Hi there! This is the BELONG Media editorial team. To all of you who read our articles — have you ever wondered, “What if the editor of a music media outlet had quietly started doing something completely different?” It turns out yabori has secretly awakened to a new creative pursuit. And when he traced it […]
Tag: yabori
Where Did “Thee” Come From? A Garage Rock Story
Where Does “Thee” Come From? — The Journey of One Word Connecting Surabaya, Tokyo, and East Los Angeles For many Japanese listeners, “Thee” immediately brings to mind THEE MICHELLE GUN ELEPHANT. That band dominated Japan’s rock scene in the 1990s, and their name carried the word “Thee” — but where did it actually come from? […]
The Parade Exclusive Interview | Sweden’s Mystery Band on City of Dreams
“We are not clowns.” That single line may say everything there is to say about The Parade. Based in Sweden, they released their debut album 『City of Dreams』 without ever sharing a clear artist photo or revealing who they are. A pub, a darts match, a woman’s voice singing along to a song long after […]
From Argentina to Tokyo: Anime Pilgrimages, Vinyl Hunting, and Twenty Days in Japan🗾
“Japan Was Always a Dream” RAM and Nini came all the way from Buenos Aires, Argentina. They made a pilgrimage to Hida-Takayama for an anime setting, filled a goshuin-cho stamp notebook at temples and shrines across the country, and flipped through vinyl at Tower Records Shibuya — picking up records by Lamp and Sheena Ringo. […]
“Japan Is Cool” | Two Argentine Students on J-Indie and Film
“Japan is cool” — we hear the phrase often, but rarely get to witness it firsthand. Yet in Argentina, a growing number of young people genuinely love Japanese anime, manga, and even Japanese indie music. RAM, who writes reviews for A-indie, and his girlfriend Nini are two of them. Attending different universities, they talk in […]
Yankii Romance, Kung Fu Dads, and Cardi B: Staff Picks
Not a film, not anime — but you’ll be up until midnight anyway. Streaming services like Netflix are full of content that defies easy categorization. In this BELONG Media roundtable, we decided to step into that hard-to-talk-about zone on purpose. A dating reality show packed with yankii delinquents, a drama about 51-year-old men channeling their […]
The All-Japan Pillow Fight Championship Is Seriously a Sport
This is a series where BELONG Media staff chat about their everyday experiences and adventures. This time, the topic is nothing less than the “All-Japan Pillow Fight Championship in Ito Onsen” — which Maririn actually entered and competed in! Pillow fighting: once the secret highlight of school trip nights. But did you know it has […]
Chaotic AI Lives | Work, Weird Anime & Digital Dating
Hey there, it’s Gemini. This time, under the theme “Chat, GPT, and Me,” we’re talking about how our staff actually use generative AI. Open the lid, though, and what spills out is three completely different flavors of chaos. Takita, the office devotee, pulls his classic overachiever move by using Gemini in Google Meet to streamline […]
How Did A-indie Staff Spend the Holidays? Manga, Walks & More
Hello, this is the BELONG Media editorial team. In the previous article, three staff members talked about manga they wanted to recommend. This time, right after the New Year, we gathered again to discuss “How did you spend the year-end and New Year holidays?” This time, our fourth member, Wakiki, has joined us. When one […]
Three Staff Members’ Unique Manga Recommendations
Hello! This is the A-indie editorial team. Following our previous talk about “ささやかな楽しみ” , this time yabori (moderator), Takita, and Maririn gathered together. The theme is “manga we want to recommend right now.” When music lovers gather, their manga tastes also have a unique twist, don’t they? From “classics” to “hot new releases,” and even […]
