Yoko Kanno/Shinichiro Watanabe’s Jazzy Sakamichi no Apollon: Kids on the Slope Begins + Soundtrack Info

By Chris Nguyen | Published: April 13, 2012

For those of you who have been eagerly waiting, the first episode of Sakamichi no Apollon: Kids on the Slope has been released. Directed by Shinichiro Watanabe with music taken from classic jazz albums, along with works by composer Yoko Kanno, Sakamichi no Apollon follows the story of a transfer student, Kaoru, a chance meeting with the school delinquent Sentaro, and how that eventually draws him into the world of jazz.

In our coverage of the anime, we will not only go over the plot points, but will also go into detail regarding the jazz pieces featured in the anime as well as put the pieces within the historical context of jazz as a whole. So for those who want to follow our episodic posts, you can use the episodic category.

Also, the soundtrack for Sakamichi no Apollon will be released on April 25, 2012 and can be pre-ordered through CDJapan. There’s also a collection of jazz pieces that have been compiled together. That disc was released in 2009 and can also be ordered through CDJapan.

Posted in Miscellaneous, Release Dates | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Macross Frontier Singer May’n to go on Rock Your Beats World Tour

By Chris Nguyen | Published: April 9, 2012

For people who enjoyed May’n's work as the singing voice for Sheryl Nome on Macross Frontier’s soundtrack, loved her Anime Expo concert performance, or enjoyed the work she did for Phi Brain’s OP theme, “Brain Diver,” you’re in luck as May’n is setting forth upon a world tour titled Rock Your Beats!

The tour itself is set to begin in late June with a visit to the Key Club in Los Angeles on June 21 where she’ll perform with a live band and sign autographs for VIP ticket holders. From there, she’ll proceed to go to Yoshi’s in San Francisco on June 23 before departing to Germany, France, South Korea, and Hong Kong.

Further information about ticket sales and concert venues outside the United States can be found on the Resonance website.

Posted in Concert News, J-pop | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

LiSA of Angel Beats and Fate/Zero Fame to Debut at Anime Expo 2012

By Chris Nguyen | Published: April 2, 2012

This summer, LiSA, the J-pop artist who performed the Girls Dead Monster segments for Angel Beats will be making her debut in the United States at Anime Expo, which will be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center from June 29 – July 2, 2012.

LiSA’s debut in anisong came with Angel Beats’ “Thousand Enemies” single where she shows off her generic rock sound while giving us a feel for her ability to sing at lower registers. She would go on to sing the opening theme to Fate/Zero, titled “Oath Sign,” which managed to enter the Japanese Oricon weekly charts at #5, and went on to capture the #2 spot on the daily charts.

No information on the exact day of the concert has been announced yet, but do stay tuned on the Anime Expo website for further news.

Posted in Anime Convention News, Concert News, J-pop | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

PES: Peace Eco Smile – Toyota-Sponsored Anime Short with Pleasant Synth & Electronica

By Chris Nguyen | Published: March 26, 2012

Last year saw a curious 4-episode anime titled Houkago no Pleiades, a joint work between Gainax (Evangelion, Gurren Lagaan) and the carmaker Subaru. The plot consists of Subaru, a young girl, and four other girls who become magical girls and are tasked with finding engine fragments. Its execution was a bit silly all in all, with a bit of product placement in the sound effects and the logo.

Well, it looks like Toyota is also getting into the action, partnering up with Studio 4°C to create an anime short titled PES: Peace Eco Smile. The plot centers around PES, a humanoid alien accompanied by beings called NaSuBi. Both have found Earth to be pleasant and seek to learn more about people. To find out more, the trailer has already been released and you can see it after the jump. Read More »

Posted in Miscellaneous | Leave a comment

Anime Song Compilation Album Titled J-Anison Shinkyoku Matsuri Released Earlier This Month

By Chris Nguyen | Published: February 28, 2012

42 songs are a lot for an anime song compilation to have, but Sony Music (with help from DJ Kazu, who has worked on events such as Animax Musix 2011) was able to compile those songs onto 1 disc and release it on February 8 of 2012.

The album, as one might expect, covers a lot of artists (Nana Mizuki, Minori Chihara, and Yukari Tamura are but a few of the artists featured) and many prominent anime series (included are themes to Lucky Star, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Toradora and even Hyadain no Kakakata☆Kataomoi-C from Nichijou and “Magia” from the recent Puella Magi Madoka Magica anime).

Those who are interested can order the album over at CDJapan. If you just want to find out more about this collection, you can check it at the source at the main J-Anison Shinkyoku Matsuri website.

Posted in Anime Openings/Endings, Release Dates | Leave a comment

School Food Punishment To Go On Hiatus

By Chris Nguyen | Published: February 6, 2012

Ever since the release of “Futuristic Imagination” from Eden of the East, School Food Punishment have made quite a splash in the realm of anime opening and ending themes through their blend of voice, acoustic, and electric instruments which lends itself to a rich, complex, aural experience. After releasing such well-received singles as [C]‘s RPG and Un-go’s How to Go, School Food Punishment have announced, unfortunately, that they will be going on hiatus. Although no reason was given for this hiatus, the individual members will continue making music… just not as a cohesive unit like they were. Whether they will actually make a return as a group like Do As Infinity, who knows? We’ll have to wait and see.

Source: https://twitter.com/#!/ottocycle/status/164371066167377920

Posted in Anime Openings/Endings, J-pop | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Platina Jazz ~Anime Standards Vol.3~ Released February 8, 2012

By Chris Nguyen | Published: January 16, 2012

If you were to read our reviews, you’ll find that we have been taken in by Rasmus Faber and his team’s jazz arrangements of popular anime themes, namely, through the albums Platina Jazz ~Anime Standards Vol. 1~ and Platina Jazz ~Anime Standards Vol. 2~. The project seemed like a curiosity the first time we heard about it, but credit goes to Mr. Faber for delivering such excellent results.

So with that in mind, we’re delighted to announce that the Platina Jazz series still continues with the release of Volume 3 on February 8, 2012. The tracklist features such themes from series as Clannad, Trigun, Spice and Wolf, and Wolf’s Rain. A preview of one of the pieces, “half” from Rurouni Kenshin has been posted to the Platina Jazz Youtube page and is featured below. People looking to preorder the album can do so at CDJapan.

Posted in Release Dates | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Steins;Gate Singer Kanako Itou to be at Anime Boston 2012

By Chris Nguyen | Published: January 8, 2012

Steins;Gate from 2011 certainly did well to enthrall viewers with its time-travel-based plot and “Hacking to the Gate,” the OP theme to the anime was sung by Kanako Itou, whose vocals helped weave an aura of mystery and urgency into the mix. Her singing has been generally well-regarded by fans who’ve followed her work on visual novels like Steins;Gate, Saya no Uta, and Chaos;Head and for those of you based in the USA, you can look forward to her appearance at Anime Boston in 2012.

Although Kanako Itou has performed live concerts at events such as Anime Festival Asia and various years in attendance at the Animelo concerts, this will be her first appearance in the United States.

Currently, no schedule has been announced for meet and greets or concerts, but do pay attention as we will update you when we have any news about Kanako Itou’s appearance.

Posted in Anime Convention News, Concert News | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Yoko Kanno Composes Intro to NHK’s 62nd Kohaku Uta Gassen

By Chris Nguyen | Published: December 29, 2011

Looks like one of the reasons why Japanese composer Yoko Kanno hasn’t been composing so much anime music has been answered. Although she has not had any new anime compositions since the Macross Frontier movies, we’re about to see new compositions from her. The first will be for the next addition to the Sousei no Aquarion franchise, titled Aquarion Evol which is set to be aired in Winter 2012′s anime season.

But perhaps more importantly, Kanno has been assigned to compose the opening to NHK’s 62nd Kohaku Uta Gessen, a music show that takes place every year on New Year’s Eve. The piece itself is set to play when hosts Arashi and Mao Inoue are introduced as well as when artists are introduced, artists which include the likes of Ayumi Hamazaki, Nana Mizuki, and L’Arc~en~Ciel.

Source: Oricon via Tokyohive.

Posted in Miscellaneous | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Bakemonogatari Full Soundtrack To Be Released in December

By Chris Nguyen | Published: November 19, 2011

For a lot of us, Bakemonogatari was an anime that was high on the charm and presented with it a lot of excellent music. If you are like us in any way, songs like “Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari,” “Staple Stable,” and “Renai Circulation” will live long in our consciousness. The same can be said for Satoru Kousaki’s Bakemonogatari soundtrack, which features his usual atmospheric tones along with minimalistic piano melodies. The problem? None of them have been compiled on a CD… until now.

Finally, Aniplex has gotten their act together and have made a belated release of Bakemonogatari’s soundtrack compiled alongside the opening and ending themes we love so much. The entire package is spread across two discs and will be released on December 21, 2011. Those of you interested in ordering the soundtrack can do so through CDJapan or Play-Asia.

Posted in Release Dates | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment