Hey, Arama Japan! It’s Friday, so it’s Open Post time! Feel free to chat with your fellow readers about whatever you like! Enjoy!

On February 17, season four of the Chinese version of “Produce 101”, “CHUANG 2021” debuted. This season, the show is looking to form a male idol group. Even though the show is Chinese, there are contestants from other countries, including Japan. Of particular interest are the contestants that Avex sent to the show.

Three of the four members of INTERSECTION (Kazuma, Caelan, & Mika) and two of the four members of WARPs UP (RIKIMARU & SANTA) are on “CHUANG 2021.” They made their first performances on the debut episode, which can be seen below!

After the jump, a support video for INTERSECTION can also be seen. The video features various Avex acts, including FAKY, Ai Otsuka, and Anna Tsuchiya, all speaking Mandarin!

Last summer, I had the idea of doing a special Pride episode of the Arama! Japan Podcast. Out of this came the idea of doing another special episode in February for Black History Month here in the US. In this episode, me and a group of other members of the African diaspora discuss what draws Black people to Japanese music, Black / mixed race Japanese acts, cultural appropriation, Japan’s reaction to Black Lives Matter, and more.

Featured on the podcast alongside myself this time are Arama! Japan staff member Hasawa, and special guests Imani and Ron.

On February 17, indigo la End will release their new album, “Yakou Himitsu.” The album will feature ballads, which is the band’s core, as well as songs with AOR and heavy rock influences. “Yakou Himitsu” will include the previously released digital singles “Tulip”, “Yoasari”, “Yokaze to Hayabusa”, and “Furarete Mitan da yo.”

The album will come in six editions: Limited Edition A (CD+DVD / CD+Blu-ray), Limited Edition B (CD+DVD / CD+Blu-ray), Regular Edition (CD only), and Analog Edition. The video disc that comes with the limited editions each feature a different night of indigo la End performing at Tokyo’s Nakano Sun Plaza in January 2020 on their “indigo la End ONEMAN HALL TOUR 2019-2020 ‘Shinjitsu’.”

To celebrate the album’s release, indigo la End held a live stream concert at a planetarium. It can be seen below, along with more information on their new album!

On February 17, Toki Asako will release her new cover album, “HOME TOWN ~Cover Songs~.” This release sees her covering a range of artists, including indigo la End, ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION, Spitz, Hata Motohiro, and Yumi Arai. She is also doing a self-cover of “Rendez-vous in ’58”, from her 2013 album “HEARTBREAKIN'”, as a duet with Bakarhythm.

Also included on the album is Asako’s 2020 digital single “HOME”, which served as the opening theme for the second season of the TV Tokyo anime series “Fruits Basket.”

Check out more information on this release below!

This week, SKE48 topped the Hot 100 single chart with their new single “Koiochi Flag”, with 17,897 points.

THE YELLOW MONKEY topped the Hot Albums chart with their new live album “Live Loud.”

YOASOBI topped the Artist 100 chart for the fourth consecutive week.

Ayase topped the Hot 100 Lyricists chart for the seventh consecutive week.

Ayase also topped the Hot 100 Composers chart for the seventh consecutive week.

Yuuri topped the Streaming Songs chart for the third consecutive week with his digital single “Dry Flower.”

Ado topped the Download Songs chart for the third consecutive week with her digital single “Usseewa.”

YOASOBI also topped the Download Albums chart for the fifth consecutive week with their EP “THE BOOK.”

Last fall, Hoshino Gen starred in the commercial celebrating the 35th anniversary of “Super Mario Bros.” The commercial also featured a new song of his, “Souzou.” This song will be released as a digital single on February 17.

Coinciding with this release, Gen has also released a music video for the song. The video is a blend of various colorful video clips, which complements the song’s mashup of languages and rhythms. Check it out below!

The French luxury fashion house Givenchy has chosen its first Japanese ambassador, and it is Ryota Katayose of GENERATIONS! Ryota takes this position not too long after the installation of the brand’s new creative director, Matthew M. Williams.

Williams described Ryota as a performer with endless possibilities, whose personality, value, and unique style resonate with Givenchy.

Of his new position, Ryota said that respects the company’s long history, and hopes to spread awareness of the brand through his activities in the Japanese entertainment industry.

Check out Ryota’s debut photoshoot for Givenchy below!