It’s been two months since Miku Expo 2025 in Jakarta and I think it’s an perfect moment to look back to the event.

"Hmm, I'm pretty sure they'll come again to Jakarta"

Let's go back to a couple of months before the event. In fact, let's go back to the previous year, 2024. Yunosuke released an MV for Intergalactic Bound to celebrate Miku Expo’s 10th anniversary. At around 2:00 into the MV, you'll see the infamous Monas in the MV. People who love Miku that I know (well, including me) started speculating (cocoklogi) about the comeback of Miku Expo to Jakarta. Of course, it was just there because of the Miku Expo 2014 reference and nothing much, or so we thought.

Couple months later, June 2025 to be exact, AFAID was held. I attended the event (since I had nothing to do after my layoff and I like to come to anisong concerts). There was a Miku Expo 10th Anniversary booth, which to me is kind of weird. Like, I can understand a booth like Project Sekai but a Miku Expo 10th Anniversary booth? Weird. My brain started to tingle again remembering that maybe, just maybe, Miku Expo in Jakarta is real and already planned. So I talked a bit with people around the booth, and it seems like it was planned already, but I can't confirm it since they just gave vague responses like, "maybe" or "just wait, maybe it'll come soon". But regardless, I had strong feelings like Miku Expo in Jakarta is real and it’s only about time.

one man can dream

And then, it was real. They announced Miku Expo Asia 2025, and Jakarta was also on the list! I was like, “Holy shit, finally, finally, finally, I can watch Miku’s concert live (and not YouTube’s low-res video)!”

"How's the concert going to look, I wonder? What's the setlist going to be?"

So I started to speculate (or more like hoping) how the concert is going to be, and how the setlist is going to be. Honestly, when I saw it's an "Asia tour", I already expected that the setlist will probably be the same across cities, but I was hoping we have some "special things" since Miku Expo was first held here 11 years ago. Maybe they have a special setlist, maybe they add Venus di Ujung Jari to the setlist as an encore again, or maybe they bring Vocaloid producers in Indonesia to cover Indonesian songs. Just maybe.

I also already expect that they probably will not bring old songs that much. While I was hoping they bring a lot of songs from the past, I know that they probably will bring newer songs, things that are booming on TikTok or something (that I probably don't like since I barely acknowledge it as a song and just catchy shit). So I was expecting they'll bring shit like Miku Miku Beam or something like that.

But I was really hoping that they actually bring actual good shit (personal preferences). Something like DECO*27's Ai Kotoba, or Yowamushi Mont Blanc, or Aimai Elegy, or Ghost Rules, or even newer songs like Blue Planet; something like PinnochioP's Kusaregedou to Chocolate, or SLoWMoTIoN, or Kimi mo Warui Hito de Yokatta (man, I really love this song so much); or nekobolo's Jishou Mushoku; or mikitoP's Boku wa Hatsune Miku to Kiss o Shita; the list goes on. I just really hope they bring a lot of old good songs too along the way. I'm a fucking boomer, I know.

I’m also hoping that it's not just a bland, one-way concert. Of course, with the nature of a Miku concert that is essentially a "recording with live band" concert, but I hope it’s not a boring "set after set" experience. Overall, I have pretty high expectation ahead since I'm really looking forward for the concert for years now.

"Holy shit, didn't expect that a lot of people come"

The day has come and personally I'm so ready for this. Coming to the event, I honestly was not expecting that there were a lot of people (since until the day I'm pretty sure the ticket is still not sold out). And as I expected, the demographics are very broad. I can see people around my age or older are the majority since they probably know Miku since the beginning and are very passionate about her, and also want to have some nostalgia time too, but what I didn't really expect was that there are a lot of younger folks too who come to the event. Maybe they know Miku from TikTok, or maybe from Project Sekai, who knows. But damn, the demographics are just insane, at least compared to other Anisong/J-Song concerts that I've attended.

There are a lot of fan projects too like flower stands to celebrate Miku Expo (sadly I forgot to submit my name and stuff lmao), a lot of them cosplaying as Miku and Luka, and even Project Sekai characters (which, sure, I guess). And a lot of people from outside Indonesia too, had small talks with Japanese and Taiwanese folks, an awesome experience! Had talks with random people as well, talking and sharing their favorite Vocaloid songs and stuff, and sharing freebies too.

A lot of people, including me and my friends, are waiting hours before the open gate to secure front line (since most of us did not buy the VIP package). There's pretty-lucky-for-us-but-not-for-others moment during waiting on the line. Previously, the queue was made to snake, and we were about 3 rows from the front. But suddenly we were told to stand up and form a new line, making us at the front of the line (literally), and making those who were previously in the first line fall back due to the error of the person who organized the line. So for everyone who queued up earlier but got sniped, you have my apologies.

After a couple of hours of waiting, we finally were able to go inside the hall around 6 or 7. Inside, my friend and I got the front line, like literally one row away from the separator (since the front row was filled with VIP folks). In front of me, there was a giant screen that I've been waiting to see for years. Finally, it's happening. I’m finally going to watch Miku performing live. And after waiting again for a while, the show is starting.

"Ah...it ended already, okay, I guess..."

Okay so this is entering the personal preferences area. I know some people will disagree with me for this but I have my own expectation and preferences too. So disclaimer ahead!

So here's the hard truth, I just don't really like the whole setlist. It's not to judge the live band and everyone behind the preparation, don't get me wrong, but they do it flawlessly and it was a very awesome concert and performance, but just like, "yeah, I know it's not going to be like my expectation".

Let's start with the overall performance. It was awesome! The live band was amazing, the sound was perfect, the effect also amazing. It was an awesome experience for me. Kudos to everyone for that awesome performance. But sadly, the overall experience is like, just watching a recording, something that I wish it wasn’t. There are barely any sessions where Miku "talks" and "greets" the audience, it was mostly just set then next and so on. A bit of an unfortunate, but oh well it is what it is. At least it got covered by the awesome performance by the band and Miku and others’ performances too.

Now here's something that I just feels, underwhelmed, to say the least. The setlist was 24 songs in total (3 encore).

Last 5 songs are 2 songs (39 and Intergalactic Bound), and 3 encores (Rolling Girl, Decorator, and Melt). 39 was one of my first Vocaloid songs that I listened back in my early weeb era, so it has a sweet spot on my (which of course I started to cry when finally I could listen to it live in concert). Intergalactic Bound is good, it was a new song to say the least but I kinda like it. Encores were amazing. Rolling Girl of course, a legendary song (wish they added more wowaka songs tbh), Decorator made me so happy since I really love this song and didn't expect that they'll perform it. And of course, Melt as the ending, with the confetti and stuff was really awesome and made me cry even louder because like 39, this song has a special spot in my heart that listening to it live made me so happy.

If you notice that I only shared the last 5 songs experience only, that's because that's the most (and only) "memorable" moment to me. The main issue that I felt so wrong is the setlist didn’t "flow” between songs. There's a feeling like oh this is that song, oh this is this song, but it felt not flowing well, at least not the last 5 songs. It doesn't hit me. Sure, you can blame that maybe I don't like that Beam song or shit, but for me that's not the case. It was poorly arranged if I can simply say. Yes, they tried their best to jam old and new songs to please everyone, old songs for boomers like me who want to have a nostalgia moment, and newer songs for folks who know Miku from catchy, TikTok-ish musics. But the execution is just not pleasing me, it’s poorly arranged, and the hype is not built up at all to me.

It genuinely made me think "I wish I also could experience Miku Expo 2014 too", because to me the setlist is just fit to me. It felt personal, even, with the Venus di Ujung Jari performance for example. It flowed well overall. Like heck if I listen to the playlist made from 2014 and 2025, I can feel like after finishing the 2014 setlist, I was like "what? it's ended already? noooo... need more song plsss", but I can't have the same feeling with the 2025 setlist. Sure the ending made me cry still, but that was because of the relief of me finally listening to songs I've been waiting for years to experience it live, not because the concert ended. In fact after the closing, I was like "ah...it ended already...okay, I guess...". It just unfortunate because I've been waiting for so long but somehow I didn't get the moment or the hype I've been dreaming of.

But again, it was my experience in general and not represents others. I saw a lot of people really enjoyed it more than me. Kids in front of me really loved it and kept talking about the beam song a lot after the concert. Some people also don't mind with the setlist at all. But for me, it was a bit unfortunate experience, missed opportunity to say maybe. Maybe I'm expecting something too high. Maybe I only wish I can listen to all songs I'm expecting to perform. Maybe that, or maybe the other way that I can explain. Maybe.

"I still love it regardless..."

But in the end, I still enjoyed the moment. I'm still happy and grateful at the same time the fact that Miku finally come to Jakarta again after 11 years. I'm happy that finally I can listen to this weird blue twintail girl finally singing with her robotic tone in live, and I hope I can experience it again in the future (maybe come to Japan to listen Snow Miku, or Magical Mirai, or even Miku Symphony).

Kudos to everyone who made this possible, both from Kripton, live band, people behind the scene, the promotor, and even community initiative to make the event more live with their effort. You all had a huge respect from me. Thank you so much for all the effort you guys put into this Miku Expo and made the event possible in the first place.

Thank you and see you next time, Miku!

credit to Titus Eferian and others to arrange this and share it to everyone!