The live concert "Kotaro Oshio 25th Anniversary Live Prologue 'MY BEST'" was held on June 21 (Sun) in Tokyo and June 27 (Sat) in Osaka, marking the beginning of acoustic guitarist Kotaro Oshio's 25th anniversary year. Here’s a report from the concert at Tokyo International Forum Hall C on June 21. Kotaro Oshio made his major debut in July 2002. Ahead of his 25th debut anniversary on July 10 next year, this solo concert served as a fan-celebrated prologue, featuring Oshio's personal "MY BEST" selections. The audience greeted Oshio with warm applause as he took the stage with a confident pose. The concert opened with "Legend ~Heroes of Time~", a piece that fully showcases Oshio's signature style—using open tunings and tapping techniques to make a single acoustic guitar produce melody, bass, and even drum and percussion-like sounds. The rich, band-like sound emanating from just one guitar remains astonishing, no matter how many times you witness it. "Welcome, everyone!" Oshio waved to the packed house, from the first to the third floor. He then performed a string of hits: the refreshing "Departure", the healing, crystal-clear "Oasis", the serene "EDEN", and the passionate, Spanish-flavored "Destiny", reminiscent of flamenco guitar. In "My Guitar, My Life", a song composed with love and gratitude for his lifelong companion—the guitar—Oshio delivered a heartfelt performance that felt like a conversation between old friends, warming the hearts of everyone present. Next came the acoustic corner. Switching from his Greffner guitar to a 1920s vintage Gibson, Oshio humorously explained the difference in how he relates to new versus old instruments: "A new guitar seems to say, 'I’ll become your color—please play me hard!' But the moment I picked up this old Gibson, I swear I heard it say, 'I don’t want to be played by you. You’re just gonna hit me, aren’t you?!'" After this comical reenactment of "talking with guitars", he played the melancholic "Twilight" on the vintage Gibso