Erika Sawajiri has been revealed to star in a manga-based movie Funohan, set to be released in 2018. In the manga, the main protagonist named Tadashi Usobuki (played by Tori Matsuzaka) kills people on request so it would be impossible to suspect anyone though his clients are more often than not also punished in the end. Sawajiri’s character, Tomoki Tada, is an investigator (originally male in the manga but made a “boyish woman” for the adaptation) who attempts to track down the mysterious man in black.
The decision to change Tada’s gender was affected by Matsuzaka being cast and is supposed to improve the chemistry between the main characters.
This week, Perfume topped the Recochoku chart with their new single “TOKYO GIRL.”
On iTunes, Yonezu Kenshi topped the chart with his new single “orion.”
This week’s episode featured miwa. The show explored her musical beginnings, taking place in miwa’s second hometown of Okinawa. miwa also performed three songs.
miwa – TRUE COLORS / Yui / SPLASH
It has been announced that J-rock superstar MIYAVI will be heading back to North America for a tour! Presented by Live Nation, the tour titled “ASIA ON TOUR” wants to bring abroad a different side to Asian music. MIYAVI will be joined by two other bands, Slot Machine from Thailand, and Kiha & The Faces from South Korea.
Slot Machine has managed to maintain their popularity in the Thai-rock scene for the past 10 years. Their latest album Spin the World was produced by Grammy Award-winning producer Steve Lillywhite. Kiha & The Faces holds a firm place at the top of the Korean indie scene, known for their artful wordplay, talk-like singing, and sympathizing lyrics. Their debut single “Cheap Coffee” became a massive hit in 2008 with their experimental yet familiar sounds captivating the masses. The band harmonizes the rhythms of the Korean language as well as combining the different genres of psychedelic, folk, funk, electronic, rock, and blues. The headliner, MIYAVI, has been active in the music scene since 1999. He has gained recognition globally for his unconventional style of playing the guitar. Instead of using a pick, he uses his fingers calling it “Slap Style”. MIYAVI has successfully done shows in over 30 countries totaling over 250 shows.
The tour kicks off on April 1st 2017, and will travel to 14 cities all across North America including Vancouver, New York, Toronto, Atlanta, and San Francisco. Fans will be able to follow the bands back-stage as Live Nation documents their adventures on tour for each city they visit. This includes rehearsals and backstage interviews. This content will be shared via Live Nation’s official Asian concert facebook account. Tickets can be purchased on both Live Nation and ticketmaster
All of the dates for ASIA ON TOUR can be seen below
“I want my former body with no injuries back!”
Pop idol singer Tomita Mayu begged during an emotional plea at Tokyo’s Tachikawa Courthouse. The 21-year-old idol singer appeared behind a heavy veil that separated her from her attacker, Iwazaki Tomohiro, inside the courtroom.
A few weeks ago, Seiko Oomori announced her 3rd album “Kichigaia”. In a turn of events, Seiko has changed the name to ‘kitixxxgaia‘, still pronounced the same. The album is set to feature a plethora of guests including fox capture plan, Noko (from Shinsei Kammatechan), Ano (from You’ll Melt More) and DAOKO. She has just released the lead in single, for the opening track to the album “Dogma Magma” featuring fox capture plan.
In her most stylish and provocative video yet, “Dogma Magma” uses Christian imagery, amazing costumes, potent and intense song changes and Seiko’s unrelenting visual style to create one hell of an exciting experience for fans. Watch the video and see the finalized album track-list below!
Idols-turned-artists TOKYO GIRLS’ STYLE (ask Avex for more infos) just released the Music Video for “predawn“, leading track of the unit’s upcoming single set to be released on March 1st. The video features the four girls dancing on a rooftop at dawn, as well as several individual shots of each member that give a very classy touch to the video. The track borrows a lot from EDM, but features some interesting atmospheric moments and tempo changes that give it a refreshing vibe, and it’s good to see the unit adopting such an accessible yet well-crafted approach for their music.
Girl group FAKY is back on the news with a new digital single, “Surrender”! We already were missing their music after almost ten months from their infectious EP “CANDY”, and they seem to also miss their fans, as this new single is full of passion and energy. In the MV, the girls dance in simple settings where light effects are the main feature. If you are digging this clip, don’t forget to buy the single when it gets released via iTunes on March 1st! Check the MV just after the jump!
