Broadcast 23: Omoinotake

This next band is one that exudes romance, from the lyrics and music videos, all the way to the soul behind their music. A lot of people have heard about them through their theme songs on the drama Cherry Magic or the anime Blue Period, but they are definitely worth giving a deeper look. I found out about them as a recommended artist on Spotify, and I’ve gone back to them over and over again in the last few years. Please enjoy this J-pop band infused with R&B and Soul and let me know what you think of my recommendation!

Years Active: 2012 – Present

Core Members: Fugii Reoi 藤井怜央 (lead vocals, keyboard), Fukushima Tomoaki 福島智朗 (bass, backing vocals), Tomita Hironoshin 冨田洋之進 (drums, backing vocals)

Point of Origin: Shimane Prefecture

Who is Omoinotake?

Omoinotake (オモイノタケ), meaning “one’s whole heart, everything one feels,” is an evocative description of the band’s identity. The band consists of Fugii Reoi, Fukushima Tomoaki, and Tomita Hironoshin who met in junior high in Shimane Prefecture located in western Japan, although they formed their band in 2012 in Tokyo, originally performing mostly in Shibuya. Their current website bio describes them as a piano trio, falling into place with other contemporary J-pop acts with the piano/keyboard as a main player such as with Gesu No Kiwami Otome and ZUTOMAYO, although Omoinotake stands out with their emotional vocals to go with their Jazz and Soul inspired slant.

The smooth elements of Omoinotake’s music blend perfectly with Fugii’s tender and delicate vocals which are my favorite part of their music. Comparing their recent work to their earlier music, Fugii’s vocal style and falsetto have really developed into something beautiful, further helping the band convey feelings into sound. Most of their recent music videos have English subtitles, but what I love about Omoinotake is that you can feel that emotional depth even without understanding the lyrics.

After performing locally for years mostly around Shibuya, Omoinotake released their first album called So far on their independent label NEON RECORDS in 2017. Subsequently they released four mini albums, beside (2017), Street Light (2018), モラトリアム (2020), and Long for (2020) all through NEON RECORDS. In 2021 they signed with Sony Music Labels, and released their first Major EP, EVERBLUE.

Matching their romantic themes, Omoinotake has gained some popularity in recent years with their theme song work in a few popular niche anime and drama series. In 2020, Omoinotake’s song “産声” was the theme song for the 2020 Boys’ Love drama Cherry Magic, and in 2022 their song “心音” was the opening song for the 2022 Cherry Magic movie. Also in 2020, their song “モラトリアム” was the theme song for the Boys’ Love anime movie Twittering Birds Never Fly: The Clouds Gather. And most recently, the title track on their most recent album, “EVERBLUE” was the theme song for the 2021 anime, Blue Period. Today I’m going to be talking about a few of these songs to introduce the band, along with my favorite song from the band which isn’t a theme song for anything!

First Cry

“産声” (Ubugoe – “First Cry”) starts off with an intake of breath that leads into a visceral expression of the lyrics—Fugii’s voice starts off fragile and then builds into a declaration, mirroring the “first cry” of gathering the courage to confess your feelings for someone. The music video features the band in some sort of warehouse, interspersed with a presumed same-sex couple kissing in an abstract scene, which is a nod to this song being the theme song for the 2020 Boy’s Love drama Cherry Magic. This is a delicious theme song for a drama, and it makes a catchy tune on its own, so enjoy!

The Cast-off Shell of a Cicada

“空蝉” (Utsusemi – “The Cast-off Shell of a Cicada”) came out this year in 2022, and it has quickly become my favorite song by Omoinotake. I feel like this song really showcases their smooth jazz and r&b roots, including the sweet saxophone that’s featured. Overall, this song feels like it has a great beat with a beautiful all-encompassing musical arrangement, and I just love the pacing. Furthermore, I really enjoy how Fugii’s vocal style has expanded throughout the years into a more confident and skilled expression that is an essential instrument in their music.

This music video features a more dramatic concept with actors Karen Amano and Yuan Asada in various scenes, with Karen Amano as the protagonist shown under various different skies, reflecting the tumultuous nature of the longing in the lyrics. The title of the song means “The Cast-off Shell of a Cicada” which symbolizes rebirth, renewal and transformation, which I think is a great way to describe evolving aspects of relationships. One thing I really appreciate about Omoinotake is that most of their videos have English translations on them (just open up the Closed Captions), and their lyrics are very poetic, so they are worth checking out.

Heartbeat

“心音” (ShinOn – “Heartbeat”) opens up with Omoinotake’s poignant keyboard and expands into the other instruments, and finally reaches those delicate vocals that I love. That’s also how the structure of this song feels; it keeps building and building, until we reach the expressive release of the chorus. The visuals in this music video are beautiful and nostalgic, and both the lyrics and the video hold a lot of music-themed symbolism related to love, which is something that I personally am a sucker for. While this is the theme song for the 2022 drama movie Cherry Magic, this music video interprets the song with its own interesting point of view, and this song is definitely worth listening to outside of the drama.

BONUS: One Day

I just wanted to add one bonus video at the end of this article because I love this THE FIRST TAKE version of their song “One Day.” I think this is the first video I saw from them, and it definitely shows off how great Fugii’s voice is. Enjoy!