WATCH: LiME (KIZU) & Tatsuro (MUCC) ring in new year with Hangeki project

KIZU frontman LiME is joined by MUCC vocalist Tatsuro for a special rendition of MUCC’s 2005 track ‘Kokoro no naimachi’ as part of the ‘Hangeki’ project.

‘Hangeki’ is a spin-off of KIZU’s ‘Ichigeki’ collaboration project which started back in March 2021. ‘Ichigeki’ saw various vocalists joining LiME for duets of KIZU songs, with the very first being a dream collab with Tatsuro for a duet of ‘Jusei’. The project has now come full circle, with Tatsuro being the inaugural guest of this year’s ‘Hangeki’. In this series, which started in 2023, vocalists sing their own songs with LiME.

Tatsuro and LiME brought in the new year in style with a duet of ‘Kokoro no naimachi’. The song combines a melancholic guitar riff and sad vocals, Tatsuro himself having a deep attachment to the lyrics. A little melancholic for a new year video? Maybe. An absolute banger? Definitely.

Both vocalists’ voices work together to amplify an already emotive song, with LiME having a chance to show he’s just as good as the veterans, even breaking out the harmonica to join with Tatsuro’s slick solo.

Set against a simple black background, similar to previous ‘Ichigeki’ videos, the new year’s edition also features a traditional kadomatsu; a temporary home for spirits to bring good fortune for the new year.

Additionally, KIZU just uploaded their second 2025 new year’s ‘Hangeki’ video today, featuring Arlequin vocalist Aki joining LiME for a rendition of ‘Dame Ningen’ (‘Useless Person’).

RELATED: KIZU drummer Kyonosuke partners with GALFY for limited edition hoodie

2024 was a big year for KIZU, who held a pop up store and guerrilla performance at Tokyo’s iconic fashion hub Shibuya 109, a collaboration cafe, drummer Kyonosuke’s GALFY collaboration, and the announcement of their Budokan debut (happening in just days on January 6th!). As well as this, they revealed their new look before finishing the year.

The first ‘Hangeki’ videos of 2025 are now available on YouTube, along with all previous ‘Ichigeki’ videos.

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