Mikio Fujioka, also known as Go-Kami (“Little God”) has passed away on January 5th. He was 36 years old. The reports say he fell from an observation tower on December 30, and died in the hospital from the subsequent injuries on January 5th. His wife and Babymetal’s official Twitter account confirmed the news on January 9th.
Fujioka had been touring with the girls since 2013. He was also a member of a band Trick Box. According to Kerrang, in addition to his wife, he was survived by two children.
On January 10, androp will release their new single, “Joker.” The song serves as theme song for the movie “Ito-kun A to E”, which opens in theaters on January 12. androp recently released the music video for the song, which is composed of clips from “Ito-kun A to E.” The band has also released a live performance of the song from a concert at Tokyo’s Hibiya Open Air Concert Hall. Check out both videos below, along with more information on their new single!
Yuki Kodama‘s jazz-themed manga ‘Kids on the Slope’ (‘Sakamichi no Apollon’) has been adapted into a live-action movie that is slated for a March release. Yuri Chinen (Hey! Say! JUMP) and Nana Komatsu are leading the film as protagonist Kaoru Nishimi and his love interest Ritsuko Mukae. Supporting them in the film are Dean Fujioka and Erina Mano.
The production company has released two on-scene photos from the film. See them below the link. The trailer has been previously posted here.
This week, NMB48 topped the Hot 100 chart with their new single “Warota People.”
HKT48 topped the Hot Albums chart with their debut album “092.”
DAOKO x Yonezu Kenshi topped the Streaming Songs chart with their single “Uchiage Hanabi”, topping the chart for the 11th non-consecutive week.
back number topped the Download Songs chart with their single “Mabataki” for the second consecutive week.
EGOIST topped the Download Albums chart with their best album “GREATEST HITS 2011-2017 ‘ALTER EGO’.”
The 10th CD Shop Awards 2018 has released its nominee list for the second half of 2017! Thirteen albums were picked that were released between July 1 and December 31. The albums were chosen by 648 CD shop staff from across Japan to highlight releases that caught their discerning ears. From January 11 – 21, the albums from the first and second halves of 2017 will be narrowed down to a list of final nominees. The winner will be chosen in March. Check out the albums nominated for the second half of 2017 below!
This week’s guests were Nogizaka46 and You’ll Melt More!
Nogizaka46 – My rule
You’ll Melt More! – Nigenai!!
There’s no denying that the media likes nothing more than a sex tape featuring notable public figures. When a leaked tape of Japanese rapper KOHH and model Miyamato Ayana hit the net, Twitter and other social media platforms went nuts. But what of the video itself? Did KOHH live up to the expectations that people would put on such a personality? Read Arama’s exclusive review to find out!
We’re back with this week’s edition of Oricon Flashback. This is where we look back on what topped Oricon this week 5, 10, 15, and 20 years ago. Think of it as a way to reminisce and learn about the past of Japanese music.
Note: Oricon took a holiday break this week in 1998, 2003, and 2008, so the numbers for this week will be reflected in next week’s numbers combined with the numbers for that week. The numbers for 2013 are available though.