Friday, 31 March 2017

ASIAN ROCK BAND ARTICLE: POPULAR OPENING SONGS FROM ANIME PART 1


Popular Opening Songs from Anime Part 1: Bleach - After Dark by Kung Fu Generation


It's not the first time Kung Fu Generation have performed opening songs for top anime series like Bleach, they have performed songs for some of the most popular series in anime history; Fullmetal Alchemist, Naruto, Boku dake ga Inou Machi, Tekkon Kinkreet and Yojouhan Shinba Taikei.

This opening theme performed by Asian Kung-Fu Generation punches its way into our ears to remind us that Ichigo and his friends have broken into Hueco Mundo to rescue Orihime Inoue who is now the evil Lord Aizen's captive in the castle of Las Noches. What the music does more than anything else is instil confidence in us that Ichigo will accomplish all he set out to do even before he went.


Formed in Yokohama in 1996, Kung Fu Generation is a rock band that has gone on to have some seriously good albums; Kimi Tsunagi Fire M (2003), Sol Fon (2004), Magic Disc (2010) and Wonder Future (2015). With key influences from Western punk and alternative rock bands they have mixed these influences with their love of local Japanese acts. As an indie rock band, they have exceeded their expectations by becoming a worldwide success with several music labels from Sony, Ki/oon Music, Tofu Records to JPU Records and Gan Shin.


Kung Fu Generation are most known for their powerful songs, thought provoking lyrics and the deep nature of what they are trying to project through their music. With After Dark, the music seems to bounce around, even with their hard guitar riffs it's one of their more optimistic songs I enjoyed before I watched the anime and one I would say was a firm favourite from the Bleach series.