It has been announced that singer Hikawa Kiyoshi will be performing the ending theme song "Party of Monsters" for "GeGeGe no Kitaro: My Beloved GeGeGe no Kitaro " a selection of the best of the first to sixth seasons of the anime "GeGeGe no Kitaro". The song was produced by Komuro Tetsuya and will be sung by Hikawa under the name "Hikawa Kiyoshi with t.komuro". The catchy opening line "Pa Pa Pa Party of Monsters Monsters Monsters" is a dance tune with a strong techno flavor, and Hikawa also took on high-speed rapping for the first time. The song will be released digitally on April 6th, the day the anime starts airing, and the CD will go on sale on June 4th. This will be Hikawa's first single release since his return to singing after a year and eight months last summer.
Hikawa was in charge of the opening theme song "GeGeGe no Kitaro" for the 6th season of "GeGeGe no Kitaro " which GeGeGe no Kitaro" which aired in October of the same year. This is the third time in about 7 years that he has been in charge of a theme song for the series. When Hikawa heard about the ending song this time, he offered to produce it to Komuro, who he has been a big fan of for a long time. Komuro also readily accepted the offer, as Hikawa is friends with "TM NETWORK" member Kine Naoto, and Hikawa covered TM NETWORK's song "SEVEN DAYS WAR".
Hikawa said, "This is my third song for Kitaro, so I really wanted to work with Komuro (Tetsuya) and asked him to do it." He added, "When I first received the demo tape, I was really worried about whether I could sing it and I was feeling weak. But on the other hand, I think it's important to challenge myself to do things I've never done before, so I just wanted to have as much fun as I could."
Komuro commented, "He has the talent to make you feel like it would be rude not to give him everything he's got. I felt like this was a competition with the popular creators of today, so I asked him to try new territory while still retaining his individuality."
"Party of Monsters" will be used as the ending theme song for the anime series, which premieres on April 6th. The special video that will air at the end along with the song is a re-edited version of footage from the early TV series to the latest work. It depicts scenes of previous Kitaros, Medama Oyaji, Nurikabe and Ittan Momen in different eras and with different expressions, as well as fierce battle scenes between Kitaro and monsters.
The selection of masterpieces, "GeGeGe no Kitaro: My Beloved GeGeGe" will feature favorite episodes selected by the gorgeous voice actors who played the previous generations of Kitaro, such as Masako Nozawa, Keiko Toda, Minami Takayama Matsuoka, Minami Takayama, and Miyuki Sawashiro , as well as singers Ado, Natsuhiko Kyogoku, Eiji Wentz, Nao Matsushita , and Shiro Sano, who sing the opening theme song "GeGeGe no Kitaro ." It will be broadcast every Sunday at 9:00 a.m. on Fuji TV and other stations starting from April 6th.
" GeGeGe no Kitaro" is a manga in which the main character, Kitaro, faces various incidents with his unique companions, the monsters Ratman and Sunakakebaara. The first series of the TV anime was broadcast in 1968-69, and it has been loved for over half a century since then.
The sixth season, the first new work in about nine years since the fifth season, was broadcast on Fuji TV and other stations from April 2018 to March 2020, and became a hot topic for its depiction of issues such as black companies, social media addiction, and immigration issues, and Neko Musume, who has become a beautiful woman with a model-like figure, also gained popularity. The theatrical version "Birth of Kitaro: The Mystery of GeGeGe," released in November 2023, was selected as the Outstanding Animation Film at the 47th Japan Academy Awards.
◇Full comment from Kiyoshi Hikawa
I have been watching the TV anime "GeGeGe no Kitaro" since I was a child. Last time, I participated in the familiar opening theme song "GeGeGe no Kitaro" (TV anime 6th series from April 2018) and the ending theme "I Can't See It, But It's There" (from October of the same year), and I am very happy to have been asked to do the ending theme again this time.
And I'm very happy to be able to sing this song written, composed and arranged by Tetsuya Komuro, who gave us the strength to live in our youth, and I hope that many people will listen to this "Party of Monsters". I'm really excited and looking forward to finishing the recording and starting the broadcast, but when I first received the demo tape, I was very worried about whether I could sing it and I was feeling weak. But on the other hand, it's important to challenge yourself to do something you've never done before, so I just wanted to have as much fun as I could. I think the MV (music video) is also very interesting.
I hope that this song will convey various things, such as questions to the world. Thank you very much, Mr. Komuro. I am very grateful. Please enjoy singing "Party of Monsters" along with "GeGeGe no Kitaro : The GeGeGe I loved so far"!
◇Full comment from Tetsuya Komuro
I may have asked Kiina (Hikawa-san) many times, "Are you sure I'm the right person for this?" After meeting him a few times, I wondered where his hard work came from... I was amazed at how honest he has been in life up to this point. He has the talent to make you feel like it would be rude not to give him everything I can. I thought this was a competition with today's hottest creators, so I asked him to challenge himself to new territory while still retaining his individuality. I hope this will become Kiina's masterpiece.
(C) Mizuki Productions, Toei Animation
