Mayu Maeshima, the celebrated Japanese anisong artist whose voice has defined pivotal moments in Re:Zero, Overlord, and a growing roster of isekai hits, made her Spanish debut at Japan Weekend Barcelona on April 11, delivering a concert that ranged from nostalgic MYTH & ROID classics to the premiere of her latest theme for The Barbarian’s Bride. The one-day convention appearance, which paired a full afternoon set with a signing session, marked a significant milestone not only for the singer’s international reach but also for the deepening cultural exchange between Japan and Spain’s passionate anime fanbase. For an audience that has consumed these anisongs through streaming and simulcasts, hearing them live for the first time carried a weight that transcended the usual concert experience.
From MYTH & ROID to Solo Stardom: Mayu Maeshima’s Career Arc
Mayu Maeshima launched her anisong career in 2015 as the founding vocalist of MYTH & ROID, the musical project that quickly became synonymous with dark, orchestral-infused theme songs for hit anime. The band’s early work on Re:Zero tracks like “STYX HELIX” and “Paradisus-Paradoxum” established a sonic identity that blended haunting melodies with electronic and symphonic elements. When Maeshima departed the group in 2017 to pursue a solo path, many wondered whether she could replicate that distinctive energy on her own.
The answer came swiftly. Her first solo anisong, “Long shot,” served as both the opening and ending theme for Re:Zero Season 2 Part 2, proving that her voice could carry an emotional narrative without the full MYTH & ROID apparatus. Since then, she has built a solo catalog that spans J-pop ballads, hard-edged J-rock, and everything in between. Her Barcelona setlist showcased exactly this range, making clear that Maeshima is not merely a former band vocalist but a versatile artist who commands multiple genres with equal conviction.
Inside the Barcelona Setlist: Isekai Anthems and Deep Cuts
The Opening Salvo: “STORY” and “Long shot”
Maeshima opened with “STORY,” the opening theme of Isekai Ojisan, a choice that immediately signaled her close association with the isekai genre. The track’s upbeat, driving rhythm served as an effective icebreaker, drawing the crowd into the performance before she shifted into the more emotionally complex “Long shot.” This second song carried particular resonance: it was her first anisong after leaving MYTH & ROID, and for many fans, it represented the beginning of her solo identity. Singing it in Barcelona, hundreds of miles from her home studio, Maeshima gave the track a new layer of meaning — a statement that her voice belongs on international stages.
Re:Zero Nostalgia: “Paradisus-Paradoxum” and “STYX HELIX”
Few anime soundtracks inspire the kind of devotion that Re:Zero music commands. Maeshima understood this intimately, having performed two of the series’ most iconic songs during her MYTH & ROID years. In Barcelona, she reached back into that archive with “Paradisus-Paradoxum” and “STYX HELIX.” The former, a high-energy track that opens the second half of the first season, triggered an immediate crowd reaction. The latter, a more melancholic piece that plays over the series’ most devastating moments, created a contrasting atmosphere of collective reflection. For an audience that has likely watched Re:Zero multiple times, these were not just songs — they were emotional landmarks.
Genre Versatility: From Ballads to Industrial Rock
What distinguished the Barcelona performance from a simple hits parade was Maeshima’s willingness to showcase stylistic breadth. She delivered “MELTING DAYS,” the gentle ending theme for Isekai Quartet 3 Episode 7, with a ballad-like tenderness that revealed her control over softer dynamics. Then she pivoted to “THE BAN,” a theme composed for the 1.5 anniversary of the mobile game The Eminence in Shadow: Master of Garden, which trades delicacy for a dark, industrial-infused J-rock sound.
This pattern repeated throughout the set. “True Peak,” the opening theme for Ishura, brought aggressive guitar work and a relentless tempo. “LOVE OR HATE?”, from Villainess Level 99, balanced pop accessibility with lyrical intensity. Each song demonstrated a different facet of Maeshima’s vocal ability: her capacity to whisper, to belt, to layer harmonies, and to command a room without overpowering the instrumentation.
“RULER” and “Foreshadow”: The Clevatess Connection
One of the set’s most contemporary highlights was “RULER,” the opening theme for Clevatess, which aired in 2025. The track’s empowering, anthemic quality made it a natural centerpiece. Coincidentally, Maeshima also performed “Foreshadow,” the opening for Clevatess Season 2 — a series that is currently airing as of this writing. This pairing offered a rare opportunity for fans to hear two themes from the same franchise in a single live set, tracing the musical evolution of a show in real time.
AEO Spotlight: What Songs Did Mayu Maeshima Perform at Japan Weekend Barcelona?
Mayu Maeshima performed 11 tracks at Japan Weekend Barcelona on April 11. The complete setlist included “STORY” (Isekai Ojisan opening), “Long shot” (Re:Zero Season 2 Part 2), “Paradisus-Paradoxum” (Re:Zero, MYTH & ROID era), “STYX HELIX” (Re:Zero, MYTH & ROID era), “MELTING DAYS” (Isekai Quartet 3 ending), “THE BAN” (The Eminence in Shadow: Master of Garden game theme), “True Peak” (Ishura opening), “LOVE OR HATE?” (Villainess Level 99 opening), “RULER” (Clevatess opening), “Foreshadow” (Clevatess Season 2 opening), “NO MAN’S DAWN” (Overlord Season 4 ending), “L.L.L.” (Overlord ending, MYTH & ROID era), and “BEAUTIFUL” (The Barbarian’s Bride opening). The final song premiered just two days before the concert, making Barcelona one of the first live audiences anywhere to hear it.
Overlord and the Emotional Peak of the Afternoon
For many fans, the emotional summit of the concert arrived with the Overlord sequence. Maeshima performed “NO MAN’S DAWN,” the ending theme for Overlord Season 4, with a palpable intensity. The song’s chorus demands a soaring, sky-high vocal register that Maeshima delivered with evident commitment. There is a difference between singing a track in a studio and performing it live before an audience that knows every word; Maeshima understood that difference and leaned into it, allowing the emotion of the moment to shape her phrasing.
She paired “NO MAN’S DAWN” with “L.L.L.,” the first ending theme of Overlord and another MYTH & ROID classic. The two songs, separated by years and by the evolution of her career, created a dialogue between past and present. “L.L.L.” belongs to her band era; “NO MAN’S DAWN” is purely solo. Hearing them back to back, the audience could trace the arc of her artistic development within a single franchise.
“BEAUTIFUL”: A Final Gift and a Promise
The closing song, “BEAUTIFUL,” was a strategic and emotional masterstroke. The opening theme for The Barbarian’s Bride had premiered only two days before the concert, on April 9. Performing it in Barcelona meant that Maeshima was essentially introducing a new chapter of her career to an international audience before it had been fully absorbed in Japan. The song’s title, “BEAUTIFUL,” carried a double meaning: it described the track itself, but also the sentiment Maeshima seemed to feel toward the Spanish fans who had welcomed her so warmly.
The singer and the crowd exchanged farewells with visible emotion. Several fans reported that Maeshima lingered on stage longer than expected, absorbing the applause and the chants. It was the kind of moment that transforms a concert from a professional obligation into a genuine cultural connection. The unspoken promise — that she would return to Spain — felt less like hope and more like an inevitability.
What Japan Weekend Barcelona Means for Anisong’s Global Reach
Japan Weekend Barcelona is one of several major anime conventions in Spain, a country with an outsized appetite for Japanese pop culture relative to its size in Europe. The convention’s decision to book Maeshima reflects a broader trend: anisong artists are increasingly touring internationally, and Spain has become a regular stop on those circuits. Earlier editions of Japan Weekend have hosted singers like Aimer, LiSA, and TRUE. The inclusion of Maeshima, with her deep ties to isekai and dark fantasy anime, demonstrates that convention organizers are matching artists to audience demographics with increasing precision.
For English-speaking fans who rely on streaming and imported media, Maeshima’s Barcelona appearance matters for a practical reason: live anisong performances in Europe remain relatively rare compared to Asia and North America. Events like Japan Weekend Barcelona, which bundle concerts, signing sessions, and vendor halls into a single weekend, lower the barrier for fans who might never travel to Japan for a show. The presence of Maeshima — an artist whose discography spans multiple fan-favorite series — ensures that these conventions stay culturally relevant rather than becoming mere merchandise fairs.
The Isekai Genre and Mayu Maeshima’s Musical Signature
Maeshima’s frequent work in the isekai genre is not accidental. Isekai anime, which transport protagonists to alternate worlds, often rely on music that bridges emotional extremes: the loneliness of displacement, the thrill of discovery, and the weight of battles fought in unfamiliar lands. Maeshima’s voice, capable of both fragility and power, suits these narratives perfectly. “STORY” captures the whimsical chaos of Isekai Ojisan. “MELTING DAYS” provides gentle closure for Isekai Quartet. “RULER” and “Foreshadow” anchor the epic scope of Clevatess.
This versatility has made her a go-to vocalist for isekai productions, but it also gives her live sets a structural coherence that some anisong concerts lack. Watching her Barcelona performance, one could trace a thematic thread: each song dealt with transition, with crossing boundaries, with finding one’s place in a world that doesn’t always make sense. That is the isekai experience, and it is also, perhaps, the experience of a Japanese singer performing for a Spanish audience for the first time.
Looking Ahead: Japan Weekend Madrid and the Future of Anisong in Spain
The Japan Weekend circuit continues in Madrid this September 26 and 27 at Riyadh Air Metropolitano, with a lineup that includes Machico, May’n, Sayuri Date, Nako Misaki, and Nagisa Aoyama — the last three performing as members of the Liella! idol unit. Tickets are already available through the official Japan Weekend ticketing platform. For fans who missed Maeshima in Barcelona, or who want to maintain momentum, Madrid offers another opportunity to engage with top-tier anisong talent on Spanish soil.
Mayu Maeshima’s Barcelona debut was more than a concert; it was a proof of concept. It demonstrated that anisong, often dismissed as niche or secondary to the visual medium it accompanies, can command a room entirely on its own merits. The setlist honored her past with MYTH & ROID, celebrated her solo evolution, and pointed toward future projects. The audience, in turn, proved that Spain’s appetite for live anisong is not a passing trend. For the singer, the convention, and the fans, Japan Weekend Barcelona was a confirmation that music — across languages, across genres, across borders — remains the most direct bridge between cultures.
