A new promotional video featuring scenes of the upcoming anime film Omoi, Omoware, Furi, Furare was released on Toho Animation’s YouTube page and features the main theme song Gravity by BUMP OF CHICKEN.

Gravity is a gentle ballad and BUMP OF CHICKEN’s first new song in almost a year. The band dropped the song and music video on September 10, 2020. The song will feature as the main theme for the anime film Omoi, Omoware, Furi, Furare which is set for release in Japan on September 18, 2020.

Omoi, Omoware, Furi, Furare, known as Love Me, Love Me Not in English, is a shojo manga series written and illustrated by Io Sakisaka. Her manga series Strobe Edge was adapted into a TV anime series and live-action film in 2014 while her other series Ao Haru Ride also got its own live-action adaptation in 2015. Both series, which are about youth, were a huge hit amongst teenagers in Japan. Omoi, Omoware, Furi, Furare is her latest work and has sold over 5 million copies in Japan.

Check out the promotional video for the upcoming anime film adaptation below.

BUMP OF CHICKEN will release a new live DVD and Blu-ray entitled BUMP OF CHICKEN TOUR 2019 aurora ark TOKYO DOME which features the full set of the final date of their ‘aurora ark’ tour held at Tokyo Dome on November 4, 2019. See the band’s performance of Niji o Matsu Hito from the show below.

“Niji o Matsu Hito” from BUMP OF CHICKEN TOUR 2019 aurora ark Zepp Osaka Bayside

© 2020 アニメ映画「思い、思われ、ふり、ふられ」製作委員会  © 咲坂伊緒/集英社

BUMP OF CHICKEN have released their new song and music video Gravity. The song will be used as the main theme for the upcoming anime film Omoi, Omoware, Furi, Furare which is set to be released in Japan on September 18, 2020.

Gravity is a gentle ballad and BUMP OF CHICKEN’s first new song in almost a year. The track was teased for the first time in a recent trailer for the film.

The music video was directed by Kyotaro Hayashi who also worked on BUMP OF CHICKEN’s previous music videos Aurora and Nagareboshi no Shotai, as well as the HUNGRY DAYS x BUMP OF CHICKEN video Kinen Satsuei.

The music video is set in a quiet tower. It follows a boy who awakens to find himself locked in there without an exit. The only way he can go is up, and so he ascends the tower towards music that is beckoning him.

BUMP OF CHICKEN – “Gravity” Music Video

It has also been announced that BUMP OF CHICKEN will release a new live DVD and Blu-ray entitled BUMP OF CHICKEN TOUR 2019 aurora ark TOKYO DOME which features the full set of the final date of their ‘aurora ark’ tour held at Tokyo Dome on November 4, 2019. The entire tour was held throughout July and November last year and welcomed 350,000 fans. It was held to promote their album aurora arc. The DVD and Blu-ray will be released on November 4, 2020, exactly one year after the show.

The video director for this release is also Kyotaro Hayashi. It’s a jam-packed set that captures the excitement of the tour and a must-have for fans. You can check out the band’s live performance of Aurora from the concert below.

BUMP OF CHICKEN – “Aurora” Live

The cover art for the DVD and Blu-ray was created by VERDY, who also designed the band’s aurora arc album cover, and cameraman Yoshiharu Ota. First Press Limited Edition copies of the live release also features extra select footage from their show at Zepp Osaka Bayside, a T-shirt, luggage tag, and special packaging. These copies are available on a first-come, first-served basis as they are limited in stock.

The concert will also be released on Netflix across Asia on November 4, 2020.

BUMP OF CHICKEN have also released a new artist photo, showcasing that they’re still going all-out despite the current situation in the world.

© 2020 アニメ映画「思い、思われ、ふり、ふられ」製作委員会  © 咲坂伊緒/集英社

BUMP OF CHICKEN’s new song Gravity will be used as the main theme for the upcoming anime film Omoi, Omoware, Furi, Furare which will be released in Japan on September 18, 2020.

Omoi, Omoware, Furi, Furare, known as Love Me, Love Me Not in English, is a shojo manga series written and illustrated by Io Sakisaka. Her manga series Strobe Edge was adapted into a TV anime series and live-action film in 2014 while her other series Ao Haru Ride also got its own live-action adaptation in 2015. Both series, which are about youth, were a huge hit amongst teenagers in Japan. Omoi, Omoware, Furi, Furare is her latest work and has sold over 5 million copies in Japan.

The TV anime adaptation of Omoi, Omoware, Furi, Furare is being animated by A-1 Pictures. Confirmed voice cast includes Megumi Han as Akari Yamamoto, a girl who is realistic and positive about love but is bad at expressing her true feelings. Nobunaga Shimazaki will voice Rio Yamamoto who is Akari’s step-brother. Soma Saito will play Kazuomi Inui, Yuna’s childhood friend. Marika Suzuki is voicing Yuna Ichihara who is in love with the idea of love but has never actually experienced love herself.

A promotional video was released for the anime film which gives a first listen at the main theme Gravity by BUMP OF CHICKEN.

Omoi, Omoware, Furi, Furare | Promotional Video

BUMP OF CHICKEN | Comment

“We are so thankful that our new song ‘Gravity’ is being used as the main theme. The band were able to all watch the film together before its official release. Each of the characters is young lively, which is a perfect match for the vivid, detailed, and beautiful animation. They’ve created a really dazzling world. We look forward to the official release!” (Translated from Japanese by MMN)

© 2020 “Omoi, Omoware, Furi, Furare” Anime Film Production Committee

 © Io Sakisaka / Shueisha

In 2014, Io Sakisaka’s popular shōjo manga series Ao Haru Ride was turned into a live-action film and given a TV anime adaptation. In 2015, her series Strobe Edge also became a live-action film, turning into a widespread sensation in Japan particularly among teens. As the hearts of young people across Japan were left throbbing for more, 2020 will be delivering Sakisaka’s third and final story of her series of youth stories Omoi, Omoware, Furi, Furare (Love Me, Love Me Not) to the big screen.

Following in the steps of its predecessors, an unparalleled double production project that includes the release of both a live-action adaptation and animated movie of Omoi, Omoware, Furi, Furare (Love Me, Love Me Not) will be arriving at the big screen. The animated movie is set for release on May 29, 2020 and the live-action movie will premiere on August 14, 2020 

An Extraordinary Project Team and Voice Cast

Supreme creators joined forces for the project including director Toshimasa Kuroyanagi, animation studio A-1 pictures (Sword Art Online), screenwriter Yoshida Erika (Heroine Shikkaku, My Teacher, My Love) and composer Yuji Nomi, who famously composed soundtracks for Studio Ghibli Films such as Whisper of the Heart and The Cat Returns.

The exceptional voice cast includes Megumi Han, who voices the proactive, lovestruck main character Akari Yamamoto, who stumbles over her inability to express her true feelings. The second main protagonist is Akari’s friend Yuna Ichihara (Marika Suzuki), who is romantic but tends to hold back. Akari’s stepbrother Rio Yamamoto, who battles inner conflicts about his relationships, is played by Shimazaki Nobunaga and Yuna’s calm, collected and sincere childhood friend Inui Kazuomi is played by Saito Soma.

The Main Cast Of Four Gets Recording

For Suzuki, the anxiousness of stepping up to a main role for the first time was obvious. As the actress for the other main character, Han was immediately by her side to offer words of encouragement such as “it will all be fine.” With Han and her years of experience playing lead roles there to reassure Suzuki, the recording was off to a smooth start. Just as Akari and Yuna are close in the manga, the two voice actresses had a similar relationship during recordings, with Suzuki following Han’s lead.

Suzuki gradually got the hang of recording after several attempts. The director was very impressed by how much the voice cast absorbed their characters, entirely transforming into them and maintaining their natural, pure, youthful passion. Each of the four main characters have commented on their experience.  

Han Megumi as Akari Yamamoto

You can end up producing wonderful things when your character engages in dialogue. I wanted to treasure it so I was a bit creative. I was able to cultivate Akari’s emotions by studying the relationships Akari has with Yuna, Rio, Kazuomi, her family and other people she interacts with. I worked hard to get in touch with Akari’s personality as she tries to become more honest with her feelings. Suzuki’s honesty, Shimazaki’s kindness and Soma’s reassurance really helped me to do this. 

Marika Suzuki as Yuna Ichihara

This was my first time recording in front of the mic and despite my constant panicking, everyone was so encouraging. I became very flustered when I had to keep recording the same thing over and over again. At those times, someone would bring up a different topic to calm me down. I am so grateful for everyone’s kindness. When recording with the others, I was amazed at how they could handle difficult dialogue so smoothly. I was shocked at just how much of an amateur I was in comparison. Every time we recorded, I challenged myself to improve my voice acting skills so that I got continuously better. I worked on increasing my confidence so that I can keep up with the experienced actors, all the while reminding myself of just how happy I am to be involved in this project. 

Soma Saito as Inui Kazuomi

From the first day I took part, I was able to record with the other four by chance which I was very grateful for. Just as expected, the audition and promotional video recordings were a completely different experience. The feelings that hit me when I was voice acting with others were very comforting. From start to finish, the entire experience was very wholesome. Once we were done, everyone agreed that we wanted to do more voice acting together. Overall, it was an energizing and fulfilling experience. 

Shimazaki Nobunaga as Rio Yamamoto

I was keen to get to know Rio from the inside to the outside. The staff and cast were exceptionally wonderful to the extent that I was able to feel Rio as a separate being living in another world – even though it’s a fictional story. I had an incredibly fun time voice acting thanks to everyone. I am so excited to see the finished movie. 

When the sensational movie is dropped, we will all be able to witness the true skills and emotional power of the voice cast. The new films are bound to sweep the nation off its feet again. Stay tuned for more information.