Uru’s new single Furiko (Pendulum) is set to drop on October 28, 2020, and it’s been announced that the song will be used as the main theme for the upcoming Japanese film Tsumi no Koe (The Voice of Sin) which will hit theatres in Japan on October 30, 2020.

The film is adapted from Takeshi Shiota’s novel of the same name. The story is inspired by the Glico Morinaga case, an extortion case in Japan which took place from 1984-5. The novel has over 620,000 copies in circulation.

The film stars Shun Oguri and Gen Hoshino who will play the two main characters Eiji Akutsu and Toshiya Sone respectively. Shun Oguri is known for the variety of characters he has played, from comical roles to more delicate ones. He will make his Hollywood debut in the upcoming American film Godzilla vs. Kong. Gen Hoshino is an actor, singer-songwriter, and writer who won the Japan Academy Prize for his roles in Blindly in Love and Why Don’t You Play in Hell? in 2014. Tsumi no Koe is the first time the two actors have worked together.

Nobuhiro Doi (Be With You; Flying Colors) is directing the movie while screenwriter Akiko Nogi (Nigeru wa Haji da ga Yaku ni Tatsu; Library War) is working on the script.

Uru wrote and composed the song Furiko as the main theme for the film which will be released as her 9th single. Below are her comments on the collaboration.

Uru | Comment

“When I got the call and went to see the movie, I thought long and hard about what kind of song would be fitting as the main theme. I watched the movie over and over so I could really get familiar with it, and bit by bit the song started to take shape, but when I went to write about hope, the only words and thoughts that came to mind were shallow, superficial ones, so I re-watched it again. That time, I rewrote the song several times from the perspective of the characters. We truly go through a lot in life, but say right now someone’s feeling sadness and pain and is in a state of hopelessness, and can’t even cry, then this is a song that I pray will give people hope: the pendulum has swung towards the bad side, but will absolutely swing to the side of light next time.”

The popular mobile game Super Mecha Champions welcomed a yet another new roster of names on May 14: the super strong mecha and popular characters of the anime series Granbelm.

Super Mecha Champions is a mobile mecha battle game developed and produced by NetEase Games. Available in over 100 countries and regions worldwide, the game features as a recommended app on the App Store. Its popularity earned Google’s “Game Creative” award, and it enjoys seasonal content at Christmas, New Year, and more.

Granbelm is an anime series created and produced by Nexus which aired between July and September last year. It follows a group of magical girls who pilot mechas called Armanox in which they fight battle royale-style to win the title of “Princeps Mage” which will enable them to wield all the magic power inside the Magiaconatus, a device created by a group of wizards in which is sealed all of the world’s magic.

The Super Mecha Champions and Granbelm collaboration event will run over a period of four weeks and see the arrival of new modes, new events, and more.

New Mode: Fight Under the Moon

Players will be able to match into the new Battle Royale game mode “Mangetsu no Tatakai” (Mangetsu Battle). Mecha City is transformed for this game mode, with portals and rune fragments appearing on the map. Collecting rune fragments gives players the chance to unlock an amulet which can be used to select unique skills such as cooldown reduction or protective shields.

New Mangetsu & Shingetsu Skins

In the new collaboration, the main characters of the anime series Granbelm have travelled in time to Mecha City. Mangetsu and Shingetsu will be available in the Premium Lucky House, as will Viola Katze. Unlock them and see them battle it out in the city.

Even more new mechas, characters, and systems are scheduled to roll out in the game soon.

Full details for Uru’s upcoming new single Negai have been revealed. The song will receive an early digital release tonight at midnight (JST) before its CD release on September 11.

Uru’s 8th single to date, the title track is used as the ending theme for the TV anime series Granbelm. The single will also include the grand ballad Scenery which has been arranged by rionos, a cover of her own song remember which was used as the main theme for Natsume’s Book of Friends the Movie: Tied to the Temporal World, and a cover of Hakujitsu by music group King Gnu who are a standout in Japan’s music scene right now.

The CD’s First Press Limited Edition will include three extra songs―Kiseki taken from her performance at Showa Women’s University Hitomi Memorial Hall in March last year, Nibiiro no Hi which despite being lumped in with other tracks on an album is a fan favourite, and a cover of  Spitz’s Robinson―as well as a DVD featuring the music video for Prologue which Uru performed as the main theme for the Japanese live-action drama Meet Me After School (2018).

The Limited Pressing Anime Edition will include the TV size version of Negai and a Blu-ray featuring the creditless video for Granbelm‘s ending.

Negai‘s full music video is now available to watch on her website. A short version was previously released on YouTube, so now fans get to see the conclusion to the video.

Granbelm‘s fourth episode airs in Japan tonight. If you’ve yet to check it out then you’re missing out. Catch it on Crunchyroll and be sure to listen out for Uru’s new song.

Uru’s new single Negai will be released on September 11 but for now, we get a sneak peek at the stunning single art. Negai is currently being used as the ending theme song for the brand new anime Granbelm, which just went on air this month. 

The artwork for Negai was created by Yuichi Miyashi, who also took Uru’s artist photos. The photo for the single jacket is of a neverending horizon upon which the gentle light of the moon is reflected. This pure image perfectly links to Uru’s artist photos and to her song Negai (Wish).

First-Press Edition

Regular Edition

The First-Press and Regular Editions of the single come with a special edition colourful CD tray. The First-Press edition comes in the same jewell case as the regular edition as well as a limited edition three-sided box case decorated with Uru’s logo pressed into the casing in silver foil. 

Anime Edition

The Anime Edition comes in the form of a Digipak. The illustration features the main characters Mangetsu and Shingetsu, who are gazing into each other’s eyes on the night of a full moon.

Before the CD is released, Negai will be available for downloading and streaming from July 26. We have only ever witnessed the short ending version of the song from the anime. The short version music video was released on YouTube recently, too. Fans are eagerly waiting for the release of the full version of the song. 

Eir Aoi’s LIVE TOUR 2019 Fragment oF took her on a journey across the country, performing at eight different locations to approximately 10,000 wild fans. She saw her final tour performance at Kanagawa Kenmin Hall on July 15.  

The overpowering digital rock song UNLIMITED sent an instant surge of energy through the crowd. Her heart-throbbing setlist included a range of big hits that were used as theme songs for the anime Sword Art Online including Iris, INNOCENCE, Cynthia no Hikari, Ryusei and IGNITE . Her strong vocals and the passion etched onto her face enthralled the crowd. 

For the encore, she performed Tsuki wo Ou Mayonaka, which is the new opening theme song for the anime Granbelm. The urgent beat of the song energised the audience, who were dancing and singing as one. For the last song, she performed AURORA, which she especially prepared for this day only. 

“There are times that I just cannot sing this song, but seeing the encouraging and excited faces of my fans gave me the support I needed to sing,” she said.

Eir Aoi: Tsuki wo Ou Mayonaka Music Video

https://youtu.be/haJjUmsJnlw

After the encore was over, there was a surprise for the fans. The music video for Tsuki wo Ou Mayonaka, the new theme song for the anime Granbelm, was played before the crowd. Fans could not contain their wild joy at being the first people to watch the video. The music video was just released on July 16 at 8pm, so please check it out. 

Eir Aoi’s new song Tsuki o Ou Mayonaka was released digitally today ahead of the CD’s release which is set for August 28. A new visual along with the CD cover have also been revealed.

The song is used as the main theme for the TV anime series Granbelm which premiered yesterday.

Speaking about the song and series, Eir Aoi commented: “My new song Tsuki o Ou Mayonaka is speedy and uptempo. The lyrics talk about the many memories you share with the important people in your life that can’t be severed by anyone. The song title is a metaphor and means that even if painful or sad things (midnight) approach us, the moon (the memories we share with those important to us) won’t darken and will continue shining on. I was surprised and pained by the human nature of the characters in Granbelm, but each of them are unique and have their own appeals. I can’t discuss too much because of spoilers, but I think this series will really touch the heart of those who see it.”

 Uru’s new single Negai will be released on September 11 and will be available for downloading and streaming from July 26. The official music video has just been uploaded on YouTube. 

Negai is a down-to-earth song which paints a world of a happy place that is filled with the people most important to you. It contains strong feelings of not wanting to let go. 

Uru Negai YouTube ver.

Atsunari Toushi, who was previously involved in the making of the music videos for Uru’s songs Freesia and Shiawase no Uta, was in charge of making the music video for Negai. The music video contains scenes of a utopia where two young sisters are living a beautiful life together as well as an empty dystopian scene where one of the girls can be seen stood in a plain white dress.

A statement by Atsunari Toushi

Uru’s lyrics perfectly depict the story of two young girls who are forever close. We hope that you will be struck by many emotions when you watch this video. This entire creation is but a beautiful story and music. We hope that viewers who watch and listen will want to hold those precious to them even closer as they enter the world we have created in the new music video. Please take a look and enjoy both the beautiful scenes and the music. 

 Along with the release of the music video, the lyrics for the full song have been released on song lyric website UTA-NET (Japanese only).

Negai has also been chosen to become the ending theme song for the new original anime Granbelm. You can enjoy the new song on air from today. Granbelm is directed by Masaharu Watanabe, who is also known for directing Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World. Original character designs were created by Shinichiro Otsuka and the series was structured by Jukki Hanada, who is famous for many works including directing multimedia project Love Live! There was an advanced screening of the anime a few days ago, which received a great response. This is one of the most sensational topics in the media and is snatching up the attention of many anime fans. 

It has been revealed that Eir Aoi’s 16th single Tsuki o Ou Mayonaka (“Midnight Chases the Moon”) will be released in Japan on August 28, 2019.

TV Anime “Granbelm” Promotional Trailer 1

The song will be used for the upcoming TV anime series Granbelm produced by Nexus which will begin airing on July 5. The ending theme Negai will be performed will be by Uru.

Eir Aoi is embarked on her nationwide “Fragment oF” tour on May 31. Fans who purchase her new single from any of the venues on the tour will receive a signed A2 poster of Eir Aoi.

Speaking about her new single, Aoi commented the following: “Tsuki o Ou Mayonaka is a fast-paced, up-tempo song. The lyrics talk about the many precious memories we shared with those important to us that cannot be broken by anybody. The song title is metaphorical and means that even if painful or sad things (midnight) approach us, the moon (the memories we share with those important to us) won’t darken and will continue shining on. I was surprised, pained and more by the human nature of the characters in Granbelm, but all of them are very unique and have their own appeals. I can’t discuss too much because of spoilers, but I think this series will really pierce the heart of those who watch it.”

The first promotional video for the upcoming anime series Granbelm has been released and features a snippet of the ending theme song Negai by Uru.

Granbelm is being directed by Masaharu Watanabe with character designs by illustrator Shinichirou Otsuka―both of whom worked on Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World―and with series composition by Jukki Hanada (Steins;Gate, No Game No Life).

The new promotional video was first shown at the DMM Pictures booth at Anime Japan 2019 on March 24. It showcases the main characters Mangetsu and Shingetsu as well as a fighting scene with the magical doll Almanox.

Uru also unveiled a new artist photo alongside the release of the trailer. The moonlit photo was shot by Mari Amita who was also in charge of the photo taken for Uru’s previous release Prologue.

Series director Masaharu Watanabe expressed his gratitude to Uru for the song, commenting: “Thank you so much for this ending theme, it pierces the heart!! Granbelm is made even better by Uru’s voice, and I’m personally moved by it myself!! I believe you can bask in the afterglow of the story after the episodes finish as you hear her singing. Please look forward to it!!”

Uru also released her own statement: “I am overjoyed to have been given the opportunity to sing the ending theme for Granbelm. There are many lines in the story that pierce your heart and leave an impression on you so I referenced them when I was writing the lyrics. There are also lyrics in there about things that take you aback in everyday life. I also thought to substitute something in our ordinary daily lives with the magical in Granbelm. I look forward to seeing how the story and song come together.”

Uru will release her new single remember on September 26. The song will serve as the main theme song for the upcoming anime movie Natsume’s Book of Friends The Movie: Tied to the Temporal World. A collaborative music video was uploaded to Uru’s official YouTube channel on August 27.

This marks the J-pop singer’s first release since her first album Monochrome dropped in December last year and her first single since Kiseki which was used as the main theme song for the Japanese drama series Konodori.

Watch the music video below.

The music video captures the beautiful world of Natsume’s Book of Friends and its characters and links up perfectly with the song. Its a recipe that’s sure to warm the hearts of those who watch it.

Uru’s Comments

“I have read the story of both the original manga and the movie. It’s a story about humans and spirits, but it’s rooted in the encounters and separations we experience in life and includes themes of isolation and loneliness, people’s gentleness and love. It’s a masterpiece that moves the heart. I want not just kids to watch it but adults too. And for that reason, I wanted the song to reflect that. I wrote the song for people to build on their experiences and feel warm inside after listening to it as it talks about how the heart moves during our encounters and separations in life, things which everyone has experienced at least once. I would be overjoyed if people can feel that when watching the movie.”

The music video is a special YouTube version and has different parts from the music video included in the limited pressing edition of the single which drops on September 26. Be sure to check out both videos.

Uru will release her new single remember on September 26. The artwork for the single has now been unveiled.

This marks the J-pop singer’s first release since her first album Monochrome dropped in December last year. It is also her 6th single to date will serve to decorate the set-list of her second concert.

The single will be used as the main theme song for the upcoming anime film Natsume’s Book of Friends The Movie: Tied to the Temporal World which is based on the manga and anime Natsume’s Book of Friends by Yuki Midorikawa.

remember will be released in two versions: a limited pressing anime edition and regular edition. The anime edition features original artwork of the popular characters of Natsume’s Book of Friends, including the cute Nyanko-sensei from the movie who can divide himself into three cats.

Shiori Iwakura, a photographer gaining attention on Instagram, was in charge of the single’s regular edition artwork. The photo evokes the feeling of the end of summer with a beautiful moment caught of the stretching horizon on an ordinary day. It reinforces the images brought to mind by the song even more.

Iwakura also took the most recent artist photo of Uru which was released the other day. It’s a nostalgic portrait that was taken during a photo session in Kagawa Prefecture.

Since her debut, Uru has sung about the workings of the heart like its gentleness and the joy felt in everyday life, as well as the transience of existence. remember covers a variety of feelings including encounters with special people―something that anyone must have experienced―and the sadness and loneliness when separated from them, and the memories of them that continue in your mind when parting from them, which is mixed with emotions like love and warmth, knowing that it isn’t goodbye.

The song shows that Uru has taken a big step forward as both a singer and songwriter.

The single also includes the songs Gomen ne., an upbeat song by Uru, as well as a new recording of her famous cover of Masayoshi Yamazaki’s One more time, One more chance which she uploaded to YouTube before her debut, and a cover of Freesia, the ending theme for Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans.

The future is looking exciting for Uru as she goes on to grow and expand her musicianship.