Akita Shoten has launched a special project celebrating the 30th anniversary of the popular fighting manga series Baki the Grappler. Following a fan contest and the free release of the entire series, the new project is asking readers what they think was the ‘strongest’ scene in the series. The 30th-anniversary project will continue through 2022 and will include the largest ever Baki exhibition in spring.

Baki’s ‘Strongest’ Scene Site

OCR Processing of Dialogue from All 1,248 Chapters to Catalog Dialogue

Visitors can search for their favorite from over 150 scenes

Select the episode that contains your favorite scene and click ‘Vote!’ 

An image generator will allow voters to create their own image featuring their favorite quote.

When voting, fans can leave their comments, and the winning scene’s comments will be displayed at the upcoming exhibition at Tokyo Dome City. 

Where to Vote: https://baki-saikyoscene-tournament.com/

Voting Period: December 23, 2021 – January 15, 2022 at 23:59

​The winning scene will be announced on January 27, 2022 on the special website and in Weekly Shonen Champion. 

Future Plans

・The comments posted at the time of voting will be screened by organizers and may be published at the Baki Exhibition at Tokyo Dome City from March 5 until April 17, 2022. 
・Comments may be edited or omitted. 
 

Crossfaith x ralph ‘Different Species Collaboration’ -The Strongest Scene Special Movie-

A key visual collage video featuring famous scenes from Baki the Grappler has been posted to the special website and Akita Shoten’s YouTube channel. 

The song featured in the short film is Gimme Danger, a collaborative track between world-renowned metalcore band Crossfaith and rapper ralph. 

Baki the Grappler ‘Strongest’ Scene Special Movie

Comment from Crossfaith

“It’s a great feeling to be able to contribute our music to the Baki the Grappler ‘Strongest’ Scene contest. We’ve loved this series for a long time, and it contains so many important messages–not just about martial arts, but about being a person and being a man. Since this is a different kind of battle, we welcomed rapper ralph as our opponent and ended up creating the incredible track that is Gimme Danger. Please enjoy this track that will shake you to your core along with Baki.”

Crossfaith’s ‘Strongest’ Scene

The Big Tournament Battle: Hanma Baki vs. Retsu Kaioh
A scene where 4,000 years of history awakens the blood of Hanma

Comment from ralph

“Congratulations on 30 years. I’m so thankful to be able to contribute to this special event. I’d like to train at least three hours a day to become worthy enough for this honor.”

ralph’s ‘Strongest’ Scene

Kaoru Hanayama’s Chivalrous Scene

What do you think is the ‘strongest’ scene in the series? 

Having only just released their first album in three years EX_MACHINA in August 2018, some new news has arrived from Japanese heavy metal band Crossfaith.

Their new song Soul Seeker will be used as the main theme song for season two of the upcoming anime series Fist of the Blue Sky: Regenesis which is set to begin airing in October. The song is completely brand new and not featured on their recently-released album. It will be available for digital download this autumn.

You can get an early listen of the song in the series trailer above, so be sure to check it out.

Summer is coming soon, and no doubt you are looking forward to going to summer festivals! In this article, I will introduce to you some recommended Japanese artists who are going to perform at summer festivals that will be held in foreign countries.

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu

THE GREAT ESCAPE is a music festival held in Brighton, England which was started in 2006.

Many events will be held, not just live concerts and many up-and-coming artists, people who are working in the music industry and music lovers from all over the world gather at this festival. Many alternative UK rock bands perform at this festival but big-name artists such as ADELE, ELLIE GOULDING, ED SHHERAN and CHARLIE XCX have performed at this festival too, before or right after they debuted.

World Tour 2018：https://www.moshimoshi-nippon.jp/94229

Wednesday Campanella

She will also perform at Les Eurockéennes for the first time, a music festival held in Belfort, France. Les Eurockéennes has been held at a protected nature reserve in Belfort since 1989. In 2012, it was awarded Best Overseas Festival in the UK Festival Awards. It is one of France’s biggest music festivals. Wednesday Campanella’s appearance at Les Eurockéennes comes after enthusiastic demand from the people in charge of bookings.

Detail Information：https://www.moshimoshi-nippon.jp/103258

crossfaith

 “crossfaith” is a solo unit who is gathering much attention all over the world for his unique music which is the mixture of strings and electronica and fresh ideas. He combines many kinds of genres such as metalcore, hard core, screamo and catchy pops to create his unique works. He is going to perform at many festivals this year, so let’s check out his official website.

Cornelius

“Cornelius” is a solo unit of Keigo Oyamada from Tokyo which is gaining high reputation for its high-quality pop music and unique stage performance using various kinds of videos.

So far, it has been decided that he is going to perform at Field Day Festival and Sonar Festival which will be held in June. Please refer to his official website with regards to detailed information.

BABYMETALさん(@babymetal_official)がシェアした投稿 – 2018年 5月月2日午後10時19分PDT

BABYMETAL

BABYMETAL are a fusion of the metal and idol genres and are a band active across the globe. Their mix of authentic metal music with their cute singing and dancing continues to captivate fans worldwide. They have also opened their own apparel brand, ‘BMD FOX APPAREL.’ The three of them are also set to perform at many festivals this summer.

How did you like our recommendations?

Don’t miss these chances to witness the live performances of popular Japanese artists!

After approximately 2 years since returning from their Australia tour, the news hit that Crossfaith will be releasing their new single “FREEDOM” on Wednesday 2^nd August along with their live video “LIVE IN JAPAN- AT MAKUHARI MESSE”. Using the latest technology, they will also be releasing a new website feature called “Make It Metal” – this world has never seen something quite like this before!

How do you “Make It Metal”? Face the camera in your PC and keep headbanging for the video and music to play. This new music experience of “metal interaction” is something that only Crossfaith can offer! Marketing Communication Company Ogilvy & Mather Japan acted through collaboration to create the “Make It Metal” project as a method of new music promotion. For the collaboration, Ogilvy & Mather Japan singled out Crossfaith to take part, acknowledging their worldwide status.

The song used for “Make It Metal” is “Diavolos” from the album “FREEDOM”, which will be released for sale on 2^nd August. Besides the album artwork for the new single, there is a CD booklet that includes illustrations and photos from the band’s live performances.

The artistic illustration in the CD booklet that comes with the album “FREEDOM” was designed by the same Australian designer who designed the CD jacket. This was also used for the “Make It Metal” video, which is a must-see for fans all over the world. Don’t stop headbanging and enjoy the video and music! If you successfully reach the end, a certificate will appear onscreen, allowing you to use it to boast on SNS websites and compete with other Crossfaith fans worldwide!

Related article：Crossfaith Announce Simultaneous Release of New Single “FREEDOM” & Live DVD!

Related article：Analysis of Crossfaith’s attraction which is dramatically popular in the world!

Crossfaith have become an immense international success having played and held tours worldwide across 40 countries, as well as continuing to play the main stage at numerous festivals around the globe. The 5-member Japanese heavy metal band have just announced a long-awaited new single entitled “FREEDOM”.

“FREEDOM” is set for release on August 2nd and comes as Crossfaith’s first new single in almost a year. The single will feature 3 songs, while the First Press Limited Edition will include a second disc of remixes by “New Age Warriors” of the three tracks. Rou, the vocalist of Enter Shikari, a British band who Crossfaith have become good friends with, features as the guest vocalist on the lead track “FREEDOM”. The song is described as fine-tuned and as having a ‘hard’ sound. It’s a track that will show just how far Crossfaith have come as a band.

The second track on the single goes by the name of “Rockstar Steady” and features JESSE from “RIZE / The BONEZ” whom Crossfaith has also performed with at numerous festivals. The third and final track is “Diavolos,” which has been called a new masterpiece at their live shows.

Crossfaith will also release the final show of their “New Age Warriors” tour in Japan, which was held at Makuhari Messe, on DVD.

Crossfaith are set to embark on their “10th Anniversary Tour” starting from October this year to celebrate 10 years since the band formed. Advance Tickets went on sale mid-day on June 26th. This tour will also feature the “NEW AGE Discount,” a student discount for under-18s. Advance Tickets and NEW AGE Discount Tickets will have their own special original designs.

The new single is out just before the start of the festival season, so pick yourself up a copy in advance and rock out!

Related Article：15 bands join MIYAVI to celebrate his 15th anniversary at his special live tour “NEO TOKYO 15”

Related Article：Analysis of Crossfaith’s attraction which is dramatically popular in the world!

Crossfaith is a metalcore/deathmetal/electronicore band which is leading the new generation of metal bands. Their performance is eagerly sought after at music festivals not only in Japan, but all over the world. Their popularity has spread over the border of Japan! Let’s look back at the history of Crossfaith and see why they attract so many people.

Five members who kept moving on

Their history began in 2006, in the city of Osaka. They successfully increased popularity with their unique vocals, world-class level screaming, hard and metallic guitar riff, and very catchy lyrics.

The band consists of five unique members who are extremely talented. Koie is the vocalist. His appearance is scary at first sight, but he just calls himself optimistic. Kazuki plays the guitar with a very high-level technique, and he writes music as well. The newest member Hiroki, whose trade mark is long hair, plays the bass guitar. Tatsuya is the drummer; he won the championship in the circuit festival “Van wrapped Tour.” Lastly, Teru does vision programing and plays characteristic electro sounds as well.

In 2009, they released their first studio album. The members were only 19 years old, when they appeared on the stage in “LOUD PARK,” which is one of the biggest metal music festivals in Japan. In 2011, the band played the “Summer Sonic” festival. Gradually, they built a high status as a metal band.

The sound that the world respects

The band signed a contract with one of the biggest management companies, Raw Power Management, and started to broaden their activities world-wide.

In 2012, their second studio album was not only released in Japan, but also in the U.S and was a big hit. In 2013, they released a world debut studio album “APOCALYZE” to break into a bigger market. Also in 2013, the band toured in more than 30 countries including Japan. This was first time they had toured in Japan.

Live performance is very important in the genre of Metalcore music and Crossfaith hits accurate notes no matter how fierce of head banging they do which excites the audience. No wonder their conspicuously intense and edgy performance style attracts people from all over the world.

Growing the legend

They continue being successful not only in Japan but also in the world, and it never seems to end. They released a new single “New Age Warriors” on July 27^th, 2016, which was about 2 years after their previous single. Furthermore, they will start a tour called “New Age Warriors Tour 2016” on September 14^th. In the same month, they will hold a voluntary planning event “ACROSS THE FUTURE 2016” which will include guest bands: Enter Shikari, Beartooth and NOISEMAKER. They are also scheduled to go touring in Japan and many other countries. They are expected to be viewed as the birth of the new music scene.

It has been just 10 years since the band started. They keep progressing, but the path as a band is sure to have been tough for them with one of the members, Kazuki, being apart from the band because of a brain hemorrhage. Despite adversity, Crossfaith keeps attracting many people by creating a unique performance with a superb balance of both electronicore and hard core metal trends. There is no doubt that Crossfaith will be the leader of the new generation of metal core and death metal music not only in Japan but also in the world.

Crossfaith official website: http://www.crossfaith.jp

Harurun (SHUTTER)