Last week, tokyohive reported on the first half of “DANSO Koshien” for “AKBINGO!“, in which the AKB48 members transformed into hot guys. The second half of “DANSO Koshien” was broadcasted today (February 16th), and this time, Takahashi Minami, Yokoyama Yui, Sashihara Rino, and Kojima Haruna stepped up to show off their charms as men.
Check out the videos below, and let us know which ‘guy’ was your favorite!
[starttext] The upcoming horror movie “Tomie Unlimited” which is the 8th in the Tomie series has recently released its first teaser. The Tomie series is based on the mystery horror manga written by Ito Junji, and the series have resulted many previously unknown actresses to become popular.
For the latest series, Arai Moe will play the main character, Tsukiko, while Nakamura Miu will take the role of Tomie. AKB48 member, Ohta Aika will also make appearance as a friend of Tsukiko.
The Tomie series has a different story setting for each movie, and for this latest series, Tomie and Tsukiko are set as sisters. The story will revolve around Tomie as she keeps reviving from death.
Although the movie itself is released with an age restriction of 15 or older to view, the trailer can be watched without any restriction. ”Tomie Unlimited” is scheduled to be released on May 14th.
R&B singer AZU just released her 11th single, “Broken Heart“, on February 2nd, and is releasing a new album called “AZyoU” on February 23rd.
The album will contain thirteen songs, including three collaborations with artists Hinouchi Emi, KG, and Yunhak from Choshinsei.
The song “Promise in a kiss feat. Yunhak from Choshinsei” was released on Chaku-Uta on the 9th (JST). They’ve also released a teaser of the song, which you can check out below.
Yunhak said that this was his first time feeling nervous because it’s only him in the collaboration, and he talked about when he first met AZU, “I was very surprised, she spoke to me in Korean the first time we met and it was very good.” He also expressed that, “She’s also a great singer, it was fun singing with her.”
He went to point out that the song is a love song with a feelings that don’t change for the one you love. Yunhak said that people who are single and listen to the song will want love, and those in a relationship will want to hear the song as they can relate to it.
The album will come in two versions: limited edition with DVD and normal edition. The limited edition will include a DVD that has the “Broken Heart” PV and making-of video, “AZU X’mas Special Party Live 2010 Backstage”, and special movie, “AZU and celeb lunch”.
First press of the normal edition will come with an alternative jacket and autograph print.
Tracklist 1. crazy, wise ‘nd sexy 2. Broken Heart 3. To You… 4. IN MY LIFE 5. Tsuyoku Tsuyoki 6. Promise in a kiss feat. Yunhak from Choshinsei 7. Tasika na koto (Album Version) 8. Candy Boy feat. Hinouchi Emi 9. LOVE HUG 10. AKS99 feat. SEAMO & KG 11. to the top 12. Angel 13. Donna ni Hanaretemo duet with AZU (Rearrange Version) / KG
On the latest episode of NHK’s music program Music Japan (broadcasted on february 6th), they welcomed 5 groups of artists, jealkb, SCANDAL, S/mileage, Tohoshinki, and Yuzu. Below are the performances. Check it out!
Back in December, actress/singer Kitano Kii announced that she’d be releasing her 3rd single, “Kizuna“, on February 23rd.
avex has recently unveiled the PV for “Kizuza”, and it’s a very charming video. Remember that “Kizuna” is an answer song to her debut single, “Sakura Saku“, so keep an eye out for that blooming cherry tree cameo!
As tokyohive reported last week, NTV’s music show, Music Lovers, had an episode titled, “Arashi Premium“, for January 30th, and of course, it starred none other than the Johnny’s Entertainment group, Arashi.
Check out the videos below along with explanations of the content and translations!
- Arashi Meikyoku Live Collection : It shows many of Arashi’s live performances from the previous episodes on Music Lovers.
- Arashi’s First “Male Limited Live” : This was also from the previous episode in which Arashi held their first “Male Limited Live” on Music Lovers. As the guest lover, Yashima Tomohito also made appearance. Furthermore, there was also a never-released talk part during the show in which they asked the audience (who were male fans), “Which member do you want as your boss?” The winner of the poll question was Ohno Satoshi.
- Arashi members were then asked what kind of live they wanted to hold on Music Lovers?
• Sakurai Sho said he wanted a “Kids Limited Live”. • Ohno Satoshi said he wanted a “Foreigners Limited Live”. • Aiba Masaki said he wanted to “surprise a random person at their house and sing there”.
- For the never-released talk segment, there were quite a few highlights.
1. “Who is Arashi’s troublemaker?” (Asked To The Other Guests) 2. “Matsumoto Jun’s drinking friend is Oguri Shun.” 3. “Staffs have trouble dealing with Ohno Satoshi’s suntan.” 4. “Ninomiya Kazunari complains about a yakiniku dinner with Aiba.” 5. “Sakurai got confused by a mail from Ohno.” 6. “Who is the biggest sugar boy towards women?” (Asked To 100 Arashi Fans)
- The “Android au“ Guinness World Record CM Challenge
- At the end, the members were asked what kind of year they want to make 2011?
• Aiba Masaki – “I want to appear on Music Lovers this year as well.”
• Ninomiya Kazunari – “We have been able to do everything ‘Arashi-like’, so I want to thank people around us. Also, I think it’s best if we continue being just as Arashi, and enjoy all the work we do.”
Ninomiya actually apologized for saying stuff as if he was the leader of Arashi, as other members jokingly told him that it’s as if he was like the real leader of the group, which led to Ohno Satoshi’s answer…
• Ohno Satoshi – “I will try to be accepted as a leader.”
NEWS member Yamashita Tomohisa just started his solo Asia tour, “TOMOHISA YAMASHITA ASIA TOUR 2011 Super Good Super Bad“, at HITEC Star Hall in Hong Kong.
Yamashita appeared on stage, receiving enthusiastic “Yamapi!” calls, and he performed “Daite Senorita“, “Fever to Future“, and “Seishun Amigo” as the opening songs, and grabbed the hearts of 4,000 fans. When Yamashita performed “Seishun Amigo” on the stage, while being surrounded by the audience on all side, almost all of those in attendance were dancing to the song with Yamashita.
A total 25 songs were performed during the live concert, and Yamashita said to the fans, “I knew you guys (fans in Hong Kong) were very powerful, but it was just way beyond my expectations. I will study the language more, and I want to sing Hong Kong songs next time!”
Although he has held a live concert with NEWS in Taiwan back in 2007, this was his first solo concert overseas. During the concert, Yamashita gave handshakes on his own accord, and he even went down to the auditorium.
The live concerts in Hong Kong were held on January 29th and the 30th, so Yamashita said that he watched the Japan’s performance in the Asian Cup Final at the hotel room after the concert. Since he is in good contact with one of the Japanese team’s player, Nagatomo Yuto, who had the game winning assist, Yamashita gave congratulations to his friend, saying, “Nagatomo was amazing. He encouraged me. Congratulations.”
It’s been a whole nine years since any Johnny’s Entertainment artist has held a live concert in Hong Kong, however, it seems like the popularity of JE boys, including Yamashita, is still quite high. Since the tickets for the two live concerts in Hong Kong were sold out in an hour, there were two more additional stages. Thus, Yamashita held four stages in total in two days.
With this Asia tour, Yamashita will also visit Taiwan, Korea, and Thailand, apart from the five locations in Japan. He said, “I would like to dwindle the distances in this world. I would hope I could make people in other countries think, ‘Idols in Japan are pretty fun.’”
Ten member girl group Passpo announced that they would be making their major debut and going on a worldwide tour!
The group cheerfully introduced themselves in front of 1,000 fans on January 30th with a cute “Attention please! We’re Passpo!”, then showed off their major debut song “Shoujo Hikou,” presenting its “air travel” theme and flight attendant-inspired costumes. It was also revealed at the event that member Wakatsuki Chinatsu was responsible for the costume design and “rolling bag” dance for their debut single.
The group will be releasing their major label debut single, “Shoujo Hikou,” on April 6th after releasing four indie singles and an album. The average age of all the members is 17.4 years old, and finds much of their inspiration in popular Korean girl group Shoujo Jidai, their labelmate under Universal Music Japan. When asked about SNSD, Passpo replied excitedly, “We’d love to stand on the same stage as them someday.”
The girls seemed to have high expectations of their major label debut. “Even though we’re making our major debut, we want to give it our all just like the (indies) Passpo,” said the leader, Negishi Ai. She then added, “We want to stand at the top. We have our eye on Oricon’s number one spot!”
Passpo also announced at the event that they would be going on a worldwide tour by the end of the year, featuring stops in America and across Asia.
Check out Passpo’s performance at the Tokyo Idol Festival 2010 below. Do you think the girls have what it takes to make a successful major label debut?
Passpo – Let It Go!! + La La Love Train (Tokyo Idol Festival 2010)
[starttext] Just moments ago, the Sanrio Japan Official YouTube Channel released the full PV for SCANDAL’s “CUTE!“, which is also the “CINNAMON Collaboration Song“.
The track is the coupling song off of SCANDAL’s first single of 2011, “PRIDE“, due out for release on February 9th.
We previously reported that pop group BRIGHT would be releasing a new song, called “Ichinen Nikagetsu Hatsuka”, on January 12th through Recochoku, but it appears the girls have more plans for the song!
A 60-second teaser of what appears to be an official PV or advertisement for the “Ichinen Nikagetsu Hatsuka” track was uploaded onto Avex’s official YouTube channel. BRIGHT also announced through this video, and on their official website, that they would be going on tour in order to promote their newest song.
Those who purchased the song through Recochoku as a ringtone will be entered into a raffle to attend a special premium live by the four-membered group. The series of performances, titled “BRIGHT LIVE TOUR ~Sannen Ikkagetsu Nijuuyokka,” will begin on March 12th and end on March 27th for a total of four lives.
Actor Chiba Yudai and fashion model Kanno Yui will both be making special appearances in rookie rock band Violent is Savanna’s newest PV, “Awa-Iro Sakura Chiru”!
Although their second major label single, “Awa-Iro Sakura Chiru / Refrain Tumor”, will not be released until February 9th, the band has already released the music video for their newest song, marking the first time that Chiba and Kanno have appeared together.
Aside from his role as the Red Ranger in Tensou Sentai Goseiger, Chiba also appears in television commercials and fashion magazines as a model. On the other hand, Kanno has made multiple appearances in popular teen magazines, and has even produced her own brand of cosmetics.
Violent is Savanna debuted as major band last year. During their time as an indie band, they charted at number two on the indie single charts. The band’s latest song, “Awa-Iro Sakura Chiru”, is said to be a painfully sad “sakura song” to coincide with the theme of farewells during the season of the cherry blossoms.
After teasing us with a 30-second sample earlier, the nine ladies of Shoujo Jidai have finally dropped the full audio of their new digital release, “Run Devil Run“.
The girls will perform this track on the January 28th episode of TV Asahi’s “MUSIC STATION”, and many fans are curious over whether Shoujo Jidai will revive the original Korean choreography for its promotion.
Check out the track below (and you can support them by purchasing the music through iTunes Japan)!
Fuji Television’s music program, MUSIC FAIR aired the “Tokunaga Hideaki the 25th anniversary special” on January 22nd, and AKB48 member, Itano Tomomi made an appearance on the show. Itano performed, “Kagayakinagara…” with Tokunaga Hideaki which is one of the classic masterpieces of Tokunaga from 1987.
Although this was the only song Itano performed on this episode, MUSIC FAIR will air the sequel to the “Tokunaga Hideaki the 25th anniversary special” next week as well. So you will be able to see her performing more on next week!
Below is the performance of Itano and Tokunaga together.
Rock band SuG released their single, “Crazy Bunny Coaster“, on January 12th, and a day before its release, they held a special promotional event for the single.
Just a little while ago, the PV for “Crazy Bunny Coaster” was revealed, and you can check it out below.
AKB48 has just kicked off their 4-day live concert, “AKB48 Request Hour Set List Best 100 2011“, on January 20th at SHIBUYA-AX. The members held a press conference before the concert started, and to the reporters’ delight, they performed their upcoming song “Sakura no Ki ni Narou“!
At the press conference, member Itano Tomomi said, “This year will be the real challenge for AKB48.” Another member, Takahashi Minami, also said, “I hope we’ll be known by people in other countries as well.”
Check out the part of their performance for “Sakura no Ki ni Naoru”.
The premiere for “Byakuyako” was held on January 19th, and cast members Horikita Maki, Kora Kengo, and Funakoshi Eiichiro showed up to the greet the press. As we reported several times, Horikita is challenging an evil role in the movie for the first time.
At the premiere event, Horikita was asked by the host what kind of villainies she has done in the past. Horikita answered, “I can’t tell you the worst wrong I have done, but I will confesse my tenth worst one. I was quite terrible at drawing, so I asked my friend to draw it for me in art class. I even received a compliment for the picture.”
Listening her past villainy, Funakoshi, the king of suspense drama, said, “It’s quite bad for the tenth thing. I would like to know what you have done for the worst to the ninth.”
The official release of “Byakuyako” is scheduled to be on January 29th, and it will also be exhibited at the “61st Berlin International Film Festival.”
The popular puzzle game series Professor Layton has recruited none other than veteran singer-songwriter, Matsutouya Yumi to sing the theme song for the latest game in the series, “Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle”!
The Professor Layton series has shipped more than 9.5 million units worldwide, and will be releasing its fifth addition to the franchise next month. The game will be one of the first to be available for Nintendo’s newest handheld console, the Nintendo 3DS, and will hit stores on February 26. Matsutouya’s new song “Mysterious Flower” is described as being a pop tune that is simultaneously mysterious and bright, all characteristics which describe the world inside the game.
This year, the beloved singer will also be performing at the “SURF&SNOW in Naeba Vol.31″ event being held at Niigata’s Blizzardium performance hall. The event begins on February 4th and ends on the 16th for a total of 8 performances. A free “ski slope live” is also being arranged for any person attending the performance on February 13th.
Check out the official trailer and the commercial featuring “Mysterious Flower” below!
Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle CM (Mysterious Flower ver.)
J-Pop queen Ayumi Hamasaki held the final stage of her nationwide tour on October 11th, 2010, and it was such a spectacular show that she’s decided to share it once more!
Titled “ayumi hamasaki Rock’n'Roll Circus Tour FINAL ～7days Special～”, the recording will be released as a special 3D movie in Spring of 2011, but fans can now preview the concert (in 2D) through the singer’s official YouTube account.
To recap, the final stage for Ayu’s “Rock’n'Roll Circus” tour featured 11 different costumes and a whopping 28-song set. From wedding dresses to an aerial swoop over the audience, fans can relive (or experience for the first time) the intense excitement found at her concert. Tickets to the movie will be ￥2,000 -￥2,500 at the door.
Check out the official trailer below!
“A3D-II ayumi hamasaki Rock’n'Roll Circus Tour FINAL ~7days Special~” Official Trailer
SMAP member Kusanagi Tsuyoshi and actress Takeuchi Yuko showed up at the theater to greet the audience for their movie, “Boku to Tsuma no 1778 no Monogatari“, which was released that day on January 15th.
This marks the third time that the pair have co-starred with one another since the first time it occurred for “Yomigaeri“, released in 2003. Kusanagi said, “Thanks to Yuko-chan, I was able to do wonderful acting, it was a miracle.”
The movie is based on the true story of the San Francisco writer Mayumura Taku and his wife, who passed away due to cancer in 2002, and it’s a story in which the main character kept writing a short story every day for five years to make his wife smile, believing the doctor’s word that when people laugh, it increases the body’s immunity.
Since the movie’s theme is “What can you do for your loved one”, Kusanagi said, “I would find something common between me and the wife. Since I love curry, if the wife also likes curry, how about cooking curry for her every day…the spices are good for her health too.” On the other hand, Takeuchi said, “I would try to keep myself smiling in order to make my partner smile. If he makes curry for me, I would be pleased to eat the curry.”
The upcoming horror movie “Tomie Unlimited” which is the 8th in the Tomie series has recently released its first teaser. The Tomie series is based on the mystery horror manga written by Ito Junji, and the series have resulted many previously unknown actresses to become popular. 
The Tomie series has a different story setting for each movie, and for this latest series, Tomie and Tsukiko are set as sisters. The story will revolve around Tomie as she keeps reviving from death.
R&B singer AZU just released her 11th single, “Broken Heart“, on February 2nd, and is releasing a new album called “AZyoU” on February 23rd.
After teasing us with a 30-second sample earlier, the nine ladies of Shoujo Jidai have finally dropped the full audio of their new digital release, “Run Devil Run“.
Rock band SuG released their single, “Crazy Bunny Coaster“, on January 12th, and a day before its release, they held a special promotional event for the single.
The premiere for “Byakuyako” was held on January 19th, and cast members Horikita Maki, Kora Kengo, and Funakoshi Eiichiro showed up to the greet the press. As we reported several times, Horikita is challenging an evil role in the movie for the first time.
