Shiritsu Ebisu Chugaku‘s alter-ego are back after nearly a year’s hiatus. 5572320, known for their mysteriousiness, quirky personalities and interesting music, are here again to represent Coconut Sable in a new advertising campaign. In 2015 we only received two singles from them, but this year we have 4; thanks to the girls splitting up into 4 subunits. Each subunit was paired with music industry veterans and heavy hitters (ie: RYO the Skywalker, The Ventures, etc.) . Below are the official lyric videos. Take a listen and find your favorite out of the 4!

On October 26, Shiggy Jr. will release their debut album, “ALL ABOUT POP.” The album will come in a limited edition and a regular edition. The limited edition includes a DVD which features footage from a show that Shiggy Jr. held at Tokyo’s Ebisu LIQUIDROOM, as well as a documentary about the band. The covers for both editions of the album feature illustrations by manga artist Eguchi Hisashi, who has worked with the band on other covers before.

To coincide with the album’s release, Shiggy Jr. has released a music video for the new version of their 2014 song “LISTEN TO THE MUSIC.” The video is a collaboration with designer and model Yasuda Chihiro, who has been a fan of the band since their indie days. Frontwoman Ikeda Tomoko is a fan of Chihiro’s as well so the respect was mutual. Check it out below, along with more information on the new album!

From October 21 – 23, this year’s edition of Skate America took place in Chicago, Illinois. This was the first event in the International Skating Union’s 2016 – 2017 Grand Prix Series. Shoma Uno won the men’s portion of the event, while Mai Mihara placed third in the women’s portion.

Shoma Uno won with a total score of 279.34, 10.96 points ahead of the second place finisher, American Jason Brown. This score is also Shoma’s new personal best. Shoma’s short program received a score of 89.15, putting him in first place, 1.83 points above American Adam Rippon. Shoma’s free skate was the highest scored of the night with 190.19 points, 7.56 points ahead of Jason. After his win, Shoma said, “I did my very best and I was able to win. I was prepared to give it 120 percent. I want to work hard and be in a position to compete among the world’s best.” He later added “I was aiming for a perfect program, but it was unfortunate I missed the three-jump combination at the end. I am happy that I got the title at this major competition.”

On October 26, it has been revealed that Toma Ikuta will star in the film adaptation of popular manga “Sensei!” (Fall 2017)  It has been 5 years since Ikuta last starred in a romance movie, the most recent being “Bokura ga Ita“.  Suzu Hirose will be playing the role of Hibiki Shimada, a high school student who falls in love for the first time with Ikuta’s character, Kosaku Ito.

The original work by Kazune Kawahara ran from 1996 to 2003 on Shueisha’s Bessatsu Margaret.  Kosaku is a history teacher who appears serious and hard to grasp, but is actually kind and has a love for teaching.  Hibiki comes across Kosaku’s kindness, and begins to fall in love for the first time.  An adult and a teenager, a teacher and a student – as various feelings intersect, the story depicts a clumsy and pure love.

Just this past weekend popular rock band [Alexandros] released a teaser for their upcoming album “EXIST!”, which is due out on November 9th.  Ahead of this date, the group have now published the PV for the release’s lead track “Moon Song” to their Youtube channel.

This music video was filmed only a couple of weeks ago at a studio in Chiba Prefecture and focuses on the theme of “hope shining through even the darkest of nights”.  In terms of visuals, the video cuts between the band performing in said studio and a girl skateboarding through a nighttime cityscape with only the light of the moon to guide her.

Read on below to get a peek at the full PV for “Moon Song”.

LDH has been on a roll for the past few year at the Japan Record Awards. Since 2008, the company has taken home the top prize at six of the last eight ceremonies. EXILE won 2008 – 2010, and again in 2013. Sandaime J Soul Brothers won in 2014 and 2015, and with their currently popularity, look to be a shoo-in for this year.

But are these legitimate wins? According to Shukan Bunshun, the answer is no. The publication has evidence that LDH bribed officials at the Japan Record Awards to guarantee Sandaime J Soul Brothers’ win last year for their song “Unfair World.” The amount of ¥108,000,000 was paid for the win by Burning Productions for the benefit of LDH. The Japan Record Awards have long been accused of shady dealings but this is the first time that there is conclusive evidence of such activities.

This past year commercials have not only been trying to make us buy their products, but tap our toes also. Whether it’s with make-up, buying a game console or a delivery serivce, the music in these commercials have moved on past the point of simple jingles to a sound that could be found on the charts. Beverage company Kirin has added one more to this list with the CM for ‘I’m PREMIUM‘. Featuring fictional pop group NON ANGEL (rival to other fictional group, Trendy Style), they perform a smooth-synth 80s pop song for us. The creators behind ‘I’m PREMIUM‘ are Avec Avec and Seiho of Sugar’s Campaign. Take a look at the CM for NON ANGEL‘s ‘I’m PREMIUM‘ and their rivals Trendy Style‘s CM.

“The Last Cop 2”, NTV’s successful sequel to 2015’s “The Last Cop” has begun airing this month to positive fanfare and acclaim. The main cast consists of Toshiaki Karasawa, who plays the role of “Kyogoku Kosuke”, a detective who finally wakes up from a coma after 30 years. Kyogoku’s new partner is rookie detective “Mochizuki Ryota” played by Masataka Kubota. Rounding out the main cast is Nozomi Sasaki playing the role of “Suzuki Yui”, Kosuke’s daughter and love interest of Ryota.

The plot takes place 1 year after the events in “The Last Cop”, Ryota and Yui have been dating for nearly a year but Kyogoku still refuses to approve the relationship. Despite that small hindrance the two are still a perfect pair in helping the police solve many heinous crimes. The methods they use to solve these crimes might be a little usual, but their arrest rate and overall contributions are currently the highest in all of the Kanagawa Prefecture, so their “maverick” behavior is tolerated.

In the interview Toshiaki and Masataka talk about the evolution of their characters, funny moments that happened while filming, and of course gush about Nozomi Sasaki. Read the interview under the jump!