bachelor of the band Taka, to find his life partner!