Though they’ve been quiet for some time, alternative band cero have just announced that their new track “Oka no Ue no Bansan” will be used in Grand Kirin’s latest commercial series.  This pair of commercials focuses on the alcohol distributor’s renewal of their popular Japan Pale Lager (JPL) and India Pale Ale (IPA) brands and features two different arrangements of cero’s song, meant to display the differences between the two beers.

The JPL CM is accompanied by a funky, upbeat variant of the track which makes you want to get up and get moving while you enjoy the product.  By contrast, the arrangement paired with the IPA CM is far more chill and laid back, a soulful tune to listen to on a lazy evening rather than one that makes you want to go out and party.

You’ll find both versions of “Oka no Ue no Bansan” beneath the cut, so please do read on below.

2016 has seen the “coming to terms” of several major shônen manga series, 2 of them being apart of the ‘shônen Holy trinity’, “Bleach” and “Naruto” (the last remaining ongoing one being “One Piece”). The very same phenomenon happened among shôjo manga a few years ago, where some of its major series ended, putting a term to the golden era of long-lasting and widely popular series, which has left some sort of a void within the industry.

A void that seems to be difficult to fill in since lately, many news announced the comeback of several of them in the form of sequels or a spin-off. So obviously, as a girl who grew through her teenagehood reading most of these series, I got pretty intrigued to see in what direction these ‘updates’ were heading to and what was motivating this wide-spread phenomenon.

Check them out below!

Q’ulle is shaking things up with their newest release, “DON’T STOP”. The single will be released on April 5th under the avex label. This is their first time having material released under the infamous record label and the group is very excited for this opportunity.

The five-member idol group was formed in 2014 when the former dance group DANCEROID broke up. Ikura, Yuzuki, Maam, Manako and Yakko banded together and embarked on a new journey, standing in front of a mic and singing. They have released a handful of singles over the years as well as gone on many tours around Japan.

“DON’T STOP” is an upbeat single that has a modern rock feel to it. If you had to ask me, my favorite part is the guitar solos during the breaks. Nevertheless, if you enjoy metal or idol rock, you will enjoy this tune.

Watch a preview of the music video below the cut!

This week’s guests were Sexy Zone and JUJU.

Sexy Zone – ROCK THA TOWN

JUJU – Because of You

This week’s guests were Elephant Kashimashi, Nogizaka46, flumpool, and Saito Kazuyoshi.

Elephant Kashimashi – Koyoi no Tsuki no You ni

Nogizaka46 – Influencer

flumpool – Last Call

Saito Kazuyoshi – Iden

Elephant Kashimashi – Kanashimi no Hate / Oretachi no Asu

Watch Johnny’s WEST, the first Johnnys group to star in an Internet based drama, in “Honoo no Tenkousei REBORN” (Blazing Transfer Student) based on Shimamoto Kazuhiko’s popular manga serialized in Weekly Shounen Sunday. The 8-episode Netflix original drama will start streaming worldwide this winter 2017 and will be delivered to 190 countries. Toshio Lee (Detroit Metal City, God is in Bali) will be directing.

Seven transfer students appear at the mysterious elite school “Tanebi Gakuen”, established by Noboru Takizawa who was once called the “Blazing Transfer Student”. Coincidentally, the seven students are named “Kakeru”. They sneak into a problematic school as a transfer student and has the secret mission of improving the school from the inside.

This week’s guests were Daichi Miura, Kato Miliyah, Mika Nakashima, Hayashibe Satoshi, and BiSH.

Daichi Miura – Cry & Fight / Darkest Before Dawn

Kato Miliyah – Dokomademo ~How Far I’ll Go~

Mika Nakashima – Koi wo Suru

Hayashibe Satoshi – Hareta Hi ni, Sora wo Miagete

BiSH – Promise the Star

Maki Goto has revealed via her official Instagram account and Ameba blog that she has given birth to her second child! Maki previously announced that she was expecting back in November 2016.

The former Hello!Project singer gave birth to a healthy baby boy. This is Maki’s second child, her first being a girl born in December, 2015.  On her blog Maki shared that even though this was her second time giving birth, the process was still very spiritually and physically exhausting. She’s looking forward to taking care of her new family of four with her husband. Maki’s Instagram post can be seen below.