A young woman will become a Queen

I cannot help but keep falling in love with this band over and over again. Watching this video again did just that. The progress they have made from back then to now is just incredible to witness.

You mentioned her mouthing the words. One of my all time favorite moments of all of their vids is a very brief shot of Kanami, towards the end of "Secret My Lips", when she has her eyes closed while shaking her head and mouthing the words. She looks so lost in her love for the music, a feeling I know so many of us share. I always have to back it up and watch it again. 🤩🎂

Congratulations on this day, the anniversary of your birth, along with many blessings, wishes, and smiles for you and yours SAIKI. I would like to thank you, thank you very much for being you. You are a awesome human being and keep rockin'. 🤘 Oh, before I forget, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Got an email today from DHL. My copy of the Band-Maid official "Unseen World" score book arrives on Valentines Day, perfect timing.

I also find it interesting that the blue rose in Saiki's hair and Miku's red rose have been there right from the beginning...

お誕生日おめでとうさいちゃん🎉🎁🎂

I've said it time and again, Saiki is one of the best singers in hard rock in a very long time. I love everything about her, the same goes for the rest of the girls. Thank you Ryan for your videos, greetings from Norway at 70 degree North.

Great point about her transformation from being a singer for a band to where she is today. I never thought of it that way but as soon as you said it it made so much sense. That was a great tribute, well done everyone involved.

Happy 28th birthday Saiki, greetings from Norway.

One of My favorites singer. I love every song and performance. Happy Birthday Saiki! 🤟🏻🦊🇯🇵🔥🔥🔥

jeez these chicks play everything, Mighty Boss Tones style

Happy After Birth, Saiki! 🎈✨🎀👟👑💋🧸🎂They were pretty tight from the beginning playing somewhat complex, fast-paced music. Always fun to see. Thx, Ryan!

Happy birthday Saiki 🎊🎊🎊🎊 The more i watch Saiki on stage.....she mesmerize me ..such captivating... Over the years..she keeps constantly progressing and dmmmm...the way she acts on stage..such a commanding presence...and when it comes to her band mate turn to perform she back down and gives others to shine respectfully... Whenever she found out one of the fans having difficulties during okyu-ji she stops the gig and ask them whether they're ok or hurt ..ooouuufff.. remember Kanami is no 1 fan for sure🤣 now i know why..no argument on that facts..lol Thank you Ryan for dedicating to Saiki moment ☺️

Beautiful. How not get emotional with this?. The chemistry between these five ladies is amazing. I love to see them in their first gigs. My favourite is the one with the girls carrying their own equipment, so humble and at the same time so hardworking, and Miku inviting the interviewer to come in and enjoy the event. How much they have grown. Happy birthday Saichan. Thanks Ryan, I've really enjoyed this moment. Halfway to Dominate the World!

Imagine being there at that time just before they really took off… “I was there” would be your T-Shirt…

Happy Birthday Saiki !! Looking back i could never have imagined what the future held for Band-maid. Arigato Gozaimasu 🙏🤘🤘🤘

Knockin' on our hearts indeed.

I even forgot to add some more info I was so graciously given....such as Miku claims to remember EVERY face from this show! LOL

Happy Birthday Saiki! I love this band so much! I have to have a Band Maid fix everyday. I they just fill my heart with happiness.

Happy birthday Saiki! She actually talked to me on Band Maid official. I left a comment on a song. And later she answered Thank You. When I realized who it was I freaked! I replied THANK YOU! With like 50 of these😊. She Replied. Your Welcome with 1 of these😎. Best conversation I've ever had. Still makes me all warm and fuzzy. Band Maid Forever! Great video Ryan! PO! 😊😎✌🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘

When I first met Saiki at the meet and greet in LA in 2018 when she smiled at my poor attempt at a Japanese phrase it melted my heart and made me feel like a 13 year old middle schooler. LOL. Her speaking voice and laugh are just as beautiful and colorful as her singing voice. When she really lets out a big laugh it is glorious and rare for the fans to see. Almost as rare as a smile and laugh from MISA. ;) Seeing them in that first performance live house, to your point, really shows just how far they have come. Originally they had a much more pop punk sound. Thankfully Thrill saved them and set them on the path to hard rock stardom. Happy birthday Saiki! :)

Happy 30th Sai-chan 🎉🎂🍻😍

This was the oldest full song I had. There is a short clip with Saiki's first live(part of a song clip though).😉 Happy birthday Saiki!! Also one of my favorite Kanami hair styles, her ponytail ❤️

That Teddy bear toss is one of my favorite clips with Saiki. Her claiming it so adamantly, and Miku's deadpan "translation" just makes me smile every time. Can't wait for the animated radio show with those two coming soon. They are a natural comedy duo.

That was beautiful to see.. HAPPY BLESSED BIRTHDAY SAIKI! ❤️❤️

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAIKI

Yes.. besides their music, seeing Saiki on the last slide makes me think that they are growing up well, makes me smile like a proud father 😄. This is the only the band that i follow right know and makes me feels like young fans again like the old days..

Happy birthday Sai-Chan. Hope you have a wonderful day. Just have to remember that here they were just babes-in-arms. Saiki was only nineteen I believe and the other girls were in their early twenties. Saiki and the rest have matured and grown their skills to an incredible level. Also it is so friggin' great when Saiki laughs! You can't help but laugh with her.

So there i was in Nabezo restaurant with Sai-chan eating savoury mochi & shabu-shabu & she said "Gary do you know it's my birthday on Feb 8th"? I did know, but at that moment i suddenly realised what she actually meant was, "Gary i've forgotten my purse" I didn't have the heart to mention "again" :)

I love their oldies because of the back-and-forth vocals between Saiki and Miku. That is one of the reasons why Freezer is my #2 fav song😁

They are so cute my tears start to drip :-) It's all good and I am very happy, po to Kuruppo and Saiki. They have grown so much as ..... lost for words, they became the best band I've ever listened to, nice to hear clips from the very beginning.

Happy Birthday Saiki, thanks Ryan for the video

Delightful, thank you. What always strikes me from clips and photos (particularly fan cams, behind the scenes, band shares etc) throughout Band Maids history is that this is a genuine sisterhood forged in the furnaces of rock and roll. You can't fake that chemistry and my oh my doesn't it shine in their crafting and creativity. May there be many, many more happy birthdays for each of these amazing talents and Band Maid as a group and how lucky are we to be the ones receiving the gifts arising from their hard work and dedication 🤗 Peace and love Po 👍🎼🥁🎤🎸🍻

Happy Birthday Saiki. You make us happy.THANK YOU!!!!!!!!

Happy birthday Saiki!

So back then there are maidiacs already that polka dots guy is epic!😂🥰🎉 and seeing this makes me cry with a smile this is Band Maid and their humble beginning 🥰

Their synergy and camaraderie is so refreshing and wonderful! Long live Band-Maid!

knockin' on your heart ♪ - i love that song... especially the endgadget-fes acoustic live version of it. it's a great go to song when you want something happy and cheerful. I'd definitely recommend picking up the rereleased MiJ white album with ao to jounetsu no matador and summer drive added (unless one only likes hard hard hard rock and metal)

Thanks for doing the birthday video for Saiki. She has slowly become my favorite singer. At first I thought the instrumentations outshined the vocals, but Saiki has shown me that she can outshine them 😃

And bless you.

I remember listening to this song in lockdown. It has the similar vibe to Be OK, which is one of their early songs I really like. But you can really see how hard Saiki (along with other members) has worked to come this far. I love you Saiki. Happy birthday in an hour in Japan time.

Great post. They have come a long way ! I enjoy seeing early Band Maid clips when they all wore the maid outfits and before Miku took up guitar. Saiki has an amazing voice, so rich and melodic, yet with so much power. Happy Birthday Saiki !

The two guys at the groovin' at the front- I think that they can be seen in other very early videos- one open air show comes to mind. The Miku's guitar is on a rack behing her.

I would love for Band-Maid to revisit some of the original songs on Maid in Japan and re-work/re-master them by Kanami and the band. It would be interesting to hear what they would come up with.

Sai-chan Sai-chan Sai-chan! Happy Birthday tomorrow (8th)

Their confidence & dancing around while performing shows early on how much they believed in themselves. The multiple camera angles are worth noting.

💙SAIKI, 💙SAIKI, 💙SAIKI 🎂🎂誕生日おめでとう🎂🎂 Health and happiness to you

Honestly, I have one little worry for all these ladies, with every passing birthday. For all that they have done for us, I think they deserve more out of their personal lives. They deserve to have their own families, similar to Murata Tamu. I know that they will not be at their peak of performance, but they deserve that much happiness, that it wouldn't matter (at least to me). Maybe they like it this way, I don't know, but I do wonder about it. I hope they find their partners in the future and can happily settle down. Sorry guys, but, I think they deserve all the best in life.

That song reminds me of Bad manners .

Ryan! Very useful reaction indeed as you show Saiki all the way from her beginnings with Band Maid when she was still a teenager! You can also see she is not the Ice Queen that some people she is. Actually, she is shy and reserved because among others she has a very strong voice for a Japanese woman (which makes quite a few Japanese males uneasy! LOL) She has come a long way, has she not? Incidentally, Misa plays with high heels and a 4-stringed bass. And Kanami is so cute with a pony tail! Best regards, Robert-Gilles

Bless you, you are in a very large group of fans that have had their heart stolen by saiki its a wonderful group to be in they are truly legends be well

This is from when they were playing 100 gigs a year in Shibuya. Moving their own equipment.

Wonder if *Saiki* and *MISA* still has their outfits 😊 _(Happy Birthday Saiki)_

This is a rough version but as mentioned it’s like gig #1. Saiki is something like 19 here and you can hear the future. The whole first album is poppy but still really solid and a fun listen. Check out Evergreen.

Saiki looks elegant even when blowing out candles.

Sai Chan, Sensei.........Happy Birthday, Much Love🎉🥂😎❤

You know, this is probably even before the Thrill video.

Thanks Ryan! Happy Birthday Saiki!

Ciao ryan...now i believe that you just miss you BEFORE YESTERDAYS(o. v.) and ORDER(m. V.)

Happy birthday to Saiki our very cool singing Tsundere. The first show recording is also before saiki's throat surgery, afterwards hew comfortable range (at least as much as i have heard) was a little lower giving her a slightly wider range.

Happy Birthday 🎂 Saiki, lead vocalist 🎤 of Band-Maid🎀! We love 💘 your music 🎶 here in Silicon Valley! Your voice is like the Lark ascending🐦!

That was Mikoto is in the polka dot shirt during the Knockin' On Your Heart performance.

I thought it was when I attended a small live event in August 2013, but that was my misunderstanding. Next, I thought it would be the second solo live titled "BAND-MAID ® x Shibuya Milkyway presents 【 Breakin 'New Gate 】" in December 2015, but if you look closely, the background of the stage seems to be different. So this is probably their first solo live performance at shibuya Milkyway in February 2014 :)

I'm here. I'll always be around for a Band Maid review/reaction With you. I've actually seen all these before but I always like to see them again. There's one video out there somewhere that's just totally pop with Saiki singing and you can hardly hear the similarity between then and now.

miku got some good air in the jump at the end hehe

I just discovered Rolling Quartz - they're a K-rock/metal group that has a great cover of Dreamcatcher's Good Night. Anyone else heard of them yet?

Ryan - It’s weird seeing Miku without a guitar. Me - It’s weird seeing MISA wearing shoes!

I hope you all got Saiki a nice birthday present. You don't want to be the victim of her cold stare if you disappoint her.

That, “First live recording”, is possibly not the first. There is a video I’ve seen on KZfaq that claims it is the first live recording. And supposedly only about an hour or so after Saiki was told she will be performing wearing a maid costume. Let me know if you want me to find the link.

This video, the "BAND-MAID NIPPON" translations/subtitles/upcoming animated video mentioned at the Dicodec livestream, and just that there is a livestream and reaction videos reminds me of the US anime community when I got into it some 30 years ago. Fans would get tapes of shows taped by fans in Japan, trade copies, make and trade translation scripts. Later as as computers that handled video got cheaper and subtitling software did too, fan-subs got made and traded. This made a market for professionally done versions, sub and dub. Lots of energy. I got in because of the animation and the stories and stayed because of the music, J-pop and J-rock that accompanied the shows. Still have 50 CDs from then and many VHS tapes and Laser-discs. With the internet things are moving much faster now which is good for me as I'm much older. Much easier to get, and even know about, product from Japan now as my growing rack of DVDs and CDs by Band-Maid attest. Happy camper here.

Happy Birthday Saiki , MISA !!! MISA !!! MISA !!! is wearing heels .

🎂

The other thing you see in the early videos is MISA wearing shoes.

I enjoy "Maid In Japan" a lot for what it is - The first one. When I fall in love with a band, I just want to go back and listen and watch everything I can get my hands/eyes/ears on... I want to know everything, I want to listen to old interviews, what they were into at that time, what were they like almost 10 years ago, what were they doing before they got together, I mean, everything! It's the closest thing I have of a time-machine and try to go as further back as I can and then "follow" the path from the earlier stages. I've done this "time travel" with a few Japanese bands in recent years (SCANDAL and Silent Siren are two of them) but it's very hard to find the same amount of stuff from Band-Maid. (Silent Siren has absolutely nothing to do with Band-Maid in any way, but it's funny that I got into Silent Siren because of Band-Maid - after watching a small video where Saiki and Akane dance the "official" dance moves of "Koi no Esper" from Silent Siren, it opened the door to the sweetest pop-rock band I ever heard). Anyway, I've gathered a lot of stuff already but not as much as I did from those other bands. There are a lot of things that aren´t available on KZfaq anymore - some hilarious interviews with Saiki and Miku and the whole band as well in "Kannai Devil" from 2017 to 2020 or Kanami and Akane in "Mochi to Cheese" with Kanami's sister in some recording session and photo session... where Akane plays the Cajon... same percussion elements that she used in this 2021 acoustic live while playing "FORWARD" (from "Maid In Japan") which she used during the whole 2014's Live Acoustic Engadget FES TOKYO (Akane looks so so so happy playing "Knockin' On Your Heart") ... it's a pity this whole 2014 acoustic live show isn't available on KZfaq anymore, wish I could send you a link to it - it starts with "Biter Sweet Love" (never heard it anywhere else but in this live) then "Ai to Jonetsu no Matador", "Yoake Mae", "Thrill" (yes, "Thrill" acoustic version...), "Forward" (sung in the acoustic live 2021) and finishes with "Knockin' on your heart". Anyway, I'm always finding things I've never seen before and this is anther one of those... "Knockin' On Your Heart" live, so thanks for this Ryan and Mikoto!

Happy birthday, Saiki!! 🎂💥🎉🎁 Yeah, I’d imagine the poppy songs on the first album were pretty tough on the 3 instrumentalist, probably Misa, especially, since she’d already been in a rock band. I don’t think I’ve seen any indications she liked any pop music where we know Miku and Saiki had some love for pop performers. Probably Kanami nor Akane were pop fans either, so probably couldn’t wait to get to the heavier songs like Bye My Tears, Forward, etc and then overjoyed with the 2nd album material! 🔥🤘🏼😎

Not withstanding Miku’s obvious amazing guitar skills… Saiki to me is the one who has become a MASTER of her craft. ❤️

Oh s**t...out of respect to Saiki (Happy B-Day 🎂) I'll have to wait til tomorrow to listen to the Instrumental UW album!! Be like Sai-Chan hangover break 🥳 🤟

Since you guys were watching some early band maid in this clip with the guys on stream thought you Alan, Wave, and Champ might check these out. Misa and Akane b4 Band Maid, and Miku b4 Band Maid kzfaq.info/get/bejne/hcypfdKbnNrPp6c.html kzfaq.info/get/bejne/iMuppsWZ0NfUfok.html

I don't think Kanami wants to share Saiki with you ;) hehe