Despite being on hiatus, Mafumafu has released a new song titled Shitsurakuen (Paradise Lost). The track will serve as the theme song for the Plantopia multimedia project which began this July, and a new animated music video has also been released.

Plantopia is an original anime and figure collaboration between Good Smile Company, Max Factory, and Twin Engine. It tells the story of a human girl and a flower-based lifeform on a mysterious planet covered by unique plants. The project was spearheaded by Nozomu Kuoka (TECHNOROID), LAM (takt op.), and Kukka (D_CIDE TRAUMEREI). A line of figures inspired by LAM’s illustrations are scheduled to be released.

The Shitsurakuen music video, directed by Yuki Igarashi, has been released, with animation production by OUTLINE. It shows the story of Haru, a human girl, and Alpha, a cherry blossom Flowerian. The track is now streaming and available for download.

A light novel for Plantopia written by Kuoka has been published on Kakuyomu. A number of other projects are being funded on Kickstarter, so be sure to check them out!

Comment from Mafumafu

“I’m Mafumafu and I wrote the theme song for Plantopia, Shitsurakuen (Paradise Lost). 

It’s always been a very precious experience in my life as an artist to write a song for a story that will come to be in the future, and I’m very excited to see what kind of images will be created and what stories will be told.

As more and more creators participating in the project hear this song, it might be transformed into something beyond what I could have imagined. This will serve as the gateway to new forms of entertainment!

Although I’m currently on a hiatus, I’d still like to enjoy the world of Plantopia with you all. 

Thank you so much.”

The theme song for the ongoing anime series Play It Cool, Guys–which began airing in Japan on October 10–will be available to stream on October 26, 2022. Mafumafu’s Seishun Kippu is already proving popular, especially after the artist announced his hiatus in June 2022. The track’s cover art has also been revealed along with the announcement.

Play It Cool, Guys is a comedy series following a group of high school boys who seem incredibly cool but are actually a bunch of dorks in disguise. Nata launched the manga series in June 2019 on the Gangan pixiv website, where it is ongoing. 

The track has a fresh and fast-paced feel, and was written and arranged by Mafumafu before he announced his hiatus. The jacket photo was created by filmmaker and illustrator Tsuda. Are you watching the anime this season?

Mafumafu’s new song Seishun Kippu (Youth Ticket) will serve as the opening theme for the upcoming anime series Play It Cool, Guys, scheduled to air in October 2022. The artist went on hiatus after holding a two-day solo concert at Tokyo Dome in June 2022.

Play It Cool, Guys is a comedy series following a group of high school boys who seem incredibly cool but are actually a bunch of dorks in disguise. Nata launched the manga series in June 2019 on the Gangan pixiv website, where it is ongoing. Along with the announcement that the anime series would begin airing in October 2022, a key visual showing each of the hilarious characters was also revealed.

The opening theme, Seishun Kippu, was written by Mafumafu before he announced his indefinite hiatus. The track has a fresh and fast-paced feel, and it can be heard in the newest trailer for the series. Be sure to give it a watch!

Play It Cool, Guys Trailer

https://youtu.be/f4Onn1yQGUA

Comment from Mafumafu

“I was so honored to be asked to sing the theme song for this series. 

These boys seem cool, but they’re actually total airheads.

I think that the gap between who we are inside and who we pretend to be can be a really fascinating thing. 

I think that watching the daily lives of these adorable and suave high school boys is something that will bring some joy to people today. It’s a rare sight, after all, and I know it will be a pick-me-up for everyone feeling stressed out.

I love comedy anime!

I’m looking forward to seeing it!”

©那多ここね／SQUARE ENIX・「クールドジ男子」製作委員会

Mafumafu released the music video for his new song Yurei on digital music platforms, including Spotify, on Sunday (January 10). The singer-songwriter, who celebrated his 10th anniversary on December 29, 2020, wrote the song for the new Japanese spring season special drama series Apuri de Koisuru 20 no Jouken.

The animated music video was made in collaboration with Japanese illustrator Osamu Taniguchi, the first time Mafumafu has worked with him. The video features a looping animation of a female school student sat on the floor of the classroom with just the backgrounds changing and environment. It’s a simple video that captures the feelings of loneliness and restlessness.

Mafumafu – “Yurei” Music Video

Mafumafu also released 14 songs simultaneously on music download and streaming services on Sunday including his new song Yurei, the track Yaso Hakuchumu (Short ver.) which features as the ending theme for the TV anime series Hortensia Saga, and more. The full tracklist can be found below.

Yurei was written as the theme song for the Japanese drama series Apuri de Koisuru 20 no Jouken which began airing on Sunday. The series features a cameo from Mafumafu.

A special TV broadcast for the upcoming anime series Hortensia Saga was shown on Saturday (December 5) where a new promo video confirmed that the series would begin airing on January 6, 2021.

New shots from the series were showcased, and the ending theme Yasou to Hakuchuumu by Mafumafu was played for the first time on the program.

3rd key visual

A new key visual was also released revealing five new characters. We will see Shūichi Ikeda as Didier Vialdo, Kenji Nomura as Rugis F. Camellia, Takuya Eguchi as Roy Bachelot, Yu Kobayashi as Adelheid Olivier, and Kazuma Horie as Alexis Vall d’Hebron.

TV Anime “Hortensia Saga” 3rd PV

Mafumafu | Comment

“I previously did the main theme song for the Hortensia Saga game, and now I’ve been given the chance to do the anime’s ending theme too. When writing the song, I made sure not to ruin the grand scale of the anime, and kept in mind the visuals of the series. I would be honoured if the song added grace to the series, if even a little.”

©オルタンシア・サーガ製作委員会

The new music video for Mafumafu’s digital single Sore o Ai to Yobu Dake was released on Saturday.

The song was released on music download and streaming services back in February as part of a tie-up with NTT DOCOMO’s student discount campaign. It featured in a short online video to promote the discount which starred actresses Kanna Hashimoto and Minami Hamabe playing the roles of Kanna and Minami respectively, two third-year high school students who were graduating. It was created as a compilation of phone footage of the fun they had at school together.

The new animated music video is similar in concept, centring around two girls and their meeting, the time they spend together in youth, and their separation. The main themes are youth and the limited time we have as people.

Mafumafu – “Sore o Ai to Yobu Dake” Music Video

The song is already available on major music download and streaming services, so be sure to give it a listen together with watching the music video.

After the Rain, a collaborative duo formed by Mafumafu and Soraru, released their new song One, Two, Three (written as 1・2・3 in Japan) digitally on December 15, 2019.

The song is being used as the first opening theme song to the new Pokémon anime series Pocket Monsters. It was written by Mafumafu who worked on the lyrics, composed song, and arranged the music.

The two artists have a big online presence, with Mafumafu having over 850 million views on YouTube and 1.6 million followers on Twitter, and Soraru having over 180 million views and 1.4 million followers. They were chosen to perform the opening theme to create that sense of partnership, like Ash and Gou, Ash and Pikachu, or Gou and Scorbunny.

The song was released on Mafumafu’s official YouTube channel and has amassed over 5.5 million views in less than a month.

The song is garnering huge attention from both After the Rain fans and Pokémon fans alike. Details on the CD release have yet to be announced, but it is now streaming on Spotify and Apple Music and is available to download on iTunes. Links below.

© Nintendo･Creatures･GAME FREAK･TV Tokyo･ShoPro･JR Kikaku　© Pokémon

The all-new Pokémon anime series is set to begin airing on TX Network on November 17. It has been revealed that Mafumafu, a talented creator and music producer active online, is producing the series’ new opening theme in addition to writing the lyrics, composing the song, and arranging the music.

Mafumafu is known for getting a diverse range of artists on board to sing the vocals, and this time they have paired up with Soraru to form the collaborative duo “After the Rain.”

The two artists have a big online presence, with Mafumafu having over 850 million views on YouTube and 1.6 million followers on Twitter, and Soraru having over 180 million views and 1.4 million followers. They were chosen to perform the opening theme to create that sense of partnership, like Ash and Gou, Ash and Pikachu, or Gou and Scorbunny.

The song title and release details will be announced right before the anime airs. We look forward to hearing how it ties in to and plays up to the Pokémon discography.