Futarigoto
Encyclopedia
is a song by Japanese rock band Radwimps
, released on May 17, 2006, as the first of three singles from the band's fourth album, Radwimps 4: Okazu no Gohan
.
The song was first certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan
as a full-length cellphone download a year and a seven months after its release, followed by a platinum certification a year and four months later. As of May 2011, it is the only Radwimps song to receive a platinum certification.
.
The lyrics of the song begin with the song's protagonist wondering if he should express his feelings to a girl. He describes how unique the girl is, such as that her beauty is "the greatest genetic change of this century." The pair begin to date, and the protagonist begins to think about the relationship. At first, he states how he cannot believe in miracles, but feels that him meeting his lover makes him want to believe in miracles. He feels that their relationship is beautiful and wonderful, because his lover calls it a miracle.
At one point in the song, the protagonist wants to write , but instead of reading it kimi, reading it as the word , as well as writing and reading it as the word . He feels like nothing could separate them if they do this. At another point, the song references the Japanese divination
style Rokusei Senjutsu
. The protagonist's lover insists that that the protagonist's destiny star is Jupiter
, and that hers is Mars
, and that he is at the (misfortune time) at the end of his six year cycle. The protagonist says that he's actually an earth person (instead of a person with destiny linked to a planet), but no matter if that's true, or if his destiny star is Jupiter, it's only one planet away from Mars.
According to vocalist and songwriter Yojiro Noda, "Futarigoto" along with the band's next single, "Yūshinron
", took an amazing amount of effort to create. "Futarigoto" was written and recording sessions for it began even before Radwimps 3: Mujintō ni Motte Ikiwasureta Ichimai was released. The song initially came simply, and it was intended to be on the album, however the band members could not work out how to finish it. The song was recorded during the same sessions as "Setsuna Rensa"'s B-side, "By My Side".
The band's 2009 album, Altocolony no Teiri, features an answer song to "Futarigoto," called "Märchen to Gretel." The song features a reprise of the writing characters but pronouncing them as different words for love lyric, and is a response to the promise in "Futarigoto" about how someday a song will be sung about how successful that technique was. Noda was unsure why he made such a promise at the time of writing "Futarigoto."
and Radwimps 4: Okazu no Gohan
. The video is set at a Japanese high school during cherry blossom season, and features extremely long panning shots, showing the school's grounds. The video shows the band performing the song on the school's roof, but often pans to show the activities of different students at the school, often specifically a girl and a boy who pause as they notice each other.
Since the video was uploaded by Radwimps' official Youtube
channel on July 2, 2009, the video has been viewed approximately 4,200,000 times (as of May 2011).
Radwimps
is a Japanese rock band, who debuted independently in 2003 and later on major label Toshiba EMI in 2005. The band achieved great commercial success in 2006 album their album Radwimps 4: Okazu no Gohan, and are best known for their later singles "Order Made" and "Dada" , both of which hit number...
, released on May 17, 2006, as the first of three singles from the band's fourth album, Radwimps 4: Okazu no Gohan
Radwimps 4: Okazu no Gohan
, stylised as RADWIMPS 4 ~Okazu no Gohan~, is Japanese rock band Radwimps' fourth album, released on December 6, 2006. It was the band's break-through commercial album, debuting at number five on Oricon's albums charts, and was their first album to be certified platinum by the RIAJ."Yūshinron" was...
.
The song was first certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan
Recording Industry Association of Japan
The Recording Industry Association of Japan is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved the music industry...
as a full-length cellphone download a year and a seven months after its release, followed by a platinum certification a year and four months later. As of May 2011, it is the only Radwimps song to receive a platinum certification.
Composition and writing
The song is simply arranged with a band arrangement, however increases with complexity over time. Later in the song, vocal distortion is introduced, instruments are played more frantically, with drum and bass sounds increasing during the final stages of the song. The song ends with an instrumental outro, featuring distorted guitar sounds. Two versions of the song exist, the single version as well as the found on Radwimps 4: Okazu no GohanRadwimps 4: Okazu no Gohan
, stylised as RADWIMPS 4 ~Okazu no Gohan~, is Japanese rock band Radwimps' fourth album, released on December 6, 2006. It was the band's break-through commercial album, debuting at number five on Oricon's albums charts, and was their first album to be certified platinum by the RIAJ."Yūshinron" was...
.
The lyrics of the song begin with the song's protagonist wondering if he should express his feelings to a girl. He describes how unique the girl is, such as that her beauty is "the greatest genetic change of this century." The pair begin to date, and the protagonist begins to think about the relationship. At first, he states how he cannot believe in miracles, but feels that him meeting his lover makes him want to believe in miracles. He feels that their relationship is beautiful and wonderful, because his lover calls it a miracle.
At one point in the song, the protagonist wants to write , but instead of reading it kimi, reading it as the word , as well as writing and reading it as the word . He feels like nothing could separate them if they do this. At another point, the song references the Japanese divination
Divination
Divination is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic standardized process or ritual...
style Rokusei Senjutsu
Rokusei Senjutsu
The is a kind of Chinese astrology and a handy approximation of the Four Pillars of Destiny.The Four Pillars of Destiny is too complicated and difficult for everyday use, consequently this approximation was introduced in Taiwan , Hong Kong....
. The protagonist's lover insists that that the protagonist's destiny star is Jupiter
Jupiter
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet within the Solar System. It is a gas giant with mass one-thousandth that of the Sun but is two and a half times the mass of all the other planets in our Solar System combined. Jupiter is classified as a gas giant along with Saturn,...
, and that hers is Mars
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
, and that he is at the (misfortune time) at the end of his six year cycle. The protagonist says that he's actually an earth person (instead of a person with destiny linked to a planet), but no matter if that's true, or if his destiny star is Jupiter, it's only one planet away from Mars.
According to vocalist and songwriter Yojiro Noda, "Futarigoto" along with the band's next single, "Yūshinron
Yūshinron
is a song by Japanese rock band Radwimps, released on July 26, 2006, as the second of three singles from the band's fourth album, Radwimps 4: Okazu no Gohan....
", took an amazing amount of effort to create. "Futarigoto" was written and recording sessions for it began even before Radwimps 3: Mujintō ni Motte Ikiwasureta Ichimai was released. The song initially came simply, and it was intended to be on the album, however the band members could not work out how to finish it. The song was recorded during the same sessions as "Setsuna Rensa"'s B-side, "By My Side".
The band's 2009 album, Altocolony no Teiri, features an answer song to "Futarigoto," called "Märchen to Gretel." The song features a reprise of the writing characters but pronouncing them as different words for love lyric, and is a response to the promise in "Futarigoto" about how someday a song will be sung about how successful that technique was. Noda was unsure why he made such a promise at the time of writing "Futarigoto."
Music video
The music video was directed by Daisuke Shimada, a long-time collaborator who worked with the band on the bulk of videos from Radwimps 3: Mujintō ni Motte Ikiwasureta IchimaiRadwimps 3: Mujintō ni Motte Ikiwasureta Ichimai
, stylised as RADWIMPS 3 ~Mujintō ni Motte Ikiwasureta Ichimai~, is Japanese rock band Radwimps' third album, and debut major label album under Toshiba EMI, released on February 15, 2006.The album was an extremely long seller...
and Radwimps 4: Okazu no Gohan
Radwimps 4: Okazu no Gohan
, stylised as RADWIMPS 4 ~Okazu no Gohan~, is Japanese rock band Radwimps' fourth album, released on December 6, 2006. It was the band's break-through commercial album, debuting at number five on Oricon's albums charts, and was their first album to be certified platinum by the RIAJ."Yūshinron" was...
. The video is set at a Japanese high school during cherry blossom season, and features extremely long panning shots, showing the school's grounds. The video shows the band performing the song on the school's roof, but often pans to show the activities of different students at the school, often specifically a girl and a boy who pause as they notice each other.
Since the video was uploaded by Radwimps' official Youtube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
channel on July 2, 2009, the video has been viewed approximately 4,200,000 times (as of May 2011).
Critical reception
The What's In? review of the song noted "wonderful growth" with the release after the band's album Radwimps 3, and felt the lyrics had a "unique point of view," that listeners could spontaneously laugh and cry to. The reviewer described the song as "a complete love song." In CDJournals track-by-track review of Radwimps 4, the reviewer described the song as a "having a depth that expanded everywhere, with an unpredictable melody." The reviewer felt the lyrics were a fusion of humorous and romantic, and of straightforward feelings about youth and love.Track listing
Chart rankings
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Oricon 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. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc... weekly singles |
16 |
Sales and certifications
| Chart | Amount |
|---|---|
| Oricon physical sales | 27,000 |
| RIAJ full-length cellphone downloads | Platinum (250,000+) |