Kishibe Seven Announces First-Ever Nationwide Tour — Seven Cities Starting February

Shiosai Records held a press conference in the city on the 30th to announce that idol group Kishibe Seven will hold its first-ever nationwide tour, titled "Shore, Touring" — the working title carried over unchanged as the official one — from February through March of next year. Tour stops begin in Tokei and are planned to include seven cities such as Naniwa, Owari, and Hokuto. The label's producer explained, "There had long been talk of carrying what the group has built in Tokei out beyond it, but the single 'Beyond the Light' topping the streaming chart and Noa's photo book announcement — the group's reach extending outward on multiple fronts at once — convinced us the timing had come."

■ A "Shore" Theme for Each City

The tour's distinguishing feature, the label says, is choosing venues near each city's own Yuragi band and building staging themed on that locality's "shore." The Tokei show is set for the Bayside Civic Hall; for the Naniwa show, a hall near a local observation facility is under consideration. The staging director said, "The name Kishibe — 'shoreside' — carries the meaning of a shore where life goes on alongside the Yuragi. Every city has its own shore. We want this to be a time to look at each place's shore together with the people who live there."

■ The Members Speak

Center member Noa Kishiyanagi, 20, previously reported, said with a smile at the conference, "We've always heard from fans outside Tokei who say they want to come see us but can't. Now we finally get to be the ones who go to see them." Iroha Urahata, 19, previously reported, the group's other member with nonhuman features, spoke candidly: "I'm honestly a little nervous about whether I can hold to my own decision not to hide my tail somewhere that isn't Tokei." The 'Tail Care' column, previously reported from October 3, will switch to on-the-road updates during the tour, the label said.

■ A Happy Coincidence With "Light-Bearer"

Shiosai Records also noted the recent announcement, previously reported on the 26th, that singer Yuki Shirase, 31, will perform the theme song for the anime "Light-Bearer," commenting, "It happens to be a stretch where several bright culture-desk stories are stacking up within the same label." There is no overlap, the label said, with the schedule for Shirase's additional performance, previously reported.

■ The Other Members, Too

All seven members took the stage at the conference, alongside Kishiyanagi and Urahata. One member, whose unguarded expressions drew attention in the BTV close-coverage special "Kishibe Seven, Seven Faces," previously reported on September 29, said, "Honestly, I don't know how I'll be received outside Tokei. But with all seven of us together, it doesn't feel scary." Another recalled, "Having gone through that close-coverage experience with Bayside TV, I feel like it's given me the nerve to stand in front of cameras in a city I've never been to."

■ Tickets and What's Next

Advance lottery ticket sales are set to begin in mid-November, with details to be announced soon. Neither Kishiyanagi nor Urahata has any direct connection yet to the previously reported first-round Torek Prize nominations, but the producer said, "If the response to this tour carries forward into next year's recognition, that would be welcome." As a safety measure, the label said it plans to request cooperation from the Sword Bearers' Association and the Patrol Guild for venue-area security at the Tokei show, as was done for the previously reported wall-racing league final.