I read a post on Anime News Network about this recently, and I just had to check out the official site for myself so I could cover it for this blog. This year NHK's Kouhaku Uta Gassen has a rival: Ani Song Kouhaku 2009! Basically it is a show that follows the NHK Kouhaku Uta Gassen formula, except it features popular anime song artists instead of enka/popular music artists like NHK does.
*************
Here are some details about the program/event, straight from the official site here:
http://www.anison-kouhaku.jp

Japanese animation, known as "anime", has become highly valued all over the world. However in recent years anime songs have caught much attention both within the country and outside. In its first year "Anime Song Kouhaku" is a New Year's event featuring not only popular anime songs, but also nostalgic songs that we all hummed when we were children.

This is just a snippet of the information available on the site, but for those of you who have seen NHK's Kouhaku Uta Gassen (if you haven't, feel free to download clips from the Music Shows section of the site from 2003's Kouhaku Uta Gassen) it's not hard to imagine how this will work.

Here is the most important part, the guest list:

White Team (Males):
Ishihara Shinichi ("tatakae! Red Baron", "Kamen Rider AGITO")
Kushida Akira ("Kinniku Man", "Sentou Mekazanguru")
Psychic Lover ("Tytania")
Taira Isao ("Densetsu Kyojin Ideon", "Ginga Senpuu Braiger")
Tanimoto Takayoshi ("Dragon Ball Kai", "kiniro no Gash Bell")
T-Pistonz ("Inazuma Eleven")
Miyauchi Takayuki ("Ginga Nagareboshi Gin", "Chou Denshi Bioman")
Narita Ken ("Cyborg 009", "Denshi Sentai Denjiman")
Anime Song Singers ("Tokyo Animation Medley")
Mizuki Ichiro (He will be appearing via satellite, "Mazinger Z", "Babel nisei")

Red Team (Females):
Inoue Azumi ("Tonari no Totoro", "Konnichiwa Anne")
Outa Takako ("mahou no tenshi Creamy Mami")
Gojo Mayumi ("futari wa Pretty Cure", "seiken no katanakaji")
Sister MAYO ("Bururun! Shizukuchan")
Choi Sun Duk ("Elementhunters" (Korean Version))
Matsumoto Rica ("Pocket Monster")
MIQ ("seisenshi Dunbine", "juusenki L-Gaim")
Yamano Satoko ("Doraemon", "Maple Town Monogatari")
Anime Song Singers ("TMS Entertainment Medley")
Horie Mitsuko (Appearing via satellite, "Candy Candy", "hana no ko Lunlun")

Anyway, with what a stinker NHK's Kouhaku Uta Gassen has been the last few years, this very well might be a better program to watch!

If you'd like to check out the Anime News Network article, here it is:
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/20 ... -announced

We also have a music update:

Requests:
Kotoko - garasu no kaze
Rip Slyme - Fade Away
mink - Why don't you
Princess Princess - BEE-BEEP Puri Puri Summit
La-Vie. - Freedom
flumpool - natsu Dive

Staff Picks:
BEGIN - shimanuchu nu takara
AMBIENCE - RISING

One thing that I absolutely must point out in this update is "RISING" by AMBIENCE. It was used as an opening theme song to the Japanese version of the 1990's X-Men cartoon:

http://www.toplessrobot.com/2009/11/the ... locked.php

Thanks to Topless Robot for pointing this one out, it was a great find! Enjoy it!

See everyone next week!

oh awesome news!!!!

I just want to see that anime kouhaku!
XD It would be laughable though if the anime kouhaku would have more viewers than the NHK one.
;)

I just watched that X_men clip. Holy dude. I remember the US version and the german one, but this one just roxx!
random japanese as ever ;)