The popular group WEST., which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, has teamed up with WOWOW to present their original live performance, "WEST. 10th Anniversary Live "W", which has been made into a film and will be released in theaters nationwide from November 22nd.
The original live performance was exclusively broadcast and streamed on WOWOW on October 26th. In addition to the 19 songs that were broadcast in the film version, including representative songs from the past 10 years and songs that were first performed at live performances, two new songs have been added. In addition, the entire film has been re-edited for the film, including unreleased behind-the-scenes footage. In addition to the usual 5.1ch surround sound, the sound system will also be built with "Dolby Atmos", an immersive audio system (a state-of-the-art sound system that is full of realism).
The film version is titled "WEST. 10th Anniversary Live "W" -Film edition-" (directed by Shuichi Tan, distributed by WOWOW) and will be screened in 105 theaters nationwide from November 22nd to December 5th. Tickets are priced at 2,700 yen (additional charges apply for Dolby Atmos).
A limited edition Mubichike card and Mubichike advance tickets (online) will also be available for 2,400 yen. Mubichike cards will go on sale at cinemas nationwide (excluding some theaters) and on the Pia online shopping site on October 27th. Mubichike advance tickets will go on sale online from the 26th.
The full comments from all the members of WEST. are below.
◇Daiki Shigeoka
When I heard about the movie adaptation, I was excited and thought, "Something amazing is starting to happen!" It's something that doesn't happen very often, so it feels really special. There may be different people at the theater than the people who usually come to our live shows. I'd like to go and see it secretly. I wonder how they're watching it. I'm just really happy that our live show is being made into a movie, and I worked hard on it, hoping that it would enrich everyone's daily lives. I hope you will feel this special live performance with your whole body and heart in a special place like a movie theater. Have a nice day!
◇Terushi Kiriyama
I was happy when I heard that it was going to be made into a movie. It's really going to be shown in movie theaters. To be honest, it still doesn't feel real. But I'm really happy that we were able to participate in the project of screening a live performance in theaters, and I think it was made possible thanks to the support of many people, including fans, staff, and of course, the support of many people. I think this live performance is filled with colors and atmospheres that we don't usually get to show. I hope you will experience the fun and newness of it.
◇Junta Nakama
I've only ever performed in things that were screened in theaters, but I was really happy to hear that our live performance will be screened on a big screen with powerful sound. I think we have a selection of songs that will bring out the best in us now. Even if we had done the same set list 10 years ago when we had just debuted, I don't think we would have been as appealing as we are now, and this show is packed with everything we can do as we are now, so I hope people will go and see it again and again with all kinds of people. I want to go see it myself.
◇Kamiyama Tomohiro
When I heard about this original live show, I was shocked. It was a style of live show that we had never done before, so I wondered what kind of atmosphere the fans would have when they saw it at the theater, and simply said, I want to see it and go there too. There were a lot of cameras on set, but I tried not to be too conscious of them. I decided that it would be fine if we were to show our backs, and that we would be fine with any part being cut out. We had choreographed some songs for the first time in about 10 years, and I think we were able to create a new atmosphere for WEST. I think there are probably a lot of scenes that fans will like and want to watch over and over again. I hope everyone will watch while looking for their favorite scenes.
◇Fujii Ryusei
When I heard about the movie adaptation, I was simply happy, and excited to see what it would be like. I hope people will enjoy it while eating and drinking what they like, as a way of enjoying themselves that only a movie theater can offer. That's something you can't do at a regular live performance. It's difficult to watch a regular live performance every day, but a movie can reach more people, and you can watch it as many times as you like during the screening period (laughs)! Please enjoy it at the theater.
◇Hamada Takahiro
When I heard about the movie adaptation, I was surprised. I was simply happy and surprised that our live performance would be able to be watched at the theater, and in all 47 prefectures across the country, and for a moment I wondered if it would be okay. I was often messing around a lot (laughs). This live performance was recorded with a lot of cameras, and unlike a regular live performance, I think you'll be able to see the various expressions of the members. As for the costumes, our usual concert costumes are usually sparkly, but we started off with casual clothes for the recording, so I hope you'll pay attention to the costumes. Personally, I thought, "This costume looks good on you!" and Hamada is singing in his favorite clothes. It's really important to sing while wearing your favorite clothes (laughs).
◇Nozomu Kotaki
I was happy that by making it into a movie, more people will have the opportunity to see our live performance. We've done a lot of things for our 10th anniversary to show our gratitude to our fans, but I think this movie adaptation is one of the biggest events that will make them happy. It's a great luxury for us to be able to watch our live performance on a big screen, and I feel like saying, "Thank you for letting us have the big screen all to ourselves." I hope that people will enjoy our live performance as if they were going to a movie theater. For those who haven't come to our live performance yet or don't know us very well, I hope you'll find your favorite, whether it's a song or a person.
