About me
Hey there, my name's Kevin! (He/Him)
I'm a 23 year old Taiko no Tatsujin fan based in Rhode Island, United States.
About Shop
With 7 years of bachi making experience, this shop is meant to bring you the highest quality bachi possible. Each set of bachi are handled with high attention to detail, making the final product a reliable drumstick you can use for years. Bachi are always balanced correctly, around the index finger, accommodating most players and drumming styles. You will never find a set of bachi with one stick heavier than the other, weight difference is always kept within 2 grams of each other, a level of precision you can't find anywhere else.
Supporting this shop means you're supporting me, Kevin! Everything is handmade or curated by me!
Contact
Email me at Contact@Kev2o2.com
Otherwise, Im pretty easy to get ahold of if you DM me on Twitter, or @ me on Discord. I do not check TikTok or Instagram much.
History
I began playing Taiko on November 2016 after a childhood friend introduced the game to me. Seeing him play, I couldn't help but think to myself, "I can totally do that too" and became hooked trying to improve alongside him.
My first official game experience was Taiko no Tatsujin Plus on Android. I only had about 5 songs, but it didn't matter to me, it was all I could get at the time, so I would grind away at what I had. I was quickly improving, so Oni was naturally the goal for me to reach. It would be another two months until I could barely clear Saitama 2000 on Oni, but that wasn't without the help of practicing everyday.
(Bandai Namco Entertainment - 太鼓の達人＋ 新曲どり放題!)
I took advantage of simulators to learn note patterns and practice my rhythm, while on YouTube I would click on every Taiko gameplay video with a thumbnail that I didn't recognize yet. It was the only way to navigate Taiko on YouTube since I don't know Japanese and reverse translating everything wasn't in my scope yet.
The new year rolls in,
all I can think about is the arcade nearby that apparently carried Taiko! The urge to improve had become stronger, knowing this rare game might actually be possible for me to play the way it was intended!
January 21st was the day I planned to go. It was the perfect way to celebrate my 15th birthday two days early. Accompanied by my mom and closest friends, we took the 50 minute drive out to Taunton, Massachusetts, where Silver City Galleria sat, holding the largest Round 1 Arcade in the United States at the time. Although Taiko was all I was there for, I did make the most of my day by making sure me and my friends played a mix of everything! Whenever I did have a set of Taiko, I resorted to using the plastic Wii Tatacon bachi my friend was letting me keep, the same Tatacon bachi I would then use in my gameplay videos 3 years later.
January 24th I uploaded my first Taiko arcade video to YouTube, but privately, as I only wanted it for myself and my friends. Working on the video and getting to share it ushered the feeling of wanting to become a Taiko YouTuber one day.
It didn't take long for me to want to begin learning how to make my own bachi, so I started where anyone else would; how-to videos on YouTube. Only issue is everything is in Japanese. There were no resources in English. I had to absorb as much info as possible through studying the carving process of other bachi makers and making educated guesses.
I carved for hours and finished my first pair of bachi at 3am, February 1st. I knew they weren't perfect, but the experience was so rewarding that I continued to chase the craft, learning something new with every pair I made.
For the next 2 years
I would stay in the background practicing my gameplay skills, and maibachi carving skills. Once Drum 'n' Fun for Switch was announced, I knew it was time for me to take action and start putting myself out there.
Starting out in the arcade, Kevin_202 is officially on YouTube with the first public Taiko upload on April 18th 2018!
My mom would later help me get my first capture card, allowing the YouTube journey to flourish!
Entering 2021,
the Round 1 Arcade in Taunton would soon close down and be demolished, due to the mall it was attached to was being sold off. Playing at home was my only option here on out.
I've been lucky enough to build up a small community around my YouTube channel, so being at home wasn't all that bad! I had slowly saved up enough money to get my first monitor, first camera, and first PC!
I did what I could to stay involved by live streaming often, participating in charity streams, speedrunning Taiko RPG1, then eventually building up to having my own mini Taiko tournament in Virginia at BITE5!
So where have I been since..?
Directly after the BITE5 Taiko tournament, things for me started to take an unexpected flip on it's head. My focus had to shift away from YouTube and Taiko completely. Balancing personal responsibilities and my mental health, I wasn't finding the time or space to even consider having an active social media presence.
What now?
Although I'm still balancing my mental health and doing my best to make personal ends meet, I feel I'm growing for the better.
With the recent announcement that Taiko will be coming to US arcades, I think now more than ever, it's appropriate for me to take that leap of faith and rediscover the love I had for the game that shaped me in my teens and reconnect with the community that has given me support with open arms all these years.
