On June 16, the girls’ vocal and dance group ATARASHII GAKKO! released OTONABLUE – From THE FIRST TAKE on streaming services.

Originally released in 2020, OTONABLUE has become incredibly popular over the past year, with its ‘neck-dance’ choreography trending on TikTok. With views on the social media site surpassing 2.5 billion, a music video was thrown together and released, pulling in over 20 million views in two months.

On April 7, ATARASHII GAKKO! performed a special version of OTONABLUE on THE FIRST TAKE, commemorating their first time on the program with new choreography. Filmed in a single take, their appearance pulled in 20 million views in record time, becoming the channel’s most popular video of 2023. This special live version is now available to stream.

Atarashii Gakko! took to the stage on THE FIRST TAKE for the first time. The members performed their hit song Otonablue, which has become a major hit on social media for its unique choreography during the chorus.

Since its release, Otonablue has continued to be a hot topic, with the live performance video racking up over 8 million views on YouTube and related TikTok videos pulling in over 400 million views.

Takuma Usa appears in the new YouTube short drama series Sarashiai, Konna Yoru wa Dare no Sei? (Exposed Love: Who’s to Blame for a Night Like This?)

The romance-focused ensemble drama touches on a wide array of difficult subjects found in today’s society, like adultery, sugar daddies, plastic surgery, friends with benefits, doxxing, betrayal, and redemption.

Takuma Usa, who portrays the host Tsukasa, appears in the third episode.

The popular girl group SCANDAL will release a live performance video of the song Prism, which was performed during the World Tour last year. The group will also release MIRROR, a documentary, on Blu-ray and DVD on February 22, 2023.

SCANDAL embarked on the WORLD TOUR MIRROR 2022 from March to September 2022, performing in Japan, North America, and Europe. While the girls faced difficulties performing in the U.S. due to the pandemic, they have continued to tour Japan and abroad, celebrating 15 years of musical activities. The new live video was produced using select scenes from each show on the world tour. Prism shows off the individuality of the four members, filled with confidence and a trailblazing spirit.

Starting April 7, the SCANDAL TOUR 2023 unlimited UTOPIA will begin, visiting seven cities across Japan: Sapporo, Sendai, Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagoya, Osaka, and Fukuoka. The group’s new song Line of sight is currently being used as the theme song for the arcade card game Mobile Suit Gundam Arsenal Base LINXTAGE.

On February 22, the popular rock band SCANDAL will release the documentary MIRROR on Blu-ray and DVD. In April, the artists will embark on the SCANDAL TOUR 2023 – Unlimited UTOPIA, performing in seven cities across Japan.

The new song Line of Sight was written by the band to serve as the theme song for the arcade card game Mobile Suit Gundam Arsenal Base LINXTAGE, scheduled to release in late February. Read SCANDAL’s comment below!

Mobile Suit Gundam Arsenal Base LINXTAGE〈LINXTAGE SEASON:01〉PV

—
“We’re pleased to announce that we’ve been put in charge of the theme song for Mobile Suit Gundam Arsenal Base LINXTAGE.
This summer, SCANDAL will celebrate our 17th anniversary. What a great time to get this incredible offer!
We met with the team behind Arsenal Base and shared our thoughts and feelings before starting production on the song.
In the game, music is played during battle scenes, where players’ emotions are heightened. Considering that, we wrote a fast-paced, danceable track.
In the end, we combined our own thoughts and feelings with the world of Gundam. Be sure to listen to the lyrics closely!
Please enjoy our music as you play Arsenal Base!
—

Mobile Suit Gundam Arsenal Base is a real-time strategy arcade card game in which players take on the role of a commander in control of five mobile suits and five pilots fighting to destroy a collection of enemy battleships. Found in many arcades across Japan, players place pilot cards on the terminal in dedicated boxes. The terminal then reads a QR code on each card. The series will soon introduce tons of new content including the LINXTAGE BATTLE system, in which two players can enter battle at the same time. Be sure to listen to a snippet of Line of Sight in the new PV!

Eve has announced a special YouTube LIVE scheduled to take place on December 24 at 19:00. The stream will take place on the artist’s official YouTube channel and those with YouTube Premium memberships will be able to take place in an Afterparty starting at 19:30. 

Starting at 19:00 on Christmas Eve, fans can enjoy a rare live studio performance complete with a full band. The Afterparty will include a special chat with Eve in which the artist reflects on the past year and gives hints on what’s to come. Fans won’t want to miss this exclusive opportunity!

Following the release of their 10th album MIRROR in January 2022, all-girl band SCANDAL began their world tour in March of this year. After successfully performing 11 shows in 10 locations around Japan, the girls will be heading to North America and Europe starting in July. The final Japan performance took place at the famous Nakano Sunplaza on June 11.

Celebrating 15 successful years in 2021, the ten-track 10th original album MIRROR includes popular singles like eternal and ivory. The album includes songs written, composed, and sung by each member, and is beloved by longtime and new fans alike. The group’s previous world tour was canceled due to the pandemic, and this will be the first time the girls have performed abroad in four years. During the group’s final show in Japan, SCANDAL performed 22 songs from both their new album and past releases, delighting longtime fans and newcomers alike.

The concert at Nakano Sunplaza began with the title song MIRROR. The audience’s excitement only increased as the members began playing Flashback No. 5 and EVERYBODY SAY YEAH, two classic tracks. The band continued to perform songs from the new album, with some written and sung by specific members. Tracks from the beginning of SCANDAL’s career also appeared in the setlist, including Instant Sentimental, Take Me Out, and A.M.D.K.J. The show fittingly ended with one more time, the last song on MIRROR.

SCANDAL will travel to North America in July and to Europe in September, so keep an eye out for when the girls come to your town!

SCANDAL WORLD TOUR 2022 – MIRROR in JAPAN

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/65LIl0fhilWNrU7SgfMsDk?si=Fm31NSFKROyqjZMYDU3OSg

In a new interview posted to YouTube, Yuichiro Hayashi, the director of Attack on Titan The Final Season, and Yusuke Tannawa, the CG Producer and Screen Designer for the show, are discussing the series’ incredible success. Both creators also chat about the struggles they’ve faced during production, their relationship with the original manga creator Hajime Isayama, and much more. 

Attack on Titan The Final Season Part 2 – Yuichiro Hayashi (Director) × Yusuke Tannawa (CG Producer, Screen Design) Special Interview

Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2 is currently airing on NHK General each Sunday at 24:05. It is also available to stream on dTV, d Anime Store, GYAO!, Netflix, TELASA, Hikari TV, and Amazon Prime Video.

©諫山創・講談社／「進撃の巨人」The Final Season製作委員会

The new cover song project ‘CrosSing- Music & Voice’ is live!

CrosSing brings together voice actors, anime song artists, VTubers, 2.5D actors, and other artists through music. The cast of the first season is featured in the channel teaser.

 In addition to popular voice actors Maaya Uchida, Kana Hanazawa, and Akari Kito, the project also includes towana, vocalist of popular ani-song unit fhána. Toshiki Tateishi, active mainly in 2.5D stage plays and musicals, and VTuber Hal Shibuya will also be participating!

Channel Teaser

All of the songs featured in the project are tracks that personally mean something to the cast. The music will be available on YouTube and on streaming services, and those interested are asked to follow the project on Twitter and TikTok!

On February 22, Hello Kitty released her first collaboration video with the popular YouTube channel Mochimaru Diary, which currently has over 1.6 million subscribers!

Mochimaru Diary follows the uneventful life of Mochimaru, a Scottish Fold, whose life is documented by his owner. The collaboration was planned as a celebration of Cat Day, which takes place in Japan on February 22. 

In the video, Hello Kitty talks passionately about the 10 most adorable things about Mochimaru. Be sure to give it a watch!

Hello Kitty is a Mega-fan?! Video Highlights and Screencaps

Comment from Hello Kitty

I’ve been such a big fan of Mochimaru for so long, I can’t believe we finally get to collab~

We had a super happy day talking about all the things Mochi likes!

I’m a little embarrassed to be THIS excited, but I’m just so happy to bring everyone this video for Cat Day!

Give it a watch for me! ♡

©’22 SANRIO　S/F・G　著作（株）サンリオ

SCANDAL’s 10th original album MIRROR was released on January 26, 2022, and ranked #5 on the Oricon Weekly Album Chart. Every album the group has released has ranked in the top five. The music video for the album’s title track, MIRROR, has finally been released!

The song, composed by MAMI on guitar and RINA on drums, is an epic rock anthem and a perfect symbol for the album. The music video was directed by Motherfucko, who previously directed the music video for Ai ni Naranakattanosa.

MIRROR Music Video

MIRROR is on sale now.

All-girl rock band SCANDAL is celebrating 15 successful years in 2021. Their ten-track 10th original album ‘MIRROR’ was released on January 26, 2022, and includes popular singles like eternal and ivory. ‘MIRROR’ includes songs written, composed, and sung by each member, and is already beloved by longtime and new fans alike.

The music video for the love balled Ai ni Naranakattanosa has also been unveiled. Written and composed by guitarist MAMI, it’s a song that realistically describes the sad feelings of a woman in unrequited love. The video was directed by motherfucko, who also directed the videos for Fuzzy and one more time. It also features young actors Miyu Nakamura and So Morozumi telling the story of a woman who realizes that her feelings for her boyfriend aren’t love.

Ai ni Naranakattanosa Music Video

SCANDAL has also announced additional shows for the North American leg of their 2022 World Tour, which is scheduled to start in March. There will be nine shows in total: Toronto, New York, Atlanta, Anaheim, Dallas, Boston, Chicago, Vancouver, and Seattle. The setlist will include songs from the album as well as popular songs from the group’s history.