RADWIMPS have announced that they are launching a virtual live music experience by the name of ‘SHIN SEKAI’ on the virtual park system VARP which was developed by the Japanese creative collective PARTY. The concept of the project is “ROLE-PLAYING MUSIC” which will see RADWIMPS embarking to new territory in their career to deliver a unique experience to fans.
RADWIMPS made the difficult decision to cancel and postpone their Japan tour and world tour as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The SHIN SEKAI project comes not because of tour cancellations and therefore to replace real live shows with virtual ones, but to instead embrace and explore what is possible for the band in terms of a virtual concert either way. It will offer fans a new way to enjoy RADWIMPS music.
“SHIN SEKAI” RADWIMPS ROLE-PLAYING MUSIC teaser
Message from RADWIMPS
I had a tremendous dream a little before we went into discussions about VARP. There was a huge waterfall, and I saw buildings in ruin. I went through it all and saw groups of thousands of people. I’ve never had a dream like that before, and it left a real impression on me, and then I got the call [for this project]. I felt like it was far from a coincidence. I thought all of us going into this virtual space would give us a hint as to our futures, and so we set out on this journey together with everyone at PARTY.
We still don’t know what lies ahead of us for the future, but I pray that by coming together closer than before by being inside the world of VARP we can share each others’ feelings. I would be happy to embark on this journey with all of you.
ー Yojiro Noda, RADWIMPS
(Translated from Japanese by MMN)
Information
SHIN SEKAI
Running: December 29, 2020 – December 30, 2020
Official Website: https://rad.varp.jp/
How to Join: App TBA
Platforms: iOS/Android
Languages: Japanese/English
*Available to the people of the world including the US, Europe, Asia, and elsewhere
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Japanese rock band RADWIMPS dropped the official soundtrack for Makoto Shinkai's film Suzume no Tojimari on November 11, 2022, the same day of the movie's release. The film is Shinkai’s first in three years and is a coming-of-age story that follows a girl named Suzume as she travels to disaster-stricken locations around Japan, closing doors to keep those nearby safe. Suzume Iwato, the heroine, will be played by Nanoka Hara, while Hokuto Matsumura will portray Souta Munakata. The film is now in theaters. RADWIMPS and world-renowned film music composer Kazuma Jinnouchi collaborated on the soundtrack. Some recording for the film was done overseas at the historic Abbey Road Studios in London, a first for a Shinkai film. In addition to the film’s theme songs Kanata Haruka and Suzume feat. Toaka, the soundtrack contains 25 songs from the film including Tamaki and Suzume no Namida, sung by Yojiro Noda. These songs were created during the film’s production but weren’t included in the movie itself. The soundtrack is now available on iTunes and other major music streaming sites. Those purchasing the album will receive four different CD-size cards with unique designs. Special offers are limited and are only available for a short time, so don’t miss out! ©2022「すずめの戸締まり」製作委員会
Information
Suzume no Tojimari Soundtrack
Release Date: November 11, 2022
Official Site: https://suzume-tojimari-movie.jp
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Anime director Makoto Shinkai and popular rock band RADWIMPS are teaming up for the third time, and fans are thrilled. The group will perform the theme for Shinkai’s upcoming film Suzuka no Tojimari, set to be released on November 11. The theme, Suzume feat. Toaka, is now available to stream on all major music streaming sites. The theme can be heard in the film’s trailer, and features Toaka, a famous female singer known for her appearances on TikTok. “I felt a connection between Toaka and this song. No one else could come close,” RADWIMPS vocalist Yojiro Noda commented. Suzume no Tojimari, Shinkai’s first new film in three years, is a coming-of-age story, following a girl named Suzume as she travels to disaster-stricken locations around Japan, closing doors to keep those nearby safe. Suzume Iwato, the heroine, will be played by Nanoka Hara. Hokuto Matsumura will portray Souta Munakata. Six more cast members have also been revealed, and the latest trailer shows off a bit more of the film’s incredible cast and world. Suzume no Tojimari Trailerhttps://youtu.be/FVU0zESXS5c-- The theme song and a bit of the film’s musical score can be heard in the new trailer, and many are calling this the most robust musical structure ever heard in a Shinkai film. What do you think?
©2022「すずめの戸締まり」製作委員会 Information
Suzume feat. Toaka
Release Date: September 30, 2022
Streaming Links: https://lnk.to/RADsuzume
Suzume no Tojimari
Release Date: November 11, 2022
Official Site: https://suzume-tojimari-movie.jp/
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Famed director Makoto Shinkai and rock band RADWIMPS are teaming up for the third time. The group will provide music for Shinkai’s upcoming film Suzuka no Tojimari, scheduled to open in theaters nationwide on November 11, 2022. Kazuma Jinnouchi, a world-renowned film composer, will work with the group to form the strongest musical team in the history of Shinkai’s films. Previously, RADWIMPS worked with Shinkai on 2016’s Your Name and 2019’s Weathering With You. At the film’s announcement press conference, Shinkai gave his thoughts. “I want to create a film that gives people a reason to come to the theater,” he said. “I want to create imagery and sounds that will immerse every single person in the audience.” With this determination to create a new and unique theater experience, Shinkai decided to have not only RADWIMPS work on the film’s music, but Kazuma Jinnouchi as well. This would mean a bolder score, but also a larger challenge. Yojiro Noda, the lead vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist of RADWIMPS, gave a comment. “Working with Kazuma Jinnouchi, who has such a long history of creating music for movies and video games, gave me a new perspective. His amount of experience is hard to put into words.” “The music we created for the film’s action scenes was largely influenced by my experience in Hollywood,” Jinnouchi said. Some recording for the film was done overseas at the historic Abbey Road Studios in London, a first for a Shinkai film. The new theme song, aptly titled Suzume, can be heard in the trailer for the film. At Noda's request, the production team searched for the most suitable voice for the song–one that would truly express the film’s vibe. After listening to audition tapes and a number of voices from around the web, TikTok sensation Toaka was chosen as the song’s vocalist. “I felt a connection between Toaka and this song. No one else could come close,” Noda commented. Suzume no Tojimari, Shinkai’s first new film in three years, is a coming-of-age story, following a girl named Suzume as she travels to disaster-stricken locations around Japan, closing doors to keep those nearby safe. Suzume Iwato, the heroine, will be played by Nanoka Hara. Souta Munakata will be portrayed by Hokuto Matsumura. Be sure to check out the latest trailer! Suzume no Tojimari Trailer
©2022「すずめの戸締まり」製作委員会 Information
Suzume no Tojimari
Release Date: November 11, 2022
Official Site: https://suzume-tojimari-movie.jp/
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In March 2022, the cover song project CrosSing was launched. Amassing instant popularity, tracks featured as part of the project have pulled in millions of views, and includes covers by popular voice actors Maaya Uchida, Kana Hanazawa, Akari Kito, and towana, the vocalist of popular ani-song unit fhána. On June 15, Ryotaro Akazawa appeared to perform his rendition of the popular RADWIMPS song Futarigoto. The actor called the song one of his most memorable, noting that it was one of the themes of his youth. Below, you can see the actor singing his heart out! Futarigoto - Ryotaro Akazawa (Recording)
An interview with Ryotaro Akazawa in which the actor discusses his thoughts on the song will be released on June 17 at 20:00. CrosSing has also announced two special campaigns! The first is a follow and Retweet campaign: two people following the official CrosSing Twitter and TikTok who retweet the appropriate Tweet will win autographs. A LINE MUSIC Playback campaign is also underway, and those playing the song over 300 times in the first two weeks will receive a special autographed image. See the CrosSing Twitter page for more details. With the start of the second season, CrosSing is leveling up! Tune in to see who will be performing next. Information
CrosSing
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAtnYTUVSA7eOUOwr-W6Z9A
Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/CrosSing_info
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The Last 10 Days opened in Japanese theaters on March 4 and has taken the country by storm over the last two weeks, becoming the #1 film on its opening day and pulling over ¥300 million in its first three days. Now, the music video for the film’s theme song, Uruubito, has just been unveiled! This music video was directed by Michihito Fujii, who also directed the film. Fujii also reunited the actual film crew. Kentaro Sakaguchi, who starred in the film with Nana Komatsu, also appears in the music video. The video was inspired by the film, and shows Kazuto and Matsuri retracing their memories from Kazuto’s perspective. The gorgeous music video almost feels like a sequel to the film, blending footage of RADWIMPS frontman Yojiro Noda with Kazuto's beloved memories of the past 10 years. The video also features unused footage from the film and stills by cinematographer Keisuke Imamura! Uruubito - RADWIMPS (Music Video)
Comment from Kentaro Sakaguchi
“When I first heard the song Uruubito, I felt the urge live my life well–to become a person worthy of Mari. The song inspired me to focus more on Kazuto’s feelings, so being able to participate in the music video felt like a fitting way to end this project...I don’t know if that’s the best way to put it, but that’s how it felt. I was happy to see a different ending for Kazuto. Tracing his memories with Matsuri made it feel like she was with him again. On the first day of shooting, the director played Uruubito in front of the original author, Kosaka Ruka's grave. I felt her say “thank you for letting me be next to you,” and it proved to me that she still lives in the story. I almost couldn’t hold my feelings back when I saw RADWIMPS actually playing the song. I was so happy that we could all come together again to make this video. I hope that both those who haven’t seen the film and those who have can come together and enjoy this song together. Remember Matsuri’s story.”Comment from Michihito Fujii
“When Noda-san asked if I would shoot the music video of Uruubito, I was so thrilled. I don't think there was any part of Kazuto's life that couldn’t be portrayed in the movie, but I thought this video would be a way to show his life after the events of the film. The staff consisted of the same team that worked on the film, and the scenes of Noda-san’s performance were shot on 16mm film. The road that you see Kazuto walking on was filmed at the same location that appeared in the film. We were aware of the many overlapping locales, like the hill where they watch the sunset, the bridge where they watch fireworks, and Kazuto's room. The art director rebuilt Kazuto’s room exactly how it was–it was taken down after filming ended six months ago. Noda-san visited the ocean, the mountains, Kazuto’s apartment–all of the places that meant something to Matsuri and Kazuto. I was impressed by the respect he showed to every aspect of the work, including his desire to visit the grave of Kosaka Ruka, the author of the original work. I hope that those who have seen the movie once will see this music video and want to see the movie again. Even if you haven’t seen the movie, I would be happy if this video inspires you to learn more about Kazuto’s story.”Comment from Yojiro Noda (RADWIMPS)
“When the idea of shooting a music video for Uruubito came up, I asked Fujii-san to shoot it. In my mind, it wouldn’t be right to have the film’s story and the music video’s story told by two different people. For the filming, we wanted Sakaguchi-san to participate along with the actual film crew. It was a strangely uplifting experience, as if I were being transported into the film’s world. When I went to the rooftop of the apartment where Kazuto lives and to his room, I was so excited as a fan of the movie that I took a ton of pictures. There are so many incredible scenes shot in his apartment. Just before the shooting date, the director asked for additional shooting in Mishima, and I had the opportunity to visit the hometown of Kosaka-san, the original author of the film. I was so thankful to be able to visit her grave and greet her family members between shoots. I’m sure that I will watch this music video countless times, and each time I watch it, I will remember the movie 10 Years to Live, Matsuri and Kazuto, and Kosaka-san. I hope that I can share my strength with all of you going forward and that this work will become a part of your daily life.” ©2022映画「余命10年」製作委員会Information
The Last 10 Years: Original Soundtrack
Streaming Links: https://lnk.to/radyomei10ost
Price: ¥3,300
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The soundtrack for the upcoming film The Last 10 Years is now streaming. Both the film and soundtrack were released on March 4, and fans of RADWIMPS can now enjoy all 29 powerful tracks on iTunes, Spotify, and other major music sites. The Last 10 Years is an adaptation of Kosaka Ruka’s novel of the same name. The members of RADWIMPS have expressed pure joy over being invited to provide the musical accompaniment for the film. Yojiro Noda worked on the film’s soundtrack after reading the script. Nana Komatsu, who plays Matsuri, commented on the soundtrack. “I listened to it every day on the road, and it really gave me a sense of power.” Kentaro Sakaguchi, who plays Kazuro, said that the lyrics of the film’s theme song Uruubito was written from a uniquely Japanese perspective. The band’s music had a profound influence on the director and cast. “Without a doubt, being involved in this work has changed my life forever,” said Noda. “I hope that the lives of the viewers will change as well.”
©2022映画「余命10年」製作委員会 Information
The Last 10 Years: Original Soundtrack
Release Date: March 4, 2022
Streaming Links: https://lnk.to/radyomei10ost
The Last 10 Years
Release Date: March 4, 2022
Official Site: yomei10-movie.jp