The sound of drums drew me. That, and the guy wearing a Taiko Drum Master on his head and with a QWERTY keyboard around his neck. He's announcing the next rhythm game.

"Smily shimashouka!"

While I'm wondering why local gal Ai Otsuka didn't go ahead and add that missing "e" to her song, the Drum Master asks for volunteers from the audience. A green hand goes up, followed by pleas in nasally gyrau Japanese. Hello Katamari.

"Anyone else?" says the Drum Master.
"Me, me, me!"
"Anyone?"
Katamari's hopping up and down.
The Drum Master picks a little boy in the front row, and Katamari says something catty to herself.

The players launch into their rendition of Smily, and Katamari takes out a tambourine shaped as—surprise—Katamari. To my right, there's a cool guy in a suit, standing next to a girl in a purple down vest and cargo pants. Both have name cards with "EXHIBITOR" written on them. Namco folkin?

Katamari is wearing her giant head. It's so big that nobody can stand near here without peril of getting smacked in the face should she turn. Pulling her cart, she moves closer to the stage. Katamari is standing right in front of me. I move away.

The song finishes. Katamari puts away her tambourine. The Namco folkin are whispering in each others' ears as the Drum Master is looks for new contestants.

"Me! Me! ME!" Katamari starts hopping up and down again. And the Drum Master glosses right over her. Hey buddy, you're wearing a giant taiko on your head. He picks a handful of children, and they start pounding out Y.M.C.A. Fitting, somehow.

Katamari takes out her tambourine again and turns around. The front of her Katamari mask is completely covered. How does she see out? She's now holding a small Katamari hat, which she puts on some stranger's head. The man quickly takes off the hat, and his daughter screams in delight. I turn to see the Namco folkin standing close together.

There are no words to Y.M.C.A. of course, but my brain continues to supply a steady stream of lyrics. The pounding of the drum is starting to give me a headache. I don't know which is worse. The children on stage are focused, looking intently at the monitors. Nobody's looking at them, though.

A little girl is shoved in front of Katamari. She smiles and flashes the peace symbol. Katamari remains expressionless, and I think that this is probably what hell looks like. My temples throbbing, I make my escape. Namco folkin continue to whisper.

Old Friends [Kotaku]

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