is the sixth single by

Japanese idol An is a type of entertainer marketed for image, attractiveness, and personality in Japanese pop culture. Idols are primarily singers with training in acting, dancing, and modeling. Idols are commercialized through merchandise and endorsements b ...

group STU48, released on February 17, 2021. The title song features

Chiho Ishida is a Japanese idol, singer, model, and presenter, represented by Twin Planet. She is a member of the girl group STU48. She is the first member of the group to hold a solo concert and release a photo book, and has twice been the lead performer o ...

in her first lead performer role.

Production and release

The single was announced on January 15, 2021 during STU48's first

Nippon Budokan The , often shortened to simply Budokan, is an indoor arena located in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It was originally built for the inaugural Olympic judo competition in the 1964 Summer Olympics. While its primary purpose is to host martial arts con ...

concert, followed by the first live performance of the title song. The song uses

quadruple meter Duple metre (or Am. duple meter, also known as duple time) is a musical metre characterized by a ''primary'' division of 2 beats to the bar, usually indicated by 2 and multiples (simple) or 6 and multiples (compound) in the upper figure of the tim ...

except for the chorus, during which it switches to

triple meter Triple metre (or Am. triple meter, also known as triple time) is a musical metre characterized by a ''primary'' division of 3 beats to the bar, usually indicated by 3 (simple) or 9 (compound) in the upper figure of the time signature, with , , ...

. The music video is the first one from STU48 to heavily utilize

computer graphics Computer graphics deals with generating images with the aid of computers. Today, computer graphics is a core technology in digital photography, film, video games, cell phone and computer displays, and many specialized applications. A great de ...

along with outdoor scenes filmed on Kamikamagari Island in

Kure, Hiroshima is a port and major shipbuilding city situated on the Seto Inland Sea in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. With a strong industrial and naval heritage, Kure hosts the second-oldest naval dockyard in Japan and remains an important base for the Japan ...

, in contrast to the group's usual full location shootings at Setouchi region points of interest, due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. The choreography was created by Tomohiko Tsujimoto, who has choreographed several STU48 songs and envisioned a fantasy-like atmosphere for this music video, in which the performers meet their "alternate selves". "Hitorigoto de Kataru Kurainara" became the theme song for the 2021 animated short film , which was part of a

Nippon Foundation of Tokyo, Japan, is a private, non-profit grant-making organization. It was established in 1962 by Ryoichi Sasakawa. The foundation's mission is to direct Japanese motorboat racing revenue into philanthropic activities, it uses this money t ...

campaign to raise awareness about

marine debris Marine debris, also known as marine litter, is human-created waste that has deliberately or accidentally been released in a sea or ocean. Floating oceanic debris tends to accumulate at the center of gyres and on coastlines, frequently washing ...

. Members Marina Otani and Miyuna Kadowaki also served as voice actresses. The B-side song was performed by the six members who appeared on the final stages of the third AKB48 Group No. 1 Singing Ability Contest in December 2020. The Setouchi PR Unit, which members were elected using ballots included with the previous single, performed led by top-voted member Miyuna Kadowaki. "Sunglasses Days" was performed by all full members (excluding trainees). The single was released on February 17, 2021 in five versions: limited and regular editions of Types A and B and a Theater edition.

Reception

"Hitorigoto de Kataru Kurainara" sold 194,000 copies in its release week according to

Billboard Japan ''Billboard Japan'' is a sister organization of the U.S.-based music magazine ''Billboard''. It is operated by the Japanese Osaka-based company Hanshin Contents Link (a subsidiary of Hanshin Electric Railway), holding an exclusive licence from ''Bi ...

and placed second in both the Oricon Singles and Billboard Japan Hot 100 charts.

References

External links

* {{STU48 2021 singles 2021 songs Songs with lyrics by Yasushi Akimoto King Records (Japan) singles Anime songs