One Piece Takes the Stage With K-pop Group Kiss of Life for a Special Performance

As a long-time gamer and anime enthusiast who has witnessed the evolution of both the gaming and music industries over the years, I must say that the recent performance by K-pop group Kiss of Life at The Fact Music Awards is nothing short of extraordinary. Being an avid One Piece fan myself, it was a delight to see the characters brought to life in such an innovative and engaging way.

For over three decades, One Piece has been a standout on the high seas, earning an unparalleled reputation. Its creator, Eiichiro Oda, has steered the successful Shonen Jump franchise since the late ’90s, and Monkey D. Luffy is now more identifiable than ever. Across its anime, manga, and live-action adaptations, One Piece is experiencing a resurgence. Yet, it’s surprising that one of K-pop’s rising stars decided to perform alongside One Piece on stage.

Over the weekend, the highly contagious performance for The Fact Music Awards took place abroad. Kicking off the event was the band Kiss of Life, and they certainly delivered an exceptional show. They performed a mix of their popular songs such as “Sticky”, while dressed up as characters from One Piece.

KISSOFLIFE_S2 will be performing ‘INTRO + Sticky + Midas Touch’ at the 2024 The Fact Music Awards! Here are some hashtags to keep up with the event: #KISSOFLIFE, #???????, #KIOF, #KIOFxTMA2024, and #2024TMA. Don’t miss it!
— KISS OF LIFE Stats ? (@KIOFStats) September 8, 2024

What Does Kiss of Life’s Tribute to One Piece Include?

In the scene before you, an anime and K-pop fusion is proving to be quite spectacular, outshining many conventional tribute acts. The members of Kiss of Life seamlessly blend into the Straw Hat pirate crew by dressing up as diverse characters, ranging from Luffy to Sanji and Zoro. Even the Marines make an appearance in this performance, with the background dancers of Kiss of Life donning costumes to match. To add to the spectacle, various props such as Zoro’s swords were brought onto the stage.

Against a large screen in the backdrop, the Thousand Sunny seemed almost real, however, its Jolly Roger had been replaced with the Kiss of Life emblem. Instead of Luffy’s straw hat symbol, the logo for the Kiss of Life was displayed prominently. As the medley progressed, the performance by Kiss of Life subtly referenced significant moments from One Piece through their dance choreography. From recreating Luffy’s Gear 2 pose to reenacting the Straw Hats’ emotional goodbye to Vivi, their act captured these memorable scenes more beautifully than many One Piece fans could have envisioned.

Anime Has a Long History with K-pop

It came as quite a shock to many anime fans when this One Piece tribute surfaced, but it’s worth noting that K-pop enthusiasts might find it less surprising given the history of K-pop stars acknowledging and incorporating anime into their work. Over the years, numerous K-pop artists have shown their appreciation for anime in various ways – through performances, songs, or interviews.

There’s been an increase in K-pop artists contributing opening theme songs to anime series, with TVXQ being one of the early pioneers for this trend, having done it for One Piece years ago. This tradition has been carried on by more recent groups like TXT and Stray Kids. Additionally, other artists such as BoA, 2PM, Younha, and Ateez have also joined in on the anime craze. As a result, the collaboration between K-pop and anime is thriving nowadays.

Time will reveal if the stage performances of Kiss of Life, a vibrant girl group launched by S2 Entertainment in 2023, will include more anime collaborations. They’ve already made quite an impact with their series of successful releases. Given their energetic nature, it seems plausible that they could record an opening theme for an anime like My Dress-Up Darling, which could greatly benefit from such a dynamic tune.

2024-09-08 22:10

What Does Kiss of Life’s Tribute to One Piece Include?

Anime Has a Long History with K-pop

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