On September 27th, a press conference to announce the “Kohaku supporters” for NHK’s annual music show on New Year’s Eve “NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen” was held, and it was revealed that AKB48 andTerry Ito have been chosen as the supporters for the second straight year.
At the press conference, Terry Ito and AKB48’s Oshima Yuko, Kashiwagi Yuki, Shinoda Mariko,Watanabe Mayu, Kojima Haruna, Takahashi Minami, Minegishi Minami, Shimazaki Haruka,Yokoyama Yui, SKE48’s Matsui Jurina, Matsui Rena, NMB48’s Watanabe Miyuki, Yamamoto Sayaka, and HKT48’s Sashihara Rino all made an appearance, and expressed their eagerness for the program.
The theme of this year’s Kohaku will be “Uta de Aitai. (= Meeting through music)”, and they will start promoting it on various programs and events.
At the press conference, the general manager of AKB group, Takahashi stated earnestly, “This was the year of change for AKB48, as Maeda Atsuko graduated from the group, and we achieved our long-cherished Tokyo Dome concert. It’s no exaggeration to say that ‘The second chapter of AKB48 has begun’. We will try our hardest together to send energy to everybody with the power of music.”
“The 63rd NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen” will air from 7:15 pm ~ 11:45 pm on New Year’s Eve
Drama Prime Time Report – 09/18~09/20
It’s never good to come in last and the same can be said about the dramas that haven’t yet aired their final episode, because it definitely won’t become easier with all those mid-season variety specials touting for viewers.
The Tuesday drama ‘Iki mo Dekinai Natsu‘ (Fuji TV) was able to gain some viewers compared to last week with its final episode, but it only was a plus of 0.8% (rating: 8.6%). Its season-average amounts to 9.73% [9.8%*], which is really disappointing for this time slot. NHK continued to surprise with their Tuesday dramas. ‘Tsurukame Josanin‘ recorded a new personal record with 9.6% (plus 1.5%) and ‘Nemureru Mori no Jukujo‘ only lost 0.2% (rating: 6.0%). Late-night drama ‘Dragon Seinendan‘ (TBS) goes for another round and recorded 1.7% (minus 0.2%).
On Wednesday, the final episode of ‘Tokkan – Tokubetsu Kokuzei Choshukan‘ (NTV) recorded a plus of 1.0% and managed to crack the 10.0% again (rating: 10.6%). Its season-average amounts to 10.43% [10.5%*], which is a mediocre result for this time slot. There have been worse ratings – even within the last 12 months, but also many more successful dramas. Of course, the “queen” of this time slot is no other than ‘Kaseifu no Mita‘ (season-average: 25.2%).
It’s not exactly a satisfying way to end the season with its personal worst rating, but unfortunately that’s exactly what happened for the two remaining prime time dramas on Thursday. The other networks simply offered much more entertaining alternatives with their variety specials. ‘Beginners!‘ (TBS) lost 1.4% with its final episode (rating: 5.7%), which decreased its season-average down to 7.27% [7.3%*]. The grand final of ‘Higashino Keigo Mysteries‘ (Fuji TV) starring Suzuki Kyoka also lost 1.3% (rating: 6.2%) and ends with a season-average of 8.36% [8.4%*]. Both dramas definitely disappointed their networks (and subsequently its sponsors) with much lower ratings than what they are used to.
Meanwhile, ‘VISION~Koroshi ga Mieru Onna‘ (NTV) recorded a rating of 2.7% (minus 0.2%).
You can check out all of the ratings and more details below!
* Info at the bottom!
(Screencaps might contain spoilers!)
===
09/18 – Tuesday
morning slot (‘NHK Asadora – Morning Drama’)
08:00-08:15 – ??.?% 
Umechan Sensei
other highlights before 9:00 pm (>10%, chronological)
– None-
9:00 pm slot (‘Fuji TV Ka-9 [kakku] – Tuesday-9 Drama’)
01 – 
19:00-21:54 – 17.3% 
Odoru! Sanma Goten SP
02 – 
19:00-21:48 – 11.6% 
Torihada Scoop Eizou 100-ka Jiten SP
03 – 
19:00-21:48 – 08.7% 
Kayo Kyoku! SP
04 – 
21:00-21:54 – 08.6% 
Iki mo Dekinai Natsu (11) *END*
10:00 pm slot (‘Fuji TV Tuesday 10:00 pm Drama’ & ‘NHK Drama 10′)
01 – 21:37-23:10 – 14.3% 
Hodo Station
02 – 22:00-22:50 – 09.6% Tsurukame Josanin (04)
03 – 22:00-23:24 – 08.9% 
Karakuri Money SP
04 – 22:00-23:24 – 07.5% Okusama 100!!
11:00 pm slot (‘NHK Yoru Dora – Night Drama’)
01 – 23:15-24:15 – 11.1% 
Shiro Kuro Judge Variety
02 – 22:00-23:24 – 08.9% Karakuri Money SP
03 – 22:00-23:24 – 07.5% Okusama 100!!
04 – 22:55-23:24 – 06.0% Nemureru Mori no Jukujo (03)
late-night slot (‘TBS Late-Night Drama’)
24:55-25:25 – 01.7% Dragon Seinendan (09)
Info:
> ‘Iki mo Dekinai Natsu‘
Cast: Takei Emi, Eguchi Yosuke, Kimura Yoshino, Nakamura Aoi, and more
> ‘Tsurukame Josanin‘
Cast: Naka Riisa, Yo Kimiko, Mizobata Junpei, Taira Tomi, and more
> ‘Nemureru Mori no Jukujo‘
Cast: Kusakari Tamiyo, Seto Koji, Haba Yuichi, Isono Kiriko, Asakura Aki, and more
> ‘Dragon Seinendan‘
Cast: Yasuda Shota, Renbutsu Misako, Endo Kaname, Honda Chikara, and more
Caps:
Iki mo Dekinai Natsu
Tsurukame Josanin
Dragon Seinendan
—
09/19 – Wednesday
morning slot (‘NHK Asadora – Morning Drama’)
08:00-08:15 – ??.?% Umechan Sensei
other highlights before 9:00 pm and past 11:00 pm (>10%, chronological)
23:15-24:15 – 12.9% 
Matsuko & Ariyoshi no Ikari Shinto
9:00 pm (‘TV Asahi Wednesday Police Drama’)
01 – 19:00-21:54 – 16.0% Waratte Koraete! SP
02 – 21:00-22:48 – 11.0% 
Out x Deluxe SP
03 – 19:00-21:48 – 09.6% Tetsuko no Heya SP
04 – 
21:00-22:48 – ??.?% 
Ryokou Sakka – Chaya Jirou 10
10:00 pm (‘NTV Wednesday Drama’)
01 – 21:54-23:10 – 11.1% Hodo Station
02 – 21:00-22:48 – 11.0% Out x Deluxe SP
03 – 22:00-22:54 – 10.6% Tokkan (10) *END*
04 – 21:00-22:48 – ??.?% Ryokou Sakka – Chaya Jirou 10
Info:
> ‘Tokkan – Tokubetsu Kokuzei Choshukan‘
Cast: Inoue Mao, Kitamura Yukiya, Suzuki Sawa, Kinami Haruka, and more
Caps:
Tokkan
—
09/20 – Thursday
morning slot (‘NHK Asadora – Morning Drama’)
08:00-08:15 – ??.?% Umechan Sensei
other highlights before 8:00 pm and past 11:00 pm (>10%, chronological)
23:15-24:15 – 12.1% Ameeetalk!
8:00 pm (‘TV Asahi Thursday Mystery Drama’)
01 – 19:00-20:54 – 15.5% AKB48 x Onee48 x Geinoujin Family 48
02 – 19:00-21:48 – 14.6% 
Quiz Timeshock SP
03 – 19:00-20:54 – 10.9% Aiba Masaki no Debut Kids
9:00 pm (‘TV Asahi Thursday Drama’ & ‘TBS Thursday Drama 9′)
01 – 19:00-21:48 – 14.6% Quiz Timeshock SP
02 – 21:00-23:08 – 14.2% Downtown DX SP
03 – 21:00-21:54 – 10.2% Tunnels no Minasan no Okage Deshita
04 – 21:00-21:54 – 05.7% Beginners! (10) *END*
10:00 pm (‘Fuji TV Thursday Theater’)
01 – 21:00-23:08 – 14.2% Downtown DX SP
02 – 21:54-23:10 – 13.5% Hodo Station
03 – 22:00-22:54 – 06.2% Higashino Keigo Mysteries (11) *END*
midnight slot (‘NTV Thursday Mystery Theater’)
23:58-24:38 – 02.7% VISION (11)
Info:
> ‘Beginners!‘
Cast: Fujigaya Taisuke, Kitayama Hiromitsu, Gouriki Ayame, and more
> ‘Higashino Keigo Mysteries‘ / Navigator: Nakai Kiichi
Cast: Karasawa Toshiaki, Sakaguchi Kenji, Matsushita Nao, Mizuki Alisa, Sorimachi Takashi, Nagasawa Masami, Toda Erika, Miura Haruma, Hirosue Ryoko, Shinohara Ryoko, Suzuki Kyoka, and more
> ‘VISION~Koroshi ga Mieru Onna‘
Cast: Yamada Yu, Kaneko Nobuaki, Katsumura Masanobu, and more
Caps:
Beginners!
Higashino Keigo Mysteries
VISION
—
NHK, TBS and TV Tokyo usually don’t disclose the ratings for their shows on a regular basis, therefore they won’t be included in the list below. Certain dramas or drama specials that aired on those channels and might lack ratings are still included with a ??.?% rating. This doesn’t mean that the ratings were too low to recorded.
Improvements and declines will be illustrated with the use of several icons. The colors and the numbers indicate how much the ratings have changed.
An orange color means almost no change, while a red color means the ratings dropped, and a green color means the ratings improved.
===
Drama Overview (Summer 2012):
Previous: [Spring 2011] [Summer 2011] [Fall 2011] / [Winter 2012] [Spring 2012]
| Title Naniwa Shonen Tanteidan _ _ Rich Man, Poor Woman _ Soumatou Kabushiki Gaisha _ Iki mo Dekinai Natsu _ GTO _ _ Hatsukoi _ _ Tsurukame Josanin _ _ Nemureru Mori no Jukujo _ Dragon Seinendan _ _ Sousa Ikka 9-Gakkari 7 _ Tokkan _ _ Kyoto Chiken no Onna 8 _ Iryu Sousa 2 _ _ Beginners! _ _ Higashino Keigo Mysteries _ VISION _ _ Kuro no Onnakyoshi _ Boys on The Run _ _ Makete, Katsu _ _ Ghost Mama Sousasen _ Omoni Naitemasu _ _ Sprout _ _ Beautiful Rain _ _ _ Summer Rescue _ _ —————————— Taira no Kiyomori _ _ _ _ _ —————————— _ Umechan Sensei (highest % per week) _ _ _ _ |
(00) 00.0% – (00) 00.0% – (00) 00.0% – (00) 00.0% – (00) 00.0% – (00) 00.0% (01) 07.8% – (02) 06.0% – (03) 05.6% – (04) 07.1% – (05) 05.5% – (06) 06.4% (07) 06.6% – (08) 05.7% – (09) 05.7% – (10) 05.4% – (11) 05.5% – (12) 04.4% // Finished # (01) 13.9% – (02) 11.3% – (03) 13.1% – (04) 10.8% – (05) 10.2% – (06) 08.9% (07) 12.2% – (08) 12.9% – (09) 13.7% – (10) 15.8% – (11) 13.2% // Finished # (01) 02.8% – (02) 02.0% – (03) 02.3% – (04) 02.2% – (05) 02.1% – (06) 02.0% (07) 02.8% – (08) 02.5% – (09) 02.1% – (10) 02.1% // Finished # (01) 12.1% – (02) 10.2% – (03) 11.0% – (04) 09.3% – (05) 10.1% – (06) 08.1% (07) 10.6% – (08) 08.2% – (09) 11.0% – (10) 07.8% – (11) 08.6% // Finished # (01) 15.1% – (02) 13.3% – (03) 12.3% – (04) 13.9% – (05) 11.5% – (06) 12.1% (07) 13.5% – (08) 15.1% – (09) 11.6% – (10) 11.7% – (11) 14.3% // Finished # (01) 06.6% – (02) 06.7% – (03) 07.1% – (04) 08.3% – (05) 08.9% – (06) 08.9% (07) 09.3% – (08) 11.9% // Finished # (01) 08.9% – (02) 07.9% – (03) 08.1% – (04) 09.6% _ # (01) 06.6% – (02) 06.2% – (03) 06.0% _ # (01) 01.1% – (02) 01.2% – (03) 01.0% – (04) 00.7% – (05) 00.9% – (06) 01.9% (07) 00.8% – (08) 01.9% – (09) 01.7% # (01) 13.0% – (02) 09.9% – (03) 12.4% – (04) 13.0% – (05) 10.4% – (06) 12.5% (07) 09.2% – (08) 11.4% – (09) 12.1% – (10) 14.0% // Finished # (01) 12.9% – (02) 10.8% – (03) 11.2% – (04) 10.9% – (05) 09.5% – (06) 09.6% (07) 10.2% – (08) 09.0% – (09) 09.6% – (10) 10.6% // Finished # (01) 16.0% – (02) 09.4% – (03) 09.9% – (04) 09.1% – (05) 11.2% – (06) 09.3% (07) 07.4% – (08) 10.2% // Finished # (01) 13.3% – (02) 13.7% – (03) 11.6% – (04) 10.1% – (05) 12.9% – (06) 12.7% (07) 12.1% – (08) 13.1% // Finished # (01) 08.5% – (02) 09.9% – (03) 05.9% – (04) 07.0% – (05) 08.1% – (06) 07.6% (07) 06.5% – (08) 06.4% – (09) 07.1% – (10) 05.7% // Finished # (01) 11.3% – (02) 07.8% – (03) 08.8% – (04) 07.8% – (05) 09.1% – (06) 08.9% (07) 07.9% – (08) 07.6% – (09) 08.9% – (10) 07.5% – (11) 06.2% // Finished # (01) 04.1% – (02) 03.0% – (03) 03.2% – (04) 03.9% – (05) 02.6% – (06) 03.0% (07) 02.9% – (08) 03.4% – (09) 02.3% – (10) 02.9% – (11) 02.7% # (01) 12.9% – (02) 10.4% – (03) 08.8% – (04) 09.4% – (05) 10.4% – (06) 09.9% (07) 09.8% – (08) 09.8% – (09) 09.2% # (01) 07.5% – (02) 05.4% – (03) 07.3% – (04) 03.9% – (05) 04.1% – (06) 06.1% (07) 06.4% – (08) 05.7% – (09) 06.3% // Finished # (01) 11.2% – (02) 08.0% _ # (01) 15.2% – (02) 11.0% – (03) 11.0% – (04) 09.5% – (05) 10.3% – (06) 09.5% (07) 09.3% – (08) 09.6% – (09) 11.1% // Finished # (01) 06.6% – (02) 06.6% – (03) 02.2% – (04) 05.0% – (05) 06.0% – (06) 03.8% (07) 06.6% – (08) 05.2% // Finished # (01) 02.4% – (02) 02.5% – (03) 02.9% – (04) 02.6% – (05) 02.1% – (06) 02.9% (07) 03.0% – (08) 02.3% – (09) 02.7% – (10) 03.2% # (01) 12.9% – (02) 09.5% – (03) 08.6% – (04) 13.0% – (05) 09.5% – (06) 10.9% (07) 08.0% – (08) 08.7% – (09) 09.3% – (10) 10.5% – (11) 09.6% – (12) 09.6% // Finished # (01) 14.7% – (02) 11.6% – (03) 10.1% – (04) 06.8% – (05) 10.4% – (06) 09.0% (07) 09.5% – (08) 09.1% – (09) 09.4% # ————————————————————————————————————- (01) 17.3% – (02) 17.8% – (03) 17.2% – (04) 17.5% – (05) 16.0% – (06) 13.3% (07) 14.4% – (08) 15.0% – (09) 13.4% – (10) 14.7% – (11) 13.2% – (12) 12.6% (13) 11.3% – (14) 13.7% – (15) 12.7% – (16) 11.3% – (17) 13.9% – (18) 13.5% (19) 14.7% – (20) 11.8% – (21) 10.2% – (22) 11.0% – (23) 11.6% – (24) 12.1% (25) 10.1% – (26) 13.2% – (27) 11.7% – (28) 11.2% – (29) 10.7% – (30) 11.4% (31) 07.8% – (32) 10.7% – (33) 09.3% – (34) 11.1% – (35) 10.5% – (36) 10.1% # ————————————————————————————————————- # (W01) 20.5% – (W02) 20.9% – (W03) 20.6% – (W04) 21.0% – (W05) 20.3% (W06) 21.1% – (W07) 21.4% – (W08) 22.1% – (W09) 21.2% – (W10) 21.7% (W11) 22.8% – (W12) 22.2% – (W13) 22.3% – (W14) 22.0% – (W15) 22.0% (W16) 23.1% – (W17) 22.4% – (W18) 23.3% – (W19) 24.9% – (W20) 21.9% (W21) 22.2% – (W22) 22.4% – (W23) 22.1% – (W24) 22.2% # |
===
Average Ratings (Summer 2012):
13.13% [13.2%] – GTO // Finished
12.72% – Taira no Kiyomori [taiga drama]
12.44% [12.4%] – Iryu Sousa 2 // Finished
12.36% [12.4%] – Rich Man, Poor Woman // Finished
11.79% [11.8%] – Sousa Ikka 9-Gakkari 7 // Finished
10.72% [10.9%] – Ghost Mama Sousasen // Finished
10.43% – Tokkan (+0.02) // Finished
10.31% [xx.x%] – Kyoto Chiken no Onna 8 // Finished
10.07% – Kuro no Onnakyoshi
10.07% – Summer Rescue
10.01% [10.1%] – Beautiful Rain // Finished
–
09.73% – Iki mo Dekinai Natsu (-0.11) // Finished
09.60% – Makete, Katsu
08.63% – Tsurukame Josanin (+0.33)
08.46% [08.5%] – Hatsukoi [started in spring] // Finished
08.36% – Higashino Keigo Mysteries (-0.21) // Finished
07.27% – Beginners! (-0.17) // Finished
06.27% – Nemureru Mori no Jukujo [11:00pm drama] (-0.13)
05.98% [06.1%] – Naniwa Shonen Tanteidan // Finished
05.86% [xx.x%] – Boys on The Run [11:00pm drama] // Finished
05.25% [05.3%] – Omoni Naitemasu [11:00pm drama] // Finished
–
03.09% – VISION [midnight drama] (-0.04)
02.66% – Sprout [late-night drama] (+0.06)
02.29% [xx.x%] – Soumatou Kabushiki Gaisha [midnight drama] // Finished
01.24% – Dragon Seinendan [late-night drama] (+0.05)
(The average ratings are based on the episode ratings listed above. There can be differences between the calculated averages and the official announcements at the end of each season. You can see the official season average in square brackets.)
On September 20th, the 25th Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) revealed its lineup for the October event. 15 movies have been chosen to go against one another.
The film festival will take place from October 20th to October 28th in Roppongi, Tokyo, where various movies are fighting for the highest award, “Tokyo Sakura Grand Prix”. American Director, Roger Corman, has been chosen as the chairman of the judging committee.
Currently, Japan is having strained diplomatic relations between China and South Korea due to island disputes. Film festival chairman, Yoda Tatsumi, discussed these issues in regards to the festival, “This is a place to share films without any borders. The festival is not influenced by these occasional situations. They do not have an impact on us at this time.”
Maeda Atsuko was also in attendance as the “TIFF Ambassador” to help promote the film festival. She showed her enthusiasm, “I love movies, so I’m looking forward to interacting with an assortment of people. I’ll do my best.”
Earlier today, AKB48’s Itano Tomomi updated her blog to let her fans know that she started a new social networking site for her fans.
The site is called “Team tomo” and fans from around the world can join and interact with one another. They can also interact with Itano and her managers. Itano states that fans can submit their favorite pictures of Itano and topics for discussion, as well as respond to other people’s submissions. She promises that her managers and herself will also be posting on the new site.
Registration is free and you can even sign-up using your Facebook account if you wish.
Check out ‘Team Tomo’ http://teamtomo.com/
AKB48’s Shinoda Mariko expresses her joy in hearing of the extension for “King Tut Exhibit’
09/23/2012
Currently, the ‘King Tut Exhibit: Golden Treasures and the Young King’s Truth’ exhibit is on display at The Ueno Royal Museum in Tokyo. The exhibit has been extended until January 20th of next year, instead of the previous closure date of December 9th.
AKB48’s Shinoda Mariko (26), who was nominated as the exhibit’s special sponsor earlier this year, commented, “I would love to visit the exhibit again sometime soon.”
The exhibit in Tokyo was set to last from August 4th to December 9th. The exhibit was previously in Osaka this past spring and more than 1,200,000 people visited. Thus, with the popularity of the exhibit, its final date has been postponed. Shinoda went to the Osaka exhibit in May and commented, “I was really moved by all of the beautiful items on display, it’s hard to believe that they’re from 3,300 years ago.”
Shinoda explained why so many people love the exhibit by saying, “There are a lot of young girls who are particularly captivated by the decorations, and boys seem to enjoy the research investigating King Tut’s mysterious life. I hoped that even just one more person would be moved by this exhibit, and now more people have a chance to do that with the extension. It makes me really glad.”
It’s been revealed that NYC member Nakayama Yuma will be releasing a new single titled “Missing Piece” on October 31!
This marks Nakayama’s first solo song since releasing “Glass no Mahou” earlier this January. “Missing Piece” will serve as the theme song for his upcoming starring drama, ‘Piece‘, which will air on NTVstarting October 6. It’s described as a song that portrays the light and shadow of youth. The coupling track “Mizu no Kaeru Basho” will also be used as the insert song for the drama.
Nakayama’s new single will be released in 3 different versions: Limited Edition A, Limited Edition B, and Regular Edition. The DVD for Limited Edition A will contain the PV and making-of footage for “Missing Piece” as well as footage from his jacket cover photo shoot. Meanwhile, the DVD for Limited Edition B will include footage from Nakayama and Kansai Johnny’s Jr.’s (Shigeoka Daiki, Kotaki Nozomu,Fujii Ryusei, Kiriyama Akito, Nakama Junta) fan meeting event. Finally, the Regular Edition will come with a bonus track called “Sayonara Merry Christmas“.
Check out the track list below!
===
<Limited Edition A>
CD:
01. Missing Piece
02. Mizu no Kaeru Basho
03. Missing Piece -Piano Instrumental-
04. Mizu no Kaeru Basho -Piano Instrumental-
05. Missing Piece -Another Version-
06. Mizu no Kaeru Basho -Another Version-
07. Mizu no Kaeru Basho -Strings Version-
DVD:
01. “Missing Piece” Music Clip
02. “Missing Piece” Music Clip Making
03. “Missing Piece” Jacket Shoot Making
<Limited Edition B>
CD:
01. Missing Piece
02. Mizu no Kaeru Basho
03. Missing Piece -Piano Instrumental-
04. Mizu no Kaeru Basho -Piano Instrumental-
05. Missing Piece -Another Version-
06. Mizu no Kaeru Basho -Another Version-
07. Mizu no Kaeru Basho -Strings Version-
DVD:
01. Nakayama Yuma with Kansai Johnny’s Jr. Fan Meeting (Tentative)
<Regular Edition>
CD:
01. Missing Piece
02. Mizu no Kaeru Basho
03. Sayonara Merry Christmas
04. Missing Piece -Original Karaoke-
05. Mizu no Kaeru Basho -Original Karaoke-
06. Sayonara Christmas -Original Karaoke-
AKB48’s Masuda Yuka (21) made a stop at Sankei Sports’ office in Osaka on the 21st to promote her musical “Wiz” (Wiz ~ Oz no Mahoutsukai). She plays the lead role of Dorothy in Miyamoto Amon’s musical.
The opening performance will take place on the 28th at KAAT Kanagawa Art Theater and will move to Osaka on October 6 and 7th at the Umeda Arts Theater Main Hall, which is why Masuda stopped by to promote in Osaka.
Masuda gave her full attention to the musical, removing herself from AKB48’s first Tokyo Domeconcerts and the group’s “29th Single Senbatsu Janken Tournament” on the 18th. “I’ll remove my ’shell’, and I want this to give power to those who are feeling down in Japan now!!”
AKB48’s Matsui Sakiko has been chosen to host the “79th NHK Nationwide School Music Competition”, which will air from October 6 to the 8th on NHK E-Tele. The competition is commonly referred to as NCon and is the biggest choral competition in Japan. More than 2000 schools participate every year from every age range.
Every year, NCon chooses a J-POP artist for the students to make a rendition. Previous arrangements include Angela Aki’s “Tegami ~Haikei Juugo no Kimi e~” and Ikimonogakari’s “YELL”, and for 2012, YUI’s “fight” was chosen for the middle school group.
Matsui will be debuting with her own piano instrumental album “Kokyuu Suru Piano”, and she is currently enrolled in her university’s school of music. When she was in middle school, she was part of her music club and appeared at NCon for all three years. She says that she often hums the set piece of music from then even now.
Matsui said, “I went to the competition every year, and I watched the national contest every year on TV with my mom, so I was really happy when this was brought up. The event will be broadcast live, so I’ll probably be nervous, but I want to do my very best.”
On May 3rd, it was reported that the entertainment company Johnny’s Jimusho will produce a Chinese idol group. The president of the company, Johnny Kitagawa announced the news and his plans to debut the new group in November at Hey! Say! JUMP’s stage play, ‘JOHNNY’S World‘, at the Empire Theater in Tokyo.
Kitagawa commented “I want to produce a local Chinese idol group, and I also want to hold an audition in China. I haven’t decided how many members will be in the group, but I’m thinking the members’ age range will be around junior high school age.”
Meanwhile, on this day, Hey! Say! JUMP kicked off their Asia tour at the Yokohama Arena. Fans from China, the U.S., and 13 other countries visited to attend the concert.
Stay tuned for more information!
2PM has released the track list for their 4th Japanese single “Beautiful“, which will be released this June 6th along with a B-side track composed by member Junho called “If You Are Here“.
A “Hi-5 event” for fans who buy the single will be held at Makuhari Messe International Exhibition Hall on June 16th.
Check out 2PM’s track list for “Beautiful” below:
1. Beautiful
2. If You Are Here
3. Beautiful (instrumental)
4. If You Are Here (instrumental)
してください。 