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 rookie vocal VTuber group ester eight released their fifth pre-release single BUZZ on all major streaming services on February 22.

Written, composed, and arranged by Hi-ra, the track is a highly danceable song blending J-pop and EDM, revealing a new side of the up-and-coming group.

ester eight will soon make its major label debut. The song is a means to increase their buzz before moving on to the next stage of their careers.

Original goods will be released to commemorate the new track, and a YouTube Live will be held on February 25.

Check out new comments from the members below!

Member Comments

Hiro Shirai

“I’m just so incredibly happy. At the same time, I know that our responsibilities and expectations will only continue to increase day by day. BUZZ has a bit of a hip-hop feel, which is super refreshing. Each member really shows off their personality and role, so we hope you can feel ester eight’s potential. Listen to it a ton, please!”

Teru Mikado

“ester eight’s fifth single is called BUZZ!! It’s a low-pitched, groovy song that really shows off how sexy the members can be. Listen to it as much as you can and make sure you generate some BUZZ for us!”

Shun Turigane

“Our fifth original song is finally here! Another complete change from the previous songs– just how much potential does ester eight have?! Please listen and have a ton of fun with it! Buzz it buzz it…buzz it buzz it…!!!”

Souma Musumi

“BUZZ is ester eight’s fifth original song. It’s a sexy song with a little bit of a dark vibe, so please be sure to check it out!”

Kanade Hiumi

“Our fifth original song is BUZZ. It has a totally different atmosphere from the previous four songs we’ve released and it really highlights the cool and dark side of our group. Be sure to listen!”

De Miera

“BUZZ, our fifth original song, has been released! This is your chance to see an entirely different side of us, so be sure to listen to this super cool track!”

Mao Roen

Our fifth pre-debut song, BUZZ, is here!! It’s a drastic change from our past songs, and I think you’ll finally see how cool we can really be! This track really pushes the limit, so I hope everyone will give it a listen!”

moca

“Our fifth single BUZZ is a fast and furious gung-ho, boom-boom, flashy track that you won’t want to stop listening to! By the way, I performed the sexy, cute, and cool role again this time. Huh? You don’t know what I mean? Listen and you’ll find out!”

VERSEⁿ is a VTuber project that travels through various stories. Through cross-media content such as live streaming, anime, music, illustrations, novels, and manga, the project aims to weave a story of the past, present, and future of the VERSEⁿ world together for fans.

Late last year, VTuber Kashi Otoha announced during a live broadcast that a new song was in production to commemorate her 100,000th subscriber.

Otoha’s new single Signal will be released digitally on February 15. The track was composed and written by Uztama, an up-and-coming singer-songwriter and composer.

An iTunes download campaign is also underway to commemorate the song’s release. Those who preorder Signal on iTunes between February 8 and February 14 will receive an original standby screen image with a comment from Kashi Otoha herself.

Hoshimachi Suisei, a popular member of the Hololive VTuber group, released her long-awaited second album Specter on January 25, 2023. The album is available for purchase on CD and digitally.

On January 20, Suisei performed her song Stellar Stellar on the YouTube channel THE FIRST TAKE, making her the first VTuber to do so. The video trended worldwide, pulling in over 160,000 views during its premiere and over 5 million views within three days.

Suisei’s first album, Still Still Stellar, was released in September 2021. It reached the top spot on numerous charts including the Oricon Weekly Digital Album Ranking and the Billboard JAPAN Downloaded Albums Ranking.

This second album contains 11 songs written by several incredible creators including Ayase, Jin, Tomoya Tabuchi, Nanahoshi Orchestra, and more!

Hoshimachi Suisei

A forever 18 VTuber who deeply loves singing and idols. Her dream is to one day hold a live concert at Nippon Budokan.

With 1.7 million subscribers on YouTube and over 1.1 million followers on Twitter, she’s a true star on the rise.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5CwaMl1eIgY8h02uZw7u8A
Twitter: https://twitter.com/suisei_hosimati

In May 2021, the NIJISANJI EN project appeared as a part of the overall umbrella of NIJISANJI VTubers. This April, these English-speaking talents will hold their first live event titled COLORS. A total of 19 performers will appear on April 8 and 9, with the Pastel Stage being held on the 8th and the Vivid Stage being held on the 9th. Don’t miss these fully 3D AR performances!

Online tickets are on sale now, and fans can buy tickets for either a single day or the full two days. The performances can be watched as many times as you like during the viewing period, and the first part of the event will be broadcast for free on YouTube and Nico Nico Live.

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!

The virtual idol group UNI MELLO released its first original song, Find out SHANGRI-LA, in September. On October 26, the members released a second digital single titled YOUTUPIA on all major streaming services.

UNI Mello consists of seven members: Kaede, Sekai, You, Amane, Tomoka, Shirafuji, and Shun. Each has a unique hobby and skillset, and the members have continued to grow over the past six months. On the UNI Mello YouTube channel, the members have continuously posted singing videos, as well as daily streams. 

YOUTOPIA tells the story of a normal day that becomes special when you’re with the one you love. It’s a love song filled with gratitude and joy, perfect for when your day needs a pick-me-up. The First Fan Meeting event will be held on November 27, so fans of UNI Mello will want to keep an eye out for more details.

Be sure to keep an eye on what UNI Mello does next by following the group on social media and on YouTube!

Shirakami Fubuki, a popular member of the VTuber group Hololive, has been appointed as a Lifesaving Supporter in the Japan AED Foundation’s team ASUKA.  

The collaboration aims to stress the importance of AEDs, which can be used to stop sudden cardiac arrest. A newly-drawn illustration of Fubuki is being used to promote this important crossover, which will be found in leaflets, gacha machines, and online training course certificates, as well as on the official website and social media. More details about the collab will be announced in a video scheduled to be released on October 14. 

From November 3 until November 27, fans of Hololive will want to visit Tokyo Tower! The iconic location will host a collaboration with several popular VTubers at RED° TOKYO TOWER, the largest esports park in Japan. Usada Pekora, Shirogane Noel, Shishiro Botan, and Sakamata Chloe will take part in the collab, and during the event, a special video will be shown on a giant 15-meter LED monitor inside the complex. A special food and drink menu will also offer up goodies based on the girls themselves, and fans will find original merchandise showing the talents in casino costumes and bathrobes. 

Visitors can play poker with special collaboration chips, and visitors to the RED° E-SAUNA UENO, which will be running concurrently, can snag original sauna hats and towels before relaxing in a private sauna room with life-size panels of the Hololive members. Tickets must be purchased in advance, so don’t miss out!

VTuber Shibuya HAL has released the music video for Kaerimichi no Iro, the ending theme for the anime series The Yakuza’s Guide to Babysitting. The final episode of the series aired on September 22, 2022. This is Shibuya HAL’s first single to be used for an anime tie-in!

The music video is incredibly peaceful, with the visuals drenched by the orange glow of a setting sun. It features a new illustration of the VTuber by Tsukiya, the original author of The Yakuza’s Guide to Babysitting. Fans will recognize live-action street scenes from Shibuya, and an incredible amount of detail in this new release!

Music Video: https://youtu.be/ZvOqFiiIPCI

The anime series The Yakuza’s Guide to Babysitting has become incredibly popular with audiences around the world, and all 12 episodes are currently available to stream. Be sure to check out the manga series in Comic ELMO!

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