As the sun set in beautiful Tokyo, Japan, the top 12 Drum corps battled it out on the field, and gave the record attendance of 14,459 people a show to remember. All season long, FAME corps were touring in space in their state of the art spaceship, and pleased many crowds throughout the galaxy. Finally, after a long four weeks, these corps came home to Earth, and were greeted by an amazing fireworks display. Those in attendance were mostly humans from America and Japan, although there were also some aliens and Atlanteans in the stands as well. Overall, the turnout was beautiful.

The corps got straight down to business after the preliminary stages of the Championship were completed. The first corps to take the field were the Northern Warriors, with their production, "Show". The show concept was fairly simple, and although there weren't many powerful moments in it, the ensemble sound of the corps was amazing, and the visuals complimented the music very nicely. Taking 12th place, the Northern Warriors, with a score of 75.830.

Secret Society was up next with their show, "New World Order". This performance was very strange, but interesting to watch. It followed the story of a secret organization, who planned to take over the world by whatever means necessary. This show had its powerful moments, and overall it was a well rounded out performance. The crowd enjoyed the imperialistic style of the music, and the judges appreciated the hard work and effort that the corps put on the field. The end result was an 11th place finish, a D2 Bronze Medal, and a respectable score of 76.545.

After two very decent shows, the crowd began to really get excited as The Panthers took the field. All season long, the show "Brass Theater" has been a fan favorite. The old style music that captivated audiences of DCI in the 1980s was being played with a sort of modern flair, but still remained true to the classic arrangements that made that era of Drum Corps so great. The Panthers had one of the most powerful hornlines in the entire competition, and the color guard really complimented them nicely. The highlight of this show was definitely the closer. As soon as everyone heard the famous drum roll into Malaguena, they erupted into a thunderous applause. This show blew the crowd away, but this could only occur with the price of not being fully in tune. The Panthers got 10th place, a D2 Silver Medal, and a score of 82.035.

Falcon Regiment took the field next, and their show, "The Fabric of Time", was the exact opposite of Brass Theater. This corps took the more technical approach with their production, and it payed off big time for them. Although they didn't have the explosive show that others corps had, Falcon Regiment showed that they have one of the best ensemble sounds in FMA. The opener, Tyranny of the Clock, was a fast paced percussion led masterpiece that will be remembered as one of the best D2 openers in FAME history. The percussion section was clearly the highlight of the entire show. Their musical and visual performances were ones for the ages. Overall, this was one of the best shows of the night, and it earned Falcon Regiment a 9th place finish, the D2 Gold Medal, and a score of 84.07.

In their first season in Division 1, the defending D2 World Champions Aftershock NZ B clearly showed that they haven't missed a beat with their movie inspired show, "Total Recall". The show depicted the struggles of Douglas Quaid. The music adaptations from the film sounded superb and powerful. Both the hornline and drumline for this corps were on point, and the crowd really enjoyed the energy from this show. This show was barely ahead of The Fabric of Time, but was still a very impressive show from a rookie D1 corps. Aftershock NZ B came in 8th place, and received a score of 84.29.

After a down season 40, The Marching Martians delivered one of the best shows in Division 1. Their show, "THE RISE OF MARVIN", was a colorful and creative experience that captivated the crowd. It was not powerful the way some previous shows were, but the General Effect that took place on the field carried this show. Stunning visuals and an orchestra like balanced sound made up for the lack of powerful musical moments. It is clear that this corps of Martians has been rehearsing quite a bit, even with that tragic wormhole incident that occured a few seasons back. Overall, this was a very nice show, and it earned The Marching Martians a 7th place finish, and a score of 85.035.

The final corps to take the field in the first part of the Championship was Aftershock NZ, and they delivered one hell of a thrill ride with their production, "Heavy Metal". The show, which features music from the movie of the same name, was so powerful that some fans literally flew off of their seats. The percussion was nearly perfect, which is common for an Aftershock group. The hornline was also very amazing, and may have delivered the best brass performance of the night. The multiple musical arrangements of Black Sabbath songs had the crowd pumped, and energy was shot into the entire stadium. This show had to have been one of the most exciting of the night, and received a 6th place finish, and a score of 86.62.

Nice, I like the wormhole add-in, and I just realized this, I claimed 7 worlds from FAME (in the name of Mars, isn't that lovely?), and the placement I have is 7th. The stars of the number seven must've aligned for Mars or something. I want to say there's a third seven, that way it'd be a 777, (7 wins, 7th place, 7 tamales?), which is cooler than 77, regardless that's pretty neat.

Again, nicely done.

Very nice writeup.