Interview: MORISAKI WIN

MORISAKI WIN is an actor, singer, voice actor, and performer, born in Myanmar but moved to Japan when he was in fourth grade. MORISAKI WIN started his career as a musician/performer when he was in his second year of junior high. In 2008, he joined the boy group, PRIZMAX as its main vocalist, which later disbanded in March 2020. He then made his major label debut as “MORISAKI WIN” on July 1st with the single “Parade”, which was used in the commercial for the Suzuki Sorio Bandit, that garnished much attention.

MORISAKI WIN proceeded to release his first album titled Flight on May 26, 2021, which ranked No. 1 on five several distribution services. In 2022, MORISAKI WIN released a series of singles with international writers, sang the theme songs for Avataro Sentai Don Brothers, and has showed his diverse range in his performances. In 2023, he released his long-awaited album, Baggage, and the movie tie-in “Dear” and “DAY1” from the TV drama, Ya Boy Kongming.

MORISAKI WIN is not only a talented musician, but he is also an established actor. He starred as ‘Daito’ in Stephen Spielberg’s hit film “Ready Player One”; Kousuke in Humanoid Monster Bela; and Junichi Sato in Sherry to name a few. He has been featured in several musicals, such as Tony in the second season of West Side Story; the lead role as Jamie in Jamie; and recently starred as the leading role in Broadway sensation “Pippin” at the Tokyu Theater Orb.

I had the honor to sit down and Interview MORISAKI WIN at Anime Central. Please see below! He was a kind, funny, and genuine person. You can also check out MORISAKI WIN at his official website, X, and Instagram!

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Luna: What was it like doing the opening and ending for Avataro Sentai Don Brothers?

MORISAKI WIN: Since the Japanese Sentai series has such a long history, it was quite an honor to be taking part of it. At the beginning I was nervous as if I really had deserved it.

Luna: Were you a fan of Super Sentai growing up?

MORISAKI WIN: Yes, of course! Power Rangers! I grew up watching the Power Rangers version of Super Sentai in Myanmar.

Luna: What is your favorite Super Sentai series that you’ve seen?

MORISAKI WIN: I would be the most fond of Power Rangers but I did do the songs for Don Brothers. Has Don Brothers made it to the States yet?

Luna: Not yet.

MORISAKI WIN: I hope Don Brothers makes it to US and gets incorporated into Power Rangers. Since the story is great and very chaotic. It’s enjoyable for grown up as much as kids.

Luna: For international fans, how they usually find out about J-pop is through anime. First, do you watch anime, and if so, what would you say is your favorite?

MORISAKI WIN: I really love anime. Some of my favorites are Kaiju No. 8, Mushoku Tensei, and Dungeon Meishi (Delicious in Dungeon ). I enjoy the Isekai and reincarnation shows too. A few that I’ve watched and currently watching on Netflix are Reincarnated as a Farmer, Monster, Re: Zero, Uncle form Another World, Steins; Gate, 7 Seeds, Hunter x Hunter and Time Patrol Bon (T-P Bon). Time Patrol Bon is new, its by the creator of Doraemon.

Luna: Is there a venue that you performed at that you will never forget? Also, is there a dream venue that you’d like to perform at?

MORISAKI WIN: Dream venue in Japan would be Budokan. One of the venues would be a ballroom in a certain Hyatt Hotel. It was just two nights ago (May 17th), I didn’t know if there would be any turnout, but there was. And the audience was great. It was a great experience.

Luna: It was a fun experience. Thank you very much!

Luna: How did you come to work on Ready Player One? What was that experience like?

MORISAKI WIN: In Japan, the first one was a video audition. I then got a call back, I got called to LA for a second audition. Then I waited about eight months for an answer and I found out I got the role. Then we went to London (outside of London), England to shoot at the studio. It took about four months. It was a big experience, it was my first Hollywood movie. It was like a dream. We were shooting in 2016, we waited for about two years and it came out in 2018. At the time, my life had changed. Including my life in Japan, after Ready Player One was released. People who didn’t notice me before, started noticing me. At the actual filming, the stage was so lavish, it was a unique experience. Not only that, The Stephen Spielberg is right in front of you and he’s telling you, ‘Win, it’s not like that’ giving you all the directions. In retrospect, it was quite the experience.

Luna: I saw that movie in theaters, day 1. I remember when it came out.

MORISAKI WIN: For real? Thank you! How did you feel for the first time?

Luna: I loved it and wanted to see it again afterward. It was so much fun, energetic. I loved every character.

Luna: As you made your major debut musical career during the pandemic, what were some of the difficulties you encountered and how did you overcome them?

MORISAKI WIN: The biggest weirdness was that there was no live performance of any sort until then. If you made your debut you were supposed to start touring all over the country to promote yourself and performing in front all of the people. But there was no telling if my music was actually reaching anyone. I realized that during the pandemic that was a time period of endurance I had to go through. When I finally got to perform to an audience and watching the reaction of a live audience is different. Normally a Japanese audience is more reserved, but I did get a reaction out of them.

Luna: Do you have a message for your international fans?

MORISAKI WIN: I hope everyone get to find my music on Spotify, AppleMusic, Amazon, and any other platforms in the States. And then when you get to know my music, I’ll come back here and perform again. I hope to see you again at my concert. Thank you!

Luna: Thank you so much MORISAKI WIN!

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MORISAKI WIN Dazzles in First International Concert at Anime Central!

As the lights started shining bright, the crowd was buzzing with excitement in anticipation for MORISAKI WIN’’s first International concert held at Anime Central. The stage was all set, waiting for MORISAKI WIN to arrive and greet his fans and convention goers. The announcer came out, the crowd was getting even more pumped awaiting his arrival on stage. I was one of the many fans eagerly anticipating MORISAKI WIN’s entrance onto the colorful stage after discovering his music recently. MORISAKI WIN is not just a talented singer, but an actor and an all around entertainer, who is most known for his role as “Daito” in Stephen Spielberg’s Ready Player One and for several songs in featured in the popular series Avatro Sentai Donbrothers to name a few.

Photo credits by columbia jp

From the first moment the first track, “Orekoso Only One” beamed through the speakers, the crowd went crazy, Super Sentai fans singing along with MORISAKI WIN. The energy he brought to the stage right as he stepped on it, dazzled fans and new comers alike. MORISAKI WIN’s set list was displayed in stages as he performed a mix of original tracks including his most popular, covers of anime and famous Japanese songs. As soon as “Zankoku na Tenshi Teze” starting playing, every single person sang with MORISAKI WIN, showing him so much love and he followed it up by “Day1”, the theme song for Reborn to Master the Blade anime.

MORISAKI WIN broke up his set list into, sections while mixing in his original tracks with those segments. One of my favorite segments was the ‘City Pop’ one as its been on the uprising in the last several years. One of the stand out tracks that he sang a cover of in this segment was “Mayonaka no Door/stay with me” by Matsubara Miki. His version was beautifully sang, bringing the full swing of emotion. What amazed me, was how many in the crowd knew this song and sang with him.

One of the most iconic moments of the concert is when MORISAKI WIN started singing the Anpan man theme song and asked if anyone knew it. When several fans raised their hands, he choose one of those fans and brought them on stage to sing with him together. This made me smile so much as you could see the joy on MORISAKI WIN’s face being able to sing together with a fan. The chosen fan seemed a bit shy but you could see in their eyes, that they had fun singing with him together. Its not often you see a musician include the fans in their performances. I loved that he did this and made an impression on fans and those who were just experiencing his music for the first time.

MORISAKI WIN brought the energy throughout his concert, he radiated with bombastic energy, a genuine smile and entertained the crowd thoroughly. He also knew how to capture the audiences’ emotions with a touching ballad. When he slowed things down with his track “Love won’t die”, you could feel his emotions coming through to the venue full of con-goers and fans alike. “Love won’t die” is a beautiful ballad and he captured every moment of this track that it brought myself to tears. I could hear others singing along with him and feeling the emotions run through their bodies. Personally, this was my favorite song of the evening.

MORISAKI WIN included more of his original songs such as “Fly with me”, “Parade”, and “Wonderland”, all which were amazing to see live. Fans and first time listeners of MORISAKI WIN’s were mesmerized by his charisma, vocals, and also his interaction with the crowd. MORISAKI WIN’s band was phenomenal, how he introduced each one of them and had a you could see the bond he has with each one of them. After his last track, all went quiet for a a few mnutes, many of us awaiting and hoping for an encore with the crowd yelling “one more song”. When he came back out, the crowd went wild with excitement! The encore song was obviously a favorite among the crowd, it was “Orekoso Only One” from Avataro Sentai Donbrothers. Everyone started singing and dancing along with him, relishing in every moment with him. It was an unforgettable encore with the amount of energy from MORISAKI WIN and the crowd together.

MORISAKI WIN did more than just dazzle at Anime Central, he owned the stage with his charisma, his energy, his humor, and his love for his fans. There were so many wonderful memorable moments, from MORISAKI WIN’s jokes with the crowd (he has a great sense of humor), his positivity and energy is infectious, his interaction with the crowd and fans, his dance moves were reminiscent of Michael Jackson, and his vocals were absolutely perfect capturing each emotion. To say I was mesmerized by his performance is an understatement, he absolutely captured me completely and I will be looking forward to his future endeavors hoping it leads him back to America for another wonderful show.

The Zany World of Kyary Pamyu Pamyu - Anime Central Experience

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu is currently doing her World Tour - KPPP. As a big surprise, one of her stops was Anime Central (ACen) in Chicago, which is the largest Anime Convention in the Midwest and one of the largest in the United States. As soon as Kyary Pamyu Pamyu was announced, it got me more hyped than I already was for Anime Central. The guest list was already stacked but the Musical Guest(s) are the biggest draw. Kyary Pamyu Pamyu choosing Anime Central as one of her tour stops is a big deal as KPP has an extensive fanbase that doesn’t just include anime fans. KPP’s musical style and the representation of Harajuku fashion/culture has had a big impact on the music industry and fashion worldwide. One of KPP’s goals is to spread her music worldwide, gaining fans from all around the world, and she is on her way to doing just that with her most recent tour! Last year, KPP performed at Coachella which expanded her fanbase. Now with performing her World Tour, which not only consisted of Anime Central in Chicago, but LA and NY as well; she was off to Europe next.  

First of all, I want to say how lucky I am that I was able to attend Kyary Pamyu Pamyu’s World Tour - KPPP. As most ACen musical guests only perform shorter set lists or split time with the opener, I was pleasantly surprised to see Kyary Pamyu Pamyu had a full set list lasting about 90 minutes!! Not to mention Moe Shop, who recently did a remix of ‘Candy Candy’, was the opener for the show. Moe Shop is a high energy DJ, which prepared the crowd for Kyary Pamyu Pamyu. He brought that energy and succeeded in getting the crowd hyped and ready to go. So hyped to the point that security actually had to step in to do some crowd control before Kyary Pamyu Pamyu stepped out on stage.  

Now let's get to Kyary Pamyu Pamyu’s actual concert! LIke I said earlier, I wasn’t expecting a full actual concert from Kyary, but right as the opening sequence started rolling out, I knew we were in for a real treat. First, the stage was prepped, lights went down, and the two giant video screens started to fill with the opening movie (for those of you who haven’t been to a JP concert, most have a special opening movie). Once that opening movie started to draw to a close, music got louder, the dancers came on stage, then after everything was in place, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu showed up full of energy, getting the crowd hyped up for her opening track - Candy Racer. I love how she opened the show, brimming with positive energy and getting the crowd jumping up and down. Kyary was absolutely mesmerizing with her on stage presence, unique and gorgeous outfits, and her catchy tunes. Watching her perform and seeing the crowd reactions to every song she performed was a spectacle. The crowd loved her; they sang along with the tracks, danced with her, and interacted with her.  Kyary also had many songs where she interacted with the crowd too; we danced, we swayed, we sang - making it an unforgettable night.

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu’s World Tour KPPP in itself was an unforgettable experience. But to me, there were so many personal stand out tracks that I squealed in joy to hear and see her perform live, and of course one of them was “PonPonPon”.  KPP’s “PonPonPon” is one of her most well known tracks due to the attention garnished worldwide. This is also one of the songs that helped me to discover her. It has a cutesy pop feel, fun dance, and the chorus is easy to sing-along to, making it such a fun, crowd pleasing track that everyone can enjoy. “Candy Candy”, “Tsukema Tsukeru”, “Cherrybonbon”, “Fashion Monster”, “Ninja Re Bang Bang”, and “Kira Kira Killer” were a few more favorites that Kyary performed live.  I love how during “Ninja Re Bang Bang” she got the crowd involved, and the fact that so many concert goers knew this track and were singing along. Kyary’s interaction with the crowd and how she incorporated the audience's interactions to sing-along and dance with her made it a fun night that I will never forget.

Not only did Kyary Pamyu Pamyu have a concert, but after the concert, there was an offer to purchase a VIP meet and greet pass. Thanks to a friend I made at the concert, I was able to snag a VIP pass to meet Kyary Pamyu Pamyu. I had no idea what to expect as I’ve never done a formal meet and greet in which you had to have a special pass for. I got there early and was very antsy about meeting Kyary Pamyu Pamyu (despite getting to meet her earlier as a part of a Q&A panel). Everyone in line was just as excited and nervous as I was about it, and I got to talk to and make so many new friends while in line. I was one of the first five people in line and it moved quicker than anticipated. When it was my turn, I saw her and was just as impressed with her as I was earlier. She was very kind, cute, and also remembered me! We also had the experience of taking a ‘polaroid picture’ with Kyary Pamyu Pamyu as a memento of the experience. Afterward, several friends I have made, waited outside the meet and greet room, hoping to catch another glimpse, and we did! We got to say our ‘Thank you’, ‘Goodbye’, and ‘Come back again’ to her as she walked away. 

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Let’s talk about Kyary Pamyu Pamyu’s Q&A session. I was lucky enough to be able to sit in on it, and one of our questions that Ongaku to You submitted was presented and answered by Kyary! As it was a moderated Q&A and I am unsure of whose questions were all whose, I’m going to present this less formal and more as a story then our typical interviews we do.  All questions were asked by an Anime Central moderator but all questions had been submitted and approved by various outlets. 

One of the first questions asked by Anime Central staff was a must in Chicago, which was ‘Did Kyary eat Chicago Style Pizza?’. Yes, she did eat it and thought it was very tasty. 

Next up was another Chicago-based question, ‘Are there any other spots she was interested in visiting in Chicago?’.  Kyary stated she was very interested in visiting the Chicago Theater and Chicago Museum but it was a little far from Rosemont. She was a little apprehensive about traveling down there due to traffic and an unpleasant past memory. However, she was able to check out the Chicago Fashion Outlets, where she found these cute little sequins she was wearing. 

Another great, Chicago-based question and two-fold at that, which were ‘What about Chicago is special to you? Do you have any memories or moments to share here?’. Kyary stated she loves the historical buildings and feels there is so much history. She’s very interested in checking out the buildings and taking photos with them. When she left the Fashion Mall Outlet, walking back to the hotel and seeing all the ACen attendees in really cool outfits personalized to themselves, Kyary fell in love with Chicago even more. 

Kyary talked about how she got into being an model/Influencer back when she was 18. She was walking along Harajuku and was asked if she could take a photo such as the snap photos like the popular fashion magazines such as KERA does. She became a model/influencer after that, which led to Asobi Systems finding out about her. Once working with Asobi Systems, they asked her about doing music. When she first got discovered she had very loud, fun clothes on along with gyaru makeup. She would have absolutely blended in with everyone at ACen back then. 

Kyary was asked in regards to her love of music about what influenced and inspired her. She discussed that when she was young, her father would put his favorite songs and music videos on loop, which is how she discovered Katy Perry and Gwen Stefani. When she saw them, she said it was like a dream - the world was created. This led her to meeting with Yasutaka Nakata, who is part of the group ‘capsule’ and also produces Perfume. She loves a lot of his music and what he has created, and she never thought she would be part of the singing aspect of it. 

Kyary was surprised how many in the United States knew about Japanese fashion. In her live performance “Pink is very Kawaii”, everyone knew what “Kawaii” is and that made her happy. When she first started 13 years ago, that word “Kawaii” was not well known. The spreading of love for anime and fashion has grown since then. She is very happy at how well known Japanese fashion is and that the word “Kawaii” has become more well known in this time period. 

Kyary discussed how Japan and America can be very different fashion-wise. For example, when she was leaving New York, she was wearing a blue showy type coat; someone said that is very cute, I like that. A lot of times in Japan, she wears types of clothes like that, people would laugh or snicker. When she came here to the event, she got a warm response that gave her such power. She is a little bit envious as people seem to be more accepting here, and she has been getting a lot of power from all the fans she's met. She wants to give that power back to all her fans as well. 

Kyary was asked about her collaboration with Charlie XCX, and if there are any other particular artists she’d like to collaborate with in the future. With CharlieXCX, they didn’t actually work together in the studio. Charlie laid down her track first then after that Kyary came back down and added down hers in. She thought it was so different due to the tone of their voices as Charlie’s is more powerful and edgy while Kyary’s is more fluffy and airy. But adding the two together, it was almost like they created a new genre of music. 

As far as collaboration, she doesn’t have anyone particular in mind. She said while she was at Coachella, she had so many people that came up to her stating, ‘Hey, I’m such a huge fan, I love your music’. She’d love to create friendships with various people, have that mutual respect, and collaborate together. 

Kyary was asked about what she would like to still accomplish in her career, and what were some of her biggest accomplishments she felt thus far. She stated how she has so many things she’d like to accomplish - a laundry list of things such as working with a band, a live orchestra. But one thing that is very exciting is she worked with Cirque du Soleil. They were in the back dancing and had an amazing experience. Even Kyary got to be a part of the show. While she was singing, it was like magic - being split in half, etc - on stage similar to a magic show. Everyone was very surprised by it. This happened at an event in Japan.

This is the only question that Ongaku to You chose as a team and was included in the interview. We asked a two-fold one: Is there a venue that you performed at that you’ll never forget? Also is there a dream venue that you would like to perform at?

As far as favorite live venue, the one she was at in New York is a very old historical venue and holds about 1,000 people. So it was relatively big, but also had an at-home atmosphere where you could look and see the second floor and they would all hear the message she was portraying.

As far as where she’d like to perform - coming to ACen was for an important reason. Most times people come to shows because they know an artist's music; for ACen however, if you have an ACen ticket, you are allowed to go and see the show. When she saw the line for the concert, she didn’t know if they’d all fit in the venue. She didn’t know if they all knew her music, but they were going for the experience of the concert. Which led her to think that she’d love to do more festivals, where people don’t know her whole catalog, but could be exposed to her music. 

The experience Anime Central and Asobi Systems provided for Kyary Pamyu Pamyu was unforgettable. Kyary Pamyu Pamyu performing a full live concert, the meet and greet, and Q&A session were such a memorable and fulfilling experience. Also, not just being able to be part of this event, but making many new friends thanks to the Kyary Pamyu Pamyu experience is something I will always have with me.