Festival Report フェスティバル レポート 2025

The magicians of Laugh/idio2

On the fourth and final day of the Daidogei World Cup, held under a sky perfectly fitting for a grand finale, the Sizigas Point near the south gate of Sunpu Castle was already bustling with people even before performance began. And the crowd's main attraction was …idio2!

Known for their laugh-inducing performances, idio2's stage was filled with laughter and amazement that captivated people of all ages - truly a "magic" show in every sense of the world.

Accompanied by comical music, they performed a series of astonishing tricks using everyday objects, sparking cheers and applause throughout the audience.

Through the interview, what became clear was their deep commitment to performance. They described their strength as being not just in their skills but in their communication. They shared that they aim to express themselves honestly through their facial expressions and voices, while finding creative ways to amplify their presence on stage. Indeed, their expressions and voices added layers of emotion and humor to the performance, drawing waves of laughter from the crowd.

Yes, their performance was more than just funny - it was a gradient of laughter and wonder. Starting with a lighthearted, pop-style exchange, the duo gradually drew the audience in with increasingly surprising and sophisticated techniques. Their 30-minute act was packed with energy that captured the audience's attention from start to finish - a magic that cannot be described with ordinary words.

On the final day of the 2025 Daidogei World Cup, idio2 left the audience thrilled with laughter and emotion. Looking ahead, they plan to focus not only on large-scale events like the World Cup but also on their solo performances.

Let's look forward to seeing idio2 bring their magical laughter to Shizuoka again in future Daidogei World Cups.

(ai)

Living Pixel/Ita Branco

Anyone seeing a pixelated character right in front of them would be astonished. Ita Branco literally popped out of a videogame. The way she moves, the way she waves her hands at people, every movement and details amazes the people watching her. Even the way she turns around is videogame-like. Normally when you turn around, you would swiftly move, but she moves like a retro videogame character.

Her character "Pixelette" is inspired by cartoons, retro games from the 80's and also Japanese cosplayers. And is apparently two years old! But what amazes me the most is the hand drawn details on her costumes and handmade items. The children around her were the ones who were mostly astonished by her. The eyes of the children seeing her were saprkling desperately wanting to meet her. The moment they see her, they would run towards her, reaching their hands out at her. There was one kid who loved her a lot, and he even hugged her. It was a very cute moment to see.

"Every European's dream is to come to Japan. We love Japanese Anime and culture" she says. She went to Daidogei a year ago as Pixelette, thinking that Japanese people would love it, and because no one has ever seen a pixelated character come to life. And indeed, Japanese people loved her. She came back again to Japan since she loved the way Japanese are respecful. 

"Japanese people are joyful. They appreciate a lot of our arts, and we can feel it from their energy. It is such a pleasure to work here. It's my favorite country to perform" says Ita Branco.

Ita Branco also performed in many countries such as Ireland and Dubai. She didn't only perform as Pixelette, but also as her different characters. She also perfoms at circuses with amazingly dangerous stunts using fire and swords.

It is such a pleasure for me and especially for a lot of people seeing her performing. It makes many of us content, and it brings smiles on our faces. For a lot of children who saw and interacted with her, it's definetly a going to be a core memory for them.

(KiKi)

Do you like Magic?/Park June Young

Do you like magic? If so, you cannot miss Park June Young.

He is Korean, but he puts on Indian costume and play as Indian magician J.J.

When he screams "Namaste", he shows up an elephant and Peter pan will fly.

He has 18 years career as magician.

Way, he talks cheers kids up. The climax of his show is dedicated to famous Japanese animation character.

Come to his show to see what character will appear.

（Y.K.Kobayashi）

Classic multi-talent performer/Performer SYO!

When we imagine performances in Daidogei, we might think of juggling, diabolo,

performance using fire, and entertaining talks. Performer SYO! performs all of them

at a very high level.

One of the performances was juggling using his chainsaws.

He was using a new one that he bought yesterday, but he has already mastered it perfectly.

He started practicing since he was 6 years old, and believes that starting at a young age helps develop

his sense of performance. He is thinking if he could perform anything new, so we should be looking 

forward to seeing his performance next year!

Yoyo as a competition/SPIN stAr

Many people may have played, or at least seen yo-yo as a child. But very few people might imagine yo-yo being a part of performance, let alone a world competition.

Members of SPIN stAr, Rei,TOMMY,and SOUL are all world champions, and getting to look at all three members perform would be a must see show!

The performance vary from high speed dynamic show, or a more elegant version, harmonizing with background music. Both of the performances are unique and very enjoyable. 

SPIN stAr members come from different backgrounds, some have even experienced being actors.

The reason they started performing yoyo was when yoyo became a popular in Japan, they felt the potential of yoyo being a performance or a competition. They would feel great joy when the audience would have interest in yoyo and even engage in performance.

（h.s.）

Wings of Joy/Teatro Pavana

While walking through Sunpu Castle Park, something bright and eye-catching came into view- birds?!

On the first day of the Daidougei World Cup, held under a cloudy sky, we met a wonderful performer who instantly lifted the gloomy atmosphere, as if blowing away the clouds themselves. Their name is Teatro Pavana, and they are known for their captivating performance featuring animals and more. 

Two colorful birds strolled gracefully through the castle grounds, captivating everyone around them.

Modeled after parrots, they chirped, spread their wings, and proudly strutted about, sometimes even playfully teasing the visitors.

Children cased them, "Wait, birdie!", while others cheered and snapped photos-their lively presence enchanted everyone who caught a glimpse of them!

Thier vivid, dynamic costumes are all handmade from paper and fabric, created with help from thier family.

Filled with the wish to make people happy, their performance brought smiles to countless faces.

Why don't you go and meet these playful, mischievous birds yourself?

（ai）