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Multi-Platinum Artist Tove Lo Partners up with Shinsei Galverse for 90s Anime Revival Music Video

[Tokyo, 3 AUGUST] GRAMMY® Award nominated artist Tove Lo has released a hand-drawn anime music video for her smash new dance pop single ‘I like u’ in collaboration with innovative Tokyo-based anime project Shinsei Galverse.

MUSIC VIDEO LINK: Tove Lo - I like u (Official Music Video)

The creative fusion is a perfect pairing. Tove's summer smash is a sonic nod to 90s dance music, while Galverse Director Ayaka Ohira brings her ‘nostalgic x futuristic’ visuals to life, combining the aesthetic of classic sci-fi anime with cutting-edge techniques and technology.

“I wanted to create something like a science fiction spectacle. I thought a lot about how to combine the sadness of love and a story on a cosmic scale. Tove and I talked about how we wanted to express the insecurity, vulnerability, and powerful strength of women, as well as the intense and bizarre side of Tove's character,” says Ayaka Ohira, the video's Director.

In the video, Tove's anime persona steps beyond her own creative world into the style and story of Shinsei Galverse. Her robot lover Annie from her seminal ‘No One Dies From Love’ video returns in flashbacks. Even as Tove's planet comes under attack from hostile aliens, she pines for her lost lover. Awakening to her true form, as a badass scorpion-tailed Gal, we learn the dark secret at the core of her new powers - Scorpions consume their mate to survive in harsh conditions.

“I'm so excited for all of you to enter GALVERSE; a powerful and beautiful creation by Ayaka Ohira. I'm so honored to have the final chapter of me and Annie take place in this Universe,” Tove shares.

“It's been such an amazing experience watching this come to life by Ayaka and her team, and the fact that my character gets to be a part of the heroines in Galverse is so god damn cool. I hope you love this video and feel all the creativity and hard work that went into it <3 R.I.P Annie.”

The dedication to evoking 90s and y2k nostalgia goes beyond lip-service. The Galverse team brought industry legends onboard as key staff for the music video production, with shared credits on iconic anime ranging from AKIRA and Ninja Scroll to Spirited Away.

Art Director Hiromasa Ogura defined the look and feel of cyberpunk forever with his work on anime classics like Ghost in the Shell (1995). Ogura and his studio, Ogura Atelier, contributed the expansive cosmic background art and art direction to the video.

Director and Shinsei Galverse co-founder Ayaka Ohira was trained under cel-animation masters including Yōji Kuri and Manabu Ōhashi. Prior to co-founding the Galverse project, Ohira worked as an independent animator directing music videos for influential Japanese artists including m-flo, JP THE WAVY, and CHAI.

Galverse's innovative community-first model allowed fans and supporters to contribute ideas, character and enemy designs to the video, while working to Ohira's strong creative vision. During the production process, fans also witnessed how anime is made - from start to finish.

Shinsei Galverse is the first original IP from Tokyo-based creative tech studio WAGAMI Labs Inc. The Shinsei Galverse anime pilot will be released in 2024. The video was produced by Shinsei Galverse and ARCH Inc, and animated by SoK LLC.

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