is a song by Japanese band

Galileo Galilei Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de' Galilei (15 February 1564 – 8 January 1642) was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer, sometimes described as a polymath. Commonly referred to as Galileo, his name was pronounced (, ). He was ...

. It was used as the first opening theme song for the anime ''

Mobile Suit Gundam AGE is a 2011 Japanese science fiction anime television series and the twelfth installment in Sunrise (company), Sunrise's long-running ''Gundam'' franchise. The series was first announced in the July issue of Shogakukan's ''CoroCoro Comic'', ...

'', and was released as their sixth physical single on December 7, 2011.

Background and development

After the release of their first full-length album ''Parade'' in February 2011, Galilei Galilei performed their first one-man live concerts. In spring, the band moved into a single house in

Sapporo ( ain, サッ・ポロ・ペッ, Satporopet, lit=Dry, Great River) is a city in Japan. It is the largest city north of Tokyo and the largest city on Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of the country. It ranks as the fifth most populous city ...

, creating a private studio in their home to create music. The band released a single in June, "Aoi Shiori", which served as the opening theme song for the anime '' Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day'', and is currently their only single to be certified gold by the

RIAJ The is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved in the music industry. It was founded in 1942 as the Japan Phonogram Record Cultural Association, and adopted its current name in 1969. The RIAJ's activities include p ...

. In September the band released "Sayonara Frontier", co-composed by band bassist Hitoshi Sakō, and used as the theme song for the TV drama adaptation of ''

Arakawa Under the Bridge is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hikaru Nakamura. The manga was first serialized in the ''seinen'' manga magazine ''Young Gangan'' from December 2004 to July 2015. An anime television series adaptation consisting of 26 e ...

''.

Writing and production

All members created the music together, with the lyrics and melody added in the final stages. Yuuki Ozaki and Fumito Iwai wrote the melody together, while Ozaki wrote the lyrics by himself. The song featured many more synthesizers, created mostly by Iwai, than previous Galileo Galilei songs. This was his first time creating a song with synthesizers instead of on the guitar. After the release of "Sayonara Frontier", the band took a long time experimenting and recording "Asu e". When the anime opening theme song was discussed, the band picked what they considered the best suited piece of music.

Promotion and release

The song was first announced as the ''Mobile Suit Gundam AGE'' opening theme on September 25, 2011. To promote the single, the band gave interviews for magazines such as ''What's In?'', ''B-Pass'', ''

Rockin' On Japan ''Rockin'On Japan'', often stylized in all caps, is a monthly magazine that covers the Japanese music scene and various cultural events in Japan, such as art venues and culinary expos. History The magazine was founded in 1972, and focused on prov ...

'', ''Pati Pati'' and ''Barfout!'' in November. A music video was produced, directed by Hideaki Fukui. It was first unveiled on November 19. It depicts the band performing the song in a large, cluttered garage. Soon after the release of the single, synthesiser player Kazumasa Noguchi was announced as an official member of the band.

Critical reception

CDJournal reviewers gave the single a star for recommendation, praising the richness of the song's arrangement, and felt that "Punipuni Wan-chan" was reminiscent of

Daft Punk Daft Punk were a French electronic music duo formed in 1993 in Paris by Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. Widely regarded as one of the most influential acts in dance music history, they achieved popularity in the late 1990s as p ...

. Kazuhiro "Scao" Ikeda of EMTG was surprised with the band's sound on "Asu e", calling it a "funky, danceable song" influenced by

afro-funk Afrobeat is a Nigerian music genre that involves the combination of West African musical styles (such as traditional Yoruba music and highlife) and American funk, jazz, and soul influences, with a focus on chanted vocals, complex intersecting rh ...

that was refreshing, candid, soulful and deep. he praised the song's "funky cleartone guitar" and "groovy bassline", as well as the chorus' feelings of "rising" and "openness".

Track listing

Chart rankings

Sales and certifications

Release history

References

{{authority control 2011 singles 2011 songs Anime songs SME Records albums Songs written by Fumito Iwai category:electropop songs