J-rocker Anna Tsuchiya has one helluva voice. Whether singing in Japanese or English, her sound is one that is instantly recognizable. For her latest single, “Master Blaster”, she teams up with some legendary musicians. The Queen of Anime music, Yoko Kanno, and Visual-Kei guitarist virtuoso, MIYAVI.

This song, while enjoyable and full of energy, sometimes forgets what musical genre it’s in. It starts with a very 90′s style intro (think P.Diddy’s “Come with Me” from the U.S. Godzilla OST), then jumps straight into a modern country groove that would feel at home on CMT. From there, it grows into a medley of j-rock power ballad rhythms with Kanno’s strings punching through it all. MIYAVI’s solo feels restrained, but given the song’s multiple personalities, it works. Over all of this is Tsuchiya’s signature vocals. For someone who claims she lost her fluency of the English language when she was 7, she has kept such an advanced understanding of it. Not once do I strain to comprehend what she’s saying.

Overall, the song definitely has an epic feel to it, and while I like it, I don’t love it (though it’s growing on me). Check out the music video after the break, complete with a bar brawl.

For those of you who are MMA fans, I’m sure the name Genki Sudo rings a bell. During his short career as a mixed martial artist, he was well know for his impressive yet orthodox fighting moves and elaborate entrances. But fighting was only a part of his passion. To date, Genki Sudo has written 8 books, acted in several Kamen Rider movies, and is manager of Takushoku University’s wrestling team, which he has lead to several championships. Even after all of this, there is still another side of Sudo he wished to express.

“Giving 100% on the entrance; giving 100% on the match” is what Sudo would say during his career as a fighter, and he was widely known as a fighter who placed importance on expressing martial arts as a form of entertainment. In 2006, he founded the musical group, “WORLD ORDER”, in which he is singer, producer, and choreographer. His pop-infused techno/house style lends to the group’s unique performances, from their signature slow-motion-in-real-time to variations on popular dance styles.

WORLD ORDER’s self-titled debut album was released last July, but the group has no plans on stopping there, as evident by their latest music video, “Machine Civilization”. This is by far one of the more entertaining videos I’ve seen in some time. The tutting sequence near the end of the video was incredible.

Do yourself a favor and check out their PV for “Machine Civilization” after the break.