Asian Kung-Fu Generation (アジアン・カンフー・ジェネレーション Ajian Kanfū Jenerēshon, styliz… Read Full Bio ↴Asian Kung-Fu Generation (アジアン・カンフー・ジェネレーション Ajian Kanfū Jenerēshon, stylized as ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION) is a Japanese alternative rock band formed in Yokohama, Japan, in 1996. For nearly its entire career, the band has consisted of vocalist Masafumi Gotō, guitarist Kensuke Kita, bassist Takahiro Yamada, and drummer Kiyoshi Ijichi. Starting out as a college band, Asian Kung-Fu Generation released a series of independent EPs featuring lyrics mostly sung in English. In 2002, they released their major-label EP debut Hōkai Amplifier, from that point singing their lyrics in Japanese. The band's musical style is influenced by seminal Western alternative rock acts as well as their own local Japanese indie-rock and punk scene. Their songs incorporate various aspects of the genres, most typically expressing fast tempos and prominent power chord guitar riffs in addition to rhythmic groove and emotional lyrics. Despite the indie nature of their music, the band has enjoyed worldwide commercial success in addition to critical acclaim. Asian Kung-Fu Generation has been cited as one of the best, most balanced modern rock bands to emerge from Japan in the 2000s.

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".

Planet
ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

空に一瞬の夕闇
天気は予報の言う通り
明星は西に舞い降り
薄雲抜けて夜を照らす

誰だってあんなふうに

夜空に強く輝きたいなら

高い志が君を照らし出す
どんなに辛く折れそうな夜でも
光射す朝までは

揺らめく旗の星に
数えて五十二番目に
本当は誰の言いなり
気付かれぬように空を奪う

連れ立って並ぶように見えるのはまやかし

現在に夢や希望がなくても
強い眼差しが闇を照らし出す
何処かに独り消えそうな夜でも
光射す朝までは

火星の戦場を見
土星の円盤を見
金星でヴィーナスを見
彗星のほうきに乗る

青い星此処で僕は何をしようか

夜空に強く輝きたいなら
高い志が君を照らし出す
どんなに辛く折れそうな夜でも
光り射す朝までは

空に一瞬の夕闇
誰より綺麗に夜を照らす

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Planet" by ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION can be interpreted as a reflection on the desire to shine brightly in the night sky. The opening lines describe a fleeting twilight and the accuracy of weather forecasts. The evening star dances down from the west, illuminating the night through thin clouds. The suggestion is that anyone would want to shine as brightly as the stars in the night sky.

In the next paragraph, the lyrics convey the idea that if you want to shine strongly in the night sky, it requires having high aspirations or ambitions that act as a guiding light. Even during the toughest and most challenging nights, the shining morning will come. This can be seen as a metaphor for perseverance and the belief that pushing through difficult times will lead to brighter days.

The third paragraph introduces the concept of an illusion, where the stars on a flickering flag are counted as the fifty-second one. It suggests that someone is secretly stealing the sky without being noticed or questioned. This might symbolize the hidden forces or individuals who manipulate or control society without others realizing it.

The lyrics then shift to a more personal reflection in the following paragraph. Even if there seems to be no dreams or hopes in the present, a strong gaze is capable of illuminating the darkness. Even in nights where one feels like they might disappear or be forgotten, the shining morning is still a possibility.

The final lines bring up various celestial bodies like Mars, Saturn, Venus, and comets, adding a sense of wanderlust and curiosity. The blue planet becomes a place for self-reflection, where the singer ponders what they should do or become in this vast universe.

Overall, the lyrics of "Planet" speak to the desire to shine brightly and make an impact, not only in the night sky but also in life. It encourages having ambitious goals, maintaining a strong gaze even in challenging times, and being aware of the hidden influences that may manipulate the world. It expresses the hope that even in the darkest nights, there is always the possibility of a shining morning ahead.

Line by Line Meaning

空に一瞬の夕闇
The fleeting twilight in the sky

天気は予報の言う通り
The weather as predicted by the forecast

明星は西に舞い降り
The morning star descends in the west

薄雲抜けて夜を照らす
Shining through the thin clouds, illuminating the night

誰だってあんなふうに
Everyone wants to shine like that

夜空に強く輝きたいなら
If you want to shine brightly in the night sky

高い志が君を照らし出す
Your high aspirations will light you up

どんなに辛く折れそうな夜でも
No matter how difficult the night may seem

光射す朝までは
Until the morning with its shining light

揺らめく旗の星に
In the flickering stars of the flag

数えて五十二番目に
Counted as the fifty-second