Ichigo : Announcement of LOVEBITES as Second Official Ambassador of Mamoru Oshii’s New Anime Series VLADLOVE

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November 5, 2020

Ichigo

Ichigo Animation

Announcement of LOVEBITES as Second Official Ambassador of

Mamoru Oshii's New Anime Series VLADLOVE

VLADLOVE Welcomes LOVEBITES as its Second Official Ambassador!

VLADLOVE has invited LOVEBITES, an internationally-recognized Japanese female heavy metal band made up of five members, to become its second official ambassador. This tie-up with a band with an international reach will benefit VLADLOVE worldwide release. LOVEBITES will be performing Mai's version of the VLADLOVE theme song.

How LOVEBITES became VLADLOVE's Official Ambassador

In selecting the artists to sing VLADLOVE's theme song as performed by Mai, a vampire who is one of VLADLOVE's main characters, Ichigo Animation and the production team focused on the possibility of heavy metal music to represent vampires, and were impressed with the power and presence of LOVEBITES. The band's name and all-female members are closely aligned with the "girl meets girl" theme of the series, and its success in Europe speaks to its ability to cross borders. LOVEBITES has written a new song for the series called "Winds of Transylvania" featuring English lyrics and a heavy metal melody, both elements that are unique for a Japanese anime theme song.

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LOVEBITES is a Japanese heavy metal band with five female members: Asami as the lead vocalist, Midori on guitar, Miyako on guitar and keyboard, Miho on bass, and Haruna on drums. Formed in Tokyo in 2016, they debuted in May 2017 with THE LOVEBITES EP. They won the Metal Hammer Golden Gods Award for Best New Band in 2018 awarded by the UK music magazine "Metal Hammer." They have performed at major music festivals around the world and toured across Europe. Their third album "ELECTRIC PENTAGRAM" released in January 2020 ranked ninth on the Japanese Oricon Music chart.

LOVEBITES kicked off their Japan tour in February 2020 and in July released a live performance Blu-ray DVD "FIVE OF A KIND - LIVE IN TOKYO 2020" featuring a live concert performance recorded at Zepp DiverCity, which ranked first on the Oricon Music Blu-ray chart.

VLADLOVE's first official ambassador BlooDye will be singing Mitsugu's version of the VLADLOVE theme song.

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Ichigo's Animation Initiatives

1. Anime Production

Japanese anime has become a global cultural phenomenon, a centerpiece of the government's Cool Japan campaign to increase global soft power, while also creating new growth and employment opportunities.

As the sole investor in this new anime series, Ichigo is supporting Oshii and the other creators in producing high-quality work for audiences in Japan and around the world. Ichigo is thus contributing to the promotion of Japan's soft power via Cool Japan initiatives, while also pursuing Ichigo's mission of creating richer, more fulfilling lives for the people of Japan.

2. AKIBA CULTURES ZONE

Anime is contributing to Japan's boom in inbound tourism. Many visitors go to Akihabara, the Tokyo neighborhood that is the epicenter of Japan's anime subculture, and other locations in Japan that appear in anime films and TV shows, creating a positive economic impact for local communities.

Ichigo believes real estate serves as critical infrastructure to enhance and enrich the lives of individuals and communities. In keeping with this philosophy, Ichigo established Ichigo Animation to invest in animation ventures that promote anime and Ichigo real estate assets related to anime. In particular, through integrating content and events related to the VLADLOVE series, Ichigo will work to serve the tenants and customers of AKIBA CULTURES ZONE, Ichigo's major retail building in Akihabara that is a global landmark for anime fans.

Ichigo will continue to support anime as an essential element of Japan's modern entertainment culture by drawing upon its capabilities as a sustainable infrastructure company.

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Websites & Social Media (Japanese):
VLADLOVE Official Website	www.ichigo-animation.com/en
VLADLOVE Official Twitter	https://twitter.com/VLADLOVE_ANIME
AKIBA CULTURES ZONE Official Website	www.akibacultureszone.com/en
AKIBA CULTURES ZONE Official Twitter	https://twitter.com/ACZ_Official
LOVEBITES Official Website	https://lovebites.jp
LOVEBITES Official Twitter	https://twitter.com/lovebites_jp

Enquiries (Japanese & English): Ichigo Communications at [phone]

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