Original member Ba. Maruoka Kenji, who has been on hiatus since February this year due to an injury, has announced that he will be leaving Dramatic Alaska on October 14th.

At the same time, it was also announced that Kazuki Takemura, the current supporter, and Masataka Sawayanagi, the guitarist, will officially join Dramatic Alaska from their Kumamoto live on October 15th.

A new artist photo has also been released.
Photographer Mr. Hashimoto Rui (SOUND SHOOTER) shot this time as well, with the city of Kobe, the place where Dramatic Alaska was formed, in the background.

Below are comments from each member.

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<Comment from Kenji Maruoka>
To everyone who always supports us, we apologize for the sudden announcement.
At this time, Maruoka will leave Dramatic Alaska.

The first reason is the injury of the left hand.
I broke my left wrist at the end of February,
Since then, I have been on hiatus from band activities to concentrate on my treatment.
However, initially, we avoided surgery and treated only with casts,
In July, I received a diagnosis from a doctor that it would be difficult for me to recover completely at this rate.
I made the decision to have surgery to get a bone graft in my left wrist.
The surgery itself was a success, but I have to rest for the rest of the year.
I don't know how many side effects I will have.
In addition, steady rehabilitation is necessary even after complete recovery,
I'm worried about whether I'll be able to keep up with the current pace of Dramatic Alaska's activities.
Even in the current situation, we are causing a lot of trouble to the people concerned,
I honestly feel like I can't be bothered any more.

The second reason is the change in my own state of mind.
I thought about a lot of things while I was on vacation.
When I think about what I will do in the future and what I want to live,
I came to think that I want to continue doing something different from music.
It's not that I disliked the band or the music itself,
I'm not going to deny what I've done so far.
However, it is difficult to continue the band with this kind of motivation, and I think it is disrespectful to those around me.
Therefore, after leaving the band, I thought that I would like to concentrate on what I want to do now.

I am very sorry to those who encouraged me by saying that they were looking forward to my return.
Still, I would appreciate it if you could take it positively.

I have songs that I listened to every day when I was a teenager that now feel like a part of me.
It was my dream to make a song like that.
If the music I was involved in became part of someone's youth,
That alone makes me happy and I can move forward.

I am confident that Dramatic Alaska will continue to make great music.
A really good band. A band that can stand on a higher stage.
We look forward to your continued support for Dramatic Alaska.

Finally, the members who fought together, the staff who supported me, the seniors who took care of me, and the juniors who gave me energy,
And I am really grateful to everyone who has been involved with me, such as those who have supported me.
thank you very much. again somewhere.

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<Vo. Naoto Hijikata's comment>
This time, Maruken-kun, who has been working together since high school,
I have decided to withdraw from Dramatic Alaska.
It was a sudden announcement, and the fans who have been looking forward to his return for a long time
I'm really sorry for everyone involved, and I'm honestly very frustrated.
Until this announcement, we all thought about various things, whether the three of us could somehow continue our activities.
I believed that Maruken-kun would get better, and thanks to the support of many people,
Since February, when I took a break due to an injury, I have been able to continue my activities without canceling a single live performance.
Still, the progress of the injury is bad, and I don't know if I can return to precise movements,
In the meantime, since his debut, he has continued to balance schoolwork and band activities almost without a break.
(I didn't make it public, but...) For Maruken-kun,
I was able to take time to think about my own life and decided to take a new path,
There are two reasons why I decided to leave this time.

I managed to hold on not to stop the progress of this band,
Believing that Maruken-kun's hand will heal as soon as possible, Atsushi and I have continued our activities together.
Around the time Maruken-kun's injury progressed poorly and it was decided that he would undergo surgery,
I really thought about many things every day.
While thinking about various things, at the live and recording at that time on that day,
I have hit the maximum that I can do.
What should we do for Maruken, and above all for the fans?
After many discussions with staff members about whether it was the best, we came to this conclusion.

i love this band To the fans who support us every day,
Atsushi, who supports me by saying that I want to continue,
The staff who think together how to continue.
I love everyone.

And it's not just breakup news.
In response to Maruken-kun's withdrawal, he has been supporting us for a long time,
Kazuki-kun joined us on bass, and Sawayan joined us on guitar.
The four of us also went on a summer one-man tour.
Kazuki-kun is a Kansai-like mood maker,
It makes up for what we, who are supposed to be Kansai people, do not have.
Sawayan is good at guitar and very smart,
It teaches me a lot of things even though I don't know much about equipment.
The album that will be released this time was also recorded by these four people.
What is Dramatic Alaska anyway? I reconsidered that and made it,
We made a very good album. More on that on another occasion...
Together with my new best friends, I will open up a new path.

Well, no matter how many words you say. Because I'm a musician
I hope I can convey my thoughts through good songs and good live performances.
One gig, one MC, one line of lyrics. I'm going to stack up again one by one.

I want to be your number one,
I look forward to working with you.

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<Comment from Dr. Atsushi Nishibata>
Marken-sensei, who always calmly watched over the members.
We've been making music together since the beginning,
I am very sorry that this happened due to a sudden injury.
However, I decided to think about the future of Mr. Marken and the band.
Thank you very much.
And this time, for several months of live performances including one-man tours,
The two people who helped me will join as new members.
Both Sawayan and Kazuki actively participated in the band during the support period,
Even with the new system, we are confident that we can deliver music as one band sound!
I'm really sorry for the sudden news of the departure of a member and the addition of two new members.
Even so, I think it's rude to everyone who supports us when we're in a half-finished state.
The four of us decided to move forward.
I would be happy if you could support me from now on.
thank you.

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<Ba. Kazuki Takemura>
Once again, I am joining Dramatic Alaska this time.
My name is Kazuki Takemura.
We have been supporting you since May 14th of this year.
Hijikata-kun and Acchan's humanity is the reason why I became a member from support.
He's such a good guy that I think there's such a good guy.
I think fans will be confused.
First of all, I think that Hijikata-kun and Acchan should go with him.
I thought so too and decided to go with them.

I think it would be nice if I could gradually shorten the distance with the Alaska fans.
thank you.

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<Gt. Sawayanagi Masataka>
I am Masataka Sawayanagi, the official guitarist of Dramatic Alaska.
The members call me "Sawayan"!
thank you!

I received an invitation from June this year and participated as a support,
At that time, they were active with two official members.
Still, the attitude of the band trying to move forward,
Seeing up close the people who are trying to support it,
It was an opportunity for me to reconsider myself as a guitarist.
This system was completed after each one faced their own lives.
The nascent dramatic Alaska, which I met through various circumstances, is strong,
I'm sure you can do something interesting.

After several months of support, the sound of the 4-member band has already been created!
See you live!

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【release information】
2016.12.7 (Wed.) Mini album "Title undecided"
LDCD-50135 / ¥1,800 (tax out)

[LIVE schedule]
10/15 (Sat): Kumamoto Castle Ninomaru Plaza "KAB Genki Festa 2016"
10/21 (Fri): Kobe VARIT.
10/23 (Sun): Osaka "ALA-UMI-DOSS 2016"
11/03 (Thursday/Holiday): Shindaita FEVER w/ Monobright
11/06 (Sun): Osaka Sangyo University School Festival
11/15 (Tue) 16 (Wed): Osaka Fandango w/ a flood of circle
11/25 (Fri): Nagoya SPADE BOX w/ Misoccus
11/27 (Sun): Yamaguchi University Engineering Festival
12/03 (Sat): Osaka Namba Hatch w/ the pillows, GLIM SPANKY
12/14 (Wed): Kyoto MUSE w/ Yabai T-shirt shop

▽Release Tour 2017
1/21 (Sat): Kobe sun and tiger
1/22 (Sun): Kyoto MUSE
1/29 (Sun): Yamaguchi LIVE rise SHUNAN
2/04 (Sat): Takamatsu DIME
2/05 (Sun): Fukuoka DRUM Be-1
2/11 (Sat): Yonago AZTiC laughs
2/12 (Sun): Okayama YEBISU YA PRO
2/18 (Sat): Niigata CLUB RIVERST
2/19 (Sun): Sendai JUNK BOX
2/25 (Sun): Sapporo mole
3/10 (Fri): Nagoya SPADE BOX <ワンマン>
3/20 (Monday/holiday): Shibuya TSUTAYA O-EAST <ワンマン>
3/25 (Sat): Osaka Namba Hatch <ワンマン>

[Dramatic Alaska Official HP]
https://dramaticalaska.com/