Pipe Wrench Fight!

(If you want to know why today's subject title is "Pipe Wrench Fight", I suggest you watch this video all the way through. It's for your own benefit!)

After two weeks of putting it off due to mixed schedules and a battle with the plague, I finally got to meet Dan J. and Dan L.'s mutual friend Dan S. (Yes, I am aware that is a lot of Dan's) Dan J. meet Dan S. through a study abroad program and Dan L. knew Dan S. from having grown up together (I think!). Both Dan J. and Dan L. are friends as well. Damn all these Dan's from California.

So! After trying to find my way to the Hachiko Exit of Shibuya station (and finding myself right smack dab in the middle of that intersection that you always see when Japan is referenced, where the entire street is mobbed by people. Yeah, I was there!). Up and above me were giant LCD screens with music, videos, everything being displayed on them. To my right was a massive billboard promoting Ayu's 10th Anniversary Song Collection and then. Then I saw the building so infamous, it was like another world...

I stood in front of Shibuya 109. THE SHIBUYA 109! The birthplace of Ko-Gal's and ParaPara girls! Not only that, but there's 109-2, which is 109 for men! ZOMG.

But I digress, of course. I finally got to meet Dan S., who is made of awesome sauce. Seriously. The dude is fluent in Japanese to point where seriously...I think they need to revoke his passport. He's Japanese. Seriously.

So we wandered around Shibuya, he told me about a lot of cool stores, we exchanged geek stories, talked about how we met Dan L. and Dan J. before heading off to dinner's at a little slice of Americana known as TGI Friday's. That's right, folks. TGI Friday's. They still have FLAIR. And damn good food. Pricey, but damn good. Dan was an amazing gentleman because when I was away in the bathroom he ended up paying for me ;~; Such a sweety.

After that, it was time for the greatest of Japanese past times. No, not baseball. No, not getting drunk to the point where you have a necktie around your head like Rambo, but true, authentic, often imitated but never quite the same...

Japanese Karaoke.

If you ever wanted to sing anime themesongs at the top of your lungs in the privacy of a swank room with a Cinderella theme...go to Japan. Seriously. It was awesome, though we weren't without our awesome between-song commentary...

About 10 minutes in...

Dan: So, the last time I did Karaoke, it was two hours of nothing but Gundam songs.
Me: ...o_o; *Has queued up "Just Communication" from Gundam W* ...Uh-oh...
Dan: ZOMG I LOVE TWO MIX!! *Squee's, and queue's up "Rhythm Emotion"*
Me: *_*;

30 Minutes in...

Dan: *singing some really strange ass song*
Me: WTF?
Dan: I dunno. I seriously think people were high when they wrote this song.
Me: With lyrics that repeat, "Star Rider, Star Romancer" with crazy scenery with a guy who looks like a Rasta...I'd believe it.

Some 2982743 minutes in...

Dan: We should sing the last song together. Any ideas?
Me: I'm down with Bowie, The Cure, Billy Idol...Anything from the 80s is good...
Dan: Billy Idol? How about "Dancing With Myself"? ...fuck, they only have "Mony Mony".
Me: Cyndi Lauper?
Dan: Oh GOD no. Hmm...AH! "Take On Me!"
Me: Dude, did you see the literal version of that on BoingBoing?
Dan: BAND MONTAGE!
Me: PIPE WRENCH FIGHT!
*Insert really bad high pitched singing*

Many LOLZ were had. Also, as it would turn out, Dan works for a CD production company, and has met with many Japanese bands and stuff. He asked if I liked JPop and Rock and I do, occasionally. I did like Visual Kei back in the day and that immediately brought up Malice Mizer and Moi Diz Mois to him. And I will forever, forever envy that man for he has met, conversed, and done business with perhaps the most talented man in all of Visual Kei history: Mana.

I nearly died. So I met a guy who's talked face-to-face with Mana. ;~; Mana-sama~!

Okay, nerdgasm over. Onto my song list!

I think this is a complete listing of what I sang:

Utada Hikaru - Beautiful World (Evangelion Theme)
Ayumi Hamasaki - Evolution
Two Mix - Just Communication (Gundam W Theme)
Two Mix - Rhythm Emotion (Gundam W Theme)
Round Table ft. Nino - Let Me Be With You (Chobits Theme)
Tommy February6 - Lonely In Gorgeous (Paradise Kiss Theme)
Peach Hips - Moonlight Legend (Sailor Moon Theme)
MELL - Red Fraction (Black Lagoon Theme)
Koda Kumi - Real Emotion (Final Fantasy X-2 Theme)
Mizuki Nana - Hime Murasaki (Basilisk Ending Theme)
Takahashi Hitomi - Aozora no Namida (Blood + Theme)
Hayashibara Megumi - Cruel Angel's Thesis (Evangelion Theme)
Malice Mizer - Gardenia
Gackt - Emu ~ For My Dear
Kosaka Riyu - Love Shine
A-Ha - Take On Me (PIIIIIIPE WREEEENCH FIIIIIIGHT!)

...they had songs from like everything. Azumanga, Oh! My Goddess, I! My! Me! Strawberry Eggs (!!)...

I need to do this Karaoke thing again soon. Need to better plot my plan of attack!

So now, Dan's going to link me to some good VK bands that he thinks I'll like, and also an invite to Mixi (Think MySpace/Facebook + Japan, and that's Mixi)

I had a great night. It was nice to get out for a little bit and meet new friends :)