[SoCal ConCom] Bang Dream! Film Live 2nd Stage @ Honey & Butter

When it comes to otakudom, it doesn’t get any more hardcore than the idol community. Fans will line up in the wee hours of the morning for a chance to get tickets to see their beloved groups live. On October 9, 2021, Honey & Butter Macarons in Irvine, CA held a special event with Bushiroad to promote Bang Dream! Film Live 2nd Stage at their brick and mortar store. Let me tell you, it was crazy! However, it was great to vibe with fans of our beloved Bandori.

Bandori fans lined up as early as 4:00 AM at the Irvine Spectrum. Even fans traveled from San Diego just to get exclusive macarons and merchandise at the tiny store front. Lining up early is a part of idol fandom. The first person in line was there since 1:45 AM the morning of! To guarantee a set of Bandori macarons, you were given a wrist band. All wristbands were already given out by the start time of 10:00 AM. The last group to get a set of wristbands arrived around 6:00 AM.

The special “creature macarons” featured characters from Bandori. Honey & Butter is best known for making “creature macarons” based on intellectual property.

 

I arrived a little after 10:00 AM to gussy up as Yukina Minato in the Oneness outfit. While I’ve been a tepid Bandori fan, playing the game on and off and jamming to the sounds of Roselia on my morning commute (and mourning the fact it’s going to be another year without Chara Expo), I was just excited to see something Bandori related in Southern California. I had missed Honey & Butter’s previous Love Live event due to seasonal allergies. I just wanted to vibe with Bandori fans and support a local business.

I didn’t get the macaron of my favorite, but a kind fan let me pose with their bounty.

And I found a lot of fans in line! I didn’t spot many cosplayers, but I did spot folks wearing character themed haori, fans bringing their emotional support neso’s (I would have brought my Ran!), rockin’ the character themed ita bags, and even dressing up in Bandori inspired outfits. There was a huge turn out; the line didn’t seem to get any shorter throughout the morning.

I walked around the Irvine Spectrum as Yukina and I got a lot of questions about the line to Honey & Butter. I carefully explained what was going on to curious casuals wondering what the hype was all about.

I eventually did go in line to pick up a few macarons to take home with me. The merch for Bandori was still available by the time I lined up around 1:30 PM. However, I would have had to have gone in a seperate line for merch that I could find online on the Bushiroad store.

Overall, I liked vibing with other Bandori fans. I got to talk idols with like minded folks. Given that Socal anime cons aren’t happening for 2021, the small events such as the car shows, marketplaces, and food events like this keep community alive.

And if you do know of SoCal events you would like me to cover and talk about, do let me know and I’d be more than happy to talk about them here on Scarlet Rhapsody.