Today, July 26, 2026 (Sunday), ONGEKI celebrates its 8th anniversary!!!!!!!!!
Additionally, on July 23 (Thursday), we released a mid-cycle update and officially launched “ONGEKI Re:Fresh Act.2”!!

To commemorate ONGEKI’s 8th anniversary and the launch of ONGEKI Re:Fresh Act.2, we present the “ONGEKI Chart Committee Report & Staff Messages!”
The chart team members who wrote comments this time also selected songs and charts under the theme “Your Pick: Technical Challenge.”

Please share your thoughts on the ONGEKI Chart Committee Report using the hashtag ” #音撃譜面部会報 “, your impressions of playing ONGEKI Re:Fresh Act.2 using “#触ってきたぜオンゲキ“, and any other opinions or feedback on SEGA rhythm game charts using ” #ゲキチュウマイ譜面サポートセンター “. We’d love to hear from you!

Without further ado, enjoy!

＜Table of Contents＞

(NEW!!) Sumire Ninja
(NEW!!)Stellashi Guma
Monokurokku / Ichinose Rizu
Misokatsu Samurai
Revo@LC
rioN
Purearanse

Mini Miraito
Roche@Penguin
Safata
Amaryllis
Ryokuka Iinchou
Melon Pop

Koha-D
Tagawa-D

＜Sumire Ninja＞

Hello everyone! My name is Sumire Ninja.
I’m a new member of the Kanadesaka ONGEKI Chart Division. Until last year, I was just a regular player enjoying this game to the fullest. And then, somehow to my own amazement, I joined the development staff this year. Life sure is unpredictable.
Getting right to it — I’ve made my chart debut this month, so I’d love to talk about the charts I’ve created. I’m a huge fan of the Chart Committee Report, so I’m genuinely thrilled to have this opportunity to write. Tears of joy.

Λlteration　[EXPERT]
This is the very first chart I ever made. I was moved by the idea of charting a song I loved playing in CHUNITHM back when I was a regular player — but that feeling was short-lived…
“I have absolutely no idea how the ONGEKI editor works!”
There were so many things to consider — the width of the field, bullet offsets, how to spawn Colorful Lanes — that I spent a long time frozen, unable to translate any of the ideas in my head into the editor. With the generous help of my busy senior Misokatsu Samurai, I crafted the chart with a focus on conveying the song’s flow and atmosphere and delivering the ONGEKI gameplay experience. I got a little too carried away, and in the first draft, the final mixed-hand section was a 6-lane keyboard pattern with the left hand taking the lead. (←Rookie mistake.)
After many rounds of revisions, I packed it full of fun ONGEKI-specific movements, so I hope you enjoy playing it!

Secret Seeker　[EXPERT]
Thank you so much for including this song! I love it dearly, so I’m overjoyed. I wasn’t originally assigned to this one, but my senior rioN was swamped, so I volunteered to take it over and charted it with great enthusiasm. You might notice that the charts I worked on for the ONGEKI Re:Fresh Act.2 launch lineup are heavily skewed toward a particular genre. That’s because I’m a total nerd for that kind of music~

Thermal Anomaly　[EXPERT]
I tried making a challenging chart using only 3 lanes, with no moments where you’d put both hands down. These days, even EXPERT charts demand both hands fairly quickly once you hit a certain level — but I thought, wouldn’t it be nice to have a chart like this?
I also included some sequences you don’t often see in other EXPERT charts, like fusing taps and flicks, and full-on bullet hell sections. I think this could be great practice for players who want to step up from EXPERT to MASTER and are looking for a chart to work on skills other than two-handed keyboard play.
By the way, when was the last time we had a Level 12 chart with zero two-handed sections? Calling all experts — inquiring minds want to know~

Momoiro no Kagi　[MASTER]
My first ever MASTER chart! I’m truly honored to work on a song I love so much.
Since it’s a MASTER, I first tried picking up every single sound — and immediately got wrecked by the rhythmic complexity as someone who’s just a regular All-レ-MASTER player. That wasn’t going to work. Next I tried making it simple, like a Level 12+ introductory chart, and it ended up being completely bland and boring.
After going through countless arrangements and layout patterns, I arrived at the chart that’s out there today. It turned out quite different from what I originally envisioned, but I poured my love and sincerity into it to make sure it captures the physical movement and sense of performance that ONGEKI is all about.
This time around, I intentionally aimed for keyboard sections in the chorus and bridge that allow for some flexibility in how you read them. Personally, I believe that finding alternate fingerings is one valid strategy in ONGEKI, though I don’t think it should be the heart of what makes the chart fun. That said, I always keep in mind that many players enjoy mastering alternate fingerings, so I constantly think about the range of possible hand movements while charting.
Please enjoy it however feels right to you!

What’s up? Pop!　[EXPERT]
This was the second chart I made — and it’s another EXPERT for a powerhouse track. But I genuinely love the song, so that’s fine, right?
Since it’s such an Ultimate-tier song, I created it with the concept of a satisfying, note-dense chart you can really sink your teeth into! I got too excited and the first draft had a ton of two-handed keyboard sections, but my senior Purearanse firmly told me “There’s basically no normal ONGEKI section in this,” so I rebuilt it from scratch into the chart it is now. The keyboard and laser sections that felt like a Level 14 burst of instant firepower are gone. (Huh?)
I know it’s pretty over the top for an EXPERT chart, but this song deserved no compromise — please take on its full-throttle note density challenge! By the way, wasn’t Level 12 the highest level in the niconico folder’s EXPERT charts up until the previous version? …Sorry about that.

Memoria　[EXPERT]
Thank you so much for including this song! I was genuinely thrilled when I found out it was coming after joining the company. So here’s EXPERT for a powerhouse track, Part 2.
Since I really wanted this chart to feel like a true performance, I made liberal use of individual finger presses. Feel free to play it like a pianist. The mid-song production section features speed changes that would normally be off-limits in a typical EXPERT — consider it a special exception. I’d like to think it became “a presentation only possible in ONGEKI” — the potential of ONGEKI to express a song’s atmosphere without placing a single note is limitless!
I also contributed various opinions on the MASTER chart’s field shape and keyboard layout, which were incorporated into the final version. It goes without saying, but every chart goes through a back-and-forth process of debate and polishing among the whole chart team. Regardless of which chart it is, I hope this is a good opportunity to let you know that the thoughts of team members beyond the credited Notes Designer are also woven into every chart.

Sumire Ninja’s Technical Challenge Picks
Song Title	Difficulty
Kanjou Acceleration	MASTER
Cocorier	MASTER
Event Horizon	MASTER

■Comment: I’m addicted to jump steps, so I tried to write a course where you could jump throughout — but my senior Purearanse had already listed a wonderful song course ahead of me, so cue the crying anime reaction. It’s not like there’s any rule against duplicates, but still.
So instead, I just picked songs and charts I genuinely love.
I’m using this space purely to spread the word, but every song and chart in this game has its own unique flavor, and that’s what makes it such a great game — so it’s a shame to only play the high-difficulty stuff! I think that every day. Even if these difficulty tiers don’t count toward your rating, please take this opportunity to give them a try. And if you enjoy them, explore even more songs and difficulty levels. This game is so much fun~

【Going Forward】
I’m starting to run long, so I’ll wrap it up here — sorry for being so chatty for a newcomer.
I truly love ONGEKI and feel more strongly than anyone about wanting to keep this game thriving. I believe that passion is exactly why I was brought on as a new chart team member despite having no prior chart-making experience. I know that one extra person can’t change everything in a big way, but I’m doing everything I can within my abilities, working hard every day to become a full-fledged planner.
Until now, I freely threw out opinions like “Add more songs!” and “If they changed this part of that chart it’d be so much better!” — but from now on, if I want more songs, I have to be the one to make them happen! With that in mind, I’m actively raising my hand and working on all kinds of charts as we speak. At this point it might look like I’m primarily an EXPERT person, but I’m working on full-on MASTER charts too! Someday I want to take on a boss track~ hehe.

【In Closing】
To all the players who always come out to play — thank you so very much. I am grateful from the bottom of my heart. I don’t want to stop at the 8th anniversary — I want ONGEKI to keep going! I don’t want it to end! I want to keep it thriving! I want to play even more songs! So please, let’s keep on building up ONGEKI together!
I intend to work hard every day to make better charts than the last time, and to make ONGEKI an even better game little by little. I fully understand that there are aspects of the current operational situation that concern people, and as a player myself I haven’t been able to accept everything either — but the entire staff under the new structure is sincerely dedicated to operations each and every day, so I’d be grateful if you could send us some warm words of encouragement along the way.
I will give everything I have for ONGEKI, so I hope to have your continued support going forward! This has been Sumire Ninja!

P.S.: No, there is no yellow T-shirt or anything like that.

＜Stellashi Guma＞

Nice to meet you! My name is Stellashi Guma.
Just like Sumire Ninja, I’m a new member of the Kanadesaka ONGEKI Chart Division.
First of all, congratulations on ONGEKI’s 8th anniversary! Among the GEKI-CHU-MAI titles, ONGEKI is the youngest — but 8 years is an incredibly long time, I think.
I hope ONGEKI continues on, and I hope you’ll stick with it going forward.

When it came time to write this Chart Committee Report, I thought “Is it okay for me to write one when my charts haven’t been released yet?” — but I was told to at least say hello. Thank you for that.
Still, just a greeting feels a bit thin, so would it be alright if I share a little bit about myself?

【Casual Chat】
Actually, shortly before I joined, I happened to hang out privately with Inoshika Chouchin from the CHUNITHM team, and while we were eating ramen together, he suddenly muttered under his breath, “Good luck making charts for ONGEKI~” — and that was the first moment I realized he was Inoshika Chouchin (I had absolutely no idea until then).
When I joined, everyone on the development team gave me a very warm welcome, and I’m still enjoying the chart-making process every day.

Stellashi Guma’s Technical Challenge Picks
Song Title	Difficulty
Hangeki! Totsugeki! Back To Back!	MASTER
Honey Bear	MASTER
Tricky Treat!!!	MASTER

■Comment: By deliberately spreading out the difficulty levels, clearing the harder ones makes the perceived difficulty of the easier ones shoot up by several notches — I love that kind of tension in a course run.
I selected these at around the threshold of whether I can pull off a TECHNICAL SCORE of 3,030,000 points. I love both the songs and the charts in this lineup.
The patterns are so quirky that the people around me all said “There’s no way I’d want to play that~” (泣).

【Closing】
I’m diligently working on charts right now, so if you ever spot my name in the future, I’d be thrilled if you gave them a try.
I’m hoping to create lots of charts on the road to the 9th anniversary!
It’s a little ways off yet, but please look forward to what this newcomer — or rather, new bear — Stellashi Guma has in store! I don’t hibernate, by the way.

＜Monokurokku / Ichinose Rizu＞

Happy 8th Anniversary, ONGEKI! This is Monokurokku.
Time flies — 8 years since launch — and I’ve been in a bit of shock lately realizing that the time since ONGEKI bright MEMORY and all that came with it is now longer than the time before it (this is doing damage to an indeterminate number of people, myself included). I hope everyone is doing well.

Like everyone else, I’m planning to talk about new features and charts as usual, but first let me explain where I currently stand. It’s nothing too dramatic, but…

【Monokurokku Is Leaving the Team】
Those of you with sharp instincts may have already noticed — but as of the beginning of this year, I, Monokurokku, have transferred to a different team, and my role with ONGEKI has become one of watching over it from afar.
Honestly, I had hoped to stay on until at least the 10th anniversary, but when I took a step back and looked at myself, it turned out my mind and body were both pretty much at their limit.
It happened rather suddenly, and partly because of that, the song lineups around May and June — things like CHUNITHM and maimai tracks and original songs that were supposed to be included — got significantly cut, which may have resulted in a content volume that left some people feeling unsatisfied. I sincerely apologize for that.
I never imagined that I’d be the one to so dramatically cash in the “personnel resource” flag I raised at the 7th anniversary.

So, having been involved in quite a lot of different areas — big and small — there will likely be some noticeable impact going forward, particularly in things like chart volume and song lineup choices.
Honestly, when it comes to the charts themselves, I feel like I’ve said everything I had to say — but regarding the lineup, even accounting for the reality that what I could actually do was far too limited, I still wish I could have created something better — something where my own musical sensibilities and players’ sense of surprise and satisfaction coexisted more harmoniously. I’m ending things still feeling the weight of my own shortcomings, and I have real regrets about that.
To give an example on the lineup side of things — back in the day (around 2023), even putting out original ONGEKI content meant scrambling to prepare things like illustrations and jacket art in conditions where that was barely feasible.
Now that there are so many people who are deeply passionate about ONGEKI as a franchise, it makes complete sense from a player perspective that seeing more ONGEKI original content would be the most welcome outcome — even we ourselves, as players, understand that. And it seems like the circumstances around all of that are finally starting to come together, creating an atmosphere where there might be a bit more room to lean into original content.

…Well, there have been some noticeable rough patches in the short term, but this time around we have not one but two super-fresh newcomers joining the fray (there’s an introduction section for them in this very article!), and with the new ONGEKI Re:Fresh also getting underway, I have a feeling things are heading in a good direction, so please look forward to what’s coming.
In terms of things like song count and overall volume, it may still take some more time before that’s reflected — but I think you’ll find the charts from these new members carry even more passion than the old guard’s. The way each creator brings something completely different to the table is one of the great things about this game.
The internet these days can be a pretty rough place with all the clashing going on, but if you can praise what’s good in a good way, and if there’s something that feels a bit off, share that feedback constructively — I think the team will absorb it well. So please continue to send your warm support to the newcomers and everyone else. Thank you.

【New Features】
The new feature I was primarily involved in this time around is the “Note Appearance Position Adjustment.”
It’s something that had received a lot of requests through surveys and such, and personally — especially since I started going for P-SCORE — I’d shifted to a style of staring hard at the judgment line, so I was really eager to have this feature myself. I’m glad it made it into Act.2 just in time.

For this type of feature in ONGEKI, I’ve always found it frustrating to figure out the right initial settings for yourself, so I tried to make it easier by displaying the note display time in the options screen.
Your current speed is already set so that notes appear at the right time for you, so all you should need to do is adjust the Note Appearance Position and speed settings to match that timing, then fine-tune from there — at least, that’s how it should work in theory.
Whether to use it or not will vary quite a bit from player to player, but given ONGEKI’s vertical screen size, note visibility can change quite a bit, so I’d encourage you to try it out at least once. I also kind of want you to be caught off guard by how big the notes look once you’ve set it up.

We also prepared a few other quality-of-life features that scratch exactly those itches you’d been wishing for, so I hope you get a chance to experience them.
ONGEKI has so many elements — the rhythm game side, the cards, the characters — that there’s an endless list of new features I still want to add, and getting to all of them takes time. But I’m sure everyone will eventually get them all added! Go get ’em, everyone-who-isn’t-me! (Total pass-off.)
If there’s another version update down the line, I think things like a favorites-type-something that everyone’s been hoping for might make it in. It was a bit difficult to include this time around for various reasons…

Monokurokku’s Technical Challenge Picks
Song Title	Difficulty
Calamity Fortune	LUNATIC
MEGALOVANIA	LUNATIC
Random Access Emotions	LUNATIC

■Comment: I picked a selection leaning toward pattern-heavy charts, with Random Access Emotions there to completely demolish your score at the end. It’s a real shame that the Technical Challenge format doesn’t let you specify the order, but please play them in the order listed above.
In arcade STGs, if you want a good score, you’ll inevitably end up at the mercy of some truly awful RNG at some point. Like, fail to pull the right 1-in-3 chance at the very end and it’s instantly game over. I’m going to let you all experience that feeling firsthand. No mercy.

【Charts I Made】
Last time I wrote a lot about my usual work tasks, so the first half got quite long — but this year the most I can say I did was endlessly spawning raindrops in the original ranking event, so this time I’ve made the chart section the main focus.
Looking back at my recent charts, I do have some confidence that I’ve gotten better at making them — but honestly, I’ve become so satisfied with the charts I currently make that I can no longer see room for further improvement from where I stand. That, combined with everything else, is part of why I felt this was the right time to step back from the frontlines.

As You Feel　[MASTER]
This is a masterpiece by DÉ DÉ MOUSE, the composer behind “Rhythm of Love,” whom I’m sure many of you know.
His vocal tracks are also absolutely full of incredible songs, and I’d always hoped that something of his would find its way in — and through a fortunate connection, we were able to include As You Feel. I’m truly grateful for that…!
Lately I’ve been seeing the unstoppable combo of DÉ DÉ MOUSE & WaMi pop up across all kinds of rhythm game titles, and it makes me so happy — so at this pace, I hope every rhythm game out there gets them too.
As for the chart itself — I’d been making a lot

in den Himmel steigen　[EXPERT]
I felt this had quite a similar vibe to “GranFatalité” from Saki’s first solo, so I made it while reminiscing about that time.
In terms of how red charts are designed these days (especially for original songs), there’s also a direction of finding how to develop light variations from the fundamentals of both hands, so the overall approach is actually pretty close to the original era.
Though if I were really going to push it all the way back to the original era, the lane in the B-section would have been an unnecessary element, and I think I’d have gone a lot more straight-and-narrow.
I find myself thinking “if only I could have made things this cleanly back then…” — and then immediately cooling off, realizing that if this had come out at the time, it would absolutely have read as a MASTER chart.
Part of me can’t help being a little clear-eyed about that.

TAIKAN GAME　[MASTER]
Of course I wasn’t born during the heyday of immersive arcade games, so I’m the type who came to them through later knowledge or by playing the machines that got tucked into retro game corners — (ABC is an incredibly good game, isn’t it? I think what arcades need right now is something like ABC.)
I think we managed to express that feeling of leaning your whole body into it pretty well. The reception has been amazing.
And of course, this time around I took the initiative from the very beginning — from the initial song commission all the way through. Yasui Yosuke-sensei, thank you so much…!!!
While we were going back and forth, Yasui-san would drop these wonderfully deep niche references (like the reverb thing at the end), and feeling that arcade gamer spirit come through was really something. Then when Yasui-san DJed at a certain event and I got to chat briefly, it seemed like he had taken a good look at things, and we ended up getting to talk about the actual chart content in ONGEKI — I was grinning the whole time.

girls.exe　[MASTER]
I was mainly in charge of the bullet sections.
What I was doing was simple in concept, but getting it all entered into the editor was absolutely brutal. Never doing that again…
I placed the wings with a certain suggestive intent, but on the surface they are of course meant to be DDA Tsubaki’s wings — while also following the atmosphere of a certain game that inspired the hidden theme of this song.
Between 恨撃 and this song, I find myself constantly thinking about just how much that certain game has influenced me.
That world, man… those tracks… they’re just genuinely so, so good…

ブツメツビーターズ　[LUNATIC]
This is a full-on remake all the way through, with the core structure kept intact.
Since it’s a self-remake, the notes designer name is a homage to a certain channel — which has nothing to do with anything, really.
I had to hold back to fit the difficulty feel of the original era, and on top of that I was reflecting on whether I’d been way too loose with how I was reading the sounds, so this time I really packed things in tight.
I think it does a pretty good job of bringing out the ceiling of what this song can be, and I’m really happy with how it turned out.
Personally, the biggest thing for me was being able to capture that slap bass section — the one right after the re-stated key change (wait, what even is a “re-stated key change” in an instrumental?) where you flick with both hands — using wall notes.
That slap bass sound is just irresistible.

キミイロクロニクル　[EXPERT]
Since this is quite a popular all-character song, I made it with the intention of keeping it an accessible red chart while still making sure the presentation elements came through properly —
but beyond that, I was really conscious of things like matching character colors and the timing of when to bring in the colorful lanes, and whether the overall structure could stir some emotions. I’d love it if people could use this as something of a textbook example for the presentation side of chart design.
Presentation elements, if you just pile them on without restraint, only end up getting in the way of play and actually backfire — (and it’s a terrible return on investment to put in all that effort only to leave a bad impression) —
so while imagining where a first-time player adjusts to the chart’s atmosphere and where they’re playing with heightened tension, the subtraction — knowing when to say “don’t do it here; go all-out here!” — is absolutely crucial.
Though I feel like I’m saying that about regular charts too, really. At the end of the day, I think the essence of design fundamentally comes down to knowing what to leave out.

Also, I’d been thinking “hmm… no choice but to go green…” but then someone pointed out that green and pink together make orange — and I had a moment of “oh, of course!”
Right, right, yeah — that’s exactly what I had in mind when I put it there!

光の惑星　[MASTER]
I know this is going to sound like shameless self-praise, but I genuinely think I made the best chart in the world for this song.
Even though I’m the one who made it, looking at it feels like gazing at a piece of art someone else created. That really never happens.
Maybe I have a weakness for railroad tracks… I think when I see them, I imagine more vivid and concrete scenes, and the flavor just deepens.
I realize that from the outside this might sound like “okay, calm down…” — but every now and then I go back and look at it and just bask in the song and the chart together.
I’d really love it if everyone could engage with the context of this song and reflect on the meaning behind the various parts of this chart.

Also, when making the chart, the target difficulty was noted as “a chart that 808~ will have to push hard for,” so I set a hidden theme of “a chart that will get 808~ to reach Rainbow Rating if they really push.” I’ve quietly packed in some areas that seem like weak spots from what I’ve observed. Pretty tough love, right?
Toward the end there’s a mixed-hand section I figured Rainbow Rating players should be able to handle — but apparently someone crossed through it and completely dodged it, catching me completely off guard. Hey! …Then again, that’s honestly kind of impressive.
Well, that’s part of what makes ONGEKI great — there are always multiple ways to get through something!

浮世絵横丁　[MASTER]
I finally achieved my long-sought goal of “making a Ukiyo-e Yokocho chart with only chart designers from Niigata!”
I’d been joking about this for a long time, so actually pulling it off — as someone who’s proud of Niigata in many ways — makes me really happy.
There was actually one more chart team member from Niigata, but the timing just didn’t work out and we had to give up on including them…

As you can tell from the order of the notes designer names, my section is from the opening through the 6-lane-focused parts.
Before making this, I was egging people on by saying “given where things are today, I think a chart where you’re hitting with both hands for almost the entire song can actually work!” —
so I think we really managed to pull off the feeling of an overwhelming note density and the boss-level presence you’d expect from a 14+!
There’s a theory floating around that this might be a 15, but I’d say it’s within the 14+ range! Probably! I can do it myself!
→ After writing this, I was informed that it had in fact been changed to a 15…

彷徨いの冥～天～　[MASTER]
When I think of Youyoumu,墨染 comes to mind just as strongly as ever — the memories from when I played it are still vivid — so I tried to recreate the bullet patterns of the 6th boss in ways that were memorable and feasible to represent, mainly around the chorus sections.
When it comes to Touhou-related music, I always really want people to play the original games too. The 6th boss’s track in particular — the kind of brain-chemicals it releases when you’re fighting at the absolute limit without continuing is something else — so if you approach it seriously with the mindset of “alright, I’m going into mountain seclusion for a few months,” you should be able to enjoy this song and everything around it in the best possible state.

367Days　[MASTER]
This is my last chart. I’m truly honored to be able to close things out with such an extraordinarily powerful song.
To be honest, I started from a place of knowing almost nothing about Re:LieF, but over the years of being involved, I got to know so many wonderful songs — and at the recent 10th anniversary live, even though I was taking it in fairly passively, I realized I knew nearly every single song being performed, and felt a real sense of growth. (I let out a genuinely big shout for LSLM.)
The lyrics being exceptional is something everyone already knows, but I found myself unconsciously overlapping them with where I am right now, and somehow my hands just poured everything into the chart without me even thinking about it.

Completely unrelated, but lately 遡行的 has absolutely blown up for me personally, and I’ve been doing a rare genuine infinite-loop playthrough — so I’m quietly hoping it might somehow make its way in as a 14+ chart at some point. (Sending telepathic vibes to the Re:LieF fans and everyone involved.)

うたかたよいかないで　[MASTER]
I didn’t make this one myself, but thank you, 《your farewell》, for putting it together — and the notes designer name is just perfect.
This was one of those songs where I felt like I couldn’t die in peace if it never made it into a rhythm game, so having that long-held wish finally come true by getting it included means everything.
That said, the chorus repeats quite a lot, which I knew from the start would make it a tough kind of song to turn into a rhythm game chart — so I had planned to really pull it together myself, but the timing just didn’t work out. Sorry about that.
Still, this person was someone who followed that scene in real time just like I did back in the day, so I could hand it off with full confidence — it was a huge help.

Paranormal Cluster　[MASTER]
I didn’t make this one myself, but thank you, Pureakuransu-kun, for putting it together.
I wasn’t familiar with this content at all and feel quite embarrassed about that, but I got a message along the lines of “there are some great songs in this that would really shine in a rhythm game — would you consider adding them!?” (paraphrased) — so I tried going to a live show, and every single song was incredible and I completely lost it, and the sheer energy of the entire crowd going wild in a no-holds-barred atmosphere made it a genuinely amazing experience. (Afterward, I reached out and said, “please, we’d love to include this.”)
I was going around with this look on my face like “that four-jump-pose at ZAQ’s final chorus though!!” — and then when we were settling on the length, it turned out the only real options were either starting abruptly from the four-jump-pose chorus entry, or a one-chorus + outro length — and I had to reluctantly cut the four-jump-pose… The thing is, I believe the four-jump-pose hits harder because there’s a first chorus before it…
Feeling bad for Pureakuransu-kun, who loves jump poses (this might be mean), the chart still came together with a real sense of speed and live energy. It was a huge help.

はっぴーでいず！　[MASTER]
Sorry to bring up CHUNITHM, but since I won’t have another chance to talk about はっぴーでいず！, which I made around the same time as 367Days, let me say just a little.
Actually, this chart is based on “SPICY SWINGY STYLE,” the very first chart I ever made.
Back then, I had absolutely no idea how to approach chart design, no knowledge of what made a chart work, and I was just going entirely on instinct — so with advice from many people, it took about two weeks to finally reach the form it’s in today.
Looking back at it now, you can clearly see how limited my chart vocabulary was, and the endless “I should have done this, I should have done that” feeling — the potential I could see for it to have been so much better — was something I’d been carrying around for a long time. Now, finally, with this last chart, I feel like I’ve gotten my rematch.
There are parts that have changed significantly, and parts that haven’t changed at all — and I think it’s a chart where you can really see the core of who I am as a designer.
And having my beginning and ending both be swing songs felt like a wonderful way to close the circle — it made me realize anew that I’ve always loved, and still love from the bottom of my heart, the genre of stylish, swinging music.

【Closing Thoughts】
The other day, I went to the final selection event for a certain card game’s pro audition.
I started with no knowledge of any of the contestants, but through various initiatives the context around them was built up, and then watching the emotional experience of some being selected as pros and others not — seeing that up close — genuinely moved me to the point of tears. And when the producer took the stage at the end and was visibly struggling to hold back their emotions while speaking, I felt an incredibly strong sense of connection.
When it comes down to it, I was reminded once again that the greatest sense of fulfillment and joy for those of us on the creative side comes from being able to meaningfully move people’s lives in a positive way, and from witnessing people having those powerful emotional experiences. It was a truly wonderful event.
(On that note — the ONGEKI Re:Fresh announcement at KoP 6th was a version I poured every last bit of myself into, determined to have no regrets, and seeing the reaction from the back of the venue made me genuinely cry hard — a great memory too.)

But back to the main topic…
I’ve somehow managed to stay involved with this ONGEKI content for over 8 years now — but in everything I’ve made along the way, was there anything that truly moved you? Something that made you feel genuinely excited, or that you found fascinating, or that even changed your life?
If anything I was involved in touched your heart even a little, I’d be so happy if you took this opportunity to share it on social media or somewhere like that. If you can tag it in a way that’s searchable, I’ll read every single one!
I’m not normally the type to ask for this kind of thing, so I’m honestly shaking a little writing it — but it’s my last chance, so let me be just a tiny bit selfish! If I’m able to see even something like that, it will be the greatest reward a creator could ask for, and I’m certain it will become real fuel for making even better games going forward.

There was a period when this content was down to such a small, flickering flame that it seemed like it might disappear entirely — but somehow we’ve managed to keep passing the baton. With 2 years until the 10th anniversary, all that’s left is to push forward with everything we’ve got — so I sincerely hope you’ll continue to cheer us on.
This has been Monoklock / Ichinose Rizu. Thank you so much for everything!

＜Misokatsu Samurai＞

This is Misokatsu Samurai.
My health checkup came back with a G rating — a score I’ve never even seen in a rhythm game — so I figured that was pretty bad and started going to the gym about a year ago.
I lost about 15 kg over the year, and my latest results came back with no abnormalities across the board — an A rating.
The human body might actually be easier to turn around than you’d think.

Setting aside the preamble — ONGEKI Re:Fresh Act.2 is now live.
The fact that we’ve been able to keep going this long is entirely thanks to all of you who are still playing. Thank you, always.
I know this is a lot to ask, but to help us keep the service going, please spread the word about ONGEKI to everyone you know.
With so much entertainment available and hobbies becoming increasingly diverse, I feel like arcade games themselves are getting less and less recognition these days.
Whether they keep coming back is ultimately up to each person, but if you can borrow everyone’s power to bring people to the arcade and give them the chance to try the cabinet at least once, that would make us incredibly happy.
Please, we’d really appreciate your support!

On the work front, in terms of what’s visible on the outside: I continue as chart lead with direction on original music (mainly instrumental), and oversight of new feature implementation for version updates — and lately I’ve also been helping decide the future operational lineup, so it’s been pretty busy. (So send all your opinions about future lineups directly to me…)
Two new members joined the chart team this year, and I really should be looking after them properly, but I’ve been leaving them to fend for themselves a bit — sorry. My bad.
To think two new recruits would join right in the middle of the chaotic run-up to a new version.
I’m being forcefully reminded of how hard it is to do onboarding while keeping up with an ever-growing pile of tasks…! Woohoo!! I’m writing this with completely unhinged energy.

Misokatsu Samurai’s Technical Challenge Picks
Song Title	Difficulty
ジャンヌダルクの慟哭	ADVANCED
Dream Riser	EXPERT
天火明命	EXPERT
Red Battle	MASTER

■Comment：※Special Rule: One Attempt Only (Sorry for mixing in a deleted song — basically legendary at this point)

【Talking About My Charts】
First, let me talk about the charts I’ve made over the past year.
This fiscal year had so many songs I have a personal attachment to — and since I’ve got the chance, I figured I’d just write about all the MASTERs this time.
It’s going to be incredibly long, so feel free to just read the parts you’re curious about.

パピプペ Popping！Talk！　[MASTER]
Since ONGEKI bright MEMORY had a lot of emotional-type songs, for the 7th anniversary we switched things up completely and had our singers perform cute, whisper-voice-style tracks.
Though when you call it “whisper voice,” the cast choices feel maybe just a little on the louder side.
Lyrics about staying up all night talking until the sun comes up have that lovely youthful foolishness to them. That’s something us older folks just can’t manage anymore.

As for the chart itself, I’m pretty satisfied with how it turned out overall — there’s something I love about the “止めたくないMusic” line in the chorus, where you’ve been hitting the melody right up until that point and then suddenly for just one measure the bass kicks in out of nowhere.
I don’t usually pick up the bass line in charts, you know.
I said this isn’t an emotional-type song this time around, but by the time I’d listened to Mia’s part before the final chorus over and over, I found myself getting a little teary-eyed and my instincts took over again. I hope that comes through when you play it.

Also, something I learned recently — apparently the HOLD during the sunrise visual effect doesn’t build any combo at all.
Internally it’s being handled by setting the BPM to something like 100,000 to force it to work (←ridiculous), so technically yes, that’s how it works — but to think my most carefully crafted piece of presentation had such a flaw hidden in it…

crazy (about you)　[MASTER]
This was so deeply the Best of 2024 GOD OTOGE SONG that I felt a song this cool deserved a chart just as cool, so I used my chart lead authority to do whatever I wanted with it. Sorry about that.

Mizore: “I wanted to represent more of the sounds properly, but there were a lot of constraints…”
Me: “Leave it to me.”

Some of my favorites: the bit where, despite being a 3-lane section, you’re holding a blue note with one hand while hitting a different blue note with the other; and the part in the sampling section where I got to place [a] as a flick and [go] as a wall note so cleanly.
Maybe the density is a little high for how much technical stuff it’s asking of you, though.
The charts for the other two games are a bit more catchy and approachable, so please enjoy whichever version of crazy (about you) suits you best.

天河游泳　[MASTER]
To truly understand the feeling of swimming through the Milky Way, I started by launching off the highest point of 慶〇頂 and paragliding through 閑〇 before even beginning to work on the chart. I want to be freed from low-graphics settings. Give me a high-spec smartphone.

That post-chorus section after the second chorus — the interplay between the Chinese-style synth lead and the piano is genuinely incredible, it sent chills down my spine.
This is purely self-indulgent, but I thought it would be impossible to capture two melodies simultaneously in this game, yet by making clever use of bell notes and flicks, I managed to make the call-and-response work somehow, and it made me quietly happy.
If you’re up for it, try playing through that section while consciously listening for both melodic lines.

Good bye, Merry-Go-Round. (Kobaryo’s FTN-Remix) 　[MASTER]
BPM 321. (Philosophy.)
The mix of 32nd and 16th notes that’s becoming a trend in contemporary music — my personal skill level tops out at around BPM 150 before it stops being fun and I suddenly can’t hit them anymore, I’ve been noticing lately.
But apparently in hard games these days, BPM 150 is considered taking it easy. A harsh world.
Charts like this make me envious of games with more lenient timing windows.

So in ONGEKI, I went with hitting the kick only where it was actually manageable, and handled the sections that looked like they’d fall apart with aggressive lever swings instead.
Incorporating some essence of the original Merry-Go-Round chart while still arriving at something with its own distinct identity.
I’m not really the artistic type, but I think this time I managed to make a chart that’s genuinely interesting to look at.
The rightmost bell note at the very end of the lever section is easy to drop, so when going for score, make sure to follow the rhythm and swing the lever all the way to the right edge.

A side note about the jacket art — I casually suggested in a meeting “what if we just invert the black and white? lol” and rioN had the inverted image uploaded within a minute, which got a huge laugh.
I can’t believe they actually went with it.

girls.exe　[MASTER]
0:00–0:65　Monoklock
0:65–0:86　Misokatsu Samurai
0:86–1:24　Roche@Penguin
1:24–1:44　Revo@LC
1:44–　　　MiniMilight

soma-san mentioned to us: “I’d love to write a song for ONGEKI sometime! Difficulty-wise, somewhere between Lamia-Po and μ3.” — a generous offer accompanied by an absolutely terrifying difficulty specification.
It was a fairly closely monitored chart production process, so honestly I was pretty nervous the whole time.
Before release there were worries like “Should the ending really not be harder!?” and after release things like “People are saying it’s pretty easy, aren’t they!? (´;ω;｀)” — but when we later tallied up user scores, the chart level was right on target, and looking at the data, soma-san was ultimately satisfied.

It’s a song with such a fully realized world of its own that I felt the chart had to try to match that — but that kind of thing isn’t really my strong suit, so somehow we got it finished by borrowing everyone’s strengths.
The heartbeat section in the middle was a “what on earth do we do with this” situation, but Roche-paisen stepped up and sorted it out. An absolute legend.
Between μ3’s Lissajous curve and the “what on earth is this” chart ideas that pop up in certain boss songs — honestly, I’m not sure ideas like that will ever come along again. Everyone is incredible.
Even though I’m handling all the adjustments, my own section is short and the phrases are so self-evident that I skipped a whole step of thinking for myself, which I feel a bit bad about.
Though really, everyone has their strengths and weaknesses regardless of what kind of chart they’re making, so division of roles matters, and sometimes someone else will do it better while other times only you can do it — right place, right person.

Somewhere down the line I’d like to cover level 15 charts for every single original character. There are some characters I can’t quite imagine a chart for yet, though…
Just thinking about the chart production process already has my stomach hurting.

B100d Hunter　[MASTER]
The act of alternating hits on vertically arranged notes is practically common knowledge in high-difficulty charts — but more than 3 lanes and it actually stops working cleanly, when you think about it.
In the CHUNITHM spirit, I wanted to go all the way to simultaneous red-green or green-blue vertical hits, but I pulled back out of balance concerns. Future developments to look forward to.

Also, I’m satisfied with having achieved my mission of slipping in a mondegreen subtle enough to go unnoticed in the last two measures of the guitar solo in the outro.
I think I nailed the balance on this one.

Worlders　[MASTER]
Even accounting for difficulty, I found myself wondering whether it was really okay to have zero 24th notes in a song like this — but since nobody seems to have raised the issue, I guess it was fine.
That said, I honestly want to carry a mindset going forward where even a brief burst of fast notes deserves to be captured when the moment calls for it, regardless of overall difficulty level.
In a way, the chorus impact ended up carrying everything — but that’s fine in its own right.
Mixed-voice choral songs are a rarity in rhythm games, which makes them special. I’d love to see more.

ダイダイダイダイダイキライ　[MASTER]
The standard approach for rap sections is going at it hard with both hands, but since I’d just made Papipupe not long before, I wanted to come at it from a different angle.
Holding the lever the whole time while fending off the rap with one hand is uniquely ONGEKI and pretty demanding, but combined with the idea of expressing Miku and Teto going at each other, I think it worked out fairly well.

The interlude phrase where sounds from all directions are firing in different timbres — this time it came together smoothly, but in other songs I’m always torn between wanting to make it interesting from a chart perspective and the feeling when you actually play it of “I’m not quite sure what’s going on here.”
This game has TAPs, HOLDs, flicks, walls, bells, bullets, and so on — a huge variety of note types each with their own answer sounds — and while I’d love to assign each note type to each timbre, the tricky part is that simply mapping each note to its sound doesn’t automatically make it fun to play.
So if you ever come across those kinds of phrases in other songs and think “oh, they’re really trying something here,” I’d really appreciate that recognition.

lovelynonsense　[MASTER]
This is the content that was posted at the KOP exhibition!

This is Misokatsu Samurai, who charted 『

The title “Treasure Garden” is a lovely one — I believe “Garden” is taken from Chao Garden, and as for “Treasure,” I think it refers to those precious childhood moments and nostalgic memories we hold dear in our hearts even as adults. I’d be pretty embarrassed if I’m completely off base.
I’m not sure how many kids are playing ONGEKI right now, but it would make me happy if this game becomes one of their treasures someday too.
If I get the chance, I’d like to make a Re:MASTER of Live&Learn for maimai. No promises though.

WE ARE PICOPICO HAMMERS!!!! 　[MASTER]
Hey there, I’m one of those people who can’t make money off double bass. (What?)
I wanted to go full brain-off mode at the final chorus, so I did exactly that.
A rare case where the final chorus ends up with a simpler layout than the first chorus. That happens sometimes.
My intention was to create a picopico feel by using the rise and fall of the normal lanes — displaying and stopping the normal lanes instead of the colorful ones that don’t sink to match the buttons — but it’s frustrating that anmitsu-ing the eighth notes actually looked more like the effect I wanted… Pikonpikon.
MORAL aside, there weren’t many double bass songs in ONGEKI (mostly Touhou tracks) that go over BPM 200, so I think this one has a pretty nice flavor.

Furafurafura,　[MASTER]
This is the Sky Street slot for this version.
For some reason I always end up handling that slot, so I think every time about whether I can do something special with it — but charts aren’t an all-purpose tool, so it’s genuinely tricky.
When charting ported songs, I tend to read through any story content or character flavor text that’s available — how much do you all actually read?

I recently learned that ONGEKI’s characteristic of fields and lanes moving dynamically and your eyes swaying left and right doesn’t mesh well with swing rhythms.
For example, even with simple same-color eighth notes, the spacing between notes looks √2 times wider when the lane moves at a 45° diagonal compared to when it’s straight — yet you have to hit them at the same interval either way, so your brain has to compensate for that. When you add swing on top of that, an even higher level of mental compensation is required.
Back in the day, terms like “vertical reading” and “horizontal reading” were used to describe note recognition, but in today’s diverse rhythm game landscape, the recognition skills required go far beyond that — so those terms might be fading away.
So I’ve started thinking that when charting swing songs, it’s not laziness but actually a step back against the times — I might need to go with a straighter layout. (Both Vibes 2k20 and PinqPiq are completely straight after all.)

I haven’t really talked about this song’s chart at all, but for the ending I gave it a scratch-like finish different from maimai, so give that lever a wild spin like you’re a hype DJ in the zone.
For the ending, I wanted to express the cool image of a tape stop.

Aishite Aishite Aishite　[MASTER]
LEARN HOW TO MAKE ONGEKI CHARTS.
1. Ingredients: chart editor, wild ideas, enough sleep, motivation
2. First, decide on the chart concept…
3. Damn it! You’ve gone and ruined it! You always do this.
4. This chart is your life itself. You always make the crucial parts too hard.
5. You try all kinds of ideas, but not a single one turns out right.
6. Nobody loves you.

THE CELESTIA 180　[MASTER]
0:00–0:56　Roche@Penguin
0:56–1:21　Purelarance
1:21–1:42　Amaryllis
1:42–　Misokatsu Samurai

Before I knew it, KOP has come around for the 7th time. Did many of you already know the Nanahori person in charge?

For the music, Sobrem composed the original base, and ESPITZ took that and arranged it with full force.
The initial request was for a fiery metal prog that would look great at a tournament, but then I threw in some very un-metal-prog additional conditions after the fact (←the worst), saying something like, “Since Saki has a symphonic, grand image while Shou has more of an 8-bit electronic sound, it would be wonderful if there were accents like that somewhere…” — and all I got back was a simple “Got it!” before they got to work on the arrangement.
That was a truly terrible thing to ask.
I’m sincerely sorry for all the revision requests I put you through……

For the chart, Roche-senpai once again did an incredible job.
The combination of a reverse run with notes blacked out on an inverted field together with normal bells — who knew that trick existed.
Staff who were there in the venue on the day told me, “The KOP finals chart for ONGEKI — the moment it started, the whole venue started buzzing, it was amazing!” That was a lovely compliment to receive.
I agonized until the very end over the layout for the last two measures of 32nd notes — following the music faithfully would call for rapid-fire vertical hits, but in ONGEKI, which has such a wide range of expression, plain vertical hits tend to feel a bit plain, so I tried all kinds of layouts and scrapped many of them.
In the end I think I landed on something with impact that isn’t unreasonable to execute.

Basically, KOP finals charts are something I fine-tune while searching for a balance where both the audience and the players are surprised yet can handle things to some degree on a first sighting — but I’d love to show off at least one chart someday that’s like “none of that matters — just crush it!” Is that a bad idea?

Invincible Happiness! (SOS Brigade 5-Person Ver.)　[MASTER]
For the interlude section — nothing in particular kicks off, but it depicts the everyday life of the SOS Brigade that hasn’t faded even after 20 years: Nagato heading to the club room one after another after school and quietly starting to read in a corner; the two guys killing time with board games; Asahina-san cleaning and serving; and Haruhi suddenly appearing, whisking Asahina-san away, shouting “You two hurry up and come too!” as the reluctant club members follow along.
It’s a BPM I’m comfortable with, so I’m happy I was able to make the whole chart feel fun.
All you otaku from back in the day — you absolutely have to play this. If you don’t, it’s a capital offense!

Also, getting to hear “Maaaagare↓” for the first time in 20 years made me pretty happy.
I’m a fan of Ono-D, so hearing his voice come out of the ONGEKI cabinet was genuinely moving. Ora ora!

Rabbit Hole　[MASTER]
Asking me for any reflection… that’s a bit much.

Sorry.

It’s Been a While Across Time and Space!　 [LUNATIC]
I spent about three months lying in bed mulling over what to do for this year’s chart and nothing came to me at all, and before I knew it, the deadline was five days away. Panic.
These days supervision has gotten stricter, so I can’t just casually draw pictures in charts anymore — but since I didn’t come up with any ideas until the very last minute, I ended up having to bow down before rioN, who handles the supervision window, with just days to spare. I’m truly sorry.

In terms of the chart itself, all I’m technically doing is placing notes with their horizontal coordinates aligned to the moment the judgment actually fires, and then carefully setting the speed at which each note should move at any given beat of any given measure — but with this many speed changes, mistakes pile up endlessly.
I finished inputting everything all the way through without checking anything, then went to verify the chart on the cabinet, only to find notes stopping in impossible places, notes disappearing on their own even though they weren’t connected in groups of four — it was a complete mess and I felt totally deflated.
The most painful part was grumbling “when is this bugged note supposed to appear, stop, break apart, and get processed?” while making corrections one by one.
The count of speed change points I placed exceeded 4,000 — definitely the most in history by a wide margin.
Melon Pop, who implemented per-note speed changes, told me, “I implemented it thinking it was a good idea, but I never imagined anyone would take it this far.” Neither did I.
Every time one of these LUNATIC charts comes around I feel the pressure of “just you do it then” and I am completely done. Collapsing now.

By the way, in actual play I can only build chains of about five.
I’ve been wanting to learn GTR for twenty years and those years just kept passing. Maybe now that I have the chance I’ll actually buckle down and learn it.
Excuse me — could I get one copy of the latest Puyo Puyo software at the employee discount, please?

Memory of Beach　[MASTER]
End of the Moonlight　[MASTER]
I was actually an Online-era player. I played it like crazy. Ova!
I wanted to play premium songs, but back then I was too young for a credit card — or even a flip phone — so I used to clutch a piece of paper with a payment barcode printed by fax and trek to the convenience store to pay. What a very of-its-era payment method.
It was probably the first game I ever experienced a service shutdown for, and at the time I was absolutely devastated — but seeing it now being played by so many people, it’s truly amazing.
Being able to chart those timeless songs I played so much about 20 years ago is an overwhelming feeling.
The collab song selection being a little on the older side is mostly my fault.

To anyone reading this now: if you ever find yourself involved in charting for some rhythm game a dozen or more years in the future, please do put some ONGEKI songs in that game. (Negotiations depend on the company, of course.)
Whether ONGEKI is still running by then or not, being able to chart a song you played so much back in the day — you’ll definitely be moved.

Regarding the charts: for the A-melody of End of the Moonlight I considered picking up the backing notes, but that would eliminate any phrases taking the vocal, and it felt like too much of my own ego showing, so I held back.
Without keysounds, doing something like L’épilogue is really tough — that’s how I feel about it.
If you have no idea what I’m talking about, try playing on a TECHNIKA cabinet if you ever spot one. I think you’ll gain a new perspective.

Cocorielle　[MASTER]
In the section “Let’s turn those fallen tears into a smile,” I’ve represented the image of casting a spell with a magic wand. Did you notice?

The way it sounds like 4/4 for some phrases and 6/8 for others while the BPM never changes is so very Celtic and wonderful. Porting it to maimai looks pretty hopeless given how slides work, though.
I hear people call this kind of thing metric modulation these days, but calling a Celtic song “metric modulation” feels somehow disrespectful to its cultural tradition. (Just a thought that doesn’t really matter.)

A little behind-the-scenes story: originally there were no plans to have a vocal song in Shooter’s Dream.
While card illustrations, the story, and the music composed by Lime were all heading toward completion, Director Revo suddenly declared, “I feel like doing a vocal song now,” throwing everything into chaos.
It was a last-minute effort, but we managed to get it ready in time for release.
It’s 100% thanks to KADOKAWA, and we truly, truly appreciate everything, always…
I’m so glad we were able to unveil this heartwarming piece.
Stay tuned for more music to come! (Currently in full production.)

PRECIOUS NIGHT (Prod. Haretokidoki)　[MASTER]
It’s actually been a while since we’ve had Eurobeat.
Of all the Eurobeat charts I’ve made for the game so far, this one felt the most natural to work on — with the passage of time, the intro and outro, which I used to simplify both in layout and note selection just to lower the difficulty, now feel like they can be charted with considerably more freedom.
Even so, laying out an irregular rhythm in a way that feels good to play while staying comfortable to hit still takes a lot of thought!
This game is a troublemaker — you’re just doing straight 16ths and it casually becomes a 14+ chart.

Λlteration　[MASTER]
FINAL LIVE( íｰì )┣¨━
Along with “Watashitachi wa, Hana ni Naru,” I asked the chart team which other song they most wanted to port, and this was the one chosen. (Even if it wasn’t chosen at the live.)
When I actually started charting it I was surprised by how long the in-game version is, but I agreed that not a single part of that interlude could be cut. The HEADLINER principle.
Please play it while feeling the heartfelt solos each person put into it.
If there’s enough demand, I’ll port other songs from the catalog anytime — congratulations on graduating!

Secret Seeker　[MASTER]
Raise your hand if you love this song ~~~~~~~~~~~.
I personally recommended it and got it added to ONGEKI. Thank you.
What’s commonly called the “staff personal picks” slot (not wrong) — in my case it’s closer to the vibe of “this song is genuinely so good please everyone just listen to it okay (said really fast).”
The seamless key change mid-chorus is just absolute genius…!
It’s so comfortable to listen to yet you never know where it’s going to fly off to — a shocking, jaw-dropping chord progression that has the chart appearing and disappearing just as unpredictably.
Anyone who got hit by a bullet on “deceiving and being deceived” — too bad~~~~~ lol

The second verse development and the drop chorus are both wonderful, but trying to fit it under about two and a half minutes meant the phrases wouldn’t connect cleanly, so I regretfully cut them.
If you’re curious, please give the full version a listen… please…
The songs I tend to like usually modulate frequently, and lately I’ve been listening to music while rudely thinking things like, “I’d love to put this in a rhythm game, but trimming the length would be such a pain.” Occupational hazard.

What’s up? Pop!　[MASTER]
Memoria　[MASTER]
I felt it was about time we had some high-difficulty tracks in the niconico category, so I added these two wonderful songs.
For What’s up? Pop! I aimed to make a chart at level 14+ that as many people as possible could enjoy without compromising on note selection, and for Memoria I aimed for level 15 with a slightly harder feel.
Chart adjustments usually focus on whether something fits the song and whether the chart is interesting, with the level kind of sorting itself out — but I think this time things turned out just as intended. They did, right…? Just barely?
I love both songs dearly so I was absolutely planning to chart them myself from the start, but I worried it might seem like “you again?” — so I asked two others to help and had them lightly input the first half of each song. I then blew up most of what they did though…

The reactions from the two of them when they saw the final charts:
Pu: “It still has the faint scent of the first draft.”
Ro: “The vibe remained.”

I think I’m actually well-suited to tearing someone else’s chart apart without destroying their dignity.
Though I’ll tell it straight when something isn’t working. Like placing 24th notes as 32nds.

Both turned out to be charts I’m truly proud of with an outstanding sense of play (and more than anything, the songs are great), so please play them a lot.
That’s all for my chart talk.

【New Features in ONGEKI Re:Fresh Act.2】
After leaving almost everything from March’s Card Maker update and the card printing stuff to rioN, this time around I ended up overseeing the majority of the new features in ONGEKI Re:Fresh Act.2. Force of circumstance!
People who are reading this far are probably ONGEKI fans, so most of what I’m about to say might be stuff you already know — but since I was involved, please allow me to talk about it a little.

■ Technical Challenge
There was a lot of demand for a course mode, but the starting point was figuring out how to best implement it in ONGEKI — thinking about things like chapter selection, and whether it should be something you can do while running through Adventure or ranked events and so on.
So, I thought: the Technical Challenge that started back in the R.E.D. era — now that Platinum Score has been implemented for all songs, hasn’t it lost most of its purpose? — and went ahead with a major overhaul to a full play-through format.
With KOP qualifiers being in a “Why do you need…” state, it feels like we’ve returned to what the “Technical” Challenge was originally meant to be. Of course, the very top tier players will still be competing at the P-SCORE level too.
Being able to play in any order you like is something you don’t really see in other rhythm games, which is a fun touch.
The participation rewards are also better now, so please take a look at the difficulty of the eligible songs and join in if it seems within reach. The courses will mostly be MASTER and above, but we’ll prepare both easier and harder courses.
Note that playing only 2 out of the 3 songs does not count as participation, so watch out for that.

Now, with a full play-through format, I can imagine top players having complaints about the judgment system. I get it.
It’s apparently technically very difficult to touch since it’s a core part of the engine, but a new programmer (←holds RATING MASTER. Why are you this good at the game when you’re a programmer?) is putting in a huge effort on it.
There are things that simply can’t be done no matter how hard you try, so don’t get your hopes up too much — but all we can do is cheer them on. Let’s cheer together.
You’ve got this ~~~~~~~~~~!!!!

■ Note Appearance Position Adjustment
This was also a highly requested feature.
Personally I was a little surprised — like, “Really? People want this that much?”
It might just be that I’m the type who cranks the field all the way up in every rhythm game I play.

The homing bullets are set to ignore the field position and come at you from their usual position — and that’s intentional.
Did you know that in this game, if you slow down the speed setting below a certain threshold, the homing bullets stop getting any slower? I didn’t know that, and I work here……
While doing implementation checks, I tried playing a bullet-hell chart with the field cranked all the way down and got absolutely annihilated — clearly that wasn’t going to work, so this behavior was set intentionally. Checking is important.

The [ms] value is something I’d never consciously thought about from any other rhythm game experience, but it’s refreshing and interesting.
Oh, so I’ve been looking at notes for just under 0.7 seconds.
Apparently if you divide by 1.67 you get a green number — I won’t say what it’s for, but wow, what a huge gap. Just a difference in game design, I suppose.

Also, at the time of writing this, I can already tell there will be feedback requesting the ability to toggle it mid-song — but there are no plans for that at this time.
Because in this game, scroll speed doesn’t change based on the song’s BPM changes — it changes based on the chart designer’s intent.
If something is deliberately slowed down, it’s our way of saying: in this chart, at this phrase, please play while syncing your timing to the slower scroll.
That said, the environment around speed changes is something that evolves with the times, so that’ll depend on how the game develops and how users respond going forward.

■ P-SCORE Display and Options
After introducing stars in ONGEKI Re:Fresh and playing through it a number of times myself, I felt that without some kind of display, chasing scores was really tough — so I added it.
It’s nice that you can see your target “drop” score right at the start of a song without having to multiply by ×0.98 or ×0.99 yourself.
Come to think of it, about 15 years ago I used to be able to instantly do calculations like ×4.5, ×5.5, or ×4.8 (!?), but that ability is long gone. Convenience kills the brain.
Also, some members of the development team said things like “I don’t want to see stars!” — so, okay, let’s make it possible to hide P-SCORE display entirely for beginners — and with the default setting we brought it back to the fully clean old display. Options are a bit limited and things are forced together somewhat awkwardly, but there it is.

Basically, beginners to intermediate players don’t need to worry about P-SCORE — but for those just starting to become advanced players who want to begin paying attention to it (or for those who aren’t sure how to set up the options), here are my recommended settings.

PLATINUM judgment display: ON & P-SCORE display: ON
Judgment display setting: Judgment only (BREAK and below)　※If you’re not used to judgments disappearing, Standard is fine too
Judgment detail display CRITICAL: OFF by default & measure FAST/LATE

You might think that won’t let you be aware of P-SCORE — but the most important thing first is “building the ability to listen carefully to the guide sound and answer sound, and judge with your ears rather than your eyes whether you were slightly late or slightly early.”
Then, check your answer on the results screen by looking at whether you leaned toward FAST or LATE.
Once you’re comfortable with that, set judgment detail display CRITICAL to ON & measure FAST/LATE, and use both visual and audio information to aim for the center of the judgment window.
If I leave this option ON all the time, I find myself becoming less aware of the information I get from my ears, which isn’t good — so I turn it OFF regularly. (Also, on harder songs, CRITICAL FAST/LATE is just plain distracting.)
Feel free to try this out if it’s helpful to you.

■ Rating Target Category
With the rating slots having expanded and become more complex, I’ve made it so you can view the eligible songs directly on the cabinet even without a Premium Course. (In exchange, the Premium Course items got a little nicer.)
Hopefully even people who weren’t sure how to grow their rating, or people who mainly play other games, feel a little more like giving their rating a boost!
Single-song rating values are listed in ascending order from left to right, so please keep rank bonuses and FC/AB bonuses in mind as you push your scores on charts you’re good at.

Also, a refresher on the P-SCORE slot: there are 50 songs, which sounds like a lot, but filling all of them out only affects roughly 5% of your overall rating.
Basically, for everyone from beginners to advanced players, you only need to focus on the New Songs slot and the Best slot to grow your rating.
In fact, you really don’t need to think about P-SCORE at all until you’re close to rainbow rank.
Think of the P-SCORE slot songs as something like: “I picked a song below my usual difficulty range for a little break, and somehow got a bonus +0.01 out of it.”
Only an extreme minority of top-tier players are skilled enough for it to really matter — the concept is “songs you enjoy that are below your usual difficulty range don’t make it into the New Songs or Best slots, but there’s just a tiny bit of value in chasing scores on them too.” Please don’t misunderstand what it’s there for…!
Think of it as: playing a wide variety of songs gives you a small rating bonus — that’s the right way to look at it.

【On Being the Chart Quality Leader】
I want to talk about my main job again — I really do!
I touched a little on what a Chart Quality Leader does last time, but this time I’d like to go into a bit more of an overview.

Lately I’ve started thinking that manga magazine editors might have a somewhat similar job.
First of all, one of the premises of an editor’s job is being responsible for maintaining the quality and brand of their publisher — and I think that’s similar to the responsibility of protecting the ONGEKI game brand.
But just maintaining tradition isn’t enough — without change, people get bored and magazine sales drop. But change too much and you lose customers’ trust with “things were better before.”
I think it’s similar in that you have to take responsibility while constantly taking action and thinking about how to make a lot of people happy.

Also, an editor doesn’t create things themselves — they look at rough drafts and advise on how to make each panel better, sometimes brainstorm story concepts together, and work with the creator to build something better — that’s the same too.
Sometimes I personally think “this chart would damage the brand if it went out like this, I can’t release it” and end up rethinking it from the structure up, to the point where it’s like “wait, I basically designed 80% of this chart myself” — but maybe behind the interesting manga you see in the world, there’s sometimes someone not widely known who’s been hands-on in all kinds of ways.
Though I wouldn’t really know, since I don’t have any editor acquaintances.
And it’s not just about giving advice on the finished product — whether you grow or stifle someone’s abilities depends on your own capabilities.
I don’t know yet whether I’m teaching well, but like a sports coach who has the knowledge but whose body can no longer keep up, I never know when my own reservoir might suddenly run dry — so I want to pass on all the knowledge I have now and entrust it to the future. Also I want an easier workload (hey).

Speaking of which, there’s a quote from a famous manga artist: “If you have the talent to draw interesting things, you should become a manga artist right away. If you can’t draw, put in the effort to become an editor and advise manga artists.” I think there’s quite a bit of truth to that.
A lot of my juniors are the type who listen sincerely — but since I’m the type who doesn’t hesitate to push back against those above me (I know it’s a bad habit), I find the brat-like juniors more motivating and exciting to work with.
If you think “ONGEKI charts have gotten boring lately” — hey, you there! I’m open to a challenge. Let’s go.

By the way, I think the charts from new team members will be appearing a lot more going forward, so there’s one thing I’d like to ask.
Lately in other games too, I often see comments like “it’s always ○○ making the charts” — and with a slightly negative nuance.
I kind of understand the sentiment, but leaving aside whether a chart fits a song’s mood or whether a particular section is interesting or not — saying that kind of thing about a person who is working hard and doing a lot is really hurtful, to put it plainly.
They might be filling in for someone who’s out sick, and circumstances vary — but if nobody steps up, releases won’t make it on time. (Actually, there have been multiple times where a song was scheduled for release but the chart just couldn’t be finished in time and had to be pulled at the last minute. Nobody just swoops in to cover for you.)

It’s natural that having variety in charts is better, and each individual knows that and is trying to bring their own character to things (personal style inevitably shows through sometimes) — and while having many different contributors is clearly better, breaking out in today’s rhythm game scene, which has become so much more refined compared to the past, is genuinely difficult.
Everyone has jobs they’re not used to, and those don’t go smoothly quickly and take a lot of time, right?
In that situation, casually calling in busy senior members just isn’t something you can do.
In fact, I’ve been so buried in ONGEKI this past year that I haven’t been able to write a single chart for Chunithm or maimai…

Personally speaking, having charts critiqued through the lens of who the chart designer is feels like reason enough to just get rid of that field entirely — but more than anything said about me, the thought of my dear juniors being subjected to that kind of unfair treatment is something I absolutely will not stand for — so please refrain from that sort of comment. That’s a promise with your big brother here.
Actually, not just charts — for everything in the world, you must never deny the humanity of people who are working hard.
Let’s all be good to each other.

【Looking Ahead】
Finally, let’s talk about the road ahead.
I think this is what everyone is most curious about right now, so I’ll share what I’m able to share.

First, regarding the lineup: I intend to step in personally to ensure a well-balanced selection that everyone can be satisfied with.
And regarding the supply of original content: we’re still planning to keep things at a somewhat gradual pace for a little while longer, but we’re brainstorming various new initiatives. (Still in the planning stage, so nothing can be revealed just yet.)
The thing I owe the biggest apology for is when the next Adventure will be held — it looks like it will be quite a while away. I’m truly sorry…
Due to various unavoidable circumstances it has had to be delayed for an extended period, and I can only ask for your patience on this one. Please be assured that it is planned — just not yet scheduled.
There are also tons of Chunithm and maimai songs you’d all love to see ported, right? I get it — I want them too. It’s difficult right now, but I’m fully motivated to improve that situation starting around six months to a year from now, so please bear with us a little longer.

But, put another way, that means the schedule going forward is packed with collabs and events.
There was no user survey this time around, but please know that when the time comes that we’d like to hear your opinions again

MASTER

■Comment：The sky from that day still stretches on into the future.
Carrying unchanged feelings through ever-changing seasons.

【About the Charts】
Over the past year, I was in charge of the following 6 charts.
I continue to work hard every day, hoping to move the hearts of those who play them, even just a little.

I Do Me!　[MASTER]
I’m writing this after watching the “final day” of BGP’s 103rd generation students. Getting to witness Rurino’s solo song in person was an incredibly moving experience (cue the waterworks).
This song is a Sankaren track, and personally, I feel like the momentum of the 105th generation really started building from here. The outfits and the lyric video are so cool, aren’t they?
The section bridging the 1st B-melody to the last chorus is timed accordingly, so I placed some jump position notes in sync with the guitar, but please note that the actual 1st chorus does not have any jump positions.

Abyss to Eden　[MASTER]
This song always takes me back to Joint LIVE!! -Mémoire-.
There were also requests from Mini Milight to raise the difficulty in line with the original, so I went with a generally more intense approach overall. I also recreated the slide chart that sweeps all the way from one end to the other, which is one of the most iconic parts of the original chart. The drop chorus features a bullet-dodging section while the unit logo is displayed — that’s actually an element added in ONGEKI Re:Fresh.

Colorful Starting Line　[MASTER]
Apparently it’s already been 20 years since I lined up at the “Fungai” handshake event — time really flies. It’s wonderful that a new song and MV have been released like this. For the most exciting part, I envisioned the five members and placed a 5-lane chart layout.

Odysseus　[MASTER]
I’ve played nearly every entry in the DJMAX series, from the early Online era all the way through to RESPECT V, so choosing songs for the collaboration was a real challenge. Personally, I feel that XeoN’s tracks are essential to any discussion of DJMAX post-Metro Project, which is why I chose this one. This is a song you’ll want to play by swiping the pink notes and hitting the purple notes on the touch panel.
The opening is a homage to the 8B SC chart’s visual effect where the gear display disappears. The large staircase and red triple hits are borrowed from 6B SC, and the dense note runs from 6B MX. Every original chart is a blast to play.

Yume Hanabi　[MASTER]
This is a wonderful song that balances both wistfulness and a great groove. It’s nostalgic thinking back to VUCCA’s first performance at “FUSION☆FUSION!!”.
The initial draft was a bit rough around the edges overall, but after refining it for playability it settled into its current form. Let’s all clap along together during the B-melody. For the chorus, repeat this: fox-hand pose for 2 bars → wipe your hands left and right for 2 bars. The sound of water dripping is also really striking — I love it.
I also helped out with the cabinet display at the Iizaka Onsen event in May. Thank you so much to everyone who played! The event itself got a huge reaction when someone pulled off a FULL COMBO out of nowhere! The hot spring at the inn was also incredible. That said — the water at Iizaka Onsen is seriously HOT! Scorching!!

poppin’ hoppin’ flappin’☆☆☆　[MASTER]
Bright, energetic, and just plain fun! With a song like this, I made sure the chart kept that energy going from start to finish. I also worked in the image colors of the three characters singing it.
Since they’re three fifth-graders who have just met, before becoming ASTERISM, they sing with a younger, more childlike tone. I really think a call-and-response with this song at a live event would be an absolute blast — hopefully we’ll get to do that someday!

That’s all for this time!
See you again at ONGEKI’s 9th anniversary next year!

＜rioN＞

Long time no see. It’s rioN.
The season for the chart team’s annual report has come around again.
I’m writing this in late June, so by the time it’s July, I’ll probably be struggling to compile all the other chart team members’ comments…

【About the Merchandise Campaign】
Out of the blue — does everyone remember the 12th Merchandise Campaign that took place in August 2025?
You might be wondering where this is coming from, but the truth is, I have a bit of a personal attachment to the goods that were made at that time.
So what were those goods? They were “student ID-style cards.”
We have a certain amount of say on the development side when it comes to what goes into a merchandise campaign, and when I pushed hard for this idea in the meeting at the time, it was adopted surprisingly smoothly.
After that, I put together the design image and layout spec sheet myself, then had our team’s designer finalize the design — and I was truly impressed by the sheer talent of a professional. I was fairly proud of how convincing my PowerPoint mockup looked, but the finished design was in a completely different league when it came to the quality of the finer details.

The “student ID-style cards” made through all of that ended up becoming quite a topic of conversation on social media (in various ways), which honestly surprised me.
Personally, I just wanted to create a real-world piece of merchandise that could add to the world of ONGEKI — it really is as simple as that.
Of course I love acrylic stands and pin badges and all that, but I also think it’s nice, every once in a while, to actually make items that the girls might actually use (or might use) in the world of ONGEKI. (To be frank about it, since ONGEKI’s world has digital student handbooks, student ID cards might not technically exist there — but I hope you’ll cut us some slack on that…)

In any case, I’m really happy that not only was the response huge, but the goods themselves were very well received.
In fact, the redemption rate (the percentage of total goods across all campaign locations that were actually exchanged and reached users’ hands) was apparently one of the highest in the campaign’s history.

Another memorable moment: after KOP 7th in March 2026, a highlight video of the tournament was released, and in it there’s a scene where a fan is seen holding one of the student ID-style cards. (Around the 0:30 mark.)
Seeing the big smile on their face in that moment made me feel, deeply and sincerely, “I’m so glad we made these.”

So that’s the story behind a piece of merchandise I’m particularly attached to.
It looks like I’ll continue to be the main person involved with ONGEKI merchandise going forward, but I’m currently facing one rather troublesome situation.

Namely: “the student ID idea was simply too strong.”

Of course, there are plenty of things I’d love to make — “wouldn’t it be great to have this kind of merchandise?” — but under the current ONGEKI setup, there are many limitations, and the types of goods we can produce are restricted. (If we could, I’d love to make three-dimensional goods.)
In the midst of all that, I went ahead and played what amounts to the ultimate trump card with the student ID early on, so now I’m wracking my brain over what on earth to make next.
For the time being, I’ll work on standard merchandise with new illustrations while staying alert for great ideas, so that when the right moment comes, inspiration will strike.

【About the Charts】
Now, I’ve managed to get most of what I wanted to say off my chest, so let’s move on to talking about charts.
I mostly make red-difficulty charts as usual, so feel free to skim through this part.

Tonosama Beam　[EXPERT]
This chart was designed around one single goal: how to make the small drum sound. I think using fast-moving bullets and walls to make it pop in succession turned out to be a pretty well-crafted expression.
(I really wanted to use walls for every single small drum hit in the whole song.)

Marisa Stole the Precious Thing　[EXPERT]
I used a wider variety of bullet patterns than I usually do. Normally when making a chart for a song, I look at the overall balance and adjust the note density and pacing of each section — but with this song, the melody shifts constantly from section to section, and sometimes even within sections, so I ended up with a more à la carte style chart that prioritizes what I want to do in each individual part rather than the overall balance.

Tetris　[EXPERT]
I knew from the start that I wanted to represent the blocks with notes, but since the chorus appears three times, I struggled with how to introduce variation.
Initially I had block-like note arrangements in the second half of the chorus too, and the whole thing was kind of all over the place, but in the end I settled on concentrating them only in the first half of the chorus and gradually increasing the patterns from L → T → S.
Also, I really wanted to use only straight lines for the entire lane structure, but I gave up on that in the interest of chart readability.

Cocorier　[EXPERT]
Where the Tetris EXPERT was a chart built on straight lines, this one was conceived with the opposite concept: how to build it entirely out of curves.
The image I had when listening to the song was “a babbling brook flowing through a forest,” so I wanted to create a chart you could play while gently swaying your body.

JUNGLE WAHHOI (Prod. YUC’e)　[EXPERT]
Because the song’s structure is simple and the chorus is a repeating rhythmic pattern, it was very easy to design the movements I wanted for the chorus.
On the flip side, getting the lead-in and lead-out around the chorus right, and fine-tuning the mirror placements so nothing catches you off guard, is what actually took the most time in this chart.

Still Waiting for Your Reply, Old Man Texting!　[EXPERT]
I’d heard the intro plenty of times in short-form videos and the like, but the rest of the song I may have actually listened to properly for the first time when making this chart.
The BPM was faster than I expected, so for a vocal track, this one ended up with quite a lot of rhythm-focused sections.

【Technical Challenge】
For this year’s chart team annual report, we collected submissions alongside chart comments for the topic “What would the chart team pick for a Technical Challenge?” —
but now that it’s my turn to write, since I normally only make charts up to EXPERT difficulty, I’m genuinely at a loss for what to choose.
I’m paying the price for my past self’s choices, but there’s no use holding a grudge over what’s already done, so I’ve decided to just own it and go with an easy Technical Challenge.

So here are the three songs rioN would pick for a Technical Challenge.

rioN’s Technical Challenge Picks
Song Title	Difficulty
Hanadoki wa Yume wo Miru.	EXPERT
Taidouka Rei	EXPERT
Tatemae to Honshin no Dairantou	MASTER

■Comment：…Yes, these are the camellia charts I was in charge of. By coincidence, there were only three of them. I feel like I made more, but I guess not.
Surely it’s fine to have at least one challenge like this, right?

By the way, if I were to simply pick my personal favorites from the charts I’ve made, it would look like this.

rioN’s Technical Challenge Picks　part2
Song Title	Difficulty
Bad Apple!! feat.nomico	MASTER
Äventyr	MASTER
Chant Say Yeah!	EXPERT

■Comment：The two MASTER charts are from ages ago, but I’m quite fond of them all the same.

【In Closing】
Well, I’m relieved that we’ve somehow made it to the 8th anniversary, but the milestone of the 10th anniversary is already looming two years away.
We ourselves are still feeling our way forward in terms of what we can accomplish with the current team setup, but I personally will do my best to deliver something to all of you beyond just the rhythm game side of things — be it character illustrations, story content, or something else.
(As for what the team as a whole has to say, I’m sure Director Tagawa will cover that in his mid-July post.)

Until then, I look forward to seeing everyone at the 9th anniversary chart team annual report — and beyond that, at the 10th anniversary.

【P.S.】
Misokatsu Samurai mentioned my name in connection with the jacket for Good bye, Merry-Go-Round. (Kobaryo’s FTN-Remix), but all I did was quickly edit an image to share my vision during a meeting — I didn’t actually create the jacket image that ended up being released to the public. Just to be clear.

＜Purearanse＞

It’s Purearanse.
I was debating whether to keep things casual, but since I’m always goofing around at work, I figured I’d at least be serious here (?).

【Random Musings】
Word on the street is that Purearanse is obsessed with jump position notes, and while I feel deeply aggrieved by this characterization… jumping together is just plain awesome, right?! So I’ll answer that yes, it’s absolutely my jam. Wow? I’m not sure what that means either.

Purearanse’s Technical Challenge Picks
Song Title	Difficulty
As You Feel	MASTER
Butterfly Wave	MASTER
C & B	MASTER
Jump on My Cue!	MASTER

■Comment：Everyone, let’s jump together! (If jumping is prohibited at the venue, please settle for a polite knee bend.)

【Random Musings 2】
Recently I’ve started being entrusted with card-related work for ONGEKI.
Specifically, it’s not just deciding skills and attributes — I also consult with Revo on which illustrations to turn into cards, and sometimes I even go as far as specifying to the design team something like “I’m thinking the plate should look like this!” based on the illustration being used. (This part is pretty much planner work.)
My goal is to make choices that players and visitors from collaboration titles will want to collect, so please do grab those cards and print them out!

【ONGEKI 8th Anniversary】
If you tip the 8 on its side, it becomes ∞ — so it’s safe to say that ONGEKI, having reached its 8th anniversary, holds infinite possibilities.
And there’s no doubt that those possibilities are supported by all of you who keep on playing. Truly!

That said, the person who brought me into this world — monoclockPaisen — has left the ONGEKI team, and I was pretty at a loss for a while. But I kept telling myself, “No matter what, I have to keep going for everyone who loves this game — I’ll become a full-fledged member of this team!” and before I knew it, here I am today.
Revo, Misokatsu-senpai, rioN-senpai, and the recently joined Sumire Ninja and Stellaci-sigma — plus me, Purearanse (and occasionally chart team members from other teams) — will keep working hard on the charts, so please continue to support us!

【About One Year of Making Charts】
A whole year has already passed, hasn’t it? Whether I’ve grown… I suppose that’s for all of you to judge… haha…
I’ve taken on the role of looking at Misokatsu-senpai’s charts and going “wouldn’t it be better if you did this here?” and little by little I feel like I’m starting to understand how chart-making for this game works. (Two new members have joined and brought fresh perspectives too!)
I think my growth will be slow, but I hope you’ll stick with me until the day I fully mature.
If you ever find yourself going “what is going on with this chart?!”, please feel free to use #GekiChuMai Chart Support Center as well.

【About the Charts I Made】
I made quite a few more charts compared to last time, so let me pick out a few to talk about.

Omaじない　[EXPERT]
I made this chart while staring at the absolute trash EXPERT, thinking “there’s only one kind of chart this song could possibly call for!”
If you know someone who has no idea, give them both charts with a smirk on your face. (I take no responsibility for what happens afterward.)

Tachyon　[EXPERT]
This one is quietly one of my favorites. In the section where you hold the walls while pulling back on the lever, imagine yourself floating in zero gravity and reach for that lever.

No Rock No Life！　[EXPERT]
I am simply, truly grateful to have had the chance to work on this song. I can’t find words beyond that.

girls.exe　[EXPERT]
The MASTER was targeting the tier of the hardest 15s outside of μ3, and I had a casual interest in collaborations, so I had casually added my name to the MASTER credits — but then I was told, “Hey Purearanse, why don’t you try making the red difficulty for a boss song?” So I ended up making the EXPERT solo instead of contributing to the MASTER.
As with my other EXPERT 14 charts, the overall goal was “if you can’t handle this, you won’t be able to enjoy MASTER.”

Memory of Beach　[EXPERT]
Throughout the back-and-forth on this chart, Misokatsu-senpai kept talking to me in mondegreen gibberish the whole time.

Xingularity　[MASTER]
When I was making this, Revo directly told me “if possible, please aim for 14+,” so I had no choice but to go for it — I picked up as many of the sounds playing as I could, added more information, and after kneading it all together in various ways, I ended up with a chart I’m really satisfied with!
14+?! For your second MASTER chart?! you might be thinking — but looking at the other songs added around that time… the timing was just what it was…

Ambivalence　[MASTER]
I came in on my day off to draw roses. I have no artistic talent, so I’d be happy if they look pretty to you. Unrelated, but when it comes to BLACK ROSE, I’m a Nick fan.

Kimiiro Chronicle　[MASTER]
Where did everyone first encounter Palette Project? For me, I’m embarrassed to say, it was an announcement at an ONGEKI live event.
But you never know what life has in store — from there, I got into the “ONGEKI Singing Streams,” became a channel member for the first time, made it out to a solo concert, and before I knew it, the person who was once just a player had become a member of the ONGEKI development staff.
I believe that one of the reasons I was able to reach the “starting line as an ONGEKI development staff member” is, at least in part, that Palette Project and ONGEKI collaborated.
Having written all that, I just realized I haven’t actually talked about the chart itself — but when it comes to the chart, there’s nothing I need to say.
I’m looking forward to the day you reach Rainbow rank.

Marisa Stole the Precious Thing　[MASTER]
Those who noticed the prayer spear, nice eye.
It’s closer to “supported by” than a true collaboration: initial draft by Purearanse → subsequent adjustments by Misokatsu-senpai. That said, my initial draft was stuck in early-2000s rhythm game mode, so it got upgraded to the latest and greatest version.
I placed some Shanghai and Hourai bullets and Revo, who happened to be passing by, laughed at me.

Straight into the lights　[MASTER]
Before I even talk about this chart, I have to say that the original maimai chart is just too perfectly realized. I genuinely think it’s one of the top charts in that game once you understand it. Getting to the point of being able to play that chart is a serious journey…
…anyway, the point is that the impact this song had on me was immense, so I poured everything I had into making this chart!
It’s what you’d call a “special chart,” so it went through round after round of adjustments — but I hope I managed to deliver my own take on “Straight into the lights MASTER for ONGEKI.”
The initial draft only had pressing motions; Misokatsu-senpai suggested adding pulling motions too, so it wasn’t entirely my own work…

Hypernaid　[MASTER]
The shock I felt the first time I heard this has never left me, and I immediately volunteered to make it. It’s so much fun to change the note density of the chart along with the ever-shifting feel of the song!

Cryogenic　[MASTER]
The song is so stylish! That said, figuring out what to do with the chart… I was really struggling even through the A-melody.
After thinking it through, I remembered a gimmick-style placement from

Good morning, it’s Mini Miraight.
The ONGEKI development team has grown livelier now that we have more chart designers. It makes me a little happy when I think back to the days when we were rotating charts between just two people plus some help. The early days of ONGEKI Re:Fresh were really rough…
I actually hadn’t planned to write anything this time, but I felt like if I don’t have a chance to work on ONGEKI charts for the next year, I might not be able to write anything when next year comes around — so I started writing this the day after the deadline. rioN, I’ll have it out by Monday, so please forgive me.

Mini Miraight’s Technical Challenge Picks
Song Title	Difficulty
No Rock,No Life！	MASTER
No Rock,No Life！ -Bando Mikuru Solo ver.-	MASTER
No Rock,No Life！ -Yuki Riku Solo ver.-	MASTER

■Comment: When is the bonus track getting implemented?

Dream Believers (Year 105 Ver.)　[MASTER]
The song is from Year 105, but I love Tsuzuri so much that I absolutely had to fit her into the chart — and that’s how the opening sequence was born. I bought the Year 102 Activity Records to look up the original order, but there was no description of the Dream Believers lineup order, so that part is purely my own interpretation.
I was pretty deep into Sukusho as well, so I wanted to sneak something in, but I couldn’t find a place for it. What a shame.
A certain spot in the chorus was timed to an off-beat sound, but an acquaintance laughed at me saying the timing matched that call perfectly. It’s not like that~!

MORAL　[MASTER]
Around this time last year, monocroc and purearrangers dragged me along to a PalePro event. It was my first VTuber live show, and I had a great time soaking in the visuals and the wonderfully chaotic sound.
As for the chart, I think it turned out to be a fast-paced chart where you can satisfyingly pound away and cross your hands at just the right difficulty. I wonder why it was listed as 14+…?

girls.exe　[MASTER]
I handled the final section. While everyone else was doing major overhauls, mine ended up almost entirely unchanged from the first draft.
The only thing that got completely cut was a 9-lane simultaneous press I had put in thinking “it’s glowing, so it’s fine!” Aww.

Brilliant Wings　[MASTER]
Hey there, it’s your top Re:Step player. BWEX is 100% complete.
In my mind this song was the final boss of Re:Step, so I had put something genuinely difficult in the chorus — but Misokatsu Samurai called me out saying “come on, do we really need to do Takenoko Nyokki here?” The rest of the chart also leaned too heavily toward Re:Steppers, so revisions were made to add more live-concert energy for the Re:Members.
Oh, and the yellow section of this song was handled by Misokatsu Samurai. That section also has a very lively, concert-like feel to it, so please give it a try.

No Rock,No Life！　[MASTER]
Even before On×Stage! came out, I had been nonstop pestering people right up close for two whole years with “please, please give us a Miku×Riku song!!!” So it meant the world to me when this song actually became a reality.
When making the chart, all I was thinking was: I want LUN 14+ and EX☆26! Peak brainrot, I know. Misokatsu Samurai usually calls me out when I place sounds that aren’t actually playing, but this was the one time he let everything through from the first draft to the end without touching a single note, and I’m truly grateful for that.

Resolution　　[EXPERT for Re:Step]　

This is what I came here to talk about. It got a brief mention in a couple of places, but I still want to talk about it as “Mini Miraight” too.
Getting to be involved with a game I love in this way was the most enjoyable experience I could have asked for. Thank you so much.
Many people have been kind enough to analyze what’s in the chart, and the interpretations are mostly spot-on, so here I’ll just jot down some behind-the-scenes tidbits in my usual bullet-point style.

· I visited hotarubi to study up on the regulations. We had a really in-depth conversation about things like how to be careful with adjacent TAPs and whether crossing the center lane is acceptable — it was a lot of fun. Would it be possible for chart craftspeople to do something like this kind of newsletter column someday?

· When I shared my ranking in a certain High Challenge, my ID was identified from it, and the person dug up how much I’d spent and was half-shocked, half-appalled — which I found hilarious. I mean, my birthday pulls were basically all misses…

· Nominally it’s a collaboration between two people, but in practice I made 100% of the chart myself. Revo’s name was included in recognition of the behind-the-scenes support they provided. Also, having more names is just more fun.

· Production period: about three weeks. I poured every spare moment I had into it — weekends included — agonizing over every pattern and structure. Having put in more effort than any chart before it, I can say with full confidence that this is, in my own estimation, the best chart I’ve ever made.

· The initial formation was decided by hotarubi. It just so happened that by moving the red lane around, you could do the same thing as in an ONGEKI MASTER chart, and I was genuinely moved by that.

· I made it using a proper note editor. The note limit is 999, and anything 24th notes or shorter was placed using batch adjustments. For the final version, I entered the first and second halves as separate parts, and hotarubi combined them on their end.

· I completed a clear check using both smartphone (thumbs) and flat-hand play. The flat-hand clear check was done with my own device on Instinctive Survivor.

· The chart concept is “Mini Miraight.” I aimed to make a chart that only someone who makes charts for GEKI-CHU-MAI and has also played Re:Step — including its chart maker — to an obsessive, almost unhinged degree could have made.

· The notorious pattern was the very first thing I placed when I started making the chart. I wanted the hardest part to be an impossible-looking arrangement that you’d never come up with unless you were deeply into the chart maker.

· Because I love them so much, I intentionally incorporated elements of past chart references, bullet-hell patterns, and branching chart structures. I obviously knew I wasn’t supposed to, but I still really wanted to include a direct swap — that’s actually my favorite type of pattern in Re:Step.

· I asked Player 2 “Is it okay if I seriously go all-out in Gorilla Cup even though it’s my own chart?” and got the green light, so I went full throttle. I ended up with a really satisfying rank and got a Gorilla Secchan too. Yay!

【Finally】
By the time this goes up, there are only five days left. Score optimization, chart crafting, High Challenges, play count grinding — all of it. Having pushed to the absolute top level and still having so much more I want to do, it’s incredibly frustrating to see a game I love come to an end like this. Farewell, thinking-style rhythm action. Thank you for everything.
The things we have now aren’t guaranteed — and that includes ONGEKI; the fact that it’s still running today is not something we can take for granted. Please make the most of the present and enjoy it without regrets. I hope that music games can be at least a small part of that present for you. We on the staff side will keep doing our very best to ensure that music games remain a part of your lives as players.
Thanks for everything going forward. The end.

＜Roche@Penguin＞

Hey, it’s Roche@Penguin!

Just like last year, I went out for a round of bowling with Aminohabakiri after clocking out on July 7th. This time I was the only one who lost.
I’ll have my revenge on August 8th of Reiwa 8…
By the way, I’m super excited for a certain pachinko influencer’s live show the day after that.

Lately I’ve been hooked on going solo to places where going alone feels just slightly awkward.
There were plenty of places I used to think “I’ll go there once I have a girlfriend,”
but ten years passed and no girlfriend materialized, and I’ve been drifting further from my friends too,
so I figured if things stay like this I’ll never go anywhere — and recently I’ve been going on solo strolls all over the place. It’s really great fun!
Cafés, zoos, flower fields, aquariums… being able to go at your own pace is the privilege of the solo visitor.
I find it very soothing to see happy families and couples around,
but a grown man who is convinced he’s a penguin staring intently at people could easily become a problem,
so I erase my presence like a ghost in the air and enjoy the events quietly.

Oh, I’m still hitting up the arcade basically every day as always. Lifelong active player status declared.

Roche@Penguin’s Technical Challenge Picks
Song Title	Difficulty
幸せになる隠しコマンドがあるらしい	MASTER
The Wheel To The Right	MASTER
Fragrance	MASTER

■Comment: This is a special fingering course. Please don’t call it the birthplace of all evil. I tend to look for physicality in rhythm games. Playing in sync with the music is great, but the sense of dominance that comes from riding the chart and dancing through it — that’s what makes rhythm games truly compelling.

Now, let me share some comments on the charts I’ve had the pleasure of making recently…

girls.exe　[MASTER]
I handled roughly the section from 86 seconds to around 123 seconds — from the quiet midpoint up until just before the green rapid notes kick in.
The flow of expressing a heartbeat and then restarting from there came together perfectly, and I’m really happy with how it turned out.
This was inspired by a boss from a certain STG that I love.
1:BE PRAYING
2:BE PRAYING
3:BE PRAYING

Tokimeki Kindan Shoujou　[MASTER]
I made this chart centered on the colors of Fujimiya Kotoha and Nanami Rona.
In the middle section, notes are placed to match the choreography the two of them perform in their live shows.
At the “one-sided love” part, an enemy bullet in the shape of a heart appears in the center — “you can only choose one of them!” people say,
but there is also a third option: paying some small sacrifice to dive headfirst into the barrage and uphold a spirit of universal love for both of them.

Back when I was still relatively new to PalePro, I went to the 2025 August Fan Festival,
and after the live show I had drinks with monocroc and registered every member’s channel plus all official channels in one go,
and things have been going wonderfully ever since. Going in person again this year! Looking forward to it!!

I.M.I　[MASTER]
Such an incredibly good song. Please watch the MV as well.
As for the chart, I think it managed to sync quite well with the atmosphere of the song.
The colorful lanes shifting from white to light blue, the bells slowly creeping in.
It’s hard to put into words, but the catharsis of successfully pulling off an expressive idea that captures a mood — or of witnessing that expression yourself — is something that nothing else can replace.

JUNGLE WAHHOI (Prod. YUC’e)　[MASTER]
The “GAOOO” part is a tiger’s mouth. The bullets are fangs. Then PAOOON — an elephant appears.
I felt that the song’s world, its BPM, and rapid consecutive notes were just too perfectly compatible, so I put rapid notes all over the place —
and then Misokatsu Samurai said “Hey, let’s make those last rapid notes even stronger??” and now there’s an unavoidable rapid-fire sequence waiting as the final boss.
How did everyone find it? I’m sure Oga Rukia could handle it easily, so everyone please imagine you’re Oga Rukia and mash away.

Netsu Ijou　[MASTER]
The atmosphere of the MV led to a chart that leans heavily on red and green lanes (someone pointed out it looked like Jingle Bells, but…).
It’s a busy chart that follows the BPM faithfully, and I think your vision will be pretty significantly thrown off by what you see on screen.
Rather than just being “confusing,” I tried to express how “your vision gradually becomes a shackle” — like the desolate world you’re staring into. How did that land?

Charts have become tremendously varied by now,
but I remember back during the development of the original ONGEKI, and in the early days after launch, feeling quite at a loss for how to further expand the variety of charts.
Thanks to the ideas and challenges taken on by our team members, we now have charts that we couldn’t have imagined back when the game first launched.
It’s surely a world we never could have reached if we were just going through the motions.
It’s a world that came into view because we had team members who were always challenging themselves, exploring, and pushing against boundaries.
We also owe it to the programmers who designed the system with such a high degree of freedom.

Thanks to that, while the work is endlessly demanding, just as players challenge themselves against difficult charts,
we on the development side are able to keep challenging ourselves in game development.
Not just charts — we keep pushing on specs, design, lineup, and sometimes even our own internal development structure.
The option of stopping the challenges and prioritizing efficiency just doesn’t seem to fit this team.
The fact that the EXPERT chart and MASTER chart are basically always made by different people is one expression of that —
it comes from the efficiency-be-damned desire to show different perspectives on the same song.

Thank you always for all the feedback we receive about our charts.
Some of it is high praise, and some of it is sharply emotional. Whatever the reason behind it,
I believe the gut-reaction impressions of people who actually played the game are important, so I take all of it to heart.
It would be awfully convenient to make a game for people to pay and play and then not want to hear any complaints — that’s asking too much.
The reason note designers are credited is so that we’re the ones standing in the line of fire and feeling the responsibility.
It’s certainly not to draw attention to ourselves (well, maybe a little).

That said, the things you say quietly shape who you are.
Keeping that in mind and being thoughtful about what you express — over time, that becomes the foundation of your character.
Thoughts become words, words become actions, actions become habits, habits become character, character becomes destiny… as the famous teaching of Mother Teresa goes,
but in an era where words tend to remain as visible, written text,
that teaching has perhaps taken on even greater meaning.
The way we navigate social media has truly become a delicate thing.
Let’s all find a healthy way to relate to it, without being tangled up in the words of others or our own.

ONGEKI is entering its 9th year — let’s keep playing together toward even greater heights! See you!

＜Safata＞

How are you all doing? It’s Safata!
It feels like just the other day we were celebrating the 7th anniversary, and now it’s already the 8th — time flies.
Lately I’ve been getting more chances to visit arcades, so I’ve been racking up a nice haul of event rewards. I make it a goal to head to the arcade whenever the urge strikes, and I work at it every day.

Also, as of writing this, my RATING has climbed to 21.650, and in a fit of stubbornness I’ve been stacking up ABFBs on 15s — between maimai, CHUNITHM, and now ONGEKI, I’m actually feeling improvement across the board, and my days are filled with a real sense of accomplishment. I’m going to keep loving rhythm games forever!

Safata’s Technical Challenge Picks
Song Title	Difficulty
Grayed Out -Antifront-	MASTER
Violence Trigger	MASTER
Starlight Disco	MASTER

■Comment: These are basically my favorite songs. Starlight Disco might be trickier than it looks.
You might actually find your score comes together better than expected once you try it, so give it a shot!

【Chart Talk】
There were a bunch of charts I haven’t had a chance to introduce yet, so here we go!

Grayed Out -Antifront-　[MASTER]
I had a rough vision for it and got all fired up — but then things happened and I ended up leaving pretty much everything to Roche… When I saw the finished version, my own sections had been tuned up and the whole thing had become a satisfying, challenging chart. As expected from them.
Thanks to Misokatsu Samurai for the adjustments too — I’ll pay this back someday.

PS: I got to pay back that debt when we collaborated on the MASTER chart for FLΛME/FRΦst.

Starlight Disco　[MASTER]
Such a great song!!!
As someone who plays maimai, there was simply no way I wasn’t going to make this chart.
The song was short, so it came together quickly from input to completion — so if there’s anything I was deliberate about, it’s this:
I subtly changed the shape of repeating sections so you’d have something fresh to engage with each time. It might be a bit tricky — sorry about that!
When I’m pressed for time I sometimes just select this one, log in, and head home.

With new members joining lately, I’m confident this game is only going to get richer and more colorful.

Until next time!

＜Amaryllis＞

Long time no see, ONGEKI fans. It’s Amaryllis.

ONGEKI has reached its 8th anniversary, which means we’re heading into Year 9.
I joined SEGA just a little before ONGEKI launched, so I’m apparently also entering my 9th year on the game-making side of things.
I got into the world of game development because I had a passion for thinking about things like: “This chart is fun — but why exactly?” and “Why does this one not quite land?” Having spent 8 years still doing exactly that, I’m genuinely moved when I stop to think about it.
It’s thanks to all of you who play every day, and everyone who shares the joy of rhythm games, that we’re able to keep all three GEKI-CHU-MAI titles going. Thank you so much.

Amaryllis’s Technical Challenge Picks
Song Title	Difficulty
足立オウフwwww	MASTER
RE Aoharu	MASTER
Unwelcome School	MASTER
其のエメラルドを見よ	MASTER

■Comment: YEAHHHHH 6-lane 6-lane!! Keys are the best!!!!

Feel free to use it as a training course to practice full-press and rearrangement patterns, or to go for it by sight-reading everything as it comes.

From here, let me talk about the charts I made over the past year.

RE Aoharu　[MASTER]
I’ve been playing Blue Archive for a long time, and if I had to name the moment I was most excited, it would definitely be the 4th PV.
The feeling of RE Aoharu starting with an unfamiliar intro, and then the moment that phrase from the game’s prologue began to play — I still remember that rush of emotion vividly.

When making the chart, I agonized over which elements of the story and characters to incorporate, but in the end: for the first half of the song, I included a narrative told from the perspective of a certain character who appears in the Final Chapter, and from the point where the Aoharu phrase begins (where you hold SIDE-HOLD with both hands), I included sequences evoking the story’s journey from beginning to the Final Chapter, told from the perspective of the player character, “Sensei.”

In terms of the chart design, I was thinking back to 足立オウフwwww, which I made a while ago.
I think there’s something deeply comforting — like a home-cooked curry — about an 8th-note-heavy chart around BPM 180 that uses every button with both hands, but what’s interesting about ONGEKI is that such charts are actually somewhat rare here.

Unwelcome School　[MASTER]
I’ve been playing Blue Archive for a long time, and the moment I thought “wow, the music in this game is incredible” was definitely this song.
At this point it’s become famous enough that people

The dramatic excitement of that intro never gets old no matter how many times you hear it, and I made this chart with the intent of outputting the nuances I had imagined when I was fantasizing about playing this song in a rhythm game.
So glad to be alive.

Telepathy　[MASTER]
Songs that are jam-packed with references and high-energy are obviously a blast to play in a rhythm game, but honestly, they’re also incredibly fun to chart.
I wasn’t able to fit every parody reference into the chart, but I carefully handpicked the ones I did include.
Watching the original MV before you play might lead to some new discoveries, so please give it a try.
(Hey, you reading this at the arcade! If you play maimai, you can watch the MV right there at the machine!)

For the second verse’s A-melody, I had this idea of “if it’s ONGEKI, I want to do that thing where you fire bullets at Miku,” and when I built that gimmick, Misokatsu Samurai sensei powered it up beautifully. 🙏

Hoshitsudzuri no Alchemist　[MASTER]
This is the first time in about a year that I’ve charted an original song for ONGEKI.
With licensed songs, there’s always the pressure of whether I can add ONGEKI’s unique appeal without betraying the image or expectations that fans of the song already carry; but with original songs, there’s a different kind of pressure — the chart I make might become the listener’s very first impression of that song.

I made it while going back and forth with Misokatsu Samurai over things like “a TAP here would feel good” or “no, hold off a bit longer and keep it restrained…”
I hope the charm of this song — gorgeous and grand, yet carrying a nostalgic, endearing quality somewhere — comes through.

Kisu Kitsune　[MASTER]
This is one of those songs where calling out at a live show is an absolute blast.
Right before I made this chart, I had just come back from a show where I got to call out to this song to my heart’s content, so I was able to chart it with a lot of energy.

HIMEHINA has an official call guide, so please take a look at it, learn the calls, and then give the chart a play.

Utakata yo Ikanaide　[MASTER]
I’ve been a VTuber fan for over 8 years, so I made this chart while thinking about all sorts of things.
As it happens, the history of VTubers and the history of ONGEKI overlap in timing, and before I knew it, both had become a huge part of who I am.
Some things go on forever, some things disappear, some things change — it’s a mix of everything. But I’d be happy if ONGEKI has become something that you, the players, feel you can’t leave out when looking back on your lives.

Ohenji Mada Kana? Ojisan Kōbun!　[MASTER]
My personal policy is that “the star of a rhythm game is the music, and the chart exists to make the music work as a game while also letting it shine” — which means overly flashy chart presentation that overshadows the music, or a charter injecting too much of their own ego, is generally a no-go. (There’s a slight contradiction in me writing this kind of text outside the game, but I digress.) However, for this song specifically, I decided from the start that the chart needed to have an overbearingly annoying uncle front and center.

I hope you enjoy yourself — sometimes becoming the uncle, sometimes becoming Amagi-chan — while gazing at the unbearably cringe emoji.

＜Greening Committee Chair＞

Hello. On my days off I’ve been enjoying my twilight years riding around in a red-roofed convertible.
I’ve also started driving my own car to various event venues more often, and I can’t help but feel how my lifestyle has shifted. I paid parking fees higher than train fare to get to Nihon Kogakuin Arena and GARDEN Shinkiba.
One thing and another, I’m mainly working on the driving game next to the rhythm game team, but I’d like to talk a little about the small part I helped with.

Chasing Destiny　[MASTER]
○ Theme
Capture the intro/outro guitar; adjust everything else so that doing so feels satisfying

○ What to do
・Arrange the intro/outro so the guitar can be captured as much as possible
while also making the layout playable with either one hand or both
・Create a section that faintly evokes God knows… (MASTER)
・Make the chorus 5-lane
・Outside the intro/outro, lean a bit more toward walls

○ Comment
This is unmistakably my generation. As a fellow Endless Eight rewatch survivor, you know.
There was a recent revival theatrical screening, so I went, and honestly nothing about it had faded in the slightest — it was striking.
And I’m truly delighted to be charting a song by Satoru Kousaki this time around.
The pattern of “intense intro phrase that also appears in the outro” is almost a cliché at this point — how to handle it was the key question, and this time I went with a philosophy of “I want to place almost the same thing in both spots” as much as possible.
This is the moment to go all-in on the guitar placement — probably won’t get another chance like this!
And so I made it with a bit of that God knows… DNA in there — but after it went live, I realized that people who played it in ONGEKI was a long time ago and not many players would remember it.

Eat Sleep Dance (feat. Moe Shop)　[MASTER]
○ Theme
Polyrhythm, polyrhythm, polyrhythm

○ What to do
・Polyrhythm is the main focus
・Within similar patterns, weave the field left and right in the first and second halves to sustain momentum
・Keep everything else relatively simple
・ONGEKI-specific elements are limited to just a few spots

○ Comment
“Polyrhythm” is easily in my top 3 favorite words in rhythm gaming. (Is it really?)
I’m truly sorry to those who don’t vibe with this philosophy, but for this song, I have no intention of budging.
I believe the greatest advantage of a rhythm action game that doesn’t replicate instruments is that you get to choose which sounds to represent in the chart and blend them together —
being able to hit the bass while also covering the vocals, guitar, or piano is something only this kind of rhythm action game can do.
That philosophy tends to get in the way when charting pop songs (since polyrhythm tends to spike difficulty), and ONGEKI is a wonderful game that lets you achieve it without over-inflating difficulty through bullets and bells —
but with ONGEKI now mature at its 8th anniversary, I wanted to believe it could be achieved with keys alone, and that’s the spirit in which I made this chart.
Denpa-bu tracks are by their nature packed with strong, punchy sounds, so I also wanted to make the chart bring out the maximum energy whenever possible.
(Last time I charted one I expressed that by drastically reducing the hit count, but this time it’s the opposite.)
Everyone, get on good terms with polyrhythm and deepen your enjoyment of rhythm action games.

Waku Yuu Smile Power　[MASTER]
○ Theme
A level 13–13+ POPS chart that generates momentum through the hand speed of throwing to walls

○ What to do
・Heavy on walls
・Heavy use of quick ground → wall movement
・Contrast through bells-only / bullets-only sections
・The snare in the drop chorus is way too satisfying to hit

○ Comment
I prioritized momentum and a sense of speed above all else. There aren’t that many special effects, and the structure might be old-school.
I felt a certain 2010s anime song energy throughout, so I designed the layout like a 2010s rhythm game chart (?).
I think it’s pretty common for charters to drop a hold note in spots that feel empty without something to hit —
but with this much momentum going, it feels like it totally works.
Also, the fact that I made “Welcome to ONSEN!!” like 5 years ago is genuinely wild.

Ukiyoe Yokocho　[MASTER]
I handled measures 29 through 64.
I made a pretty clear distinction between symmetric simultaneous presses and spread-out key patterns for the sections that use both hands.
I’d been told something along the lines of “14+ would be fine,” so I went all-out with a full-power 14+ for my section. If anything, my section was probably the easiest of the bunch. (Was it, though?)
Either way, getting to collaborate on this with three people from Niigata was genuinely something to celebrate.
It made me think back to our old home arcade, which is now a dentist’s office.

【Closing Thoughts】
One thing and another, I’m deeply grateful to have been involved for 8 years.
The new members who have joined are making cool, cutting-edge charts worthy of the Reiwa era, and little by little — in areas where I used to be swamped with new systems and events — various features and improvements are being worked on too, so I’m looking forward to watching all of that as a fellow player and chipping in every now and then.
Come to think of it, I’ve been thinking that a certain song that recently ended up in a certain “D” would fit ONGEKI perfectly. Eurobeat suits ONGEKI, and trance fits ONGEKI like a glove. On that note, I’ll wrap things up.
Well then, see you next time at the ○○ collab event songs. No plans for that yet.

Greening Committee Chair’s Technical Challenge Picks
Song Title	Difficulty
Canaria	MASTER
Night of Nights (xi Remix)	MASTER
Love & Justice	MASTER
Seelenwanderung	MASTER

■ Comment: I picked one chart per category where my philosophy of hitting keys came through especially strongly. Play through all of them and I think it’ll be pretty obvious what I’m into — so please, experience my philosophy for yourself.

【About the Course】

Sorry — I listed 4 current songs, but honestly, would the following course be alright instead?

True Greening Committee Chair’s Technical Challenge Picks
Song Title	Difficulty
Tsuresatte · Tojikomete · Suki ni Shite	MASTER
High Free Spirits	MASTER
Illuminage Land	MASTER
Kizuna Sparkling World	MASTER

■ Comment: Wait, isn’t that not enough? Let’s make a Technical Challenge with a marathon-mode level of songs.

＜Melon Pop＞

This is Melon Pop, happy to be writing the newsletter in good health again this year.
By the time this newsletter is out I’ll be grinding away at new songs again, but in the meantime I finally hit Rating 21.000 and became a RATING HOLDER / ULTIMATE RAINBOW.
Platinum Score grinding is actually pretty fun. (I’d love to see the chart team’s rating slots — I wonder what songs everyone has in there.)

Melon Pop’s Technical Challenge Picks
Song Title	Difficulty
Purple Rays	MASTER
Awahakuchuumu	MASTER
367Days	MASTER
Lots of love	MASTER

■ Comment: This year’s theme was “the Technical Challenge you would choose,” and these are the 4 charts I landed on.
I tried to put together charts from what you might call “gateway” songs — ones that are approachable (I think) even for players just starting to grind Platinum Scores. Lots of love [MASTER] might be a bit of a stretch though.
The “insane” Tech Challenges and the “personal taste” Tech Challenges — everyone else will make those, right? Though I suppose this one also looks like a “personal taste” Tech Challenge.
I know a lot of people aren’t sure where to even start with Platinum Score grinding, but it might be a good idea to start with charts that are relatively easy to aim for a Platinum Score, have amazing songs, and have amazing charts.

Everyone, make a Tech Challenge out of your favorite charts and spread the word to your friends. Now is the time to bring Platinum Scores to the masses.

【Chart Talk】
Usagi Flap　[MASTER]
Apparently this is the only chart I made between last year’s newsletter and this one. Seriously?
I actually love this song and its story so much that when the collab was happening, I went and said “if we’re doing this collab, please make absolutely sure this song is included!” — and it was. So glad it made it in.
When I make a chart, I usually start by writing down the one thing I absolutely have to do, and for this song that was: one-hand 3-key hold + wall excursion. Isn’t that fun?

【Etc.】
■ Recent News
These days I’ve moved away from the rhythm game team and am working on a different team.
I was a huge Geki! Chuu Mai fan even before joining the company, and then spent 6 years working on this team after joining, so it’s a little bittersweet. But goodbyes do come eventually.
So then who’s the ONGEKI programmer now, you ask — my junior programmer S has been working hard on it. He put in a ton of effort on recent operations and on ONGEKI Re:Fresh Act.2.

■ Note Appearance Position Change
I was already off the ONGEKI team by the time ONGEKI Re:Fresh Act.2 was in development, but I did have the tiniest bit of involvement — I implemented just the base for the note appearance position change feature.
The note appearance position change that monokurokkku and I hashed out together during development — only configurable during dev — was then polished into a proper implementation by junior programmer S, and I couldn’t be more grateful.
Personally, the part I love most is that it shows the note draw time, so you can see your note recognition window and adjust your settings accordingly.
For someone like me who just wants to lower the view angle a tiny bit, this feature is incredibly welcome…

So with that, I think this will be my last newsletter entry. I’d love to still have some involvement with ONGEKI next year in some way.
Until next time.

＜Koha-D＞

July 26th has come around again this year.

As it happens, it’s the day AkeMas launched,
the day Yumesute was also released,
and with so many threads of fate crossing on this date,
I find myself feeling deeply moved as I greet today.

And as those titles I mentioned
transition to new stages,
ONGEKI has been fortunate enough to remain on its stage
and reach its 8th anniversary.

Operations that once nearly came to a halt were revived,
a voice actor who had announced their retirement made a comeback,
and I was also amazed to see 42 circles at C108.

In a genre where it is so difficult to keep going,
the fact that we’ve been able to continue for this long
is, I believe, the fruit of the tireless effort and love
of everyone who supports us,
and of the staff and all those involved who gave it their all.

I thought long and hard about what to write at this milestone,
but with CHUNITHM celebrating its 10th anniversary and bringing a few ideas from the original proposal to life
(though there are still plenty of ideas that haven’t been realized),
I thought I’d take a moment to write about some ideas
that were in ONGEKI’s original proposal but were ultimately cut.

※ I’ll be sharing ideas that we likely won’t be adopting going forward either.

■ Graze System
“Graze” means “to scrape” or “to brush against,” and it’s a system commonly adopted in bullet hell shooters like the Touhou Project series as a way to add deeper gameplay to the act of dodging.

In early development, ONGEKI placed a greater emphasis on bullet dodging
(the location tests had a fair bit more bullet hell elements too, if you recall),
and we were considering a balance where dodging was more important than hitting.

Also, in the very first design document, the buttons were actually just two on each side with no side buttons either,
so in the earliest prototypes there were fewer elements to hit,
and we were proceeding with a feeling of “yeah, this could work.”

However, as development continued,
it became clear that a greater sense of rhythm game satisfaction was needed,
and as we added side buttons, increased the number of buttons,
and expanded the freedom of hi-speed settings,
it became difficult to build meaningful depth into the “dodging” side of play —
and so this was one of the ideas that was cut fairly early in development.

※ Note: the side buttons were an idea from the cabinet development team;
we experimented with various device ideas they pitched and ultimately adopted them.

■ Bomb Button / Special Move System
This was an idea we were exploring around the same time as the Graze system,
also conceived with bullet hell shooter-style gameplay in mind.

At the proposal stage, the plan wasn’t to let players freely play any song from the start;
instead, players would advance through stages by maintaining their life gauge,
gradually expanding the range of songs available to them —
and “bombs” as a survival mechanic were being explored as an important element of that game experience.
(We were thinking about how to deliver the classic “clear stages to advance” rhythm game experience through a different approach.)

Since it was also a character game with cards,
we were considering allowing players to trigger each character’s unique special move when setting off a bomb —
but in the end, we determined that asking players to assess the situation and activate a separate effect
while already focused on a rhythm game was too much to ask;
having your attention pulled there meant you couldn’t focus on the music,
and it diminished the fun. So this too was cut early on.

The chapter unlock system — where playing through chapters gradually opened up more songs —
is a remnant of that era when we wanted to guide players through the game that way.
(It wasn’t a particularly well-received system and was revised later down the line.)

■ Defeat Powerful Enemies to Catch ‘Em All System
One of ONGEKI’s features is that music and characters appear together as opponents,
but the original plan wasn’t to obtain them through gacha or points —
instead, we considered a system where battling opponents gave you a chance to drop their card,
a bit like a certain Po◯émon-style mechanic.

We believed that the more times you see a character, the more you grow to like them,
so the idea was that you’d gradually come to like a character from seeing them as an opponent,
and then naturally want to have their card —
a system designed to let you play the game driven by that feeling.
(The very concept of facing characters as opponents was partly intended with this in mind.)

Concerns like “I don’t want to be forced to play a song over and over just for a card drop” or
“I don’t want to be locked out of a card I want just because I’m not skilled enough”
were factors that would have gotten in the way of simply enjoying the game as a rhythm game,
and since we found we could create characters that people naturally grew to love without forcing it,
gacha was debated extensively within the team and then implemented,
ultimately settling on a system where cards could be obtained through the game’s overall play cycle.

There were many other systems we discussed along the way,
but ONGEKI was a project that challenged play motivations no previous rhythm game had achieved,
so I remember that we went through considerably more trial and error compared to other titles.
(Even the original Director Fujiwara wasn’t someone deeply versed in rhythm games at the start.)

After all that trial and error,
I believe we were able to create a truly unique rhythm game,
and I think it is this appeal and originality that has allowed us
to continue for these 8 years.

Many things happened both during development and throughout operations,
but it is thanks to the staff involved and to all of you who have supported us
that we have made it this far —
something I feel more deeply than ever at this 8th anniversary.

Thank you sincerely for your support up to now.
And please continue to enjoy ONGEKI going forward.

SEGA Creative Director　Koha-D

＜Tagawa-D＞

It’s been a while, everyone.
This is Tagawa, ONGEKI Director.

【O.N.G.E.K.I. 8th Anniversary】

On July 26, 2026, ONGEKI celebrated 8 years in operation. To everyone who has continued to play — thank you, truly, once again.
That 4th anniversary, when a “turning point” was decided, now marks what you could call the halfway point of our operational lifespan. All the more reason I’m so glad we’ve been able to reach this 8th anniversary. On July 23rd, “ONGEKI Re:Fresh Act.2” launched. From the newly revamped Technical Challenge to the various songs and events that will roll out throughout Act.2, I hope you enjoy every bit of it.

The tagline for this “ONGEKI Re:Fresh Act.2” is: “Every encounter becomes the future.” This phrase was chosen to reflect the story of ASTERISM’s three members meeting for the very first time — but it means more than that. It’s because I feel that every encounter has built the ONGEKI of today: your encounter with ONG

In-game, we were able to bring you a brand-new event, “Shooter’s Dream.” We are thrilled to have delivered the event complete with new illustrations, a story, and vocal tracks (the staff really gave it their all). Please look forward to what’s coming next in the “Shooter’s Dream” series!

On the other hand, we sincerely apologize for the long delay in updating the Adventure series with a third installment following the “Final Exams Arc” and “School Trip Arc.” As mentioned in the comment from Misokatsu Samurai, various production circumstances have combined to push the preparation significantly behind our original release schedule. We are working hard to ensure it reaches you properly, so we ask for your patience.

Now, as I look back on this past year, the thing I feel most strongly is that the encounters we have with people are what shape the future of ONGEKI.

Recently we had collaborations with Maitetsu and Parasute!, both of which came about after they reached out to us first. Maitetsu is celebrating their 10th anniversary this year — congratulations!
The collaboration with Link! Like! Love Live! came about because the general producer happened to be an old acquaintance of ours. It reminded me once again, through what felt like a wonderful twist of fate, just how important connections with people really are.
As for our close friends Re:Stage! and Onsen Musume — that goes without saying. We continue to be in their care in all sorts of ways beyond just in-game collaborations.

We were also able to hold ONGEKI collaborations in DJMAX and Muse Dash. Thank you so much for creating such wonderful charts and skins for us. We hope that ONGEKI will continue to spread to more and more places like this going forward.
Beyond external collaborations, we will continue to pursue collaborations within SEGA as well. We held a Puyo Puyo collaboration for April Fools’ Day, and a Sonic collaboration as part of Project ONSOKU, among others. Of course, we will also continue to actively pursue initiatives that are only possible because of our three-title lineup of CHUNITHM, maimai, and ONGEKI, including song and character exchanges between titles.

We are always looking for partners to collaborate with in ONGEKI. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us!

“ONGEKI, Created Together With Everyone”

At the 5th anniversary, I wrote that “ONGEKI will not end.” At the 6th and 7th anniversaries, I wrote that I hoped to someday celebrate the 10th anniversary together with all of you.
And now, as we reach the 8th anniversary, the 10th anniversary is no longer a distant wish. The ONGEKI team has set the 10th anniversary in July 2028 as a major milestone and a real, concrete goal. Next year, and the year after that, we will keep delivering new songs and character events to all of you as we continue moving forward toward that day.

With that in mind, as was just announced, ONGEKI will be launching an open【public submission】for “Songs” and “Illustrations”!
・Accepted original songs will be added to ONGEKI and become playable in the game!
・Accepted illustrations will be turned into cards that can be printed with Card Maker!
We would love your help!
Rather than an ONGEKI built only by the development team, we want an ONGEKI built together with all of you. We hope this submission initiative will be the first step toward that vision. Let’s work together to keep ONGEKI exciting from here on out!

The connections we have built over eight years have created the ONGEKI of today. And the new connections yet to come will create the future of ONGEKI.
Onward to the 9th anniversary. And beyond that, to the 10th. ONGEKI will keep going.
We sincerely ask for your continued support.

ONGEKI Director
Tagawa Hiroaki

8th Anniversary! Ongeki Chart Committee Report & Developer Staff Message