The second cour of the Orient anime series began airing on July 11, and the opening theme is here. The song, titled Break it down, was created by Da-iCE member Sota Hanamura and FAKY’s Lil’ Fang. Check out the lyric video below!

Break it down Lyric Video

The Orient manga series was written and illustrated by Shinobu Ohtaka, the creator of the popular Magi series. It was serialized in Weekly Shonen Magazine from May 2018 to January 2021 before being moved to Bessatsu Shonen Magazine. The story follows 15-year-old Musashi during an alternate version of Japan’s Sengoku Period where the country is ruled by demons. While many believe the demons to be their saviors, Musashi knows the truth. 

Upon the release of the powerful opening track, social media exploded with excited comments, with many noting that the collaboration was unexpected and the two singers are some of the most powerful in recent memory.

Hanamura previously wrote the lyrics for Promise, the theme song for the Kamen Rider 50th anniversary movie Kamen Rider: Beyond Generations, as well as Break Out, the opening theme for the first season of Orient, which was performed by Da-iCE. Lil’ Fang wrote the lyrics for It’s a small world, the theme song for the 36th Annual East Japan Women’s Long Distance Relay Race, as well as the theme songs for the film Rika and the drama series Rika -Rebirth-.

The lyrics were inspired by the characters in the series, and it’s clear that both artists truly love Orient and feel strongly about its story and message. The lyric video depicts Musashi’s courage as his group takes on the largest battle of their lives. 

Have you been keeping up with the anime series? Be sure to check out the theme song on your favorite music streaming service now!

High-casual brand MOUSSY is collaborating with Disney to release the “Disney SERIES CREATED by MOUSSY” Fall 2021 collection. Items from the new collab will be available on August 18 at the SHEL’TTER Web Store and the MOUSSY Flagship Shop. Also, two “Disney SERIES CREATED by MOUSSY” Pop Up shops are now open!

This particular line has been developed by MOUSSY since April 2018. Chosen to model the 2021 Autumn Collection were Hina and Taki from the popular four-member girl group FAKY. The styles displayed in the lookbook cover a wide variety of genres, from the adventurous “JUNGLE SAFARI” series to the elegant “ORIENTAL” series, giving some Chinese flair. The “PALS” series focuses on the importance of friendship, and those with a love of nostalgia will love the “VINTAGE POSTER” looks, reminiscent of famous works. 

It’s possible that certain items may stick around if popular enough, so be sure to grab any pieces you love!

©Disney

Casual footwear brand Crocs Japan and sneaker select shop atmos pink are set to host a summer pop-up event titled ‘Atokuro Natsumatsuri’ at atmos pink’s flagship store in Harajuku as well as online from July 31 to August 9.

atmos is one of the leading sneaker brands in Japan, while Crocs is a staple of summertime footwear. Together, the two brands are set to deliver an array of summer season content with classic Japanese summer stalls, creating your own custom Crocs Jibbitz™, and more. Additionally, everyone who attends the event and buys something will enter for a chance to win some limited-edition merhandise.

Starting on August 2, a line-up of Japanese artists will perform live on YouTube for the event, with names such as FAKY, Yurufuwa Gang, ELLE TERESA, CHAMELEON LIME WHOOPIEPIE, Atarashii Gakko no Leaders, and more.

The new ending theme BEAUTIFUL by TREASURE for the TV anime series Black Clover hit the air on January 5, 2021. The song has been a hit with TREASURE fans around the world as it garners huge attention on social media, with the hashtag “#BlackClover_with_TREASURE” having trended this week.

TREASURE is a South Korean boy band signed to YG Entertainment which is known for some of the biggest names in the K-pop industry such as BIGBANG and BLACKPINK. The band released three consecutive singles in August, September, and November of 2020 as part of their THE FIRST STEP single series which has sold over 700,000 copies. The band also won Best New Act last year at the 2020 Asia Artist Awards and Korea First Brand Awards.

“We are honoured that our first original Japanese song will be used as the ending theme before we make our Japan debut,” explains TREASURE. “We express those anime themes of positivity and not giving up on your dream in the song. We’d love it if you enjoyed it together with the series.”

Black Clover is a manga series written and illustrated by Yūki Tabata and serialised in Weekly Shonen Jump. The story follows a boy by the name of Asta who is born without magic—something unknown in his world―and his journey to become the next Wizard King. An anime adaptation has been airing since 2017 with its fourth season currently airing.

TREASURE will release their first album THE FIRST STEP:TREASURE EFFECT digitally on January 11, 2021, with the CD edition dropping the following day on January 12.

©︎ 田畠裕基／集英社・テレビ東京・ブラッククローバー製作委員会

Four pieces of news related to the TV anime series Black Clover were announced at the Black Clover Stage of Jump Festa 2021 ONLINE on Sunday (December 20).

1) Special music video for new OP theme ‘Grandeur’ by Snow Man

A special music video was released featuring the upcoming new Black Clover opening theme Grandeur which is set to feature in the anime series in January for the Heart Kingdom Arc. The video includes footage from the anime series – check it out below.

Snow Man – “Grandeur” Special Music Video

2) Gakuto Kajiwara performs ending theme ‘A Walk’ live

Gakuto Kajiwara, the voice actor for Black Clover‘s protagonist Asta, performs the current ending theme A Walk which also comes as his debut single. The voice actor performed the song live at Jump Festa 2021 ONLINE making it his first performance on a big stage. Kajiwara described it as a deeply moving experience having wished to perform live after seen Kankaku Pierrot perform at the first Jump Festa four years ago.

3) Heart Kingdom Arc main visual unveiled

The Heart Kingdom Arc main visual teases the Clover Kingdom battling against the Spade Kingdom with Asta & Yami vs Dante, Yuno vs Zenon, and Noelle vs Vanica.

4) Tatsuhisa Suzuki as Zenon & Yui Ogura as Vanica

It was confirmed that Tatsuhisa Suzuki will voice Zenon and Yui Ogura will voice Vanica. Suzuki said, “I hope to do my very best to make everyone feel good by dragging them into a whirlpool of fear,” while Ogura said, “I’m going to awaken the pleasure-seeking individual inside me for these recordings. I’ll work hard to fill you all with fear!”

©田畠裕基／集英社・テレビ東京・ブラッククローバー製作委員会

It has been confirmed that Snow Man and TREASURE will perform the new opening and ending theme songs respectively for Black Clover Starting in January. Snow Man is set to showcase a special anime music video featuring the song at Jump Festa 2021 ONLINE, and there will also be a live streamed performed by Gakuto Kajiwara who voices Asta in the anime series.

Black Clover is a manga series written and illustrated by Yūki Tabata and serialised in Weekly Shonen Jump. The series has over 11 million copies in circulation. The story follows a boy by the name of Asta who is born without magic—something unknown in his world―and his journey to become the next Wizard King. An anime adaptation has been airing since 2017 with its fourth season currently airing.

The series will enter a new arc on January 5, 2021 as part of Season 4 which will introduce the new opening theme Grandeaur by Snow Man and ending theme BEAUTIFUL by TREASURE. Snow Man previously performed the Black Clover opening theme Stories which served as their second single and enjoyed over a million streams. TREASURE is a South Korean boy band with BEAUTIFUL as their first original Japanese song.

Snow Man will reveal a special music video featuring the new opening theme Grandeur at the upcoming online anime festival Jump Festa 2021 ONLINE which is set to begin on December 20, 2020 at 11:30am (JST). Gakuto Kajiwara, the voice of Asta in the Black Clover anime series, will also perform the current ending theme A Walk. If you didn’t know, the voice actor is in fact the original singer for that song.

Snow Man | Comment

“We’re so happy we get to do another Black Clover opening song. Grandeur is French for splendour. The lyrics talk of plunging forward in the world together with your comrades, things like overcoming your fate and taking your dream in your grip and running with it, and nabbing a world beyond imagination in the palm of your hands. We hope you enjoy the incredible world of Black Clover while listening to our song Grandeur.”

TREASURE | Comment

“We are honoured that our first original Japanese song will be used as the ending theme before we make our Japan debut. We express those anime themes of positivity and not giving up on your dream in the song. We’d love it if you enjoyed it together with the series.”

©田畠裕基／集英社・テレビ東京・ブラッククローバー製作委員会

Having released the new song Black Catcher digitally on January 8, 2020, Vickeblanka just dropped the song’s official music video.

Vickeblanka ‘Black Catcher’ Official Music Video

https://youtu.be/hP6VM6YAMIE

Committed to releasing a new song digitally every month for three months, Black Catcher marks Vickeblanka’s second song release in the project. Black Catcher was written as the season 10 anime opening theme song for Black Clover. The ominous video reflects darkness and urgency, weaving the turbulent story with a sense of awakening. The colours of the video create a world of distorted paradise. 

Although the new Black Clover episodes started airing just yesterday, the video for the opening theme song has already become a big sensation and is already showing signs of becoming the top fighting spirit song of 2020.

A Statement by Vickeblanka

I cannot express just how privileged I feel to have been entrusted with creating the opening theme song for Black Clover for the second time now. The music video is a story of being purified by a small version of oneself. Although part of the video is just me messing around, I hope that viewers can connect with the song through the visuals created by the unique colours and atmosphere. 

Vickeblanka will release a new album called Devil on March 4, 2020 and is also set for Tour de Devil 2020.  Tickets will be available to purchase from event hosts in the respective performance regions.

©Y/STB

Artist Vickeblanka will release a new song called Black Catcher on January 8, marking the second release of the singer’s three-month digital song release plan. Black Catcher will be used as the tenth opening theme song for the anime Black Clover.

A strong melody pours out over the dark soundscape of this song. The groaning bassline is punctured by the sharp beat of the drums, over which the guitar melody glides gracefully, entwined with the turbulent yet beautiful piano accompaniment. The fighting spirit of the song rises with the endless strength of the vocals. 

This isn’t the first Black Clover opening theme song for Vickeblanka – the artist previously released the song Black Rover as a Black Clover anime opening. The song ranked at number 15 on Spotify’s 2019 list of most played Japanese songs overseas. At the moment, the sensational song has been played over 20 million times on streaming services and over 15 million times on just Spotify alone, leaving expectations for Vickeblanka’s upcoming track at an all-time high. 

A Statement by Vickeblanka

As a Jump fan, I am extremely honoured to be in charge of a Black Clover opening for the second time now. As the story has progressed significantly since, I put a lot more empathy into this song. It is filled with darkness and a sense of urgency. 

Vickeblanka is set to release the new album Devil on March 4, marking the artist’s third ever original album release in a year and four months. As fans reminisce of how we were drawn in by the euphoric world of Vickeblanka’s previous album wizard, the complete change of tone with the new album Devil is sure to shock listeners. 

Vickeblanka will also embark on a tour titled Tour de Devil 2020 which consists of eight performances including some in Higashi-Meihan halls. The tour will kick off at Orix Theater, Osaka on April 29 and will arrive at NTK Hall Forest Hall, Nagoya on May 1. The final performance will take place on May 9 at Nakano Sunplaza in Tokyo. Tickets will be available to purchase from event hosts in the respective performance regions.

©Y/STB

Kalen Anzai has been lauded as a next-generation icon, earning the nickname Posu Gyaru (“Post-Millennial Girl”). Her newest song Jinsei wa Senjō da is currently being used as the latest ending theme for the ongoing hit anime series Black Clover. The track was used in a new goosebump-incuding TV commercial for the show.

Kalen Anzai – “Jinsei wa Senjō da” (TV Anime Black Clover Ver.)

The commercial is a compilation of memorable scenes from the anime series woven together perfectly to make it look like the characters are singing the ending theme.

The commercial has kindled an excited fire amongst fans of the show, with Japanese viewers commenting such things as, “Asta’s singing! They have all the best scenes in there, I’m hyped to watch again!” and “I’ve never seen a commercial like this before.”

Since her debut, Anzai’s popularity has spread across Japan: she was featured on the front cover of online and physical Shibuya culture magazine POSTOKYO.JP, was the first female solo artist to feature in the promotional visual for cosmetic brand M·A·C, has appeared on MTV and MUSIC ON! TV and more. Her android-like appearance has even sparked rumours that she is a virtual artist. She has garnered huge attention for both her sound and visual aspect.

Kalen Anzai made her debut with her single Sekai no Subete Teki ni Kanjite Kodoku Sae Ai Shiteia which was released across digital music platforms on May 1 this year. Since then, her music has been picked up by major music media services, like MTV and MUSIC ON! TV in Japan, who have played her songs countless times.

Since her debut, she has been lauded as a next-generation icon, earning the nickname Posu Gyaru (“Post-Millennial Girl”). Her popularity has spread across Japan: she was featured on the front cover of online and physical Shibuya culture magazine POSTOKYO.JP, was the first female solo artist to feature in the promotional visual for cosmetic brand M·A·C, and more.

Her new single, Jisei wa Senjō da (“Life is a Battleground”), was released digitally on October 1. The song will be used as the new ending theme for the ongoing TV anime series Black Clover.

She has been a longtime fan of the manga series, which has sold over 9 million copies. It is written and illustrated by Yūki Tabata and serialised in Shueisha’s Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine.

Speaking about her involvement with the series, Anzai commented: “Everyone in the Black Bull squad is straightforward when it comes to their feelings, and they believe in their friends. It’s something that always gives me courage. I’m honoured to have the opportunity to sing the ending theme for a series I love so much.”

She continues: “This song is akin to Asta, [touching on things like] the pain felt in the face of adversity, and sewing courage, so I’d be overjoyed if it gets across to people in some way when it plays in the series.”

The official music video was posted on avex’s YouTube channel and can be seen below.

The music video is Anzai’s third in a series of three, following on from Sekai no Subete Teki ni Kanjite Kodoku Sae Ai Shiteia and Dareka no Raise no Yume Demo ii. It’s set in a fictional world called “Immersive Society 3.0,” based on a near-future created by advanced AR technology. It considers the worry of losing sight of our real selves to create a virtual version.

Anzai teamed up with some of Japan’s leading Sci-Fi creators to make this crazy virtual reality feel more real, including acclaimed Japanese CG studio Cafe Group, and Yuki Tsujimoto who has received huge praise for his futuristic visuals.

Anzai’s outfit was created by RISA “ribbon” KATO―who is known for her unique style and as a spearhead of street fashion―while her hair and makeup in the video was done by TORI. who is also known for her work as a collage artist. All of the people involved with the music video have helped to elevate its cyberpunk, vaporwave, and avant-garde aesthetic.

Anzai has also teamed up with Tower Records for their Ki ni Naru Ano Ko (“We’re Curious About That Artist”) promotion for Tower Records Members. The above-pictured poster is now plastered across all Tower Records branches. Anzai is dressed in the music store’s red and yellow colours and is serving that post-millennial girl makeup.

With the hype around her surging, we look forward to seeing what Kalen Anzai has in store next. Stay tuned for updates.

©Yūki Tabata / Shueisha・TV Tokyo・Black Clover Production Committee

GIRLFRIEND is an all-girl Japanese pop-rock band made up of four members whose average age is 18. Each of them has a hand in writing and composing all of their tracks and all of them perform vocals.

Their new song sky & blue began being used as the eighth opening theme to the ongoing TV anime series Black Clover on August 6. The CD will hit shelves in Japan on August 28, but in the lead up to its release, the band have dropped a short version of the music video along with a new artist photo and the CD covers for the single.

GIRLFRIEND – “sky & blue” Music Video (Short ver.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGJ37P4QNXA

The video was directed by Tsugumi Matsunaga who puts the visuals through a light and pale lens which conjures up a feeling of nostalgia. Within that scene GIRLFRIEND give a powerful musical performance as they show their skills with each of their instruments: SAKIKA on vocals and guitar, NAGISA on guitar, MINA on bass, and MIREI on drums.

The new artist photo and CD covers were also shot by Matsunaga and show GIRLFRIEND in a different light to their usual photos with a lighter atmosphere and softer tones.

The anime edit version of sky & blue will be released as a standalone digital download tomorrow (August 7). The song is produced once again by NAOKI-T who has worked with many artists including singer-songwriter Miwa.

©Yūki Tabata / Shueisha・TV TOKYO Corporation・Black Clover Production Committee

Japanese singer-songwriter Seiko Ohmori is celebrating five years since her major debut this year with a project entitled “Super Singer 5th Anniversary Handmade Miracle 5!” with which she intends to roll out five different things throughout the year.

The first was her new single Zettai Kanojo feat. Sayumi Michishige which was released on March 13. The second was the announcement of her first ever prefectural tour which begins in June and will take her to 47 all prefectures of Japan.

This time, it has been announced that she will perform the song JUSTadICE which will be used as the new opening theme for the popular ongoing anime series Black Clover. The song was released digitally on April 5, 2019.

The new anime opening video was also posted on her official YouTube channel.

Ohmori is responsible for having written the lyrics for and composed the track while ANCHOR (ZiNG), who arranged many of her tracks from her album Kusokawa Party, produced the album.

The catchy track has a guitar rock sound backed up by Ohmori’s high-pitched vocals laced with her characteristic word play. The lyrics reflect the feelings of the protagonist of the Weekly Shonen Jump series.

The digital song’s cover art was created by Kaoru Aoyagi and is very Ohmori-esque.