Hello, Arama! Japan readers and welcome to this week’s installment of #1 Song Review! Last week saw Kis-My-Ft2 defeat Yonezu Kenshi and DA PUMP. DA PUMP is back this week, facing off against two newcomers. Find out what Ronald thought of the songs that topped the singles charts this week and share your thoughts on them too!
In November New York will be hosting the Anisong World Matsuri in collaboration with Anime NYC, to bring fans one of the largest global J-pop concerts!
Anisong World Matsuri’s mission is to bring Japanese pop to new audiences all around the world. Since launching in 2016 they have held successful events in Los Angeles, Shanghai, and Washington DC. Now it’s New York’s turn!
Girl group AKB48 has released their MV for their latest single “NO WAY MAN“.
This is the 54th single from the group overall, and while new single releases should be happy for fans this release is causing some to be quite somber. Popular member Sakura Miyawaki is center for this release, and it will be the last for a very long time.
The very popular anime and manga series My Hero Academia is the latest Japanese media that will receive it’s very own Hollywood live-action remake.
It will be produced by Legendary Entertainment, and will be mainly handled by Jay Ashenfelter and Alex Garcia. Ashenfelter worked on “Pasific Rim: Uprising”, while Garcia has most recently worked on the soon to be released “Godzilla: King of the Monsters”.
EXILE ATSUSHI, one of the lead vocalists for the LDH group EXILE, has released his latest MV for “Suddenly“.
His 10th single overall, “Suddenly” is paired with the track “RED SOUL BLUE DRAGON” performed by unit RED DIAMOND DOGS.
Japanese media has been buzzing with the rumor that a famous YouTuber could possibly be the daughter of TERU, lead singer of the rock band GLAY.
The YouTube star in question is Kobashiri, who has established herself as one of Japan’s top up-and-coming web stars. Kobashiri specializes in make-up videos, both tutorials and reviews. She will also occasionally do videos on fashion, food, or different “challenges” popular with YouTube celebrities.
Folk singer Ichiko Aoba has announced that she will be releasing her latest album “qp” this week on October 24th. Her sixth studio record, and the first since 2016’s “Mahoroboshiya,” “qp” will include ten new songs from Aoba, with the Limited Edition to come packaged with a DVD containing live footage from across her career.
To coincide with the album’s release today, the music video for its lead track “Tsuki no Oka” has been uploaded to her label’s YouTube channel. This PV, which was directed by Koichiro Tsujikawa, sees Aoba herself taking the role of the song’s titular ‘hill,’ the night sky lighting up around her at the video’s climax.
You’ll find this music video, as well as the cover and track list for “qp” right after the jump.
Singer Kaela Kimura has returned to the scene with a brand new MV for her song “COLOR“! The surprise release was uploaded today, which also just so happens to be her birthday!
“COLOR” will act as the main promotional song for Kimura’s upcoming mini-album ?WHO? . This is her first music release of 2018 and also the very first time she’s releasing a mini-album/EP.