Ikimono-gakari (いきものがかり) is a Japanese pop-rock/J-pop band that debuted in 1998. They record on Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Epic Records label.
The band was formed in Kanagawa Prefecture in February 1999 by Hotaka Yamashita and Yoshiki Mizuno, and was later joined by lead vocalist Kiyoe Yoshioka in December the same year. Ikimono-gakari (生き物係) refers to a group of children who are responsible for looking after plants and animals in a Japanese elementary school.
Formation and trials
In December 1999, Yoshioka joined the band. In those days, Mizuno and Yamashita planned to make a group with a female lead vocalist, which would be an unusual sound for the street performances they were doing. Yoshioka was the younger sister of one of their classmates; she entered as the main singer and the band took on its present-day form. Now performing with three members, the band did a cover ofYuzu's single, "Natsuiro" (夏色 "The Colors of Summer").[1]
In September 2000, they suspended the band to focus on college entrance examinations for Yamashita and Mizuno. After attending Meiji University and hoping to transfer to a better school, Mizuno was admitted to Hitotsubashi University. Meanwhile, Yamashita got into Hosei University. In March 2002, the band resumed playing together; however, Yoshioka became discouraged for a while due to the strict regimen of rehearsals required by her music school. However, Mizuno dedicated himself to persuading Yoshioka, and to meeting the emotional challenges she faced.
By March 2003, after a difficult journey, Yoshioka recovered; she saw this as a second chance to grow as a person. Again, the band re-formed, but now, they were performing with the intent of supporting their increasing fame. As their style of music was moving more towards an acoustic focus, they planned to expand their scope to cover not only street performances but live house concerts as well. Moreover, they made a greater effort to compose more original music and rely less on covers.
Rise to fame
On March 15, 2006, the band released their first single, "Sakura", produced by Masanori Shimada. This was their major label debut with Epic Records Japan of Sony. Their second single "Hanabi" was released on May 31, 2006, earning the band their first appearance on the Oricontop 10 chart with a No. 5 debut. Between November 10 to November 30, they held their first live tour, called "Ikimonogakari no Minna-san, Konni-Tour! 2006". They released their first full-length studio album on March 7, 2007, entitled Sakura Saku Machi Monogatari, debuting at No. 4 on the Oricon weekly album charts. Between May 24 to June 14, they went on a live tour to support this album. Their second major studio album, Life Album, came out on February 13, 2008, debuting at No. 2 on the Oricon weekly album charts. This album's live tour was from March 30 to May 23. On July 7, they came out with their tenth single, "Bluebird", cracking the Top 3 Oricon ranking for the first time with a No. 3 debut. On December 24, they released their third studio album, My Song Your Song. This album topped the Oricon weekly charts, becoming their first work to achieve a first ranking on any chart. On December 31, they debuted in the 59th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen festival.
On March 4, 2009, their first-ever collection of video works, "Tottemo Ēzō", was released. That year, Mizuno was put in charge of writing the song "Yell" as the set piece for the junior high division of the 76th annual NHK Nationwide School Music Contest. Their 15th single "Yell / Joyful" came out September 23, taking the No. 1 single spot for the Oricon daily charts and the No. 2 spot for the weekly chart, the highest rankings so far for any of their singles. The band won one of the Gold Artist awards at the 2009 Best Hit Song Festival (November 26), their first time winning one of the show's prizes. They followed that up with their fourth studio album Hajimari no Uta, released on December 23, and debuting as the No. 1 album on the Oricon weekly charts. On New Year's Eve, the band appeared again in the 60th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen festival.
Musical style
With the release of their first major-label album, Sakura Saku Machi Monogatari, their style changed to a more conventional rock style, but still keeping with their traditional guitar-harmonica combination. They also began to add other elements to their songs, such as strings and tambourines, as evidenced by "Sakura" and "Kira Kira Train". Additionally, they recorded songs with faster tempos, such as "Ryūsei Miracle" and "Hinageshi".
Ikimono-gakari began to shift to a more mainstream pop sound with their second and third albums, Life Album and My Song Your Song. Songs like "Kimagure Romantic" differed greatly from their songs during the Sakura Saku era. Life Album saw the revival of a couple of songs from their indie albums; "Hana wa Sakura Kimi wa Utsukushi" from Makoto ni Senetsu... and "Chikoku Shichau yo" from Jinsei Sugoroku Dabe. "Kuchidzuke", also from Jinsei Sugoroku Dabe. was revived on My Song Your Song.
Members
- Kiyoe Yoshioka (Yoshioka Kiyoe) (born February 29, 1984) is the vocalist. She was born in the city of Shizuoka, and later moved to Atsugi, Kanagawa when she was five years old. Nicknamed "Kiyoe", "Kiyo-chan" "Se-Ki", "Las Kiyo", and "Ponyo Megumi". Education: Primary Education City Minami Mouri Atsugi, high school Ebina, Kanagawa Prefecture, Graduate School Musical courses Showa University College of Music (now four-year) graduation. Her brother was a high school classmate of Mizuno and Yamashita.
- Yoshiki Mizuno ( Mizuno Yoshiki) (born December 17, 1982) is the band's lead member and guitarist. He primarily uses the electric guitar. Born in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, he moved to the city Ebina, Kanagawa Prefecture, at an early age. Education: Junior High School Otani Sugikubo City Ebina, high school Prefectural Atsugi, Kanagawa. After Ronin mask in Economics, Politics, Meiji University, graduated from Department of Sociology, Hitotsubashi University.
- Hotaka Yamashita ( Yamashita Hotaka) (born August 27, 1982) is the guitarist and harmonicist of the band. He was born in Ebina City, Kanagawa Prefecture. Education: Junior High School Otani Sugikubo Ebina City, schools of higher Atsugi, Kanagawa Prefecture, graduated from Department of Sociology, Hosei University.
Mini albums
| Year | Information |
|---|---|
| 2003 | Makoto ni Senetsu Nagara First Album o Koshirae Mashita...
|
| 2004 | Shichishoku Konnyaku (七色こんにゃく)
|
| 2005 | Jinsei Sugoroku Dabe. (人生すごろくだべ。)
|
Studio albums
YearInformationPeak positionSales2007Sakura Saku Machi Monogatari
- Released: March 7, 2007
- Label: Epic Records (ESCL-2910)
- Released: February 13, 2008
- Label: Epic Records (ESCL-3046)
- Released: December 24, 2008
- Label: Epic Records (ESCL-3146)
- Released: December 23, 2009
- Label: Epic Records (ESCL-3354, ESCL-3355, ESCL-3356)
| Year | Title | Release | Peak position | Sales [citation needed] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Sakura | March 15, 2006 | 17 | 59,758 |
| Hanabi | May 31, 2006 | 5 | 56,584 | |
| Koisuru Otome | October, 18 2006 | 15 | 15,226 | |
| Ryūsei Miracle | December 6, 2006 | 22 | 20,195 | |
| 2007 | Uruwashiki Hito / Seishun no Tobira | February 14, 2007 | 17 | 18,695 |
| Natsuzora Graffiti / Seishun Line | August 8, 2007 | 10 | 37,754 | |
| Akaneiro no Yakusoku | October 24, 2007 | 7 | 45,872 | |
| 2008 | Hana wa Sakura Kimi wa Utsukushi | January 30, 2008 | 7 | 33,631 |
| Kaeritaku Natta yo | April 16, 2008 | 7 | 59,975 | |
| Bluebird | July 9, 2008 | 3 | 90,267 | |
| Planetarium | October 15, 2008 | 5 | 36,287 | |
| Kimagure Romantic | December 3, 2008 | 4 | 44,790 | |
| 2009 | Futari (ふたり) | May 27, 2009 | 7 | 58,180 |
| Hotaru no Hikari | July 15, 2009 | 5 | 47,964 | |
| Yell/Joyful (YELL) | September 23, 2009 | 2 | 135,506 | |
| Naku Monka | November 11, 2009 | 6 | 39,132 | |
| 2010 | Nostalgia | March 10, 2010 | 3 | 44,547 |
| Arigatō | May 5, 2010 | 2 | 78,482 | |
| Kimi ga Iru | August 4, 2010 |
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