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Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
THE ORAL CIGARETTES on ‘OVERNIGHT,' the Opener of ‘Tougen Anki' Anime: ‘The Coolest Killer Tune We've Ever Released'
THE ORAL CIGARETTES has released a new song, 'OVERNIGHT,' the opening theme of the TV anime Tougen Anki: Legend of the Cursed Blood. The song's message, which resonates with both the anime's themes and the band itself, and its raging, breakneck beat make it a song that could only be created by THE ORAL CIGARETTES today, with its history in the scene. Behind the scenes, though, the band says the song has ties to 'Kyouran Hey Kids!!' which helped raise the band's profile. Billboard JAPAN talked to the four members, who are aggressively pursuing their musical ideals, about the making of the song and about their messages to overseas listeners. More from Billboard Jonas Brothers Address Whether They Still Feel 'Guilt' Over 2013 Breakup: 'It Needed to Happen' Billie Eilish Says Irish Fans Make Her Feel 'So Seen' in Dublin Everclear Celebrate 'Sparkle and Fade' With Full Album Tour Down Under On July 11, you released your new song, 'OVERNIGHT,' the opening theme to the anime . Takuya Yamanaka (vocals and guitar): The protagonist of Tougen Anki: Legend of the Cursed Blood started out with a pure, powerful desire to become a Momotaro (a folk hero who fought ogres called 'Oni'), but then he discovered that he was actually part Oni. Although he was unable to achieve his dream of becoming a Momotaro, he looked even deeper, at his own desire to follow his vision of justice, despite what others might say, and he decided to do that as an Oni. What's important isn't just pursuing your dreams, but how you take on those dreams and stay true to yourself. We wanted the song to really convey that message. Were there parts of the story that resonated with you, personally? Yamanaka: Yes. As the frontman of a band, when you transition over from being an indie to a major label band, you think a lot about your ideals and how to deal with them. When I first started getting interested in bands and music, my ideals were really pure, but that desire to go a certain way was so strong that I ended up losing sight of my own innate qualities. I was just thinking about how I wanted to be seen by other people. Over time, those ideals gradually became less pure. So I've experienced that first-hand, and it's something I still struggle with a bit. With this song, it almost felt like I was directing the lyrics at myself, especially in the last chorus. I'm sure it will remind a lot of fans of 'Kyouran Hey Kids!!' the theme song to Was 'Kyouran Hey Kids!!' something you thought about when you were creating 'OVERNIGHT'? Yamanaka: Everyone, from every side, was looking forward to us making something that would go above and beyond 'Kyouran Hey Kids!!' And, of course, we wanted to move forward, too. We created a sound image that would have been impossible for us back when we made 'Kyouran Hey Kids!!' We used other things, too, that we've learned over the past decade, such as music theory. We were like 'Let's let them have it, right from the start.' And just as you'd intended, the song opens up with a bass line that's just amazing. Akira Akirakani (bass and chorus): I played using an effect pedal called a filter, and in our sound production, we gradually opened up that filter. Takuya said 'the bass at the start is incredibly important,' and I wanted to really focus on the sound production, so we made some adjustments after the mixing, too. Yamanaka: The whole process was a lot of fun. First, I made the demo, and then I told Shige (Suzuki), 'I want to put in a lead guitar like this. Want to work on it together?' I remember having a lot of fun, like 'I want to put in a scratch part here. What about cut-and-pasting it?' Shigenobu Suzuki (guitar): I'm good at making guitar lines with a harsh edge, and I tried out a few different tones for this song. Yuki (Tsujimura) helped with the arrangement. If it had just been me on my own, it probably wouldn't have occurred to me to go with that guitar tone, which was noisy but where you could also clearly hear the guitar phrases. Up to now, I've tended to just go with one effect pedal, like 'Using this one gives it a dark feel,' but for this song I tried out a lot of different effects. Akira: Like you said, part of the bass line was a self-homage to 'Kyouran Hey Kids!!' The timing was perfect—this killer tune, the coolest we've ever made, that's also part of a tie-up. It was like 'boom!' So I wanted to use every trick and technique at my disposal. How has your approach changed between 10 years ago and now? Akira: I totally trust the other members of the band now. The four of us got together and wrote 'Kyouran Hey Kids!!' in the studio, but 'OVERNIGHT' was mainly written in this whirlwind of activity by Takuya and Shige. Back then, if someone had said 'this guitar phrase is super important,' I probably would have said 'hold on, I'll come up with an even cooler phrase!' Now, it's different. I've shifted to thinking about how I can play that phrase in the best way possible. Masaya Nakanishi (drums): For the drums, too, when the demo was finished the song was already somewhat polished, so the direction of the drums was already clear. I took care not to mess up the atmosphere they'd created. For a drummer, the cooler a song is, the more you want to try different things. But I thought about how we'd be positioning the song in the future, and I realized that I wanted listeners to be able to focus on the singing. That's why I figured it would be best not to go overboard with the drums. I held back a bit and played using a really natural approach. But I also sprinkled in some complicated things here and there, which I hope other drummers will notice. I look forward to seeing how listeners react. You have a lot of overseas fans, too. In your day-to-day activities, are there many times when you encounter that side of your fanbase? Yamanaka: So often. Our YouTube videos are full of comments from overseas listeners. We haven't had many chances to play overseas, but I want our foreign fans to realize that we're always reading their comments and we're always thinking about them. I think a lot of people discovered us through 'Kyouran Hey Kids!!' and I've seen it get covered a lot. It makes me so happy that even though the song has this distinctively Japanese melody and Japanese lyrics, it resonates with people from different cultures and they even go out and cover it. I think a lot of our overseas fans are anime fans, so if they hear 'OVERNIGHT' and think, 'That's the opening to Tougen Anki: Legend of the Cursed Blood, that's so cool!' then we'll be happy, too. We'll do all we can to go play overseas, too! Akira: Yeah, I want to play a show in maybe the US. Yamanaka: My older brother's lived in the US for a long time, and one day he was at the bar and the person next to him was like, 'You're Japanese? Do you know this artist?' And it turned out he was asking about THE ORAL CIGARETTES. My brother said he bragged, 'Yeah, I'm this guy's older brother' (laughs). Suzuki: I'm sure the guy who asked was surprised, too (laughs). We get a lot of YouTube comments in Spanish, so I want to play in Latin America, too. I hear there are a lot of anime festivals in Latin America, and I know someone who has gone and played there, so I've heard that there are countries where people don't just love Japanese music and anime, but the country itself. Everybody's experiencing our own culture, so one day I'd like for us to actually go over there. Nakanishi: I've learned about how wonderful different countries are since I've started traveling overseas. When I see these comments from overseas listeners, I feel very thankful. I'm like 'Oh, we got a comment from someone in that country' or 'Wow, they're so far away, but they're thinking about what we're doing.' So of course I'd like to go play in the countries where our fans live, but I also think it would be meaningful to go to countries that aren't that well known to share our music and our culture. —This interview by Chinami Hachisuka first appeared on Billboard Japan Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
The Review Geek
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Review Geek
Tougen Anki Episode 4 Preview: Release Date, Time & Where To Watch
Tougen Anki The bloodlines of 'Oni' and 'Momotaro' have been passed down among certain humans for generations. Long ago, the Oni were aware of their own ferocity and thus, lived in seclusion. However, their peace was shattered by an invasion led by Momotaro. Over thousands of years, these two factions formed the 'Momotaro Agency' and the 'Oni Agency,', and have been locked in conflict ever since. Step forward our protagonist, Shiki Ichinose, who suddenly learns of his Oni lineage following an unexpected attack by Momotaro. This revelation sets Shiki on a path to discover the destiny that lies within his blood… If you've been following this anime, you may be curious to find out when the next episode is releasing. Well, wonder no more! Here is everything you need to know about episode 4 of Tougen Anki, including the release date, time, and where you can watch this. Where Can I Watch Tougen Anki? Tougen Anki is airing in Japan on NNS (Nippon TV). For everyone else though, this one is also available to stream on Netflix worldwide. Tougen Anki Episode 4 Release Date Tougen Anki Episode 4 will release on Friday 1st August in Japan at approximately 11pm (JST). Of course, this means that for most of the world, this one will debut at approximately 5pm (GMT) / 10am (PT). Tougen Anki's episodes will drop in the native Japanese language with subtitles. Dubbing may well arrive later on down the line, but will largely be dependent on how popular this anime will be. How Many Episodes Will Tougen Anki Have? It has been officially announced that Tougen Anki will drop with a 24 episode season order, but like other such anime, it will be split into two parts of 12 episodes a piece. One episode will be releasing a week, while each chapter will run for around 23 minutes long. So with that in mind, we've got 8 more episodes left after this week's chapter. Is There A Trailer For Tougen Anki? Yes! You can find a trailer for Tougen Anki below: What do you hope to see as the series progresses? What's been your favourite moment of Tougen Anki so far? Let us know in the comments below!
The Review Geek
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Review Geek
Tougen Anki Episode 2 Preview: Release Date, Time & Where To Watch
Tougen Anki The bloodlines of 'Oni' and 'Momotaro' have been passed down among certain humans for generations. Long ago, the Oni were aware of their own ferocity and thus, lived in seclusion. However, their peace was shattered by an invasion led by Momotaro. Over thousands of years, these two factions formed the 'Momotaro Agency' and the 'Oni Agency,', and have been locked in conflict ever since. Step forward our protagonist, Shiki Ichinose, who suddenly learns of his Oni lineage following an unexpected attack by Momotaro. This revelation sets Shiki on a path to discover the destiny that lies within his blood… If you've been following this anime, you may be curious to find out when the next episode is releasing. Well, wonder no more! Here is everything you need to know about episode 2 of Tougen Anki, including the release date, time, and where you can watch this. Where Can I Watch Tougen Anki? Tougen Anki is airing in Japan on NNS (Nippon TV). For everyone else though, this one is also available to stream on Netflix worldwide. Tougen Anki Episode 2 Release Date Tougen Anki Episode 2 will release on Friday 18th July in Japan at approximately 11pm (JST). Of course, this means that for most of the world, this one will debut at approximately 2pm (GMT) / 7am (PT). Tougen Anki's episodes will drop in the native Japanese language with subtitles. Dubbing may well arrive later on down the line, but will largely be dependent on how popular this anime will be. How Many Episodes Will Tougen Anki Have? It has been officially announced that Tougen Anki will drop with a 24 episode season order, but like other such anime, it will be split into two parts of 12 episodes a piece. One episode will be releasing a week, while each chapter will run for around 23 minutes long. So with that in mind, we've got 10 more episodes left after this week's chapter. Is There A Trailer For Tougen Anki? Yes! You can find a trailer for Tougen Anki below: What do you hope to see as the series progresses? What's been your favourite moment of Tougen Anki so far? Let us know in the comments below!
Engadget
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Engadget
Onimusha: Way of the Sword brings Japanese cinematic royalty to the samurai fantasy series
While the surprise of a new Resident Evil might have been Capcom's biggest story at SGF, it's got other series – and other sequels – to show off, like Onimusha . Previously a banner PS2 series, Onimusha spanned four mainline games between 2001 and 2006. We've since seen remastered editions of the first two episodes. Still, a true sequel was long overdue, especially after games like Sekiro and Ghost of Tsushima showed a renewed appetite for feudal Japan swordplay. Through a theater presentation during SGF 2025, I got a closer look at Onimusha: Way of the Sword, which features a new hero and a new setting. Also, no more static backgrounds. Players will control Miyamoto Musashi, a legendary (but historically real) Japanese swordsman, artist and writer. This is interesting, but the more compelling wrinkle is that his face is modeled on the legendary (but historically real) actor Toshiro Mifune, who passed away in 1997. Mifune was a leading actor in several Akira Kurosawa movies in the 1950s and '60s, including Rashomon, Seven Samurai and Yojimb o. In short, he was arguably the most famous samurai actor there ever was. I'm not counting Tom Cruise. (Mifune, while alive, portrayed the same character, Musashi, in three separate movies.) To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. Several gameplay features have carried over to the latest edition of the Onimusha series. Once again, you're equipped with the Oni gauntlet, now possessing its own sentient voice. The gauntlet is crucial to collecting different types of orbs from enemies. Some will repair health, while others add experience points, skill points and more. We were also shown some mild puzzle-solving, using the power of the Oni gauntlet to see invisible demons and unlock areas that were spiritually blocked. Absorbing sinister dark masses will let Musashi relive harrowing scenes from the past, powered by his cursed gauntlet. The early gameplay demo focused on swordplay, mainly, with barely any mystical attacks and special moves. Like in previous games, you'll have to balance attack, movement, guarding and counters. Once again, Issen attacks (both through interrupting sword strikes and well-timed guards) are key to applying major damage to waves of attacking demons. Musashi can also apply Issen attacks multiple times to finish off groups of enemies – if your timing is good enough. He can also parry arrows and send them back to where they came from. Environmental damage can also prove useful against enemies, like fire. At times, you'll even be able to wield objects for defense, like a raised tatami mat to block arrow fire. It seems we were only glimpsing the basics of Onimusha battle dynamics and attacks. The guard system appears relatively forgiving, and I saw Musashi block light sword attacks from behind without even turning around. I'm intrigued to see how the game's difficulty will scale in an era of Soulslikes. Fans of those games will be more intrigued with boss battles, in particular, ones where you face off against Ganryu, seen above. He appears to be Musashi's swordsman rival – and one that's been gifted his very own Oni gauntlet. The confrontation between the two was a valuable opportunity to demonstrate how Break Issen operates. After wearing down the guard gauge of enemies, you can perform a severe attack which can be channeled to specific areas or body parts. Do you go for the head to hit for maximum damage, or the sword arm to reduce damage going forward? I also love having an antagonist to face off against, each time upping the ante. Ganryu, who seems a bit of a dick, is that guy. Onimusha: Way of the Sword is scheduled for release in 2026 on PS5, Xbox Series S|X, and PC.
India.com
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- India.com
Top 7 Anime Picks In 2025
Zee Media Bureau Jun 09, 2025 This anime tells the story of Saito Hojo who forced to marry Akane Sakuramoni the girl he hates in his class to inherit his grandfather's company. This anime follows Rudo a boy who lives in a lower part of a floating town. One day he is framed for murder he didn't do and gets thrown off the edge in the trash wasteland. A dark historical fantasy anime which follows Jinta a demon hunter who engages in a centuries old battle from the Edo period to the Heisha era. This anime explores romance and challenges for high schoolers amid global pandemic. It Follows the story of a young man Shiki Ichinose who discovers he has Oni blood which is a lineage of powerful demons. A decent pick in 2025 to binge watch. It follows the story of a former hitman Taro Sakamoto who chooses to retire after meeting the love of his life but when the past catches up he must protect his family from threats. Set in 2052 humans are living in utopian age because of a miracle drug known as Hapna which is developed by Dr. Skinner. Lazarus is a great anime to watch in 2025. Read Next Story
