>>71650153There's no "hate" per se (other than the usual nijinig/phasefag seethe), but some of the things that were there in last fest weren't there this time which kinda detracted from this year's fes.
1. Despite 2022 being kind of a grim year for EN, it was on a rising arc for JP due to many events, Rust arc, Minecraft second coming and a ton of other fun stuff. Holofes in early 2023 was kinda the pinnacle of the year (for JP), and it came after a year where you couldn't scream and shout at holofes or any other in-person events, so there was a ton of hype there.
2. Most of the popular groupings that year which were loved by the audience were present, Shiraken (with a surprise kino Suzy appearance), Startend, Bone Bros, Gamers (minus Friend, but with MC), 2-3 EN only & ID only groups, Shion x Gura and SubaChocoLuna.
3. Our Bright Parade >>>>> Capture the Moment as both a song AND a catchphrase. OBP lyrics and the phrase in general have a ton more meaning, whereas CTM just sounds like a tagline for an 80's polaroid camera. Song lyrics have some meaning but without a non-generic melody it sort of fumbles. The buildup to Our Bright Parade at the end of each day was also an extremely emotional ditty, emphasised by the clapping of the audience on both days.
This year didn't have any of that.
Doesn't mean it's "bad" per se, just that it's "more of the same" but with extremely weird groupings and dynamics, coupled with not letting the audience see the groups they love a lot be together (no Shiraken, no Startend, only SubaLuna this time without Choco's egging).
Also - specifically for EOP - the 2023 Holofes was an extremely kino reprieve from all the GRIM and shitposting about EN that was happening during that time, so it was kind of a pain relief.
This effect doesn't extend to 2024, because for 2023 EN has had an extremely good year, beggars getting btfo on all fronts and getting a fully unicorn friendly gen.
This, combined with the theme song not being as strong, would mean that the "feelings" for this year are just slightly lower than they were last year.
THAT SAID, it was still an extremely fun fes with tons of fun and emotional moments, and anyone new to this whole thing would notice absolutely zero issues. It's just, compared to last year even though the scale is bigger, it just seems like a step back in many small nitpicky ways.
