is a

J-pop J-pop ( ja, ジェイポップ, ''jeipoppu''; often stylized as J-POP; an abbreviated form of "Japanese popular music"), natively also known simply as , is the name for a form of popular music that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1 ...

song by the Japanese band

Supercell A supercell is a thunderstorm characterized by the presence of a mesocyclone: a deep, persistently rotating updraft. Due to this, these storms are sometimes referred to as rotating thunderstorms. Of the four classifications of thunderstorms (s ...

, written by Ryo. Supercell released it as their debut

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

in August 2009 by

Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainment ...

. The title track was the ending theme song to the 2009 ''

Bakemonogatari is a Japanese light novel series written by Nisio Isin and illustrated by Vofan. The plot centers on Koyomi Araragi, a third-year high school student who survives a vampire attack and finds himself helping girls involved with a variety ...

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

series, and the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

track "Love & Roll" was the theme song for the 2009 ''

Cencoroll is a 2009 Anime, Japanese animated science fiction action film nearly singlehandedly written, designed, directed, and animated by Mangaka, manga author Atsuya Uki. Produced by Anime Innovation Tokyo and Aniplex, the film had its world premiere at ...

'' anime film. A

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

was produced for "Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari", directed by Hirohisa Sasaki. Lyrically, the song deals with an

unrequited love Unrequited love or one-sided love is love that is not openly reciprocated or understood as such by the beloved. The beloved may not be aware of the admirer's deep and pure affection, or may consciously reject it. The Merriam Webster Online Dic ...

. This single was the first release by Supercell which did not use the

Vocaloid is a singing voice synthesizer software product. Its signal processing part was developed through a joint research project led by Kenmochi Hideki at the Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, Spain, in 2000 and was not originally intended to b ...

singing synthesizer

Hatsune Miku , also called Miku Hatsune, and officially code-named CV01, is a Vocaloid software voicebank developed by Crypton Future Media and its official moe anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic mascot character, a 16-year-old girl with long, turquoise bu ...

as the vocalist, as they had done for their debut album ''

'' (2009). Instead, Supercell employed the singer

Nagi Yanagi , stylized as , is a Japanese singer and songwriter from Osaka Prefecture who is signed to NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan. After becoming interested with music in her childhood, she began singing and writing original songs. In 2006, she began ...

, a vocalist who had previously submitted

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

s of songs to the Nico Nico Douga

video sharing An online video platform (OVP), provided by a video hosting service, enables users to upload, convert, store and play back video content on the Internet, often via a structured, large-scale system that may generate revenue. Users will generally u ...

website under the name Gazelle. The single peaked at No. 5 on Japan's weekly

Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in Nov ...

singles chart, and in February 2010 was awarded a Gold Disc by the

Recording Industry Association of Japan 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 pr ...

for having exceeded 100,000 copies shipped in a single year.

Background

During the production of the 2009

series ''

'', Supercell was asked to compose what would later become the ending theme song "Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari". It was already decided that Supercell would release their debut album ''

'' in March 2009, which used the

singing synthesizer

as the vocalist. In place of Miku, Supercell employed the singer

, a vocalist who had previously submitted

s of songs to the Nico Nico Douga

website under the name Gazelle. "Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari" was the first release by Supercell to not use Miku as the vocalist. Yanagi was chosen for "Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari" by Ryo, who had been a fan of her voice even before uploading his own songs to Nico Nico Douga in late 2007. Roughly the next day after Ryo uploaded Supercell's first song "Melt" onto Nico Nico Douga in December 2007, Yanagi uploaded a cover of her singing the song. Yanagi, who was herself a fan of Ryo's music, contacted him and the two talked about someday collaborating. After asking Yanagi to be the singer for "Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari", Supercell decided that Yanagi would be the singer for Supercell's second album '' Today Is A Beautiful Day'' (2011), though officially Yanagi is not a member of Supercell. In switching to a human singer, Ryo said "that although he loses absolute control over the tone of each and every phrase, working with a singer adds a human element that resonates better with listeners." After Ryo used Hatsune Miku for the

demo Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to: Music and film *Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release * ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes * ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...

of "Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari", he thought the

vocal range Vocal range is the range of pitches that a human voice can phonate. A common application is within the context of singing, where it is used as a defining characteristic for classifying singing voices into voice types. It is also a topic of stud ...

would wear out any human singer, but was pleased to find Yanagi had just as wide a vocal range as Miku. After listening to Yanagi sing the song, Ryo realized just how difficult it was to sing, but he did not deliberately change the song during the creation process to make it easier on Yanagi's voice.

Composition

"Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari" is a

song with

instrumentation Instrumentation a collective term for measuring instruments that are used for indicating, measuring and recording physical quantities. The term has its origins in the art and science of scientific instrument-making. Instrumentation can refer to ...

from

electric Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by ...

and

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

and

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

. According to a book of

sheet music Sheet music is a handwritten or printed form of musical notation that uses List of musical symbols, musical symbols to indicate the pitches, rhythms, or chord (music), chords of a song or instrumental Musical composition, musical piece. Like ...

published by

Yamaha Corporation is a Japanese multinational corporation and conglomerate with a very wide range of products and services. It is one of the constituents of Nikkei 225 and is the world's largest musical instrument manufacturing company. The former motorcycle div ...

, it is set in

common time The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note value ...

, and moves at a quick

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...

of 165 beats per minute in the

A major A major (or the key of A) is a major scale based on A, with the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has three sharps. Its relative minor is F-sharp minor and its parallel minor is A minor. The key of A major is the only k ...

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

throughout the song. The

introduction Introduction, The Introduction, Intro, or The Intro may refer to: General use * Introduction (music), an opening section of a piece of music * Introduction (writing), a beginning section to a book, article or essay which states its purpose and g ...

starts with only piano accompanying Yanagi's vocals, and uses a

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

with added guitars and drums to transition into the first

verse Verse may refer to: Poetry * Verse, an occasional synonym for poetry * Verse, a metrical structure, a stanza * Blank verse, a type of poetry having regular meter but no rhyme * Free verse, a type of poetry written without the use of strict me ...

. Another bridge is used between the first and second verses; both verses use the same music with different lyrics. After the third verse, a

break Break or Breaks or The Break may refer to: Time off from duties * Recess (break), time in which a group of people is temporarily dismissed from its duties * Break (work), time off during a shift/recess ** Coffee break, a short mid-morning rest ...

is employed, followed by the fourth verse. After a short outro, an instrumental

coda Coda or CODA may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * Movie coda, a post-credits scene * ''Coda'' (1987 film), an Australian horror film about a serial killer, made for television *''Coda'', a 2017 American experimental film from Na ...

is used to close the song. When writing the

lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a "libretto" and their writer, a ...

, Ryo did not want to copy the tone or style of the original ''Bakemonogatari'' novels, because he felt the author

Nisio Isin , stylized as NISIOISIN to emphasize the palindrome, is a pseudonymous Japanese novelist, manga author, and screenplay writer. Nisio debuted in 2002 with the novel ''The Beheading Cycle'' (the first in his ''Zaregoto'' series), which earned him ...

would enjoy the song more if it was more original. Thus, Ryo wrote a different story after borrowing the general setting of the novels. The lyrics tell the story of a girl with an

who was never able to convey her feelings to the person she loved. The cover artwork features an illustration by

Shirow Miwa is a Japanese manga artist and illustrator. He is best known as the writer and artist for the ''Dogs'' manga series, but has also contributed illustrations to various tribute books, and magazines, including Square Enix's Monthly Shōnen Gangan. M ...

with the

Summer Triangle The Summer Triangle is an astronomical asterism in the northern celestial hemisphere. The defining vertices of this imaginary triangle are at Altair, Deneb, and Vega, each of which is the brightest star of its constellation ( Aquila, Cygnus, ...

depicted in the starry sky. The Summer Triangle is mentioned in the second verse of the song and

stargazing Amateur astronomy is a hobby where participants enjoy observing or imaging celestial objects in the sky using the unaided eye, binoculars, or telescopes. Even though scientific research may not be their primary goal, some amateur astronomers m ...

in general is featured throughout the lyrics. The art direction and designs were handled by Yoshiki Usa. Before designing the cover, Ryo had Miwa and Usa listen to the song and told them the image of it in a word or two, but otherwise gave them full freedom to design the artwork.

Release and reception

"Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari" was released in limited and regular editions on August 12, 2009 as a CD by Sony Music in Japan. The limited edition came bundled with a DVD containing the

and TV commercial advertisement for "Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari", as well as bundled with stickers featuring characters from ''

'' illustrated by Redjuice of Supercell. The song peaked at No. 5 on Japan's weekly

singles chart, selling over 30,000 copies in its first week of sales. It stayed in the top 10 for the following week, peaking at No. 6, and charted for 66 weeks. "Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari" debuted and peaked on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Japan Hot 100 The ''Billboard Japan'' Hot 100 is a record chart in Japan for songs. It has been compiled by ''Billboard Japan'' and '' Hanshin Contents Link'' since February 2008. The chart is updated every Wednesday at Billboard-japan.com ( JST) and every Thur ...

at No. 9. In January 2010, "Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari" was certified gold by the

(RIAJ) for 100,000 full-track

ringtone A ringtone, ring tone or ring is the sound made by a telephone to indicate an incoming call. Originally referring to and made by the electromechanical striking of bells, the term now refers to any sound on any device alerting of a new incoming ...

digital

music download A music download (commonly referred to as a digital download) is the digital transfer of music via the Internet into a device capable of decoding and playing it, such as a personal computer, portable media player, MP3 player or smartphone. Thi ...

s (''

Chaku Uta Full () is a Japanese telecommunications operator formed on October 1, 2000 through the merger of DDI Corp. (Daini-Denden Inc.), KDD (Kokusai Denshin Denwa) Corp. (itself a former listed state-owned enterprise privatized in 1998), and IDO Corp. It h ...

''), and was again awarded a Gold Disc by the RIAJ in February 2010 for having exceeded 100,000 copies shipped in a single year.

Music video

The

was shot in Chōshi, Chiba, Japan. Tokawa Station on the

Chōshi Electric Railway Line The is a 6.4 km long railway line operated by the privately owned Chōshi Electric Railway between Chōshi and Tokawa stations in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. It is the Chōshi Electric Railway's only line and is facing declining ridership. ...

and Inubōsaki

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mar ...

can be seen in the video. The video, directed by Hirohisa Sasaki, does not feature any members of Supercell nor the singer Nagi Yanagi. Instead, the video prominently follows the actors Marika Fukunaga, Shuto Tanabe and Naho Kitade, who play members of a high school astronomy club with five others. Fukunaga, Tanabe and Kitade are in a

love triangle A love triangle or eternal triangle is a scenario or circumstance, usually depicted as a rivalry, in which two people are pursuing or involved in a romantic relationship with one person, or in which one person in a romantic relationship with so ...

where Fukunaga initially holds feelings for Tanabe, who pursues a relationship with Kitade. Time passes in the video, going through summer vacation and eventually graduation. As a parting gift, Tanabe gives Fukunaga his address, written on an ice cream stick, to where he is moving to in Tokyo, and he parts with Kitade at the train station, hinting that he broke off his relationship with Kitade to possibly start over with Fukunaga. More time passes, and Fukunaga is shown throwing the ice cream stick into the ocean after being reminded of the time she spent with Tanabe. The video ends with a flashback showing Fukunaga, Tanabe and Kitade happily gazing at the

at Inubōsaki lighthouse. The Summer Triangle is shown twice in the video as an

allusion Allusion is a figure of speech, in which an object or circumstance from unrelated context is referred to covertly or indirectly. It is left to the audience to make the direct connection. Where the connection is directly and explicitly stated (as ...

to the beginning of the second

of the song which mentions it.

Track listing

Personnel

;Supercell *Ryo –

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...

*Yoshiki Usa – art direction, design *

– illustrations *Redjuice – illustrations ;Additional musicians *

– vocals * Susumu Nishikawa –

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

*Okiya Okoshi – guitar *Hiroo Yamaguchi – bass *Yuichi Takama – bass *Tom Tamada –

*Shunsuke Watanabe –

;Production *Shunsuke Muramatsu – executive producer *Yu Tamura – executive producer *Eiji "Q" Makino – mixer *Koji Morimoto – mixer *Yuji Chinone – mastering *Masami Hatta – products coordination *Eiichi Maruyama – director *Taishi Fukuyama – vocal direction *Madoka Yanagi – A&R

Charts

References

External links

* {{authority control 2009 debut singles 2009 songs