#2dkaps beatmania

[2dkapsddr]

December 6th, 2025 - beatmania, CHRONO CIRCLE, maimai DX PRiSM, K-On! After School Live!

okay, this is a Really funny day to write about . while its exact release date remains unknown, this month marks the 28th anniversary of the beatmania series, originally released in... December 1997!!! and to celebrate, my local arcade is hosting this fun little beatmania birthday party to spread the good word about the game and celebrate its rich history, complete with a ps1 setup and a scoring tournament!!! now, this game predates me by 8 whole years, but it's seriously such a cool game and i love it for essentially being the origin of rhythm games as we know them today . so after doing some antics around and about, i headed down to check out the party and basically stay the rest of the night!!

ancient scores from the ancient setup: these do look really weird because of the CRT's drawing, but they're passable enough... baby beatmania in all its ancient, compressed glory :]

quick detour here to highlight that i did indeed play other games here!! nothing too big, but just wanted to get these scores out of the way so the rest could be beautiful, glorious, beatmania THE FINAL... or actually, the Credits [EXPERT Lv.13] SSS+ FC is quite good :]

alright, pivoting back to beatmania because now begins... the TOURNAMENT SAGA!!! as mentioned at the start, there was a scoring tournament for the "THE FINAL" course taking place with prizes for the winner, and even if i didn't know much about the game or how to play it... i had to test my strength and play through it!!! and in the first try alone... i placed at the very top of the leaderboard for the day, with a solid 2159 EX!!!

with such a solid score already secured, i kinda just wandered about and did nothing (except maybe a bit of homework) waiting for the results, though i did suspect my record would be overtaken... still, i paid it no mind for the moment and ran into a PSP party for a rhythm game i'd never seen before: K-On! After School Live! (2010)!!! it looked Really Damn Cool, and i was invited to join along after the little birthday song for the beatmania cab!!! missed out on some really good-looking chocolate cake as a result, but these scores more than make up for it...! (i'm the one at the bottom left in the second screenshot www)

true to my word, my course record was indeed overtaken later, and i listened to the new score live... i couldn't just stand for it, so i went back to the cab and experimented with a tool i hadn't used in my first run... SUDDEN+!!! or rather... TOWEL MOD!!! no, wait... PAPER MOD!!! there was a magnetic strip and a piece of paper available to simulate "sudden+" on the cab (whose in-game sudden option kinda sucks), and so i used that to my advantage to make some of the rhythms easier to read and time... leading to a HUGE boost in my scores!!! and after a select few insane plays, i SOARED above the competition and ended my run in the tourney with a solid 2258 EX SCORE!!! almost 100 above the score that beat me earlier... i knew this was the run . all that was left to do was lie in wait...

and after enough waiting around, the results were finally revealed... i won!!! first place, first prize pick, and i decided to go for the purple beatmania fanny pack as it looked like the absolute coolest... i even got to pose with my prize and the other top 3!!! was such a damn good time, i'm really happy to have made it out here and participated :] i might regret this later in terms of homework as i definitely should've been writing at home instead, but this whole experience more than made up for it in the long run . hoping for something like this again soon, and 'til next time...

BONUS: "Do you believe in love?" "Yes, I'm just feeling now."

[2dkapsddr]

November 21st, 2025 (2/2) - beatmania, maimai PRiSM, CHUNITHM LUMINOUS PLUS, EZ2AC

I'M FREE!!! from PC rhythm gaming, at least . yeahhhh procrastination was at its peak today, and i ended up doing nothing but playing PC VSRGs instead of doing homework or catching up on rest or ANYTHING to prepare me for the late-night storm of Arcaea Next Stage. but due to the passage of time stopping for no one, it was already nigh time to visit the arcade for open house by the time i finished gaming, and so i ventured back to da bus stop...

honestly? nothing awfully crazy today, despite me hyping up this visit . of course, i had a curfew in the form of getting back home in time for Arcaea Next Stage, but i really just wasn't feeling it for arcade rhythm games because of all the PC rhythm gaming before (my fault :p) . it also only then occurred to me that an open house would naturally attract a ton of people, so the arcade was PACKED with people playing every rhythm game and thus not leaving a lot of space for me to game . but nevertheless, this was still a session to remember... cleared 20,november (single mix) on Hard to celebrate the special day yesterday, finally cleared CANDY☆ [ANOTHER 8*] for the first time, and then got sightread S+ scores on QZKago Requiem [Expert Lv.13] and New York Back Raise [Master Lv.13+] on maimai!!!

hopped back over to chunithm, hoping to have a better session than last time... and i guess this sorta counts for that?? got +0.01 rating through a random re-SSS on Disruptor Array [Expert Lv.14], played and missed the S on Forsaken Tale [Master Lv.15+] for the first time, but the real drama is when i played volcanic [Master Lv.14]... and for no reason, seemingly out of nowhere, just completely bewildered, i got a 1-attack upscore, giving me the new 14 FC but completely missing the AJ, and i'm just ??????? cool but also FUCK!!!!!! I'M NEVER GETTING A LV.14 ALL JUSTICE EVER MAN WHAT THE HELL (oh also an SS+ on Hawatari 2oku Centi (TV Edit) [Master Lv.14+] and stupid S+ on Eta Beta Eta [Master Lv.14+], sillayyyyy :3c)

was supposed to finish up and go home after this, but the bus kept passing and i kept missing it after this last set of chunithm!!! the most rational response would be to wait in the waiting room for the next bus, but instincts pulled me right back to the games, and i ended up playing 5K several times over, missing the bus back home multiple more times... to the point where i gave up on taking any bus back home and just made a run for it back home doubting that the bus would ever come . but hey! got some sick ass scores like an FC on the aforementioned 20,november (single mix) [HARD 5*] and also on 2 gorgeous 4U ~EMULATE MIX~ [HARD 4*]... plus clears on SKA a go go ~PERFECT MIX~ [ANOTHER 9*] and SHOX [ANOTHER 9*] before finally heading back home!!!

bleghhhh,,, that was super chaotic both to write and experience, but i made it home safe, sound, and on-time since the stream itself experienced a delay in starting!!!! definitely should be more careful in the future on catching busses... but all the time i could spend playing more beatmania :^((,,,,, still, had a ball of a time and a ton of laughs/cheers with my friends who watched it alongside me . ARCAEA AND TANO*C FOREVER!!!!!!

[2dkapsddr]

October 12th, 2025 - beatmania THE FINAL, maimai DX PRiSM, CHUNITHM LUMINOUS PLUS, ONGEKI bright MEMORY

aaaand here's the Other big day!!! despite having gone to gamecenter until basically midnight last night, i was due today for Another meetup with friends that required my full attendance and attention . i was a little stressed the night before because i thought i wouldn't have any time at all to meet up with said friends for the sake of homework, but an accidental test taken at around 1 AM absolved me of that responsibility and thus i was able to attend without worrying about my tests and exams ... thus... I'M BACK IN THE FUCKING BUILDING AGAIN!!!! and starting strong with the most high-energy intense songs i could think of playing in beatmania, at that...! (funniest part was friends seeing me play the game and asking "how the hell can you read that it's like 30 fps)

once i managed to pry myself away from beatmania though, it was PERFORMAI SONG SUGGESTION TIME!!!! i asked around for people's ideas on what songs to play, and got quite a few suggestions from my fellow co-volunteers at the Full Combo team, so i did my best to play as much of them as possible...! (as well as some self-indulgent song picks i really wanted to try...) (also wtf for a 14 that Eta Beta Eta [MASTER 14] score is Insane, didn't know i could ball like that... or maybe i can't, gonna have to practice a teensy bit more than that...)

following that series, iiiiit's ONGEKI TIME!!!! been a while since i played this one, but Daaamn is it 1. very fun to play, 2. rather challenging yet enjoyable, and 3. very Insane-looking to those who don't no-life rhythm games like i do, what with the 6 buttons and 2 side panels and a middle control stick to top it all off LMFAO . again, this was mainly to play song suggestions, but i got to play some other songs i really enjoyed and set some records i thought i was too unskilled to set... still kinda filling out my best rating songs, after all!! and although i wasn't paying attention to it at all for the most part, one very lucky and very cool play on DIE IN [EXPERT 13] sealed the deal and pushed me up waaaaay past the 10 rating mark to finally become Purple!!! (though that just reaffirmed that there was indeed new version rating in here too... shucks, guess i'll have to sit down and play act 3 songs someday after all . but hey, maybe that means i can reach 12 or even 13 rating soon enough...? who am i kidding...

quick chunithm break before i headed out for a food break... scores unfortunately weren't too impressive, but i did get a sweet MAX-17 AJ on Blazing Break [MASTER 13+] thanks to yet another song suggestion i got!!

aaaaand it was right back to Chunithm once i got back!!! downscore, bad 15 sightread, not a very hype return, but ah well... it was already dark out anyways... and tragically didn't have enough time to unlock the great big Forsaken Tale boss that everyone's been begging me to play in the song suggestions... Fools!! It's not even that hype!!! It has the same CC as like 7 other songs in the latest version!!! i'm not goin through the whole unlock process for that!!!

just a bit more maimai to go before leaving for the day... some song suggestions, other self-indulgent picks, a few scores omitted across the post due to better scores achieved later and a lack of space due to tumblr post guidelines... and a very cool FC on Role-playing Game [MASTER 12+] and manimani [MASTER 12+]!!!! also a Veeeeeeery Small Teensy Tinsy Unnotable Upscore on Liar Dancer [MASTER 13] :3c

[2dkapsddr]

October 11th, 2025 - CHUNITHM LUMINOUS PLUS, maimai DX PRiSM, beatmania THE FINAL, DDR X2

THE BIG DAY IS HERE!!!! today, my university is hosting their student-organized anime convention mini event, and i've made a deal to meet up with a good friend of mine and tour around the con!!! it was honestly really awesome, i met up with a ton of cool people (including my friends from gamecenter), i got to try a few game demos, and i bought just a feeeeew things from the artist alley set up there!!

but perhaps the coolest part was at the very end where we met and danced around with a group representing bilibili, and coincidentally... they just so happened to be fans of maimai and were going to Gamecenter shortly after the event!!! having met the gamecenter people earlier and hung out with them for most of the event, i hopped into a car with them all and took off to the arcade for the night!!!! it was AWESOME, i loved every minute of it, although i did sacrifice quite a bit of sleep and study time for it... but no matter, maimai and CHUNITHM are far more important than any of those pesky matters!!! in fact, here's me getting a MAX-8 AJ on JET [ULTIMA 13+] at last!!! unfortunately someone accidentally hit Continue with my account still on the cab, and thus i lost just a hundredth of rating, but i quickly gained it back in my next set with a sweet sweet SS+ on Love's Theme of BADASS [MASTER 14]!!!

in between those scores and afterwards, i grinded a teensy bit more maimai and got a rockin' few upscores (plus minor rating increases!!!).... as well as a 99% on my very first shot at Umiyuri Kaiteitan [MASTER 13]!!! i could for sure upscore that raputa though... maybe some other day... it's just too much of the chart that i keep forgetting...

very brief beatmania THE FINAL and DDR X2 scores, nothing too big, just goofing off and playing doubles without the sickness recovery nor sightread ability to do so... blegh

BONUS: greatest board Ever

[2dkapsddr]

September 26th, 2025 - beatmania THE FINAL, maimai DX PRiSM, DDR X2,

friend invited me on this warm friday night to the center of games... the gamiest of centers... and of course, given my other friends were gonna be there, how could i say no? so i went there with bag of stuff in hand, walked the distance instead of just taking the bus, and paid the entry fee to play only the best game ever... that's right BEATMANIA 5KEY BAYBEE WE'RE JAMMING OUT TO *NOISE* TODAY!!!!!

so for context: due to KONAMI's rapid expansion in the west and seemingly more freedom to being licensed out to arcades other than just Dave & Buster's and Round 1, some other arcades have been investing in such cabs and buying up the chance to be played on official, certified machines and servers!!! oooon the other side though, other arcades have had to remove their previously active machines for Reasons... one such arcade being this one. as such, you'll unfortunately no longer see posts about up-to-date BEMANI games outside of Round 1, but i'll still play them every chance i get when i do go there!!! (though next round 1 trip will be a Liiiiittle different... you'll see tomorrow >:3)

alright that's all i wanted to say... and apparently all i wanted to include in this post too! because i only have six more scores to share -- of which all but one are maimai!!! i was tired, wasn't in the state of mind or body for gaming, and was stressed about a race i had to run the next day, so i took it easy and set some relatively Chump scores that didn't improve my rating or skill by much... but hey! you have those days, and i was taken from maimai to grind and learn Initial D anyways, sooooo this is all you're getting . sorry! (ohyeah also DDR X2 as part of those sorta Konami Precautions . at least it has Everytime We Touch!!)

BONUS: holy shit this game (starwing paradox) rocks, i wish it was localized and available over here... though i imagine most people would have an aversion to the anime style . also 2dkaps ddr being pro pinballer (72M on godzilla pinball) and driver (initial D irohazaki in 4:05 !!!) ...yeahhhh i'm not very good at anything other than rhythm games, alas

[2dkapsddr]

April 12th, 2025 - Arcaea, maimai PRiSM, EZ2AC, beatmania, PIU PRIME2, CHUNITHM SUN PLUS, NOSTALGIA

WE'RE HERE!!! WE'RE BACK!!! and with yet another big arcade day, at that!!! contrary to my idea that the arcade wouldn't reopen for another month or something like that, it ended up reopening the very next week -- and i was READY for it!!! so packing my gloved and eating a hearty breakfast (((LIE))), i hopped on the bus to the place and played some arcaea in the meantime -- setting this cool 1-1 score on Renegade [BYD-10] en route!!! (oyea and i also got to awaken E/S Primera Brillante before i got there :3c)

that's all the arcaea i got to play before arriving, as it was time to HOP ON THE MAIMAI GRIND as soon as i settled into the queue!!! it's just the usual, no real biggie, but the rating ups were bountiful nonetheless!!! even closed out the S on my favorite chart of the update (and possibly my first S on a 13+) -- Zunda Party Night [MASTER 13+]!!!

back at it again with the 5K mania getting a clear on Dement -After Legend- [NM 9], plus some upscores on R3 and AFRONOVA PRIMEVAL [ANOTHER] !!!

what's more? a NEW pump version enters the fray of the account -- PIU PRIME2!!!! GODDDD i've been wanting to play one of these for ages, and this was finally the opportunity i've always wanted, so i didn't waste time in getting to the songs that i haven't been able to play on newer versions -- stuff like Pañuelito Rojo D18, Energizer D17, and Energizer (again) S16!! goddd i kinda wish PIU didn't fullscreen and replace every BGA with XX :[

gekichumai containment center: remember the Disruptor Array score i lost with the disconnection yesterday? i went back to it and got the score!!! granted it was lower, but hey! still got the +0.02 rating! even got to play the single best chart in the game... ETERNAL DRAIN [WORLD'S END]!!!

by this time i'd exhausted my motivation and stamina, but there was one game i was yet to try that i really wanted to play... and that was NOSTALGIA!!! another rhythm game to add to the list, it's just a damn fun game with damn fun patterning... and of course, had to play FLOWER per the challenge from last week www (so close to getting my first All Just on Pink Rose [Hard 7] tho...)

[2dkapsddr]

March 30th, 2024 - Arcaea, EZ2AC, WACCA Reverse, CHUNITHM NEW, beatmania, DanceEvolution, ProSeka

ANOTHER HUGE CON DAY INDICATED BY THE TITLE!! LET'S GET IT STARTED IN HERE!!! ...right after this Arcaea world mode intermission. yeah yeah, the grind never stops. i wish it did, but i'm so close to getting all the world extend 3 songs so far... nevertheless, here!!

once that was settled, i went to my friend's sister's car after a really quick shower and got ready for day 2 of the con: cosplay conundrum! these are gonna stay private and off the account for now, but i took a TON of pictures with cosplayers i found out in the wild of sakuracon's artist valley. and there were even more that i missed in the summit building!!! but once that was over, it was back to da grind!!! (i was much more careful with my money this time, besides a poster i got for a friend, don't worry www)

first up, a 5K-only score (that means no turntable or foot pedal muahahaha) on Cross Time !! that's all there's nothing else for EZ2AC go home

but next, i know i said i wouldn't show any cosplayers but i found this INSANELY COOL luin cosplay in the WACCA queue. why was i in this WACCA queue? for a tournament of course! there was a wacca tournament? YES!!! and i was DETERMINED to train as much as i could for it!!! (lie, i barely played anything lol)

instead, i was too busy with my babygirl chunithm new... the stubborn fool that i am, it was almost all i ever played at the arcade before the tournament time. can you believe that!!! all while i was finalizing some responses for my scholarship!!! (tho you gotta admit, these are some REALLY good scores)

more DJing with 5key beatmania... not enough ez2ac... but also HELL SCAPER My Beloved (finally getting to play it in its pure original form and game...)

okay, casual playtime's over. i was running out of time* before the wacca tourney and needed to get as much practice in as i could, since i didn't have much access to this game besides round 1 and thus needed a major refresher on the charts. looking through the setlist and some personal favorite songs, i tried to practice and play as much as i could, so here's some of the highlights from Da Grind!! (feat. some cool S ranks and the fastest improvement on Mazy Metroplex ever LMFAO)

finally, after all of that grinding, it SHOULD have been time to gather everyone and start the tournament. the organizers, however, were having a LOT of technical difficulties. this is what the asterisk next to "running out of time" was for, because i was actually given a lot more time by mercy of the tourney being delayed by almost a FULL THREE HOURS. what should've started at 3 PM didn't start until 6 PM, when my friends were about to leave the con. i was a little pissed, but i guess that gave me some time to walk back to the artist valley and find more stalls/people to admire and photograph respectively, including a faust cosplay and this random miku shrine on the way to the room LMFAO

by the time i finished my cooling-off walk from the tourney troubles and headed back to the arcade for any updates, they were STILL setting up for the tournament and i probably wouldn't even be able to attend it in the end. my friends still showed up though, so i treated them to a showcase of my Awesome Epic DanEvo skills and played one last set of the con for them, which was just Tsumi to Batsu and Daisuke again (but flipped around!) (and also with a longer video of the first song!)

but against all thoughts and odds, they actually DID finish setting up and started hosting the tournament!! right after finishing my set, i was notified that it was almost my turn to go up and play in the tournament. i was ecstatic, i was actually gonna be able to participate!!! woo!!! i got onto my designated cab, we sorted through a minor guest play issue, and i was playing 4-player wacca for the first time with all my lovely tourney-goers... who proceeded to beat me into a pulp (metaphorically) as i had not practiced anything but the last song of our qualifier set into top 8. ah well, at least i got second place on the last and hardest song!

i was still a little distraught with my performance, but i cheered up a bit as i went out with my friends to get some boba before we left to our respective houses. over and on the way there, i played a bit of proseka to catch up on some quests and got some neat APs in that meantime, including an AP on Shun-ran Master 30!!! Finally!!! (got a picture taken with it in my toya cosplay because i was so proud of it LMFAO). didn't haul much (and even if i did, i'm already hitting the image limit with these scores), but here's the image in cosplay with proof www

BONUS: Elegant Toya Aoyagi Dancing (tsumi to batsu 33 seconds)

[2dkapsddr]

March 29th, 2024 - ProSeka, CHUNITHM NEW, beatmania, DanceEvolution, EZ2AC, Arcaea

WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT GAME LIST!!! oh my god this day is so hype you guys have no idea yet .

so after a few months of waiting and making my cosplay, the day finally arrived. after much communication and deliberation between my friends, we were set to meet up and depart outside my house for the event. i put on my cosplay, wrote some scholarship stuff, and hopped in the car where we made our way to the con and our weekend of freedom and joy. i even scored this Ego Rock FC on the EN ver of ProSeka on the way there!

we finally arrived after taking the link train there and having some eats at a local ramen place, where i was INSTANTLY drawn into the magic and joyousness of the con's environment and cosplayers. we first entered the artist valley after getting our badges and my GOD there was so much!!! i was drawn in!!! it was amazing!!! most of the details i've already discussed and put down in a journal somewhere, but for this account? i'm gonna be talking about the RHYTHM GAMES there.

they had an insanely cool freeplay arcade full of arcade games, but most notably the rhythm game ones that were by far the most popular of the bunch. once i was finished with my artist valley purchases for the time being, i split off from my friends and headed upstairs to try and find another friend before giving up and finding the arcade room. i entered into a room of magic, a room of marvels and wonder for me. not only did they have the recent CHUNITHM NEW update, but so many other rhythm games i had only dreamed of seeing and even playing!!! you'll notice such rhythm games by the title, which includes three that i've never featured before on this account. ladies and gentlemen, for the first of around three consecutive posts, i introduce you to... the SAKURACON ARCADE SELECTION SPECIAL POST PART ONE!!!

first off, CHUNITHM NEW!!! i had already played SUN PLUS at a different event, so this was a slight step back. however, what set this apart was the fact that it was on the same server as my paralost account and thus i could transfer over my data to play on my main chuni account on 120hz!!! that's right, 120hz!!! 120 whole frames per second!!! as much as i wanted to play all the other games, i settled nicely into this one and grinded it out as much as i could while the line was short and while my friend also wanted to play. so before i move on to the more obscure zone, here's the collection of scores i got from that part!!

next up? DANEVO!!! i've really wanted to play this at a con and especially in cosplay for the longest time, and now that i was briefly with a friend, i finally had my chance... i unfortunately didn't have very many routines memorized, so i only played one set containing Daisuke and Tsumi to Batsu, the two DANCE aROUND level 10s that i had memorized for that game. the result? AMAZING!!! i'll even link a video as a bonus at the end of this whole thing, but here's the sick and clean (though imperfect) scores i got!!

briefly returned to chunithm where i got a few more scores before my friends dragged me back to the artist valley with them :] S+ on A Site De La Rue and Hana to, Yuki to, Drum n' Bass!!!

after i got caught up in a persona stamp rally and wasted more funds on even more charms (i wouldn't say they were wasted, but i maaay have spent a little more than i maybe should've? idk...), i headed back to the arcade for the rest of the day to finally have some peaceful, quiet gaming time all to myself. it was at this moment that i found two particular empty cabs, and opportunity struck at that exact moment. i've been dying to play either of these for years, their song selections and silly charts enticing me. and now, they were finally free, in the open, within my grasp. i ran up while no one even paid them any mind and booted them up, resting my hands on the keys and turntables. "hello 5key, my new friend."

that's right babey we're finally actually playing 5KEY BEATMANIA!!! AND 5KEY EZ2AC AS WELL!!! FUCKYEAH!!!!!!!!!!! to say i was ecstatic would be an understatement, as i've always been a huge watcher of really old 5key videos on youtube and have really wondered what it's like to actually play on one of these. they sure did feel old, but that only completed the experience even more. i fucking LOVED THIS!!! LOOK AT ALL MY BEAUTIFUL FIRST-TIMER SCORES!!!! (i had some trouble figuring out how to change some settings, but i figured it out within my first set and got straight to work on the (fake) grind...

thought that was the only 5key game they had, or the only one i'd be playing at least? THINK AGAIN!!! i also managed to snag a set of EZ2AC when all the casuals left!!! and by GOD i'm also wondering how they managed to do this on old windows XP monitors it's so beautiful to actually see and play up close, even if i suck complete ass with the foot pedal and stuff...

one last score for the night as i was heading back from the con for the day (tragically missing the ddr sing-along), it's a full recall on Dement ~After Legend~ BYD-9+!! there's not much notable about this score other than just being during con weekend, but i just fuckign LOVE rhythm games ya feel? (and the score is pretty good on its own too ig :rolling_eyes:)

BONUS: you didn't ask, but i delivered on my promise! here's a super short clip from my friend of me playing Daisuke in my Toya Aoyagi cosplay!!