"Youth Acapella Koshien! Harmonep High School - Japan's Best High School Acapella Championship", where high school students will harmonize using only their voices without using instruments, will be broadcast on Fuji TV's "Saturday Premium" slot (Saturday 9pm) on July 26th. "Harmonep" was born from a popular project on the variety show "Go Go Go!!" (1999-2002), hosted by the comedy trio Neptune. This will be the second time the high school competition has been held, and 10 talented high school a capella groups selected from across the country will gather.
The MC will be "Neptune", and the hosts will be the comedy duo "Chocolate Planet" and announcer Seika Inoue. Guest judges will include singer Ai Otsuka, Jesse from the popular group "SixTONES", singer Shenelle, Soshina from the comedy duo "Shimofuri Myojo", and Reo Tsuchiya from the vocal group "RAG FAIR".
The first round will be a head-to-head match between two schools, with the judges voting on various points such as harmony, vocals, arrangement, technique, and rhythm to determine the winner. The five groups that survive the first round will advance to the finals. From Showa era classics such as Sayuri Ishikawa's "Tsugaru Kaikyo Fuyugeshiki" and Pink Lady's "UFO" to Reiwa era hits such as Masaki Suda's "Niji" and Vaundy's "Koi Kaze ni Nosete," each group will create new music with their own unique arrangements and one-of-a-kind singing voices.
Osaka Toin High School, known for its strong sports teams, will be taking part for the first time and will perform "Koi no Vacance" by the famous Showa-era duo The Peanuts. The retro classic will be revived as "Reiwa a cappella" with powerful singing voices. Kaisei High School from Shimane Prefecture, which took the top spot in the previous tournament, will be taking on the famous Mrs. Green Apple song "Lilac" with a new lineup that includes new members, aiming for consecutive victories.
The participating groups and their song selections for the first round are as follows (titles omitted).
Chikusa High School (Aichi Prefecture): "Chase the Chance" (Namie Amuro)▽Tajimi Nishi High School (Gifu Prefecture): "The Decisive Battle is on Friday" (DREAMS COME TRUE)▽Tokyo College of Music High School and others (Tokyo): "Fate" (Official Hige Dandism)▽Okayama Gakugeikan High School (Okayama Prefecture): "UFO" (Pink Lady)▽Takada Commercial High School (Nara Prefecture): "Tsugaru Kaikyo Fuyugeshiki" (Sayuri Ishikawa)▽Kaisei High School (Shimane Prefecture): "Lilac"(Mrs. Green Apple)▽Gifu High School (Gifu Prefecture): "Rainbow" (Masaki Suda)▽Komagome High School (Tokyo): "Zenryoku Shonen" (Sukima Switch)▽Wako High School (Tokyo): "Koi Kaze ni Nosete" (Vaundy)▽Osaka Toin High School (Osaka Prefecture): "Koi no Vacation" (The Peanuts)
