Each song will also be released in a package, with “Tsuyogaru Girl feat. Mossa (Necry Talkie)” to be released on August 14th and “Kamakura STYLE” on August 28th.
“Bocchiboromaru” is an alien musician from the planet Bocchi who plans to invade Earth through music.
Although he is an extraterrestrial, he is interested in and absorbs Earth’s music, so so-called Japanese rock fans will be moved by the melodies and guitar riffs he weaves, and will also feel a uniquely Japanese atmosphere.
I apologize for this being just my personal opinion, but I think this music will be quite familiar to fans of Japanese rock bands such as ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION, Fujifabric, and RADWIMPS, as well as Western rock bands that were popular in the 2000s, such as The Strokes and Franz Ferdinand.
The album “GARAKUTA” from their indie days (released on April 2, 2021) felt like a culmination of their work up to that point, and I felt a great deal of potential. Listening to their released songs, you can feel the influence of all kinds of music, while also capturing trends and continuing to create new sounds, so it feels like they’re making a lot of preparations and calculations to invade the Earth.
Now, let’s take a quick look back at his journey since his major debut.
Bocchiboromaru, who has been posting songs on video sites since around 2016, made his major debut with “Shin Tantakatan Tantantanmen” from Sony Music on October 5, 2022, solidifying his foothold for the next stage.
His presence became known to the world in July 2022 when his song “Otose Thunder” went viral mainly on TikTok (it reached number one on the Billboard annual TikTok chart). In November of the same year, he released the song “Asobo March” for a commercial introducing PlayStation®’s featured fall/winter software, solidifying his popularity (his first EP “Bocchi no Uta I”, which contains these three songs, was also released on November 30th).
In 2023, he was in charge of the commercial song for the Pokemon card, which features a large number of Pikachu. After that, he released the opening theme song “Haro” for the TV anime “Pokemon” as yama x Bocchiboromaru, which became a hot topic among Pokemon fans, mainly families. There is even information that “Haro” is played at sports days and other events in kindergartens and elementary schools across the country.
Another characteristic of his work is that he has actively performed live with a band since the beginning of his career, and continues to spread his music in real life as well, which may be rare for an artist who started out online.
The next step for Bocchiboromaru, the man in charge of this buzz, is to sing the theme song for an anime. What’s more, it’s surprising that he will be in charge of the opening and ending themes for two popular works that will start in July: “There are too many losing heroines!” and “The young master who runs away with the boss.” From here, I would like to introduce these two songs.
The TV anime “Too Many Losing Heroines!” is a romantic comedy that centers around the so-called “losing heroines” who are the ones who lose out in love.
The opening theme “Tsuyogaru Girl feat. Mossa (Necry Talkie)”, which features guest vocals from Mossa, the female vocalist of the band Necry Talkie, with whom the band has had a long-standing friendship through playing together in concerts, is a fast-paced, high-tension pop tune.
The opening theme is often said to symbolize the anime and become its face, but from the moment he first sang it, it was clear that this was a song that Botchiboromaru had written with all his heart and soul specifically for this anime.
“Lose! Lose! Lose! Lose!” is the title of the work, and the punch line “A strong girl!” is the punch line that opens the curtain in a spectacular fashion. Mossa’s singing voice here is very cute and has a huge impact, and I could even imagine the anime title coming out in the intro that follows. This classic feel is perfect for an anime opening!
A solid and melodic bass line, a cheerful beat, a light exchange between male and female vocals, a brass section, a fast and slow development and a catchy chorus. The instruments are lively and exciting. It’s also like an opening where you can be positive instead of feeling sad about losing. It’s an anime with many comedy elements, but it’s also great that the serious parts are well expressed in the music.
If I had to pick an artist name that would be easy for anime fans to imagine, I would say Hyadain, whose songs are full of various gimmicks and developments, but are also well-organized and of high quality. The brass arrangement is similar to the songs of Kanzaki Akira.
Next up is the TV anime “Nigejou no Wakakunin” (The Prince Who Runs Away), a historical spectacle currently being serialized in “Weekly Shonen Jump” by Matsui Yusei, the creator of “Assassination Classroom”. The anime will be produced by CloverWorks, the studio behind “Bocchi the Rock!”
The story follows Hojo Tokiyuki, a surviving member of the Hojo clan with an exceptional ability to hide and run after the fall of the Kamakura shogunate, as he fights his way through turbulent times to reclaim his beloved hometown of Kamakura.
EDテーマ「鎌倉STYLE」は、王道アニソンというより、センス抜群で令和の匂いも漂うファンキーな和風ダンスロック。和楽器の取り入れ方もおしゃれだし、さりげなく挟まれるノリの良いラップが心地良い。物語がどんなにシリアスな展開でも、ちょっとハッピーな気持ちになって終われる楽曲だ。
タイトルもそうだが、〈鎌倉SHOCK!〉〈鎌倉NIGHT〉〈鎌倉DANCE〉というフレーズのキャッチーさ、ついつい言ってしまいたくなる言葉を作り出せるのは、センス以外の何ものでもない。いつの時代も、音楽やリズムに合わせて体を動かしたら楽しい！というのは変わらないのではないか……そんな時代を超越した人間の性（さが）的なものに食い込んでいるのも奥が深い。ちなみに、縄文から令和までの時代を覚えたい学生は、ぜひこの曲の歌詞を覚えて楽しく歴史を学んでほしい（笑）。試験に役立つでしょう。
グルーヴィでおしゃれな楽曲にメリハリのある構成、後半の落ちサビ前で突如暴れるギターソロは、ライブでの盛り上がりも想像できる。ボーカルをいくつも重ねたり、声色を変化させているのも実に効果的で、何度も繰り返し聴きたくなるような飽きのこない感じは見事だった。
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