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Chapter 109: The Brilliance of “Uchiage Hanabi”
🕑 Added 2025-08-23 15:51:20 +0000 UTCOn September 28th, the Fireworks movie trailer was released as scheduled.
Simultaneously, the film’s voice actors, director, and other key production staff began their nationwide promotional tour.
Just as Niijima had said earlier, the pre-recorded Uchiage Hanabi wasn’t featured in the trailer.
Many netizens, especially those following the "suki-san controversy," clicked on the trailer out of curiosity—only to walk away disappointed.
Still, thanks to the overwhelming promotional campaign, the stylish visuals, and the all-star production lineup, the trailer succeeded in building hype.
A growing number of people began to take interest in the full title of the film:
“Fireworks: Should We See It from the Side or the Bottom?”
As the buzz spread, so did word of mouth.
Like a snowball gaining momentum, more and more people were planning to catch the movie in theaters once it released.
Meanwhile, with Uchiage Hanabi already fully recorded, Aoki and the girls of Kessoku Band finally had a bit of downtime.
They used the break to recharge—especially important considering how busy things were about to get: live performances, radio appearances, potential PVC record collaborations…
They wouldn’t get much rest after this, and truthfully, the group was already beginning to resemble a proper professional band.
Time passed quickly, and under the weight of growing anticipation from fans and curious onlookers, the calendar turned to October 7th.
Fireworks finally hit theaters.
Aoki and the members of Kessoku Band didn’t rush out to catch the premiere.
Though curious about how Uchiage Hanabi would pair with the film, none of them had scrambled for early tickets—so they missed the debut screening.
They also politely declined Niijima’s offer of five internal staff passes.
Instead, they chose to get tickets on their own and eventually secured a few seats for a 7 PM showing at a theater in Shibuya.
The timing worked out perfectly.
They planned to grab dinner afterward and celebrate.
That morning, they finalized the meetup plans in the group chat.
Aoki wasn’t particularly focused on the screening itself.
After all, he’d seen the movie in his past life.
The details were fuzzy after so many years, but he remembered enough to know it wasn’t exactly a masterpiece.
What truly interested him was how the internet—and especially the fans of Ghost Elements—were reacting now that Uchiage Hanabi had been fully released.
There was no doubt in his mind: this version of Uchiage Hanabi, with Kita Ikuyo as lead vocalist, was flawless.
His judgment had been spot-on.
Kita’s airy, ethereal voice captured the heart of the song’s emotional landscape perfectly. Her delivery gave life to every note.
Bocchi’s lead guitar, Nijika’s drums, and Ryo’s bass each came together seamlessly.
Aoki had full faith that once people heard the completed track, it would crush the toxic rumors still lingering online.
Since the day he’d posted his now-famous "I don’t accept this" tweet under the alias suki-san, Aoki hadn’t responded to a single online comment.
But Ghost Elements fans had taken his silence as a retreat—and only grew more aggressive.
By the time the final trailer for Fireworks dropped, the hostility reached new heights.
Speculations turned into accusations, with some fans even going so far as to claim Kessoku Band had insider industry connections.
Without any evidence, they insisted the band’s music couldn’t possibly compare to Ghost Elements’.
The mob mentality spread quickly, and uninformed onlookers began sympathizing with Ghost Elements.
Of course, Aoki had seen all of it.
But he also knew one thing for certain: skill wasn’t something you could fake with popularity or clout.
Rumors claiming Uchiage Hanabi was inferior to Ghost Elements’ work might have held weight for a while—but not for long.
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October 7th, 10:00 AM.
The first theater screenings should’ve just wrapped up.
If any reviewers worked fast enough, their reactions would already be trickling in online.
And as for music critics? The media outlets that had been leeching off the suki-san drama would definitely jump at the chance to stir up more buzz.
Curious, Aoki opened Twitter.
He searched for a few keywords—and just as expected, tweets about Uchiage Hanabi were starting to flood the platform.
He filtered the results and found several posts focused on the music.
The most viral tweet had a dramatic title:
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“My Confession After Watching Fireworks: ‘A Would-Be Masterpiece Tainted by Hype’ – But After Hearing Uchiage Hanabi: ‘This Song Saved the Entire Movie!’ (Spoilers Inside)”
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The tweet was obviously clickbait, but it worked.
More interestingly, the author’s handle looked familiar to Aoki.
“Whiskey in a Glass.”
The same username appeared on YouTube, where the creator had over 1.2 million subscribers and a reputation for sharp, in-depth commentary on everything from politics and history to games and anime.
The reason Aoki recognized the name?
This same influencer had weighed in during the Ghost Elements vs. suki-san controversy.
Back then, Whiskey in a Glass hadn’t taken sides—though there was a slight bias toward Ghost Elements, probably influenced by their fanbase.
He had said he wouldn’t support Kessoku Band until Uchiage Hanabi was officially released.
Now, this same critic was posting a tweet titled “My Confession.”
Intrigued, Aoki clicked on it.
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[Before I begin this article, I owe a sincere apology.]
During the dispute between Ghost Elements and Kessoku Band, I made a few careless remarks without fully understanding the situation. For that, I’m truly sorry.
My understanding of music is far from professional, and I hadn’t been following the recent events in the music scene closely. I’d never taken the time to properly learn about suki-san or Kessoku Band.
In fact, before this morning… I had never listened to suki-san’s music. I hadn’t even heard Kessoku Band’s Loser yet.
“A Song That Saved a Movie” — Commentary on Fireworks
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First of all, I want to sincerely apologize for making assumptions without fully understanding the situation.
That said, there is something to be said in Fireworks’ favor—at the very least, it introduced many viewers who had never heard of suki-san’s music to this genius composer.
But let’s set that aside for now and get to the core of this post: the movie itself.
Fireworks is a 90-minute animated film. To be blunt—it’s a bad movie.
The plot is vague and poorly explained.
Most of the story elements feel half-baked.
The climax makes little sense, and the ending is downright confusing.
As an anime film, it completely fails to meet even the basic standards.
So why do I say this film might go down in history thanks to "false advertising"?
Well, that brings us to Fireworks’ second major flaw.
I’m sure many of you have seen the trailer.
The visuals were stunning, and the promotional posters and merchandise were breathtakingly beautiful.
I went into the theater thinking, "Even if the story’s a mess, at least I’ll enjoy the animation.”
But... nope. It was a disaster.
Let’s not dwell on the negativity, though.
Let’s talk about the one shining light that did come out of this film:
The musical masterpiece by the genius composer suki-san—"Fireworks" (Uchiage Hanabi).
Words can’t fully convey how moving this song is, and I don’t consider myself skilled enough to properly critique it. But I’ll try.
Musically?
The piano intro is flawless. The main melody is elegant.
The chorus soars beautifully.
In recent years, outside of a few other songs by suki-san, I haven’t heard a new piece of music this stunning.
Lyrically and thematically?
This is why I titled this post “A Song That Saved a Movie.”
Yes, the film is a mess.
Yes, the visuals are garbage.
Yes, the climax and ending make no sense.
But when the ending credits rolled and that song started playing, accompanied by a few emotional flashbacks...
I was in tears.
The ethereal voice of the singer, the hauntingly beautiful vocal techniques, the lyrics that so perfectly echoed the story, the piano building gradually to a climactic release…
There’s no question—suki-san single-handedly salvaged this film’s reputation with one song.
I may not be an expert in music, but when it comes to movies, I’m a professional-level critic.
To all anime studios and production companies out there—take a good look at this shining gem.
suki-san is a real genius.
From Lemon, to Loser, to She Once Lived, and now to Fireworks, he continues to prove his unmatched talent.
This latest song wasn’t just a good track—it was tailor-made for this film. It completely reshaped public perception.
Now that I’ve covered the musical aspect, allow me to briefly address the issue with Ges Band:
A few days ago, under the influence of Ges fans, I made some premature comments without knowing the full story.
That was deeply irresponsible of me, especially as a public figure.
Now that I understand the full picture, I want to revise my evaluation:
First, I have no respect for so-called musicians who lack talent, originality, and integrity.
Second, it was Ges Band who provoked the conflict, and all suki-san did was respond with a song—which flipped public opinion completely. He wasn’t wrong.
Then, likely due to pressure from their company or simply cowardice, Ges Band issued an apology.
But the apology was arrogant and half-hearted. If it were me, I’d have blown up at them.
But suki-san didn’t. He calmly posted an explanation stating that he had no intention of accepting the apology.
Professional. And once again—suki-san did nothing wrong.
So what did Ges Band do wrong?
Many people may not have noticed, but they played a sneaky little trick.
When they initially stirred up the controversy, they attacked not only suki-san’s originality but also the skill level of Kessoku Band as a whole.
Yet when it came time to apologize, they only addressed the plagiarism accusation—the part with the biggest public backlash.
They conveniently ignored their other criticisms and allowed their fans to keep spreading rumors and misinformation.
Especially about whether Kessoku Band was “qualified” to work on Fireworks.
Clearly, they underestimated Kessoku Band.
Every member of that band has the skill to back up this song.
The vocalist's voice perfectly fits the emotional tone of the piece—something even suki-san himself might not have been able to match.
The guitar work is flawless.
The drumming hits you right in the chest.
The bass is on point.
And the piano? Absolutely top-tier.
So with all that said—Ges Band is about to feel the backlash.
Meanwhile, Kessoku Band will ride this wave of support to prove their worth beyond a doubt.
Yes—today marks the rise of a new star in Japan’s music scene.
Still a bit raw, still with room to grow—but that’s okay.
Because the potential is there. And with just one song—"Fireworks"—they’ve shown the entire industry what they’re capable of.
Comparing this to some random host club hit or trying to latch onto their fame? Please.
Not even close. Try again in ten thousand years.
Oh—and one last thing:
@suki-san, @Kessoku Band, when’s your next song coming out? We’re waiting!
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Author: "Whiskey in a Glass"
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The tweet was long—Aoki took about ten minutes to finish reading it.
When he did, he was honestly a little surprised.
Unlike familiar allies like Niijima Yusuke, this was a post from a completely unrelated public figure—a massive influencer with over a million followers.
And they had just gone all-in, directly attacking Ges Band and putting a giant target on their back.
Yes, public opinion was shifting in favor of Kessoku Band and suki-san.
But for someone with that much reach to speak up so boldly—it wasn’t a decision made lightly.
And sure enough, backlash had already begun.
Under the tweet from “Whiskey in a Glass,” Ges Band fans were already flooding in with hostile, over-the-top comments.
But that wasn’t all.
As someone with massive clout, his post had also attracted plenty of support:
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“Well said! Following now. I’m 100% with you on this one, Whiskey-sensei!”
“I saw Fireworks on premiere day. The film was mid, but that song? Incredible. Can’t believe Ges Band thought they could come for suki-san. Let’s hit back!”
“Following. Time to sound the counterattack! If Ges fans can spam suki-san’s posts, then we’ll flood theirs. Let’s see who’s really got no class!”
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The influence of idols and big names is no joke.
Once someone leads the charge, most fans are happy to follow.
And so—
On the morning after Fireworks premiered, led by "Whiskey in a Glass," the reckoning for Ges Band—and their fanbase—had begun.
