Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi Interview

GamePro.com was lucky enough to score an interview with the vivacious Puffy Ami Yumi duo. Get an update on their recent projects and future plans here in the States.

With the recent release of their pan-pacific albums, the Japanese pop group Puffy Ami Yumi has garnered an incredible amount of success in the entertainment industry. The Japanese pop duo landed the Teen Titans cartoon theme song contract, spun that off into their own animated series, Cartoon Network's Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi , and now their Teen Titans theme song and music video will be featured in the soon to be released Teen Titans video game . GamePro.com was lucky enough to score an interview with the vivacious duo to question them on their recent projects and future plans here in the States.

GamePro: What were the origins of Puffy Ami Yumi? How did you both meet and form your group?
Puffy Ami Yumi: Ami's from Tokyo and Yumi's from Osaka. At different times we planned individual careers but we belonged to the same management office. Soon we became very good friends. We asked each other "what if we work together?" We asked our management and then we formed the group Puffy Ami Yumi.

GamePro: How did you get involved in the Teen Titans project? Were you aware of the project beforehand? Who are your favorite characters in Teen Titans?
Puffy: The producer from Cartoon Network works on both Teen Titans and Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi. We met together in the U.S. and talked about working together. He produced Teen Titans and asked us to work on the project. Our music producer Andy Stumer produced the song for the program. We hadn't seen Teen Titans before but it is fun.

GamePro: What are your opinions about the Teen Titans cartoon? Do you both like it? What creative input would you both have if you were able to suggest ideas for stories?
Puffy: I wish I could have watched this series in my childhood. It is very addictive. We both like it. If we could suggest a story idea then I would like to be one of the characters who falls in love with a character in the cartoon.

GamePro: Are you fans of anime or manga? If so, what is your favorite anime or manga series?
Puffy: We both read manga a lot. We even check the release day of upcoming manga comics. It is hard to pick just one of our favorite manga because we really, really read a lot.

GamePro: How many albums have you produced? And which one is your favorite?
Puffy: We've released eight albums in Japan and four in the U.S. The latest album is for our program "Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi" which included the Teen Titan's theme. We love all of them so it's hard to pick one. But the very first album we released in Japan--"Ami Yumi"--is a very memorable album.

GamePro: Has your music received a warm reception here in the U.S.?
Puffy: It is hard to know, but I really hope so. We are very happy to see many people listening to our music. We will keep trying our best to produce more good songs! We feel a very warm reception when we tour in the U.S. Many U.S. fans come and sing our songs. We are very happy about it.

GamePro: Are there any future plans for Puffy Ami Yumi in the U.S.? Are you working on a new album or tour?
Puffy: We would love to come back for a U.S. tour again. Our management is working on putting the schedule together now. We are also recording a new album that you can hear in the U.S. soon. We are looking forward to seeing you in the U.S. with our new album soon.

Puffy Ami Yumi Discography

Ami Yumi (1996) - Japan exclusive debut album.
Solo Solo (1997) - Japan exclusive follow-up two-disc album.
Jet (1998) - Japan exclusive album.
Fever*Fever (1999) - Japan exclusive album.
Spike (2001) - North American debut album released in both Japan and North America.
An Illustrated History (2002) - Cover album featuring songs released in both Japan and North America.
Nice. (2003) - Released in Japan and North America (includes the Teen Titans theme song).
Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi (2004) - Puffy Ami Yumi's latest musical offering released in both Japan and North America.

To learn more about Puffy Ami Yumi checkout these cool websites :
Current Epic Records Homepage
Previous Sony Records Homepage (in English)
Original Sony Records Homepage (in English)
Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi Cartoon Network Site









To check out our feature on Teen Titans, go here:
http://gamepro.com/sony/ps2/games/features/51940.shtml

To view the complete Teen Titans game director interview, click here: http://gamepro.com/sony/ps2/games/features/51942.shtml

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