PlayStation. Game Boy. Sega Saturn. Pokemon Go. Final Fantasy VII. Resident Evil. These are all familiar words to anyone who played video games in the Heisei Era. During this time, the Japanese gaming industry had a huge impact internationally. So much so that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe appeared as Mario from “Super Mario 64” at the handover ceremony at the closing ceremony of the 2016 Summer Olympics.

As part of its “Defining the Heisei Era” series, The Japan Times looked back at the Japanese gaming industry from 1989 to now. This period not only saw the rise of the industry around the world, but also its fall. But it also saw a bit of revival with the advent of gaming on mobile phones.

It’s just been announced that hard rock duo B’z will be performing the theme song for the upcoming Getsu9 drama on FujiTV – a remake of the American legal drama “SUITS” which stars Yuji Oda and Hey! Say! JUMP’s Yuto Nakajima.  The track, titled “WOLF,” has been described as a cool rock tune and will mark the first time that B’z have provided a song for a FujiTV drama since 2009’s “Buzzer Beat.”  No details about WOLF’s release have been revealed as of yet, though the duo have confirmed that they will be releasing a new album in 2019.

Furthermore, following the announcement that their new song “Majestic” would be used as a Pocky CM track, a short movie which features the entirety of the track has been uploaded to parent company Glico’s Youtube channel.  This clip expands on the story expressed in the commercials, detailing how a young girl (Sara Minami) manages to make friends at her new high school with a bit of help from her mother (Rie Miyazawa) and Pocky.

You’ll find this video (song starts at 2:57) right after the jump, and look forward to additional information about “WOLF” as it is made available.

This week’s episode featured Superfly. This episode marks Superfly’s debut on SONGS. In this episode, she explains how she overcame a recent case of writer’s block.

Superfly – Alright!! / Gifts / Beautiful

Singer/songwriter Fumiya Enuma, perhaps better known as the former singer and lead guitarist for rock trio plenty, has announced that he will be releasing his debut album on November 7th.  Titled “#1,” this record will contain 12 songs which were written, composed, arranged, performed, engineered, and produced almost entirely by Enuma himself.

Though the album will only be released in a single version, each store which sells it will attach a special download code which will enable buyers to acquire live footage from Enuma’s first solo concert.  He will support the release with a short one-man tour in January.

You’ll find the cover and track list for “#1” below.

Singer/songwriter Kenji Furuya, better known as the front-man for mixture band Dragon Ash, has announced that he will be releasing his second studio album on October 17th.  Titled “THE PENDULUM,” this record comes three-and-a-half years after his debut album “Everything Becomes The Music” and will include Furuya’s previously released singles “Prom Night,” “Playground,” and “Wanderlust,” as well as nine new songs for a total of 12.

Ahead of the record’s release, the music video for its lead track “Where You Are” has been uploaded to his official YouTube channel.  The PV features Furuya performing in a series of picturesque locations which fit the majestic image the song seeks to convey.

You’ll find this music video, as well as the cover and complete track list for “THE PENDULUM” right after the cut.

Scarcely a month after the release of their previous single, pop-rock band back number have announced that they will be releasing another one on November 21st.  Titled “Old Fashion,” the lead song has already been selected as the theme song for the upcoming TBS drama “Dai Renai ~Boku wo Wasureru Kimi to.”  Notably, this will be the group’s first track to receive a drama tie-in since their smash hit “Christmas Song” back in 2015.

“Old Fashion,” which has been described as a mid-tempo love song, will be accompanied by a pair of B-sides and issued in two different versions.  The Limited Edition will include a DVD which contains the music video, recording and making-of footage, and video from the single’s photo shoot.

You’ll find the full track list for “Old Fashion” right after the jump.

Late last month we reported that alt. rockers [ALEXANDROS] will be releasing their seventh studio album “Sleepless in Brooklyn” on November 21st.  Now that the record’s release date has drawn closer, they have chosen to publish all of the information about it online.

“Sleepless in Brooklyn” will include seven of the group’s previously released tracks, including remastered versions of “SNOW SOUND” and “Ashita, Mata,” as well as six new songs for a total of 13.  The record’s two Limited Editions will include footage of the band’s summer live at Chiba’s ZOZO Marine Stadium on either a DVD or Blu-ray disc, while the Deluxe Edition will contain a T-Shirt featuring the album’s cover visual, a bonus CD that will include rare tracks and song demos, and a DVD with a 60-minute documentary focusing on the record’s recording process in America, as well as behind-the-scenes footage from their “Mosquito Bite” PV.

Unfortunately, this reveal was swiftly followed by the news that three of the shows on the band’s upcoming US Tour have been cancelled due to Visa issues.  They have promised to do their best to ensure that the remaining two dates (in Washington D.C. and New York) go off without a hitch, and will keep people posted if things change.

Read on below to find not only the cover and track list, but also a teaser for “Sleepless in Brooklyn.”

Arashi’s third single of the year “Kimi no Uta” will be used as the theme song of Aiba Masaki’s starring drama “Boku to Shippo to Kagurazaka”. The song depicts the treasures of “daily life” and feelings towards cherished people, things and places. The single will also include coupling song “Sky Again”, CM song of JAL TV-CM, JAL “Fly for it!”

Check out the tracklist and song preview below! The single will be out on October 24.