The BT21 Cafe is set to see its 9th run in Japan when six of them begin opening in Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagoya, Osaka, and Okinawa from July 22. The theme this time around is “MY LITTLE BUDDY.”

Main Visual

Uchiwa Fans (7 Designs) / Coasters (8 Designs)

Customers who book a table in advance will receive a free fan, and if they buy a drink, a free coaster.

The Menu

KOYA Gapao Rice | ¥1,870 (Tax Included)

RJ Omelette Stew | ¥1,870 (Tax Included)

SHOOKY Loco Moco Don | ¥1,870 (Tax Included)

MANG Coconut Green Curry | ¥1,870 (Tax Included)

CHIMMY Chicken Over Rice | ¥1,870 (Tax Included)

TATA Bibimbap | ¥1,870 (Tax Included)

COOKY Sushi Bowl | ¥1,870 (Tax Included)

Parfaits (Mango/Melon/Grapefruit) | ¥1,540 (Tax Included)

Mini Parfaits | ¥550 (Tax Included)

Milk Drinks (Strawberry/Mango/Blueberry) | ¥990 (Tax Included)

Shuwa Shuwa Fruit Tea | ¥990 (Tax Included)

Fuwamoko Latte | ¥990 (Tax Included)

Original Merchandise

Pins | ¥660 (Tax Included)

Acrylic Keyrings | ¥770 (Tax Included)

Folders ¥440 (Tax Included) / Clear Pouches ¥1,320 (Tax Included)

Pin Case | ¥1,320 (Tax Included)

Stickers ¥770 (Tax Included) / Acrylic Coasters ¥1,320 (Tax Included)

Milk Caramels | ¥1,080 (Tax Included)

The menu line-up is based on Asian cuisine and features cute dishes, drinks, and dessert combined with the BT21 characters. There’s also a collection of exclusive merchandise for fans to get their hands on.

©BT21

In promotion of Studio Chizu’s upcoming animated film Belle, Animate is holding a free online tour which will begin on July 15.

Studio Chizu’s past works have enjoyed great success both in Japan overseas and include Wolf Children (2012), The Boy and the Beast (2015), Mirai (2018), and the highly-anticipated forthcoming entry Belle, which will be released in Japan on July 16, 2021. All the films are directed by the Academy Award-nominated Mamoru Hosoda.

The online tour will be offer early-access digital entry to Animate’s upcoming Studio Chizu Exhibition which is set to open at Animate Yokohama Vivre on July 16. Shotaro Otan, the store manager of Animate Yokohama Vivre who is also active as a YouTuber, will guide viewers through the exhibition as well as show products that will be sold online as part of the event.

Ten random people who purchase Studio Chizu-related goods from Animate once the tour ends will be randomly chosen to win some free Belle merchandise too.

©スタジオ地図　©2021 スタジオ地図

Tokyo-based amusement park Yomiuri Land and flower park HANA・BIYORI are celebrating 10 years of Studio Chizu, the animation studio spearheaded by director Mamoru Hosoda, as well as the upcoming release of their new film Belle with a special event that is running from July 17 to September 5.

Studio Chizu 10th Cross Park in Yomiuri Land

Flowers collide with digital art at HANA・BIYORI

Solve puzzles in an AR rally

Themed food

Exclusive merchandise

The events will celebrate Mamoru Hosoda and Studio Chizu’s entire filmography including The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Summer Wars, Wolf Children, The Boy and the Beast, Mirai, and their upcoming film Belle which will be released in Japan on July 16. This includes themed attraction, food, merchandise, and more. There will also be a special AR rally where guests will need to locate hidden characters around the park. A digital art show will also take place at HANA・BIYORI which is connected to Yomiuri Land.

More details about the attractions and food will roll out in early July.

UNIQLO’s UT collection is a line of tees created in collaboration with other brands, anime, shows, and more. On July 2, UNIQLO is teaming up with the Japanese music duo YOASOBI to release an exclusive new collection.

YOASOBI, which is comprised of Ayase and ikura, made their debut in 2020 with their hit song Yoru ni Kakeru. Since then, their music has continued to top charts in JApan.

The collection is a fusion of fashion and music in women’s and kids designs featuring stills taken from seven of the duo’s iconic music videos including Yoru ni Kakeru, Halzion, Tabun, Gunjo, Haruka, Encore, and their new track Sangenshoku.

The Line-Up

Women’s Tees | 7 Designs | ¥1,500

Kids Tees | 5 Designs | ¥990

To promote the collaboration, YOASOBI will also hold a free YouTube livestream on July 4 2021 at 6pm (JST). The online event is called “SING YOUR WORLD” and will see them perform live.

©藍にいな ©ラビットマシーン ©すばこ舎・山中琴美・村山辰徳・細矢祐輔 ©南條沙歩 ©しなの ©牧野惇
©古塔つみ ©むつき潤
©伊豆見香苗・すばこ舎・山中琴美・村山辰徳・細矢祐輔 ©文・すばこ舎・山中琴美・村山辰徳・細矢祐輔

Since January, Studio Chizu has been teamed up with the Japanese apparel brand Graniph to release a new t-shirt design every month in celebration of their 10th anniversary. The fifth and final design was released on May 26.

Studio Chizu’s past works have enjoyed great success both in Japan overseas and include Wolf Children (2012), The Boy and the Beast (2015), Mirai (2018), and the highly-anticipated forthcoming entry Belle (2021). All the films are directed by the Academy Award-nominated Mamoru Hosoda.

Mirai x tupera tupera

The past four t-shirt designs have included The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Summer Wars, Wolf Children, andThe Boy and the Beast, each illustrated by a different popular artist. The fifth and final design is for Mirai which was drawn by tupera tupera and features Mirai, Kun, the mother, the father, and the pet dog Yukko.

Graniph posted an interview with tupera tupera on their YouTube channel which you can watch below in Japanese.

tupera tupera Interview

(C)2018 スタジオ地図
(C)STUDIO CHIZU

Studio Chizu, the Japanese animation studio working on the upcoming anime film Belle which is set for release sometime this summer, has announced an exhibition at TeNQ Space Museum in celebration of their 10th anniversary and in promotion of their newest work. It will be held from July 7 to November 14.

Studio Chizu’s past works have enjoyed great success both in Japan overseas and include Wolf Children (2012), The Boy and the Beast (2015), Mirai (2018), and the highly-anticipated forthcoming entry Belle (2021). All the films are directed by the Academy Award-nominated Mamoru Hosoda.

One of the biggest aspects when it comes to creating an animated world are the backgrounds used. This exhibition will focus on two key background features threaded throughout Hosoda’s creations: the sky and clouds. Both of these sceneries are showcased in different ways in all four of his films and will be explored throughout the event with a special, exclusive showing of a slideshow with various scenes of the sky and clouds littered in the filmography, as well as a more ‘academic’ exhibit of the cumulonimbus, a cloud that symbolises Studio Chizu, and more.

Limited edition mask case 

There will also be a selection of original merchandise for anime fans to pick up, as well as a limited stock face mask case when purchased together with select tickets.

Exhibits to look out for at the event

Who are Studio Chizu?

Learn about the 10 year history of the Japanese animation studio Studio Chizu.

Studio Chizu and the cumulonimbus

The cumulonimbus is a cloud synonymous with Studio Chizu’s works – see it in all forms from their filmography in this special exhibit.

(more…)

House Food Groups has announced that it will roll out limited-time packaging of its popular Tongari Corn snack in early July in collaboration with the upcoming anime film Belle which will be released in Japanese cinemas on July 16, 2021.

There will be six packaging designs in total with three each for both the salted and the grilled corn chips. The designs include the poster for the anime film on the front and scenes from the film and the 10th anniversary poster for Studio Chizu, who are animating the film, on the back.

The film is being directed by Mamoru Hosoda who is known for such hit anime films as The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006), Summer Wars (2009), Wolf Children (2012), The Boy and the Beast (2015), and of course his 2018 hit Mirai which was nominated for an Academy Award in the category Best Animated Feature Film at the 91st Academy Awards.

Studio Chizu describes the story: “The protagonist of this story, Suzu, is a 17-year old high school girl living with her father in a rural town of Kochi — their town is a textbook definition of depopulation in the Japanese countryside. Wounded by the loss of her mother at a young age, Suzu one day discovers the massive online world, “U,” and dives into this alternate reality as her avatar, Belle. Before long, all of U’s eyes are fixed on Belle (Suzu), when one day the mysterious and infamous Dragon-like figure appears before her.”

Product Line-Up

Assari Shio (Salted)

Delightfully seasoned with sea salt, 50% of which comes from the deep ocean, to perfection so you never get bored of the chip’s moreish flavour.

Yaki Toumorokoshi (Grilled Corn)

Grilled corn flavoured and seasoned with umami-packed soy sauce.

The Packaging

Assari Shio Packaging

Yaki Toumorokoshi Packaging

Enjoy a packet of Tongari Corn or some Japanese snacks while you watch Belle!

Japanese music streaming site RecoChoku has revealed the top song and album rankings of artists for April 2021 who earn the site’s RecoChoku Award for the month.

RecoChoku Award Monthly Music – April 2021

Single Ranking

1st Place: “Take a Picture” – NiziU (Released digitally March 29, 2021)
2nd Place: “Renegades” – ONE OK ROCK
3rd Place: “Film out” – BTS 
4th Place: “Yoru ni Kakeru” –  YOASOBI
5th Place: “Usseewa” – Ado


Album Ranking　

1st Place: “THE BOOK” – YOASOBI (Released January 6, 2021)
2nd Place: “Take a picture/Poppin’ Shakin'” – NiziU
3rd Place: “BAN (Special Edition)” – Sakurazaka46
4th Place: “Walpurgis” – Aimer 
5th Place: “Ketsu no Paradise” – Ketsumeishi

In 2020, NiziU took home the Newcomer Ranking award for RecoChoku Yearly Ranking 2020. The girl group takes first place once again in April 2021’s song charts with Take a picture which is taken from Take a picture/Poppin’ Shakin’, their first double A-side single which released on CD on April 7, 2021. The leas track was released digitally on March 29 for a Coca-Cola commercial. It placed at No. 3 in its first week of release. It climbed to No. 2 the following week, and by its third week it hit No. 1 thanks to its CD release and the group performing it live on Nippon TV’s Sukkuri, NHK’s SONGS, TV Asahi’s Music Station 3 Hour Special, and more. The double A-side’s other track, Poppin’ Shakin’, placed at No. 2 on its release but also climbed to No. 1.

The four-track Take a picture/Poppin’ Shakin’ even made it to No. 2 on RecoChoku’s monthly album charts. And on April 30, NiziU released their new “NiziU Scout” content on their official YouTube channel which broke one million views on the same day. 2021 is looking to be a big year for the group.
 

YOASOBI take the No. 1 spot on the Album Ranking for their EP THE BOOK for the fourth month in a row. They are a Japanese music duo formed of composer and Vocaloid producer Ayase and singer-songwriter ikura whose music turns novels in songs. Their popularity grew online with the release of their first song Yoru ni Kakeru in November 2019. The track peaked at No. 5 in the RecoChoku Yearly Ranking for 2020. YOASOBI performed on NHK’s annual New Year’s Eve television special Kōhaku Uta Gassen in the same year. When the new year opened, the duo released their first EP, THE BOOK, on January 6, 2021 which included Yoru ni Kakeru as well as Ano Yume o Nazotte which adapted Sota Ishiki’s novel Yume no Shizuku to Hoshii no Hana, Tabun which adapted Shinano’s novel of the same name, Harujion which was used in with food product and film promos, Gunjo which was used in Bourbon’s Alfort Mini Chocolate commercial, Encore which was used for a Google Pixel commercial, and more. The track Harujion in particular has helped with downloads of the albums after it was used in a Nintendo Switch television commercial.

YOASOBI’s new song Mou Sukoshi Dake was released digitally on May 10. The song serves as the latest theme song for the Fuji TV show Mezamashi TV. The track hit No. 1 on RecoChoku’s Single & High Res Single Ranking.

Japanese illustrator Cotoh Tsumi is now holding a solo exhibition of her iconic artwork at the atmos propeller street branch of Japanese sneaker select shop atmos in Tokyo. The exhibition, which is themed on girls wearing sneakers, is running until May 9.

Cotoh Tsumi became well-known for creating the visuals for the Japanese music unit YOASOBI. They also created the main visual for the atmos con Vol.8 event held last month and even released a capsule collection. Now, their “q” exhibition is being held at atmos propeller street’s Anicoremix Gallery. The subheading for the exhibition reads, “You understand surface-level cuteness, but if you say you know anything about me, you’re a liar.” The exhibition brings together illustrations from the artist’s archive.

Exclusive merchandise will also be sold such as t-shirts and posters

Official HIGE DANdism’s song Cry Baby will be released on music streaming and download services on May 7, 2021. The track is used as the opening theme for the ongoing anime adaptation of Ken Wakui’s manga series Tokyo Revengers. The manga has been published in Weekly Shonen Magazine since 2017 and has sold over 8 million copies. 

Check out the creditless opening video below.

If you’ve yet to check out Tokyo Revengers, here’s the latest promotional video for the anime.

Official HIGE DANdism are set to perform at Pia Arena MM in Yokohama on June 23 and 24 to a live audience. The show is titled Official HIGE DANdism Road to “one – man tour 2021-2022 (tentative title)” and serves as a lead up to their upcoming 46 show tour one – man tour 2021-2022 (tentative title) which begins this September and will take place at 16 cities up and down Japan. The tour is also set to be streamed live in some capacity, but details for that will be released at a later date. Info for tickets for the in-person tour can be found here.

©和久井健・講談社／アニメ「東京リベンジャーズ」製作委員会

TOKYO FM and 37 other Japan FM radio networks are set to air a special program on April 22 at 19:00 (JST) titled Life Time Audio～My First Music “14-Year-Old’s Playlist.”

TOKYO FM celebrated its 50th anniversary on April 26, 2021. In line with the milestone, the radio network launched a new brand promise: Life Time Audio, a radio special that promotes audio content that enrichens people’s lives through music will weaving stories that connect with everyday people. It aims to be a place where people encounter musical experiences and audio content that gives people meaning as they broadcast each and every day their new show Life Time Audio～My First Music “14-Year-Old’s Playlist” is inspired by a New York Times article published in 2018 titled The Songs That Bind which looks at how music heard when you are 14 years of age sets in stone your music preferences.

The live broadcast will be hosted by Daisuke Tooyama who worked as the principal of the Japanese radio show SCHOOL OF LOCK! for 10 years until 2020. Listeners can submit the music they listened to when they were 14-years-old either on the show’s official website or on social media using the Japanese hashtag #14歳のプレイリスト (“14-Year-Old’s Playlist”) which will be discussed each episode. Guest artists will also talk about what music they were listening to back then. In the first episode, Masamune Kusano of Spitz talks with Aimyon. Aimyon has publicly stated that she has loved Spitz since elementary school. Masamune will talk Aimyon about other artists she listened to growing up, her music roots, and more. They will also talk about Spitz’s latest single Murasaki no Yoru o Koete as well as Aimyon’s new song Koi o Shiru Made wa which will be released on May 26 and is used as the main theme for the Japanese drama show Konto ga Hajimaru.

Official HIDE DANdism will also feature as guests on the show. The band formed while they were all in university. It is mentioned that members will talk about not having gone to school much, not getting along with people, their first live shows, and more. They will also talk about what music they want 14-year-olds to listen to.

AEON’s casual fashion brand Doublefocus has released a collection of t-shirts and tote bags in collaboration with the popular LINE FRIENDS characters BT21 at 100 of their stores in Japan.

BT21 Print T-Shirts A

BT21 Print T-Shirts B

BT21 Print T-Shirts C

BT21 Print T-Shirts D

BT21 are the LINE messenger app characters created by K-pop group BTS. Now fans can be with their favourite characters wherever they go with this special AEON-exclusive collection.