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A-Sketch Albums
is a Japanese entertainment company that provides artist management services. The artists include idols, musicians, and so on. Amuse produces TV and radio programs, commercial films, and movies. Other interests are in publication, music software, and patent agent businesses. The private Amuse Museum, located in Asakusa, Tokyo, is owned by the company. It features ukiyo-e and textile displays. History Amuse inc was created in 1978 when it signed with the rock band Southern All Stars. Soon after in 1981, Amuse inc created its movie production and distribution subsidiary Amuse Cinema City Inc. and produced ''Morning Moon Wa Sozatsu Ni'' (starring Shin Kishida) that same year, followed by ''Aiko 16 sai'' (1983). In 1983, Amuse inc signed with the actress Yasuko Tomita. The next year, Amuse inc opened its subsidiary in the United States. Amuse Video Inc was created in 1990 as the video software production/sales subsidiary of the Amuse inc group. In 1995, Amuse created a joint-A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shibuya, Tokyo
Shibuya (渋谷 区 ''Shibuya-ku'') is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. As a major commercial and finance center, it houses two of the busiest railway stations in the world, Shinjuku Station (southern half) and Shibuya Station. As of April 1, 2022, it has an estimated population of 228,906 and a population density of 15,149.30 people per km2 (39,263.4/sq mi). The total area is 15.11 km2 (5.83 sq mi). The name "Shibuya" is also used to refer to the shopping district which surrounds Shibuya Station. This area is known as one of the fashion centers of Japan, particularly for young people, and as a major nightlife area. History Heian to Edo period Shibuya was historically the site of a castle in which the Shibuya family resided from the 11th century through the Edo period. Following the opening of the Yamanote Line in 1885, Shibuya began to emerge as a railway terminal for southwestern Tokyo and eventually as a major commercial and entertainment center. Meiji to Showa period ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bandai
is a Japanese multinational toy manufacturer and distributor headquartered in Taitō, Tokyo. Its international branches, Bandai Namco Toys & Collectables America and Bandai UK, are respectively headquartered in Irvine, California and Richmond, London. Bandai is a subsidiary of Bandai Namco Holdings and is the parent company's core toy production division. From 1981 until 2001, Bandai produced video game consoles. Bandai was founded by World War II veteran Naoharu Yamashina as Bandai-Ya on July 5, 1950 as the corporate spin-off of a textile wholesaler. The company began as a distributor of metallic toys and rubber swimming rings, before moving to metal cars and aircraft models. It was renamed Bandai Co., Ltd. in 1961 and achieved considerable success with its action figures based on the anime ''Astro Boy''. History Origins and success with toys (1947–1968) In 1947, Naoharu Yamashina began working for a Kanazawa-based textile wholesaler. The eldest son to a rice retailer, Ya ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cross Gene
Cross Gene (Korean: 크로스진; stylized as CROSS GENE) is a 6 member boy band based in South Korea which debuted on June 11, 2012. Signed under Amuse Korea, the group consists of South Korean member: Shin is the only member still under their label, Amuse Korea. They released their debut mini-album ''Timeless: Begins'' in 2012, which peaked at #8 on the Gaon weekly album chart. History 2012: Formation and ''Timeless: Begins'' On May 26, 2012, Amuse Korea revealed that they would be debuting a multinational group consisting of South Korean, Japanese and Chinese singers. Among the members is Shin Won-ho (Shin), an actor who had previously appeared in television dramas and advertisements. Terada Takuya, an Amuse model and actor, was also announced in the lineup and upon Cross Gene's debut became the first fully Japanese K-Pop idol. The entertainment company explained the meaning behind the group's name, stating that the group would "cross the superior genes of each country to c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dean Fujioka
, better known as , is a Japanese actor, singer-songwriter, musician, model and film director. He is a talent of Amuse, Inc. Biography Dean Fujioka was born in Sukagawa, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. Moving with his family, he grew up in Kamagaya, Chiba Prefecture. Although Fujioka is multilingual (fluent in Japanese, English, Cantonese, Standard Mandarin, Indonesian) and made his debut in a Chinese fashion show, he has clarified in some interviews and variety shows that his parents and grandparents are all Japanese, who used to work or live in foreign countries. Raised in such a family, he grew determined to explore the world himself. After graduating from Chiba Prefectural Funabashi High School, Fujioka majored in IT at a community college in Seattle, USA. After graduating from college, he traveled to different countries in Asia and came into contact with various ethnicities, cultures and languages. Fujioka has a wide range of hobbies such as Chinese martial arts, kickboxing, che ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gen Hoshino
is a Japanese singer-songwriter, musician, actor, and writer. Career Music Since 2000, Hoshino has led the instrumental band Sakerock, where he plays marimba and guitar. They released over ten albums before disbanding in 2015. As a solo artist, he debuted with his first album '' Baka no Uta'' on June 23, 2010. His first physical single, "Kudaranai no Naka ni" was released on March 2, 2011 and peaked at number 17 on the Oricon Singles Chart. The subsequent singles – "Film", "Yume no Soto e", "Shiranai" (2012), and "Gag" (2013) – all charted in the top 10. His second album, ''Episode'', released on September 28, 2011, peaked at number five. His third album, ''Stranger'', released on May 1, 2013, peaked at number two on the Oricon Albums Chart and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan. Since 2011, he's been co-hosting a Ustream program called together with Ichirō Yamaguchi of Sakanaction. In 2014 the program officially changed its name to ''Yoru no ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Flow (Japanese Band)
Flow (styled as FLOW) is a Japanese rock band formed in 1998 as a five-piece band made up of two vocalists, a drummer, a bassist, and a guitarist. They are signed to Sacra Music. As of November 2022, the band has released 39 singles, 2 collaboration singles with Granrodeo, 1 collaboration single with Orange Range, and 11 studio albums. Their songs have been featured in the opening sequences of several anime and Japanese drama series. History The group began in 1993 when brothers Kōshi (elder: vocals, rhythm guitar) and Take (younger: lead guitar) began playing together. They formed Flow in 1998, and by 2000, were joined by Keigo (vocals), Gotō (bass) and Iwasaki (drums). In 2001, the band released its first maxi single, ''Flow #0''. In 2002, the group released two mini-albums within the same year, followed by "Okuru Kotoba", Flow's first cover single, released in January 2003, which remained on the Oricon indie chart for seven consecutive weeks and also hit No. 6 on the overa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Masaharu Fukuyama
is a Japanese singer-songwriter and actor from Nagasaki. He debuted in 1990 with the single "Tsuioku no Ame no Naka". Fukuyama is represented by the agency Amuse, Inc. Career While he can also be seen in Japanese television dramas, Fukuyama is best known for his singing career. His 1992 breakout single "Good night" gained a wide audience because of its tie-in with the TV drama ''Ai wo Douda''. In 1993, he made his first appearance in ''Kōhaku Uta Gassen'', on which only successful J-pop and ''enka'' artists are invited to perform. Propelled by the success of '' Hitotsu Yane no Shita'', in which he played Chinichan, the second older brother in the Kashiwagi family, he had his first million-selling single, " It's Only Love/Sorry Baby", in 1994. His 1995 single "Hello" became the second highest selling single that year. He took a hiatus in 1996, stopping all his entertainment activities except his radio shows. He returned to the entertainment scene in 1998, and his first singl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Babymetal
(stylized in all caps) is a Japanese kawaii metal band consisting of Suzuka Nakamoto as "Su-metal" and Moa Kikuchi as "Moametal". The band is produced by Kobametal from the Amuse talent agency. Their vocals are backed by heavy metal instrumentation, performed by a group of session musicians known as the "Kami Band" at performances. The band was formed in 2010, with the original lineup of Su-metal (vocal and dance), Moametal (scream and dance), and Yui Mizuno as "Yuimetal" (scream and dance), with the concept of creating a fusion of the heavy metal and Japanese idol genres. Originally a sub-unit of the Japanese idol group Sakura Gakuin, Babymetal became an independent act in 2013, following Nakamoto's departure from Sakura Gakuin. Babymetal released their eponymous debut album in February 2014. Their second album ''Metal Resistance'' was released worldwide in April 2016. Babymetal has also embarked on several tours, with a majority of their tour dates taking place outside o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Eternal Zero
is a 2013 Japanese war drama film directed by Takashi Yamazaki and based on a novel by Naoki Hyakuta, published in English by Vertical Inc. The film starts with a frame story set in 2004. A Japanese man in his twenties learns that he is the grandson of a Kamikaze military aviator, who was killed in World War II. He then investigates the life story of his grandfather, wanting to find out why a supposedly timid man volunteered for a suicide mission. Most of the film depicts the grandfather's wartime service. Plot In 2004, twenty-six-year-old Kentaro Saeki is repeatedly failing the national bar examination and is uncertain about his future. One day, after the funeral of his grandmother, Matsuno, he is startled to learn from his mother and older sister Keiko that his maternal grandfather Kenichiro was not his blood-relation. Keiko and Kentaro start hearing stories about their real grandfather, Kyuzo Miyabe and visit many of his former comrades, all of whom begin by criticizing his ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Flumpool
Flumpool (stylized as flumpool) are a Japanese rock band. The band, originally from Osaka Prefecture, was formed in January 2007. The band's name is a portmanteau of the words ''four'' (from the number of members in the band), ''lump'', and ''pool''. Thus, the name could be interpreted to mean "collective mass of four" or a "quartet". On 1 October 2008, the band released a download single named . Their debut mini-album (though its length is over 48 minutes), ''Unreal'' was released on 10 November 2008. ''Unreal'' served Platinum certification from the RIAJ for its shipment of 250,000 copies. History 2002: cube In 2002, Yamamura, along with his childhood friends, Sakai and Amakawa, formed an acoustic unit named 309. Later, when a support drummer joined them, they formed a band.''flumpool Official Site''Biography/ref> From then, they changed their name to cube. Yamamura plays acoustic guitar as well as does most vocals. Sakai also plays acoustic guitar while Amakawa plays bass g ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
J-pop
J-pop ( ja, ジェイポップ, ''jeipoppu''; often stylized as J-POP; an abbreviated form of "Japanese popular music"), natively also known simply as , is the name for a form of popular music that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1990s. Modern J-pop has its roots in traditional music of Japan, and significantly in 1960s pop and rock music. J-pop replaced ''kayōkyoku'' ("Lyric Singing Music", a term for Japanese popular music from the 1920s to the 1980s) in the Japanese music scene. J-rock bands such as Happy End fused the Beatles and Beach Boys-style rock with Japanese music in the 1960s1970s. J-country had popularity during the international popularity of Westerns in the 1960s1970s as well, and it still has appeal due to the work of musicians like Charlie Nagatani and venues including Little Texas, Tokyo. J-rap became mainstream with producer Nujabes and his work on ''Samurai Champloo'', Japanese pop culture is often seen with anime in hip hop. Other trends ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2002 Cannes Film Festival
The 55th Cannes Film Festival started on 15 May and ran until 26 May 2002. The Palme d'Or went to the Polish-French-German-British co-produced film '' The Pianist'' directed by Roman Polanski. The festival opened with ''Hollywood Ending'', directed by Woody Allen and closed with '' And Now... Ladies and Gentlemen'', directed by Claude Lelouch. Virginie Ledoyen was the mistress of ceremonies. Director Woody Allen was also presented with the inaugural Honorary Palme d'Or given to a director who had achieved a notable body of work but who had never won a competitive Palme d'Or. Juries Main competition The following people were appointed as the Jury for the feature films of the 2002 Official Selection: * David Lynch, Jury President * Sharon Stone * Michelle Yeoh * Christine Hakim * Régis Wargnier * Bille August * Raúl Ruiz * Claude Miller * Walter Salles Un Certain Regard The following people were appointed as the Jury of the 2002 Un Certain Regard: * Anne Fontaine (director) ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
