How to Attend Bandori Lives/Events

Introduction

The process for people outside of Japan trying to attend BanG Dream lives is tedious and a little scary at first, but it’s not especially difficult overall. Though the process will generally remain the same, the ticketing sites used will change depending on the event.

For the unaware, there is a lottery (chuusen, 抽選) system in place to reserve tickets to BanG Dream lives/events. Winning the lottery gives you the privilege of buying a ticket to the corresponding event. In order to enter, you will usually need serial codes from either magazines or First Press (look for “初回限定盤” or “初回生産分限定封入特典”) copies of Bandori CDs/BDs. Make sure you are buying first-press, and that your order will arrive within the chuusen period if you are having it shipped! Occasionally, events will also have chuusen that’s open to the public (usually one application per account) or to a fanclub (e.g. HiBiKi fanclub events). Sometimes there will be multiple chuusen runs for the same event, with earlier ones having more priority in seating. There may be general sales on tickets as well, but these are usually inferior seats and snatched up quickly.

If you have spare codes, definitely consider passing them to a friend who is trying to go or make someone in the #bandori-lives channel in the Franchise Discord very happy. If in doubt, you cannot go wrong giving the codes to 月夜#0543 (Tsukiyo) because they are always helping others, myself included, make it to these events. =)

Please let me know if you have additional questions and details to add! I will consult with the Discord as needed and work them into this post so that we have a central location for information.

Prerequisites

  • Serial Numbers for the event chuusen
  • Japanese phone number, able to receive/send SMS & calls (usually)
  • A contact in Japan to pay for you. (usually) Payment period can range from a few days to weeks depending on the event. Plan to move money to your contact accordingly.

General Flow

  • Buy the product that has codes for the event you are going to (find it here, look for the section that has “先行抽選” [senkou chuusen, priority lottery]). As a reminder, make sure to buy first press and that it will arrive within the chuusen period.
  • Register for the ticketing site (not always). Some sites require a valid Japanese phone number.
  • Submit your codes within the chuusen period (抽選申込み受付期間). See Application section below for more details.
  • Get your results on the lottery day (抽選日, chuusen-bi). 当選, tousen = successful ballot. 落選, rakusan = failed ballot.
  • If you won, you must pay within the payment period (入金期間). If you didn’t use credit card payment, this is when your contact goes to the convenience store that you chose to pay for you. See Payment section below for more details. If you lost, see below for further options.
  • Print your tickets at your selected convenience store during the collection period (チケット引取) prior to the live, or have your contact do it and pass the tickets. Keep in mind that the payment period and collection period are generally different, so your contact may have to go to the convenience store twice (once to pay, once to print tickets).

Application

  • Name (氏名): If it’s not explicitly stated, write your family/last (姓) name then your given/first (名) name (in this order). You will usually have to enter your name twice, with the second time being in katakana. Make sure the name you input matches whatever is on your identification! The expectation for the first entry is usually a name in Kanji. If you have a foreign name on your ID, do not try to turn your name into Kanji and just write what is on your ID either normally or in Katakana. If your name is John Smith, write “Smith John” or “スミス ジョン”. The site may reject half-width Latin characters characters, so you may have to convert it to full width “Ｓｍｉｔｈ Ｊｏｈｎ” using Japanese input or this site. To figure out your name in katakana, you can use Google Translate, sites like this, or just Google “name in katakana” / ask people.
  • Delivery: Choose Convenience Store Print-Out for the delivery option (recommended), or have them shipped to your contact in Japan.
  • Address (自宅住所): Unless you chose to have your tickets shipped, you can generally put any Japanese address here. If you want to have a consistent address to use for registration, you can make an account at a proxy site like Tenso.
  • Desired Seat (第#希望): You will generally be asked to order your preference for seats (more expensive or cheaper). The types of seats available vary by event. First choice is “第一希望”, “second is 第二希望”, third is “第三希望”. Sometimes there is only one choice. They are usually listen with the highest priority at the top so Google Translate + logic should be enough to figure it out. Order your seating priority (do not repeat choices) and select how many tickets you want (1 or 2 usually) here.
  • Payment: Choose Credit Card payment if the site allows foreign cards (they generally don’t, and only allow cards issues by local Japanese banks), otherwise choose Convenience Store Payment. As a side-note, 7-11 and FamilyMart are both everywhere and the key difference is that 7-11 requires you to go to the cashier while FamilyMart has a kiosk. It doesn’t matter much if you are only buying one ticket (as your contact which they prefer), but if your contact is exchanging multiple tickets then FamilyMart is ideal. If in doubt, FamilyMart is safer in choice.

Payment

  • There are separate fees depending on your delivery method, so be sure to pay your contact the correct amount with fees and not just original ticket price! Sometimes the printing fee (~108 yen) is included in the initial payment, and sometimes it is paid at the time of printing instead. Make sure your contact is aware of this.
  • For FamilyMart, use the Kiosk (ファミポート), select チケット -> チケットの支払う・発券 -> then input your Payment Number (払込票番号).
  • For 7-11, go up to the cashier and tell them you want to pay for tickets, then tell them your Payment Number (払込票番号).

I Lost!
Oh no! =(
Here are some of your options:

  • Cry
  • Find someone who applied for 2 seats and join them.
  • Hope there’s another round of chuusen and try again.
  • Aim for general sales if they are announced. You can buy the tickets normally here, but you are at a disadvantage in terms of language and connection latency by being a foreigner.
  • Attend live viewing instead.
  • Buy a ticket second-hand. Keep in mind that scalping (buying for more than the list price) is technically illegal, and you may be removed from the venue if you fail an ID check. In general, ID checks are done randomly and infrequently, so just be aware of the risks involved by not having your name on the ticket.

February 2019 Events

Bandori! Radio Matsuri!
What: Joint event between Bandori’s three radio programs, “BanG Dream! Poppin’Radio!”, “BanG Dream! Garupa Radio with Afterglow”, “Roselia’s RADIO SHOUT!” (more info on these programs here and here)
Where: Pacifico Yokohama National University Hall
When: 2019.02.08 (Fri), Doors Open 18:00 Event Start 19:00
Who: Poppin’Party (Aimi [Kasumi], Otsuka Sae [Tae], Nishimoto Rimi [Rimi], Itou Ayasa [Ayasa]), Afterglow (Misawa Sachika [Moca]), Pastel＊Palettes (Maeshima Ami [Aya], Nakagami Ikumi [Maya]), Roselia (Aiba Aina [Yukina], Kudou Haruka [Sayo], Nakashima Yuki [Lisa], Sakuragawa Megu [Ako]), Hello Happy World! (Itou Miku [Kokoro], Toyota Moe [Kanon])
Ticket Site: y-tickets
Chuusen Codes: 月刊ブシロード1月号 (Gekkan Bushiroad January Issue)
Lottery Period: Until 2019.01.06 (Sun) 23:59
Results: 2019.01.11 (Fri) 10:00

BanG Dream! 7th☆LIVE
What: Live band concert! Day 1 is Roselia, Day 2 is RAISE A SUILEN w/ Guests, Day 3 is Poppin’Party.
Where: Nippon Budokan
When: 2019.02.21-23
Who (Day 1): Roselia
Who (Day 2): RAISE A SUILEN w/ Misawa Sachika [Moca, Afterglow], Maeshima Ami [Aya, Pastel*Palettes], Itou Miku [Kokoro, Hello Happy World!], Mimori Suzuko [Ushigome Yuri, Glitter*Green]
Who (Day 3): Poppin’Party
Ticket Site: CNPlayGuide
Chuusen Codes (1st Round): キズナミュージック♪, BRAVE JEWEL, R·I·O·T
Lottery Period: 2018.12.11 (Tue) 12:00～2018.12.29 (Sat) 23:59
Results: 2019.01.11 15:00
Payment Period: Results〜2019.01.17 (Thu) 23:59
Printout Period: 2019.02.10〜
Chuusen Codes (2nd Round): 月刊ブシロード2月号 (Gekkan Bushiroad February Issue)
Lottery Period: 2019.01.08 (Tue) 12:00～2019.01.22 (Tue) 23:59

Site-Specific Guides

CNPlayGuide – 7th Live

Registration:

  • Requires you to call a Japanese phone number with a Japanese phone number within 2 minutes of registration!
  • Find the Registration Button.
  • Choose the “ＣＮプレ会員” option at the very bottom.
  • Press “同意する” (I Agree)
  • Fill out the form Part 1, Part 2 and submit
  • Scroll to the bottom of the next page, enter the captcha, press “次へ” (next).
  • Confirm your information and press “次へ”. You will get a popup w/ a timer like this, during which you must call the displayed number with the phone number that you registered with.
  • You will receive your User ID (ユーザーＩＤ) and Password (パスワード) in your email.

Chuusen:

  • Enter your User ID, Password, and Serial Number here.
  • Choose which day you would like to attend (if applicable). Details will be shown on the next page if you are unsure.
  • Click on the highlighted time for the day you selected here.
  • Fill out your desired seats.
  • Fill out your desired payment method. Some foreign credit cards are allowed, but note that they may take the cost of the tickets as a deposit.
  • You’re done! You will receive a confirmation email.

Strategies, Renban, Pooling

It is possible to coordinate with others in order to increase your chances of getting a ticket! If you are interested, make sure to apply for 2 seats instead of one. It is currently unknown if applying for 2 seats affects your lottery chances. Choose バラ席 (bara seki, random seating) over 連番席 (renban seki, consecutive seating) if possible to improve your odds. You can pair up with another person and bring each other in with your second seat. Anyone interested in this type of arrangement should join the Franchise Discord!

If you have multiple entries, it’s still advisable to split your 1st choice between Premium and Regular seats even if you’re aiming for Premium seats, as this will increase your chances of getting a seat at all (there are fewer premium seats available).

We do not know how any given chuusen will work until it’s too late. However, for 6th Live there were reports that you could not win multiple days. Attempts to use separate accounts (with different name, address, etc.) and VPNs to disguise as multiple people were still caught. Meanwhile, 7th Live allowed each account to win once for each day.

Other / Resources

  • All times are written in JST.
  • You can use Google Translate to make it through most registration processes. If you need to translate images, you can use this site or the mobile version of Google Translate.

Special Thanks

  • The Franchise Discord for answering so many of my questions
  • ナイト for some details on payment!
  • Tsukiyo for answering even more of my questions and helping add many details to this post!