Open Letters to Kazamatsuri

[Naoki_Saten]

The announcement of Kazamatsuri closing had hit me pretty hard. From that moment, everything seemed pointless and I became an unstable mess. It was like depression had come back with reinforcements and boy did it kick my ass.

I knew I had to write an open letter and put all I had into it. But instead of a perfect wall of text, my notes only resembled the pathetic wailings of a big baby. I just wanted to run away, so I did. I acted like it’s business as usual on the chat. Distracted myself with games. I procrastinated, as I always do with unpleasant tasks. All so I wouldn’t have to face this sadness just yet. Sorry it took me so long to reply ^^’

Five years ago, when I joined the forum, I knew this place was special right away. Why? Because I didn’t have to scroll past a bunch of spam, waifu wars, trolling and arguing to find a deep and meaningful post. People were talking with, not at or past each other and they were freely sharing their passions and feelings with others instead of making fun of them. Almost every post contained something new and insightful. A discussion paradise. So I decided to do all I could to keep it that way. Ironically, in my early days, I was so aggressive about it that while trying to keep the bad things away, I occasionally became the worst thing on this site. I pushed my values onto others and got angry with members whose posts were not “serious” enough. I used to butt heads with @Kanon all the time (I’m truly thankful for the experience, though) since we were - and probably still are - polar opposites. My antics earned me two out of three strikes, meaning I was close to getting kicked from the site.

Kazamatsuri is where I could do what I loved most, what I was most passionate about. Heck, this is where I discovered new sides of myself, where I found out what kind of person I wanted to be. I started to listen more, question my own viewpoint more frequently, reassess my priorities from time to time. I have experienced many different ways of having fun here. Over the years, I went through the entire spectrum of, well, being Kengo. I went from being the excessively serious guy to memelord, realizing there’s nothing wrong with being both. I have learned valuable lessons. For example, that people I personally don’t get along with can still be great people. For example, that enjoying things with others is simply on a different level compared to enjoying stuff by yourself. It really enhances your experience. For example, that passion is a product of effort - not the other way around. That is something I have experienced with my own body during the Winter Festival. The Kaza events made me take part in activities I probably never would have attempted otherwise, like being on podcast, or a chorus or doing some voice acting for a silly little fandub.

What I did on Kaza were without a doubt the most fulfilling activities in my life so far.

There was a lot of “I” and “me” in this post, but none of these memories would have ever been created without you who share them with me. Heck, the Naoki_Saten you know may only exist here and only thanks to you guys. And thanks you shall receive.

Thank you, @Aspirety, for putting up with me when I was at my worst and acknowledging me when I was at my best. Thank you for creating, maintaining and protecting this place we call our home for years despite the toll it has taken on you. Thank you for organizing countless events.

Thank you, @Pepe, for listening to me when I was at my most desperate. Thank you for being THE SUN when it came to setting the mood on Kaza for years.

Thank you, @liclac, for managing the technical side of things, offering so much of your time and proffessional skills so that random people on the internet could have a unique place to meet.

Thank you, @Takafumi and @HeliosAlpha for always keeping the discussions going, always introducing new information, new viewpoints to the talk. You guys are extremely knowledgeable about so many things, making every conversation a learning experience.

Thank you, @BlackHayate02 and @Hardscope for doing a great job and maintaining a good atmosphere.

Thank you, team VitaminC: @Celeskastel @AustinDoujin @ArtiFedEx @BeanCurd @Mogaoscar @cjlim2007 @KaiMiang @Meyvol
You guys are the craziest and most motivated team I’ve ever been part of. I couldn’t possibly imagine a more fun and fulfilling way to end a year and begin a new one than to tackle all kinds of activities with a squad that gives it 110% in all of them (and bitterly agonizes over that one event we didn’t do).

Thank you, @Bizkitdoh , @Yerian and other veterans who departed on their own Journeys at some point. We’ve shared some awesome memories back in the “good old days”. I miss you guys.

Thank you, @StarfishBender and other active members for keeping the fire burning. Nowadays, our interactions are mostly on the chat where I’m far less active, but it’s fun.

Thank you, @grooven and other members who participated in podcasts with me.

Thank you, members I’ve occasionally had a personal chat with.

Sorry for always being a downer, but I feel like I have gained so much here and given back too little. I have taken Kaza for granted. I truly believed it could keep going forever. I should have done more for the community, volunteered more instead of mostly just helping myself to the banquet. I should’ve opened up to others more. After all, to this day, nobody even knows what I look like. Albeit too late, I am really glad I’ve taken one more step to opening up by participating in the Secret Santa event for the first time. Don’t mind me, though. Being a pessimist and a notorious procrastinator, I will never not have regrets. And being a perfectionist, I’ll never not look back and think “Damn, I should’ve said ‘this’, mentioned ‘that’ member and formulated ‘these’ parts differently in my open letter!”

Kazamatsuri is home. It is the place we belong, the place could return to for years. Leaving it means not only loss, but also that we’ll never be the same. What brought us together were stories from Key. They are thought-provoking. They teach us the importance of love. They teach us about life itself. And they capture our hearts to the point where the sadness of fictional scenes makes us cry. It was not just the material, but also the lessons Key taught us that made our community what it is. We were brought together here because we share the same values. And from the bottom of my heart, I am proud of being part of this family.

[LinkThinks]

I suppose it’s high time I got around to writing my sendoff letter here on good ol’ Kazamatsuri.org, a place that’s seen a whole lot of great discussion and a whole lot more great folks. Despite my radio silence over the past 3.5~ years, Kazamatsuri will eternally have a place in my heart, and it has made massive waves in my life. I’m hardly the best when it comes to reminiscing about things, no thanks to my abysmal memory, but an event like this warrants I at least try. So here it is, my swan song for Kazamatsuri. To be accompanied with this literal swan song I have played: https://soundcloud.com/linkthinks/philosophy-of-yours-piano-cover

As it is written, a young Link joined the forum many moons ago after seeing a Reddit thread advertising the upcoming planetarian podcast. I’d actually just read planetarian the night prior (apparently) and enjoyed it immensely, so getting a chance to vent my thoughts seemed great. I’m not sure what gave me the idea that I was a good speaker at the time, but clearly I had convinced myself, so I hopped right into activities on the forum here.

Kinda crazy to look back and see that I was part of the welcoming committee on the Introduce Yourself topic back when I joined up, haha. I most certainly was never the most active poster, nor did I contribute a whole lot to the discussions about Key works, but I can say with pride that I (eventually) read through everything there was on the forums, and have always had immense respect for the people who really got down in the discussion trenches to crack open every facet of every Key work, and all the people who made awesome fan content for Key’s stuff, @SuikaShoujo, @Glenn_Irish, and @eptakyrios coming to mind in particular. I will never forget the coincidence that was my piano cover of Gentle Jena being posted the same day as Suika’s vocal cover. Really amazing.

Perhaps the most individually incredible experiences I had here on Kazamatsuri came from the myriad of podcasts that I was fortunate enough to be featured on. Aside from just improving immensely at speech and analysis, each and every podcast was accompanied by amazing and hilarious antics. From the OG planetarian bookclub (whew that was rough) to the vastly improved AIR podcast with the MŒ ͜ʖ°)/ s @Yerian, @Bizkitdoh, @Aspirety, @Iotheria, and @Bowiie, plus our fantastic guests, and then finally the smattering of Monthly Terra podcasts which I was fortunate enough to be able to mess up Rewrite Vita information in! These were all filled with so many dreams and memes and adrenaline and were oh so fantastical. Even if I can never stomach going back and listening to them as I have a condition where my body decomposes upon hearing myself speak, all those podcasts are good memories to me that I wouldn’t trade for the world. Also I can still sing Farewell Song thanks to the chorus. Good stuff.

And of course, this is all ignoring the elephant in the room which is the 100 friends I made along the way (at least in the Kotarou definition of friend). To this day a very substantial part of my social network is made up of people I either met here on Kazamatsuri or indirectly came into contact with from here. There are so many people here that have carved out a place in my heart, even if I’m not in touch with them anymore. The old Skype group was truly like a family to me, and I even used the DMs here on Kazamatsuri quite often back in the day (eventually boasting the longest DM chain on the forum). It was because of how special the forum was to me that I eventually decided to become a moderator along with everyone’s favorite boy @Pepe, and while I definitely made a couple minor mistakes as a moderator, I also remember working quite hard on occasion to keep this place clean and tidy, and much love was put in. I even solved a wacky detective mystery.

Of course, here we are now at the end of the decade, and I myself have changed over the years. As my interest in visual novels as a medium slipped away, my enthusiasm for Key was naturally dragged with it, and I devolved into yet another void walker, right up until this final farewell.

But this isn’t a funeral. It’s a sendoff. A sendoff to years of some of the greatest people and passion I have ever encountered. To a site that brought people around the globe together and helped change their lives. To the power of emotion, and the ability for Key’s works to cause us to want to connect. It’s inevitable that many of us would drift apart in time, but what’s truly amazing is how many have returned to mourn and celebrate the experience that is and was Kazamatsuri. It goes to show that the love wasn’t just there for Key works, it was for here and the fans of those works. Even after these forums enter their stasis, I’m hopeful that even a small number of folks will stumble upon its archives and be able to view and appreciate the warmth and family that formed here. At the very least, I’m still here, and I will always trumpet Kazamatsuri’s praises as a force in my life.

Thank you, everyone. There are plenty of people I didn’t mention who I still remember fondly (basically anybody I’ve interacted with for any amount of time back in the day), but I also want to thank all the people who have joined in my absence and fallen in love with Kazamatsuri like I did. Because I can think of no better happiness to give someone than what Kazamatsuri has given to me.

---

Thank you all for everything. I will always remember this journey.

[stupid]

I went from being the excessively serious guy to memelord

You are the memelord

Also yeah I also experiened the same as you with the announcement of Kazamatsuri shutting down.

The announcement of Kazamatsuri closing had hit me pretty hard. From that moment, everything seemed pointless and I became an unstable mess. It was like depression had come back with reinforcements and boy did it kick my ass.

Noice to know I wasnt the only one.

[Pepe]

It’s been very hard for me to write this letter, and I’ve been through two drafts already, but none of them could ever seem right. I’ve gone from “What does Kaza mean to you” to “My history with Kaza” and neither of those really convey what I want to say. But after thinking about it for many months, I think what I really want to say to Kazamatsuri is simple: I want to say Thank You.

Thank you, Kazamatsuri, for getting me into Key. I’m the kind of person that can never really get into something without being somehow involved in a community (which I have been doing since I was 10? years old). Just being in this sort of community allowed me to look further, past the novels and the stories, and find deeper meaning and connections in the stories. If it weren’t for Kaza, I’d have treated Key like I treat many of the other VNs I read nowadays: read, appreciate, then go onto the next one. But now I can say that I am a true Key fan; a Kagikko, if you will. And that part of me will never be replaced.

Thank you, Kazamatsuri, for giving more meaning to my 2-year stay in Japan. Of course, I was there primarily for my studies, but being all alone in an unfamiliar country was absolutely terrifying. Being in Kazamatsuri gave me direction, and an additional purpose throughout those two years. Finding information about goods and events, and participating in numerous local events about Key. Never in my life could I imagine entering an event like Tokyo Game Show with a Press Pass to represent Kazamatsuri, but it actually happened. That and the countless interactions with the people behind the games that I love and hold dear, made it all the more worth it, with Baba and Kudokou through Comiket and Character1. Most importantly, I was able to meet with some of my most important friends, @RyuuTamotsu and @Glenn_Irish, and cultivated a friendship deeper than I could have ever expected from an online community.

Thank you, Kazamatsuri, for teaching me how to appreciate things from a more human perspective. I came on here with a very shallow definition of what is “good” and what is “bad” and never understood the intent and meaning behind the stories I’ve read, and the media I consume. I’ll be forever indebted to @Bizkitdoh for inspiring me to look past simply appreciating or devaluing something because of a consensus within the community, but coming to look at how media connects to someone on a personal level, and how it relates to their own experiences. Kazamatsuri reminded me of just how many different people there are in the world, and each viewpoint is just as valuable as the other. I still remember you lecturing me for pissing on Kitazawa Ayaka and now I’m probably one of her biggest fans lol.

Thank you, Kazamatsuri, for teaching me how to deal with people. As an admin, despite it not being a position that I initially chose, I had to deal with people and their interactions with the site. Even for things like shipping goods from Japan and organizing Secret Santa, I’ve had to deal with numerous issues and viewpoints. I’m currently in a management position at work right now, and I will forever be thankful for the lessons I’ve learned, which, I can say without a doubt, are lessons that I am bringing in to my career and into my personal life. Things like, being able to listen to people, and not following strict rules by the book. Knowing when to make compromises, and when to be able to put your foot down. And, most importantly, remember to go back to your main goal, and constantly re-evaluating that what you and your team does is always in sight of that goal.

And, lastly, thank you for all the people who have made Kazamatsuri what it was and what it is. Starting from seeing heavy analytical discussion, watching people like @Naoki_Saten, @Kanon and @Takafumi butt heads over what their interpretation and appreciation of a story is (and continue to do so up to this day). Then going over to more personal discussion of works through bookclubs, pushed by people like @Yerian @cjlim2007 @therationalpi @Iotheria @Karifean @kyuketsukimiyu @Mogaoscar @LinkThinks and more recently, @Idiology. All of the memes and games in between with @Bonecuss @IkaCZ @Rabla and @Kluck. I also appreciate the time where I felt that interactions were less personal, but very uplifting, with @Sonic112003 @EisenKoubu and @Kotomi795 being good mood setters on discord. Even the craziness in the community of opposing viewpoints, reminding us to check our own values, ushered with the help of @MagusVerborum and @kiraboshi. Self-evaluation which was greatly brought in through the help of @BlackHayate02, @daysofsummer and @Hardscope on the moderation team. Even the community as it is now, with @stupid @StarfishBender and most especially @HeliosAlpha helping to continue push our shared interest in Key.
And, lastly, thank you to @Aspirety and @liclac, my co-admins. I’ve learned so much from you two, in both a technical and emotional aspect. I was really glad to see you two again in Japan, and I’m hoping we can continue to keep in touch. There’s still so much more I can learn from you all.

As it is now, I don’t want it to be over. I want to discuss Rewrite once it comes out again. I want to discuss Summer Pockets after reading it for the first time. I want to continue to keep myself updated with Key news, even if I can’t participate in events or purchase goods. Maybe I’ll find a new place to do all this. But nothing will ever top Kazamatsuri.

[Sep7]

I wanted to post a few other things but if I’ve not the time to do it, I prefer to make my farewell now.

I don’t remember when I’ve discovered Kaza for the first time, it was maybe 2 or 3 years ago but it’s possible that it was way before this. I was also in love with Key at the time and Kaza made me learn a lot of things about the series (recently, I’ve also listened to some of the Kaza podcasts and I must say that they are really interesting).
At the time, my English was very bad and I wasn’t ready to participate in a forum. I discovered on Kaza that Kanon had a Discord server though, I decided to join it since it was easier for me to participate in this than in a forum. After that, I became really active in the Key discord community and I helped to launch some servers and keep them active.
For these 2 things, I’m really grateful to Kaza.

I’ve not posted a lot but that was fun to participate here during these last 2 months. I’m not worried about the future of the Key community, there are a lot of Key fans on Discord that are really active and also a bit on Reddit. Moreover, Key just refuses to stop releasing amazing games so the future is very bright for us. However, a forum has a lot of advantages that doesn’t exist in a chat application like Discord (and vice versa) so I hope that another Key forum will open its doors one day.

[Hardscope]

Alright, my turn. On some level we all knew this was going to happen sooner rather than later, I suppose. I’ve gone through a pretty wide range of emotions processing it, and I’d like to talk about a few of them.

If you remember when I joined way back in 2016, you’ll recall I was something of a goofball. Like, not in a good way. I was in that weird formative stage where you’re not exactly a child, but you’re not an adult either. Basically, I was a dumb edgy kid who didn’t really know how to behave. I said all kinds of shit that got me in trouble, and almost got banned a few times. (Who would have thought I would end up on the mod team? ) I nearly quit several times after butting heads with people I now call my friends. I could never leave, though, because on some deep level I understood how special this community is. It took me a while, but through lots of self-reflection and support from some community members, I got my stuff together. That time was a lesson that’s helped me not only on Kazamatsuri, but in life. In a very direct way, this community has contributed to my growth and development as a person. Thank you.

There have been too many fun events to even begin to list them off, but what really makes this community special is the incredible people who also call this place home. I didn’t initially want to tag a bunch of people, but I’m going to do it anyway because there’s no better time to say these things.

@Pepe and @Aspirety: You’ve both encouraged me to be the best Hardscope I can be. When I act irrationally, you tell me to take a step back and take a deep breath. And when you need to tell me something straight, you do. You guys have been my Kyousuke, really. I respect you both a lot and I’m proud to call you my friends.

@RyuuTamotsu and @KaiMiang: You are some of my best friends and I’m incredibly grateful this community brought us together. I don’t really need to get too sappy, though, because I’ll still be talking to you guys long after this website is gone.

Stardew Valley: Kazamatsuri Farm

My field of tomatoes reminds me of you, fresh and a tomato. Looking forward to planting the seeds of a beautiful friendship in the field of mutual trust and care.

Indeed, tomatoes shall live on!

@Naoki_Saten, @HeliosAlpha and @Bizkitdoh: At some point I had trouble getting along with you, but I’ve since come to respect you all a great deal and I’m thankful for the cool stuff we’ve talked about. Nick, our debates during the writing process for the new code of conduct got heated sometimes but in the end we were both just pushing each other to make this place the best it can be.

@Echo: I haven’t seen you around much recently, but I really value the time we spent hanging out. You and I are more similar than probably any two people here. Your situation was kind of similar to mine when you first joined and you’ve become a really great guy. There’s nobody else I would rather get my Kazamatsuri Kouhai title.

@nathanielevan and @MAEBATAME: You kind of disappeared off the face of the earth, but I still value you deeply as friends. My inbox is always open.

@cjlim2007, @Madekuji_san, and @mogaoscar: I didn’t do a whole lot with you guys, but you’ve all shown yourselves to be incredibly cool people and I definitely hope I haven’t seen the last of you.

@Bonecuss, @DangoDaikazoku, @Yerian, @Tamamo-no-Bae @Khsellhu, @Sonic112003, @soggysadboi etc., etc., etc.: I wasn’t here at the same time as you guys for very long, but we had some good times when you were around. I hope things are going well for you. My inbox is open.

And everyone: This place is something special, and we really are the lucky ones to have been here. I’ve heard a lot of people use the phrase “Kazamatsuri is eternal” over the years, and the real beauty of that statement is only revealing itself now. In only a few short days the website kazamatsuri.org will close its doors forever, but I do believe many of us will hold Kazamatsuri near and dear for a very long time. Thank you everybody, and have a nice day!

[KaiMiang]

With the more important and very well thought-out replies (and considering I already said a bit as is), I’d like to keep this short but meaningful.

Kaza is an awesome place even though there were quite large sections of time where I was not participating in much of anything here. I did learn quite a lot though about myself and about strengths and weaknesses I was not aware of at all, and of battling through challenges. It was about seeing what a community built on empathy, thought, caring, and effort was over cheap and instantaneous responses, even if I was never able to put some of my thoughts about Key works into useful words for everyone else.

I also learned of a community of multi-lingual, multi-talented individuals, one of which I keep in touch with all of the time, that made me feel amazed about how small my taste of art and music ( and music of many other countries and styles) really was, and how embarrassing it was that I only truly knew one language. In some parts because of Key and Kaza, in the Vitamin C “just get it done” way, I decided to stop making excuses and learn a new language and gain new experiences and perspective in life.

---

All this said, I would still like to keep in touch with users here (if they want to of course), and my Discord name/handle is KaiMiang#2649 and the Twitter handle sees very little activity compared to Discord but is still there. I still plan on going to Japan in about two years when the beginner-intermediate phase of learning is long gone.

Thank you all and enjoy the last bits of this year!

[Aloysius]

So, I registered here today. Less than two days before this website shuts down. Crazy, I know. The reason I did so is that I’d regret it if I didn’t at least come in to say “thank you.”

I discovered Key very late. As a matter of fact, my first experience with Key was reading Planetarian in January of this year. After that, I was hooked. I’ve read all of the translated Key VNs at the time of writing this post, with the exception of Summer Pockets (I’m waiting for the full release of that before reading). Something about them appealed to me, and they touched my heart deeply. In search of walkthroughs and discussions regarding what I’d read, I stumbled upon this place.

I’m something of a chronic lurker. No matter the website, I almost never post. I’ll read and appreciate, but I often feel too nervous or passive to post myself. That’s how it’s been with Kazamatsuri. Throughout this past year, I’ve been reading along, appreciating and digesting how others have approached these works that I truly love. Not only the analysis, but the fan works, positive community, and centralized way to find news about Key made me truly fall in love with Kaza, even from the outside.

When I saw that this place was shutting down, my heart sank. I couldn’t believe it. At the very least, the website would stay up, but there would be no new posts for me to read, nor would there be new podcasts for me to listen to. I have an unfortunate tendency to join communities right before they dissolve, and I guess it happened again. However, I couldn’t let this forum shut down without at least expressing my gratitude.

Thank you, Kazamatsuri. Thank you for the deep analysis. Thank you for the arguments. Thank you for the fan art and music. Thank you for the podcasts. Thank you for the news. Thank you for the guides. And most of all, thank you for providing so many hours of enjoyment to lurkers like me. I’m sure I’m not the only one.

[kyuketsukimiyu]

I’ve been unsure what to say here, but I wanted to be sure I said something before the doors close.

I joined Kaza to participate in the CLANNAD book club. I had been a fan of Key before then, but I didn’t seek out a community until I got an email from Sekai Project advertising Kazanatsuri. Joining and participating was amazing, and I’m certain it is a big part of how I was able to maintain momentum with CLANNAD. I loved reading and responding to everyone’s comments and insights. It made reading CLANNAD one of the most memorable reading experiences of my life.

I ended up working as a graphic designer for Kaza shortly after that. I had been dabbling in it before, but working on all of the different themes for the site over the years really pushed me to grow and polish my work in a way I wasn’t achieving when it was self driven. I’m very grateful for all I’ve learned along the way.

I’m also very thankful for the other book clubs I was able to participate in: Kanon, Planetarian, and especially the Love Song book clubs. The Love Song book clubs are especially dear to me. I had so much fun going through each song and considering both what it meant on its own and how it tied into the greater album. I had never tried music analysis like that, and those albums were perfect for it. I still switch into critical thinking mode when they come on, and find myself looking for clues. I learned so much by discussing it with everyone and participating in the podcasts. I’m definitely sad we never got to do one for Long Long Love Song.

Unfortunately I’ve had problems in my personal life that that aggravated my social anxiety and led me to withdraw rather than lean into the community. This is something I’m dealing with not just with my connections here, but kind of across the board. But I will cherish my time here and all of the awesome people and view points I was able to encounter. Thank you for everything Kaza. And especially thank you to @Aspirety, @liclac, and @Pepe for always being friendly as well as pushing me to be better, both creatively and cognitively.

[Renzo]

Although I don’t usually post on forums, I frequently pass by to read interesting topics about people sharing their amazing experience with Key works here. I absolutely love how much passion the community and Kaza staff have for all this.

Unfortunately, life goes on quick by hour, so I thought I should at least spend a few minutes of my holiday to thank you all you guys for this amazing community we made. Key changed my life and I know many people share my perspective. I’ll continue to support them as long as I can.

Once more, thank you, Kazamatsuri.
Let’s not be sad today! Let’s be glad and remember all the amazing memories we had here!
One big hug and a great new year to all!

[adeptArcanist]

Whoops… Looks like I messed up. I really need to stop putting things off, huh…

So, this place is really cool! I found it in my initial burst of enthusiasm after finishing Refrain, and seeing that there was a whole book club going on about the story was amazing! I was super into having a chance to chat about it, and I really enjoyed discussing bits and pieces! Making my posts about Kud, Saya, and Sasami routes… discussing Refrain in the pre-podcast voice chat… even getting to participate in the final two podcasts for the bookclub, it was all super fun! Heck, I was even energized enough to make a couple of silly memes, hehe! I was all pumped up and ready to go, I wanted to do a whole series of posts on my thoughts about each route…
and then I didn’t. I had a ton of things to say, but I just never got around to it - the bar of going back over the routes while notetaking and assembling it all into solid discussion posts was just high enough that I consistently put it off, and so, instead of participating and helping to revitalize discussion, I just fell back and didn’t post at all. Even now, I’ve been planning to do one last reread so I could get them in before the end, and I just can’t find the energy. Sorry.

Honestly, there was a ton I would have liked to do. I wanted to get those essays written, I wanted to participate in the next book club, to have another winter festival… I really wish I had found this place - gotten into Key - earlier. It must have been amazing when it was truly in full swing.

But that’s enough feeling sorry for myself, huh?

For all that this was a much smaller part of my life than it was for a lot of you, it was still a great one. Participating in the podcasts was such an interesting and fun experience, and honestly, I think they were a huge part of helping me become a more outgoing person myself. I’m really glad to have been a part of them.

And the Winter Festival! It was so fun, I almost ghosted a couple of my other friendgroups while it was going on because it was just so lively and focused here. Working together on the events was super fun, and all of my teammates were amazing. @Echo @Madekuji_san @TomoyaOkazaki @Phlebas @kittytama @SuikaShoujo @grooven @WorldOfBooks, being on a team with all of you was really fun! I’m honestly sad I don’t have a record of the discussions we had - I guess I’ve never been all that good at letting go of things, ehehe.

I guess that’s about all I have to say here, huh. A few really good times, and a bit of regret that I didn’t push myself to help make more. Well, that’s just how it goes. Regardless of everything, what I got to see of this community was really cool. Thanks for having me.
And, one last time for good measure-

Team Happiness Saikou!

[Arete]

I’ve really put off writing this for long enough but its now or never I guess. I’ll spare you any long writings and just say a couple quick things.

Kazamatsuri was the first and only forum I was ever truly active on, and that is solely because of all the fantastic people that called this place home. It would be an understatement to say that my posting has been sporadic. I fell out of anime not too long after joining Kazamatsuri but the Winter Festival, the Movie Nights, the Off-Topic discussions, the games played, the New Years and Kazaversery parties, they were all truly fantastic and I’ll never forget them.

I’ll continue doing what I’ve been doing for the past 2 years or so–lurking on the discord and, maybe, occasionally, chiming in to a conversation. I’ll truly cherish the memories of my time on Kaza and I wish everyone the best in all of their endeavors present and future.

[Kami_chan]

So, it’s been a long while since I posted on Kazamatsuri, but I’ve often checked in over the past few years. I think I learnt that my own appreciation of Key’s works was a personal thing and realised I actually didn’t want to discuss it. But I will never forget the joy I felt when I first discovered this place and despite not wanting to discuss Key’s works in great depth I have an immense appreciation for you all that do so, and have done.

I’m sad that Kaza won’t be around but it’s been an absolute pleasure to be a part of, however small a time it was. Special thanks to @Pepe for being super welcoming and hanging out in Japan back in 2015.

Much everyone.

[grooven]

I discovered Kazamatsuri after years of lurking, despite being a Key fan nineteen years as of right now. I’ve mentioned in another post how I got into Key and how finding information in late 2001. Basically there was no information and translating was difficult. Finding anyone who knew what Key was, had been near impossible unless you could convert your family and friends into fans.

Kazamatsuri is the first place I felt fully welcome as a Key fan. It was a place where I never had to defend the stories of Key’s works (sometimes, mostly art haha). I mean, fans disagree, but I never had to convince someone to try and watch or play any of their works. Fans have their favourites and less liked stories. But everyone had a common bond of loving something from Key. It wasn’t, “Oh is that Sailor Moon?” I’d always get years ago. People knew what the hell I was actually talking about. Everyone just knew.

I came in pretty late to Kazamatsuri (as mentioned in my history bit above) after actually having the time to really look into what it was all about. I appreciated the dedication to only Key and the news that d since most sites overlooked the smaller bits of Key news or all together.

I decided to check out the community some more and when the book club came out for Little Busters, (I missed Clannad which I was more familiar with the story and routes and all the rest prior) I reached out to @Aspirety. He had put out a call for members to try out and then I realized I’d been missing out on a fun community by not starting earlier to network with all the fans. I gained so much from the book clubs and became familiar with @Pepe and @Naoki_Saten. I went onto posting more in the forums/discord and getting to know tons of other members. I wanted to thank Aspy for letting me help mod and write a few articles too. I also learned about many views of Key works I would never have known or ever thought about. Honestly, I was blown away with what I came out from the book clubs and forums. I just felt honoured to listen and read to what everyone had to say.

When Kazamatsuri announced the closure I felt saddened. This home I had only recently found would be lost. Though that wasn’t true. Nothing would be gone. I’d still be able to talk to people I’ve met, will continue to meet and find out the news (admittedly, I may have to dig more). But it isn’t the end of Key or the friendships I’ve formed, it’s only the site. For sure I’ll miss the book clubs, discussions, and I’ll be very saddened by no merch thread updates (I’m a merch junkie). I’ll also miss the beautiful fanart and thoughtful posts where people poured in their thoughts and feelings. I wanted to thank @liclac for also making a great website and forums. The best I’ve ever seen in all my time online, seriously.

I’ll miss the fun stuff the staff brought to us like the Winter Festival. I wish we could’ve done it again since I never had that experience before with a community before. I’d like to thank my team members from Team Happiness: @Echo @Madekuji_san @TomoyaOkazaki @Phlebas @kittytama @SuikaShoujo @adeptArcanist @WorldOfBooks for making the festival a blast and participating together. Thanks, guys for making it such a fun event and to all the mods who helped out too!

I feel like forums, in general, are fading over time and people tend to focus on the newer platforms to chat or express ideas. Many people move on or have little time to commit to hobbies and it is understandable why Kazamatsuri is closing, things like this eventually happen. At least others can look back on the posts and read up on theories, meanings, speculation and how the story affected them.

Over the years Key fans in the western world have grown and so has the accessibility of Key games. We can still have these talks in different places and in different forms. I can only hope that someone will let me know if they are planning on any more future podcasts or a place to put thoughts down in writing for others to read. What I will really miss is looking up opinions on future releases of Key’s works. I’d love to voice my opinions or write them out on future things like Rewrite, Summer Pockets and future Key works. I will also keep a sharp eye out for all the ongoing Key merchandise.

I wanted to thank all the mods and all the members (I know I’m forgetting to mention people). Thank you for creating a space where I could share and talk about some of the greatest works that have had a big impact and influence on my life, Key.

Thank you

[Lulu_Vi_Britannia]

There it is. The end of 2019, which means the end of this forum (well, maybe not today, but it’s coming). I haven’t been here for long, but I had a good time regardless, so it’s my turn to say farewell.

Launches Faraway in the background

Hum hum.

It’s our time to part, Kaza. Um… Kaza. It was awesome being part of this community. I’m happy I’ve spent all this time with you. I’m so glad I was able to be with you.

For sharing your time with an idiot like me… thanks a lot.

[Darken]

Even though I only started to post actively in the past couple months, I know Kazamatsuri forum and website for about five years. I’m also subscribed to the youtube channel, which used to upload podcasts about various Key visual novels.

I remember how much this team worked hard to cover all kinds of news regarding Key and Visual Arts. If today Jun Maeda’s works are more popular outside Japan then before, I’m sure you were a great part of it. I can only thank you for representing the international Key fans so well.

It’s not that I’m sad for the Kazamatsuri group to disband, but rather, I fear the community might get weaker after it. As lovely as this fanbase is, it’s still a small niche of a few thousands. So with the forum closing down, it’ll be harder to search for a discussion group of Kanon, Little Busters, Clannad, Rewrite, Summer Pockets, an so on.

I hope we find another way to spread the Key works, as well as to discuss about them together. It may be on a subreddit, on a Steam group, or even on the Kazamatsuri’s Discord server. The important thing is that our passion gathered over the years never fades away.

[LostConcept]

Thank you for bringing us all together Aspirety and the other admins (for me Pepemosu was a big help in staying with this community). The VNs I read alongside this community has helped strengthen myself and others. With 2020 coming, I hope we all can take a moment and be proud of the community we all worked hard to create and that we can maintain the bonds we created elsewhere in our lives and on the internet. I have big hopes myself and this tiny blue dot we call Earth for 2020. Let’s not let the Earth end in fire and pray to save this planet’s future and our people’s journey off to the stars. 2020 will be a great year!

Peace and love for all under the stars,
Lost Concept

[Aspirety]

I’ve putting off writing this letter for weeks, for months, maybe even years. It may have come as a sudden shock to many, but Kazamatsuri has passed on for me for a long time now, as I’m sure anyone close to me is aware. I’m not the same person I was when I started Kazamatsuri. In many ways, I feel like I’ve lost the qualifications to lead this community.

I’ve been… Afraid. After all the scars I’ve endured, it felt hard to turn back to this place sometimes. I was afraid of being attacked, that people wouldn’t accept me anymore, or that I’d be reminded of all the things I’ve lost. I’m a coward, and the scars I’ve endured are deep. But… I don’t want to forget. I don’t want to forget all the good memories we’ve had with this place, to let them be painted over by sad ones. Even now there’s a part of me telling myself that it’s too late for that, but I’m not going to let it win. I know this place had immeasurable value.

Kazamatsuri, is a step. A small step on our journey through life. For some it might be smaller than others, but for many of the people who’ve shared their hearts here, I’m sure Kazamatsuri was irreplaceable to them. It was a place we could call home, for many of us who had nowhere else to be. A place where we could experiment, learn to express ourselves, learn to understand ourselves and each other and grow.

Many will probably criticise me for closing this site, but for me, it’s because I know that Kazamatsuri was more than a website that I know I’ve made the right choice. It was something of immaterial value, more than the sum of it’s parts. Something you couldn’t replicate just by keeping the server running and letting people go about their time. In order to allow Kazamatsuri to remain as a good memory, and to serve as a valuable step in our journey, rather than something to weigh us down. I don’t expect everyone to understand my philosophy, but understand that I am happy. I’m happy to see Kazamatsuri reach such a beautiful end, with all of your wonderfully kind words and thoughts. I’d rather this than see Kazamatsuri in 10 years with people saying “That place still exists? It’s really kind of a shithole now, it used to be so much better.” Rather, I want people to think, “Kazamatsuri was pretty amazing, wasn’t it?” That’s the kind of feeling I want to leave behind.

So, enough sadness, enough remorse and anxiety. Time to clench my fist once more, and rise to the stage as the leader you all know, one last time.

Hold your head high, for you were a member of Kazamatsuri, the greatest forum in the world! A community built through our shared love and passion for all things Key, where everyone gave their all to make things for awesome for each other! A place where nobody was left as a shadowless pebble on the side of the road, where everyone had a chance to be somebody! A place full of love, where everyone was having fun and felt included, no matter where they came from or what kind of life they lead. A place of memes and shitposts, but also heartfelt proclamations of our love of art, where the two could co-exist in mutual harmony! A place filled with the highest quality discussion you could find anywhere, the number one source for Key news, and a thriving community of passionate artists that even made a giant book together! (Coming soon.)

Here’s to the Bookclubs, the ultimate culmination of our love of discussion and impassioned celebration, where everyone was encouraged to analyse, to reflect on WHY they loved something, what it was that made evoked feelings of beauty in themselves. To the lengthy discussions about what we’re eating for dinner before and after each podcast. Here’s to the kfes, the sushi drops, the MasaKaga, and to the Saito Characters that were also confirmed! Here’s to the Movie and Game nights that brought our community together in new and fun ways! Here’s to the spontaneous Tankas, the voice calls listening to Bonecuss on the train to work, and to all the people who had to endure the same tired opions of the Charlotte finale every week on the Discord and not be annoyed about it! Here’s to the Suginami army, and to everyone who fought on the frontlines of the H-scene debate topic! Here’s to the Little Busters Minecraft Build, to the planetarian Dramas we translated, to the Key Chorus that saw expert and amateur singers alike grab a mic and sing their heart out together! And importantly, here’s to the Winter Festival, one of the most fun and heartfelt group activities I’ve ever had the joy of hosting! Y’all really hit it out of the park with that one.

And here’s to everyone who made Kazamatsuri amazing.

I take a deep breath to meditate and focus my life force.

Here’s to nekotea for her hours of work keeping the Blog running in the shadows! To rpgcaster for his amazing Little Busters covers! To LostConcept for appearing from the shadows at the last second to spam the Kaza discord! To Dizzyworld2 for her amazing art! To thonglinh90 for providing the very first Kazamatsuri logo! To kittytama for joining the fun of the winter festival! To On_TheBounce for making that one really good planetarian fanart and post and disappearing! To nemeios for their awesome discussion! To Kluck for being patron meme ghost of Kazamatsuri! To prototypeOEZ, a migrant from Rokkenjima! To Brigadoon for being an awesome friend! To epika for, well, being an awesome friend and my valued colleague at Rokkenjima! Here’s to Golden_Tranquility, to HandMC2, to Karu-Sama, Hovlane and Inohara just for being part of this all! To balance for his amazing Little Busters analysis! Here’s to ArdWar, JDC, Leale, Ost, Hustler_One, Joe_Bagadoe_Nautz, Who_ci, POTATO, nemoma, joeross75, wha2les, CLANNAD_Rewrite, DaniHernandezxD, Mecynogea! Here’s to JimRaynor_2001, my fellow MIo fan! Here’s to kiraboshi for being a guiding light in my time of need an awesome person! Here’s to Japesland for his Sexy Saxophone Covers and his religious analysis! Here’s to Armando-Rl, here’s to ArtiFedEx for all the amazing art! Here’s to Iotheria for being an OG Moeboy with a sexy voice! Here’s to Nuo, to Kierva, to TomoyaOkazaki, to Misuzu. Here’s to minatahatsune for keeping the Vietnamese Key fandom alive! Here’s to Beancurd for being one of the final Busters! Here’s to Exenorate for some really silly and really deep posts. Here’s to ChickenWingz, I met you at KSL Live! Here’s to mechgamer123, to Pike3rob! Here’s to the wonderful cloud668 who achieved what many of us could only dream of, working side by side with Key! Here’s to nathanielevan, to magicflier, to to JmTrad, to Wizzerd! Here’s to Rippleshadow for having good taste, to Madekuji for shining in the Winter Festival, to Eivver, to ukulelembo, to daysofsummer for being there for me when I needed yout he most and giving Kazamatsuri some much-needed direction! Here’s to octoberpumpkin for reading CLANNAD really fast! Here’s to Draconyan (Draconian or Draco-nyan?), to AustinDoujin for his amazing NAZE DAAAA, to TRBO_188 for the early memories! To Nin for helping me build the Little Busters school in Minecraft! To Tamamo-no-Bae for keeping the Discord alive! To 42megabytings for some great planetarian discussion! To Mitsuna for being one of our megafans and a valued friend. To SymphoniaXX for all the random times she jumped in on our Discord calls to talk really fast about something nobody understood! To ghagler! To Phlebas for all his work on Little Busters! To Celeskastel for becoming someone very precious to me and supporting Kazamatsuri in our final stretch! To Tidulimar, to s0ewhat and Necem! To waravim for being our token 日本人 and making a special effort to partipate despite the language barrier, and making some pretty great posts along the way! To Idiology for some phenomenal discussion! TO Nav, DMB, Realta! To Odinbeard_McSparkles for his wonderful LB Analysis! To ThePlasticSpork, to soggysadboi’s memes and feelposts, to Maebatame’s amazing art and giving designs to the Jerusalem cast! To JDAM_Cid for being with us for a looong time, to KaiMiang, to Bowiie, my Moeboy brother with a sexy southern accent! To Shizuru-chan, to Mow, to Rincchi for being one of the oldest and biggest Little Busters fans I know! To Purple for redeeming himself from being a loser, to Rabla for being there since the beginning, being an awesome friend to have fun with, and for that one time he repped Rewrite Ignis Memoria pretty hard! To Kirara3500, EndOfRefrain! To grooven for being awesome fun to chat with and being a wonderful person to work beside! To NotKyon, for continuing to remain a positive presence in my life! To Echo, one member who went through enormous character development and ended up becoming someone I’m indebted to. To DangoDaikazoku! To chesca, for her amazing art and amazing tweets! To the rationalpi, the high level encounter that always brings smiles when he stops by! To ZakM, Kotomi795, to Ekalina for all her art and shipping! And to Akito, the art bro! It feels like you two always came as a pair! To shiro021, another amazing artist who I finally got to meet recently! To Sonic112003, long name but a super nice dude! To kyuketsukimiyu, someone I’ve worked with more than most people on this site. It’s always a joy to work with you, and I hope we can continue to be friends long after this! To IkaCZ, invincible meme man who always struck a nerve with his earnest passion for what he loves! Good shooting! To Gnashes, the other moeboy with a sexy southern accent who’s supported Kazamatsuri from beginning to end! To Totoro_Futaki, another success story of ours! To VyseGolbez, someone I’ve been proud to see grow so much in the time I’ve known her! To bionic, always there, always bringing the high quality posts. To liclac, server mom and technowitch. One of my closest friends and most valued colleagues. It’s been an honour working aside you! To MagusVerborum for his awesome analysis in the latter half of Kazamatsuri’s life! To LinkThinks, for embodying the strange harmony of ridiculous shitposting and heartfelt sincerity! To RyuuTamotsu, my brother, who’s supported Kazamatsuri from behind the scenes more than anyone! See you in the next life! To Karifean, I know we’ve been through a lot, but I still love and respect you and wish you all the best, keep shining! To SuikaShoujo, Kazamatsuri’s idol! Sorry boys, she’s taken by Komari! To Hardscope, I don’t think anyone on Kazamatsuri had such a dramatic character arc as you, from troll to moderator! Thanks for everything. To Bonecuss, my dear friend, for all the memes and heartfelt posts. It wouldn’t BE Kazamatsuri without you! To Mogaoscar, and his achievement of Tomoyo After Bookclub MVP! I still remember your Dungeons and Takafumis stream! To StarfishBender, token old man who’s kept Kazamatsuri alive all this time! To cjlim2007, fellow mod and impassioned Key fan, thank you for everything! To Bizkitdoh, the driving heart of Kazamatsuri for so long. I really love you man, and I wish for your happiness! To BlackHayate02, a comerade who understands the value of words more than anyone, thank you for supporting me and Kazamatsuri all this time! To Yerian, thanks for all you did for Kazamatsuri! To Kanon, I know we’ve had some arguments, and you’ve caused me no end of trouble, but you still managed to be one of the best damn posters on this site, always bringing in a different kind of quality that everyone admired. Despite everything, I still consider you a great friend. Thank you for everything! To Naoki_Saten, our resident Kengo! someone who started out the straight man, and developed into one of the most fun guys on the forum! Your discussion posts are unrivalled! To HeliosAlpha, asshole to some, beloved mascot to many more. You’ve always continued keeping the spirit of Kazamatsuri alive, striving for quality and encouraging others to do the same. I owe you so much, but all I can say is, thank you, and I wish you all the best in the future! And to Takafumi, most divisive member on the site who seems to have really weird and contrarion opinions most of the time… I love you man, thank you for making Kazamatsuri such an interesting place to be! And to Pepe, my dear brother who’s stood at my side as co-admin of Kazamatsuri all this time, shared in all my joys and frustrations, and kept me from losing sight of what’s important. I can’t begin to tell you how much you saved me, but more than anything, I’m just thankful to have such an awesome friend like you. I’m sure we’ll remain in each other’s lives long into the future!

And thank you, to everyone else I neglected to mention, who helped make Kazamatsuri the amazing experience it was for all of us. This place, was really kind of awesome, wasn’t it? Let’s all miss it, let’s cherish it, and let’s take everything we’ve gained with us into the future, as we all blaze our own trails into the night sky.

Thank you, everyone!!

[42Megabytings]

People before me in this thread have said more things a lot better than I could, and I think, with more merit to them than I could lend. I don’t like to big myself up when I don’t deserve it. But I will say this.

I’m reminded with the announcement that Snow Globe got funded and stretched, as of the time of this letter, that this journey we’ve all taken together isn’t done, and we don’t have to scatter if we don’t want to. Home is what you take with you, and whatever happens, wherever you set it down and whoever you set it down with, if it feels like home, that’s just because it is.

The conversation continues, so does the journey. Nothing’s done as long as there are still things to say. And I don’t know where, when or how, but this journey is going to continue in some way or another, and if I ever get to be a part of that, I will. It’s the least I can do for a community related to something that indirectly saved my life once upon a time.

So this isn’t goodbye, just…see you out there.

And see you again.

[Madekuji_san]

This is also something I’ve been putting off, and I don’t think I can make a letter that’s as well-written as the ones above me (especially yours, Aspy), but I’ll sneak this one in.

I know that communities come and go; not everything lasts forever. But the closure was a surprise to me. Ever since the announcement of the closure, I think I share the same sentiment with some people, asking questions like “Was there anything I could’ve done to ‘save’ Kazamatsuri?” or “If me and a few other people tried a little harder, maybe the site wouldn’t close down like this.” It’s as if I got the bad ending of some school idol anime where the school does shut down.

It took a few letters from other people to make me realize that the saying is really true: “All good stories must come to an end.” Though, like our beloved visual novels and anime, we may want these stories to last longer than they did. But in the end, every story has to end somewhere, especially good ones. Good stories don’t usually drag on way longer than they should, after all. There are honestly things that I’ve wanted to do here that I couldn’t do anymore. I’ve wanted to join another Winter Festival, or meet new Kaza members, but y’know what? That’s okay. I don’t want to have any regrets; I’m sure these things that we wanted to do but couldn’t do; we will be able to do them, just in a different way than we expected.

Kazamatsuri gave me more than I could ever ask for. I only stumbled upon here because ever since becoming interested in Little Busters!, I’ve gone onto a rabbit hole of websites and communities, eventually finding the slightly-hidden gems, the projects that this community has made. I still brag about the Little Busters! Minecraft map and I still laugh whenever I watch the classic ‘Charlotte in about 6 minutes’ video (which I share to just about anyone who had just finished Charlotte). But to be part of this community? I don’t know of any higher honor. From the day I was welcomed here until to this very day, I have always felt accepted, and that means a lot to me. I must thank the people who have made my stay memorable.

To @DMB @Hustler_One @andrewcee @NotKyon for being the first people who have let me known that Kazamatsuri was different; that Kazamatsuri was a place I could call home, despite my status of being a newcomer. Whether it be through my introductions, learning Japanese, or playing osu!, I truly felt the warmest of welcomes.

To my friends from the Sharing Circle, thank you for allowing me to be personal, to be myself, in a way that I usually never could online. Thank you as well for sharing yourselves too. I appreciate the opportunity for us to get together and just share stories, ask questions, and be personal. It was comfortable to hang out with you guys!

To my dearest Winter Festival Team Happiness, @Echo @grooven @TomoyaOkazaki @Phlebas @kittytama @SuikaShoujo @adeptArcanist @WorldOfBooks, I will gladly pour everything I’ve got for this team if we ever get the chance again! FOR KOMARI! Haha, but in all seriousness, it has been a blessing to be with you guys. I have never seen as much dedication and drive to achieve goals as much as this team. If y’all planning to make another cover, another podcast, or make some Key food, or take pictures of birds, count me in! Thank you so much for giving life to my otherwise bleak holidays. Team Happiness Saikou!

To my Kaza PH squad, @BlackHayate02 @chesca @Pepe, I hope that this won’t be the last that we meet for conventions or hangouts, you guys make them a gazillion times more fun and less lonely! I’m so lucky to know that the same wonderful people I’ve met online are the same people who are close to home. Also, thank you so much Pepe for being an extremely patient and interesting person to talk to. The mere concept that the first time I met you was because I won a prize from Kaza and that I would physically accept it from one of the site’s admins who just happened to live in the same country and region as I do still baffles me. I hope to get as good as you in rhythm games and computer science. ;w;

Speaking of meetups, to my Kaza JP friends, @Celeskastel @RyuuTamotsu, I hope that the next time I get to Japan, we could finally have the time to properly have a meetup! Thank you for being patient with me despite the scheduling issues and for being fun to talk to. Preferably it would be nice if I can get to meet with other Kaza members who sometimes go to Japan. Like an actual full-on Kazamatsuri meetup! I still dream of that day.

Thank you as well @liclac, I have never heard of Discourse at all before coming into Kazamatsuri, usually, I just discover forums that keep using XenForo. I’ll be looking into experimenting with that in the future. I don’t see how this site would’ve gone the lengths that it did without your help, so thank you for keeping this site alive (in a sysadmin server management way lol).

Lastly, thank you so much @Aspirety for building this community. I don’t usually believe in magic, but if someone were to ask me to define it, I would cite this place as an example. Because what had happened here has been magical. And I want to remember Kazamatsuri for those good times and good moments. Thank you for carrying the weight and the burden that managing a community had unintendedly brought on you; you have done us a favor that I honestly think I never even deserved in the first place. I still remember when you talked about managing the Winter Festival last year on a Monthly Terra podcast about how all the managing of that kept you busy even during family interactions on Christmas. I hope that this time around you’ll be able to catch more well-deserved breaks. Thank you for your hard work.

This is why I’ll miss Kazamatsuri. The memes, the hangouts, the events, the people, the projects, or the discussions, I’ll truly miss all of them. We have made so much happen for this community, yet at the same time, we have also made a difference in our own lives. I would be a liar if I didn’t say that it hurts me that this site is closing, and I know I’m gonna tear up in the last few minutes of this site.

But what about us, the people who made it happen? We’re still around! The spark that made these things happen isn’t going anywhere; it’s still with us. May we carry what we’ve lived and learned from Kazamatsuri into where ever we may go and whatever we may do. The true home for Key fans wasn’t just Kazamatsuri the site, it was Kazamatsuri the people, the very Key fans who sought to build a community in the first place. And if this miracle has happened once, maybe another miracle like this is possible. As the gates close, so does this chapter in our lives, and that’s okay. This isn’t the end. As Aspy said, this is a step; so let’s step forward.

“We’ve spent a lot of time together. So I’ll be with you in the end too.”
–Hideki Hinata

“Even if we forget the faces of our friends, We will never forget the bonds that were carved into our souls.”
–Otonashi Yuzuru

Thank you all so much. Kazamatsuri really is eternal.