Crossover J-Pop superstar Kenshi Yonezu releases new song Bow and Arrow, theme song for the anime series Medalist

Japanese hitmaker KENSHI YONEZU, released a new song “BOW AND ARROW”, a song written as the theme song for the coming new anime series Medalist, streamed by Disney+ worldwide from Jan. 4.

"I’ve been an avid fan of the original manga. When I saw that the manga was going to be made into an anime, I couldn’t resist reaching out to offer my music. That’s how it led to the creation of “BOW AND ARROW”. It's a great manga, I urge every human being to read this manga series. I'm also anticipating the anime as just a viewer. Wait there for the song as well.” Yonezu shares.

A brand-new anime series from Japan, Medalist, which tells the story of figure skating coach Tsukasa, who is a man haunted by his past failures, works tirelessly to mold his latest student into a championship medalist. The series is based on an award-winning manga by TSURUMAIKADA, which won the first place in The Next Manga Award 2022, an award for manga series presented by Kadokawa, and the Best General Manga at Kodansha's 48th annual Manga Awards in May, 2024. Yasutaka Yamamoto (Noblesse) is directing the anime at ENGI. Jukki Hanada (Love Live! Sunshine!!) is in charge of the series composition and screenplay. Chinatsu Kameyama (In Another World With My Smartphone) is designing the characters. Yuki Hayashi is composing the Ost music. The former Olympic skater Akiko Suzuki is choreographing the skating routines in the anime, in collaboration with retired figure skater Yuhana Yokoi and active competitive figure skater Hinano Isobe.

Crossover J-Pop superstar KENSHI YONEZU debuts “Plazma”, theme song to the new film Mobile Suit Gundam Gquuuuuux - Beginning -

Global J-pop superstar KENSHI YONEZU releases “Plazma,” a new single and the official theme song to the latest installment in the iconic Gundam franchise, Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning-. The track features electrifying vocals from Yonezu alongside high-tempo synths and electronic rhythms to match the vibrant universe of the mecha and their epic space battles. Today’s track is the latest in a string of prolific theme songs by Yonezu following his contributions to Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron, the Final Fantasy XVI video game, and his global hit theme for the Chainsaw Man series. 

Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuuX -Beginning- premiered in a total of 426 theaters, including IMAX® theaters in Japan on January 17th, as a re-edited version title comprised of some of the episodes. The TV anime is scheduled to premiere later on in 2025 worldwide. Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuuX -Beginning- is already a huge hit, grossing over 598 million yen (3,829,801 USD) at the box office and drawing over 350,000 viewers in just 3 days, hitting the top of the X trends chart for the entire day, with many enthusiastic comments being posted, waiting for the release of Yonezu’s new song “Plazma”. Today, along with the song release, a new promotional reel is out on official Gundam YouTube channel.

Kenshi Yonezu releases “Azalea” as theme song for Netflix global series, Beyond Goodbye

Global crossover J-pop artist KENSHI YONEZU continues to reach new heights with his new song “Azalea”, a song written as the theme song for the global Netflix series Beyond Goodbye. The music video is directed by Yuka Yamaguchi, capturing Yonezu in a scenery before dawn in the azure cityscape.

The Netflix series started airing on Thursday, November 14, 2024 on the said popular streaming platform. Reminiscent of the main character, Saeko’s experience in the series, the song talks about a painful, inevitable goodbye to one’s greatest love. While touching on this unavoidable fate, the song embodies the hope found in the enduring memories of love and being loved — memories that provide encouragement as life goes on. The series has already made history as the first Japanese entry to be featured at this year’s Busan International Film Festival Onscreen Category, which honors outstanding streaming dramas. Helmed by director Hiroshi Kurosaki, this project marks another collaboration with Yoshikazu Okada following their work on the NHK serial TV novel Hiyokko.