Mizuki Nana releases “Scarlet Knight” PV!

Back in January, voice actress and singer Mizuki Nana announced that her first release of 2011 will be a simultaneous release. At the time, the title singles were not released, but now they are, as Mizuki will be releasing “Scarlet Knight” and “Pop Master” on April 13th.Both singles will be sold at ¥777 in reference to the singer’s name. “Scarlet Knight” was written by Mizuki Nana herself and is the theme opening theme song to anime, “DOG DAYS“. It will also be the ending theme song to TV Asahi’s “Onegai! Ranking!“ and Ehime Asahi’s “Love Chu! Chu!“. The track was composed and arranged by Elements Gardens‘ Hitoshi Fujima.The coupling song, “HIGH-STEPPER“, will be the ending theme song to “Ousama no Brunch” for the month of April and May.Mizuki...

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Hello! Project reveals new round of “Hello! Cover”

Hello! Project has just revealed its newest additions to the “Hello! Cover” series!The most recent round features Natsuyaki Miyabi, Tsugunaga Momoko and Sugaya Risako of Berryz Koubou, Suzuki Airi and Okai Chisato from C-ute, and Morning Musume leader Takahashi Ai as they cover some of Hello! Project’s most memorable songs.Check out the list of new tracks below! Berryz Koubou “Akai Nikkichou” (Original: Akairo 5) – Sugaya Risako“Egao ni Namida ~THANK YOU MY DEAR FRIENDS~” (Original: Matsuura Aya) – Sugaya Risako“Egao ni Namida ~THANK YOU MY DEAR FRIENDS~” – Tsugunaga Momoko“Koi wo Shichaimashita!” (Original: Tanpopo) - Natsuyaki Miyabi“Koi wo Shichaimashita!” – Tsugunaga Momoko“Kousui” (Original: Melon Kinenbi) – Tsugunaga Momoko“LOVE Namida...

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Yamamoto Maika becomes the 14th “Rehouse Girl”

Mitsui Real Estate has just announced its fourteenth “Rehouse Girl“!“Mitsui no Rehouse” CMs, which are quickly becoming a newcoming actress’s gateway to success, have previously starred famous actresses such as Miyazawa Rie, Aoi Yuu, Kawaguchi Haruna, and many others since appointing their first Rehouse Girl in 1987. The fourteenth Rehouse Girl is a thirteen-year-old model named Yamamoto Maika, whose hometown is in Tottori Prefecture. Yamamoto is a middle school student who loves sports – especially softball – and is currently a first-level black belt in karate.Yamamoto will begin appearing on the firm’s home page and shop-front posters in April.source: tokyohive...

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AKB48 Research Students to release a single

16 AKB48 Research Students have been chosen to do the theme song for the 14th season of NHK’s “Ojarumaru” program. The group’s name will be called “Ojarumaru Sisters“.The single is set to drop on April 13th, and the tracklist is as follows: 01. Hatsukoi wa Minoranai02. Title Pending03. Hatsukoi wa Minoranai (Original Karaoke)4. Title Pending (Original Karaoke)Check back with tokyohive for more updates on this interesting new release!akihabarachannel48 on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Freesource: tokyohive...

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Matsushita Yuya releases “Naturally” music video!

It was revealed earlier that Matsushita Yuya’s upcoming single, “Naturally“, is the official song for the ‘NATURAL BEAUTY BASIC‘ CM, and fans were able to hear a snippet of it through the commercial.The single will officially be released on May 4th, but fans can now hear the song in it’s entirety, as Yuya has just released the official music video. Check it out below!source: tokyohive...

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Preview F.T. ISLAND’s new PV, “Satisfaction”

Earlier, we reported that F.T. Island was gearing up to drop their new Japanese single, “SATISFACTION“, for April 20th. Well, it looks like fans won’t have to wait four weeks to hear their new work, thanks to a newly-released preview of their music video! The 30-second teaser promises a motivating track. To emphasize the new style, the director delivers a slow-motion shot of the boys running, and uses the color orange to bring in a sense of energy.Check out the preview below!source: tokyohive...

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Get a sneak peek at Dream Morning Musume’s upcoming song, “Atto Odoroku Mirai ga Yatte Kuru!”

One of the new tracks from Dream Morning Musume’s upcoming album, “Dori Musu 1″, has just been leaked on the internet for fans to enjoy!The song, titled “Atto Odoroku Mirai ga Yatte Kuru!”, is one of only two new tracks that will be featured on the group’s “debut” album, which mostly features covers of past Morning Musume songs. The girls are currently preparing for the release of “Dori Musu 1″ on April 20th, and the start of their nationwide tour, “Dream Morning Musume. Concert Tour 2011 Haru no Mai~Sotsugyousei DE Saikessei~“, on April 23rd.Check out the full version of “Atto Odoroku Mirai ga Yatte Kuru!”, as well as small shots of the covers for the album below!source: tokyohive...

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AKB48 holds press conference for “Naruhodo! High School”

On March 28th, the AKB48 members along with Tamura Atsushi (London boots No.1 No.2) held press conference for upcoming variety program “Naruhodo! High School” which will start airing in April.“Naruhodo! High School” will be a show in which AKB48 members are quizzed on many questions, such as how high the cellphones’ connection would work, or if it’s possible to make ice cream in a drum. The show was first aired in 2010 as special program, and due to the special’s popularity it will now become a regular program. The AKB48 members will appear as students while Tamura will act as their teacher, and they will welcome some guests every week as well. At the press conference, member Takahashi Minami talked about the earthquake, “I have learned...

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“Kamikyokutachi” becomes AKB48’s first album to sell 500,000 units

AKB48’s best album, “Kamikyokutachi”, has given the girls their first album that has sold over half a million units!As of this week, “Kamikyokutachi” has sold approximately 501,000 copies since its release on April 7th of 2010. Although the idol group has already sold over a million copies of their singles “Beginner” and “Sakura no Ki ni Narou”, this marks the first time that any of their albums have sold over 500,000 since their debut six years ago. “Kamikyokutachi” is also the first album by a female group to surpass half a million since Destiny’s Child sold 592,000 copies of their best album, “Number Ones”, over five years ago, and the first time a Japanese girl group has done so since Morning Musume’s album, “4th Ikimasshoi!” (515,000),...

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Cast members of “Koukou Debut” send encouragement to earthquake victims

On March 28th, main cast members of the upcoming movie “Koukou Debut“, which Mizobata Junpei and Ohno Ito star in, gathered at Tokyo FM Hall, and sent yells for earthquake victims.This day was planned to be a private showing for the movie, however, it was changed to the event to send the supportive messages to the victims. Other than Mizobata and Ohno, Suda Masaki, Aizawa Rina, Furukawa Yuki, Okamoto Rei, Miyazawa Sae (AKB48), Masuda Yuka (AKB48), and Tsukaji Muga (Drunk Dragon) also showed up. Mizobata said, “Although I may only have poor ability, I think it’s my mission (as an actor) to send yells to everybody. I hope this movie would be the trigger to make people smile a bit.” Ohno said, “It’s heartbreaking to think about people who have...

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X JAPAN’s ToshI will hold charity concert tour

ToshI, the vocalist of rock band X JAPAN, has announced an upcoming charity concert tour to benefit disaster victims.The tour will kick off on April 9th. In order to raise support for energy conservation, he will be accompanied by a live orchestra instead of recorded music. He also plans to unveil a new song dedicated to those affected by the disaster, called “Haru no Negai“, as well as auction off some personal items to raise money. Discouraged from performing in affected areas like Northeastern Japan and the Tokyo area due to power outages and safety issues, he nevertheless declared, “We’ll take a look at the situation, but I definitely want to perform in Tokyo and the most affected areas as well.” The rock vocalist, in a rare gesture, stood...

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Stereopony to provide theme song to “Tengoku kara no Yell”

It’s been revealed that Okinawan rock band, Stereopony, will provide the theme song for the film, “Tengoku kara no Yell” (“A Yell from Heaven”). The film is slated for an October release and is about a music group from Okinawa. The film is based on a true story of Hikaru Nakasone and his “Ajiasai Ongaku Mura” studio.Since Stereopony graduated from “Ajisai Ongaku Mura”, they’ve titled the new song “Arigatou” as an expression of their thanks. The film had a special screening this month at the Okinawa International Film Festival, from March 18th to March 27th.Stereopony will also be a special musical guest at ‘Anime Boston‘ along with rock band Girugamesh. This is not the first time they have performed in the U.S., as they were guests at SXSW...

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Morning Musume reveals “Maji Desu Ka Ska!” PV

At the beginning of the month, Morning Musume revealed the track list for their upcoming single, “Maji Desu Ka Ska!“, which they later followed up with releases of its covers, PV making-of, and PV teaser. Today though, Morning Musume finally unveiled the PV for “Maji Desu Ka Ska!”, which you can watch below!source: tokyohive...

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Spitz’s Kusano Masamune diagnosed as acute stress disorder due to earthquake

It’s been announced that four stages of Spitz’s nation tour, “SPITZ JAMBOREE TOUR ‘Togemaru 2011′“, have been passed on due to vocalist Kusano Masamune’s sudden illness.According to Spitz’s official site, Kusano was diagnosed with acute stress disorder on March 17th, and he needs to be under medical treatment for about three weeks. They said that it was because of the extreme stress from the effect of the Great Tohoku Kanto Earthquake, such as the aftershocks, watching heavy damages reported on TV day after day, and the situation of the atomic power plant in Fukushima. On their official site, other members and the president of their agency, under joint names, posted a comment in which they apologized to the fans. They also explained about...

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Utada Hikaru sends out a message regarding the Tohoku earthquake

J-pop singer Utada Hikaru (a.k.a Hikki) updated her blog with a message in both English and Japanese, regarding the Tohoku Earthquake.In the message Hikki mentions that after the earthquake, she donated 400ml of her blood to the blood bank and made an ¥80,000,000 ($983,888 USD) donation to Japan’s Red Cross. She asks that everyone help by donating to the Red Cross and specifying that it is for the Japan relief. Hikki goes on to say that this earthquake is a lesson that everyone in the world can learn from, “For decades we have depended on nuclear power. It has made possible quick economic growth and a ‘convenient’ society, but also a lifestyle that is very wasteful.” She adds on that many people in Japan have just realized they have been taking...

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L’Arc~en~Ciel to sing theme song for “Full Metal Alchemist” movie!

It’s been revealed that rock band L’Arc~en~Ciel will be singing the theme song for the upcoming “Fullmetal Alchemist” movie!This will mark the fourth time in which L’arc~en~Ciel will sing for the anime franchise. In 2004, they released “READY STEADY GO” as an opening song for the first anime series, and in the following year, they sang both the opening (OP) and ending (ED) for “Fullmetal Alchemist the Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa” The new film, “Fullmetal Alchemist: Milos no Seinaru Hoshi“, will hit theaters on July 2nd. In the meantime, listen to L’arc~en~Ciel’s previous Fullmetal tracks:“Ready Steady Go”“Link” (Movie OP)“Lost Heaven” (Movie ED)source: tokyohive...

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Morning Musume performs “Maji Desu Ka Ska!” on Gekkan MelodiX!

Morning Musume made an appearance on TV Tokyo’s monthly music program, “Gekkan MelodiX!“, which was aired on March 26th, and performed their upcoming single, “Maji Desu Ka Ska!” (scheduled to be released on April 6th).On the show, there was also a talk segment in which the 9th generation members introduced themselves and the senior members gave them a quiz about Morning Musume. Check out the video below!source: tokyohive...

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Itano Tomomi graces cover of ViVi for the first time

AKB48’s Itano Tomomi (aka Tomochin) recently appeared on the front cover of fashion magazine ViVi, and wrote about her happiness in her ViVi column “TomoSuta.”Although Tomochin publishes photos and beauty tips on Vivi through “TomoSuta,” the May 2011 issue is the first time she has been featured on the cover of the magazine.The idol wrote ecstatically, “I am extremely happy! I’ve always loved ViVi and it’s a magazine I still read [every month], so I’m really happy that my dream came true!” J-pop star Amuro Namie was on the previous issue’s cover, and she added, “It’s another dream [come true] to follow on the cover after Amuro-chan, whom I love.”Tomochin has been gaining attention from female fans since appearing in several women’s magazines,...

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EXILE to appear on the March 27th episode of “Music Lovers”

Popular group EXILE has just confirmed that they will be appearing on the upcoming episode of “Music Lovers”!The boys will perform their hit songs “I Wish For You”, “Each Other’s Way ~Tabi no Tochuu~” and “Motto Tsuyoku”. This week’s ‘guest lover’ is Ogura Tomoaki, who will watch the performance from the first row and chat with the members of EXILE about their past embarrassing experiences.The episode airs on March 27th, and will broadcast from 11:30 to 11:55 PM JST.source: tokyohive...

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SPEED sends a special message to the Tohoku victims

More than a week has passed since the Tohoku Earthquake, and everyone is helping out in some part. Artists in particular have been donating money and offerings songs and messages of encouragement for the victims.Pop group SPEED are the latest artists to send out a message to the victims. It was written on a handmade by member hitoe, who does some of the group’s artwork. The group expressed that right now, everyone is doing their best to help each other. There are many risking their lives to help those who are in peril, and they hope that a smile will return to the faces who were caught in the disaster.source: tokyohive...

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JASMINE begins tweeting in English

Talented R&B singer JASMINE has begun using English on her official Twitter!Although the singer had previously tweeted short messages and greetings in English, her most recent tweets mark the first time that JASMINE has ever exclusively used English to update her status through Twitter. Check out some of her cute tweets below, and make sure to follow her here!source: tokyohive...

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S/mileage to hold mini-live for charity

On March 22nd, Hello!Project group S/mileage announced through their official website that they would be holding a special charity mini-live!The event will be held on March 26th at Aeon Kuwana Shopping Center in Kuwana, Mie prefecture from 4:00-5:00PM. After the mini performance, the girls will be collecting donations from those in attendance. In the same vein, S/mileage will also have a special radio show on Radio Cube FM Sanjou. The show will air on April 3rd from 8:00-8:30PM.source: tokyohive...

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LUNA SEA to release first new song in 10 years

Veteran rock band LUNA SEA has just announced that they will be releasing their first new song in ten years!The song will be available for digital download only on a specific date, with all proceeds going towards the victims of the Tohoku earthquake. The date of release has yet to be announced. According the band’s official website, the members of LUNA SEA wanted to contribute as much as possible to the recovery of Sendai, and unanimously agreed that the best way for them to do so was through their music.source: tokyohive...

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Not yet’s debut single tops Oricon weekly chart

Popular idol group AKB48’s new sub-unit Not yet, which consists of Ohshima Yuko, Kitahara Rie, Sashihara Rino and Yokoyama Yui, released their first single “Shuumatsu Not yet” on March 16th, and it sold 160,000 copies in the first week. They topped the latest Oricon weekly chart for the week of March 28th with these sales. Not yet has the best first week sales among all AKB48’s sub-units, and they are AKB48’s third sub-unit to top the singles chart after “Watarirouka Hashiritai“, and “Team Dragon from AKB48.”source: tokyohive...

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GACKT begins tweeting in English for international fans

GACKT has now begun tweeting in English in order to spread his messages to international fans!The singer just recently opened up his own official Twitter account, through which he’s been sending out encouraging information and news on his charity effort, “SHOW YOUR HEART”. GACKT marked his first official tweet by responding to an international fan’s question. He wrote, “Check my homepage later, we are translating in 9 languages, of course in English as well. You can get what I said.” Since he posted three additional English messages that day, it seems likely that he will continue to do so for his English-speaking fans around the world. GACKT’s message concerning the earthquake has also been translated into nine different languages, allowing...

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2NE1 to appear in May issue of “NYLON JAPAN”

Korean girl group 2NE1 will be appearing in next month’s issue of fashion magazine, “NYLON JAPAN”!According to the magazine’s editor-in-chief, Togawa Takashi, 2NE1 will be appearing in the May edition of “NYLON JAPAN” as their cover girls. The shoot was planned to coincide with their official Japanese debut on March 16th, however, the debut was postponed indefinitely because of the Tohoku earthquake. The magazine goes on sale on March 28th, and includes a limited number of exclusive 2NE1 posters. “NYLON JAPAN” will also donate ¥20 (approximately $0.25 USD) from every magazine purchased towards disaster relief efforts.source: tokyohive...

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orange pekoe dedicates “Tomoshibi” to earthquake victims

Many Japanese musicians have been writing songs to support earthquake victims, and recently, Jazz-fusion band orange pekoe has joined them in these efforts with their new track, “Tomoshibi“.Members Nagashima Tomoko and Fujimoto Kazuma wrote the song as a “song of prayer” for the earthquake victims and to those involved with the relief effort. The duo recorded the track using a handheld recorder so they could conserve electricity; consequently, Fujimoto mentioned in his blog that the sound quality wasn’t all that great. Still, it’s a touching piece that really shows the musicians’ thoughtfulness from beginning to end.Check out orange pekoe’s soothing music below!source: tokyohive...

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Kawashima Ai performs on the streets again to gather money for disaster relief

Back in 2002 singer-songwriter Kawashima Ai started out as a street performer at the age of 16 and dreamed of performing in front of 1,000 people. In 2005, she finally achieved her goal and has since become a famous singer and pianist. This year on March 17th, six years after her last street performance, she decided to perform on the streets again in order to collect money for those affected by the Great Tohoku Kanto Earthquake. Unfortunately it will still take a while until she can perform on the streets of the Kanto region affected by the disaster, but so far she has been able to perform in Hiroshima, Fukuoka and Yamaguchi. Today she was actually able to perform on the streets of Sannomiya, Kobe and Kawanishi, the area that heavily suffered...

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AKB48 and “Young Magazine” introduce “YM7″

Earlier this month we introduced the gravure battle “AKB48 Jinbocho Gokokuji Taisen,” between the two rival manga/pictorial magazines “Young Jump” and “Young Magazine“.Back then we got a first glimpse at the YJ7 team of Shueisha’s “Young Jump” magazine through a cute and simple white set. Kodansha’s “Young Magazine” was released around the same time, but we still lacked some proper scans in order to introduce their team of seven, YM7. The introduction of their team is just as cute, but the girls of YM7 seem to be much more colorful and energetic from the get-go. You could even say that the girls have already got themselves more or less handy tools in order to win the fight.YM7 consists of Kasai Tomomi, Sashihara Rino, Takajo Aki, Miyazaki...

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