SUPER★DRAGON (commonly known as Supadora), a nine-member mixture unit that made their major debut in March, will be holding a hall tour “MIXTURE” in five cities nationwide from the end of June. The final performance was held on July 29th at the Kanagawa Prefectural Hall. The tour, titled “MIXTURE,” which is the group’s biggest concept and origin, will focus on individual members, not only familiar group units, but also solo project song performances, human beatboxing, piano playing, rap, dance breaks, etc., and show off each member’s strengths generously. As this is the first tour since their major debut, vocalist Takeshi Furukawa said, “We introduced ourselves again,” and announced the release of their second single, showing the group’s confidence in being able to reveal everything.
The additional performance, which was decided because all four performances from Osaka on June 29th to Chiba on July 20th were sold out, began with the sound of a car engine. They raced towards Cyber City, which is like a city that never sleeps, and a monitor showing a cool opening video with the members’ introductions against the backdrop of a neon sign in Chinese characters split into two, and the nine members appeared on the upper part of the stage, wearing blue shirts and black ties and pants. The annoyingly stylish visuals produced by Furukawa made the BLUE (the name for SUPER★DRAGON fans) boil, and the audience was dyed blue, the group’s color, with the light of the penlights. With a truly mixture of East and West, past and future, as their backdrop, they performed their major debut song “New Rise” with a tough and energetic performance, full of enthusiasm to rise to the top like a dragon. The raps by Jean Kaito and Matsumura Kazuya, who both launched solo projects this year, are also brilliant, foreshadowing the “era dyed in blue” mentioned in the lyrics.
Everything is mixed together, everything has meaning — they showed off their neat dance moves and beautiful silhouettes to “X,” a song with impressive lyrics that express the foundation of the mixture they advocate. When Jean called out, “Let’s get started, MIXTURE,” Furukawa, who was held up high by the other members, roared a long tone and moved on to “Tap tap tap!”. The song was created as a new Super Dragon anthem on last year’s album “mirror,” and the audience took powerful steps and clapped, filling the venue with excited cheers. The members took turns shouting “Let’s get excited!” and “Follow me!” at a good tempo, and when they reached the peak of excitement, they presented the sweet love song “Hey, girl.” They skillfully moved the colorful electric lights that changed color from pastel to white to crimson according to their movements, and sang and danced as if inviting the audience as they went back and forth between them, creating a glamorous production of a time of adult love. Although their dance moves are not overwhelmingly powerful, their flowing vocals and detailed movements make even the most casual movements look sophisticated, which is surely a weapon they have acquired over the past few years.
Furthermore, from this point on, the “individual weapons of the members” appeared one after another. As the sound of the piano reverberated, the twin vocalists of Super Dragon, Takeshi Furukawa and Takema Ikeda, stood on the upper stage and sang “Remedy For Love” from the album “3rd Identity” (2019), in which each member produced a song. As the title, which means “salvation of love,” suggests, the song’s producer, Gaku Shibasaki, performed a solo dance on the first floor stage to the magnificent number with a mysterious sound. Making full use of his long limbs, he performed dynamically, but with a touch of melancholy, drawing applause from the audience. He was the youngest and beloved member when the group was formed nine years ago, but now, as a 20-year-old man, he adds his own unique color to Super Dragon’s dance.
After enjoying the power of the graceful melody, the two, who have just started their solo projects, performed their new unreleased songs for the first time in Japan. First, Matsumura Kazuya… or rather Cuegee, dressed in an earth-colored outfit, performed “Darkhero” from his first EP “Kuni” to be released on August 14th. The words that were dropped one after another in a clear and determined voice were undoubtedly born from his own experiences and life. The words “it’s not a game” are heavy on the lyrics that have a sense of pain. Next, Jean Kaito, who has just started his solo project under the name jjean, unveiled his new unreleased song “Shooting star”. The blue light of the audience was unbelievably swung to what he called a “pop and fairy-tale love song” for the first time, and suddenly he jumped into it and continued to sing with a smile from the aisle of the audience, which left BLUE surprised and delighted. But for a moment, he covered his face with his hands and the atmosphere changed completely when red light filled the venue. Returning to the stage where Matsumura and Tanaka Kouki appeared, the three of them performed the rap song “Set It Off,” revealing their anger and rebellious spirit, raising their voices wildly, drawing cheers from the audience. Tanaka, who was left alone, then burst into a skillful human beatboxing session, saying, “Let’s make good memories without regrets,” and excited the audience with the surprisingly thick vibrations of the low-pitched beat. Then, the oldest dance leader, Shimura Reo, joined in, and he hung on to Tanaka’s unreasonable beat, undulating his whole body freely, and at the end, the two hugged! Then, Sogo Ito, who had come in with Iijima Hayato and Shibasaki, invited Shimura, saying, “Are you all going for it?”, and the four of them started “SAWAGE!!!!”, and the excitement in the audience reached its peak. The festival song, the only dance song in Spa Doro Spa Dragon, was filled with the personalities and things they liked, and the audience called out in a tremendous manner. Later during the MC session, Iijima commented, “It was a wonderful mixture!” and we could only agree.
The group took that enthusiasm to a chill level with the English song “Breakdown Anthem,” which they performed together, and then “Reach the sky” began with Furukawa saying, “We’re going to go play over there now!”, and all nine members went from the first floor to the second and third floors. They waved towels at the cheering BLUE, sharing the joy of sharing time and space. After looking back on the first half of the show in an MC, Iijima said, “We have a spin-off unit, don’t we?” and performed songs by Fire Dragon, the four older members, and Thunder Dragon, the five younger members. In Fire Dragon’s “Drive Me Crazy,” Shimura and Iijima danced around Furukawa and Jean, who sang madly into the microphone, “I’m only looking at you,” expressing their feelings, showing adult emotions. In “Tropical Night in Midwinter,” Thunder Dragon performed their overreaching feelings towards the older members, using all of their singing, rapping, gestures and facial expressions. However, his face as he gives the kiss, captured on the monitor, no longer has the childish look of a younger man.
From this point on, the scene unfolds with visual effects of light and color. As the sound of rain begins to play, the vocalists and rappers appear in the first floor audience seats and perform a stylish rendition of “Aioikasa.” Four dancers dance on stage, and the pink umbrellas each member holds create a beautiful collaboration with the swaying blue light of BLUE. After a heartwarming love song is colored in pastels, Ito sits at the piano placed on the left side of the stage and taps the keys, and Tanaka, Ikeda, and Furukawa smoothly take turns singing “-Tweedia-.” In this sad number that wishes for a bond beyond separation, Matsumura and Jean join their voices in an unusually melodic way, and the emotional vocals and the raw sound of Ito’s piano blend beautifully together, moving the hearts of the audience. During the MC later, Ito said, “I put my soul into it and I’m glad I was able to deliver it all on the final day without any regrets,” and his music was certainly filled with his feelings, as the audience erupted in applause when he finished.
Then they changed into wild yellow and black costumes, and the dance track in which the members appeared alternately blew BLUE away with its shocking range. First, Ito and Tanaka, a classmate duo, danced together, and when Tanaka grabbed Ito’s chin and brought his face close to her lips, the audience erupted in screams. Matsumura, Jean, and Iijima followed with solo dances, and then Furukawa and Shibasaki, a pair, leaned on each other and looked at each other, and Ikeda, who was the last to give Shimura a wink, finished it off. After the members got entangled in a provocative dance track in which they slipped their jackets off their shoulders and traced their skin with their palms, they performed “Sweets,” the theme song for the TV drama “Sugar Dog Life,” starring Tanaka, which will begin airing on August 3rd. Throwing away the sexiness from earlier, Tanaka put a heart on her cheek in the intro, and the sweetest and most adorable number in Super Dragon’s history made BLUE swoon. Tanaka, who usually has a cool and cool look, smiles innocently and blows a kiss to make a heart at the end, which is a big treat. This film, which was mainly produced by Jean and Ikeda, conveys their ambition to show a new side of Super Dragon, and their confidence that they can remain Super Dragon no matter what they do.
Then, a huge gap exploded during “Gotta Keep It Going On,” with red light burning BLUE’s retinas. The nine members sat in a row at a luxurious dining table decorated with flowers, and while playing with the dishes, glasses, and candles, they synchronized their movements and incorporated stop motion to create a scene that was like a painting. Although the audience could only see almost their upper bodies, they sometimes grinned and created an uneasy atmosphere, and finally Matsumura climbed onto the table and trampled on the dinner while rapping. Next, the dancers jumped over the table and danced sharply, and at the end, all nine members released a cool aggression. After the song title “Legend” was displayed on the LED monitor, they debuted an unreleased new song without any warning, causing a stir in BLUE. The nine members, centered around Shimura, spread out all at once, and the scenes mixed and connected on the right, left, and center of the stage in a dramatic dance sequence that was full of highlights. BLUE was excited by the powerful steps, and the temperature in the venue was raised to the upper limit. “Gotta Keep It Going On” is a coupling song of their major debut single “New Rise”, and “Legend” is a new song whose release date has not yet been decided. The exciting expression of their latest number seems to show their endless potential.
Starting with a dynamic dance break by Iijima, who said “I felt so good after “Legend” that I was dancing with the adrenaline,” the band moved on to an emotional medley of popular songs. From “Monster!”, which Jean enthusiastically encouraged the audience to perform, to “Mada’ Mada'”, where light sticks were waved with ferocity, to the self-titled dance tune “SUPER★DRAGON”, which had the exhilarating feeling of a dragon soaring into the sky, they loudly proclaimed “our era”, and then exploded with “Untouchable MAX”. A chorus of BLUE erupted to the heavy rock tune, with sparks flying on the LEDs, and at the end, Furukawa shouted “Untouchable!” in a deep voice and exclaimed, “Kanagawa is the best! Super Dragon is the best!”
Furukawa said, “I’m sad after all,” as it was the last day of the tour, but confessed, “We’re almost at our 10th year… After 10 years, there were times when we honestly couldn’t stay positive, but now, we’ve overcome those times and the 9 of us are the best looking forward in our history!”. “I want everyone who is within reach to be happy, and I wrote this song hoping that everyone will be kind to themselves, kind to those around them, and that the world will be a little kinder,” he said, as he presented the new song “Younger Forevermore” as the last song. Produced by Furukawa, Jean, and Matsumura, and choreographed by Shimura and Iijima, this work is a highly message-filled piece that strongly reflects their own real feelings. The members face each other, communicate their trust with each other through body touches, and surround Tanaka, who is beatboxing, and sing loudly, “Let’s sing love.”
“We never stop, so please look forward to us,” said Tanaka as the nine members left. The group immediately responded to the loud roar of the “Encore!”, and as the intro to “Wachagacha!”, which was also the theme song for the anime, started, the members suddenly appeared in the first, second and third floor audience seats. Together with BLUE, they raised their arms and drove towards hope, shouting “Grab your dreams.” Incidentally, the T-shirts worn by the members during the encore were remade by Shibasaki. As he also designed the tour logo, we are impressed by his versatility and love for his members, as he changed the way he arranged the T-shirts for each member.
At this point, Jean encouraged BLUE’s voice by saying, “We have an emergency announcement! Do you want to know?!” It was announced that BLUE’s second major single “Downforce” will be released on September 11th, that a nationwide release event will be held from August 11th, and that “Sweets” will be released digitally on July 30th. Jean invited BLUE, who was overjoyed, to “Last, can we have fun together? Will you continue to watch us become pop stars?” and the finale was “Pop Star”. While freely swaying their bodies and playing around with each other, the nine members rapped about their own journey so far and warmly presented the image they should aim for in the future. Ikeda verbalized this feeling, saying, “All nine of us think that having fun is the most important thing, so we want to hold hands and run up together.” Just before leaving the stage, Furukawa also promised to continue walking together, saying, “We still have a lot of fun! Please take care of us!”
SUPER★DRAGON has been receiving good news, releasing their first single in six months and singing the theme song for a drama starring one of their members. In addition, their annual anniversary event “DRA FES” will be held on September 28th at the Omiya Sonic City Large Hall. Their “MIXTURE”, which the members themselves are involved in and express, from songs, lyrics, costumes, and design, is sure to blossom even more vividly in the future.
Interview and text: Motoko Shimizu
Photo: Kenichi Sasamori
ABC TV “Sugar Dog Life” Theme Song “Sweets” Download / Streaming
https://lnk.to/SD_sweets
Click here to pre-order SUPER★DRAGON’s 2nd Major Single “Downforce”
https://lnk.to/Downforce_CD
SUPER★DRAGON Major 2nd Single “Downforce”
Release date: Wednesday, September 11, 2024
Regular Edition (CD ONLY)
PCCA-06333 ¥1,500 (tax included)
M1 Downforce
M2 Sweets
M3 Younger Forevermore
Bonus: 1 trading card included (1 group card, 9 member solo cards, total of 10 cards)
First limited edition A (CD+Blu-ray)
PCCA-06331 ¥3,630 (tax included)
M1 Downforce
M2 Sweets
Blu-ray contents:
SUPER★DRAGON DRA FES 2023[Part 2]8th Anniversary LIVE
・BIG DIPPER / feat.UDANJI ICHIKAWA
・ZEN-SHIN-ZEN-REI
・Ooh! Ooh!
・Honey Baby
・SAWAGE!!!!
・Bad Day
Bonus: 1 trading card included (1 group card, 9 member solo cards, total of 10 cards)
First limited edition B (CD+Blu-ray)
PCCA-06332 ¥3,630 (tax included)
M1 Downforce
M2 Sweets
Blu-ray contents:
SUPER★DRAGON DRA FES 2023[Part 2]8th Anniversary LIVE
・WILD BEAT
・HACK MY CHOICE
・Aim So High
・GETSUYOUBI
・ARIGATO
・Bad Bitter Honey
Bonus: 1 trading card included (1 group card, 9 member solo cards, total of 10 cards)
First-come-first-served bonuses for each shop
If you reserve or purchase SUPER★DRAGON’s major 2nd single “Downforce” at the participating stores listed below, you will receive a store-specific reservation bonus on a first-come, first-served basis.
Amazon.co.jp: Mega Jacket
Tower Records and TOWER mini stores, Tower Records Online: Trading cards (Tower Records version / 9 member solo cards, 1 group card)
Nationwide HMV/HMV&BOOKS online: Trading cards (HMV version / 9 member solo cards, 1 group card)
Seven Net Shopping: Acrylic charm mini keychain, member solo random, all 9 types
Rakuten Books: Clear Trading Cards, Member Solo Random, 9 Types
*The bonus is available in limited quantities and may end before the product is released.
*Some stores may not carry this product. For details, please contact the store or online shopping site.
SUPER★DRAGON Major Debut Single “New Rise”
detail:https://super-dragon.jp/news/news7122/
ABC TV “Sugar Dog Life”
Broadcast information
TV Asahi: Every Saturday from 26:30 starting August 3, 2024
ABC TV: Every Sunday from 23:55 starting August 4, 2024 (first episode from 25:00)
*Broadcast times are subject to change.
Distribution information
Missed broadcast (after ABC TV broadcast): TVer, ABEMA
staff
Original work: “Sugar Dog Life” by Yoriko (Ichijinsha)
Screenplay: Mikiko Takahashi, Tomomi Shimo, Shiori Ueno, Fumino Ikuzaki
Director: Ryuichi Honda, Takahiro Ouchi, Kozue Sasaki
Music: Erina Koyama
Producers: Mami Terakawa, Azuru Yamamoto, Kozue Sasaki, Teppei Chika
Production company: Telepack
Production copyright: ABC
cast
Koki Tanaka (SUPER★DRAGON), Tomoyoshi Tawada
Sota Uemura, Raku and others
Artist Information
Official site:https://super-dragon.jp/
Formula X:https://twitter.com/supdra_staff
Official Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/superdragon_official/
Official TikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@superdragon_official
Official YouTube channel:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFoHBqKJImJjw_ouoE6kGVg
profile
A 9-member evolved mixture unit consisting of Reo Shimura, Takeshi Furukawa, Kaito Jan, Hayate Iijima, Sogo Ito, Kouki Tanaka, Hioma Ikeda, Kazuya Matsumura, and Gaku Shibasaki. Commonly known as “Supadora”.
The song has a mixture of rap, dance, and even human beatboxing by the members, and the group’s rapidly changing formation dance of the nine members and catchy choreography make you want to dance along.
