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.

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!

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

Eve will hold a special live streaming event on YouTube on–you guessed it–Christmas Eve! The stream will run from 19:00 until 20:00 on December 24, 2021. 

The stream is being held to celebrate over 3 million subscribers to Eve’s YouTube channel. During the event, he’ll go behind the scenes of the Yadorigi music video, as well as show the Live Film version of Inochi no Tabekata. There may also be a big announcement during the stream, so don’t miss it!

There will be no VOD for this event, so remember the date and time.

To commemorate the release of his long-awaited third album, Dean Fujioka will hold a special Livestream on Niconico and YouTube on December 8, 2021. 

The title of the new album ‘Transmute’ was chosen to convey the message of how important it is to ‘mutate’ in order to survive in today’s chaotic and unpredictable world. During the stream, Fujioka will talk about his thoughts on the album’s creation, his current nationwide tour, and more. 

This will be the first live appearance of Dean Fujioka on Niconico in about 9 months, so be sure to tune in!

Virtual duo Tacitly from NTT Docomo’s ‘Live Animation Heart X Algorhythm’ will be one of twelve participating VTubers appearing at YouTube Music Weekend Vol.4! This online event will take place from December 3 until December 5, and will feature a number of live performances to enjoy. The duo will also perform their new song Yume wo Mitte Ikiteiru for the first time on YouTube. Tacitly will appear on December 4 from 26:30 to 27:00 JST, so don’t miss it!

Atsu Mizuno

“My name is Atsu Mizuno, and I wrote the lyrics and composed the arrangement for Tacitly’s new song! I wanted to match the powerful yet delicate voices of the two members of the group and the incredible video by POPREQ. This time, I wrote about my own struggles with a weak heart and the wonderful friends that helped me become stronger. People can’t achieve anything when they are alone, and this song made me want to treasure my friends who believe in me so much. The last part is my favorite, so be sure to check it out. Thank you so much!”

POPREQ

“I’m POPREQ from Hurray! I directed the new music video. 

When I heard Atsu Mizuno’s song, I envisioned the story she was telling and placed the members of Tacitly within it.  It’s the story of two people living on the edge of a crowded city thinking that no one will ever understand them, until one day, they meet. 

If we could only understand each other’s loneliness, beliefs, and way of life…

That’s what I was thinking about when I worked on this video. 

I hope you enjoy it!”

Tacitly (Lilia & Ciel)

Lilia

Ciel

(C)2021 project‐algorithm

On September 4, popular actor and musician Dean Fujioka began his Musical Transmute Tour at the Kawaguchi Comprehensive Cultural Center Lilia in Saitama Prefecture.

Photo by Kayo Sekiguchi

Photo by Kayo Sekiguchi

Photo by Yukitaka Amemiya

Photo by Yukitaka Amemiya

The new tour is not only Fujioka’s first live tour since the Born to Make History Tour in 2019, but also his biggest national tour to date, with over 20 shows planned in 18 cities. Fans have been anxiously awaiting the pop artists return to the stage, as last year’s Asia tour never came to fruition.

In this first performance, plenty of popular tracks made appearances, such as Shelly, and Searching for the Ghost. Fujioka’s latest song Runaway was performed to massive fanfare, while four unreleased tracks rounded out the 1 hour and 45 minute performance. These new tracks were Sayonara, Sukima, Missing Piece, and Spin the Planet.

It was clear, however, that Neo Dimension was the song which truly set the theme of the tour. The track is an updated version of My Dimension, originally released as a track Fujioka used to introduce himself and express his intentions. Now, he sees it as more of a compass, and intends to use it as a way to lead him and his audience into the future. Dean Fujioka is an artist who prides himself on his evolution, and his willingness to attempt new things on stage. Neo Dimension is meant to express that side of himself in musical form.

The concert showcased parts of the singer which reminded us of his early career, while other moments made it clear how much he has evolved and changed over time. His time on stage wasn’t random–each moment was a visualization of how his career has changed.

Prior to the start of the tour, Fujioka announced that his third album Transmute will be released in December 2021. This will be his first album in three years, his last being History in the Making. The album will contain the four new tracks played during the show.

The title, Transmute, holds an important message. “It’s important to mutate in order to survive in today’s chaotic world, and to thrive in an unpredictable future,” Fujioka says. This tour will play an important role in helping fans unravel and understand the meaning of those words.

Text by Jun Fukunaga

Apparel brand SPINNS has teamed up with popular YouTuber trio Uchira 3 Shimai for some new key visuals. The creators–Koma, Yura, and Toua– currently have over 490,000 followers, and have been taking Japan by storm with their genre-less and extremely original videos.

The inspiration for the visuals is self-love and acceptance. “It’s okay to like the real you. It’s also okay to want to be a little taller. What’s important is that you keep challenging yourself.” SPINNS 2021 brand slogan is ‘If you can change, you’re invincible.’

How do you like these new visuals? Do they inspire your individuality?