Ikimonogakari Unveils Electrifying New Single ‘Unmeichan’ – Out Now!

Ikimonogakari’s 35th single, ‘Unmeichan,’ was released on May 22, 2024. This new track serves as the theme song for the anime series ‘Mission: Yozakura Family.’ The up-tempo track captures the essence of the series with its vibrant and dynamic personality.

A preview video of their ‘Amazon Music Live: Ikimonogakari’ performance from October last year, featuring the single, will be available on YouTube. This release includes an exclusive performance of ‘Koisuruotome,’ making it a must-buy for fans. Additionally, four tracks recorded for the YouTube channel ‘THE FIRST TAKE’ are included. These tracks, performed in December last year, include ‘Blue Bird,’ a widely popular track both in and outside Japan, and ‘TOKIMEKI,’ the opening theme of the TV anime ‘Kibou no Chikara Otona Precure ‘23,’ along with ‘Kimagure Romantic’ and ‘Kyoukara Kokokara’ from a previous performance on the same channel.

Furthermore, an additional tour performance this weekend, ‘Ikimonogakari’s Hello Everyone Tour!! 2024 – You, Me, Everyone, Let’s Sing! – Yokohama Good Job Performance,’ will be streamed online. This performance, featuring popular tracks like ‘Blue Bird’ and ‘SAKURA,’ marks Ikimonogakari’s first headline performance streamed overseas.

For live streaming details, visit the special site:

https://w.pia.jp/a/ikimonogakari24engpls/

Ikimonogakari’s Hello Everyone Tour!! 2024 – You, Me, Everyone, Let’s Sing! – Yokohama Good Job Performance

Date: Sunday, May 26

Doors: 16:30

On stage: 17:00

Ticket price: ₹3,000

Contact: event@linkst.jp

Important Note:

For viewers intending to stream from overseas, please note that this service may be unavailable in some regions. Additionally, due to the nature of internet services, smooth viewing may not be guaranteed because of lag or international internet restrictions. Confirm your ability to view the stream prior to the event. The organizer does not take responsibility for viewing issues due to the internet or viewing environment. No ticket cancellations, changes, or refunds will be issued for these reasons. For recommended viewing environments and equipment checks, visit: [https://pia-live.jp/requirement](https://pia-live.jp/requirement)

Release Information

– Ikimonogakari ‘Unmeichan’ (Opening theme for the anime series ‘Mission: Yozakura Family’)

– Streaming link: https://erj.lnk.to/XyKYgj

– Released May 22, 2024

– Purchase link: https://erj.lnk.to/69SowF

– Linkfire: https://erj.lnk.to/yh4A71

First-run Limited Edition (CD + Blu-ray) ₹20,000 + Tax

– In a sleeve case

  – CD Tracks:

  1. Unmeichan
  2. Kimagure Romantic – From THE FIRST TAKE
  3. Kyoukara, Kokokara – From THE FIRST TAKE
  4. Blue Bird – From THE FIRST TAKE
  5. TOKIMEKI – From THE FIRST TAKE
  6. Unmeichan – instrumental

– Blu-ray:

– Unmeichan (Music Video)

– Unmeichan (Music Video – Behind The Scenes)

– Amazon Music Live – Ikimonogakari [Concert footage]

– Kimagure Romantic

– Arigatou

– TOKIMEKI

– Egao

– Ureshikute

– Kimigairu

– Blue Bird

– Joyful

– Kaeritakunatta yo

– Koisuruotome

Standard Edition (CD) ₹7,800 + Tax

  – CD Tracks:

  1. Unmeichan
  2. Kimagure Romantic – From THE FIRST TAKE
  3. Kyoukara, Kokokara – From THE FIRST TAKE
  4. Blue Bird – From THE FIRST TAKE
  5. TOKIMEKI – From THE FIRST TAKE
  6. Unmeichan – instrumental

Anime Version (CD + Blu-ray) ₹10,800 + Tax

– Digipack version

  – CD Tracks:

  1. Unmeichan
  2. Kimagure Romantic – From THE FIRST TAKE
  3. Kyoukara, Kokokara – From THE FIRST TAKE
  4. Blue Bird – From THE FIRST TAKE
  5. TOKIMEKI – From THE FIRST TAKE
  6. Unmeichan – instrumental

  – Blu-ray:

– Credit-free video of the opening credits for the anime series ‘Mission: Yozakura Family’

 Ikimonogakari 2024 Tour Information

 Additional Performances:

– ‘Ikimonogakari’s Hello Everyone Tour!! 2024 – You, Me, Everyone, Let’s Sing! – Yokohama Good Job Performance’

– Saturday, May 25, 2024 – Doors open 17:00 / On stage 18:00 [Kanagawa] Pia Arena MM

– Sunday, May 26, 2024 – Doors open 16:00 / On stage 17:00 [Kanagawa] Pia Arena MM

Profile:

Ikimonogakari was formed on February 1, 1999, by Yoshiki Mizuno and Hotaka Yamashita, who attended the same schools. The name Ikimonogakari, meaning ‘Team Responsible Living Things,’ comes from their childhood responsibility of feeding goldfish together. They began busking in their local areas and along the Odakyu Line. On November 3, 1999, they became a trio when Kiyoe Yoshioka joined them spontaneously during a busking session.

They made their major label debut on March 15, 2006, with ‘SAKURA,’ and have since released numerous hits like ‘Arigato,’ ‘YELL,’ ‘Blue Bird,’ and ‘Kaze Ga Fuite Iru.’

Since the summer of 2021, they have been working as a duo. On May 3, 2023, they released ‘STAR,’ their first track as a duo, and held a free gig that drew over 8,000 people. Their 34th single ‘Ureshikute/Tokimeki’ was released on September 13, 2023, with ‘Ureshikute’ being the main theme for the movie ‘PreCure All STARS F’ and ‘Tokimeki’ serving as the 20th-anniversary song for PreCure.

Their first album as a duo and 10th overall,‘○ (Read ‘maru’),’was released on December 13, 2023. Since February 2024, they have been on their first music hall tour in 12 years, the‘Ikimonogakari’s Hello Everyone Tour!! 2024 – You, Me, Everyone, Let’s Sing!’ tour.

 Official Links:

– Official site: https://ikimonogakari.com

– X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/IKIMONOofficial

– YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCflAJoghlGeSkdz5eNIl-sg

– Note: https://note.com/ikimono_gakari/

– Kiyoe Yoshioka Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kiyoe_yoshioka_official/

– Mizuno Yoshiki X: https://twitter.com/mizunoyoshiki

– Mizuno Yoshiki Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mizunoyoshiki_teke/

Ikimonogakari’s ‘Blue Bird’ from THE FIRST TAKE, with over 200 million views, available digitally this February!

Ikimonogakari’s ‘Blue Bird’ from THE FIRST TAKE, with over 200 million views, available digitally this February!

In December last year, Ikimonogakari’s rendition of ‘Blue Bird’ on ‘THE FIRST TAKE’ YouTube channel received widespread acclaim. This song will be available across all digital platforms from midnight, February 2nd. This release features the audio version of ‘Blue Bird,’ originally composed and performed for ‘THE FIRST TAKE’. The track is not only a hit at live shows but also enjoys international popularity.

‘Blue Bird,’ first released in 2008, gained a global following as the opening theme for ‘Naruto Shippuden,’ becoming Ikimonogakari’s most streamed song with over 200 million plays worldwide. Alongside the video performance on ‘THE FIRST TAKE,’ fans can now enjoy the audio version.

Furthermore, Ikimonogakari is set to embark on their first concert hall tour in 12 years, ‘IKIMONOGAKARI NO MINASAN, KONNITOUR!!2024 ‘, covering 19 cities starting February 4th in Ebina, Kanagawa. Additionally, on May 25th and 26th, the ‘YOKOHAMA NIJYU-MARU KOUEN’ will feature special performances at Pia Arena MM, highlighting the duo’s national tour.

Streaming Information

Streaming Links for ‘Blue Bird – From THE FIRST TAKE’:

https://erj.lnk.to/Tmv1Ay

Streaming Links for the Original Release of ‘Blue Bird’ (Currently streaming)

https://erj.lnk.to/mvyGoK1L

YouTube Information

‘Ikimonogakari – Blue Bird / THE FIRST TAKE’ (Currently available to watch):

https://youtu.be/aQystzibMlc?si=WF9a281yzfrb8cXR

Ikimonogakari

Ikimonogakari was formed on February 1st, 1999 by Yoshiki Mizuno and Hotaka Yamashita, who attended the same elementary, junior high and high school together. The name Ikimonogakari (which loosely translates to ‘Team Responsible Living Things’) comes from the fact that in their first year of elementary school the two of them would feed gold fish together.

They began performing together busking on the streets of their local areas of Atsugi and Ebina, as well as along the Odakyu Line. On November 3rd, 1999 they became a trio after the younger sister of a classmate of theirs, Kiyoe Yoshioka, spontaneously jumped in to join one of ikimonogakari’s busking sessions.

Since their made their major label debut on March 15th, 2006 with ‘SAKURA’, they have released numerous hits such as ‘Arigatou’, ‘YELL’, ‘Blue Bird’ and ‘Kaze ga Fuiteiru’.

Since the summer of 2021 they began working as a duo again. On May 3rd, 2023 they released ‘STAR’, their first track since becoming a duo.  On the same day, a free gig held at Vina Walk in their hometown of Ebina garnered massive attention, with more than 8,000 people showing up.

On September 13th, they released their 34th single ‘Ureshikute/Tokimeki’, their first in two years.

‘Ureshikute’ is the main theme for the movie ‘the film Pretty Cure All Stars F’ which released on Friday, September 15th, while ‘Tokimeki’ was the 20th anniversary song for Precure and it was also used as the opening theme for ‘the TV anime Kibo no Chikara – Otona Pretty Cure ’23’, an anime series which began its TV run on October 7th.

On Wednesday December 13th, they release their first album as a duo, and 10th overall, ‘○ (Read ‘maru’).

◉ Ikimonogakari｜Official homepage：https://ikimonogakari.com

◉ Ikimonogakari｜Twitter  ：https://twitter.com/IKIMONOofficial

◉ Ikimonogakari｜YouTube ：https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCflAJoghlGeSkdz5eNIl-sg

◉ Ikimonogakari｜note ：https://note.com/ikimono_gakari/

◉ Kiyoe Yoshioka｜Instagram ：https://www.instagram.com/kiyoe_yoshioka_official/

◉ Yoshiki Mizuno｜Twitter ：https://twitter.com/mizunoyoshiki

◉ Yoshiki Mizuno｜Instagram ：https://www.instagram.com/mizunoyoshiki_teke/

Kiyoe Yoshioka’s song, ‘Dekoboko’ is going to be the opening theme song of the Japanese Anime, “A Couple of Cuckoos”

Kiyoe Yoshioka’s song, ‘Dekoboko’ is going to be the opening theme song of the Japanese Anime, “A Couple of Cuckoos”

Kiyoe Yoshioka, who is the vocalist of Ikimonogakari, is going to be singing the opening theme song for the TV animation series, “A Couple of Cuckoos,” airing on TV Asahi from April in 2022. This will also be her first ever solo act.

“A Couple of Cuckoos” is a manga series telling a love story which started from the incident that babies switched at birth, written, and illustrated by Miki Yoshikawa, who also created “Flunk Punk Rumble,” and “Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches”.

The first volume of this manga series was published on the 15th of May 2020 by Kodansha and was quickly sold out in every book shop. This is an extremely popular manga series which compelled Kodansha to produce 10 editions in the shortest amount of time in their history.

It has been announced that the manga is going to be adapted into a TV animation airing from April 2022, and the opening theme song will be Kiyoe Yoshioka’s ‘Dekoboko’. This new song ‘Dekoboko’ is created by Haruko Nagaya from the band Ryokuoushoku Shakai. Haruko Nagaya is very close to Kiyoe Yoshioka both as friends and also in business as they are often on TV programs together. This song has an authentic pop sound with a very charming feeling. It blends with the world of the anime “A Couple of Cuckoos” to show many different exciting feelings. The song ‘Dekoboko’ will be available for streaming and download on various music platforms from Sunday the 17th of April 2022.

The cover art of the song ‘Dekoboko’ and new artist photograph have been revealed as well.

The artwork was done by Mr.HARU (koe Inc.) who also worked on Kiyoe’s last single ‘Massara’. He creates a pop feeling as if he took the color and brightness from the song itself. Furthermore, the main PV of TV Anime “A Couple of Cuckoos” has been released on KADOKAWA  Anime YouTube Channel. You can listen to some parts of the song ‘Dekoboko’ there.

Akari Kito who voiced Erika Amano in the anime “A Couple of Cuckoos” made a comment about the song ‘Dekoboko’ by Kiyoe Yoshioka being the opening theme song. Amari Kito said, “I was so thrilled to find out that Kiyoe Yoshioka will sing the opening theme song for the TV anime “A Couple of Cuckoos”. Since I am a part of her generation, I am so excited!! It is an awesome song with Kiyoe Yoshioka’s pure voice and melody and lyrics reflecting the freshness of the work, full of the sweet and bitter feelings of love.”

Kiyoe Yoshioka said, “I am so honored to be a singer for the song ‘Dekoboko’ which is the opening theme song of “A Couple of Cuckoos”. ‘Dekoboko’ is an amazing love song created by Haruko Nagaya. It will definitely make people excited! Everyone from the band, Ryokuoushoku Shakai, took part in playing the music. I am so glad!! I would be so happy if I could be able to support the main characters in the anime, who are pushed by destiny, as well as the entire animation of “A Couple of Cuckoos”!! Please enjoy the anime and the song ‘Dekoboko’!”

Also, the iTunes pre-order/Spotify pre-save campaign has started at 00:00 (JAPAN TIME) Tuesday the 18th of January, which is prior to the release on Sunday the 17th of April. From this campaign, you could get a ‘Dekoboko’ original pen case. If you submit the form for this campaign with the necessary details by 23:59 Saturday the 16th of April, 100 people will get “a ‘Dekoboko’ original pen case” by lottery.  Please check more details from the campaign page or the Ikimonogakari official site.

The song is the first song released in 2022 for Kiyoe Yoshioka. Please look forward to it!

Release Information

Kiyoe Yoshioka ‘Dekoboko’ (Opening theme song for TV animation series “A Couple of Cuckoos,” on TV Asahi)

  • Streaming / download will be available from Sunday the 17th of April 2022

★iTunes pre-order URL

(※Start accepting at 00:00 on Tuesday the 18th of January): https://erj.lnk.to/EuCPlq

(Finish accepting at 23:59 on Saturday the 16th of April 2022)

The pre-order/pre-save campaign gives you the chance to win a ‘Dekoboko’ original pen case has begun!

More details here: https://cp.digle.tokyo/dekoboko/

Kiyoe Yoshioka

Kiyoe Yoshioka was born on the 29th of February in 1984. She is the vocalist of a J-Pop unit called Ikimonogakari. Kiyoe became the vocalist after she spontaneously joined the duo unit performing live on the street. The unit Ikimonogakari, which consisted of Yoshiki Misuno and Hotaka Yamashita at that time, was performing on the 3rd of November 1999. They gradually got attention due to their continuous efforts in their local cities Atsugi and Ebina, and they made their major debut with the single ‘SAKURA’ in March 2006. Since then, they have made many hit songs including ‘arigato’, ‘YELL’, ‘Bluebird’and ‘Kaze ga fuiteiru’. In January 2017 they made the announcement as a “Grazing announcement”, and they stopped their activities as a group temporarily. Then in November 2018 they resumed their activity with the announcement of “Shepherding announcement”. They established the new company called “MOAI” in April 2020. In June 2021, they announced Hotaka Yamashita’s resignation in summer 2021. Since then, the group restarted their activity as two members. Kiyoe Yoshioka started her solo activity in February 2018, and she released her cover album “Utairo’ in October 2018. And in May 2020,her solo project “Kiyoe Yoshioka’s every day is the day for Nursery rhyme～singing with family!～” has begun. In July 2021, she released a cover of the song, ‘Natsuiro no Omoide’ by TULIP and at the same time she started “Kiyoe Yoshioka Official YouTube Channel”. In November 2021, she released the song ‘Massara’ which was composed with singer songwriter Motohiro Hata. In December, she performed at an online solo event called “Kiyoe Yoshioka × THE PREMIUM MALT’S Premium night, Premium bubble (Hour)- !!!” In 2022, it was announced that she sings the opening theme song for TV Asahi animation of “A Couple of Cuckoos.”