The 21st installment of "Animelo Summer Live (Anisama)," one of the world's largest anime song live events, "Animelo Summer Live 2026 -Messenger-," will be held at Makuhari Messe (Mihama-ku, Chiba City) for three days from July 10th to 12th. Anisama started in 2005 and is an anime song festival held every summer. Voice actor and singer Shugo Nakamura will be making his fourth appearance as a solo artist, his first in three years. We asked Nakamura about his thoughts on Anisama.
◇Animelo Summer Live is "an amazing place" - First appearance touching on the "origins"
Nakamura first appeared at Animelo Summer Live in 2017. She took to the stage as a member of "The Idolmaster SideM," a group from the hugely popular "The Idolmaster" series.
"Even before our debut, I knew that Animelo Summer Live was a huge anime song festival, and I actually went to see it before performing as part of 'The Idolmaster SideM.' I thought, 'This is an amazing place,' seeing such a huge venue, artists singing, and so many people enjoying themselves. I was really nervous the first year I performed as part of 'The Idolmaster SideM.'"
Although she was nervous about performing on the Animelo Summer Live stage for the first time, she recalls, "Even though I'm a newcomer, I had the feeling that if I played it safe here, I wouldn't be able to leave a good impression, so I remember being very conscious of appearing confident and energetic on stage."
I also have some memorable experiences from backstage.
"At the time, there were 11 of us performing. We went to greet the other cast members in their dressing rooms, but I've always wondered if our large group was actually a nuisance (laughs). Of course, everyone was kind and greeted us with smiles, but I think it must have been scary to see 11 of us standing in front of the door..."
Subsequently, she appeared at Animelo Summer Live in 2018 and 2019 as part of "The Idolmaster SideM," and in 2021, she made her debut as a solo artist. Her first appearance on such a grand stage held special meaning for her.
"When I made my debut as a solo artist, I sang my debut song, 'Here comes The SUN,' and it was a very moving experience. I came to Tokyo aiming to become an artist, then became a voice actress, and then made my artist debut in 2019. At Animelo Summer Live 2021, I felt a great sense of joy in being able to reconnect with my roots."
◇We want to make it more enjoyable for everyone.
Animelo Summer Live (Anisama) features over 100 artists each time, attracting fans of all kinds of content and artists. Nakamura, who performs at various events, says she feels the unique atmosphere of Anisama.
"The scale is enormous, and there are people who don't know me, but the audience at Animelo Summer Live is incredibly kind. Even if they don't know a song, if I can perform it well, they'll join in and get excited. Once I'm on stage, I'm not more nervous than before I went out there. I just want to make sure they have a great time."
This year's Animelo Summer Live will be Nakamura's fourth appearance as a solo artist, and her first in three years. Including appearances with "The Idolmaster SideM" and Sanrio's project "Fragaria Memories," it will be her ninth appearance overall. Nakamura also performed at "ANISAMA in TAIPEI 2026 -DOSHA!-" held in Taipei in May, and she excitedly said, "This is the first time in my life I've been able to participate in Animelo Summer Live twice in one year, so I'm really looking forward to it."
"For the past three years, I've continued to study my singing style and performance, so I want the audience to see an even more improved side of me. I think the appeal of my live shows is that people can enjoy them even if they just show up as they are, so you can have fun without thinking about anything. If you come with just the feeling of 'Let's have fun' or 'This looks interesting,' I'll definitely make sure you have a great time."
◇If you feel it with your own feelings
This year's Animelo Summer Live theme is "Messenger." Nakamura says, "I hope you will feel it with your own emotions."
"I have my own thoughts and feelings when I create and sing the songs I've written, but rather than wanting people to feel exactly that way, I hope that they'll recall something, or interpret the lyrics in their own way and find courage, even if it's not the exact same situation as described. I hope that it will connect to each person's life and evoke various feelings."
Finally, we asked Nakamura-san about what she finds appealing about Animelo Summer Live.
"It has a long history built up over the years, and I think it has a strong sense of being a festival, like, 'Summer is all about Animelo Summer Live.' I think many artists, including myself, have thought, 'It would be awesome to perform at Animelo Summer Live,' and even now, I think there are many people who think, 'I want to perform here,' and many fans who think, 'I want to go here.' I think that sense of festival is what makes Animelo Summer Live so appealing."
Incidentally, Nakamura also has a dream of riding the trolley, a famous feature of Animelo Summer Live. "I do have a certain pride in being cute," she said with a smile. (Shiroinu/MANTANWEB)
