Japanese Entertainment News & Info HERE! [part VI]

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the telephones reveal details on new album + first Yaon live + short PV for “Keep Your DISCO!!!”



the telephones have revealed the jacket cover and track list for their upcoming album, “Laugh,Cry,Sing… And Dance!!!“, that’s scheduled for release on April 17th.

The band’s first album in a year and a half will feature a total of 12 tracks including their already released song, “D.E.N.W.A“, a different version of “Odoru ~Asa ga Kite mo~“, and an album version of their upcoming single, “Keep Your DISCO!!!” (March 27th release). Like their 3rd album, “Rock Kingdom“, the album is mixed by record engineer Alex Newport. Additionally, Ted Jensen serves as the mastering engineer.

A short PV for “Keep Your DISCO!!!” has been uploaded onto EMI Music Japan’s official YouTube channel as a parody of a TV CM.

Furthermore, the telephones have added a new date to their upcoming nationwide tour, ‘One Man Disco Tour ~Keep Your Live~‘, which will kick off in May. For the tour finale, they will perform for the first time at Hibiya Yagai Dai Ongakudo on July 21st.

Below are the jacket cover and track list for “Laugh,Cry,Sing… And Dance!!!” as well as the short PV for “Keep Your DISCO!!!”.

Source: http://www.tokyohive.com/2013/03 ... or-keep-your-disco/

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VAMPS to hold a live tour starting in June



Previously, it was reported that VAMPS have transferred to Universal Music’s Delicious Deli Records. It’s now been revealed that they will be holding a live tour called ‘VAMPS LIVE 2013‘ starting in June.

The tour will kick off on June 28th at Zepp DiverCity TOKYO for a total of 23 shows at Zepp venues in 5 cities nationwide. They will perform 7 days each at Zepp DiverCity TOKYO and Zepp Namba, 5 days at Zepp Nagoya, and 2 days each at Zepp Fukuoka and Zepp Sapporo. Tickets will go on sale on June 1st.

Source: http://www.tokyohive.com/2013/03 ... r-starting-in-june/

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Kato Miliyah and Shimizu Shota to sing campaign song for ‘Coca Cola’



Kato Miliyah×Shimizu Shota’s new song, “LOVE STORY“, has been chosen as the campaign song for Coca Cola’s ‘Share a Coke and a Song‘.

Through the campaign, participants can listen to a hit song between 1957 and 2013 by accessing the campaign website and entering the passcode found on the coke bottle utilizing a special design marked with a year from 1957 to 2013.

“LOVE STORY” is Kato Miliyah×Shimizu Shota’s 4th single following 2009’s “Love Forever“, 2010’s “FOREVER LOVE“, and 2011’s “BELIEVE“. It’s a love song that samples Oda Kazumasa’s “Love Story wa Totsuzen ni“.

The single will be released in both limited and regular editions on April 17.

Source: http://www.tokyohive.com/2013/03 ... song-for-coca-cola/

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Spitz to release new double A-side single



It’s been revealed that Spitz’s new single, “Sara Sara / Boku wa Kitto Tabi ni Deru“, will be released on May 15th.

This will be Spitz’s first single since “Shirokuma / Beginner” was released back in September of 2010. “Sara Sara” is described as a number with gentle guitar tunes and chorus work. It will be used as the theme song for J-WAVE’s spring campaign, ‘TOKYO NEW STANDARD ~Tokyo wa Massugu Arukanai Hou ga Omoshiroi~‘, starting March 18th. Meanwhile, “Boku wa Kitto Tabi ni Deru” is a new song that was written with the theme “journey”. The single will be produced by Spitz and Kameda Seiji.

Late last year, Spitz announced that they are working on releasing a new album. On their official website, they revealed that the recording will take place until May.

Source: http://www.tokyohive.com/2013/03 ... uble-a-side-single/

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Hoshino Gen to provide theme song for ‘Saint Oniisan’ anime film



It’s been revealed that singer/actor Hoshino Gen will be providing his song, “Gag“, as the theme song for the upcoming anime film, ‘Saint Oniisan‘ (May 10th release).

‘Saint Oniisan’ is a comedy manga series by Nakamura Hikaru which has been serialized in the manga magazine, ‘Morning Two‘, since 2007. Moriyama Mirai will voice the role ‘Jesus’ and Hoshino will make his voice acting debut with the role ‘Buddha’.

Hoshino commented, “I strung together both the alternative and pop within me. This song, that I came up with while reading the manga I love, I offer it to every manga artist and animation production staff.”

Hoshino recently made his radio comeback after receiving surgery for subarachnoid hemorrhage in late-December.

Source: http://www.tokyohive.com/2013/03 ... oniisan-anime-film/

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aiko’s new song to be used in CM for ‘SEED contact lens’



aiko’s new song, “4-gatsu no Ame“, will be used in the CM for ‘SEED One Day Pure Uruoi Plus‘ starring Kitagawa Keiko.

“4-gatsu no Ame” is described as a medium-tempo ballad that matches the spring season, which is the time for parting and encounters. It hasn’t been revealed whether this song will be released in CD form. The CM will air starting March 16th.

Furthermore, aiko will be releasing her new live dvd, “15“, on April 3rd, as well as her first live Blu-ray, “15“, on May 1st.

Source: http://www.tokyohive.com/2013/03 ... -seed-contact-lens/

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Ayaman JAPAN’s Fantasista Sakurada performs at graduation live + announcement of new members



On March 14, Fantasista Sakurada (27), a member of the female entertainment group Ayaman JAPAN, and whom married BOSE (44) of the hip-hop group Scha Dara Parr last year, performed at her graduation live at the Roppongi nicofarre in Tokyo.

Sakurada is 8 months pregnant, and she will be taking a maternity rest for half a year. She said, “(My baby) is probably a girl.  Even after she is born, I will never make her be a member of Ayaman JAPAN.”  Even so, during her live, she tearfully thanked her fellow members and her fans.

Ayaman Director spoke about her with, “It’s not easy to find the replacement of Sakurada.”  This was followed by the announcement that three new members will be added to the group – Samgyeopsal Wada, Aina, and Kintamazawa.

Source: http://www.tokyohive.com/2013/03 ... ent-of-new-members/

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Yamada Takayuki becomes the father of a baby boy!



It was reported that the wife of actor Yamada Takayuki gave birth to a baby boy at a hospital in Tokyo in the beginning of March.

Both mother and the baby are in good condition, and Yamada left a comment through his agency, which read, “I am happy that he was born safely. I will continue devote myself to acting just like up until now.”

Yamada announced his marriage with a non-celebrity woman who is 7 years older than him back on New Year’s day of last year, and announced his wife’s pregnancy in October.

Source: http://www.tokyohive.com/2013/03 ... ther-of-a-baby-boy/

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SCANDAL to sing the theme song for Tsutsumi Shinichi’s new movie



It was announced that 4-member girl band SCANDAL will provide the theme song to the upcoming movie “Ore wa Mada Honki Dashitenai Dake” which stars Tsutsumi Shinichi. The theme song titled “Awanai Tsumori no, Genki de ne” is said to be a straight rock number, and it’s a love song which everyone can relate to.

The director of the movie Fukuda Yuichi commented on why he chose SCANDAL for the theme song: “Since many of my works are silly, I would want to purify it with cheerful female voices during the ending. As the silliness of this movie is more for adults, I needed even more cheerful voices than usual. I thought ‘it should be SCANDAL this time!’ They made the theme song after watching the movie, so it became a song that encourages the protagonist ‘Shizuo’. It can also push you back up when you feel little down.”

The movie is a live-action movie adaptation of Aono Shunju’s popular manga which made it on the ‘Kono Manga ga Sugoi!’ ranking in 2009, and more than 20 companies are said to have sent Aono offers regarding a live-action adaptation. The story follows a daily life of a failed father named “Oguro Shizuo” (played by Tsutsumi Shinichi) and his family.  Shizuo suddenly quits his job at age 41, to find his true self, but he spends all his time playing soccer games. One day, he randomly decides to become a manga artist.

The vocalist HARUNA also left a comment, saying, “Though the protagonist is a middle-aged man, the movie can encourage anyone regardless of your age or sex. Therefore, we made the song without sticking too much to the theme of the movie. The new song became such a ’serious’ song that shows our spirits.”

You can check out the preview of the song here!

“Ore wa Mada Honki Dashitenai Dake” will open in theaters on June 15th, and SCANDAL’s new single “Awanai Tsumori no, Genki de ne” is set for release on May 22nd.

Source: http://www.tokyohive.com/2013/03 ... hinichis-new-movie/

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Ketsumeishi to provide ending theme for upcoming drama ‘Doubles’



Hip hop group Ketsumeishi’s new song, “Tsuki to Taiyou” (May 22nd release), has been chosen as the ending theme for Ito Hideaki and Sakaguchi Kenji’s upcoming drama, ‘Doubles ~Futari no Keiji~‘. This will be Ketsumeishi’s first time in 2 years to provide a theme song for a drama.

Ito and Sakaguchi last co-starred together about 10 years ago. Their upcoming drama takes place at the central police station in Shinjuku, and they play detective partners who deal with heinous crimes. “Tsuki to Taiyou” was written especially for the drama.

Ketsumeishi member Ookura explained, “The two lead roles are of the same generation as us. Since the two characters have different personalities and because this is a detective drama, we wrote the song with the image of the one who captures and the one who gets captured, the positive and the negative, the light and shadow.”

Meanwhile, Ito commented, “It’s a very cool song. I want everyone to hear it as soon as possible,” and Sakaguchi also praised, “It’s a melody that resembles Ketsumeishi’s previous hit songs. The lyrics are also wonderful!”

‘Doubles ~Futari no Keiji’ will air on TV Asahi every Thursday at 9:00 pm starting April 18th.

Source: http://www.tokyohive.com/2013/03 ... ming-drama-doubles/

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ONE OK ROCK’s Taka to be featured in Simple Plan’s song



It’s been revealed that ONE OK ROCK’s Taka (Vo) participated in Simple Plan’s song as a featuring artist. Their collaboration song, “SUMMER PARADISE feat. Taka from ONE OK ROCK“, will be released on March 20th.

“SUMMER PARADISE” is one of the tracks off of Simple Plan’s album, “Get Your Heart On!“, which was released back in June of 2011. The song has also been released in different versions featuring Sean Paul and K’Naan.

This time, the members of Simple Plan suggested to their label that they feature a Japanese artist and chose Taka. When Taka received the offer, he agreed willingly.

The recording took place earlier in February in Los Angeles. With the direction of Pierre Bouvier (Vo), the recording proceeded in a relaxed atmosphere.

“SUMMER PARADISE feat. Taka from ONE OK ROCK” will also be included in Simple Plan’s ‘Get Your Heart ON! (Tour Edition)‘, which will be released on March 27th.

Source: http://www.tokyohive.com/2013/03 ... -simple-plans-song/

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Ieiri Leo’s new song chosen as the theme song for TBS’ upcoming detective drama



Singer-songwriter Ieiri Leo’s new song “Message” has been chosen as the theme song for TBS’ upcoming detective drama ‘Kakusho~Keishicho Sousa 3 Ka‘ which will start airing on April 15th.

As reported earlier,  this drama is based on the police novel ‘Kakusho‘ written by Konno Bin. Takahashi Katsumi and Eikura Nana will team up for the drama adaptation. Regarding the theme song, Takahashi commented, “When I first listened to it, I thought it’s a song that cheers me up. Now I listen to it repeatedly. It’s lively, and I love Ieiri-san’s voice. If you listen to it on Mondays (as the drama will be aired every Monday), you would feel that ‘I’ll keep doing my best this week!’” Eikura also commented, “I will work hard to make this drama that matches well with Ieiri-san’s fresh and straight singing voice.”

Ieiri Leo’s new song “Message” will be released on May 22nd as her 4th single.

Source: http://www.tokyohive.com/2013/03 ... ng-detective-drama/

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m.o.v.e holds their disbandment live

[img]http://static.tokyohive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/2013316_move.jpeg[img]

On March 16th, m.o.v.e who’s known for singing many theme songs for popular anime “Initial D”, held their disbandment live concert ‘m.o.v.e The Last Show ～Champagne Fight～’ at Akasaka BLITZ, and ended their 15 year history.

In front of the audience of 1,500, who were unwilling to encourage the disbandment, they performed 27 songs. The set list included songs that were mainly from their final best-of album “Best moves. ~and move goes on~” (released on February 27th), Throughout the show, the group periodically shed tear.



The vocalist yuri looked back at the past 15 years since their debut in October 1997, and said, “When we debuted 15 years ago, my life changed. Though there were many hard things, we have always been supported by the love from many people. I am really happy to be able to hold our final live in front of this many people.” The rapper, motsu also said, “Today’s scenery was the best!”

In the end of the live, they drunk a toast with a glass of champagne, saying, “Thank you for these 15 years. Cheers!”

The DVD for this disbandment live will be released on June 5th.

Source: http://www.tokyohive.com/2013/03 ... r-disbandment-live/

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Morning Musume to hold 12th generation member audition



On March 16th, producer Tsunku made a surprise appearance at Morning Musume’s live tour where he announced that he will be opening the group’s 12th generation member audition. The new audition will have the theme “future girl audition”. He declared, “I want to discover a natural, future girl that will make tomorrow’s generation for Morning Musume.”

The audition will be open to girls from ages 10 to 17 and applications are due on April 30th. 11th generation member Oda Sakura, who crouched down in surprise after hearing the announcement, said, “Before the show, I had a feeling that there would be an announcement like this.” Meanwhile, 10th generation member Kudo Haruka begged to Tsunku, “Eh, isn’t it too early? I don’t want someone too boyish to join. Leave that to me!”

Tanaka Reina, who will be graduating after this tour, showed anticipation for the new member(s), “I want a yankee to come. When I graduate, there won’t be a problem child anymore. It would be nice if someone self-assertive and energetic, someone who won’t lose to me would come.” Leader Michishige Sayumi added, “Right now, I’m the cutest. It’s no joke. For the 12th generation, I want someone that will make me a joke and surpass my cuteness to join.”

This tour marks Morning Musume’s first tour after 11th generation member Oda Sakura joined the group. The closing show on May 21st at Nippon Budokan will be held as Tanaka Rena’s graduation concert.

Source: http://www.tokyohive.com/2013/03 ... on-member-audition/

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Itano Tomomi to become a delinquent for Nakajima Kento’s upcoming drama



It was announced that AKB48 member Itano Tomomi would make an appearance on NTV’ upcoming late-night drama, “BAD BOYS J“, which will star Sexy Zone’s Nakajima Kento.

As reported previously, the drama is based on Tanaka Hiroshi’s manga “BADBOYS”, which had also been adapted into a live-action movie previously in 2011. The story is set in Hiroshima where powerful delinquent groups are crowded together, and it depicts the intense youth of these “bad boys”.

In the drama, Nakajima will play as the leader of a delinquent group “Gokurakuchou”, named “Kiriki Tsukasa”. Also, Kis-My-Ft2′ Nikaido Takashi will be making an appearance as “Danno Hidenori”, the leader of the top group of gangs in Hiroshima, called “Beast” while A.B.C-Z‘ Hashimoto Ryosuke will play as “Hiro”, the leader of “Hiroshima Night’s” that is the opposed group to “Gokurakuchou.”

Itano’s role will be “Naki Kaori”, the boss of a female delinquent group who supports “Danno” (Nikaido). Additionally, some Nogizaka46 members and model Triendl Reina will also appear in the drama. The Nogizaka46 members include Hashimoto Nanami, Matsumura Sayuri, Akimoto Manatsu, Ito Marika, and Ito Nene. Hashimoto will be playing as the heroine “Yoshimoto Kumi” who is the love interest of “Kiriki” (Nakajima).

“BAD BOYS J” will begin airing on April 6th on NTV (every Saturday on 12:50 am).

Source: http://www.tokyohive.com/2013/03 ... tos-upcoming-drama/

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Oriental Radio’s Nakata Atsuhiko and talent Fukuda Moe expecting their first child



Talent Fukuda Moe (27) and husband Nakata Atsuhiko (30) of the comedic duo Oriental Radio announced early morning on March 18 via Fukuda’s official blog that she is pregnant with their first child.

She wrote, “This is personal, but we have been gifted with a child.  I am now 5 months pregnant and my pregnancy is finally stable.  Our child will be born near the end of summer.” She appeared deeply emotional as she wrote about waiting for children, “From the start of our marriage, my husband and I talked that it would be great to be blessed with a child, and now, we are both happy.”

She revealed that she would continue working as long as her physical condition was well and expressed her happiness with, “Until our child is born, I will do my best to increase my knowledge on raising children so that I can become a great mother.”

The couple married on Fukuda’s birthday, June 5, last year and went to Bali, Indonesia for the wedding ceremony and honeymoon on January 5 of this year.  At that time, they were saying regarding a baby, “We thought it would be great if we have children.  I don’t know when we would be blessed with a child, but I hope we could be happy couple with many children.”

The pair began dating after they met in October two years ago after they co-starred in a TV program.  In December of the same year, Nakata proposed and Fukuda accepted his proposal.  At the time, the “intellectual marriage” of Nakata, a Keio University graduate, and Fukuda, a Yokohama National University graduate, was a hot topic.

Source: http://www.tokyohive.com/2013/03 ... -their-first-child/

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More details on upcoming “SPEC” movie revealed



It was announced that upcoming movie “SPEC ~Close~“, which is the concluding episode of the “SPEC” series, will be a 2 part movie titled “Gekijouban SPEC ~Close~ Zen no Hen” and “Gekijouban SPEC ~Close~ Kou no Hen.” Both parts will be  released successively this fall.

“SPEC” series started as a serial drama (on TBS) that aired back in October of 2010, and it follows the odd duo of “Toma Saya” (played by Toda Erika) and “Sebumi Takeru” (played by Kase Ryo), who are the special agents of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Public Security Bureau and tackle difficult and mysterious cases related to criminals with certain special abilities (called as “SPEC HOLDER”). There was also a special drama “SPEC ~Sho~” (aired in April 2012), as well as a movie “SPEC ~Ten~” (released in April 2012).

Including the regular cast members from the drama, such as Ryu Raita (as “Nonomura Kotaro”), and Arimura Kasumi (as “Masaki Miyabi”), there will be appearances of the successive “SPEC HOLDERS” who also appeared in the drama which include  Asano Yuko (as “Madam Yang”), Kamiki Ryunosuke (as “Ninomae Juichi”), Fukuda Saki (as “Shimura Mirei”), Shirota Yu (as “Chii Satoshi”), Tanaka Tetsushi (as “Reisen Toshiaki”), Yasuda Ken (as “Unno Ryota”), and Mano Erina (as “Satori”).

Also, Kitamura Kazuki (as “Kikkawa Shu”), who made a guest appearance on the previous special drama “SPEC ~Sho~”, and Kuriyama Chiaki (as “Aoike Satoko”), who appeared in the previous film “SPEC ~Ten~”, will be appearing. Moreover, Kashii Yu, KENCHI (EXILE), and Endo Kenichi will be joining as new characters.

Additionally, it was announced that Mukai Osamu and Oshima Yuko will be making appearances as well. Mukai’s role will be “Sekai”, a mysterious man in white, who appeared in the last scene of the previous movie “SPEC ~Ten~”, and Oshima’s role will be a mysterious woman who will be the key to the story.

Prior to the release of the movies, another special drama “SPEC ~Zero~” is also set to be aired this fall, and it will depict the story of how Toma ended up losing her left hand. The guest characters for the special drama include Osugi Ren, Kawashima Umika, and Takashima Masanobu.

Source: http://www.tokyohive.com/2013/03 ... pec-movie-revealed/

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Sakanaction tops Oricon weekly album chart for the first time since their debut



Rock band Sakanaction’s 6th album, “sakanaction” (released March 13th), has sold 83,000 copies in its first week and topped Oricon’s weekly album chart for March 25th. This is the first time since their debut in May of 2007 to top the charts.

With this, the band has broke their own record for most copies sold in the first week of release. Their 5th album, “DocumentaLy” (released September 2011), sold 46,000 units. Until now, their top-ranking album is “DocumentaLy” in 2nd place and their top-ranking single is “Aruku Around” (January 2010) in 3rd.

“sakanaction” is the band’s first album in a year and a half. It features a total of 15 tracks including NHK’s soccer broadcast theme song “Aoi“, “Boku to Hana“, which was the theme song for Kusanagi Tsuyoshi’s drama ‘37-sai de Isha ni Natta Boku ~Kenshuui Junjou Monogatari~‘, and “music” which serves as the theme song for Eguchi Yosuke’s drama ‘dinner‘.

Source: http://www.tokyohive.com/2013/03 ... -since-their-debut/

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Momoiro Clover Z to provide theme song for ‘Mezamashi Doyoubi’



It’s been revealed that Momoiro Clover Z’s new song “Kasou Dystopia” has been chosen as the theme song for Fuji TV’s news program, ‘Mezamashi Doyoubi‘, for the month of April.

‘Mezamashi Doyoubi’ is the weekend version of the morning news program, ‘Mezamashi TV‘ (Monday ~ Friday), and it will be celebrating its 10th anniversary this October. Since October last year, One Direction’s “Live While We’re Young” was used as the theme song.

During the encore of Momoiro Clover’s concert at Nippon Gaishi Hall on the 17th, ‘Mezamashi Doyoubi’ broadcasters Sano Mizuki, Kaito Aiko, Takami Yuri, and Sota Maiko made a surprise appearance and made the theme song announcement. The members were overjoyed when announcer Sano called out, “Welcome to the Mezamashi family!”

“Kasou Dystopia” will be included in Momoiro Clover Z’s upcoming album, “5TH DIMENSION”, which will be released on April 10th.

Source: http://www.tokyohive.com/2013/03 ... -mezamashi-doyoubi/

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Nogizaka46 tops Oricon weekly single chart



Nogizaka46’s 5th single “Kimi no Na wa Kibou,” which went on sale on March 13, has sold 242,000 copies and grabbed first place on the March 25 Oricon Weekly Single Ranking.

This is their fourth consecutive first place ranking which first began with their 2nd single “Oide Shampoo” (went on sale last May.)   This is the first time since their debut that they have sold over 200,000 copies within the first week of a song release; their previous single “Seifuku no Mannequin” (went on sale last December) sold over 233,000 copies, but their current single has already broken that record.

Their current single is a medium-tempo ballad about the start of a romance.  Their music video was directed by Yamashita Nobuhiro, who also directed the film “Linda Linda Linda.”  The video duration totaled 25 minutes which shows the members auditioning for a film.

Source: http://www.tokyohive.com/2013/03 ... eekly-single-chart/