Reborn Superstar!

In July 2023, Hanabie performed at the Japanese music festival Satanic Carnival.[5] During the performance the band announced that they had signed with Sony Music Japan followed by an announcement of a new album.[6] The name of the album and the release date was revealed via a video skit uploaded on the band's official YouTube. Four of the ten songs in the album were released prior to the album as digital singles. "Neet Game" was release in August 2022, "Pardon Me I Have to Go Now" was released in January 2023 followed by "Run Away" and "Be the Gal (early summer version)" in June and July respectively.

Much of Reborn Superstar! was written by Yukina and Matsuri, who composed the music as well as wrote the lyrics, except "Blast Off" which was solely composed by Matsuri and "Me, the Ultimate Invader of the Universe" which was written by bassist Hettsu along with Matsuri. A plurality of songs on the album were written around the theme of 'Space', marking the first time the band wrote an album around a particular concept.[7] In an interview to Rolling Stones Japan the band admitted that they were aiming for a sparkly sound and used synths to this effect.[8] The decision to have a 'space' theme was later taken during the writing process as it suited the synth heavy sound they already had in some of the songs. In another interview Matsuri stated that the songs in their earlier albums were written when the memebers were still in high school and consequently were rather hard edged, and in Reborn Superstar they were aiming for a different sound instead of strictly adhering to the metalcore genre. According to Yukina, they wanted to make something which "even the people who do not like metal song would be interested in".[7] While composing the songs Matsuri designed sections where the bass parts could be highlighted because, according to her own admission, there was not enough opportunities for Hettsu to express herself in their previous album. [7]

Prior to the release of the album, a promotional event "Orihime Who Ran Away" was held in the month on July. The event was based on song "Tousou" which was released as single in the same month and would also be included in the album. As a part of the event the band members hid across various locations in Tokyo, while the fans tried to find them based on hints posted on the social media. The winners were received event exclusive merchandise as rewards as well as a pictures with the members which were also shared on the band's official X account.[9]

Reborn Superstar! was released by Sony Music Japan under their sub-label Epic Records Japan on July 26, 2023. Two version of the album were simultaneously released, a 'regular edition' which only included the audio CD and a 'limited edition' which was shipped with a Blu-ray containing behind the scenes footage and interviews with the members. The album was sold through various online and offline outlets including Amazon Japan, Rakuten Books, All Tower Record Store, Seven Net Shopping and the band's official website. Additional rewards were included with the album based on the outlet it was bought from. In Germany, the album was released on August 26, 2023 via Century Media.[10]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Metal Hammer Magazine	[11]
Soundmagnet	7.5/10

Reborn Superstar! received overall positive reviews upon release with critics praising it for the band's unique take on metalcore. Eleanor Goodman of Metal Hammer Magazine pointing to the fusion metalcore sound of Hanabie. remarked "Mashing furious, stomping metalcore with dizzy electronica and fun, colourful aesthetics, Hanabie are the breath of fresh air metal needs".[12] While Metal.de commented upon the album's colorful aesthetics and intense metalcore sound remarking "Hanabie underpin their Japano madness with crashing metalcore, Reborn Superstar! is contagious with it's energy".[13] Soundmagnet praised the album's 'Harajuku-core' sound for being unconventional and innovative.[14] Critic Susan K. while writing for Soundmagnet also pointed out the fusion of electronic and metal elements and tempo changes in the album drawing comparisons with Maximum the Hormone.[14]