"Nirai Kanai" "(ニライカナイ)" is MAX's 28th single and first under the

Sonic Groove is a Japanese entertainment conglomerate led by founder Max Matsuura and headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1988, the company manages J-pop talents like Ayumi Hamasaki and internet sensation PikoTaro. It has also shifted into other busi ...

label. The single serves as a commemoration of their 10th anniversary and saw the group return to the style that originally made them popular.

Overview

Nirai Kanai, is an

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

n myth about a magical island off the coast of Okinawa where the gods live. In Okinawa, they believe that the gods come from this island every year to bless their people. This is where MAX drew inspiration for their very own song named after the island. It's a cover of eurobeat vocalist Christine's song "Rain" from the album "

Super Eurobeat is a CD compilation series of Eurobeat music in Japan. The series itself is one of the longest-running music compilations. It has been running for over thirty years and the current list consists of 250 volumes (not counting the many "''Super Eur ...

168". MAX announced the release of the single during their 10th anniversary tour in May 2005. Harking back to their beginnings, all the songs selected for the single were based on the

Eurobeat Eurobeat refers to two styles of dance music that originated in Europe: one is a British variant of Italian Eurodisco-influencedAng, Ien & Morley, David (2005). "Cultural Studies: Volume 3, Issue 2". ''Routledge''. pgs. 171, 173, 170. . "Eurore ...

style of music. Eurobeat is a style of dance music that originates in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. They coined a new term, "Okinawan-Euro" to describe "Nirai Kanai" that takes Eurobeat and combines it with traditional Okinawan flavors. MAX took a major role in the production of this song including writing its lyrics and performing some of the music. Unique to this song is the fact that several lines of the song are not in

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

, but in their native Okinawan dialect. The single also includes two b-sides. The first b-side to appear on the single, "Someday" is a cover of eurobeat vocalist Nuage's song "Sunday." The second b-side "Tora Tora Tora 2005" is a self-cover of their first breakout hit. MAX stated that they wanted to rerecord the song because the song had become popular again under a new wave of

Para Para is a synchronized dance that originated in Japan. Unlike most club dancing and rave dancing, there are specific synchronized movements for each song much like line dancing. Para Para has existed since the early 1980s when European countries starte ...

dancing. Unlike the original version, each member has solo lines.

Commercial endorsements

The title track was used as the commercial song for Orion Southern Star, a

beer Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from ce ...

beverage. MAX also appeared as spokespersons for the company appearing in commercials and performing in special live events in

, Japan. MAX and the company enjoyed boosts in popularity during the campaign on the island.

Music video

A video for "Nirai Kanai" was shot on location in Okinawa, Japan. The video involves three scenes. The first scene involves the members of MAX performing on a rock platform built into the ocean. The second scene is just individual shots of the members singing in front of a colored background. The final scene of video, follows MAX as they greet locals on the island. In an unusual move, the music video was released shortly after the release of the single to major video outlets. Promotion and the general popularity of the song could have been stunted because of this.

Track listing

Personnel

*MAX - vocals, background vocals

Production

*Art Direction - Shinichi Hara *Design: Tomokazu Suzuki *Photography - Satoshi Miyazawa *Stylist - KOKA *Hair - YAS *Make Up - YOSHI.T for MONDO *Clothing -

Emanuel Ungaro Emanuel Ungaro (13 February 1933 – 21 December 2019) was a French fashion designer who founded the eponymous fashion house in 1965. Early life Ungaro's Italian father fled to France from Francavilla Fontana of Brindisi province because of the ...

Charts

Oricon Sales Chart (Japan)

References

{{MAX (band) 2005 singles MAX (band) songs 2005 songs