Niconico Chokaigi 2020 is set to run from April 12 to 19, and online tickets have now gone live for the opening acts: Hatsune Miku and EGOIST.Niconico Chokaigi is an annual festival held by Japan’s largest video streaming site "Niconico" which aims to recreate Niconico's virtual world in real life. The event is a melting pot of Japan's internet culture and the biggest internet festival in the country. It teams up with various media platforms and businesses to further promote Japan's internet culture to the people.Hatsune Miku are set to perform as the opening acts on the first day of the festival, April 12, at 17:00 (JST) and 19:00 (JST) respectively.

From April to June 2016, Fuji TV programming block NoitaminA launched an overwhelmingly beautiful and intense original animation series called “Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress”. A highlights compilation of Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress, as well as a social game have been developed from the anime. From Friday 10th May for a period of two weeks only, you can watch the sequel anime film “The Battle of Unato” at the theatre!

There’s also a new original trailer that’s been released! This includes the theme song Sakaseya Sakase written by EGOIST. From the moments that Iron Fortress members fight against the virus-infected corpses to special everyday life scenes, a traditional Japanese dancing scene and happy spring-filled vibes, the trailer is filled with the mystical and precious world of Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress.There’s a special bonus for those who see this at the theatre! Postcards decorated with illustrations of character designs by the original character designer Haruhiko Mikimoto will be handed to visitors!  The front of the card will have a serial code on it. Use it to obtain special outfits for the characters in the popular PC/iOS/Android game “Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress -Ran-”.   This is such a beautiful anime that you just have to see on the big screen! So please go see it!   © Kabaneri Design by Committee

Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress is an original anime series that ran on Fuji Television's Noitamina programme block from April to June in 2016. It drew huge attention for its gorgeous visuals and action-packed scenes.   The series received two films in 2016 and 2017 entitled Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress - Part 1: Gathering Light and Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress - Part 2: Burning Life respectively. A video game was also released in 2018. Now, in 2019, the franchise is set to get yet another film on May 10 entitled Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress: The Battle of Unato. The movie will be screened for just two weeks.   The main cast members and staff attended an event on April 23 which was held to commemorate the upcoming release. This included the director and screenplay writer Tetsurō Araki and series composer Ichirō Ōkouchi. Below are some comments made by the voice actors and staff members. ――About creating an entirely new film   Ichirō Ōkouchi (Composition): "Continuing on from the TV series I knew I wanted to include all the parts that were interesting about the show as well as those parts that are quintessentially Kabaneri. With that in mind, I wanted to to make this film into an even more pleasing one. This meant including the trains, wrapping up character stories, and seeing Ikoma's strength to hit back at adversity. I feel I have been able to do all the things I wanted to do."   Tetsurō Araki (Director/Screenplay): "When the TV series ended, I wanted to do more. I wanted to bring the characters back again. When me and [Ichirō] Ōkouchi finished with the composition I wrote the script and he looked over it and did touch ups. Until now I would receive a script, incorporate my ideas and make into storyboards, but there have been few chances for Ōkouchi to slash back with something. But this time we were able to go back and forth with each other on the script. We also did temporary dubbing. By having that temporary dub playing with the storyboards we were able to brush up the work before going onto the main voice recording. It's a great use of time. We have made our ideal film. I think everybody will live a happy life when they watch it [laughs]. ――Thoughts on showing the completed film   Ryōta Ōsaka (Sukari): "I am overjoyed that the time has finally come where we get to see this film. The voice acting for the game was carried out individually, so I was happy to be able to get together with everyone again after 2-3 years on this new film. It reminded me what a great franchise it is and a great one to work with. I think people will discover new things each time they watch it, so I would be happy for you all to go to the cinema to re-watch it after you see it today."   Toshiki Masuda (Kurusu): "The staff and cast poured their blood and sweat into this film. I am truly looking forward to seeing how it gets through to everyone. I want it to be seen by lots of people. A recap has also been announced, so if you know anyone that hasn't seen the series then please be sure to recommend it to them!" Those who see the film in Japan when it is released will receive a large-sized postcard illustrated by the series character designer Haruhiko Mikimoto. The postcard also has a serial code on it that can be redeemed in the video game (PC/iOS/Android) for a special outfit   ©Kabaneri Production Committee

From April to June 2016, Fuji TV programming block NoitaminA launched an overwhelmingly beautiful and intense original animation series called “Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress”. A highlights compilation of Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress, as well as a social game have been developed from the anime. Now, the sequel anime film "The Battle of Unato" is coming to theatres!This will only be running for two weeks starting from Friday 10th May. A trailer for the anime that includes juicy highlights and bursting with action has been released!

  It has been confirmed that Shin-ichiro Miki, who voices the character Kageyuki in the anime, will also be a member of the additional cast. As well as hitting the theatre, it will also be released simultaneously on NETFLIX and Prime Video. The main theme song has been written by EGOIST, who were in charge of the anime’s TV opening theme song. After meeting with multiple anime director Tetsurō Araki. EGOIST are setting a new tone by using traditional Japanese instruments for this song to match the atmosphere of the anime ー this is your chance to enjoy a new side to EGOIST! This opening theme song is bound to be a killer tune that will make the crowd go crazy at any live concert.

Pop music duo EGOIST produced by member Ryo (Supercell) released their greatest hits album Greatest Hits 2011-2017 "Alter Ego" at the end of last year which has gone on to perform successfully in both the physical and digital versions.   Songwriter Ryo and vocalist Chelly performed at Kitec-Star Hall in Hong Kong on June 23. At the very end of the show, they announced a 2018 Asia tour which earned wild applause from the crowd. The venue was packed with 1,500 fans, and a strange air of excitement filled the room as they waited for the anticipated arrival. Everything cut to black, signalling the start of a memorable night, as Euterpe began to play. The song is popular as one of the insert songs heard in the anime series Guilty Crown. EGOIST are known for originating in the anime series where they performed as a fictional band, eventually going on to huge success in the real world.   With the song over, and the crowd already fallen into the world of EGOIST, The Everlasting Guilty Crown began to play. The instant it came on, there were howls of joy so fierce it almost felt like the building was coming down.   A string of popular hits followed, including Extra terrestial Biological Entities, Ame, Kimi o Tsurete, and Suki to Iwareta Hi. The set was hit after hit, leaving no time to breathe and leading the excitement to an ever-growing rise.   When a breather finally came, the duo greeted fans in Chinese. This was their second performed in Hong Kong. They spoke warmly to fans, who clapped over and over. Things cranked up into full gear as they performed some of their most well-known songs, including Reloaded, Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress, and Namae no Nai Kaibutsu. To finish up the main part of the show they played their treasured ballad Kimi Sora Kiseki which brought fans together as one. Cries and clapping sounded through the room as fans called for an encore. Chelly stepped out onto stage once more, and surprised everyone with some covers. First up was Désir by GARNiDELiA which she co-performed together at a previous concert. This was followed by the famous Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari by Supercell, another band spearheaded by Ryo. The Hong Kong fans couldn't predict there would be surprise covers like this, and it showed in their explosive excitement. The concert finished with EGOIST's debut single Departures ~Anaya ni Okuru Ai no Uta~. Just when everyone thought there couldn't be anymore surprises, the words "EGOIST ASIA TOUR 2018" appeared on screen, satisfying the anticipation of fans already waiting for the next show.   EGOIST will begin their 2018 Asia tour at the end of August, which also includes dates in Japan.    

EGOIST is an imaginary artist produced by ryo (supercell).

The best album of EGOIST (CD/Internet distribution) released on the 27^th of December (Wed.) is gaining much popularity and the band held, “EGOIST Special gig ‘ALTER EGO’” on the 29^th (Fri.) of December last year at Zepp DiverCity.

 

This live was broadcasted at Zepp Osaka Bayside and Zepp Nagoya under the name of “ EGOIST sync*001 / Special gig ‘ALTER EGO.’”

EGOIST Special gig “ALTER EGO” is a special commemorative live of the best album, GREATEST HITS 2011-2017 “ALTER EGO” which was released on the 27^th of December (Wed.). The live was broadcast on Nikoniko Nama Hoso and about 25,000 fans enjoyed their performance.

 

The charm of EGOIST’s live is the fact that they use the latest motion capture technology. The performance of the vocal of the band chelly is detected with special cameras and Cho Inori (the vocal of EGOSIT in the animation), the heroin of the animation “Guilty Clown” resonates to chelly’s movements.

Shouts of glee went up from the audience as soon as the intro of “The Everlasting Guilty Crown” was played. After that, the band performed two popular songs, “Extra terrestrial Biological Entities” and “Ame, Kimi wo Tsurete” which are not included in the best album. The audience of the venue were filled with excitement with a rapid rendition.

The forth song was “Sukito Iwareta Hi,”a fast-tempo digital song which was distributed on the Internet and the audience were drawn into the world of EGOIST. After the song was finished, they performed MC performance and inflamed the fans. The voice of the audience in the venues of Nagoya and Osaka could be heard at the venue in Tokyo and the whole venue was filled with a sense of unity.

 

They also performed some popular songs including,“Reloaded” and “Namae no Nai Kaibutsu” and the audience were filled with excitement! After that, they performed “KABANERI OF THE IRON FORTRESS” and “Eiyu Unmei no Uta.” The strong voice of chelly heated up the venue. Lastly, they performed superb ballads such as“Ghost of a smile,” “Kono Sekaide Mitsuketa Mono,” “Kimisora Kiseki” and the live was finished.

After the anchor, the vocal cehlly reappeared on the stage and performed a fast-tempo rock number “It’s all about you.” The set list of the live included many B-side songs, not just songs included in the best album based on chelly’s wish to reflect on the history of EGOIST.

The live successfully delivered the charms of the band to many people who listened to EGOIST’s music for the first time, not just old fans.

 

As a second and third song of the anchor part, they performed a cover song which are “The Bravery” and “Kokuhaku” of supercell lead by the producer of the band ryo. The audience went wild while the songs were performed. “Kokuhaku” is the latter ending theme of the animation“Guilty Crown”which is a message song given from the main character of the animation Shu to the heroin/vocal of the band Cho Inori. The venue was filled with excitement with this surprise and the live ended with “All Alone With You.”

 

chelly reappeared on the stage in response to the applause of fans and performed the debut single of EGOIST “Departures ～Anatani Okuru Ai no Uta～.” The voice of chelly singing this song gently filled the venue and some of the fans were crying. EGOIST Special gig “ALTER EGO” ended on a high note.

Keep your eyes focused on EGOIST’s storm of activities in store for this new year.