The Pony Canyon YouTube channel has revealed a new trailer for the DVD and Blu-ray release of the drama series Do Not Say Mystery, scheduled for August 3, 2022.

Viewership for the series, which aired in January 2022, broke the all-time record for a commercially broadcast TV drama series and became a hot topic for months after. The DVD and Blu-ray releases will include plenty of extras, including Masaki Suda’s birthday event, round table discussions, and more.

The drama was based on Yumi Tamura’s manga series of the same name, serialized in Monthly Flowers magazine since 2017. In the story, Kunou Totonou, a perceptive college student who is often forced to think his way out of dangerous situations, is questioned by police after he is suspected of killing his classmate.

@田村由美／小学館　©フジテレビジョン

Mister Donut is teaming up with Gion Tsujiri, a traditional green tea maker in Uji, Kyoto, for some tasty new treats starting March 25 for a limited time. Four new items will be available until the end of April. To celebrate the new collaboration, a new TV commercial starring actor Masaki Suda has started airing nationwide.

Fresh Pon de Uji Green Tea

Fresh Pon de Uji Green Tea with Brown Sugar Syrup

Uji Hojicha Warabimochi

Uji Hojicha Mochi with Whipped Cream

In the new ad, Suga is seen in a manly kimono with one of the new products in hand. Remaking on the soft and chewy texture of the new items–which are kneaded with Gion Tsujiri’s Uji Green Tea–Suda slowly falls in love with Mister Donut and commands viewers to do the same. How could you not?

Which of these new items look the best? 

Interview

――How do you feel about the Fresh Pon de Uji Green Tea and the Fresh Pon de Uji Green Tea with Brown Sugar Syrup?

“They’re so crazy delicious. Each of them are so moist and smell so yummy, and the topping…I mean, that’s everyone’s favorite, right?”

――Speaking of toppings, what are some of your favorites?

“I love garlic and green onion on just about everything. Cheese is also my go-to. Condiments are everything.”

――How about the Warabimochi and the Whipped Cream Mochi? 

“I can’t get enough of them. I’d definitely buy them myself. They aren’t too bitter, and I could really enjoy the rich aroma of the hojicha. It’s honestly amazing that Mister Donut can come out with these creative new items so often. This isn’t like memorizing lines in a play or following a formula. It must take so much work.”

――Do you prefer matcha or hojicha?

“That’s really tough. (laugh) I like both. I love the flavor of matcha but I think hojicha has flavors that aren’t as common. I find myself eating a lot of chocolate, drinking lattes, or grabbing hojicha more often.”

――How did it feel to shoot the Mister Donut commercial in a kimono?

“It was so lightweight, it felt great. The stylist told me that it was entirely made of silk. I typically only wear kimono during rehearsals or things like that, but I’d love to wear something like this during a festival. Someday.”

――The new commercial will begin airing during graduation season. Is there anything you’d like to ‘graduate’ this year since it’s the last year in your 20s? 

“That’s true, I am almost 30. I hadn’t thought about it! In my job, everyone is so polite to me, and I have the habit of leaving things up to other people. I need to be more personally responsible. For example, if I have to be somewhere for a meeting in the morning, I always get up at the last minute. Why don’t I get up 10 minutes earlier, you know? I need to be better.”

――What would you like to tell those who are coming of age this year? Do you have anything to say to students and working adults who will start new grades and jobs in the spring? 

“As you grow older, you have less and less to do outside of work. I’m really impressed by people who do something consistently during their free time. I thought I should have done something like that back when I was a teenager, so I tried saving ¥500 coins last year. It was hard to do, even though it was something so small. After a year, I had saved up about ¥40,000 and I felt satisfied, so I stopped. But doing something each day outside of work is important.”

MIKIMOTO has released new imagery and a new short film of actor Masaki Suda wearing the brand’s new jewelry collection ‘PASSIONOIR.’ A making-of video has also been uploaded to YouTube, and it’s hard not to want all of these incredible pieces. 

The Making of ‘PASSIONOIR’

The new styling visuals and short movie capture the passion put into the project by Masaki Suda, who is constantly accepting new challenges as an actor. Bringing his unique energy to the collection, new items were released sequentially on December 9, 10, 13, and 14. Over the past six consecutive weeks, a new video has been uploaded by MIKIMOTO highlighting the luxury brand’s new items. 

‘PASSIONOIR’ is a combination of the words ‘passion’ and ‘black,’ and black pearls are the centerpiece of the new release. Mixing the innocent beauty of pearls with jet-black power, these pieces are sure to add style to any ensemble. 

The music video for Utakata-Uta (RADWIMPS feat. Suda Masaki),theme song for the blockbuster movie It’s a Flickering Life, will be released on YouTube at 22:00 on August 13, 2021.

The video was directed by Suda Masaki and produced by Yamada Kento, who has worked with RADWIMPS multiple times in the past.

You can set a reminder to watch the video as it premiers on the RADWIMPS official YouTube channel.

Utakata-Uta / Official Music Video on YouTube Premier

The Utakata-Uta is the first RADWIMPS feat. Suda Masaki tag-team production, garnering widespread attention from fans and media. The video features Suda Masaki and Noda Yojiro, who play Gou and Terashin in It’s A Flickering Life. Their characters work in the same movie studio and discuss their dreams for the future. 

The project started upon the completion of filming, when Noda Yojiro gave the demo to film producer Yamada Yōji as a heartfelt gift.

While it wasn’t written as a theme song, the producer was so impressed by the demo that he designated the song as the movie’s official theme song, saying “The song connects the past and present, reality and fiction, even reaching heaven. I was convinced that having Suda and Noda, who played Gou and Terashin, singing it would complete the film.”

Noda was full of love and respect for the movie, commenting that “When Mr. Shimura died, I wanted to leave something like a lingering scent and weave things such as the emotions that we had felt throughout the lyrics. Even if the world we build is purely a sound, that sound is something that will last forever.” 

The song is full of nostalgic melodies and impressive singing from both Noda Yojiro and Suda Masaki, while the lyrics overlap with the feelings and situations of their characters, Gou and Terashin.

‘Utakata Uta,’ the theme song for the new movie God of Cinema, will be available on various streaming services at midnight on August 6, 2021, including iTunes and RecoChoku! Performed by rock band RADWIMPS and featuring Suda Masaki of Kamen Rider fame, it’s a mellow track which is sure to stir up plenty of emotion. 

The evocative CD jacket was shot by Miko Okada, an award-winning photographer from Iwate Prefecture. Art Director Ryosuke Miyashita was inspired to collaborate with her after seeing a series of her photographs titled ‘CELL,’ inspired by the lights she saw coming from apartments and homes from a train window. In the same vein, the cover art was based on the abstract concept of how people spend their evenings in different ways, giving a nostalgic and warm feel. The song does the same, making the listener ponder how many different lives intersect and come together. 

As announced by RADWIMPS front man Yojiro Noda on August 2, Suda Masaki will also be performing with RADWIMPS at the upcoming FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL ‘21 on August 20, 2021. This will mark the first time ‘Utakata Uta’ will be performed in front of a live audience, so look forward to it!

Japanese actor and singer Masaki Suda appeared in a new commercial for Mister Donut which hit Japan last week. The name of the commercial translates to “there’s always something good inside the box.”

On January 27, 2020, Mister Donut celebrated its 50th anniversary. The doughnut chain boasts around 960 stores in Japan. In their latest commercial, they promote the joy of opening a box of their doughnuts when ordering takeout.

Shogakukan released the January 2021 issue of the women’s fashion magazine Oggi on November 27, 2020.

Vocals: Masaki Suda / Lyrics & Composition: Huwie Ishizaki

The 3D CG anime film Stand by Me Doraemon 2 was released in Japan on November 20, 2020. Japanese actor and singer Masaki Suda who sings the film’s main theme features in the January 2021 issue of the women’s fashion magazine Oggi in a talk with Huwie Ishizaki who wrote and composed the song.

Ishizaki has worked with Suda on numerous occasions, including writing songs for him, which is what led to him calling Suda on board once more.

“Once again, Nobita shows in this film just how hopeless he really is,” Suda explains. “But seeing him try his hardest like that, desperate and trying to protect someone really just gives you courage. Of course, Huwie was the first person I thought of when going to sing about something like that.”

About a year has passed since Suda made the request to Ishizaki who had been sending him lyrics and melodies during that time. This is a film centred on the marriage between Nobita and Shizuka, and so the main theme was written as a wedding song with frank and honest lyrics.

Their facial expressions and poses are a must-see

“I worked on a song with Suda on his album ‘LOVE,’ and he also let me cover his song ‘Ito’ before. With this song, I wanted to create something that expresses bonds. A story of two people. A word that made sense to me was ‘rainbow,’ something that suspends these feelings between people. Rainbow was the only choice.”

The full talk goes into detail about how Suda and Ishizaki met, their mutual respect for each other, and more. There’s also a series of photos the two of them took together while having fun with an instant camera.

Stand by Me Doraemon 2 is being shown at Toho theatres across Japan.

To see more of Suda and Ishizaki, you’ll need to pick up a copy of Oggi’s January 2021 edition, now on sale in Japan.

UNIQLO is collaborating with Kenshi Yonezu for the first time for their graphic T-shirt brand “UT.” The collection will first drop in Japan on August 14, 2020 before rolling out to UNIQLO stores in New York, Shanghai, and Guangzhou.

This also marks Yonezu’s first foray into an apparel collaboration, who has brought his unmatched creativity born from his talent as one of the top Japanese singer-songwriters in the industry as well as being an illustrator. It’s a must-grab for fans of Yonezu and style.

Kenshi Yonezu’s Unique Illustrations & Fantastical Pictures

The clothing line-up sees a range of original character designs including Kenshi Yonezu’s trademark cat. Designs include the characters printed large on the T-shirts, designs featuring whimsical photos, and more, all of which were supervised by Yonezu himself. The collection is made up of a range of base colours including black, white, green, pink, and more.

Special Store Decorations

UNIQLO 5th Ave in New York has been decorated in an illustration created by Kenshi Yonezu. This design is set to roll out at 8 UNIQLO branches around the world, including UNIQLO PARK Yokohama. The artist also took to the stage in a video premiere concert for Fortnite on August 7, 2020.

US:

New York 5th Ave | August 7, 2020 – August 18, 2020

China:

Shanghai (Video Monitor), Guangzhou | August 11, 2020 – August 24, 2020

Japan:

UNIQLO PARK Yokohama Bayside | August 10, 2020 – August 24, 2020

Canal City Hakata | August 12, 2020 – August 31, 2020

Sendai Izumi | August 13, 2020 – August 16, 2020

Harajuku | August 14, 2020 – August 28, 2020

Shinsaibashi | August 14, 2020 – August 27, 2020

Kenshi Yonezu | Comment

“UNIQLO is a store that has always been there since I was a kid […] and I want to give my respect to them for taking responsibility for always being there.”

Kenshi Yonezu’s song Paprika has become a hit amongst the children of Japan since its release, even taking home the top award at the 61st Kagayaku! Japan Record Awards. Its music video has garnered over 70 million views on YouTube, and tomorrow (February 3) the song will be released digitally.

This version of the song is a “self-cover” in which Yonezu sings. The original version was written and produced by Yonezu but he did not actually sing in it. In July 2018, he announced a new project to cheer on the people of the world in 2020 and beyond. It began with the formation of Foorin, a group of child singers who sang the original Paprikamusic video which Yonezu wrote the lyrics for as well as composed and produced the music. A was released in July 2018 which has amassed over 164 million views (as of January 1, 2020), which features Foorin performing choreography created by Tomohiko Tsujimoto and Koharu Sugawara.

At the end of 2019, Foorin had already performed on numerous music television programmes, and a new group was formed called Foorin team Eーa group of international children who performed Paprika in English. Thus began the worldwide phenomenon of Paprika.

Within just 4 days and 9 hours of its release, Kenshi Yonezu’s self-cover version released on YouTube had already surpassed 10 million views. Now, the self-cover is set to be released digitally on February 3, 2020. The artwork for the digital release was created by Ryu Kato.

Paprika will be used for NHK’s TV and radio program Minna no Uta (“Everybody’s Song”) throughout February and March.

Kenshi Yonezu’s 2020 “HYPE” tour in Japan and Asia has finally kicked off. Find the full schedule below.

Kenshi Yonezu’s 2018 single Lemon has broken many milestones to date, and today marks yet another etching in history.

The music video for Lemon officially broke 500 million views on December 17, 2019 at 10:08am (JST), which marks one year and 295 days since it was released on YouTube. Yonezu now holds the record for most viewed Japanese artist on the video platform.

Photo by Tomokazu Yamada

Yonezu’s other music videos have also garnered huge views: Uchiage Hanabi is on 327 million, Aine Kuraine is on 236 million, and LOSER is on 228 million (as of December 17, 2019). All nine of his music videos total over 1 billion views (the aforementioned four, orion, Peace Sign and Haiiro to Ao (+Masaki Suda), Flamingo, and Paprika), and he has 4.59 million subscribers, making him the most subscribed-to Japanese music artist. His channel also has over 2.4 billion views, and the numbers continue to soar.

Lemon enjoys yet another year of success following its overwhelming popularity upon its release in 2018. To thank fans for its success, a billboard has been put up at the Hachiko Exit of Shibuya Station in Tokyo, which reads “Kenshi Yonezu” on the left and “Music Carries On” on the right. It will be up until December 29, 2019.

Particularly over the past two years, Kenshi Yonezu has been making history in the charts. His song Lemon was highlighted as song of the year on Billboard JAPAN Hot 100 of the Year 2019 and the U.S Billboard HOT 100 for two consecutive years in a row, making Yonezu the first ever artist to top the Billboard charts for two consecutive years in a row with the same song. 

Photo by Tomokazu Yamada

Following the release of Lemon in March 2018, its digital and physical downloads scored ranks in the charts 25 times, pushing Yonezu onwards to continue his streak into 2019 where he saw more no.1s, 3 million downloads on his song Lemon, which set the record for fastest downloaded song in Japan, and now almost half a billion views on the official music video for Lemon. The song’s overwhelming popularity even scored it no.1 in Japan’s karaoke rankings where it reigned for a whole 85 weeks: the longest of any song. 

 Yonezu dominated the Billboard JAPAN Hot 100 of the Year 2019 download rankings for two consecutive years in a row and four of his ten songs made it onto the charts, including Lemon at no.1, Uma to Shika at no.5, Machigai Sagashi at no.6 (performed by Masaki Suda, written by Yonezu) and Paprika at no.7 (performed by Foorin, written by Yonezu). His achievements even stretch to producing and he is loved by children and adults in Japan alike. 

Following the release of his album LOVE on July 10, 2019, Masaki Suda toured from city to city with the final stop being Zepp DiverCity in Tokyo on September 6, 2019, for a premium live performance for a limited audience. 

If you’re a fan who missed out on tickets then you’re in luck: On Christmas Day this year, Masaki Suda will release a DVD and blu-ray of his premium live performance and more exclusive footage. Suda recently unveiled a teaser of the DVD and blu-ray on YouTube:

Masaki Suda LIVE TOUR 2019 “LOVE” @Zepp DiverCity TOKYO 2019.09.06 Teaser

The DVD is packed with all 19 songs performed that day including Suda’s top hits Machigai Sagashi and Sayonara Elegy and even the jaw-dropping moment where Kento Yamazaki, the actor for L from the Death Note live-action series, stepped on stage to commemorate 10 years of Masaki Suda’s acting career. The Zepp live performance was the last of five concerts that were held in four cities in Japan. Out of the approximate 200,000 fans who scrabbled for tickets for the premium live performance which marked the end of the tour, a mere 10,000 fans were chosen.

The Limited Pressing Edition includes not only a DVD and blu-ray of of the performances, but even comes with a large photo book packed with photos that have never been seen before. The Limited Pressing Edition is currently available to purchase from numerous websites but be quick if you want one because they are in limited supply. 

There is also a number of bonus goods you can get your hands on and some special designs that you don’t want to miss out on.