ONE OK ROCK is now massively popular around the world. The rock band has just announced a Japan Dome tour set to be held in Nagoya, Fukuoka, Osaka, Tokyo, and Saitama starting in January 2023.

The band released the new album LUXURY DISEASE in September, followed by a 23-city North American tour. Venues across the states have completely sold out, and ONE OK ROCK has already announced that it will join MUSE on its North American tour. Keep an eye out for more information!

Japanese rock band RADWIMPS dropped the official soundtrack for Makoto Shinkai’s film Suzume no Tojimari on November 11, 2022, the same day of the movie’s release. The film is Shinkai’s first in three years and is a coming-of-age story that follows a girl named Suzume as she travels to disaster-stricken locations around Japan, closing doors to keep those nearby safe. Suzume Iwato, the heroine, will be played by Nanoka Hara, while Hokuto Matsumura will portray Souta Munakata. 

The film is now in theaters. RADWIMPS and world-renowned film music composer Kazuma Jinnouchi collaborated on the soundtrack.

Some recording for the film was done overseas at the historic Abbey Road Studios in London, a first for a Shinkai film. In addition to the film’s theme songs Kanata Haruka and Suzume feat. Toaka, the soundtrack contains 25 songs from the film including Tamaki and Suzume no Namida, sung by Yojiro Noda. These songs were created during the film’s production but weren’t included in the movie itself.

The soundtrack is now available on iTunes and other major music streaming sites. Those purchasing the album will receive four different CD-size cards with unique designs. Special offers are limited and are only available for a short time, so don’t miss out!

©2022「すずめの戸締まり」製作委員会

A new key visual and trailer have been released ahead of the premiere of the Dark Gathering anime series next summer. The main cast has also been announced, with Yu Sasahara playing Yayoi Hozuki, Nobunaga Shimazaki playing Keitaro Gentoga, and Kana Hanazawa playing Eiko Hozuki. The cast has also provided comments, which you can read below!

The Dark Gathering manga was launched in Shueisha’s Jump SQ in March 2019. Created by Kenichi Kondo, the series follow Keitaro Gentoga, a boy with the ability to see spirits. A shut-in for over two years, he slowly reintroduces himself to society as a private tutor, where he meets an incredibly smart girl named Yayoi Hozuki. She’s instantly able to see Keitaro’s mysterious skill and quicking invites him to go with her to a haunted place. From there, the two begin capturing evil spirits.

The anime is being directed at OLM by Hiroshi Ikehata, known for his work on FLCL Progressive. Shigeru Murakoshi is in charge of series composition while Shinya Segawa provided character designs.

The key visual shows the three main characters in front of a spooky Torii gate, each holding candles to add to the mysterious atmosphere.

The trailer also shows the three characters in action and is filled with traditional horror elements. Fans certainly have their hopes up for this one!

Keep an eye out for more details about Dark Gathering ahead of its broadcast in the summer of 2023!

Cast Comments

Yu Sasahara (Yayoi Hozuki)

“I’m Yu Sasahara, and I’m happy to announce that I’ll be playing the role of Yayoi Hozuki! I’ve always loved spooky occult stories, so when I asked to audition for Dark Gathering, I quickly read the original manga and was overwhelmed by its incredible world. It was so fascinating! I felt like I was meant to play Yayoi! I’ll do my best to make sure that everyone enjoys both the horror and the fighting elements, so let’s go!!”

Nobunaga Shimazaki (Keitaro Gentoga)

“Keitaro is a boy who’s attracted to the occult and who is constantly being pushed around by ghosts and his occult-loving childhood friends. Something I love about him is that no matter how many times he finds himself in a bad situation, he always manages to react in a different way and never gets accustomed to it. Even people who don’t typically like horror might like this series just for Keitaro’s reactions! (laugh)

The staff and cast have worked incredibly hard to bring this series to life. Ghost-centric horror anime is pretty rare these days, so I hope that you’ll love it as much as the original manga!”

Kana Hanazawa (Eiko Hozuki)

“To be honest, I’m not good with horror. Dark Gathering is seriously scary, but putting myself into Eiko’s shoes made things easier! She’s so excited by psychic phenomena that she’s strangely okay with the terrifying things happening around her. Sure, she’s a little weird, but that’s okay! Eiko, thank you! Both fans who have read the manga and those totally new to the story will have a great time–it’s scary, but it’s super compelling too.”

Ⓒ近藤憲一／集英社・ダークギャザリング製作委員会

ONE OK ROCK has become an incredible success with audiences around the world. The Japanese rock band will join Muse’s North American tour starting in February 2023 as special guests along with Evanescence, and the three musical acts will tour arenas in the US and Canada for around a month.

The band released their album Luxury Disease in September. Immediately following this, ONE OK ROCK headlined a 23-city North American tour, selling out a number of shows.

Be sure to follow ONE OK ROCK as they continue their upward climb to become international superstars!

WILL OF THE PEOPLE WORLD TOUR 2023

02/25/2023 Chicago, IL – United Center

02/26/2023 Minneapolis, MN – Target Center

02/28/2023 Austin, TX – Moody Center

03/02/2023 Houston, TX – Toyota Center

03/03/2023 Ft. Worth, TX – Dickies Arena

03/05/2023 St. Louis, MO – Chaifetz Arena

03/07/2023 Columbus, OH – Nationwide Arena

03/09/2023 Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena

03/11/2023 Quebec City, QC – Videotron Centre

03/12/2023 Quebec City, QC – Videotron Centre

03/14/2023 Montreal, QC – Bell Centre

03/15/2023 Montreal, QC – Bell Centre

03/17/2023 New York, NY – Madison Square Garden

03/19/2023 Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center

*ONE OK ROCK will perform from February 25 until March 19.

Wednesday Campanella made its first appearance on the 254th episode of THE FIRST TAKE, a YouTube channel that captures one-shot musical performances, on October 14, 2022.The group performed the song Edison, and the video currently has over 3.9 million views. Following this incredible success, the band has once again appeared on the channel. 

 Buckingham – Wednesday Campanella / THE FIRST TAKE

The second song performed by the group on THE FIRST TAKE is Buckingham from the digital EP Neon, released in May 2022. Utaha’s rap skills are even more incredible live, and despite the nonsensical lyrics, it’s impossible not to groove along. Be sure to watch Utaha’s unique facial expressions and check out her one-of-a-kind fashion. 

■THE FIRST TAKE YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9zY_E8mcAo_Oq772LEZq8Q

Comment from Utaha, Wednesday Campanella’s Vocalist

“This song focuses a lot on Kyuden, a district of Setagaya in Tokyo. It also references the spelling by pointing out that Kyuden is spelled with a kanji found in the word for ‘school lunch’ and ‘rice paddy.’ It’s nonsensical, and Kenmochi Hidefumi, who writes the lyrics for our songs, came up with this weird track. There are so many words crammed into such a short song, and honestly, my mouth gets a workout every time I sing it. It switches between really cute and really cool throughout, so I made sure to really focus on each and every facial expression this time!” 

Japanese music streaming site RecoChoku has announced the top song and album rankings for September 2022.

Ado tops both the single and album charts for the second month in a row with her tracks from the movie ONE PIECE FILM RED. The singer provided the singing voice of Uta, the main character in the film which was released nationwide on August 6, 2022. The theme song for the film, New Genesis, ranked top in the weekly rankings on September 7, September 14, and September 28. Back in August, Ado dominated the charts as well, with I’m Invincible and Where the Wind Blows taking the top spots.

Ado also took first place in September’s album ranking with her collection of songs from ONE PIECE FILM RED. A number of other popular artists worked on the album, including Yasutaka Nakata, Mrs. GREEN APPLE, Vaundy, FAKE TYPE., Hiroyuki Sawano, Yuta Orisaka, and Motohiro Hata. The album for the film also ranked top in the weekly rankings on September 7, September 14, and September 28. 

In August, Ado took the top spot for both most popular song and most popular album on RecoChoku’s download ranking, and the singer has done it again in September.

If you haven’t listened to Ado’s collection of songs from the new ONE PIECE film, this is your sign to do so.

RecoChoku Monthly Music Award – September 2022

(Announced October 1, 2022)

Single Ranking
1st Place: New Genesis (Uta from ONE PIECE FILM RED) – Ado (Released June 8, 2022)
2nd Place: Hitotsuboshi – KOH+
3rd Place: Start Over – THE BEAT GARDEN
4th Place: Velvet – back number
5th Place: I’m Invincible (Uta from ONE PIECE FILM RED) – Ado
https://recochoku.jp/ranking/single/monthly/

Album Ranking
1st Place: Uta’s Songs from ONE PIECE FILM RED – Ado (Released August 10, 2022)
2nd Place: Luxury Disease – ONE OK ROCK
3rd Place: YUZU ARENA TOUR 2022 SEES -ALWAYS with you- Yuzu
4th Place: Hitotsuboshi ~Galileo Collection 2007-2022 – KOH+ 
5th Place: BE:1 – BE:FIRST
https://recochoku.jp/ranking/album/monthly/ 
  

©尾田栄一郎／2022「ワンピース」製作委員会

Anime director Makoto Shinkai and popular rock band RADWIMPS are teaming up for the third time, and fans are thrilled. The group will perform the theme for Shinkai’s upcoming film Suzuka no Tojimari, set to be released on November 11. The theme, Suzume feat. Toaka, is now available to stream on all major music streaming sites. 

The theme can be heard in the film’s trailer, and features Toaka, a famous female singer known for her appearances on TikTok. “I felt a connection between Toaka and this song. No one else could come close,” RADWIMPS vocalist Yojiro Noda commented. 

Suzume no Tojimari, Shinkai’s first new film in three years, is a coming-of-age story, following a girl named Suzume as she travels to disaster-stricken locations around Japan, closing doors to keep those nearby safe. Suzume Iwato, the heroine, will be played by Nanoka Hara. Hokuto Matsumura will portray Souta Munakata. Six more cast members have also been revealed, and the latest trailer shows off a bit more of the film’s incredible cast and world. 

Suzume no Tojimari Trailer

https://youtu.be/FVU0zESXS5c–

The theme song and a bit of the film’s musical score can be heard in the new trailer, and many are calling this the most robust musical structure ever heard in a Shinkai film. What do you think? 

©2022「すずめの戸締まり」製作委員会

Famed director Makoto Shinkai and rock band RADWIMPS are teaming up for the third time. The group will provide music for Shinkai’s upcoming film Suzuka no Tojimari, scheduled to open in theaters nationwide on November 11, 2022. Kazuma Jinnouchi, a world-renowned film composer, will work with the group to form the strongest musical team in the history of Shinkai’s films. Previously, RADWIMPS worked with Shinkai on 2016’s Your Name and 2019’s Weathering With You.

At the film’s announcement press conference, Shinkai gave his thoughts. “I want to create a film that gives people a reason to come to the theater,” he said. “I want to create imagery and sounds that will immerse every single person in the audience.” With this determination to create a new and unique theater experience, Shinkai decided to have not only RADWIMPS work on the film’s music, but Kazuma Jinnouchi as well. This would mean a bolder score, but also a larger challenge.

Yojiro Noda, the lead vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist of RADWIMPS, gave a comment. “Working with Kazuma Jinnouchi, who has such a long history of creating music for movies and video games, gave me a new perspective. His amount of experience is hard to put into words.” 

“The music we created for the film’s action scenes was largely influenced by my experience in Hollywood,” Jinnouchi said. 

Some recording for the film was done overseas at the historic Abbey Road Studios in London, a first for a Shinkai film. 

The new theme song, aptly titled Suzume, can be heard in the trailer for the film. At Noda’s request, the production team searched for the most suitable voice for the song–one that would truly express the film’s vibe. After listening to audition tapes and a number of voices from around the web, TikTok sensation Toaka was chosen as the song’s vocalist. “I felt a connection between Toaka and this song. No one else could come close,” Noda commented. 

Suzume no Tojimari, Shinkai’s first new film in three years, is a coming-of-age story, following a girl named Suzume as she travels to disaster-stricken locations around Japan, closing doors to keep those nearby safe. 

Suzume Iwato, the heroine, will be played by Nanoka Hara. Souta Munakata will be portrayed by Hokuto Matsumura. Be sure to check out the latest trailer!

Suzume no Tojimari Trailer

©2022「すずめの戸締まり」製作委員会

Japanese rock band ONE OK ROCK has become hugely popular, expanding its activities worldwide in recent years. On September 9, the band released its first new album worldwide in three and a half years, Luxury Disease. Although the album includes six songs that have already been released, the rest of the new release has remained a mystery–until now.

After their last more experimental album, the band stated that this new release would be a proper rock album. Each track has a distinct personality, ranging from emotional numbers to heart-wrenching, passionate ballads that are typical of ONE OK ROCK, and even rock opera songs that are completely new for the members. Ed Sheeran, Satoshi Fujihara (Official HiGE DANdism), and other top artists and creators from both Japan and abroad contributed to the album.

The limited first edition includes a bonus DVD with two acoustic tracks, allowing listeners to hear the differences between the original arrangements and the different lyrics found on the international versions.

This album is sure to inspire, and you won’t want to miss it–especially since it’s streaming on music services now!

Japanese rock band ONE OK ROCK has become hugely popular, expanding its activities worldwide in recent years. The group has just released the single Let Me Let You Go from the upcoming album Luxury Disease, set to hit shelves on September 9, 2022. The track was co-written with Ashton Irwin, a member of 5 Seconds of Summer.

The song, with its sad melody, highlights both strength and weakness, showing a different side to the band and pulling away from the standard rock number. Previously, the group released Save Yourself, another song from the upcoming album that fits more into ONE OK ROCK’s wheelhouse.

Along with the song’s release, a Live Documentary Video for Let Me Let You Go was also uploaded to YouTube. The video is mainly filled with live footage, but also includes rehearsal and backstage footage, as well as drama-style footage shot for the project.

Let Me Let You Go – Live Documentary Video

https://youtu.be/uA832zpafis

ONE OK ROCK has been releasing new tracks one after another ahead of the new album next month, so be sure to stay tuned for more!

Japanese rock band ONE OK ROCK has become massively popular worldwide in recent years. On September 9, 2022, the group will release its new album Luxury Disease, and fans will be excited to know that Satoshi Fujihara from Official Hige Dandism will appear on the track Gravity in an incredible collaboration.

Satoshi Fujihara has gone on record to cite Taka as the person who inspired him to become a vocalist. Since then, Taka has appeared as a guest on Official Hige Dandism’s radio show and Fujiwara appeared as a guest at ONE OK ROCK’s live performance at ROCK IN JAPAN FESTIVAL 2022, bringing the two artists even closer together. This collaboration was a long time coming, and Gravity feat. Satoshi Fujihara will only be included on the Japanese edition of the album. Ahead of the song’s release, a portion of it has been unveiled on ONE OK ROCK’s social media accounts, so be sure to check it out!

With the album only a few weeks away, the countdown has begun! Will you be listening?

For the first time in over a decade, ONE OK ROCK will appear in Tower Records’ popular NO MUSIC, NO LIFE campaign. Special posters will appear at all Tower Records and TOWERmini stores starting September 3, 2022.

The last time ONE OK ROCK appeared on posters for the campaign was in September 2011. The band will release its first original album in three and a half years, Luxury Disease, on September 9. While the previous album saw the group tackling different genres, ONE OK ROCK’s signature rock sound seems to have returned. Luxury Disease was created along with producer Rob Cavallo and other overseas artists. 

Those who purchase the album will be entered into a drawing to win a B2-sized version of the NO MUSIC, NO LIFE poster. Entries can be submitted through the 59 participating Tower Records stores and Tower Records Online. Don’t miss your chance to get a hold of this rare poster with a special message from Taka!