I feel Bump of Chicken is one of those bands where, most people have heard their name as they have been around for a very long time (since the year I was born apparently), but few can name or recall a song by them, including myself until my bandmate pitched “Karma” this year.
While I knew they are a big Japanese band, I was surprised to see they had 16 anime songs as of August 2022! However, most are from smaller series, and quite a few were placed in movies, which explains why they aren’t so well known in the anime community. So I was curious to learn more about them.
According to Wikipedia, the members first met in kindergarden and were classmates throughout their primary and secondary education. The band made their conception in 1994 and had their first performance during their ninth grade cultural festival. In 1996, their song “Danny” won an award on 96TFM.
As of summer 2022, they have released 23 singles and 9 albums. Since their 3rd single, “Tentai Kansoku” (which has been re-released for an anime short of the same name), every release after has charted in the top ten on the Oricon Weekly Charts! Their songs has been used in various video games, theme songs for movies, and television shows.
And if you’re curious about their name, like I was when I first heard it, many thought it was a mistranslation for “Goose Bumps”, but it turns out it’s a mistranslation of the English phrase “The Weak Strike Back”…Even with my intermediate Japanese knowledge, I can’t explain this one ^^”
So, if you heard one or two, and was wondering what else they made, or just want to hear the full version of your favourite themes, check out this list!
They also just came back September 2022 with a new opening for SpyXFamily! You can find that opening in the bottom of the list ^_^
Also, if you’d like to discover other Japanese music and artists, check out my playlists on Youtube!
And if you’re interested in learning more vocabulary and kanji so you can watch anime and dramas, read manga, sing J-pop at karaoke, or play raw Japanese video games, check out my 250+ Kanji for Japanese Media (+Sentences) article and my Japanese Study Guide!