Ikimono Gakari

Ikimono Gakari ranks among Japan’s most commercially dominant young pop/rock acts, yet the members themselves reject any notion of youth and trace their beginnings to 1999. Early attempts at high-energy rock produced little momentum. Mizuno Yoshiki and Yamashita Hotaka, former classmates attending separate colleges, formed the band in Kanagawa. Before the year ended they recruited underclasswoman Yoshioka Kiyoe to handle vocals, rounding the lineup out to three. The name Ikimono Gakari—“those in charge of the school pets”—was attached at once and struck the same wry note in English as in Japanese. After a year of vigorous street performances in 2000, the musicians shelved the project to focus on university studies. What sets the story apart is that they revived the group in earnest once coursework finished in 2002, not merely for nostalgic reasons. Independent label Thunder Snake signed them, and by 2003 the trio was selling out regional dates while issuing its first EP, Makoto ni Sen’etsu Nagara First Album wo Koshiraemashita. Its title politely asks listeners to forgive the band for having produced its debut record. Pop instincts soon carried Ikimono Gakari beyond the indie circuit; after two further independent releases, Epic Records offered a contract in 2005. The first single under that deal, “Sakura” (2006), entered the Oricon charts and stayed there for 29 weeks, reaching number 17. The ensuing full-length Sakura Saku Machi Monogatari (The Story of the Town Where Cherry Blossoms Bloom) climbed to number four. Traditional Japanese exposure followed when the group supplied the 2006 single “Hanabi” to the long-running anime series Bleach. Seven additional singles issued over the next eighteen months set the stage for the second album, Life Album, which debuted at number two in February 2008 and sold more than 150,000 copies inside three weeks. Their third major release, My Song Your Song, arrived in December of that year.