is a song recorded by Japanese duo

Yoasobi Yoasobi (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese music superduo formed by Sony Music Entertainment Japan, composed of Vocaloid producer Ayase, and singer-songwriter Ikura. Represented by the slogan "novel into music", the duo has released songs ba ...

from their second EP, ''

The Book 2 ''The Book 2'' is the second Japanese-language extended play (EP) and third overall by Japanese duo Yoasobi. It was released on December 1, 2021, through Sony Music Entertainment Japan, eleven months after their debut EP '' The Book'' (2021). It c ...

'' (2021). It was released digitally on January 6, 2021, the same date as the duo's debut extended play (EP), '' The Book'', through

Sony Music Entertainment Japan , often abbreviated as SMEJ or simply SME, and also known as Sony Music Japan for short (stylized as ''SonyMusic''), is a Japanese music arm for Sony. Founded in 1968 as CBS/Sony, SMEJ is directly owned by Sony Group Corporation and is opera ...

. As an opening

theme Theme or themes may refer to: * Theme (arts), the unifying subject or idea of the type of visual work * Theme (Byzantine district), an administrative district in the Byzantine Empire governed by a Strategos * Theme (computing), a custom graphical ...

for the second season of the

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 ...

television series ''

Beastars ''Beastars'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Paru Itagaki. It was serialized in Akita Shoten's ''Weekly Shōnen Champion'' from September 2016 to October 2020, with its chapters collected in 22 ''t ...

'', "Kaibutsu" is about a

carnivore A carnivore , or meat-eater (Latin, ''caro'', genitive ''carnis'', meaning meat or "flesh" and ''vorare'' meaning "to devour"), is an animal or plant whose food and energy requirements derive from animal tissues (mainly muscle, fat and other sof ...

trying to coexist with

herbivore A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example foliage or marine algae, for the main component of its diet. As a result of their plant diet, herbivorous animals typically have mouthpart ...

s in a cruel world, based on ''Jibun no Mune ni Jibun no Mimi o Oshi Atete'', written by the anime's writer

Paru Itagaki is a Japanese manga artist. She is best known as the creator of the manga series ''Beastars'', for which she has won the 2018 Manga Taishō, a Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize, a Kodansha Manga Award, and a Japan Media Arts Festival Award. She is t ...

. Commercially, "Kaibutsu" peaked at number two on the ''Billboard'' Japan Hot 100, and number 87 on the

Global 200 The Global 200 is the list of ecoregions identified by the World Wide Fund for Nature ( WWF), the global conservation organization, as priorities for conservation. According to WWF, an ecoregion is defined as a "relatively large unit of land or w ...

. The

double A-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 company ...

CD single A CD single (sometimes abbreviated to CDS) is a music single in the form of a compact disc. The standard in the Red Book for the term ''CD single'' is an 8 cm (3-inch) CD (or Mini CD). It now refers to any single recorded onto a CD of any si ...

with " Yasashii Suisei", released on March 24, debuted at number two on the

Oricon Singles Chart The Oricon Singles Chart is the Japanese music industry-standard singles popularity chart issued daily, weekly, monthly and yearly by Oricon. Chart rankings are based on physical singles' sales. Until 2017, Oricon did not track download sales. In J ...

with 24,000 copies. The song earned four wins for Song of the Year (Japan) and Best 5 Songs at the 36th

Japan Gold Disc Award The is an award presented 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 Associa ...

in both download and streaming categories. It was featured on ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...

'' 10 Best Songs of 2021 list, becoming the only Japanese song on it. Later, the song was included on the duo's second EP ''

''. The English version of the song, titled "Monster", was released on July 30.

Background and release

On November 5, Yoasobi announced to writing and singing the opening theme song for the second season of the anime television series ''

'', titled "Kaibutsu". The song was based on the novel , written by

, who also wrote and illustrated the manga. "Kaibutsu" was released to

digital music Digital audio is a representation of sound recorded in, or converted into, digital form. In digital audio, the sound wave of the audio signal is typically encoded as numerical samples in a continuous sequence. For example, in CD audio, samp ...

and

streaming Streaming media is multimedia that is delivered and consumed in a continuous manner from a source, with little or no intermediate storage in network elements. ''Streaming'' refers to the delivery method of content, rather than the content it ...

platforms January 6, 2021. The song was released as a

, together with " Yasashii Suisei" on March 24. The single came in 2 versions: limited edition (anime edition) and fan club limited edition for members of "Club Yoasobi", Yoasobi's official fan club website. Both versions included the original songs, TV size version songs, and non-credit opening and ending video from ''Beastars''. The fan club limited edition also included the acoustic session of " Tabun" and "

Ano Yume o Nazotte is a song recorded by Japanese music duo Yoasobi from their debut EP, '' The Book'' (2021). It was released on January 18, 2020, through Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Like their previous single, the song was based on Monocon 2019-winning shor ...

". Later, the song was included on their second EP ''

'', released on December 1. Yoasobi announced to release the English version of "Kaibutsu", titled "Monster" on July 30, alongside the accompanying music video, and aired the full song for the first time on their radio show ''Yoasobi's All Night Nippon X'' on July 27. It is the duo's third English song after " Into the Night, and "

RGB The RGB color model is an additive color model in which the red, green and blue primary colors of light are added together in various ways to reproduce a broad array of colors. The name of the model comes from the initials of the three addi ...

". Later, the song was included on the duo's first English-language EP ''

E-Side ''E-Side'' is the debut English-language extended play (EP) (second overall) by Japanese duo Yoasobi. It was released digitally on November 12, 2021, through Sony Music Entertainment Japan. It consists of performances of eight tracks from the duo' ...

'', release on November 12.

Lyrics and composition

"Kaibutsu" is an upbeat fast-paced song with a catchy chorus, tells about a

trying to coexist with

herbivores A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example foliage or marine algae, for the main component of its diet. As a result of their plant diet, herbivorous animals typically have mouthpart ...

in a cruel world. Although this idea is unrealistic, it still protects the herbivore. To adhere to its ideals, it decides to become strong and confront the whole world. The song is in the key of

A-flat minor A-flat minor is a minor scale based on A♭ (musical note), A, consisting of the pitches A, B♭ (musical note), B, C♭ (musical note), C, D♭ (musical note), D, E♭ (musical note), E, F♭ (musical note), F, and G♭ (musical note), G. Its key ...

on the verses and break,

C-sharp minor C-sharp minor is a minor scale based on C, with the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. Its key signature consists of four sharps. The C-sharp natural minor scale is: : Changes needed for the melodic and harmonic versions of the scale ar ...

on the first chorus,

D-flat major D-flat major (or the key of D-flat) is a major scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B and C. Its key signature has five flats. It is enharmonically equivalent to C-sharp major. The D-flat major scale is: : Its r ...

on the bridge and in

D minor D minor is a minor scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature has one flat. Its relative major is F major and its parallel major is D major. The D natural minor scale is: Changes needed for t ...

in the final chorus, and is at 170 beats per minute with a running time of 3 minutes and 26 seconds.

Critical reception

American magazine ''

'' ranked "Kaibutsu" number five on its list of the 10 Best Songs of 2021, becoming the only song from a Japanese act on the list, and being described as a "seamless" integration of "a giant pop

hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved or indented, such that it can be used to grab onto, connect, or otherwise attach itself onto another object. In a number of uses, one e ...

with furious

math rock Math rock is a style of progressive and indie rock with roots in bands such as King Crimson and Rush as well as 20th-century minimal music composers such as Steve Reich. It is characterized by complex, atypical rhythmic structures (includi ...

riffs", "

jazzy Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major f ...

chromatic Diatonic and chromatic are terms in music theory that are most often used to characterize scales, and are also applied to musical instruments, intervals, chords, notes, musical styles, and kinds of harmony. They are very often used as a pair, ...

runs", and "a seismic

EDM EDM or E-DM may refer to: Music * Electronic dance music * Early Day Miners, American band Science and technology * Electric dipole moment * Electrical discharge machining * Electronic distance measurement *Entry, Descent, and landing demonstrat ...

-esque drop". Additionally, critics said that the song gave "yearning", and "cinematic nature" and was "wholly unsurprised" to be served as the theme song to the anime ''Beastars''.

Commercial performance

"Kaibutsu" debuted at number 14 on the ''Billboard Japan'' Hot 100 of January 18, 2021 and peaked at number 2 on the chart of March 31, due to releasing the CD single. The song also peaked at number 87 on the ''Billboard'' Global 200 and number 39 on the ''Billboard'' Global Excl. US of January 30. The CD single "Kaibutsu / Yasashii Suisei" debuted and peaked at number 2 on the

for the chart issue date of April 5, 2021, selling 23,761 copies, and also number 2 on the ''Billboard Japan'' Top Single Sales chart, selling 27,275 copies for the chart issue date of March 31, 2021.

Music video

The music video "Kaibutsu" was premiered on January 13, 2021, directed by Rina Mitsuzumi, with 2D animation by Kaori Onishi and motion graphics by Jun Matsuda and Cafuu. The music video depicts the conflict and determination of the main character,

Legoshi is the protagonist of Paru Itagaki's manga series ''Beastars''. In a world of modern, civilized, anthropomorphic animals with a cultural divide between carnivores and herbivores, Legoshi is a high school student and gray wolf working with his re ...

, that wears a sense of speed and darkness. The music video surpassed 100 million views on June 22 and 200 million views on April 4, 2022.

Live performance and cover

Yoasobi premiered the live performance "Kaibutsu" for the first time in their first online concert—Keep Out Theater on February 14, 2021, where the song was the number fifth. The duo gave a television debut performance of the song at the 63rd

Japan Record Awards is a major music awards show, held annually in Japan that recognizes outstanding achievements in the Japan Composer's Association. Until 2005, the show aired on New Year's Eve, but has since aired every December 30 on TBS Japan at 6:30 P.M JST a ...

on December 30, alongside " Yasashii Suisei", and "

Moshi mo Inochi ga Egaketara is a song by Japanese duo Yoasobi from their second extended play, ''The Book 2'', released on December 1, 2021, through Sony Music Entertainment Japan. The song was later released as a standalone promotional single on August 12, 2022. Written b ...

". On February 4, 2021, A cover of "Kaibutsu" by Japanese singer

Masayuki Suzuki Masayuki Suzuki (鈴木雅之, ''Suzuki Masayuki'', born September 22, 1956, in Ōta, Tokyo) is a Japanese singer best known as a former member of group Rats & Star (previously called ''Chanels''), and for performing the opening themes for the ...

was released as a promotional single from his 35th anniversary cover greatest hit album ''Discover Japan DX'', scheduled for release on February 23.

Accolades

Track listing

*Digital download and streaming # – 3:26 *Digital download and streaming (English version) #"Monster" – 3:26 *CD single #CD ##"Kaibutsu" – 3:26 ##" Yasashii Suisei" – 3:35 ##"Kaibutsu" (TV Size version) – 1:30 ##"Yasashii Suisei" (TV Size version) – 1:26 #DVD (limited edition) ##"TV anime ''Beastars'' Season 2 opening non-credit video/Yoasobi "Kaibutsu"" ##"TV anime ''Beastars'' Season 2 ending non-credit video/Yoasobi "Yasashii Suisei"" #Blu-ray (fanclub limited edition) ##"TV anime ''Beastars'' Season 2 opening non-credit video/Yoasobi "Kaibutsu"" ##"TV anime ''Beastars'' Season 2 ending non-credit video/Yoasobi "Yasashii Suisei"" ##" Tabun" (acoustic session) ##"

" (acoustic session)

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from ''The Book 2'' liner notes and

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

. ;Song: * Ayase – producer, songwriter * Ikura – vocals * AssH – guitar *

– based story writer * Takayuki Saitō – vocal recording * Masahiko Fukui – mixing * Kazuyoshi Saitō – cover artwork design ;Music video: * Rina Mitsuzumi – director * Jun Matsuda – motion graphics * Cafuu – motion graphics * Kaori Onishi – 2D animation * AI Rinna – design supporter

Charts

Weekly charts

Monthly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

External links

*
English translation of ''I Press My Own Ear to My Chest''
{{Beastars 2021 singles 2021 songs Animated series theme songs Anime songs Japanese-language songs Songs about monsters Sony Music Entertainment Japan singles Yoasobi songs