Category Archives: Japanese Music

Bushiroad x Little Tokyo: Eat At Little Tokyo D4DJ Event!

October 26, 2020Anime, Anime Concerts, Events, Japanese Music, Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, musicBanG! Dream, Bushiroad, COVID-19, D4DJ, Little TokyoKrystal Kitsune

Bushiroad and popular Japanese anime shop, Anime Jungle have teamed in order to help support small business in the Little Tokyo district in Los Angeles, California.

Bushiroad known for its popular card game, Cardfight!! Vanguard and the music media franchise BanG Dream! They have teamed up with local businesses in the Little Tokyo area to, not only promote their latest project D4DJ -(Dig Delight Direct Drive DJ) but to also help out businesses that are suffering during the COVID19 pandemic.

D4DJ -(Dig Delight Direct Drive DJ) is a new music media franchise created by Bushiroad. It features the creative talents of Japanese novelist and scriptwriter,, Kō Nakamura (Crying 100 Times, Tori Girl) and Takaaki Kidani as the executive producer. The franchise will focus on DJing and remixing different music genre with electronic dance music.

Much like BanG! Dream, It consists of a rhythm game D4DJ Groovy Mix, music CDs, an anime series and an upcoming manga series. An English version of the rhythm game is currently in development and set to be release in 2021. Bushiroad announced worldwide streaming of the anime series via Funimation, Crunchyroll, and Sentai Filmworks, with plans for a Blu-ray release by Funimation in the future. You can watch episode 1 via D4DJ’s official YouTube channel here.

The event will offer customers the chance to get D4DJ novelty items for every $10 spent at participating stores and restaurants white supplies last. Participating stores are listed on Anime Jungle’s official event page.

D4DJ Novelties Include, D4DJ promo poster and D4DJ band sticker (Each participating store/restaurant will carry different stickers of different D4DJ and BanG! Dream bands).

In addition, customers also will receive a chance to win a CD album prizes by uploading the receipt from your store visit(s) in Little Tokyo during this event! Receipt must be within 10/23 – 11/8/2020 and can be uploaded here.

Album Prizes:

D4DJ 1st Album – 「Direct Drive!」& Poppin’Party 2nd Album: Breakthrough!」

*There will be 1 Winner per Album.*

Please note only one receipt per entry. Duplicate receipts will not be accepted. Participants may enter as many times as they wish as long as they submit a different receipt. For more information on the terms and conditions, visit the official event website here. Please follow all COVID19 prevention guidelines, each store will have a customer limit.

Meet the DEATH METAL VOICE of AGGRETSUKO; Jamison Boaz

October 17, 2020Anime, Current Interviews, Japanese Music, Sanrio, TKN Exclusive, Voice ActorsAggretsuko, Erika Mendez, Jamison Boaz, Netflix, OTM Girls, retsuko, Sanrio, Voice ActorsKrystal Kitsune

Many voice actors start off their career in radio or theater but for Jamison Boaz, the voice actor life began with his passion for music. Jamison’s musical projects vary in genre, from EDM to Heavy Metal or in many cases, a mixture of both.

Jamison has had various musical projects over the years, including a heavy metal band Modern Weapons which featured numerous voice actors including, Kyle Hubert and Reuben Langdon.

His most recent and current, multi-genre musical work, Epsilon Zero is self described as the expression of one human soul on an epic journey through time and space on a vessel built of steel and circuits. Take a listen to Jamison’s latest music through his official Band Camp page here.

In other recent news, Jamison is collaborating with Rocket Panda games on the soundtrack for the newest addition to the Phantom Breaker fighter game series, Phantom Breaker: Omnia. However, Jamison’s talents go beyond musical work.

Switching from music studios to ADR studios, It is in this area that he began working as additional voices on various projects beginning with Resident Evil 5 in 2012. Because of Jamison’s musical background as a heavy metal musician, In 2018 Jamison got the role of Death Metal Retsuko; AGGRETSUKO! A role he shares with Erica Mendez who voices Retsuko.

AGGRESTUKO – CHOKE ON MY RAGE!

We had the pleasure of speaking with Jamison Boaz regarding his role in Netflix’s Aggrestuko series and his overall career. Take a listen we speak about Aggretsuko, the OTM Girls CD, the music behind the series and even death metal voice lessons, all this and more in our interview below:

GIVEAWAY

Answer the question at the end of our interview in the comment section, for your chance to win an AGGRETSUKO BUNDLE that includes:

-Signed OTM Girls CD (Signed by Jamison Boaz)

-Signed Aggretsuko Print (Signed by Jamison Boaz)

-Exclusive Aggretsuko Plush!

Deadline to enter is 10/31/2020

MIKU EXPO 2020 USA IS NO LONGER POSTPONED, ITS OFFICIALLY CANCELLED

September 29, 2020Anime Concerts, Anime Music, Concerts, Cons, Cosplay, Events, Los AngelesAnime, Crypton Future Media, MIKU EXPO 2020 USA & Canada, Miku Hatsune, MikuExpo, VocaloidsKrystal Kitsune

Crypton Future Media has just announced the official CANCELLATION of Hatsune Miku’s North American Tour, MIKU EXPO 2020 USA & Canada. Earlier this year, CFM announced its postponement due to the COVID19 pandemic, however they reconsidered and have decided to cancel the tour all together.

They posted the following message on their official Facebook page

According to their Facebook post, CFM is currently redirecting their efforts towards new ways of engaging with Hatsune Miku fans across the world, and hope to be able to announce their upcoming plans with fans soon.

As stated above, contact your ticket vendor for refund details. CFM are still working on refunds, therefore, refund option may not be readily available, we suggest you continue to check your ticket vendor account, as this status may change.

Bandai Namco Arts releases ‘MixBox’ A New Streaming Program

June 10, 2020Anime, Anime Music, Japanese Music, musicAira Yuhki, Anime, Anime Music, Bandai Namco, Bandai Namco Arts, Bandai Visual, Chihiro Yonekura, CMB, CooRie, fhána, Hironobu Kageyama, Hiroshi Kitadani, JAM Project, Kenichi Suzumura, Kenshiro, Lantis, Lantis Music, Masaaki Endoh, Masami Okui, Miyuki Hashimoto, Nami Tamaki, Sayaka Sasaki, Shiho Terada, Shuhei Kita, Yoshichika Kuriyama, Yoshiki Fukuyama, yozucaKrystal Kitsune

MixBox is a new streaming program by Bandai Namco Arts that will connect you to a variety of video content as well as, both classics and, the latest tunes from the Lantis music label all free of charge!

▲MixBox Service Image
Character: The Navigator, Lan Amane

MixBox will also be releasing exclusive and previously unpublished content by MixUp, a project that supports remote production by artists and creators as part of the #StayHome initiative to prevent the spread of COVID19. Some of these contents are currently being released on the Lantis YouTube Channel.

MixUp! Artists (currently releasing on YouTube Lantis Channel) include:

Aira Yuhki, Chihiro Yonekura, CMB, CooRie, Hironobu Kageyama, Hiroshi Kitadani, JAM Project, Kenichi Suzumura, Kenshiro, Masaaki Endoh, Masami Okui, Miyuki Hashimoto, Nami Tamaki, Sayaka Sasaki, Shiho Terada, Shuhei Kita, Yoshichika Kuriyama, Yoshiki Fukuyama, fhána, yozuca (and more)

A teaser website is LIVE as of today ahead of the launch. You can check it out here: MixBox.live. Bandai Namco Arts will be streaming a beta version of MixBox on the Lantis YouTube channel for 24 hours from 12:00 on June 12 (Friday). Take advantage of this opportunity to experience the service before it is launched.

Follow MixBox on social media!
MixBox Official Twitter & Official Homepage
Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/Amane_LAN
Official Homepage: https://mixbox.live

Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 OST Released! |Nobuko Toda x Kazuma Jinnouchi

June 3, 2020Anime, Japanese Music, Movies, musicAnime OST, ghost in the shell, ghost in the shell sac 2045, GitS, Kazuma Jinnouchi, Kenji Kamiyama, Nobuko Toda, SAC_2045, Shinji AramakiKrystal Kitsune

Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045, the latest installment in the highly-acclaimed Ghost in the Shell series, is currently available worldwide on Netflix.

The Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 original soundtrack was released today. The Soundtrack was composed by Nobuko Toda and Kazuma Jinnouchi.

Using a combination of elements from orchestral, acoustic, and electronic genres, they have created scores for numerous films, video games, and anime including, the Metal Gear Solid series, Uzumasa Limelight, Halo 5: Guardians, and Ultraman. The musical duo had the following comments about the release of the Ghost in the Shell SAC:_2045 soundtrack:

“We are sincerely grateful to be part of the creative team for Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045.

It was such an inspiring process to work with the wonderful director duo, Mr. Kamiyama, and Mr. Aramaki, and our focus was to deliver music that maximizes their vision. We hope the soundtrack album lets you relive the still-evolving world of SAC_2045.”

-Nobuko Toda x Kazuma Jinnouchi

Over the last two decades, the duo have received numerous awards and honors including the BAFTA Games Award, NAVGTR Awards, Global Music Award, and MPSE Golden Reel Award.

The Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 soundtrack also features renowned musicians such as legendary drummer Simon Phillips (pictured below), a former member of the band Toto, and Ernest Tibbs, the bassist from the Protocol Series.

SAC_2045 directors Shinji Aramaki and Kenji Kamiyama the had the following to say about working with Nobuko Toda and Kazuma Jinnouchi,

“We first met Nobuko Toda and Kazuma Jinnouchi during the production of Ultraman (2019), and they fulfilled our requests so perfectly that it only felt natural to invite them to do the music for Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045. As the first members of staff to objectively read our work, they thoroughly studied the scenario and storyboard and then began proposing ideas for the music, so we always looked forward to music meetings and dubbing sessions. Once again, they exceeded our expectations, and we were surprised by the depth of their knowledge. We look forward to seeing what they are going to come up with for season 2!”

-Kenji Kamiyama x Shinji Aramaki

Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 OST now available for digital download

Related products brought to by The Right Stuf Anime shop
Ghost in the Shell: Arise The New Movie Blu-ray/DVD Ghost in the Shell README 1995-2017 (Hardcover)

Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex Complete Collection DVD Anime Legends

Anime Los Angeles 2020 |Special Musical Guests

January 21, 2020Anime, Anime Concerts, Cons, Events, Japanese Music, LADYBABY, Photography, TKN Exclusive, Visual KeiALA 2020, Anime Los Angeles, Anime Los Angeles 2020, BRATS, Brats (Japanese band), FEMM, Ladybaby, LadyBeard, music, Rei Kuromiya, Rie KanekoKrystal Kitsune

Anime Los Angeles 2020 kicked off with the first-ever, U.S. performance of Japanese rock band, BRATS with an opening act by female rap duo, FEMM.

LuLa (FEMM) performing at Anime Los Angeles 2020

BRATS performing at Anime Los Angeles 2020, their first performance in the U.S.

BRATS is a Japanese all-female rock band formed in 2011 by sisters Rei and Aya Kuromiya. In 2018, they released their studio album, BRATS which included the theme songs from the anime series To Be Hero and the Japanese film Slavemen.

BRATS performed to an enthusiastic crowd, performing hit singles such as ‘Misery’, ‘Juuyon Sai Byou’, ‘Come to See You’ and their newest single ‘Excuser’, which was digitally released on day one of Anime Los Angeles 2020.

Rei Kuromiya performing at Anime Los Angeles 2020

Rei Kuromiya during LADYBABY concert in Los Angeles in 2015

Vocalist Rei Kuromiya, is also a former member of Kawaii Metal band, LADYBABY which was formed by Austrian Wearstler, Ladybeard and gravure idol Rie Kaneko.

In 2015, Rei performed collectively as LADYBABY at Los Angeles’s most popular anime shop, Anime Jungle. Rei left the band in November of 2017.

Prior to their U.S. debut, BRATS had their first live concert appearance outside of Japan at “Ambitious Girls Series 1” in Seoul, South Korea, alongside idol-metal group Broken By The Scream on January 20, 2019. Since then, they’ve been touring within Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan.

Vocals – Rei Kuromiya

Guitarist – Hinako

Bass – Aya Kuromiya

Special musical guest performances also included an opening act from Japanese electronic, rap duo, FEMM. The band consists of RiRi and LuLa and they described themselves as ‘live mannequins’, in fact, FEMM stands for, Far East Mention Mannequins.

JPOPSUMMIT15_KevinFrates-470 — FEMM at SOU SOU booth, J-POP SUMMIT 2015 | Photo Credit: **Hirominy**

In 2014, FEMM released their critically acclaimed, hit single “Fxxk Boyz Get Money”.

Later that year they released their debut studio album, Femm-Isation. Since then, FEMM has released several EPs and singles.

Their newest studio album, 80’s/90’s J-Pop Revival was released in 2017 in both audio CD and cassette. FEMM spends their time touring in Japan and overseas.

We anxiously anticipate Anime Los Angeles’ musical guests for 2021.

BRATS Anime Los Angeles 2020 performance gallery

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AniFest 2019

April 13, 2019Anime, Concerts, Cons, Cosplay, Events, Giveaways, Japanese Music, Los Angeles, PhotographyAniFest, anifest 2019, Anime, anime con, anime convention, Anime Festival, Astolfo, Chef Masaharu Morimoto, Cosplay, Cosplay Photography, Fate/Stay Night, Idols, Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto, Photography, Roli Angeles, Ruiriupanda, Sanyo Foods, Sapporo Ichiban, Stephanie Yanez, VampyBitMeKrystal Kitsune

The annual anime festival kicked off at the Cultural Arts Center in Torrance, California on Saturday, March 23rd, 2019

With the success of last year’s event, it’s no surprise that AniFest returned with a bang! With not only more attendees but also with more guests and performing acts!

Cosplay guests included D-Piddy, Ruiriupanda, VampyBitMe, Rinmieru, Paprika Mari and yours truly, to name a few.

Anifest had over 10+ performers including the Taiko Collegiate, Stephanie Yanez x Plasmic, Voia, Manatsu Project & Candy Bomber.

One of many performances were the Röli Angels, an idol group from Japan. They performed during Anifest’s very own, Arcane Maid Cafe.

The Roli Angeles performing the hit-song, A Cruel Angel’s Thesis:

During the festival, we stopped by Sanyo Foods’ Sapporo Ichiban booth, where representatives gave FREE ramen samples by Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto to all attendees.

~~Sapporo Ichiban will be uploading all the photos they took with cosplayers during AniFest, keep your eye out for their album here.~~ Sapporo Ichiban has now uploaded their AniFest photos, you can view them here. For deilcous ramen, visit their online store here.

Before I leave you with our wonderful AniFest photo gallery below, I’d like to mention the winner of our AniFest ticket giveaway, Romy! Hope you enjoyed your time at AniFest! Missed out? There’s always next year, that’s right, AniFest returns for another fantastic year in 2020, See you there!

Photo Gallery

Special thank to:

Beari King, Drew and the rest of the AniFest team for making this festival extraordinary!

Let’s go to AniFest 2019!

March 6, 2019Anime, Anime Concerts, Art, Autographs, Concerts, Cosplay, Events, Giveaways, Japanese Music, Los Angeles, Manga, Movies, PhotographyAniFest, anifest 2019, Anime, anime con, anime convention, Anime Movie Premiere, anime movies, Anime Theme, キーング X KING, Cosplay, cosplayer, cosplayers, D-Piddy, Los Angeles, Stephanie Yanez, Torrance, Torrance California, Trinity Seven, Trinity Seven 2, Tune in Tokyo, VampyBitMeKrystal Kitsune

What is AniFest?

AniFest is a yearly anime convention and festival dedicated to celebrating the arts and culture of Japanese animation. Cosplayers, vendors, partners, sponsors, performers, and event producers all come together in one day to bring you the best that an anime convention has to offer, but without the high price!

Why Should I attend?

Aside from special guests appearances by VampyBitMe, D-Piddy, キーング X KING!, and yours truly, AniFest will also feature musical performances by Stephanie Yanez, Tune in Tokyo, Phoebe Chan & Arcane Maid Cafe Idols. There’ll be many anime and fashion vendors, entertainment and photo ops during the event! As an added bonus, AniFest will be in partnership with Avex Pictures of Japan to host the very first U.S. screening of Trinity Seven 2*!

There’ll plenty of activities to part take during this 8-hour event such as Anisong Dance Festival Event, AniFest Cosplay Showcase, Itasha Anime Car Showcase, Pine Wind Japanese Garden Experience & more. (See their official schedule here for more information). All this and more at AniFest! Held at the Torrence Cultural Arts Center in Torrence, CA on March 23rd 2019, in just 16 days!

More information on their official website!

‘I Want to go now!’

Tickets are now on sale so grab them before they’re gone!

…OR you can try your luck here! We are proud to announce that we are working alongside AniFest to bring you this special giveaway**, so enter for your chance to win a (1) ticket to AniFest 2019!

**DEADLINE: MARCH 20TH at 11:59PM [PST]**

*Sperate ticket required for this event

**Only one winner will be selected

Miku Expo 2018

July 10, 2018Anime, Anime Concerts, Concerts, Cosplay, Events, Japanese Music, Los Angeles, Photographyanime expo, anime expo 2018, AnimeExpo2018, AX 2018, Crypton Future Media, FYE, Hatsune Miku, MIKU, Miku Expo, Miku Expo 2018, Miku Hatsune, MikuEXpo2018Krystal Kitsune

MIKU EXPO RETURN TO LOS ANGELES!

Miku’s last LA appearance was during Miku Expo 2016, now she’s back again with Miku Expo 2018. This year’s theme: “Can’t Make A Song!!” by beat_shobon.

As you read this, Miku Expo is still on going with tours left in New York, NY & Mexico City alongside Miku’s first european concerts beginning on December 1st in Paris, France, followed by, Cologne, Germany & London, United Kingdom.

If you’re interested in attending any of these shows, click here for showtimes:
Miku Expo 2018 (USA&Mexico)/Miku Expo 2018(Europe)

Miku Expo 2018 (excluding San Jose/Austin) song list:

F.Y.E. Let’s Paint Miku Event

Following the concert in Los Angeles, electronics store. FYE (For Your Entertainment) in collaboration with Crypton Future Media INC organized an in-store event where Hatsune Miku fans were to purchase a blank Miku figurine and participated in various artistic activities such as, figure painting, coloring and Japanese traditional Chigiri-e (Art made with coloured paper that is torn to create images, and may resemble a water colour paintings.)

Once the figure was painted, it was then filmed for an upcoming video alongside the colouring sheets & Chigiri-e which were kept by Crypton Future Media INC for said upcoming video.

Here’s our Miku Expo 2018 video:

Author’s Note:

Thanks for reading my post, due to time restrictions, I couldn’t take as many photos as I wanted to before the concert began in LA. I do hope you enjoyed our video. Be on the lookout for our Anime Expo 2018 post, coming soon!

Ronin-Expo 2018

June 19, 2018Anime, Art, Cons, Cosplay, Events, Japanese Music, Japanese Stuff, Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, Manga, Photography, Voice ActorsAniFest, Cosplay, Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, My Hero Academia, ronin expo, Ronin expo 2018, Sword Art Online, Vocaloidsvincemage

Ronin-Expo was held on June 02 of 2018, at the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles.

Ronin_ALA+website.jpg

So what is Ronin-Expo, you may ask? Ronin-Expo is a celebration of Asian culture, this includes anime, video games, movies, & even a bit history of Japan itself. What makes this expo so interesting though, is the fact that it’s in the center of Little Tokyo district in the city of angels (Los Angeles). This makes it a diverse spot for Ronin Expo to be in, as attendees can further explore Little Tokyo by visiting the surrounding museums and local restaurants.

Here are some more pictures from the event including: cosplayers, event guests, attendees and staff members.

Felt like you missed out? Don’t worry, Ronin Expo will return spring 2019, so mark your calendars and take a trip to Little Tokyo, Los Angeles & make sure to stop by Ronin-Expo!

See you at the next Con/Expo!

The Kitsune Network

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