To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the electro-pop duo CAPSULE, 18 celebrities with close ties to the duo have commented on this auspicious occasion. These celebs are active across a wide range of industries, including music, film, fashion, and manga. Music Natalie’s 25th anniversary special feature, which has just been released, includes plenty of favorite songs and events from CAPSULE’s past releases along with comments from various contributors.

As part of the 25th anniversary celebration, an analog version of the duo’s synth wave and city pop-centric 16th album Metro Pulsereleased last December will be released on May 24, 2023. This is the first time since the release of the single JUMPER in November 2008 that CAPSULE’s works have been released on analog vinyl. Fans shouldn’t miss this exclusive product!

▶︎25th Anniversary Comment Contributors

AMIAYA / Ayase / Souichiro Uchida / Eiichiro Oda / Kyary Pamyu Pamyu / Kenmochi Hidefumi / Kentaro Shinozaki (Rittor Music) / Shonan no Kaze / Toshio Suzuki / Kazuaki Seki / Goro Taniguchi / Teddyloid / Toshihiro Nagoshi / Perfume (A-chan, Kashiyuka, Nocchi) / MIKIKO / MEG

Electro-pop duo CAPSULE is celebrating their 25th anniversary in 2022. The two will release their 16th album Metro Pulse, a Synthwave and City Pop album meant to be a return to their roots, on December 14. The album’s lead track Give Me a Ride is a neo-fusion song with plenty of reimagined 80’s synthesizers, and is now available to stream. Fans can also pre-add/pre-Save the album ahead of its release.

A teaser video of the music video featuring 3D versions of CAPSULE as seen on the album jacket has also been uploaded to CAPSULE’s official YouTube page.

Give Me a Ride Teaser Trailer

The Metaverse event that was a smash hit in 2021 will be returning in 2023! Sanrio Virtual Festival 2023 in Sanrio Puroland, one of the world’s largest music festivals blending both the real and virtual worlds, will be held starting January 13, 2023.

A lineup of high-profile performers has been announced, including Airi Suzuki, SKY-HI, Yabai T-Shirts Yasan, and Aoi Fuji. Popular Sanrio characters such as Hello Kitty, Cinnamoroll, and Kuromi will also appear, and visitors will be able to experience the virtual Puroland by utilizing unique avatars and taking part in a number of exciting events.

The 2021 event was incredibly popular, and the 2023 version will increase the duration and amount of content available. To do this, Puroland has joined forces with VRChat, a well-known US company and social platform. Artists, VTubers, and Sanrio characters will perform in a massive space on B5 of Virtual Sanrio Puroland, and fans can enjoy live performances while also communicating with other guests!

Highlights of SANRIO Virtual Festival 2023 in Sanrio Puroland

・Inspired by PURO VILLAGE at Sanrio Puroland, VIRTUAL PURO VILLAGE is now available in the Metaverse!

・The popular Sanrio Puroland parade will be performed in the virtual space with an original story!

・Starting January 13, 2023, visitors will be able to chat and play in an open space before the concert, and special events–like radio calisthenics–will be held.

・Guests can enjoy mini concerts featuring Sanrio characters every day from January 14 until January 20 (*Fee required.)

The event can be accessed via smartphone, PC, or other devices. Guests can have fun creating their own unique avatars and immersing themselves in the Sanrio Puroland atmosphere no matter where they are! Come experience this state-of-the-art Metaverse space while you can.

Experience Mini Live Shows Featuring Popular Sanrio Characters Every Day

A daily mini concert will be held daily from January 14 until January 20 with a different Sanrio character appearing each day. 

The mini-concert ticket allows guests to watch all seven mini-concerts and also includes digital items to use with your avatar, including a fan and a T-shirt. 

17 Artists Announced (So Far) to Perform During Virtual Music Festival!

Artists like Airi Suzuki, SKY-HI, and Yabai T-Shirts Yasan will take to the LUNA STAGE (*fee required), with virtual artists including Aoi Fuji appearing on the FUTURE STAGE (*fee required.)

Hello Kitty and other Sanrio characters will also appear at CHILL PARK, each giving a mini live performance. The second artist lineup and performance timetable will be announced in early December.

Free areas will be open to the public. More details and ticket information is available on the official website. 

Electro-pop duo CAPSULE is celebrating their 25th anniversary. To that end, the legendary creators have announced that their 16th album Metro Pulse will be released on December 14, 2022.

Metro Pulse is largely a synth wave and city pop album with a completely original and timeless sound. Promising to take listeners on a trippy tour through a unique soundscape, hype around the album is already starting to spread.

The album will contain ten tracks including newly-updated album mixes of three popular singles: Hikaru no Disco (the theme song for the film Knights of Sidonia), Future Wave, and Virtual Freedom. Overall, fans can expect an uplifting collection of songs.

Curiously, the eighth track on the album, Starry Night, is a reimagining of an earlier song that Nakata and Toshiko recorded as teenagers before they formed CAPSULE. This is included to celebrate the duo’s 25th anniversary. A limited-edition release of Metro Pulse will feature a version of this song that is more similar to the original, along with a bonus disc featuring instrumental versions from an unreleased cassette tape as a campaign bonus.

The newly-released CAPSULE artist photo featured the duo in 3D and was created by filmmaker, music video director, and CG designer Kentaro Saisho. Previously, he worked on the music videos for Future Wave and Virtual Freedom.

The music duo CAPSULE is celebrating 20 years since their major debut, and their third new single for 2021 Virtual Freedom is now streaming. The highly-anticipated music video has also been released. 

Virtual Freedom Streaming Links

https://capsule.lnk.to/virtualfreedom

Virtual Freedom takes listeners on a trip through the history of synthesizers and submerges you in layers of interwoven soundscapes.

Virtual Freedom Music Video

https://youtu.be/ouD9PVPI1Xk

Director: KENTARO SAISHO 
3DCG supervisor: HIROMU KONNO
Production: Totte.Co., Ltd

A song-sharing campaign is also underway! Follow Warner Music Japan’s Twitter account and use the Twitter share function on Apple Music, Spotify, or LINE MUSIC to share Virtual Freedom with the hashtag #VirtualFreedomCP. 50 random people selected will receive the original cassette tape photographed for the cover of the Virtual Freedom album! 

Japanese electronic band CAPSULE is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its major debut! The group’s two members, Yasutaka Nakata and Toshiko Koshijima, have announced the release of their third new single for 2021, Virtual Freedom. The track will release on streaming platforms on December 10 and follows Hikari no Disco and Future Wave. Cover art for the song featuring an old-school cassette tape has been revealed ahead of the song’s release. 

Composer and producer for the band Yasutaka Nakata also serve as the music producer for popular group Perfume and Kyary Pamyu Pamyu. 

Virtual Freedom can now be pre-added or pre-saved on Apple Music and Spotify. Be sure not to miss out on this new song when it drops later this week!

HIKKY has announced new information regarding those participating in Virtual Market 2021, a massive event taking place in the Metaverse starting this week. The first batch of exhibitors has been uploaded to the official website, including Lawson, SMBC Nikko Securities, and TV Asahi. Each company will offer unique virtual experiences that utilize the power of the Metaverse. Virtual Market 2021 has been formally recognized by Guinness World Records for ‘Most Booths at a Virtual Reality Market Event.’ 

Parareal Shibuya

Parareal Akihabara

When it rains in the real world, it also rains in the virtual city. 

A ‘spatial timeline’ shows micro-information about both the real and virtual cities. 

The theme for this year’s event is ‘Metaverse City.’ Visitors will feel as if they have really traveled to Shibuya and Akihabara, with weather that mirrors the real world. Buildings will even grow as the number of visitors increases!

Participating Companies

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

Saki Ashizawa, a member of the virtual music production company RIOT MUSIC, will perform at Sanrio’s first-ever event in the metaverse ‘SANRIO Virtual Fes in Sanrio Puroland.’ The music and entertainment festival will take place on December 11 and 12, with Ashizawa taking the stage on December 12. 

Chosen as the second artist to perform on the 12th, Ashizawa will appear during the B3: FUTURE STAGE, which will blend both kawaii and futuristic space elements. Fans can also look forward to the Saki Ashizawa x Badtz-Maru collaboration figures for sale at the event’s digital store. 

Saki Ashizawa

With a sharp and aggressive voice filled with passion, Ashizawa’s performances are one-of-a-kind. Singing since before she can remember, she’s said that singing is now the only way she knows how to live. Initially singing for fun, after meeting her current producer, she realized that even if she wasn’t perfect she could still connect with people through her music. In 2020, she decided to go pro and joined RIOT MUSIC. She continues to perform to connect with the audience’s heart.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/saki_ashizawa
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPZgBtMYoFKypEG2SCvBN9A

©‘21 SANRIO　著作（株）サンリオ

Get ready for your trip to Virtual Sanrio Puroland! For the first time ever, Sanrio is teaming up with U.S. company VRChat for an entirely virtual music festival, SANRIO Virtual Fes in Sanrio Puroland on December 11 and December 12, 2021. Guests will be able to enjoy the event using a VR Headset, a PC, or a smartphone. 

The concert space will feature both live and virtual artists (VTubers), as well as popular Sanrio characters in a massive five-story underground space beneath Virtual Sanrio Puroland. Participants will also be able to transform their avatar into the Sanrio character of their choice during the event! High-fiving other concert-goers will result in an explosion of Hello Kitty bows, and there will be plenty of surprises during the music performances, so don’t miss it!

The lineup for the event includes Kizuna AI, Hatsune Miku+PinocchioP, AKB48(Team8), CHiCO with HoneyWorks, Haneru Inaba, Kaede Higuchi, KMNZ, VALSHE, Hakushi Hasegawa, YuNi, Pasocom Music Club, Mom, Megu Shinonome, AMOKA, Yukichi Kasaku/men, LAUSBUB, and Kinu. Plenty of Sanrio characters will also make appearances, including Hello Kitty, Cinnomoroll, Kuromi, Cogimyun, and Hapidanbui. 

Who are you looking forward to seeing perform in this adorable virtual space?

©‘21 SANRIO　©’21 SANRIO　SP-M　© ‘21 SANRIO S/F・G 著作(株)サンリオ
©AKB48　©Kizuna AI　©BANDAI NAMCO Arts Inc.　 ©ANYCOLOR, Inc. Art by KEI　©Crypton Future Media, INC.

Celebrating 10 years since her major debut, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu will release her fifth full-length album Candy Racer on October 27, 2021. This will mark the singer’s first full-length album release in three years, her last being Japamyu in 2018.

Limited Edition

Regular Edition

The fifth album, titled Candy Racer, will be produced by CAPSULE’s Yasutaka Nakata. It will feature 11 tracks, including the recently released single GENTENKAIHI, of which the wacky music video has amassed over 1 million views on YouTube. Previously released tracks Kimi ga LINE Kuretara and Gum Gum Girl will also be included, along with world fabrication, a cover of a pre-electronic CAPSULE track originally released in 2005.

Creation of the album brought together a number of creative minds who have worked with Kyary Pamyu Paymu over the years, including Steve Nakamura serving as art director, Ken Hanzawa acting as photographer, Kumiko Iijima returning as the singer’s stylist, and Shinji Konishi as Kyary’s hair and makeup artist. All of these individuals were with Kyary at the time of her debut, and have returned to encourage her to not only stay connected to her roots, but to move forward without hesitation.

The limited edition version will come with a special 64-page flipbook.

A number of bonuses have also been announced, from stickers, clear pouches, and mobile stand keychains. These will be available while supplies last, so fans looking to get their hands on some of this swag are encouraged to preorder the album.

Are you looking forward to hearing Kyary Pamyu Pamyu’s new tracks?

From her debut in 2016 until 2021, Kizuna Ai was the most subscribed VTuber on YouTube, and the one responsible for the term ‘Virtual YouTuber.’ Now, this legendary star will be holding a concert available to fans of Japanese culture around the world, while also showing off the beauty of a Japanese fireworks festival. The event will take place on Facebook’s Oculus, on the Venues app, on September 25, 2021 in Japan. Anyone who has an Oculus Quest can view the concert for free.

Oculus Venues is a VR video platform, allowing users to enjoy a variety of concerts, sporting events, and comedy shows from the front row. There’s no need to worry about grabbing expensive tickets or dealing with crowds when you can enjoy your favorite events from the comfort of your own home!

In January 2021, Kizuna Ai announced a contract with UTA (United Talent Agency), one of the four major agencies in the United States. In April and May, she went on her first virtual US tour. Under the theme of connecting with everyone in the world, Kizuna Ai is attempting this new challenge using Oculus to get closer to fans than ever before. As a guest artist, world-renowned performers HANABI will perform, blending traditional Japanese culture with cutting-edge technological art in this one-of-a-kind DJ-directed space.

Will you be tuning in to Kizuna Ai’s fireworks concert?