As an NMB48 fan living in the United States, I never thought I would have an opportunity to attend a theater performance, so when this event was announced I knew I had to go.



The organization of the event was well done. The only things I might have changed were announcing the tickets sales further in advance and not having the line-up to enter the theater being first-come, first-served. I didn't necessarily want to be in the front row, but others probably did but didn't want to stand in line for an hour or more or couldn't get there early enough to be toward the front of the line. An option could be to let people arrive after a certain time and get numbered tickets to be used in a drawing just before letting people into the theater. The name tags we got had numbers on them. Those could have been the assigned numbers for a drawing. Whichever number is picked becomes first in line, then everyone else lines up numerically after that number, with the lower numbers going toward the end of the line. Groups could go with whatever number from among them ended up toward the front of the line.



By announcing the event as close to the performance as was done this time made it difficult to get a better deal on airfare. Announcing it three or four months before the performance date would allow for buying plane tickets when the airfare is less expensive and maybe give more tourists who are looking for something to do in Osaka time to work a concert into their plans, if they are considering activities offered by Deep Experience.



The performance itself was awesome! The energy in the theater is great — it's something you have to experience in person rather than watching on video. The singing and dancing were terrific. It was especially impressive considering how many members from the other teams were filling in. They did a good job and fit in well. I was happy to hear songs like "Inochi no Heso," "Yake Bokkui" and "Yuuhi wo Mite Iruka?" in person.



For people who are unfamiliar with NMB48 and their sister groups, their songs cover many genres, but I tell people it's like the 1980s Billboard Top 40: pop, rock, dance, R&B and maybe disco. About the only genre they don't do much of is country. Even if you don't know Japanese, the tunes are super catchy.



It was also fun to have local fans there, too. Idol shows have a lot of cheers and chants that Japanese fans know but that foreign fans, especially those who don't speak much Japanese, don't know as well. It was fun to see the interaction between the group members and the fans.



I only wish I understood more Japanese so I could follow the MC parts. They had interpreters there for the Chinese and Korean fans, but I guess there weren't enough fans from English-speaking countries for them to have an English interpreter. I met a fan from Los Angeles who was able to explain what they were talking about to me.



If Deep Experience works with NMB to do this again, I will certain do my best to come back.