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.

Amazon Music’s first music entertainment show for kids and families to be released in Japan is here! Hee! Hee Hoo! premiered on Prime Video on January 26. The four-member vocal and dance group Atarashii Gakko! is also participating in the project.

Hee! Hee Hoo! is a body-themed four-episode series featuring surreal and psychedelic visuals along with Amazon Music Original music for young kids and their parents. This project was made to entertain and educate babies and children by using original images and music to address the physical changes they’ll experience from birth to death and to explain the sensations they feel.

The members of Atarashii Gakko! appear in the first episode, performing the song BABY which was written exclusively for the show.

<Comment from Atarashii Gakko!>
“The theme for this show is so great–the four of us had so much fun coming up with ideas, writing lyrics, and making choreography! I hope even fetuses can enjoy it!!”

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!

Awesome City Club’s new song Setting Sail ~Modern Love Tokyo~ will be used as the theme song for the Amazon Original drama series Modern Love Tokyo. The series will begin airing worldwide on October 21, 2022. In addition, a special video containing a part of the song and a comment from Awesome City Club has been released.

The original Modern Love series was produced in the United States in 2019 and became popular around the world. Modern Love Tokyo is a series of seven stories set in Tokyo, each depicting love in a different way. Six of the episodes will be live-action while one will be animated. The series will depict the unique forms of love found in 2022, such as dating through matching apps, sexless relationships, senior love, and love that transcends borders. 

Setting Sail ~Modern Love Tokyo~ is an arrangement of the theme song Setting Sail, originally sung by Gary Clark for the first series. While the gentle melody remains, atagi wrote the Japanese lyrics. 

Special Video

▼Comment from Awesome City Club’s atagi

“Awesome City Club will be performing the theme song for the Japanese localization of this globally popular series, which was made possible by some of Japan’s leading directors and actors. I think that this song is warm and welcoming, perfect for accompanying all of these wonderful love stories. We would be honored if you’d enjoy it along with the show. 

I watched the drama first and wrote the lyrics in a way that would touch the audience while also interpreting them in Awesome City Club’s own way.”

▼Comment from Showrunner and Director Atsuko Hirayanagi

“The song was incredibly original, and I was amazed when I first heard it. I also thought that its Japanese sound was very cool. It’s full of joy, longing, and affection, but the way it is expressed is still gentle, warm, and a little nostalgic. The lyrics that atagi created are very tasteful given the theme of the series. There’s no doubt in my mind that this song will resonate with people around the world. Thank you for the wonderful theme song!”

The first Evangelion-themed Edo faceted glasses were released in November 2021, and Tsutaya Books Daikanyama will soon be selling limited quantities online! These items were previously only available to purchase locally.

Evangelion Unit 1 Edo Faceted Glass: ¥64,900 (Tax Included)

The Evangelion Unit 1 Edo Faceted Glass was designed along with a traditional pattern inspired by chrysanthemums, which symbolize longevity in Japanese culture. While the standard colors of faceted glass are red and blue, the gold and purple colors used in this unique item are extremely difficult to create, with only a few factories capable of producing them.

The glassware is designed and cut by Kosho Nemoto at Nemoto Glass, which has produced the finest Edo faceted glass in Tokyo for three generations. The webpage below also explains how these glasses are produced.

The product is scheduled to be released in late June 2022 and is currently available for pre-order. The amount available is extremely limited, so be sure to order as soon as possible if you’d like to add one of these valuable glasses to your collection.

Takeshi’s Castle, a popular Japanese game show originally aired in the late 1980s, will return in 2023 when a new series will start on Amazon Prime Video. 

The original series, which invited participants to take on a series of physical challenges, became an unprecedented success in the 80s. In each episode, 100 normal people took on the hilarious Beat Takeshi by trekking through mud and wading through drenched obstacle courses to make it to the Castle. After 34 years, the show will be revived on Amazon Prime Video in 2023. The first teaser trailer has been revealed, showing footage from the original series to get viewers pumped up.

The trailer begins with the legendary voice of Hayato Tani, known as Captain Tani on the original series, as he shouts “Go!” It’s sure to bring back memories of the original series.

Each episode of the show featured a number of unique and difficult challenges, making participants cross a massive river while trying to identify which stepping stones are real or fake. Some players lose their balance and fall into the water, others plunged face-first into the mud, and the sight of grown adults desperately taking on the challenge never stops being funny.

The video promises that the new series will include “the biggest power-up in history.” The new series is sure to drastically evolve the classic challenges for a new audience and new challengers, but it’s unclear what audiences should expect. What kind of hilarious antics await?

Original Series Trailer

TBS, the production company behind the new series, has opened a casting call for those wanting to appear on the new show.

Want to take on Takeshi’s Castle? Check out the open call on the TBS official website.
https://www.tbs.co.jp/TakeshisCastle2023/

What kind of difficult, hilarious, and terrifying challenges await? Be sure to tune in to Revival! Turbulence! Takeshi’s Castle when it premieres on Amazon Prime Video in 2023! 

Takeshi’s Castle, a popular Japanese game show originally aired in the late 1980s, will return in 2023 when a new series will start on Amazon Prime Video. 

The original show, aired between 1986 and 1989, proved a massive hit as the prizewinning film director and comedian, also known by his stage name Beat Takeshi, played the lord of a castle where he and his henchmen engaged in a water-gun battle with contestants eliminated after a series of physical challenges. The series became a huge success in the United States, Australia, and England. Over the years, it has ended up airing in more than 150 countries, spawning dozens of local versions.  

Participants were challenged to over 100 unique tests of strength, from crossing stepping stones and unstable scaffolding to jumping over massive pits filled with mud. The series has inspired many game shows to follow in markets around the world and transcended language and cultural barriers with its physical comedy.

The new series is tentatively titled Revival! Turbulence! Takeshi’s Castle, and is scheduled to air globally sometime in 2023. Participants will take on all kinds of new challenges, and we’re excited to see what the new age of Takeshi’s Castle will look like.

Comment from Takayuki Hayakawa, Head of Original Content for Amazon Prime Japan

“I’m happy to announce that Takashi’s Castle is being reimagined for a new age. This iconic Japanese series has continued to fascinate people all around the world, transcending languages and cultural barriers, and we hope customers of all ages will enjoy this program, with many new tricks on a grander scale. Look forward to it in 2023!”

The sports brand Mizuno is collaborating with the popular anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion for the first time! The new collection will introduce nine pieces of apparel, along with some very trendy masks. All items are available for preorder through April 12 at the Mizuno online store and the Evangelion online store.

Evangelion has been globally popular for decades, and the new collection will allow fans to show their love while not sacrificing their comfort. Original logos have been created with each Eva unit in mind, and certain items feature patterns inspired by the A.T. Field seen in the series. 

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!