[News] 2012.02.06 Ayu to Provide Theme Song for "Tales of Xillia 2"

After an artwork tease and 19-day countdown site, Namco Bandai has attached a title and platform to its next mainline entry in the Tales series. Tales of Xillia 2, a sequel to last year’s Tales of Xillia, is in development for PlayStation 3. Set one year after the events of Tales of Xillia on the planet Elenpios, the game stars hero Ludgar Will Crusnick (CV: Takashi Kondou) and 8-year-old heroine Elle Mel Marta (CV: Mariya Ise), who has a pet cat named Lulu. Daigo Okumura is character designer, and Ayumi Hamasaki is back for the game’s theme song. Ufotable is once again on animation. The story features player decisions with branching cutscenes. Like Xillia, the sequel’s characters are built to realistic proportions. The game’s battle system makes use of a new “Weapon Shift” system, allowing Ludgar to change weapons mid-combat – from twin guns to a two-handed hammer or twin swords. 

Source: HTMSD @ AHS 

Shared by Ayu's Story & AHN 

Take out with full credits! 

Discuss this at AHN's forum!

[News] 13.05.2012 "evolution" Chosen as Theme Song for 2012 Movie "Helter Skelter"

It was announced on Thursday that "evolution," a 2001 song by Ayumi Hamasaki, will be the main theme song for the live-action film adaptation of Kyoko Okazaki's Helter Skelter psychological manga. This will be the first film to use one of Hamasaki's songs as its theme since the 2009 Dragonball: Evolution live-action film. When asked for comment, Hamasaki stated that she was a fan of the original manga, and is looking forward to seeing the completed film. Hamasaki's "evolution" single was released on January 31, 2001, and reached the number one spot on the Oricon singles sales ranking charts.

Erika Sawajiri (SHINOBI - Heart Under Blade, 1 Liter of Tears drama series) will star in the film, playing the character Ririko, a model who underwent extensive plastic surgery to attain her beauty. The photographer Mika Ninagawa (Sakuran) will direct the film, while Asmik-Ace Entertainment and Shochiku will distribute the adaptation. The film's main cast includes Nao Omori as the prosecutor Makoto Asada, Shinobu Terajima as Ririko's manager Michiko Hata, Gou Ayano, Kiko Mizuhara as Kozue Yoshikawa, Hirofumi Arai, Anne Suzuki, Susumu Terajima, Kaori Momoi as Hiroko Tada, Shou Aikawa, Mieko Harada as Hisako Wachi, and Yosuke Kubozuka as Takao Nanbu.

Okazaki's original Helter Skelter manga won the Manga Grand Prize at the annual Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prizes in 2004. The story centers on Ririko, a model who underwent extensive plastic surgery to attain her beauty. The clinic who performed Ririko's surgeries goes under investigation for questionable business practices, and Ririko's body starts to deteriorate. As the model's prominence in the entertainment industry begins to falter, so does her sanity.

The film will premiere in Japan on July 14.

Check out the trailer below:

 

Source: ayumisreal & miki_beland @ AHS

Shared by Ayu's Story & AHN

Take out with full credits!

Discuss this at AHN's forum!

[News] 21.11.2011 Hamasaki Ayumi To Sing a Theme Song For “Saigo Kara Nibanme no Koi”

It’s been revealed that Hamasaki Ayumi will be singing the theme song for the upcoming drama, “Saigo Kara Nibanme no Koi“.

Set in Kamakura, the drama follows actors Koizumi Kyoko and Nakai Kiichi, who play out an adult love story. Hamasaki, who agreed to take part in the OST after reading the script, commented, “I wrote a song that will bring warm feelings to anyone who listens to it.”

Her song, “how beautiful you are“, is a medium-tempo ballad that describes the feeling of gratitude towards someone.

This is Hamasaki’s first time in two years and five months since she last sang a theme song for a drama. Her last OST contribution was “Sunrise ~LOVE is ALL” for the TV Asahi drama, “Dandy Daddy?“.

Producer Wakamatsu Hiroki commented, “She created a wonderful song that has both kindness and sadness interact within a mature atmosphere. It’s perfect for the drama’s image.”

“I will be happy if people of all ages can sympathize with the song,” said Hamasaki.

“Saigo Kara Nibanme no Koi” will air every Thursday night from 10:00 p.m., starting on January 12th. Hamasaki’s song is scheduled to be distributed in February.

Credit: Tokyo Hive
Original Source: Sanspo
Shared by Ayu's Story

[News] 04.02.2011 Ayu x TALES OF XILLIA Theme Song Title Revealed!

I'm not sure where an Ayu's fan got this picture, but the title song for TALES OF XILLIA game series has been revealed!

It's called "Making Fate"
Words by Ayumi Hamasaki
Music by Tetsuya Komuro + Yuta Nakano
Arranged by Yuta Nakano



Can't wait!!

Credit: elvis810 @ AHS
Shared by Ayu’s Story
Take out with full credits

[Article] 19.12.2010 Japan's Biggest Pop Diva Returns To Video Games

Japan's Biggest Pop Diva Returns To Video Games


Selling over 50 million albums in Japan, Ayumi Hamasaki is one of Asia's biggest popstars, posting a number one single every year since she debuted in 1998. Now she's bringing her music to one of Japan's biggest role-playing franchises.


During the mid-1990s, she co-hosted a music program that was broadcasted on Nintendo Satellaview, which was the Nintendo developed satellite TV add-on for the Super Famicom game system. But it wasn't until 1998 that she released her smash hit debut, launching her highly successful career.


More under the cut!


Like Madonna, Hamasaki continues to reinvent herself for her albums and is a national style icon, creating trend after trend. She's a regular in ads, whether it be selling cameras, donuts or make-up. She's spawned her own clothing label, cartoon and variety program.

Even with the rising popularity of rivals like Kumi Koda, Hamasaki's impact continues to be felt on fashion, music and culture. But there's more to her than image. In early 2008, the popstar blogged (via the BBC) that her left ear "doesn't work" anymore. Japan's big pop icon was deaf in one ear.

"Nevertheless, I would like to continue as a singer," she continued. "That's why I would like to continue singing until I reach the limit with my remaining right ear."


"I won't stop. I won't make excuses," Hamasaki wrote. "As a professional, I would like to deliver the best performance for everyone."

This came months after Hamasaki ended her long relationship with Tomoya Nagase, singer of the boy band Tokio, which might be best known to Kotaku readers for the Xbox 360 "Do! Do! Do!" commercials.

Not one to slow down, Hamasaki continues to record, appear in concert and on television. She's even providing the theme song for upcoming role-playing game Tales of Xillia. This won't be her first game theme, as she previously provided songs for Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams.


In 1998, she burst on the scene from the clubs of Shibuya. Hamasaki isn't the best singer, she isn't even a great dancer. But rather, she is a talented lyricist, and in an industry filled with pre-packaged pop princesses, Hamasaki was encouraged early on to write her own songs. She's since moved on to not just composing her own music, but overseeing her album art and music videos.

And like Madonna or even Bowie, Hamasaki is hard to pin down: her music jumps from genre to genre — from ballads to techno to rock to, yes, video games. Next year, Tales of Xillia, complete with an Ayumi Hamasaki theme, will be released on the PS3. She won't stop, she won't quit, and she's not making excuses.

Culture Smash is a daily dose of things topical, interesting and sometimes even awesome — game related and beyond.

Credit: njanjayrp @ AHS
Original source: Kotaku
Shared by Ayu's Story
Take out with full credits!

[News] 15.12.2010 Ayu To Sing The "TALES OF XILLIA" Theme Song!

According to this following magazine scan, a new PS3 Game, titled "TALES OF XILLIA" which is said going to be released next year 2011, in an unknown release date, we could see a mention of Ayumi Hamasaki to sing the game's theme song which is also possibly to be Ayu's next single in 2011. More details:  http://www.bandainamcogames.co.jp/cs/list/nto/

So let's wait and see!

This is of course a very interesting and exciting news to all the fans :)

Credits: HTMSD + mellody @ AHS
Shared by Ayu's Story
Take out with full credits!

[Info] 11.12.2010 "Dream ON" Tie-In Update Information

According to Ayu's official site, her collaboration song with Naoya Urata, "Dream ON" is going to be the ending theme song for a TBS Japanese drama, called "あらびき団" (Rough Time) starting from 12th January 2011 and the song will always be the image song for avex artist academy CM.



Original source: Ayu's Official Site
Shared by Ayu's Story

[Preview] 14.08.2010 "THX A LOT" a-nation 2010 Official Theme Song Preview

We got to hear the a-nation 2010 Official Theme Song Preview "THX A LOT"
it's only the instrumental and it sounds not really clear because it's recorded by mobile phone, but it seems that it's a pop ballad and not like the typical summer song for a summer event.

Credit: Ayublossom @ Youtube
Shared by Ayu's Story

[News] 06.08.2010 "THX A LOT" First a-nation Official Theme Song To Be Released!

Ayu, Koda and another artists will be participate in the first official theme song for a-nation composed by Tetsuya Komuro.

The music producer, Tetsuya Komuro composed the official theme song, "THX A LOT" (Thanks a lot) in five days to be announced as the annual summer festival, a-nation 2010 avex official theme song. It will be the official theme song for the event which has been started since 2002, and artists like TRF, Ayumi Hamasaki, Kumi Koda and artists will become a special unit called "a-nation's Party". The summer event will start on 7th August, Ehime and the song will be played for the first time on the 1st day. The theme song will be performed on 28th August, at Tokyo.

The theme song will be sung together by TRF, Hitomi, Every Little Thing, Ayumi Hamasaki, Do As Infinity, Koda Kumi, Ai Otsuka, Ami Suzuki, AAA, GIRL NEXT DOOR and ICONIQ. The album itself will be released in Fall

Credit: kakumei @ AHS
Original sources: Oricon | Yomiuri | Sanspo
Shared by Ayu's Story
Take out with full credits!

[News] Ayumi Hamasaki's New Song 「blossom」 For Zespri New CM Theme Song

It's been reported through several Japanese fanblogs and even Mainichi.jp, the new Zespri CM which will be endorsed by Norika Fujiwara (a famous Japanese femal actress) will be released on 11th May 2010 in 2 versions and it'll be featuring Ayumi Hamasaki's new song 「blossom」.

The screencap of Ayu's video message on Zepsri Press Conference

Ayumi Hamasaki (31)’s new song “Blossom” (TBA) has been appointed as a promotion song. “I thought it would be good to make a song that would allow one to sing to one ’s self together with me” she says in a video message. It will be broadcasted from the 11th of this month.



Credit: truehappiness @ AHS
Original source: Japanese blogs + Mainichi.jp
Shared by Ayu's Story
Take out with full credits!

[Rumor] Ayumi Hamasaki Invited To Sing A Theme Song For Jackie Chan's New Movie

Well, this is only a rumor so please don't take it too seriously, but yet, I do hope that this is real!
Jackie Chan and Ayumi Hamasaki are COOL if they ever meet!!

------

Here's the part of the article that talked it

Original article:

邀请滨崎步来唱主题歌

他还透露，为了增加电影的时尚元素和在亚洲范围内的发行，已经向日本歌坛天后滨崎步发出邀请，由她来担纲电 影主题曲的演唱。“这部戏的幕后班底很强，摄影师请的是美国的大师，剪辑是张艺谋和冯小刚导演御用的，文戏 导演是宁瀛，动作戏导演是袁祥仁（金牌武指袁和平的弟弟），武指更是聚集了袁家班、陈家班的精英，特效也是 请的最好的团队。”一大串卖点铺陈下来，陈虎又多了几分自信，“第一部我觉得至少自己已经尽力了，应该不会 有遗憾的。”

Translation

Ayumi Hamasaki invited to sing the theme song

He also revealed that, in order to increase the film's fashion elements and the distribution within Asia has been to the Japanese singer Ayumi Hamasaki days after the invitation from her to the film featuring the theme song of the concert. "This a very strong team behind the show, the photographer is the United States requested a master clip is director Zhang Yimou and Feng Xiaogang's Queen, the text of plays directed by Ning Ying, action drama directed by Yuen Cheung Yan (Yuen Woo-Ping gold medal means the younger brother of Wu) , Wu Yuan that is gathered in classes, Chen elite classes, special effects are also invited the best team. "lay out a long list of selling points down, Chen Hu addition of a somewhat self-confidence," I think at least their first have worked hard, and it should not have regrets.

Credits: Taiwan-Ayufans + AyumiFans + nanakopy87 @ AHS
Shared by Ayu's Story
Take out with full credits!