The four of them came together in the music club of their university in 1996; for Gotoh, Kita, and Yamada, ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION was the first band they ever formed.
After a while, they began to perform at the school and in the local Yokohama area. Interestingly, their first songs were all written in English and, in fact, their first independent 6 track album (released in 2000) was entirely sung in English. The CDs were sold at concerts and over the internet.
In 2001, beginning with "YMD" they held many self-planned events at Yokohama's CLUB24.
Once "Konayuki," the first song in which they used Japanese lyrics, was completed, they sent copies to all the independent shows on the FM stations, and were consequently able to get their music played for the first time on FM radio.
After that, they released their second CD of original works, this time using Japanese lyrics. It achieved great success within the region and at all the Live Houses.
From this time on, starting at Shibuya, Shimokitazawa, Kichijouji and other places, they started putting on shows famed for their energy.
In 2002, they submitted a track to the Underflow Records Compilation CD. In November of the same year, they released "Houkai Amplifier," their first Mini Album to be produced professionally. This album, which would decide their future, debuted in the number 1 spot of Highline Records weekly charts, and also made it to the number 35 spot in the Oricon Indies Chart.
On April 4, 2003, "Houkai Amplifier" was re-released under Ki/oon Records. That summer, they appeared at FUJI ROCK (on the "ROOKIE A GO GO" stage), and at SUMMER SONIC '03 in Osaka.
Following their October 16, 2003 single "Kimi to Iu Hana," their first full album "Kimi Tsunagi Five M" was released on November 19.
From January 19 to February 25 2004, they went on the "five nano seconds" tour. All shows immediately sold out and were a massive success.
In 2004, their first proper single "Siren" and their second single, the iconic "Loop & Loop," were released, the former on April 14th and the latter on May 19th.
Their self-planned event ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION presents "NANO-MUGEN FEST" took place on July 1st at Nihon Budoukan and, that summer, they appeared live at festivals in areas all over the country. On August 4th, their new single "Rewrite" was released, followed by "Kimi no Machi Made" on September 23rd.
On October 20, 2004, their long-awaited new album "Sol-fa" was released and this really pushed the band to the forefront of the J-Rock scene. Then, on November 2nd, they started their second national tour: ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION Tour Suihai No!
June 8 2005 saw the release of "NANO-MUGEN COMPILATION," an album composed of songs from various acts, both Japanese and English-language alike. Included was their first single after "Sol-fa": "Blackout." Later, the band released their first real single in over a year; "Blue Train."
In 2006, the band released another single "World Apart," followed by their third album, "Fanclub." A month later, they released their latest album "Feedback File," which includes live versions of some of their most popular tracks.
Their song "Haruka Kanata" was chosen to be a theme song for the anime series "Naruto," and the popular single "Rewrite" was selected as a theme song to the hit anime series "Fullmetal Alchemist." The song "Aru Machi no Gunjou" was used in the animated movie "Tekkon Kinkreet," and the song "After Dark" was used as a theme song for the animated series "BLEACH." The song "Maigo Inu to Ame no Beat" was used as the opening theme for the anime "The Tatami Galaxy".
Jihei Tansaku
ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
無性に叩き割ったその訳を常々探してる
ずれてしまったその朝に必死になって
無性に引き千切った瞬間を悔やんで泣いてるだけ
心に響かぬ言葉
僕だけもう意味を失うだけ
壊してよ
憂う春、芽吹かぬままに
世界と繋ぐのをよしてしまう
塞がる手立て
揺れる針進まぬままに
誰か拾うのを、そして繋ぐのを待ってんだ
心に響かぬ言葉
僕だけもう意味を失うだけ
響けど届かぬ言葉
君だってもう僕を忘れるだけ
壊してよ
思い出してよ
壁壊してよ
思い出してよ
The lyrics of ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION's song 自閉探索 ("Self-Closed Exploration") seem to be about feeling disconnected from others and struggling to find meaning in one's own experiences. The first verse describes a feeling of frustration with small mistakes and a constant search for explanations. The second verse is more melancholic, with regrets over missed opportunities and a sense of isolation in a world that doesn't make sense. The chorus emphasizes the power of words and memories, both to inspire and to hurt.
The third verse adds more layers to this theme, with references to springtime and growth, but also to obstacles and time passing without progress. The singer seems to recognize that they need help from someone else to move forward, but they are still waiting for that connection. The repetition of "壊してよ" ("break it down") in the chorus could be interpreted as a call to action - the singer wants someone to help them break down the walls that are keeping them closed off.
Overall, this song has a sense of raw emotion and vulnerability, with lyrics that are somewhat abstract but still convey a strong feeling of being lost or stuck.
Line by Line Meaning
すれ違ったその誤差に切手貼って
Putting a stamp on the error of passing each other
無性に叩き割ったその訳を常々探してる
Always searching for the reason why I instinctively smashed it
ずれてしまったその朝に必死になって
Desperately trying on the morning when I missed the mark
無性に引き千切った瞬間を悔やんで泣いてるだけ
Regretting and crying only for the moment when I instinctively tore it apart
心に響かぬ言葉
Words that do not resonate in my heart
僕だけもう意味を失うだけ
I am the only one who loses meaning already
壊してよ
Break it down
憂う春、芽吹かぬままに
Sad spring, without budding
世界と繋ぐのをよしてしまう
Giving up on connecting with the world
塞がる手立て
Closing ways out
揺れる針進まぬままに
While the needle wavers and won't move forward
誰か拾うのを、そして繋ぐのを待ってんだ
Waiting for someone to pick it up and then connect
響けど届かぬ言葉
Words that resonate but do not reach
君だってもう僕を忘れるだけ
You, too, only forget about me already
思い出してよ
Remember it
壁壊してよ
Break down the walls
思い出してよ
Remember it
Contributed by Avery F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Camarada Jeff
The whole song is awesome, but that scream at 1:01 always catch me.
Reco
0:52 too!!!!!
Steve C
Three!!!