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Japanese Entertainment News & Info HERE! [part V]
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AKB48 dominates first half of 2011 with 6.66 billion yen in sales
Posted on June 22, 2011 by tokyograph
Oricon has released its sales rankings for the first half of 2011. As expected, AKB48 had the strongest showing, with the only two million-selling singles (“Everyday, Kachusha” and “Sakura no Ki ni Narou”) and the #2 album (“Koko ni Ita Koto”). Counting all of their sales from singles, albums, and DVDs, AKB48 racked up a total amount of 6.66 billion yen, the highest for any artist so far this year. Naturally, they also ranked #1 in total single sales.
The rankings cover the period from December 27, 2010, to June 20, 2011, using actual sales data collected from approximately 39,700 retail stores nationwide. For that period, half of the top 10 singles came from AKB48 and its related artists, while Johnny's Jimusho artists occupied three spots.
AKB48 – Everyday, Kachusha – 1,499,026
AKB48 – Sakura no Ki ni Narou – 1,076,916
Arashi – Lotus – 624,865
TVXQ – Why? (Keep Your Head Down) – 284,410
SKE48 – Banzai Venus – 270,208
Team Amuse!! – Let's try again – 262,091
Kanjani8 – T.W.L / Yellow Pansy Street – 252,634
Akanishi Jin – Eternal – 241,630
Not yet – Shuumatsu Not yet – 237,813
Itano Tomomi – Dear J – 215,466
The last female artist to hold the top two spots in the single rankings for the first half of a year was Pink Lady in 1978, with “UFO” (1.53 million) and “Southpaw” (1.24 million). The last single to sell a million in the first half of a year was KAT-TUN’s “Real Face” (1.001 million) in 2006, while the last artist to have two million-selling singles was GLAY in 1999 with “Winter, again” (1.638 million) and “BE WITH YOU” (1.173 million).
Oricon’s rankings include the Top 50 in singles, albums, and DVDs. AKB48 had a total of 18 works in the rankings. At total sales of 6.66 billion yen, they achieved approximately 2.5 times the amount they sold in the first half of last year (2.58 billion yen).
The complete rankings can be found on Oricon’s website.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Post Last Edit by whitedove at 25-6-2011 12:32
Kato Rosa announces marriage, pregnancy
Posted on June 22, 2011 by tokyograph
On Wednesday, actress Kato Rosa (26) unexpectedly announced on her official website that she is now married to soccer player Matsui Daisuke (30). She also revealed that she is currently pregnant with her first child, and sources report that she is in her fourth month.
Kato and Matsui reportedly met through a friend during autumn of last year. They began seriously dating around the start of this year, even though it was a long-distance relationship. Matsui is based in France, where he plays for Grenoble in Ligue 2.
The couple decided to register their marriage on June 22, which was Kato’s 26th birthday.
Kato is expected to give birth this December. She will keep working for now, including filming for an NTV television show and a role in the recently revealed movie “Girl.” After the childbirth, she plans to continue her career as much as possible while also raising the child.
Last month, Matsui declared that he will be leaving Grenoble, though his next team has not yet been determined. As soon as that is settled, he and Kato plan to find a place to live together.
Matsui previously married in 2003, but he got divorced after that.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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“Uchuu Kyoudai” supporting cast revealed
Posted on June 22, 2011 by tokyograph
Several more cast members of the live-action movie “Uchuu Kyoudai” have officially been announced. Co-stars Oguri Shun and Okada Masaki were already revealed in March, and now they are being joined by Aso Kumiko, Tsutsumi Shinichi, and others.
http://asiacue.com/images/persons/o/Oguri,%20Shun_image.jpeg 
“Uchuu Kyoudai” is an adaptation of an award-winning manga by Koyama Chuya about two brothers Mutta (Oguri) and Hibito (Okada) pursuing their childhood dream of becoming astronauts. Aso will play Ito Serika, another aspiring astronaut, while Tsutsumi will play Hoshika, a JAXA staff member who is one of the astronaut examiners.
Inoue Yoshio will play Mutta’s friend and rival Makabe Kenji. Three other characters trying to become astronauts are being played by Arai Hirofumi (as Mizoguchi Yamato), Hamada Gaku (as Furuya Yasushi), and Shiomi Sansei (as Fukuda Naoto).
Filming will wrap up next month. Theatrical release is scheduled for spring 2012.
Source: http://www.tokyograph.com |
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Kis-My-Ft2 major debut single to get simultaneous release in 8 countries
Posted on June 23, 2011 by tokyograph
Boy band Kis-My-Ft2 have officially rescheduled their major debut single. Titled “Everybody Go,” the single will be released simultaneously on August 10 in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Philippines, Singapore, and Malaysia. This will be the first time that a Johnny's artist has debuted in that many Asian countries at once.
“Everybody Go” has also been chosen to be the theme song for TBS’s upcoming drama series “Ikemen Desu ne,” which features members Tamamori Yuta and Fujigaya Taisuke as part of the main cast. That show premieres on July 15.
Kis-My-Ft2 will go on a nationwide tour starting on July 9, taking them to 6 cities for a total of 16 concerts.
Source: http://www.tokyograph.com |
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L of K-pop group Infinite to play villain in drama series “Jiu”
Posted on June 23, 2011 by tokyograph
 
A few weeks ago, Kuroki Meisa (23) and Tabe Mikako (22) were announced as co-stars in a suspense drama series titled “Jiu: Keishichou Tokushuhan Sousakei.” At the time, it was said that the villain of the series would be played by a popular music artist from overseas, and now his identity has been revealed: L (19) of the Korean group Infinite.
“Jiu” is based on a series of novels by Honda Tetsuya about two female police detectives who are trying to hunt down a man named Jiu (played by L), a criminal ringleader responsible for a series of brutal crimes. The character is described as a handsome young man with blond hair, who has outstanding vision and reflexes and who “knows no pain.”
Infinite debuted in Korea in 2010. In Japan, they have released four singles in consecutive months, from January to April of this year.
TV Asahi will broadcast “Jiu” on Friday nights at 11:15pm, starting in July.
Source: http://www.tokyograph.com |
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Oguri Shun, Moriyama Mirai headline new production of “Dokurojo no Shichinin”
Posted on June 23, 2011 by tokyograph
Oguri Shun (28) and Moriyama Mirai (26) are co-starring in a new stage production of the play “Dokurojo no Shichinin,” also known by the English title “Seven Souls in the Skull Castle.” The play has been performed four times since its premiere in 1990, though this will be the first time that the two main characters have not been played by the same actor.
Most of the previous productions starred Furuta Arata (45) as the characters Sutenosuke and Tenmaou, but now those roles have been divided and given to Oguri (as Sutenosuke) and Moriyama (as Tenmaou). The story is a tale of conflict and rebirth set 8 years after Oda Nobunaga’s forced suicide in the Incident at Honno-ji (1582).
The new cast also includes Naka Riisa, Katsuji Ryo, Koike Eiko, Saotome Taichi, and Takada Shoko.
Performances will be held in Osaka on August 7-24 and in Tokyo on September 5 to October 10.
Source: http://www.tokyograph.com |
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Matsuyuki Yasuko to star in movie about Nagaoka fireworks festival
Posted on June 23, 2011 by tokyograph
Director Obayashi Nobuhiko (73) is working on a new film about the famous Nagaoka fireworks display in Niigata. The movie, titled “Kono Sora no Hana,” will star actress Matsuyuki Yasuko (38).
The city of Nagaoka was attacked in an air raid in August 1945, just before the end of World War II. Since 1946, Nagaoka has held an annual fireworks display as a symbol of world peace and the reconstruction of the city. After the Chuetsu earthquake in 2004, the display also began representing the prayers for reconstruction from that event as well.
Obayashi began planning for the film two years ago, collecting data and stories from the people of the city. A first draft of the screenplay was just finished at the time of the devastating Tohoku earthquake this past March, so he quickly decided to incorporate that into the movie as well.
“Kono Sora no Hana” is planned for release in spring 2012.
Source: http://www.tokyograph.com |
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Ishibashi Anna’s new movie set in New York
Posted on June 23, 2011 by tokyograph
On Thursday, a press conference was held to officially announce a new movie from director Yokoyama Hiroyuki, titled “Brooklyn-bashi wo Watatte” (“Across Brooklyn Bridge”). The film was shot almost entirely in New York, requiring lead actress Ishibashi Anna (18) to speak much of her dialogue in English.
The movie is based on a story written Kurashina Ryo, best known for his manga series such as “Jyouou” and “Jotei.” Ishibashi stars as a high school student who begins living in New York due to her father (Abe Yuji), a reporter, being transferred there for work. She is unaccustomed to her new life, but music brings her closer to a young American man.
Theatrical release is scheduled for this autumn.
Source: http://www.tokyograph.com |
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Akina Minami waiting for her space prince
Entertainment Jun. 25, 2011 - 05:00AM JST ( 9 )
TOKYO —
Gravure model Akina Minami, 22, appeared at Bic Camera in Tokyo this week to publicize the launch of the new Samsung Galaxy S II smartphone. Although the handset itself, currently offered by NTT Docomo, was launched Thursday, the main publicity event is scheduled for July 15.
Called the Space Balloon Project, Samsung intends to launch a Galaxy S II into the stratosphere, where it will display messages sent in by users via social networking sites.
When asked about the astronaut-style jumpsuits she and the launch crew were wearing, Minami replied, “I’d like to be whisked off to a faraway world by a space prince.” She also called for users of Twitter, Mixi and Facebook to continue to send in messages.
Fan messages will be displayed for three days at a height of 30,000 meters from July 15 to 17.
Source: www.japantoday.com |
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Moriwaka Kaori, Shishido Rumi form Mashou Shimai
Posted on June 24, 2011 by tokyograph
Singers Moriwaka Kaori (47) and Shishido Rumi (37) are forming a new project together called Mashou Shimai. They will kick off their activities with a radio appearance this month and the digital release of a song early next month.
Both artists have been in the industry for a long time. Moriwaka was once a member of the bands GO-BANG'S and Ram Jam World, and as an actress she played Tsukino Ikuko in the “Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon” live-action series. Shishido is well-known as a voice actress, but she also has expanded into acting and other activities.
The two have long respected each other as professionals, and somehow they began talking about forming a unit together. As a result, the Mashou Shimai Project was born.
Several other creators in various fields are also participating in the project. For Mashou Shimai’s first live performance on July 23 in Shimokitazawa, Tokyo, the music is being provided by techno unit HONDALADY. Costumes are being designed by Lolita designers Uehara Kumiko (Baby, The Stars Shine Bright) and Mitsuba (ALICE and the PIRATES). The story for the project is being written by author Takemoto Novala, and illustrations are being drawn by manga artist Kojima Miyako.
Mashou Shimai is scheduled to appear on the NHK-FM radio show “Indies File” on June 26 and on the Ustream program “Oil in Life” on July 15. In early July, they plan to release a song through the music site Majix.
Source: www.tokyograph.com/ |
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L’Arc~en~Ciel announces 24-hour show on Nico Nico Douga
Posted on June 24, 2011 by tokyograph
The members of rock band L'Arc~en~Ciel are still celebrating their 20th anniversary, and their latest project is a 24-hour broadcast on video website Nico Nico Douga. Titled “Nico Nico L’Arc Station,” the show will feature their songs, music videos, and concert footage, plus a one-hour live segment with all of the members appearing.
The program will begin at 8:00pm JST on June 27. It will include 123 songs, ranging from their indie days to their latest, “GOOD LUCK MY WAY.” They will also air music videos for 44 songs, including the first-ever broadcast of the “Fullmetal Alchemist” version of the “GOOD LUCK MY WAY” music video. Footage from their “TOUR 2008~L’7 Trans ASIA via PARIS~” will also be shown.
For the final hour, starting at 7:00pm on June 28, all of the L’Arc~en~Ciel members will appear live to talk about “GOOD LUCK MY WAY” and their 20 years together. In addition, there will be a special segment in which L’Arc will communicate directly with their fans, using the “Nico Nico Denwa” (telephone) feature.
At some point during the program, there will also be a “L’Arc~en~Ciel Quiz” with a special present up for grabs.
At the upcoming Japan Expo in Paris (June 30-July 3), the Nico Nico Douga booth will replay the L’Arc~en~Ciel broadcast, though details are currently unknown.
The live broadcast will be available on both the Japan version and the international versions of Nico Nico Douga. The broadcast page can be found here (Japanese) and here (English).
Source: www.tokyograph.com/ |
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Japanese singer Yui stages 1st foreign show in Hong Kong
Entertainment Jun. 27, 2011 - 02:00PM JST ( 1 )
HONG KONG —
Rising Japanese singer-songwriter Yui led her four-member band with confidence, switching between electric and acoustic guitar and the keyboard.
It was the kind of vibrant live performance that has helped the 24-year-old former street performer, whose full name is Yui Yoshioka, win fans across Japan. Now she has taken her act overseas, staging her first foreign show in the southern Chinese territory of Hong Kong late Sunday.
The capacity audience at the 14,000-seat AsiaWorld-Expo Arena on outlying Lantau Island stood and clapped throughout a two-hour set except for a brief acoustic section when Yui asked them to sit down.
The young fans nodded their heads in appreciation even though they didn’t appear to follow the lyrics closely. Yui brought in some local help - popular Hong Kong rapper Eric Kot made a guest appearance dressed in a neon yellow jacket and matching shorts, bantering with the Japanese singer in a mixture of Cantonese and Japanese. But the cultural bridge didn’t appear to be needed. Eager fans demanded an encore with passionate chants of “Yui.”
It’s easy to understand Yui’s appeal in the former British colony with a long history of affection for Japanese pop culture. While Hong Kong singers crank out mellow, sappy ballads largely generated by the same pool of songwriters, Yui offers an energetic rock sound combined with upbeat lyrics about overcoming hardship and realizing one’s dreams - as well as the joys of puppy love. The lyrics’ Chinese translations are widely available on fan websites.
The native of the southern city Fukuoka started out as a street musician in her hometown before moving to Tokyo in search of a record deal. She released her first single in December 2004, followed by her debut album, “From Me to You,” in 2006.
Her career took off with her starring role in the popular 2006 film “Taiyo no Uta,” or “Midnight Sun.” Yui’s earnest performance as a Japanese teenager whose skin condition confines her to night activity - she plays the guitar in the deserted streets of a coastal city - won her the best newcomer prize at the Japanese Academy Awards. The film’s theme song, “Goodbye Days,” which she penned, quickly became a hit. On Sunday, she wrapped up her Hong Kong show with a guitar solo of “Goodbye Days,” which she performed sitting at the edge of the stage without a microphone to a silent audience that erupted in applause afterward.
Yui’s next album, the April 2007 release “Can’t Buy My Love” spent two weeks at No. 1 on Japan’s Oricon weekly pop album charts. She followed up in 2008 with another best-selling album, “I Loved Yesterday,” which also topped the Oricon album charts. Her latest release, last year’s “Holidays in the Sun,” also reached No. 1.
Yui told The Associated Press in an interview Saturday that she was inspired by street performers in Fukuoka to take up the guitar and join their ranks.
“I’ve been helped a lot by music, so when I write music, I want to give back to music. I carry the mindset of gratitude. I want the people who listen to my music to feel the message of gratitude,” Yui said through a translator.
She said she is constantly composing - “I could be washing my clothes and hanging my clothes and have an idea.”
Asked if she wants to showcase her musical talent beyond Hong Kong, Yui responded, “There are many places I want to visit.”
Source: www.japantoday.com |
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TBS music show “Ongaku no Hi” to set record at almost 8 hours long
Posted on June 26, 2011 by tokyograph
 
On July 16, TBS will broadcast a live music show called “Ongaku no Hi” (“Music Day”). It will last a total of 7 hours and 40 minutes, setting the all-time record for longest single music show ever televised. SMAP’s Nakai Masahiro (38) and TBS announcer Azumi Shinichiro (37) will serve as hosts.
At a length of 7 hours and 40 minutes, “Ongaku no Hi” will surpass even the big year-end music events like NHK’s Kouhaku Uta Gassen and Fuji TV’s FNS Kayousai. Currently, the longest such show is TBS’s “Countdown TV Special” at the end of every year, which was 5 hours and 15 minutes last year. Nakai also hosted that show, and he has previously hosted Kouhaku Uta Gassen on 6 separate occasions.
Approximately 50 artists will perform on the show. According to the TBS website, the roster currently includes:
Ishikawa Sayuri
AKB48
Every Little Thing
Ogura Kei
Kayama Yuzo
KARA
Kuraki Mai
Sato Muneyuki
SID
JUJU
Sukima Switch
Tokunaga Hideaki
Dream Morning Musume
Nakagawa Shoko
Hikawa Kiyoshi
FUNKY MONKEY BABYS
flumpool
Becky
Makihara Noriyuki
Minami Kosetsu
Moriyama Ryoko
Rake
“Ongaku no Hi” will be aired from 7:00pm to 2:40am.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Sugiura, Mifune tout benefits of mineral water
Entertainment Jun. 28, 2011 - 04:55AM JST ( 15 )
 
TOKYO —
TV personalities Taiyo Sugiura, 30, and Mika Mifune, 28, this week attended a seminar and publicity event named “Papa Mama
Meeting” for the mineral water brand I LOHAS, which is distributed in Japan by Coca-Cola.
The event was organized to encourage parents to provide mineral water for their children. Mifune, who has a 6-year-old daughter, said, “I used to use tap water when cooking, but now I’m going to try to use mineral water for the sake of my children. This event is about
safety and peace of mind.”
Sugiura then impressed the audience by preparing milk and feeding it to a baby belonging to an audience member. “If dad helps out with raising the kids, the jobs get done in half the time. That leaves you more time to be a couple in the evenings,” he said.
Mifune also said that while a bottle was not bad, her husband had announced his desire to create a man’s feeding bra which would use tubes to deliver milk to infants. “If we ever manufacture such a thing, I think it’d really sell,” she joked.
Source: www.japantoday.com |
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Model Jun Hasegawa announces upcoming wedding
Entertainment Jun. 29, 2011 - 04:54PM JST ( 0 )
TOKYO —
Japanese-American model Jun Hasegawa announced Wednesday that she will marry a Hawaiian man in the near future. Hasegawa, 25, made the announcement in a hand-written statement faxed to media in Tokyo.
“I’m happy to announce that I, Jun Hasegawa, will be getting married to a Hawaiian gentleman. We are going to have a small wedding with just family and relatives. I would like to keep my entertainment activities based in Japan,” she said in the statement.”
Born in New Hampshire to a Japanese mother and American father, Hasegawa moved to Hawaii at the age of two and grew up there until she was scouted at 14. Hasegawa appears regularly in ViVi as well as many other magazines, and is a regular participant in the wildly popular Tokyo Girls Collection fashion extravaganzas.
Source: www.japantoday.com |
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J-Pop trio Perfume attends “Cars 2? world premiere in Hollywood
June 20, 2011 by J!-ENT
Japanese pop music trio Perfume attended the “Cars 2" world premiere in Hollywood on Saturday along with race car driver Lewis Hamilton and singer Nicole Scherzinger.
Image courtesy of Sankei Sports. Perfume with Lewis Hamilton and Nicole Scherzinger.
The trio performed the song “Polyrhythm” featured in the Disney and Pixar animated film and will appear in both the US and Japanese release of the film. The song was used during a party that takes place the night before the World Grand Prix in Japan.
Perfume was selected when Pixar director John Lasseter was searching for music for the Japanese party scene and Pixar staff members who were fans of Perfume recommended the group.
Source: www.nt2099.com/J-ENT |
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AKB48 dating simulation game gets a sequel set in Guam
Posted on June 27, 2011 by tokyograph
On Monday, Bandai Namco Games announced that it is releasing a sequel to the PlayStation Portable game “AKB 1/48 Idol to Koi Shitara…” that came out last December. The sequel will again be an “ultimate dating fantasy game” involving all 48 regular members of idol group AKB48, but this time it will be set on the island of Guam. Like the first game, the sequel “AKB 1/48 Idol to Guam de Koi Shitara…” allows players to pursue a romance with their favorite member, turning down the other 47 members in the process. The whole story has been rewritten for the setting in Guam, and the game will include scenes with the members in bikinis on the beach. For another scene, member Oshima Yuko said she was granted her dream of riding on a Harley Davidson motorcycle in Guam. The game is being released on October 6, 2011. The standard edition will retail for 5,229 yen and come with a photograph of a member. There will also be a limited-time edition for 7,329 yen that comes with three photographs and a UMD with video clips that were not used in the game, as well as a first-press limited edition for 13,629 yen that comes with several extras, including a making-of DVD and a Blu-ray Disc with the confession scenes from the first game. For the photographs, there are 4 versions for each member, for a total of 192 different pictures.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Tomosaka Rie remarries to Suneohair (Updated)
Posted on June 27, 2011 by tokyograph
Actress Tomosaka Rie (31) is married again, this time to musician Watanabe Kenji (40), better known by his performance name Suneohair. They each announced the good news on their official blogs on Monday.
No further details were revealed, such as the date of their marriage. In August 2010, the Sports Hochi newspaper reported that they were planning to register their marriage before the end of that year, but it has not yet been confirmed whether they actually did get married that year.
Tomosaka and Suneohair apparently began dating around the start of 2010, after they worked together on the movie “Aburakusasu no Matsuri.”
This is the second marriage for Tomosaka, who previously wedded actor and stage director Kawahara Masahiko (41) in 2003. They had a child together in 2004, then divorced at the end of 2008. Suneohair is also divorced.
According to Tomosaka’s management agency, there are currently no plans for a wedding ceremony or a reception party.
Update: According to Sports Hochi, a source says they registered their marriage on June 26.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Live-action “Rurouni Kenshin” movie confirmed, starring Sato Takeru
Posted on June 27, 2011 by tokyograph
There have been rumors of a live-action “Rurouni Kenshin” movie since last summer, but now the project is officially confirmed. Actor Sato Takeru (22) will star under director Otomo Keishi (“Ryomaden”), with Warner Bros. producing.
The film is scheduled for release in 2012, though the staff is aiming to make it successful enough to continue as a series. Given the international popularity of “Rurouni Kenshin,” there is also hope that the movie gets released overseas as well.
The original manga, written by Watsuki Nobuhiro, originally ran in Weekly Shonen Jump (Shueisha) from 1994 to 1999. The story has been collected into 28 tankoubon volumes, and there are more than 50 million copies of the books in print. It has been translated and released in 23 countries, and a successful television anime adaptation came out in 1996.
Sato acknowledged that there is a “very high hurdle” in living up to everyone’s image of the iconic character. However, Watsuki commented that when the project was just starting, he discussed with his wife whom they thought should play Kenshin, and Sato was #1 on their list.
Preparations for the project started about 3 years ago, and Sato was offered the role after his appearance in “Ryomaden.”
Filming for “Rurouni Kenshin” is scheduled to begin in July.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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