"Ariyoshi Hiroiki's Impersonation THE World," a show in which foreigners compete to impersonate famous songs by Japanese artists, will be broadcast on Fuji TV's "Saturday Premium" slot (Saturdays at 9 p.m.) on February 28th. This is the third installment of the show, and more than 200 people from 42 countries and regions around the world were nominated, with 18 carefully selected to show off their magnificent singing voices while dressed in fashion unique to singing artists.
This time, we will be featuring foreigners from the United States, Canada, Italy, Brazil, Finland, South Korea, Malaysia, and other countries who cannot speak Japanese at all but love to imitate the singing of Japanese artists.
Participating in Block A were foreigners who are fans of Ado, Seiko Matsuda, the rock band Queen Bee, Koji Tamaki, Hyde, and Tatsuro Yamashita. Even the judge, Michiko Shimizu, a legend in the world of impersonation, was impressed by Seiko Matsuda's unique singing voice, which beautifully expressed the "ra-ri-ru-re-ro" rhythm.
In Block B, Lin Nanci from Taiwan, who has made an impact in the past two competitions, will be appearing. Having previously performed songs by CHARA, this time she will be taking on Aina the End. With an even more difficult song, she will take the venue by storm. Also appearing for the first time are "Sukima Switch from Canada" and "Kobukuro from Brazil," who have been practicing remotely over long distances.
In the fiercely contested Block C, first-time contestants will passionately imitate hits by MISIA, Akina Nakamori, Ryuichi Kawamura, and others, while "American B'z," which was a hot topic in the first competition, will make a reappearance. Furthermore, Maricris Tipong, from the Philippines, who has performed songs by enka singers twice in the past, will perform a hit song by Hibari Misora.
Also, this year's competition will feature a segment called "Face Only THE World," in which foreigners who can only imitate the faces of others will appear, even if their singing impersonations are not the same.
The MC will be talent Hiroiki Ariyoshi, and the show will be hosted by Fuji TV announcer Seika Inoue. The judges will be Soya Igari (KEY TO LIT), Haruna Kondo (Harisenbon), Kyoko Saito, Taichi Saotome, Michiko Shimizu, Takushi Tanaka (Ungirls), and Akimasa Haraguchi.
◇Comment from Hiroyuki Ariyoshi
This time too, we had participants from many countries. I'm happy that people from so many different countries love Japanese songs so much, but no matter how many times we do it, it feels strange to see foreigners singing in Japanese (laughs). This time too, there were some people who couldn't speak Japanese, but it was amazing how their feelings were conveyed! The first person to appear was the one who did an impersonation of Yamashita Tatsuro. He was a fitting first performer!
Speaking of contrasts, he wears a leather jacket, sunglasses, and long hair... but his singing voice is better than Sukima Switch's! I was as surprised as when I first saw Kuro-chan from Yasuda Circus (lol). This time too, the judges had a very difficult time deciding, as the competition was fierce! There are so many talented contestants! I hope you all enjoy watching. And as for the "suspected" "Face Only THE World"... I hope Tanaka-kun and the staff have a long debriefing session (lol).
