"Motokare Desu" ( ja, 元カレです, Motokare Desu, My Ex-Boyfriend) is the 59th

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 ...

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 ...

girl group

AKB48 AKB48 (pronounced ''A.K.B. Forty-Eight'') is a Japanese idol girl group named after the Akihabara (''Akiba'' for short) area in Tokyo, where the group's theater is located. AKB48's producer, Yasushi Akimoto, wanted to form a girl group with it ...

. It was released on May 18, 2022. Member

Hitomi Honda is a Japanese singer. In 2014, she debuted as a member of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48 as a member of Team 8, representing Tochigi Prefecture. From 2018 to 2021, she was a member of the South Korean-Japanese girl group Iz*One. Career ...

served as both lead singer and choreographic center. "Motokare Desu" managed to top

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chart, the group 46th consecutive No.1 ranking since "

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" in 2009.

Background and release

On February 22 midnight, during their

TV Tokyo JOTX-DTV (channel 7), branded as and known colloquially as , is a television station headquartered in the Sumitomo Fudosan Roppongi Grand Tower in Roppongi, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, owned and operated by the subsidiary of listed certified b ...

's " ''AKB48, Saikin Kiita? ~Issho ni Nanka Yatte Mimasen ka?''" program, it was announced that the group would release their 59th single on May 18 with 20 AKB-only participating members for A-track.

would take the center position for the first time after her departure from

Iz*One Iz*One ( ; ko, 아이즈원, Aijeuwon; ja, アイズワン, Aizuwan; stylized as IZ*ONE) was a South Korean–Japanese girl group formed through the Mnet reality competition show ''Produce 48''. The group was composed of twelve members: Jang ...

. In the next morning on February 23, TV Tokyo Music Festival broadcasting live their

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 ...

on shot. On March 28, the single title was first revealed and performed for the first time at TBS broadcasting program " CDTV LIVE! LIVE!". It was also revealed that "Motokare Desu" was choreographed by Ganmi who also made the choreography for

BTS BTS (), also known as the Bangtan Boys, is a South Korean boy band formed in 2010 and debuting in 2013 under Big Hit Entertainment. The septet—consisting of members Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook—co-writes and co-produ ...

's "

Butter Butter is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of churned cream. It is a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, consisting of approximately 80% butterfat. It is used at room temperature as a spread, melted as a condiment ...

". On April 3, during their commemorative concert "''AKB48 LIVE SHOW ~AKBINGO! The Final Goodbye Mr. Mouri~''" the group performed the song for the first time in front of fans audience. Later it was also informed that this single would have Team song and member

Nana Okada is a Japanese singer and actress, represented by Avex Asunaro. She is a member of the girl group AKB48 and a former member of STU48. She has been a fixture in AKB48's major single lineups since 2016 and is considered one of the best singers in ...

solo song as B-side. On April 18, the music video for "''Motokare Desu''" was announced that it was set to be released on April 20 along with the dance version of "''Motokare Desu''" as well. On the next day at midnight, pre-release single of "''Motokare Desu''" out digitally prior music video release. On April 30, B-side title was announced through the group's official

Showroom A plumbing fixture showroom, Canada, 1921 A showroom, also referred to as a gallery, is a large space used to display products, entertainment or visual arts. Marketing location A showroom is a large space used to display products for sale, suc ...

channel. Each B-side title also previewed for the first time as well. It was also announced that Nana Okada's solo song would have its music video. It was her reward for winning the competition of "AKB48 Group Fourth Singing Contest".

Promotion and live performance

The group collaborating with ABC-Mart and

New Balance New Balance Athletics, Inc. (NB), best known as simply New Balance, is one of the world's major sports footwear and apparel manufacturers. Based in Boston, Massachusetts, the multinational corporation was founded in 1906 as the New Balance Arch ...

showcasing the group specialized dance performances. The group also collaborating with

YouTube Music YouTube Music is a music streaming service developed by YouTube, a subsidiary of Google. It provides a tailored interface for the service, oriented towards music streaming, allowing users to browse through songs and music videos on YouTube based ...

showing the snippet of "''Motokare Desu''" music video at

Shibuya Crossing , or commonly known as Shibuya Crossing, is a popular scramble crossing in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. It is located in front of the Shibuya Station Hachikō exit and stops vehicles in all directions to allow pedestrians to inundate the entire inter ...

. To attract more public audience, short video of ''Motokare Desu'' featured a solo of 20 participating members showed at

Shinagawa Station is a major railway station in the Takanawa and Konan districts of Minato, Tokyo, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East), Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central), and the private railway operator Keikyu. The Tokaido Shinkan ...

. Prior release date, several retailer hold a limited campaign for fans.

Tower Records Tower Records is an international retail franchise and online music store that was formerly based in Sacramento, California, United States. From 1960 until 2006, Tower operated retail stores in the United States, which closed when Tower Records ...

, Tsutaya Records, and

HMV Sunrise Records and Entertainment, trading as HMV (for His Master's Voice), is a British music and entertainment retailer, currently operating exclusively in the United Kingdom. The first HMV-branded store was opened by the Gramophone Company ...

would release a special poster for a specific circumstances, while

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would giving a solo autographed postcard. All of retail campaign only to feature member Hitomi Honda, Mion Mukaichi, and Yuiri Murayama. In addition to promote the single, the group made many appearances on radio and television including

TV Asahi JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as (also known as EX and and stylized as TV asahi), is a television station that is owned and operated by the subsidiary of certified broadcasting holding company , itself controlled by The Asahi Shimbun Compan ...

Music Station is a Japanese music television program. Broadcasting live weekly on TV Asahi since October 24, 1986, it currently airs from 9PM-10PM on Fridays. The program is also colloquially known as , , and . The show is currently syndicated throughout th ...

on May 13th, TBS's CDTV LIVE! LIVE! for a second time on May 16th,

NHK , also known as NHK, is a Japanese public broadcaster. NHK, which has always been known by this romanized initialism in Japanese, is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee. NHK operates two terrestr ...

Utacon is a Japanese weekly music show produced by NHK, airing on Tuesday night from April 12, 2016. The show replaces ''NHK Kayou Concert'' and ''Music Japan''. Description ''Utacon'' presents a range of music artists from Enka and J-Pop at NHK Hall ...

on May 17th,

Nippon TV JOAX-DTV (channel 4), branded as , is the flagship station of the Nippon News Network and the Nippon Television Network System, owned-and-operated by the which is a subsidiary of the certified broadcasting holding company , itself a listed su ...

's Buzz Rhythm 02 on May 20,

's Premium MelodiX! on May 23th, and

Fuji TV JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as and colloquially known as CX, is a Japanese television station based in Odaiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Owned and operated by the it is the key station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network Sys ...

Music Fair is a Japanese music show. It is broadcast by Fuji Television. The shows started in 1964 and it is the longest-running Japanese music show and is sponsored by Shionogi. Current airtime 18:00 -18:30 (JST) every Saturday. Hosts * Fubuki Koshiji ...

on May 28th.

Receptions and commercial performance

"''Motokare Desu''" was described as a dance-oriented performances with

K-pop K-pop (), short for Korean popular music, is a form of popular music originating in South Korea as part of South Korean culture. It includes styles and genres from around the world, such as pop, hip hop, R&B, experimental, rock, jazz, gos ...

influences, hence the return of Hitomi Honda from South Korean-Japanese girl group,

. Her first ever center position was praised for great influence for the group complicated dance performance. The single sold 288,562 copies on release day and topping the daily chart of

. Based on

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 ...

, "''Motokare Desu''" managed to sold 382,356 copies for first-day release and topping the single sales for the period of May, 16 - May, 18. This single is also charted in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

. On Bugs

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 ...

chart, pre-release of "''Motokare Desu''" is debuting at 66th on April 24 and reached it is highest peak at 58th on May 8. At same chart, Special Edition release of "''Motokare Desu''" is debuting at 2 along with "''Kowasanakya Ikenai Mono''" at 40th, "''Okubyō na Namake Mono''" at 41th, and "Angie" at 58th on release day.

Music video

Prior the release of

, preview from music video set was first revealed in the morning of April 20. Later at the evening of 8 p.m JST, music video of "''Motokare Desu''" premiered at

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 ...

. It was directed by Minoru Fujimoto who also participated in LED works at

2020 Tokyo Paralympics The , branded as the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, was an international multi-sport parasports event held from 24 August to 5 September 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. They were the 16th Summer Paralympic Games as organized by the International Paralympic ...

opening ceremony. The music video showing variety technology of LED performance such as LED pole who will changing shapes imitating the members hand gestures and so on. Later revealed it took two days to filming the music videos. On May 10, music video for B-side "''Kowasanakya Ikenai Mono''" was released on YouTube. It was directed by Toshitsugu Ohno who previously directed

Twice Twice (; Japanese: トゥワイス, Hepburn: ''To~uwaisu''; commonly stylized as TWICE) is a South Korean girl group formed by JYP Entertainment. The group is composed of nine members: Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, Chaey ...

's " Stuck in My Head",

STU48 STU48 (Setouchi48) is a Japanese idol group and sister group of AKB48 named after the Setouchi Region. The group had a from 2019 to 2021. It is co-owned by the tourism board of Setouchi Region and is highly involved in their promotional efforts ...

's "''Omoidasete Yokatta''" and many more.

Artwork and packaging

"''Motokare Desu''" released in four different version with different artwork issues as well, the version are Type-A, Type-B, Type-C and Theater edition. Each version except Theater edition released in Regular and Limited version. Pre-release version which out digitally also issuing different artworks. For digital distribution, ''Motokare Desu'' was issued as Special Edition which contain all songs from every version minus off-vocal (instrumental). Special Edition of ''Motokare Desu'' use Theater edition artwork with addition "Special Edition" text. Thus in total, "''Motokare Desu''" issuing nine different artworks. The artworks was released on April 20 prior music videos release. The Theater version cover is Hitomi Honda's first ever solo cover of AKB48 discography. All version of ''Motokare Desu'' except Theater edition contain CD,

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...

, and lyric booklet. The content of lyric booklet are different depending the version. The package also contain a random postcard-size photo of 20 participating members. For regular version the photos are taken inside music video set and limited version was taken outside the set.

release a special postcard-size photo that was taken during cover art shoot. A

two shot A two shot is a type of shot in which the frame encompasses two people (the subjects). The subjects do not have to be next to each other, and there are many common two shots which have one subject in the foreground and the other subject in the ba ...

photo from specific members also released for specific retailer: Tower Records for a two shot of Hitomi Honda and Yui Oguri,

for Hitomi Honda and Mizuki Yamauchi, Shinseido - WonderGoo for

Yuki Kashiwagi is a Japanese idol and singer. She is a member of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48 and a former member of NMB48 and NGT48. She auditioned for AKB48 on December 3, 2006, and is now a member of AKB48's Team B. She was previously the captain of T ...

and Erī Chiba, Tsutaya Records for Nana Okada and Yuiri Murayama,

Yodobashi is one of the 35 former wards of Tokyo-Fu, Tokyo City. On October 1, 1932, the towns of Yodobashi, Okubo, Totsuka, and Ochiai were merged into Yodobashi ward. In 1947, it was merged with Yotsuya and Ushigome wards of Tokyo City to form the pres ...

for Okabe Rin and Hitomi Honda, Guruguruking for Okada Nana and Manaka Taguchi,

for Yui Oguri and Mizuki Yamauchi, Rakuten Books for Kashiwagi Yuki and

Mion Mukaichi is a Japanese idol singer and former child actress. She is a member of the girl group AKB48, serving as captain of AKB48 Team A, and is also the third and current AKB48 Group . As an actress, she is best known for portraying Mio Sato in the '' U ...

, 7net for Narumi Kuranō and Nagisa Sakaguchi, Neowing for Miu Shitao and Mizuki Yamauchi,

Lammtarra Lammtarra (2 February 1992 7 July 2014) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. He was undefeated in his career and won three Group One races in 1995, in which year he was voted the Cartier Three-Year-Old European Champi ...

for Megu Taniguchi and Yuiri Murayama, Joshin for Momoka Onishi and Megu Taniguchi, Coach and four Store for Nagisa Sakaguchi and Seina Fukuoka,

Bic Camera is a consumer electronics retailer chain in Japan. Currently, it has 41 stores in Japan. Bic Camera has a 50% ownership of former rival store Kojima and full ownership of computer store chain Sofmap. As of 2018, Bic Camera is the third largest ...

for Narumi Kuranō and

Tomu Muto is a Japanese idol and singer, and a member of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48. She is a member of AKB48's Team K. She is an alumna of Seijo University, where she studied economics and also earned her postgraduate degree, as well as a certif ...

, Gyokkodo Inc. for Yui Oguri and Erina Oda, AKB48 shop for Nanami Asai and Seina Fukuoka, lastly King E-shop for Momoka Onishi and Maho Omori.

Track listing

All lyrics are written by

Yasushi Akimoto is a Japanese record producer, lyricist, and television writer, best known for creating and producing some of Japan's top idol groups, Onyanko Club and the AKB48 franchise. Total sales of the singles he has written exceed 100 million copies, maki ...

except off-vocal (instrumental) version tracks.

Type-A

Type-B

Type C

Theatrical edition

Notes

* Loss of Time (Type-B) stylized as Loss of time.

Participating members

"Motokare Desu"

"元カレです" ("Motokare Desu") performed by selection ''senbatsu'' performers, consisting of: *Team A: Erī Chiba,

, Seina Fukuoka *Team K: Manaka Taguchi, Mizuki Yamauchi,

*Team B:

Nanami Asai is a rather popular feminine Japanese given name which is also used as a surname. Possible writings Nanami can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: ;as a given name *七海, "seven, sea" *七美, "seven, beauty" *七実, " ...

Maho Omori Maho may refer to: Term * Maho, tropical hibiscus tree common throughout the Caribbean (thespesia populnea, Hibiscus elatus, or Hibiscus Tilaceus) * Maho, a West Indian Caribbean slang term for a man who spends too much time drinking beer and fishi ...

*Team 4:

Megu Taniguchi Megu is a Japanese feminine given name. Notable people with the name include: *, a Japanese voice actress *, a Japanese hostess and model *, a Japanese softball player *, Japanese singer *, Japanese individual and synchronized trampoline gymnast Fi ...

, Yuiri Murayama *Team 8:

, Erina Oda, Momoka Onishi, Miu Shitao,

Nagisa Sakaguchi AKB48 are a Japanese idol girl group formed on December 8, 2005. As of December 24, 2022, the group consists of 81 members, divided among several teams: Team A with 18 members, Team K with 17 members, Team B with 18 members, Team 4 with 18 members ...

, Narumi Kuranō,

Rin Okabe Rin may refer to: *, yen, former Japanese currency *Rin (given name) *Rin (detergent), a brand of detergent sold by Unilever *Rin, a Japanese standing bell * ''Mnemosyne'' (anime) or ''RIN: Daughters of Mnemosyne'', an anime *''Rin!'' (凛!), a Jap ...

Yui Oguri AKB48 are a Japanese idol girl group formed on December 8, 2005. As of December 24, 2022, the group consists of 81 members, divided among several teams: Team A with 18 members, Team K with 17 members, Team B with 18 members, Team 4 with 18 members ...

"Kowasanakya Ikenai Mono"

"Kowasanakya Ikenai Mono" () performed by Nana Okada.

"Okubyō na Namake Mono"

"Okubyō na Namake Mono" () performed by AKB48's Team A, consisting of: Chiyori Nakanishi,

Ma Chia-ling Ma Chia-ling (; born 21 December 1996 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan) is a Taiwanese people, Taiwanese singer. She is a member of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48's Team A. She is also the first and so far only member of AKB48 who is not Japanese. Her n ...

, Erī Chiba,

Haruka Komiyama Haruka Komiyama (込山榛香 ''Komiyama Haruka'', born September 12, 1998 in Chiba Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese idol, singer and model. She is a member of the Japanese girl group AKB48's Team A and was an exclusive model for the Japanese t ...

, Haruna Saito, Hitomi Honda, Hitomi Otake, Maria Shimizu, Mashiro Mitomo, Mion Mukaichi, Nana Okada, Orin Muto, Rin Okabe, Saho Iwatate, Saki Michieda, Sayaka Takahashi, Seina Fukuoka, Serika Nagano, Yuzuka Yoshinashi.

"Loss of Time"

"Loss of Time" performed by AKB48's Team K, consisting of: Ami Yumoto, Ayane Takahashi, Ayu Yamabe, Erina Oda, Hinako Okuhara, Hinana Shimoguchi, Manaka Taguchi, Manami Ichikawa, Mizuki Yamauchi, Momoka Onishi, Ran Kobayashi, Sayuna Hama, Shinobu Mogi, Sorano Uemi, Suzuha Yamane, Tomu Muto, Yuna Hattori.

"Yarakasou"

"Yarakasou" () performed by AKB48's Team B, consisting of: Ayaka Hidaritomo, Ayana Shinozaki, Haruna Hashimoto, Hikaru Hirano, Mitsuho Fukutome, Kurumi Suzuki, Kyoka Yamada, Maho Omori, Megumi Nagano, Minami Sato, Nagisa Sakaguchi, Nanami Asahi, Rei Fujizono, Remi Tokunaga, Saki Kitazawa, Sena Ishiwata, Kaori Inagaki, Yui Oguri, Yuki Kashiwagi.

"Angie"

"Angie" () performed by AKB48's Team 4, consisting of: Ayami Nagatomo, Haruka Kurosu, Hatsuka Utada, Hiyuka Sakagawa, Kaoru Takaoka, Karen Yoshida, Kiara Sato, Kyoka Tada, Megu Taniguchi, Misaki Kawahara, Miu Shitao, Miyū Omori, Narumi Kuranō, Nanase Yoshikawa, Rina Okada, Yuiri Murayama, Yukari Sasaki, Yurina Gyoten.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

Release history

References

Notes

Citations

{{authority control 2022 singles 2022 songs AKB48 songs Japanese-language songs Songs with lyrics by Yasushi Akimoto