On June 3rd, after enjoying the celebratory displays for the release of Arui wa Anarchy in Tower Records Shibuya, Blog-Tick & friends headed next door to the Buck-Tick Cafe event at Cafe Manduuka. This is the second time Buck-Tick have held a pop-up cafe event to celebrate the release of an album, the first being the NicoNico Buck-Tick Cafe event which was held in honor of the release of Yumemiru Uchuu. Though the NicoNico Buck-Tick cafe had the distinct disadvantages of closing at the young hour of 8PM and not serving alcohol, the exhibit was extensive, and included displays of the band members' costumes and instruments, as well as a Buck-Tick purikura machine.
How would the Cafe Manduuka measure up? There was only one way to find out.
On our way in, we were greeted by this giant banner, which ran the length of the front window.
Inside, the walls were hung tastefully with prints of various promotional photos, though due to their small size, they didn't intrude nearly as much as I had hoped on the dining experience of the numerous Normal People who had come to the cafe for no other reason than to eat food.
Though Blog-Tick & friends spotted a number of Buck-Tick tour-following regulars drinking beer at the tables near the entrance hall, in the back, there were several birthday party groups of Shibuya teenyboppers who looked to be about twenty years too young to have ever heard of Buck-Tick on TV. Though Arui wa Anarchy was playing on shuffle over the cafe speakers, annoyingly, when the various birthday guests of honor were presented with cake, cafe staff dimmed the lights in the whole restaurant, stepped up to the DJ booth and turned on a loud, canned, j-pop lounge version of "Happy Birthday To You," severely detracting from the Buck-Tick atmosphere. I strongly feel they should have played "Iconoclasm" instead, but no one ever listens to me.
The appeal of Cafe Manduuka's food outstripped the horrifying NicoNico black curry by a large margin, though the prices were high and the drinks were weak. Shop staff had been directed to hand the special Buck-Tick coasters and placemats only to customers who asked for them, so as to avoid giving away coveted Buck-Tick items to undeserving Normal People. However, it seemed a waste to actually use the coasters and placemats, so most fans simply pocketed them and carried them home.
As the album had not been officially released yet, none of us had yet had a chance to listen to the new songs, and we strained to hear over the din of cafe conversation, while watching silent clips from Buck-Tick: The Movie, the Day in Question 2013, and the Keijijou Ryuusei PV on the projection screen conveniently located near our table, groaning in unison as "Sekai wa Yame de Michiteiru" came up over the speakers. We took bets on which sorry band member was responsible for the epic fail this time, and all four of us lost - we all bet Hide, but this song is 100% Imai's fault. Sorry, fans.
And kids, listen good, cuz I'm only gonna say this once: friends don't let friends have babies. Reproduction is rock-n-roll suicide in the making.
Though it would have been nice to sit there in the cafe all night, they kicked us out after two hours to make room for more fans...but not before we got a nice shot of this banner hanging in the entryway.
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So how would Cayce rate the Cafe Manduuka experience overall?
Ultimately, while it was nice to be able to sit down and eat dinner and have a beer, I would have appreciated a bit more aggressive Buck-Tickery - larger panels, louder music, more bananas, and most importantly, TEQUILA!
Bring those tequila shots to the tour, guys. Y'all know exactly when to take them.
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P.S. For those of you wondering whether you will see Cayce on the tour, just remember, this is what I look like:
If you were convinced I was someone else, you're wrong.
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