The much awaited Final Fantasy XV, which has been in production since 2006 (originally as Final Fantasy Versus XIII), will finally see its release this year. Although it has yet to be given an official release date it has been reported that the release date will be announced later this March. Originally the games co-director, Hajime Tabata took over direction of the game in 2014 after Testsuya Nomura decided to focus on Kingdom Hearts III.
When speaking with Game Informer, Tabata express his believe that the hours invested into gaming deserve a strong ending. Stating, “I want to create a very emotional ending to the game and want to make as many people cry as possible,” he said. “You’re spending so many hours playing the game, so when I finish a game and it ends on a sour note and it doesn’t move me, it gets me disappointed. At least make me cry or give me some emotion! I want to give a moving ending for the consumers who invest so much time.”
In his interview, he also noted the popularity of Final Fantasy VII and said he wanted to make a similar impact with XV on the gaming industry that VII made.
“There are some team members that were here for VII,” he explained. “They’re taking on the challenge of trying to exceed that title once more, which is a great motivator for them. VII sets a very high goal for us, but it serves as a good goal. It brought in new audiences, sales, and more.”
Final Fantasy VII will also see new life in episodic releases. Check out trailers and game play from both games below!
Fuji TV has officially announced the first FNS Uta no Haru Matsuri which will be aired on March 28, 2016 from 07:00 PM ~ 11:24PM in Japanese Standard Time. As part of the program, Ryota Fujimaki has made a surprise appearance in a high school graduation (where the UN JASH comedian Ken Watabe has graduated) performing the famous song of Remioromen, “March 9”. He performed this March 11.
Check out the latest ratings for the winter dramas below!
Every year since the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake occurred, popular rock band RADWIMPS has honored the lives of those lost in the horrific event by choosing to publish a song to their Youtube channel on the anniversary of that date. The songs released for this project are never put up for sale or included on any of RADWIMPS’ own releases; they’re songs that are meant to both encourage people to keep those lost in their hearts, yet at the same time continue to move forward in reconstructing that which was damaged.
The song that they’ve crafted for this year is “Shuntou”, a beautifully touching acoustic ballad that talks about why one should keep going each and every single day, no matter the hardships that may pass through their lives. The music video itself is made up of a series of messages solicited via social media, each a short statement of how a particular Japanese person feels five years on from the earthquake.
You’ll find the music video for “Shuntou” below, so if you have a moment, please take some time to watch it and reflect.
Arama! Japan recently conducted an email interview with noted songwriter / producer Steven Lee. He’s an American that has worked with a plethora of acts in the Asian music scene, including including KAT-TUN, Hey! Say! JUMP, V6, Arashi, Namie Amuro, Kis-My-Ft2, and Sexy Zone. He was asked about many things, including how he got started in the industry, what it was like working with certain acts, and how JPop and KPop are similar and different. Check out the full interview after the jump!
In case it slipped from your mind, this is a friendly reminder: the second chapter of the 6-part Digimon anniversary anime, titled “Ketsui” (Determination) is coming out soon. If you’re currently in Japan, you can catch it on theaters this Saturday, March 12. However, overseas fans should not be discouraged as legal anime-streaming site Crunchyroll announced on their forum that they will air it this Friday, March 11 @ 8AM PST!
On March 16, The fin. will release a new mini album, “Through The Deep.” The release will contain 5 new songs, plus a remix of their previously released song “Night Time” by South African musician Petit Noir.
The fin. has now released the music video for the mini album’s title track. It stars a homeless girl who befriends a elderly homeless man who lives in an abandoned amusement park. The fin. watches over the park. Check it out after the jump, along with more information on this release!
