The globally popular four-member dance and vocal group Atarashii Gakko! has released the music video for their song Otonablue, originally released in 2020.

The live performance video of Otonablue currently has over six million views on YouTube, with related TikTok videos pulling in 400 million views to date. The song’s choreography–particularly during the chorus–became a big hit on TikTok after a television performance last year, inspiring a music video to be created.

In the video, the members perform the retro-inspired number in nostalgic and gimmicky locations that pay homage to the Showa era. The video is a must-see for fans both young and old.

In addition, tickets for the group’s live performance in Tokyo and Osaka, tentatively titled We’re working on some amazing new songs and we’re dying for everyone to see our newest evolution at Tokyo and Osaka ZEPP, have almost sold out. An additional performance will be held at Zepp Shinjuku on May 1.

The four-member dance and vocal group Atarashii Gakko! continues to cause a buzz. The group’s song Otona Blue has racked up 400 million plays on TikTok, and the new song Janaindayo is scheduled to release on March 22! The track is being used as the theme song for the upcoming film Baby Assassins 2.

The song was written and composed by jon-YAKITORY, a Vocaloid producer who had a viral hit with Shikabanese (feat. Ado). The chorus features the catchy phrase “nothing’s a given,” and the fast-paced rock track is sure to be another hit. The artwork was designed by BEY, an illustrator who creates works based on the theme ‘Wamerican,’ blending traditional Japanese art styles like ukiyo-e with American pop culture.

The original Baby Assassins film was released on July 30, 2021 and ranked at the top spot in Filmarks’ first-day satisfaction ranking and won the Japan Movie Critics Award for Best New Director (Yugo Sakamoto) and Best New Actress (Saori Izawa). Expectations are high for this long-awaited sequel! The full song will be unveiled on FM802’s THE NAKAJIMA HIROTO SHOW 802 RADIO MASTERS on March 2.

<Comment from Atarashii Gakko!>
“This is our first time working with jon-YAKITORY and the song turned out to be packed with energy! During recording, we made sure to sing with as much excitement as we could–it was easy, given how straightforward the message was. We were so impressed by the battle scenes in Baby Assassins 2, we challenged ourselves to incorporate more realistic action into the choreography! The song expresses the strength that can come from recognizing your own weaknesses. We hope you enjoy listening and watching us perform it!”

<Comment from jon-YAKITORY>
“Because this track is being used as the theme song for Baby Assassins 2, I kept in mind the sense of speed and coolness that both the film and Atarashii Gakko! have in common.
I hope you’ll enjoy watching the character’s daily life in the movie as you listen to this youthful and exciting track.
In the past few years, the world has become a place where things that used to be a given are no longer a given, and I believe that this has really been perfectly expressed by the members of Atarashii Gakko! Be sure to listen!”

On February 24,  Atarashii Gakko! released the new digital single The Edge.

This global release from the American-based music label 88rising is an energetic and highly-addictive pop track. The track is currently being used in the trailer for Crunchyroll’s winter anime season.

The official visualizer for the song has also been posted to YouTube.

The artwork and visualizer effects were created by Fantasista Utamaro. Incorporating aspects of Japanese pop culture from lo-fi games and manga style to bright neon colors, this super cool pixel animation is the result of a collaboration with pixel artist APO+.

Atarashii Gakko! has become a social media hot topic around the world, with their previous single Otona Blue surpassing 400 million views on TikTok.

Amazon Music’s first music entertainment show for kids and families to be released in Japan is here! Hee! Hee Hoo! premiered on Prime Video on January 26. The four-member vocal and dance group Atarashii Gakko! is also participating in the project.

Hee! Hee Hoo! is a body-themed four-episode series featuring surreal and psychedelic visuals along with Amazon Music Original music for young kids and their parents. This project was made to entertain and educate babies and children by using original images and music to address the physical changes they’ll experience from birth to death and to explain the sensations they feel.

The members of Atarashii Gakko! appear in the first episode, performing the song BABY which was written exclusively for the show.

<Comment from Atarashii Gakko!>
“The theme for this show is so great–the four of us had so much fun coming up with ideas, writing lyrics, and making choreography! I hope even fetuses can enjoy it!!”

The newest track from the popular dance and vocal unit Atarashii Gakko! titled Janaindayo will be used as the theme song for the upcoming film Baby Assassins 2, releasing at Shinjuku Piccadilly Cinema and other theaters nationwide on March 24, 2023.

The original Baby Assassins film was released on July 30, 2021 and ranked at the top spot
in Filmarks’ first-day satisfaction ranking and won the Japan Movie Critics Award for Best
New Director (Yugo Sakamoto) and Best New Actress (Saori Izawa). Expectations are high
for this long-awaited sequel!

In the film, the members of Atarashii Gakko! will play themselves, though details are
scarce. Be sure to tune into the film to see their performances!

Recently, Atarashii Gakko! announced solo concerts at Zepp Osaka Bayside on April 30 and Zepp Shinjuku in Tokyo on May 2. These performances will be held almost a year after the girls held their solo concert at Zepp DiverCity in Tokyo last May. Tickets are on sale now!

Atarashii Gakko! will hold solo concerts at Zepp venues in Tokyo and Osaka in April and May of 2023.

These performances will be held almost a year after the girls held their solo concert at Zepp DiverCity in Tokyo last May. This year’s events will be held at Zepp Osaka Bayside on April 30 and Zepp Shinjuku in Tokyo on May 2.

ATARASHII GAKKO! – HANAKO (Official Music Video)

ATARASHII GAKKO! – Pineapple Kryptonite (Official Music Video)

The sequel to the May 2022 suspense drama series Nani ka Okashii (Something’s Strange) is now streaming on the Paravi streaming service. It has been announced that Atarashii Gakko! will provide the theme song titled Suki Lie.

The original series featured a mysterious radio program and a murder mystery. The story was first written by occult horror writer Uketsu, whose bestseller Strange House sold over 300,000 copies.

<Comment from Atarashii Gakko!>
“We’re honored that our song Suki Lie will be used as the theme song for Nani ka Okashii 2! Thank you so much!
The song is a strange pop tune, and that strangeness makes it perfect for this show. We’re looking forward to the show’s ending, where Uketsu will dance to our choreography! We also get to appear as radio guests in the drama in Episode 12, so keep an eye out!”

Atarashii Gakko!

<Comment from Yutaro>
“I’m Yutaro and I’ll be starring in the series as a listener. I’ve been watching Uketsu’s YouTube channel last year, so I was so happy to hear this new story. I really hope you’ll enjoy this unique drama series.”

Yutaro

<Comment from Director and Screenwriter Yu Ota (TV Tokyo)>
“Nani ka Okashii 2 is complete. In every episode, someone gets badly hurt, but a bad ending is rarely seen in Japanese dramas. The show sees someone hurt, and the malice born from that action splashes up and hurts someone else, and so on.
The cast for this series is incredible and extremely varied. The people on the radio booth side–who will be playing themselves–were asked to be calm with no connection or interest in horror or drama. On the other hand, those on the other side needed to have stronger personalities.
I’m also so happy to hear the theme song by Atarashii Gakko! Many people on the staff are fans of their music, and we thought it would be incredible to have Uketsu dance to their bizarre choreography as part of the series.”

©テレビ東京

The sequel to the May 2022 suspense drama series Nani ka Okashii (Something’s Strange) is now streaming on the Paravi streaming service. Atarashii Gakko! will provide the theme song titled Suki Lie. The show will air on TV Tokyo in 2023. In addition, actor Yutaro stars in episodes 9-12. 

The original series featured a mysterious radio program and a murder mystery. The story was first written by occult horror writer Uketsu, whose bestseller Strange House sold over 300,000 copies.

<Comment from Atarashii Gakko!>

“We’re honored that our song Suki Lie will be used as the theme song for Nani ka Okashii 2! Thank you so much!

The song is a strange pop tune, and that strangeness makes it perfect for this show. We’re looking forward to the show’s ending, where Uketsu will dance to our choreography! We also get to appear as radio guests in the drama in Episode 12, so keep an eye out!”

<Comment from Yutaro>

“I’m Yutaro and I’ll be starring in the series as a listener. I’ve been watching Uketsu’s YouTube channel last year, so I was so happy to hear this new story. I really hope you’ll enjoy this unique drama series.”

<Comment from Director and Screenwriter Yu Ota (TV Tokyo)>

“Nani ka Okashii 2 is complete. In every episode, someone gets badly hurt, but a bad ending is rarely seen in Japanese dramas. The show sees someone hurt, and the malice born from that action splashes up and hurts someone else, and so on. 

The cast for this series is incredible and extremely varied. The people on the radio booth side–who will be playing themselves–were asked to be calm with no connection or interest in horror or drama. On the other hand, those on the other side needed to have stronger personalities.

I’m also so happy to hear the theme song by Atarashii Gakko! Many people on the staff are fans of their music, and we thought it would be incredible to have Uketsu dance to their bizarre choreography as part of the series.”

©テレビ東京

The Metaverse Music Festival, a virtual event organized by the global Web3 platform Decentraland, took place starting on November 10, 2022, featuring a number of Japanese artists. 

FRUITS ZIPPER was one of the performing acts, appearing on the MetaTokyo stage on November 11 and November 12.

According to data from MetaTokyo, a total of 20,000 viewers from 101 countries around the world watched the performances, including those from the United States, Canada, Japan, Spain, Germany, and Brazil.

This spring, the idol group FRUITS ZIPPER released the track Watashino Ichiban Kawaiitokoro, which racked up over 600 million views on TikTok. The music video has amassed over 5.5 million views on YouTube, and despite having just debuted, the girls performed at all major idol festivals over the summer.

In November, the group’s second solo concert at Shibuya WWW X was a major success. In February 2023, the girls will begin the FRUITS ZIPPER 1st LIVE TOUR 2023 WINTER scheduled to conclude at LINE CUBE SHIBUYA on February 12. The group will also perform at a New Year’s Eve event in Tainan, Taiwan. Keep an eye out for them in 2023!

FRUITS ZIPPER, an up-and-coming idol group from ASOBISYSTEM’s KAWAII LAB project, has a simple concept: “From Harajuku to the World.” For the past year, the girls have been transmitting what they call ‘NEW KAWAII’ from Harajuku, an area known for fashion and individuality, to their growing fanbase.

Recently, we sat down with the members to chat about their first year as idols since debuting in April 2022.

ーWhat has the past year been like as members of FRUITS ZIPPER?

Manaka Mana

“The past year has been a year of love. I’ve learned so much about myself and see my own weaknesses more than I ever have before!

I’ve been able to encounter emotions I wasn’t even aware that I could, and I’ve even been able to recognize and verbalize a lot of new dreams and goals for the future!

Thank you so much!”

Noel Hayase

“The past year has been the most packed year of my life. There was something to do every single day–it was so hectic and so fun! I could only think about how thankful I was to be part of FRUITS ZIPPER. I’m sure that we’ve all become stronger over the past year, and I want to keep working hard and expanding our activities more in the coming years!”

Amane Tsukiashi

“Every day seemed to fly by. I met and talked with so many people, and I was finally able to do the job I had always dreamed of doing.”

ーYou performed in Thailand this year, highlighting your slogan of ‘From Harajuku to the World.’ Can you tell us any fun stories from that time?

Yui Sakurai

“I was so happy to see how many people knew about FRUITS ZIPPER–it was more than I could have ever imagined! So many fans told me how happy they were to meet me and it made me so thrilled!

There were some fans who came from Japan too, and they joined the Thai fans to become Team Yui! I really felt like we had shared Harajuku with the world at that moment. ♡

I hope that we’ll keep expanding this way and visiting fans around the world. 

It was such a warm and special day.”

Luna Nakagawa

“This was my first time performing overseas and I was nervous about how the audience would react. We weren’t well-known in Thailand, after all–but when we started singing Watashino Ichiban Kawaiitokoro, everyone sang along!

The concert was so warm and the fans were so sweet, I immediately forgot that it was my first big overseas performance. I was full of adrenaline and it just turned out to be so much fun.

That concert is still my best memory. I can’t wait to go back to Thailand to perform again.

Since our motto is ‘From Harajuku to the World,’ I hope that we can keep expanding to other countries soon!”

ーDo you have any goals for the next year in terms of overseas activities?

Suzuka Chinzei

“I want to do a European tour!

I’m still studying German, but I’d love to try out my communication skills! 🥺 (I guess I could do that here too, but…)”

Karen Matsumoto

“I want to be friends with more overseas fans! 💖

Honestly, I’d love to become like Kyary, an idol who is now recognized all over the world!”

ーGive a message to your fans both in Japan and abroad!

Manaka Mana

“In 2023, I hope that I can spend more time with fans from around the world in person! I want to become stronger and care for those important to me while growing my natural gifts!

I hope you’re all looking forwards to a powered-up FRUITS ZIPPER!

Let’s make 2023 a great one!” 🤍

Noel Hayase

“Even though we’ve only just debuted, we’ve already been so blessed, invited to perform in Thailand and to spend New Year’s Eve in Taiwan. How have we been abroad so many times already? I want to keep the momentum going, spread my wings and aim for an even bigger stage! To all the international fans, just wait! We’ll keep bringing Harajuku to the rest of the world!”

Popular dance and vocal unit Atarashii Gakko! performed at the Head in the Clouds music festival on December 3 in Jakarta, Indonesia, and December 8 in Manila, Philippines. Local fans showed up in droves for the incredible show.

The Head in the Clouds music festival is organized by the record label 88Rising, and the event took place in Los Angeles in August. The label is known for representing Asian artists, with YOASOBI also appearing at the two shows in Jakarta and Manila.

The Jakarta show was attended by around 20,000 people, making it as large as the United States show. The members of Atarashii Gakko!, with their addictive energy and impressive talent, quickly became a talking point among fans not only in the audience but around the world.

In addition to the recent shows in Jakarta and Manila, Atarashii Gakko! recently embarked on a five-show US tour, including a solo performance at the Crunchyroll Expo in San Diego in July. Keep an eye out for what these girls will do next!

Photo: Lindsey Blane

IDOLATER is known for exploring the boundary of music, fashion, and other unique aspects of culture through an idol perspective. 

We interviewed the five members about their new costumes, which were unveiled for the first time on October 23, 2022.

ーTell us some highlights and stories about the new costumes!

Tsukishiro Kurumi 

“This is the second time we’ve gotten new outfits as a five-member group! 

Our first costume was a cool green, black, and white outfit, but this time the cream-colored outfits have a more soft and warm feel.

Fushiki and I are showing off our stomaches this time around!

I wonder if that’s a message from the management telling us that we’re the two who always eat before live shows…the thought is scary…should I ask for seconds next time or not…

Okuda, Oishi, and Satsuki all got normal dresses!

Also, each member’s specific color is incorporated into their outfit! Some fans might not be sure about their favorite member’s color, but now that they’re easier to recognize, I hope fans will find it easier to wave the right penlights at our live shows! I’ll do my best as the one in charge of the color red!

I love the skirt the most!

It’s fun when you’re dancing–the way it flutters is a blast. The skirt’s made of more than one piece of fabric, which makes it more fluffy and beautiful.

People group Satsuki and I together because we both have the kanji for ‘moon’ in our names. I don’t know if it’s a coincidence or not, but our belts have pieces that look a little like the moon! I thought it might have been a mistake and I was going to ask about it at the fitting, but I figured I was being a little too negative. There are things in this world that I don’t need to know.

Fushiki Yukino

“When I first saw the costumes, I thought they were really fresh. They even had our member colors incorporated in them, and the design was something that I’d never seen before in IDOLATER. I was super happy because we wanted the same style outfit!

Tsukishiro always tells me that I’ve pulled my belt too tight before we go on stage! (Laugh)

The costume is quite heavy despite how it looks, and I like the way the skirt flutters when I dance. This is the first time I’ve shown my stomach too! I think the silhouette is gorgeous.”

Okuda Ayu

“It’s a complete change from our green costumes. The five of us are all wearing neat dresses with the same design and silhouette is something we hadn’t seen before! The skirts look so fluffy and flutter so beautifully when I spin, and the high waist looks amazing. 

The collars have a line with the member’s color and the outfit is so incredibly detailed. If you look closely, you can see that each button is different and there are small animals on the belts. Come see them in person if you can!”

Oishi Fuka

“IDOLATER has a  really cool and fashionable image, and that really comes through in these new costumes. 

The skirt has layers of fabric and neat cutouts, and the length is long enough but also shows off our legs a little when we dance.

Each button is different with designs that symbolize each member, and if you look closely, you can see each member’s color!”

Satsuki Ririka

“I think these new costumes are attractive and it’s so cute how the skirts flutter when we spin! They look so incredibly good on stage.

These costumes are a bit different from our previous outfits and remind me of Nogizaka’s outfits. You’ll want to come to see them in person!”

Keep an eye out for IDOLATER in their new outfits!