J-pop dive Koda Kumi (26) has taken her first bash at classical music, kind of. She recently recorded a new song that is based on an aria from Handel's Italian opera "Rinaldo." With original Japanese lyrics by Koda, "Alive" is the theme for "Kamui Gaiden," Sai Yoichi's big screen adaptation of the 1960s anime "Ninpu Kamui Gaiden" (Kamui the Ninja). It stars the currently red-hot Matsuyama Kenichi (24, photo) in the title role of a ninja who becomes a fugitive from his former clan. While filming last summer, Sai was listening to a favorite aria, "Lascia ch'io pianga" (Let me Weep), and felt that it...


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