あらま They Didn't ! Japanese Entertainment News

Yamapi under surveillance 24hrs a day by Iijima ?

2013-05-25T01:32:09Z

This is an article from Tokyo Sports, no idea how legitimate they are as a news source.

It seems that Yamashita Tomohisa,28, who belongs to the Iijima faction of Johnny’s Entertainment, is being closely watched by his management 24 hours a day. What has happened to him?

Yamapi has started a new variety show called “Generation Tengoku” since January, and at the studio a woman is seen hanging around him all the time. What is more surprising is that he is followed around even when he’s not working. Who he goes out with and where he goes are all being tracked, and according to Mr. X Yamapi said that he’s only alone when he’s in the toilet. Whether he’s joking or not we’re not sure, but Mr X says Yamapi getting tired of it. What is the reason for this strict surveillance?

He was photographed clubbing with Akanishi Jin towards the end of last year. At that time, a notice was circulated in the office to warn its talent from mixing with Akanishi Jin. The photo triggered management’s anger.

Of course, if his career after leaving NEWS was smooth sailing, this surveillance thing wouldn’t have been necessary. But except for his first single “Ai, Texas” which managed to grab No.1, the subsequent singles and album, including the most recent “Que Sera Sera” only managed a No.2.

“It’s because his solo career isn’t moving anywhere, and yet he’s having fun with his friends and breaking the rules,” said Mr. X

Even though Johnny-san is telling him to move forward on his own, Ms Iijima thinks that something must be done.

“Even his MC position on Generation Tengoku was somehow secured with Iijima’s power, so there must be some sort of results to come out from it,” said Mr X

“The other MC Imada Koji is doing well in hosting the show, the program itself is interesting, and ratings are stable, so Yamapi’s value to the show is rather low,” said staff from TV station.

However, this is a new chance for Yamapi to shine. With the rumors of upcoming drama in July, if he wants to regain his freedom, he will have to show some results for all these activities.

source : here

I just read this and poor him and Jin :/

NMB48 Releases PV For Their 7th Single, Bokura no Eureka

2013-05-25T01:31:59Z

Recently, NMB48 revealed the PV for their upcoming 7th single, Bokura no Eureka, due for release on 19th June 2013.

The official short version of the PV can be seen here:

To watch the full PV, click on this link.
http://www.yinyuetai.com/video/670801

They also released a bikini dance shot version.

Source: NMB48official

I love NMB and have always been a huge fan, but personally, I feel this song lacks punch.
Hopefully, the B-sides will sound better.

That being said, I love the PV!!!
NMB looks great as scavengers.
And I think Sayanee just shot my heart with her bow and arrow! *shot*

Japan Still Skeptical of PSY’s Popular Appeal

2013-05-25T01:31:54Z

For one reason or another, PSY’s big bandwagon never really made it to Japan. In fact, the country is so fed up with the Korean pop star that they’ve convinced themselves his overseas popularity is a well maintained lie and his YouTube views come from hired hands hitting refresh. So, it’s unsurprising that they were equally unsurprised, and perhaps a bit vindicated, to hear that PSY’s appearance on American Idol corresponded with record low ratings for the show.
As part of American Idol Season 12’s finale, PSY appeared as a guest performer with his new hit single, Gentleman. That night, for the first time in the history of American Idol finals, viewership dropped below 20 million people. Just over 14.3 million people watched the selection of this year’s new singing sensation, 33 percent less than last year’s 21.5 million.
Of course, Japan chocks it all up to PSY. Comments to the news include, “Not surprising. He’s not so popular.” “That’s lame, even for him.” “It’s because you can’t refresh a TV program!” and so many more, most of them inflammatory.

Let’s just forget that the show featured a large number of mainstream performers, such as Frankie Valli, Mariah Carrey, The Band Perry, and Jennifer Lopez, and that PSY’s song took up only three and half minutes of the two-hour long special. Japan understands that if the Korean entertainer was actually popular, the finales views would have been in the billions for sure.

Keep living in denial, Japan

Source:http://en.rocketnews24.com/2013/05/25/japan-still-skeptical-of-psys-popular-appeal/
http://jin115.com/archives/51950450.html

FFA friday

2013-05-24T23:26:36Z

☆free ☆for ☆all
Welcome to the weekly off-topic/random post!!!

→ arama on twitter | facebook | last.fm
→ Don't post a wall of giant gifs/pics!

MUSIC STATION 2013.05.24

2013-05-24T18:46:34Z

FACE to Face/KAT-TUN

生放送协会

Sayonara Crawl / AKB48

生放送协会

Message / Leo Ieiri

生放送协会

Sayonarajyanai / FUNKY MONKEY BABYS
Chippoke na Yuki / FUNKY MONKEY BABYS
Arigatou / FUNKY MONKEY BABYS

生放送协会

Full show

full show

*Performances are in broadcast order.

Next week's guest lineup:
Endless Game / ARASHI
Answer And Answer / 9mm Parabellum Bullet
Magic of Love / Perfume
Hanamizuki / May J.
Last Love / Rihwa

Tracklists and covers for GACKT's new "Best Of" albums [07/03]

2013-05-24T18:21:05Z

GACKT is releasing two "Best Of" albums on July 3 titled "BEST OF THE BEST vol.1 MILD" and "BEST OF THE BEST vol.1 WILD", and including the new songs "CLAYMORE" and "サクラ、散ル・・・".

『BEST OF THE BEST vol.1 ―MILD―』

CD
1. WHITE LOVERS -幸せなトキ-
2. DISPAR
3. GHOST
4. 絵夢～FOR MY DEAR～
5. JOURNEY THROUGH THE DECADE
6. 白露 -HAKURO-
7. LAST SONG ～UNPLUGGED～
8. VANILLA
9. 小悪魔ヘヴン
10. GRAFFITI
11. キミのためにできること
12. MISSING ～笑顔を見せて～
13. サクラ、散ル・・・

DVD & Blu-ray
1. WHITE LOVERS -幸せなトキ- [MUSIC CLIP]
2. GHOST [MUSIC CLIP]
3. JOURNEY THROUGH THE DECADE [MUSIC CLIP]
4. 白露 -HAKURO- [MUSIC CLIP]
5. 小悪魔ヘヴン [LIVE]
6. GRAFFITI [MUSIC CLIP]
7. サクラ、散ル・・・ [MUSIC CLIP]

『BEST OF THE BEST vol.1 ―WILD―』

CD
1. DOOMSDAY
2. DEATH WISH
3. REDEMPTION
4. UNTIL THE LAST DAY
5. CLAYMORE
6. FLOWER
7. SAYONARA
8. BLACK STONE
9. ANOTHER WORLD
10. EVER
11. 情熱のイナズマ
12. JESUS
13. STAY THE RIDE ALIVE

DVD & Blu-ray
1. UNTIL THE LAST DAY [MUSIC CLIP]
2. CLAYMORE [MUSIC CLIP]
3. FLOWER (G only) [MUSIC CLIP]
4. EVER [MUSIC CLIP]
5. JESUS [MUSIC CLIP]
6. STAY THE RIDE ALIVE [MUSIC CLIP]

sauce: Avex

Japan's wartime brothels were wrong, says 91-year-old veteran

2013-05-24T18:05:08Z

(Reuters) - When Masayoshi Matsumoto joined the Japanese army in 1943 and was sent to occupied China as a medic, he thought he was taking part in a righteous war to free Asia from the yoke of Western imperialism.

Seven decades later, the 91-year-old retired Christian pastor says it's his mission to speak out about the injustice of the war and the sufferings of women, mostly Asian and many Korean, forced to work in Japanese wartime military brothels.

"I feel like a war criminal. It is painful to speak of such things and I would rather cover it up. It is painful, but I must speak," the slender, white-haired Matsumoto told Reuters in an interview at his daughter's home about 40 km (25 miles) from Tokyo.

"I think that to speak out is the meaning of my being alive," added Matsumoto, who returned to Japan in 1946 and later became the pastor of a Christian church. He is one of a dwindling number of veterans with experience of the brothels.

Outspoken Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto sparked a firestorm of criticism at home and abroad when he said last week that the military brothel system was "necessary" at the time and that Japan has been unfairly singled out for practices common among other militaries during wartime.

The remarks outraged China, where many suffered under Japan's military occupation, and South Koreans, where bitter memories of Japan's 1910-1945 colonial rule run deep.

They also sparked a backlash in Japan. Support for Hashimoto's right-leaning Japan Restoration Party, already sliding, has fallen further ahead of an upper house election just two months away and another small party has broken off ties with it.

As a medic stationed in Yu County in China's Shanxi Province during the war, Matsumoto helped doctors examine a half dozen Korean women who provided sexual services for officers and non-commissioned officers, part of an effort to stem the spread of venereal disease among soldiers.

Whatever the rationale at the time, Matsumoto said, the system and the treatment of the women - known euphemistically as "comfort women" - were inexcusable.

"NO EXCUSE"

"It is not just Japan that did something wrong. But Japan also did something wrong ... Just because someone else is a thief, is it all right to be a thief? Because someone else kills people, is it all right to be a murderer? That is no excuse," Matsumoto said.

"The prime minister of Japan should apologize properly as the representative of the nation and compensate those who should be compensated."

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe caused controversy during his first 2006-2007 term by saying there was no proof that Japan's military had kidnapped women for the brothels. Such doubts are common among Japanese ultra-conservatives.

But Abe has sought to distance himself from Hashimoto's remarks, saying his government's stance is different.

"The stance of the government on this issue is that, as we stated previously, we are deeply pained when thinking of the women who experienced immeasurable pain and suffering. On this point, the Abe cabinet has the same position as prior cabinets," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference last week, although he declined direct comment on Hashimoto's remarks.

The issue has often frayed ties between Tokyo and Seoul. Japan says the matter of compensation was settled under a 1965 treaty establishing diplomatic ties. In 1995, Japan set up a fund to make payments to the women from private contributions, but South Korea says that was not official and so not enough.

Matsumoto said the women had no means of escape from the walled town where his military unit was headquartered and were in fact sex slaves. "No matter if they wanted to flee, there was no way to escape," he said.

Recalling the conditions in which the women lived, Matsumoto said soldiers lining up for sex would unfasten their leg wrappings and lower their trousers so as to waste no time when their turns came. "It was like they were going to the toilet," he said.

Only years later did Matsumoto come to believe his country had done something wrong. "We were taught that it was the mission of Japan, the mission of the Japanese people, to liberate Asian countries from European colonialism," he said.

"So we went to war gladly then. When I think of it now, it was monstrous, but I didn't think so then."

By Linda Sieg and Ruairidh Villar, Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan

Source

A short video of the interview from Reuters:
Japanese war veteran speaks out about injustices suffered by sexual slaves at miliatry brothels during World War Two. Masako Iijima reports.

What he said about "Just because someone else is a thief, is it all right to be a thief?" sums up all my feels towards Hashimoto and his 'misguided' beliefs. You go guy!

600,000 People (=Population of Hachioji City) Applied for Funky Monkey Babys' Last Live Concert!

2013-05-24T18:04:07Z

Funky Monkey Babys has announced that their concerts at Tokyo Dome on June 1st and 2nd would be the last shows for the band. More than 450,000 copies of their last greatest hits album, 'Funky Monkey Babys LAST BEST', released on March 27th, has already been shipped out. If progress as it is, they'd have shipped out more than 500,000 copies by the time of their Tokyo dome concert.

The band, who would be retiring at their peak, released their tickets publicly on April 27th, which sold out instantly. Moreover, more than 600,000 members of the fan club applied for advanced ticket sales.

If we assume that 1 show at Tokyo Dome would hold 50,000 people, it means that they'd have to hold 12 shows to reach 600,000. Furthermore, the band's hometown, Hachioji City has a population of about 600,000 people (as of April 1st, 2013). It is a bit mysterious to think that the same number of people applied for tickets as the number of people who live in their hometown. It is amazing to see how many fans regretting the band's break up.

Source: BARKS

NINKI ratings for the week of 27/5~2/6/2013

2013-05-24T12:13:49Z

Albums:

01 75.90 Jang Geun Suk - Nature Boy

02 51.00 Hikawa Kiyoshi - Enka Meikyoku Collection 18 ~Shigure no Minato~

03 50.40 BOYFRIEND - SEVENTH MISSION

04 44.20 Jin - Mekaku City Records

05 17.10 Kuribayashi Minami - TIGHT KNOT

06 16.80 Children Of Bodom - Halo Of Blood

07 15.30 plenty - this

08 15.20 Jamie Cullum - Momentum

09 15.10 Kinniku Shojo Tai - Official Self Cover Best 4 Seiki Han

10 14.90 Austin Mahone - Austin Mahone -Nihon Debut EP

Singles:

01 551.50 Arashi - Endless Game

02 134.20 2PM - GIVE ME LOVE

03 42.10 Kuramochi Asuka - Itsumo Soba ni

04 35.20 Shiina Ringo - Irohanihoheto / Kodoku no Akatsuki

05 33.80 Yonezu Kenshi - Santa Maria

06 26.60 Shinomiya Natsuki (Taniyama Kisho) - Uta no☆Prince Sama♪Maji LOVE 2000% Idol Song Shinomiya Natsuki (Taniyama Kisho)

07 23.30 Kiryu - Aien Kien

08 22.10 SPYAIR - Niji

09 21.90 9mm Parabellum Bullet - Answer And Answer

10 21.60 DEMPA GUMI.inc - Denden Passion

Note 1:

The NINKI ratings are the results of a POLL conducted by Oricon indicating degree of interest/degree of purchase intention in an upcoming release. Although the ratings are never a true reflection of sales, it does give a strong prediction about where the single/album will place in terms of popularity amongst the Japanese public. However, they are NOT an indication of how it will perform in terms of chart positioning and total sales for the week.

Note 2:

According to Oricon's note under the NINKI page, Oricon researches about 870,000 of its members by random sampling of 400 members in their 10s until 40s. 50 men and 50 women are chosen randomly to participate in each age group. (However, some popular artists have had NINKI exceeding 500, so we can only assume that Oricon has extended the polling to around 600/700 people now.)

More new releases next week (according to CDJapan listing):

Singles - Dream, Ono Erena, Hata Motohiro, Dragon Ash, F.CUZ, Alice Nine, Hyadain, Kawamura Ryuchi, Go Hiromi, JASMINE, Tiina Kariina, Haruhata Michiya, Yumemiru Adolescence, Jiraiya, Uno Seiji, Most Lady Killer, Magokoro Brothers, DOWNER, Salley, Be Flourish, Yagai Ayano

Albums - K, Sasakure.UK, JAY'ED, TAKEBAN, Otokaze, NOCTURNAL BLOODLUST, 9GOATS BLACK OUT, Uda Kayoko, ZOO, LIGHT BRINGER, Takekawa Yukihide, Circus, Kominami Yasuha, kainatsu, Sayuri Sakura

Wow, Dream couldn't even make it to the top 10. I was hoping they would make at least a small impact.

Anyway, rooting for Shiina, SPYAIR and 9mm!

Source 1, 2

Sailor Fuku: The Long and Short of it

2013-05-24T12:09:17Z

Despite or perhaps even because of their prevalence in anime, the humble sailor fuku is one of the more misunderstood articles of clothing out there, particularly by those viewers who watch anime only now and again and have little familiarity with Japanese culture as a whole. The two most common questions seem to be, ‘why is her skirt so short?’, and ‘why do the characters wear their school uniforms even when not at school?’ As a result, the idea that the sailor fuku acts primarily as some sort of fetish item seems to be a reasonably common one. Yeah, Sailor Moon has a lot to answer for.

First introduced in 1921 by Elizabeth Lee, then the principal of Fukuoka Jo Gakuin University, the sailor fuku was modelled after the uniforms worn by the Royal Navy which Lee had seen during her time as an exchange student in the United Kingdom. Today, school uniforms are almost universal in both Japanese private and public school systems, required from after elementary school right through to the end of high school. Although the well-known sailor style collar and tie is not necessarily a part of every uniform (many school uniforms consist of a basic skirt and blouse/blazer combo with a thin ribbon or Western long-tie like in Toradora, or else a pinafore dress over a blouse as in Evangelion), all styles may still be correctly referred to as sailor fuku.

The sailor fuku circa 1921.

Just like in many other places around the globe (my home country of New Zealand being a fine example here), school uniforms in Japan are often viewed as a fashion statement, and it is not unheard of for girls to select which junior high school they attend based on them. Personalised sailor fuku also play a large role in Japanese youth culture and have done so for decades, with uniforms sometimes modified by students as a means of exhibiting individualism and experimenting with their image and identity. Of course, the more strict or exclusive the school, the less likely these modifications are to be tolerated by teachers. The shortening or in some cases lengthening of the skirt, the removal of the ribbon, necktie, or bow, and the hiding of patches and badges beneath the collar are some of the more widespread changes that are made to school uniforms by their wearers.

Over the past several years there’s also been a steady market for ‘nanchatte’ sailor fuku, or ‘just kidding’ uniforms. Students who want to self-coordinate their own uniforms to wear outside of school hours can easily buy them from catalogues and stores like CONOMi, as seen here advertising their 2009 brand collection.

As with any other fashion though, what’s considered trendy is constantly changing. In the late 1960s and early 70s it was the sukeban style that was in vogue, with ‘bad girls’ who wanted to emulate the girl gang look wearing their skirts down to their ankles and cropping their tops to bare their midriffs, – much like Fruits Basket’s ex-gang member Arisa. In contrast, the various gyaru fashions, which reached their peak in popularity during the mid-1990s, dictated that school skirts be worn short by rolling up the waistband and that loose white socks be fixed below the knee with the aid of a special sock glue. Students imitating this particular style also tanned their skin, bleached their hair, and wore a lot of pale make-up – as seen by Ran in Super Gals! (kogal style) or the three heavily made-up high school girls making cameo appearances in Durarara!! (ganguro style).

The sailor fuku as worn in the general kogal style.

So why are sailor fuku so prevalent in anime? The most obvious answer to this is because such a large amount of anime and manga revolves around school life, or at least school-aged children and teenagers. Because of the amount of time school-aged people have to watch television in comparison to working adults, this is by default the largest age demographic of anime in Japan – it’s essentially just a matter of TV being tailored towards its audience.

However, there’s also more to it than that. Unlike in many other parts of the world, Japanese societal rules dictate that school uniforms be used as student formal-wear, and are typically donned for any occasion that may have some bearing on the school itself. Before and after school club activities, sports and cultural events, weddings, and funerals are some of the occasions you can expect to see sailor fuku worn to. It’s also common for school classes to sometimes be held on Saturdays, and for students to attend late afternoon and evening cram school (juku). Look in any standard Japanese student handbook and you’ll no doubt find included something along the lines of “Before and after class, no matter where you are, you represent our school.” It’s therefore not particularly odd for anime characters to be seen wearing their sailor fuku even when not in immediate context with a school setting.

There’s no getting away from the fact that the sailor fuku is also a popular fetish item, both in Japan and abroad (although I’d argue that this is not its intended or primary function). The image of a schoolgirl whose skirt is caught in the wind and lifted up to reveal her underwear, or of one intentionally bending over so that her ultra-short skirt is raised to her waist, is beyond clichéd by now. Anime like Highschool of the Dead, Samurai Girl: Real Bout High School, Tenjho Tenge, and countless pornographic titles are practically sold on this premise alone (although it can be difficult to pinpoint exactly where straight fanservice ends and outright parody begins). Meanwhile, outside of the anime universe, second-hand outfits can be brokered through underground shops known as burusera (a portmanteau of ‘buruma’ as in bloomers and ‘sera’ as in sailor), and even vending machines have been known to take part in this fetishised clothing business. Both of these have been illegal since 1993 however, so it’s unlikely you’ll be able to find any without knowing precisely how to go about finding them.

The way in which the sailor fuku has been repeatedly turned into a sex symbol by men and women of all ages and from all over the world has not been lost on Japan. Parodying of the trope is common in both anime as well as in real life – a good example of this can be found in one of the singles performed by The Onyanko Club, a large Japanese pop idol group of the 1980s. Its members often set new all new lows of political incorrectness through their songs and appearances on evening television shows, with ‘Sailor Fuku wo Nugasanaide’ (‘Don’t Take Off My Sailor Fuku’) earning moderate infamy for its cheeky lyrics and later being covered in 2010 by none other than current mega-idol unit AKB48. (Click here for an English translation of the lyrics: http://theonyankoclub.weebly.com/serafuku-wo-nugasanaide.html.)

As with other fictional medium, anime can and often does exaggerate the sailor fuku for effect. Making the skirt longer or shorter either for the sake of fanservice or to complement a particular character archetype is commonplace, as is giving the overall design a far more colourful palette than it would have in real life – god forbid an anime school uniform actually be boring. However, as an item of clothing in its own right, the sailor fuku is neither hypersexual in connotation nor intended to be particularly conspicuous. It’s simply another fact of daily life in Japan.

Source: OTAKU LOUNGE

Acid Black Cherry to Release 5th Anniversary Live DVD!

2013-05-24T12:08:52Z

In 2012, yasu's solo project Acid Black Cherry celebrated its 5th anniversary. On July 17th, 2013, this anniversary live will be released on DVD and Blu-ray!

The DVD and Blu-ray are titled Acid Black Cherry 5th Anniversary Live "Erect" and include 21 songs played at the live on December 13th, 2012 in Yoyogi National Stadium Gymnasium. The DVD-version comes with 2 DVDs and costs 6300 Yen, the Blu-ray costs 7000 Yen.

[Content]

Opening Movie
01.Maria
02.cord name 【JUSTICE】
03.Rakuen
04.in the Mirror
05.Jigsaw
06.Yasashii Uso
07.1954 LOVE/HATE
08.doomsday clock
09.Aishitenai
10.Yes
11.Bit Stupid
12.Cherry Cherry
13.Murder Licence
14.Kuroi Taiyou
15.Pistol
16.Shoujo no Inori III
17.SPELL MAGIC

[Encore]
E1. so…Good night.
E2. Black Cherry

[W Encore]
WE1. Prologue End
WE2. Shangri-La

Bonus: OFF SHOT footage from the 6 nationwide shows of Erect LIVE.
First press bonus: designed sleeve, 24P live photo booklet.

DVD: CDJapan / HMV Japan / Amazon Japan
Blu-ray: CDJapan / HMV Japan / Amazon Japan

Below are some of the photos of the LIVE held on December 13th, 2012 in Yoyogi National Stadium Gymnasium.

Sources: 1, 2
Photos credit: 1, 2

Itano Tomomi's hot new pv for 1%

2013-05-24T12:07:14Z

source

OMG she slayed me, really new Queen of J-pop!

Nishino Kana - 'Believe' PV

2013-05-24T12:06:33Z

Source

"It’s Not My Fault That I’m Not Popular" Anime Character Designs Revealed

2013-05-24T05:39:16Z

There's still very little information about the July anime adaptation of Nico Tanigawa's otaku cringe-comedy Watashi ga Motenai no wa Dou Kangaete mo Omaera ga Warui! aka Watamote or It’s Not My Fault That I’m Not Popular! However, after plenty of fan created/fake character design sheets for the anime, the real ones have finally been revealed.

Meet...

Tomoko Kuroki - a girl who comes to the rude awakening that her late, sweaty nights of playing otome games haven't prepared her to make friends in highschool.

Tomoki Kuroki - Tomoko's junior highschool age younger brother, who is a lot less sympathetic to her problems and way of thinking than she assumes. Anime character description suggests that he has a nicer side under his bruskness.

Yū Naruse - Tomoko's only friend. They shared otaku interests in middle school, and while Yu-chan hasn't entirely abandoned them, she has dyed her hair, found a boyfriend and become popular.

Who do you think will be voicing the characters? Beyond that... who do you think is actually making this anime?

source

Summer anime season is going to be great between this, Free! and Brother's Conflict. Also is this considered the one time 4chan actually did something good?

SUPER JUNIOR DONGHAE & EUNHYUK / 「I WANNA DANCE」/MUSICVIDEO (short ver.)

2013-05-24T05:39:10Z

avexnetwork

Same date as SNSD's Love&Girls. Who will chart higher?

KyoAni's 'Free!' Swimming Anime's Character CDs Briefly Listed

2013-05-23T18:24:58Z

The Akihabara branch of Animate briefly reported on Twitter on Wednesday that Kyoto Animation's upcoming Free! anime is already inspiring five character song singles. Although the company listed that characters Haruka Nanase (voiced by Nobunaga Shimazaki), Makoto Tachibana (Tatsuhisa Suzuki), Rin Matsuoka (Mamoru Miyano), Nagisa Hazuki (Tsubasa Yonaga), and Rei Ryugasaki (Daisuke Hirakawa) would each be getting song CDs, Animate quickly took down the Tweet. It still lists a Tweet informing fans that OLDCODEX's “Rage on” opening theme single would be getting a reversible jacket variant of Haruka Nanase when customers purchase at Animate.

The story revolves around Haruka Nanase, a boy who has always loved to be immersed in water, and to swim in it. After years of separation, his childhood friend Rin challenges him to a swimming match, showing Haruka his overwhelming power. Not wanting it to end like this, Haruka gathers together Makoto and Nagisa once again, and also brings a new member named Rei Ryugazaki to create the Iwatobi High School Swimming Club. Haruka, Makoto Nagisa, Rei, and Rin come together for a story of swimming, youth, and friendship.

The Free! television anime is based on Kōji Ōji's High Speed!, an honorable mention recipient in the 2nd Kyoto Animation Award in 2011. Hiroko Utsumi of Animation DO is directing the anime, and Masahiro Yokotani is supervising the scripts. Futoshi Nishiya is designing the characters, and Tatsuya Katou is composing the music.

Much of the same production staff created the "Suiei-hen" (Swimming) anime commercial that was unveiled in April. Animation DO had teased "a project in the works" with an image of Haruka swimming last April.

Source

I'm ready for this to be release, like now.

PERFUME -「Magic of Love」Live | MUSIC JAPAN, May 22

2013-05-23T15:24:08Z

Source: [x]

Bonus! Perfume on Sakigake! Ongaku Banzuke EIGHT, May 22

Source: [x]

Mari Yamaguchi apologizes for illicit affair

2013-05-23T06:59:11Z

TOKYO —
Former Morning Musume singer Mari Yaguchi, 30, has apologized for having an illicit affair. Yaguchi apologized for the misdeed on her regular TV show this week.

Josei Seven magazine reported on Tuesday that Yaguchi’s husband, actor Masaya Nakamura, 27, had come home one day in February and found Yaguchi in bed with Kenzo Umeda, a 25-year-old model. Nakamura and Yaguchi have been living separately since then.

Meanwhile, Umeda has deleted his Twitter account, as well as his personal blog.

Source:Japan Today

The other man, Kenzo Umade
wtf he ugly as hell..

And a CGI video showing all of this (I laughed..idgf..it was hilarious)

SPAO to open stores in Japan

2013-05-23T06:14:02Z

E-Land is tapping into the Japanese fast fashion market with its SPAO brand in July to piggyback on that country’s boost in consumption thanks to the weak yen.

“We will open SPAO’s first and the second stores on July 12 in LuLuport Yokohama and Arai shopping mall in Sendai to accelerate our SPA [specialty retailer of private label apparel] business in Japan. We also plan to showcase new trends in the Japanese casual SPA market by differentiating SPAO with specific business product lines and casual clothing in a variety of colors,” a spokesperson for E-Land Group said yesterday.

The Korean fashion retailer’s SPAO brand will compete by offering more business product lines that target consumers in their 50s.

About 40 percent of its products will be men’s casual wear, 35 percent women’s casual clothes, 15 percent formal business products and 10 percent miscellaneous goods.

In March, E-Land opened two stores featuring its women’s wear SPA brand Mixxo in Japan.

The Japanese casual fast fashion market is dominated by Uniqlo, which operates 1,000 stores.

To compete with Uniqlo, E-Land has teamed up with Japanese retail giants and real estate developers.

The company signed a long-term business contract with Japan’s No. 1 retail group, 7&I, when it launched Mixxo in Japan. The SPAO store in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture in the northern part of Japan, will be the third opening with the 7&I.

In addition, the fashion retailer signed a five-year contract with real estate developer Mitsui Fudosan, part of Mitsui Group, which owns about 70 malls.

The SPAO Yokohama store will be on the third floor of Mitsui Fudosan’s LaLaport Yokohama, one of the largest commercial facilities in Kanagawa Prefecture with 370 shops and restaurants as well as cultural facilities.

E-Land, which pioneered the Korean fast fashion market with the launch of SPAO in 2009, plans to expand 10 stores in Japan by next year and 30 by 2015.

In 2014, it is scheduled to open SPAO stores in Shinjuku and Harajuku, the core commercial areas in Tokyo.

E-Land said its sales target by 2015 is 150 billion won ($135 million) but expects to achieve the goal earlier considering Japan’s economic recovery.

“How quickly we enter the market is the key to success. SPAO, which comes with the core competencies of affordable prices and a differentiated product mix, has caught the perfect timing as reviving consumer sentiment in Japan along with other external factors promise great elasticity in the initial market entry,” said Lee Geun-seok, regional director of the E-Land Japan.

By Kim Jung-yoon
KoreaJoongAngDaily

SPAO should open more stores not just in Japan, but in other countries as well you know, *ehemendorsersehem*

KYARY PAMYU PAMYU - New Album Announcement! 「なんだこれくしょん」06.26.13

2013-05-22T22:36:53Z

Regular Edition

Limited Edition

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu will be releasing her 2nd album “Nandacollection” on June 26th.

The album, which comes 1 year and 1 month after her first album “Pamyu Pamyu Revolution”, will contain her hit singles, “Fashion Monster”, “Kimi ni 100 Percent”, “Furisodation”, “Ninja Re Bang Bang”, and “Invader Invader”. It will also feature “Noriko to Norio” (which was written for her new au commercial) and “Kurakura”, which is currently being broadcast in commercials for KFC’s Krushers, for a total of 12 tracks.

In addition to being compiled in a photo book format, the limited edition version will come with a DVD containing the music videos for “Fashion Monster”, “Furisodation”, “Ninja Re Bang Bang”, and “Invader Invader”.

Along with the announcement of her new album, Kyary has also revealed the jacket covers for her latest release. The limited edition version features a very outlandish Kyary covered in peacock feathers, while the regular edition cover is a “couple shot” of Kyary and a puppet styled after her.

Tracklist
01. Nandacollection (なんだこれくしょん; The What-The Collection)
02. Ninja Re Bang Bang (にんじゃりばんばん)
03. Kimi ni 100 Percent (キミに100パーセント; 100 Percent for You)
04. Super Scooter Happy (capsule cover)
05. Invader Invader (インベーダーインベーダー)
06. Mi (み)
07. Fashion Monster (ファッションモンスター)
08. Saigo no Ice Cream (さいごのアイスクリーム; The Last Ice Cream)
09. Noriko to Norio (のりことのりお; Noriko and Norio)
10. Furisodation (ふりそでーしょん)
11. Kurakura (くらくら; Dizzy)
12. Otona na Kodomo (おとななこども; A Grown-Up Kid)

Limited Edition DVD
01. Fashion Monster PV
02. Furisodation PV
03. Ninja Re Bang Bang PV
04. Invader Invader PV

Kyary’s comment:

“My second album will finally be released! It would make so happy if the picture for the limited edition made you mutter, ‘What the!?’ The CD also has all sorts of songs, from the rock-flavored ‘Fashion Monster’ to the sparkly alien song ‘Invader Invader’, so please look forward to it~!! It definitely won’t let you down!! I want you all to hear it soon!!”

* Note: The title is a combination of words “nanda kore” (what the?) and “collection”, which I’m romanizing as “Nandacollection” :)

Source: [x]

11. KuraKura

09. Noriko no Norio

Source: [x]

Weekly Oricon Chart: Albums/Singles/Music-DVDs

2013-05-22T17:12:02Z

Rock singer, Yazawa Eikichi, has reached the no.1 spot in the albums chart with his first best album celebrating 40 years in the industry with "ALL TIME BEST ALBUM". It has been 18 years and 10 months since he has topped the chart with an original album, "the Name is..." (July 1994). At 63 years old and 8 months, he is the oldest artist to have topped either singles or albums chart. Previously, the oldest artist to top the singles chart was Akimoto Junko with "Ai no Mama de..." (January 2008) at 61 years and 7 months old, and Oda Kazumasa with "Domo" (April 2011) in the albums chart at 63 years and 7 months old. Yazawa has also renewed his own record of having the most top 10 albums to 51, as well as having the longest interval before achieving another no.1 spot, previously held by Tokunaga Hideaki at 15 years and 10 months of interval. This best album is his first since he debuted as the leader of rock band, Carol in 1972 and went on for a solo debut in 1975. The album includes remastering of his solo debut, "I Love You, OK", his representative hit, "Jikan yo Tomare" (1978), "YES MY LOVE" (1982), and his drama theme song, "Ari yo Saraba" (1994), for a total of 41 songs in 3 CDs overall.

In the singles chart, popular group, KAT-TUN have achieved the top spot with their 21st single, "FACE to Face". This is also their 21st consecutive n0.1 single since debuting with "Real Face" (March 2006). The title track is the theme song for the movie starring member, Kamenashi Kazuya, "Ore Ore" (to be released on the 25th). This is the first time for their movie theme song to top the chart.

Posting the top 30 albums/singles and the top 10 music-DVDs. The second column in the top 10 refers to sales in 2013. New release in bold.

Oricon Weekly - Albums (13/5/2013~19/5/2013)

*1 85,498 *85,498 Yazawa Eikichi - ALL TIME BEST ALBUM

*2 40,168 *40,168 NAOTO INTI RAYMI - Nice catch the moment!

*3 14,107 131,928 Yuzu - LAND

*4 11,538 *88,978 Domoto Tsuyoshi - Kaba

*5 *9,781 **9,781 YOSEOP (from BEAST) - The First Collage -Japan Edition-

*6 *7,183 332,114 FUNKY MONKEY BABYS - FUNKY MONKEY BABYS LAST BEST

*7 *7,118 **7,118 Aldious - District Zero

*8 *6,166 **6,166 Baba Toshihide - BABA TOSHIHIDE ALL TIME BEST 1996-2013 ~Road Show no Ano Melody

*9 *5,910 109,793 E-girls - Lesson 1

10 *5,816 **5,816 2PM - GROWN

11~30:

11 *5,667 Jimmy Sam P feat. Hatsune Miku, Megurine Luka - Reboot

12 *5,645 Hirahara Ayaka - 10 Shunen Kinen Single Collection ~Dear Jupiter~

13 *5,116 VAMPIRE WEEKEND - Modern Vampires Of The City

14 *5,054 Matsuoka Takuya - SECOND DEPARTURE

15 *4,916 Hoshino Gen - Stranger

16 *4,437 B1A4 – WHAT’S THE PROBLEM

17 *4,346 Aobouzu - Blue Merry

18 *4,139 THE WINERY DOGS - THE WINERY DOGS

19 *4,028 Primal Scream - More Light

20 *3,140 CLIFF EDGE - THE BEST ~You're the only one~

21 *3,123 Golden Bomber - The Past Masters vol. 1

22 *2,924 Suzuki Masayuki - Open Sesame

23 *2,790 StarS - StarS

24 *2,711 Lazar Berman - Liszt: Annees de pelerinage

25 *2,429 FALL OUT BOY - Save Rock and Roll

26 *2,223 Will.i.am - ＃Will Power

27 *2,120 SHINee – Chapter 2: Why So Serious? Misconceptions Of Me

28 *1,992 Otomo Naoto, The Tokyo Symphony Orchestra - Samuragochi Mamoru: Sym, 1, 《HIROSHIMA》

29 *1,943 BOΦWY - THE BEST "STORY"

30 *1,922 Bruno Mars – Unorthodox Jukebox

Oricon Weekly - Singles (13/5/2013~19/5/2013)

*1 131,843 131,843 KAT-TUN - FACE to Face

*2 115,074 115,074 T.M.RevolutionxMizuki Nana - Preserved Roses

*3 *74,646 *74,646 GENERATIONS from EXILE TRIBE - Love You More

*4 *26,118 *26,118 Ittoki Otoya (Terashima Takuma) - Uta no☆Prince Sama♪ Maji LOVE 2000% Idol Song Ittoki Otoya (SMILE MAGIC)

*5 *23,023 *23,023 Spitz - Sarasara / Boku wa Kitto Tabi ni Deru

*6 *16,460 *16,460 Kyary Pamyu Pamyu - Invader Invader

*7 *15,455 *15,455 FUDANJUKU - Shita wo Muite Kaerou / RIKISHI-MAN

*8 *12,881 *12,881 Sonar Pocket - Kataomoi。 ~Linaria~ / Start Line!

*9 *12,760 *12,760 Dream5 - Hop! Step! Dance↑↑

10 *11,605 *11,605 Iguchi Yuka - Grow Slowly

11~30:

11 *10,926 petit milady - Kagami no Dualizm / 100% Cider Girl

12 **8,611 GReeeeN – HEROES

13 **8,555 KAmiYU - REASON

14 **7,898 fripSide - sister's noise

15 **7,228 Takahashi Yu – Onaji Sora no Shita

16 **6,351 SEKAI NO OWARI - RPG

17 **6,225 Hokago Princess – Juliet –Kimi wo Suki na 100 no Riyu- (2013 version)

18 **5,753 Hijirikawa Masato (Suzumura Kenichi) - Uta no☆Prince Sama♪ Maji LOVE 2000% Idol Song Hijirikawa Masato (Koi Zakura)

19 **5,624 DaizyStripper – STARGAZE

20 **5,231 Shionoya Sayaka – Katakoi / Smile again

21 **4,437 Hoshino Gen - Gag

22 **4,401 Sexy Zone - Real Sexy! / BAD BOYS

23 **3,836 Sky High (Inoue Go) / Sky Cyclone (Inoue Go & Okamoto Nobuhiko) - 『TIGER & BUNNY』 SINGLE RELAY PROJECT CIRCUIT OF HERO Vol. 3 (I’m “KING OF HERO” / Seishun Honesty)

24 **3,755 EXILE ATSUSHI & Tsujii Nobuyuki - Soredemo, Ikiteyuku

25 **3,493 Ogura Yui - Baby Sweet Berry Love

26 **3,366 Bakusute Sotokanda Icchome - Baito Fighter

27 **3,269 MBLAQ - Mona Lisa -Japanese Version-

28 **3,221 Kanjani∞ - Hesomagari / Koko ni shikanai keshiki

29 **3,102 Kurusu Sho （Shimono Hiro） - Uta no☆Prince Sama♪　Maji LOVE 2000% Idol Song Kurusu Sho (TRUE WING)

30 **2,649 KERAKERA – Star Loveration

Oricon Weekly - Music-DVDs (13/5/2013~19/5/2013)

*1 9,188 659,593 Arashi - ARASHI LIVE TOUR Popcorn

*2 7,574 **7,574 Bank Band with Great Artists – LIVE & DOCUMENTARY DVD ap bank fes ’12 Fund for Japan

*3 3,294 *65,843 A.B.C-Z - Twinkle Twinkle A.B.C-Z

*4 3,088 **3,088 BUCK-TICK – TOUR Yumemiru Uchu

*5 2,158 **2,158 ℃-ute - ℃-ute Concert Tour 2012-2013 Fuyu –Shinseinaru Pentagram-

*6 1,535 209,069 Amuro Namie - namie amuro 5 Major Domes Tour 2012 ~20th Aniversary Best~

*7 1,316 782,930 Arashi – ARASHI ARAFES

*8 1,162 *31,152 Nishino Kana - Kanayan Tour 2012 ~Arena~

*9 1,015 *61,333 BIGBANG - BIGBANG ALIVE TOUR 2012 IN SPECIAL FINALIN DOME -TOKYO DOME 2012.12.05

10 *,956 *60,063 EXILE ATSUSHI - EXILE ATSUSHI PREMIUM LIVE ~Uta wo Utau~

Top 10 singles are made entirely of new releases! Happy at how well Preserved Roses is doing. XD

Source 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

AKB48 Day 1 preliminary Election Results

2013-05-22T15:13:19Z

Keep in mind this is just the first day's results

The preliminary result of AKB 32nd Single Senbatsu Sousenkyo

1. Sashihara Rino - 28,563 votes
2. Watanabe Mayu - 14,885 votes
3. Oshima Yuko - 14,000 votes
4. Matsui Jurina - 13,656 votes
5. Kashiwagi Yuki - 12,887 votes
6. Matsui Rena - 12,177 votes
7. Shimazaki Haruka - 11,832 votes
8. Shibata Aya - 11,530 votes
9. Yokoyama Yui - 10,616 votes
10. Watanabe Miyuki - 9,163 votes
11. Suda Akari - 8,753 votes
12. Miyazawa Sae - 8,567 votes
13. Yamamoto Sayaka - 8,097 votes
14. Itano Tomomi - 7,407 votes
15. Shinoda Mariko16 - 7,126 votes
16. Kizaki Yuria - 6,891 votes

17. Matsumura Kaori - 6,616 votes
18. Takahashi Minami - 6,598 votes
19. Kobayashi Ami - 6,536 votes
20. Kojima Haruna - 6,502 votes
21. Umemoto Madoka - 6,055 votes
22. Umeda Ayaka - 6,030 votes
23. Yabushita Shu - 5,539 votes
24. Kodama Haruka - 5,096 votes
25. Saito Makiko - 5,051 votes
26. Minegishi Minami - 4,875 votes
27. Iriyama Anna - 4,864 votes
28. Takayanagi Akane - 4,824 votes
29. Oya Masana - 4,703 votes
30. Nakanishi Yuka - 4,654 votes
31. Jonishi Kei - 4,640 votes
32. Matsumoto Rina - 4,493 votes

33. Kawaei Rina - 4,457 votes
34. Furukawa Airi - 4,392 votes
35. Muto Tomu - 4,195 votes
36. Katayama Haruka - 4,118 votes
37. Takajo Aki - 4,114 votes
38. Kitahara Rie - 3,507 votes
39. Yakata Miki - 3,277 votes
40. Isohara Kyoka - 3,272 votes
41. Ota Aika - 3,259 votes
42. Tashima Meru - 3,080 votes
43. Kinoshita Yukiko - 3,072 votes
44. Ichikawa Miori - 2,948 votes
45. Yamada Nana - 2,872 votes
46. Oba Mina - 2,868 votes
47. Yamashita Yukari - 2,864 votes
48. Kaneko Shiori - 2,821 votes

49. Moriyasu Madoka - 2,809 votes
50. Maeda Ami - 2,761 votes
51. Tomonaga Mio - 2,740 votes
52. Fujie Reina - 2,710 votes
53. Kikuchi Ayaka - 2,704 votes
54. Kuramochi Asuka - 2,699 votes
55. Iwatate Saho - 2,685 votes
56. Ishida Haruka - 2,665 votes
57. Okamoto Naoko - 2,660 votes
58. Abe Maria - 2,595 votes
59. Yagura Fuuko - 2,535 votes
60. Suzuki Shihori - 2,492 votes
61. Miyawaki Sakura - 2,482 votes
62. Iwasa Misaki - 2,406 votes
63. Tano Yuko - 2,394 votes
64. Kimoto Kanon - 2,275 votes

Source

EDIT: For those of you that want a little comparison from last year's sousenkyo election please refer to this link I provided

I'm a bit surprised by the results but I know they are pushing the next generation hardcore. Then again its only the first day I predicted 1. Mayuyu 2.Yuko 3. Paruru although, I really want Yuko to be #1 again!

Namie Amuro Reveals Release Date, Track List & Covers For Upcoming Album "FEEL"

2013-05-22T12:50:18Z

Namie Amuro's new album "FEEL" has been set to be released on July 10th.

The new album will come in 3 different editions: CD Only, CD+DVD, and CD+Blu ray, each with its own cover.

The upcoming album will come with 12 tracks, 10 of which have been announced, while the other 2 will be revealed at a later date. A wide range of sounds will be present on the album, from aggressive dance tracks incorporating drums and bass, to simple ballads using only classical instruments such as the piano.

6 music videos will be presented on the album's DVD & Blu ray discs. One of the music videos, "Big Boys Cry", has already been released as part of the single's release, while the other 5 will be unique to the album.

A 30 second teaser video for the album has been released. The teaser clip features a new song off the album titled "Alive".

With a new album on the way, Amur will be embarking on a nationwide tour titled "Namie Amuro FEEL Tour 2013". The tour will last from August 16th until December 21st, taking the singer through 40 stops across the country. Ticket presales will be available to fan club member on May 25th.

Check out the album's track list (order not finalized), covers and teaser clip below:

CD

1.Big Boys Cry
2. Contrail
3. Can You Feel This Love
4. Alive
5. Heaven
6. Hands On Me
7. Let Me Let You Go
8. Supernatural Love
9. La La La
10. Poison
+ 2 tracks to be announced

DVD / Blu ray

1. Big Boys Cry (Music Video)
2. Contrail (Music Video)
3. Alive (Music Video)
4. Heaven (Music Video)
5. Hand On Me (Music Video)
6. Let Me Let You Go (Music Video)

CD Only

CD+DVD

CD+Blu ray

------
Source

Namie and Jasmine are gonna rule my summer, I need a moment. And as much as I want to see her face, I like the CD cover best. The CD + Blu ray one reminds me too much of Demi Lovato's latest cover.

AKB48 forever breaking records, with 1,450,881 singles first day sales

2013-05-22T12:49:20Z

AKB48 Sayonara Crawl first day sales: 1,450,881

Previous record, AKB48 Manatsu no Sounds Good! first day sales: 1,170,554

Source: Oricon

really glad for them!!!

Eita & Kimura Kaela expecting second baby in November

2013-05-22T04:40:08Z

Eita and Kimura Kaela are expecting their second child to be born in November this year after announcing on 14 May that Kimura is currently 5 months' pregnant. Kimura who is celebrating her 9th anniversary as a singer, is currently busy with preparations to set up her own record label by 23 June and only found out about the pregnancy two months ago through a body checkup after she finished her concert tour in early April. The couple have a son who's two years old and have been frequently seen going to their neighbourhood park together. Eita is scheduled to appear in the Noda Hideki play "MIWA" between 4 October and 24 November when Kimura is due to give birth but he is expected to take some time off to witness the birth of his child like what he did in October 2010 during the birth of his son.

doramaworld