Bandai Visual and Lantis announced that the broadcast date for the new Mazinger TV series has been confirmed.　The new series is called "Shin Mazinger Shock!　Z Chapter on television" (真マジンガー 衝撃！Z 編 on television) and the series will start on April 4, 2009 on the following TV Tokyo affiliated stations: TV Osaka, TV Aichi, TV Setouchi, TV Hokkaido, and TVQ Kyuushuu Broadcast. The release also announces that the legendary rock band "LAZY" is doing the opening theme song for the series. The title of the song is Kanjite Knight and the song itself will go on sale on April 22nd at a price of 1200 yen.

Mazinger Z (マジンガーＺ) was a popular super robot series created by Go Nagai (永井 豪) back in 1972. The series was called Tranzor Z in North America. Mazinger Z was a giant robot created by Professor Juzo Kabuto as a secret weapon against the evil forces of Dr. Hell. Piloted by Professor Kabuto's grandson Kouji Kabuto, Mazinger Z battles Dr. Hell's mechanized army of beasts and henchmen. The new series is a retelling of the original story, although new characters, settings, and plot lines will be added.

The  manga Shin Mazinger Zero (真マジンガーZERO) will start running in the Champion RED monthly starting in the June issue which will go on sale on April 18th. Bandai will also release a new Mazinger Z Chougoukin toy towards the end of May.

LAZY is a hard rock band that was formed in 1978 and then split up three and a half years later. In 1988, they reunited to do the Ultraman Dyna theme song "ULTRA HIGH". Unfortunately, the base player Tanaka Hiroyuki (田中宏幸) passed away in 2006 and the drummer Higuchi Munetaka (樋口 宗孝) also passed away in 2008. In order to do the Kanjite Knight song, the band reformed and they were supported by Okuda Tamio (奥田民生) who is a a member of the band Unicorn, Saitou Kazuyoshi (斉藤和義), and JAM Project, an anisong unit.

Keyboard player, Inoue Junji (井上俊次), for LAZY has a message to the fans:

"In June of last year, Okuda Tamio and Saitou Kazuyoshi participated in one of our live performances. That's when we heard from them that they both had a lot of respect for LAZY and they wanted to collaborate with us on a project. That was the spark for this current project. We also wanted to commemorate the death of our drummer Higuchi Munetake, who died last November. The last time LAZY reunited was to do the Ultraman song. For Kanjite Knight, we used the original sound source from a live performance which Higuchi Munetake and Tanaka Hiroyuki performed in with the rest of the original band. Add to this the addition of special members Okuda, Saitou and JAM project and this is how the song was created especially for Mazinger."

The complete title for the single is [Kanjite Knight]~ULTIMATE LAZY for  MAZINGER.

This version of Kanjite Knight is a remake of the original 1980's version which is also a  LAZY song. The remake is based on a version in which Higuchi Munetake and Tanaka Hiroyuki performed with the rest of the band.

LAZY…Vocal:影山ヒロノブ  Kageyama Hironobu Guitar:高崎 晃 Takasaki Akira Drums:樋口宗孝 Higuchi Munetake Bass:田中宏幸 Tanaka Hiroyuki Keyboards: 井上俊次 Inoue Junji

Debuted in 1978. After their third single Little Red Riding Hood On Guard became a hit, they became a popular Idol group who made regular TV appearances. But in 1980 they made their "Heavy Metal Declaration". After the release of their album Spaceship Earth, which included the song Kanjite Knight, the group broke up after having completely overturned their image.

Okuda Tamio 奥田民生: Made his debut as the vocalist for the rock band Unicorn. He then went solo and scored a huge hit with "For Love". He has been active in many musical projects in Japan and he is well loved by both musicians and music lovers alike.

Saitou Kazuyoshi 斉藤和義: Made his debut in 1993 with the song "I saw the Beatles on TV". Mainly a live performer, he wrote many songs that were full of originality. Even today, his songs "Let's Walk Home" and "The Ballad I Want To Sing" are loved by fans and musicians alike.

JAM Project: Started in July 2007, they are the top project in the world of anime songs. The current main members are Kageyama Hironubu, Endou Masaaki (遠藤正明), Kitadani Hiroshi (きただにひろし), Okui Masami (奥井雅美), and Fukuyama Yoshiki (福山芳樹). Their popularity extends beyond the borders of Japan, and their 2008 world tour (United States, Europe, Asia) proves the popularity of Japan's Anime Song Super Unit.

（c）2009 永井豪/ダイナミック企画・くろがね屋