BRIDEAR Introduces Fan to A New World with Latest International Release!

AEGIS OF ATHENA International Jacket Cover

Having completed their fifth successful European tour last year, metal band BRIDEAR are adored by fans around the world. Following the April 20 domestic release of their latest album AEGIS OF ATHENA, the band have released an overseas edition on UK label SETSUZOKU RECORDS on May 13, available in the United Kingdom, Europe and the United States.

To celebrate the release of the overseas edition of AEGIS OF ATHENA, a new music video for the song “Determination” was also released today on BRIDEAR's official YouTube channel. AEGIS OF ATHENA is BRIDEAR’s fourth studio album, following the release of Bloody Bride in April 2021. Having been unable to pursue overseas activity since 2020 due to the effects of the ongoing pandemic, BRIDEAR resolved to tour Europe in September and October 2021, becoming one of very few Japanese artists to achieve this feat.

The tour was propelled by the success of their 8-minute blockbuster music video “BRAVE NEW WORLD REVISITED”, which carries the message of raising our voices and banding together to overcome this crisis that has affected the whole world – gaining a passionate response from the European audience. After successfully completing the tour despite difficult pandemic-related restrictions, the band members decided to create a new album dedicated to facing this crisis together. The resulting album, AEGIS OF ATHENA, is named after the sacred protective shield Aegis that was wielded by Athena, the guardian goddess of ancient Greek mythology.

The songs skillfully weave progressive elements and catchy melodies into a deep bed of heavy metal, while eight out of the 11 tracks are sung in English, resulting in an ambitious album that will leave a lasting impact on metal fans around the world. The album includes “Greed”, which was released with a music video ahead of the album. The song features an impressively unique melody and was written by kiyo, formerly of renowned Japanese band Janne Da Arc.

The jacket illustration is by jbstyle., an acclaimed artist who took first place in the digital art battle LIMITS Japan Championship 2019 and second place in the LIMITS World Grand Prix 2019. Working together with such world-class artists, BRIDEAR will continue to reach audiences across the globe in fall 2022.

Be sure to check out the music video for “Determination” below, with the order links for AEGIS OF ATHENA from SETSUZOKU RECORDS here!

JOLLY’s "CIKI CIKI BAM BAM", gets A party Remix and New Music Video!

JOLLY

Track “CIKI CIKI BAM BAM” became an internet hit after a cover of the track was selected as the opening song to hit anime series Ya Boy Kongming!. Now, the original version of “CIKI CIKI BAM BAM” by JOLLY has a new party remix, which was released on May 10. This new Eurobeat remix comes courtesy of disco scene heavyweight DJ BOSS, with a faster BPM to rock the dancefloor harder than ever. When QUEENDOM’s version of “CIKI CIKI BAM BAM” was used on Ya Boy Kongming!, fans left comments that the song sounded even better at 1.25x speed, so this new remix should appeal to those fans as well. The cover of “CIKI CIKI BAM BAM” by QUEENDOM became the opening theme song to Ya Boy Kongming! when it began broadcasting in April 2022, leading to the song becoming a phenomenon online.

QUEENDOM is a group made up of lol members hibiki and moca, FAKY members Akina and Taki, and GENIC member Maria Kaneya. In their version, the group members sing soundalike Japanese words based loosely on the original song’s Hungarian lyrics. The video has already generated almost 7 million views, and the song has charted in multiple countries. Fans around the world have left comments about this addictive song, with some even comparing it to the 2004 wildfire hit “Dragostea Din Tei”.

This wave of popularity has flooded the internet, with videos all over YouTube including fan-made covers, parodies, mashups, loops of the song, reaction videos, interpretations of the surreal dance moves from the original video, and more. This wave has spread from Japan to all corners of the world. The original version of the song by JOLLY has also been reenergized by this boom, and at the end of April, his original ”CIKI CIKI BAM BAM” took the No.1 position on the iTunes Store Dance Chart – a very rare feat for a song that is sung in Hungarian.

“CIKI CIKI BAM BAM (PARTY REMIX)” Jacket Cpover

The phenomenon continues with the release of “CIKI CIKI BAM BAM (PARTY REMIX)”, which is accompanied by a lyric video. The video includes the music from “CIKI CIKI BAM BAM (PARTY REMIX)” with the soundalike Japanese lyrics from the QUEENDOM version displayed on screen. Check out this chaotic video for a riotously fun experience!

The addictive “CIKI CIKI BAM BAM” has taken not only Japan but the world by storm. It has also become a hot topic in JOLLY’s home country of Hungary, and even the Hungarian Ambassador of Japan recently mentioned this sensational song on his Twitter account.

Keep an eye on anime series Ya Boy Kongming!’ and the song “CIKI CIKI BAM BAM” as they continue to spread excitement throughout the world.

Be sure to check out the lyric video for “CIKI CIKI BAM BAM (PARTY REMIX)” below, along with the streaming link for the track here!

MyAnimeList to Hold 2nd English Web Novel Contest “MAL x Honeyfeed Writing Contest (2022)”

MyAnimeList has announced that it will hold its 2nd English web novel writing contest titled “I Was Browsing MAL as Usual Then I Realized My Web Novel Could Become Manga” or simply “MAL x Honeyfeed Writing Contest (2022).” The three prompt boards for this round will be School, Rom-Com, and Cyberpunk. There will be a US$3,000 prize for each prompt board, for a total prize pool of US$9,000. The contest will start on June 1, 2022, and the winning entries will be announced in December 2022.

The contest will be held in collaboration with Honeyfeed, an English web novel community operated by qdopp, Inc., and winning entries will be chosen by a panel of judges and a user vote. Winning entries will also be reviewed by Kodansha Ltd. for possible publication and/or comicalization.

This contest was inspired by the voices of international anime fans on MyAnimeList. Many anime fans feel that only Japanese-authored works have a realistic chance of becoming anime, while foreign-authored works stand little to no chance. This contest was created as a stepping stone to fulfilling that dream of someday having one’s ideas made into an anime in Japan.

This contest will also contribute to spreading Japan’s anime culture even further and deeper than ever before. We believe there is a need to create an ecosystem where overseas anime fans can not only watch finished products but also contribute to the anime creation process.

Contest Schedule (may be subject to change)

Entry Period: June 1 to September 1, 2022

Judges Voting Period: September 2 to November 2, 2022

Public Voting Period (Finals): November 3 to November 30, 2022

Winner Announced: December 12, 2022

Ayumi Hamasaki Tells A Story with Latest Release!

“Nonfiction” Digital Jacket Cover

Pop Diva Ayumi Hamasaki has released her latest single “Nonfiction” back in April. The single was announced on April 8 to celebrate the 24th anniversary of Hamasaki’s debut; it is a pioneering dance track with an R&B groove, composed by Hisashi Koyama and arranged by tasuku. This powerful song leaves a deep impression, containing an intense message for all of us living in the modern age.

The eye-catching music video, which was released on the same day, features a dance space drenched in pink, as well as the swanky presidential suite of a hotel. The video switches between these two contrasting worlds, sometimes appearing inorganic, sometimes aggressively expressive. Hamasaki radiates beauty and splendor in each scene, while her dancers move around her with expertly calculated choreography. Hamasaki herself is so confident in this video that she described it in an Instagram post as “a super-luxurious masterpiece rarely seen in recent years”.

Hamasaki also held a 24th anniversary concert at Pia Arena MM in Yokohama on April 6, titled ‘ayumi hamasaki ASIA TOUR ~24th Anniversary special @PIA ARENA MM~’. At the show, Hamasaki performed her debut single ‘poker face’, as well as the song ‘from your letter’ that was included on her first album ‘A Song for ××’ but has never before been performed live, the fan favorite classic ‘SCAR’ and even the new single ‘Nonfiction’. The concert was an unforgettable document of Ayumi Hamasaki’s soul-stirring songs throughout her 24-year career so far. A DVD and Blu-ray of this performance will be released on July 1, so be sure to check it out.

It has been 24 years since the release of Ayumi Hamasaki’s debut single ‘poker face’ on April 8, 1998. This unique artist continues to push the boundaries of music, so keep your eyes on Ayumi Hamasaki.

Be sure to check out the music video below along with the track here!

MAN WITH A MISSION Brings Out More to Say With Latest Release!

“More Than Words” Digital Jacket Cover

Superstars MAN WITH A MISSION have released their brand new single “More Than Words“, the latest song to be taken from their forthcoming album Break and Cross the Walls II out 27 May via our friends at JPU Records.“More Than Words”, available to download / stream now, is a danceable and dynamic rock song featuring vocals in both English and their native tongue which focus on the need for unity and togetherness to succeed. The single is the main theme song for Radiation House: the Movie, which will be released in Japan this weekend. The English trailer for the film is available to watch below. MAN WITH A MISSION bassist and songwriter Kamikaze Boy has a special connection with the song and says, "It’s about people sharing thoughts and feelings, even though they have a hard time exchanging words."

“More Than Words” is the latest MAN WITH A MISSION single to join the Radiation House franchise, following their 2019 hit single “Remember Me“ featuring in the soundtrack for the Japanese TV show. The song's official music video has also been watched over 24 million times on YouTube.

As modern-day Japanese cultural icons, further MAN WITH A MISSION songs from the forthcoming 14-track album have been selected for syncs across film, TV, gaming and sport including; “Blaze”, the opening theme from the TV anime Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans Special Edition, “Perfect Clarity” from last year’s movie Hinomaru Soul-Behind the Scenes Heroes, “All You Need” featured song in the game app A.I.M. $ -All you need Is Money and “Tonight Tonight” which was the theme song for the X Games Chiba 2022 Presented by Yogibo. The album is the companion work to Break and Cross the Walls I, released last November, whose cover showed the five wolves playing chess; the dominant shades – black and white – representing the conflicts occurring all over the world at this time.

On Break and Cross the Walls II, the album reflects a world bursting into colour – from conflict to harmony, with a striking visual image – five wolves in paint-splattered, multi-coloured jumpsuits creating a new world of hope and peace!