MADKID, Axcels, and ALL the happenings...

What’s Happening? #22

In the Axcel social media world, it has been quiet, besides the RISE single release events nationwide from every music store to every mall. But, as of this writing, today (2/24/19 JST) is the last day of this series of the single release events. In fact, this is the last day of anything else related to the RISE promotions, including the MADKID FACTION campaigns. The guys have done it all, we've all done it all. But, keep in mind, ***The Rising of the Shield Hero*** is still running, so please, don't forget to watch the anime, enjoy *RISE* playing on the opening credits, and if you're not satisfied with the length of the episodes right after Episode 1, read the light novels or the manga.
Speaking of *RISE*...
RISE (English Version)
I know that most *hardcore* anime otaku around the world outside Japan aren't really fans of non-Japanese language dubs on an anime. However, if you do watch anime in English dub, here's a piece of news. The English dub of *The Rising of the Shield Hero* is now available on *Crunchyroll* and you can watch all current seven episodes, as the next episode will also be released at the same time as in Japan and the English sub version. Along with the English dub is also the official English version of *RISE* as its opening theme. I've seen a few covering *RISE* on YouTube and even made their own English version based on the English translations, but the one used in the English dub was also written, composed, and performed by MADKID, just like the original Japanese. The ending theme, **Kimi no Namae** (Your Name), still remains in Japanese as the original. If you haven't been following me on Twitter, I also posted my English translation of the *RISE* lyrics. Translating Japanese lyrics to English is no easy task. I still have to polish the English to make it sound more accurate to the original lyrics' intentional messages, which also takes a while to do. It's not the most perfect translation, but nevertheless, it's a translation. You can find it here in the Letters @ AXCEL STYLE site. I'm just going to go for the first few minutes of the song since that's all we have for the anime opening theme. MADKID's take on an English version is quite close to my translation, which made me feel relieved as a rusty translator. But, like the usual process of writing an English version from a non-English song, you would have to write the English equivalent that would also fit the rhythm of the song as well. The rap parts are a little difficult to understand. Then again, this is just me and my failing ears with rap tracks in general, including American ones. It would take me a lot of times for me to grasp the words in the raps regardless of language, which is why... It'd be so awesome if MADKID releases the English version of *RISE* also, even if it's in digital format. I'd love to hear the entire song and then write my thoughts of it a little more elaborate.
The conclusion of the "RISE" Release Period
As I write this, the final release event for *RISE* just ended. What a way to finish it because the final event took place in Shin's beloved hometown of Miyazaki. During the campaign, Miyazaki displayed a life-sized cardboard panel of their native son, SHIN, in the local Aeon Mall (where today's final release event took place). During the first day of the display, locals are able to take a photo of themselves with the panel, and it will be on display until today. At long last, MADKID and Shin have met the life-sized panel. This is the second time MADKID had their single release event in Miyazaki, and Shin couldn't be any happier. Not only that, Miyazaki's mascot, *Kaa-kun*, also came for a visit along with the *hinata* smiles of Shin's fellow locals! Four more days till the end of February. And then, March and Spring will be just around the corner! Not just that, so is their upcoming one-man live tour, ***CIRCUS***.
KAZUKI's New YouTube Talk Show "Tanabe-Ya" Begins!
KAZUKI's new YouTube Talk Show ***Tanabe-Ya (Tanabe x Heya)*** premiered last week on the Nippon Columbia channel. You can watch the first episode on this site's main page. Furthermore, Kazuki talks about the show briefly in his latest blog entry. You can read the translation here. In a quick nutshell, Kazuki also has a co-host, a comedian and 17/LiveAF streamer who goes by ***Mori Grill Chicken***. MADKID (naturally!) is the first guest of his show. The first half of the episode features Shin introducing a local Miyazaki pastry which also happens to be his favorite: Cheese Manju. Shin explains that not only that it has cheese in it, but it also has a special cookie-like batter that's baked inside the manju. He also introduces a specialty store that sells food and goods directly from Miyazaki, KONNE. The second half of the episode has the boys play a card game of sorts called the *Jinrou* (Werewolf) game. There are different ways of playing the game, but their version is divided into two teams of two (werewolf team and villagers team) and one fortune teller role. The cards are distributed at random, the host of the game is the only one who knows which one the players plays which role. The game begins when the players start discussing and talking to each other while figuring out which one of them are the werewolves. The werewolves will also guess which one of them is the villagers and then "kill" them in turn. Whoever guesses which person is the werewolf or villager correctly, that team wins. We don't know when the next episode will be released (March?), but let's all stay tuned!
YOU-TA goes on a "GIANT KILLING" spree!
Are you an Axcel who also loves video games and is a fan of Twitch channels and follow players play their favorite games while you watch and comment? You may want to add YOU-TA in your list of Twitch favorite channels. He just opened his own Twitch channel to play the remake of ***Resident Evil 2*** and "go on a GIANT KILLING spree." You can follow him and check out his archives here. I've already played the original game when it was first released in the late '90s so I already know how the story of this game goes and I won't spoil. I love going to the guys' livestreams if I don't miss them and do comment a lot, however, with You-ta's Twitch, I'm just a viewer. I don't want to comment anything that may spoil the game and I also want him to figure out any obstacles that come in his way (not including killing off zombies...). However, I also learned that he does encourage everyone to keep commenting even if doesn't answer all of them, mainly because he needed moral support while playing the game. Next time when I do join in, I'll be sure to comment. That's it for today's *What's Happening?* post. Are you all ready for the spring season, Axcels? I sure am! Till next time!

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What’s Happening? #22

In the Axcel social media world, it has been quiet, besides the RISE single release events nationwide from every music store to every mall. But, as of this writing, today (2/24/19 JST) is the last day of this series of the single release events. In fact, this is the last day of anything else related to the RISE promotions, including the MADKID FACTION campaigns. The guys have done it all, we've all done it all. But, keep in mind, ***The Rising of the Shield Hero*** is still running, so please, don't forget to watch the anime, enjoy *RISE* playing on the opening credits, and if you're not satisfied with the length of the episodes right after Episode 1, read the light novels or the manga.
Speaking of *RISE*...
RISE (English Version)
I know that most *hardcore* anime otaku around the world outside Japan aren't really fans of non-Japanese language dubs on an anime. However, if you do watch anime in English dub, here's a piece of news. The English dub of *The Rising of the Shield Hero* is now available on *Crunchyroll* and you can watch all current seven episodes, as the next episode will also be released at the same time as in Japan and the English sub version. Along with the English dub is also the official English version of *RISE* as its opening theme. I've seen a few covering *RISE* on YouTube and even made their own English version based on the English translations, but the one used in the English dub was also written, composed, and performed by MADKID, just like the original Japanese. The ending theme, **Kimi no Namae** (Your Name), still remains in Japanese as the original. If you haven't been following me on Twitter, I also posted my English translation of the *RISE* lyrics. Translating Japanese lyrics to English is no easy task. I still have to polish the English to make it sound more accurate to the original lyrics' intentional messages, which also takes a while to do. It's not the most perfect translation, but nevertheless, it's a translation. You can find it here in the Letters @ AXCEL STYLE site. I'm just going to go for the first few minutes of the song since that's all we have for the anime opening theme. MADKID's take on an English version is quite close to my translation, which made me feel relieved as a rusty translator. But, like the usual process of writing an English version from a non-English song, you would have to write the English equivalent that would also fit the rhythm of the song as well. The rap parts are a little difficult to understand. Then again, this is just me and my failing ears with rap tracks in general, including American ones. It would take me a lot of times for me to grasp the words in the raps regardless of language, which is why... It'd be so awesome if MADKID releases the English version of *RISE* also, even if it's in digital format. I'd love to hear the entire song and then write my thoughts of it a little more elaborate.
The conclusion of the "RISE" Release Period
As I write this, the final release event for *RISE* just ended. What a way to finish it because the final event took place in Shin's beloved hometown of Miyazaki. During the campaign, Miyazaki displayed a life-sized cardboard panel of their native son, SHIN, in the local Aeon Mall (where today's final release event took place). During the first day of the display, locals are able to take a photo of themselves with the panel, and it will be on display until today. At long last, MADKID and Shin have met the life-sized panel. This is the second time MADKID had their single release event in Miyazaki, and Shin couldn't be any happier. Not only that, Miyazaki's mascot, *Kaa-kun*, also came for a visit along with the *hinata* smiles of Shin's fellow locals! Four more days till the end of February. And then, March and Spring will be just around the corner! Not just that, so is their upcoming one-man live tour, ***CIRCUS***.
KAZUKI's New YouTube Talk Show "Tanabe-Ya" Begins!
KAZUKI's new YouTube Talk Show ***Tanabe-Ya (Tanabe x Heya)*** premiered last week on the Nippon Columbia channel. You can watch the first episode on this site's main page. Furthermore, Kazuki talks about the show briefly in his latest blog entry. You can read the translation here. In a quick nutshell, Kazuki also has a co-host, a comedian and 17/LiveAF streamer who goes by ***Mori Grill Chicken***. MADKID (naturally!) is the first guest of his show. The first half of the episode features Shin introducing a local Miyazaki pastry which also happens to be his favorite: Cheese Manju. Shin explains that not only that it has cheese in it, but it also has a special cookie-like batter that's baked inside the manju. He also introduces a specialty store that sells food and goods directly from Miyazaki, KONNE. The second half of the episode has the boys play a card game of sorts called the *Jinrou* (Werewolf) game. There are different ways of playing the game, but their version is divided into two teams of two (werewolf team and villagers team) and one fortune teller role. The cards are distributed at random, the host of the game is the only one who knows which one the players plays which role. The game begins when the players start discussing and talking to each other while figuring out which one of them are the werewolves. The werewolves will also guess which one of them is the villagers and then "kill" them in turn. Whoever guesses which person is the werewolf or villager correctly, that team wins. We don't know when the next episode will be released (March?), but let's all stay tuned!
YOU-TA goes on a "GIANT KILLING" spree!
Are you an Axcel who also loves video games and is a fan of Twitch channels and follow players play their favorite games while you watch and comment? You may want to add YOU-TA in your list of Twitch favorite channels. He just opened his own Twitch channel to play the remake of ***Resident Evil 2*** and "go on a GIANT KILLING spree." You can follow him and check out his archives here. I've already played the original game when it was first released in the late '90s so I already know how the story of this game goes and I won't spoil. I love going to the guys' livestreams if I don't miss them and do comment a lot, however, with You-ta's Twitch, I'm just a viewer. I don't want to comment anything that may spoil the game and I also want him to figure out any obstacles that come in his way (not including killing off zombies...). However, I also learned that he does encourage everyone to keep commenting even if doesn't answer all of them, mainly because he needed moral support while playing the game. Next time when I do join in, I'll be sure to comment. That's it for today's *What's Happening?* post. Are you all ready for the spring season, Axcels? I sure am! Till next time!

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[CD REVIEW] RISE

I apologize for the long delay of this review. I went through some payment problems and here's how it went in the nutshell: pre-ordered my CDs through HMV instead of the usual CD Japan this time my debit card was held by my bank, the bank approved the payment transaction; sent email to HMV support to use the same card; HMV support staff refuses to use the same card and asked me to use another card; canceled my pre-order and re-ordered the same CDs through CD Japan and used EMS delivery. Three days later, I finally received them. So, as you can see at the above packaging, CD Japan takes very good care of the products they delivered to their customers. They treat every purchased item as a gift to you, which is indeed very nice. They did the same thing as my previous ***Summer Time*** CD, which I only purchased Type A. I decided to order both types this time. Fact is, you don't really need to purchase the CDs if you only cared more about the songs than the visuals and the extra freebies. However, whether you purchase the CDs or purchase the digital versions from iTunes, Spotify, etc., if you don't live or currently located in Japan, your purchases don't count on the Oricon Charts. But, speaking of rankings, their third single ranked at the following:

**Oricon Charts Daily Ranking:** #8 on the first release day (2/6/2019)
**Oricon Charts Weekly Ranking:** #11 after the first week of its release
**Billboard (Japan)** **Weekly Ranking:** #10 after the first week of its release
For the weekly rankings, this was the first time that a MADKID single ended the week on the Top 20. Not just that, if we're talking on a much larger scale (in this case, Billboard), this is also the first time that a MADKID single ended the week on the Top 10. Congrats for the huge rise and recognition, boys!
The differences between Type A and Type B
As mentioned in my previous CD review, it's not just about the songs that I wanted to get the CDs for when they're already available in **iTunes**, **Apple Music**, **Spotify**, and **Google Play**. It's primarily the extras that come with that you won't see digitally on the audio subscription services. During the ***MADKID FACTION/MADKI党*** single release campaign blog post, YOU-TA did mention that even in Japan, CD sales are decreasing because of the popularity and the convenient accesses of audio streaming sites by the general public, whether if they're region-locked in Japan or open around the world. In the case of Type A, it's the ***RISE*** music video, the MV's BTS, and the footage of their last one-man live *(Never going* back) back on April 28, 2018. It's a monumental one-man live for the guys because this was their first one-man live as a mainstream J-Pop male dance and vocal group. Hopefully, for their next release (single or album?), we would also get to see their first three-city live tour ***GIANT KILLING***, and in the future, their upcoming four-city live tour, ***Circus***. Aside from Type A having that special incentive DVD extra included, the only other differences between Type A and Type B are shown above the mini-gallery. Type B gets to have a back image of the main characters in the new winter anime ***The Rising of the Shield Hero***.
The Tracks
For their third single, the format is similar to the ***Summer Time*** CD release last year: three tracks, with the third track composed and arranged solely by LIN, but the lyrics still remained as LIN and YUKI. Going a little in-depth.
#1 - RISE
Because MADKID was chosen to provide the opening theme for the new anime series ***The Rising of the Shield Hero***, there seemed to be a change of pace in their usual musical styles by going on the "traditional" rock-style track to appease their bigger market yet: the anime/manga otaku community around the world, no niche in particular. I personally hope that MADKID gained a lot more Axcels outside Japan and I hope that these fans stick with MADKID and the Axcels right after *RISE* and not just stick with them because of *Shield Hero* and then abandon them right after the series is over. Sometime last week, I translated (roughly?) the *RISE* lyrics. You can find it on the Letters @ AXCEL STYLE site. It's not the most perfect translation out there, however, translating, in general, is difficult, even if it's with your native language. It's like translating a math word problem into numbers and formulas and translating a programming algorithm problem into an actual code base. But with that being said, I made my translation to have the exact same intent as the lyrics themselves. If you've read the *Shield Hero* light novels or even the manga companion, you already know the premise of the series. If you've never heard of it and started watching the anime, hopefully, you're finally getting what the premise is about. But, speaking as an Axcel for almost a year now, the lyrics are also relatable in real life. After all, we've known MADKID as a self-produced dance and vocal group, represented by a smaller management agency, but on contract with Japan's oldest and one of the highly prestigious record labels in Nippon Columbia. The boys produce everything by themselves from the writing, composing, and arranging their songs, create their own choreography, create the concepts of the songs they produce, and a whole lot more. From the beginning, many of the songs, at least those officially released as major singles, tell a story, almost a biography, of themselves as a group. ***Never going back*** gave us MADKID's prelude to being a legit dance and vocal group in mainstream J-Pop, ascending themselves from the indies scene to a much more open scene. The song reminds us that they have come this far and they're not turning back anytime now. ***Summer Time*** gave us a more chill and refreshing break from the huge rush that we got from *Never going back*. We still have to be mindful that every rush of excitement needs a cooldown period. MADKID so far isn't quite known for the mellow and chill concepts, and *Summer Time* is a reminder to us that, even if it's not summer, we all need to take a break and revisit the ones we've left behind and enjoy the times while we are alive. *RISE* may possibly be MADKID's breakthrough single, being that it was chosen as an anime opening theme to a highly-anticipated anime series *The Rising of the Shield Hero*. Or maybe their next single (album?) may even become the breakthrough single. Most debuted artists don't get breakthrough singles on their first year. Usually, this breakthrough will come as their second, third, fourth, or even the fifth release. Could *RISE* be the breakthrough single that we've been waiting for? Let's all wait and see.
#2 - Puzzle
The second follow-up track in the *RISE* single release is yet another sweet love song, ***Puzzle***. The format of this single release is reminiscent of the format of *Never going back* with its second follow-up track, ***Stuck on U***. This song, as well as *Stuck on U* is a perfect anthem for couples and those in love and for Valentine's Day. If you think of puzzle pieces, they're separate pieces, but they do come together to form one precious picture. When we deal with jigsaw puzzles, we have to figure out to see which pieces fit together. In the case of this song, two lovers fit together like two puzzle pieces, and with two together, they form something a lot larger and meaningful for both. We've already heard LIN's different rap styles from his side-collab singles with his friends Hylen (and others), where he can be mellow, hard, tender, and melodic. In *Puzzle*, those who aren't familiar with LIN's non-MADKID work, we finally get to hear one of his stylistic rap skills by spitting out melodic words without making it obvious that he was rapping all this time, and it really does complement with the mellow and romantic themes behind the song. SHIN also had a longer part on this song on the second verse, with YOU-TA and KAZUKI splitting up the same two lines on the first verse. Based on interviews and on his blog entries, *Puzzle* seems to be more his theme. I plan on translating this song also. I don't know when, but I hope I'll be able to do it.
#3 - 出ていってよ (Deteitteyo)
*Deteitteyo* is translated literally as "go out." But, the intent behind these words isn't really telling you to "go out." The intent behind this phrase is to say farewell. In short, like the previous two singles, *RISE*'s third track is yet another heartbreak song. If you purchased and downloaded the single on (U.S.) iTunes or Apple Music, the title came out as *Goodbye* rather than the actual Japanese title. I tweeted LIN directly regarding the change. I wasn't really expecting him to reply, but I just wanted him to be aware and wonder if the "Goodbye" title change from *Deteitteyo* was intentional. In some ways, whether if it was intentional or not, the "Goodbye" title change made sense. After all, you'll hear the word *goodbye* at the chorus more times than the word *deteitteyo*, which is only heard once throughout the entire song. Because this song is yet another LIN-only joint, I don't need to explain the concept and style of the song. LIN already explained that himself: https://twitter.com/LIN_MDKD/status/1092808669597745153 Like with *Puzzle*, I plan on translating this as well. I don't know when.
Type A DVD Extra
I'm not going to go into detail with this one. It contains the music video (found on YouTube or even at the main page of this site), the BTS (behind the screen) documentary of the music video, and footage from last year's *Never going back* one-man live. Maybe I'll write a separate review on the DVD extra at a later time.
Conclusion
If you're a brand-new MADKID fan and only downloaded the singles and interested in getting to know the group better, I recommend purchasing at least the Type A CD. You can order them online in various online stores. I listed some of them on the *Exits* section of the site. The reason why I recommend this, mainly because of the DVD extra that comes with it. The one-man live footage from last year would give you a fresh outlook on how MADKID performs in slightly larger scale live shows and the previous songs you (probably) have never heard of or discovered from YouTube or even in iTunes/Spotify/etc. Will *RISE* become MADKID's breakthrough single? We'll find out once the release events and promotions of the single ends this weekend. Also, MADKID's upcoming live tour ***Circus*** will be coming in May as well. We've already gotten the pattern that in every end of a one-man live (or a tour of one-man lives), something huge and big will be announced. Whatever that something huge and big, we'll have to wait.

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What’s Happening? #21

I got myself immersed so much with the site transfer of my fiction and books blog that I found myself delayed in the latest **What's Happening?** post. I've had some minor problems that really annoyed me at that time that I had to go back and forth with my host's tech support. It turned out to be an image optimization setting issue that made all my images appearing broken on the site itself after uploading and launching, so I went ahead and fixed it. I checked with the settings of that same image optimization plugin on all my other sites including AXCEL STYLE. Now I can finally breathe and write this post.

MADKID FACTION UPDATES
You all still remember the MADKID FACTION campaign that I wrote about a few months ago? The campaign began at the beginning of January 2019 with their weekend (sometimes weekdays) release event. And ever since then, out of the four, they are currently fulfilling at least three of them. Here is the quick status of their four mentioned *vows* as of today (2/4/19 PST):

**01 - MADKID "RISE" PROMO POSTERS IN 100 LOCATIONS** Just 38 more spots to go until they reach 100 locations. Follow the MADKID Twitter to check out the spots they're posting promo posters at!

**02 - 4th ONE MAN LIVE FOOTAGE RELEASE** This Wednesday, 2/6/19, when you purchase the **Type A** version of the single CD.

**03 - ALL SMILES DURING FAN MEETS** ... the members are doing all they can to smile more like Shin!

**04 - ELEMENT OF SURPRISE** Who will be the lucky Axcel... or a loved one of an Axcel... to receive a special surprise from MADKID?

1st Major Debut Anniversary - "We never going back!"
Last Wednesday, MADKID and the (Japanese) Axcels gathered together in the very first ***AXCEL Meeting*** of the year. To commemorate this very historical day, the boys appeared wearing their attire during their ***Never Going Back*** days exactly a year before during this event.
A reflection from me...
What happened during that date remains confidential. *AXCEL Meetings* are strictly for FC members that even the location and entrance fee was only disclosed to FC members. Even FC members who aren't able to attend these meetings will remain out in the dark. The activities that the boys have done with the FC members will only be kept between the group and the FC themselves. And that's fine, really. One day, I'll attend one of these Axcel Meetings, once I get myself secured with a better job, better pay, and more time to travel, especially to Japan. I even made a promise to the guys (during their livestreams) months ago about meeting them one day, whether through going to one of their lives, events, or even in Axcel Meetings. One of them also gave a promise that they will come here too in exchange. With ***RISE*** and ***Shield Hero*** being heard and aired around the world and not just in Japan, I really couldn't help but think and hope and pray. I live in the Bay Area, in which famed American anime subscription service ***Crunchyroll*** Headquarters is located. Every summer, Crunchyroll holds its *Crunchyroll Expo* somewhere here in the Bay Area. This year's expo will take place in San Jose, which is only about 22 miles down south from my hometown. The expo runs for 3 days. Because the expo invites special guests to appear in order to make appearances, presentations, or perform. I can't help it but think that Crunchyroll would invite MADKID to come here to perform. After all, the boys wrote the opening theme to the *Shield Hero* anime, in which the latter has become a hit among the anime/manga otaku community around the world. And because Crunchyroll was the one hosting the anime, to me, it would just make perfect sense. It's been my long-term goal to go to Japan, not just to visit the country itself, but to meet MADKID. But I also want to pray that MADKID would also come here to perform and meet their fans too. I'm praying. I'm really praying. 🙇‍♀️ I don't normally write my personal reflections, feelings, and opinions on this blog, but I just wanted to let this out of my chest for a bit. Maybe one day, I'll probably start blogging my own thoughts about anything related to MADKID or probably just J-Pop in general, but MADKID is priority for this site.
Wednesday is Coming!
This **Wednesday, 2/6/19**, as we know it, is the official release of the 3rd major single **RISE**. As I've written about this a few months ago, the single will contain two B-sides: ***Puzzle*** and ***Detteitteyo*** The CD release will have two types, and all three singles will be released digitally on **iTunes/Apple Music**, **Spotify**, and **Google Play Music**. **Type A** will contain a DVD freebie which consists of the ***RISE*** MV, BTS (behind the screen) documentary of the *RISE* MV and the complete footage of the 4th One-Man Live that took place late April of last year. In addition to the release, there will be a special **MAD MUSIC** episode this **Friday, 2/8/19**, at 8:00 p.m. JST on **LINE LIVE**. Be sure to follow MADKID's LINE account by scanning the QR code (located at the home page of this site) using your **LINE Messenger** account. If you don't have the LINE Messenger account yet, you can download it from the **App Store**, **Google Play**, or the **Microsoft Store** if you would like to install it on your desktop or laptop. If you prefer using **LINE LIVE** app instead, you will have to follow instructions here. It's a short entry, but this will do for now. For sure there will be more happenings to come right after this week. Till next time, Axcels!

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01 - Posters and Flyers in 100 Locations — What’s Happening? #21

I got myself immersed so much with the site transfer of my fiction and books blog that I found myself delayed in the latest **What's Happening?** post. I've had some minor problems that really annoyed me at that time that I had to go back and forth with my host's tech support. It turned out to be an image optimization setting issue that made all my images appearing broken on the site itself after uploading and launching, so I went ahead and fixed it. I checked with the settings of that same image optimization plugin on all my other sites including AXCEL STYLE. Now I can finally breathe and write this post.

MADKID FACTION UPDATES
You all still remember the MADKID FACTION campaign that I wrote about a few months ago? The campaign began at the beginning of January 2019 with their weekend (sometimes weekdays) release event. And ever since then, out of the four, they are currently fulfilling at least three of them. Here is the quick status of their four mentioned *vows* as of today (2/4/19 PST):

**01 - MADKID "RISE" PROMO POSTERS IN 100 LOCATIONS** Just 38 more spots to go until they reach 100 locations. Follow the MADKID Twitter to check out the spots they're posting promo posters at!

**02 - 4th ONE MAN LIVE FOOTAGE RELEASE** This Wednesday, 2/6/19, when you purchase the **Type A** version of the single CD.

**03 - ALL SMILES DURING FAN MEETS** ... the members are doing all they can to smile more like Shin!

**04 - ELEMENT OF SURPRISE** Who will be the lucky Axcel... or a loved one of an Axcel... to receive a special surprise from MADKID?

1st Major Debut Anniversary - "We never going back!"
Last Wednesday, MADKID and the (Japanese) Axcels gathered together in the very first ***AXCEL Meeting*** of the year. To commemorate this very historical day, the boys appeared wearing their attire during their ***Never Going Back*** days exactly a year before during this event.
A reflection from me...
What happened during that date remains confidential. *AXCEL Meetings* are strictly for FC members that even the location and entrance fee was only disclosed to FC members. Even FC members who aren't able to attend these meetings will remain out in the dark. The activities that the boys have done with the FC members will only be kept between the group and the FC themselves. And that's fine, really. One day, I'll attend one of these Axcel Meetings, once I get myself secured with a better job, better pay, and more time to travel, especially to Japan. I even made a promise to the guys (during their livestreams) months ago about meeting them one day, whether through going to one of their lives, events, or even in Axcel Meetings. One of them also gave a promise that they will come here too in exchange. With ***RISE*** and ***Shield Hero*** being heard and aired around the world and not just in Japan, I really couldn't help but think and hope and pray. I live in the Bay Area, in which famed American anime subscription service ***Crunchyroll*** Headquarters is located. Every summer, Crunchyroll holds its *Crunchyroll Expo* somewhere here in the Bay Area. This year's expo will take place in San Jose, which is only about 22 miles down south from my hometown. The expo runs for 3 days. Because the expo invites special guests to appear in order to make appearances, presentations, or perform. I can't help it but think that Crunchyroll would invite MADKID to come here to perform. After all, the boys wrote the opening theme to the *Shield Hero* anime, in which the latter has become a hit among the anime/manga otaku community around the world. And because Crunchyroll was the one hosting the anime, to me, it would just make perfect sense. It's been my long-term goal to go to Japan, not just to visit the country itself, but to meet MADKID. But I also want to pray that MADKID would also come here to perform and meet their fans too. I'm praying. I'm really praying. 🙇‍♀️ I don't normally write my personal reflections, feelings, and opinions on this blog, but I just wanted to let this out of my chest for a bit. Maybe one day, I'll probably start blogging my own thoughts about anything related to MADKID or probably just J-Pop in general, but MADKID is priority for this site.
Wednesday is Coming!
This **Wednesday, 2/6/19**, as we know it, is the official release of the 3rd major single **RISE**. As I've written about this a few months ago, the single will contain two B-sides: ***Puzzle*** and ***Detteitteyo*** The CD release will have two types, and all three singles will be released digitally on **iTunes/Apple Music**, **Spotify**, and **Google Play Music**. **Type A** will contain a DVD freebie which consists of the ***RISE*** MV, BTS (behind the screen) documentary of the *RISE* MV and the complete footage of the 4th One-Man Live that took place late April of last year. In addition to the release, there will be a special **MAD MUSIC** episode this **Friday, 2/8/19**, at 8:00 p.m. JST on **LINE LIVE**. Be sure to follow MADKID's LINE account by scanning the QR code (located at the home page of this site) using your **LINE Messenger** account. If you don't have the LINE Messenger account yet, you can download it from the **App Store**, **Google Play**, or the **Microsoft Store** if you would like to install it on your desktop or laptop. If you prefer using **LINE LIVE** app instead, you will have to follow instructions here. It's a short entry, but this will do for now. For sure there will be more happenings to come right after this week. Till next time, Axcels!

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What’s Happening? #20

"RISE" is coming in 2 weeks!

From where I am, today is Friday, January 25. From where MADKID is, today is Saturday, January 26.
This means, we only have about two weeks left until the official release of the guys' increasingly blowing up 3rd single, **RISE**. This is in all due to the success of the premiere launching of one of this year's most anticipated anime series, ***The Rising of the Shield Hero***. Within the worldwide anime/manga otaku, the impact of an anime series has contributed to the huge recognition and popularity of the opening and ending themes: **RISE** being the opening theme, and **Chiai Fujikawa**'s ***Kimi no Namae***. The ending theme is a lovely piece with words pertaining to main female character Raphtalia's thoughts about the series' main male character, Naofumi Iwatani. I'm still in the middle of migration of my fiction writing and book reviews blog to the same server as AXCEL STYLE, and once I'm finished, I'll be writing more about *Shield Hero* (the story itself) over there. Now, I've built this site to only post news and updates regarding MADKID, but after reading some comments to those who aren't familiar with MADKID, I'm compelled to open a new **FAQ** section on this site, rather than writing a ranty opinion piece on this site. I initially had opinion posts as an upcoming option to this site, but I don't want to prioritize this and emphasize more on this feature, as it'll derail AXCEL STYLE's original intent. I'm not having this mindset because I'm a fan, but because of my current experiences as a blogger and technical writer. Yes, my fandoms and my job-related experiences can integrate. Anyway, moving on. Keep an eye out on **February 6**, the official date of the **RISE** release. That includes the CDs and the digital releases on iTunes/Apple Music, Spotify, and Google Play. But do keep in mind that the date is also based on your time zone. In other words, when the single is released in Japan and you live somewhere in the U.S., you'd have to wait till **12:00 a.m. EST** for the releases to come out on digital format.
MAD MUSIC Special Episodes 2019
Do you remember what happened in November 2018 when YOU-TA had to take a medical hiatus? If you haven't, one of the entries about it is here. After the hilarious antics that happened back in the New Years Special, the next weekly MAD MUSIC episodes are promised fulfillments from YOU-TA of rewarding his fellow members for taking care of MADKID and the Axcels while he was getting his throat polyps removed.
MAD MUSIC Special vol. 1 - January 10
KAZUKI came in fourth place last November during their no-YOU-TA MAD MUSIC episodes, YOU-TA is rewarding his blonde-haired fellow vocalist a special bento box. That is, a special *homemade* bento box, made from scratch by the red-haired boss himself! It's also known among fans that YOU-TA has serious *leet* cooking skills that making homemade dishes for their loved ones is their way of showing how much they love and care for them. You can go and eat out at some fancy restaurant with fancy dishes, but nothing still beats the power of home-cooked meals.
MAD MUSIC Special vol. 2 - January 17
In this volume 2 of the MAD MUSIC Special episodes, YOU-TA treated the two fan-favorite K-Pop lovin' members, SHIN and YUKI, to Starbucks and ordering *gyudon* at a local convenience store. Unlike his homemade bento for KAZUKI, YOU-TA would have to bring his wallet and fork up the cash to buy the bowls and the Starbucks beverages for himself and the two boys. In the episode, a Starbucks barista became curious and asked the boys if they're famous. YOU-TA simply replied to the lucky barista: "Nah, we're just some dudes who like to sing." YOU-TA ordered a Strawberry Frappucino. Both YUKI and SHIN ordered Caramel Macchiatos. After their Starbucks stop, they headed to the nearest convenience store next to buy their gyudon bowls. Afterward, they walked back to the studio to eat their dinner. When the episode ended, YOU-TA tweeted that he was "happy that the boys loved their rewards, but his wallet started crying."
MAD MUSIC Special Vol. 3 - January 24
The lucky winner of the four, LIN, earns his reward: a free fancy *yakiniku* dinner all paid for by YOU-TA. YOU-TA invited LIN to a yakiniku restaurant called *Miyoshi Yakiniku*. I recently learned from fellow fans that the restaurant is actually owned by YOU-TA's grandparents, which can only mean one thing. YOU-TA may have the yakiniku dinner discounted on a "family discount" or probably prepared by the owners "in the house." I haven't watched this episode yet, but when I do, I'll update the post with a little more detail. Again, you can watch all their past episodes on their official LINE Messenger account or on their LINE LIVE Archives Channel.
SHIN returns to model for the Jamie AnK 2019 Spring Collection
I don't remember if I even wrote about SHIN's solo fashion collab with newly-launched fashion line **Jamie AnK** here on this site last November, but I do remember tweeting about it. He began modeling with another model back in Fall 2018 for their Fall collection, but he didn't have much exposure because the collection was leaning more towards females and not so much co-ed/unisex fashion such as parkas and sweaters. I'm just glad that Jamie AnK decided to have him to model again for their newest spring collection for 2019 that only featured him on his own. The collection just recently launched on sale at the Ailand fashion website. You can find all of SHIN's pics in there, and a little more from his Instagram account. Non-Japan customers can order through this site too, but you would have to use special shipping services like Tenso to ship your goods to your location.
YOU-TA, SHIN, and KAZUKI IG ACCOUNTS VERIFIED
You know that shiny blue check badge next to your username on Twitter and Instagram to prove that you're really behind that account? Early this week, three of the five members have their Instagram accounts officially verified. Therefore, if you're a clueless Instagram user who suddenly gets a "like" from one of the members, you'd be jumping for joy with that blue check mark next to their usernames. From what I read, users have to apply for account verification through Instagram. This would mean that LIN and YUKI haven't done that yet. Even their MADKID official IG account hasn't been verified yet. Hopefully, they'll get to that soon. Still, follow all of them. You can find their usernames on the SLYKY profiles section of the site. And that's it for this entry! I think I'll be writing another one when **RISE** comes out with a review. Till next time, Axcels!

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What’s Happening? #20

"RISE" is coming in 2 weeks!

From where I am, today is Friday, January 25. From where MADKID is, today is Saturday, January 26.
This means, we only have about two weeks left until the official release of the guys' increasingly blowing up 3rd single, **RISE**. This is in all due to the success of the premiere launching of one of this year's most anticipated anime series, ***The Rising of the Shield Hero***. Within the worldwide anime/manga otaku, the impact of an anime series has contributed to the huge recognition and popularity of the opening and ending themes: **RISE** being the opening theme, and **Chiai Fujikawa**'s ***Kimi no Namae***. The ending theme is a lovely piece with words pertaining to main female character Raphtalia's thoughts about the series' main male character, Naofumi Iwatani. I'm still in the middle of migration of my fiction writing and book reviews blog to the same server as AXCEL STYLE, and once I'm finished, I'll be writing more about *Shield Hero* (the story itself) over there. Now, I've built this site to only post news and updates regarding MADKID, but after reading some comments to those who aren't familiar with MADKID, I'm compelled to open a new **FAQ** section on this site, rather than writing a ranty opinion piece on this site. I initially had opinion posts as an upcoming option to this site, but I don't want to prioritize this and emphasize more on this feature, as it'll derail AXCEL STYLE's original intent. I'm not having this mindset because I'm a fan, but because of my current experiences as a blogger and technical writer. Yes, my fandoms and my job-related experiences can integrate. Anyway, moving on. Keep an eye out on **February 6**, the official date of the **RISE** release. That includes the CDs and the digital releases on iTunes/Apple Music, Spotify, and Google Play. But do keep in mind that the date is also based on your time zone. In other words, when the single is released in Japan and you live somewhere in the U.S., you'd have to wait till **12:00 a.m. EST** for the releases to come out on digital format.
MAD MUSIC Special Episodes 2019
Do you remember what happened in November 2018 when YOU-TA had to take a medical hiatus? If you haven't, one of the entries about it is here. After the hilarious antics that happened back in the New Years Special, the next weekly MAD MUSIC episodes are promised fulfillments from YOU-TA of rewarding his fellow members for taking care of MADKID and the Axcels while he was getting his throat polyps removed.
MAD MUSIC Special vol. 1 - January 10
KAZUKI came in fourth place last November during their no-YOU-TA MAD MUSIC episodes, YOU-TA is rewarding his blonde-haired fellow vocalist a special bento box. That is, a special *homemade* bento box, made from scratch by the red-haired boss himself! It's also known among fans that YOU-TA has serious *leet* cooking skills that making homemade dishes for their loved ones is their way of showing how much they love and care for them. You can go and eat out at some fancy restaurant with fancy dishes, but nothing still beats the power of home-cooked meals.
MAD MUSIC Special vol. 2 - January 17
In this volume 2 of the MAD MUSIC Special episodes, YOU-TA treated the two fan-favorite K-Pop lovin' members, SHIN and YUKI, to Starbucks and ordering *gyudon* at a local convenience store. Unlike his homemade bento for KAZUKI, YOU-TA would have to bring his wallet and fork up the cash to buy the bowls and the Starbucks beverages for himself and the two boys. In the episode, a Starbucks barista became curious and asked the boys if they're famous. YOU-TA simply replied to the lucky barista: "Nah, we're just some dudes who like to sing." YOU-TA ordered a Strawberry Frappucino. Both YUKI and SHIN ordered Caramel Macchiatos. After their Starbucks stop, they headed to the nearest convenience store next to buy their gyudon bowls. Afterward, they walked back to the studio to eat their dinner. When the episode ended, YOU-TA tweeted that he was "happy that the boys loved their rewards, but his wallet started crying."
MAD MUSIC Special Vol. 3 - January 24
The lucky winner of the four, LIN, earns his reward: a free fancy *yakiniku* dinner all paid for by YOU-TA. YOU-TA invited LIN to a yakiniku restaurant called *Miyoshi Yakiniku*. I recently learned from fellow fans that the restaurant is actually owned by YOU-TA's grandparents, which can only mean one thing. YOU-TA may have the yakiniku dinner discounted on a "family discount" or probably prepared by the owners "in the house." I haven't watched this episode yet, but when I do, I'll update the post with a little more detail. Again, you can watch all their past episodes on their official LINE Messenger account or on their LINE LIVE Archives Channel.
SHIN returns to model for the Jamie AnK 2019 Spring Collection
I don't remember if I even wrote about SHIN's solo fashion collab with newly-launched fashion line **Jamie AnK** here on this site last November, but I do remember tweeting about it. He began modeling with another model back in Fall 2018 for their Fall collection, but he didn't have much exposure because the collection was leaning more towards females and not so much co-ed/unisex fashion such as parkas and sweaters. I'm just glad that Jamie AnK decided to have him to model again for their newest spring collection for 2019 that only featured him on his own. The collection just recently launched on sale at the Ailand fashion website. You can find all of SHIN's pics in there, and a little more from his Instagram account. Non-Japan customers can order through this site too, but you would have to use special shipping services like Tenso to ship your goods to your location.
YOU-TA, SHIN, and KAZUKI IG ACCOUNTS VERIFIED
You know that shiny blue check badge next to your username on Twitter and Instagram to prove that you're really behind that account? Early this week, three of the five members have their Instagram accounts officially verified. Therefore, if you're a clueless Instagram user who suddenly gets a "like" from one of the members, you'd be jumping for joy with that blue check mark next to their usernames. From what I read, users have to apply for account verification through Instagram. This would mean that LIN and YUKI haven't done that yet. Even their MADKID official IG account hasn't been verified yet. Hopefully, they'll get to that soon. Still, follow all of them. You can find their usernames on the SLYKY profiles section of the site. And that's it for this entry! I think I'll be writing another one when **RISE** comes out with a review. Till next time, Axcels!

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What’s Happening? #19

Welcome, 2019!

Happy new year, everyone! As how the Japanese say it, 新年明けましておめでとうございます。
With the upcoming 3rd major single RISE arriving in less than a month from today, the year has already kicked off with a bang for MADKID and the Axcel family. So, without further ado, let's begin!
MAD MUSIC New Year Special

MADKID kicks off 2019 with the very first episode of **MAD MUSIC** on LINE LIVE of the new year. The boys began the festivities with a paddle game similar to ping-pong (without a table) and badminton. Rather than "punishing" the loser with the bitter tea, the winner gets to be rewarded with a gift from the staff. SHIN, despite not paying attention to the rules beforehand, defeated the rest of the members until he faced the leader YOU-TA. In the end, the leader prevailed and was rewarded for his victory. Next, the members write their "word for the new year" almost similar to a new year resolution or a new year goal and explained why they chose these words. The members have to write this in *shoudo* (brush calligraphy) format:

SHIN: 笑顔 (*egao*) - smile

LIN: 上昇 (*joushou*) - ascension

YOU-TA: 気合 (*kiai*) - fighting spirit (scream/yell)

KAZUKI: 黄金 (*kogane*) - golden

YUKI: 信頼 *(shinrai)* - trust

You can watch the entire episode on your LINE messaging account. Just follow the MADKID Official LINE account by scanning the QR code on the front page of this site. If you are a first-timer Axcel or the first time you've been to this site and are unfamiliar with MAD MUSIC or if you don't have a LINE account, you can watch this episode and all of their past episodes here as well.
SWISH 2019 New Year Special 2 Days (Day 2)
Remember the Autumn Edition of SWISH, which it was livestreamed on the SHOWROOM app? DAY 2 of the first SWISH event of 2019 was also livestreamed as well.

On DAY 2 of the SWISH New Year Special, there were 10 acts on the lineup, which of course, includes MADKID. The acts were as follows (in alphabetical order):

BananaLemon

COLOR CREATION

DREAM MAKER

First place

FlowBack

FREAK

MADKID

UNIONE

SOLIDEMO

Yuya Matsushista

Among the 10 acts, MADKID performed second to the last act (FlowBack). Their set list are as follows:

GIANT KILLING

GET STARTED (Remix?)

OVERAGAIN

Lovin' You

RISE

For those who weren't able to attend their last live tour, GIANT KILLING, the SWISH livestream gave those who missed the live tour a chance to see MADKID perform their upcoming single **RISE** on stage. I had to crop the clip to get rid of the frame from the SHOWROOM app, which is why the quality is quite blurry, but please enjoy. https://youtu.be/ubqMszlHu2g
MADKID RISING HOPE
MADKID's new radio show, **MADKID RISING HOPE**, began airing last week, 1/2/19, and their second episode was released earlier today. You can still listen to last week's episode by checking out their archives on the JFN PARK app. If you still haven't downloaded the app and want to listen to their radio show, instructions in English are here.
KAZUKI, YUKI, and SHIN are BACK!
It's been months since our three favorite livestreamers of MADKID have streamed to talk to all the fans, old and new. Fearing that MADKID will be overwhelmed with so many activities because of their upcoming 3rd single release, all three have returned to livestreaming again starting January 2019! There are a few changes with the way the boys are streaming:

**KAZUKI** still remains active on 17 (now known as LiveAF). In fact, he was already awarded as one of the top livestreamers by 17 last October, so congratulations to him!

**YUKI** began livestreaming on **Instagram Live** using his personal Instagram account. He still uses 17 as his livestream platform, so please don't delete the app.

**SHIN** decided to change livestream platforms again. This time, on the same platform as MAD MUSIC: LINE LIVE. It's still uncertain whether he decided to completely ditch Pococha altogether, so I wouldn't delete the app just yet. This time though, you can't actually watch his streams (or even his archives) on your standard LINE messenger account because he is using his personal LINE account rather than the MADKID Official LINE account, so you really don't have any choice but to download LINE LIVE. Because his version of LINE LIVE is the Japan-region only app, you can follow instructions on how to download it here, just like how you downloaded Pococha and JFN PARK. The only awesome thing about the Japan-only LINE LIVE app is that it's much simpler, less complicated, a lot lighter, and for those who can't read Japanese at all, the app's interface is in English. I may open up a separate guide for LINE LIVE, but once you install the app, everything else from registration and setup is pretty much self-explanatory that you won't need any translations to go through. I'll let you know when I open this section next time.

THE RISING OF THE SHIELD HERO

The new anime series kicking off in 2019, **The Rising of the Shield Hero** (盾の勇者の成り上がり - *Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari*) will begin airing on Japanese TV later tonight (1/9/19 (Wednesday) JST). Follow the official (Japanese) twitter for the regional airing schedules. But, this doesn't mean that the rest of the world is far behind. If you live in the U.S., the anime will also be on air on the same date (1/9/19 (Wednesday), U.S. time zones) on the Crunchyroll anime streaming service. In fact, the first episode preview was already available for Crunchyroll subscribers since last December, so in a way, we are a little ahead of Japan. Crunchyroll is also available in some countries, however, I also read that some countries are region-locked and aren't able to see the new series. If you don't live in the U.S. and are located in these countries who are unfortunately region-locked, all you have to do is wait for the announcements. There have been videos and other clips about *Shield Hero* spread around on YouTube featuring *RISE* on the opening theme, not by Japanese fans, but by overseas anime fans. I know this is a little "illegal," but this is a good, high chance that MADKID will gain exposure within the worldwide anime/manga community. This would also mean a high chance for MADKID to be invited in some worldwide anime/manga conventions to perform, not just *RISE* but also their other known tracks. Will 2019 be MADKID's year to rising stardom? Let's wait and see! **PERSONAL NOTE:** I will relaunch my writing/reading reviews blog sometime this month to write my reviews and thoughts on *Shield Hero*. Because I'm already way ahead story-wise, I'm re-reading what I've read so far and right now, I'm almost finishing vol. 5 of the light novel series, as of this writing. If you're interested in following my reviews of the anime/light novels, please follow me on that blog instead.
"RISE" MV OUT!
... and right after the airing of *Shield Hero*, the MV for the single *RISE* is finally here! Please take a listen, spread it around, and support MADKID! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cs85gCoCaBA And that would be it for the first entry of 2019! I know it's a little late, but we're back to normal lives again in this brand-new year. Are you all excited for 2019 as much as I am? Till next time, Axcels!

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What’s Happening? #19

Welcome, 2019!

Happy new year, everyone! As how the Japanese say it, 新年明けましておめでとうございます。
With the upcoming 3rd major single RISE arriving in less than a month from today, the year has already kicked off with a bang for MADKID and the Axcel family. So, without further ado, let's begin!
MAD MUSIC New Year Special

MADKID kicks off 2019 with the very first episode of **MAD MUSIC** on LINE LIVE of the new year. The boys began the festivities with a paddle game similar to ping-pong (without a table) and badminton. Rather than "punishing" the loser with the bitter tea, the winner gets to be rewarded with a gift from the staff. SHIN, despite not paying attention to the rules beforehand, defeated the rest of the members until he faced the leader YOU-TA. In the end, the leader prevailed and was rewarded for his victory. Next, the members write their "word for the new year" almost similar to a new year resolution or a new year goal and explained why they chose these words. The members have to write this in *shoudo* (brush calligraphy) format:

SHIN: 笑顔 (*egao*) - smile

LIN: 上昇 (*joushou*) - ascension

YOU-TA: 気合 (*kiai*) - fighting spirit (scream/yell)

KAZUKI: 黄金 (*kogane*) - golden

YUKI: 信頼 *(shinrai)* - trust

You can watch the entire episode on your LINE messaging account. Just follow the MADKID Official LINE account by scanning the QR code on the front page of this site. If you are a first-timer Axcel or the first time you've been to this site and are unfamiliar with MAD MUSIC or if you don't have a LINE account, you can watch this episode and all of their past episodes here as well.
SWISH 2019 New Year Special 2 Days (Day 2)
Remember the Autumn Edition of SWISH, which it was livestreamed on the SHOWROOM app? DAY 2 of the first SWISH event of 2019 was also livestreamed as well.

On DAY 2 of the SWISH New Year Special, there were 10 acts on the lineup, which of course, includes MADKID. The acts were as follows (in alphabetical order):

BananaLemon

COLOR CREATION

DREAM MAKER

First place

FlowBack

FREAK

MADKID

UNIONE

SOLIDEMO

Yuya Matsushista

Among the 10 acts, MADKID performed second to the last act (FlowBack). Their set list are as follows:

GIANT KILLING

GET STARTED (Remix?)

OVERAGAIN

Lovin' You

RISE

For those who weren't able to attend their last live tour, GIANT KILLING, the SWISH livestream gave those who missed the live tour a chance to see MADKID perform their upcoming single **RISE** on stage. I had to crop the clip to get rid of the frame from the SHOWROOM app, which is why the quality is quite blurry, but please enjoy. https://youtu.be/ubqMszlHu2g
MADKID RISING HOPE
MADKID's new radio show, **MADKID RISING HOPE**, began airing last week, 1/2/19, and their second episode was released earlier today. You can still listen to last week's episode by checking out their archives on the JFN PARK app. If you still haven't downloaded the app and want to listen to their radio show, instructions in English are here.
KAZUKI, YUKI, and SHIN are BACK!
It's been months since our three favorite livestreamers of MADKID have streamed to talk to all the fans, old and new. Fearing that MADKID will be overwhelmed with so many activities because of their upcoming 3rd single release, all three have returned to livestreaming again starting January 2019! There are a few changes with the way the boys are streaming:

**KAZUKI** still remains active on 17 (now known as LiveAF). In fact, he was already awarded as one of the top livestreamers by 17 last October, so congratulations to him!

**YUKI** began livestreaming on **Instagram Live** using his personal Instagram account. He still uses 17 as his livestream platform, so please don't delete the app.

**SHIN** decided to change livestream platforms again. This time, on the same platform as MAD MUSIC: LINE LIVE. It's still uncertain whether he decided to completely ditch Pococha altogether, so I wouldn't delete the app just yet. This time though, you can't actually watch his streams (or even his archives) on your standard LINE messenger account because he is using his personal LINE account rather than the MADKID Official LINE account, so you really don't have any choice but to download LINE LIVE. Because his version of LINE LIVE is the Japan-region only app, you can follow instructions on how to download it here, just like how you downloaded Pococha and JFN PARK. The only awesome thing about the Japan-only LINE LIVE app is that it's much simpler, less complicated, a lot lighter, and for those who can't read Japanese at all, the app's interface is in English. I may open up a separate guide for LINE LIVE, but once you install the app, everything else from registration and setup is pretty much self-explanatory that you won't need any translations to go through. I'll let you know when I open this section next time.

THE RISING OF THE SHIELD HERO

The new anime series kicking off in 2019, **The Rising of the Shield Hero** (盾の勇者の成り上がり - *Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari*) will begin airing on Japanese TV later tonight (1/9/19 (Wednesday) JST). Follow the official (Japanese) twitter for the regional airing schedules. But, this doesn't mean that the rest of the world is far behind. If you live in the U.S., the anime will also be on air on the same date (1/9/19 (Wednesday), U.S. time zones) on the Crunchyroll anime streaming service. In fact, the first episode preview was already available for Crunchyroll subscribers since last December, so in a way, we are a little ahead of Japan. Crunchyroll is also available in some countries, however, I also read that some countries are region-locked and aren't able to see the new series. If you don't live in the U.S. and are located in these countries who are unfortunately region-locked, all you have to do is wait for the announcements. There have been videos and other clips about *Shield Hero* spread around on YouTube featuring *RISE* on the opening theme, not by Japanese fans, but by overseas anime fans. I know this is a little "illegal," but this is a good, high chance that MADKID will gain exposure within the worldwide anime/manga community. This would also mean a high chance for MADKID to be invited in some worldwide anime/manga conventions to perform, not just *RISE* but also their other known tracks. Will 2019 be MADKID's year to rising stardom? Let's wait and see! **PERSONAL NOTE:** I will relaunch my writing/reading reviews blog sometime this month to write my reviews and thoughts on *Shield Hero*. Because I'm already way ahead story-wise, I'm re-reading what I've read so far and right now, I'm almost finishing vol. 5 of the light novel series, as of this writing. If you're interested in following my reviews of the anime/light novels, please follow me on that blog instead.
"RISE" MV OUT!
... and right after the airing of *Shield Hero*, the MV for the single *RISE* is finally here! Please take a listen, spread it around, and support MADKID! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cs85gCoCaBA And that would be it for the first entry of 2019! I know it's a little late, but we're back to normal lives again in this brand-new year. Are you all excited for 2019 as much as I am? Till next time, Axcels!

View more

AXCEL Stories Project

Hello again, fellow Axcels! As promised, here is the entry that will provide more detailed information regarding the **Fan Stories** project. To make it a lot more appropriate, I gave it a title of the project: **AXCEL Stories Project** or just simply call it **AXCEL Stories**.

I've thought long and hard on how I can get this organized, how often will I be posting stories and other factors that play in the project. I'll include them in this post too so that those who may be reading this may probably (?) pitch in some ideas that would make this project run smoothly.

Factors

So, while I was brainstorming about this project, and I really did think about this a lot, there were some factors that came into play:

How often will these fan stories be posted on AXCEL STYLE?
Would there be guest contributors writing their stories on AXCEL STYLE or will the maintainer be writing and posting these stories herself?
Will these fan stories include ones from Japanese Axcels? If so, who will translate them?
Should we also include fan stories from fans who want to remain anonymous?
What types of stories should we accept? Format, etc.?

There are probably more factors I didn't list, but the ones mentioned above are what was going through my head. So, I thought through them and here's what I came up.

How often will these fan stories be posted on AXCEL STYLE?

For the time being, whatever is submitted will go through thorough reviews and then get them posted. I don't expect a huge turnout of submissions in the beginning, but I am somewhat expecting that submissions will eventually increase. But, when we do get a lot of submissions, that's when we'll have to go through batches (monthly, maybe?) and provide a due date of these submissions. It may be like an online magazine in a way, or it may come to have its own stand-alone site, just like with the blog translations and other translations in Letters @ AXCEL STYLE.

But in the beginning, fan stories will commence in **January 2019**. Submissions will be open on December 30 and will be reviewed and posted as we go along. When submissions are increased, that's when I would have to think about management and organization. More on this much later.

Would there be guest contributors writing their stories on AXCEL STYLE or would the maintainer be writing and posting these stories herself?

With this, I decided to make this project a **guest contributor**-based project. What this means is that those who are interested in sharing their fan stories will have a *Contributor* access to this site. You can log in the backend and you can start writing your stories. There will be a video tutorial on how you can post your stories if you've never used a blogging platform before.

But, for those who are familiar with WordPress, then everything should be straightforward.

The *Contributor* access will allow a user to write their posts on the main dashboard. However, once submitted to be posted, I will be reviewing the post first and will also going through proofreads (grammar, spelling, punctuation check). If there are some things questionable with the content of the post, we'll contact you directly.

If you are interested in sharing your stories and be a contributor, you will have to contact me. I'll get to this much later.

Will these fan stories include ones from Japanese Axcels? If so, who will translate them?

I will be honest on a few things: I don't have any Japanese Axcel friends. Sad, but true. Another thing I will be honest on: my Japanese translation skills are on a subpar to close to non-existent level. Third to be honest on: Most Japanese in general are very shy and would rather not share their stories. Tying to that, we also have some of these fans who are what Japanese fandoms consider as *yarakashii* fans and would sometimes pick fights with fellow fans who have the same favorite group/member/artist as them. I'm not saying that us global/non-Japanese fans are any better, as we all know in general that there will be obsessive fans like these in any fandom, no matter what genre or country they may be.

The language barrier is definitely a struggle, and sometimes the shyness and the culture shock can also play a factor too. For now, we'll only focus on global/non-Japanese Axcels until further notice.

Should we also include fan stories from fans who want to remain anonymous?

Here's the truth. Among all five members of MADKID, four out of five know or have visited AXCEL STYLE. In fact, one of them tweeted one of my review posts on his Twitter account.

But, this doesn't guarantee that any of the members come and visit the site frequently. After all, they've got their careers and their lives to work and rehearse that they have very little time to meddle with anything fan-related. That can only mean one thing: they wouldn't take the time reading fan stories posted here.

Fans who want to remain anonymous can still contribute their fan stories, but we want some kind of names (like a nickname or an alias name) to be credited on your stories. We also require your email address so that we can set up and register you on the site and get your contributor account. Also, please provide your location, so that everyone will know which country or city you represent.

What types of stories should we accept? Format, etc.?

Just keep in mind that **fan stories** and **fan fiction stories** are completely different from each other. **Fan stories** are experience stories from fans who may have met, encountered, or at least recognized by MADKID or any one (if not all) of the members. Here are some suggestions that you can get ideas from:

Why is (member name) your bias/favorite member?
How did you discover MADKID and eventually became a fan?
If you like to do fanart, you can share your fanart and tell us your story behind that fanart.
Receiving likes on your tweets and/or Instagram posts by a MADKID member and how you reacted to them.
Your first livestream session with one or a few of the MADKID members (via Instagram Live, 17/LiveAF app, Pococha app, TwitCast app, etc.) - talk about the comments you shared, the responses from that member, your reactions, moments, etc.
When one or a few of the members have read your comment while you're watching MAD MUSIC on LINE (LIVE) or other online-only variety talk show hosts like *Danzen Live* on the Nico Nico video site or *SWISH ROOM* on the Showroom app.
The first (etc.) live or release event you've attended with MADKID on stage when you travel to Japan. This could be one of their one-man lives or their variety lives such as SWISH, TOKYO TRAX, etc. It could be a review of the entire live or what you experienced while watching the live, etc.
The gifts and/or fan letters you sent to MADKID or any one of the members. If it's too personal for you, please don't share it in public.

If you're able to, please provide some screenshots or images that will incorporate to the stories you share. I'm aware that you're not allowed to take any photos during lives and release events unless stated. If you have any videos, please share them by uploading on **YouTube** or any other video platform like **Vimeo**. We do not allow video clips to be uploaded directly to the site.

There's no specific format on how you want to share your story, but we do want you to be honest also. Just writing your story as if you're writing a letter to a close friend is a lot more raw and real than writing your story in a "fan fiction" format if you know what I mean.

I have a story to share!

Please use the contact information in our Contact section. It has an email form that you can send via email or if you have Twitter or Instagram, you can contact me on @axceltweets (Twitter) or @axcelstyle (Instagram). These three are the easiest ways to contact and are guaranteed that I'll be receiving your messages through any of these platforms. Although, I can get to you a lot faster if you through Twitter or Instagram than through email, but it's all up to you.

Once I contact you, you will have to provide me the following:

Your name/username/nickname
Email address (so I'll be able to register and create your contributor login)
(Optional) Twitter account, IG account, or a personal website if you have one

Once you're set up with your contributor account, you'll receive further instructions on what to do next. There will also be a link to a video tutorial in case you're not familiar with the WordPress dashboard.

The process will go as follows:

Write your story along with images, screenshots, fanart, video, etc.
Submit your post to the system. You will be given a notice stating that it's in queue for a review.
Site maintainer (me) will be reviewing your post and make any edits and proofreads when needed.
If there are any questions or clarifications needed on your post, I will be contacting you about it.
Once everything's finalized, your post will be posted.

The *Fan Stories* posts will be on display at the front page at another mosaic grid, right below the main mosaic post grid that you're seeing right now. When it's posted, *@axceltweets* (Twitter) and @axcelstyle (IG) will automatically tweet/post them, so be sure to follow both of them to see that notification.

How often can I share and submit my stories?

If you have plenty that you'd like to share, share them. There's no limit as to how many stories you can share. The more, the merrier!

I will be taking submissions effective **December 30, 2018**. The fan stories posts will be up on the site anytime on **January 2019**.

I have some questions about the project...

Please contact me using any platforms in the Contact section.

And that's it! I really do hope you'd be able to share some of yours so that all other fellow Axcels would be able to read them. It can be a great way to make friends also. I'll be sharing some of my fan stories too when I have the time to do so.

Hope you all have fun! I look forward to reading about your fan stories soon!

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What’s Happening? #18

Counting down to 2019!

Hello, Axcels far and wide! 😊

We all hope you are enjoying the holidays as we begin to countdown with this final week of 2018. Knowing MADKID, the year always begins with something huge and special and ending the year the same way. That’s how MADKID rolls and that’s how we AXCELS should roll too.

There are a lot of things that is to come for 2019... and I mean A LOT. Let’s get started, shall we?

"We never going back!"

Why would you want to "go back" when you're already "moving forward"?

On **January 31, 2019**, we will be celebrating the first anniversary of MADKID's major debut with their first major single, ***Never going back***.

For the time being, it's only an announcement. We don't know what's going to happen on that day, but for sure there will be a gathering of some sort with MADKID and the Axcels. Who knows, maybe it'll be livestreamed on LINE LIVE too...

"MADKID RISING HOPE" - New Radio Show

If you have been following AXCEL STYLE since the site was first opened, you'll certainly remember that MADKID had a trial run with a temporary radio show called ***MADKID FROM TOKYO***. Not only that, we all are required to download the Japanese radio streaming app **JFN PARK**. Like the livestream app Shin used for his livestreams in the past, **Pococha**, JFN PARK is another Japan-only app that you (as a non-Japan/foreign fan) would have to do some workaround to get that app installed.

If you were one of the test listeners of *MADKID FROM TOKYO*, AXCEL STYLE has a guide on how to install JFN PARK in English. The page may have outdated screenshots for the demo *MADKID FROM TOKYO*, but as far as I know, the steps and the registration instructions remain the same. I'll be updating the guide with the new radio show title **MADKID RISING HOPE** to avoid any confusion.

If you still have JFN PARK installed in your mobile device, just search for the title: *MADKID RISING HOPE.* The radio show will begin airing on **January 2, 2019** at **10:00 am JST**. The format is (probably) the same as their *MADKID FROM TOKYO* demo show, where the show will be archived should you miss it on the actual date. But, the format of the show itself will be a little different.

The radio show will run for **3 months** starting on Jan. 2nd, then every Wednesdays from then on. The members will have an MC to host their projects this time and will also be challenging the MC with different events and projects. Listeners who get to catch them at the live time (10:00 a.m. JST) will also have the chance to leave messages and requests at the TALK ROOM section of the app.

MADKID + A'GEM/9 Fashion Collab

2018 introduced us to high-end retro-style fashion brand **Hysteric Glamour**, which graced MADKID with 1960s-80s media-inspired fashion, starting from their debut single ***Never going back*** to their summery blue ***Summer Time*** and ***Forever young*** to the stylishly cool ***RISE***. 2019 now introduces us to a new fashion collaboration with fashion brand **A'GEM/9**. Because I don't have a lot of info regarding this fashion line, this may be a surprise.

However, they do have a Twitter account. From reading the description (and consulting with a fellow global Axcel who wears a lot of similar Korean streetwear), A'GEM/9 is a select streetwear fashion distribution shop specializing in Korean streetwear brands. If you are a SHIN or a YUKI bias, the two of them are already strutting their Korean street/K-Pop style fashion for the longest time, and now we get to see all of MADKID donning this *street but sweet* style through this fashion collaboration.

Let's wait and see, Axcels, once 2019 arrives. MADKID is still a J-Pop boy group, regardless of the fashion they wear.

MAD MUSIC New Year's Special Episode

Let's not forget! We still have MAD MUSIC on LINE LIVE!

There will be a **New Year's Special Episode** next Friday, **January 4, 2019**, at **6:00 p.m. JST** on the **LINE** messenger app or (recommended) the **LINE LIVE** mobile livestream app. All you have to do is scan the MADKID Official Line account QR code located at the site's home page and scroll to the bottom and you should be good.

If you want to install the **LINE LIVE** app, you will have to follow the installation instructions as **Pococha** and **JFN PARK**. But, everything is self-explanatory once you install the app in your phone or tablet. The LINE LIVE interface is completely in English.

MADKID LIVE TOUR Spring 2019: "CIRCUS"

Yesterday was the final day of the first live tour, **MADKID LIVE TOUR: "GIANT KILLING."** If you have been an Axcel long enough, you'll notice a pattern with MADKID and all the new events coming up. I've been expecting that brand-new surprises were going to be announced at the end of the final show, and they did.

Aside from the ones mentioned above, the boys already announced their second series of one-man live tours under the guise of "**CIRCUS**." There's still more information about this at a later date, but we finally got a schedule:

**5/18/19** - Fukuoka DRUM SON
**5/19/19** - Osaka RUIDO
**5/25/19** - Nagoya LIVEHALL M.I.D.
**5/29/19** - Tokyo Ebisu Liquid Hall

If you do plan on flying over to Japan to attend one (or more) of the one-man live tours, keep an eye out for more info by following the MADKID Official Twitter account... or follow us if you don't know how to read Japanese.

"RISE" CD Cover Jackets

Type A
Type B

The design of the ***RISE*** CD cover jackets are here! Information about the CD single and its contents are already mentioned on this post. In that way, this will help you decide which type you plan on getting.

**SOURCES:** MADKID Official Twitter, JFN PARK News, AGEM Official Twitter, OMigseu Twitter, MADKID @ Nippon Columbia

AXCEL STYLE Fan Stories

It's coming very soon! We're finally going to open a new section of blog posts straight from the hearts and words of fellow (global) Axcels! We call them **Fan Stories**. I've already touched based a bit on this on the previous post, but I want to make a separate post about the *fan stories* project in full detail, so it doesn't get mixed up with this very long *What's Happening?* post.

I decided to make this project as *guest blogger* based, instead of going through interview-style or me writing everything for that said fan. I think it's a lot more raw and authentic if the fan him/herself writes his/her stories. Again, more to come in detail about this project in another post.

I will also be joining the project as well, as I've got a lot of stories to share.

Keep an eye out on the Twitter account for more tidbits of info and when submissions are open.

Whew, what a long post! But there will be more posts coming as we count down to the end of 2018, which will include a **recap post**.

Till next time, Axcels!

Type A CD Jacket

Type B CD Jacket

View more

What’s Happening? #18

Counting down to 2019!

Hello, Axcels far and wide! 😊

We all hope you are enjoying the holidays as we begin to countdown with this final week of 2018. Knowing MADKID, the year always begins with something huge and special and ending the year the same way. That’s how MADKID rolls and that’s how we AXCELS should roll too.

There are a lot of things that is to come for 2019... and I mean A LOT. Let’s get started, shall we?

"We never going back!"

Why would you want to "go back" when you're already "moving forward"?

On **January 31, 2019**, we will be celebrating the first anniversary of MADKID's major debut with their first major single, ***Never going back***.

For the time being, it's only an announcement. We don't know what's going to happen on that day, but for sure there will be a gathering of some sort with MADKID and the Axcels. Who knows, maybe it'll be livestreamed on LINE LIVE too...

"MADKID RISING HOPE" - New Radio Show

If you have been following AXCEL STYLE since the site was first opened, you'll certainly remember that MADKID had a trial run with a temporary radio show called ***MADKID FROM TOKYO***. Not only that, we all are required to download the Japanese radio streaming app **JFN PARK**. Like the livestream app Shin used for his livestreams in the past, **Pococha**, JFN PARK is another Japan-only app that you (as a non-Japan/foreign fan) would have to do some workaround to get that app installed.

If you were one of the test listeners of *MADKID FROM TOKYO*, AXCEL STYLE has a guide on how to install JFN PARK in English. The page may have outdated screenshots for the demo *MADKID FROM TOKYO*, but as far as I know, the steps and the registration instructions remain the same. I'll be updating the guide with the new radio show title **MADKID RISING HOPE** to avoid any confusion.

If you still have JFN PARK installed in your mobile device, just search for the title: *MADKID RISING HOPE.* The radio show will begin airing on **January 2, 2019** at **10:00 am JST**. The format is (probably) the same as their *MADKID FROM TOKYO* demo show, where the show will be archived should you miss it on the actual date. But, the format of the show itself will be a little different.

The radio show will run for **3 months** starting on Jan. 2nd, then every Wednesdays from then on. The members will have an MC to host their projects this time and will also be challenging the MC with different events and projects. Listeners who get to catch them at the live time (10:00 a.m. JST) will also have the chance to leave messages and requests at the TALK ROOM section of the app.

MADKID + A'GEM/9 Fashion Collab

2018 introduced us to high-end retro-style fashion brand **Hysteric Glamour**, which graced MADKID with 1960s-80s media-inspired fashion, starting from their debut single ***Never going back*** to their summery blue ***Summer Time*** and ***Forever young*** to the stylishly cool ***RISE***. 2019 now introduces us to a new fashion collaboration with fashion brand **A'GEM/9**. Because I don't have a lot of info regarding this fashion line, this may be a surprise.

However, they do have a Twitter account. From reading the description (and consulting with a fellow global Axcel who wears a lot of similar Korean streetwear), A'GEM/9 is a select streetwear fashion distribution shop specializing in Korean streetwear brands. If you are a SHIN or a YUKI bias, the two of them are already strutting their Korean street/K-Pop style fashion for the longest time, and now we get to see all of MADKID donning this *street but sweet* style through this fashion collaboration.

Let's wait and see, Axcels, once 2019 arrives. MADKID is still a J-Pop boy group, regardless of the fashion they wear.

MAD MUSIC New Year's Special Episode

Let's not forget! We still have MAD MUSIC on LINE LIVE!

There will be a **New Year's Special Episode** next Friday, **January 4, 2019**, at **6:00 p.m. JST** on the **LINE** messenger app or (recommended) the **LINE LIVE** mobile livestream app. All you have to do is scan the MADKID Official Line account QR code located at the site's home page and scroll to the bottom and you should be good.

If you want to install the **LINE LIVE** app, you will have to follow the installation instructions as **Pococha** and **JFN PARK**. But, everything is self-explanatory once you install the app in your phone or tablet. The LINE LIVE interface is completely in English.

MADKID LIVE TOUR Spring 2019: "CIRCUS"

Yesterday was the final day of the first live tour, **MADKID LIVE TOUR: "GIANT KILLING."** If you have been an Axcel long enough, you'll notice a pattern with MADKID and all the new events coming up. I've been expecting that brand-new surprises were going to be announced at the end of the final show, and they did.

Aside from the ones mentioned above, the boys already announced their second series of one-man live tours under the guise of "**CIRCUS**." There's still more information about this at a later date, but we finally got a schedule:

**5/18/19** - Fukuoka DRUM SON
**5/19/19** - Osaka RUIDO
**5/25/19** - Nagoya LIVEHALL M.I.D.
**5/29/19** - Tokyo Ebisu Liquid Hall

If you do plan on flying over to Japan to attend one (or more) of the one-man live tours, keep an eye out for more info by following the MADKID Official Twitter account... or follow us if you don't know how to read Japanese.

"RISE" CD Cover Jackets

Type A
Type B

The design of the ***RISE*** CD cover jackets are here! Information about the CD single and its contents are already mentioned on this post. In that way, this will help you decide which type you plan on getting.

**SOURCES:** MADKID Official Twitter, JFN PARK News, AGEM Official Twitter, OMigseu Twitter, MADKID @ Nippon Columbia

AXCEL STYLE Fan Stories

It's coming very soon! We're finally going to open a new section of blog posts straight from the hearts and words of fellow (global) Axcels! We call them **Fan Stories**. I've already touched based a bit on this on the previous post, but I want to make a separate post about the *fan stories* project in full detail, so it doesn't get mixed up with this very long *What's Happening?* post.

I decided to make this project as *guest blogger* based, instead of going through interview-style or me writing everything for that said fan. I think it's a lot more raw and authentic if the fan him/herself writes his/her stories. Again, more to come in detail about this project in another post.

I will also be joining the project as well, as I've got a lot of stories to share.

Keep an eye out on the Twitter account for more tidbits of info and when submissions are open.

Whew, what a long post! But there will be more posts coming as we count down to the end of 2018, which will include a **recap post**.

Till next time, Axcels!

Type A CD Jacket

Type B CD Jacket

View more

What’s Happening? #17

First up, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to those who don't celebrate Christmas or don't celebrate anything in the last month of the year. It's really amazing how 2018 went by really fast! But most of all, if it's chilly where you may live right now, be sure to stay warm, drink plenty of hot beverages (tea), and, as SHIN mentioned on one of his blogs, try and eat some good ol' hot pot for the winter season.

GIANT KILLING One-Man Live Tour

It's here! It's finally happening! OMG! 😱

So, we're counting down to the **GIANT KILLING** One-Man Live tour, and it's happening this upcoming weekend in Osaka and Nagoya! So, if you happen to be there around this time and you didn't get a chance to pre-order tickets online months ago, you can actually order them at the door.

Or, better yet, you can travel to Shibuya, where the third and final day of the GIANT KILLING tour will take place. It will be on the 26th, right after Christmas Day. Tickets are still available for pre-orders online, but it's also possible that you may also purchase tickets at the door too if there happens to have extra tickets.

... and we've got the goodies too!

On each venue, we've got the goodies on sale for you to splurge! The available items are as follows:

Pamphlet
Size L white T-shirt
Clash Denim Tote Bag
Parka hoodie jacket
Muffler towel
SLYKY Gacha-gacha button pins
Original photo sets
**(Limited Edition Special)** Special Sticker sets featuring KAZUKI's art.

If my memory serves me correct, if the official items were not sold out during the venues, they will be available for sale online at the Nippon Columbia store. You would have to use a shipping service such as Tenso to order and purchase the items. I haven't tried this service yet, but hopefully, I'd be able to if the goods go up on sale online.

The Final AXCEL Meeting of the Year!

Are you single? Or if you have a special someone but don't have a clue on where you're going to spend your Christmas Eve date, there is one place: The final **AXCEL MEETING** with MADKID, of course!

Because of the holidays, the boys will be holding the final AXCEL MEETING of the year at **Nippon Columbia Studios** in the afternoon, from 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Celebrate Christmas, or whatever it is you celebrate (or not celebrate), with the boys, maybe exchange gifts and share what you want to share with them and your fellow Axcels.

Updates on AXCEL STYLE

If you have been following our Twitter for awhile now, you should see a short 1-week poll that I opened regarding the site. The results came out with the following:

https://twitter.com/axceltweets/status/1069719050282950657

So, if your choice was not the majority, don't worry about it. We're still going to consider the other choices as part of the site, but will not be priority in comparison to the choice majority. In this instance, that would be **Fan Stories with MADKID**.

But, let me explain the choices in full detail first:

**Opinion posts about fandom** - I, or a guest writer, will be writing opinion pieces regarding the MADKID Axcel fandom and/or J-Pop fandom in general. Eventually, there may be some bad apples that will emerge within our budding fandom, so we'll be prepared for this if anything like that should ever happen. So far, the Axcel fandom is still chill.
**Fan stories with MADKID (MDKD)** - These posts will be about fan experiences with MADKID, whether if you're able to see one of their lives in Japan and able to meet the members through their handshake/meet and greet sessions, encounters with one or more of the members on social media, your first time meeting some of the members on livestream, etc. You can even write about your feelings towards the group or your favorite member. Get a little creative if you want by adding some photos or fanart (if you do fanart) of them if you want.
**Guest writers from Axcels** - This idea is a little vague, but I'm leaning on combining this with the **Fan Stories...** idea. I think the fan stories posts would be a lot more authentic if the fan would be writing about it from his/her point of view instead of me writing it. But, this is also a general idea where some Axcels would like to contribute some posts about MADKID. It can be about anything, including opinions, as long as it's about MADKID or the Axcel fandom.
**Other (please reply)** - If you have any ideas other than the ones mentioned, to reply to the tweet with your idea. Unfortunately, whoever voted for this choice didn't even reply to the tweet.

Because **Fan Stories with MADKID** won the majority of the vote, AXCEL STYLE will add this content feature starting next year. Because their 3rd single **RISE** and the **MADKID FACTION** campaign will come to fruition starting January, the first month of 2019 would be the perfect time to introduce this new series of posts. As mentioned regarding **Guest writers from Axcels**, I think I'm going to combine the two.

More information about **Fan Stories** will come much later, hopefully sometime next week or after Christmas Day, so please, stay tuned.

That's all for today before the GIANT KILLING tour, Axcels. Till next time!

View more

What’s Happening? #17

First up, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to those who don't celebrate Christmas or don't celebrate anything in the last month of the year. It's really amazing how 2018 went by really fast! But most of all, if it's chilly where you may live right now, be sure to stay warm, drink plenty of hot beverages (tea), and, as SHIN mentioned on one of his blogs, try and eat some good ol' hot pot for the winter season.

GIANT KILLING One-Man Live Tour

It's here! It's finally happening! OMG! 😱

So, we're counting down to the **GIANT KILLING** One-Man Live tour, and it's happening this upcoming weekend in Osaka and Nagoya! So, if you happen to be there around this time and you didn't get a chance to pre-order tickets online months ago, you can actually order them at the door.

Or, better yet, you can travel to Shibuya, where the third and final day of the GIANT KILLING tour will take place. It will be on the 26th, right after Christmas Day. Tickets are still available for pre-orders online, but it's also possible that you may also purchase tickets at the door too if there happens to have extra tickets.

... and we've got the goodies too!

On each venue, we've got the goodies on sale for you to splurge! The available items are as follows:

Pamphlet
Size L white T-shirt
Clash Denim Tote Bag
Parka hoodie jacket
Muffler towel
SLYKY Gacha-gacha button pins
Original photo sets
**(Limited Edition Special)** Special Sticker sets featuring KAZUKI's art.

If my memory serves me correct, if the official items were not sold out during the venues, they will be available for sale online at the Nippon Columbia store. You would have to use a shipping service such as Tenso to order and purchase the items. I haven't tried this service yet, but hopefully, I'd be able to if the goods go up on sale online.

The Final AXCEL Meeting of the Year!

Are you single? Or if you have a special someone but don't have a clue on where you're going to spend your Christmas Eve date, there is one place: The final **AXCEL MEETING** with MADKID, of course!

Because of the holidays, the boys will be holding the final AXCEL MEETING of the year at **Nippon Columbia Studios** in the afternoon, from 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Celebrate Christmas, or whatever it is you celebrate (or not celebrate), with the boys, maybe exchange gifts and share what you want to share with them and your fellow Axcels.

Updates on AXCEL STYLE

If you have been following our Twitter for awhile now, you should see a short 1-week poll that I opened regarding the site. The results came out with the following:

https://twitter.com/axceltweets/status/1069719050282950657

So, if your choice was not the majority, don't worry about it. We're still going to consider the other choices as part of the site, but will not be priority in comparison to the choice majority. In this instance, that would be **Fan Stories with MADKID**.

But, let me explain the choices in full detail first:

**Opinion posts about fandom** - I, or a guest writer, will be writing opinion pieces regarding the MADKID Axcel fandom and/or J-Pop fandom in general. Eventually, there may be some bad apples that will emerge within our budding fandom, so we'll be prepared for this if anything like that should ever happen. So far, the Axcel fandom is still chill.
**Fan stories with MADKID (MDKD)** - These posts will be about fan experiences with MADKID, whether if you're able to see one of their lives in Japan and able to meet the members through their handshake/meet and greet sessions, encounters with one or more of the members on social media, your first time meeting some of the members on livestream, etc. You can even write about your feelings towards the group or your favorite member. Get a little creative if you want by adding some photos or fanart (if you do fanart) of them if you want.
**Guest writers from Axcels** - This idea is a little vague, but I'm leaning on combining this with the **Fan Stories...** idea. I think the fan stories posts would be a lot more authentic if the fan would be writing about it from his/her point of view instead of me writing it. But, this is also a general idea where some Axcels would like to contribute some posts about MADKID. It can be about anything, including opinions, as long as it's about MADKID or the Axcel fandom.
**Other (please reply)** - If you have any ideas other than the ones mentioned, to reply to the tweet with your idea. Unfortunately, whoever voted for this choice didn't even reply to the tweet.

Because **Fan Stories with MADKID** won the majority of the vote, AXCEL STYLE will add this content feature starting next year. Because their 3rd single **RISE** and the **MADKID FACTION** campaign will come to fruition starting January, the first month of 2019 would be the perfect time to introduce this new series of posts. As mentioned regarding **Guest writers from Axcels**, I think I'm going to combine the two.

More information about **Fan Stories** will come much later, hopefully sometime next week or after Christmas Day, so please, stay tuned.

That's all for today before the GIANT KILLING tour, Axcels. Till next time!

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[REVIEW] LIN & HYLEN (feat. RI-U) – IRONICAL

**LYRICS:** IRONICAL (LIN rap line only)

For the month of November, LIN & HYLEN released another collaborated joint with fellow brother boy group **XOX**'s rapper, **Riku Tanaka** (credited under the pseudonym **RI-U**). Because of MADKID's heavy schedules back in October, the two partners-in-crime haven't released a single for that month. But, now they're back in action, as the end of the year continues to close in, little by little.

Lin & Hylen have done a good number of collaborations with third-party collaborators in their recent few singles from a solo rapper (LIL'B) to a duo of vocalist and mixmaster (XYLOZ), but with **IRONICAL**, this was the first time that the duo have collaborated with a member of an already seasoned, well-known boy group, **XOX**. We've seen MADKID perform with various dance and vocal groups of all backgrounds, whether they're from the major leagues to the indie scene, on huge live events like the SWISH series, TOKYO TRAX series, and more, but we rarely, almost never, see any of these groups do collaborations with each other when it comes to originally produced tracks.

Even though that this is a side collaboration with XOX's Riku Tanaka/RI-U, this could also mean a sign that there will be many future collaborations with more established artists and groups. Who knows, some of these tracks may even end up being released as a major track and get counted on the coveted Oricon Charts. Let's all hope for the best!

As we all know, the kickoff of MADKID's end of the year one-man live tour, **GIANT KILLING**, begins this weekend, **12/15**, in Osaka, followed by their second day on **12/16** in Nagoya. There will be a long break as we all spend the Christmas holidays with our loved ones. After Christmas Day, the final day of the tour will be back in Shibuya on **12/26**. After that, we get to spend the rest of the final days of 2018 resting, preparing for the new year, and spending more time with our family and friends.

But first, let's check out the November single, **IRONICAL**.

The title **IRONICAL** is based on the English vocabulary word *ironical*. The meaning of the word is rooted from the noun *irony* and is also the same meaning as the more known term *ironic*. According to the Quick and Dirty Tips English Grammar section, *ironical* is a much older version of *ironic*, and because of the English colonization of many parts of the world including the U.S., different varieties and "dialects" of English have been developed in each colonized nation. Because *ironical* is the original word, the term is more common in the U.K. than it is in the U.S., Canada, Australia, or any other English-speaking nation.

So, in other words, *ironical* is not a typo or an intended misspelling.

To start off the song, we get this very simple, very nice, very laid back organ chord, followed by another smooth, laid-back beat. Imagine yourself driving in an open-top convertible with your homeboys, just bopping your heads while cruising through the streets at 2 mi/h (3.22 km/h) so everybody sees you. And while the song hypnotizes the bystanders, they begin to follow you Pied Piper-style, leading them to some special place where you can party all day, all night. For me, that's how I pictured on the first few chords.

**IRONICAL** reminded me of those iconic past hip-hop/rap songs from the '90s-early 2000s where the lyrics' message is in "poetic" format expressing the sadness and disappointment of the man towards a girl who pretty much played him. We've heard of those types of hip-hop tracks before, but there are at times where society dismisses them, criticizing these forms as random rambling. Sometimes, the tune and sound of a song can play tricks on our minds, thinking that a song that sounded so smooth and relaxing would also mean that the lyrics sung to this sound would have the same theme.

In the case of **IRONICAL**, that doesn't mean that the sound/tune of a song and the lyrics performed to the song are the same. After all, as the title says, the lyrics and the sound opposite (but complement) each other, which makes this song *ironical*.

LIN posted his part of the song on his lyrics blog, but other than LIN being dope as eff as always, how about giving some props to Riku Tanaka's/RI-U's rapid-fire rhyming skills? Though it's still difficult for me to pick up Japanese lyrics (especially rap lyrics) by ear, his style and flow is a huge contrast in comparison to the style and genre of music that his group, XOX, is known for. Maybe it's a little too early or sudden to say this, but maybe in the near future that XOX may try to experiment with other concepts since their lineup change, just like how MADKID stepped down from their usual upbeat badass concept to something more relaxing and smooth during the summer when they released their 2nd major single, **Summer Time**.

You can check out **IRONICAL** from your favorite audio streaming services right now.

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THE AXCEL SIDE Fan Takes, Fan Stories, etc.

THE AXCEL SIDE

2019.06.15 @ 17:25

[The AXCEL Side] 初めまして。(Nice to meet you!)

Hello, my name is Adrianne. I am a 40-something-year-old web developer, blogger, artist, and an enthusiast of a lot of things. I’m a Filipino-American born in the Philippines and raised in the U.S. I speak English, Tagalog, some Spanish, and almost-fluent Japanese. The gist of who I am can be found in the About section. […]
2019.06.12 @ 04:01

Introducing The AXCEL Side

Because the guys are on their (more or less) sabbatical period right after their super-hectic months of the first five months of 2019 thanks to RISE, FAITH, and CIRCUS, we won’t be getting any big news and announcements for awhile. This doesn’t mean that they’re going to disappear from the limelight or anything like that, […]

MADKID in MOTION MVs, covers, and more!

TANABE-YA (TANABE x HEYA) EP. #8 (GUEST: SHIN, MASUNARI, LULU KIKUIKE)

This is PART 2 of Episode 7. SHIN introduces to KAZUKI and their two guests many different kinds of shochu, a series of distilled alcoholic drinks based on rice, barley, sweet potatoes, brown sugar, and buckwheat. Kyushu Island (where SHIN’s hometown of Miyazaki is located) is very well known for the production of a huge variety of shochu beverages and come in different flavors. It’s a little similar to the Okinawan awamori, the Korean soju, and the Middle Eastern arak. SHIN gives a taste test to KAZUKI and the others each type of shochu and they have to guess what the base ingredient is by tasting it.

Tanabe-Ya (Tanabe x Heya) Ep. #7 (Guest: SHIN, MASUNARI, Lulu Kikuike)

Also known as “Tege-Beya Ep. #2,” SHIN attempts to take over KAZUKI’s talk show for the second time. Only this time, he has an excuse: they are now live in Miyazaki KONNE flagship grocery store and not in KAZUKI’s “room.” SHIN hosts another challenge for KAZUKI and their guests by tasting delectable Miyazaki dishes and critique each dish like professional critics do. SHIN will choose which one of the three has the best food critique.

Tanabe-Ya (Tanabe X Heya) Ep. #6 (Guest: SHIN)

On the latest episode of Tanabe-Ya, the only other MADKID member who has a regular segment on the show, SHIN, gets to be the ~~host~~ guest of this episode of ~~Tege-Beya~~Tanabe-Ya, introducing more goodies from his hometown of Miyazaki and the awesome flagship store that sells and serves goodies only common in Miyazaki. He also quizzes both KAZUKI and Mori their general knowledge of Miyazaki including the dialect SHIN regularly speaks back home. Whoever loses gets to drink that lovely bitter tea no one even dares to drink. Sidenote: “tege” is Miyazaki-ben (Miyazaki dialect) for “sugoi” (awesome!). More Tanabe-Ya episodes can be found in our YouTube playlist.

MADKID - FAITH

The 2nd anime opening theme to the ongoing series “The Rising of the Shield Hero.” Lyrics and translation can be found here.

TANABE-YA (TANABE x HEYA) EP. #2 (GUEST: MADKID)

Part 2 of Episode 1: SHIN introduces another goodie from his hometown of Miyazaki: a Yogurt-based drink called Yoguruppe. Next, they play another card game: Bobujiten. You can check out the rest of Tanabe-Ya episodes through the AXCEL STYLE YouTube Playlist here.

TANABE-YA (TANABE x HEYA) EP. #1 (GUEST: MADKID)

First episode of KAZUKI’s brand-new talk show on YouTube, Tanabe-Ya (Tanabe’s Room) with co-host, comedian Mori Grill Chicken. The show’s first guests is none other than KAZUKI’s fellow members of MADKID! SHIN introduces a favorite pastry from his hometown of Miyazaki: Cheese Manju. Next, they play a card game called Jinrou (Werewolf) Game. You can check out the rest of Tanabe-Ya episodes through the AXCEL STYLE YouTube Playlist here.

MADKID, Axcels, and ALL the happenings...

What’s Happening? #22

RISE (English Version)

The conclusion of the "RISE" Release Period

KAZUKI's New YouTube Talk Show "Tanabe-Ya" Begins!

YOU-TA goes on a "GIANT KILLING" spree!

[CD REVIEW] RISE

The differences between Type A and Type B

The Tracks

#1 - RISE

#2 - Puzzle

#3 - 出ていってよ (Deteitteyo)

Type A DVD Extra

Conclusion

What’s Happening? #21

MADKID FACTION UPDATES

1st Major Debut Anniversary - "We never going back!"

A reflection from me...

Wednesday is Coming!

What’s Happening? #20

"RISE" is coming in 2 weeks!

MAD MUSIC Special Episodes 2019

MAD MUSIC Special vol. 1 - January 10

MAD MUSIC Special vol. 2 - January 17

MAD MUSIC Special Vol. 3 - January 24

SHIN returns to model for the Jamie AnK 2019 Spring Collection

YOU-TA, SHIN, and KAZUKI IG ACCOUNTS VERIFIED

What’s Happening? #19

Welcome, 2019!

MAD MUSIC New Year Special

SWISH 2019 New Year Special 2 Days (Day 2)

MADKID RISING HOPE

KAZUKI, YUKI, and SHIN are BACK!

THE RISING OF THE SHIELD HERO

"RISE" MV OUT!

AXCEL Stories Project

Factors

How often will these fan stories be posted on AXCEL STYLE?

Would there be guest contributors writing their stories on AXCEL STYLE or would the maintainer be writing and posting these stories herself?

Will these fan stories include ones from Japanese Axcels? If so, who will translate them?

Should we also include fan stories from fans who want to remain anonymous?

What types of stories should we accept? Format, etc.?

I have a story to share!

How often can I share and submit my stories?

I have some questions about the project...

What’s Happening? #18

Counting down to 2019!

"We never going back!"

"MADKID RISING HOPE" - New Radio Show

MADKID + A'GEM/9 Fashion Collab

MAD MUSIC New Year's Special Episode

MADKID LIVE TOUR Spring 2019: "CIRCUS"

"RISE" CD Cover Jackets

AXCEL STYLE Fan Stories

What’s Happening? #17

GIANT KILLING One-Man Live Tour

... and we've got the goodies too!

The Final AXCEL Meeting of the Year!

Updates on AXCEL STYLE

[REVIEW] LIN & HYLEN (feat. RI-U) – IRONICAL

THE AXCEL SIDE Fan Takes, Fan Stories, etc.

THE AXCEL SIDE

[The AXCEL Side] 初めまして。(Nice to meet you!)

Introducing The AXCEL Side

MADKID in MOTION MVs, covers, and more!

TANABE-YA (TANABE x HEYA) EP. #8 (GUEST: SHIN, MASUNARI, LULU KIKUIKE)

Tanabe-Ya (Tanabe x Heya) Ep. #7 (Guest: SHIN, MASUNARI, Lulu Kikuike)

Tanabe-Ya (Tanabe X Heya) Ep. #6 (Guest: SHIN)

MADKID - FAITH

TANABE-YA (TANABE x HEYA) EP. #2 (GUEST: MADKID)

TANABE-YA (TANABE x HEYA) EP. #1 (GUEST: MADKID)

MADKID Official LINE

MADKID on Social Media

Letters@AS RSS

Letters @ AXCEL STYLE