Long awaited ‘Initial D’ sequel ‘MF GHOST’ opening theme gets CD release!

‘Jungle Fire’ Jacket Cover

MF GHOST, the new anime series that is a successor to classic street racing series Initial D, began broadcasting in October. The show’s opening theme song, ‘JUNGLE FIRE feat. MOTSU’ by Yu Serizawa, has been highly acclaimed by fans – and now it is available on CD!

This song made a surprise appearance when it was performed at Animelo Summer Live 2023 -AXEL-, an event held at Saitama Super Arena in Japan this summer, with anime song fans hyped for its release. The full-length version of the song and its music video were released digitally on October 9, and fans in Japan and around the world left comments hailing it as “Authentic Eurobeat”, “A song that feels like a true successor to ‘Initial D’” and “A masterpiece worthy of a new generation of the high-speed street racing legend”. Others wrote “The times and the show itself may change, but some things remain the same even as they evolve” and “The two artists have amazing chemistry”, further highlighting the burning fervor this song has attracted and the importance it holds as part of ‘MF GHOST’.

Within about a week of its release, the music video has achieved over half a million plays, and its popularity led neatly to the CD release.

‘JUNGLE FIRE’ is sung by Yu Serizawa, a member of voice actor/idol hybrid unit i☆Ris who is also active as a solo artist; Serizawa celebrated her 5th anniversary last year and is currently on her fourth solo live tour. As a voice actor, she plays the role of Nozomi Kitahara in ‘MF GHOST’. MOTSU is a member of the Japanese group m.o.v.e, and he worked on all of the opening theme songs to the ‘Initial D’ anime series and films, creating his deep connection with ‘MF GHOST’.

Performed by these two key artists, ‘JUNGLE FIRE’ has a kinetic feel that is perfectly suited as the opening to ‘MF GHOST’, a show about high-speed car racing battles. The song has the addictive nature of Eurobeat, and is guaranteed to rev your engine.

Don’t miss ‘MF GHOST’, an anime series that has earned its high position on the starting grid, and check out its awesome opening and closing theme songs. Be sure to check out the streaming link for ‘JUNGLE FIRE’ here!

Hit Anime Songs get Summer Makeover! ‘How Not to Summon a Demon Lord Ω’ Theme Tunes get Fourth and Final Remixes!

On Friday, June 11, “EVERYBODY! EVERYBODY!” and “YOU YOU YOU” – the opening and closing theme tunes to the globally broadcast anime series How Not to Summon a Demon Lord Ω – each get a brand-new remix. “EVERYBODY! EVERYBODY! (Tropical Disco REMIX)” and “YOU YOU YOU (Kawaii Future Bass REMIX) are the fourth pair of remixes in this series across all digital music streaming platforms, and each one is accompanied by a teaser video released the same day.

This is the last in a series of remixes of the two songs that were originally performed by Yu Serizawa with DJ KOO & MOTSU. Released once a week over four consecutive weeks, all remixes in the series were handled by MOTSU, who is known for his unique fusion of DJ culture and anime songs; the project showcases the fun of anime songs for an audience all around the world.

As the title suggests, “EVERYBODY! EVERYBODY! (Tropical Disco REMIX)” is a refreshing slice of summer disco that is perfect for a carefree drive in the sunshine. Meanwhile, “YOU YOU YOU (Kawaii Future Bass REMIX)” is a very different take on the original song – it has a techno vibe that will get you bouncing, yet cut through with a slightly chill edge.

To mark the end of the four-week remix release project, Serizawa and MOTSU gave the following comments.

Comment from Yu Serizawa

“I’m so happy that our songs ‘EVERYBODY! EVERYBODY!’ and ‘YOU YOU YOU’ have reached such a wide audience! The songs have already received so much love, but these remixes have revealed infinite possibilities. I hope you will listen to them all and continue to love them for a long time to come! MOTSU is a genius!”

Yu Serizawa

Comment from MOTSU

“Since we made the original songs, I managed to produce a total of eight remixes! I tried lots of techniques, like changing the key from major to minor, adding comical elements and remixing the songs every which way I could think of. I hope you enjoyed them! I believe these remixes were able to enhance the energetic charm of our songs, along with the appeal of the three of us who made them – SeriKoMo, as we like to call ourselves. I hope everyone will enjoy singing and dancing along to these tracks, and maybe you can even make your own remixes – enjoy ‘EVERYBODY! EVERYBODY!’ and ‘YOU YOU YOU’ in any way you like!”

MOTSU

---

Be sure to check out the the teaser for both tracks below along with the streaming links for “EVERYBODY! EVERYBODY!” and “YOU YOU YOU” here!

Hit Anime ‘How Not to Summon a Demon Lord Ω’ Opening/Ending Theme Tunes ‘EVERYBODY! EVERYBODY!’ and ‘YOU YOU YOU’ get Four-Week Series of New Remixes!

“EVERYBODY! EVERYBODY!” and “YOU YOU YOU”, the opening and ending theme tunes to the global hit anime How Not to Summon a Demon Lord Ω, will get a series of new remixes starting from today across all digital music streaming platforms. New versions of both songs will be released each week for four consecutive weeks, for a total of eight new remixes. In addition, teaser videos for the first pair of remixes was also released today.

How Not to Summon a Demon Lord Ω is an anime series based on the popular light novel series written by Yukiya Murasaki and illustrated by Takahiro Tsurusaki, published by Kodansha Ranobe Bunko. The show is currently in its second season, following the original season in 2018. The story follows Takuma Sakamoto, who has been mysteriously summoned into the world of his favorite video game, where he must play the role of the powerful Demon Lord Diablo. The show has been a huge hit with anime fans, depicting an enticing fantasy world of adventure, dreams and magic.

The opening and ending theme tunes to this hot show are performed by Yu Serizawa with DJ KOO & MOTSU. As a voice actor and idol, Serizawa (known by her nickname Seriko) also voices one of the lead characters, Shera, while DJ KOO is the energetic leader of the classic pop group TRF, and a household name in Japan. MOTSU, meanwhile, is a legendary rapper who performed on every opening theme tune for the hit series Initial D, along with many other anime songs.

The theme songs sung by this trio are available on multiple music services, and they have topped the charts on major streaming sites in Japan such as Rakuten Music and Mora. On the popular anime music site animelo mix, “EVERYBODY! EVERYBODY!” took the No.1 spot on the daily singles chart and has become a hot topic, along with the anime series itself.

“EVERYBODY! EVERYBODY!” is a super-fun party anthem that has taken social media by storm, with comments such as “This will get the Demon King on the run!” and “It’s transported me to the 1990s”. Meanwhile, “YOU YOU YOU” boasts anisong dance music vibes, while Serizawa gives a soul-meltingly cute vocal performance as she sings a sweet and sour love song. Music videos on YouTube for both tracks have received comments from around the world, and the positive power of both tunes is energizing fans across borders.

Remixes of each of these two massive anisong hits will be released on streaming and download services from today over a period of four consecutive weeks, for a total of eight remixes. The first two songs in this series are “EVERYBODY! EVERYBODY! (Aniclub EDIT)” and “YOU YOU YOU (Aniclub EDIT)”.

MOTSU, who wrote the music and lyrics and also handled these remixes, plays a key role in the new “anisong club” music culture (also known as “aniclub”) that is spreading around the world. He is also the organizer of Anime Rave Festival, the largest event in this genre. In addition, DJ KOO and MOTSU are also members of the OMOTENASHI BEATS project, which aims to introduce the J-pop and anisong genres to a global audience.

As an exciting combination of DJ culture and anime songs, this remix series is a uniquely MOTSU project, and conveys his strong desire to showcase the charms of anime songs to music fans around the globe.

We hope you will enjoy the music of Yu Serizawa with DJ KOO & MOTSU, which has the power to transcend national borders and give energy to the world.

Yu Serizawa comment

“Yu Serizawa with DJ KOO & MOTSU!!!! We make the strongest team ever! From recording to filming, my two avex mentors created an atmosphere of fun from beginning to end, and it made me so HAPPY! These two uplifting songs have the power to make the world spin, and us too!!!! Let’s all have fun together in 2021!”

MOTSU comment

“I am so super excited about this project. When we talked about doing a remix after the two songs were done, I thought it would be fun to make many different versions of the remix tracks all by myself. So I played with changing the major key to a minor key, cut the tempo in half, and so on super freely – and since we were the ones who were being remixed, there was no one to object, no matter how it was done. It’s a dream job, right?

“Including the two short Aniclub edits (which are club-style anime songs), there were eight tracks, and it took a very long time to finish them all. Seriko and KOO have such great voices – I was so jealous of them when I was working on it. KOO’s vocal cords are very young, especially compared to my vocal cords, which are damaged by years of drinking and smoking. I hope you will enjoy the different types of ‘pump up’ energy in each song, each of which is different from the original version.”

Be sure to check out both music videos for both tracks below, along with the streaming link for both “EVERYBODY! EVERYBODY! (Aniclub EDIT)” and “YOU YOU YOU (Aniclub EDIT)” here!